Pakistan's Justice Isa says media is not free in the country
Feb 09, 2021, at 05:47 pm
Islamabad: Justice Qazi Faez Isa of Pakistan has remarked that the media is not free in the country.
First Maldivian on USA's OFAC terrorist list Mohamed Ameen allowed house arrest
Feb 09, 2021, at 05:44 pm
Male: Mohamed Ameen, the first Maldivian on the list of terrorists publicised by America'sTreasuries Office of Foreign Affairs Control Department of the (OFAC), has been allowed by authorities for house arrest transfer, media reports said.
Hong Kong Police seize 682 kg of ketamine shipped from Pakistan
Feb 09, 2021, at 05:36 pm
Hong Kong: Hong Kong Police have made their biggest-ever seizure of ketamine which was shipped into the city from Pakistan in packages labelled "macaroni", media reports said.
UN rights experts alarmed by rise in use of lèse-majesté laws in Thailand
Feb 09, 2021, at 04:31 pm
New York: United Nations independent human rights experts on Monday voiced grave concerns over increasingly severe use of lèse-majesté laws in Thailand, warning that a rise in their usage is further restricting civic space and the enjoyment of fundamental freedoms in the country.
UN stands ready to support relief, in aftermath of deadly India flash floods
Feb 09, 2021, at 04:18 pm
New York: The United Nations stands ready, if necessary, to contribute to ongoing rescue and assistance efforts, following a glacier burst and subsequent flash flooding in northern India, Secretary-General António Guterres said on Sunday.
Wall Street continues record high spree as Biden pushes forth with US stimulus
Feb 09, 2021, at 03:26 pm
New York/Sputnik: Wall Street continued its record setting spree in all three major US stock indexes hit all-time highs for a second day in a row as the Biden administration pushed to have its $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus approved by Congress with or without bipartisan support.
Biden minimum wage plan might hike unemployment by 1.4 mln, budget deficit by $54Bln: CBO
Feb 09, 2021, at 02:42 pm
Washington/Sputnik: President Joe’s Biden plan to virtually double the US minimum wage to $15 per hour by June 2025 would raise unemployment by an estimated 1.4 million and the budget deficit by $54 billion in the decade between 2021 and 2031, the bipartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) said on Monday.
US military does not see Russia-China-Iran Naval Drill as 'impediment': Pentagon
Feb 09, 2021, at 02:29 pm
Washington/Sputnik: The US military does not view an upcoming exercise of Russian, Chinese and Iranian navies in the Indian Ocean as an impediment to its ability to defend freedom of the seas and support allies, the Pentagon spokesman John Kirby told reporters on Monday.
US concerned over Myanmar military's restrictions on peaceful assembly: State Dept
Feb 09, 2021, at 02:10 pm
Washington/Sputnik: The United States is concerned about the Myanmar military's decision to restrict peaceful protests, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said on Monday.
Pakistan President Arif Alvi signs ordinance for open balloting in Senate elections
Feb 09, 2021, at 04:10 am
Islamabad: President Arif Alvi on Saturday signed the Elections (Amendment) Ordinance 2021 which will pave the way for Senate elections to be held via an "open and identifiable ballot", a move opposed by the opposition leaders of the country.
Pakistan: PTI lawmaker booked for disrupting anti-encroachment drive
Feb 09, 2021, at 04:06 am
Islamabad: A lawmaker of Pakistan's ruling PTI was booked for attempted murder, interference in government duties, and disruption during an anti-encroachment drive carried out at his Malir farmhouse a day prior, media reports said.
Afghanistan: Magnetic IED blast in Kabul leaves two hurt
Feb 08, 2021, at 11:07 pm
Kabul: A magnetic IED blast in Afghanistan's Kabul city on Monday left at least two people hurt, media reports said.
Feb 08, 2021, at 10:57 pm
Islamabad: Former special assistant to the prime minister on health Dr Zafar Mirza has said he felt 'furious' that COVID-19 vaccines were given to influentials at the cost of frontline health workers.
Chinese tycoon's daughter to buy stake in Hong Kong media firm
Feb 08, 2021, at 04:05 pm
Hong Kong: Kwok Hiu-ting, the daughter of China's Kaisa Group Holdings Ltd. chairman, has agreed to procure the stake in prominent Hong Kong media firm Sing Tao News Corp. for about HK$370 million ($48 million), media reports said.
Chinese govt is now promoting education drive to make boys more 'manly'
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:56 pm
Beijing: China's education ministry's recent notice has triggered a controversy as it suggested that young Chinese men have become too "feminine".
Japan, British ministers exchange views on China's decision to change Coast Guard Law
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:51 pm
Tokyo: Japan and British ministers recently raised concern over China's decision to change Coast Guard Law.
Beijing 2022 Olympics: Activists call to boycott event over China's record on human rights abuse
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:45 pm
Beijing: A group of activists, who are campaigning for human rights in Tibet and support for ethnic Uygurs, have called for boycotting the 2022 Winter Olympics in Beijing.
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:33 pm
Washington/Beijing: US Secretary of State Antony J. Blinken in his talks with China's Director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs Yang Jiechi has said Washington will continue to stand up for human rights and democratic values.
Australian Education Minister Alan Tudge accuses China of spreading 'disinformation'
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:18 pm
Canberra: Australia's Education Minister Alan Tudge has alleged that China is spreading “disinformation” after Beijing warned students against studying in Australia.
Nepal govt unveils road constructed with Indian grant assistance
Feb 08, 2021, at 03:01 pm
Nepal has unveiled a road connecting the Indian border with several areas of the Himalayan nation, a project which also received grant assistance from New Delhi.
China: Population data released by certain provinces hint decline in newborn birth rates in 2020
Feb 08, 2021, at 02:51 pm
Beijing: China, which is the world's most populous nation, is probably facing a growing population crisis, according to local birth statistics released recently.
China calls BBC report on Uighur as 'unjust and irresponsible'
Feb 08, 2021, at 02:37 pm
Beijing: China has called BBC's recent report on Uighur camp in Xinjiang as 'unjust, subjective and irresponsible'.
Protests against Myanmar coup go into day 2 as Junta restores internet access
Feb 08, 2021, at 02:27 am
Nay Pyi Taw/Sputnik: Myanmar saw a second day of mass protests against the military on Sunday, with tens of thousands taking to the streets of the country's biggest city Yangon to denounce the coup, media said.
Maldives Foreign Minister visits Bangladesh
Feb 08, 2021, at 02:24 am
Dhaka/UNI: Foreign Minister of Maldives Abdulla Shahid is scheduled to pay an official visit to Bangladesh on February 8-11, upon invitation of Foreign Minister of Bangladesh AK Abdul Momen.
Iranian spiritual leader says US must lift sanctions for Tehran to return to nuclear deal
Feb 07, 2021, at 11:52 pm
Tehran/Sputnik: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei said Sunday that the United States would have to lift all sanctions for his country to return to its nuclear commitments.
Myanmar: Respect right to peaceful assembly, UN human rights office says
Feb 07, 2021, at 10:37 pm
New York: The United Nations human rights office (OHCHR) on Saturday called on the security forces in Myanmar to ensure that people’s right to peaceful assembly is fully respected and that demonstrations are not subjected to reprisals.
Hopes and fears of mother-to-be in Afghanistan
Feb 07, 2021, at 10:20 pm
New York: A mother in Afghanistan has been talking about the hopes and fears for her unborn daughter in a country where the birth of a girl can often be a curse rather than a blessing.
Unity, funding and decisive action needed to end FGM and protect millions of girls, UN says
Feb 07, 2021, at 09:40 pm
New York: The United Nations has called for collaboration at all levels, and across all sectors of society, to protect millions of girls and women at risk of female genital mutilation (FGM) every year.
Iraqi police capture 13 suspected IS militants in Baghdad countryside
Feb 07, 2021, at 09:34 pm
Baghdad/Sputnik: The Iraqi interior ministry announced Sunday that 13 people believed to be members of the Islamic State terror group (banned in Russia) were captured near Baghdad, according to media reports.
Israel gradually emerging from nationwide lockdown over COVID-19: Reports
Feb 07, 2021, at 09:01 pm
Moscow/Sputnik: Israel began loosening coronavirus-related restrictions on Sunday, gradually emerging from a nearly 40-day-long nationwide lockdown, national media reported.