International

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud said on Tuesday that the kingdom is looking to expand the dimensions of its relationship with Pakistan through the Saudi-Pakistan Supreme Coordination Council (SP-SCC). Prince Faisal was speaking at a press conference alongside Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in Islamabad, where he arrived earlier today for a day-long visit, after the …

National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf left for an official visit to the US on Monday as part of high-level engagements agreed between him and his American counterpart, Jake Sullivan, during their first meeting in Geneva in May. During the visit, Yusuf will meet Sullivan to review the progress on bilateral engagement between the US and Pakistan. He will also call on …

ISLAMABAD: In a late night development on Monday, Zahir Jaffer, who is accused of killing Noor Mukadam, confessed to committing the crime. A police officer close to the investigation told Dawn on condition of anonymity that the accused made the confession during interrogation. “A statement of Zahir Jaffer is being recorded and he will also be produced before a magistrate to record …

JERUSALEM: Two Israeli carriers on Sunday launched nonstop commercial flights to Marrakesh from Tel Aviv following the upgrading of diplomatic relations last year between Morocco and Israel. Israel and Morocco agreed last December to upgrade diplomatic ties and relaunch direct flights — part of a deal brokered by the United States that also included Washington’s recognition of Moroccan sovereignty over …

PAPEETE: French President Emmanuel Macron faced pressure to apologise for the devastating impact of decades of nuclear testing as he kicked off his first official trip to French Polynesia. During his four-day visit, Macron plans to address the legacy of nuclear testing from 1966 to 1996 as France developed atomic weapons, as well as discuss the South Pacific territory’s strategic …

NINGBO: Typhoon In-Fa uprooted trees and drenched communities in knee-deep water in parts of eastern China, but there were no reports of major damage as it made landfall on Sunday. Sea, air and rail traffic had been shut down across a swathe of the coast centered on the major shipping port of Ningbo, where the weakening typhoon rumbled ashore around …

LONDON: British health minister Sajid Javid apologised for and deleted a tweet urging people to take a Covid-19 vaccine and not to “cower” from the virus, saying on Sunday he had made “a poor choice of word”. Javid, who replaced Matt Hancock as health minister last month after his predecessor stepped down for breaking Covid rules by kissing an aide …

MUMBAI: The death toll from flooding and landslides triggered by heavy monsoon rains in India climbed to 127 on Sunday, officials said, with rescuers searching for dozens more missing. The country’s western coast has been inundated by torrential rains since Thursday, with the India Meteorological Department warning of further downpours over the next few days. Flooding and landslides are common …

Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud will visit Pakistan on Tuesday to discuss bilateral ties as well as “regional and international issues” with his Pakistani counterpart, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the Foreign Office (FO) said on Monday. “The two foreign ministers will exchange views on the entire gamut of Pak-Saudi ties, and regional and international issues,” the FO …

BERLIN: German politicians across the political spectrum on Sunday criticised a warning by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s chief of staff that restrictions for unvaccinated people may be necessary if Covid-19 infection numbers reach new heights in the coming months. Chief of staff Helge Braun told the newspaper Bild am Sonntag that he doesn’t expect another coronavirus-related lockdown in Germany. But Braun said that …