WASHINGTON – Just a couple of hours after Joe Biden’s speech marking the anniversary of the Capitol assault, in which he warned of dire threats to American democracy, another scene captivated political observers in Washington. In the House of Representatives, a minute of silence to remember the shocking events of January 6 attracted an unexpected … Read more
KARACHI: Haji Abdul Razzaq was used to the rush and noise caused by shoppers near his house in Block 2 of Pakistan Employees Cooperative Housing Society (PECHS) alongside Tariq Road. Knowing well that a park and a club existed there before the space was encroached upon, he, in early 2021, decided to file an application … Read more
Major Shabbir Sharif was a Pakistani Army officer who got martyred during the Indo-Pak War of 1971. For his outstanding valour, as a result of which he laid down his life for his country, he was awarded the Pakistan Army’s highest award, the Nishan-e-Haider. for his actions. He is the only person to ever receive … Read more
PORT-AU-PRINCE – “The bullets were flying thick and fast,” said Wilmann Vil, the sole survivor of a recent gang attack that killed two fellow Haitian journalists just outside Port-au-Prince. Vil himself has gone into hiding, fearful that the criminal gang, one of several terrorising Haiti’s capital city, might find him. In that fateful encounter last … Read more
PARIS – In a country long on edge over questions of identity and belonging, flying the European Union flag over France’s tomb of the unknown soldier at the Arc de Triomphe was almost guaranteed to trigger fierce opposition. Bristling reactions to the New Year gesture, meant by pro-EU President Emmanuel Macron to mark Paris’ taking … Read more
LONDON – Pomp, pageantry and puddings will form the centrepiece of celebrations to mark Queen Elizabeth II’s 70 years on the throne, Buckingham Palace announced. The 95-year-old monarch’s Platinum Jubilee begins on February 6, the date in 1952 when she became queen after the death of her father, King George VI. Britain’s longest-serving monarch will … Read more
SEOUL – North Korea fired a suspected ballistic missile into the sea on January 11, with South Korea’s military warning the second such weapons test in less than a week showed clear signs of progress. The early-morning launch came as the UN Security Council met in New York to discuss last week’s test of what … Read more
LONDON – More than 150,000 people have died after catching coronavirus in the United Kingdom, the government said on January 8, in a tragic milestone for one of the worst affected countries in Europe. Prime Minister Boris Johnson posted a message on Twitter saying: “Coronavirus has taken a terrible toll on our country and today … Read more
RIO DE JANEIRO – It was already shaping up to be a tough year for Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, with his popularity at an all-time low nine months from elections, the economy in recession and Covid-19 surging. Then the far-right leader had his New Year beach vacation come crashing to an end with an emergency … Read more
The Pakistan Maritime Security Agency (PMSA) once again organised its annual marine exercise called Barracuda XI in the Arabian Sea, between January 11 to Janauary 13, 2022. The international exercise, which included over 27 observers, delegates from 15 countries and several national stake holders, commenced its land phase at Sea Vie Beach, in Karachi, as … Read more
KABUL – The Taliban’s religious police have put up posters around the capital Kabul ordering Afghan women to cover up, an official said. The poster, which includes an image of the face-covering burqa, was slapped on cafes and shops this week by the Ministry for the Promotion of Virtue and Prevention of Vice. “According to … Read more
The reports of a possible return of ex-prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-N supremo Mian Nawaz Sharif from London, where he is in self-exile, have prompted the Supreme Court Bar Association to approach the country’s highest court against his lifelong disqualification in the Panama Papers case and a constitutional petition to this effect has already … Read more
The Shri Sadhu Bela Teerath Asthan near Sukkur is considered to be the most beautiful and largest Hindu place of worship in Pakistan. Together with the Hanglaj Mata Mandir and the Shri Katas Raj Mandir, it is also regarded as one of the three most revered places of Hinduism in the country. Located in an … Read more
BEIJING – Chinese President Xi Jinping said that China and Indonesia should advance cooperation in a coordinated manner in the post-pandemic era. In a phone conversation with Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Xi suggested that the two sides integrate Belt and Road cooperation with China’s building of a new development pattern and Indonesia’s medium and long-term … Read more
BARINAS, Venezuela – Venezuela’s opposition won a historic victory in a tense gubernatorial election in a region ruled by the family of late president Hugo Chavez for more than two decades. Barely known until a few weeks ago, opposition lawmaker Sergio Garrido, 54, defeated the ruling party’s candidate Jorge Arreaza, 48, who served as the … Read more
In Pakistan’s over-crowded political arena, a new party is being launched with the lofty slogan of empowering the common man and bringing him in the corridors of power. The Pakistan Aam Admi Movement (PAAM) is the brainchild of former military officer, major general (retired), Muhammad Saad Khattak, who served on a number of senior positions … Read more
Ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Pervez Khattak is regarded as a shrewd politician, who has remained part of almost every provincial government. He has progressed from the position of a district nazim. He served as a provincial minister before being elected as Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) chief minister in 2013. After the 2018 polls, he wanted … Read more
Pakistan has an extensive experience and history of serving the United Nations peacekeeping missions across the globe. Serving in those missions is a great honor, but remains highly challenging at times for the soldiers. The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has long been the site of one of the world’s vilest humanitarian crises, mostly … Read more
ALMATY, Kazakhstan – As protesters armed with sticks and discarded police shields prepared to storm the mayor’s office in Kazakhstan’s largest city Almaty, they marched to chants of “old man out!” They were not referring to President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev, 68, but Nursultan Nazarbayev, the octogenarian who after more than a quarter-century in office picked career … Read more
For a sport that for decades held on to its traditions like an oak’s roots do in the soil; where innovation meant fast-bowler Bill Lockwood bowling the slower ball, leg spinner Bernard Bosanquet creating the googly, Rohan Kanhai executing his falling hook or Mushtaq Mohammad playing the reverse sweep, the number of changes made over … Read more
LONDON – A British school has dropped J.K. Rowling’s name from one of its houses because of the “Harry Potter” author’s controversial views on transgender issues. The Boswells School in Chelmsford, eastern England, said it had changed the name of its red house from Rowling to Holmes, in honour of Olympic gold medallist Dame Kelly … Read more
CAIRO – On a table in downtown Cairo, Fady Francis, 30, aligns miniature sculptures of 100 influential world figures, standing side by side in harmony, although the figures were from different cultures, spoke different languages and lived in different eras in history. These statues and busts are carved by Francis as part of his 100-figure … Read more
PAOUA, Central African Republic – Hunching over her work, Marissa shells peanuts under a blazing sun, sweat dripping down her face. Growing peanuts is a mainstay activity in the Paoua region in the Central African Republic, about 500 kilometres (300 miles) northwest of the capital Bangui. But for many growers, life is a daily battle. … Read more
THE HAGUE – Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s fourth coalition government took office on January 10 a record 10 months after elections, with pledges to spend big on climate change and coronavirus. The new government, formed after gruelling negotiations, has earmarked a frugality-busting 35 billion euros ($40 billion) over the next 10 years for climate … Read more
Brussels – Nato and Russia confronted their stark divide over security in Europe after a new round of security talks between Russia and the United States concluded in Geneva, with the two sides showing no sign of narrowing differences on Ukraine and other security issues. Russia’s massive troop build-up on Ukraine’s borders has forced Washington … Read more
For people across the world, resorts and hill stations are the best get-away destinations where they take solace from their year-round drills and tensions of workplace to enjoy a good vacation. But the recent ghastly incident at Murree, which took 22 lives, jolted the entire Pakistan while brutally exposing the downside of having a sojourn … Read more
MALÉ, Maldives – China offered the Maldives infrastructure maintenance, medical aid and visa concessions as Beijing moved to strengthen its connections with the strategically placed Indian Ocean archipelago. The Maldivian foreign ministry said a mutual visa exemption agreement was signed during the visit of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in the capital Male. “Wang witnessed … Read more
India is again preparing to embrace the deadly wave of coronavirus, as scores of pilgrims gathered in West Bengal for the annual “Gangasagar Mela” despite concerns for the mounting Covid-19 pandemic cases. Chief Minister of Bengal Mamata Banerjee welcomed devotees at Babu Ghat in Kolkata — where a large number of pilgrims started arriving from … Read more
