International

ISLAMABAD: Noting that the melting of glaciers in the Himalayan region affects the water needs of the billions that live in South Asia, a noted climate scientist has urged Pakistan to decarbonise and avoid following the footsteps of the high-emitters in the developed world. Prof Jean-Pascal van Ypersele, a former vice chair of the UN’s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change …

TAFTAN: Iranian authorities on Sunday deported 77 illegal Pakistani immigrants via MirJaveh-Taftan border near Chagai district. According to official sources, 31 people from Punjab, 19 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, eight from Balochistan and 19 from Sindh were among the deportees who were handed over to Levies Force officials at Rahdari Gate at Taftan. Initial interrogation suggested that the migrants were aiming …

LONDON: Britain’s finance minister on Sunday said “people’s confidence” in the BBC needed to be restored as the broadcaster’s boss vowed not to quit amid the chaos surrounding Gary Lineker’s removal as Match of the Day host. Lineker was forced to “step back” from his duties presenting the flagship Premier League highlights show after accusing the UK government of using Nazi-era rhetoric …

BEIJING: China unexpectedly kept its central bank governor and finance minister in their posts at the annual session of the rubber-stamp parliament on Sunday, prioritising continuity as economic challenges loom at home and abroad. President Xi Jinping, who has been installing allies in key roles in a government reshuffle as he begins a third five-year term, broke with convention to retain Yi …

JERUSALEM: The Saudi-Iran detente sets back Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to isolate Tehran, but time will tell whether it also hinders his outreach to Riyadh or planning for any eventual military strike against Iranian nuclear sites. The more pressing worry for Israel, some experts argue, is that Friday’s Chinese-brokered deal between the top Muslim powers suggests the United States is …

NEW DELHI: The fact that Australian batsman Usman Khawaja was initially denied an Indian visa because of his Pakistani origins has been blamed on the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by Australian sports writers and Indian cricket enthusiasts alike. That Khawaja cracked a century at the first outing at Ahmedabad, where the prime ministers of India and Australia took an …

Inter-Provincial Coordination Minister Ehsan Ur Rehman Mazari on Sunday termed politics the only impediment to the restoration of cricket between Pakistan and India. In an exclusive interview on Dawn News programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ that will be aired at 7pm tonight, the PPP leader said the government was willing to indulge in “cricket diplomacy” with the arch-rival neighbour. Pakistan lacks a federal sports …

US Congressman Brad Sherman has raised concerns over what he said was the continuous violation of human rights and democracy in Pakistan and called on the government to ensure freedom of speech and the application of rule of law in the country. Sherman is a Democrat representing California’s 32nd congressional district. Earlier, he tweeted that he spoke over the phone …

BEIRUT: Suspected Islamic State group militants on Saturday killed three truffle hunters and kidnapped at least 26 others in northern Syria, a war monitor said. “Armed men likely affiliated with IS cells targeted truffle hunters in the desert southeast of Aleppo, killing three by cutting their throats and kidnapping at least 26 others, including women,” said the Syrian Observa­tory for …

WASHINGTON: The world’s first 3D printed rocket is scheduled to blast off from Florida on Saturday on the maiden flight of an innovative spacecraft billed as being less costly to produce and fly. Liftoff of the rocket, Terran 1, had been scheduled for Wednesday at Cape Canaveral but was postponed at the last minute because of propellant temperature issues. The …