International

WASHINGTON: The Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing that featured a testimony from Donald Lu elicited mixed reactions from US-based experts. While supporters of the PTI seemed unhappy with his categorical rejection of the charges, they saw a tacit confirmation of the existence of a regime change threat, in his words before the US House. However, others quickly seized on Mr Lu’s rejection of …

WASHINGTON: Global average sea levels rose by about 0.3 inches (one-third of an inch) from 2022 to 2023 — nearly four times the increase of the previous year — Nasa said on Thursday, attributing the “significant jump” to a strong El Nino and a warming climate. The Nasa-led analysis is based on more than 30 years of satellite observations, with …

TULKAREM: As the US top diplomat on Thursday called for an “immediate ceasefire” in war-torn Gaza, an Israeli air strike and gunfire have killed four Palestinians at the Nur Shams refugee camp in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian Red Crescent said on social media platform X that its “ambulance teams have just transported an 18-year-old man who was killed …

UNITED NATIONS: The UN General Assembly on Thursday called for the development of a set of international guidelines to address the risks and benefits of artificial intelligence. The resolution, co-sponsored by dozens of countries and adopted by consensus, emphasises the necessity of guidelines “to promote safe, secure and trustworthy artificial intelligence systems,” while excluding military AI from its purview. On …

Narendra Modi’s government has approached a major Indian think tank to develop a homegrown democracy ratings index that could help it counter recent downgrades in rankings issued by international groups that New Delhi fears could affect the country’s credit rating, Al Jazeera reported on Thursday. The Observer Research Foundation (ORF), which works closely with the Indian government on multiple initiatives, is preparing the ratings …

MEULABOH: Dozens of Rohingya refugees stranded on the rusty hull of a capsized ship were rescued on Thursday after the dehydrated and sunburnt group had drifted at sea for more than a day. The group included 69 men, women and children, some of whom had been at sea for weeks on a rickety wooden boat from squalid camps in Bangladesh …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi landed in Bhutan on Friday for a two-day state visit to the tiny but strategic Himalayan nation also being courted by China. Landlocked Bhutan, known for its policy of prioritising “Gross National Happiness” over growth, has long been regarded by New Delhi as a buffer state firmly within its orbit. India is determined not to let …

Australia and Britain said on Friday that a landmark deal to develop AUKUS nuclear-powered submarines would go ahead, despite mounting fears about costs, capabilities and the possible return of Donald Trump. Under the fledgling AUKUS deal, the two countries along with the United States have pledged to beef up their military muscle in a bid to counter China’s rise. Defence chiefs this …

A top Indian opposition politician appeared in court on Friday to fight his arrest in a case supporters say is aimed at sidelining challengers to Prime Minister Narendra Modi before next month’s election. Arvind Kejriwal, chief minister of the capital Delhi and a key leader in an opposition alliance formed to compete against Modi in the polls, was detained on Thursday in …

BRUSSELS: Highlighting the importance of nuclear energy in combating climate change, Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Thursday called for the international financial institutions and banks to support nuclear energy projects in developing countries to enable them to meet their energy needs and achieve zero emissions goals. Mr Dar stated this during his meeting with Intern­ational Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) …