14-04-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW YORK/ ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund has slashed the growth outlook for cash-strapped Pakistan, forecasting the South Asian country’s fragile economy will grow just 0.5 percent this year, down from 6 percent in 2022. The latest data on Pakistan’s ailing economy was released by …

14-04-2023 UNITED NATIONS/ LUANDA/ KINSHASA: Women and children have been raped and subjected to other abuses during a mass expulsion of migrant workers from Angola to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, a doctor, officials and the United Nations say. Angola has deported thousands of workers in recent months, according …

14-04-2023 PYONGYANG: Amid heightened tension in the Asia Pacific region, South Korea has said that North Korea has fired a new kind of long-range ballistic missile, sparking fear among the masses in Japan to take cover. However, it later turned out to be not dangerous. A military official from South …

14-04-2023 KHARTOUM: The Sudanese army says a paramilitary group headed by General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo has mobilized its forces in the capital, Khartoum, and other cities, a move that raises the prospect of confrontation with the armed forces. The army said in a statement on Thursday that members of the …

13-04-2023 WASHINGTON/ SANA’A: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) has spoken with US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan in a phone call that mostly discussed the continuing peace talks in Yemen that have raised hopes of finally ending the years-long conflict there. The call, in which Sullivan highlighted …

13-04-2023 Bureau Report + Agencies NEW YORK/ ISLAMABAD: A prominent rights body has slammed Pakistani authorities for “forcibly evicting” thousands of farmers for an infrastructure project near Lahore city, the capital of the eastern Punjab province. In a report published on Tuesday, Human Rights Watch (HRW) said the authorities should …

13-04-2023 SINGAPORE CITY/ YAMOUSSOUKRO: A Singapore-registered oil tanker has been boarded by “unidentified persons” about 300 nautical miles (555km) off Ivory Coast in the Gulf of Guinea, the city-state’s port authority said. The Gulf of Guinea was long known as a hotspot for global piracy, with insurance firm Beazley offering …

13-04-2023 JERUSALEM: Israel has halted visits by Jews and tourists to the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound after a wave of unrest in the holy city of Jerusalem. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said in a statement on Tuesday that visits by non-Muslims to the sacred compound which is known to Muslims as …

13-04-2023 MEXICO CITY: Archaeologists in Mexico have uncovered an intricately carved stone they believe was used as a scoreboard for pelota, a ball game played by the Maya hundreds of years ago. The circular stone was found at the Chichen Itza archaeological site and is thought to be at least …

13-04-2023 WELLINGTON: For the first time, New Zealand will see an equal number of men and women in its cabinet. This comes after Northland MP Willow-Jean Prime, who is of Maori descent, was promoted as a cabinet minister. “It is nice to have a cabinet that reflects the New Zealand …