DUBAI: A court in Saudi Arabia on Wednesday denied the appeal by one of the kingdom’s most prominent political activists that would have allowed her to travel freely, her supporters said, weeks after her release from prison. Loujain al-Hathloul, whose 1001-day detention drew fierce international criticism of the kingdom’s human rights record, had hoped to lift a five-year ban on …

MOSCOW: Russia said on Wednesday it was disrupting Twitter’s services because the platform had failed to remove “illegal” content, the latest in a series of moves exerting control over foreign tech giants. The Kremlin has been clamping down on sites including Facebook, Twitter and YouTube in recent months for hosting content supporting jailed opposition figure Alexei Navalny. Roskomnadzor, Russia’s media …

NEW YORK/YANGON: The United Nations Security Council on Wednesday condemned the violence used by Myanmar’s military against peaceful anti-coup demonstrators as authorities swooped on striking workers in the Southeast Asian country. The nation has been in turmoil since the military ousted and detained civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi last month, triggering daily protests around the country to demand the …

PARIS: The French government on Wednesday expressed alarm over the “despicable” death of a 14-year-old girl whose beaten body was found in the Seine river after she endured online harassment at school. Police have detained two 15-year-olds, a boy and a girl, who attended the same school as the victim in Argenteuil on the outskirts of Paris, after her death …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will take up on March 16 a petition challenging its scrutiny committee’s decision to keep PTI’s financial documents secret. Informed sources that notice had been issued to the complainant and petitioner of foreign funding case Akbar S. Babar to appear in person or through his counsel. In his complaint filed on Feb 24 …

PESHAWAR: The spokesperson for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government, Kamran Khan Bangash has ruled out replacement of Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, saying he is enjoying full trust and confidence of Prime Minister Imran Khan. Responding to a question at a press briefing here on Wednesday, Mr Bangash, who is special assistant to the chief minister on higher education, said that Imran Khan …

ISLAMABAD: As election of the Senate chairman and deputy chairman draws near, Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has kept his cards close to his chest after nominating incumbent chairman Sadiq Sanjrani for the top slot, will announce the name of deputy chairman on Thursday (today). A source close to the prime minister said that four names were being considered for …

Hospital official blames Nadra for confusion 1,500 people over 60 vaccinated on first day at seven centres 20 centres set up in Pindi district ISLAMABAD: Like in other parts of the country, Covid-19 vaccination of senior citizens commenced in the federal capital and Rawalpindi district on Wednesday. A total of 1,500 people over the age of 60 were vaccinated on …

ISLAMABAD: National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser on Wednesday constituted a ‘council of senior parliamentarians’ for “promoting democratic and parliamentary norms across the party divide line”. According to a statement issued by the National Assembly Secretariat, the speaker has formally notified the formation of the 15-member council and its terms of reference (TORs). The speaker will himself head the council whereas …

SUKKUR: Tangwani civil court judge Munawar Hussain Pirzada on Tuesday awarded an ingenious punishment to five suspects accused of obstructing official duties. The judge ordered the suspects identified as Aijaz Malik, Ali, Wazir, Shoukat and Saeed Sharbat to grow 50 trees in a nearby village and look after them, punctually offer prayers five times a day and recite the holy …