A MAJOR surge in terror attacks and swelling number of civilian casualties has propelled Pakistan to the second spot in the Global Terrorism Index (GTI) 2025. The latest GTI report, published by Institute of Economics and Peace (IEP), is a compilation of 163 countries worldwide, which make up for at least 99.7 per cent of the world’s population. GTI evaluates indicators, including the number of terrorist incidents, casualties, injuries and hostages, and their impact on terrorism. Pakistan witnessed ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi has asserted the need to fight against the “ecosystem” of human trafficking that lures people from ordinary families with big dreams and promises and brought to other countries as illegal immigrants. This is not a question about India only but is a global issue, Modi said in response to a question by PTI on the issue of illegal immigration during a joint press conference with US President Donald Trump in the White House here on Thursday. He said, “We are of the opinion ..

THE World Health Organisation chief asked global leaders to lean on Washington to reverse President Donald Trump’s decision to withdraw from the United Nations health agency, insisting in a closed-door meeting with diplomats last week that the US will miss out on critical information about global disease outbreaks. But countries also pressed WHO at a key budget meeting last Wednesday about how it might cope with the exit of its biggest donor, according to internal meeting materials obtained by ‘The ..

DONALD J Trump on Monday took oath for a second term as the United States President, announcing a raft of executive decisions, saying that the “golden age” of America had just begun. In a fiery inaugural address, the 47th US President described January 20 as the “liberation day” and declared that “America’s decline is over” as changes will come “very quickly”. “America will reclaim its rightful place as the greatest, most powerful, most respected nation on earth, inspiring the awe and admiration ..

AN INTERNATIONAL team of scientists announced on Thursday they’ve successfully drilled one of the oldest ice cores yet, penetrating nearly 2 miles (2.8 kilometers) to Antarctic bedrock to reach ice they say is at least 1.2 million years old. Analysis of the ancient ice is expected to show how Earth’s atmosphere and climate have evolved. That should provide insight into how Ice Age cycles have changed, and may help in understanding how atmospheric carbon changed climate, they said. “Thanks to the ice ..

INDIA’S rice and wheat output is projected to dip by 6-10 per cent due to climate change, impacting access to affordable food for millions, senior officials have said. Another effect of climate change is that sea water is becoming warmer along the coast forcing fish to move away to cooler water in deep sea, which has also hit the fishing community, the officials said. India’s wheat production had touched 113.29 million tonnes in the 2023-24 crop year, which was about 14 per cent of the global output, ..

A PASSENGER plane skidded off a runway at a South Korean airport on Sunday, slammed into a concrete fence and burst into flames after its front landing gear apparently failed to deploy. All but two of the 181 people on board died in one of the country’s worst aviation disasters. The Jeju Air plane crashed while landing in the town of Muan, about 290 kilometres south of Seoul. The Transport Ministry said the plane was a 15-year-old Boeing 737-800 jet that had arrived from Bangkok and that the crash ..

INDIA on Wednesday pressed for a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable settlement of the border dispute with China as NSA Ajit Doval and Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi held extensive talks focusing on “positive” direction for cross-border cooperation including resuming the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, river data sharing and border trade. The Indian readout of the 23rd Special Representatives (SR) dialogue, however, did not mention a six-point consensus that was listed in a statement issued by the ..

AMID rapidly deteriorating security situation, India evacuated 75 of its nationals from Syria, two days after rebel forces overthrew President Bashar Assad’s authoritarian Government. Noor Rahman Sheikh, Ambassador of India to Lebanon received them in Beirut. The evacuation, coordinated by the embassies of India in Damascus and Beirut, was put into effect following an assessment of the security situation, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said. “The Government of India today evacuated 75 Indian ..

ABU MOHAMMED Al-Golani, the militant leader whose stunning insurgency toppled Syria’s President Bashar Assad, has spent years working to remake his public image, renouncing longtime ties to al-Qaida and depicting himself as a champion of pluralism and tolerance. In recent days, the insurgency even dropped his nom de guerre and began referring to him by his real name, Ahmad al-Sharaa. The extent of that transformation from jihadi extremist to would-be state builder is now put to the test. Insurgents ..

A 7.0 MAGNITUDE earthquake shook a large area of Northern California on Thursday, knocking items of grocery store shelves, sending children scrambling under desks and prompting a brief tsunami warning for 5.3 million people along the US West Coast. The quake struck at 10:44 am West of Ferndale, a small city in coastal Humboldt County, about 130 miles (209 km) from the Oregon border, the U.S. Geological Survey said. It was felt as far south as San Francisco, some 270 miles (435 km) away, where residents ..

SOUTH Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol declared martial law late on Tuesday, vowing to eliminate “anti-state” forces as he struggles against an Opposition that controls the country’s Parliament and that he accuses of sympathising with communist North Korea. Hours later, Parliament voted to lift the declaration, with the National Assembly Speaker Woo Won Shik declaring that lawmakers “will protect democracy with the people”. Woo called for police and military personnel to withdraw from the Assembly’s ..

PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has picked Indian American Kash Patel to head the FBI, turning to a fierce ally to upend America’s premier law enforcement agency and rid the Government of perceived “conspirators”. It’s the latest bombshell Trump has thrown at the Washington establishment and a test for how far Senate Republicans will go in confirming his nominees...

BANGLADESH High Court Thursday rejected a petition seeking a ban on ISKCON’s activities in the country, days after a lawyer was killed in a clash between security personnel and supporters of a Hindu leader, previously linked to the religious group. A lawyer had sought a ban on the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) after placing some newspaper reports related to the organisation on Wednesday. “The two-member High Court bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Debashish Roy Chowdhury ..

JAILED former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s supporters reached the heart of Pakistan’s capital on Tuesday after removing barricades and battling police in clashes that killed six security personnel and injured dozens. Four paramilitary Rangers and two policemen were killed late on Monday and over 100 security personnel injured when protesters marching towards D-Chowk turned violent, prompting the Federal Government to deploy the Army in Islamabad along with shoot-at-sight orders, State-run media said ..

AT LEAST 17 people are missing after a tourist yacht sank in the Red Sea, Egyptian officials said Monday. The Governor of the Red Sea region, Amr Hanafy, said rescuers saved 28 people from the vessel south of the coastal town of Marsa Alam, and some were airlifted to receive medical treatment. Hanafy said 31 tourists of various nationalities were on board along with 14 crew. The governorate received a report shortly before dawn on Monday of a distress call made from the yacht, which had left Marsa ..

GUYANA and Dominica have conferred their top awards on Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his contributions during the COVID-19 pandemic and his exceptional contributions to the global community and efforts in strengthening bilateral ties with the two Caribbean nations. The Prime Minister, who is in Guyana on the last leg of his three-nation visit, was conferred ‘The Order of Excellence’ by Guyanese President Irfaan Ali on Wednesday. “Sincerely thank President Dr Irfaan Ali, for conferring upon me Guyana’s ..

UKRAINE says Russia launched an intercontinental ballistic missile overnight targeting Dnipro city in the central-east of the country, which, if confirmed, would be the first time Moscow has used such a missile in the war. In a statement, on Thursday on the Telegram messaging app, Ukraine’s air force did not specify the exact type of missile, but said it was launched from Russia’s Astrakhan region, which borders the Caspian Sea. It said an intercontinental ballistic missile was fired at Dnipro city ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi, who arrived in Guyana on Wednesday -- the first visit by an Indian head of the state in more than 50 years -- said his visit “will deepen the friendship between our nations.” In an unprecedented gesture, Modi was received at the airport by Guyana President Irfan Ali, his counterpart Mark Anthony Phillips and over a dozen Cabinet ministers while at the hotel, they were joined by the Prime Ministers of Grenada Dickon Mitchell and Barbados Mia Amor Mottley too. Modi was ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi met leaders of several countries, including those from Italy, Indonesia, Norway, Portugal, Egypt and South Korea on the sidelines of the G20 Summit and discussed ways to improve and strengthen bilateral ties. Modi also met International Monetary Fund (IMF) Deputy Managing Director Gita Gopinath and European Union (EU) President Ursula von der Leyen. Modi, who arrived in the Brazilian city on Sunday after concluding a two-day trip to Nigeria, on Monday met his Italian counterpar..

BRITISH Prime Minister Keir Starmer has announced that trade talks with India will relaunch in the new year, following his bilateral meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the G20 Summit in Brazil. Starmer and Modi met on the sidelines of the summit in Rio de Janeiro on Monday after which Downing Street said the UK will seek a new strategic partnership with India, including a trade agreement as well as deepening cooperation in areas like security, education, technology, and climate change. Starmer’s ..

PRIME Minister Narendra Modi was welcomed by BrazilianVedic scholars chanting Sanskrit mantras upon his arrival in Brazil for the G20 summit on Monday. The group of Vedic scholars, comprising men and women of all ages, sang melodious Sanskrit shlokas in PM Modi’s presence. They were dressed in traditional Indian attire, and the Prime Minister keenly listened to their harmonious recitation. According to a statement by the Ministry of External Affairs, there is significant interest in India’s culture, ..

Colombia's government eager for post-fossil fuels economy. But costs are barrier!..

US PRESIDENT-ELECT Donald Trump has said his administration will focus on ending the Russia-Ukraine war, as he lamented the killing of people in the conflict. He also said his administration will also work on bringing peace to West Asia. “We’re going to work on the Middle East, and we’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s got to stop,” Trump said during a gala for the America First Policy Institute held at his Mar-a-Lago estate on Thursday. This was his first major speech and public ..

FOR the third straight year, efforts to fight climate change haven’t lowered projections for how hot the world is likely to get — and recent developments in China and the United States are likely to slightly worsen the outlook, according to an analysis on Thursday. The analysis comes as countries come together for the 29th edition of the United Nations climate talks, hosted in Baku, Azerbaijan, where nations are trying to set new targets to cut emissions of heat-trapping gases and figure out how much ..