WEATHER ALERT
Pakistan's Imran Khan could face the death sentence in trial over revealing state secrets
Read full article: Pakistan's Imran Khan could face the death sentence in trial over revealing state secretsA Pakistani court has indicted the country's former Prime Minister Imran Khan on charges of revealing official secrets after his 2022 ouster from office.
Pakistan arrests opposition leader accused of exposing official secrets, harming national interest
Read full article: Pakistan arrests opposition leader accused of exposing official secrets, harming national interestPakistan’s top investigation agency has arrested an opposition leader, who is a close aide of convicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan, alleging he exposed official secrets and harmed state interests.
From prison, Pakistan's former Premier Imran Khan and his lawyer plan to challenge his graft case
Read full article: From prison, Pakistan's former Premier Imran Khan and his lawyer plan to challenge his graft caseA lawyer for Pakistan’s Imran Khan has met with him at a prison where the former prime minister is being held after his sentencing to discuss how to challenge the graft case that landed him behind bars.
Pakistan deploys troops to halt unrest after ex-Prime Minister Khan is ordered held on new charges
Read full article: Pakistan deploys troops to halt unrest after ex-Prime Minister Khan is ordered held on new chargesPakistan’s government has called out the military in provinces roiled by violence following the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Sharif sworn in as Pakistan's new PM after week of drama
Read full article: Sharif sworn in as Pakistan's new PM after week of dramaPakistan’s parliament has elected opposition lawmaker Shahbaz Sharif as the new prime minister, following a week of political turmoil that led to the weekend ouster of Premier Imran Khan.
US, Pakistani officials in strained talks over Afghanistan
Read full article: US, Pakistani officials in strained talks over AfghanistanThe United States and Pakistan have held difficult talks over the path forward in Taliban-ruled Afghanistan at a time when relations between the two countries are shaky.
Imran Khan paints Pakistan as victim of US ungratefulness
Read full article: Imran Khan paints Pakistan as victim of US ungratefulnessPrime Minister Imran Khan sought to cast Pakistan as the victim of American ungratefulness and an international double standard in his address to the United Nations General Assembly.
The Latest: US envoy praises Qatar for Afghanistan flights
Read full article: The Latest: US envoy praises Qatar for Afghanistan flightsWashington’s special envoy and the architect of an often criticized deal with the Taliban says more than 250 foreign nationals have left Afghanistan in the past three days.
The Latest: UN: Afghanistan on brink of “universal poverty”
Read full article: The Latest: UN: Afghanistan on brink of “universal poverty”The United Nations development agency says Afghanistan is teetering on the brink of “universal poverty” which could become a reality in the middle of next year unless urgent efforts are made to bolster local communities and their economies.
The Latest: Taliban decrees end to unapproved demonstrations
Read full article: The Latest: Taliban decrees end to unapproved demonstrationsThe interior ministry of the new Taliban government is seeking to end protests in Afghanistan after days of demonstrations that have brought heavy-handed assaults on protesters.
The Latest: Australia flies out 26 from Kabul, plans more
Read full article: The Latest: Australia flies out 26 from Kabul, plans morePrime Minister Scott Morrison says Australia evacuated the first 26 people, including Australian and Afghan citizens, from Kabul since the Taliban overran the Afghan capital.
Bomb targeting Islamist leader's car kills 7 in Pakistan
Read full article: Bomb targeting Islamist leader's car kills 7 in PakistanPakistani police say seven people have been killed by a roadside bomb that exploded near a vehicle carrying a local leader of an Islamist political party in the southwestern border town of Chaman.
The Latest: Philippine president eases lockdown in capital
Read full article: The Latest: Philippine president eases lockdown in capitalThe Philippine president has eased a coronavirus lockdown in the bustling capital and adjacent provinces to fight economic recession and hunger but still barred public gatherings this month, when many Roman Catholic summer religious festivals are held.
Vaccine alliance to set aside up to 100M dose
Read full article: Vaccine alliance to set aside up to 100M doseEric Holcomb receives his Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine during the state's first mass vaccination clinic at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, Friday, March 5, 2021, in Indianapolis. ___THE VIRUS OUTBREAK:VACCINES: More than 82.7 million people, or 24.9% of the U.S. population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. ____CANBERRA, Australia — Australia on Wednesday began rolling out AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine manufactured locally. Museums, aquariums, retail businesses and shops, hair salons and personal care businesses can operate at 100% capacity indoors and outdoors. Chicago Department of Public Health Commissioner Dr. Allison Arwady says the biggest driver behind the increase is young adults.
Pakistan's PM wins vote of confidence after Senate setback
Read full article: Pakistan's PM wins vote of confidence after Senate setbackPrime Minister Khan handily won a vote of confidence from the National Assembly on Saturday, March 6, 2021, days after the embarrassing defeat of his ruling partys key candidate in Senate elections. The need for the confidence vote arose after former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in Senate elections Wednesday defeated Hafeez Sheikh, the finance minister in Khan’s Cabinet. AdThe Senate vote was seen as a test for Khan, who came to power in the 2018 parliamentary elections. AdKhan said his party members went through agony after the Senate vote but now he wants to make the country great. Outside Parliament, opposition leaders from the former ruling party Pakistan Muslim League argued heatedly with Khan’s supporters.
Russia steps in, trying to aid stalled Afghan peace process
Read full article: Russia steps in, trying to aid stalled Afghan peace processKabulov was in Pakistan, a key regional player in efforts to find a peaceful end to Afghanistan's protracted war. Few details came out of the meeting except that Afghanistan and getting to a peace deal dominated talks. Zamir Kabulov, Russian President Vladimir Putin’s special envoy for Afghanistan, was in Pakistan on Friday for talks with officials. AdWashington and Kabul have been pressing for a cease-fire while the Taliban say they will negotiate it as part of peace talks with the Afghan government. Few details came out of Kabulov's meetings except a statement saying that Afghanistan and efforts to reach a peace deal dominated the discussions.
Pakistan asks UN to probe fake pro-India NGOs, media
Read full article: Pakistan asks UN to probe fake pro-India NGOs, mediaThe extensive report was published earlier this week by EU DisinfoLab, a Brussels-based nongovernmental organization. The EU DisinfoLab report, entitled “Indian Chronicles,” did not explicitly attribute the campaign to the Indian government or its intelligence agencies. “The scope and extent of India’s operations against Pakistan under their hybrid war is now apparent for the world to see. The EU DisinfoLab report comes less than a month after Pakistan accused India of sponsoring “terrorism” aimed at destabilizing the country and targeting its economic partnership with China. India has likewise accused Pakistan of sponsoring militant groups that have carried out attacks inside its borders in recent years.
Shiite Muslims mark holy day of mourning in virus' shadow
Read full article: Shiite Muslims mark holy day of mourning in virus' shadowA health worker sprays disinfectant to sanitize the inside of the holy shrine of Imam Abbas during Muharram procession in Karbala, Iraq, Saturday, Aug. 29, 2020. Muharram, the first month of the Islamic calendar, is a month of mourning for Shiites in remembrance of the death of Hussein, the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, at the Battle of Karbala in present-day Iraq in the 7th century. (AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)
Shiite Muslims mark holy day of mourning in virus' shadow
Read full article: Shiite Muslims mark holy day of mourning in virus' shadow(AP Photo/Anmar Khalil)Shiite Muslims are observing the solemn holy day of Ashoura that they typically mark with large, mournful gatherings, in the shadow of the coronavirus pandemic. In Iraq, pilgrims ordinarily converge on the holy city of Karbala, site of the battle and home to a shrine to Imam Hussein. In Pakistan, thousands of minority Shiite Muslims rallied in various parts of the country ahead of tomorrows Day of Ashoura amid a decline in coronavirus deaths and infections. In interviews with The Associated Press, several Shiite Muslims told of how they are observing commemorations this year. On Ashoura Day which in Iraq falls on Sunday at least one tradition of his will remain unchanged: donating blood.
US envoy forges ahead with troubled Taliban peace deal
Read full article: US envoy forges ahead with troubled Taliban peace dealFILE - In this March 9, 2020 file photo, Washington's peace envoy Zalmay Khalilzad, attends Ashraf Ghani's inauguration ceremony at the presidential palace in Kabul, Afghanistan. The U.S. signed a peace deal with the Taliban in February to end 19 years of war in Afghanistan. Khalilzad has sought to stress the economic benefits of the peace deal throughout his tour. Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid denied contacts with Al-Qaida in the Indian Subcontinent, saying the insurgents were committed to the peace deal. The peace deal called for the Afghan government to free 5,000 Taliban prisoners, in exchange for the Taliban releasing 1,000 government personnel.