Pakistanis stranded in Syria arrive home on chartered flight from Beirut

  • More than 1,300 Pakistanis had been stranded in Syria since last week
  • Pakistani PM sought Lebanon’s assistance in evacuating expats via border 
By Fatimah Amjad ·

Gaza, Lebanon humanitarian crises in focus as Pakistan attends D8 summit in Cairo next week

  • D8 summit is gathering of leaders forms eight developing countries to promote economic cooperation and development
  • Ongoing Israeli military campaign in Gaza has killed over 44,000 people, injured thousands since Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack 
By SAIMA SHABBIR ·

Taliban minister’s killing renews concerns over Daesh threat in Afghanistan

  • Khalil Haqqani was killed by a suicide bomber inside his ministry’s compound
  • He is the most high-profile Taliban casualty since the group’s return to power
By MODASER ISLAMI ·

Special

Ex-spy chief’s arraignment ignites debate in Pakistan on possible military trial of Imran Khan

  • Hamid, who was DG ISI from June 2019 until October 2021, was widely seen to have been close to Khan when he was PM 
  • PM Sharif government says Hamid may have been a “strategic adviser” to Khan in planning anti-military riots in May last year
By NAIMAT KHAN - & - Mehreen Zahra-Malik ·

How a Saudi language processing center is using AI to improve machine interaction with Arabic

  • The Artificial Intelligence Center for Arabic Language Processing is bridging the gap between technology and one of the world’s most spoken languages
  • The center’s five advanced labs provide resources for researchers developing AI applications for Arabic, says KSGAAL’s linguistic computing head
By Hebshi Alshammari ·

NASA honors Algerian parks with Martian namesakes

  • “Our planet is fragile, and it’s a signal to the world that we really need to take care of our national parks, whether they are in Algeria or elsewhere,” Melikechi said
  • “The first one that came to my mind was the Tassili n’Ajjer,” he said of the UNESCO-listed vast plateau in the Sahara Desert
By AFP ·

Filipino on Indonesia death row says planned transfer a ‘miracle’

  • Mary Jane Veloso was arrested and sentenced to death in 2010 after the suitcase she was carrying was found to be lined with 2.6 kilograms of heroin
  • Last week, Indonesia’s senior law and human rights minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said a ‘practical arrangement’ had been signed for her repatriation
By AFP ·

Dortmund to host Germany’s Nations League clash with Italy

  • The match will take place at the 82,000-seat home of Borussia Dortmund on March 23
By AFP ·

Marrakech Film Festival opens in Morocco with ‘The Order’

  • The Marrakech International Film Festival, now in its 21st year, will showcase Oscar contenders and screen films for members of the public
By AP ·