Ex-Afghan president says had no choice but to flee Kabul
Islamabad: Afghanistan’s former president said he had no choice but to abruptly leave Kabul as the Taliban closed in and denied an agreement was in the works for a peaceful takeover, disputing the accounts of former Afghan and US officials. Former President Ashraf Ghani said in a BBC interview that aired Thursday that an adviser […]
Hong Kong pro-democracy news site closes after raid, arrests
Hong Kong: A vocal pro-democracy website in Hong Kong shut down Wednesday after police raided its office and arrested six current and former editors and board members in a continuing crackdown on dissent in the semi-autonomous Chinese city. Stand News said in a statement that its website and social media are no longer being updated […]
Sudan officials say defunct mine collapses, kills 38 people
Cairo: Sudanese authorities said at least 38 people were killed Tuesday when a defunct gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan province. The country’s state-run mining company said in a statement the collapse of the closed, non-functioning mine took place in the village of Fuja 700 kilometers (435 miles) south of the capital of Khartoum. It […]
India’s non-permanent membership provides ‘much-needed’ balance at UNSC in 2021
United Nations: As India began her two-year tenure as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council in January 2021, New Delhi’s presence at the horse-shoe table provided the “much-needed” balance at a time when the powerful organ of the world body grappled with major geo-political crises, including in war-torn Afghanistan. When India took up […]
Biden signs USD 768.2 billion defense spending bill into law
Washington: US President Joe Biden signed the National Defense Authorization Act into law Monday, authorising USD 768.2 billion in military spending, including a 2.7 per cent pay raise for service members, for 2022. The NDAA authorises a 5 per cent increase in military spending, and is the product of intense negotiations between Democrats and Republicans […]
China says Musk’s SpaceX satellites came close to its space station twice, endangering astronauts
Beijing: China on Tuesday alleged that US billionaire Elon Musk-owned SpaceX’s satellites had two “close encounters” with its space station in orbit, and has complained to the UN about the incidents which endangered the safety of the Chinese astronauts. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian, addressing a media briefing here, said that the Chinese space […]
Israeli PM says not opposed to ‘good’ nuclear deal with Iran
Tel Aviv: Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said Tuesday he is not opposed to a “good” nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, but voiced scepticism that such an outcome would emerge from the current negotiations. Bennett spoke a day after negotiators from Iran and five world powers resumed talks in Vienna on restoring Tehran’s […]
Scotland Yard probes video showing Indian Sikh declaring to assassinate Queen to avenge Jallianwala Bagh massacre
London: A video has surfaced on social media in which a fully masked man, identifying himself as an Indian Sikh, is seen declaring to “assassinate” Queen Elizabeth II to avenge the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh massacre, prompting Scotland yard to launch a probe, days after an intruder was arrested at the monarch’s Windsor Castle. The video, […]
Iran insists on crude exports as Vienna nuclear talks resume
Tehran: Iran insisted on Monday that the United States and its allies promise to allow Tehran to export its crude as negotiations on restoring the tattered nuclear deal were to resume in Vienna. The remarks by Iranian Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian signal that Iran is pressing its position ahead of the negotiations over reviving the […]
Taliban banning transport for solo woman travellers is “retrogressive”: Pakistan
Islamabad: Pakistan’s Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Monday lashed out at the Taliban regime in Afghanistan for its latest “retrogressive” move of banning women from travelling alone in public spaces. The Taliban on Sunday said women seeking to make long distance journeys should not be offered transport service, if they are not accompanied by a […]
