RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva kicked off a global effort on Wednesday to end hunger and extreme poverty, aiming to make it a hallmark of Brazil’s G20 presidency as he seeks to restore the country’s soft power on the world stage. Alongside foreign officials in Rio de Janeiro, where finance and development ministers from the world’s largest economies are meeting this week, Lula hailed the nascent Global Alliance Against Hunger and Poverty. “Nothing is as absurd and unacceptable in the 21st century as the persistence of hunger and poverty, when we have so much abundance…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
SEOUL: Trash-carrying balloons sent by North Korea hit the South Korean presidential compound on Wednesday, security officials said, prompting Seoul to mobilise chemical response teams in the escalating tit-for-tat propaganda war. It is the first time the South Korean leader’s office in downtown Seoul, which is protected by scores of soldiers and a no-fly zone, has been directly hit by any of the thousands of trash-carrying balloons launched by Pyongyang since May. “The chemical, biological and radiological (warfare) response team has safely collected the trash balloons,” the presidential security service said. “After investigation, results have confirmed that there were no…
WELLINGTON: Some 200,000 New Zealanders held in care were abused over decades, a public inquiry reported on Wednesday, prompting an apology from the country’s prime minister who vowed reform. The authors of the report described widespread abuse in state care and faith-based institutions as an “unthinkable national catastrophe” that caused “unimaginable harm”. Throughout the six-year investigation, dozens of victims gave harrowing testimony about physical, sexual and mental abuse suffered in orphanages, foster homes, psychiatric hospitals and other institutions. The “Abuse of Care” royal commission found that “of the estimated 655,000 children, young people and adults in care from 1950 to…
BERLIN: Germany on Wednesday banned the Hamburg Islamic Centre, an association that has been under investigation for several months over its alleged support for Hezbollah and its links to Iran. Tehran reacted in fury, summoning Germany’s ambassador to Iran to condemn a “hostile action” it branded as a “clear example of Islamophobia”. Germany in turn held talks with Iran’s ambassador but fell short of formally summoning the envoy. Germany’s Interior Ministry accused the centre of presenting itself as a purely religious organisation with no political agenda but said its probe has found the contrary to be true. In a statement,…
WARSAW: Polish divers said on Wednesday they had discovered a 19th-century shipwreck in the Baltic Sea off the Swedish coast, its hold replete with crates of champagne and porcelain. The group said it was thrilled to find rare “treasure” on board when it came upon the presumed merchant vessel last week. “The whole wreck is loaded to the brim with crates of champagne, mineral water and china,” Tomasz Stachura, the Baltictech diver group leader, said. He said the divers counted around 100 champagne bottles among the discovered items. “I have been diving for 40 years and it often happens that…
NOUAKCHOTT: At least 15 migrants have died and dozens are missing after their boat capsized off Mauritania, the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) and local sources said on Wednesday, the latest in a string of migrant tragedies off the coast of West Africa. “We are deeply saddened by the death of 15 migrants and the estimated disappearance at sea of 195+ people after a boat capsized in Nouakchott,” the IOM posted on X. A Mauritanian coastguard said that at least 25 bodies had been recovered while 103 people were rescued, while several others were missing following Monday’s disaster. “Approximately 300…
YILAN: Taiwan closed schools and evacuated thousands from their homes on Wednesday ahead of Typhoon Gaemi, which authorities said could be “the strongest” to hit in eight years and has already killed two people on the island. The typhoon also exacerbated seasonal rains in nearby Philippines, triggering flooding and landslides that killed six. A forecaster with Taiwan’s Central Weather Administration said the typhoon was “spinning at a slower speed so the precise time is difficult to determine”. “Gaemi is expected to be the strongest typhoon in eight years to make landfall in Taiwan since Typhoon Nepartak,” forecaster Huang En-hong said,…
The federal cabinet launched the “Huramat-e-Parcham Campaign” in response to protesters attacking the Pakistani embassy in Germany and removing the national flag. The federal ministers Thursday released their pictures along with the Pakistani flag on social media. The federal ministers also wrote messages of love and affection for the national flag on social media platforms. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Federal Minister for Power Sardar Awais Leghari, Minister for Privatisation Abdul Aleem Khan, Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer, Minister for Information Attaullah Tarar, and other ministers also released pictures on social media with the national…
LAHORE: Police on Thursday arrested Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) activist Aneela Jutt aka ‘Neeli Pari’ for beating and manhandling comedian and stage actor Tahir Anjum in Lahore. In pursuit of the woman, police raided a house in Lohari area and caught her, said Deputy Inspector General Operations Faisal Kamran. Anjum, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) cultural wing president, came under attack from the female PTI worker when he was passing by the party’s hunger strike camp outside the Punjab Assembly on Wednesday. The camp was established by PTI activists in support of their leaders. The enraged party worker ripped a sleeve…
LONDON: Incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan will contest the election for chancellor at Oxford University, his aide Sayed Zulfi Bukhari said. Bukhari, Khan’s adviser on international affairs, told Geo News that the seat at Oxford University has become vacant following the resignation of 80-year-old Lord Patten, who stepped down after 21 years in the role, and Imran will be running for the post. Former prime ministers Sir Tony Blair and Boris Johnson are also among the candidates to become the university’s chancellor. Khan studied Economics and Politics at Keble College, Oxford in 1972, and also captained the university’s cricket team.…
