HONG KONG: Police in Hong Kong on Tuesday detained ‘several people’, whilst Chinese authorities restricted access to Beijing’s famous ‘Tiananmen Square’, on the 35th anniversary of the crackdown on pro-democracy protesters. Cities in Taiwan and elsewhere have marked the date. In China-ruled Hong Kong, police officers tightened security around downtown ‘Victoria Park’, where large June 4 candlelight vigils had been held annually, before ‘tougher’ national security laws took effect (in recent years). Police took away several individuals in vans, including 68-year-old Alexandra Wong, after she held up a bouquet of flowers and shouted, “The people will not forget!” Others who…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
GENEVA: If Europe takes a more anti-migrant stance following upcoming elections it could impact the willingness of countries globally to host refugees and create chaos, a UN official warned on Tuesday. Vincent Cochetel, the UN refugee agency’s special envoy for the central and western Mediterranean, voiced concern that a more hardline approach to migrants and refugees in Europe could influence countries that have long provided desperately needed refuge to people fleeing crises, to rethink their policies. “Europe serves as a major role model,” he told reporters in Geneva, urging the continent to serve as a good example “allowing us to…
RIYADH: The Saudi government said on Tuesday pilgrims can expect average high temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius during Haj, which last year saw thousands of cases of heat stress. “The expected climate for Haj this year will witness an increase in average temperatures of one-and-a-half to two degrees above normal in Makkah and Madina,” national meteorology centre chief Ayman Ghulam told a press conference. The forecast indicates “relative humidity of 25 per cent, rain rates close to zero, average maximum temperature 44 degrees”, he said. There was “a need for sufficient quantities of water to cover daily consumption as temperatures…
BERLIN: Germany said on Tuesday it was considering allowing deportations to Afghanistan, after an asylum seeker from the country injured five and killed a police official in a knife attack. Officials had been carrying out an “intensive review for several months… to allow the deportation of serious criminals and dangerous individuals to Afghanistan”, Interior Minister Nancy Faeser told journalists. “It is clear to me that people who pose a potential threat to Germany’s security must be deported quickly,” Faeser said. “That is why we are doing everything possible to find ways to deport criminals and dangerous people to both Syria and…
WASHINGTON: As the United States asked the United Nations Security Council to endorse its proposal to secure a ceasefire in Gaza, key mediator Qatar on Tuesday pointed out contradictions in the statements of Israeli ministers and said it was waiting for a “clear position” from Tel Aviv on the peace deal outlined by President Joe Biden. On the other hand, Qatar said there was no concrete approval from Israel or Hamas on the ceasefire deal. “We have yet to see a very clear position from the Israeli government towards the principles laid out by President Biden,” foreign ministry spokesman Majed al-Ansari said.…
A Syrian man was arrested after a shooting on Wednesday near the US embassy in Beirut, the Lebanese army said, with the diplomatic mission saying its personnel were safe. The embassy, in the northern suburb of Awkar, “was subjected to gunfire by a person holding Syrian nationality”, the army said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter. “Army personnel deployed in the area responded to the sources of fire, wounding the shooter,” the statement said, adding that “he was arrested and transported to hospital”. The army said it was investigating the incident. The US embassy said, “At 8:34am local time…
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi is expected to be sworn-in for a record-equalling third term on June 8, after key allies pledged their continued support a day after a humbling election verdict that saw his party lose its majority in parliament. Modi, a populist who has dominated Indian politics since coming to power in 2014, will for the first time need the support of regional allies whose loyalties have wavered over the years, which could complicate the government’s reform agenda. On Wednesday, two allies in his National Democratic Alliance (NDA) coalition, the Telugu Desam Party, a key regional player in the southern…
ISLAMABAD: Capital police have launched an investigation against a British embassy official who hit a constable while violating traffic rules, sources said on Tuesday. A police officer told Dawn that the office of the deputy inspector general of police (Operation) had sent a letter to the interior ministry requesting to approach the Foreign Office to collect details of the diplomat. In a letter, the DIG sought details of her status whether she was a diplomat or a supporting staff at the UK High Commission. He also inquired whether she had diplomatic immunity or not. The police public relations officer, Taqi Jawad, when…
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) on Tuesday demanded that the government issue licences to all those residents of Karachi who were willing to carry arms as both the administration and state had “failed” to ensure safety of the people. The party also suspected that the recent surge in killing of citizens during robberies was not just a type of normal street crime but rather a ‘genocide’ in which bandits were mainly targeting the youth of the city. Speaking at a press conference, senior MQM-P leader Syed Mustafa Kamal questioned the role of law-enforcement agency and criticised the performance of the…
ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday accepted for regular hearing applications filed by all three winners of National Assembly seats from Islamabad seeking the transfer of election petitions to some other tribunal. A three-member bench headed by Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja while issuing notices to the respondents fixed June 6 as the date of hearing. “Point raised needs consideration. Therefore, the application is admitted for regular hearing and office is directed to issue notice to the petitioner in the election petition…and election tribunal is directed to submit the record before the Commission,” the ECP order issued hours…
