CIA director visits Israel

WASHINGTON: William J. Burns, the C.I.A. director, arrived in Israel on Sunday for discussions with leaders and intelligence officials, the first stop in a multicountry trip in the region, according to U.S. officials. According to US media, the visit comes as the United States is trying to prod Israel to pursue a more targeted approach to attacking Hamas, allow pauses in the fighting for aid to enter Gaza and do more to avoid civilian casualties. A U.S. official briefed on Burns’s trip said he planned to reinforce the American commitment…

Sherry Rehman seeks youth’s role in tackling climate change

Former climate change minister Sherry Rehman Sunday highlighted the significance of the role played by the country’s youth in tackling the disastrous effects of climate change. Delivering the keynote address at the “COP in my city 2023” organised by Youth for Climate Pakistan in collaboration with UN Women, Unicef and UNDP, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Senator said: “The engagement and leadership of youth in addressing climate and environmental challenges are of utmost importance.” Pakistan remains one of the most vulnerable countries facing the disastrous effects of climate change with…

Pakistan exempts Afghans awaiting resettlement to US from deportation

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has ordered authorities not to arrest Afghans who are waiting to be relocated to the United States, as it wages a crackdown on illegal migration. More than 180,000 people have returned to Afghanistan since Islamabad ordered 1.7 million Afghans it says are living illegally in Pakistan to leave or face deportation, border officials have said. Human Rights Watch has previously warned that Afghans awaiting resettlement to the United States, United Kingdom, Germany and Canada after fleeing the Taliban government are at risk of deportation after their…

Over 130 killed, dozens wounded after powerful earthquake jolts Nepal

At least 132 people have been killed while more than 100 sustained injuries as security forces mobilised to help with a desperate rescue attempt on Saturday after a strong overnight 5.6 magnitude earthquake struck a remote area of Nepal. The US Geological Survey estimated that the late Friday, 5.6-magnitude earthquake was only 18 kilometres (11 miles) deep when it struck the remote western region of the Himalayan nation. Videos and photos posted on social media showed locals digging through rubble in the dark to pull survivors from the wreckage of…

Terror attack on PAF Mianwali Training Air Base foiled: ISPR

RAWALPINDI: A terror attack on the Mianwali Training Air Base of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has been thwarted and all the personnel and assets are safe, the military’s media wing said in a statement on Saturday. “On 04 November, 2023, in the early hours of the day, Mianwali Training Air Base of Pakistan Air Force came under a failed terrorist attack which, Alhumdolliah, due to the swift and effective response by the troops, has been foiled and thwarted, ensuring the safety and security of personnel and assets,” the Inter-Services…

Kyle Jamieson replaces injured Matt Henry ahead of Pakistan clash

New Zealand’s Matt Henry has been ruled out of the ICC World Cup 2023 in India with a torn right hamstring and has been replaced in the New Zealand squad by Kyle Jamieson ahead of a crucial match against Pakistan. The two teams are set to play on Saturday at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in the battle for the semifinal slot of the 10-team tournament. A statement from New Zealand Cricket (NZC) confirmed that Henry sustained the injury during Wednesday’s match against South Africa in Pune after an MRI scan showed…

Elections in Pakistan on Feb 8

ISLAMABAD: Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sikandar Sultan Raja and President Arif Alvi Thursday agreed that the general elections will take place across Pakistan on February 8, 2024. The development came after an ECP delegation headed by CEC Raja and Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan met Alvi at the President’s Secretariat to discuss the poll date, a statement from Alvi’s office said. “It was [then] unanimously decided that the election will be held on Thursday, February 8,” the statement added. The meeting between the sides was on orders…