Pakistan open to buying oil, wheat from Russia

Pakistan is open to importing oil and food products from Russia, the country’s foreign office spokesperson said on Saturday amid US-led Western sanctions against Moscow.

Russia battles to take railroad hub, surrounds major city in east Ukraine

Russian forces in eastern Ukraine captured the centre of the railway hub town of Lyman and encircled most of Sievierodonetsk, Ukrainian officials acknowledged on Friday, as Kyiv’s forces fell back in the face of Moscow’s biggest advance for weeks.

UK ministerial code updated to set out possible sanctions for breaches

British ministers who breach the government’s code of conduct will not be expected to resign, an official document published on Friday said with an updated version of the rule book setting out a range of alternative sanctions.

Police face questions over response to Texas school massacre

The gunman in the Texas school massacre barged unchallenged through an unlocked door, then killed 19 children and two teachers while holed up in their classroom for an hour before a tactical team stormed in and killed him, police said on Thursday.

Pakistan’s political upheaval due to domestic factors: UK minister

UK Minister for Armed Forces James Heappey on Wed­nesday said Pakistan’s political uphea­val was because of domestic factors rather than some sinister foreign plot and looked relieved that there was now a convergence of views on international order.

Russian forces reach key highway from Donbas cities

Advancing Russian forces came closer to surrounding Ukrainian troops in the east, briefly seizing positions on the last highway out of a crucial pair of Ukrainian-held cities before being beaten back, a Ukrainian official said on Thursday.

China concerned as UN human rights chief visits Xinjiang region

UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, who began a six-day official mission to China, has visited remote Xinjiang region, which is home to millions of Uyghur and other Turkic Muslims, who have been subjected to a Chinese government campaign of cultural, linguistic and social control and acts of oppression that governments including the US have termed a genocide.

Kashmir woman honoured for landmark innovation

SRINAGAR: The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind bestowed Nari Shakti Puraskar on Kashmir woman innovator, Nasira Akhter on international women’s day. She was one of the 29 women who bagged the prestigious award.

India-Japan key pillars of stable, secure Indo-Pacific region: PM Modi

India and Japan are key pillars of a stable and secure Indo-Pacific region and their partnership is for peace, stability and prosperity, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in an op-ed published in a leading Japanese language newspaper on Monday.

Pakistan govt rejects PTI’s demand to hold general elections, decides to complete its tenure

Islamabad [Pakistan], May 24 (ANI): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) government on Monday rejected the demands of ousted former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan for holding re-elections in the country, and said that the government will complete its tenure, as per the Pakistan media reports.

Joe Biden, Narendra Modi to discuss Ukraine: NSA Jake Sullivan

The bilateral meeting between US President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on the sidelines of Quad, will include a ’’constructive and straightforward’ dialogue along with a continued discussion on the Ukraine situation.

White House clarifies Biden’s ‘military’ remark on Taiwan

The White House on Monday clarified US President Joe Biden’s statement after Biden said US was ready to use military force to defend Taiwan if necessary.

Russian soldier jailed for life in first war crimes trial

A Ukrainian court sentenced a Russian soldier to life in prison on Monday for killing an unarmed civilian in the first war crimes trial arising from Russia’s invasion.

UN human rights chief begins contentious China visit

The UN human rights chief began a six-day trip to China on Monday that will include the remote Xinjiang region, stirring fears over access and the propaganda value the visit offers to the Chinese Communist Party.

Australia’s Labor to retake power after 9 years

Australia’s Labor Party will form the country’s next government on Monday, as unprecedented support for the Greens and climate-focused independents ended nearly a decade of rule by the conservative coalition.

Ukraine rules out giving Russia land in ceasefire deal

Ukraine ruled out a ceasefire or any territorial concessions to Moscow while Russia stepped up its attack in the eastern Donbas region and stopped sending gas to Finland in its latest response to Western sanctions and its deepening international isolation.

Millions stranded, dozens dead -flooding hits Bangladesh and India

Heavy rains caused widespread flooding in parts of Bangladesh and India, leaving millions stranded and at least 57 dead, officials said Saturday.

After Modi govt slashes fuel rates, Imran Khan praises India for ’not giving in to US

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan heaped praise on India for buying discounted oil from Russia despite “pressure from the US”, saying his government was also working to achieve the same with the help of an independent foreign policy.

Window of opportunity for improvement of Pakistan-India ties: Report

Islamabad [Pakistan]: After decades of exploiting anti-Indian nationalism for partisan interests, there seems to be a window of opportunity for improving the ties between India and Pakistan, said South Asian Democratic Forum members.

Top Ukrainian commanders from Azovstal have not surrendered

Top-ranking Ukrainian commanders have not yet surrendered from the labyrinth of bunkers and tunnels below the Azovstal steel works in Mariupol, the leader of the Russian-backed separatist region of Donetsk said on Wednesday.

Landslides, floods kill at least 10 in India

At least 10 people including a four-year-old child have died in floods and landslides this week after unusually heavy rains pummelled several parts of India, as forecasters warned on Wednesday of more deluges.

UK Tory MP accused of sexual offences freed on bail

British police said Wednesday they had released on bail a lawmaker from the ruling Conservative party the day after he was arrested on suspicion of multiple sexual offences, including rape.

Pakistan sees upsurge in terrorism with recent killings of Sikhs, Shias

Islamabad [Pakistan]: Pakistan is witnessing a new wave of terrorism with several incidents of target killings of Sikh and Shia minorities reported in the Peshawar region in recent years.

Azovstal siege ends as hundreds of Ukrainian fighters surrender

Dozens of Ukrainian fighters, some apparently unwounded, surrendered on Tuesday after weeks holed up in the bunkers and tunnels below Mariupol’s Azovstal steel works as the most devastating siege of Russia’s war in Ukraine drew to a close.

N.Korea mobilises army, steps up tracing amid COVID wave

North Korea has mobilised its military to distribute COVID medications and deployed more than 10,000 health workers to help trace potential patients as it fights a sweeping coronavirus wave, state media outlet KCNA said on Tuesday.

UN warns of ‘catastrophic’ child malnutrition due to price hikes

The cost of life-saving treatment for the most severely malnourished children is set to jump by up to 16% due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and pandemic disruptions, according to the United Nations’ children’s agency.

Chinese PM presses Shehbaz Sharif to punish Karachi university blast culprits

ISLAMABAD: China’s Prime Minister Li Keqiang on Monday repeated his government’s demand for punishment for those involved in the attack on Chinese teachers at Karachi University and asked for enhancement of security for Chinese institutions and citizens in Pakistan.

Sweden confirms it will apply to join NATO

Sweden’s Social Democrat minority government on Monday took the formal decision to apply for NATO membership, following in the footsteps of its neighbour Finland in a move that will redraw the geopolitical map of northern Europe.

China tells G7 to mind its own business

China has responded to the G7’s request that Beijing cease support for Russia amid extensive Western sanctions, stating that China decides its own position and policy based on the “merits of the matter itself,” and that the seven member nations should focus on their own issues instead of intervening in other countries’ internal affairs.

Indian court prohibits large gatherings at historic mosque

A court in north India on Monday ordered authorities to limit large Muslim prayer gatherings in the historic Gyanvapi mosque after a survey team found relics of the Hindu god Shiva and other Hindu symbols there, lawyers involved in the case said.