Author: Disha Mishra

(Forelines) – On Saturday, two individuals believed to be linked to government-backed militias, locally referred to as “Death Squads,” were killed, and three others injured in separate incidents in Balochistan’s Kech and Kohlu districts in Pakistan, The Balochistan Post reported. In the first incident, unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle attacked Jameel, the son of Malik Dadullah, in the Kohad area of Tump Tehsil, Kech. Another person, Meraj Arif, was injured and taken to Turbat Civil Hospital, where he later died from his injuries. According to local sources, the victims were reportedly affiliated with a government-backed militant group, The Balochistan Post…

Rawalpindi [Pakistan], January 12 (ANI): Several areas in Rawalpindi are facing a severe water shortage after the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco) cut off electricity to nine key tubewells, citing non-payment of Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 1.8 billion in outstanding dues by the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), as reported by the Dawn. The disconnection, which occurred on Thursday evening, has left residents in localities between Chandni Chowk and Shamsabad without water. Wasa officials explained that these areas, which rely on tube wells for water, are now facing disruptions in supply. While Wasa paid PKR 60 million to Iesco on Friday…

N’DJAMENA, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Chad’s ruling party won two-thirds of the seats in the legislative election which was boycotted by many in the opposition last month, provisional results showed on Sunday, reinforcing President Mahamat Idriss Deby’s hold on power. Results of the Dec. 29 election seal the oil-producing Central African nation’s transition to constitutional rule more than three years after Deby seized control following the sudden death of his father and long-standing predecessor Idriss Deby Itno. Deby’s party, the Patriotic Salvation Movement, secured 124 of the 188 seats at the National Assembly, the national electoral body said. The participation…

RIYADH, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Foreign ministers and top diplomats from Western and Middle Eastern countries are meeting Syria’s new foreign minister in the Saudi capital Riyadh on Sunday at the first such regional meeting on Syria since President Bashar al-Assad was ousted last month. German foreign minister Annalena Baerbock arrived in Riyadh on Sunday morning ahead of the meeting with Syrian Foreign Minister Asaad Hassan Al-Shibani. British foreign minister David Lammy was also expected to join the talks, according to a statement issued by the UK Foreign Office. Foreign ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar,…

(Reuters) – The Biden administration delayed until June an order for Nippon Steel (5401.T), opens new tab to abandon its $14.9 billion bid for U.S. Steel(X.N), opens new tab, the companies said on Saturday, giving them some time to revive the politically contentious deal. President Joe Biden blocked the acquisition on national security grounds on Jan. 3, and Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said this week the proposed deal had received a “thorough analysis” by the interagency review body, the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States. The delay will give the courts time to review a legal challenge the…

(Reuters) – President Joe Biden is calling for tighter cybersecurity standards for federal agencies and contractors in a new executive order due to be published in the coming days, pushing reforms designed to address repeated Chinese-linked cyber operations and cybercriminal operations, according to a draft of the order seen by Reuters. The order is set to land in the waning days of Biden’s presidency, during which several high-profile, Chinese-linked hacks occurred, according to the U.S. government and cybersecurity research groups. The alleged activity targeted critical infrastructure, government emails, major telecom firms and, most recently, the U.S. Treasury Department. Beijing has…

(Reuters) – U.S. Special Counsel Jack Smith, who led the federal cases against Donald Trump on charges of trying to overturn his 2020 election defeat and mishandling of classified documents, has resigned, as the Republican president-elect prepared to return to the White House. Smith resigned on Friday from the Department of Justice, according to a court filing on Saturday to U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon, asking her to lift a court order she issued blocking release of his final report. Notice of Smith’s resignation came in a footnote in the filing, which said the Special Counsel had completed his work,…

Jan 12 (Reuters) – South Korea’s impeached president, Yoon Suk Yeol, will not attend the first hearing of the trial to determine whether he is removed him from office or reinstated, due to concerns about his safety, Yonhap News reported on Sunday, citing his lawyer. “The officials in the Corruption Investigation Office (CIO) and the police are trying to execute illegal and invalid arrest warrants through illegal methods, raising concerns about personal safety and mishaps,” lawyer Yoon Kab-keun was quoted as saying. “In order for the president to appear for the trial, the issue of personal safety and security must…

TOKYO, Jan 12 (Reuters) – Japanese Foreign Minister Takeshi Iwaya said on Sunday he planned to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration as U.S. president on Jan. 20, as Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government hopes to maintain close ties with its security ally. “We aim to build a relationship of trust with the Trump administration securely,” Iwaya told a talk show on public broadcaster NHK. He said he was seeking a meeting with Senator Marco Rubio, Trump’s pick to be secretary of state. India and Australia also announced that their foreign ministers would attend the swearing-in as Trump returns to the White…

(Reuters) – A federal judge in Texas on Friday said American Airlines (AAL.O), opens new tab violated federal law by basing investment decisions for its employee retirement plan on environmental, social and other non-financial factors. The ruling by U.S. District Judge Reed O’Connor appeared to be the first of its kind amid growing backlash by conservatives to an uptick in socially-conscious investing. O’Connor said American had breached its legal duty to make investment decisions based solely on the financial interests of 401(k) plan beneficiaries by allowing BlackRock (BLK.N), opens new tab, its asset manager and a major shareholder, to focus…