International

MILAN: Archeologists in Pompeii excavating a villa amid the ruins of the 79 AD volcanic eruption that destroyed the ancient city have discovered a room offers a very rare insight into the daily life of slaves, officials said on Saturday. Italy’s culture minister, Dario Franceschini, said the find was an important discovery that enriches the knowledge of the daily life …

UNITED NATIONS: The head of the UN body investigating the most serious crimes in Myanmar said that preliminary evidence collected since the military seized power on Feb 1 shows a widespread and systematic attack on civilians amounting to crimes against humanity. Nicholas Koumjian told UN reporters that the Independent Investigative Mechanism for Myanmar, which he heads, has received over 200,000 communications since …

GLASGOW: Thousands of climate protesters braved torrential rain in Glasgow on Saturday to take part in worldwide demonstrations against what campaigners say is a failure of crunch UN talks to bring about the radical action needed to tame global warming. Dozens of events are planned worldwide to demand cuts in fossil fuel use and immediate help for communities already affected …

FREETOWN: At least 99 people were killed and more than 100 injured in the capital of Sierra Leone late on Friday when a fuel tanker exploded following a collision, local authorities said. Fuel still appeared to be leaking from the wrecked tanker on Saturday morning as police and soldiers tried to clear large crowds of onlookers from the street, according …

UNITED NATIONS: The United Nations has warned that nearly 23 million people, or 55 per cent of the Afghan population, are in crisis or will experience emergency levels of food insecurity between now and March of next year. Speaking to journalists in New York, Deputy Spokesperson for the Secretary General Farhan Haq also pointed out that isolated clashes and violence …

NEW DELHI: India’s capital was blanketed by toxic air on Saturday as pollution levels remained dangerously high for a second day after revellers defied a fireworks ban during a major Hindu festival and farmers in nearby states burnt stubble. New Delhi’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 456 on a scale of 500, indicating “severe” pollution conditions that can …

Iraq’s Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhemi was “unharmed” in a “failed assassination attempt” after a drone attack on his official residence on Sunday night, his office said. “A drone tried to target the residence” of the premier, who was not injured, his office said in a statement. The attack in Baghdad’s Green Zone was the first to target the residence of …

Ninety-one people were killed in the capital of Sierra Leone on Friday when a fuel tanker exploded following a collision, the central morgue and local authorities said. The government has not yet confirmed the death toll, but the manager of the central state morgue in Freetown said it had received 91 bodies following the explosion. Victims included people who had …

NEW YORK: Pfizer’s experimental antiviral pill to treat Covid-19 cut by 89 percent the chances of hospitalisation or death for adults at risk of severe disease, the company said on Friday, as its CEO vowed to make this promising new weapon in the fight against the pandemic available globally as quickly as possible. The trial’s results suggest that the oral …

BEIJING: China vowed on Friday to punish “diehard” Taiwan politicians, saying it would ban several from visiting the mainland, as tensions between Beijing and Taipei spiked to their highest level in years. China claims Taiwan as its territory — to be seized one day, by force if necessary — and has intensified efforts in recent years to isolate the self-ruled …