WHO warns of falsified cough syrup ingredients seized in Pakistan
Reuters The World Health Organization issued an alert on Monday warning drugmakers of five contaminated batches of propylene glycol, an ingredient used in medicinal syrups, that appear to have been falsely labelled as manufactured by Dow Chemical units in Asia and Europe. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) issued three alerts between January and […]
Gunmen kill nine men after abduction in south-west Pakistan, say police
Quetta, Pakistan Reuters Gunmen shot and killed nine men after abducting them from a bus in a troubled province in south-western Pakistan bordering Afghanistan and Iran, officials said on Saturday. A separatist militant group, Baloch Liberation Army, claimed responsibility for the Friday night attack in Balochistan province in Pakistan’s south-west. In a statement sent to […]
US, UN express concern about India’s religion-based citizenship law
Washington DC, US Reuters The US Government and the United Nations have expressed concerns about a contentious religion-based citizenship law in India, with the UN calling the legislation “fundamentally discriminatory in nature”. Rights advocates have criticised the 2019 Citizenship Amendment Act, which the Indian Government moved to implement on Monday. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty […]
Pakistanis feed predatory birds despite crackdown on practice
Lahore, Pakistan Reuters Shabnam, a young woman in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, sells small packets of scrap meat to passersby to feed predatory birds, despite a recent crackdown on the practice which many people do as an offering to ward off adversity. The tradition of tossing offerings off a bridge – which are […]
Internet shutdowns: Are we likely to see more in 2024?
Digital rights groups fear a rise in global internet shutdowns in 2024 could threaten fundamental rights in a super-election year. NITA BHALLA, of Thomson Reuters Foundation, report…
Pakistan – Top court rules Bhutto, hanged 44 years ago, didn’t get a fair trial; Asif Ali Zardari win’s second term as President
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters Pakistan‘s Supreme Court ruled last week that former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, who was hanged 44 year ago after being convicted of murder, didn’t get a fair trial. Bhutto, the founder of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) now run by his grandson and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, was hanged […]
Shehbaz Sharif elected Pakistan’s Prime Minister for second term
Karachi, Pakistan Reuters Pakistan’s newly formed parliament elected Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday as Prime Minister for a second time, three weeks after uncertain national elections caused delays in the formation of a coalition government. He beat Omar Ayub, the candidate backed by jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who secured 92 votes. Sharif returns to […]
Pakistan indicts jailed ex-PM Khan and wife on graft charges
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters A Pakistani court indicted jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his third wife Bushra Bibi on Tuesday on charges that they allegedly received land as a bribe by misusing his office during his premiership, his party said. The latest charges follow a string of convictions against Khan in the months leading […]
Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan urges IMF to call election audit, his lawyer says
Islamabad, Pakistan Reuters Pakistan’s jailed former prime minister Imran Khan will write to the IMF urging it to call for an independent audit of the country’s controversial 8th February national elections before it continues talks with Islamabad, his lawyer said on Thursday. Pakistan averted default last summer thanks to a short term International Monetary Fund bailout, but […]
US urges Pakistan to lift internet shutdowns, social media restrictions
Washington DC, US Reuters The US State Department on Wednesday condemned internet shutdowns in Pakistan, including restrictions on social media platforms, and urged the Pakistani Government to lift such restrictions. Supporters of the Grand Democratic Alliance, an alliance of political parties, carry flags as they gather for a sit-in protest against, what they call election […]