International

MOSCOW: Russia’s defence ministry said on Saturday it had resumed “offensive actions” in Ukraine after announcing a ceasefire earlier in the day to allow residents of two besieged cities to evacuate. However, Ukrainian officials said Russian artillery fire and air strikes had prevented residents from leaving before the agreed-to evacuations got under way. President Vladimir Putin accused Ukraine of sabotaging the effort …

IRPIN: Exploding shells blew apart roadsides on Saturday and Russian warplanes bombed stretches of the horizon as thousands of Ukrainians scrambled to escape Kyiv’s war-shattered outskirts by any means possible. The roads on Kyiv’s western edge bear witness to a human tragedy whose scale grows ever greater as Russia’s assault on the Ukrainian capital becomes more determined and indiscriminate. The …

Saudi Arabia said on Saturday it was lifting most Covid restrictions including social distancing in public spaces and quarantine for vaccinated arrivals, moves that could facilitate the arrival of Muslim pilgrims. The decision includes suspending “social distancing measures in all open and closed places” including mosques, the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) cited an interior ministry source as saying. Masks will only be required …

A promised ceasefire in the besieged port city of Mariupol collapsed amid scenes of terror but a pro-Russian official said safe-passage corridors would open again for city residents on Sunday, while Russian President Vladimir Putin warned that the ongoing resistance is putting Ukrainian statehood in jeopardy and likened the West’s sanctions on Russia to “declaring war”. With the Kremlin’s rhetoric growing fiercer …

WASHINGTON / ISLAMABAD: The United States said on Friday it had informed Pakistan the war in Ukraine could have both regional and global consequences, even as the Foreign Office objected to the issuance of a press release by a group of 23 envoys earlier this week, saying the move was undiplomatic. “We have briefed the government of Pakistan on the impact that Russia’s unprovoked …

STOCKHOLM: A court in Sweden on Friday sentenced a mother to six years in jail for allowing her son to fight for the militant Islamic State (IS) group as a child soldier in Syria. The 49-year-old was convicted of aggravated war crimes, violations of international law and for “not stopping her son, then aged 12 to 15, from being recruited …

DOHA: Surfing on Wi-Fi and enjoying free meals in comfortable town houses in Qatar, Afghans who fled their country have shrugged off the Taliban’s claims they are living in miserable conditions. Despite an uncertain future, the Afghans of Doha’s Park View Villas insist there is no way they will go back to their homeland under the Islamists, no matter what …

GENEVA: In a diplomatic victory for Ukraine, the UN Human Rights Council on Friday overwhelmingly voted to create a top-level investigation into violations committed following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. However, in a setback for the war-torn country, Nato declined to impose a no-fly-zone over it, despite Kyiv’s appeals for urgent measures to stop Russian bombardments. Thirty-two members of the 47-seat …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Friday agreed to promote science and technology linkages and cooperation between the youths to benefit the people of two countries. The bilateral ties were discussed in a meeting between President Arif Alvi and his Uzbek counterpart Shavkat Mirziyoyev, who visited the Aiwan-i-Sadr on Friday before wrapping up his two-day official tour to Islamabad. The two …

VIENNA: Indirect talks between Iran and the United States on reviving the 2015 Iran nuclear deal are close to reaching an agreement, the chief British envoy said on Friday as she and her French and German colleagues flew home to brief ministers. “We are close. E3 negotiators leaving Vienna briefly to update Ministers on state of play. Ready to return …