International

MOSCOW: Russia took the rare step of dispatching two nuclear-capable strategic bombers to patrol Belarusian airspace on Wednesday in a show of support to close ally Belarus at a time when it is locked in a migrant standoff with the European Union. Moscow’s decision to up the ante came as the 27-nation bloc considered sanctions on Wednesday to punish Minsk …

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said on Thursday that it was crucial for the international community to avoid repeating mistakes of the past and pursue positive engagements in order to avert economic collapse or an all-out civil war from breaking out in Afghanistan,. Addressing the opening session of the two-day meeting of Troika Plus — comprising US, Russia, China and …

WASHINGTON: The United States has refused to give any “specific reaction” to Islamabad’s decision to start a dialogue with the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) adding that the two countries still had “alignment of interest” on Afghanistan. US media reports noted that on Monday Pakistan and the TTP agreed on a “complete cease-fire” as the two sides negotiated an end to …

BEIRUT: The United Arab Emirates foreign minister met Syrian President Bashar al Assad in Damascus on Tuesday, a sign of improving ties between Assad and a US-allied Arab state that once supported rebels trying to overthrow him. Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed is the most senior Emirati dignitary to visit Syria in the decade since the eruption of a …

GLASGOW: The United Nations climate summit in Glasgow has made some serious toddler steps towards cutting emissions but far from the giant leaps needed to limit global warming to internationally accepted goals, two new analyses and top officials said on Tuesday. And time is running out on the two weeks of negotiations. The president of the climate talks, Alok Sharma, …

OSLO: Norwegian police said they shot and killed a knife-wielding man who threatened several people early on Tuesday in central Oslo before attacking a patrol car that arrived on the scene. A policeman was injured as the officers tried to arrest the attacker in the capital’s Bislett neighbourhood, police told a press conference. No details about the identity of the …

WASHINGTON: Four astronauts returned to Earth on Monday in a SpaceX craft after spending six months on the International Space Station, a Nasa live broadcast showed, marking the end of a busy mission. The international crew conducted thousands of experiments in orbit and helped upgrade the solar panels on the ISS during their “Crew-2” mission. Its descent slowed by four …

GLASGOW: Tuvalu’s foreign minister has filmed a video address to be shown at a UN climate summit on Tuesday standing thigh deep in seawater and pleading for help as his country slips beneath rising oceans. In the video, Simon Kofe tells delegates that “climate change and sea-level rise are deadly and existential risks for Tuvalu and low-lying atoll nations”. “We …

ISLAMABAD: Afghan Interim Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi will arrive here on Wednesday (today) on a three-day visit to Pakistan as head of a delegation for wide-ranging talks with the authorities. A statement issued by the Foreign Office said the visit was taking place as a follow-up to Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s visit to Kabul on Oct 21. The talks will …

DHAKA: Bangladesh’s former chief justice was sentenced in absentia to 11 years in jail for corruption on Tuesday, in a case that opposition groups and supporters say is politically motivated. Surendra Kumar Sinha, 70, headed the Supreme Court when it ruled in 2017 that parliament could not sack judges, a move hailed by lawyers as safeguarding judicial independence. Sinha left …