Israel becomes first country to recognise Somaliland as independent state

Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state on Friday — a decision that could reshape regional dynamics and test Somalia’s longstanding opposition to secession. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would seek immediate cooperation with Somaliland in agriculture, health, technology and the economy. […]

Italy opens 10,500 jobs for Pakistanis, offering alternative to illegal migration to Europe

Italy has opened a rare legal pathway for Pakistani workers to Europe by allocating a 10,500-job quota over the next three years, a move officials say could help curb illegal migration. Under the arrangement, 3,500 Pakistanis will travel to Italy each year for work under seasonal and non-seasonal schemes, according to the Ministry of Overseas […]

Thailand and Cambodia sign ceasefire deal, ending violent border clashes

Thailand and Cambodia agreed on Saturday to halt weeks of fierce border clashes, the worst fighting in years between the Southeast Asian countries that have included fighter jet sorties, exchange of rocket fire and artillery barrages. “Both sides agree to maintain current troop deployments without further movement,” their defence ministers said in a joint statement […]

UK envoy issued demarche over Bradford protest

Pakistan on Friday summoned the United Kingdom’s high commissioner and issued a formal demarche following “provocative” statements made during a protest outside the Pakistani consulate in Bradford, where remarks targeting the country’s civil and military leadership were aired. Foreign Office spokesperson Tahir Andrabi confirmed that the UK envoy was called in and formally conveyed Pakistan’s […]

Benazir trial’s long shadow

Eighteen years after the assassination of Benazir Bhutto — the ‘Daughter of the East’ and Pakistan’s first woman prime minister — the legal labyrinth surrounding her murder remains unresolved, its many threads still tangled despite years of investigations, trials and appeals. The long afterlife of Benazir’s trial remains deprived of closure as the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) […]