DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates on Sunday criticised the current oil output deal among Opec+ alliance members as unjust, escalating a row that could derail the energy market’s post-pandemic recovery. The UAE’s push to increase its production baseline is reported to have derailed last week’s meeting of the alliance of oil-producing countries, and also sets it against its ally, Saudi …

WASHINGTON: Hindus are more likely than Muslims in India to say the 1947 Partition was good for Hindu-Muslim relations, reveals a US survey released this week. The surveyors — Pew Research Center survey, Washington — also found that the majority of Hindus “think it is very important to be Hindu and to speak Hindi to be truly Indian”. The study is based …

Jennifer Aniston was snapped celebrating US Independence Day on July 4, along with longtime pal Lisa Kudrow. The Friends starlets took to Instagram to wish everyone on the US holiday while wearing their gorgeous smiles. From what it seems, the famous trio clicked their picture on the beach, with Kudrow donning a straw hat, while Aniston wearing her sunglasses on the head. …

PROVIDENCE: As shockwaves spread across the country from the Jan 6 insurrection at the US Capitol, corporate America took a stand against the lies that powered the mob. Or so it seemed. Dozens of big companies, citing their commitment to democracy, pledged to avoid donating money to the 147 lawmakers who objected to Congress’ certification of Joe Biden’s victory on the false …

NEW YORK: Americans marked their nation’s 245th birthday on Sunday with fireworks that may look brighter, hotdogs that may taste juicier and marching bands that may sound jauntier after the coronavirus pandemic forced the cancellation of nearly all celebrations last year. As always, fireworks displays are the highlight of the July Fourth holiday. Two of the biggest pyrotechnic shows in …

Federal Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Minister Asad Umar took a dig at Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on Monday for ignoring the risk of the spread of Covid-19 with the holding of a Pakistan Democratic Movement public meeting in Swat the previous day. In a tweet, the minister recalled that the PML-N leader had “lectured about amazing things …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) will repatriate 6,461 Pakistanis stranded in Gulf states as two flights carrying 155 and 145 passengers are expected to arrive from Doha and Bahrain on Monday. Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told media at his public secretariat in Saddar that instead of Airbus the PIA would operate Boeing 777 to bring back the Pakistanis from …

ARAKAPAS: A huge forest blaze in Cyprus killed four people, destroyed homes and forced evacuations of villages, police said on Sunday, as Greece, Israel and other countries deployed fire-fighting planes to the Mediterranean island. The Egyptian government said the four dead were agricultural workers from the North African country, while Nicosia vowed in a tweet to “stand by the victims’ …

VATICAN: Pope Francis went on Sunday to a Rome hospital for scheduled surgery for a stenosis, or restriction, of the large intestine, the Vatican said. The brief announcement from the Vatican’s press office didn’t say exactly when the surgery would be performed but said there would be an announcement when the surgery is complete. Just three hours earlier, Pope Francis …

YANGON: Twenty-five anti-junta fighters and civilians were killed during clashes with the military in central Myanmar, villagers said on Sunday, as locals increasingly take up arms against the regime in the coup-wracked country. Myanmar has been in turmoil since a February coup that ousted Aung San Suu Kyi’s government, with 890 people killed in a junta crackdown on dissent, according …