ISLAMABAD: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has said that people in 90 per cent of the countries faced disruption to essential health services since the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic. In its survey ‘Rapid assessment of continuity of essential health services during the Covid-19 pandemic’, the WHO said that the low- and middle-income countries had reported the greatest difficulties. “Most …

ABU DHABI: A US-Israeli delegation, led by White House adviser Jared Kushner, arrived here on Monday on the historic first commercial flight from Tel Aviv to mark the normalisation of ties between the Jewish state and the UAE. In another breakthrough, Saudi Arabia allowed the flight to cross its airspace, halving what would otherwise have been a long trip around the Arabian …

ISLAMABAD: As bilateral meetings between Pakistan and Afghanistan under the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity (APAPPS) resumed on Monday, both sides vowed to make the best of this engagement framework for addressing the challenges that keep plaguing their ties. “The two sides reiterated their commitment to optimally utilise APAPPS to deliberate on all key issues, effectively address common …

WASHINGTON: Police used chemical irritants to disperse protesters from streets around the White House on Monday as President Donald Trump claimed Democrats had lost control over the “Black Lives Matter” movement. Thousands gathered in Washington this weekend to protest racism and alleged police brutality. The rallies began on Friday evening and continued till Monday morning, splitting into small groups and …

NEW DELHI: India’s top court imposed a symbolic one rupee fine (one US cent) on Monday on a celebrated public service lawyer for contempt in a case that raised concern about free speech in the world’s largest democracy. Prashant Bhushan said after the decision that he would pay the fine, but did not apologise for two tweets he wrote in …

Saudi Arabia’s King Salman sacked two royals and referred them along with four military officers for investigation into corruption at the defence ministry in a royal decree issued early on Tuesday and carried by state media. The decree said Prince Fahd bin Turki bin Abdulaziz Al Saud would be removed as commander of joint forces in the Saudi-led coalition fighting …

KARACHI: Traders in the old city areas — dealing with the bulk of country’s wholesale trade — on Monday continued to struggle with stagnant rainwater and assessing inventory losses while industrialists in different areas gave a mixed picture of production activities and export activities on the first day of the week. Korangi Association of Trade and Industry President Sheikh Umer Rehan …

BEIRUT: Lebanon’s under-fire leaders on Monday designated a new prime minister, diplomat Mustapha Adib, to tackle the country’s deep political and economic crisis, hours before French President Emmanuel Macron was due to visit. Mustapha Adib, 48, Lebanon’s former envoy to Germany, gave a televised speech acknowledging the “need to form a government in record time and to begin implementing reforms …

The United Arab Emirates has betrayed the Islamic world and the Palestinians by reaching a deal towards normalising ties with Israel, Iran’s top authority Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said in a speech on Tuesday. “Of course, the UAE’s betrayal will not last long, but this stigma will always be remembered. They allowed the Zionist regime to enter the region and forgot …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday directed the relevant authorities to finalise the much-needed ‘Karachi Transformation Plan’ within a week to address major civic issues confronting the country’s commercial hub. Presiding over a meeting at Prime Minister House, Mr Khan directed that the plan be finalised in consultation with all the stakeholders. “The federal government is cognisant of the …