Author: i2wtc
Here are the key developments on the 1,096th day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Here is the situation on Monday, February 24, the third anniversary of the start of the war: Fighting The Russian Ministry of Defence said its forces seized eastern Ukraine’s Ulakly and Novoandriivka in the Donetsk region. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine is working on a domestic alternative to the US Patriot air defence system. Ukrainian Ombudsman Dmytro Lubinets said social media footage showed a Russian servicemember executing a Ukrainian prisoner in an unspecified area of Kursk Oblast, according to the Institute for the Study of…
Listen to article ISLAMABAD: The representativeness of Pakistan’s electoral outcomes has not shown any improvement over the past two decades, with successive national and provincial assemblies securing mandates from fewer than a quarter of registered voters and barely half of those who cast ballots. This was revealed by the latest report by the Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) titled “Representation in Pakistan’s Elections (2002-2024)”. The report underscores the systemic inadequacies in aligning the makeup of the legislatures with the voters’ intent, which drives political instability in the country by eroding public trust in electoral outcomes. It calls for immediate parliamentary and…
RAWALPINDI: New Zealand batter Kane Willamson bats in the nets during a practice session at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Sunday.—Tanveer Shahzad/White Star RAWALPINDI: New Zealand will look to cement their place in the ICC Champions Trophy semi-finals when they take on Bangladesh here at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. The BlackCaps are in immense form, having thrashed hosts Pakistan by 60 runs in the tournament opener. Earlier, they had also gone unbeaten in the tri-nation series, proving their mettle as a side to fear in South Asian conditions. They will be up against a Bangladesh team which didn’t…
Election campaign posters for (from R) the Free Democrats (FDP), the Left Party (Die Linke), The Social Democratic Part (SPD), the Green Party (Die Gruenen), and the Christian Democratic Party (CDU) line a boulevard in Berlin on January 20, 2025.John Macdougall | Afp | Getty ImagesBERLIN — Centrist parties struggled in Germany’s election on Sunday, with former Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democratic Party (SPD) recording its worst-ever result as many voters shifted to the extreme right and left.Speaking in Berlin soon after exit polls were released on Sunday night, Scholz said it was a “bitter” defeat.His SPD party got just…
In the war’s early weeks, Russia advanced from the north, east, and south, rapidly seizing vast areas of Ukrainian territory. Kyiv, Irpin and Bucha Russian forces heavily shelled Irpin, a key gateway to Kyiv, in an attempt to breach the capital’s defences, leaving much of the city’s residential areas and infrastructure in ruins. On February 25, Ukrainian forces deliberately destroyed the bridge over the Irpin River to hinder the Russian advance towards Kyiv. Meanwhile, in Bucha, the Russian occupation lasted several weeks. It was only after Russian forces retreated from the area that the true extent of what happened in…
Listen to article HYDERABAD: With vocal expressions of disapproval being reiterated time and again against building six new canals on the Indus River, the nationalist parties of Sindh organized protests and blocked highways in different parts of the province. Meanwhile Jeay Sindh Mahaz also blocked the National Highway in Shaheed Benazirabad district on Sunday, demanding safe recovery of the lawyer Aamir Ali Umrani who has allegedly been subjected to enforced disappearance. The leader of Jeay Sindh Qaumi Mahaz, Sanna Qureshi, led a sit-in protest at Dera Mour in Kashmore-Kandhkot district on Sindh-Punjab border. The demonstration suspended the movement of inter-provincial traffic for…
New Zealand skipper Mitchell Santner won the toss and chose to bowl against Bangladesh on Monday in Rawalpindi as the Black Caps look to seal a place in the Champions Trophy semi-finals. A win for New Zealand would also knock Bangladesh and hosts Pakistan out in the group phase of the 50-over tournament. India would go through with the Black Caps. New Zealand won the opening match of the competition against Pakistan, who then lost to India on Sunday to be on the brink of an early exit. New Zealand made two changes, bringing in fast bowler Kyle Jamieson and…
Wars in Gaza, Ukraine and Myanmar among those spurring ‘digital violence’.Governments around the world oversaw a record-breaking year for internet shutdowns in 2024, a new report on “digital violence” suggests. There were 296 internet shutdowns documented across 54 countries last year, surpassing the 283 shutdowns in 39 countries in 2023, says the report by Access Now and the #KeepItOn coalition, published on Monday. Conflict remained the leading cause of internet shutdowns for the second consecutive year, according to the report, with perpetrators employing tactics ranging from jamming devices and severing cables to destroying infrastructure and sabotaging service providers. Myanmar led…
Listen to article LAHORE: President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday attended the Pakistan Derby Race 2025 – held at the Lahore Race Club – where a horse named Sardar delivered an outstanding performance to claim victory. Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza Gilani and Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, along with a number of dignitaries, also attended the event. Zardari distributed prizes among the winners. The four-year-old Sardar covered the 2400-meter distance in 3 minutes and 2 seconds to secure the win. A total of 15 horses participated in the derby race, but Sardar outpaced them all to emerge victorious. Several jockeys…
EU leaders in Kyiv, Moscow rejects Trump’s push for swift ceasefire, competing UN votes scheduled.Leaders from the European Union and Canada have gathered in Ukraine in a show of unity as Kyiv marks the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy on Monday hailed the “heroism” of his country as he welcomed European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau among other senior officials. However, there was no representative from the United States, amid growing uncertainty over Washington’s support. “Three years of resistance. Three years of gratitude. Three years of absolute heroism of…