People losing their trust in Pakistan Army, says opinion piece
Jun 28, 2021, at 03:50 am
Islamabad: Pakistani people seem to be losing their trust in the country's army amid prolonged operations conducted by its troops.
Bhutan king treks miles of mountain terrain to alert his people to pandemic's dangers
Jun 28, 2021, at 03:41 am
Dressed in his traditional gho robe and a baseball cap, photos of Bhutanese King Jigme Keshar Namgyel Wangchuk trekking the treacherous mountain terrain of the country’s southern border went viral on social media this week. The visit by the popular king - the monarchy is respected as a god by the common people came at a time when Covid-19 cases were rising in southern districts.
Nepali migrant workers hit by Gulf countries’ vaccine norms
Jun 28, 2021, at 02:39 am
Major labor destination countries like Saudi Arabia, Qatar, United Arab Emirates are tightening their respective norms for the entry of foreign workforces, putting the jobs of thousands of workers, who are yet to receive their vaccines, at risk.
Japan plans stricter COVID19 safety measures for some athletes as Delta variant fears grow
Jun 28, 2021, at 02:31 am
Tokyo/Sputnik: The organizers of the Olympic Games in Japan plan to introduce stricter entry restrictions for athletes from certain countries starting next month, because of the spread of the Delta coronavirus variant, the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper reported on Sunday.
Taliban transferring seized Afghan military equipment to Pakistan, say Afghan officials
Jun 28, 2021, at 02:11 am
The Taliban has been trying to transfer military equipment they seized from the Afghan military to Pakistan, claimed Afghanistan’s acting Interior Minister General Abdul Sattar Mirzakwal. The group has in the past two months seized a number of military equipment, including tanks and armored vehicles.
Pakistan: Imran Khan calling Al Qaeda leader Osama martyr is a slip of tongue: Minister
Jun 28, 2021, at 02:03 am
Islamabad/UNI: Pakistan Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry has said that Prime Minister Imran Khan calling slain Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden a "martyr" last year was a "slip of the tongue".
US President Joe Biden assures Afghan leadership of 'sustained' support
Jun 28, 2021, at 01:40 am
US President Joe Biden has assured the Afghan leadership of “sustained” partnership as the US troops wind down their almost 20-year-long military engagement in the war-torn country amid an escalating Taliban offensive.
Pakistan: UN experts demand halt to mass evictions along Karachi’s watercourses
Jun 28, 2021, at 12:45 am
Geneva: UN human rights experts recently called on Pakistan to stop evicting close to 100,000 people living along two of Karachi’s narrow watercourses, locally known as nullahs – Gujjar nullah and Orangi nullah.
Two Chinese nationals arrested for illegally staying in Pakistan
Jun 27, 2021, at 10:36 pm
Islamabad: Two Chinese nationals have been arrested from Karachi city for illegally staying in Pakistan despite the expiry of their 30-day business visas, media reports said on Sunday.
Pakistan hopes Taliban won't allow TTP to operate in Afghanistan: Sheikh Rashid
Jun 27, 2021, at 10:09 pm
Islamabad: Pakistan's Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid has said Islamabad is expecting the Afghan Taliban will not allow terrorist groups like TTP to carry out activities against Pakistan.
UK: Matt Hancock resigns as health secretary after breaking social distance guidance
Jun 27, 2021, at 03:47 pm
London/UNI: Britain's health secretary Matt Hancock resigned from his position on Saturday after he was found in breach of social distancing norms by kissing a colleague.
Donald Trump to hold first post-presidential rally to slam turncoat Republicans
Jun 27, 2021, at 02:58 pm
Washington/UNI/Sputnik: Former US President Donald Trump resumes his signature rallies as he seeks to purge turncoat Republican lawmakers by publicly campaigning for their challengers ahead of the 2022 Congress election.
Pakistan remains on FATF grey list
Jun 27, 2021, at 04:45 am
The Financial Action Task Force (FATF) has announced that Pakistan will continue to remain on the watchdog's "increased monitoring list", also known as the grey list, till it addresses the single remaining item – financial terrorism - on the original action plan agreed to as well as all items on a parallel action plan handed out by the watchdog's regional partner – the Asia Pacific Group (APG) – in 2019.
Delta variant driving the third wave of Covid-19 in South Africa
Jun 27, 2021, at 04:20 am
Cape Town/IBNS: Scientists have attributed the current surge in coronavirus cases in South Africa to the Delta variant, according to media reports.
Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton accuses Pakistan of supporting Taliban
Jun 27, 2021, at 03:21 am
Washington: Former White House National Security Advisor John Bolton has accused Pakistan of supporting the Taliban and providing them safe havens in Pakistan during the past two decades.
China asks US to stop official exchange, military contacts with Taiwan
Jun 27, 2021, at 03:07 am
Beijing: China is firmly opposed to any form of official exchanges or military contacts between the US and Taiwan, said Senior Colonel Ren Guoqiang, a spokesperson for China's Ministry of National Defense, on Tuesday.
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen expresses sadness over Apple Daily closure
Jun 27, 2021, at 03:00 am
Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen on Thursday expressed sadness over the closure of the Apple Daily and said her nation will continue to support freedom for Hong Kong.
Joe Biden describes shutting down of Apple Daily as a 'sad day' for press freedom in Hong Kong
Jun 27, 2021, at 02:53 am
Washington: US President Joe Biden described the shutting down of Apple Daily following a police crackdown as a 'sad day' for media freedom in Hong Kong and around the world.
FATF: Pakistan leaves loopholes in small saving schemes to help terror groups
Jun 27, 2021, at 02:17 am
A geo-political expert said Pakistan has left a loophole deliberately in the small saving schemes to help terrorist groups, many of whom enjoy the patronage of the state, to dodge the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) scrutiny.
Afghan government losses custom revenue; dry port at Tajikistan border held by Taliban
Jun 27, 2021, at 12:29 am
The Afghan government has been losing around $32000 in daily custom revenue as the Taliban insurgents seized a dry port on its northern border with Tajikistan. The port fell to the insurgent group this week, forcing 134 of its employees to take refugee in Tajikistan.
Pakistan Minister warns fourth wave may hit country next month
Jun 26, 2021, at 10:48 pm
Islamabad: Pakistan's Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar warned the nation might face the fourth wave of COVID-19 in July.
Syria: ‘Gulf of mistrust’, complex realities, prevent political progress
Jun 26, 2021, at 10:06 pm
Progress towards resolving Syria’s decade-long war is unlikely, given the ‘gulf of mistrust’ among parties and complexity of conditions on the ground, the chief UN mediator for the country told the Security Council on Friday, as he urged delegates to unite around elements of resolution 2254 (2015) and called for a new international dialogue to achieve a breakthrough.
Jun 26, 2021, at 09:17 pm
London: The Balochi National Movement recently protested infront of UK PM Boris Johnson's residence here as the enforced disappearance of Dr Deen Muhammad Baloch completed 12 years recently.
US to retain several hundred troops in Afghanistan post-withdrawal: Report
Jun 26, 2021, at 03:43 pm
Washignton: The United States will retain at least 650 troops in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of its forces from the country for the protection of diplomats in Kabul, reported the American newswire Associated Press. This comes after the Taliban, the main Afghan insurgent group, swept across several districts in the country’s northern part, creating further panic about the sustainability of the embattled Afghan government and forces.
Syria’s last cross-border aid lifeline must stay open, insist UN humanitarians
Jun 26, 2021, at 03:11 pm
New York: The imminent closure of the last cross-border aid lifeline to northwest Syria must be postponed beyond the 10 July deadline, UN humanitarians said on Friday, noting that no cross-line supplies had reached Idlib from Damascus, in 11 months.
George Floyd death: Ex- police officer Derek Chauvin sentenced to over 22 years in prison
Jun 26, 2021, at 03:02 pm
Washington: American police officer Derek Chauvin, who was convicted of murdering African-American man George Floyd in Minneapolis in May 2020, has been sentenced to 22 years and six months in prison.
Democracy at risk in Nepal, says leader of opposition
Jun 26, 2021, at 02:51 pm
Kathmandu: The dissolution of the House of Representatives of parliament has put democracy at risk in Nepal, said Nepal's former prime minister and leader of opposition Sher Bahadur Deuba, whose claim to form the government was rejected by President Bidya Devi Bhandari on 22 May. Last month, Bhandari had dissolved the lower house of parliament despite getting support letters from a majority of MPs.
Prevention, only ‘sustainable solution’ to conflict, deputy UN chief tells Nigerian law students
Jun 26, 2021, at 02:47 pm
New York: Speaking in Nigeria, the UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed has emphasized the importance of prevention as “the only real, sustainable solution” to resolving the challenges thrown up by conflict.
Driving electric vehicle becomes easier in Bhutan; 21 charging stations installed
Jun 26, 2021, at 02:37 pm
A total of 21 electric vehicles (EV) charging stations were installed in six districts of Bhutan, making driving of electric vehicles drive even easier now, one of the first countries in South Asia to show such environmental advancement in combating pollution. Eleven fast chargers and 10 semi-fast chargers have been made operational in Thimphu, Paro, Punakha, Wangduephodrang, Chukha, and Haa districts.
Forced labour evidenced in solar industries attached to China's questionable Xinjiang region
Jun 26, 2021, at 05:40 am
Beijing: Uyghurs are currently working at a silicon factory in China’s northwestern desert where the temperature even soars to more than 2,000 degrees.