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SEOUL, South Korea: South Korea’s conservative party dropped its presidential candidate against his will on Saturday, beginning a process to instead nominate outsider and former prime minister Han Duck-soo less than a month before the election. The June 3 presidential poll will decide who replaces Yoon Suk Yeol, who was removed from office over his declaration of martial law in December, sending South Korea into a period of prolonged political turmoil. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) had initially chosen Kim Moon-soo, a former labour minister who won the party’s primary last week, but it announced Saturday that his nomination was cancelled. Instead, the party said it was nominating Han, who had initially launched his presidential bid as an independent. The former prime minister joined PPP on Saturday. “In the end, efforts to unify under a single candidate through negotiation have failed. It is deeply regrettable and heartbreaking,” said Kwon Young-se, the PPP’s interim leader. He...

KOTLI: A newborn girl was among four people martyred and 12 others were injured when Indian forces opened unprovoked fire across the Line of Control (LoC) in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Friday, according to police officials. Superintendent of Police (SP) Kotli, Adeel Ahmed, confirmed that Indian troops violated the ceasefire by resorting to unprovoked firing in the sectors of Bagh, Kotli, Bandala, Chahi Nihala, and Nali near the LoC. The attack resulted in the killing of four civilians. A newborn girl was among the four martyred in the Khuiratta sector, while 12 others, including women and elderly individuals, sustained injuries. SP Adeel added that all the injured were immediately transported to a nearby hospital for medical treatment. Police reported that a young man was martyred, and his two sisters were injured when an Indian army shell struck their home. Three other houses were also partially damaged in the attack. The Pakistan Army responded befittingly to Indian fire, ...

Amid the growing talks around the extreme pressure on celebrities to fit into designer couture for the high-profile events, Hollywood diva Halle Berry revealed that she had not eaten anything all day before walking the Met Gala red carpet on Monday. To Read Lifestyle Stories in Urdu – Click Here In a candid confession, Halle Berry, 58, revealed that she starved herself in a run-up to the Met Gala to fit into the somewhat revealing LaQuan Smith dress for the Metropolitan Museum of Art outing in New York. “I think seeing everybody out looking so dandy-ish, and I think it was really special that I went with LaQuan, he designed my dress, I was his muse,” Berry said about the Met Gala. “To see him shine tonight and see his creations come to life on all the people he dressed was really special. It was so fun and so easy.” “He showed me some sketches. I chose two that I really liked, so he made two dresses. The dresses were gorgeous. I could hardly choose. I asked LaQuan, ‘Which one woul...

BRUSSELS: The EU and Britain look set to seal a defence pact at a landmark summit this month as worries about US President Donald Trump and the war in Ukraine spur them beyond the wrangles of Brexit. Multiple EU diplomats and officials told AFP the signs are positive that a security agreement will be inked when British Prime Minister Keir Starmer meets EU chiefs in London on May 19. The “security and defence partnership” is billed as an important first step in Starmer’s much-vaunted push to reset ties after the years of bad blood caused by the UK leaving the bloc. The move is aimed at opening the door to closer cooperation as both the EU and Britain race to rearm in the face of the menace from Russia and fears Trump will no longer help protect Europe. That should mean more regular security talks, Britain considering joining EU military missions and the potential for London to fully tap into a 150-billion-euro defence fund being set up by the bloc. But the deal is expected to leav...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United States have reiterated their shared commitment to enhance bilateral trade and investment ties, during a high-level meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and a delegation from the US-Pakistan Business Council. The visiting delegation was led by Ms. Esperanza Jelalian, Vice President of the US-Pakistan Business Council, and comprised senior representatives of prominent American companies and major investors active in Pakistan. Finance Minister Aurangzeb appreciated the continued interest and investments by US companies in Pakistan’s economy, and highlighted the vast potential for expanding economic cooperation between the two countries. Key areas discussed during the meeting included energy, minerals, agriculture, and digital services. Read more: Aurangzeb showcases Pakistan’s economic reforms in US meetings He said the government’s strong commitment to creating a business-friendly and enabling environment, noting that the country is...

MOSCOW: More than a dozen Russian airports had to restrict their traffic due to drone attacks overnight to Tuesday, Russian authorities reported, including in Moscow days before a planned military parade. A total of 19 drones were downed around the Russian capital, where several world leaders are expected to attend a parade and address by President Vladimir Putin on May 9 as part of World War II anniversary celebrations, authorities said. Flight restrictions were introduced at four airports in Moscow, Russian news agencies reported, citing the Federal Air Transport Agency — though traffic at the city’s main Sheremetyevo airport remained largely unaffected. Airports were also affected in other cities including Volgograd and Nizhny Novgorod. In a post on Telegram, Moscow Mayor Sergei Sobyanin said debris had fallen on a major avenue in southern Moscow but there was “no damage or casualties” in the city. Russian media broadcast images of a cracked supermarket window and a blackened ...

HONG KONG: Oil prices slumped on Monday after eight OPEC+ members announced a sharp increase in production, adding to fears of over-supply of crude. In morning trade in Asia, West Texas Intermediate was down 3.8 percent at $56.08 per barrel while Brent North Sea Crude slid 3.5 percent at $59.17. The output increase of 411,000 barrels a day announced by Saudi Arabia, Russia and six other members of the oil cartel on Saturday added to concerns about over-supply. The price of crude has already been sliding because of fears of a global economic slowdown on the back of US President Donald Trump’s tariff onslaught. “OPEC+ has just thrown a bombshell to the oil market,” Jorge Leon, analyst with Rystad Energy, told AFP. “(Saturday’s) decision is a definitive message that the Saudi-led group is changing strategy and pursuing market share after years of cutting production,” he added. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/57SWhqv