The White House has tempered expectations for a quick Russia-Ukraine ceasefire deal from the upcoming summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska this Friday. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt stated on Tuesday that the meeting “is a listening exercise for the president.” She added that because “only one party that’s involved in this war is going to be present,” the summit’s purpose is for Trump to gain a “more firm and better understanding of how we can hopefully bring this war to an end.” The one-on-one meeting will be held in Anchorage, Alaska, and…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov spoke by phone on Tuesday to prepare for the upcoming summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin in Alaska, the State Department announced. According to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce, both sides “confirmed their commitment to a successful event.” Bruce also confirmed that Putin had requested the meeting, which will take place this Friday. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has called the meeting a “personal victory” for Putin, who had been largely isolated by the West since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Rubio, however, defended the…
Indian exporters are urgently exploring options to mitigate the potential fallout from US President Donald Trump’s threatened tariff hike. Many fear significant job losses after Trump stated he would raise new import tariffs from 25% to 50% if India continues to purchase Russian oil, a move intended to cut off Moscow’s revenue for its military actions in Ukraine. Economist Garima Kapoor of Elara Securities warned that “at 50% tariff, no product from India can stand any competitive edge.” India, a major crude oil importer, has until August 27 to find alternatives to replace about a third of its current foreign…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to travel to the United States next month for the UN General Assembly meeting, with a potential bilateral meeting with President Donald Trump on the agenda, as reported by the Indian Express on Wednesday. While India’s foreign ministry has not yet confirmed the visit, an official stated that a final decision has not been made. The official noted that India’s “head of government” is on a provisional list of speakers for September 26, but this list is subject to change. Although the primary reason for the visit would be to attend the UN…
Britain, France, and Germany have informed the United Nations that they are prepared to reimpose UN-mandated sanctions on Iran if a diplomatic solution for its nuclear program is not reached by the end of August. This message was delivered in a joint letter sent to UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and the UN Security Council, according to a copy obtained by AFP. The letter states that the three European powers, known as the E3, are “committed to use all diplomatic tools at our disposal to ensure Iran does not develop a nuclear weapon” unless Tehran meets the deadline. The foreign ministers…
The National Assembly on Tuesday introduced the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2025, which seeks to make the unjust eviction of women from their homes a punishable offense. Presented by Pakistan People’s Party MNA Sharmila Faruqui, the bill proposes that any husband or household member who forcibly removes a woman from her home without justification could face imprisonment for three to six months and a fine of up to Rs200,000. Under this proposed amendment, cases would be tried under the jurisdiction of a first-class magistrate. The legislation aims to amend the Pakistan Penal Code to provide women with stronger legal safeguards…
The United States was instrumental in preventing a potential disaster during the recent hostilities between Pakistan and India, according to State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce. Speaking at a press briefing on Tuesday, she praised Washington’s decisive role in pulling both nations back from the brink of a full-blown conflict. “Obviously, we had an experience with Pakistan and India when there was a conflict, one that could have developed into something quite horrible,” Bruce stated. She recalled that she was at the State Department at the time and there was “immediate concern and immediate movement” from the Vice President, President, and…
The Karachi Traffic Police have issued a traffic advisory for motorists in light of the Independence Day and “Marka-e-Haq” event scheduled for this evening at the National Bank Stadium. According to the advisory, the event will begin at 6:00 PM, and heavy traffic congestion is anticipated on all routes leading to the venue starting from 5:00 PM. Officials have warned that significant traffic bottlenecks could persist until 2:00 AM. Citizens are advised to avoid unnecessary travel between the Civic Centre and the National Stadium during these hours. The term “Marka-e-Haq” was designated by Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal for this year’s…
Backchannel communications have raised the possibility of a dialogue between the government and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), as a majority of PTI parliamentarians, including some recently convicted members, reportedly favor initiating formal talks. According to sources, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq is playing a significant role in facilitating this process by establishing contact with both sides. On the government’s end, some figures like PML-N’s Rana Sanaullah are reportedly open to engaging with PTI leaders, despite the party’s founder, Imran Khan, remaining hesitant to speak with government representatives. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has also made repeated offers for dialogue. Notably, most…
The Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has taken action on Defence Minister Khawaja Asif’s statement regarding Pakistani bureaucrats’ property acquisitions in Portugal. The PAC has directed the Establishment Division and the Ministry of Interior to immediately provide a list of all such officials. Furthermore, it has summoned officials from the Ministry of Interior, State Bank, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), and other relevant institutions for a briefing in its next session. During its meeting, the committee also reviewed the audit objections of the Ministry of Religious Affairs for the fiscal years 2022-23 and 2023-24. The PAC has decided to address…
