Rescue search continues for third day after deadly quakes in Afghanistan

Taliban government reports death toll has surged past 2,000 as rescue workers search for survivors

October 9, 2023

Wang hopes US-China ties to return to ‘track of healthy development’

China’s top diplomat's statement comes as he meets visiting senior American lawmakers led by Chuck Schumer

Foreign nationals reported to be killed in Israel as death toll surges

Foreign nationals have contacted foreign ministries back home to be evacuated from war zone

Israel orders complete siege of Gaza as clashes with Hamas enter third day

Gaza officials report nearly 500 deaths in the impoverished and blockaded enclave of 2.3 million people

Chicago North River shooting leaves 8 injured

The age of the victims of the River North shooting ranges from 23 to 43 years old

Israel, US suffer setback as discord emerges in UNSC over Hamas attack

"My message was to stop fighting immediately, to go to ceasefire, to meaningful negotiations," says Russia

US sends aircraft carrier, warships near Israel showing support amid Hamas attack

US Central Command Sunday also confirms that ships and planes started moving to their ordered position

US to send war fleet, provide ammunition to Israel amid escalating conflict

Washington will also be supplying ammunition to Israel as part of its security assistance

King Charles Imperils Monarchy with Upcoming Action

King Charles has been renounced by a Commonwealth country ahead of his visit next year

Princess Diana would have been alive if not for ‘extraordinarily rare injury’

Princess Diana would have been alive and well in a few days after the accident

Patrick Stewart reveals potential alternate ending for Star Trek: Picard in his new autobiography

Patrick Stewart explains how he wanted the series to end in his book

Sophie Turner ‘inspired’ by Taylor Swift to exact revenge on Joe Jonas

Sophie Turner recently sued Joe Jonas for forcefully retaining their two daughters in the US

Several airlines suspend Tel Aviv flights until security conditions improve

US air carriers United Airlines, Delta Air Lines and American Airlines suspended direct flights

Israel strikes southern Lebanon after Hezbollah attacks Shebaa farms

Hezbollah targeted three posts in Shebaa Farms “in solidarity” with Palestinian people

October 8, 2023

US likely to announce military aid to Israel as conflict enters second day

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also confirms there is no evidence of Iran's involvement in attacks on Israel

Saudi FM calls on US, EU counterparts to deescalate Israel-Palestine conflict

According to Saudi media, Prince Faisal talks to his counterparts in Egypt, Qatar and Jordan

Israel clashes with Hamas as over 350 Palestinians martyred; Hezbollah launches missiles

American official claims that Washington will send a navy fleet to ensure the safety of Israeli coastal areas

Two Israeli tourists, Egyptian guide, ‘shot dead in Alexandria’

This is the first attack on Israelis in Egypt in several decades

Nobel Peace Prize winner Narges Mohammadi celebrates achievement behind bars

Mohammadi's campaign for freedom of expression and women's rights has prompted her arrest several times

Avalanche on Tibet's Mount Shishap­a­ngma kills two

Scientists say summit is no more safe for climbers due to global warming

Fatalities in Afghanistan earthquakes cross 2,000

A spokesman for National Disaster Authority said they expect death toll 'to rise very high'

This is your guide to small talk success and sound smarter to strangers

Lipman shows that the SIMPLEST way to impress strangers is showing genuine interest by asking for their advice

WATCH: Donald Trump showcases how he is better stand-up comedian

Donald Trump conveys his criticism of Joe Biden’s policies in humous way maintaining full engagement of crowd

US calls for calm, stability as Israeli occupied forces suffer unprecedented blow

Attack commenced early Saturday when fighters caught occupied Israelis by surprise, firing 5,000 rockets

Earthquake in Afghanistan claims 120 lives, as rescue operation continues

Official says that so far over 1,000 injured women, children, and elderly citizens have been included in our records

Israel Retaliates After Hamas Strikes, Death Toll Reaches 1,100

US President Biden extends support to Israel, warns no enemy of Tel Aviv should exploit attacks

Afghan Earthquakes Claim 2,445 Lives, Taliban Report, Death Toll Rising

Quakes hit 35 km (20 miles) northwest of the city of Herat, with one of 6.3 magnitude

US ‘expected’ to provide details on new military assistance for Israel later Sunday: Blinken

US considering additional military support for Israel in response to Hamas attack, says Secretary of State Blinken

The Expansion of CPEC to Afghanistan: Implications for Regional Stability

Ambassador to China said Pakistan to focus on acquiring new technologies in second phase of CPEC

Two fatalities, two unaccounted for after avalanche strikes Tibet’s Mt Shishapangma

American mountaineer and Nepali guide die in Tibet avalanche, two missing and one injured on Mount Shishapangma

Indian Flood Death Toll Rises to 77 as Waters Subside

Violent torrents struck Sikkim state on Wednesday after a high-altitude glacial lake suddenly burst

South Asia’s Female Health Care Professionals Seek Acknowledgement

Thousands of rural community health workers in Pakistan, India, and Nepal demand higher wages and labour rights

October 5, 2023

Famous MMA fighter from US Amber Leibrock Converts to Islam

35-year-old athlete shares her transformative journey in an Instagram post

October 2, 2023

Chinese Scientist Disputes Indian Claim of Landing on Moon’s South Pole

Pioneer of China's lunar exploration programme Ouyang Ziyuan debates significance of Indian achievement

September 28, 2023

Powered by social media, Yuka Akimoto, other girls take on male-ruled rickshaw pulling

In their traditional tabi split-toed socks, Akimoto and her fellow rickshaw-pullers trek an average of 20 km daily

September 27, 2023

EXPOSED: What led cops to leash dog rapist Adam Britton for 'crimes against animality'?

Adam Britton pleaded guilty to sexually abusing over 40 dogs at his shelter in Australia

Israel's minister reaches Saudi Arabia, marking first official trip by Israeli cabinet member

Saudi Arabia's envoy to Palestinians made first visit to Israeli-occupied West Bank on Tuesday

State Dept refuses to comment on US policy on Khalistan

"We have urged India to cooperate in that investigation and we’ll continue to do so," Matthew Miller says

US Secret Service reports 11th biting incident involving Commander Biden

In one incident, the first lady “couldn’t regain control” of the dog as it charged a Secret Service staff member

Horrific blaze claims 113 lives during wedding ceremony in Iraq; scores injured

Iraq's health authorities in Nineveh province confirmed, saying that "100 individuals have lost their lives, with over 150 sustaining injuries

New York judge finds indictment-plagued Donald Trump liable for financial deception

Decision regarding Donald Trump was issued by Justice Arthur Engoron of New York state court in Manhattan

Biden makes history by joining striking US car workers

Joe Biden is the first US President to join the United Auto Workers protest

Suicidal tendencies 'everywhere' among Afghan women, UN Security Council told

Since return to power in 2021, Taliban government has used its strict interpretation of religion against women

Hunter Biden sues Donald Trump's former lawyer Rudy Giuliani for computer fraud

53-year-old Hunter Biden has requested a jury trial and unspecified damages

Meghan Markle's memoir may add fuel to fire in her and Harry's conflict with royal family

Meghan Markle has been warned that 'all the money in the world will not repair her damaged reputation'

Prince Harry 'overshadows' King Charles in first year as monarch

Prince Harry was called out for his explosive claims while King Charles took on his first year as monarch

King Charles lavished praise for handling 'humiliating' Prince Harry

King Charles was praised for the way he handed Prince Harry's public scrutiny of the royal family

Katrina Kaif surpasses Bad Bunny with most followers on WhatsApp Channels

Katrina Kaif leaves behind Bad Bunny and Mark Zuckerberg with most number of followers on WhatsApp Channels

Jennifer Aniston makes heartbreaking plea in emotional video

Jennifer Aniston shares an emotional video

Princess Kate pairs dazzling blazer with casual updo for latest outing

Kate Middleton met with the children with special needs at a family portage session

Meghan Markle faces major 'challenge' as career edges towards 'breaking-point'

Meghan Markle has reportedly been in a 'dilemma' over her next career move

Prince William, Kate Middleton 'shut out' Harry and Meghan for good

Kate Middleton and Prince William have found a new couple to replace Prince Harry and Meghan Markle

Prince Harry should be offered royal security: Security expert

Prince Harry has to privately fund his own security since stepping down from the royal family

David Beckham drools over wife Victoria Beckham as she stuns in sizzling look

David Beckham hypes up his better half Victoria Beckham after she launches her perfume collection

King Charles may be 'skipped' over Prince William's soaring popularity

Prince William and Kate Middleton emerged victorious as the most popular royals over the past year

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry decide to drop royal titles to beat Kate, William in their own rights?

Meghan Markle, Prince Harry have 'become celebrities in their own right'

Kendall Jenner gives insight into relationship status amid Bad Bunny romance

Kendall Jenner insisted she doesn't chase around people to date

Princess Charlotte 'getting closer' to Diana while Archie is left without family

Princess Kate revealed Princess Charlotte's favorite hobby akin to her late grandmother Princess Diana's

Dwayne Johnson details ways of combating 'daily noise'

Dwayne Johnson tells fans how to cancel ‘daily noise, toxicity'

Inside Prince Philip, Queen Elizabeth secret NSFW side: 'A racy story'

Prince Philip and Queen Elizabeth, all carried themselves with poise and grace, but had a cheeky side too

Jimmy Fallon reveals he was not first choice for 'Late Night' show

Jimmy Fallon started hosting 'Tonight Show' from 2019

Jennifer Lawrence, 'Hunger Games' successor Rachel Zegler unite at Paris Fashion Week: Watch

Rachel Zegler replaces Jennifer Lawrence in the leading role for the upcoming 'Hunger Games' prequel

Cher's daughter-in-law reveals singer threw her out of home: Here's why

Marieangela King explains how Cher deprived her of her belongings, per report

Jennifer Lawrence sparks plastic surgery rumours after Dior show appearace

Jennifer Lawrence's fans think the actress looked different in her recent appearance at Dior's Fashion Show

Kareena Kapoor's Jaane Jaan tops global Netflix chart: 'Good stories can go everywhere'

Kareena Kapoor's Jaane Jaan has become the number one non-English film globally on Netflix

The 1975's Matty Healy announces 'indefinite hiatus' following current tour

Matty Healy broke the news to the fans while performing a show in Sacramento, California

Princess Eugenie takes inspiration from Meghan Markle with major career move

Princess Eugenie’s first visit after her maternity leave appeared similar to that of Meghan Markle

Julia Fox reveals there 'wasn't any' physical intimacy with ex Kanye West

Kanye West briefly dated Julia Fox immediately following his contentious divorce from Kim Kardashian

Inside Usher's lewd plans for 'over-the-top' Super Bowl halftime show

Usher was announced as the latest headliner for the 2024 NFL Halftime Super Bowl Show last week

Meghan Markle issued warning over 'deceiving' strategy which could backfire

Meghan Makle seems to be making a wrong move in a bid to relaunch her career

'Entitled' Hailey Bieber 'gets yelled at' by French employer in Paris: Watch

Hailey Bieber was spotted on a solo outing at a museum in Paris

Britney Spears fans 'concerned' after singer appears to injure herself with knife dance

Some of the videos showed what appeared to be cuts and bruises on her skin as she danced away

David Walliams, Simon Cowell's friendship in trouble after former star sued BGT

David Walliams files legal documents at the London High Court over protection breach, per media report

Meghan Markle fails to 'save face' after 'toe-curling' moment

Meghan Markle was caught in an awkward moment while attending Kevin Costner's charity event

Meghan Markle oppresses Prince Harry's 'desperate' desires

Prince Harry’s ‘desperate’ desires oppressed by Meghan Markle

Blac Chyna confirms romance with 'best friend & lover' Derrick Milano

Blac Chyna's latest romance comes following her dramatic life overhaul

King Charles nearly lost mother Queen Elizabeth to royal rift over Camilla

The then-Prince Charles married Camilla in 2005 ceremony, and were crowned King and Queen in the Coronation this year

Taylor Swift rumoured 'Lover' Travis Kelce drops her home after City Chiefs Victory

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce are on the path of budding romance

Joe Jonas looks 'unbothered' in outing amid custody battle with Sophie Turner

Joe Jonas is currently facing a lawsuit over children custody after filing for divorce from Sophie Turner

Kate Middleton brain tumour: Truth behind Princess of Wales' surgery scar

Kate Middleton reportedly had a lump in her brain

Tom Brady feels 'very fit' after shedding few pounds

Tom Brady feels healthier than ever after body transformation

Cher got her troubled son Elijah kidnapped from NYC hotel: report

Elijah Blue Allman was allegedly at the hotel to reconcile with his estranged wife

Ben Affleck gets close to Jennifer Garner 'again' after 'co-parenting duties'

Ben Affleck is currently married to Jennifer Lopez as he co-parents his three children with ex Jennifer Garner

How much Ryan Gosling was paid for 'Barbie' role?

Ryan Gosling’ starrer 'Barbie' became one of the highest-grossing worldwide

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle make significant donation to Duchess' homeland

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle detailed their support to school-going girls in Nigeria via their foundation

Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner second daughter's name revealed amidst custody battle

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s second daughter was born in July 2022, but her name had not been revealed until now

Taylor Swift jets off solo after spending weekend with Travis Kelce

Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce spotted together for the first time, on Sunday after the Chief's game at Arrowhead Stadium

Pierce Brosnan reminisces good old times on wife's 60th birthday

James Bond star Pierce Brosnan recalls the precious moment when he met his wife Keely Shaye Brosnan

Travis Kelce gushes about Taylor Swift following romantic weekend

Travis Kelce addressed his rumored romance with Taylor Swift for the first time

Selena Gomez, Hailey Bieber avoid each other at Paris nightclub months after feud

Selena Gomez and ex-Justin Bieber's wife Hailey were embroiled in a feud together earlier this year

Margot Robbie reveals why she almost quit acting before 'Barbie'

Margot Robbie has really hard time coping up with fame

Who got eliminated on 'Dancing With the Stars' 2023?

'Dancing With the Stars' season 32 honored late head judge Len Goodman by naming its top prize after him

Megan Thee Stallion gets candid on mental health: 'I can crack'

Megan Thee Stallion, being the biggest advocate of mental health, is giving major manifestation goals

Travis Kelce's ex Maya Benberry 'accidentally' throws shade at Taylor Swift

Maya Benberry also recently told media that Travis Kelce is ‘just using’ Taylor Swift

Tens of thousands of ethnic Armenians rush to flee Nagorno-Karabakh

Military victory by Azerbaijan over the enclave triggered one of the biggest movements of people

French ambassador to Niger leaves as relations nosedive after coup

Junta had ordered Sylvain Itte to leave the country within 48 hours at the end of August

Indian great-grandmother, 92, finally goes to school

A 92-year-old Indian great-grandmother learns to read and write, inspiring others to join her in school

Afghan economy’s revival to benefit Pakistan, says envoy to UN

<p>UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told the UN Security Council (UNSC) on Tuesday that the massive smuggling of dollars to Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on its economy and currency, calling upon the world body to help revive the Afghan economy and the banking system.</p>nn<p>At the special UNSC session, UN Special Representative for Afghanistan Roza Otunbayeva urged the international community to hold talks with the country’s de facto rulers because “dialogue is not recognition” attitude was needed to resolve various issues. </p>nn<p>But the representative of the former Afghan government opposed the UN suggestion and instead urged the council to “sustain pressure on Taliban” to make them end “the apartheid” they have imposed on women and girls. </p>nn<p>“The massive smuggling of dollars from Pakistan to Afghanistan has had a devastating impact on Pakistan’s economy and currency,” UN envoy Munir Akram told the council. </p>nn<p>The ambassador pointed out that the rupee “stabilised” and regained some of its strength after Pakistan launched a crackdown on money smuggling. </p>nn<p>Underlining the impact of a weak Afghan economy on Pakistan, Ambassador Akram urged the world body to help revive the banking system in Afghanistan, release and return the country’s assets held abroad and provide financial support for development projects. </p>nn<p>“We look forward to early implementation of the shovel-ready regional connectivity projects between Pakistan-Afghanistan-Central Asia as well as Pakistan-China and Afghanistan,” he said. </p>nn<p><strong>TTP threat</strong></p>nn<p>The ambassador argued that for Pakistan, the “immediate and major threat” was posed by the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) as it was behind a series of cross-border terrorist attacks.</p>nn<p>“We have been assured that action has been taken against TTP elements involved (in recent attacks) and further steps will be taken to prevent TTP terrorism against Pakistan,” Munir Akram said. “Pakistan will welcome these steps once credibly implemented.”  </p>nn<p>Ambassador Akram argued that unless the TTP, and other terrorist groups, were neutralised, they would continue to pose a threat to Afghanistan’s neighbours and the international community. </p>nn<p>Otunbayeva, the UN Special Representative, told the Security Council that the international community must continue to engage with Taliban in Afghanistan despite “deep disagreement” with their approach to women’s rights and inclusive governance. </p>nn<p>She cited a UN report based on more than 500 interviews with Afghan women, 46 per cent of whom said the Taliban should not be recognised under any circumstances. </p>nn<p>“The question, however, is whether to continue engaging with the de facto authorities despite these policies, or to cease engaging because of them,” she said. </p>nn<p>“Dialogue is not recognition. Engagement is not acceptance of these policies. On the contrary, dialogue and engagement are how we are attempting to change these.” </p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

&amp;lsquo;Amazon running illegal online retail monopoly&amp;rsquo;

<p>WASHINGTON: A top US antitrust regulator sued Amazon on Tuesday, accusing the online retail behemoth of running an illegal monopoly by strong-arming sellers and stifling potential rivals.</p>nn<p>The highly anticipated lawsuit is another test for the Biden administration as it tries to curb the power of big tech in the face of pushback from US courtrooms.</p>nn<p>“Our complaint lays out how Amazon has used a set of punitive and coercive tactics to unlawfully maintain its monopolies,” said Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan.</p>nn<p>The FTC, which was joined by 17 US states in the case, said Amazon broke antitrust laws in two ways, both involving its “marketplace” which links outside sellers to buyers through its platforms.</p>nn<p>In the first instance, the case alleges Amazon punishes companies using its platform that sell items elsewhere at lower prices by downranking their products on the site.</p>nn<p>It also coerces sellers into signing on to Amazon’s “costly” logistics service to be exposed to Prime customers who are the site’s biggest and most catered-to users, the FTC said.</p>nn<p>“Amazon is a monopolist that uses its power to hike prices on American shoppers and charge sky-high fees on hundreds of thousands of online sellers,” said John Newman, Deputy Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition.</p>nn<p>“Seldom in the history of US antitrust law has one case had the potential to do so much good for so many people,” he added.</p>nn<p>Amazon said it firmly rejected the premise of the case.</p>nn<p>“Today’s suit makes clear the FTC’s focus has radically departed from its mission of protecting consumers and competition,” said David Zapolsky, Amazon’s Senior Vice President of Global Public Policy.</p>nn<p>“The lawsuit filed by the FTC today is wrong on the facts and the law, and we look forward to making that case in court,” he added.</p>nn<p>Small business groups backing the case, hailed the lawsuit.</p>nn<p><strong>‘Utterly dominated’</strong> </p>nn<p>“E-commerce should be a dynamic sector with numerous marketplaces vying to attract both sellers and shoppers. Instead, it’s utterly dominated by a single firm,” said Stacy Mitchell, Co-Executive Director of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance.</p>nn<p>The FTC has had Amazon in its sights for a few years.</p>nn<p>Last June, the FTC filed a complaint against Amazon for “entrapping consumers” with its Prime subscription, which renews automatically and is complicated to cancel.</p>nn<p>The FTC has also attacked the group over its respect for data confidentiality, and last May Amazon agreed to pay more than $30 million over allegations of snooping on its security camera Ring.</p>nn<p>The case is hugely symbolic for Khan, who made her name in academia for questioning whether antitrust laws were fit for purpose in the digital age in a paper titled “Amazon’s Antitrust Paradox”.</p>nn<p>Her celebrated paper was a retort to a seminal work by conservative scholar Robert Bork that said enforcers of fair competition should stand down unless a clear risk of higher prices and a threat to consumers could be proven.</p>nn<p>Written in the 1970s, that philosophy guided the government’s attitudes and influenced the judges to decide the biggest cases today.</p>nn<p>US President Joe Biden in 2021 picked Khan to lead the agency in charge of safeguarding the interest of consumers and preserving a level playing field for businesses.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

25 killed in Damascus clash between Syrian, Kurdish forces

<p>BEIRUT: Fighters loyal to the Syrian government clashed with Kurdish-led forces in a mainly Arab district of eastern Syria, leaving 25 people dead in two days, a war monitor said on Tuesday.</p>nn<p>The Kurdish-led Syrian Demo­cratic Forces (SDF), who are backed by Washington, said they had “driven out the regime gunmen who had infiltrated the Dheiban area” of Deir Ezzor province in the gun battles which erupted on Monday.</p>nn<p>Earlier this month, the same area saw 10 days of fighting between the SDF and armed Arab tribesmen in which 90 people were killed.</p>nn<p>Britain-based monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the latest clashes erupted when pro-government fighters crossed the Euphrates river, which separates pro-government forces in south-western Deir Ezzor from the SDF in the northeast.</p>nn<p>It said 21 of the dead were Damascus loyalists and three were SDF fighters. A woman was also killed. The SDF said the loyalist fighters had crossed the Euphrates “under cover of an indiscriminate bombardment” of its positions.</p>nn<p>The SDF riposted by bombarding the right bank of the river which is controlled by government troops with support from Iran-backed militias, the Observatory said.</p>nn<p>The clashes earlier this month erupted after the SDF’s arrest in late August of a local Arab military commander who had previously been an ally. The SDF said at the time that it had driven out the detained commander’s supporters among the area’s Arab tribes.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

Draft tax treaty with Germany signed

<p>ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Germany on Tuesday signed the first draft of an agreement for the elimination of double taxation on income and the prevention of tax evasion between the two countries.</p>nn<p>The delegates of both countries met here for the first round from Sept 18-22 to reach broader parameters of the re-negotiations of the treaty.</p>nn<p>An official announcement said that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) initiated re-negotiations on the agreement and reached a mutual agreement on key articles of the draft agreement. </p>nn<p>The existing agreement for the avoidance of double taxation between Pakistan and Germany was signed in 1994 and requires revision to cater to changing tax rules and regulations as per international and domestic needs.</p>nn<p>The revised agreement once finalised will not only strengthen the existing safeguards against double taxation on the income of the residents of both countries without creating opportunities for non-taxation or reduced taxation through abusive arrangements.</p>nn<p>It will also promote economic cooperation, strengthen the existing bilateral economic relations and enhance investments in both countries while ensuring adequate certainty for taxation rules applicable to cross-border business transactions.</p>nn<p>Taxpayers of both countries will get relief from double taxation resulting in boosting the trading activities in both countries.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

Trump &amp;lsquo;liable for fraud&amp;rsquo; for lying about net worth

<p>NEW YORK: Donald Trump and his family business were found liable for fraud on Tuesday by a New York judge in state Attorney General Letitia James’ civil lawsuit, accusing the former US president of illegally inflating his assets and net worth.</p>nn<p>The decision was issued by Justice Arthur Engoron of the New York state court in Manhattan.</p>nn<p>James sued Trump in Sept 2022, accusing him and the Trump Organisation of lying for a decade about asset values and his net worth to get better terms on bank loans and insurance.</p>nn<p>She has said Trump inflated his net worth by as much as $2.23 billion, and by one measure as much as $3.6 billion, on annual financial statements given to banks and insurers. The attorney general said the assets whose values were inflated included Trump’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida, his penthouse apartment in Manhattan’s Trump Tower, and various office buildings and golf courses.</p>nn<p>Lawyers for Trump and the other defendants did not immediately respond to requests for comment.</p>nn<p>A Trump spokesperson also did not immediately respond to a request for comment on the ruling.</p>nn<p>Engoron said James had established liability for false valuations of several properties, including Mar-a-Lago and the penthouse, and chided Trump for offering defenses in a deposition that were “wholly without basis in law or fact.”</p>nn<p>“He claims that if the values of the property have gone up in the years since the (financial statements) were submitted, then the numbers were not inflated at that time,” Engoron wrote.</p>nn<p>“He also seems to imply that the numbers cannot be inflated be-cause he could find a ‘buyer from Saudi Arabia’ to pay any price he suggests.”</p>nn<p>A trial is scheduled for Oct 2, and could last well into December. The ruling by Judge Engoron is being seen a setback for the former president ahead of the trial, due to begin on Monday.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

Social protection through the lens of digitisation

<p>MANILA: If we have learnt one lesson from the Covid-19 pandemic, it is that the world must “find ways to preempt pestilence and natural disasters” as more are to be fought, Poverty Allevi­ation Secretary Yusuf Khan said on Tuesday.</p>n<p>He was speaking at a discussion held as part of Asia-Pacific Social Protection Week, organised by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).</p>n<p>But it is not just Covid-19; the world has had to face other challenges — the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the economic down-turn with rising fuel and food prices, earthquakes and climate-related disasters like hurricanes, floods, forest fires and droughts — that have reinforced vulnerabilities and weakened the resilience of the people.</p>n<p>It has plunged 162 million newly poor people to the pool of already poor, which in 2017 was already more than 200 million, most of them in South Asia.</p>n<p>But through all these, as pointed out by Fatima Yasmin, vice president for Sectors and Themes at the ADB, social protection has emerged as a vital instrument to prop up not just livelihoods but lives.</p>n<p>“Social protection also has immense potential to contribute to climate change action and to support achieving a just transition to more sustainable and green economies,” she told the audience.</p>n<p>But with so much chaos, it means finding newer and out-of-the-box ways of protecting not just the vulnerable and the marginalized but also a rapidly ageing population. By 2050 there will be 1.3 billion people or one in four person over the age of 60.</p>n<p>For Rex Gatchalan, social welfare and development secretary for the Philippines, digitisation is the key. Poverty can be humiliating, especially when one has to stand in line to wait for cash dole outs.</p>n<p>“We need to go online rather than in line,” he said, adding that his country wanted to ensure that all financial assistance programmes become digital and to do away with physical vouchers and cash.“</p>n<p>Digitisation has also helped Pakistan with its social protection programme — the Benzair Income Support Programme.</p>n<p>Talking to <em>Dawn</em>, Secretary Khan explained that in the past, the programme updated its national socio-economic registry by carrying out an expensive and periodic house-to-house census.</p>n<p>“This collected information remained static till [the exercise] was repeated, often after a lapse of many years. Now, instead of going house-to-house collecting information, the beneficiaries are requested to come to their nearest BISP office and get their details revalidated, every three years.”</p>n<p>Or, in case there is death or birth in the family, they can immediately report that and get their poverty score adjusted. If any disaster has struck in their district, they can report their changed socio-economic situation.</p>n<p>“This process has eliminated the need for an expensive, house-to-house carpet sweep of the entire country, and the data remains dynamic and responsive to changes being reported by the people themselves,” he said.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

Israeli minister makes first public visit to S. Arabia

<figure class='media sm:w-11/12 w-full media–center media–uneven media–stretch'>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n n <figcaption class="media__caption ">Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas receives the credentials of Saudi Arabia’s Ambassador to Palestine Nayef bin Bandar al-Sudairi, on Tuesday.—AFP</figcaption>n </figure>n<p> </p>nn<p>JERUSALEM: Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first such high-level public visit to the country amid talks to secure bilateral ties.</p>nn<p>“Katz is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Ara­bia,” his ministry said in a statement, adding he would attend a United Nat­i­ons World Tourism Organ­i­sation event in Riyadh.</p>nn<p>During the two-day visit he is due to hold meetings “with his counterparts”, Katz’s office said, without specifying which countries will be represented in such talks.</p>nn<p>The landmark visit comes as Saudi Arabia’s first ambassador to the Palestinians described a decades-old Arab land-for-peace offer as a pillar of any normalisation of ties with Israel, an apparent attempt to signal that Riyadh has not abandoned the Palestinian cause.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>Riyadh sends envoy to occupied West Bank with assurance it has not abandoned Palestinian cause</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>Expectations of a landmark US-brokered Saudi-Israeli deal have grown over the last week, though the timing and terms remain murky.</p>nn<p>Nayef al Sudairi, who was appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories last month, held talks with senior Palestinian officials, including President Mahmud Abbas.</p>nn<p>The diplomatic travels come as the United States presses its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise ties.</p>nn<p>Such a move would break Riyadh’s decades-long stance against recognising Israel before it resolves the conflict with the Palestinians.</p>nn<p>Among complicating factors are calls by Riyadh and Washington for the Palestinians to make diplomatic inroads as part of any deal — a prospect unpalatable to Israel’s har­dline coalition government.</p>nn<p>Saudi Arabia’s non-resident ambassador to the Palestinians _ a role it unveiled last month _ made a first visit to their seat of government in the occupied West Bank on Tuesday, presenting credentials also designating him “consul-general in Jerusalem”.</p>nn<p>That title is touchy as Israel considers all of Jeru­salem its own capital and rejects the Palestinians’ claim on East Jerusalem as capital of their hoped-for future state.</p>nn<p>The ambassador, Nayef Al Sudairi, told reporters in Ramallah his visit “reaffirms that the Palestinian cause and Palestine and the people of Palestine are of high and important status and that in the coming days there will be a chance for a bigger cooperation between Saudi Arabia and the state of Palestine”.</p>nn<p>Referring to the prospect of normalisation with Israel, Al Sudairi said: “It is the normal thing among nations to have peace and stability.</p>nn<p>“The Arab initiative, which Saudi Arabia presented in 2002, is a fundamental pillar of any upcoming agreement.”</p>nn<p>That referred to a proposal aired by Riyadh, and later adopted by Arab states widely, under which Israel would get pan-Arab recognition only if it quit territories captured in the 1967 war, including lands where the Palestinians want their state.</p>nn<p>Israel has been keen to pursue more deals with Arab states without giving up land, having won normalisation from the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, and upgraded ties with Morocco and Sudan, in 2020 despite talks with the Palestinians having been frozen for years.</p>nn<p>Dismayed at being sidelined in the 2020 diplomacy, the Palestinians have taken a more active role in the Saudi talks.</p>nn<p>In a statement published by the official Palestinian news agency Wafa, President Mahmud Abbas said Al Sudairi’s visit “will contribute to reinforcing the strong ties between the two countries and the two fraternal peoples”.</p>nn<p>Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told a radio network on Tuesday that any Saudi normalisation deal “will be one supported by the right wing” — a reference to religious-nationalist parties in Prime Minister Benjamin Netan­yahu’s coalition that refuse to cede occupied West Bank land to Palesti­nians.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 27th, 2023</em></p>

Australia shocked as Adam Britton, BBC croc expert, admits raping 40 dogs

Britton used to film the raping of dogs and then posted the videos online for other to see

September 26, 2023

China unveils white paper outlining President Xi Jinping&amp;#039;s vision for shared future

White paper says China aspires to establish a more equitable international order that benefits all nations

No surprise: Modi&amp;#039;s BJP top anti-Muslim hatemonger in India, report reveals

Report suggests there has been "escalating trend" of anti-Muslim speech in India since Modi came to power

After Qurans, mosque burned into ashes in Sweden; police launch arson probe

The mosque has been almost completely destroyed, nothing could be saved, mosque spokesman Anas Deneche said

Resurrection: Russian commander Viktor Sokolov &amp;#039;killed by Ukraine comes to life&amp;#039; in conference

Russian defence ministry released video and photographs of Sokolov participating in a video conference

WATCH: Donald Trump poses with 9mm Glock with his face on it in South Carolina

“I’m going to buy one. I want to buy one,” Trump said

PM Modi&amp;#039;s BJP behind 80% of anti-Muslims incidents reported in India: report

This alarming discovery highlights an uptick in anti-Muslim rhetoric since PM Modi's ascent to power in 2014

South Korea to hold first military parade after decade amid hawkish stance against North Korea

The event follows the South Korean president's hawkish stance on North Korea, focusing on weapons displays and more

Donald Trump calls for top US general&amp;#039;s execution for &amp;#039;treasonous act&amp;#039;

"This is an act so egregious that, in times gone by, the punishment would have been DEATH!" says Trump

Sikhs demand expulsion of Indian high commissioner over Nijjar murder

Protesters say India openly challenged and violated Canadian sovereignty by killing Canadian national Sikh

Anti-Muslim hate speech in India concentrated around elections, report finds

Report: Over 255 hate speech incidents against Muslims in India in first half 2023, with many in election-bound states

RNA recovered from extinct animal in world first

Scientists extract RNA from extinct Tasmanian tiger, opening possibilities for de-extinction and pandemic virus study

Russian, Iranian presidents discuss situation in Azerbaijan&amp;#039;s Karabakh region

Putin, Raisi emphasize importance of resolving issues by peaceful, political and diplomatic means

Israeli minister makes first public visit to Saudi Arabia amid talks to secure bilateral ties

He will attend a United Nations World Tourism Organisation event in Riyadh

Anti-Covid drug may have led to virus mutations: study

<p>PARIS: An anti-Covid drug widely used across the world may have caused mutations in the virus, researchers said on Monday, but there was no evidence that the changes had led to more dangerous variants.</p>nn<p>Pharmaceutical giant Merck’s antiviral pill molnupiravir was one of the earliest treatments rolled out during the pandemic to prevent Covid becoming more severe in vulnerable people.</p>nn<p>The drug, which is taken orally over a five-day course, works mainly by creating mutations in the virus with the goal of weakening and killing it. However, a new UK-led study has shown that molnupiravir “can give rise to significantly mutated viruses which remain viable,” lead author Theo Sanderson said.</p>nn<p>Sanderson, a geneticist at London’s Francis Crick Institute, emphasised that there is no evidence that “molnupiravir has to date created more transmissible or more virulent viruses.” None of the variants that have swept the world were due to the drug, he added. But “it is very difficult to predict whether molnupiravir treatment could potentially lead to a new widely circulating variant which people don’t have prior immunity to,” he added.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Cuban embassy in US attacked with Molotov cocktails

<p>HAVANA: Cuba’s embassy in Washington was attacked by a man using two Molotov cocktails on Sunday night, the country’s foreign minister said, describing the incident as a “terrorist attack”.</p>nn<p>“The Cuban embassy in the US was the target of a terrorist attack by an individual who launched 2 Molotov cocktails. The staff suffered no harm,” said Bruno Rodriguez in a post on social media platform X. This was the second attack against the Cuban mission in Washington in recent years, after a man opened fire on the building in April 2020. There were no injuries from that attack.</p>nn<p>The Sunday night attack took place hours after Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel returned to Havana after attending the United Nations General Assembly in New York and other activities with Cubans in the US.</p>nn<p>In New York, there had been demons­trations by Cubans resident in the United States against Diaz-Canel’s presence at the UN.</p>nn<p>“The anti-Cuban groups resort to terrorism when feeling they enjoy impunity, something that Cuba has repeatedly warned the US authorities about,” said Rodriguez after Sunday’s attack.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Israeli minister makes first public visit to Saudi Arabia amid talks to secure bilateral ties

<p>Israel’s Tourism Minister Haim Katz arrived in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday for the first such high-level public visit to the kingdom amid talks to secure bilateral ties.</p>n<p>“Katz is the first Israeli minister to head an official delegation in Saudi Arabia,” his ministry said in a statement, adding he would attend a United Nations World Tourism Organisation event in Riyadh.</p>n<p>During the two-day visit he is due to hold meetings “with his counterparts”, Katz’s office said without specifying which countries will be represented in such talks.</p>n<p>The landmark visit comes as Riyadh sent its first delegation to the occupied West Bank in three decades.</p>n<p>Nayef al-Sudairi, who was appointed non-resident ambassador to the Palestinian territories last month, held talks Tuesday with senior Palestinian officials including president Mahmud Abbas.</p>n<p>The diplomatic travels come as the United States <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1579852">presses</a> its allies Israel and Saudi Arabia to normalise ties.</p>n<p>Israel has moved closer to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco following a US-driven diplomatic initiative in 2020 which pushed for normalisation of relations.</p>n<p>Establishing ties with Saudi Arabia — home to some of Islam’s holiest sites — would be the grand prize for Israel and change the geopolitics of the Middle East.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1777627"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Last week, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said “six or seven” Muslim countries could “make peace” with Israel if it signed a peace agreement with Saudi Arabia.</p>n<p>He also stated that “peace with Saudi Arabia means peace with the greater Muslim world”.</p>n<p>“There are at least another six or seven countries that I have met with —significant Muslim countries with which we do not have relations — that are interested [in peace],” the minister added.</p>n<p>Normalisation with Israel, however, would break Riyadh’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1732775/saudi-arabia-links-israel-normalisation-with-two-state-solution">decades-long stance</a> against recognising Israel before it resolves the conflict with the Palestinians.</p>

Saudi Arabia plans tougher IAEA checks

<p>VIENNA: Saudi Arabia said on Monday it has decided to end light-touch oversight of its nuclear activities by the UN atomic watchdog and switch to full-blown safeguards, a change the agency has been demanding for years.</p>nn<p>Saudi Arabia has a nascent nuclear programme that it wants to expand to eventually include activities like proliferation-sensitive uranium enrichment. It is unclear where its ambitions end, since Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said for years it will develop nuclear weapons if regional rival Iran does.</p>nn<p>Riyadh has yet to fire up its first nuclear reactor, allowing its programme to still be monitored under the Small Quantities Protocol, an agreement with the Internatio­nal Atomic Energy Agency that exempts less advanced states from many reporting obligations and inspections.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Baku, Ankara eye land route via Armenia

<p>Baku: Azerbaijan Presi­­dent Ilham Aliyev hosted talks on Monday with Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan at which he hinted at the prospect of creating a land corridor between their two countries via Armenia, which opposes the idea.</p>nn<p>Erdogan flew into Azerbaijan’s autonomous Nakhchivan exclave, a strip of territory nestled between Armenia, Iran and Turkiye that Ankara and Baku want to link up with rump Azerbaijan by carving out a land corridor that would run thro­ugh southern Armenia.</p>nn<p>Aliyev in 2021 threatened to create such a corridor — that would create a contiguous land bridge between Turkiye and Azerbaijan and deprive Armenia of a land border with Iran.</p>nn<p>At a joint presser, Aliyev lamented that Soviet-era authorities had deemed part of what should have been territory belonging to the Azerbaijani Soviet repu­blic as land belonging to the Armenian Soviet republic.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Swedish police open arson case after mosque fire

<p>Swedish police said on Tuesday that they were investigating whether a fire that reduced a mosque to rubble the previous day in central Sweden was arson.</p>n<p>“The investigation into the fire is continuing. Police will question witnesses and verify whether there were security cameras in the area,” the police said in a statement on their website.</p>n<p>The fire broke out on Monday around noon in Eskilstuna, a town of 108,000 people 150 kilometres (93 miles) west of Stockholm, causing no injuries, a police spokesman told AFP.</p>n<p>There are no suspects and no arrests have been made.</p>n<p>“The mosque is almost completely destroyed, nothing can be saved,” mosque spokesman Anas Deneche told <em>AFP</em>.</p>n<p>Deneche said the mosque had been the target of several acts of violence in the past year and his family had been threatened.</p>n<p>“But it’s still too early to draw any conclusions (about the cause of the fire), we’ll have to wait for the police to do their work,” he said.</p>n<p>Police said they were investigating several leads but provided no other details.</p>n<p>Between 15,000 and 20,000 Muslims live in Eskilstuna.</p>n<p>The mosque fire coincides with a spate of public desecrations of the Holy Quran in Sweden in recent months. The burnings have sparked widespread outrage and condemnation in Muslim countries.</p>n<p>The country has condemned the desecrations of the Holy Quran but <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1766185#:~:text=freedom%20to%20demonstrate%E2%80%9D.-,Limited,-political%20support%20in">upheld its laws</a> regarding freedom of speech and assembly.</p>n<p>The government has <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1767672">vowed to explore legal means</a> of stopping protests involving the desecration of holy texts in certain circumstances, though a majority appear to be opposed to such a change.</p>n<h2><a id="call-to-ban-acts-displaying-of-religious-hatred" href="#call-to-ban-acts-displaying-of-religious-hatred" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Call to ban acts displaying of religious hatred</h2>n<p>In July, the United Nations Human Rights Council <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1764319">approved</a> a resolution on religious hatred, which was introduced by Pakistan on behalf of the 57-nation Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.</p>n<p>The resolution called for the UN rights chief to publish a report on religious hatred and for states to review their laws and plug gaps that may “impede the prevention and prosecution of acts and advocacy of religious hatred”.</p>n<p>The same month, the UN General Assembly <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1766974">adopted</a>, by consensus, a Moroccan resolution, co-sponsored by Pakistan, calling for countering hate speech and strongly deploring attacks against places of worship, religious symbols and holy books.</p>n<p>The resolution, titled ‘Promoting interreligious and intercultural dialogue and tolerance in countering hate speech’, won the approval of the 193-member assembly and stated: “Strongly deploring all acts of violence against persons on the basis of their religion or belief, as well as any such acts directed against their religious symbols, holy books, homes, businesses, properties, schools, cultural centres or places of worship, as well as all attacks on and in religious places, sites and shrines in violation of international law.”</p>

Sicilian Mafia boss dies, taking his secrets with him

<figure class='media sm:w-3/5 w-full media–center media–uneven media–stretch'>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n n <figcaption class="media__caption ">Messina Denaro</figcaption>n </figure>n<p> </p>nn<p>ROME: Sicilian Mafia boss Matteo Messina Denaro, captured in January after three decades on the run, died on Monday in hospital in central Italy, taking to the grave the secrets of his brutal reign.</p>nn<p>The 61-year-old had been treated for colon cancer while detained in a high-security jail in L’Aquila but was moved last month to hospital after his condition deteriorated.</p>nn<p>L’Aquila mayor Pierluigi Biondi confirmed the mobster’s death in hospital overnight “following a worsening of his illness”.</p>nn<p>His death “puts the end to a story of violence and blood”, Biondi said and thanked prison and hospital staff for their “professionalism and humanity”.</p>nn<p>It was “the epilogue of an existence lived without remorse or repentance, a painful chapter in the recent history of our nation”, the mayor added.</p>nn<p>Messina Denaro was one of the most ruthless bosses in Cosa Nostra, the real-life Sic­ilian crime syndicate depicted in the Godfather movies. He was convicted of involvement in the murder of anti-mafia judges Giovanni Falcone and Paolo Borsellino in 1992 and in deadly bombings in Rome, Florence and Milan in 1993. One of his six life sentences was for the kidnapping and subsequent murder of the 12-year-old son of a witness in the Falcone case.</p>nn<p>“No-one should be denied prayers. But I cannot say I’m sorry,” Deputy Prime Minister Matteo Salvini said of the mobster’s death. Messina Denaro disappeared in the summer of 1993 and spent the next 30 years on the run as the Italian state cracked down on the Sicilian mob.</p>nn<p>But he remained at the top of Italy’s most-wanted list and increasingly became a figure of legend.</p>nn<p>It was his decision to seek treatment for his cancer that led to his capture. He was arrested on Jan 16, 2023, when he visited a health clinic in Palermo.</p>nn<p>He was initially treated in his jail cell, but was moved to the inmates’ ward of the hospital in L’Aquila in August, where he remained under heavy security.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Indian nationals who &amp;lsquo;illegally&amp;rsquo; entered Pakistan say &amp;lsquo;ready to go to jail&amp;rsquo; but not home country

<p>Two Indian citizens, who purportedly illegally travelled to Karachi last week, said on Tuesday that they were “ready to go to jail” but did not want to return to their home country.</p>n<p>According to the Karachi police, Mohammad Hasnain and Ishaq Ameer allegedly entered Pakistan through the Pak-Afghan border in a bid to seek asylum over threats to their lives due to religious persecution in India. They then reportedly found their way to Karachi.</p>n<p>Karachi Deputy Inspector General of Police (South) Asad Raza told <em>Dawn.com</em> that the father-son duo “were not suspected of being spies but were considered victims of religious bias and persecution in India”.</p>n<p>The official said both the Indian nationals had “temporarily been housed in an Edhi Shelter home”, adding that “it looks like they want to seek asylum here”.</p>n<p>Separately, a statement issued by the Artillery Ground police station today said the two men staged a protest outside the Karachi Press Club on September 25 (Sunday) against atrocities faced by Muslims in India.</p>n<p>“We are ready to go to jail but not back to India,” they were quoted as saying in the police statement. “We will be killed as soon as we step on Indian land if we are deported.”</p>n<p>“If you want to kill us, kill us in Pakistan. At least we will get some land (for burial). In India, we won’t even get that,” the statement quoted them as saying.</p>n<p>The statement further quoted them as saying that they had visited the Sindh police chief’s office but their concerns were not addressed.</p>n<p>“Edhi gave us shelter for four days and will shift us somewhere else today. Our official Indian documents are with the Edhi staff,” the father-son duo were quoted as saying.</p>n<p>The statement added that the Indian nationals undertook a 14-day journey from their residence in the Gautampuri area of New Delhi before entering Pakistan.</p>n<p>The statement also shed light on how they travelled from India to Pakistan. It said both of them were facing legal issues.</p>n<h2><a id="this-is-my-story-indian-nationals-narrate-their-journey" href="#this-is-my-story-indian-nationals-narrate-their-journey" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>‘This is my story’: Indian nationals narrate their journey</h2>n<p>Speaking to media outside the press club yesterday, Hasnain had said he and his son had left New Delhi on September 5 for the UAE from where they reached out to the Afghanistan embassy for a visa.</p>n<p>“Then we travelled to Kabul from where we flew to Kandahar,” he had said. “Kandahar has a soft border through which people cross across into Pakistan. We spent one night at the border town and then continued our journey to Pakistan.</p>n<p>“This is my story.”</p>n<p>Hasnain had added that after entering Pakistan, they paid a man Rs60,000 to transport them to Karachi.</p>n<p>“The atrocities being inflicted on Muslims in India are not reported there,” he continued. “Since the Modi government came into power, newspapers, electronic and print media all have sided with Modi.”</p>n<p>Hasnain said there was a very small section in the media that highlighted the problems being faced by Muslims. “Their way is that if a Muslim is caught over something, even while protesting, they bulldoze his home saying that it is built illegally.</p>n<p>“I am not the first person to leave the country. Many have before me. But they were rich and could afford foreign citizenship in Europe, America, Britain, Germany, or Canada,” he said.</p>n<p>“Those who are well off migrated to Turkey, Azerbaijan, or Malaysia. I did not have that stature. I had less money.”</p>n<p>In reply to a question, Hasnain added that he was denied a hotel room in Karachi because he did not possess an identification card.</p>n<p>Hasnain’s son Ameer also spoke to the media. “My father is 70 years old and my age is 31. When we reached Karachi, our first stop was Orangi Town after which we directly went to the office of IG Sindh.</p>n<p>“As soon as we reached there, we kept our baggage on the side, raised our hands, and said we are here to surrender. When we were asked what are we surrendering for, we said we have fled India and come here.”</p>n<p>Ameer confirmed that they requested the police to give them refuge after telling them the entire story of how they travelled illegally into Pakistan. The police directed them to go to an Edhi shelter home.</p>n<p><em>Dawn.com</em> has reached out to the Foreign Office for comment.</p>

Anti-Muslim hate speech in India concentrated around elections, report finds

<p>Anti-Muslim hate speech incidents in India averaged more than one a day in the first half of 2023 and were seen most in states with upcoming elections, according to a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://hindutvawatch.org/hate-speech-events-india/">report</a> by Hindutva Watch, a Washington-based group monitoring attacks on minorities.</p>n<p>There were 255 documented incidents of hate speech gatherings targeting Muslims in the first half of 2023, the report found. There was no comparative data for prior years.</p>n<p>It used the United Nations’ <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.un.org/en/hate-speech/understanding-hate-speech/what-is-hate-">definition</a> of hate speech as “any form of communication… that employs prejudiced or discriminatory language towards an individual or group based on attributes such as religion, ethnicity, nationality, race, colour, descent, gender, or other identity factors”.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1665804"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>About 70 per cent of the incidents took place in states scheduled to hold elections in 2023 and 2024, according to the report.</p>n<p>Maharashtra, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Gujarat witnessed the highest number of hate speech gatherings, with Maharashtra accounting for 29pc of such incidents, the report found.</p>n<p>The majority of the hate speech events mentioned conspiracy theories and calls for violence and socio-economic boycotts against Muslims.</p>n<p>About 80pc of those events took place in areas governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which is widely expected to win the general elections in 2024.</p>n<p>Hindutva Watch said it tracked online activity of Hindu nationalist groups, verified videos of hate speeches posted on social media and compiled data of isolated incidents reported by media.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1748285"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Modi’s government denies the presence of minority abuse. The Indian embassy in Washington did not respond to a request for comment.</p>n<p>Rights groups allege mistreatment of Muslims under Modi, who became prime minister in 2014.</p>n<p>They point to a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1521685">2019 citizenship law</a> described as “fundamentally discriminatory” by the United Nations human rights office for excluding Muslim migrants; an <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1597938">anti-conversion legislation</a> challenging the constitutionally protected right to freedom of belief, and the 2019 <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1498227">revoking of held Kashmir’s special status</a>.</p>n<p>There has also been <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1694558">demolition of Muslim properties</a> in the name of removing illegal construction and a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1741201">ban on wearing the hijab</a> in classrooms in Karnataka when the BJP was in power in that state.</p>

General Milley regrets being &amp;lsquo;lightning rod for politicisation of US military&amp;rsquo;

<figure class='media sm:w-11/12 w-full media–center media–uneven media–stretch'>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n n <figcaption class="media__caption ">A June 1, 2020, file picture shows ex-US president Donald Trump walking with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mark A. Milley (right) and others to visit St. John’s Church in Washington after the area was cleared of people protesting the death of George Floyd.—AFP</figcaption>n </figure>n<p> </p>nn<p>WASHINGTON: General Mark Milley faced repeated crises at home and abroad during a tumultuous term as America’s top military officer, becoming one of the most well-known and controversial people to hold the position in years.</p>nn<p>Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Donald Trump’s refusal to accept his presidential election loss and nationwide protests against police brutality are just some of the events that defined his time as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, which ends on Friday.</p>nn<p>“It was one crisis right after another, so we were constantly absorbed with what I would call current operations,” Milley said in an interview last month.</p>nn<p>“The challenge for me is I didn’t devote enough time — because I couldn’t — to the challenge of… reforming and modernising the military,” he said. Milley — a gregarious 65-year-old history buff — was commissioned as a US Army officer in 1980 and deployed to countries including Iraq, Afghanistan, Panama and Haiti. He served as chief of staff of the US Army before becoming chairman of the Joint Chiefs in October 2019.</p>nn<p><strong>‘Lightning rod’</strong></p>nn<p>Milley infamously found himself in the political spotlight less than a year into his term as chairman. He was sharply criticised for participating in what was widely seen as a political show by Trump, who walked with Milley and other officials from the White House to pose with a Bible in front of St. John’s Episcopal Church in June 2020.</p>nn<p>Just before he did so, police and National Guard troops fired smoke bombs and pepper balls at people in the area who were protesting the killing of George Floyd, a Black man, by a white police officer in Minnesota.</p>nn<p>“I should not have been there. My presence in that moment and in that environment created a perception of military involvement in domestic politics,” Milley said days later. He also had to contend with the chaotic end of the Trump administration, with the president refusing to concede he lost the 2020 election.</p>nn<p>He was also in contact with China before and after the 2020 election — calls his spokesman said were in keeping with his duties to convey “reassurance in order to maintain strategic stability.” But Republicans accused the general of undermining civilian control of the military and unsuccessfully pushed for him to be fired.</p>nn<p>Milley is popular with many US liberals, who credit him with helping protect the country from Trump.</p>nn<p>But he is a bete noire for various conservatives, including Trump, who recently said Milley’s retirement would be “a time for all citizens of the USA to celebrate.” Milley told lawmakers in 2021 that he had become a “lightning rod for the politicisation of the military,” despite advocating for America’s armed forces to be apolitical.</p>nn<p>“There is a deliberate attempt, in my view, to smear the general officer corps and the leaders of the military and to politicise the military,” he said.</p>nn<p>Another defining event of Milley’s tenure was the 2021 American withdrawal from Afghanistan, which saw Taliban fighters sweep aside Western-trained Afghan troops, forcing the last US military personnel to mount a desperate evacuation from Kabul’s airport.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Kosovo calls upon Serbia to hand over escaped gunmen after shootout

<figure class='media sm:w-11/12 w-full media–center '>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n n <figcaption class="media__caption ">A VIEW of weapons and military equipment displayed by Kosovo police. The weapons were seized during the police operation in Banjska village, on Monday.—Reuters</figcaption>n </figure>n<p> </p>nn<p>MITROVICA: Kosovo called on Serbia on Monday to hand over ethnic Serb gunmen it said had escaped after a shootout with Kosovar police that killed four people in the restive north of the country, aggravating tensions between Pristina and Belgrade.</p>nn<p>The gunmen stormed the village of Banjska on Sunday, battling police and barricading themselves into a Serbian Orthodox monastery. Police retook the monastery late on Sunday, after three attackers and one police officer were killed.</p>nn<p>The United States condemned attacks on police and urged the governments of Kosovo, an ex-Serbian province with a 90 per cent ethnic Albanian majority, and Serbia to defuse decades of antagonism.</p>nn<p>Armed police on Monday searched houses in Banjska for any of the estimated 30 gunmen who might not have fled, a police source said. The village remained sealed off to journalists.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>US condemns attack on police, urges govts to defuse hostility</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>Kosovar authorities said later in the day that some of the gunmen were believed to have escaped to nearby Serbia.</p>nn<p>Kosovo Interior Minister Xhelal Svecla said six wounded members of the armed group had been hospitalised in the southern Serbian city of Novi Pazar, near Kosovo’s northern border.</p>nn<p>“We are demanding from Serbia to hand these men over to Kosovo authorities as soon as possible, to face justice for their terrorist acts,” in addition to any others who had escaped to Serbia, Svecla told reporters.</p>nn<p>In the northern town of Mitrovica, Kosovar police showed reporters around 20 SUVs and an armoured truck they said were used by the gunmen. Three of the vehicles were painted with the KFOR logo — the Nato peacekeeping mission in Kosovo.</p>nn<p>Police also displayed an array of weapons and ammunition they said had been seized, including former Yugoslav army assault rifles, machine guns, sniper rifles, mortars, anti-tank rocket launchers, hand grenades, land mines and drones.</p>nn<p><strong>Lingering stand-off</strong></p>nn<p>While ethnic Albanians comprise the great majority of Kosovo’s 1.8 million people, 50,000 Serbs in its north reject Kosovo statehood and see Belgrade as their capital, 15 years after Kosovo declared independence following a guerrilla uprising. Serbia does not recognise Kosovar independence.</p>nn<p>“From yesterday, nothing can be the same anymore,” Kosovo Prime Minister Albin Kurti said at a ceremony on Monday honouring the police officer who was killed in the incident.</p>nn<p>“Afrim Bunjaku was killed during an attack on Kosovo policemen and on our state itself by a group of heavily armed and heavily equipped, professionally trained and planned, politically supported, materially financed and logistically supported by Serbia,” Kurti said.</p>nn<p>Serbian President Aleksandar Vucic has denied Kurti’s allegations that Belgrade orchestrated the attack. He accuses Kurti of inciting violence by blocking the creation of an association of Serb municipalities to give more autonomy to Serbs — approved by an earlier Kosovo government in 2013 — and by launching frequent police raids in the north.</p>nn<p>Kurti has said granting northern Serbs significant autonomy would effectively partition Kosovo along ethnic lines.</p>nn<p>In a statement, US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken called on the Kosovar and Serbian governments “to refrain from any actions or rhetoric which could further inflame tensions”.</p>nn<p>Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia, Serbia’s traditional main ally, was monitoring the “tense and potentially dangerous” situation in Kosovo.</p>nn<p>Vucic had talks on Monday with Russian Ambassador Alexander Botsan-Kharchenko in Belgrade.</p>nn<p>“I have informed Botsan-Kharchenko that a brutal ethnic cleansing with the help of the international community is being conducted by Albin Kurti,”</p>nn<p>Vucic wrote on his Instagram page.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Thousands of ethnic Armenians flee Nagorno-Karabakh

<figure class='media sm:w-full w-full media–center '>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n n <figcaption class="media__caption ">Khankendi (de jure Azerbaijan): In this videograb released by the Russian Defence Ministry, Russian peacekeepers help evacuate refugees from this town, also called Stepanakert. Thousands of ethnic Armenians fled the breakaway region on Monday after their fighters were defeated by Azerbaijan in a military operation.—AFP</figcaption>n </figure>n<p> </p>nn<p>GORIS: Thousands of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh streamed into Armenia Monday as a deadly blast rocked a fuel depot in the rebel enclave and Azerbaijan and ally Turkey hailed Baku’s victory over the majority ethnic Armenian area.</p>nn<p>Meanwhile, Russia hit back at embattled Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan after he blamed Moscow for the swift defeat of the breakaway territory.</p>nn<p>Several days after the fighting, the first refugees arrived in Armenia on Sunday and 6,650 people have so far entered, Yerevan said on Monday.</p>nn<p>Reporters saw the refugees crowding into a humanitarian hub set up in a local theatre in the city of Goris to register for transport and housing. “We lived through terrible days,” said Anabel Ghulasyan, 41, from the village of Rev, known as Shalva in Azeri.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>Over 200 injured in fuel depot explosion</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>She arrived in Goris with her family by minibus, carrying her belongings in bags.</p>nn<p>An explosion at a fuel depot wounded more than 200 people, according to Armenian separatist authorities which have been supplying those seeking to leave the territory with petrol and diesel.</p>nn<p>“As a result of the explosion in the fuel warehouse, the number of injured exceeds 200. The health condition of the majority is severe or extremely severe,” the region’s rights ombudsman Gegham Stepanyan said on social media.</p>nn<p>“The medical capacities of (Nagorno-Karabakh) are not enough,” he added, calling for air ambulances to be allowed to land.</p>nn<p>An official had earlier indicated there were fatalities without giving a toll.</p>nn<p>Armenia and Azerbaijan have fought two wars in the last three decades over Nagorno-Karabakh, a majority ethnic Armenian enclave within the internationally recognised border of Azerbaijan.</p>nn<p>Azerbaijan launched a lightning operation on September 19 to seize control of the territory, forcing the separatists to lay down their arms under the terms of a ceasefire agreed the following day.</p>nn<p>It followed a nine-month blockade of the region by Baku that caused shortages of key supplies.</p>nn<p>The separatists have said 200 people were killed in last week’s fighting. Baku announced two of its soldiers also died when a mine hit their vehicle on Sunday.</p>nn<p>Azerbaijan’s state media said officials held a second round of peace talks with Nagorno-Karabakh’s ethnic Armenian community aimed at “reintegrating” them.</p>nn<p>But on the road heading to Armenia, more and more residents from the region appeared to be trying to get out as the witnesses said cars were snarling up in traffic.</p>nn<p>At the refugee centre in Goris, Valentina Asryan, a 54-year-old from the village of Vank who fled with her grandchildren, said her brother-in-law was killed and several other people were injured by Azerbaijani fire.</p>nn<p>“Who would have thought that the ‘Turks’ would come to this historic Armenian village? It’s incredible,” she said, referring to the Azerbaijani forces.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Taliban looking to emulate US mass surveillance network

<p><strong>• Consult with Chinese telecom equipment maker Huawei on potential cooperation<br />n• Rights groups fear resources will be used to crackdown on protesters</strong></p>n<p>KABUL: The Taliban are creating a large-scale camera surveillance network for Afghan cities that could involve repurposing a plan crafted by the Americans before their 2021 pullout, an interior ministry spokesman said, as authorities seek to supplement thousands of cameras already across the capital, Kabul.</p>n<p>The Taliban administration, which has publicly said it is focused on restoring security and clamping down on the militant Islamic State group that has claimed many major attacks in Afghan cities, has also consulted with Chinese telecoms equipment maker Huawei about potential cooperation, the spokesman said.</p>n<p>Preventing attacks by international militant groups — including prominent organisations such as IS — is at the heart of the interaction between the Taliban and many foreign nations, including the US and China, according to readouts from those meetings. But some analysts question the cash-strapped regime’s ability to fund the programme, and rights groups have expressed concern that resources will be used to crackdown on protesters.</p>n<p>Details of how the Taliban intend to expand and manage mass surveillance, including obtaining the US plan, have not been previously reported.</p>n<p>The mass camera rollout, which will involve a focus on “important points” in Kabul and elsewhere, is part of a new security strategy that will take four years to be fully implemented, Ministry of Interior spokesman Abdul Mateen Qani told <em>Reuters</em>.</p>n<p>“At the present we are working on a Kabul security map, which is (being completed) by security experts and (is taking) lots of time,” he said. “We already have two maps, one which was made by USA for the previous government and second by Turkiye.”</p>n<p>He did not detail when the Turkish plan was made.</p>n<p>A US State Department spokesperson said Washington was not “partnering” with the Taliban and has “made clear to the Taliban that it is their responsibility to ensure that they give no safe haven to terrorists.”</p>n<p>A Turkish government spokesperson didn’t return a request for comment.</p>n<p>Qani said the Taliban had a “simple chat” about the potential network with Huawei in August, but no contracts or firm plans had been reached.</p>n<p><em>Bloomberg New</em>s <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2023-08-25/taliban-says-huawei-to-install-cameras-to-locate-militants">reported</a> in August that Huawei had reached “verbal agreement” with the Taliban about a contract to install a surveillance system, citing a person familiar with the discussions.</p>n<p>Huawei told <em>Reuters</em> in September that “no plan was discussed” during the meeting.</p>n<p>A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said she was not aware of specific discussions but added: “China has always supported the peace and reconstruction process in Afghanistan and supported Chinese enterprises to carry out relevant practical cooperation.”</p>n<p><strong>Rights concerns</strong></p>n<p>There are over 62,000 cameras in Kabul and other cities that are monitored from a central control room, according to the Taliban. The last major update to Kabul’s camera system occurred in 2008, according to the former government, which relied heavily on Western-led international forces for security.</p>n<p>Rights advocates and opponents of the regime are concerned enhanced surveillance might target civil society members and protesters.</p>n<p>Though the Taliban rarely confirm arrests, the Committee to Protect Journalists says at least 64 journalists have been detained since the takeover. Protests against restrictions on women in Kabul have been broken up forcefully by security forces, according to protesters, videos and Reuters witnesses.</p>n<p>Implementing a mass surveillance system “under the guise of ‘national security’ sets a template for the Taliban to continue its draconian policies that violate fundamental rights,” said Matt Mahmoudi from Amnesty International.</p>n<p>The Taliban strongly denies that an upgraded surveillance system would breach the rights of Afghans.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Sikhs protest outside Indian missions in Canada over leader&amp;rsquo;s murder

<p>TORONTO: Canadian Sikhs staged protests outside India’s diplomatic missions on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-deathhttps://">said</a> there may be a link between New Delhi and the murder of a Sikh separatist advocate in British Columbia.</p>n<p>Prime Minister Justin Trudeau a week ago stood in parliament to say that domestic intelligence agencies were actively pursuing credible allegations tying New Delhi’s agents to the shooting of Canadian citizen Hardeep Singh Nijjar, 45, in June.</p>n<p>About 100 protesters in Toronto burned an Indian flag and struck a cardboard cut-out of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi with a shoe. About 200 protesters also gathered outside the Vancouver consulate.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right '>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n <figcaption class='media__caption '>Demonstrators use their shoes to hit a placard depicting Indian prime minister Narendra Modi during a Sikh rally outside the Consulate General of India, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada on September 25, following the murder of Sikh separatist Hardeep Singh Nijjar.— AFP</figcaption>n </figure></p>n<p>In Ottawa, fewer than 100 people gathered in front of the Indian High Commissioner’s office (embassy) in the capital. They waved yellow flags marked with the world “Khalistan”, a reference to their support for making India’s Punjab region an independent state for Sikhs, a cause Nijjar campaigned for.</p>n<p>“We are really thankful to Justin Trudeau… We want no stone left unturned to get to the bottom of this cowardly act,” protester Reshma Singh Bolinas said in Ottawa. Canada should put pressure on India to “stop the killing of innocent people in future.”</p>n<p>Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs — the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab — and in recent years there have been many demonstrations that have irked India.</p>n<p>India labelled Trudeau’s allegations “absurd”. It <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776905/us-urges-india-to-cooperate-with-canada-in-sikh-leaders-murder-probe#:~:text=India%2C%20Canada-,update,-travel%20advisory">warned</a> travellers last week that there were growing “anti-India activities” in Canada, urging “utmost caution” but did not provide evidence or details of specific incidents.</p>n<p>The allegations have put a spotlight on Canada’s Sikh community. Sikhs make up just two per cent of India’s 1.4 billion population, but they are a majority in Punjab, a state of 30 million where their religion was born 500 years ago.</p>n<p>“The Indian government used dirty tactics and compromised the sovereignty of Canada,” said Kuljeet Singh, a protester in Toronto and a member of the group Sikhs for Justice.</p>n<p>Canada’s accusations have sparked <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776725">tit-for-tat retaliation</a>, with each nation expelling diplomats and New Delhi suspending visas for Canadians.</p>n<p>Some of the protesters in both Toronto and Ottawa called for the expulsion of the Indian High Commissioner (ambassador) to Canada, Sanjay Kumar Verma, who earlier said authorities have been informed of the protests and were providing security.</p>n<p>Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen. He has supported the formation of an independent Sikh homeland. India designated him a “terrorist” in July 2020.</p>n<p>The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader, <em>CBC News</em> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sikh-nijjar-india-canada-trudeau-modi-1.6974607">reported</a> last week, citing unidentified sources.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 26th, 2023</em></p>

Canadian Sikh group urges followers to protest outside Indian embassies

<p>A Canadian Sikh group has called on its members to protest outside the Indian diplomatic missions of main Canadian cities on Monday, a week after Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised the prospect of New Delhi’s involvement in the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/20/advocate-separate-sikh-state-india-shot-dead-canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-temple">murder of a Sikh separatist</a> leader in British Columbia.</p>n<p>Trudeau said last week Canada was pursuing <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1777075">“credible allegations”</a> that Indian government agents may be linked to the killing of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, who was shot dead outside a Sikh temple on June 18 in Surrey, a Vancouver suburb with a high Sikh population.</p>n<p>India swiftly denied any role in the killing and described the allegations as “absurd”. The accusations have sparked tensions between the two countries, with each nation expelling diplomats, and New Delhi <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1777230">suspending visas</a> for Canadians.</p>n<p>Jatinder Singh Grewal, a director for Sikh for Justice in Canada, told <em>Reuters</em> on Sunday that his organisation will lead the demonstrations outside the Indian embassies and consulates in Toronto, Ottawa and Vancouver to increase public awareness about Nijjar’s killing.</p>n<p>“We are asking Canada to expel the India ambassador,” Grewal said.</p>n<p>Representatives for India’s diplomatic missions in Ottawa and Toronto were not immediately available for comment.</p>n<p>The Toronto Police Department said it was aware of the planned demonstrations on Monday but declined to disclose details of the security preparations or potential response to any violent situations that may arise during the protest.</p>n<p>Nijjar, who worked as a plumber, left the north Indian state of Punjab a quarter-century ago and became a Canadian citizen. He has supported the formation of an independent Sikh homeland, called Khalistan, to be created out of Punjab. India designated Nijjar a “terrorist” in July 2020.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1776744"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation into the Sikh separatist leader’s murder, <em>CBC News</em> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sikh-nijjar-india-canada-trudeau-modi-1.6974607">reported</a> last week, citing unidentified sources.</p>n<p>The report said the intelligence included communications of Indian officials present in Canada, adding that some of the information was provided by an unidentified ally in the Five Eyes alliance.</p>n<p>Canada is home to about 770,000 Sikhs — the highest population of Sikhs outside their home state of Punjab — and the country has been the site of many demonstrations that have irked India.</p>n<p>Sikhs make up just 2 per cent of India’s 1.4 billion population but they are a majority in Punjab, a state of 30 million where their religion was born 500 years ago.</p>n<h2><a id="punjabs-sikhs-fear-row-threatens-them-at-home-abroad" href="#punjabs-sikhs-fear-row-threatens-them-at-home-abroad" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Punjab’s Sikhs fear row threatens them at home, abroad</h2>n<p>The bitter row between India and Canada is being felt in Punjab, where some Sikhs fear both a backlash from India’s Hindu nationalist government and a threat to their prospects for a better life in North America.</p>n<p>In the village of Bharsinghpura, there are few memories of Nijjar, but his uncle, Himmat Singh Nijjar, 79, said locals “think it was very brave of Trudeau” to accuse Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government of potential involvement in the killing.</p>n<p>“For the sake of one ordinary person, he did not need to take such a huge risk on his government,” the uncle told <em>Reuters</em>, sitting on a wooden bench by a tractor in his farmhouse, surrounded by lush paddy fields and banana trees.</p>n<p>Still, though, the elder Nijjar said he is worried about deteriorating diplomatic relations with Canada and declining economic prospects in Punjab.</p>n<p>The once-prosperous breadbasket of India, Punjab has been overtaken by states that focussed on manufacturing, services and technology in the last two decades.</p>n<p>“Now every family wants to send its sons and daughters to Canada as farming here is not lucrative,” said the elder Nijjar.</p>n<p>India is the largest source for international students in Canada, their numbers jumping 47 per cent last year to 320,000.</p>n<p>“We now fear whether Canada will give student visas or if the Indian government will create some hurdles,” said undergraduate Gursimran Singh, 19, who wants to go to Canada.</p>n<p>He was speaking at the holiest of Sikh shrines, the Golden Temple in Amritsar, where many students go to pray for or give thanks for student visas.</p>n<p>The temple became a flashpoint for Hindu-Sikh tension when then prime minister Indira Gandhi allowed it to be stormed in 1984 to flush out Sikh separatists, angering Sikhs around the world. Her Sikh bodyguards assassinated her soon afterwards.</p>n<p>Ties between Sikh groups in Punjab and Modi’s Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government have been strained since Sikh farmers led <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1663201">year-long protests</a> against farm deregulation in 2020 and blocked the capital, forcing Modi to withdraw the measure in a rare political defeat for the strongman.</p>n<p>Modi’s government has created “an atmosphere of fear”, especially for young people, said Sandeep Singh, 31, from Nijjar’s village.</p>n<p>“If we are doing a protest, parents wouldn’t like their child to participate because they are afraid their children can meet the same fate” as Nijjar in Canada, he said.</p>n<p>Kanwar Pal, political affairs secretary for the radical separatist Dal Khalsa group, said, “Whosoever fights for Khalistan fights for the right to self-determination, rights for plebiscite in Punjab. India perceived those Sikhs as their enemies and they targeted them.”</p>n<p>A BJP spokesperson declined to comment on the accusations.</p>n<p>Senior BJP leaders have said there was no wave of support in Punjab for independence and that any such demands were a threat to India. At the same time, the party says no one has done as much for the Sikhs as Modi.</p>

September 25, 2023

16 killed in fire at coal mine in China

<p>BEIJING: At least 16 people were killed in a coal mine fire on Sunday in southwest China’s Guizhou province, local officials said.</p>nn<p>The fire broke out at the Shanjiaoshu Coal Mine at around 8:10am, the Panzhou City government said in a notice posted to its website on Sunday night.</p>nn<p>“It was preliminarily determined that the conveyor belt caught fire, causing 16 people to be trapped,” it added, with no further details on what was damaged or how the fire began.</p>nn<p>Emergency personnel extinguished the blaze and temperatures at the site returned to normal, but “after preliminary verification, 16 people have no vital signs”, the notice said. The Panzhou City mine is about 3,600 kilometres southwest of the capital Beijing.</p>nn<p>China — the world’s biggest emitter of the pollutants driving climate change — operates thousands of coal mines, even as Beijing has pledged to peak greenhouse gas emissions by 2030.</p>nn<p>While safety standards in the country’s mining sector have improved in recent decades, accidents still frequently plague the industry, often due to lax enforcement of protocols, especially at the most rudimentary sites. Last year, 245 people died in 168 accidents, according to official figures.</p>nn<p>An explosion at a coal mine in Shaanxi province in northern China last month killed 11 people, nine of whom were trapped inside. Another two people managed to make it to the surface before they succumbed to their injuries, according to state media reports at the time.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2023</em></p>

Hundreds dead from dengue fever in war-torn Sudan: medics

<p>Outbreaks of dengue fever and acute watery diarrhoea have “killed hundreds” in war-torn Sudan, medics reported on Monday, warning of “catastrophic spreads” that could overwhelm the country’s decimated health system.</p>n<p>In a statement, the Sudanese doctors’ union warned that the health situation in the southeastern state of Gedaref, on the border with Ethiopia, “is deteriorating at a horrific rate”, with thousands infected with dengue fever.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1776395"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Though Gedaref has been spared the direct effects of the brutal war between the regular army and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, it has nonetheless been impacted by mass displacement and other humanitarian crises.</p>n<p>Over five months into the war, 80 per cent of the country’s hospitals are out of service, according to the United Nations.</p>n<p>Even before the war, Sudan’s fragile healthcare system struggled to contain the annual disease outbreaks that accompany the country’s rainy season starting in June, including malaria — endemic in Sudan — and dengue fever.</p>n<p>This year, with Gedaref hosting over 250,000 internally displaced persons according to the UN, the situation is much worse.</p>n<p>“The hospital’s beds are all full but the cases keep coming in, particularly children,” a medical source told <em>AFP</em> from Gedaref Hospital, requesting anonymity out of concern for his safety.</p>n<p>“But the number of those receiving treatment at home is much more than those at the hospital,” he continued.</p>n<p>Gedaref resident Amal Hussein told <em>AFP</em> that “in each home, there are at least three people sick with dengue”.</p>n<p>Dengue is a mosquito-borne disease that causes high fever, headaches, nausea, vomiting, muscle pain and, in the most serious cases, bleeding that can lead to death.</p>n<p>Medics and the UN have repeatedly warned that the violence in Sudan, combined with the rainy season and devastated infrastructure, would cause disease outbreaks across the country.</p>n<p>More than 1,200 children have died in refugee camps since May due in part to a measles outbreak, according to the UN refugee agency.</p>n<p>In El Fasher, the capital of North Darfur state, “13 cases of malaria were reported in one week”, according to the health ministry.</p>n<p>In the capital Khartoum, “three people died of acute watery diarrhoea” —suspected cases of cholera — in the Hajj Youssef district in the city’s east, the local resistance committee said Monday.</p>n<p>“Take precautions to avoid infection,” urged the committee — one of many that used to organise pro-democracy demonstrations before the war and now volunteers to help those caught in the crossfire.</p>n<p>By early September, the conflict between army chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and his former deputy, RSF commander Mohamed Hamdan Daglo, had killed nearly 7,500 people, according to a conservative estimate from the Armed Conflict Location &amp; Event Data Project.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1751964"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Dozens of hospitals have been bombed or occupied by fighters, in what the UN has called “cruel disregard for civilians”.</p>n<p>The medics and aid workers that remain are themselves regularly targeted and their stocks looted, as more people demand help.</p>n<p>Even before the war, one in three Sudanese needed to walk more than an hour to get medical care, where less than 30 percent of vital medicines were available, according to the UN.</p>

&amp;lsquo;Deeply offensive&amp;rsquo;: Pakistan condemns fresh act of Holy Quran desecration in Netherlands

<p>Pakistan on Monday strongly condemned yet another incident of the desecration of the Holy Quran in The Netherlands, calling upon the European country to take swift action against such “hateful and Islamophobic acts”.</p>n<p>“Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the latest senseless and deeply offensive act of desecration of the Holy Quran that took place in The Hague, the Netherlands in front of some embassies of OIC (Organisation of Islamic Cooperation) member countries, including Pakistan,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a press release issued today.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ForeignOfficePk/status/1706350260623183918"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Turkish newspaper <em>Daily Sabah</em> had <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.dailysabah.com/politics/diplomacy/dutch-pegida-leader-rips-quran-in-front-of-turkish-embassy">reported</a> on Saturday that Dutch far-right activist Edwin Wagensveld, who leads the Dutch branch of the far-right group Pegida, had desecrated the Holy Quran in front of the Turkish, Pakistani and Indonesian embassies in the Hague and “insulted Islam and Muslims”.</p>n<p>The FO said the “deliberately provocative and Islamophobic act” hurt the sentiments of Muslims around the world and such actions could not be condoned under the “guise of freedom of expression, opinion and protest”.</p>n<p>It added that Pakistan had conveyed its concerns to the Dutch authorities, urging them to be “mindful of the sentiments” of the people of Pakistan and Muslims around the world and take active steps to prevent such “hateful and Islamophobic acts”.</p>n<p>“Pakistan believes that freedom of expression comes with responsibilities. National governments should actively prevent racist and Islamophobic acts, which incite religious hatred.</p>n<p>“It is important for the international community to raise its voice against Islamophobia and work in concert to promote interfaith harmony. That was the spirit behind the resolution passed by the United Nations General Assembly in 2022 to mark March 15 as the International Day to Combat Islamophobia,” the FO said.</p>n<p>Separately, Saudi Arabia also issued a condemnation and denounced the incident in a statement posted earlier today on the social media platform X.</p>n<p>“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates the Kingdom’s strong condemnation of these reprehensible and recurring acts that cannot be justified under any circumstances. Such acts clearly promote hatred, exclusion, and racism, and directly contradict international efforts to promote values of tolerance, moderation, and the rejection of extremism,” the country’s foreign ministry said.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/KSAmofaEN/status/1706021794451181585"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Meanwhile, Gulf Cooperation Council Secretary General Jassim Mohammed Al-Budaiwi called for “urgent and effective international steps to confront these aggressive and provocative actions against Muslims.”</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/GCCSG/status/1706069869332963657"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The OIC also criticised the “provocative act” in a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.oic-oci.org/topic/?t_id=39613&amp;t_ref=26654&amp;lan=en">statement</a> issued a day ago.</p>n<p>It had called on the Dutch authorities to take necessary measures against such provocative acts and prevent their recurrence.</p>n<p>Last month, Wagensveld had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1771028">trampled on and tore up</a> a copy of the Holy Quran at a demonstration outside the Turkish embassy in The Hague, infuriating dozens of counter-protesters.</p>n<p>The Dutch government had already condemned the holding of the demonstration ahead of the event but said it had no legal powers to prevent it.</p>n<p><a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1767672">Similar incidents</a> of the Holy Quran’s desecration have taken place in other European countries recently. In late July, two men set fire to a copy of the Quran in <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1767775">front of the Swedish parliament</a>, and similar incidents have taken place in Denmark this year.</p>n<p>Such demonstrations have provoked <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1769424">anger and condemnations</a> and sometimes unrest in several Muslim countries.</p>n<p>Muslim leaders addressing the United Nations General Assembly last week had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1777016">berated</a> the West over torchings of the Holy Quran.</p>

UK&amp;rsquo;s 250-year-old rose farm announces closure

"It has not been an easy decision to make," Cants of Colchester says in an email

September 23, 2023

Girl found guilty of brutally killing mother after getting kicked out of college

The 23-year-old claims she killed her mom to avoid her finding out that she had been expelled from college

Tropical storm Ophelia strengthens near North Carolina; residents brace for impact

Ophelia storm's trajectory could bring it perilously close to warm waters of Gulf Stream, offering the possibility of more strengthening

Blinken calls on India to cooperate with Canada in Sikh activist murder probe

Hardeep Singh Nijjar was killed near Vancouver in June, and Canada alleged involvement of India and its agents in murder

Trump Jr says &amp;#039;Hunter Biden must have hacked my account&amp;#039; on X

A hacker took over Trump Jr's account and made a series of posts on Wednesday

At the cusp of historic peace with Saudi Arabia, Israel PM Netanyahu tells UN

"Peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia will truly create a new Middle East," says Netanyahu

Is UN promoting LGBTQ rights? Turkey Erdogan confuses SDG colours with rainbow flag

Turkey's government has recently adopted a more stringent stance on LGBTQ rights and freedoms

Sara Sharif murder: New pics of 10-year-old wearing scarf released to tap public for tips

Police hope these images will encourage people to share details they may possess about Sara and her family

Kelly Clarkson gives update on dating life a year after divorce settlements

Kelly Clarkson previously joked about being ‘single forever’ and took a break from dating following her divorce

Leonardo DiCaprio, girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti make sneaky exit from MFW after-party

Leonardo DiCaprio’s rumoured ex, Gigi Hadid, was also present at the after-party, which he attended with Vittoria Ceretti

Meghan Markle officially scraps major project amid her relaunch

Meghan Markle had been planning a big relaunch after her exit from the Royal Family in 2020

Taylor Swift&amp;#039;s request to Swifties causes unprecedented spike for voter registration

Taylor Swift earlier in her stories asks Swifties to get register for voting

Travis Barker tests positive for Covid amidst &amp;#039;cursed&amp;#039; Blink-182 world tour

Travis Barker recently returned to the tour following wife Kourtney Kardashian’s pregnancy complication

&amp;#039;Riverdale&amp;#039; star Casey Cott welcomes first child with wife Nichola Basara

Casey Cott and his wife Nichola Basara announced the arrival of their first child, a baby boy

Ariana Grande loosens up her signature high-ponytail for a new hairstyle

Ariana Grande began singing and acting when she was as young as 13

&amp;#039;RHOC&amp;#039; Shannon Beador under investigation by animal control for &amp;#039;endangering&amp;#039; dog Archie

Shannon Beador crashed into a house while driving under the influence with her senior dog in the car

Alia Bhatt rubs shoulders with Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny at Milan Fashion Week

Alia Bhatt looks stunning at Gucci's Milan Fashion Week show; the first Indian global brand ambassador for the brand

Anne Hathaway reflects on postpartum recovery after second kid

Anne Hathaway shares her experience of healing process from childbirth in a new interview

Inside Justin Bieber&amp;#039;s &amp;#039;priceless&amp;#039; bejewelled anniversary gift from wife Hailey

Hailey Bieber gifted an extravagant couple's gift to husband Justin to mark their fifth anniversary

Russell Brand condemns &amp;#039;constructed narrative&amp;#039; amidst sexual assault allegations

Russell Brand was cut off by multiple broadcasting services following sexual and emotional abuse allegations

Ryan Gosling, Kylie Jenner amping up hotness at Gucci Show in Milan: See photos

Ryan Gosling oozed his inner Ken at Gucci's Milan Show

Priyanka Chopra pens heartfelt note to &amp;#039;little one&amp;#039; Parineeti Chopra ahead of wedding

Priyanka Chopra will reportedly skip Parineeti Chopra's wedding due to her work commitments

Leonardo DiCaprio skips fashion show featuring girlfriend Vittoria Ceretti and ex Gigi Hadid

Leonardo DiCaprio started dating Vittoria Ceretti one month after his split with rumoured fling Gigi Hadid

Has Margot Robbie teased the &amp;#039;Barbie&amp;#039; sequel?

Margot Robbie tells all about 'Barbie' sequel

Kendall Jenner looks confident on runway hours after debut with Bad Bunny

Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny sat together in the front row for the Gucci show at Milan Fashion Week

Travis Barker&amp;#039;s son Landon debuts new single with dad on drums

Travis Barker's son Landon Barker releases first song 'Friends with Your Ex'

Sharna Burgess says &amp;#039;yes&amp;#039; to Brian Austin Green: &amp;#039;Most perfect, Beautiful moment&amp;#039;

Sharna Burgess and Brian Austin started dating in December 2020

Hugh Jackman spends quality time with Hollywood friends amid Deborra-Lee-Furness divorce: Photo

Hugh Jackman announces his split from wife Deborra-Lee-Furness last week

Emma Watson hints at career change following acting success

Emma Watson found fame portraying the intelligent and sassy Hemione Granger in 'Harry Potter' movie series

Josh Duhamel talks coparenting with &amp;#039;amazing&amp;#039; ex-wife Fergie: &amp;#039;Very lucky&amp;#039;

Josh Duhamel was married to Fergie from 2009 to 2019; the pair shares 10-year-old son Axl together

Kevin Bacon had to set fire to his farm and house out of fear of getting &amp;#039;possessed&amp;#039;

Kevin Bacon went “back and forth on this haunted house thing” with farm owner Rob Lowe before purchase

Matthew McConaughey&amp;#039;s confirms his family &amp;#039;tested&amp;#039; Wife Camila Alves

Matthew McConaughey confirms Camila Alves claims about her mother-in-law putting her ‘down a bit’

Sophie Turner spotted strolling with daughters while Joe Jonas prepares for Baltimore performance

Sophie Turner went out on a walk in NYC with daughters amid divorce and lawsuit battle with Joe Jonas

Jessica Chastain slams Joe Jonas with support for Sophie Turner

Jessica Chastain publicly supported Sophie Turner by reposting against Joe Jonas on social media

Leonardo DiCaprio dating model Vittoria Ceretti, rumours confirmed: Source

Leonardo DiCaprio’s got out with Vittoria Ceretti several times after getting out of Gigi Hadid romance rumours

Cameron Diaz &amp;#039;could cry&amp;#039; after dumping salad for cheesy chicken nachos

Cameron Diaz seems to ditch her eating principals for ‘nachos with chicken, zucchini and corn’

Gisele Bundchen &amp;#039;never dreamed of&amp;#039; Split with Tom Brady

Gisele Bundchen says she wouldn’t have life ‘any other way’ after splitting with Tom Brady last year

Jeannie Mai denies affair with Mario Lopez amid divorce, hopes for reconciliation with Jeezy

Jeannie Mai opens up about 'Devastation' over divorce filing with Jeezy

Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny pick front row seats for romance at Milan Fashion Week

Kendall Jenner, Bad Bunny were seen sitting at front row seat at Gucci's Milan Fashion Week show

Joe Jonas disappointed with Sophie Turner effort to portray him &amp;#039;horrible father&amp;#039;

Turner is pursuing legal action against her ex in an attempt to relocate their daughters

In historic legislation, India reserves 33% parliamentary seats for women &amp;mdash; but there is a catch

Women constitute over 48% of India's population but their representation in parliament stands at 15.1%

September 22, 2023

Wedder forecast: Single in 2023? You have high chances of getting hitched in 2024

The decline in proposals is anticipated to peak this year, and engagements are anticipated to resume in early 2024

Billionaire Bill Gates cheers daughter Pheobe Gates for brightening up foundation event

Event saw presence of other notable figures, including model Karlie Kloss, Phoebe's elder sister, Jennifer Gates

US Senator Bob Menendez, wife, indicted for taking &amp;#039;hundreds of thousands of dollars&amp;#039; in bribes

The charges allege a "corrupt relationship" between the couple and three New Jersey businessmen

Russia-Ukraine war: Moscow&amp;#039;s Black Sea Fleet HQ in Crimea destroyed by Kyiv missile

As Russia-Ukraine war deepens, Ukrainian attack, triggered plumes of smoke over the building in Sevastopol, as seen in videos circulated on social media

Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq released after 4-year house arrest

Mirwaiz played a pivotal role in orchestrating protests against Indian governance in the disputed region

Oldest US federal judge slaps &amp;#039;bully&amp;#039; colleagues with lawsuit after suspension over mental fitness

Judge Pauline Newman's lawyers claim her suspension is illegal while seeking review from committee overseeing judicial conduct

Biden, others raised concern over Canadian Sikh activist&amp;#039;s murder with Modi during G20

US national security advisor Jake Sullivan clarified US is not granting any "special exemption" to India

Nagorno-Karabakh conflict: Truce enforced after Armenia&amp;#039;s surrender

Russia-brokered meeting took place in an atmosphere described as constructive and peaceful by Azerbaijan's presidency

US backs Canada in Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar&amp;#039;s murder probe

PM Trudeau sparked diplomatic controversy by raising suspicions that India govt played role in Hardeep Singh Nijjar's assassination

Canadian intelligence corroborates Indian involvement in Nijjar&amp;#039;s murder

Intelligence "was also provided by anonymous ally in Five Eyes intelligence alliance", states report

Canada calls on India to cooperate in murder investigation of Nijjar

Trudeau said Monday Indian agents played role in June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar, a Canadian citizen

Travis Scott&amp;#039;s team claims &amp;#039;phone LOST at sea,&amp;#039; Astroworld lawsuit evidence GONE

Travis Scott's lost phone is hurdle in Astroworld lawsuit evidence collection

Alessandra Ambrosio radiates glamour on way to GCDS show at Milan Fashion Week

The Victoria's Secret Angel recently split from fellow model Richard Lee

Sophie Turner grabs lunch with estranged husband Joe Jonas ahead of custody lawsuit

Joe Jonas, Sophie Turner, estranged couple, is going through a messy divorce after 4 years of marriage

Milan Fashion Week: Emma Watson steps out after &amp;#039;suspected&amp;#039; stalker drama

Emma was allegedly targeted by Drew Barrymore's suspected stalker recently

Zendaya and assistant Darnell address engagement rumors with Tom Holland

Zendaya's assistant Darnell deny engagement rumors on Instagram live session

This Morning: Holly Willoughby leaves fans &amp;#039;upset&amp;#039; with sudden changes in show

The Good Morning Britain presenter, 48, will make his debut on the ITV Daytime show

Kendall Jenner &amp;#039;radiates joy&amp;#039; with boyfriend Bad Bunny during Milan Fashion Week

Kendall and Bad Bunny were first spotted together in February

Leonardo DiCaprio and Gigi Hadid&amp;#039;s Milan encounter amid &amp;#039;New Love&amp;#039; Vittoria Ceretti

Leonardo DiCaprio's arrival in Milan coincides with Gigi Hadid sparks buzz

Arnold Schwarzenegger steps out after Anna Richardson recalls &amp;#039;harassment&amp;#039; allegations

Arnold Schwarzenegger attended an Oktoberfest celebration in Munich, Germany

Kate Middleton forced to stay out of spotlight amid King Charles France visit?

Prince William, Kate Middleton staying out of the royal spotlight since King Charles, Camilla began their visit to France

Prince Harry, Meghan Markle &amp;#039;compassionate&amp;#039; for next career move: &amp;#039;They understood&amp;#039;

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have been in the works of deciding their next big career move

Who will replace King Charles?

King Charles may possibly abdicate the throne due to his advanced age

Meghan Markle&amp;#039;s unseen video singing, dancing with Sam Ryder goes viral

Sam Ryder shares his feelings for singing with Meghan Markle

Kathy Griffin criticizes Kanye West for &amp;#039;Controlling&amp;#039; Bianca Censori, deeming her &amp;#039;Voiceless&amp;#039;

Kathy Griffin accuses Kanye West exerting control over Bianca Censori

King Charles&amp;#039; &amp;#039;sausage fingers&amp;#039; unveils monarch&amp;#039;s secret health battle

King Charles' fingers notably got very swollen during his state visit to France

Pregnant Lucy Watson shares story of her &amp;#039;miracle baby&amp;#039;

Lucy and James married in a lavish ceremony in 2021

Justin Timberlake dishes out details about origin of NSYNC single &amp;#039;It&amp;#039;s Gonna Be Me&amp;#039;

Justin Timberlake along with four members of NSYNC reunited in a decade earlier this month

Bianca Censori Kanye West&amp;#039;s wife earns &amp;#039;Golden&amp;#039; opportunity at Graziella Braccialini

Bianca Censori and Kanye West visiting Graziella Braccialini in Milan

India frees Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after four years

Thousands of worshippers gather to see Kashmiri leader lead Friday prayers for the first time in 218 weeks

Trudeau calls on India to cooperate in murder probe

Canada declines to release evidence linking Indian government agents to the murder of a Sikh separatist leader

Abbas says Middle East peace only possible when Palestinians get full rights

Saudi, US calls for Palestinians to make gains are likely unpalatable for Israeli PM's govt

UK police appeal for clues about Sara&amp;rsquo;s death

10-year-old girl's body was discovered at her family's home in southern England on August 10

Saudi crown prince says he does not care about &amp;#039;sportswashing&amp;#039; claims

&quot;Sportswashing&quot; allegation levelled at countries perceived to be using sport to improve their tarnished image abroad

Israel on cusp of region-reshaping peace with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu says

The Israeli PM asserted that Palestinians should not be allowed to veto the regional dealmaking.

Ukraine&amp;#039;s Zelenskiy visits close ally Canada after challenges on US trip

Canada is one of Kyiv's staunchest supporters in the war against Russia

Biden raised issue of Canadian Sikh&amp;#039;s murder with Modi at G20, Financial Times reports

'Five Eyes' countries also raised the matter before the Indian PM

Colors promoting UN goals or LGBTQ rights? Turkey&amp;#039;s Erdogan complains

The Turkish president had labeled members of the LGBTQ community as &quot;deviants&quot; in the past

Canada has Indian diplomats&amp;rsquo; communications in Sikh leader&amp;rsquo;s murder probe: report

<p>The Canadian government has amassed both human and signals intelligence in a months-long investigation of a Sikh activist’s murder, which it has <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776725">alleged</a> was done by India, <em>CBC News</em> <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/sikh-nijjar-india-canada-trudeau-modi-1.6974607">reported</a> on Friday.</p>n<p>The unprecedented tensions flared up on Monday after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> Ottawa was “actively pursuing credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/20/advocate-separate-sikh-state-india-shot-dead-canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-temple">murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar</a>, 45, outside a Sikh temple in British Columbia in June.</p>n<p>The two countries, whose relations have been fraying in recent years over the issue of Sikh separatists, have since announced tit-for-tat <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776725">expulsions of senior diplomats</a> and issued tit-for-tat <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776905/us-urges-india-to-cooperate-with-canada-in-sikh-leaders-murder-probe#:~:text=India%2C%20Canada-,update,-travel%20advisory">travel advisories</a>.</p>n<p>Indian PM Narendra Modi’s government denied any links to the alleged murder. While calling on India to cooperate with the investigation into the murder, Canada <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/canadas-trudeau-wants-india-cooperate-murder-probe-wont-release-evidence-2023-09-21/">said</a> on Thursday it would not release its evidence.</p>n<p>Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious approach to the matter. Analysts say this is partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.</p>n<p>Today, quoting Canadian government sources, <em>CBC News</em> said the “intelligence includes communications involving Indian officials themselves, including Indian diplomats present in Canada”.</p>n<p>It added that the intelligence “did not come solely from Canada” and some was also provided by “an unnamed ally in the Five Eyes” alliance — an intelligence-sharing network that includes the US, the UK, Canada, Australia and New Zealand.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/CBCNews/status/1704978707343974827"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The Canadian publication went on to add that the slain Sikh leader “reportedly had been warned by the Canadian Security Intelligence Service that he was at risk”.</p>n<p>The report further said that “in a diplomatic crisis that unfolded progressively behind the scenes, Canadian officials went to India on several occasions seeking cooperation” in the investigation of Nijjar’s death.</p>n<p><em>CBC News</em> said that Canada’s National Security and Intelligence Adviser Jody Thomas was in India over four days in mid-August. Another five-day visit this month overlapped with a “<a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1775114">tense meeting</a>” between the two countries’ premiers, it added.</p>n<p>The report quoted Canadian sources as saying: “When pressed behind closed doors, no Indian official has denied the bombshell allegation at the core of this case — that there is evidence to suggest Indian government involvement in the assassination of a Canadian citizen on Canadian soil.”</p>n<p>“I can assure you that the decision to share these allegations on the floor of the House of Commons … was not done lightly,” <em>CBC</em> quoted Trudeau as stating yesterday after attending the 78th UN General Assembly in New York. “It was done with the utmost seriousness.”</p>n<h2><a id="not-some-special-exemption-for-india-us-says" href="#not-some-special-exemption-for-india-us-says" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>‘Not some special exemption’ for India, US says</h2>n<p>Meanwhile, the US is in touch with Indians at high levels and Washington is giving India no “<a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/09/21/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-8/#:~:text=is%20not%20some-,special%20exemption,-you%20get%20for">special exemption</a>” in the matter, its national security adviser Jake Sullivan said on Thursday.</p>n<p>The United States has been seeking to strengthen its relationship with India. President Joe Biden <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1761117">hosted Modi</a> for a state visit at the White House earlier this year.</p>n<p>Asked whether US concern over the incident could disrupt that process, Sullivan said the United States would stand up for its principles, regardless of what country is affected.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1704915153857433893"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>“It is a matter of concern for us. It is something we take seriously. It is something we will keep working on, and we will do that regardless of the country,” Sullivan <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2023/09/21/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-karine-jean-pierre-and-national-security-advisor-jake-sullivan-8/">told reporters</a> at the White House.</p>n<p>“There’s not some special exemption you get for actions like this. Regardless of the country, we will stand up and defend our basic principles and we will also consult closely with allies like Canada as they pursue their law enforcement and diplomatic process.”</p>n<p>Sullivan noted that the United States was in touch with both countries about the topic. “We are in constant contact with our Canadian counterparts … and we have also been in touch with the Indian government,” Sullivan said.</p>n<p>Earlier, John Kirby, spokesman for the White House National Security Council (NSC) had said it supported Canada’s efforts to investigate the killing and <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776905/us-urges-india-to-cooperate-with-canada-in-sikh-leaders-murder-probe">encouraged India</a> to cooperate in the probe.</p>n<p>Separately, another NSC spokesperson, Adrienne Watson, had denied reports that the US had “rebuffed” Canada over the matter.</p>n<p>Australia had expressed “deep concern” over Canada’s accusations while Britain said it was in close touch with its Canadian partners about the “serious allegations”.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1777104"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar had a day ago <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1777104/rising-wave-of-hindutva-a-matter-of-deep-concern-for-international-community-pm-kakar">termed</a> the rising wave of Hindutva or Hindu nationalism a “matter of deep concern” for the international community.</p>n<p>The Foreign Office had also <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.radio.gov.pk/20-09-2023/indias-network-of-extra-territorial-killings-has-now-gone-global-fo">said</a> the accusation showed that New Delhi’s “network of extra-territorial killings” had gone global while Foreign Secretary Syrus Qazi said Pakistan was not surprised by the Canadian accusation.</p>

Israel on cusp of region-reshaping peace with Saudi Arabia, Netanyahu says

<p>Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Friday he believed his country was on the cusp of peace with Saudi Arabia, predicting it could be clinched by US President Joe Biden and reshape the Middle East.</p>n<p>Yet, amid urging by Riyadh and Washington that the Palestinians be included in the diplomacy, Netanyahu told the United Nations General Assembly in New York that Palestinians should not be allowed to veto the regional dealmaking.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1696911"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Expectations that Israel might normalise relations with Saudi Arabia, the home of Islam’s two holiest shrines, have been ratcheted up this week. Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said a deal was getting closer by the day and Netanyahu and Biden held a long-awaited meeting to discuss the prospects.</p>n<p>Netanyahu described as a precursor the 2020 normalisation accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain, known as the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1663330">Abraham Accords</a> and sponsored by then-US President Donald Trump.</p>n<p>“There’s no question: The Abraham Accords heralded the dawn of a new age of peace,” he said. “I believe we’re on the cusp of a more dramatic breakthrough: A historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia.”</p>n<p>Such a deal would likely require broad support among US lawmakers — a tall order with a presidential election in 2024.</p>n<p>While crediting Trump for the previous deal, Netanyahu made clear he hoped the current administration would clinch this one.</p>n<p>“I believe we can achieve peace with Saudi Arabia with the leadership of President Biden,” he said.</p>n<p>Though he voiced willingness to seek some accommodation with the Palestinians — whose statehood goals are ruled out by his hard-right government — Netanyahu said: “We must not give the Palestinians a veto over new peace treaties with Arab states.”</p>n<p>On Thursday, Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas told the same forum: “Whoever thinks peace in the Middle East is possible before our people achieved their full right is delusional.”</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1777217"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Netanyahu, who has often used the UN podium to warn against Iran, described his country’s arch-foe as the “fly in the ointment” that would try to wreck a deal with Saudi Arabia.</p>n<p>But he cast normalisation as already in the works, citing the now three-year-old air corridor for Israeli carriers over Saudi territory and an ambitious plan, announced by Biden this month, to make both countries part of a rail and shipping network that would run from India to the Mediterranean Sea.</p>n<p>He illustrated the latter with a red line he drew across a regional map — a play on a 2012 UN speech in which he used a marker to draw a proposed “red line” for Iran’s nuclear drive.</p>n<p>“Today I bring this marker to show a great blessing,” he said, deeming normalisation with Saudi Arabia “an extraordinary change, a monumental change, another pivot of history.”</p>

India frees Kashmiri leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq after 4 years

<p>The Indian government freed Kashmiri chief cleric and Hurriyat leader Mirwaiz Umar Farooq on Friday after more than <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1437419">four years of house arrest</a>.</p>n<p>The 50-year-old was <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1437419">detained</a> along with other political leaders and thousands of residents when the government cancelled held Kashmir’s constitutional semi-autonomy and <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1498227">imposed federal rule</a> in 2019.</p>n<p>A months-long internet shutdown followed as India bolstered its armed forces in the region to contain <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1514652">protests</a>.</p>n<p>Most detainees were subsequently released, but Mirwaiz remained unable to leave his residence, down the street from his Jamia Masjid mosque in Srinagar.</p>n<p>Thousands of worshippers gathered to see him lead Friday prayers for the first time in 218 weeks, with women showering him with sweets and religious slogans resounding around the 14th-century building.</p>n<p>Last week, a court asked authorities to explain his continued detention and he told the crowd that police informed him on Thursday that officials had decided to release him.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1666414"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>“This period of my house arrest and separation from my people has been the most painful for me since my father’s death,” he said, breaking down.</p>n<p>The mosque has historically been a centre of separatist politics and anti-India protests.</p>n<p>“God willing, you might think our spirit is low. No, our spirit is high,” the Mirwaiz said, calling the constitutional changes by Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Hindu nationalist government “unacceptable”.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1741527"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Modi “said about Ukraine that this is not the time for war. He is right,” he added.</p>n<p>“Disputes and disagreements should be resolved by talks rather than using power or unilateralism.” He called for the release of “numerous political prisoners”.</p>n<p>Held Kashmir is divided between India and Pakistan, with both countries claiming the Himalayan territory in full and fighting two wars over it.</p>n<p>A violent insurgency beginning in 1989 killed tens of thousands of people, including Indian troops, militants and civilians.</p>n<p>Heavy security, including counter-insurgency police and commandos, were deployed around the mosque on Friday.</p>n<p>“Our beloved and our king of hope has returned to this mosque after so long,” regular worshipper Bashir Ahmed told <em>AFP</em> after the prayers.</p>n<p>“How can I not be weeping with joy?” Since the imposition of direct rule, authorities have curbed media freedoms and public protests.</p>n<p>Moves aimed at bringing “peace and prosperity” to the region also allowed Indians from elsewhere to buy land and claim government jobs in the territory, a policy denounced by critics as “settler colonialism”.</p>n<p>Armed clashes between Indian soldiers and freedom fighters demanding independence for the disputed region or its merger with Pakistan have significantly reduced.</p>n<p>But this month saw an uptick in violence leaving at least 14 dead, including eight security personnel.</p>

China&amp;rsquo;s Xi meets Syria&amp;rsquo;s Assad, declares new &amp;lsquo;strategic partnership&amp;rsquo;

<p>Chinese President Xi Jinping held talks with Syrian counterpart Bashar al-Assad on Friday, and said the two leaders would unveil a new “strategic partnership”.</p>n<p>Assad is on his <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1777219/assad-in-china-seeks-end-to-diplomatic-isolation">first official trip to China</a> in almost two decades as he seeks financial support to rebuild his devastated country, as well as rehabilitation for his regime from years of isolation over Syria’s civil war.</p>n<p>He will attend the opening ceremony of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou on Saturday.</p>n<p>Xi and Assad met in the eastern Chinese city on Friday afternoon, state media said.</p>n<p>“Today, we will jointly announce the establishment of the China-Syria strategic partnership, which will become an important milestone in the history of bilateral relations,” Xi told Assad, according to a readout from state broadcaster <em>CCTV</em>.</p>n<p>“Faced with an international situation full of instability and uncertainty, China is willing to continue to work together with Syria, firmly support each other, promote friendly cooperation, and jointly defend international fairness and justice,” he added.</p>n<p>Relations between the two countries “have withstood the test of international changes”, Xi said.</p>n<p>“And the friendship between the two countries has been strengthened over time,” he added.</p>n<p>The leaders were each flanked by nine aides at a large rectangular wooden table, a <em>CCTV</em> video clip showed, as two flags from each country were set in front of a Chinese painting in the meeting room.</p>n<p>China is one of only a handful of countries outside the Middle East that Assad has visited since the 2011 start of a civil war that has killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and battered Syria’s infrastructure and industry.</p>n<p>China’s foreign ministry has said his visit will take ties to a “new level”.</p>n<p>“China and Syria have a traditional and deep friendship,” foreign ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing.</p>n<p>“We believe that President Bashar Al-Assad’s visit will further deepen mutual political trust and cooperation in various fields between the two countries,” she added.</p>n<p>Assad’s visit is his first to China since 2004.</p>n<p>Analysts expect Assad’s visit to China will focus, in part, on funds for reconstruction. It also comes as China’s influence in the Middle East grows.</p>n<p>This year Beijing brokered a deal that saw longtime regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Damascus-backer Iran <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1741433">agree to restore ties</a> and reopen their respective embassies.</p>n<p>The detente was followed by Syria’s return to the Arab fold at a summit in Saudi Arabia in May, ending more than a decade of regional isolation.</p>

COAS Munir meets Saudi counterpart, discusses bilateral security matters

<p>Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir met the army chief of Saudi Arabia, General Fayyadh Bin Hamed Al Ruwaili, on Friday and discussed various areas of mutual interest.</p>n<p>According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Gen Ruwaili and his high-powered military delegation called on Gen Munir.</p>n<p>“During the meeting, both sides deliberated upon various areas of mutual interest, bilateral cooperation including defence and security matters,” the military’s media affair wing said.</p>n<p>It added that the delegation also met Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Sahir Shamshad Mirza at the Joint Staff Headquarters earlier today.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/PTVNewsOfficial/status/1705154136252273025"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The Saudi delegation’s visit to Pakistan comes days after COAS Munir had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1774148">apprised</a> the business community of Saudi Arabia’s decision to invest $25bn in Pakistan under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) aimed at attracting investment in the agriculture sector by offering land and ensuring exports.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, the army chief had also <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1730745">visited</a> Madina where he met the Saudi crown prince and discussed ways to improve bilateral ties between the two countries.</p>n<p>During the visit, Gen Munir had also met Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman and <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1730050/coas-asim-munir-saudi-defence-minister-discuss-military-cooperation">discussed</a> the ways of strengthening cooperation between the two countries.</p>n<p>The leaders had discussed military and defence cooperation, and ways to support and enhance them, along with important regional and international issues of common interest.</p>

Zelensky wins US air defence arms, but faces aid battle

<p>WASHINGTON: Ukrai­nian President Volodymyr Zelensky won a promise of “significant” new air defence weapons from the White House on Thursday but he warned Kyiv could lose the war with Russia if Republican lawmakers cut the flow of billions of dollars in US military aid.</p>n<p>Zelensky, wearing his trademark olive green military-style shirt on his second wartime visit to Washington, also failed to get the coveted long-range US missiles that Ukraine has been seeking in the effort to beat back President Vladimir Putin’s forces.</p>n<p>The Ukrainian leader faced a vastly different political landscape compared to his first visit in December 2022, when he received a hero’s welcome and gave a speech to a joint session of Congress.</p>n<p>This time a grim-faced Zelensky met Republican and Democratic leaders locked in a bitter spending battle that could spark a US government shutdown, with a $24 billion aid package for Ukraine at risk.</p>n<p>The hard-right faction dominating the Republican Party is increasingly adamant that the aid spigot should be turned off, with Congress having already approved $100bn in aid to date, including $43bn in weaponry.</p>n<p>“To win, we must all stand together and work together,” Zelensky said on social media, adding that he counted on “constant support” from the United States against Russia.</p>n<p>The Ukrainian leader arrived right after another wave of Russian missile strikes. The attacks — hitting cities across the country — killed at least three people in Kherson and wounded many in other areas Democratic Senate leader Chuck Schumer, a major supporter of President Joe Biden’s pro-Ukraine policies, said Zelensky had told him “if we don’t get the aid, we will lose the war.”</p>n<p><strong>‘Significant’</strong></p>n<p>As part of his bid to win over Washington, Zelensky also went to the Pentagon where he laid a wreath at a memorial for victims of the September 11, 2001 attacks and will visit the White House later on Thursday.</p>n<p>White House National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan said he was confident that the deep US political divide would not stop the flow of aid to Ukraine.</p>n<p>“I continue to remain of the view that when all is said and done… there will be strong bipartisan support to continue funding Ukraine,” Sullivan told reporters.</p>n<p>Biden was set to announce a major new arms package including “significant air defence capabilities to help Ukraine,” Sullivan added.</p>n<p>But in a blow to Zelensky, he said Biden had rejected for now a request for longer-range ATACMS missiles that can strike up to 300 kilometres away.</p>n<p>Zelensky said he had “great dialogue” on Capitol Hill earlier, despite the lack of fanfare compared to his visit nine months ago. He got a discreet welcome from the Republican Speaker of the House of Representatives, Kevin McCarthy, who is having trouble keeping a lid on internal party squabbling over US spending in Ukraine.</p>n<p>Some Republicans say the money could be better spent on US border security, while there are also concerns about the pace of Kyiv’s counteroffensive and that corruption in Ukraine means the money will go to waste.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

UK to charge five Bulgarians with spying for Moscow

<p>LONDON: Five Bulgarian nationals suspected of spying for Russia will be charged with conspiracy to conduct espionage, UK prosecutors said on Thursday.</p>nn<p>Three men and two women “will be charged with conspiring to collect information intended to be directly or indirectly useful to an enemy for a purpose prejudicial to the safety and interest of the state”, the Crown Prosecu­tion Service said in a statement.</p>nn<p>The charges relate to alleged offences that took place between August 2020 and February 2023, the CPS added.</p>nn<p>Orlin Roussev, 45, Bizer Dzhambazov, 41, Katrin Ivanova, 31, Ivan Stoyanov, 31, and Vanya Gaberova, 29, will appear at the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London on Tuesday.</p>nn<p>Three of them — Roussev, Dzhambazov and Ivanova — were charged in February with “possession of false identity documents with improper intention”, the CPS said.</p>nn<p>The trio appeared at London’s Old Bailey court in July to face those charges.</p>nn<p>“The charges follow an investigation by the Metropolitan Police’s Counter Terrorism Command,” said the CPS.</p>nn<p>Prosecutors warned that in order to conduct a fair trial “it is extremely important that there should be no reporting, commentary or sharing of information online which could in any way prejudice these proceedings.”</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

High seas treaty moves closer to reality with first signatures

<p>UNITED NATIONS: Nearly 70 countries at the United Nations on Wednesday signed a first-ever treaty on protecting the international high seas, raising hopes that it will come into force soon and protect threatened ecosystems vital to the planet.</p>nn<p>“It’s an amazing moment to be here and see such multilateral cooperation and so much hope,” actor Sigourney Weaver said in New York as the signatures opened.</p>nn<p>The treaty marks change in “the way we view the ocean, from a big garbage dump and a place where we can take stuff, to a place that we take care of, that we steward, we respect,” she said.</p>nn<p>Sixty-seven countries signed the treaty on the first day, including the United States, China, Australia, Britain, France, Germany and Mexico as well as the European Union as a whole, according to the UN.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>After 15 years of discussion, nearly 70 countries including US, China, UK and EU states signed the treaty</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>But each country must still ratify the treaty under its own domestic process. The treaty will come into force 120 days after 60 countries ratify it.</p>nn<p>“It is clear that the ocean is in urgent need of protection,” said Belgium’s deputy prime minister, Vincent van Quickenborne. Without action, “it’s game over,” he said.</p>nn<p>After 15 years of discussion, the United Nations sealed the first treaty on the high seas in June by consensus, although Russia said it had reservations.</p>nn<p>The start of signatures marks “a new chapter” of “establishing meaningful protections” for the oceans, said Nichola Clark of the Ocean Governance Project at The Pew Charitable Trusts.</p>nn<p>The high seas are defined as the ocean area starting beyond countries’ exclusive economic zones, or 370 kilometres off coastlines — covering nearly half the planet. Nonetheless, they have long been ignored in discussions on the environment.</p>nn<p>A key tool in the treaty will be the ability to create protected marine areas in international waters — only around one percent of which are now protected by any sort of conservation measures.</p>nn<p>The treaty is seen as crucial to an agreement to protect 30 per cent of the world’s oceans and lands by 2030, as agreed by governments in a separate historic accord on biodiversity reached in Montreal in December.</p>nn<p><strong>‘Race to ratification’</strong></p>nn<p>Mads Christensen, interim executive director of Greenpeace International, voiced hope that the treaty would come into force in 2025, when the next UN oceans conference takes place in France.</p>nn<p>“We have less than seven years to protect 30 percent of the oceans. There is no time to waste,” he said.</p>nn<p>“The race to ratification has begun and we urge countries to be ambitious, ratify the treaty and make sure it enters into force in 2025.” But even if the treaty draws the 60 ratifications needed to come into force, it would still be well below the universal support for action sought by environmental defenders.</p>nn<p>Oceans are critical for the health of the whole planet, protecting often-microscopic biodiversity that supports half of the oxygen breathed by land life. The oceans are also critical to limiting climate change by helping absorb greenhouse gas emissions.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

West&amp;rsquo;s &amp;lsquo;plundering&amp;rsquo; of Africa blamed for migrant crisis

<p>UNITED NATIONS: The head of the Central African Republic on Thursday accused the West of triggering the migration crisis on his continent by pillaging its natural resources through slavery and colonisation.</p>n<p>Taking the podium at the UNGA, Faustin Archange Touadera <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://twitter.com/Journal_UN_ONU/status/1704860558795678093">addressed</a> the migrant crisis on the Italian island of Lampedusa, where thousands of African migrants arrived last week.</p>n<p>“This escalation of the migrant crisis is one of the appalling consequences of the plundering of natural resources of countries made poor by slavery, colonisation and Western imperialism, terrorism and internal armed conflicts,” he added.</p>n<p>Touadera lauded the “solidarity and the incredible efforts” by the countries hosting the migrants, but said that Africa must be given a greater say in solving the migrant crisis.</p>n<blockquote class="blockquote-level-1">n<p>Italian PM urges UN to wage ‘war without mercy’ on human trafficking</p>n</blockquote>n<p><strong>‘Without mercy’</strong></p>n<p>Touadera’s statement contrasted sharply with comments on Wednesday by Italy’s right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who blamed the crisis on migrant smugglers and charged that Africa was in fact a rich continent.</p>n<p>Meloni urged the UN to launch a “global war without mercy” against migrant smugglers while addressing at the UNGA.</p>n<p>She said that Italy, which next year heads the Group of Seven wealthy democracies, was ready to lead efforts against the “slave traders of the third millennium.” “Can an organisation like this which reaffirms in its founding document the faith in the dignity and worth of human beings turn a blind eye to this tragedy?” she asked.</p>n<p>“I believe it is the duty of this organisation to reject any hypocritical approach to this issue and wage a global war without mercy against the traffickers of human beings,” she said. Meloni put the blame on human traffickers, calling them a “mafia”.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

Saudi ties with Israel will betray Palestinians, fears Raisi

<p>UNITED NATIONS: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi has accused regional rival Saudi Arabia of betraying the Palestinians by seeking to normalise relations with Israel.</p>nn<p>“We believe that a relationship between regional countries and the Zionist regime would be a stab in the back of the Palestinian people and of the resistance of the Palestinians,” he said.</p>nn<p>“The initiation of a relationship between the Zionist regime and any country in the region, if it is with the aim to bring security for the Zionist regime, will certainly not do so,” Raisi told a news conference on Wednesday as he attended the UN General Assembly.</p>nn<p>Saudi Arabia and Israel have bonded in part over shared hostility to Iran’s clerical state, although Riyadh has moved to ease tensions with Tehran through talks brokered by China.</p>nn<p>US President Joe Biden is hoping to transform the Middle East — and score an election-year diplomatic victory — by securing recognition of the Jewish state by Saudi Arabia.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>Tehran has ‘no problem’ with IAEA inspections</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>On Wednesday, Biden met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in New York on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly, Biden quipped that he had “Irish optimism” on securing a deal with Saudi Arabia.</p>nn<p>“If you and I, 10 years ago, were talking about normalisation with Saudi Arabia,” Biden told Netanyahu, “I think we had to look at each other like, ‘Who’s been drinking what?”</p>nn<p>Netanyahu, who has had rocky relations with Biden, said he believed a deal was “within our reach” and credited him. “I think that under your leadership, Mr President, we can forge a historic peace between Israel and Saudi Arabia,” Netanyahu said.</p>nn<p>Saudi Arabia’s de factor ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has said that US-brokered talks are moving forward on normalisation with Israel.</p>nn<p>In an interview with Fox News, MBS said talks were moving forward with Israel, denying a media report that the process was suspended. “Every day we get closer,” the prince said. “For us, the Palestinian issue is very important. We need to solve that part,” he said. </p>nn<p>“We need to ease the lives of the Palestinians”, he added.</p>nn<p>Iran has no issue with the UN nuclear watchdog’s inspection of its nuclear sites, Raisi said on Wednesday, days after Tehran barred multiple inspectors assigned to the country. </p>nn<p>“We have no problem with the inspections but the problem is with some inspectors … those inspectors that are trustworthy can continue their work in Iran,” Raisi told media.</p>nn<p>Iran’s move was a response to a call led by the United States, Britain, France and Germany at the International Atomic Energy Agency’s Board of Gover­nors earlier this month for Tehran to cooperate immediately with the agency on issues including explaining uranium traces found at undeclared sites.</p>nn<p>“Tehran’s decision was in reaction to some unfair statements by the Western members of the IAEA,” Raisi said. UN nuclear watchdog chief Rafael Grossi has condemned Iran’s “disproportionate and unprecedented” move.</p>nn<p>Tehran’s move, known as “de-designation” of inspectors, is allowed; member states can generally veto inspectors assigned to visit their nuclear facilities under the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and each country’s safeguards agreement with the agency governing inspections.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

First Ukraine grain ship since Russian blockade reaches Istanbul

<p>ISTANBUL: The first grain ship to sail from Uk­raine since Russia re-imposed its Black Sea blockade in July reached Istanbul on Thursday, marine traffic monitors said.</p>n<p>Ukrainian officials said the Palau-flagged Resilient Africa vessel was carrying 3,000 tonnes of wheat when it left Ukraine’s Chornomorsk port on Tuesday.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed '>n <div class='media__item media__item–youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/b7Cfv7JZ2x4?enablejsapi=1&controls=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>It was destined for Israel, according to marine traffic websites, representing the first successful Black Sea voyage since Russia pulled out of a UN-backed deal to export Ukrainian grain.</p>n<p>Ukraine is testing a new sea route that avoids international waters and follows those controlled by Nato members Bulgaria and Romania.</p>n<p>It had earlier successfully sent several cargo ships along that route that were not carrying Ukrainian grain.</p>n<p>These voyages became safer after Russia was forced to pull back its warships following a series of successful Ukrainian missile strikes on the Kremlin-controlled peninsula of Crimea, where Moscow’s Black Sea fleet is based.</p>n<p>Russia also stepped up attacks on Ukraine’s Black Sea port infrastructure after abandoning the grain deal.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

Rupert Murdoch steps down as chair of Fox, News Corp

<p> <figure class='media sm:w-full w-full media–stretch media–uneven media–stretch'>n <div class='media__item '><picture></picture></div>n <figcaption class='media__caption '>Lachlan and Rupert Murdoch.—Reuters/file</figcaption>n </figure></p>n<p>NEW YORK: Rupert Murdoch has stepped down as the chairman of Fox Corp and News Corp, ending a more than seven-decade career during which he created a media empire spanning from Australia to the United States.</p>n<p>His son, Lachlan Murdoch, will become the sole chairman of News Corp and continue as the chair and CEO of <em>Fox</em>, the companies said on Thursday. The transition solidifies Lachlan’s role as the leader of the media empire, putting to rest questions of succession within the Murdoch family.</p>n<p>In a <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/business/business-news/rupert-murdoch-steps-down-fox-chairman-1235595815/">memo to staff</a> on Thursday, Murdoch wrote: “Our companies are in robust health, as am I.”</p>n<p>The executive transition coincides with the annual meeting of shareholders for <em>Fox</em> and News Corp in mid-November. It also comes just months after Murdoch, 92, scrapped a plan that would have reunited his media empire by merging <em>Fox</em> and News Corp, after several top shareholders rejected the proposal on the grounds that it would fail to realise the full value of the company.</p>n<blockquote class="blockquote-level-1">n<p>In his seven-decade career, he created a media empire stretching from Australia to US</p>n</blockquote>n<p>Murdoch, who has near-controlling stakes in both companies, will be appointed chairman emeritus of both the companies.</p>n<p>Lachlan takes over the Murdoch empire as the media industry is battered by challenges ranging from the decline in traditional television viewership, to news organisations battling tech companies over alleged copyright theft in the age of artificial intelligence.</p>n<p><em>Fox News</em> continues to be the number one US cable news network, playing an influential role in US politics.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, <em>Fox</em> settled a defamation lawsuit with Dominion Voting Systems for $787.5 million, averting a trial in which Murdoch, his son Lachlan and Fox executives and hosts were expected to testify.</p>n<p>The trial would have put <em>Fox</em> in the crosshairs over its amplification of false vote-rigging claims in the 2020 US presidential election. Legal experts said the settlement was the largest ever struck by an American media company.</p>n<p><em>Fox</em> still faces a lawsuit from voting technology firm Smartmatic, which in 2021 sued <em>Fox</em> for $2.7 billion over similar claims, as well as shareholder lawsuits accusing Fox Corp officers and directors of breaching their duties by allowing the company to become mired in defamation claims.</p>n<p>“Many of his enterprises still produce a lot of important news which helps keep the world informed in ways that might not have occurred were it not for his leadership,” said Brian Wieser, media analyst at advisory firm Madison &amp; Wall.</p>n<p>“But it’s impossible to ignore the other side of that, where <em>Fox News</em> amplified toxicity in the US political environment, and other properties similarly impacted other territories.”</p>n<p><strong>Succession</strong></p>n<p>Murdoch, who has six children, has long desired his children to eventually take the reins of the empire. His son James had been CEO of Twenty-First Century Fox before the company’s decision to sell its film and television assets to Walt Disney Co for $71.3bn, a deal that closed in 2019.</p>n<p>James then channelled proceeds from the deal into a private investment firm, Lupa Systems. Lachlan was appointed CEO of the new Fox Corp.</p>n<p>Upon Murdoch’s death, his other children could challenge Lachlan’s power. Murdoch controls News Corp and Fox Corp through a Reno, Nevada-based family trust that holds a roughly a 40 per cent stake in voting shares of each company. He also holds a small number of shares of the companies outside the trust.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

EU refuses to send observers for Bangladesh polls

<p>DHAKA: The European Union will not deploy a full election observer team to Bangladesh citing a lack of “necessary conditions”, and prompting the opposition on Thursday to declare the polls would not be fair.</p>nn<p>Bangladesh is set to hold its general election by the first week of January, and several Western governments have expressed concern over the political climate, where the ruling party dominates the legislature.</p>nn<p>The South Asian nation’s opposition has staged a series of protests demanding Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina resign and let a neutral caretaker government hold the vote.</p>nn<p>Hasina’s Awami League has ruled the world’s eighth-most populous country since 2009 and has been accused of human rights abuses and corruption.</p>nn<p>EU ambassador Charles Whiteley said the bloc would not deploy a “fully-fledged” observer mission, according to a copy of a letter sent to Bangladesh’s election commissioner on Wednesday.</p>nn<p>Whitely said that while the EU took into account budget constraints, the decision also “reflects the fact that at the present time, it is not sufficiently clear whether the necessary conditions will be met”, without giving further details.</p>nn<p>It added that the EU is “exploring other options to accompany the electoral process”.</p>nn<p>Bangladesh Election Commission Secretary Jahangir Alam said on Thursday the EU’s decision was due to a “budgetary reason”. The main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party welcomed the move, saying the EU decision highlights that “there is no environment for elections” in the country.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 22nd, 2023</em></p>

India suspends visa services for Canadians as stand-off escalates

India suspends Canadian visa services as tensions escalate over Sikh leader's murder allegations

September 21, 2023

Canada&amp;#039;s Trudeau wants India to cooperate in murder probe, declines to release evidence

The U.S official confirmed for the first time that Washington was talking to New Delhi about the matter

Relations with Russia &amp;lsquo;robust&amp;rsquo;

FO spokesperson says envoys free to meet with govt officials, visit any city

PM for sharing scientific research

Kakar says time for international community to rise to challenge and ensure better preparedness

Canada&amp;rsquo;s Trudeau wants India to cooperate in murder probe, declines to release evidence

<p>Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday called on India to cooperate with an investigation into the murder of a Sikh separatist leader in British Columbia and said Canada would not release its evidence.</p>n<p>Trudeau said on Monday that Ottawa had credible allegations linking Indian government agents to the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/20/advocate-separate-sikh-state-india-shot-dead-canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-temple">murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar</a> in June, prompting an angry reaction from New Delhi. Nijjar, 45, was a Canadian citizen.</p>n<p>Traditional Canadian allies have so far taken a relatively cautious approach to the matter. Analysts says this is partly because the United States and other major players see India as a counterweight to the growing influence of China.</p>n<p>“There is no question that India is a country of growing importance and a country that we need to continue to work with … and we’re not looking to provoke or cause problems,” Trudeau said in a press conference in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1704891689746461124"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>“But we are unequivocal around the importance of the rule of law and unequivocal about the importance of protecting Canadians.”</p>n<p>“That’s why we call upon the government of India to work with us to establish processes to discover and to uncover the truth of the matter.”</p>n<p>The Indian foreign ministry said Canada had not shared any specific information about the murder. Nijjar supported a Sikh homeland in the form of an independent Khalistani state and was designated by India as a “terrorist” in July 2020.</p>n<p>“As a country with a strong and independent justice system, we allow those justice processes to unfold themselves with the utmost integrity,” Trudeau replied when asked when Canada would release the evidence it had.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1704892818987397198"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<h2><a id="india-suspends-visas-for-canadians" href="#india-suspends-visas-for-canadians" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>India suspends visas for Canadians</h2>n<p>Earlier today, India suspended new visas for Canadians and asked Ottawa to reduce its diplomatic presence in the country.</p>n<p>The Indian foreign ministry said Canada has not shared any specific information in connection with the allegations Trudeau made and that New Delhi was willing to look at it if provided.</p>n<p>A blanket suspension of new visas by India for a Western country is unheard of and marks the lowest point of India-Canada relations.</p>n<p>The announcement came hours after Canada’s high commission in India said it would temporarily “adjust” staff presence in the country after some diplomats received threats on social media platforms.</p>n<p>But Indian foreign ministry spokesperson Arindam Bagchi said Ottawa had been asked to reduce numbers at its diplomatic missions in India to bring parity between the missions of the two countries.</p>n<p>Bagchi said India suspended issuing new visas to Canadian citizens due to “security threats” to its staff in its consulates in Canada.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ANI/status/1704811820094259561"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>India has not provided any evidence or given details of the nature of such security threats, and Canada’s public safety minister Dominic LeBlanc said in response on Wednesday that Canada was a safe country.</p>n<p>“You are aware of the security threats being faced by our high commission and consulates in Canada. This has disrupted their normal functioning,” Bagchi told reporters at a weekly briefing on Thursday.</p>n<p>“Accordingly our high commission and consulates are temporarily unable to process visa applications,” he said, adding that the security situation would be reviewed regularly.</p>n<p>Canada is the fourth largest source of foreign tourists with 350,000 visitors in 2019, a number which fell following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Indian government data.</p>n<h2><a id="risk-to-reputation" href="#risk-to-reputation" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>‘Risk to reputation’</h2>n<p>The unprecedented tensions flared up on Monday after Trudeau said Ottawa was investigating “credible allegations” about the potential involvement of Indian government agents in the June murder of Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia.</p>n<p>Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government denied any links to the alleged murder.</p>n<p>Canadian officials have so far declined to say why they believe India could be linked to Nijjar’s murder.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1776905"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The two countries, whose relations have been fraying in recent years over the issue of Sikh separatists, have since announced <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776725">tit-for-tat expulsions</a> of senior diplomats and issued tit-for-tat travel advisories.</p>n<p>Bagchi said India was “willing to look at any specific information, we have conveyed this to the Canadian side, made it clear to them…but so far, we have not received any such specific information”.</p>n<p>Canada has discussed the issue with key allies such as the Five Eyes intelligence sharing alliance, which includes the United States, Britain, Australia and New Zealand, with Washington, London and Canberra expressing concern.</p>n<p>Asked if any of these countries, with whom India also enjoys close ties, had raised the issue with New Delhi, Bagchi said: “We have been discussing with them, we have conveyed our position how we see these developments.”</p>n<p>Bagchi also said Canada should be worried about damage to its reputation and not India, when asked about the risk posed by the row to New Delhi’s global standing.</p>n<p>“If there is any country that needs to look at it, it is Canada, its growing reputation as a safe haven for terrorists, extremists and for organised crime,” he said, adding that India had in vain sought action against more than 20 individuals.</p>n<h2><a id="threat-to-trade-ties" href="#threat-to-trade-ties" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Threat to trade ties</h2>n<p>Canada has the largest population of Sikhs outside the northern Indian state of Punjab, with about 770,000 people reporting Sikhism as their religion in the 2021 census.</p>n<p>A bloody Sikh insurgency in the 1980s and 1990s in Punjab killed tens of thousands of people before it was suppressed. The separatists wanted the creation of an independent Sikh state called Khalistan.</p>n<p> <figure class='media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–newskitlink '> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+'px';}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1776744"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>Although there is hardly any support for the insurgency left in India, small groups of Sikhs in Australia, Britain, Canada and the United States support the separatist demand and occasionally stage protests outside Indian embassies.</p>n<p>New Delhi, which remains wary of any revival of the insurgency, has long been unhappy over Sikh separatist activity in Canada.</p>n<p>Some Indian analysts say Ottawa does not curb Sikh protesters as they are a politically influential group.</p>n<p>The spat is also threatening trade ties, with talks on a proposed trade deal frozen last week.</p>n<p>Canada is India’s 17th largest foreign investor, while Canadian portfolio investors have invested billions of dollars in Indian financial markets.</p>n<p>Since 2018, India has been the largest source country for international students in Canada, with their numbers rising 47 per cent in 2022 to nearly 320,000.</p>n<p>Industry estimates show the Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (CEPA) between Canada and India could boost two-way trade by as much as $6.5 billion.</p>

TTP creating &amp;lsquo;a lot of bad blood&amp;rsquo; between Pakistan, Afghanistan: FM Jilani

<p>Caretaker Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Thursday urged the interim Afghan government to take “solid practical steps” against the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), saying it was “creating a lot of bad blood between the two countries”.</p>n<p><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uKgXZzmqz7Q">Speaking</a> to <em>TRT World</em> on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, Jilani said it was unfortunate that attacks inside Pakistan continued to emanate from Afghanistan as he urged the Afghan authorities to fulfil commitments made to Pakistan and other countries.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed '>n <div class='media__item media__item–youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/uKgXZzmqz7Q?enablejsapi=1&controls=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>“They are committed to not allowing Afghan soil to be used against other countries,” he said, adding that the TTP attacks taking place in Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan “remains a major concern for us”.</p>n<p>The FM added that the matter was a dilemma for Pakistan as it would like to see Afghanistan as a stable and prosperous country, “but then the presence of a large number of terrorist groups whether it’s TTP or ISIS-K and other organisations which are based in Afghanistan”.</p>n<p>“They are a major concern not only for Pakistan but other regional countries as well.”</p>n<p>He said the government has a dialogue with the Taliban rulers in Afghanistan and Kabul was told that “they have to fulfil the commitments that they have made to Pakistan as well as the international community whereby they are committed to not allow Afghan soil against other countries”.</p>n<h2><a id="economy" href="#economy" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Economy</h2>n<p>The foreign minister said that the economy was linked to everything, including the prosperity of the people and a stable political environment. He expressed hope that the steps taken by the government would lead to economic and political stability.</p>n<p>“And the kind of reforms being introduced by Pakistan in different sectors is also something that offers a promising future for the people of Pakistan,” FM Jilani continued.</p>n<h2><a id="fuel-prices" href="#fuel-prices" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Fuel prices</h2>n<p>He said rising fuel prices had created inflationary pressure within the country and that in his opinion no government could do anything about it.</p>n<p>“But at the same time, people do realise that the fuel price is also linked to international gas prices. Obviously, when world gas prices come down that benefit will obviously be passed on to the people.”</p>n<h2><a id="foreign-investment" href="#foreign-investment" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Foreign investment</h2>n<p>Interim FM Jilani boasted about the “tremendous and close cooperation” of Gulf states including Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and Qatar with Pakistan in economic, defence, and political related matters apart from people-to-people contact as well.</p>n<p>“We have recently announced a new initiative. It’s the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1770727">Special Investment Facilitation Council</a> (SIFC). The main purpose is to attract investments from the world to Pakistan,” he said.</p>n<p>“It’s like facilitating the investors and this is the kind of initiative taken by the government and the GCC countries that you mentioned have shown a lot of interest in Pakistan under the SIFC.”</p>n<p>The minister said there were five major areas of investment that were being talked about including agriculture which had a lot of interest among Gulf states, the IT sector in which many investments were expected, and also the mine and minerals area.</p>n<p>“As a matter of fact, we have already received expressions of interest from GCC countries about investment in energy, mines, and minerals. We are sitting on the seventh largest reservoir of shale gas in Pakistan which is again something.”</p>n<p>Terming the investment climate bright, FM Jilani said they were expecting representatives of Gulf countries to visit Pakistan this month from Saudi Arabia, UAE, and others.</p>n<p>“A number of MOUs are likely to be signed. From that point of view, the situation looks extremely good. It’s certainly going to be a great partnership between Pakistan and GCC countries.”</p>n<p>He said the kind of environment that was being created in Pakistan revolved around a lot of focus being given to good governance, ending smuggling and corruption within the country.</p>n<p>“So I think the situation looks very good. As far as fund managers are concerned because a lot of these investors are looking at Pakistan and the SIFC, I think probably there will be a very conducive atmosphere for all those stakeholders.”</p>n<h2><a id="russia-ukraine-war" href="#russia-ukraine-war" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Russia-Ukraine war</h2>n<p>Interim FM Jilani called for the war to be settled through peaceful negotiations, adding that Pakistan’s position on the crisis was very clear.</p>n<p>“That’s something we have always advocated. With regard to this specific conflict which has been going on for almost two years. This is something that has created nervousness in almost every country. In terms of the economic crisis being faced by many countries in terms of fuel shortages, food shortages, etc.”</p>n<h2><a id="un-reforms" href="#un-reforms" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>UN reforms</h2>n<p>The caretaker foreign minister concluded that UN reforms have been on the agenda for a very long time.</p>n<p>“Our position remains constant, consistent, there should be a criteria-based approach according to which this membership should be enlarged and it should be through a democratic process,” he said.</p>n<h2><a id="india-violating-resolutions" href="#india-violating-resolutions" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>India violating resolutions</h2>n<p>He made it clear that the emergence of an elite member of the UNSC would not be tolerated as “India has violated most of the UNSC resolutions including the one on Kashmir which is a long-standing issue on the UNSC agenda”.</p>n<p>“We would like the implementation of those UNSC resolutions calling for the holding of a fair and free plebiscite and that is something that has not taken place.</p>n<p>“And Kashmir as you are aware has been turned into a prison for the last several years. Massive human rights violations are taking place. That is something that we would expect the world community to take notice of.”</p>n<h2><a id="caretaker-govt" href="#caretaker-govt" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Caretaker govt</h2>n<p>To explain the caretaker government in Pakistan, Jilani said that the country had a democratic process in which an interim government was installed after the parliament’s term ended, as required by the constitution.</p>n<p>“Our main task is to hold free and fair elections and that is something that will take place when the Election Commission of Pakistan announces the date for polls,” he said.</p>

Pakistan special envoy meets Afghan foreign minister in Kabul

<p>Pakistan’s Special Envoy for Afghanistan Ambassador Asif Khan Durrani visited Kabul on Thursday and held talks with the Taliban administration’s acting foreign minister, according an Afghan foreign ministry statement.</p>n<p>Durrani, along with a high-level delegation, met acting foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi in Kabul on an unannounced visit.</p>n<p>The visit comes amid tensions between the neighbouring countries over an uptick in terrorist attacks by the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan in the country.</p>n<p>Earlier this month, the Pakistan Army said the TTP used Afghan soil for <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1774386">attacks on check posts</a> in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Chitral.</p>n<p>According to the military, four security personnel were martyred when a large number of the TTP fighters launched an attack on two border posts on Sept 6. During the exchange of fire, 12 TTP terrorists were killed.</p>n<p>The same day, Pakistani and Afghan forces also <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1774518/torkham-crossing-shut-as-border-forces-exchange-fire">traded fire</a> at Torkham border after a controversy surfaced over construction of a check post. The escalation had resulted in the closure of the border for nearly nine days.</p>n<p>It is believed that Pakistan has sent the delegation to Kabul to ease the tensions.</p>n<p>In a statement posted on social media platform X, Afghan Deputy Spokesman Hafiz Zia Ahmad Takal said it was decided during today’s meeting that joint committees should solve security issues between Pakistan and Afghanistan while major routes should not be closed due to security and political problems.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/HafizZiaAhmad1/status/1704857903407198543"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>“Pakistani special envoy and Afghan foreign minister underlined the need to take urgent measures for the solution to the problems and to prevent untoward incidents in future,” he said.</p>n<p>“Being neighbours and Muslim nations, Pakistan and Afghanistan must avoid issuing statements against each that create a gap between the two sides,” the Afghan spokesman added.</p>n<p>He quoted the Afghan foreign minister as saying that his government would not allow anyone to spoil relations between the two countries, adding that the policy of the Islamic Emirate was based on goodwill and sincerity.</p>n<p>Meanwhile, Durrani called for both countries’ cooperation in connection to the security problems, according to the Afghan spokesman.</p>n<p>He said Pakistan would find a solution to the cross-border movement of passengers, bilateral trade and transit.</p>n<p>Pakistan, Durrani was quoted as saying, was ready for cooperation with Afghanistan in many areas. He informed the Afghan side that Islamabad would resume scholarships for the Afghan students.</p>n<p>The statement said both sides discussed security problems and arrests of Afghan refugees in Pakistan, treatment of Afghans at Chaman-Spin Boldak border and transit trade.</p>n<p>Pakistan is yet to issue a statement regarding the visit.</p>n<p>Commenting on the meeting, Pakistan’s former ambassador to Kabul Mansoor Ahmad Khan highlighted that today’s visit was the first after recent incidents of TTP attacks on army posts in Chitral and closure of Torkham crossing.</p>n<p>“Hopefully, the visit will provide an opportunity for direct interaction with Afghan government leaders and officials with a view to reach some understandings on bilateral issues, particularly cooperation in dealing with TTP fighters based on Afghan soil,” Mansoor Khan told <em>Dawn.com</em>.</p>

Rising wave of Hindutva a matter of &amp;lsquo;deep concern&amp;rsquo; for international community: PM Kakar

<p>Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Thursday termed the rising wave of Hindutva or Hindu nationalism a “matter of deep concern” for the international community, including the United States.</p>n<p>Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations in New York on the sidelines of UN General Assembly, the premier linked Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ideology of Hindu nationalism with Canada’s recent allegations against India pertaining to the <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/20/advocate-separate-sikh-state-india-shot-dead-canada-hardeep-singh-nijjar-temple">killing of a separatist Sikh leader</a> on its soil.</p>n<p>“These ideologues of Hindutva, they are becoming emboldened in a manner that they are now going beyond the region,” PM Kakar said, highlighting that the “unfortunate killing” of the Sikh leader “is a reflection of that ominous tendency”.</p>n<p>“But for obvious economic and strategic reasons, many players in the Western capitals chose to ignore this fact and reality.”</p>n<p>PM Kakar also emphasised Pakistan’s continued desire for peaceful relations with India, underscoring that “our quest requires reciprocal sincerity by the Indian government”, according to state-run <em><a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://www.radio.gov.pk/21-09-2023/pakistan-ready-to-work-with-us-all-partners-for-prosperous-future-caretaker-pm">Radio Pakistan</a></em>.</p>n<p>However, he said <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1498227">measures taken by India in 2019</a> in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir had pushed the entire region into a dark alley.</p>n<p>Kakar expressed the concern of both the government and the people of Pakistan regarding the worsening human rights situation in held Kashmir, which includes attempts by the BJP government to alter the demographic landscape of the occupied region.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/GovtofPakistan/status/1704925841300267100"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The prime minister urged the US administration to use its influence with the Indian government, emphasising that the peaceful resolution of the Kashmir dispute, in accordance with the aspirations of the people of Jammu and Kashmir, was indispensable for liberating South Asia from perpetual instability.</p>n<h2><a id="not-desirous-of-any-camp-politics" href="#not-desirous-of-any-camp-politics" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>‘Not desirous of any camp politics’</h2>n<p>PM Kakar also reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to maintaining robust relations with both the United States and China, while emphasising the country’s steadfast refusal to engage in any camp politics.</p>n<p>The prime minister underscored Pakistan’s firm belief in the imperative connection between peace and stability in its neighbourhood and the advancement of economic prosperity and social development.</p>n<p>He stated, “In this vein, our earnest desire is to foster peaceful relations with all neighboring countries and those beyond the region.”</p>n<p>He also asserted Pakistan’s readiness to collaborate with the United States and all like-minded partners who share the vision of a harmonious and prosperous world, where cooperation prevails over conflicts.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed '>n <div class='media__item media__item–youtube '><iframe src='https://www.youtube.com/embed/RIuVp7j-WnY?enablejsapi=1&controls=1&modestbranding=1&rel=0' allowfullscreen='' frameborder='0' scrolling='no' width='100%' height='100%'></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>He mentioned that Pakistan had instituted a <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1760909">Special Investment Facilitation Council</a> with the aim of transforming the country into an appealing hub for investment and innovation.</p>n<h2><a id="concerns-over-rise-of-terrorism" href="#concerns-over-rise-of-terrorism" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Concerns over rise of terrorism</h2>n<p>Discussing the terrorism challenge, PM Kakar expressed deep concern over the resurgence of terrorist threats posed by dangerous groups such as the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), emphasising its gravity not only for Pakistan but also for the global community.</p>n<p>He called upon the international community to unite in the face of the emerging threat, highlighting past collaborative efforts aimed at ensuring the safety and security of people. He reiterated that maintaining a stable Afghanistan remained a crucial foreign policy objective for both Pakistan and the United States.</p>n<p>PM Kakar welcomed the direct engagement between the US and the Afghan government and affirmed Pakistan’s commitment to encourage Afghan authorities to fulfill their obligations, including safeguarding women’s rights, promoting girls’ education, and preventing Afghan territory from being used as a base for terrorist activities against other nations.</p>

Libya flood disaster displaced over 43,000 people: IOM

<p>Libya’s flood disaster, which killed thousands in the city of Derna, also displaced more than 43,000 people, the International Organisation for Migration said on Thursday.</p>n<p>A tsunami-sized flash flood broke through two ageing river dams upstream from the coastal city after the Mediterranean Storm Daniel lashed the area on September 10.</p>n<p>It razed entire neighbourhoods, sweeping untold thousands of people into the sea.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/ajplus/status/1704783273220849911"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The official death toll stands at more than 3,300 — but the eventual count is expected to be far higher, with international aid groups giving estimates of up to 10,000 people missing.</p>n<p>“An estimated 43,059 individuals have been displaced by the floods in northeastern Libya,” the IOM said, adding that a “lack of water supply is reportedly driving many displaced out of Derna” to other areas.</p>n<p>“Urgent needs include food, drinking water and mental health and psychosocial support,” it said.</p>n<p>Mobile and internet services were meanwhile restored after a two-day disruption, following protests on Monday that saw angry residents blame the authorities for the high death toll.</p>n<p>Authorities had blamed the communications outage on “a rupture in the optical fibre” link to Derna, but some internet users and analysts charged there had been a deliberate “blackout”.</p>n<p>Tripoli-based Prime Minister Abdulhamid Dbeibah announced that communications had been restored in the east, in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Thursday.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/Dabaibahamid/status/1704558018136838354"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>War-scarred Libya remains split between Dbeibah’s UN-backed and nominally interim government in the west, and another in the disaster-hit east backed by military strongman Khalifa Haftar.</p>n<h2><a id="suspects-identified" href="#suspects-identified" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Suspects ‘identified’</h2>n<p>The dams that were overwhelmed by the torrential rains of September 10 had developed cracks as far back as the 1990s, Libya’s top prosecutor has said, as residents accused authorities of negligence.</p>n<p>Much of Libya’s infrastructure has fallen into disrepair in the chaos since a 2011 NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed dictator Moamer Kadhafi.</p>n<p>Haftar’s forces seized Derna in 2018, then a stronghold of radical Islamists, and with the reputation as a protest stronghold since Kadhafi’s days.</p>n<p>The demonstrators had gathered on Monday outside Derna’s grand mosque and chanted slogans against the parliament in eastern Libya and its leader Aguilah Saleh.</p>n<p>In a televised interview Wednesday evening, Libya’s prosecutor general Al-Seddik al-Sour vowed “rapid results” in the investigation into the cause of the tragedy.</p>n<p>He added that those suspected of corruption or negligence “have already been identified”, without naming them.</p>n<p>Survivors in have Derna meanwhile faced new threats.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/AFP/status/1704864055037497779"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The United Nations warned this week that disease outbreaks could bring “a second devastating crisis” to the flood-hit areas.</p>n<p>Local officials, aid agencies and the World Health Organization “are concerned about the risk of disease outbreak, particularly from contaminated water and the lack of sanitation”, the UN said.</p>n<p>Libya’s disease control centre has warned that mains water in the disaster zone is polluted and urged residents not to use it.</p>

Syria&amp;rsquo;s Assad visits China seeking funds

<p>Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad on Thursday began his first official trip to China in almost two decades, state media reported, where he will ask a longtime ally for financial support to help rebuild his devastated country.</p>n<p>China becomes one of only a handful of countries outside the Middle East that Assad has visited since the 2011 start of a civil war that has since killed more than half a million people, displaced millions more, and battered Syria’s infrastructure and industry.</p>n<p>Assad also becomes the latest in a string of leaders ostracised by the West to be feted by Beijing, with Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and Iran’s President Ebrahim Raisi <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1736891">visiting</a> this year, as well as top Russian officials.</p>n<p>He arrived Thursday in the eastern city of Hangzhou, where he will attend the opening ceremony of the Asian Games on Saturday.</p>n<p> <figure class='media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven'>n <div class='media__item media__item–twitter '><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/FrontlineBJ/status/1704737756730228933"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The Syrian president’s Air China plane was greeted on the tarmac by jubilant music and rows of performers wearing colourful costumes, as Chinese and Syrian flags flapped in the sky, footage from state broadcaster <em>CCTV</em> showed.</p>n<p>He and other foreign leaders will meet in Hangzhou with Xi, <em>CCTV</em> said.</p>n<p>According to the Syrian presidency, Assad will also travel to Beijing.nThe visit will be his first to China since 2004.</p>n<p>Beijing has long provided Damascus with diplomatic support, particularly at the UN Security Council where it is a permanent member.</p>n<p>Officials from both countries have also made visits over the years.</p>n<p>“This visit represents an important rupture in the diplomatic isolation and the political siege imposed on Syria,” Damascus-based political scientist Oussama Dannoura told <em>AFP</em>.</p>n<p>“China has been breaking Western taboos that seek to prevent a number of states from dealing with countries that Washington considers isolated,” he added.</p>n<h2><a id="growing-presence" href="#growing-presence" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Growing presence</h2>n<p>The visit comes as China expands its engagement in the Middle East.</p>n<p>This year Beijing brokered a deal that saw longtime regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Damascus backer Iran agree to restore ties and <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1758105">reopen their respective embassies</a>.</p>n<p>The detente was followed by Syria’s return to the Arab fold at a summit in Saudi Arabia in May, ending more than a decade of regional isolation.</p>n<p>In 2019, top diplomat Wang Yi told the country’s then-foreign minister Walid Muallem that China “firmly supports Syria’s economic reconstruction” and its efforts to “combat terrorism”.</p>n<p>Syria’s war began after Assad’s repression of peaceful pro-democracy protests escalated into a deadly conflict that pulled in foreign powers and jihadists.</p>n<p>Assad’s regime has branded all opponents — from non-violent activists to armed rebels and jihadists — as “terrorists”.</p>n<p>“Assad intends for his trip to China to convey a sense of international legitimacy for his regime and paint a picture of looming Chinese support for reconstruction in Syria,” said Lina Khatib, director of the Middle East Institute at SOAS University in London.</p>n<p>Khatib noted that the timing is significant, with Assad now facing protests calling for regime change in southern Syria.</p>n<p>“It is unlikely that either (intention) will be convincing to an increasingly restive population in Sweida,” added Khatib, referring to a Syrian city where protests are ongoing.</p>n<h2><a id="economic-aid" href="#economic-aid" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Economic aid</h2>n<p>Recent months have seen Beijing roll out the red carpet for a string of autocrats, from Belarusian leader Alexander Lukashenko to a delegation of officials from Afghanistan’s Taliban government.</p>n<p>And foreign minister Wang is this week in Moscow, which faces a raft of Western sanctions over its war in Ukraine.</p>n<p>After welcoming Xi in Moscow earlier this year, Russian President Vladimir Putin is planning a visit to China in October, the Kremlin has said.</p>n<p>Analysts expect Assad’s visit to China will focus, in part, on funds for reconstruction.</p>n<p>Syria signed up for China’s vast Belt and Road trade and infrastructure initiative in January 2022.</p>n<p>Haid Haid, a consulting fellow at London’s Chatham House, wrote on X that “the focus of this meeting is expected to revolve around convincing China to aid Syria’s economic recovery”.</p>n<p>China pledged $2 billion in investments in Syria in 2017, Haid noted — funds that have “yet to materialise”.</p>n<p>For Syria, joining the initiative “hasn’t resulted in significant Chinese investments in Syria, either from the Chinese government or the private sector”, he said.</p>

Saudis, Houthis hold talks to end Yemen war

<p>RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and the Iran-backed Houthi rebels put a positive spin on historic but <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1746880/saudi-team-in-yemen-for-peace-talks-with-houthis">inconclusive talks</a> in Riyadh on Wednesday as diplomatic efforts increased to end Yemen’s bitter war.</p>n<p>The five days of talks were “positive”, Saudi officials and a senior Houthi said, after the rebel delegation ended the first public visit to the Saudi capital since hostilities broke out between the two sides.</p>n<p>Underlining the change in atmosphere, the delegation included Hosain Homood Ala’zi, who in 2017 appeared on a Saudi list of wanted Houthis with a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest.</p>n<p>Riyadh mobilised an <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1608175">international military coalition</a> against the Houthis in March 2015, months after the northern fighters with links to Tehran had seized the capital and threatened to overrun the country bordering southern Saudi Arabia.</p>n<p>Hundreds of thousands have died in the fighting or from its impacts, including famine, and millions have been displaced in what the United Nations calls one of the world’s worst humanitarian crises.</p>n<p>As the Houthis left, the top diplomats of the United States, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates — a key coalition member, and influential in Yemen’s government-held south — met on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in New York.</p>n<p>US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, in his meeting with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan and the UAE’s Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed, welcomed the Riyadh talks “aimed at achieving a roadmap to end the conflict through a Yemeni-led political process under UN auspices”.</p>n<p>“The secretary and the foreign ministers agreed that cooperation among the three governments and Yemen’s Presidential Leadership Council is essential to advancing UN-led peace efforts,” State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said.</p>n<p><strong>Ray of light</strong></p>n<p>Separately, Sheikh Abdullah met the chairman of the Yemen government’s Presidential Leadership Council, Rashad al-Alimi, discussing “international efforts made to reach a political solution to the Yemeni crisis”, the UAE’s official <em>WAM news agency</em> said.</p>n<p>The Saudi-Houthi talks were the latest ray of light for Yemen, which has endured decades of instability and where three-quarters of the population is dependent on aid.</p>n<p>Optimism has increased since Saudi Arabia and Iran ended a seven-year rupture in ties in March, with nearly 900 prisoners released in an exchange deal soon afterwards and a Saudi delegation holding talks in Sanaa in April.</p>n<p>Meanwhile, a UN-brokered ceasefire is largely holding, despite officially expiring last October.</p>n<p>Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdel Salam, who led the delegation, indicated both sides were looking for solutions to problems that were raised in the Yemeni capital in April.</p>n<p>“We discussed some options and alternatives to overcome the issues of disagreement that the previous round touched upon,” he said on X, formerly Twitter.</p>n<p>Saudi Defence Minister Prince Khalid bin Salman, younger brother of de facto ruler Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, said he “reaffirmed our commitment… to reach a comprehensive political solution under UN supervision” in talks with the Houthis.</p>n<p>“We look forward to the success of these critical discussions,” Prince Khalid wrote on X.</p>n<p>The process appears to have snagged on Houthi demands which include payment of their civil servants’ salaries by the displaced Yemeni government, and the launch of new destinations from Sanaa airport.</p>n<p>Ali al-Qhoom, a member of the Houthis’ political council, said “There will be a new round of negotiations”, but he also made no mention of any concrete achievements out of Riyadh.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 21st, 2023</em></p>

British-Pakistani trio to face murder trial over girl&amp;#039;s death

Father, partner and brother remanded in custody; trial to begin next year

September 20, 2023

Italy toughens laws to deter migrant arrivals

<p>ROME: The Italian government, struggling with a surge in arriving migrants, on Monday passed measures to lengthen the time they can be detained and ensure more people who have no legal right to stay are repatriated, government officials said.</p>nn<p>The move came after almost 10,000 migrants reached the southern Italian island of Lampedusa last week, dealing a blow to the credibility of right-wing Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who won office last year vowing to curb illegal immigration.</p>nn<p>Meloni said at the start of a cabinet meeting on the situation that migrants awaiting repatriation should be detained for an initial six months, extendable to up to 18, up from three months now.</p>nn<p>“That will be all the time needed not only to make the necessary assessments, but also to proceed with the repatriation of those who do not qualify for international protection,” Meloni said in her introductory speech.</p>nn<p>Government sources said the cabinet approved that measure shortly afterwards, as well as the creation of more detention centres in remote areas. Meloni said Italy needed to increase the capacity of such facilities as they had been weakened by “years of immigrationist policies”.</p>nn<p>Under Italian law, migrants facing repatriation can be held if they cannot be immediately expelled. Officials say a majority of migrants head to Italy for economic reasons and are therefore not eligible for asylum.</p>nn<p><strong>Measures condemned</strong></p>nn<p>Meloni visited Lampedusa on Sunday with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, who promised a 10-point EU action plan, but the measures resembled previous initiatives that have failed to make much impact. An agreement struck in July between the EU and Tunisia, from where many of the migrants set sail, has yet to take effect.</p>nn<p>Almost 130,000 migrants have arrived in Italy so far this year, nearly double the figure for the same period of 2022. The migrants have come from countries including Pakistan, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Tunisia, Egypt, Burkina Faso and Bangladesh.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

September 19, 2023

UN meet to look for ways to help world&amp;rsquo;s poorest

<p>UNITED NATIONS: World leaders met on Monday at the United Nations in a bid to salvage ambitious promises to lift the planet’s poorest, at a time when vulnerable nations are facing a volley of crises.</p>nn<p>But the development summit, on the eve of the annual UN General Assembly that opens on Tuesday, threatens to be eclipsed by growing geopolitical tensions — which will be symbolised by the presence at the meeting in New York of Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.</p>nn<p>In 2015, UN member states adopted the Sustainable Develop­ment Goals, 17 targets to transform the world by 2030 including by completely ending extreme poverty and making sure not a single of the planet’s eight billion people goes hungry.</p>nn<p>UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said the summit will seek a “global rescue plan” on the targets, as he acknowledged that only about 15 per cent were on track to be met and that metrics on some were heading in reverse.</p>nn<p>The goals are “about the hopes, dreams, rights and expectations of people and the health of our natural environment,” Guterres said.</p>nn<p>“They’re about righting historic wrongs, healing global divisions and putting our world on a path to lasting peace,” he said.</p>nn<p><strong>Ambitions sidetracked</strong></p>nn<p>Efforts to devote money and attention to the goals have been repeatedly set back, including by the Covid-19 pandemic, the war in Ukraine and other tumult, worsening climate catastrophes and sharp increases in the cost of living.</p>nn<p>The United Nations summit “is a vital space to make change,” said Abby Maxman, the president of anti-poverty activist charity Oxfam America.</p>nn<p>“Leaders must be held accountable, heed the calls of those on the front lines and use this time to listen, make meaningful commitments and follow up with real action,” she said.</p>nn<p>She said that one powerful step would be for wealthy nations to back reforms of international economic institutions to address the crushing debts impacting parts of the developing world. A Group of 20 summit in New Delhi this month took initial steps to address representation in the International Monetary Fund and World Bank.</p>nn<p>“But overall, will this SDG summit reignite a sense of ‘hope, optimism and enthusiasm,’ as it’s been billed?” asked Noam Unger, a development expert at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.</p>nn<p>“Rising authoritarianism, democratic backsliding, but also geostrategic competition and economic distress, those are likely to overshadow other fundamental issues related to climate change and global development,” he said.</p>nn<p><strong>Poorest ‘counting’ on momentum</strong></p>nn<p>Developing countries’ leaders will be present in force on Monday. The United States, which has pumped $43 billion in military aid into Ukraine to help defend against Russian invasion, has hoped to show it is also interested in development.</p>nn<p>“The world’s most vulnerable are looking to us, like the young woman I met in Chad (in September), who fled unthinkable — unthinkable — violence in Sudan and had to leave her family and her education behind,” said Linda Thomas-Greenfield, the US ambassador to the United Nations.</p>nn<p>“This young woman is counting on us. She’s counting on the world in her time of need,” she said.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

Ronaldo gets warm welcome on arrival in Tehran

<p>AL-NASSR captain Cristiano Ronaldo received a warm reception in Iran on Monday, in the first visit of a Saudi team to Iran since 2016 ahead of the beginning of the group stage of the Asian Champions League.</p>nn<p>Al-Nassr face Iranian side Persepolis in Group E on Tuesday, while Qatari side Al-Duhail play Istiklol Dushanbe of Tajikistan.</p>nn<p>The streets were crowded with fans who raised welcome banners and pictures of Ronaldo upon the arrival of the Saudi Arabian team in Iran after the restoration of relations between the two countries.</p>nn<p>The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) announced that matches between Saudi and Iranian teams would be held on a home-and-away basis after the agreement of the two local federations.</p>nn<p>Supporters invaded the team’s hotel, despite attempts by security personnel to prevent them.</p>nn<p>The fans chanted Ronaldo’s name, with children and women carrying pictures of the Portugal captain.</p>nn<p>Al-Nassr posted several photos of Ronaldo receiving a luxurious hand-made Iranian carpet from Persepolis supporters.</p>nn<p>“Mr Cristiano Ronaldo, welcome to Iran. A token of appreciation, an original hand-woven piece of art made by Iranian artists to commemorate your presence in Iran, on behalf of Persepolis’s fans,” the fans wrote.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

UN General Assembly, climate moots kick off in NYC today

<p>UNITED NATIONS: The high-level debate of the 78th UN General Assembly begins in New York on Tuesday, with the schedule of speakers indicating that caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar, who arrived here in New York on Monday, will deliver his speech on Friday.</p>n<p>Coinciding with the start of the UNGA, the annual UN’s Climate Action Summit will set the stage for countries to reverse backsliding on Paris climate agreement goals and to encourage governments to adopt serious new actions to combat climate change.</p>n<p>According to the schedule for UNGA, the “General Debate” (as it is formally known) will kick off today (Tuesday) with an address from UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, followed by the address by UNGA President Dennis Francis, a diplomat from Trinidad and Tobago, who will preside from the General Assembly dais for the entire week.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–twitter ‘><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/UN_PGA/status/1703750657251922195"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>As per longstanding tradition, Brazil will deliver the first address from a national delegation and the second one will be by the host country of the United Nations, i.e. the United States.</p>n<blockquote class="blockquote-level-1">n<p>Putin, Xi, Sunak, Macron and Modi to skip summit; PM Kakar’s speech scheduled for Friday</p>n</blockquote>n<p>But, in a departure from tradition, four out of the five veto-wielding permanent members of the Security Council have chosen to skip the 78th General Assembly.</p>n<p>French President Emmanuel Macron will be busy in Paris, welcoming Britain’s King Charles III on his inaugural visit to France as monarch on Sept. 20. And on Sept. 22, he is meeting Pope Francis.</p>n<p>London also announced that Prime Minister Rishi Sunak will skip his inaugural UNGA session. Deputy Prime Minister Oliver Dowden will represent Britain at the global forum. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese leader Xi Jinping will also be absent this year. India too has decided not to send its prime minister this year.</p>n<p>The absence of key world leaders from this year’s session was so noticeable that Mr Guterres had to explain the situation in a special interview with <em>UN News</em>.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–twitter ‘><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/UN_News_Centre/status/1703335151084740913"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>He said that he “cares less about who comes to New York and more about what gets done, especially to revive the lagging SDGs,” a <em>UN News</em> report said.</p>n<p>“This is not a Vanity Fair. This is a political body in which governments are represented,” he told <em>UN News</em>.</p>n<p><strong>PM, FM’s engagements</strong></p>n<p>During his five-day official visit, PM Kakar will also attend two summit conferences on SDGs and climate change. He will also be a keynote speaker at another summit on financing for development where he will elaborate “how to mobilise private sector finance for development,” according to Pakistan’s envoy Munir Akram.</p>n<p>The prime minister will also hold meetings with several global leaders on the sidelines of the session and interact with the international media and US think tanks.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–twitter ‘><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/anwaar_kakar/status/1703497234766233767"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>On the other hand, Foreign Minister Jalil Abbas Jilani on Monday initiated Pakistan’s participation in the 78th session with a statement in a closed ministerial meeting on ‘An Effort for Middle East Peace’, hosted by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, League of Arab States, European Union, Egypt and Jordan.</p>n<p><strong>Climate takes centre stage</strong></p>n<p>With the world on track to break the record for the hottest year in history, world leaders, business leaders, celebrities and activists converged on midtown Manhattan for Climate Week, focusing the world’s attention on the climate crisis, <em>Reuters</em> reported.</p>n<p>The annual gathering brings together heads of state and top officials together with private-sector leaders to focus on climate change in a year marked by a record number of disasters.</p>n<p>The main event will take place on Wednesday, when Guterres will host his own Climate Action Summit. But as of Monday, the UN had not anno­un­ced which world leaders or officials would get one of the coveted speaking slots at the climate summit.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

Taiwan alleges over 100 Chinese planes flew near its airspace

<p>TAIPEI: Taiwan’s defence ministry urged China on Monday to stop “destructive, unilateral action” after reporting a sharp rise in Chinese military activities near the island.</p>nn<p>The ministry said that since Sunday it had spotted 103 Chinese military aircraft over the sea, a number it called a “recent high”.</p>nn<p>Its map of Chinese activities over the past 24 hours showed fighter jets crossing the median line of the strait which serves as an unofficial barrier between the two sides.</p>nn<p>Other aircraft flew south of Taiwan through the Bashi Channel, which separates the island from the Philippines.</p>nn<p>China’s activities over the past day have caused “serious challenges” to security in the strait and regionally, the ministry said in an accompanying statement.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

Four killed in Russian attacks on Ukraine

<p>KYIV: Russia carried out new air strikes and shelling in Ukraine overnight and early on Monday, killing at least four people, Ukrainian officials said.</p>nn<p>A man aged 72 and an elderly woman were killed, and three others were wounded, in an overnight attack on the southern region of Kherson, regional governor Oleksandr Prokudin said.</p>nn<p>The general prosecutor’s office said a man riding a bicycle had been killed in Russian shelling near the eastern town of Toretsk, and that a woman had been killed in an air strike at around noon in the eastern city of Avdiivka.</p>nn<p>Odesa region governor Oleh Kiper said the Izmail district, home to Danube River ports that are used to export grain, had been targeted in a drone attack but reported no damage to port or grain infrastructure.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

China protests to Germany over FM&amp;rsquo;s remarks

<p>BERLIN: Beijing summoned the German ambassador to China after Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock called President Xi Jinping a “dictator”, Berlin said on Monday, in the latest flare-up of tensions between the countries.</p>n<p>While they are major trade partners, Berlin-Beijing ties have been fraying as some in the German government take a harder line over issues ranging from human rights to Taiwan.</p>n<p>Baerbock, who has pushed for a more hawkish line, made the remarks in a <em>Fox News</em> interview on September 14 during a visit to the United States.</p>n<p>While talking about the Ukraine war, she said: “If Putin were to win this war, what sign would that be for other dictators in the world, like Xi, like the Chinese president? So therefore Ukraine has to win this war.” A foreign ministry spokesman in Berlin confirmed that Germany’s ambassador “was summoned to the Chinese foreign ministry (on Sunday)” in relation to the remarks.</p>n<p>The confirmation that China summoned ambassador Patricia Flor came after China said earlier Monday that it was “strongly dissatisfied” with Baerbock’s remarks.</p>n<p>“(The comments) are extremely absurd and are a serious infringement of China’s political dignity and an open political provocation,” foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said at a daily news conference.</p>n<p>Asked about China’s protests over her remarks during a visit to New York, Baerbock replied only that she had “taken note” of them.</p>n<p>A government spokesman refused to comment on what Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s view was about the remarks.</p>n<p>But the spokesman added that it was clear “that China is ruled by a Communist, one-party regime, and it is also clear that this does not correspond to our idea of a democracy”.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

Saudi Arabia, Egypt condemn Israel over storming of Al Aqsa premises

<p>Saudi Arabia and Egypt condemned on Monday the storming of Al Aqsa Mosque under Israeli forces’ protection.</p>nn<p>Israeli forces attacked Palestinian worshippers at the Bab As Silsila entrance to the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in occupied East Jerusalem on Sunday, Al Jazeera reported.</p>nn<p>Riyadh stressed that these practices were a blatant violation of all international norms and conventions, and a provocation to the feelings of Muslims around the world, the Arab News said. Saudi Arabia reiterated its call on the international community to assume its responsibilities to end the Israeli escalation, provide necessary protection for civilians and exert all efforts to end the conflict, the newspaper said.</p>nn<p>In a statement, the Egyptian foreign ministry called for halting “such escalatory actions that provoke millions of Muslims around the world and contribute to ignite violence in the occupied Palestinian territories”, a Turkish news agency reported.</p>nn<p>The ministry said repeated settler raids and attempts to divide the Al Aqsa Mosque “will not undermine its historical and legal status as a purely Islamic endowment”.</p>nn<p><strong>Worshippers removed</strong> </p>nn<p>Israeli authorities imposed tight security measures, leading to the removal of worshippers from the Al Aqsa mosque premises and an increased Israeli military presence in the compond.</p>nn<p>Israeli forces restricted access to the mosque for Palestinians below the age of 50, to facilitate the settlers marking Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Hundreds of ultranationalist Israelis reportedly entered the Al Aqsa courtyard through the Morocco Gate, receiving protection from Israeli troops during their incursion, the report said. </p>nn<p>A number of Muslim worshippers had gathered at the holy site following Fajr prayers to object to the harassment and intrusions by Israeli settlers.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

What is the Khalistan movement and why is it fuelling India-Canada rift?

<p>Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> on Monday said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June murder in Canada of a Sikh separatist leader campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan”.</p>n<h2><a id="what-is-the-khalistan-movement" href="#what-is-the-khalistan-movement" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>What is the Khalistan Movement?</h2>n<p>It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries.</p>n<p>The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab’s population but are a minority in India, comprising two per cent of its population of 1.4 billion.</p>n<p>Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Punjab.</p>n<p>The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during an insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed the Indian Punjab for over a decade.</p>n<h2><a id="how-did-india-react" href="#how-did-india-react" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How did India react?</h2>n<p>The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The bloodiest episode in the conflict between the government and Sikh separatists occurred in 1984.</p>n<p>Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi sent the military into the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, to evict separatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters, which infuriated Sikhs around the world.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–newskitlink ‘> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+’px’;}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1193181"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab.</p>n<p>Sikh militants were also blamed for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/816868/series-of-errors-led-to-1985-air-india-disaster">1985 bombing</a> of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast.</p>n<p>The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.</p>n<p>Although the Khalistan movement has little support now in India, it has small pockets of backing among sections of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, which has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, and in Britain, Australia and the US.</p>n<h2><a id="why-is-india-worried-now" href="#why-is-india-worried-now" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Why is India worried now?</h2>n<p>In April this year, India <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1749010">arrested</a> a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, India hit out at Canada for allowing a float in a parade depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, perceiving this to be a glorification of Sikh separatist violence.</p>n<p>India has also been upset about frequent demonstrations and vandalism allegedly by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the US and Australia, and has sought better security from local governments.</p>n<h2><a id="how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" href="#how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How does it impact Indian-Canadian relations?</h2>n<p>Indian diplomats based in Canada have on numerous occasions said that Ottawa’s failure to tackle “Sikh extremism”, and the constant harassment of Indian diplomats and officials by Khalistanis, is a major foreign policy stress point.</p>n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised strong concerns about Sikh protests in Canada with Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi this month.</p>n<p>Canada has paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.</p>

Thailand hunts for missing treasures at historic site

<p>SI THEP: Under the scorching sun, Thai archaeologist Tanachaya Tiandee clambers through ruined pagodas in the ancient town of Si Thep, trying to unlock their mysteries — a task made harder because many of the clues are missing.</p>nn<p>Looters stripped Thailand’s rich historical sites such as Si Thep over decades, taking many items abroad. The kingdom is now trying to repatriate those stolen cultural treasures.</p>nn<p>“The big picture like the building was discovered, but the artefacts which tell little details are missing, making a lot of stories untold about Si Thep,” Tanachaya said.</p>nn<p>“It’s like a piece of puzzle was missing.” Si Thep, which archaeologists date back to between 1,500 to 1,700 years ago, may be inscribed in Unesco’s cultural world heritage list this week — Thailand’s first addition since 1992.</p>nn<blockquote>n <p>Experts estimate that 20 objects have been stolen from the ancient town of Si Thep</p>n</blockquote>nn<p>Over several centuries and under the influence of various cultures, it grew into a vital trading metropolis until its decline began in the late 13th century, according to the Thai government’s submission to Unesco.</p>nn<p>As 33-year-old Tanachaya carefully excavates the ancient stone constructions, she faces a difficult task piecing together the stories of Si Thep, which lies around 200 kilometres north of Bangkok.</p>nn<p>It is believed that over the years, at least 20 objects have been stolen from the site, with experts identifying 11 in museums in the United States.</p>nn<p>The real number of looted objects is suspected to be far higher, thanks to a lack of documentation.</p>nn<p>Now Tanachaya — who decided when she was young that she wanted to become a Thai version of movie character Indiana Jones — and her colleagues face their own quest.</p>nn<p>Can they bring their culture’s treasures home? </p>nn<p><strong>‘Won’t accelerate’</strong></p>nn<p>Thailand’s government, led at the time by the military, established the Committee to Monitor Thai Antiquities Abroad in 2017.</p>nn<p>About 340 objects have been voluntarily repatriated to Thailand since then, according to the latest report by the committee.</p>nn<p>But the process is slow, partly because government officials are wary of jeopardising diplomatic relations with important allies like the United States. Instead, Thai authorities have pursued a “discreet” diplomatic route, explained the director-general of Thailand’s Department of Fine Arts Phnombootra Chandrachoti.</p>nn<p>The Norton Simon Museum, located in the US state of California, holds nine Thai artefacts, according to a recent statement from the committee — including one item an independent expert says is from Si Thep park.</p>nn<p>The items were among 32 scattered in museums across the United States, the committee said. The Norton Simon is only one of a number of US institutions — including New York’s Metropolitan and San Francisco’s Asian Art Museum — that have been named in the growing scandal around art that investigators claim was illegally removed from its country of origin.</p>nn<p>The museum said it had not heard from the Thai government, but would cooperate with authorities if contacted, and defended holding the items.</p>nn<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

US, Iran trade prisoners under $6bn deal

<p>DOHA: Five Americans and an equal number of Iranians released by the US and Iran in a prisoners’ swap landed in Doha on Monday, after the $6 billion Iranian oil fund long frozen by South Korea under US sanctions was <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1775621">transferred</a> to Iranian accounts in Qatar.</p>n<p>The five, who include a businessman and a conservationist, and who left Iran on a Qatari plane accompanied by two relatives, were freed in exchange for five Iranians held by the United States.</p>n<p>They were greeted on the tarmac before walking in the setting sun to a terminal building, three of them with their arms round each other’s shoulders. One of them, Siamak Namazi, praised US President Joe Biden for ignoring the political backlash and taking the “incredibly difficult decisions” that freed them.</p>n<p>At the same time, two of the Iranian detainees freed by the US landed in Qatar. The other three released by the United States have opted to remain there or in a third country, Tehran said.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–twitter ‘><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://twitter.com/therecount/status/1703783789153992790"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>The trigger for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1769556">exchange</a> was the release of the $6 billion in funds, frozen by US ally South Korea under sanctions against Iran, to the Iranian accounts.</p>n<p>“We hope to have total access to the Iranian assets today,” Iran’s foreign ministry spokesman Nasser Kanani told a news conference in Tehran on Monday.</p>n<p>As the prisoners were released, Biden granted clemency to the five Iranians and announced sanctions against Iran’s ex-president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the country’s intelligence ministry.</p>n<p>On the occasion, President Biden said, “As we celebrate the return of these Americans, we also remember those who did not return,” including Bob Levinson, a former FBI agent who disappeared in Iran and is presumed dead. “We will continue to impose costs on Iran for their provocative actions in the region,” he added.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media w-full w-full media–stretch media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–twitter ‘><span>n <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en">n <a href="https://x.com/MSNBC/status/1703800596782891137?s=20"></a>n </blockquote>n</span></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>On the other hand, the five Americans of Iranian descent — all considered Iranian nationals by Tehran, which rejects dual nationality — were released to house arrest when the deal was agreed last month.</p>n<p>They included Namazi, a businessman arrested in 2015 on spying charges which his family has rejected. The others are wildlife conservationist Morad Tahbaz, venture capitalist Emad Sharqi, and two others who wished to remain anonymous.</p>n<p>Last week, the official <em>IRNA</em> news agency identified the five Iranian prisoners, including Reza Sarhangpour and Kambiz Attar Kashani who were accused of violating US sanctions against Tehran while two others Mehrdad Moein Ansari and Amin Hasanzadeh were said to have links to Iranian security forces.</p>n<p>The fifth prisoner, Kaveh Lotfolah Afrasiabi, was detained at his home near Boston in 2021 and charged with being an Iranian government agent, according to US officials.</p>n<p>The Biden administration has insisted Iran will only be allowed to use the unfrozen funds to buy food, medicine and other humanitarian goods. Kanani has insisted the money will allow Tehran to “purchase all non-sanctioned goods”, not just food and medicine.</p>n<p><em>Published in Dawn, September 19th, 2023</em></p>

What is the Khalistan movement and why is it fuelling India-Canada rift?

<p>Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> on Monday said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June murder in Canada of a Sikh separatist leader campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan”.</p>n<h2><a id="what-is-the-khalistan-movement" href="#what-is-the-khalistan-movement" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>What is the Khalistan Movement?</h2>n<p>It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries.</p>n<p>The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab’s population but are a minority in India, comprising two per cent of its population of 1.4 billion.</p>n<p>Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Punjab.</p>n<p>The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during an insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed the Indian Punjab for over a decade.</p>n<h2><a id="how-did-india-react" href="#how-did-india-react" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How did India react?</h2>n<p>The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The bloodiest episode in the conflict between the government and Sikh separatists occurred in 1984.</p>n<p>Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi sent the military into the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, to evict separatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters, which infuriated Sikhs around the world.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–newskitlink ‘> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+’px’;}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1193181"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab.</p>n<p>Sikh militants were also blamed for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/816868/series-of-errors-led-to-1985-air-india-disaster">1985 bombing</a> of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast.</p>n<p>The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.</p>n<p>Although the Khalistan movement has little support now in India, it has small pockets of backing among sections of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, which has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, and in Britain, Australia and the US.</p>n<h2><a id="why-is-india-worried-now" href="#why-is-india-worried-now" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Why is India worried now?</h2>n<p>In April this year, India <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1749010">arrested</a> a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, India hit out at Canada for allowing a float in a parade depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, perceiving this to be a glorification of Sikh separatist violence.</p>n<p>India has also been upset about frequent demonstrations and vandalism allegedly by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the US and Australia, and has sought better security from local governments.</p>n<h2><a id="how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" href="#how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How does it impact Indian-Canadian relations?</h2>n<p>Indian diplomats based in Canada have on numerous occasions said that Ottawa’s failure to tackle “Sikh extremism”, and the constant harassment of Indian diplomats and officials by Khalistanis, is a major foreign policy stress point.</p>n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised strong concerns about Sikh protests in Canada with Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi this month.</p>n<p>Canada has paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.</p>

What is the Khalistan movement and why is it fuelling India-Canada rift?

<p>Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> on Monday said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June murder in Canada of a Sikh separatist leader campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan”.</p>n<h2><a id="what-is-the-khalistan-movement" href="#what-is-the-khalistan-movement" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>What is the Khalistan Movement?</h2>n<p>It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries.</p>n<p>The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab’s population but are a minority in India, comprising two per cent of its population of 1.4 billion.</p>n<p>Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Punjab.</p>n<p>The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during an insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed the Indian Punjab for over a decade.</p>n<h2><a id="how-did-india-react" href="#how-did-india-react" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How did India react?</h2>n<p>The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The bloodiest episode in the conflict between the government and Sikh separatists occurred in 1984.</p>n<p>Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi sent the military into the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, to evict separatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters, which infuriated Sikhs around the world.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–newskitlink ‘> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+’px’;}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1193181"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab.</p>n<p>Sikh militants were also blamed for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/816868/series-of-errors-led-to-1985-air-india-disaster">1985 bombing</a> of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast.</p>n<p>The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.</p>n<p>Although the Khalistan movement has little support now in India, it has small pockets of backing among sections of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, which has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, and in Britain, Australia and the US.</p>n<h2><a id="why-is-india-worried-now" href="#why-is-india-worried-now" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Why is India worried now?</h2>n<p>In April this year, India <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1749010">arrested</a> a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, India hit out at Canada for allowing a float in a parade depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, perceiving this to be a glorification of Sikh separatist violence.</p>n<p>India has also been upset about frequent demonstrations and vandalism allegedly by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the US and Australia, and has sought better security from local governments.</p>n<h2><a id="how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" href="#how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How does it impact Indian-Canadian relations?</h2>n<p>Indian diplomats based in Canada have on numerous occasions said that Ottawa’s failure to tackle “Sikh extremism”, and the constant harassment of Indian diplomats and officials by Khalistanis, is a major foreign policy stress point.</p>n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised strong concerns about Sikh protests in Canada with Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi this month.</p>n<p>Canada has paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.</p>

Hardeep Singh Nijjar: Who was the Sikh leader murdered in Canada?

He was initially associated with the BKI Sikh separatist group, according to India's National Investigation Agency

What is the Khalistan movement and why is it fuelling India-Canada rift?

<p>Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> on Monday said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June murder in Canada of a Sikh separatist leader campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan”.</p>n<h2><a id="what-is-the-khalistan-movement" href="#what-is-the-khalistan-movement" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>What is the Khalistan Movement?</h2>n<p>It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries.</p>n<p>The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab’s population but are a minority in India, comprising two per cent of its population of 1.4 billion.</p>n<p>Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Punjab.</p>n<p>The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during an insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed the Indian Punjab for over a decade.</p>n<h2><a id="how-did-india-react" href="#how-did-india-react" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How did India react?</h2>n<p>The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The bloodiest episode in the conflict between the government and Sikh separatists occurred in 1984.</p>n<p>Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi sent the military into the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, to evict separatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters, which infuriated Sikhs around the world.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–newskitlink ‘> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+’px’;}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1193181"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab.</p>n<p>Sikh militants were also blamed for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/816868/series-of-errors-led-to-1985-air-india-disaster">1985 bombing</a> of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast.</p>n<p>The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.</p>n<p>Although the Khalistan movement has little support now in India, it has small pockets of backing among sections of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, which has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, and in Britain, Australia and the US.</p>n<h2><a id="why-is-india-worried-now" href="#why-is-india-worried-now" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Why is India worried now?</h2>n<p>In April this year, India <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1749010">arrested</a> a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, India hit out at Canada for allowing a float in a parade depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, perceiving this to be a glorification of Sikh separatist violence.</p>n<p>India has also been upset about frequent demonstrations and vandalism allegedly by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the US and Australia, and has sought better security from local governments.</p>n<h2><a id="how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" href="#how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How does it impact Indian-Canadian relations?</h2>n<p>Indian diplomats based in Canada have on numerous occasions said that Ottawa’s failure to tackle “Sikh extremism”, and the constant harassment of Indian diplomats and officials by Khalistanis, is a major foreign policy stress point.</p>n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised strong concerns about Sikh protests in Canada with Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi this month.</p>n<p>Canada has paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.</p>

What is the Khalistan movement and why is it fuelling India-Canada rift?

<p>Tensions between India and Canada escalated after Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1776704/indian-envoy-expelled-as-pm-trudeau-links-delhi-to-sikh-leaders-death">said</a> on Monday said there were “credible allegations” linking Indian government agents to the June murder in Canada of a Sikh separatist leader campaigning for the creation of an independent Sikh homeland called “Khalistan”.</p>n<h2><a id="what-is-the-khalistan-movement" href="#what-is-the-khalistan-movement" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>What is the Khalistan Movement?</h2>n<p>It wants an independent Sikh state carved out of India and dates back to India and Pakistan’s independence in 1947 when the idea was pushed forward in negotiations preceding the partition of the Punjab region between the two new countries.</p>n<p>The Sikh religion was founded in Punjab in the late 15th century and currently has about 25 million followers worldwide. Sikhs form a majority of Punjab’s population but are a minority in India, comprising two per cent of its population of 1.4 billion.</p>n<p>Sikh separatists demand that their homeland “Khalistan”, meaning “the land of the pure”, be created out of Punjab.</p>n<p>The demand has resurfaced many times, most prominently during an insurgency in the 1970s and 1980s which paralysed the Indian Punjab for over a decade.</p>n<h2><a id="how-did-india-react" href="#how-did-india-react" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How did India react?</h2>n<p>The Khalistan movement is considered a security threat by the Indian government. The bloodiest episode in the conflict between the government and Sikh separatists occurred in 1984.</p>n<p>Then-prime minister Indira Gandhi sent the military into the Golden Temple, the holiest shrine for Sikhs, to evict separatist leader Sant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale and his supporters, which infuriated Sikhs around the world.</p>n<p> <figure class=’media sm:w-1/2 w-full media–right media–embed media–uneven’>n <div class=’media__item media__item–newskitlink ‘> <iframen class="nk-iframe" onload="setInterval(()=>{try{this.style.height=this.contentWindow.document.body.scrollHeight+’px’;}catch{}}, 100)"n width="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" style="height:400px;position:relative"n src="https://www.dawn.com/news/card/1193181"n sandbox="allow-same-origin allow-scripts allow-popups allow-modals allow-forms"></iframe></div>n n </figure></p>n<p>A few months later, Gandhi was assassinated by her Sikh bodyguards at her home in New Delhi. The army launched operations in 1986 and 1988 to flush out Sikh militants from Punjab.</p>n<p>Sikh militants were also blamed for the <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/816868/series-of-errors-led-to-1985-air-india-disaster">1985 bombing</a> of an Air India Boeing 747 flying from Canada to India in which all 329 people on board were killed off the Irish coast.</p>n<p>The insurgency killed tens of thousands of people and Punjab still bears the scars of that violence.</p>n<p>Although the Khalistan movement has little support now in India, it has small pockets of backing among sections of the Sikh diaspora in Canada, which has the largest population of Sikhs outside Punjab, and in Britain, Australia and the US.</p>n<h2><a id="why-is-india-worried-now" href="#why-is-india-worried-now" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Why is India worried now?</h2>n<p>In April this year, India <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1749010">arrested</a> a self-styled preacher and Sikh separatist Amritpal Singh for allegedly reviving calls for Khalistan, sparking fears of new violence in Punjab.</p>n<p>Earlier this year, India hit out at Canada for allowing a float in a parade depicting the assassination of Indira Gandhi, perceiving this to be a glorification of Sikh separatist violence.</p>n<p>India has also been upset about frequent demonstrations and vandalism allegedly by Sikh separatists and their supporters at Indian diplomatic missions in Canada, Britain, the US and Australia, and has sought better security from local governments.</p>n<h2><a id="how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" href="#how-does-it-impact-indian-canadian-relations" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>How does it impact Indian-Canadian relations?</h2>n<p>Indian diplomats based in Canada have on numerous occasions said that Ottawa’s failure to tackle “Sikh extremism”, and the constant harassment of Indian diplomats and officials by Khalistanis, is a major foreign policy stress point.</p>n<p>Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi raised strong concerns about Sikh protests in Canada with Trudeau on the sidelines of a G20 summit in New Delhi this month.</p>n<p>Canada has paused talks on a proposed trade treaty with India. Canadian Trade Minister Mary Ng is postponing a planned trade mission to India.</p>

&amp;lsquo;Baseless and fabricated&amp;rsquo;: FO rejects report on Pakistani arms sale to Ukraine to secure IMF bailout

<p>The Foreign Office on Monday sternly rejected a report that claimed Pakistan sold arms and ammunition to Ukraine in order to secure a crucial bailout package from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).</p>n<p>The Russia-Ukraine crisis began last year when President Vladimir Putin ordered the latter’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1676939">invasion on February 24</a>.</p>n<p>Separately, the IMF executive board <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1764298">approved</a> a $3 billion bailout programme for Pakistan in July of this year, with the arrangement coming during a challenging economic juncture for the cash-strapped government.</p>n<p>A <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://theintercept.com/2023/09/17/pakistan-ukraine-arms-imf/">report</a> from <em>The Intercept</em> on Sunday connected the two developments, alleging that “secret Pakistani arms sales to the US helped to facilitate a controversial bailout from the IMF earlier this year, according to two sources with knowledge of the arrangement, with confirmation from internal Pakistani and American government documents.”</p>n<p>The report added that the arms sales were “made for the purpose of supplying the Ukrainian military — marking Pakistani involvement in a conflict it had faced US pressure to take sides on”.</p>n<p>When approached by <em>Dawn.com</em> for a comment on the report, FO Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch <a rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank" class="link–external" href="https://mofa.gov.pk/statement-by-the-spokesperson-2/">rejected</a> it as “baseless and fabricated”.</p>n<p>“The IMF Standby Arrangement for Pakistan was successfully negotiated between Pakistan and the IMF to implement difficult but essential economic reforms. Giving any other colour to these negotiations is disingenuous,” she said.</p>n<p>Baloch added that Pakistan maintained a policy of “strict neutrality” in the dispute between the two countries and did not provide them any arms or ammunition in that context.</p>n<p>“Pakistan’s defence exports are always accompanied with strict end-user requirements,” she said.</p>n<p>During a visit to Pakistan in July, Ukra­inian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba had similarly <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1765927">rejected</a> reports that Pakistan was supplying arms to Ukraine to support its military during the ongoing conflict with Russia.</p>n<p>He had clarified that the two nations had no deals for the supply of arms and ammunition.</p>n<p>Former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari had also expressed similar views, stating that Pakistan had not signed any agreement with Ukraine for military supplies since the war began.</p>n<p>The Ukra­inian official’s <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1765393">visit</a> had come amid speculation that Pakistan had supplied arms and ammunition to Ukra­ine.</p>n<p>Pakistan, however, rejects these reports, asserting that it had not supplied arms to either side after the conflict.</p>n<p>A report in June had claimed that an arms consignment from Pakistan Ordnance Factories was being shipped to Ukraine.</p>n<p>An earlier report had also claimed Pakistan set up a defence trading firm in Warsaw to smoothen the process of arms supplies to Ukraine. In April in an interview with <em>BBC</em>, a Ukrainian commander had talked about receiving rockets from other countries including Pakistan.</p>n<p>But officials strongly reject claims of providing any ammunition to Ukraine insisting the country maintained a “policy of strict neutrality.” An official, however, had said if a third party supplied weapons purchased from Pakistan to another country, it was their responsibility.</p>n<p>The FO in February had <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1737577">questioned the accuracy</a> of reports claiming that Pakistan was providing ammunition to Ukraine in its war with Russia.</p>n<p>Reports claiming that Pakistan was providing ammunition to Ukraine regularly surfaced in the media since the middle of last year, but it was rare until then for Islamabad to officially deny such involvement in the Russia–Ukraine conflict.</p>n<p>Many of those reports had alleged that the ammunition was sent to Ukraine via some other European country.</p>n<h2><a id="intercept-report" href="#intercept-report" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Intercept report</h2>n<p>The <em>Intercept</em> based its report on “two sources with knowledge of the arrangement” as well as “internal Pakistani and American government documents”.</p>n<p>“The documents describe munitions sales agreed to between the US and Pakistan from the summer of 2022 to the spring of 2023. Some of the documents were authenticated by matching the signature of an American brigadier general with his signature on publicly available mortgage records in the United States; by matching the Pakistani documents with corresponding American documents; and by reviewing publicly available but previously unreported Pakistani disclosures of arms sales to the US posted by the State Bank of Pakistan,” the report added.</p>n<p>It further said that the economic capital and political goodwill garnered from the transactions performed a “key role” in securing the IMF bailout with the US State Department “agreeing to take the IMF into confidence regarding the undisclosed weapons deal, according to sources with knowledge of the arrangement, and confirmed by a related document”.</p>

September 18, 2023

Russia lashes Ukraine at top UN court in &amp;lsquo;genocide&amp;rsquo; case

<p>Russia hit out at Ukraine at the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Monday, as the two warring countries squared off in a legal case over Moscow’s claim that “genocide” in eastern Ukraine was a pretext for <a href="https://www.dawn.com/news/1676939">last year’s invasion</a>.</p>n<p>Moscow’s representative, Gennady Kuzmin, said Ukraine’s case that Russia “abused” the United Nations Genocide Convention as a reason to launch its war against its neighbour in February 2022 “couldn’t be further from the truth”.</p>n<p>When Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered the invasion on February 24 last year, part of his reasoning was that pro-Russian people in eastern Ukraine had been “subjected to bullying and genocide by the Kyiv regime”.</p>n<p>Two days into the invasion, Ukraine filed a suit at the ICJ, “emphatically denying” this and arguing that Russia’s use of “genocide” as a pretext went against the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.</p>n<p>Mere “statements” about genocide are not admissible under international law including the Genocide Convention, Kuzmin contended.</p>n<p>Sitting only metres from the Ukrainian delegation, Kuzmin said: “As to expressions of concerns regarding the threat of genocide, they were unsurprising considering the policies of Kyiv regime, which were firmly entrenched in the history, doctrines and practices of Nazism.”</p>n<p>Ukraine’s legal position is “hopelessly flawed” and “at odds with the longstanding jurisprudence” of the court, he concluded.</p>n<p>The case, being heard in the sumptuous Peace Palace in The Hague, is over whether the top UN court has the jurisdiction to order a halt to Russia’s ongoing military action.</p>n<p>Kuzmin urged the court to throw out the case, arguing that the UN Genocide Convention is about the “prevention and punishment” of genocide, neither of which apply to Ukraine’s case.</p>n<p>“Ukraine is not accusing Russia of committing genocide. Ukraine is also not accusing Russia of failing to prevent or punish genocide,” he argued.</p>n<p>“On the contrary, Ukraine insists no genocide has occurred. That alone should be enough to reject the case because […] if there was no genocide there cannot be a violation of the Genocide Convention.”</p>n<h2><a id="question-of-jurisdiction" href="#question-of-jurisdiction" class="heading-permalink" aria-hidden="true" title="Permalink"></a>Question of jurisdiction</h2>n<p>In March 2022, the ICJ sided with Ukraine, ordering Russia to “immediately suspend” its military action.</p>n<p>But this judgement was a so-called “preliminary ruling”, pending a decision on whether the court is actually competent to rule on the content of the matter.nThe court’s decisions are binding, although it has no “police force” to enforce them.</p>n<p>According to Russia, the ICJ does not have jurisdiction because Ukraine’s case falls outside the scope of the UN Genocide Convention.</p>n<p>Monday’s hearing was the first time a Russian representative had addressed the court in this case, previously arguing that it had insufficient time to prepare arguments.</p>n<p>Ukraine will issue its response on Tuesday.</p>n<p>More than 30 other countries — all Western allies of Ukraine — will also have the chance to make statements in support of Kyiv from Wednesday. The ICJ dismissed a bid by the United States to join the case.</p>n<p>The court, created after World War II to deal with disputes between UN member states when they cannot resolve matters themselves, could take months to decide whether it has jurisdiction.</p>n<p>The ICJ is also dealing with a separate case filed by Ukraine alleging that Russia backed separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine for years before the invasion.</p>

Morocco earthquake: Passionate relief, rescue responses pour in from world over

"We stand by our Moroccan brothers with all our means in this difficult day," says Turkey’s President Erdogan

September 9, 2023

World leaders vow solidarity with Moroccans as earthquake toll tops 800

Earthquake, measuring 6.8 on the Richter scale, struck Morocco late on Friday and resulted in the unfortunate loss of over 800 lives

In pictures: History reduced to rubble as quake brings down Marrakech &amp;mdash; Morocco’s ancient city

According to the UNESCO website, the city dates back to 1070–72 and was founded by the Almoravids

7.2 magnitude earthquake claims over 820 lives in Morocco

Population in this region lives in structures that are highly vulnerable to earthquake shaking, says USGS

Sikhs to vote for Khalistan Referendum at Canada Gurdwara where Hardeep Nijjar was killed

SFJ hopes Khalistan Referendum voting at Guru Nanak Sikh Gurdwara will attract a historic number of Sikhs who live in Vancouver

Elon Musk explains rationale behind turning off Starlink over Crimea

Elon Musk reacts Walter Isaacson’s books saying request was received from Ukraine to activate Starlink to Russian Sevastapool

6.8 magnitude earthquake shakes Morocco as people rush to leave buildings

Earthquake strikes 71 kilometers southwest of Marrakesh at depth of 18.5 kilometers at 11:11pm local time

‘Laziest citizen’ contest keeps seven Montenegrins lying for days

This competition, held in Brezna, aims to satirize the stereotype that Montenegrins are inherently lazy

Reese Witherspoon weighs in on choosing friends wisely after 40

Reese Witherspoon believes in freedom and living on her own terms at the conference

Kylie Minogue explains her decision to lead private life for sake of mental well-being

Kylie Minogue talks about prioritising her mental health alongside fame in a new interview

Prince Harry’s security for Invictus Games in hands of ex-US president’s bodyguard

The ex-Secret Service agent previously was part of the security detail during Harry and Meghan’s ‘near catastrophic’ car chase incident

Charlize Theron shares older daughter stops giving her hug after joining middle school

Charlize Theron reveals her adjustment to new changer as her daughter begins middle school

Prince Harry’s smile returns as he kicks off Invictus Games in Germany

Prince Harry kicked off Invictus Games in Germany a day after spending a gloomy day in the UK

Jamie Foxx and Alyce Huckstepp ‘seemed cosy’ on set of commercial, says extra

Jamie Foxx and Alyce Huckstepp’s reportedly started dating back in July, an extra on set revealed

Prince William, Kate Middleton ‘handled’ Prince Harry drama per late Queen’s wishes

William and Kate stepped out for a special service at St Davids Cathedral in West Wales on Friday to pay their respects.

Are Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham Jr a new couple?

Kim Kardashian and Odell Beckham fuel dating rumours with night out in LA

King Charles’ monarchy is in danger due to Queen Camilla’s ‘problem’

King Charles and Queen Camilla went on two state visits in the one year of their reign

Mike Yarwood, comedy legend, dies aged 82

Comedian Mike Yarwood dies, tributes pour in for TV star

Marilyn Monroe home to be considered for historic status

Monroe Home’s fate to be decided by Cultural Commission

Jennifer Lopez channels inner cowgirl in sheer dress at Ralph Lauren NYFW Show

Jennifer Lopez’ sheer dress and cowboy belt are a fashion statement that will turn heads

Nanny alum Fran Drescher reappoints as president of SAG-AFTRA amid ongoing Hollywood strike

Fran Drescher is active in speaking out for the rights of the employees in the industry

Ed Sheeran set to play whole new unreleased album in final ‘special’ UK show

Ed Sheeran will make his final UK shows of the year special by debuting his new album ‘Autumn Variations’

King Charles’ celebrates major milestones from his reign one year after ascension

King Charles ascended to the throne at 73 immediately after his mother, Queen Elizabeth II, died last year on September 8

Inside Prince Harry, Meghan Markle’s ‘luxurious’ stay in Germany amid financial struggles

Prince Harry arrived in Germany solo but his wife Meghan Markle will be joining him in time for the Invictus Games

Mila Kunis spills on how her parents contributed to her success after immigration

Mila Kunis is now married to Ashton Kutcher

Joey King, Steven Piet tie knot in fairytale wedding in Spain: See pictures

The couple has been dating since February 2022

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis can add THIS profession to their resumes

The couple listed their Santa Barbara guest house on Airbnb

Khloe Kardashian gives sweet nod to niece following ‘drama’ with Blac Chyna

Khloe Kardashian put her love on display for niece Dream a month after coparenting drama with her mother Blac Chyna

Kelly Osbourne confesses she ‘went little too far’ to ‘lose all baby weight’

Kelly Osbourne spills on her remarkable transformation after weight loss

Nickelodeon alum accuses Joe Jonas of requesting explicit photos in her teens

Alexa Nikolas, former ‘Zoey 101’ star claimed that Joe Jonas had an inappropriate request from her when they were teens

Travis Barker back on stage after wife Kourtney Kardashian’s ‘fetal surgery’

Blink-182 resumed their tour on Friday, September 8

Jamie Foxx’s costar dishes on actor’s return to work after mystery health scare

Jamie Foxx’s eldest daughter first let fans know about the actor’s ‘medical emergency’ back in April

Alison Hammond refused to abandon Birmingham accent for TV career

Alison Hammond was forced to change Birmingham accent

Paul Reubens real cause of death revealed over a month after death

Paul Reubens, best known for playing Pee-wee Herman, died on July 30 at the age of 70

Leonardo DiCaprio trades yacht for citi bike ride amid PDA in Ibzia

Leonardo DiCaprio’s eclectic summer adventures unveiled

Why are Todd and Julie Chrisley in prison?

Todd and Julie Chrisley’s prison sentences have been shortened

Robin Thicke stumbles outside club and falls into bush, ‘Thats Embarassing’

Robin Thicke’s night out takes a tumble outside club

Tristan Thompson seeks guardianship of younger brother after mother’s passing

Tristan Thompson steps up as legal guardian for teen brother following tragic loss

Kylie Jenner and Timoth&amp;eacute;e Chalamet are PLANNED couple: Decoding Kardashian dating playbook

Kylie Jenner and Timothée Chalamet’s romance echoes Kardashian dating playbook

Lady Gaga and ex-boyfriend Michael Polansky’s night out in Las Vegas

Lady Gaga and Michael Polansky’s surprise night out together

Modi uses ‘Bharat’ for G20 nameplate, not India, amid name-change row

India is also called Bharat, Bharata, Hindustan – its pre-colonial names – in Indian languages

Why BRICS&amp;rsquo; push for multipolarity worries the West?

Western concerns stem from threat to liberal world order, and to petrodollar’s reign, systemic rivalry to G7

‘General Adnan’ dies at age 84

Adnan Al-Kassie aka General Adnan played football with Saddam Hussein before he took charge of Iraq

September 8, 2023

After Johnny Kitagawa, J-pop agency’s new boss Higashiyama also faces abuse allegations

Noriyuki Higashiyama became J-pop agency’s new boss after Johnny Kitagawa’s niece resigned

Shocking: Ruthless rebels strap explosives to baby twin girls in DR Congo

This shocking incident is just one example of the escalating violence against children in the region, as reported by United Nations on Friday

Jaliso, Mexico hit by 5.5 magnitude earthquake

According to the EMSC, the quake was at a depth of 23 km (14.29 miles), EMSC said

Fate of abortion rights in Florida top court’s hands amid DeSantis backed ban

DeSantis running for 2024 Republican presidential election backs a six week abortion ban

White House Situation Room, where Obama watched Osama raid, gets $50m redo

Renovation of Situation Room was necessary to update technology and make it more secure, says White House

Hurricane Lee predicted to become category five storm; no landfall expected

Hurricane Lee follows the destructive Hurricane Idalia that struck Florida last week

North Korea launches tactical nuclear attack submarine in show of force

The launching of the submarine, named the Hero Kim Kun Ok, "heralded the beginning of a new chapter

Another Donald Trump’s close ally Peter Navarro convicted by federal jury

Donald Trump’s ally Peter Navarro refused to appear for deposition before committee, also declined to supply documents to panel

Whale hunters secure their first two kills after Iceland grants permission

Japan, Iceland and Norway are the only three countries that allow commercial whale hunting

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s split shakes up Elvis impersonator, ‘were very in love’

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner’s divorce stuns Elvis impersonator

Ashton Kutcher, Mila Kunis defends Danny Masterson’s character

Ashton Kutcher and Mila Kunis backup rape convicted actor Danny Masterson in pre-sentencing letters

Demi Lovato Signs Brandon Creed for Management ahead of ‘Revamped’

Demi Lovato signs with Brandon Creed’s management company just days before new album

Jennifer Lopez fashions ‘chic’ look at NYFW Coach show

Jennifer Lopez shocks everyone with her outfit for New York Fashion Week Coach in summers

David Beckham is maestro in living his passion

David recently had the number ’99’ inked on his little finger dedicated to his wife Victoria

Zooey Deschanel explains what made her return to TV after New Girl

Zooey Deschanel shares her thoughts on taking a break after New Girl ended nearly five years ago

Kanye West wife Bianca Censori’s new viral photos break the internet

Bianca Censori’s ‘undressed’ look goes viral

Vanessa Hudgens shares major update about her upcoming wedding to Cole Tucker

Vanessa Hudgens addresses her wedding planning at her latest Caliwater campaign shoot

Joe Jonas’ on-stage embrace with Jonas Brothers to gain sympathy after divorce? Expert weighs in

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner confirm their split after releasing a joint statement on social media

Alison Hammond’s emotional reaction surfaces amidst Holly Willoughby ‘loneliness’

The TV presenter broke down in tears on the ITV show when they finally addressed Phillip’s shock exit

Olivia Rodrigo dons bloody Angelina Jolie ‘Vampire’ t-shirt

Olivia Rodrigo promotes her new single ‘Vampire’ with her outfit, channels Angelina Jolie vibes

Kylie Minogue spills why she never considers taking a long hiatus from music

Kylie Minogue discusses about her new music release in a new interview

Jonnie Irwin shares ‘happy’ news amid terminal cancer battle

Jonnie Irwin has been keeping his followers updated on the project’s developments

Heartbroken Prince Harry leaves UK for Germany

Prince Harry felt lonely and isolated during his less than 24-hour in the UK

Sharon Osbourne reveals she’s not ‘ashamed’ of using Ozempic for weight loss

Sharon Osbourne opens up about finding the ideal balance in her life

Kim Kardashian appears in sizzling outfit following Kanye West indecent exposure

The Kardashians star has four children with the rapper

Prince Harry snubbed by King Charles, royal family as he makes surprise visit to Windsor Castle

Royal family reportedly stayed away from Prince Harry who made a surprise visit to the final resting place of Queen Elizabeth II

CIA seeks to recruit Russian officials with silky video about ‘truth’

Agency released a video in Russian entitled ‘Why I made contact with the CIA – for myself’ on social media

UN says more needed ‘on all fronts’ to meet climate goals

Says existing national pledges to cut emissions were insufficient to keep temperatures within the 1.5 C threshold

Journalists barred as Modi welcomes Biden

Media access to such bilateral encounters on sidelines of major summits like G20 is rarely blocked

UK police searching London park for escaped terrorism suspect

Daniel Abed Khalife believed to have escaped from London’s HMP Wandsworth on Wednesday morning

PM Rishi Sunak braces for tough by-election as groper MP Chris Pincher resigns

PM Rishi Sunak-led Conservatives are trailing behind opposition Labour Party in opinion polls already

September 7, 2023

G20 summit: After monkeys, slums, India goes after New Delhi’s 60,000 stray dogs

The national capital territory of Delhi has over 60,000 stray dogs

Rwandan serial killer booked after many bodies found buried under his kitchen

The man has confessed to the murders, and police say he may have killed more than 10 people

Japanese music mogul Johnny Kitagawa’s niece quits over uncle’s sexual abuse scandal

Late Johnny Kitagawa has been accused of sexually abusing hundreds of boys and young men over several decades

Yohanes Kidane: Netflix engineer missing since last month found dead near Golden Gate Bridge

Police have listed drowning as being a significant contributory factor to Yohanes Kidane’s death

Hunter Biden expected to face indictment on gun charges this month

Congressional Republicans considering an impeachment investigation of Joe Biden amid Hunter’s court troubles

Russian airstrike in east Ukraine market kills 17 including one kid

Attack came hours after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken made an unexpected trip to Kyiv

Holly Willoughby radiates joy as she joins sister Kelly for glamorous Turkish wedding

The selfie was shared just one day before Holly attended the National Television Awards

Olivia Rodrigo feels ‘like a bad acid trip’ after watching THIS scariest film

Olivia Rodrigo names the film in a conversation with Phoebe Bridgers

Stephen King explains why his wife threatened him for ‘divorce’

Stephen King reveals he used to listen song during writing process

Meghan Markle wanted ‘great friendship’ with Kate Middleton

Meghan Markle and Kate Middleton have famously been at odds since the former married Prince Harry

Britney Spears opens up on terrifying 2001 VMAs snake performance

Britney Spears handed a massive python while performing her hit “Slave 4 You” at MTV’s VMA in 2001

Saoirse Ronan confesses she has ‘childlike’ temper tantrums

Saoirse Ronan also addresses Irish heritage and mistreatment on set

Royal family allows Prince Harry to stay in Windsor as he arrives in UK?

Mystery surrounds where Prince Harry will stay during his trip to the UK

Prince Harry lands in UK without Meghan Markle, shares his first statement

Prince Harry honours young winners at WellChild Awards as he arrives in the UK

Joe Jonas and Sophie Turner divorce drama takes a new turn

Jonas filed for divorce from the Do Revenge actress, 27, on Tuesday after four years of marriage

Miley Cyrus promotes ‘Used To Be Young’ with new ‘sizzling’ snap

Miley Cyrus shares yet another aesthetic portrait on social media to promote ‘Used to be Young’

Prince William shares big statement as Harry returns to UK

Prince William takes a big step as Harry lands in UK for a charity event

Romeo Beckham is living life to the fullest: pics

The Beckham’s eldest child Brooklyn, 24, was not present in the birthday bash

Charlie Puth’s ready to ‘marry’ Girlfriend Brooke Sansone, ‘she said yes’

Charlie Puth shared moments of ‘best friend’ Brooke Sansone saying yes to marry him

Bianca Censori is seeking the spotlight in Kanye West’s world?

The Royal Suite can be booked for around €17,504 (AUD$18,000) per night

Alabama Barker pays tribute to Travis Barker amid Kourtney’s surgery scare

Alabama Barker called Travis Barker ‘the best dad’ in recent social media tribute

Naomi Campbell recalls George Michael got all four models together for music video Freedom!

Naomi Campbell discusses about the music video in a new Apple TV documentary, The Supermodels

Prince Harry ‘will not meet’ King Charles, William during UK visit

Prince Harry is flying home to the UK on Thursday night, but has no plans of meeting King Charles or Prince William

Al Pacino’s rep dispels breakup rumours with Noor Alfallah: ‘still together’

Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah mutually reach agreement regarding their infant son, Roman

Kate Middleton, Prince William’s critics take swipe at couple amid Harry’s UK visit

Prince William, Kate Middleton afraid of Prince Harry’s UK visit?

Prince Harry ‘needs’ Meghan Markle to make ‘hard’ trip to UK

Prince Harry reportedly was not pleased having to make a trip to the UK without his wife Meghan Markle

Sophie Turner’s ‘happy and relaxed’ during outings amid Joe Jonas divorce

Sophie Turner’s been parting hard ‘without a care’ days before Joe Jonas filed for divorce

Justin Bieber appears sulky while Hailey ‘grown-up’ on a date: Expert weighs in

Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber tie the knot in 2018

Kate Middleton leaves Tom Cruise embarrassed with awkward rejection

Kate Middleton attempted to hide her rejection for Tom Cruise but eagle-eyed netizens were quick to catch on

‘Angry’ Kate Middleton refuses to spare Meghan Markle ‘a glance’

Kate Middleton’s body language was telling of her relationship with Meghan Markle at the time of Queen Elizabeth II’s death

Gigi Hadid, Music Producer Cole Bennett are ‘moving in a romantic direction’

Gigi Hadid and Cole Bennett ‘have been playing coy about their status’ according to reports

Kelly Osbourne speaks candidly about the challenges of being a new mom

Kelly Osbourne reflects on motherhood journey in a new interview

Critics predict short-lived romance for Leonardo DiCaprio’s new flame

Leonardo DiCaprio is known for exclusively dating women aged 25 or younger

Will Priyanka Chopra, Sophie Turner remain friends after split from Joe Jonas?

Fans are hopeful that Priyanka Chopra and Sophie Turner will remain good friends after the latter’s split from Joe Jonas

‘Not going anywhere’: Holly Willoughby remains resilient amid Phillip Schofield scandal

Holly herself wasn’t nominated for Best Presenter

Prince Harry’s wife Meghan Markle ‘replaced at Invictus Games’ by German television presenter

Meghan Markle has reportedly been taken off the schedule of Prince Harry’s Invictus Games

Nicola Peltz billionaire father plays major role in settling lawsuit with wedding planners

Wedding planners were left ‘devastated’ when Nelson Peltz launched a lawsuit demanding his $159,000 deposit back

Kanye West takes legal action over his leaked music release on social media: Deets inside

Kanye West demands complete of accounts who illegally released his music on social media

Prince Harry set to land in UK ahead of Queen Elizabeth II’s first death anniversary

Prince Harry will be in the UK for the WellChild Awards

Priyanka Chopra wows in sheer black dress at Victoria’s Secret World Tour 2023

Priyanka Chopra turned heads in a see-through black jewelled dress at Victoria’s Secret fashion show

‘Depressed’ Prince Harry forced to bend to Meghan Markle’s Malibu move

Prince Harry was reportedly left depressed after Meghan Markle demanded for a move to Malibu

Ava DuVernay makes history after becoming first Black woman filmmaker to compete at Venice

Ava DuVernay’s movie Origin makes its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival

What makes Amanda Holden so emotional?

Amanda is also a proud mum to Lexi. The teenager signed with Kate Moss’ modelling agency

Taylor Momsen recalls school bullying for her role in ‘How the Grinch Stole Christmas’

The ‘Gossip Girl’ actress opens to Penn Badgley about minute details

Shahid Kapoor gushes over wife Mira on her birthday: ‘Queen of my heart’

Shahid Kapoor called his wife Mira the ‘queen’ of his heart in a special birthday tribute

Drake announces release date for new album ‘For All the Dogs’

Drake teases new album with son Adonis’ artwork

Penn Badgley explains filming ‘Gossip Girl’ wedding scene with ex-Blake Lively

Penn Badgley says it wasn’t awkward for anybody

Miley Cyrus shares funny anecdote about grandma baked edibles with Snopp Dogg: Watch

Miley Cyrus recalls a 2015 VMAs skit in a new TikTok series

Halle Bailey dons Janet Jackson-inspired dress: ‘Always my inspo’

Halle Bailey features Janet Jackson’s style during New York Fashion Week

Meghan Markle withdraws support from Prince Harry’s ‘Invictus Games’ in major snub

Meghan Markle reportedly will not lend Prince Harry support at a crucial event

Emily Ratajkowski ‘congratulates’ Sophie Turner after Joe Jonas divorce

Emily Ratajkowski believes women getting divorced before 30 is ‘chic’ by extension, lending her support to Sophie Turner

Rocker Bruce Springsteen cancels tour dates due to ulcer disease

Bruce Springsteen will resume his tour on November 3 in Canada

Al Pacino’s partner Noor Alfallah files for son’s custody

Al Pacino and Noor Alfallah welcomed a baby boy earlier this year

Joe Jonas steps out without ring alongside daughters after Sophie Turner split

Joe Jonas spotted for the first time with his daughters amid divorce from Sophie Turner

Charlie Puth goes out with girlfriend Brooke Sansone on the streets of Tribeca

Charlie Puth and Brooke Sansone were first spotted together in September 2022

Is India changing its name to Bharat?

Controversy over G20 invites sent by President Droupadi Murmu explained

China bans iPhone for government officials amid US-TikTok row

The ban comes ahead of Apple event next week that analysts believe will be about launching new iPhones

September 6, 2023

&amp;lsquo;Strangled in sleep&amp;rsquo;: YouTuber Tiba al-Ali’s honour-killing by dad goes almost unpunished

Tiba al-Ali’s father, who strangled her in her sleep, only got six months in prison for murdering her daughter

WATCH: Proud boys&amp;rsquo; Enrique Tarrio jailed for 22 years in Capitol riots case

This is the longest sentence so far in the Capitol riots case, which occurred on January 6, 2020

WATCH: Woking murder victim Sara Sharif’s parents ready to ‘cooperate’ with UK police

Sara Sharif was discovered to have "multiple and extensive injuries" as per post-mortem examinations

WATCH: Two Birmingham traffic police officers brutally assaulted by public

The 49-second video shows a guy seizing a warden and attempting to knee him

Canada truck attack: Nathaniel Veltman pleads not guilty to mowing down Pakistani family

Family’s three generations were out for a stroll in 2021 when Nathaniel Veltman allegedly ran them over due to their religious beliefs

Russia’s Wagner mercenary group to be proscribed as terrorist organisation

Wagner’s name will now appear alongside that of other organisations like Hamas and Boko Haram

TikTok ‘One Chip’ challenge claims teen’s life, says his mother

TikTok challenge, which involves consuming exceptionally spicy Paqui chip without taking water has gained popularity

President Joe Biden decides to wear mask amid Jill contracts Covid

"Joe Biden will remove his mask when sufficiently distanced from others indoors and while outside as well," White House says

US issues warning to North on arming Moscow citing Russia-Ukraine war

"Russia could use weapons to attack food supplies and heating infrastructure heading into winter," Joe Biden’s advisor says

‘Bizarre’ long-legged bird-like dinosaur has scientists enthralled

Fossil found in China sheds light on bird evolution 148-150 million years ago, named Fujianvenator prodigiosus

In the shadow of hate: Muslim&amp;rsquo;s in Modi&amp;rsquo;s divided India

Fueled by Indian premier’s policies and implicit support, hatred against India’s Muslims has reached alarming levels

September 3, 2023

Imperial College renames library to honour physicist Abdus Salam

Professor Salam made a major contribution to quantum field theory and in the advancement of mathematics

September 2, 2023

Rishi Sunak appoints Grant Shapps as UK’s new defence minister

Rishi Sunaks’s appointment of Grant Shapps is a mini-reshuffle with new energy minister Claire Coutinho

August 31, 2023

WATCH: Late Wagner boss Prigozhin speaks about security threats in new viral video

"So for people who like to discuss wiping me out….everything’s OK", says Wagner boss Prigozhin

Ben Wallace resigns as UK defence minister ahead of cabinet reshuffle

Ben Wallace will be replaced by Grant Shapps, UK’s energy security and net zero sececretary

Fierce overnight blaze in Johannesburg kills more than 70; over 50 injured

It was not immediately clear what caused the overnight blaze

President Xi expected to skip G20 summit in India

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at New Delhi meeting

Rishi Sunak appoints Grant Shapps as UK’s new defence minister

Rishi Sunaks’s appointment of Grant Shapps is a mini-reshuffle with new energy minister Claire Coutinho

WATCH: Late Wagner boss Prigozhin speaks about security threats in new viral video

"So for people who like to discuss wiping me out….everything’s OK", says Wagner boss Prigozhin

Ben Wallace resigns as UK defence minister ahead of cabinet reshuffle

Ben Wallace will be replaced by Grant Shapps, UK’s energy security and net zero sececretary

Fierce overnight blaze in Johannesburg kills more than 70; over 50 injured

It was not immediately clear what caused the overnight blaze

President Xi expected to skip G20 summit in India

Chinese Premier Li Qiang is expected to represent Beijing at New Delhi meeting

In pictures: ‘Super Blue Moon’ lights up night&amp;rsquo;s sky worldwide

Term ‘blue Moon’ refers to when we see a full moon twice in a month

Indian rover confirms sulphur on Moon’s south pole

India’s Moon rover, Chandrayaan-3, discovers sulphur on lunar south pole, confirming through onboard LIBS instrument

August 30, 2023

Oasis beyond oil: the reshaping of Saudi Arabia’s economy

From stacking football league to hefty investment in tech &amp; tourism, MBS’s plan to transform the Kingdom is underway.

August 26, 2023

Democracy, rule of law key to Pak-US ties: Blinken tells Bilawal

Foreign Minister Bilawal exchanges views on Russia-Ukraine war and Afghanistan in phone call with secretary of state

July 25, 2023

COAS, CENTCOM chief discuss regional security

ISPR says regional security situation, defence cooperation discussed during meeting with senior US military commander

July 24, 2023

Historical Pakistan embassy sold in Washington for $7.1m

Abandoned building auctioned off to Pakistani-origin entrepreneur with Cabinet approval

July 14, 2023

Indian SC to hold daily hearings on pleas against removal of IIOJK special status

Five-member bench of India’s top court to begin hearings from August 2

July 11, 2023

Pakistan scores big win at The Hague

PCA rejects India’s objection to hearing case against Kishanganga, Ratle hydroelectric projects

July 6, 2023

Shehbaz asks India to shun CPEC hostility

PM hopes IMF deal will get final approval on July 12

July 5, 2023

Pakistan, Japan agree to deepen bilateral ties

Enhance cooperation in trade, investment, HR development and exchange, IT, tourism and agriculture among other sectors

July 3, 2023

FM Bilawal arrives in Tokyo on official visit

Bilawal’s trip aimed at seeking ‘revival of leadership-level contacts’

July 1, 2023

Dr Aafia meets sister after 20 years

Dr Aafia expected to again meet Dr Fauzia, Senator Mushtaq and her lawyer today

May 31, 2023