International

ISTANBUL: The United States warned Turkiye in recent days about the export to Russia of chemicals, microchips and other products that can be used in Moscow’s war effort in Ukraine, and it could move to punish Turkish companies or banks contravening sanctions. Brian Nelson, the US Treasury Department’s top sanctions official, visited Turkish government and private sector officials on Thursday …

NEW DELHI: A Delhi court on Saturday discharged student activists Sharjeel Imam, Safoora Zargar, Asif Iqbal Tanha, and eight others in a case connected to incidents of violence at Jamia Millia Islamia university in Dec 2019. Mr Imam will, however, remain in custody in another case he shares with former Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student leader Umar Khalid under the more stringent …

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Saturday fired an aide who said he wouldn’t want to live next to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender couples and warned that people would flee Japan if same-sex marriage was permitted. In remarks reported by local media, Masayoshi Arai, an economy and trade official who joined Kishida’s staff as a secretary in October, …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will ask the supreme leader of Afghanistan’s Taliban to rein in militants in Pakistan after a suicide bombing killed scores of police in a mosque, officials said on Saturday. Since the Taliban returned to power in Kabul, Pakistan has witnessed a dramatic uptick in attacks in regions bordering Afghanistan, where militants use rugged terrain to stage assaults and …

WASHINGTON/BEIJING: As the UN urged both sides to lower tensions in the aftermath of a suspected Chinese ‘spy balloon’ in American airspace, the United States claimed to have spotted another surveillance balloon though Beijing claimed China has never violated the territory and airspace of any sovereign country. “We are concerned with whenever there are heightened tensions between China and the …

NEW YORK: A “generational” Arctic blast brought dangerously cold temperatures to swaths of the northeastern United States and Canada on Saturday, with forecasters warning that frostbite can occur in just five minutes. Atop Mount Washington in New Hampshire state, the wind-chill factor reached minus 78 degrees Celsius (minus 108 degrees Fahrenheit) overnight, the National Weather Service (NWS) said. That broke …

TEHRAN: Iran slammed UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi after the agency raised concerns over covert changes to equipment at its Fordo uranium enrichment plant, state media said on Saturday. The criticism of Mr Grossi comes after the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) director-general said he plans to visit Tehran in February for talks on getting it to increase cooperation …

WASHINGTON: The Memphis Police Department on Friday said it had fired a sixth officer involved in the arrest of Tyre Nichols, the 29-year-old African American whose fatal beating shocked the nation. Preston Hemphill, who had been in the southern US city’s police force since 2018, “violated multiple departmental policies,” including on “personal conduct,” “truthfulness” and regulations on Taser gun use, …

KARACHI: The Sindh government is learnt to have taken notice of the partial closure of Karachi Zoological Gardens, better known as Karachi Zoo, for the public on Feb 3 at the behest of a senior government official for the sake of a private function. Sources said that Local Government Secretary Najam Shah and his family had arranged a birthday party …

BULAWAYO: West Indies cricket legend Brian Lara has fond memories of the southwestern Zimbabwe city of Bulawayo where he scored 191 in a Test innings 20 years ago. The 53-year-old was back at the Queens Sports Club, the scene of his 203-ball knock, this week in a new role as West Indies performance mentor. His maiden mission is to assist …