Monday, December 29th, 2025
More than 3,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain
DNA MADRID: More than 3,000 migrants died while trying to reach Spain this year, a report released by a Spanish migration rights group said on Monday, a sharp decline from 2024 as the number of attempted crossings fell. Caminando Fronteras (Walking Borders) said most of the 3,090 deaths recorded until December 15 took place on the Atlantic migration route from Africa to Spain’s Canary Islands, considered one of the world’s most dangerous. While there has been a “significant” decrease in migrant arrivals in the Canaries, “a new, more distant andRead More
NDMA forecasts intense cold weather
Saifullah Ansar ISLAMABAD: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday, issued a weather alert as a westerly wave is set to enter the country and affect various parts over the coming days. The NDMA, in its advisory, said that the westerly wave is likely to enter the western parts of the country tonight (December 29) and is expected to intensify from December 30. The authority said the system is projected to grip most upper and central parts of the country on December 31 and persist in the upper regionsRead More
Sherry Rehman condemns India’’s approval of Dulhasti Stage-II Project
ISLAMABAD, DEC 29 /DNA/ – Senator Sherry Rehman has strongly condemned India’s approval of the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on the Chenab River in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), terming it a flagrant violation of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). Under the treaty, Pakistan has control over the waters of the Indus, Jhelum, and Chenab rivers, while India retains rights over the Ravi, Beas, and Sutlej rivers. She noted that the Indus Waters Treaty, which cannot be unilaterally revoked, has been reaffirmed by recent five United Nations rapporteursRead More
Chinese Communist Party expels top generals
News Desk BEIJING: The Chinese Communist Party has expelled nine top generals in one of its largest public crackdowns on the military in decades. Nine men were suspected of serious financial crimes, a statement released by China’s defence ministry said. Most of them were three-star generals and part of the party’s decision-making Central Committee. They have also been expelled from the military. While the statement cast the expulsion as part of an anti-corruption drive, analysts say it could also be seen as a political purge. It comes on the eveRead More
Faiz Hameed files appeal against sentence
Monitoring Desk ISLAMABAD: Former chief of Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Faiz Hameed‘s lawyer confirmed on Monday that an appeal had been filed against the ex-spymaster’s sentencing by a military court. “Yes, we have appealed his sentencing,” Hameed’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, but did not share any details about the appeal. Hameed was sentenced to 14 years rigorous imprisonment by a military court on December 11 after being convicted on four counts related to violating secrecy laws, engaging in political activities, misuse of authority and causing harm to others. He had aRead More
A Border Held by Truce, Not Trust
Dr. Muhammad Akram Zaheer The dust, it is said, never truly settles along the Durand Line. This 2,640-kilometre frontier, snaking through mountainous terrain dividing Pakistan and Afghanistan, is more than a geographical marker. It is a historical wound, a political fault line, and in recent years, an increasingly active battlefield. Despite fleeting ceasefires and third-party mediation, a brittle calm prevails, one perpetually undercut by deep-seated grievances and the tremors of larger geopolitical realignments. Local actors alone do not dictate the stability of this border; it is increasingly hostage to theRead More