International

UNITED NATIONS: Russia vetoed on Thursday the annual renewal of a panel of experts monitoring enforcement of United Nations sanctions against North Korea over its nuclear weapons and ballistic missile programmes. The move comes amid US-led accusations that North Korea has transferred weapons to Russia for use in Ukraine. Both Moscow and Pyongyang have denied the accusations, but vowed last …

WASHINGTON: The US State Department reassured the global community on Thursday of the United States’ ongoing commitment to preventing Afghanistan from serving as a base for terrorism. “We remain committed to ensuring that Afghanistan can never again be a launching pad for terrorism,” the department’s spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a news briefing in Washington. Responding to a question about …

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Thursday said that the recent Bisham attack would not impact the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and other aspects of bilateral cooperation between China and Pakistan. Re-emphasising both countries’ commitment to their strategic partnership and ongoing projects and highlighting the resilience of their collaboration, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch at the weekly media briefing said: “Pakistan …

NEW DELHI: An Indian court extended the custody of opposition leader and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal until April 1 on Thursday in a graft case related to the national capital territory’s liquor policy, local media said. India’s financial crime-fighting agency arrested Kejriwal last week in connection with corruption allegations related to the city’s liquor policy and he was remanded …

NEW YORK: Disgraced cryptocurrency wunderkind Sam Bankman-Fried was sentenced to 25 years in jail on Thursday following his conviction in one of the biggest financial fraud cases in history. US prosecutors were seeking a prison term of 40-50 years after a New York jury found Bankman-Fried, known by his initials SBF, guilty in November following a five-week trial that probed …

RAMALLAH: Palestinian Prime Minister Mohammad Mustafa formed a new cabinet on Thursday in which he will also serve as foreign minister, making an immediate ceasefire and Israeli withdrawal from Gaza a top priority, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported. Mustafa, an ally to President Mahmoud Abbas and a leading business figure, was appointed premier this month with a mandate to help reform the …

GENEVA: Gang violence in Haiti has killed over 1,500 people so far this year, including many children, while dozens have been lynched, stoned or burned alive by so-called self-defence brigades, the UN human rights office said on Thursday. Haiti’s shattering gang wars have intensified in recent weeks with heavily-armed rivals unleashing fresh waves of attacks, including raids on police stations and the …

BALTIMORE: The bodies of two construction workers were found in the cold waters of Baltimore harbour on Wednesday, trapped in their red pick-up truck after a giant cargo ship slammed into the bridge they had been filling potholes on, causing a thunderous collapse. Maryland police announced the grim discovery at a press conference, adding that sonar shows what they believe are more …

THE HAGUE: The world’s top court on Thursday ordered Israel to “ensure urgent humanitarian assistance” in Gaza without delay, saying “famine has set in”. The International Court of Justice’s latest order comes as heavy street battles continued to rage in besieged Gaza — and a major medical charity said it “hasn’t seen any change” since a United Nations Security Council …

Pakistan and Afghanistan reached certain agreements during trade talks in Kabul, including beginning negotiations on a revised transit trade agreement and implementing a temporary admission document (TAD) for trade vehicle drivers, officials said on Friday. Talks were held amid tensions following Pakistan’s March 18 airstrikes in Afghanistan’s Patika and Khost provinces in “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations”, which Afghan authorities said killed eight people. The Foreign …