News & Current Events

[ad_1] Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan is prepared to engage in reconciliation discussions with the government or any institution, but cannot be forced into submission at gunpoint, according to Junaid Akbar, who leads the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. Since August 2023, Khan has been held in Adiala Jail Rawalpindi, confronting numerous cases initiated following his government's removal in April 2022.Akbar, during a press interaction on Thursday, said that Khan has expressed willingness to engage in dialogue with any party to ensure constitutional and legal supremacy, whilst refusing forceful submission."Our doors are open, but if someone thinks they can force their will upon us by keeping Khan Sahib and our workers in jail and lodging FIRs against us, they are mistaken," he said.Akbar stressed the importance of institutions and political parties operating […]

[ad_1] US President Donald Trump (File photo-AP) The Trump administration’s sweeping move to screen immigrants and visa applicants for "antisemitic" activity on social media has triggered outrage among rights groups, universities, and legal experts. Effective immediately, US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) will now consider online speech critical of Israel—or construed as support for groups like Hamas or Hezbollah—as grounds to deny visas, green cards, and other immigration benefits.“There is no room in the United States for the rest of the world’s terrorist sympathizers,” said DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin.This initiative comes amid a broader Trump-era campaign to silence pro-Palestinian dissent, punish elite universities, and remake higher education through government pressure, funding cuts, and deportations.Why it mattersAt stake is far more than immigration vetting. Trump’s crackdown signals a redefinition of what kind of speech—and what kind of people—are welcome in America. […]

[ad_1] Image used for representative purposes The commander of Iran’s Quds Force, Brigadier General Esmail Qa’ani, asserted on Thursday that the United States and Israel are “powerless in practice” against Iran and its regional allies, despite their tough rhetoric. “They cannot even comprehend why our missiles accurately hit their targets. This is our strength,” Qa’ani said, referencing Iran’s missile strikes on Israeli-held territory in April and October last year. Iranian officials claim those operations used only a fraction of the country's full military capabilities, as reported by Iranian state media outlet PressTV. The comments follow recent threats from US President Donald Trump about potential strikes on Iran. In response, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) unveiled a new underground missile “megacity,” a development that Western analysts believe could signal more advanced and widespread missile deployment in any future conflict. Iran’s […]

[ad_1] NEW DELHI: In his first public response to the sweeping tariffs imposed by US President Donald Trump, Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday warned that “there are no winners in the tariff war” and that confronting the international community could lead to “self-isolation.”“For over seven decades, China’s growth has been fuelled by self-reliance and hard work, never depending on favours from others and never backing down in the face of unreasonable suppression,” Xi said, according to China’s state news agency Xinhua.“No matter how the external environment shifts, China will maintain its resolve and focus, dedicating itself to managing its own affairs efficiently.”Xi’s comments came during a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez in Beijing, where the Chinese leader urged the European Union to join China in opposing unilateralism and economic coercion—an implicit reference to the United States.“China and […]

[ad_1] In a bizarre twist of international trade policy, it wasn’t just penguins that found themselves unexpectedly swept up in US tariffs — even the volcanoes of Australia's most remote territory weren’t spared.Heard and McDonald Islands, two sub-Antarctic outposts located about 4,000 kilometers southwest of mainland Australia, were included in sweeping tariff measures introduced under President Donald Trump’s administration. The islands are entirely uninhabited, have no trade infrastructure, and host no commercial activity. Their inclusion sparked confusion — and a wave of online memes showing penguins ready to go to warbut scientists say there’s far more to these islands than viral penguin content. Volcanic power in a wildernessHeard Island is home to Big Ben, an active volcano capped by the snow-covered Mawson Peak, which regularly emits lava and gas.“These islands are geologically active and scientifically invaluable,” said Dr. Justine Shaw, […]

[ad_1] Israel foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar dismisses French President Macron's plans In an interview with a French broadcaster on April 10, President Macron of France suggested that France is planning to recognize a Palestinian state by June. These remarks were dismissed by Israel's foreign minister Gideon Sa'ar.President Macron was hopeful that by recognizing a Palestinian state in a conference that France is co-hosting with Saudi Arabia in June, some countries in the Middle East can, in turn, recognise the state of Israel. “We need to move towards recognition (of a Palestinian state). And so, over the next few months, we will. I’m not doing it to please anyone. I’ll do it because at some point it will be right,” President Macron said in an interview with France 5 television, as quoted by the New York Post.In response, Israel’s foreign minister […]

[ad_1] PEARL HARBOR, HAWAII: A Japanese pilot slammed his Zero fighter plane into the USS Missouri and ignited a fireball on April 11, 1945, during the Battle of Okinawa. The suicide attack instantly killed the pilot, but none of the battleship's crew members were badly hurt. The Missouri's captain ordered a military burial at sea with full honors, marking one of the more unusual and little-known episodes of World War II. The pilot received the same funeral that the ship would have given one of its own sailors. Eighty years later, the Missouri is a museum moored at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, not far from the submerged hull of the USS Arizona, which sank in the 1941 Japanese bombing that propelled the U.S. into the war. On Friday, three of the captain's grandsons will mark the anniversary of the attack and […]

[ad_1] Robert F. Kennedy Martin Luther King Jr (File photos) New details have emerged around the imminent release of files concerning the assassinations of Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr, as announced on Thursday by Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard.At a White House cabinet meeting, Gabbard disclosed that her team is presently digitising the RFK and King records. "I've had over 100 people working around the clock to scan the paper around RFK, senator Robert F. Kennedy's assassination, as well as Martin Luther King Jr's assassination," she said. "These have been sitting in boxes and storage for decades," Gabbard added. "They have never been scanned or seen before. We'll have those ready to release here within the next few days."The initiative follows President Donald Trump's executive order, issued in January, mandating the unredacted disclosure […]

[ad_1] A sightseeing trip over New York turned tragic on Thursday after a helicopter crashed into the Hudson River, killing six people — including a high-profile executive of Siemens, one of Europe’s largest technology firms.Agustín Escobar died in the crash alongside his wife, Merce Camprubi Montal, and their three children, aged 4, 5, and 11, ABC News reported. The pilot also lost his life.Escobar had led Siemens Spain since 2022 and also served as the Global CEO of Rail Infrastructure at Siemens Mobility, according to a company press release. Siemens is a German-based multinational company that operates in sectors including energy, industry, transport and healthcare technology. Its rail and mobility division, where Escobar held a global leadership role, is involved in projects related to rail systems, infrastructure, and transport technology in various countries.According to his LinkedIn profile, Escobar had over […]

[ad_1] US and Panamanian military forces conduct a joint drill at the Panama Canal during the visit of US defense secretary Pete Hegseth to Port of Rodman in West Panama, Tuesday, April 8, 2025. (AP) PANAMA: US troops will be able to deploy to a string of bases along the Panama Canal under a joint deal seen by AFP Thursday, a major concession to President Donald Trump as he seeks to reestablish influence over the vital waterway.The agreement, signed by top security officials from both countries, allows US military personnel to deploy to Panama-controlled facilities for training, exercises and "other activities."The deal stops short of allowing the United States to build its own permanent bases on the isthmus, a move that would be deeply unpopular with Panamanians and legally fraught.But it gives the United States broad sway to deploy an […]