News & Events

Chancellor Angela Merkel was left battling for political survival Monday after high-stakes talks to form a new government collapsed, plunging Germany into a crisis that could trigger fresh elections.Europe’s biggest economy now faces weeks, if not months of paralysis with a lame-duck government that is unlikely to take bold policy action. And with no other viable coalition in sight, Germany may be forced to hold new elections that risk being as inconclusive as September’s polls….

World Cup 2022 host Qatar, under global scrutiny over its alleged ill-treatment of foreign workers, has agreed to a range of labour reforms including the introduction of a minimum wage. Qatar ‘to introduce’ minimum wage Other proposed changes include job contracts being lodged with the government so they cannot be changed on arrival in Qatar, and employers no longer being able to stop staff from leaving the country. Separately, state media announced the gas-rich emirate…

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani has said that his country will not be a part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) unless it is given access to Pakistan’s Wagah and Attari border, DNA India reported on Wednesday. No to CPEC unless Pakistan provides trade access to India: President Ghani Addressing a gathering at the Vivekananda International Foundation in New Delhi, Ghani said that Kabul will restrict Pakistan’s access to central Asia if it is not given…

Disputing claims about her rescue, the recently recovered Caitlan Coleman has said that she was in Pakistan for at least a year before she was “rescued” by Pakistan Army in an operation near the Pak-Afghan border earlier this month. Caitlan Coleman ends hush on captivity While speaking to the Toronto Star in her first interview since her recovery, Coleman said: “Right now, everybody’s shunting blame and making claims. Pakistan says no, they were never in…

Saudi Arabia’s powerful Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman on Tuesday vowed to restore “moderate, open” Islam in a kingdom known for its ultra-conservative rule. Saudi crown sovereign guarantees ‘a nation of direct Islam’ “We are returning to what we were before, a country of moderate Islam that is open to all religions and to the world,” he said at an economic forum in Riyadh. “We will not spend the next 30 years of our lives…

G7 countries and tech giants including Google, Facebook and Twitter on Friday agreed to work together to block the dissemination of extremism over the internet. G7 tech giants agree on plan to block terror content online “These are the first steps towards a great alliance in the name of freedom,” Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti said after a two-day meeting with his Group of Seven counterparts, stressing the importance of the internet for extremist “recruitment,…