International

SEOUL: Kim Jong Un supervised the test-firing of a new guided weapons system to improve North Korea’s “tactical nukes”, state media said on Sunday, capping days of celebrations surrounding the birthday of the country’s founding leader. The launch was the latest in an unprecedented blitz of sanctions-busting weapons-tests this year, which included firing an intercontinental ballistic missile at full range …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday penned a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, calling on him to resolve the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in the “interest of mutual peace and prosperity” for India and Pakistan. Modi had congratulated the premier on his April 11 election as the prime minister and said India desired peace and stability in the region. PM …

STOCKHOLM: Plans by a far-right group to publicly burn copies of the holy Quran sparked violent clashes with counter-demonstrators for the third day running in Sweden, police said on Sunday. Litter bins, a bus and a car were all set on fire in a series of incidents in the southern city of Malmo overnight, police said in a statement. “The …

WASHINGTON: The latest US State Department report on human rights has highlighted major violations in India, including extrajudicial killings by government agents, violence against Muslims and killings by government and non-government forces in occupied Kashmir. The report — released earlier this week — coincided with a warning by a senior US official that there would be consequences if India increased …

Five “powerful” Russian missiles hit Lviv on Monday, a city in the west of the Ukraine that has so far been spared much of the fighting since Russia invaded its pro-Western neighbour nearly two months ago, the city’s mayor said. A Lviv resident told AFP they could see thick clouds of grey smoke in the sky above residential buildings. The city’s mayor, …

Far-right wing website InfoWars on Sunday filed for voluntary Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the US Bankruptcy Court for the Southern District of Texas in the face of multiple defamation lawsuits. Chapter 11 bankruptcy procedures put a hold on all civil litigation matters and allow companies to prepare turnaround plans while remaining operational. Alex Jones, founder of InfoWars, was found …

Sri Lanka’s worst economic crisis has triggered an unprecedented wave of spontaneous protests as the island nation of 22 million people struggles with prolonged power cuts and a shortage of essentials, including fuel and medicines. President Gotabaya Rajapaksa’s government has come under growing pressure for its mishandling of the economy, and the country has suspended foreign debt payments in an …

TUNIS: A tanker carrying 750 tonnes of diesel fuel from Egypt to Malta sank Saturday off Tunisia’s southeast coast, but officials said a large spill could be avoided. The crew of the Xelo vessel had issued a distress call on Friday evening and sought shelter in Tunisian waters from bad weather before going down in the Gulf of Gabes in …

KYIV: Ukraine’s richest man has pledged to help rebuild the besieged city of Mariupol, a place close to his heart where he owns two vast steelworks that he says will once again compete globally. Rinat Akhmetov has seen his business empire shattered by eight years of fighting in Ukraine’s east but remains defiant, sure that what he calls “our brave …

BEIJING: Three Chinese astronauts returned to Earth on Saturday after 183 days in space, marking the end of China’s longest crewed mission as it continues its quest to become a major space power. The Shenzhou-13 spacecraft was the latest mission in Beijing’s drive to rival the United States, after landing a rover on Mars and sending probes to the Moon. …