International

04-12-2021 GENEVA: The world should not panic about the new Omicron variant of COVID-19 but it should prepare, the World Health Organization (WHO) has said. Speaking at a conference on Friday, top WHO scientist Soumya Swaminathan said the situation now was very different to a year ago. Reports suggest Omicron …

03-12-2021 By SJA Jafri SIALKOT/ ISLAMABAD: A mob in Sialkot on Friday tortured a Sri Lankan man to death over blasphemy allegations before burning his body, while a heavy contingent of police has been sent to the area to bring the situation under control. Speaking to the media hours after …

03-12-2021 BEIRUT/ RIYADH: Information Minister George Kordahi, whose criticism of the Saudi-led military campaign in Yemen against the Houthi rebels sparked a diplomatic crisis, has announced his resignation, as cash-strapped Lebanon tries to resolve the weeks-long row. “I won’t accept being used as a reason to harm Lebanon and our …

03-12-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies WASHINGTON/ KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The World Bank’s board has backed transferring $280 million from a frozen trust fund to two aid agencies to help Afghanistan cope with a brewing humanitarian crisis after the US withdrawal, two sources familiar with the matter said …

03-12-2021 Bureau Report MELBOURNE: Victoria has been hit by severe thunderstorms for the second afternoon in a row after Victorians were warned to brace for a high risk of epidemic thunderstorm asthma. An enormous shelf cloud smothered Melbourne on the second day of summer as storms moved in from the …

03-12-2021 Bureau Report NEW DELHI: India’s capital territory Delhi has ordered the closure of schools and colleges until further notice from Friday after the Supreme Court criticized the state government for reopening educational institutions despite “very poor” air quality. The Delhi government last week decided to reopen schools and colleges …

03-12-2021 TEHRAN/ VIENNA: Iran’s top diplomat says an agreement to revive his country’s nuclear deal with world powers was “within reach” but that this depended on the goodwill of the West. Foreign Minister Hossein Amir-Abdollahian said on Twitter on Thursday that negotiations in the Austrian capital, Vienna, were “proceeding with …

02-12-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report ISLAMABAD/ LAHORE/ KARACHI: Last month, Pakistan lifted a ban on the hardline Islamist party, Tehreek-e-Labaik Pakistan (TLP), which has been the face of anti-France protests over the reprinting of caricatures of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The TLP’s jailed leader, as well as hundreds …

02-12-2021 MUNICH: Four people were hurt, one seriously, when a World War Two bomb blew up on a railway construction site in the German city of Munich. The fire brigade says it happened during drilling work near Donnersberger Bridge, close to the main station. As a result rail traffic in …

02-12-2021 The EU has revealed details of a €300bn (£255bn; $340bn) global investment plan, described as a “true alternative” to China’s Belt and Road strategy. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the Global Gateway scheme should become a trusted brand. China has funded rail, roads and ports but …