International

Sixteen people, including three Pakistanis, were killed and nine were injured in a Dubai residential building fire on Saturday, local media said on Sunday. The fire engulfed the five-storey building in the Al-Ras neighbourhood, one of the oldest parts of Dubai and home to many migrant workers and traders, on Saturday afternoon, according to Abu Dhabi-based newspaper The National. Local media …

US President Joe Biden said on Thursday that investigators were closing in on the source of the leak of highly classified US intelligence documents, in what is believed to be the most serious security breach in a decade. The Department of Justice opened a formal criminal probe last week after the matter was referred by the Pentagon, which is assessing the damage done by …

NEW DELHI: An Indian farmer whose extraordinary bond with a large bird made him a social media star has asked for his feathered friend to be set free after it was captured by wildlife authorities. Mohammad Arif rescued the injured Sarus — a crimson-necked wetlands crane that can grow up to 1.8 metres in height — and nursed it back …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan once again warned the international community against abandoning Afghanistan, which is currently facing a humanitarian crisis and needs urgent assistance to survive. Speaking at the Ministerial Meeting of the Neighbours of Afghanistan in Samarkand on Thursday, Minister of State Hina Rabbani Khar called for ‘patience’ and ‘reciprocity’, saying that the international community should continue to engage with the …

DOHA: Qatar and Bahrain announced late on Wednesday that they had agreed to end a long-running diplomatic feud and re-establish relations. Bahrain in 2017 joined Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in imposing a diplomatic blockade on Qatar. The countries’ rivalry goes back even further, however, and Bahrain is the last to renew ties. Agreement on the reconciliation …

A 74-year-old man who was extradited from Pakistan appeared in court in London on Thursday, charged with murdering a UK police officer nearly 18 years ago. Piran Ditta Khan is accused of killing Sharon Beshenivsky, who was shot as she tried to foil a robbery at a travel agency in November 2005. Beshenivsky’s female colleague was also injured in the …

DUBLIN: US President Joe Biden on Thursday declared “I’m home” as he was feted on a visit to his ancestral homeland Ireland, whose story he said proved the triumph of hope over despair. Gearing up for a potential election rematch against Donald Trump, the Irish-American Democrat dwelt on the success of Irish emigres in carving out a new life far …

WASHINGTON: Countries must do more to avert the costly consequences of growing global trade fragmentation, and help avert a “second Cold War,” the Interna­tional Monetary Fund’s (IMF) managing director said on Thursday. “I am among those who know what are the consequences of a Cold War: it is loss of talent and contribution to the world,” Kristalina Georgieva said during …

WASHINGTON: FBI agents on Thursday arrested a young national guardsman suspected of being behind a major leak of sensitive US government secrets — including about the Ukraine war. US Attorney General Merrick Garland announced the arrest made “in connection with an investigation into alleged unauthorised removal, retention and transmission of classified national defense information”. Addressing a news briefing, Garland named …

A major prisoner exchange involving hundreds of captives from Yemen’s civil war got underway on Friday after truce talks ended with an agreement to hold a second round. The first plane departed Sanaa, the rebel-held capital, for government-controlled Aden hours after a Saudi delegation departed without a fresh truce but with plans to meet again. Both initiatives come a month …