International

Rescuers desperately searched for signs of life on Saturday after a methane blast at a coal mine in northern Turkey killed at least 28 people and trapped dozens of others hundreds of metres underground.     Updating the death toll, Health Minister Fahrettin Koca also tweeted that 11 others pulled out alive were being treated in hospital after one of …

United States President Joe Biden said Pakistan may be “one of the most dangerous nations in the world” as the country has “nuclear weapons without any cohesion”, it emerged on Saturday. He made the remarks while addressing a Democratic congressional campaign committee reception on Thursday. A transcript of the address, published on the White House’s website, quoted Biden as saying: “… And …

BAGHDAD: Despite a rocket attack on Baghdad’s Green Zone, Iraqi lawmakers on Thursday elected a new president who swiftly named a prime minister in hopes of ending a year of political gridlock and violence in the war-scarred nation. Abdel Latif Rashid, a 78-year-old Iraqi Kurd, was elected as head of state, replacing Barham Saleh, by the assembly in the capital’s …

LONDON: President Vladimir Putin touted Turkiye on Thursday as the best route for redirecting gas supplies to the European Union after Nord Stream pipeline leaks, while Western nations focused on efforts to cut energy consumption. Putin told his Turkish counterpart Tayyip Erdogan that Turkiye could act as a gas hub, having already suggested on Wednesday that Russia could reroute supplies …

ISLAMABAD: Highligh­ting the human rights abuses in India-held Kashmir (IHK), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday urged regional countries to take notice of the violations that he said manifested the “Indian policy of preferring bullet over ballot”. He said New Delhi had also blatantly disregarded the UN Security Council’s resolution on holding a plebiscite in Kashmir. “Through constructive dialogue, we …

UNITED NATIONS: After the United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly voted to condemn Russia’s annexation of parts of Ukraine, Moscow on Thursday accused the West of using “diplomatic terror” to achieve its goals. The General Assembly had, on Wednesday, approved the resolution with 143 in favor and five against, but 35 nations abstained, including China, India, South Africa and Pakistan despite …

WASHINGTON: Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, once considered key US allies, are not even mentioned in the US National Security Strategy 2022, which identifies China as “America’s most consequential geopolitical challenge”. The 48-page document, released on Wednesday evening, does mention terrorism and other geo-strategic threats in the South and Central Asian region, but unlike the recent past, it does not name …

WASHINGTON: The United States and Saudi Arabia traded barbs on Thursday over last week’s OPEC+ oil output cut, with Washington accusing Riyadh of knowingly boosting Russian interests. The Saudi-led OPEC+ cartel — which includes Russia — angered the White House by cutting production by two million barrels a day from November, raising fears that oil prices would soar. Saudi Arabia …

ISLAMABAD: India responded angrily on Thursday after Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif pointed to human rights violations in held Kashmir and repression of minorities in the country at a regional conference, while reiterating the offer of dialogue for the sake of regional peace and prosperity. Addressing the Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measures (CICA) in Astana, PM Sharif said: “Indian …

Five people including an off-duty police officer were shot dead in the North Carolina capital of Raleigh on Thursday, triggering a massive manhunt that shut down part of the city for hours and resulted in the arrest of a juvenile suspect, officials said. Two people were wounded: a police officer who was treated and released and a person in hospital …