Pentagon says US pullout from Afghanistan at least 13% complete By: AFP on May 18, 2021 WASHINGTON – Pentagon’s Central Command said that the US withdrawal from Afghanistan is between 13 percent and 20 percent complete, as it pushes to beat a September deadline for the pullout. Since President Joe Biden ordered the exit in April, it had removed the equivalent of 115 fully loaded C-17 cargo aircraft worth of […]
Faisalabad rally condemns Israeli shelling on Palestinians, media building By: By Our Correspondent on May 18, 2021FAISALABAD: A protest rally against the Israeli bombing of innocent Palestinian people and media outlets was staged by the Faisalabad Union of Journalists (FUJ) on the call of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ) here on Tuesday. Several civil society organizations and human rights organizations, including the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation […]
Protests as Bangladesh journalist faces court after Covid reports By: AFP/ Web Desk on May 18, 2021Dhaka: The arrest of a top Bangladesh reporter, who wrote scathing stories on the country’s response to the coronavirus pandemic, sparked protests by hundreds of reporters on Tuesday. Rozina Islam, an investigative journalist for Prothom Alo newspaper, was detained late Monday under the Official Secrets Act, police said. She appeared in court on Tuesday charged with […]
Vatican’s new Hong Kong bishop says religious freedom must stay By: Web Desk/ AFP on May 18, 2021On Tuesday, Hong Kong’s newly appointed Catholic bishop said he would need to tread carefully with Beijing as it cracks down on dissent — but vowed to plead with authorities to defend religious freedoms. The Vatican announced Monday that Stephen Chow, 62, would be the southern Chinese city’s new bishop, filling a role that had […]
UN Chief disturbed by Israeli strikes as Palestine death toll reaches 145 By: AFP on May 16, 2021Secretary-General Antonio Guterres was “dismayed” by civilian casualties in Gaza and “deeply disturbed” by Israel’s strike on a building containing international media outlets, a spokesman said Saturday in response to reporters’ questions. The comments came as Israel pummeled the Gaza Strip with air strikes, killing 10 members of an extended family and demolishing the 13-floor […]
Israeli air strike destroys building containing media houses By: Al Jazeera/Web Desk on May 15, 2021Israel has completely demolished a high-rise building housing media offices in Gaza City, including Al Jazeera Media Network and The Associated Press news agency. Al Jazeera correspondent: ‘In two seconds, everything vanished’ Al Jazeera’s Safwat al-Kahlout reacted to the destruction of the building housing, among others, the offices of Al Jazeera Media Network in Gaza […]
Victim accusing Senegal opposition leader of rape pays dearly By: AFP on May 15, 2021Dakar: Adji Sarr, who has accused Senegal’s opposition leader of rape, has learned the consequences of speaking out about sexual abuse in the conservative West African country the hard way. Sarr, who is in her early 20s, in February told police that opposition leader Ousmane Sonko had forced her to sleep with him on several […]
India’s Covid victims’ funerals volunteered by interfaith By: AFP on May 15, 2021Suneet Sharma has calmly staged dozens of funerals each day of India’s resurgent coronavirus crisis — but he was overwhelmed when a father arrived at the crematorium with the body of his infant daughter. The 48-year-old volunteers in New Delhi with a Sikh association, one of many groups to spring up around the country and […]
Palestinians rally as death count from Israeli assaults rises By: Web Desk on May 15, 2021Israel’s bombardment of the Gaza Strip continues for the sixth consecutive day. Israeli air raids hit a refugee camp where at least 10 Palestinians, including eight children, were killed. Palestinians on Saturday gathered in parts of the occupied West Bank to protest against continued Israeli occupation and the ongoing bombardment of Gaza. Solidarity rallies were […]
Iran judiciary chief Raisi announces presidency bid By: AFP on May 15, 2021Tehran: Iran’s ultraconservative judiciary chief and one-time presidential hopeful Ebrahim Raisi on Saturday announced his candidacy for next month’s presidential election, according to a statement on local media. Former judge Raisi was the leading rival to the incumbent President Hassan Rouhani in the 2017 election, and long the topic of media speculation for this year’s […]