International

Turkey jails teen who added moustache to Erdogan poster: Report


Istanbul: Turkish authorities seized and jailed a 16-year-old youth for drawing a moustache on an election campaign poster showing re-elected President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, media reports said. Several media close to the opposition, including daily newspapers BirGun, Cumhuriyet and private TV station Halk TV, said the youth from the southeastern town of Mersin was accused...

Prince Harry says UK govt, media at ‘rock bottom’


London: Prince Harry has accused Mirror Group Newspapers (MGN) Ltd -- publisher of The Mirror, Sunday Mirror and the Sunday People tabloids -- of illegal information gathering, including phone hacking. He has become the first royal in more than 100 years to give evidence in court. At London High Court, the Duke of Sussex accused...

Hong Kong police detains activists on Tiananmen Square anniversary


Beijing: Hong Kong police searched and detained scores of people last week with four people arrested for “seditious” intent, as authorities tightened security for the 34th anniversary of the 1989 Tiananmen Square crackdown, media reports said. Police said four people had been arrested for seditious intent and four detained for “breaching public peace” near Victoria Park,...

US knew of Ukrainian plan to attack Nord Stream months ago: Reports


New York: US President Joe Biden's administration received an intelligence report that Ukraine had a plan for an attack on the Nord Stream pipelines three months before an underwater explosion disabled the natural gas link from Russia to Germany, media reports said. A European intelligence service told the CIA that the Ukrainian military was planning an...

Afghan national heckles ex-Pak army chief, wife in Europe


Islamabad: Former Pakistan army chief General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife were heckled by an unruly man, apparently an Afghan national, in a European country, the media reported. A short video clip of the incident, which went viral on social media, shows the couple vacationing in a European country, Geo News reported. In the...

Nearly 80 girl students ‘poisoned’ in Afghanistan


Kabul: Nearly 80 Afghan girls were hospitalized after allegedly being poisoned at their schools in northern Afghanistan. The poisoning targeted two girls’ schools in the Afghan province of Sar-e Pol. The incidents come amid intense scrutiny over girls' education in the war-torn country since the Taliban took over and barred most teenage female students...

Pakistan rejects TTP’s offer to resume talks


Peshawar: Pakistani authorities have declined an offer from the outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) to resume talks, citing their previous negative experience with dialog, media reports said. The TTP, through various sources and individual contacts, expressed their willingness to re-engage in talks in recent days. However, the government rejected the offer and instead urged the militants...

Former Pak PM Imran Khan faces blackout on local media


Islamabad: Coverage of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan has disappeared from all mainstream news channels in the country after the media regulator asked networks to block out people involved in rioting last month, according to a media report. A directive, seen by Reuters, was put out by the regulator last week referring to violent protests...

Indian-origin businessman offers luxury party on a plane


An Indian-origin businessman’s luxury hospitality group is offering a private jet experience unlike no other for around $ 13,000 to 14,000 per hour. Kabir Mulchandani’s Five Holdings, known for its extravagant party hotels and resorts, has unveiled its 16-passenger flight complete with non-stop entertainment. The Dubai-based group announced on Thursday that it is accepting bookings for Fly...