The news is by your side.

COVID-19

Japan raises interest rates for first time in 17 years

TOKYO: The Bank of Japan (BOJ) ended eight years of negative interest rate on Tuesday, making a historic shift away from its focus on reflating growth with decades of massive monetary stimulus. The shift makes Japan the last central bank to exit negative rates, and ends an era in which policymakers around the world sought to prop up growth through cheap money and unconventional monetary tools. "We reverted to a normal monetary policy targeting short-term interest rates, as with other central banks," BOJ Governor Kazuo…

Ex-ISI chief Faiz Hameed’s brother sent to jail in graft case

RAWALPINDI: A local court sent retired naib tehsildar Najaf Hameed to Adiala jail on a 14-day judicial remand after his bail application was rejected. Najaf is the brother of former ISI chief General (retired) Faiz Hameed. Najaf, along with co-accused persons, had sought pre-arrest bail in the FIR registered with the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE). The FIR alleged that former minister for mineral resources Ammar Yasir acquired properties worth billions of rupees which were undervalued in the revenue record in…

Famine imminent in northern Gaza, says UN-backed report

NEW YORK: Famine is imminent and likely to occur by May in northern Gaza and could spread across the enclave by July, a UN-backed report said, after more than five months of war which have shattered the Palestinian territory and cut off supplies. Malnutrition and food insecurity have probably exceeded famine levels in Gaza's north, and hunger-linked death rates were likely to do so soon, the report by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) said. The assessment - a scale used by UN agencies, regional…

Singer R. Kelly seeks appeals court relief from 30-year prison term

NEW YORK: R. Kelly’s lawyer told an appeals court Monday that all kinds of legitimate organizations — even college fraternities — could be deemed racketeering organizations under a law used to convict the R&B superstar at his Brooklyn trial of sexually abusing young fans, including children, for decades. Attorney Jennifer Bonjean, seeking to reverse his 2021 convictions or to win him a new trial, tried to persuade three judges on the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Manhattan that prosecutors improperly used a…

Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are officially divorced

LOS ANGELES: Singer Ariana Grande and Dalton Gomez are now divorced. A Los Angeles Superior Court judgment dissolving their marriage of nearly three years became official on Tuesday, six months after the 30-year-old pop star file a petition to divorce the 28-year-old real estate broker. The two separated more than a year ago, according to court papers. They had a pre-nuptial agreement, had no children and had no significant legal disputes in the split, allowing it to move quickly and cleanly through the court system.…

PM, President felicitates Putin on his re-election

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Monday congratulated President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on his re-election. On his X account the prime minister further posted that he looked forward to working with him to further strengthen Pakistan-Russian relations. President Asif Ali Zardari on Tuesday conveyed his heartiest felicitations to President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin on his victory in the Presidential elections. “I am confident that relations between Pakistan and…

Islamabad United crowned PSL 9 champions

Islamabad United won their third Pakistan Super League (PSL) title after they edged over Multan Sultans in the PSL 9 final following a last ball thriller, at National Bank Stadium, Karachi on Monday night. Imad Wasim, who registered a historic five-wicket haul in the first innings, was adjudged player of the match as Islamabad United lifted the trophy after winning the first final they made since 2018. Multan Sultans won the toss and elected to bat first. The first over, bowled by Naseem Shah, saw drama unfold as…

Afghan govt accuses Pakistan of airstrikes in border areas

KABUL: An Afghan official on Monday claimed that the Afghanistan provinces of Paktika and Khost along the Pakistan border were hit by airstrikes, which killed eight people. Zabihullah Mujahid, the spokesperson of the government, alleged in a statement that Pakistani aircraft had carried out the airstrikes on Afghan soil. The Afghan spokesperson said at “around 3am, Pakistani aircraft bombarded civilian homes” in Khost and Paktika provinces near the border with Pakistan, claiming that all eight people killed were women…

Eight terrorists involved in Mir Ali attack killed

RAWALPINDI: Security forces have killed eight terrorists including a terrorist commander during an intelligence based operation in North Waziristan. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the high value terrorist commander Sehra alias Janan was involved in orchestrating the terrorist attack on security forces in Mir Ali on Saturday in which seven soldiers embraced martyrdom. The military’s press wing said he was highly wanted by the law enforcement agencies. Sanitization operations are being conducted…

EU pledges $8 billion for Egypt as it seeks to curb migration

CAIRO: The European Union announced a 7.4 billion euro ($8.1 billion) funding package and an upgraded relationship with Egypt, part of a push to stem migrant flows to Europe. The agreement lifts the EU's relationship with Egypt to a "strategic partnership" and was unveiled as a delegation of leaders including EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited Cairo. It is designed to boost cooperation in areas including renewable energy, trade and security, while delivering grants, loans and other funding…

India’s ‘lottery king’ emerges as top political donor

NEW DELHI: India's "lottery king", accused by the authorities of fraud and money laundering, and his company has emerged as the nation's top political donor under an opaque funding system partially opened to scrutiny. Santiago Martin's Future Gaming and Hotel Services spent 13.68 billion Indian rupees ($165 million) between 2019 and 2024 - 40% more than the next-highest donor - under the now-scrapped funding system, which allowed anonymous and unlimited donations to political parties, data showed. The information,…

Putin wins six-year term in landslide Russia election

MOSCOW: President Vladimir Putin won a record post-Soviet landslide in Russia's election on Sunday, cementing his already tight grip on power in a victory he said showed Moscow had been right to stand up to the West and send its troops into Ukraine. Putin, a former KGB lieutenant colonel who first rose to power in 1999, made it clear that the result should send a message to the West that its leaders will have to reckon with an emboldened Russia, whether in war or in peace, for many more years to come. The outcome means…

Sports

Videos