In September 2020, a 19-year-old ‘Dalit’ woman was gang-raped and brutally murdered in Uttar-Pradesh by four upper-caste men, who are still scot-free. After her death, the victim was forcibly cremated by the police without the consent of her family, a claim denied by the police, as per various news agencies. Why? Because she belonged to … Read more
CHESTERFIELD, United Kingdom – Long shifts working in intensive care and the risk of catching Covid and passing it on to his wife and children left Joan Pons Laplana exhausted. “By the end of the second wave I was all over the place. I had nightmares, panic attacks. I started having suicidal thoughts, mood swings,” … Read more
ACCRA – As the sun slid toward noon, Adam Fuseina’s daughter jumped off a bicycle at their home in Nafaring village, northern Ghana, and called out to her mother that she was back from shopping. Fuseina looked at the basket full of cooking oil, flour, greens and other items on the bike’s front rack and … Read more
Pakistan is, at the moment, facing a fresh wave of terrorism after a break of a few years of relative peace. Experts on security-related issues attribute it to the reunification of different militant groups in the region. Pakistan was hoping a change of rule in Afghanistan would bring peace in the country and disarm and … Read more
Karachi: Period films and TV shows are not just a sneak peek into the past, but also a gateway into the history where everything that mattered, happened. If Hollywood had their 1917 and Dunkirk, then Pakistan has its very own 1971, the year when two wings of one country were clipped – West Pakistan became … Read more
Ovid mentions the River Indus at the beginning of Metamorphoses – the poet’s monumental book on mythology that first appeared in 5 AD. The Roman writer probably knew that the River Indus is both the cradle of one of the world’s greatest civilizations and a source of life for the people of the region. This … Read more
COLCHESTER, United Kingdom – Nestled amid superstores at a retail park, the Colchester Foodbank in eastern England last year gave out a total of 165 tonnes of food, enough to feed 17,000 people. But that could be surpassed this year, as British annual inflation hits a 30-year high of 5.4 percent in December, as real … Read more
Muslims are the second “least-liked” group in the UK, according to a new study that reveals the shocking extent of Islamophobia in the country, Arab News reported. The study, by researchers at the University of Birmingham, found that roughly one in four Britons hold negative views of Muslims and Islam, the highest of any group … Read more
It has been revealed that Brigadier (Retd) Mussaddiq Abbasi, who was appointed as the Prime Minister’s adviser on Accountability and the Interior on January 26, after the resignation of Barrister Shahzad Akbar on January 24, had, in the past, been investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for two complaints against him. According to the … Read more
PARIS – Babies whose low-income mothers received significant monthly cash support had more brain activity associated with thinking and learning after one year, a study said. The paper published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences describes the first results of a landmark ongoing US study looking at how reducing poverty can … Read more
A Taliban delegation led by Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan’s (IEA) interim Minister for Foreign Affairs Mullah Amir Khan Muttaqi visited Norway, their first official visit to any European state after seizing power in Afghanistan five months ago, to participate in the three-day Oslo Talks on human rights. The Taliban delegation reportedly met Norwegian officials and … Read more
Despite a lapse of six months, no worthy candidate has yet been appointed to the post of Child Protection Officer (CPO) at the Child Protection Institute Islamabad. The Child Protection Institute was inaugurated at Sihala Road, Hummak Town, Islamabad in June 2021. However, according to reliable sources in the Ministry of Human Rights, there was … Read more
Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar used his discretionary powers to purchase 46 brand new luxury cars for his cabinet members but the public centric project of plying 200 electric buses in Lahore and elsewhere in Punjab is facing hiccups. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led Punjab government has finally placed an order for purchasing 46 brand … Read more
DAKAR – It’s the tale of a boy who cheats on his fiancée, one misdeed too many in a selfish life, and in desperation turns to a genie for help. The genie gives the errant lad five magic cowrie shells to wipe the slate clean… but these will only work if he uses them wisely. … Read more
The first-ever peace endeavour started by the Gulf neighbours for Lebanon, which is under the throes of an economic meltdown, social unrest and remained fixed to establish a viable government committed to rooting out corruption while pulling out of the former prime minister. Gulf Arab states are looking to mend a standoff with Lebanon, Kuwait’s … Read more
BEIJING – The European Parliament adopted a so-called Hong Kong-related resolution, pointing a finger at Hong Kong affairs, discrediting China wantonly, calling for sanctions on officials from the Chinese central government and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) government, and even arrogantly urging China to abolish the national security law for Hong Kong. It also … Read more
The top leadership of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) – an opposition parties’ alliance – seems determined in their public statements about staging a “long march” against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) led federal government on March 23. But leaders from some of the PDM parties as well as political analyst view these announcements with a … Read more
Deputy Chairman of Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev said that the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) and the United States are using Ukraine to gain geopolitical leverage as earlier United States delivered a reply in co-ordination with Nato allies, rejected any ban on Ukraine, but offering what it called a new “diplomatic path” out of … Read more
After repeated failures to free its crime-ridden favelas from the grip of gangs and militia, Rio de Janeiro state has launched a controversial new security and social project, but skepticism is rife. Observers fear the project, a combination of increased security and social projects that will initially focus on only two of Rio’s 1,000-odd slums, … Read more
GENEVA – World Health Organisation chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus is all but guaranteed a second term after a procedural vote on January 25 made him the sole nominee for a leadership election in May. The first African leader of the UN health agency said he was “very grateful for the renewed support”, after the WHO’s … Read more
BEIJING – China’s declining birth rate in recent years has been driven by a decreasing number of women of childbearing age, changes in young people’s attitudes toward marriage and fertility, and rising child care costs, health officials said. They said more concrete measures will be rolled out to encourage births and relieve the child care … Read more
Havaldar Lalak Jan was a junior officer in the Northern Light Infantry and fought against India in the Kargil War. During this time, Tiger Hill, a part of the Kargil sector had been captured by the Pakistan Army. The territory was being held by 130 men of the 12th Northern Lights Infantry commanded by Subedar … Read more
BEIJING – The Chinese government’s performance in tackling Covid-19, ensuring economic growth, fighting corruption and pollution, and enhancing its own governance capacity and its quicker response to public concerns are all reasons behind a record high level of trust among Chinese citizens in the nation’s government, according to a global survey and experts. Ninety-one per … Read more
Sui Wenjing and Han Cong have an intense bond that has overcome injury setbacks and sparked persistent rumors of romance — and makes them among the favorites for figure skating gold at next month’s Beijing Olympics. The Chinese pair have been skating together since they were teenagers, building a strong working relationship that propelled them … Read more
KARACHI: The Pakistan equity market is witnessing a rising trend of foreign investment, as the country’s economy is returning to normalcy after some relief from the Covid-19 pandemic. “The local market is expected to attract net inflow of $150 to $200 million in 2022, as the country make progress with the International Monetary Fund (IMF), … Read more
Very few top-level footballers have suffered from life-threatening bouts of Covid, but the longer-term effects of the virus are now being seen in the game, with one study suggesting even players’ passing ability can suffer. There have been several complicated cases of Covid-19, preventing players from returning to the pitch immediately after testing negative for … Read more
English cricket is back in the firing line over racism in the game after “stereotypical” and “outdated” views were expressed about the reasons for a lack of interest in the game among Britain’s ethnic-minority communities. Former Yorkshire player Azeem Rafiq delivered harrowing testimony to lawmakers in November, where he said his career had been ended … Read more
KARACHI: High dollar demand for external payments, depleting foreign exchange reserves and the rising oil prices in the international market are likely to keep the Pakistani rupee under pressure, experts said. However, they brushed off speculation that the rupee may fall to 200 against the dollar. “The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had issued notices … Read more
