Habibullah Khatti walks on a crackling salt crust to his mother’s grave for one final prayer before he leaves his desolate island village in the Indus delta for good. The intrusion of seawater into the delta, where the Indus River meets the Arabian Sea, has caused farming and fishing communities to collapse. “The saltwater has surrounded us on all four sides,” Khatti told AFP from Abdullah Mirbahar village, located in the town of Kharo Chan, about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from the river’s mouth. As fish stocks dwindled, the 54-year-old became a tailor, but that too became impossible as only…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Beijing authorities have lifted a severe weather alert but have warned residents to remain vigilant against natural disasters after more than 82,000 people were evacuated over fears of more deadly floods. The municipal weather office had imposed a red rainstorm warning—the highest in its four-tier system—on Monday, forecasting heavy rainfall until Tuesday morning. The alert was lifted early Tuesday morning, with a social media statement from the office explaining that the weather system had weakened as it moved eastward. However, the office continued to warn of isolated downpours in outlying parts of the city and advised that people “must not…
India’s foreign ministry stated on Monday that the United States and the European Union were “targeting” it for its purchase of Russian oil, labeling the actions as “unjustified” and vowing to protect its interests. The ministry’s response came after US President Donald Trump pledged to increase tariffs on the country because of its oil purchases from Russia. “The targeting of India is unjustified and unreasonable,” said India Foreign Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal in a statement. “Like any major economy, India will take all necessary measures to safeguard its national interests and economic security,” he added, without providing further details on…
Now in its twenty-second month, Israel’s war in Gaza is setting friends and families against one another and intensifying existing political and cultural divides. On one side, families of hostages and peace activists are demanding that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government secure a ceasefire with Hamas to free the remaining captives. On the other side, right-wing members of Netanyahu’s cabinet want to take advantage of the moment to occupy and annex more Palestinian land, even at the risk of further international condemnation. This heated debate has divided the nation and strained personal relationships, undermining national unity at a time of…
A Brazilian judge has ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to be placed under house arrest for breaking a social media ban, a move that has intensified the conflict between the court and the politician who is accused of plotting a coup. Bolsonaro is currently on trial at the Supreme Court for allegedly attempting to remain in power after his defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the 2022 elections. US President Donald Trump has sought to penalize Brazil, a long-time American ally, by imposing substantial tariffs on Latin America’s largest economy in response to what he describes as…
On Tuesday, Bangladesh’s interim leader marked the one-year anniversary of the overthrow of Sheikh Hasina’s autocratic regime, urging people to seize the “opportunity” for reform. Muhammad Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner who is heading the caretaker government until elections are held, also cautioned against those he said were attempting to reverse the progress made. “Today marks an unforgettable chapter in the history of Bangladesh,” Yunus said, celebrating a day that he claimed had “liberated our beloved nation from the grip of long-standing fascist rule.” The South Asian nation of around 170 million people has been in political turmoil…
At least two people were shot and killed, and three others were wounded, in what police suspect was a late-night armed assault in Karachi’s Gulistan-e-Jauhar area on Monday. Police, citing eyewitnesses, said the attackers arrived on a motorbike and in a car and opened fire outside a shop in Pehlwan Goth. Initial findings suggest that multiple weapons were used, as spent bullet casings and a magazine were recovered from the scene. The motive for the attack is currently unknown, and police have launched an investigation. Allama Sadiq Jafri, a leader of the Majlis Wahdat-e-Muslimeen (MWM), condemned the attack and called…
Despite a ban on public gatherings in Islamabad and Rawalpindi, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) is conducting protest demonstrations across the country to demand the release of its founder, Imran Khan, who completed two years in prison on August 5. The opposition party shared these updates on its official X handle. PTI sources have claimed that police in Lahore detained at least 300 of its activists in overnight raids. Party leaders have accused the police of conducting raids to arrest PTI leaders and workers. In a message posted on the party’s X account, the former Prime Minister urged his supporters to…
Pakistan has definitively rejected Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky’s “baseless and unfounded” claims that its nationals are involved in the conflict in Ukraine, stating that no credible evidence has been presented to support such accusations. The Foreign Office’s response came a day after President Zelensky alleged that Ukrainian troops in northeastern Ukraine were fighting against foreign “mercenaries” from various countries, including China, Pakistan, and parts of Africa, and vowed a response. Zelensky has previously accused Moscow of recruiting Chinese fighters for its war effort against Ukraine, charges which Beijing denied, while North Korea has also reportedly provided thousands of its own…
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has voiced concerns that the Modi administration may be planning to reinstate statehood for Jammu while keeping the union territory status for occupied Kashmir. He made these remarks while addressing a rally on Tuesday in Islamabad, held to mark Youm-e-Istehsal—the sixth anniversary of New Delhi’s revocation of the semi-autonomous status of India Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Dar referenced Indian media reports, stating, “On August 5, 2019, Jammu, Kashmir, and Ladakh were declared as a union territory, but now it is being said that Jammu will be granted statehood.” The deputy…
