MOSCOW: The director of Russia’s most powerful security agency said on Tuesday that he believed Ukraine, along with the United States and Britain, were involved in the attack on a concert hall just outside Moscow that killed at least 139 people. Ukraine, which has repeatedly denied any link with Friday’s attack, dismissed the Russian accusations as lies. Britain said they …

NEW DELHI: Arvind Kejriwal will run the capital from his prison cell, a senior aide said on Tuesday, amidst growing calls by rivals who demand that he should resign. The chief minister of New Delhi and a key leader in an opposition alliance formed to compete against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the upcoming elections, was arrested on Thursday, in connection with …

SHANGLA / ISLAMABAD: China has demanded a thorough probe into the deadly blast and security for its citizens after five Chinese nationals working on the Dasu dam project perished in a suicide bombing in Bisham on Tuesday. In response, Islamabad has announced a swift probe to hold the “perpetrators and accomplices” accountable for the attack. Besides five Chinese citizens, one …

TOKYO: Japan’s cabinet on Tuesday eased strict transfer rules for military equipment to allow the export of next-generation fighter jets being developed with Britain and Italy. The three countries are pooling their know-how in cutting-edge air combat technology to develop the jet, which they hope will be ready by 2035. Government spokesman Yoshimasa Hayashi said the cabinet had approved the …

GENEVA: At least 63,285 people have perished or disappeared on migration routes around the world between 2014 and 2023, with most deaths caused by drowning, the UN migration agency said on Tuesday. A report published by the International Organi­sation for Migration (IOM) on its Missing Migrants Project showed that the majority of deaths and disappearances — 28,854 — occurred in the Mediter­ranean, …

ISLAMABAD: Meta — the parent company of Facebook, Instagram and WhatsApp — has been asked to lift a ban on the use of the Arabic word shaheed (meaning martyr) on its platforms, though the restrictions on describing “terrorists” as such will continue. Meta’s Oversight Board, which is funded by Meta but operates independently, said in its advisory opinion that the policy to …

RAWALPINDI: The Met Office has forecast rain with thunderstorm in different parts of the country from March 27 to 31st and has asked the local administrations to remain on alert to avoid any untoward situation. According to the meteorological department, a westerly wave may enter western parts of the country on March 27 and will grip the upper and central …

RAWALPINDI: In order to put an end to accidents due to bird strikes in the vicinity of the Nur Khan airbase in the garrison city, the administration has asked the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) to confiscate domestic pigeons and their cages installed on rooftops in at least seven union councils of Rawalpindi. In a similar vein, the admin also decided …

GILGIT: The chief justice of Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court has summoned the Gilgit SSP and Danyore SHO on Wed­nesday (today) in a case relating to alleged abduction of an underage girl and her forced marriage. A legal team of the GB High Court Bar representing the father of 13-year-old Falak Noor filed a petition in the GB Chief Court on Tuesday, …

ISLAMABAD: When the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) registered a case against former prime minister Imran Khan for withholding the copy of a diplomatic cipher, seven other state offices had not returned their copies to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA), court records show. The confidential diplomatic cable, at the heart of the cipher trial against Mr Khan, was sent to nine top offices, …