BEIJING: The “ice city” of Harbin, the snowy capital of northeast China’s Heilongjiang province, attracted a record number of visitors over the New Year holiday, many of them drawn by the grand and intricate ice sculptures of its annual Ice and Snow Festival. The towering ice structures, illuminated in a dazzling array of lights at night, are built from ice …

ISLAMABAD: As the repatriation of undocumented Afghan nationals continues, United Nations agencies have urged the Pakistan government to implement a screening mechanism to identify individuals in need of international protection, according to the latest humanitarian update rele­­ased by the UN Office for the Coordination of Huma­nitarian Affairs (UN-OCHA). In response to the emerging crisis, six UN agencies and humanitarian partners …

UNITED NATIONS: During a UN Security Council briefing on Wedn­esday afternoon, some member states emphasised the need to add­ress attacks on ships in the Red Sea. Some states also called for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, urging caution to prevent an escalation in tensions. US ambassador and Deputy Permanent Representative, Christopher Lu, however, called on member states to “speak with …

BEIRUT: Hundreds of people attended the funeral in Beirut on Thursday of Hamas number two Saleh Al Aruri, who was killed in an Israeli strike in Lebanon two days ago. Tuesday’s strike that killed Aruri was the first on the Lebanese capital since the Gaza crisis unfolder on Oct 7. Calling on Hamas to avenge his death and the killing …

LONDON: Bangladesh’s ele­c­­tion on Sunday will be a “sham” designed to cement Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s rule, exiled opposition leader Tarique Rahman has said in an exclusive interview defending his party’s boycott. Rahman is heir to one of the country’s two main political dynasties — the other led by Hasina — and has helmed its largest opposition party since the …

WASHINGTON: The United States remains committed to supporting democracy in Pakistan but cannot dictate how it should conduct its elections, a State Department spokesperson said on Thursday. During his daily news briefing, Matthew Miller was asked about the alleged government excesses against PTI leader Imran Khan, his party and its candidates. The US official emphasised his government’s commitment “to supporting …

BEIRUT: Israeli shelling killed 14 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip’s south, packed with people who had fled attacks in other parts of the besieged enclave, on Thursday. The dead included nine children, an official said. All the 14 Palestinians were killed in a strike at Al Mawasi camp, to the west of Khan Yunis. Gaza residents said Israeli planes and …

Squeezed between giant arch-rivals India and China, the landlocked mountain kingdom of Bhutan was long isolated by icy Himalayan peaks. But as Bhutan readies to elect a new parliament in Thimphu on January 9, China and India are watching the contest with keen interest as they eye strategic contested border zones, analysts warn. A “cooperation agreement” inked between Bhutan and …

An Indian Navy warship was moving towards a hijacked Liberian-flagged vessel in the Arabian Sea, and aircraft were closely monitoring the situation, the Indian navy said on Friday. At least 15 Indian crew members were on board the MV Lila Norfolk, which was hijacked near Somalia’s coast and the navy received information about it on Thursday evening, Indian news agency ANI, …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Qazi Faez Isa on Thursday regretted that constitutional amendments dealing with the disqualification of lawmakers under Article 62(1)(f) were thrust upon parliament under peculiar circumstances, without any debate. “I have repeatedly emphasised that there is a need to understand the broader picture and the way such amendments in the Constitution were brought in,” the CJP observed, adding …