Covering news and developments in the region and globally, with a Pakistani perspective.
WASHINGTON: The presence of Russian and North Korean leaders alongside Chinese President Xi Jinping at a massive military parade in Beijing on Wednesday drew sharp reactions from the West, with the European Union (EU) and the United States warning of an emerging challenge to the global order. EU foreign policy […]
Saudi Aramco and Iraq’s state oil marketer SOMO have stopped selling crude oil to India’s Nayara Energy following European Union sanctions imposed in July on the Russian-backed refiner, industry sources said. The suspension of supplies by the two Gulf exporters has left Nayara, majority-owned by Russian entities including oil major […]
BEIJING: Russian President Vladimir Putin on Wednesday reaffirmed Moscow’s commitment to deepening ties with Pakistan, expressing the need to expand cooperation across multiple sectors during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit. President Putin recalled his previous meeting with the […]
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday reiterated his country’s full support for Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded Beijing’s unwavering backing for Islamabad’s sovereignty, territorial integrity and socioeconomic development. The two leaders met at the Great Hall of the People following the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council […]
ISLAMABAD: A powerful earthquake late Sunday night shook Afghanistan, Pakistan, India and Tajikistan, with Afghan officials reporting hundreds of casualties and widespread destruction. According to the US Geological Survey, the 6.0-magnitude quake struck near Jalalabad, Afghanistan, at a depth of 8 kilometres around 12:17am. A second tremor measuring 4.5 was […]
WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has introduced a new $250 “visa fee” for foreign travellers, including those from Pakistan, raising the overall cost of a US visa to $442. The fee will take effect from October 1, 2025. The move comes amid declining foreign tourist arrivals to the United States, with […]
US President Donald Trump has cancelled his planned visit to India for the Quad Summit in November 2025, the New York Times reported on Saturday, underscoring deepening strains in relations between Washington and New Delhi over trade and foreign policy. The decision comes weeks after the US administration imposed an […]
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday received a telephone call from Iranian President Dr Masoud Pezeshkian, who conveyed condolences over the loss of life and property caused by recent floods in different parts of Pakistan. According to the Prime Minister’s Office, President Pezeshkian expressed solidarity with the affected families […]
ANKARA: In a sweeping move on Friday, Turkiye announced the suspension of all commercial and economic ties with Israel and closed its airspace to Israeli aircraft, citing Tel Aviv’s ongoing military campaign in Gaza and regional policies. Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan told parliament that atrocities in Gaza had become “one […]
WARSAW: A Polish Air Force F-16 fighter jet crashed on Thursday during rehearsals for an airshow in Radom, central Poland, killing its pilot, the army confirmed. Defence Minister Wladyslaw Kosiniak-Kamysz, who visited the crash site, paid tribute on social media platform X. “A Polish Army pilot died in the crash […]