Pakistan News

PPP Central Information Secretary Faisal Karim Kundi on Tuesday asserted that opposition parties in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa would spring a “surprise” in the upcoming Senate elections. He made the remarks while addressing a press conference in Islamabad with PPP General Secretary Nayyer Bukhari and former Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) senator Talha Mahmood — who announced that he would be joining the party. “As soon as the oath (on reserved seats) is taken, opposition parties in KP will give a surprise in the Senate elections,” Kundi said. The PPP leader also criticised the KP government for employing “delaying tactics” in the oath-taking of MPAs on reserved seats. Noting that the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) had been denied reserved seats by the Peshawar High Court, he said the PPP wanted the oath-taking to take place as soon as possible. He said the PTI-SIC was afraid that “they would lose many Senate seats” if oaths were administered to women and minorities on reserved seats. ...

The United States, Britain and New Zealand have accused Beijing-backed cyber groups of being behind a series of attacks against lawmakers and key democratic institutions — allegations that were denied by China. In rare and detailed public accusations against China — Washington, London and Wellington described a series of cyber breaches over the last decade or more, in what appeared to be a concerted effort to hold Beijing accountable. The US Justice Department charged seven Chinese nationals over what it said was a 14-year “prolific global hacking operation” designed to aid China’s “economic espionage and foreign intelligence objectives.” Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco on Monday said the campaign involved more than 10,000 emails being sent, targeting US and foreign-based businesses, politicians, candidates for elected office and journalists. Washington said a unit, dubbed APT31, was behind the attacks, describing it as a “cyberespionage program” run by China’s powerful Mini...

When Mohammad Hasan returned to his hometown in Gilgit-Baltistan last month, he was welcomed by a parched Skardu gasping for precipitation. The peaks encircling the town, usually hidden under a blanket of snow, looked livid with thirst. In neighbouring Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, ‘hotspots’ Malam Jabba, Swat and Kalam also failed to transition from brown to white. The cities’ otherwise crowded streets only sported desperate shopkeepers cajoling disappointed tourists. Snow and rain had eluded the northern areas in the peak of winter. On the other hand, down south, floods wreaked havoc in Balochistan — that too in February. Gwadar received over 2,200 millimetres of rain within a span of just a few days, while other areas of the province recorded freezing temperatures. In the southeast, an ‘unusual’ cold wave left Sindh shivering. Karachi saw temperatures going down to 11 degrees Celsius earlier this month, recording the coldest-ever March since 1979. Just three months into 2024, Pakistan a...

Search teams in southeastern Brazil rescued a girl buried for more than 16 hours in the rubble of a collapsed house, following a powerful storm on Friday that has so far claimed at least a dozen lives. Authorities have deployed teams to the mountainous areas of Rio de Janeiro state, describing the situation caused by the deluge as “critical”. Four of the deaths in Rio state occurred when the storm caused a house to collapse in the city of Petropolis, 70 kilometres inland from the capital. The girl’s father, who was found dead next to her on Saturday morning, had “heroically protected the girl with his body,” a neighbour told AFP . “We are in pain, but grateful for this miracle,” said Luis Claudio de Souza, 63. The deluge came as Brazil, South America’s largest country, is suffering through a recent string of extreme weather events, which experts say are more likely to occur due to climate change. At least nine people have been killed in the state of Rio de Janeiro, officials said...

With the T20 World Cup months away, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday dissolved the men’s national selection committee. In a statement, a spokesperson for the cricket board said a new committee would be selected soon, adding that it would take decisions based on merit and performance. “The new selection committee’s decisions on merit will be in front of everyone to see,” the spokesperson said. The national selection committee was headed by former fast bowler Wahab Riaz and also included Tauseef Ahmed, Wajahatullah Wasti and Wasim Haider. Kamran Akmal and Rao Iftikhar Anjum were consultant members while Hassan Muzaffar Cheema was the manager analytics and team strategy. Last week, PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at changes to the selection committee during a press conference at the Pakistan Super League (PSL) final. “I might be making some changes in that committee, but I believe that the selection committee should be empowered enough to be able to take these impor...

Russia will observe a national day of mourning on Sunday after a massacre in a Moscow concert hall that killed more than 130 people, the deadliest attack in Europe to have been claimed by the Islamic State (IS) group. Russian President Vladimir Putin has vowed to punish those behind the “barbaric terrorist attack”, saying four gunmen trying to flee to Ukraine had been arrested. Kyiv has strongly denied any connection, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accusing Putin of trying to shift the blame onto them. Putin, in his first public remarks on the attack, made no reference to a statement by IS claiming responsibility. At least 133 people were killed when camouflaged gunmen stormed the Crocus City Hall, in Moscow’s northern suburb of Krasnogorsk, and then set fire to the building on Friday evening. The Islamic State group wrote on Telegram on Saturday that the attack was “carried out by four IS fighters armed with machine guns, a pistol, knives and firebombs,” as part ...

VANCOUVER — It was only a couple of weeks ago when coach Rick Tocchet was imploring the Vancouver Canucks to raise their level ahead of the playoffs, and we wondered if they had enough time to prepare for the Stanley Cup tournament. With 11 regular-season games remaining, we wonder now if there is too much time left. The Canucks look ready for the playoffs. They fixed the leaks in their team defence that cost the Canucks leads and games last week against Colorado and Washington, and are suddenly playing their tightest, most disciplined hockey of the season. Their 4-2 win Saturday against the Calgary Flames was the third straight systems clinic the Canucks have conducted. After allowing only 17 shots in wins Tuesday against the Buffalo Sabres and Thursday against the Montreal Canadiens, the Canucks yielded 24 to the Flames. Four of those were in the final three minutes after the game was decided. On their 85 th  day leading the Pacific Division, the Canucks pushed themselves b...