ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Tuesday saw a rare consensus on lifting of a ban on student unions, but with certain conditions, as members from across the divide supported the opposition’s private member bill in this regard that was later sent to the relevant committee for further deliberations. An emotional speech by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former prime …

Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge who is known for her love of sports, is taking tennis lessons at a private London club. The mother of three, Kate Middleton has been taking tennis lessons from a coach at Hurlingham club in Fulham, south London. According to media reports, the Duchess of Cambridge was really very good at tennis. She takes …

LONDON: A midnight blue velvet gown that Princess Diana wore when she danced with John Travolta at a 1985 White House state dinner failed to sell at auction on Monday, though two of her other dresses went for above their estimated prices. The off-the-shoulder bodiced Victor Edelstein frock, which flares up at the knee, is one of the most recognisable …

WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo vowed on Monday not to allow corrupt foreign officials and their immediate family members from traveling to and spending their ill-gotten gains in the United States. Also on Monday, the US Treasury Department announced sanctions on corrupt actors, and the networks that support them, to coincide with International Anti-Corruption Day. The designations, of …

VALLETTA: Activists staged a protest in government headquarters for five hours on Monday to demand the immediate resignation of Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat amid an investigation into the 2017 car bomb killing of journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia. Muscat is not directly implicated in the case but has said he will resign in mid-January after an election for a new …

WASHINGTON: Hundreds of pages of official documents, obtained by The Washington Post, show that the United States is losing the war in Afghanistan because it never had clear objectives, says a report published on Monday. “Some US officials wanted to use the war to turn Afghanistan into a democracy. Others wanted to transform Afghan culture and elevate women’s rights. Still …

WASHINGTON: The House Judici­ary Committee received a detailed summing up of the impeachment case against President Donald Trump on Monday as Democrats prepare formal charges against him. Trump and his allies lobbed fresh assaults on the proceedings they dismiss as a hoax and a sham. Democratic lawyers outlined the findings so far, saying Trump’s push to have Ukraine investigate rival …

Hundreds of protesters took to the streets in India as Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government on Monday introduced a controversial bill in parliament that would give citizenship to non-Muslim minorities from three neighbouring countries: Bangladesh, Pakistan and Afghanistan. Pakistan condemned the discriminatory legislation, saying it was “driven by a toxic mix of an extremist Hindutva ideology”. Prime Minister Imran Khan …

Chile’s air force lost radio contact with a transport plane carrying 38 people on a flight on Monday evening to the country’s base in Antarctica, and authorities indicated several hours later that they were not optimistic about the aircraft’s fate. The military said earlier that it had declared an alert and activated search and rescue teams. The C-130 Hercules carried …

New Zealand police said on Tuesday they were opening a criminal investigation into the deaths of tourists on a volcanic island where a powerful eruption of ash and scalding steam occurred as dozens of people were exploring the barren landscape. Five deaths were confirmed after Monday’s eruption of the White Island volcano. Eight other people are feared dead, but unstable …