Sunday, December 25th, 2016
Israel strikes back after UN settlement vote, Pope Francis hopes for peace
DEC 25, (DNA) – Israel on Sunday summoned representatives of states that supported a UN resolution demanding it halt settlement activity, while cutting civilian coordination with Palestinians by way of rebuke. Foreign ministry spokesman Emmanuel Nahshon said that the 14 envoys of UN Security Council members will visit the ministry in Jerusalem throughout the day. The Council passed the measure Friday after the United States abstained, enabling the adoption of the first resolution since 1979 to condemn Israel over its settlement policy. The US envoy was not summoned. The resolution demandsRead More
Pakistan releases 220 Indian fishermen as goodwill gesture
KARACHI, 25 DEC (DNA) – As a goodwill gesture, Pakistani authorities released 220 Indian fishermen in the first batch on Sunday. The second batch of 219 fishermen will be released on January 5, 2017. According to official sources, the freed Indian fishermen were sent to Karachi’s Cantt Railway Station from Malir District Jail. The fishermen were arrested for violating territorial waters of Pakistan in the Arabian Sea. They will be handed over to the Indian authorities at Wagah Border in Lahore. A spokesperson of the Pakistan-India Peoples Forum for PeaceRead More
Pakistan sends condolences over Russian air crash
ISLAMABAD, 25 DEC (DNA) – Pakistan on Sunday sent condolences over the losses in a Russian military plane crash which killed all people onboard. The Russian military Tu-154 aircraft carrying 92 people crashed Sunday in the Black Sea after taking off from the resort city of Sochi, Russian officials said. “The leadership and the people of Pakistan are deeply grieved and saddened to learn about the tragic crash of Tu-154 aircraft in the Russian Federation today, which resulted in the loss of more than ninety valuable lives, including members ofRead More
NAB was formed by military dictator to suppress political figures, says Abbasi
DEC 25, (DNA) – Federal Minister on Petroleum and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that the plea bargain clause is a basic flaw in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law — which needs amendment. He said that there is a consensus among all political parties that the system of NAB should be changed. Abbasi was of the view that there are a lot of flaws in the NAB law but the government cannot amend it unilaterally. He invited Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) for a joint sitting andRead More
Quake of magnitude 7.7 strikes in southern Chile: USGS
LONDON, DEC 25, (DNA) – An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 7.7 struck 225 km (140 miles) southwest of Puerto Montt in southern Chile on Sunday, the United States Geological Survey said. It was earlier reported as magnitude 7.6. The quake’s depth was about 15 km (nine miles). The biggest quake to hit Chile in recent years was an 8.8-magnitude tremor that struck the central-southern region in 2010, triggering a tsunami and killing more than 500 people. Practice drills are frequent in Chile and builders follow strict construction codes, whichRead More
‘No survivors’ as Syria-bound Russian jet crashes in Black Sea
MOSCOW, DEC 25, (DNA) – A Russian military plane crashed on its way to Syria on Sunday, with no sign of survivors among the 92 onboard, who included dozens of Red Army Choir members heading to celebrate the New Year with troops. The Tu-154 plane crashed in the Black Sea shortly after taking off from the southern city of Adler where it had been refuelling, defence ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told Russian news agencies. It disappeared from radars just two minutes after it took off at 5:25 am (0225 GMT). TheRead More