The Punjab government has extended Basant festivities until 5.00am tomorrow following successful celebrations in the provincial capital of Lahore. The festival was earlier scheduled to end at midnight on Sunday. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced on X (formerly Twitter) that the extension was granted after the magnificent Basant celebrations, festivities, unity, and joy witnessed […]
Arsenal moved nine points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 3-0 victory against Sunderland, while Tottenham boss Thomas Frank faced renewed calls for his sacking after a 2-0 defeat at Manchester United on Saturday. Mikel Arteta’s side went ahead in the 42nd minute at the Emirates Stadium as Martin Zubimendi fired […]
US and UK envoys in Pakistan joined Basant celebrations in Lahore with official delegations, as the traditional spring festival attracts local and international participants. After nearly two decades, Basant returned to Lahore this week, cautiously and conditionally. It is a good feeling to have a spring festival back, even in a limited form. Basant is tied to […]
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on Thursday observed a province-wide wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, including the capital Peshawar, to protest alleged rigging in the February 8, 2024, general elections. The strike produced a mixture of large-scale mobilisation in some urban centres and limited disruption in others, with business activity continuing in many areas. In the […]
Lahore celebrates the third and final day of Basant on Sunday, with good winds expected for kite flying in the afternoon. Lahore remains on a public holiday as Basant enters its concluding hours. The festival, officially resumed after 25 years under government supervision, has already completed nearly 56 hours of the permitted 72-hour duration. Only […]
China condemned an attack on a Shia mosque in Islamabad, pledging support on Sunday for the Pakistan government’s efforts to “maintain national security and stability”. China is “deeply shocked” by Friday’s attack, the foreign ministry said in a statement. An attacker opened fire at the gates of the mosque before setting off a suicide bomb and […]
Bangladesh’s elections next week could reshape South Asia’s balance of power, as Beijing seeks to consolidate influence and ties with India falter, analysts say. The February 12 poll will be the nation’s first since a student-led uprising toppled former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime in August 2024. India’s sheltering of Hasina — despite extradition […]
Syria and Saudi Arabia signed deals Saturday that include a joint airline and a $1-billion project to develop telecommunications, officials said, as Syria seeks to rebuild after years of war. Saudi Arabia has been a major backer of Syria’s Islamist authorities who took power after toppling longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024. The new […]
Former US president Bill Clinton and former secretary of state Hillary Clinton are calling for their congressional testimony on ties to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein to be held publicly to prevent Republicans from politicizing the issue. The couple had been ordered to give closed-door depositions before the House Oversight Committee, which is probing the […]
Denmark’s foreign minister said Saturday his country is now in a better position in regards to US President Donald Trump’s desire to acquire Greenland — an autonomous Danish territory — but stressed the crisis is not yet resolved. “We are not out of the crisis, and we do not have a solution yet,” Foreign Minister […]