Category: English

Saudi authorities on Monday extended the suspension of operations at Riyadh’s international airport following a series of deadly Houthi attacks. Strikes on the airport in recent days have killed at least 18 people, including 13 on Saturday in the deadliest attack on the kingdom in more than a decade, with hundreds also wounded. The General Authority of Civil Aviation, in a statement, “announced the extension of the suspension of operations at King Khalid International Airport”. It said the extension was needed to “complete the necessary procedures to verify the safety…

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Hundreds of opposition party demonstrators marched to India’s Supreme Court on Monday to protest the removal of millions of names from voter ‌lists that has sparked days of unrest in the Indian capital and challenged Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Opposition parties and supporters of the “cockroach” youth movement have taken to the streets almost daily this month to demand the resignation of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar over the revision that critics say benefits Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). The change that started last year led to over ​130 million…

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Waves of Russian strikes on Ukraine overnight and into Monday killed ​several people and wounded dozens, including attacks on energy facilities, which Kyiv called a violation of a ceasefire on such targets announced by Donald Trump. Under pressure over high ‌energy prices ahead of US midterm elections next month, US President Trump blindsided Kyiv and its European allies by declaring that Kyiv and Moscow had agreed not to hit each other’s energy systems. Trump has also unveiled a deal to buy diesel from Russia, and called on Ukrainians to replace…

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US authorities conducted a predawn Monday raid on the Washington-area home of Democratic Representative Ilhan Omar as part ​of an ongoing investigation, the Justice Department said. The raid followed a criminal ‌fraud investigation into the Somali-born lawmaker’s immigration paperwork, which was filled out by her late father when she was a child, Fox News Digital reported, citing unidentified sources. “Today in the Washington, D.C. area, Homeland Security Investigations executed ​a judicially authorized search warrant secured by the Department of Justice. This enforcement ​action is part of an ongoing federal investigation,”…

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Pakistan’s economy is expected to grow by more than 4% this fiscal year despite elevated oil prices, as the government looks to push for the privatisation of five to six entities that could raise upwards of $1 billion, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb told Reuters on Monday. Pakistan’s economy is considered to be highly vulnerable to a prolonged Middle East conflict given its dependence on Gulf energy imports, remittances and financing support from the region, even as it remains reliant on external financing to bolster foreign exchange reserves and meet debt…

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European Union foreign ministers agreed on Monday to establish a new support ​mission in Lebanon aimed at advising and training the ‌country’s military and internal security forces. The mission “will advise and assist the Lebanese Armed Forces and Internal Security Forces to strengthen territorial control, border ​security, and internal security,” EU foreign policy chief Kaja ​Kallas said in a statement, adding that “Europe is invested ⁠in Lebanon’s future”. The Council of the EU said the mission ​would have an initial mandate of three years and include both ​a civilian and…

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A high-level Brazilian military delegation led by Admiral Renato Rodrigues De Aguiar Freire, Chief of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Brazil, met Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Forces, at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi to discuss regional security and ways to strengthen bilateral defence cooperation. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Monday, the two sides discussed matters of mutual interest, the regional security environment and opportunities to expand defence and…

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The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to use all available resources to restore law and order in the province, with a focus on eliminating terrorism, strengthening law enforcement agencies and improving security measures. A decision in this regard was taken at a meeting of the provincial Apex Committee chaired by Governor Faisal Karim Kundi. The meeting was attended by Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, senior military officials, Chief Secretary Dr Fakhr Alam Irfan, Inspector General of Police Zulfiqar Hameed and other senior officials. According to a statement issued after the…

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Pakistan’s fourth review under the IMF’s Extended Fund Facility has produced the expected staff-level agreement. It was a non-event by any meaningful economic measure. The programme remains on track, and another $1.2 billion in financing is expected, subject to the Fund board’s approval. What remains missing is a credible route from stabilisation to growth. With the programme due to expire in about a year, another IMF arrangement is beginning to look more likely than a durable exit. The macroeconomic numbers offer some comfort. Fiscal and external accounts are broadly on…

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A Pakistan Army Mushshak training aircraft crashed near Nawan Killi in Quetta on Monday, killing instructor pilot Major Hasnain Shahzad Humayun and trainee pilot Captain Abdul Samad. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the aircraft crashed in the Nawan Killi area of Quetta, Balochistan. Initial reports suggest a technical fault may have caused the accident. ISPR identified Major Hasnain Shahzad Humayun as the instructor pilot and Captain Abdul Samad as the trainee pilot. Both died in the crash. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed grief over the incident and offered…

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