Saturday, February 13th, 2021
British MPs call on government to pressure Israel to stop evictions
LONDON – A group of UK lawmakers on Tuesday appealed to the British government to increase pressure on Israel to stop its forced evictions of Palestinian families from their homes in East Jerusalem. Over 80 MPs from different parties, from both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, asked the UK’s Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab in a letter to “make clear to its Israeli counterpart that relations cannot continue as normal in the event of such transgressions”. “As you are well aware, the forcible transfer of an occupiedRead More
British-Pakistani lawyer elected the next chief prosecutor at ICC
ISLAMABAD: British-Pakistani lawyer Karim Khan has been elected the next chief prosecutor at the International Criminal Court (ICC), the court’s governing body announced on Saturday. Khan, 50, currently heads a United Nations investigation into war crimes committed by Daesh in Iraq. He is succeeding Gambian judge Fatou Bensouda and will begin his nine-year term at the court in the Hague in June. “Mr. Karim Khan (United Kingdom) has been elected in the second round as the next ICC Prosecutor. Warm congratulations!” O-Gon Kwon, president of the Assembly of States Parties ofRead More
British parliament inquires into £300 million UK aid for Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The UK parliament has relaunched an inquiry into its government’s aid to Pakistan to assess the transparency and effectiveness of the development funds that amount to over £300 million a year. The inquiry started in June 2019, but was not completed as the parliament was soon dissolved. It is now carried out by the International Development Committee (IDC) — a select committee of comprising 11 members of the House of Commons. Pakistan has been the largest recipient of British development and humanitarian aid under the Department for International DevelopmentRead More
South Africa win 2nd T20I against Pakistan by six wickets
LAHORE, FEB 13 – South Africa won the second Twenty20 International against Pakistan by six wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Saturday. Pite van Biljon and Reeza Hendricks both scored 42 as South Africa chased down a modest 145-run target in just 16.2 overs. The third and final match is on Sunday, also in Lahore. David Miller and captain Heinrich Klaasen saw the visitors through with more than three overs left. Shaheen Shah Afridi struck twice for Pakistan early on to get rid of Janneman Malan and JJRead More
COVID-19: Morocco starts vaccinating people aged 65+
RABAT, FEB 13 – Morocco began vaccinating people older than 65 years against the novel coronavirus, according to an official statement. The move came a day after the North African country received a second batch of 4 million doses of the AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine. According to the Health Ministry’s latest data, Morocco has vaccinated over 800,000 people since the start of its vaccination campaign. All members of the public will be vaccinated as soon as possible, the ministry said in the statement. On Jan. 28, Morocco began a mass nationwide vaccinationRead More
Kashmir becomes voiceless in Indian parliament
ANKARA, FEB 13 – For the third time in history, the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir will go without any political representation in Rajya Sabha — the upper house of the Indian parliament. Four members of the parliament from the region, including leader of the opposition Ghulam Nabi Azad, are retiring by the end of this week, leaving their seats vacant. The region disputed between India and Pakistan used to send six directly elected MPs to Lok Sabha — the lower house and four members elected by the state assemblyRead More