21-08-2023 WASHINGTON: The United States has urged China to stop pressuring Taiwan after Beijing launched war games around the self-ruled island as a “stern warning” over Taiwanese Vice President William Lai’s recent stopovers in New York and San Francisco. The statement came as Taiwan said on Sunday that some 25 …

21-08-2023 OTTAWA/ BRITISH COLUMBIA: Authorities in western Canada have implored tens of thousands of people to heed evacuation orders and warned of difficult days ahead as “severe and fast-changing” forest fires in the province of British Columbia (BC) intensified further. Premier Daniel Eby told reporters on Saturday that the number …

20-08-2023 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD/ NORTH WAZIRISTAN: Eleven (11) people were killed in a suspected militant attack in northern Pakistan, caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar said on Sunday. Kakar posted on X, previously known as Twitter, that a “terrorist attack” in North Waziristan “claimed the lives of 11 innocent laborers.” …

20-08-2023 RIYADH/ TEHRAN: Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS) Friday held discussions with Iran’s Foreign Minister Hossein Amirabdollahian, marking the most significant level of bilateral talks since their reconciliation in March, media reported. Taking place unexpectedly in Jeddah, this meeting occurred a day subsequent to Amirabdollahian’s arrival in …

20-08-2023 MOSCOW/ LONDON: Russia has banned 54 British nationals and people working for UK organizations from entering the country in retaliation for UK sanctions on its citizens, its foreign ministry says. They include Culture Secretary Lucy Frazer and International Criminal Court chief prosecutor Karim Khan. A number of journalists from …

20-08-2023 MEXICO CITY/ LOS ANGELES: California has been warned of potentially fatal and catastrophic flooding as category 4 Hurricane Hilary rushes towards Mexico’s Baja California peninsula, according to a tropical storm warning issued by the US government on Friday. “Life-threatening and potentially catastrophic flooding is likely over much of Baja …

20-08-2023 STOCKHOLM: After the recent incidents of Islamophobia in Stockholm, the Swedish government is considering legal amendments to allow police to deny permission for acts of hate against religions, such as burning the Holy Quran, as per a report by Reuters. However, the said changes to the Public Order Act …

19-08-2023 By SJA Jafri ISLAMABAD/ KARACHI: Pakistan’s blasphemy law has come under the spotlight again after a Muslim mob burned Christian churches and houses in the east of the country earlier this week, accusing two members in the community of desecrating the Quran. On Friday, Pakistani police arrested two Christians …

19-08-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW DELHI: India’s space agency has released latest images of the Moon as its third lunar mission starts descending towards the little-explored South Pole. The pictures have been taken by Vikram, Chandrayaan-3’s lander, which began the last phase of its mission on Thursday. Vikram, which …

19-08-2023 YELLOWKNIFE: Yellowknife, one of Canada’s major northern cities, is facing a grave threat as authorities ordered its 20,000 residents to evacuate due to approaching wildfires. The fire, located less than 10 miles away, poses a danger that could potentially reach the city outskirts by the weekend. This adds to …