WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has issued a presidential waiver for Pakistan, exempting it from the sanctions that follow a country’s designation as a violator of religious freedom. On Monday, Secretary Pompeo had designated Pakistan and nine others as Countries of Particular Concern (CPC) for alleged continued violations of religious freedom during 2019-20. Pakistan rejected the designation as an “arbitrary …

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump issued a formal threat on Wednesday to veto congressional efforts to block his plans for $23 billion in military sales to the United Arab Emirates. The Senate is due to vote on resolutions of disapproval of the sales this week. In its policy statement, the White House said the sales directly support US foreign policy …

The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG) will be permitted 30,000 fans per day during the Boxing Day Test between Australia and India after authorities eased crowd restrictions on Thursday. The match was to be capped at 25,000 fans per day but Victoria sports minister Martin Pakula confirmed the increase on social media after the southern state confirmed it had notched its …

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron obtained his cabinet’s approval on Wednesday for draft legislation combating “radical Islamism” after a spate of attacks, which critics fear risks targeting all Muslims. The draft will now be submitted to parliament. Macron argued the legislation was needed to shore up France’s staunchly secular system, but the plan has further stirred up social tensions over …

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson invited strong criticism from members of the UK parliament after he termed the ongoing protests by Indian farmers as a matter between India and Pakistan. During the question and answer hour in the UK parliament on Wednesday, Johnson was responding to a question by Sikh MP Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi regarding the ongoing protests by farmers in India …

The US Senate fell short Wednesday in trying to halt the Trump administration’s proposed $23 billion arms sales to the United Arab Emirates, despite bipartisan objections to the package of F-35 fighter jets and drones stemming from a broader Middle East peace agreement. Senators argued the sale of the defence equipment, which Secretary of State Mike Pompeo formally authorised last …

ISLAMABAD: Asserting that scrutiny of funding of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) is continuing, the Election Commission of Pakistan announced on Wednesday the committee assigned the task would meet on Dec 24. In a statement issued here, the ECP’s director for public relations, Altaf Ahmad, said the scrutiny committee conducted numerous hearings and submitted interim reports to the commission. The scrutiny …

LAHORE: Working under the command of Capital City Police Officer Umar Sheikh seems to have become a ‘nightmare’ for the police officers as he has shown the door to yet another one — SSP Investigation Abdul Ghaffar Qaisrani — over a ‘petty issue’. Mr Sheikh got upset during a meeting held late on Tuesday for an official matter and then …

RAWALPINDI: Acting on the directives of the Punjab government, the district administration on Wednesday imposed lockdown in 19 localities of Rawalpindi district, including 16 in the garrison city, till Dec 21 following an increase in the number of Covid-19 patients in the last two weeks. According to figures released by the administrations of the twin cities, eight deaths were reported …

ISLAMABAD: Senior counsel Hamid Khan on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to adjudicate former Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge Justice Shaukat Aziz Siddiqui’s plea against Oct 11, 2018 notification of his removal before June next, a date when he would have retired, had he been in the office. Justice Umar Ata Bandial, who was heading a five-judge Supreme Court bench, …