23-09-2021 BRUSSELS: Pakistan’s Generalized Scheme of Preferences (GSP+) status was extended by the European Union on Tuesday, with six new conventions introduced. According to a statement by the European Commission, the new conventions pertain to greater accessibility for people with physical disability, the eradication of child labor, and environmental safety. …

22-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies UNITED NATIONS/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: President Joe Biden told the world Tuesday the United States is not seeking a new Cold War with China, as he vowed to pivot from post-9/11 conflicts and take a global leadership role on crises from climate …

22-09-2021 Bureau Report MELBOURNE: A rare earthquake rattled southeastern Australia on Wednesday morning, shaking buildings, knocking down walls and sending panicked residents running into the streets of Melbourne, the country’s second-biggest city. The magnitude 5.9 seism struck at about 9:15am (23:15 GMT on Tuesday) near the rural town of Mansfield …

21-09-2021 Bureau Report PARIS/ NEW DELHI: French President Emmanuel Macron has discussed cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as Paris deals with the fallout from Australia’s cancellation of a $40bn French submarine order. The two leaders held a phone conversation on Tuesday, said a statement …

21-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies RIYADH/ ISLAMABAD/ NEW DELHI/ KABUL: In a recent interview to an Indian publication, Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud said the Kingdom is ready to provide its “good offices” to resolve outstanding issues between India and Pakistan. Speaking …

21-09-2021 OTTAWA/ MONTREAL: Most polls have closed in Canada’s snap federal election, which has seen Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberals in a neck-and-neck fight against the opposition Conservative Party. More than 27 million people were eligible to cast their ballots, according to Elections Canada, which administers the vote, and long …

21-09-2021 NEW YORK: UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned China and the US of a potential new Cold War and asked the countries to repair their “completely dysfunctional” relationship. He said challenges relating to vaccination, climate change and other global challenges cannot be resolved without constructive relations in the global community, …

20-09-2021 MOSCOW: A student opened fire at a university in the Russian city of Perm on Monday, killing at least eight people and wounding several, law enforcement said. The gunman was himself killed after the shootings at Perm State University, around 1,300 km (800 miles) east of Moscow, Natalia Pechishcheva, …

20-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISTANBUL/ WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is travelling to New York City, knowing he has been dealt a promising hand for improving ties with the US thanks to developments in Afghanistan. At the start of the year, then …

20-09-2021 BRUSSELS: As a decorated kickboxer and kung fu athlete, Chouaib Lakoighet is not accustomed to his legs just giving out on him but one day in July, his atrophied muscles could no longer hold him upright. After more than a month on hunger strike, the 27-year-old Algerian, who has …