International

WASHINGTON: The United States and Pakistan are holding regular consultations on issues other than Afghanistan and counterterrorism, US officials and Pakistani lawmakers say. On Friday afternoon, US Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy and Human Rights Uzra Zeya met Pakistan’s Ambassador Asad Majeed Khan for talks on bilateral issues other than terrorism and Afghanistan. After the meeting, Zeya …

ROME: G20 leaders have formally endorsed the global agreement for a minimum 15 percent corporate tax, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday, hailing it as a “historic” step. “Today, every G20 head of state endorsed a historic agreement on new international tax rules, including a global minimum tax that will end the damaging race to the bottom on …

BEIRUT: Kuwait followed Saudi Arabia and Bahrain by ordering the Lebanese charge d’affaires on Saturday to leave the emirate within two days over comments made by a Lebanese minister regarding the war in Yemen. Kuwait also recalled its ambassador from Beirut. Later on Saturday, the United Arab Emirates’ state-run WAM news agency said on Twitter that it would withdraw its diplomats from …

OTTAWA: The Canadian government asked the country’s federal court of appeal on Friday to overturn a landmark decision awarding billions in compensation to indigenous children, annou­ncing it would instead seek to negotiate a deal. Canada has said it believes the payments are necessary, but would rather iron out the details in talks. The money is meant to compensate for ind­i­g­enous …

ROME: British Prime Minister Boris Johnson complained to EU chief Ursula von der Leyen on Saturday that French threats over fishing were “completely unjustified” as a minister said London was “actively considering” invoking a Brexit dispute tool for the first time. For her part, Von Der Leyen tweeted that the European Commission was “intensively engaging for finding solutions” on both …

Taliban supreme leader Haibatullah Akhundzada reportedly addressed supporters in the southern city of Kandahar, officials announced on Sunday, his first public appearance since taking control of the group in 2016. Akhundzada has been the spiritual chief of the movement since 2016 but has remained a reclusive figure, even after his group seized power in Afghanistan in August. His low profile …

Bitcoin, the rogue digital currency, is a fixture in the news. Last week, the formal launch of the very first Bitcoin exchange-traded fund raked in investment worth 550 million dollars on just the first day alone. And Bitcoin prices hit an all-time high, crossing 66,000 dollars per Bitcoin. Crypto-mania is surging in Pakistan too: we reportedly rank third globally, behind India and …

LONDON: A British Pakistani man who was charged earlier this year with the conspiracy to murder exiled Pakistani blogger Ahmad Waqas Goraya entered a not guilty plea at the Kingston-upon-Thames Crown Court on Friday. The trial date for the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) versus Muhammad Gohir Khan has been set for Jan 11, 2022 with the trial expected to last …

KHARTOUM: Furious Sudanese anti-coup protesters vowed to press ahead on Friday with a campaign of civil disobedience, following deadly clashes with security forces during demonstrations against a widely condemned military takeover. At least eight people have been killed and 170 wounded in protests since the army’s power grab earlier this week, including one demonstrator who died in violence overnight Thursday …

ROME: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday challenged the G-20 leaders to overcome dangerous levels of mistrust among themselves and between developed and developing nations to try to avoid climate catastrophe as well as narrow an immoral gap on global vaccine distribution and pandemic recovery aid. Guterres spoke to reporters in Rome on the eve of the Group of 20 …