WASHINGTON: Presi­dent-elect Joe Biden has tapped Pennsylvania Health Secretary Rachel Levine to be his assistant secretary of health, leaving her poised to become the first openly transgender federal official to be confirmed by the US Senate. A pediatrician and former Pennsylvania physician general, Levine was appointed to her current post by Democratic Gov. Tom Wolf in 2017, making her one …

PARIS: Former French prime minister Edouard Balladur appeared in court on Tuesday on charges he used kickbacks from 1990s arms deals to help finance a presidential bid, in a case that has already seen six people sentenced to prison terms. Balladur, 91, made no statement to a throng of journalists at the Court of Justice of the Republic, which hears …

United States President Donald Trump granted clemency to former White House aide Steve Bannon as part of a wave of pardons and commutations issued in his final hours in office, a senior administration official said, but did not pardon himself, members of his family or lawyer Rudy Giuliani. Trump leaves office on Wednesday, when Joe Biden is sworn in as …

First came the show, then the controversy and a police complaint, followed by an apology and now, changes are being made. We’re talking about Amazon Prime’s Tandav. The web series starring Saif Ali Khan and Dimple Kabadia has been at the receiving end of backlash from members of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and in the most recent update, filmmaker Ali Abbas Zafar …

Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon on Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed American democratic tradition, will serve as a …

The Biden administration sees Pakistan as an “essential partner” in any peace process in Afghanistan and believes that “continuing to build relationships with Pakistan’s military will provide openings for the United States and Pakistan to cooperate on key issues,” says its nominated defence chief Gen Lloyd J Austin. Gen Austin made these remarks during his confirmation hearing for the post …

Joe Biden swears the oath of office at noon (Eastern Standard Time) on Wednesday to become the 46th president of the United States, taking the helm of a deeply divided nation and inheriting a confluence of crises arguably greater than any faced by his predecessors. The very ceremony in which presidential power is transferred, a hallowed American democratic tradition, will …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commi­ssion of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday said it was alive to its constitutional and legal responsibilities and committed to discharging them without any pressure. In a statement, which came as the 10-party opposition alliance staged a protest outside the ECP building demanding it expeditiously decide the foreign funding case against the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI), the commission …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday observed that the prime minister and his cabinet were responsible for ‘enforced disappearances’ in the federal capital, and sought a list of prime ministers who held the office since 2015. IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah while hearing a petition filed by Nasreen Begum, mother of Imran Khan, who has been missing since …

LAHORE: Actor Iffat Omar said on Tuesday during her cross-examination in the court that though singer Meesha Shafi had told her about two alleged incidents of sexual harassment, she did not remember the exact details of the occurrences. “It is correct that I was not present on the occasion when the alleged incidents of sexual harassment took place. I don’t …