KUWAIT CITY: Kuwaitis hoping for reform went to the polls on Saturday in a parliamentary election overshadowed by Covid-19, with facilities laid on for citizens infected with the disease to vote in special polling stations. The oil-rich emirate has enforced some of the strictest regulations in the Gulf to combat the spread of the virus, imposing a months-long lockdown earlier …

WASHINGTON: The departing Trump administration has ended five cultural-exchange programmes with China that it says were being used for Chinese propaganda and had no benefit to the United States. The terminations follow new visa restrictions announced by Washington limiting stays in the US by members of China’s Communist Party and signal further erosion in relations with Beijing in the final …

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump has ordered the removal of most US military and security personnel from Somalia, where they have been conducting operations against the Al Shabaab militant group, the Pentagon said. After ordering major troop reductions in Iraq and Afghanistan recently, Trump’s new move reflects his drive to disengage US forces from what he calls endless wars abroad, making …

LONDON: Britain and the European Union will reconvene post-Brexit trade negotiations in Brussels on Sunday after UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU chief Ursula von der Leyen held inconclusive talks, as time runs short to seal a deal. The pair held the crunch on Saturday afternoon phone call, which reportedly lasted around an hour, with pressure intensifying to finalise …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday rejected as “fake news” the reports in Indian media claiming transfer of foreign militants from Syria to India-held Kashmir for allegedly reinforcing the ranks of freedom fighters. “Pakistan completely rejects concoctions based on ‘fake news’, in a section of the Indian media, alleging transfer of foreign fighters to Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK),” the …

MANAMA: The Gulf states must be consulted if a US nuclear agreement with Iran is revived, Saudi Arabia said on Saturday, warning it is the only path towards a sustainable agreement. President-elect Joe Biden has signalled he will return the United States to a nuclear accord with Iran and that he still backed the 2015 deal negotiated under Barack Obama, …

RAWALPINDI: British airline Virgin Atlantic will commence its flight operation for the country from Dec 13 as the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has approved its flight operation to and from Pakistan. The PCAA granted approval to Virgin Atlantic to start its flight operation in response to its request made on Dec 2. Virgin Atlantic is scheduled to start its …

• Over 3,000 more infected, 43 succumb to virus • Pakistan finalises prerequisites for vaccine request ISLAMABAD: With the country reporting another 3,119 infections and 43 deaths, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday revealed that Abbottabad, Rawalpindi, Karachi and Hyderabad had recorded the highest Covid-19 positivity ratio. The ratio is calculated on the basis of positive results …

ISLAMABAD: A petition has been filed in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) against the recruitment of retired Flight Lieutenant Khaqan Murtaza as the director general of the Civil Aviation Authority (DG CAA) that seeks contempt of court proceedings against the government functionaries for making this appointment. The federal government on Nov 28 appointed Mr Murtaza as the DG CAA. A …

ISLAMABAD: The heads of the constituent parties of the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) are meeting in Islamabad on Dec 8 to review arrangements for the upcoming public meeting in Lahore and to finalise a strategy for the next phase of its anti-government campaign which includes “final and decisive long march” on the capital and the option of submitting en …