MANILA: On Monday, Philippine ships sustained significant damage in pre-dawn collisions with Chinese vessels near a contested reef, according to Manila’s coast guard. This incident marks a new escalation in Beijing’s efforts to assert its claims in the South China Sea. Recent months have seen frequent confrontations between China and the Philippines in these waters, including around the Second Thomas Shoal, where Manila has grounded a warship that hosts a garrison. Despite an international tribunal ruling that rejects China’s claims, Beijing continues to assert dominance over nearly the entire South China Sea. The collisions occurred near the disputed Sabina Shoal,…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
MOSCOW: On Monday, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov asserted that it was “clear” the United States ordered the 2022 attacks on the Nord Stream gas pipelines. German prosecutors recently issued an arrest warrant for a Ukrainian individual in connection with the pipeline blasts, which had transported Russian gas to Germany under the Baltic Sea. The Wall Street Journal reported that a Ukrainian team carried out the explosions with approval from Kyiv’s then military commander-in-chief. During a visit to Azerbaijan, Lavrov reiterated Moscow’s longstanding accusation of Western involvement. “It is evident that such a terrorist attack would require orders from the…
WASHINGTON: Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, who has been appointed as Pakistan’s new ambassador to the United States, is anticipated to arrive in Washington this week, according to diplomatic sources reported by Dawn. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Islamabad announced in late June that Additional Foreign Secretary Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, who oversees the Middle East and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), would be the country’s new envoy to the US. The appointment of Sheikh comes after a prolonged vacancy. The previous ambassador, Masood Khan, had been serving under a three-month extension following the expiration of his contract in March, which…
KYIV: On Sunday, Ukraine announced that it had successfully targeted a second crucial bridge in Russia’s Kursk region, aiming to disrupt Moscow’s supply lines as Kyiv’s unprecedented incursion into Russian territory extended into its second week. In response, Russia intensified its efforts in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have seized another village located just a few kilometers from the Ukrainian-controlled logistics hub of Pokrovsk. “Another bridge down,” Ukrainian Air Force Commander Mykola Oleshchuk declared on Telegram, sharing an aerial video of an explosion demolishing a bridge near the Russian town of Zvannoye. “The Air Force continues to impair the enemy’s logistical…
DHAKA: In his first major policy address since taking office, Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus affirmed Bangladesh’s commitment to supporting both its large Rohingya refugee population and its crucial garment industry. Yunus, 84, who recently returned from Europe after leading a student-driven revolution, is now tasked with guiding democratic reforms in a country grappling with institutional decay. His predecessor, Sheikh Hasina, 76, had abruptly left the country by helicopter following 15 years of authoritarian rule. Addressing diplomats and UN representatives, Yunus emphasized continuity on two major policy fronts. “Our government will continue to support the more than one million Rohingya refugees…
CHICAGO: As Chicago prepares to host the Democratic National Convention, security services are on high alert for a range of potential threats, including violent protests and lone wolf attacks potentially linked to recent political violence. Chicago, with a history of political gatherings dating back to Abraham Lincoln’s nomination in 1860, is gearing up for its 26th national convention next week, which is expected to be one of the most secure in its history. Over 50,000 activists are anticipated to gather downtown for the four-day event celebrating the Democratic Party’s new leader, Vice President Kamala Harris. The convention will feature a…
In the Gaza Strip, the ongoing conflict has severely impacted daily life, including basic needs such as clothing. Safaa Yassin, a resident displaced from Gaza City, has been dressing her child in the same white bodysuit for months. “When I was pregnant, I dreamed of dressing my daughter in beautiful clothes,” she says. “Today, I have nothing to put on her.” Yassin, now living in the Al-Mawasi area, finds that the clothes she managed to salvage before evacuating are either the wrong size or inappropriate for the hot summer temperatures exceeding 30°C. The scarcity of clothing is a growing issue…
Thousands of junior doctors in India continued their protests on Monday, disrupting hospital services nearly a week after they began their nationwide action demanding safer workplaces and prompt criminal justice. The protests were sparked by the August 9 rape and murder of a 31-year-old trainee doctor at a hospital in Kolkata. The police have arrested a volunteer who has been charged with the crime. Women’s rights activists have highlighted the incident as a stark reminder of ongoing sexual violence against women in India, despite the stricter laws enacted following the 2012 gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student in…
NEW DELHI: Following a day of communal unrest in Udaipur, Rajasthan, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government took the controversial step of demolishing the house belonging to the minor Muslim boy accused of stabbing his classmate. The demolition was carried out on the grounds that the house had been built illegally on Forest Department land, The Hindu reported. The Forest Department issued an evacuation notice to the family in the morning, and by the afternoon, the house had been demolished. Such actions have become a notable feature in BJP-ruled states, where demolishing homes of individuals from targeted communities has been…
The Philippines has reported a new case of mpox, the first since December last year, according to the Department of Health (DOH) on Monday. The case involves a 33-year-old Filipino man with no recent travel history outside the country. The DOH is currently awaiting test results to identify the strain of the virus. “We are awaiting sequencing results and will provide an update once available,” said DOH spokesperson Albert Domingo. The World Health Organization recently declared mpox a global public health emergency, its highest alert level, following an outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo that has spread to neighboring…
