Category: English

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday called an early general election for November 29 after parliament rejected two government housing measures amid growing protests over the country’s housing crisis. Speaking at his official residence in Madrid, Sanchez said he would convene his cabinet later on Monday to begin the process of calling the election. He acknowledged that his government had made mistakes and failed to achieve all its goals, saying further progress required a stronger parliamentary majority. The announcement followed Friday’s defeat of two housing decrees introduced in response…

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Iran will strike US military bases in the region and American vessels if Washington launches a ground invasion of the country, a senior Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander warned on Sunday. Ali Fadavi, head of the advisory group to the IRGC commander-in-chief, issued the warning while appearing on Iranian state television late Sunday. “If the Americans launch a ground attack, then we will target every location related to the Americans, American bases and every vessel related to the Americans,” he said. Fadavi said the United States understood military force,…

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The Nobel Prize in Medicine was awarded on Monday to Karl Deisseroth, Peter Hegemann and Georg Nagel for their research into light-gated ion channels and optogenetics. The award was announced at Stockholm’s Karolinska Institute, marking the start of this year’s Nobel Prize announcements. The Nobel committee honoured the three scientists for discoveries that led to optogenetics, a technique that enables researchers to switch the activity of individual nerve cells in a living brain on or off. The committee said the method is now being used in laboratories around the world…

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The first group of Sri Lanka’s men’s cricket team arrived in Islamabad on Monday for its tour of Pakistan. The 13-member contingent comprises eight players from the T20 squad and five team management officials. The players who arrived include T20 captain Kusal Mendis, Dasun Shanaka, Maheesh Theekshana, Eshan Malinga, Kamindu Mendis, Lahiru Udara, Chamindu Wickramasinghe and Dunith Wellalage. The remaining five T20 squad members are scheduled to arrive in Islamabad on Tuesday, while Sri Lanka’s head coach, two players and two other officials will also reach the capital tomorrow. Pakistan…

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The Yemeni army on Monday claimed that its forces had “neutralised” 1,747 Houthi militia members in 1,122 military operations launched across the country. Spokesman for Yemen army Majed Abdullah Al Nuzaili said the operations targeted Houthi artillery and rocket-launcher positions, defensive fortifications, advance routes, supply lines, reinforcements and military buildups, as well as command and control centres. The operations were carried out in Saada, Al-Jawf and Taiz provinces and along Yemen’s western coast, he said in a statement on X. Al Nuzaili said the forces used warplanes, drones, artillery, missiles,…

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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to chair a high-level meeting on Monday to discuss the prevailing political and security situation in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa following the collapse of talks between the government and opposition teams. The federal government is considering constitutional options, including emergency or governor’s rule in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid a long march led by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. The government committee which held negotiations with the opposition would also be part of the discussions. The committee is expected to brief the premier on the progress made in…

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Pakistan has selected Mohammed Ali Naqvi’s documentary Hanging By a Wire as its official entry for the Best International Feature Film category at the 99th Academy Awards. This is the first time the country has chosen a documentary for the distinction, according to the Deadline website. The film revisits the dramatic August 2023 rescue operation in Battagram, northern Pakistan, when six schoolchildren and two adults were stranded about 900 feet above the ground after a cable snapped on a makeshift cable car. Directed, written and produced by Naqvi with Bilal Sami,…

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France will partially or fully close up to 500 high schools on Monday following days of clashes between riot police and student protesters, Education Minister Édouard Geffray said on Sunday. Lessons will be “totally or partly suspended” at between 400 and 500 schools where security conditions have not been met, Geffray said. He said 24 schools had been “burned or ransacked” since protests over education standards began last week. The demonstrations, which started in Paris, have spread to other cities including Montpellier, Nantes and Marseille. Thousands of students have taken…

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Three militants belonging to the Fitna Al Khawarij terrorist group were killed in an intelligence-based operation by security forces in Dera Ismail Khan, security sources said on Monday. The operation was part of operations against Fitna Al Khawarij and other militant groups in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa under the Azm-e-Istehkam vision, the sources said. According to the sources, security forces’ operations have proved effective in weakening militant networks. They said the forces remain committed to eliminating terrorism from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and will continue their operations.

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres left New York for Islamabad on Sunday night for a four-day trip during which he will discuss Pakistan’s mediatory role in the US conflict with Iran as well as its “constructive role” in supporting negotiations between the two countries, among other matters. During the visit — at the invitation of the Government of Pakistan — the UN chief will meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar as well as senior government officials. He will also hold talks with…

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