International

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan played a key role, both in and out of the United Nations, in the adoption of March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia. On Tuesday, Pakistan presented a resolution in the UN General Assembly that called for designating a special day for this purpose. It was adopted by consensus by the 193-member world body. Fifty-five, …

Tens of thousands of Japanese households remained without power on Thursday morning after a magnitude 7.4 quake struck shortly before midnight, throwing a swathe of northeastern Japan into darkness, severing key transportation links and killing four. Companies including Toyota Motor Corp and chipmaker Renesas Electronics Corp raced to assess the impact, with any supply chain disruption likely to add pressure …

NEW DELHI: India is exploring options for buying Russian crude oil, authorities said on Tuesday, with prices there plunging to record lows in the wake of a global backlash to the Ukraine conflict. New Delhi enjoys historic diplomatic and defence ties with Moscow, hosting a rare overseas trip by President Vladimir Putin late last year, and has called for an …

COLOMBO: A huge crowd tried to storm the Sri Lankan president’s seaside office on Tuesday as anger flared over runaway prices brought about by the worst financial crisis in the island’s modern history. The cost of food, medicine and other essential goods have risen dramatically across the South Asian nation, with long queues outside petrol stations and rolling blackouts now …

WASHINGTON: Sixteen US physicians and healthcare workers — including at least half a dozen medical practitioners of Pakistan descent — have been sentenced to prison for collecting more than $250 million through healthcare fraud and opioid distribution schemes. Seven others have also been convicted but await sentencing. Those already sentenced face from 8 months to 15 years in prison along …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday rejected India’s latest explanation on the firing of a missile into Pakistani territory and questioned Washington’s ambiguous stance on the issue, saying it was too serious a matter to be taken lightly. The corps commanders of the Pakistan Army also expressed concern over the incident and said it could have endangered “regional peace and …

NABLUS: Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in separate shootings in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, the latest in a flurry of deadly clashes as a US envoy tours the region seeking to ease tensions. A 16-year-old died in an exchange of fire with troops carrying out an arrest raid outside the northern city of Nablus, the Palestinian health ministry …

MOSCOW: A live evening news programme on Russia’s state television channel was interrupted on Monday by a person who walked into the studio holding a poster protesting the war in Ukraine. The moment was a risky protest in a country where independent media has been blocked or shuttered and it has become illegal to contradict the government’s narrative of the …

BANGALORE: An Indian court upheld a local ban on wearing the hijab in classrooms on Tuesday, weeks after the edict stoked violent protests and renewed fears of discrimination against the country’s Muslim minority. Southern Karnataka state was on edge for several weeks after a small group of girls in their late teens were prevented from wearing the garment on school …

MOSCOW: Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Tuesday that Moscow had received guarantees from Washington on its ability to trade with Tehran as part of ongoing talks to salvage the Iran nuclear deal. “We received written guarantees. They are included in the text of the agreement itself on the resumption of the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action on the …