ÅFJORD, Norway: On a gusty mountain crest, the Jama brothers weave between wind turbines that stretch as far as the eye can see, on what used to be their animals’ winter pasture. Climate emergency or not, for these reindeer herders, the turbines have to go. “Before, the area was perfect for our reindeer. The place … Read more
BEIJING: China’s GDP has expanded at 8.1 per cent in 2021, growing the fastest in nearly a decade and landing well above the government’s annual target of achieving a growth rate above 6 per cent. The robust expansion, which beats the market expectation and eclipses most of other major economies in two-year terms, spells out … Read more
KARACHI: Soup is an important part of meals in many countries across the world, especially during the winter season. And while Pakistan does not have an official day or month dedicated to soup, it won’t be wrong to say that the colder months are soup months. Needless to say Karachi, known for its signature tastes … Read more
At a time of a national Covid-19 crisis, a number of US officials have been revealed to have cashed in on the epidemic by insider trading while concealing vital epidemic information from the public. This, experts said, has contributed to the increasingly bleak national landscape, as President Joe Biden marks one year in office. US … Read more
Pakistan’s active role in the Global War on Terror has taken a great toll. It took many things from us but not our resolve. After defeating terror networks, Pakistan has emerged as one of the most resilient nations in the world. After losing many near and dear ones, this war also became a personal war. … Read more
Chinese President Xi Jinping delivered his first major speech of the new year at a global event at the World Economic Forum (WEF) on January 17, where he issued stern warnings against acts of containment, confrontation and suppression as well as practices of hegemony and bullying, while calling on global efforts to seek peaceful coexistence … Read more
Multan Sultan became the sixth franchise of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) and joined the competition in the 2018 edition. The franchise is the only one to have different owners thus far. It was first bought by Schon properties after winning the bid for an eight-year contract. However, the PCB in 2018, announced that the … Read more
Lahore Qalandars are one of the most famous franchises in the Pakistan Super League (PSL). At the time of the auction, they were second-most expensive behind Karachi Kings after being sold for $25.1 million for the span of 10 years. In the majority of team sports, any side’s fan following is directly related to the … Read more
As the world tries to counter Omicron and bumps up booster shot campaigns, vaccine supply has once again come under discussion, as the World Economic Forum (WEF) rang the alarm bells recently of the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturing gap, and the Davos Agenda virtual event is set to discuss the critical challenges facing the world such … Read more
We as media practitioners have increasing exposure to the societal ills which, many a time, take a toll on us, especially when it comes to covering different cases of violence against women and children. An incident in particular that left not just us, but the entire nation shocked and appalled was when six-year-old Zainab Ansari’s … Read more
TEHRAN – As their foreign ministers exchanged visits to deepen their partnership in the past year, Iran and China are now “facing a new horizon of cooperation,” Iranian Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Saeed Khatibzadeh said. In an exclusive interview with Xinhua, Khatibzadeh said besides the geographical proximity between Iran and China, it is history, culture, politics, … Read more
WELLINGTON – A massive volcanic eruption in Tonga that triggered tsunami waves around the Pacific caused “significant damage” to the island nation’s capital and smothered it in dust, but the full extent was unclear with communications still hampered. The eruption on January 16 was so powerful it was recorded around the world and heard as … Read more
Herat – Rescue workers searched for survivors after an earthquake in a remote western region of Afghanistan killed dozens of people and damaged hundreds of houses, officials said on January 18. A 5.3-magnitude shallow quake jolted the province of Badghis and wrecked houses, mostly in Qadis district — a rural area not easily accessible by … Read more
Karachi Kings was the most expensive franchise when the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) first auctioned teams in 2015 to kick start the Pakistan Super League (PSL). At the start of the tournament, in 2016, the franchise probably had the biggest fan base in the country as it was being named after the biggest city of … Read more
Malians took to the streets en masse after the military junta called for protests against stringent sanctions imposed by the West Africa bloc ECOWAS over delayed elections. In the capital Bamako, thousands of people wearing the national colours of red, yellow and green gathered in a central square, for a rally staged by the military … Read more
The cases of violence against women continue to rapidly rise in the country despite a series of steps taken by the federal government to check and curb this menace. Such cases have been escalating, especially during the past three years, according to the data compiled by National Police Bureau which has also been shared with … Read more
The Sehat Sahulat Programme – commonly known as the health card scheme – is a flagship programme of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government which has brought great relief and sense of protection to millions of families, who hardly make ends meet. The card provides free of cost medical treatment coverage of up to Rs1 million … Read more
Prime Minister Imran Khan on January 14 unveiled a public version of the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP), while claiming that Pakistan was in dire need of a multi-pronged strategy for the future to ensure the protection of its citizens and guard economic interests. The federal cabinet approved the NSP on December 28, … Read more
PARIS – Planetary-scale engineering schemes designed to cool Earth’s surface and lessen the impact of global heating are potentially dangerous and should be blocked by governments, more than 60 policy experts and scientists said. Even if injecting billions of sulphur particles into the middle atmosphere, the most hotly debated plan for so-called solar radiation modification … Read more
QADIS – Survivors of twin earthquakes in Afghanistan were waiting on January 19 for aid to arrive after spending their second night exposed to sub-zero temperatures following tremors that killed dozens of people and wrecked homes. Rescuers continued to comb through debris in search of survivors from the quakes on January 17, which jolted Qadis … Read more
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, accused of violating Covid-19 restrictions by throwing a party at the 10-Downing Street, faces the biggest challenge of his political career that has turned many of the Tory supporters against him and set the ball rolling for a vote of no-confidence. In May 2020, Johnson blatantly violated the epidemic prevention … Read more
Kathmandu – In the 15 years Chitra Bhan Khatri has been keeping bees in west Nepal, he has never had trouble providing food for his insects, until 2021 when unseasonally heavy rain left his honeybees hungry. Five days of torrential rainfall in Dang district in October sent temperatures plummeting, killing the bright yellow blooms of … Read more
KARACHI: If you are caught by armed robbers in the middle of a road in Karachi, and one of them points a gun at you or your family member’s head, you have no choice but to surrender your valuables to them. This was the account of Ubaid Narejo who was robbed along with his family … Read more
DUBAI – The world’s largest known cut diamond went on public display for the first time ahead of its sale, when it is expected to reach five million dollars. The Enigma, the name of the rare black carbanado diamond, was put on display in Dubai, in the United Arab Emirates. The diamond is believed to … Read more
The State Post Bureau of China has issued a notice to tighten regulations for overseas posts and mail in order to prevent the transmission of Covid-19 from overseas. The postal service has also ordered workers to disinfect international deliveries and urged the public to reduce orders from overseas after authorities claimed mail could be the … Read more
Natives of upper Sindh are mired in a number of problems including poverty, dearth of food and health resources, lack of academic institutions and shambolic state of civic amenities. However, law and order has now started to figure prominently among them. It is a popular belief in urban areas that various clean-up operations undertaken by … Read more
MADURAI – Teams of daring young men grappled in the dirt with furious bucking bulls on January 17 at an often-lethal Indian festival that has been a proverbial red rag to animal rights activists. “Jallikattu,” or the taming of the bulls, is a hugely popular annual event in Tamil Nadu state, where revellers wrestle the … Read more
Late one night, South African journalist Simon Allison woke up his wife with an idea: a weekly African newspaper for Africans, distributed via WhatsApp. She told him to go back to sleep, and “keep it for the morning”. But that was the birth of The Continent, in the middle of the pandemic. Even though it’s … Read more
