Author: Moez Pirzada

The European Union announced on Friday that it will begin accession negotiations with Ukraine and Moldova to join the 27-member political and economic bloc starting next week. All 27 members agreed to the Ukraine and Moldova joining the European Union. Negotiations will begin for both countries on Tuesday in Luxembourg, the Belgian Presidency of the Council of the European Union said on X. The move comes at a critical time for both nations with Ukraine in the middle of an invasion by Russia and Moldova facing a Russian-led insurgence by a breakaway state. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky thanked the European Union for its “robust political…

New York. (11 June – 31) US federal agents have arrested eight Tajikistan nationals in the US on terrorism charges. The arrests, carried out by US Immigration and Customs Enforcement, spanned across Los Angeles, New York, and Philadelphia. These actions coincide with recent alerts from US intelligence officials about a terrorist plot. ISIS, or the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, is designated as a terrorist organization by numerous countries and international organizations, including the United States, the United Nations, and the European Union. The ability to surveillance certain foreign targets has been a subject of intense debate in Congress,…

Russia has reportedly lost a staggering amount of troops over the past 24 hours along with dozens of tanks and armoured vehicles as bloody fighting takes its toll on Vladimir Putin’s men. Russia lost a staggering 1,740 troops in a single day, the highest tally of casualties for Moscow since the start of the invasion in 2022, according to Ukraine. In the previous 24 hours, Ukraine also claimed Russia had lost 30 tanks and 42 armoured vehicles. Death toll and military hardware statistics are difficult to assess with both sides giving different or little information. However, Ukraine’s armed forces have claimed Russia has so far lost an eye-watering…

The primary purpose of Xi Jinping’s three-day visit to Hungary might be to ensure that Hungary can help China gain market share in the EU, as Beijing and Budapest prepare to sign a total of 16 bilateral agreements. The Chinese president has arrived in Budapest late Wednesday, in the third and last stop of his European visit. During his three-day stay, Xi Jinping and his delegation are expected to conclude a series of economic agreements with Budapest, as China sees Hungary as an important bridgehead in conquering European markets: among other things, Chinese companies are building electric car and battery factories.…

Russia may respond to any U.S. confiscation of its currency reserves frozen in the West by seizing the assets, including property and cash, of U.S. citizens and investors in Russia, Dmitry Medvedev, a senior security official, said on Saturday. The U.S. House of Representatives has passed a bill allowing the Biden administration to confiscate Russian assets held in American banks and transfer them to Ukraine, something the Kremlin has said would be illegal and trigger retaliation. In response to Russia’s war in Ukraine, the United States and its allies prohibited transactions with Russia’s central bank and finance ministry and blocked about…

Indonesian Defense Minister and former general Prabowo Subianto, who had been barred from entering the United States for two decades, has claimed victory in Wednesday’s presidential election. The current exit poll showed the 72-year-old former special forces commander with an absolute majority of votes, above the threshold of 50% nationwide, and 20% in half of the country’s provinces, without which a runoff vote would be required. At polling stations in Jakarta, ballots were pulled out of boxes by hand, read aloud and tallied by election workers. It is a labor-intensive task performed in a country of more than 200 million eligible voters…

Investors exceeded expectations on Friday, offering substantial financing of Rs. 479 billion to the government in the auction of one-year Ijarah Sukuk at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX), surpassing the target of Rs. 30 billion by 16 times, according to unofficial results. This marked the Ministry of Finance’s inaugural auction at the PSX, previously holding such auctions through the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The official results from the ministry are yet to be announced. Shariah-compliant banks had acquired one-year Sukuk at a variable rental rate of “T (T-bills) minus 100 basis points” at the PSX the previous week. An…

New Delhi: Seoul is keen on securing a bilateral visit for President Yoon Suk Yeol to India in early 2024, according to persons aware of the matter. While Yoon visited India for the G20 summit in September, a bilateral visit is expected to push certain key initiatives in the relationship. These include prospective cooperation on advanced technologies, trade and a migration and mobility agreement. Queries mailed to the External Affairs Ministry and the South Korean Embassy in New Delhi were not answered at press time. Cooperation in critical and emerging technologies has been a focus of bilateral ties. The matter…

Geneva: In a significant diplomatic move, India has spearheaded recommendations for Canada to fortify measures preventing attacks on worship places and effectively address hate speech. The proposals were presented during the UN Human Rights Council Review meeting, where diplomats from India, Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka shared their insights and recommendations. Indian diplomat Mohammed Hussain noted legislative enactments such as the National Housing Strategy Act and the Accessible Canada Act while addressing the issue at the Council meeting. “We note the enactment of the National Housing Strategy Act, Accessible Canada act, and National strategy to combat human trafficking,” said Hussain addressing the…

Borabanda/Jubilee Hills, Hyderabad: In the narrow lanes of Bharatnagar Basti, Borabanda, Mohammed Azharuddin trots door to door, shaking hands and seeking votes. It’s a bit like taking singles that slowly but surely add up to a good score. The cricketer-turned-politician’s electoral pull is being put to the test as he makes his assembly poll debut on his home turf, Hyderabad. Azharuddin, whose brilliant cricketing career was cut short by the match-fixing scandal, had joined the Congress before the 2009 general elections. He went on to win the Moradabad (Uttar Pradesh) Lok Sabha seat that year, but was defeated when he contested…