International

TEL AVIV: The Palestinians on Sunday slammed Israel for rejecting the promised reopening of the US consulate in Jerusalem, a move that would restore Washington’s main diplomatic mission for the Palestinians in the contested city. Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said late on Saturday there was no room in Jerusalem for another American mission. The Trump administration shuttered the US …

ISLAMABAD: The Taliban-run Afghan public health ministry announced on Sunday the start of a four-day nationwide polio vaccination campaign aimed at inoculating children under age five. The four-day campaign will start on Monday (today) and take place countrywide. For the past three years before taking control of Afghanistan, the Taliban had barred UN-organised vaccination teams from doing door-to-door campaigns in …

Freetown: A massive explosion at a petrol station in Sierra Leone’s capital Freetown has killed 92 people, the country’s vice president said on Saturday. Hospitals were treating 88 more people for severe burns, said Vice-President Mohamed Juldeh Jalloh, who arrived at the scene on Saturday along with several local officials. A rescue worker and a nurse had earlier confirmed at …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Iran have agreed to take measures to expand the annual trade exchanges to $5 billion by the year 2023. “Understanding of the new trade target was reached during the ninth meeting of Iran-Pakistan Joint Trade Committee held in Tehran,” said a commerce ministry official announcement released on Saturday. Iranian Minister of Industry, Mines and Trade Reza Fatemi …

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 …