International

JERUSALEM: Tens of thousands of far right Israelis marched through the Muslim quarter of Jerusalem’s walled old quarter under heavy security on Thursday in an annual event that further heightened tensions with Palestinians. The parade is the main event on “Jerusalem Day”, when Israel marks its capture of the city in the 1967 war. The event has become a show …

WASHINGTON: Instability in Pakistan could destabilise the entire region and lead to war, warns former US diplomat Zalmay Khalilzad while explaining why he is interested in recent developments in the country. Mr Khalilzad, who negotiated a US deal with the Taliban that led to withdrawal of Nato forces from Afghanistan, has recently posted a series of tweets on the situation …

WASHINGTON: As many as 66 US lawmakers have urged Secretary of State Antony Blinken to push for democracy and human rights in Pakistan, although the Biden administration is still reluctant to take sides in the current political dispute. “We write to express our concerns about the current situation in Pakistan and urge you to use all diplomatic tools at your …

MOSCOW: Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Wednesday that oil production cuts were required to maintain a certain price level, contradicting assurances from other leaders of the Opec+ group of producers that it was not seeking to manage the market in that way. The United States and Europe have accused Russia of weaponising energy to contain the West in its …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday launched the ‘Share Pakistan Portal’, a digital repository for an improved targeted communication between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its over 100 diplomatic missions abroad. Speaking at the launch event in collaboration with National Information Technology Board, the foreign minister said the portal would be the first step towards simplifying communication systems …

GENEVA: The United Nations on Wednesday said $3.03 billion would be needed to provide urgent aid in conflict-ravaged Sudan and for over one million expected to flee into neighbouring countries this year. Needs have soared since a bloody conflict erupted in Sudan last month, the UN said, dramatically revising up its response plan. “Today, 25 million people — more than …

WASHINGTON: At 95, US federal circuit judge Pauline Newman, who was appointed by president Ronald Reagan, is the oldest sitting federal judge in the United States. Now, some of her colleagues — worried about her mental competency — say it’s time for her to go. But Newman is fighting back, sparking an ongoing legal fight around her refusal to step …

PARIS: The James Webb Space Telescope has helped astronomers detect the first chemical signs of supermassive stars, ‘celestial monsters’ blazing with the brightness of millions of Suns in the early universe. So far, the largest stars observed anywhere have a mass of around 300 times that of our Sun. But the supermassive star described in a new study has an …

NEW YORK: Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle were involved in a “near catastrophic car chase” involving paparazzi in New York, a spokesperson for the couple said on Wednesday. The pair were uninjured in the incident on Tuesday night, which came almost 26 years after the Paris car crash that killed Harry’s mother, Princess Diana, which Harry blames on …

TEHRAN: Iran and Russia agreed on Wednesday to collaborate on the construction of the final part of a commercial transport network linking to the Gulf and India while avoiding Western sea lanes. Iranian Transport Minister Mehrdad Bazrpash, who signed the agreement with his Russian counterpart in Tehran, said the 164-kilometre railway in Iran’s north would be completed within three years. …