Biden & Xi speak on phone for first time 10-09-2021 BEIJING/ WASHINGTON: United States President Joe Biden and China’s leader Xi Jinping have spoken by phone, ending a nearly seven-month gap in direct communication between the leaders of the world’s two biggest economies. The call was confirmed by the White House …

10-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON: Journalists in Afghanistan say that they have been beaten, detained and flogged by the Taliban when attempting to cover protests. Photos circulating online, show two journalists from Etilaatroz newspaper with welts and bruises after their arrest in the …

09-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ BEIJING/ MOSCOW/ WASHINGTON/ KABUL: US President Joe Biden says Pakistan, Iran, China and Russia are working to negotiate and reach an agreement with the Afghan Taliban on certain issues. His comment came hours after the Taliban announced details of its …

08-09-2021 PARIS: A French-Moroccan believed to be the only surviving member of a group that killed 130 people in a rampage across Paris described himself on Wednesday as “an Islamic State soldier” at the start of the trial into the 2015 attacks. Salah Abdeslam appeared in court dressed in black …

08-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD: The Taliban has appointed Mohammad Sasan Akhund a close aide to the group’s late founder Mullah Omar, as head of Afghanistan’s new caretaker government, weeks after it took control of the country in a rapid offensive. The list of cabinet …

07-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies KABUL/ ISLAMABAD/ WASHINGTON: The Taliban has taken complete control of Panjshir province, the last area in Afghanistan held by resistance forces, the group’s spokesman said, as it cemented its control of the country three weeks after taking over Kabul. “With this …

07-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Agencies LONDON/ISLAMABAD: A UK High Court judge has ruled that an Islamic divorce granted in Pakistan should not be recognized in the United Kingdom as different rules apply under the laws of England and Wales. Justice Arbuthnot oversaw a family court dispute between a couple …

06-09-2021 By SJA Jafri + Bureau Report + Agencies ISLAMABAD/ RIYADH/ KABUL: Prime Minister Imran Khan and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) in a telephonic conversation  yesterday agreed that the international community must “step up its engagement” with Afghanistan to avert any humanitarian and refugee crisis, a statement …

06-09-2021 NEW DELHI: Tens of thousands of farmers have gathered in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh to protest against new agriculture laws. Local police put the number at over half a million, while an AFP photographer said at least 50,000 farmers and supporters took part. The farmers want state …

05-09-2021 OTTAWA: Canada’s Conservative Party, which holds a slim lead in a tight electoral race, is facing mounting criticism for its stance on gun control after the Conservatives pledged to overturn a 2020 ban on some “assault-style” weapons. Conservative leader Erin O’Toole has been pressed repeatedly this week over his campaign …