Category: English

The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Thursday decided to suspend the process of holding local government elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa until further orders, directing officials to immediately halt all election-related activities across the province. The decision was announced following a high-level meeting chaired by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja. It cited the federal government’s Order No. 3, issued on November 4, and the suspension of constitutional provisions under the order, saying local government elections could not currently be held in any district of the province. During the meeting,…

Read More

“So who started the war?” “I don’t think there is any ambiguity about who started it. US and Israel ….” “Sorry for not making my question clear I meant the war of words.” “The war of words between the US and Iran or between the Gulf countries and Iran or between Israel ….” “Nope.” “Did you mean the Europeans war of words with Russia ….” “Don’t think Russia is responding with any regularity and …” “For your information newspapers in Europe have warned Russia that they are preparing a massive…

Read More

An ‌Airbus A320 flying from Dublin to Rome was diverted to France’s ​Evreux airbase following a ​bomb threat, the latest in ⁠a series of threats ​targeting flights in Europe, the office ​of French Prime Minister Sébastien Lecornu said on Thursday. The situation is ​being monitored by the prime ​minister’s office, it added. According to flight-tracking ‌website ⁠Flightradar24, an Aer Lingus aircraft turned near Paris and was circling over the Evreux area ​after ​declaring an ⁠in-flight emergency. At least seven flights and a ​cruise ship in Europe ​received bomb ⁠threats on…

Read More

The US has imposed sanctions on an Indian couple based in Chandigarh and several companies associated with them for providing fraudulent maritime registrations and certifications to vessels transporting Iranian oil, helping the country’s shadow fleet evade international restrictions. The US Department of the Treasury designated Suniel Kumar Sharma and his wife, Jaspreet Preeti Shahid, accusing them of establishing unauthorised maritime registries and classification societies through websites that falsely claimed to represent countries that had not approved their services. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the department said the couple’s activities…

Read More

The refrigerators at three regional blood banks in France were hit by a cyberattack overnight between Sunday and Monday, at the same ​time hackers struck supermarkets from Sweden to Belgium. “Several regional facilities ​of the French Blood Establishment (EFS) were affected by a cybersecurity ⁠incident that impacted certain cold storage room monitoring and control systems,” ​the health ministry said in a statement. The incident had no impact on ​blood supplies, EFS spokesperson Charley Dubois said. “We have staff round the clock since blood can be needed at any time. They…

Read More

Bob Dylan has spent more than six decades knocking on heaven’s door. On Wednesday, ​the door opened at the Vatican, where the legendary ‌musician had a private audience with Pope Leo. Leo and Dylan, fellow travellers from the US Midwest, were seen meeting together in the pope’s office ​at the ornate apostolic palace in photos shared by ​the Vatican’s newspaper on social media. The 71-year-old leader of ⁠the Catholic Church wore his customary white cassock. Dylan, ​the acoustic songbird who went electric in the 1960s, wore a ​black coat, black…

Read More

The federal government has announced a public holiday on November 9 (Iqbal Day) to mark the birth anniversary of poet and philosopher Allama Muhammad Iqbal. The Cabinet Division has issued an official notification declaring November 9 a public holiday. All government and private institutions across the country will remain closed on the occasion. Earlier, the Sindh government announced that all public and private schools across the province would remain closed on November 9 to mark the birth anniversary of Dr Allama Muhammad Iqbal, the national poet of Pakistan.

Read More

Hong Kong activist Joshua Wong was sentenced on Thursday to 10 years in jail on ​a charge of collusion with foreign entities under the city’s national security law. Wong was among a group of young people whose protest efforts have effectively ‌been outlawed by a national security law imposed in 2020, after violent demonstrations. “The punishment must fit the gravity of the crime,” High Court Judge William Tam told a packed courtroom while delivering a sentence shorter than the maximum penalty of life in jail. “It is also necessary for…

Read More

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has confirmed that Saudi Arabia has extended the repayment of its $3 billion loan to Pakistan for a “reasonable period”, saying the country can manage its external accounts without the proposed $10 billion US liquidity support facility. Speaking to the media after attending a meeting of the Senate Standing Committee on Finance at Parliament House on Wednesday, Aurangzeb said Pakistan’s external position remained comfortable despite Washington’s decision not to entertain its request for financial support. “If the liquidity support facility comes, fantastic. If it doesn’t come,…

Read More

The Federal Constitutional Court on Thursday barred the Peshawar High Court (PHC) from hearing petitions challenging arrests made under Section 3 of the Maintenance of Public Order (3-MPO) Ordinance, suspending the implementation of the high court’s earlier orders in the matter. A two-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, issued the stay order while hearing an appeal filed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government against the PHC’s directives restricting authorities from arresting citizens under the 3-MPO. The constitutional court also issued notices to all relevant parties and adjourned further proceedings…

Read More