Islamabad, March 19 (IANS) Former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf has challenged the decision of the special court not to transfer his high treason trial case to a military court. The former president filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) Tuesday through defence lawyers Khalid Ranjha and Faisal Hussain, Dawn online reported Wednesday. A three-member […]
Islamabad, March 19 (IANS) Brushing off the opposition’s criticism of a $1.5-billion aid package from Saudi Arabia, Pakistan President Mamnoon Hussain has defended the government’s policy and expressed the hope that the assistance would help the country overcome the prevailing economic crisis. The opposition claimed that the Nawaz Sharif government was obtaining the $1.5-billion grant from […]
Berlin, March 19 (IANS) German Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Russia remains a member of the G8 in response to reports saying it was booted out of the group after signing a treaty accepting Crimea as a part of the Russian territory, a German government statement said. Earlier Tuesday, French Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius had […]
Rome, March 19 (IANS) Italy’s highest court Tuesday upheld a ban for former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi from holding public offices for two years, media reports said. The ruling had been made by an appeals court in Milan last October after the highest court upheld a conviction for tax fraud of Berlusconi’s television network in August, […]
Washington, March 19 (IANS) Indian ambassador S. Jaishankar has welcomed US lawmakers plea to end US defence department’s presumptive ban on Sikh Americans serving in the US military with their beards and turbans. Over 100 members of Congress from both Democratic and Republican parties made the plea in a March 10 letter to the US Defence […]
Moscow, March 19 (IANS) Former Chelsea and Tottenham boss Andre Villas-Boas has been named Russian side Zenit St Petersburg’s new manager. The 36-year-old Portuguese will officially sign for Zenit March 20, reported Xinhua. “Zenit has agreed terms on a contract with new head coach Andre Villas-Boas,” said the club in a statement Tuesday. “The contract will […]
Vienna, March 19 (IANS) The talks between Iran and six world powers in Vienna is “substantive and useful”, a spokesperson for EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said Tuesday. The comment was made after Tuesday’s talks between Iran and the P5+1 group, namely Britain, China, France, Russia, the US plus Germany, heading to a comprehensive deal […]
Tallinn, March 19 (IANS) Estonian Foreign Minister Urmas Paet Tuesday called on the European Union (EU) to further sanctions against Russia, saying an arms embargo should be one of the first issues on the agenda. After Sunday’s referendum in Crimea, the EU decided Monday to impose sanctions, including visa bans and freezing assets, against 21 Russian […]
New York, March 19 (IANS) Actor Aaron Paul is completely devoted to wife Lauren Parsekian and says he “doesn’t deserve” her. The “Breaking Bad” actor says he is a “good guy” who would never do anything to hurt his spouse, reports contactmusic.com. Speaking at the Cinema Society’s “Need for Speed” screening last week, asked if he […]
Islamabad, March 19 (IANS) Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif Tuesday approved the establishment of anti-terror rapid-response forces at the federal and provincial levels with quality and trained manpower, a leading Pakistani daily reported. Sharif also issued directions to immediately establish a National Intelligence Directorate under National Counter-Terrorism Authority (Nacta) in a bid to strengthen coordination between military […]