LONDON A UK court on Wednesday jailed seven members of a “grooming gang” for between 12 to 35 years for using two teenage girls as “sex slaves,” the latest sentences handed down in a decades-long scandal. The Crime and Convictions All the men, who are of South Asian descent, targeted and groomed at least two vulnerable white teenage girls in Rochdale, near Manchester in northwest England. They then repeatedly raped the victims over a five-year period starting in 2001. Trial Details: A jury hearing the four-month trial in Manchester found all seven guilty in June of rape and dozens of…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
ISLAMABAD Despite their misgivings with the ‘pro-Israel’ draft of US President Donald Trump’s plan to bring peace to war-ravaged Gaza, countries from the eight-member Muslim bloc may yet push for it to be accepted. Officials from Qatar and Pakistan have already implied—albeit diplomatically—that the plan announced by the White House was quite “different” from the one they signed up to in New York. However, some countries—especially those in Gaza’s immediate neighbourhood—also believe they have secured key concessions, such as Trump’s refusal to recognize Israeli annexation of the West Bank and a US commitment that Palestinians will be allowed to remain…
LONDON Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who transformed her childhood love of primates into a lifelong mission for environmental protection, died on Wednesday at the age of 91, her institute announced. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed in a social media post that Dr. Goodall died of natural causes. The institute stated, “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.” Scientific Breakthroughs and Legacy The primatologist-turned-conservationist channeled her passion for wildlife into a global campaign that took her from a seaside English village to Africa…
ISLAMABAD (Report) The Trump administration has announced plans to terminate dozens of clean energy projects and freeze billions of dollars for major projects in New York, intensifying a stand-off with Democrats over a United States government shutdown. US media outlets described the moves as part of the administration’s efforts to pressure Democrats in Congress to agree on a deal to end the shutdown. Clean Energy Projects Terminated Department of Energy (DOE): The DOE announced on Thursday “the termination of 321 financial awards supporting 223 projects,” claiming a savings of approximately $7.56 billion for American taxpayers. Rationale for Cancellation: The department…
MANCHESTER/ISLAMABAD (Time Reference) At least two people were killed and three badly wounded outside a packed synagogue in Manchester in a car and stabbing attack on Thursday, with the suspect believed to have been shot dead by UK police. The incident, which occurred as the Jewish community marked the holy day of Yom Kippur in the northwestern city, led police to activate a national terrorism-response protocol. The attack struck just days ahead of the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack on Israel, which ignited a fierce offensive in Gaza and has subsequently inflamed tensions across Britain. British Prime…
ISLAMABAD Former prime minister Imran Khan was questioned in prison by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials regarding his “anti-state” tweets, critical remarks on foreign policy, and other topics, according to a detailed statement posted on his official X account. Though Mr. Khan does not have access to his X account while incarcerated, the statement disclosed the five key areas of questioning and his detailed responses. The PTI founder has been quizzed repeatedly about his social media activity and has previously refused to answer any questions without his lawyers present. This is the first time such an account of questioning by…
QUETTA At least 21 suspected terrorists were killed in a series of operations carried out by security forces and the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) of police in Quetta, Sherani, and Kech districts, according to officials. Additionally, four terrorists disguised in women’s clothing were arrested in Khuzdar on Wednesday, as reported by the military’s media wing. CTD Operation in Quetta CTD officials reported that an operation was conducted in the Aghbarg area on the outskirts of Quetta following a tip-off about the presence of terrorists. A CTD team cordoned off the locality, leading to an immediate opening of fire by the…
ISLAMABAD The Islamabad District Bar Association (IDBA) has moved the Islamabad High Court (IHC) with an application seeking to be impleaded as a party in the case challenging the appointment of Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, whose LLB degree was recently cancelled by Karachi University. Filed through its President Chaudhary Naeem Ali Gujjar, the IDBA argued that it is the “primary stakeholder” in all matters related to the independence of the judiciary and the supremacy of the Constitution. The bar maintained that a “fair and transparent adjudication” of the pending writ petition is impossible without its participation, as the issues raised…
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN Pakistan’s federal government dispatched a high-level delegation to Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) on Thursday to commence formal negotiations with the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), in a critical effort to resolve the widespread unrest that has paralysed the territory. The decision follows a directive from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who expressed deep concern over the law and order situation, particularly after violent protests led to the deaths of at least three policemen. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) urged citizens to remain peaceful and called on law enforcement agencies to exercise restraint, emphasizing that “respect for public sentiments…
ISLAMABAD, PAKISTAN A high-stakes row has erupted between Pakistan’s two primary coalition partners, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), after Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz delivered a fiery diatribe concerning flood compensation and the sensitive issue of water rights on the Indus River. In a bid to defuse the escalating tensions, senior figures from both parties met in Islamabad on Thursday. The gathering—which included Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazir, and Senator Rana Sanaullah for the PML-N, and Navid Qamar and Ijaz Jakhrani for the PPP—concluded with an agreement to take the…
