International

18 July, 2019 TOKYO: At least 33 people are dead and dozens injured after a man set fire to an animation studio in the Japanese city of Kyoto, officials say. Police said the 41-year-old suspect broke into the Kyoto Animation studio on Thursday morning and sprayed petrol before igniting it. …

18 July, 2019 TEHRAN: Iran’s Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) has released details of its recent capturing of a foreign tanker smuggling one million liters of Iranian fuel near the Strait of Hormuz in the Persian Gulf. A local IRGC naval command post published the details in a statement, which …

18 July, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies BEIRUT/ BEIJING: Last week, 22 mostly Western countries launched the world’s first major collective challenge to China’s crackdown on Uyghur Muslims and other minorities. In a joint statement to the High Commissioner of the United Nations’ Human Rights Council, the nations criticized Beijing for what …

18 July, 2019 By SJA Jafri + BBC NEW DELHI: As many as 23 teenagers in the southern Indian state of Telangana have killed themselves since their school-leaving exam results were announced in April. BBC Telugu’s Deepthi Bathini explains why the results have become controversial. Thota Vennela enjoyed cooking, watching …

18 July, 2019 MEXICO/ NEW YORK: A US judge has sentenced Mexican drug kingpin Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán to life in prison plus 30 years. Guzmán, 62, was found guilty of 10 charges, including drug trafficking and money laundering, by a federal court in New York in February. He escaped …

17 July, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies HAGUE/ ISLAMABAD: The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has asked Pakistan to review its order of death sentence awarded to Kulbhushan Jadhav, on charges of espionage and conspiracy against Pakistan. As the ICJ put the death sentence of Kulbhushan Jadhav on hold, …

17 July, 2019 WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has voted to condemn President Donald Trump after a series of attacks aimed at four congresswomen. The symbolic resolution denounced Mr Trump’s “racist comments that have legitimized fear and hatred of New Americans and people of color”. Trump had been accused …

17 July, 2019 By SJA Jafri + Agencies CANBERRA/ BEIJING: The Australian government has called on China to allow an ethnic Uighur mother and son to leave the country, following a public plea from the child’s father. Rights groups say China is holding about a million Uighurs and other Muslims …

17-07-2019 TEHRAN/ WASHINGTON: In a marked sign of a potential change in Iran’s policy, Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif says the country’s missile program could be a topic for negotiation with the United States. The unprecedented remarks contradict previous statements by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, who on various occasions …

17-07-2019 WASHINGTON/ ISLAMABAD: The United States on Tuesday (local time) welcomed the construction of the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims, saying it is “incredibly supportive” of steps that boost people-to-people ties between India and Pakistan. On July 14, India and Pakistan had held the second round of bilateral talks to …