Author: Aryasp Meghwar

India’s alleged role in assassination plots across North America has drawn rare criticism inside the U.S. Congress for a nation often cast as a growing American ally. It was mentioned several times during a hearing on transnational repression held Wednesday in the U.S. Senate, where lawmakers mostly focused on human-rights abuses by China, Russia and Iran. The hearing included what might have been the most detailed denunciation from any high-profile U.S. politician since allegations of Indian-backed killing plots. “We often say we’re the oldest democracy in the world — and India’s the largest democracy,” Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine said during a meeting of…

Altogether 189 platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh were deployed across Bangladesh on Monday to prevent any untoward situations surrounding the BNP’s fourth blockade and ensure security at garment factories. Among them 25 platoons had been positioned in Dhaka and adjacent areas, BGB Public Relations Officer Shariful Islam said. The second day of a countrywide 48-hour blockade, called by the BNP, Jamaat and their allies, was underway on Monday. Earlier, the BNP enforced two rounds of 48-hour nationwide blockades from November 5 to 9 with a break on November 7 and a three-day countrywide blockade from October 31, following a…

Frankfurt, Brussels (6/10 – 27) While Tajik authorities have not been able to lay their hands on their activist opponents living in Europe, they are able to turn the screws on their families and relatives, back in the old country. The recent case of arrest of family members took place shortly after President Emomali Rahmon’s visit to Germany, to attend a summit of Central Asian leaders, at the end of last month. Throughout Rahmon’s visit, he was trailed by demonstrators holding up placards bearing pictures of political prisoners and calling him a dictator. When Rahmon headed to the Bundestag on…

New Delhi:  The Ministry of Education on Thursday posted about ‘Study in India’ portal being run by the central government to attract international applicants seeking higher education in India. The portal provides information about various courses, facilities, and faculty members. Moreover, it streamlines the application process for students, allowing them to apply to multiple courses across more than 240 premier higher education institutions offering over 2,650 different courses. This integrated platform covers everything from the admission process to visa assistance and post-enrollment support. The key objective of this initiative is to simplify the educational journey for international students pursuing their…

The much-awaited ICC World Cup 2023 clash between archrivals India and Pakistan will take place at Ahmedabad’s Narendra Modi Stadium on October 15. Ahead of the match, the excitement among fans seems to have reached a fever pitch. Rates for hotel rooms and flight tickets in Ahmedabad have skyrocketed by as much as six times. Fans rushed to book accommodation as soon as ICC announced the schedule of the mega event. As of July 22, the price of flight tickets to Ahmedabad from Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru and New Delhi for October 14 and return on October 16 was almost six…

At least 31 people have been killed and dozens of others are missing after heavy flooding from seasonal rains in Afghanistan, as 13 people died due to heavy rains and landslides in neighbouring Pakistan. Shafiullah Rahimi, the Taliban’s appointed spokesman for Afghanistan’s disaster ministry, said on Sunday that at least 31 people were killed, 74 were injured and 41 others were missing after flooding over the past three days. Flash floods hit the capital Kabul, the Maidan Wardak and Ghazni provinces. He said that the majority of the casualties were in west Kabul and Maidan Wardak. Rahimi said about 250…

A court has issued a judgment against the current and former senior Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) leadership — including Altaf Hussain and Syed Tariq Mir — for nonpayment of nearly £1.5 million to the UK government’s tax and income department — known as His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs (HMRC). According to information available with The News, the judgment in default has been issued by Northampton County Court’s Judge Henley on an application by the HMRC in its long-running civil tax and income dispute with the MQM leadership. The judgment has been issued against the MQM leader and founder Hussain, Mir, Iftikhar…

Pakistan is optimistic Afghanistan’s Taliban will effectively combat cross-border terrorism to emulate the kind of cooperation that U.S. President Joe Biden recently hinted at between the de facto Afghan rulers and Washington, a senior diplomat said Saturday.Asif Durrani, Pakistan’s special representative on Afghanistan Affairs, told VOA in an exclusive interview that the Taliban government had recently initiated certain moves to address his country’s cross-border terror concerns and those of other neighbors, including China. But it is premature to speculate on the outcome, he cautioned. Pakistan has experienced a dramatic surge in terrorist attacks since the Taliban returned to power in…

Pakistan’s national football team has been given visas for India, officials said, where they will take on the hosts in their first match on Indian soil since 2014. The South Asian neighbours will kick off the South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship on Wednesday. The two countries rarely play home matches against each other in any sport due to long-running political tensions made worse by the Mumbai attacks of 2008 and the scrapping of Indian-administered Kashmir’s special status in 2019. The participation of Pakistan in the Bengaluru event has raised hopes Islamabad will take part in the ICC World Cup…

One of Pakistan’s richest men and his son are aboard the OceanGate submarine that went missing while on a visit to the wreck of the Titanic, family members confirmed. Shahzada Dawood, 48, and his son Sulaiman Dawood, 19, are among five people aboard OceanGate Expedition’s Titan submersible, which descended to the wreck of the Titanic on Sunday only to lose contact with the mother ship after nearly two hours. “We are very grateful for the concern being shown by our colleagues and friends and would like to request everyone to pray for their safety while granting the family privacy at…