The Taliban government in Afghanistan has rejected the International Criminal Court’s (ICC) arrest warrant for its leaders, calling it “politically motivated.” This statement follows ICC’s chief prosecutor announcing that he is seeking warrants against senior Taliban leaders over the persecution of women, which he described as a crime against humanity. In its response, the Taliban’s foreign ministry stated that the decision, like many others by the ICC, was “devoid of a fair legal basis, is a matter of double standards, and politically motivated.” The Taliban also criticized the ICC for ignoring war crimes and crimes against humanity committed by foreign…
Author: Raja Zahid Khanzada
Russia’s Ministry of Defence announced that its air defences successfully repelled a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack overnight, intercepting and destroying 121 drones targeting 13 regions, including Moscow. Six drones were destroyed over the Moscow region, including one over the capital itself, while others targeted areas near Ukraine’s border and the Kursk region, where Ukrainian troops hold some land. The Ryazan region was also hit by 20 drones, reportedly causing damage to an oil storage depot and a power station, although these reports are unverified. Meanwhile, Ukraine’s air force claimed it shot down 25 of the 58 Russian drones launched in…
Trump Administration Begins Major Crackdown on Illegal Immigration US authorities, under President Donald Trump’s second administration, have arrested 538 migrants and deported hundreds in a large-scale operation. The deportations were carried out using military aircraft, marking what is described as the largest deportation operation in US history. Trump, who campaigned on a promise to tighten immigration controls, began his second term by signing executive orders aimed at overhauling US immigration policy. In Newark, New Jersey, Mayor Ras J. Baraka condemned a raid conducted by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents, stating that it involved the detention of both undocumented residents…
Zaheer Mahmood Sentenced to 30 Years for Attempted Murder A Paris court has sentenced Pakistani national Zaheer Mahmood to 30 years in prison for attempting to murder two people outside the former offices of Charlie Hebdo in 2020. Mahmood believed that the satirical newspaper was still located at the site, which had been targeted years earlier for publishing controversial cartoons. However, Charlie Hebdo had relocated following a deadly 2015 attack by Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen. Mahmood, who illegally entered France in 2019, was convicted of attempted murder and terrorist conspiracy. He will also be banned from entering France once he serves his…
Prime Minister Keir Starmer Calls It a “National Crisis” Britain is grappling with a dangerous rise in teenage knife crime, which Prime Minister Keir Starmer has labeled a “national crisis.” The crisis has led to the loss of young lives, often at the hands of others of the same age, in an increasingly violent knife culture. Rhys, who was recruited by a drug gang at the age of eight, recounted the loss of friends due to violence, including one who was fatally stabbed in his arms. A decade ago, after witnessing his best friend’s death from a stabbing, Rhys decided…
Practitioners Keep Low Profile to Avoid Arrest and Public Shaming Amid Government-Led Campaigns DUSHANBE: In Tajikistan, a woman cautiously opens her apartment door, letting out a waft of incense. “I’m not taking on new clients; it could be a set-up,” she says, closing and locking the door. Tajikistan, a predominantly Muslim country, has recently launched a crackdown against fortune-tellers, clairvoyants, mediums, and “witches.” Practitioners of the occult are keeping a low profile to avoid arrest and public shaming due to a government-led campaign. Tajik police have escalated raids against those they accuse of being “parasites engaged in some of the…
Unicef’s Executive Director Says Children “Heat Up Faster, Sweat Less Efficiently, and Cool Down More Slowly than Adults” NEW YORK: According to Unicef, about 242 million children’s schooling was disrupted across 85 countries in 2024, roughly one in seven students, highlighting an “overlooked” aspect of the climate crisis. Unicef’s Executive Director, Catherine Russell, warned that children are more vulnerable to extreme weather, as they heat up faster, sweat less efficiently, and cool down more slowly than adults. The report emphasized that heatwaves had the greatest impact, and children struggle to concentrate in classrooms with no relief from the heat. Global…
Rain and Mountain Snow Forecast to Bring Relief but Also New Risks LOS ANGELES: Firefighters have successfully halted the advance of the “Hughes Fire” located about 80 kilometers north of Los Angeles, with 4,000 firefighters involved in the effort, while California Governor Gavin Newsom signed a $2.5 billion relief package for the fire-affected region. The fire, which broke out on Wednesday, burned around 10,176 acres (41 square kilometers) of land. Firefighters used air drops of water and retardant, along with hand tools and hoses, to contain the blaze. Containment reached 24%, up from 14% earlier in the day. The fire…
“The whole world is responsible for making that happen,” says Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus DAVOS, Switzerland: Muhammad Yunus, the head of Bangladesh’s interim government and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, said on Thursday that the high growth under ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was “fake,” blaming the global community for not questioning her alleged corruption. Yunus, 84, took charge of Bangladesh’s interim government in August after Hasina was forced to flee to India following violent protests. Hasina has been credited with transforming the economy and the garment industry, but critics accuse her of human rights abuses and suppressing free speech. Yunus…
“It is in the national interest to finally release all records related to these assassinations without delay,” says Trump’s order WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Thursday that will declassify the last secret files related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy, a case that continues to fuel conspiracy theories more than 60 years after his death. The order also mandates the release of documents related to the 1960s assassinations of JFK’s younger brother Robert F. Kennedy and civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. Trump remarked, “That’s big one, huh? A lot of people…
