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‘Safe haven’: US report punches holes in Imran Khan’s track record against terrorists

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ Pakistan continues to serve as a safe haven for regionally focused terrorist groups and allows outfits including the Lashkar-e-Tayyiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed to operate from its territory, the US State department said in a new report released on Wednesday. The US indictment of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s track record in fighting terrorists comes against the backdrop of Islamabad’s brazen support for terrorists killed in encounters with security forces in Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan’s foreign office counts them as “innocents”. Wednesday’s assessment by the US state department, which counted…

WHO’s Tedros expects world to hit 10 million coronavirus cases next week

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ World Health Organization Director General Tedros Adhanom said on Wednesday he expected the number of novel coronavirus cases around the world, now at about 9.3 million, to reach 10 million next week. Tedros also told a news briefing he backed Saudi Arabia’s decision to ban pilgrims from abroad from attending the annual Haj pilgrimage to help limit the spread of the virus. He said WHO was now supporting many countries in dealing with difficulties obtaining oxygen concentrators, devices that boost the flow of oxygen to support the…

At 4-hr long India-China border talks, focus on de-escalation and disengagement

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ India and China on Wednesday decided to “sincerely implement” the understanding on disengagement and de-escalation reached by senior military commanders on June 6 to resolve the stand-off at four points in eastern Ladakh. The stand-off escalated into a violent face-off at one of the four locations earlier this month, leading to a spike in tension between the two countries. “The two delegations agreed that implementation of this understanding expeditiously, in accordance with the bilateral agreements and protocols, would help ensure peace and tranquillity in border areas and…

China finally admits casualties in Galwan clash, claims ‘numbers not very high’

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ China did not suffer heavy casualties in the deadly brawl with Indian troops in eastern Ladakh on June 15 and has not revealed the number because a comparison could stir up hostility, a top Chinese official told foreign diplomats on Wednesday. Speaking to a select group of diplomats at the Chinese foreign ministry on Wednesday afternoon, He Xiangqi, deputy director general of boundary and ocean affairs, said the “…casualties on the Chinese side were not very heavy”. She added the reason for not revealing the casualty numbers is because Beijing does…

Vaughan says UK PM Johnson talking ‘nonsense’ on amateur cricket ban

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“British Prime Minister Boris Johnson . ©AFP” /> London (AFP) – Former England captain Michael Vaughan criticised UK Prime Minister and self-confessed “village cricketer” Boris Johnson on Tuesday over the “nonsense” of upholding the ban on the recreational game due to the coronavirus. Social tennis and golf are now allowed in England, but amateur cricketers continue to wait beyond the boundary. “We’re still working on ways to make cricket more COVID-secure, but we can’t change the guidance yet,” Johnson told Parliament on Tuesday as he announced an easing of virus…

Pakistan’s Hafeez says second coronavirus test ‘negative’

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“Mohammad Hafeez says a private test he initiated after testing positive for coronavirus showed he did not have any pathogens. ©AFP” /> Karachi (AFP) – Pakistan all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez said Wednesday that a second test he commissioned himself proved he didn’t have coronavirus, a day after the country’s cricket board said he was one of seven players who had officially tested positive. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said Hafeez was one of ten players and tour staff who tested positive for the virus this week ahead of the squad’s departure…

No England positives from ECB virus tests ahead of Windies series

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“Old Trafford will be the venue for the second and third Tests of the England-West Indies series due to its on-site hotel. ©AFP” /> London (AFP) – No England cricketer tested positive for the coronavirus prior to a training group assembling at the Ageas Bowl ahead of next month’s Test series against the West Indies, it was announced Wednesday. The England and Wales Cricket Board said all results came back negative from 702 tests carried out on players, support staff, match officials, ECB staff, venue staff and hotel staff from…

‘First love’ – how 1983 World Cup win triggered India’s obsession with cricket

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“Batsman Sunil Gavaskar (L) and former captain Kapil Dev were two of the heroes of India’s 1983 World Cup win. ©AFP” /> New Delhi (AFP) – “First love red an obsession with the sport in India and created its biggest market — ultimately making India’s board the richest and most powerful in the world. India was previously a hockey-loving nation, owing to their five Olympic gold medals between 1948 and 1980.But on June 25, 1983, India’s cricketers became world-beaters. Nobody saw the victory coming, after India came into the one-day tournament…

‘Properly handle sensitive factors’: China tells India, Russia on bilateral ties

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ Beijing on Tuesday said the tripartite grouping of Russia, India and China should maintain strategic autonomy, “properly handle” sensitive issues in bilateral ties and overall maintain a good relationship. Speaking at the Russia, India and China (RIC) virtual foreign ministers’ meeting on Tuesday, state councilor and minister, Wang Yi said the three countries “…should correctly treat and properly handle sensitive factors in bilateral relations and overall maintain a good relationship”. “Properly handle sensitive factors” in bilateral issues was the closest that Wang came in referring to the…

Imran Khan’s anti-graft crusade hits the glass ceiling. It is Made in China

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COURTESY BY: https://www.hindustantimes.com/ For those who remember the memorable courtroom scene from the Tom Cruise blockbuster, “A few good men”, in which Jack Nicholson, in a moment of extreme provocation, exclaims “you can’t handle the truth’, the situation in Pakistan today is a grim reminder of the opacity with which the deep state operates to protect its interests. Even Imran Khan, the poster boy of the establishment, didn’t realise how deeply vested the interests of the Army are in the matters of the State when he decided to move his…