LONDON: Nigel Farage, leader of Britain’s anti-immigration Reform UK party, faced strong criticism on Saturday after saying that the West provoked Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. In an interview with the BBC on Friday, Farage said “We’ve provoked this war”, while adding that “of course” it was Russian president Vladimir Putin’s “fault”. British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak told reporters that Farage’s claim was …

ISLAMABAD: Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi has said that there is no room for negligence in providing security to foreigners in Pakistan. He made these remarks on Saturday while chairing a meeting at the Ministry of Interior to review security measures for foreigners, especially Chinese citizens. The meeting also evaluated the overall security situation in the country. Mr Naqvi instructed …

ISLAMABAD: Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) has sought reports from sector commanders of Inter-Services Intellige­nce and Military Intelli­g­ence deputed in Rawal­pindi, Islamabad and Azad Jammu and Kashmir on a petition seeking the whereabouts of a citizen. Mr Khursheed, a resident of Neelum Valley, went missing on June 7, according to the petition filed by Khaleeqa …

WASHINGTON: The number of Pakistani female officers receiving military training in the United States has increased by 150 per cent in the past decade, according to a report released by the US State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs. The report, released on Friday, stated that for the past two years, Pakistan has led the region by sending the most number of female …

GILGIT: Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Minister Haji Gulbar Khan has expressed concern over extraordinary delays and frequent cancellations of PIA flights to the region, particularly during peak tourism season. In a letter sent to federal Minister for Aviation Khawaja Muhammad Asif on Saturday, the GB CM criticised PIA for its erratic flight schedule to Gilgit and Skardu airports, terming it irresponsible behaviour …

QUETTA: Balochistan Minister for Finance Shoaib Nosherwani said on Saturday that the provincial government has presented a balanced budget, accommodated all sectors, and initiated flagship projects aimed at equitable growth across the province. Addressing a post-budget press conference in Quetta with Planning and Development Minis­ter Mir Zahoor Ahmed Buledi, Mr Nosherwani emphasised that the government had prioritised health, education, irrigation, climate …

ISLAMABAD: PTI parliamentarians marched from the National Assem­bly to the Election Comm­ission of Pakistan (ECP) office on Saturday, criticising the election body for allegedly failing to conduct free and fair elections and calling for the resignations of the Chief Election Commissioner and other ECP officials. Speaking to the media, leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, Omar Ayub, asserted …

ATHENS: Fireworks launched from a yacht set off a new wildfire on an island near Athens as the country confronts a new season of deadly summer fires, authorities said. The mayor of the island of Hydra expressed “outrage” after the fire was started late on Friday and vowed legal action against those responsible. Dozens of wildfires this week have left …

LOWER DIR: Casualties are feared on both sides as militants from Afghanistan reportedly attacked Frontier Corps (FC) personnel at multiple locations at the Pak-Afghan border in Maidan area of Lower Dir district on Saturday, as per unconfirmed reports. According to local residents and official sources, there were reports of militants’ infiltration from the Afghan side via the Shahi border area …

KARACHI: Expressing serious concerns over 25 per cent disallowance of sales promotion and advertisement expenses, as proposed in the new budget, the media industry has said that consequences of decline in their businesses would mean unemployment due to expected closure of small channels and newspapers, and its eventual negative impact on the community. The All Pakistan Newspapers Society (APNS) and Pakistan Broadcasters Association …