‘Politically motivated’: Pakistan rejects US State Department report on rights abuses

  • Annual assessment identified arbitrary detentions, extrajudicial killings, enforced disappearances
  • Pakistan government and state agencies deny involvement in missing persons cases, other rights abuses 
By SAIMA SHABBIR ·

Pakistani, US officials discuss ways to enhance bilateral trade and investment

  • Pakistani, American officials hold inter-sessional meeting under Trade and Investment Framework Agreement 
  • Both sides discussed regulatory practices, digital trade, textiles and investments, says US Embassy in Pakistan
By KHURSHID AHMED    ·

Special video

In Rawalpindi, 77-year-old tea shop named after India’s Ludhiana is still a hit with customers

  • Ludhiana Tea Shop owners migrated from India’s northwestern city at the time of Partition in 1947
  • Customers say they come from far-off places to relish the taste of tea at the shop which they find unique
By Yusra Jabeen ·

Pakistan refiners, fuel station owners oppose price deregulation, fear business closures

  • Petroleum dealers say government wants to avoid public criticism and shift the burden of high oil prices to consumers
  • Oil refineries also opposed deregulation earlier this week, saying it would put their $6 billion investment at risk
By KHURSHID AHMED    ·

An enduring bond: A Jordanian photographer has turned his focus on two of the Arab world’s most beloved creatures

  • Tariq Dajani’s first photographic exhibition of the horse and falcon series is on display at Ahlam Gallery in Al-Olaya, Riyadh
  • Arabian horses have been the subject of songs and poetry praising their individual and physical qualities down through the ages
By Rahaf Jambi ·

Hamas official says Israel ‘will not achieve’ goals in Rafah

  • “Even if (Israel) enters and invades Rafah, it will not achieve what it wants,” Ghazi Hamad said
  • “This will undoubtedly threaten the negotiations because it is clear from this declared position that Israel is interested in continuing the war“
By AFP ·

‘Uncommitted’ organizers will join campus protesters in Michigan over Gaza

  • Student protests in the US over the war in Gaza have intensified and expanded over the past week
  • Democrats have become increasingly uneasy over the US support for Israel as the death toll and destruction climb in Gaza
By Reuters ·

Special photos

How Vision 2030 is transforming Saudi Arabia into a globally competitive economy

  • From efficiency and economic performance to infrastructure and cybersecurity, the Kingdom is a desirable place to do business
  • Strides in transport, logistics and financial markets have boosted the Kingdom’s global competitiveness
By Nadin Hassan ·

Spanish govt to ‘oversee’ scandal-hit football federation

  • The CSD said it will create a “commission of supervision, standardization and representation” led by “independent personalities“
  • Former Spain coach and 2010 World Cup winner Vicente del Bosque could be one of the members of this commission
By AFP ·

Special

Why the bidding may be furious for a portrait of Ottoman ruler Mehmed II, coming up for sale soon

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  • The newly rediscovered medallion features a portrait of Sultan Mehmed II The Conqueror
  • The item is expected to sell for around £2 million at auction at Bonhams of London
By Jonathan Gornall ·