International

29-04-2023 DUBAI/ TEHRAN: Iran captured a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman in international waters on Thursday, the US Navy said; the latest in a series of episodes or seizures on commercial ships in sensitive Gulf waters since 2019. Iranian state media reported that Iran’s military had …

29-04-2023 LONDON: Richard Sharp tendered his resignation as British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) Chairman on Friday, saying the loan guarantee to former UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson was “inadvertent”. The resignation comes after a report revealed that he was favored by Boris Jhonson as he facilitated him in an £800,000 loan, …

28-04-2023 By Syed Najaf Ali Shoukat Bottom Line In early March 2023, China mediated an agreement between Iran and Saudi Arabia to normalize diplomatic relations. While normalization between the two Middle Eastern rivals was in the works for some time, that Beijing brokered the detente sent geopolitical shockwaves around the …

28-04-2023 WASHINGTON: US prosecutors say Jack Teixeira, the airman charged with leaking secret military information, may still have access to a trove of classified files. They said he should remain in jail pre-trial as he could cause “extraordinary” damage to national security. Prosecutors also said the 21-year-old had a history …

28-04-2023 BANGKOK: Thai police say they have arrested a woman suspected of killing 12 of her friends and acquaintances by poisoning them with cyanide. Sararat Rangsiwuthaporn was arrested in Bangkok on Tuesday following recent inquiries into a friend’s death. The victim’s family had raised suspicions after she died on a …

28-04-2023 A history textbook for Chinese schoolchildren mentioning the country’s COVID pandemic response for the first time has sparked discussion online. Some are questioning whether the book’s short description of the country’s fight against COVID is truthful. Chinese Communist Party leaders declared a “decisive victory” over the virus earlier this …

28-04-2023 TEHRAN:  powerful Iranian cleric, a member of the Assembly of Experts that selects the country’s supreme leader, has been martyred in an armed attack, officials said. “Ayatollah Abbas Ali Soleimani was martyred this morning in an armed attack… the assailant was also arrested and is now being investigated,” IRNA …

28-04-2023 JERUSALEM: European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen’s congratulatory message on Israel’s 75th year of independence has been met with a swift backlash in Palestine. The Palestinian Authority (PA) called von der Leyen’s message “inappropriate, false and discriminatory” in a statement on Wednesday. The PA said her remark about …

28-04-2023 KYIV: A Ukrainian journalist was killed on Wednesday as he travelled to the city of Kherson with his Italian colleague. Bogdan Bitik, who was interpreting for La Repubblica reporter Corrado Zunino, was shot “most likely by Russian snipers”, the Italian newspaper reported. Zunino was shot in the shoulder and …

28-04-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies BEIJING/ ISLAMABAD: China says it will work with Pakistan’s military to “further deepen and expand” the two nations’ mutual interests and jointly protect regional peace and stability. A statement by the Chinese defence ministry on Wednesday said Zhang Youxia, the vice chairman of China’s Central …