عربي English Türkçe اردو فارسى
Logo
Latest News
World

Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan Granted Bail, But Release Uncertain

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza
TT
TT

Pakistan Ex-PM Imran Khan Granted Bail, But Release Uncertain

Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza
Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, gestures as he speaks to the members of the media at his residence in Lahore, Pakistan May 18, 2023. REUTERS/Mohsin Raza

Pakistan's Supreme Court on Friday granted bail to former Prime Minister Imran Khan in a case related to an alleged leak of state secrets, possibly a huge win for his party ahead of national elections in February, Reuters said.
The 71-year-old former cricket star has been embroiled in a tangle of political and legal battles since he was ousted as prime minister in April 2022. He has not been seen in public since he was jailed for three years in August for unlawfully selling state gifts while in office from 2018 to 2022.
It was not immediately clear if or when Khan would be released from jail because of the number of arrest warrants issued against him, Salman Safdar, one of Khan's lawyers who represented him in court, told journalists after the hearing.
A three-member bench granted Khan and his deputy party leader, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, bail subject to surety bonds of one million Pakistani rupees ($3,600) each. Both were indicted earlier this month.
The state secrets charge is related to a classified cable sent to Islamabad by Pakistan's ambassador in Washington last year, which Khan is accused of making public. He denies the charge, saying the contents appeared in the media from other sources.
Despite Friday's bail, Khan remains disqualified from contesting national elections
scheduled for Feb. 8 by virtue of the corruption conviction, which a high court refused to suspend on Thursday. He still plans on filing his nomination papers ahead of a Sunday deadline, his party said.
Even if the charismatic Khan were unable to contest the election, his release would be a major shot in the arm for his party as it would enable him to lead its campaign in the lead-up to the polls.
Khan is widely believed to be the country's most popular leader and won the last general elections in 2018.
He says he is being targeted by the powerful military, which wants to keep him out of the polls. The military denies the charge.

Most Viewed

 
 
World

Australian Lawmakers Back Stricter Gun, Hate Crime Laws

A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
TT
TT

Australian Lawmakers Back Stricter Gun, Hate Crime Laws

A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)
A visitor places a pebble at a memorial site in remembrance to the lives lost during the Bondi Beach mass shooting on December 14, 2025, in Sydney, Australia, January 16, 2026. (Reuters)

Australian politicians voted in favor of tougher hate crime and gun laws Tuesday, weeks after gunmen targeting Jewish people on Bondi Beach killed 15 people.

Lawmakers in the House of Representatives backed the legislation in response to the December 14 shooting at the famous Sydney beach.

Sajid Akram and his son Naveed allegedly targeted a Jewish Hanukkah celebration in the nation's worst mass shooting for 30 years.

The attack has sparked national soul-searching about antisemitism, anger over the failure to shield Jewish Australians from harm, and promises to protect the country with stiffer legislation.

The hate crime and gun control legislation must still be approved by the upper house Senate, which was expected to vote later in the day.

"The terrorists had hate in their hearts, but they also had high-powered rifles in their hands," Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told parliament.

"We're taking action on both -- tackling antisemitism, tackling hate, and getting dangerous guns off our streets."

Legislative reforms on guns and hate speech were voted on separately.

The hate speech legislation would toughen laws and penalties for people seeking to spread hate and radicalization, or to promote violence.

It creates aggravated offences for offenders who are preachers, other leaders, or adults seeking to radicalize children.

The reform would also make it easier to reject or cancel visas for people suspected of terrorism or espousing hatred on the basis of race, color, or origin.

On firearms, Australia would set up a national gun buyback scheme, tighten rules on imports of firearms and expand background checking for gun permits to allow input from intelligence services.

The legislation was debated in a special session of parliament, ahead of a national day of mourning on Thursday for the Bondi Beach victims.

Gunman Sajid Akram, 50, was shot and killed by police during the Bondi Beach attack. An Indian national, he entered Australia on a visa in 1998.

His 24-year-old son Naveed, an Australian-born citizen who remains in prison, has been charged with terrorism and 15 murders.

Police and intelligence agencies are facing difficult questions about whether they could have acted earlier.

Naveed Akram was flagged by Australia's intelligence agency in 2019, but he slipped off the radar after it was decided that he posed no imminent threat.

World

Macron Sent Message to Trump Offering to Host G7 Meeting in Paris Thursday

French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
TT
TT

Macron Sent Message to Trump Offering to Host G7 Meeting in Paris Thursday

French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT
French President Emmanuel Macron wears sunglasses as he speaks as he leads a meeting on New-Caledonia at the Elysee Palace in Paris, France, 19 January 2026. EPA/STEPHANE DE SAKUTIN / POOL MAXPPP OUT

Emmanuel Macron has sent a "private message" to Donald Trump offering to organize a G7 summit in Paris on Thursday in which Russia could be invited on the sidelines, the French president's entourage confirmed.

Trump posted this message on his Truth Social network in which Macron also proposes inviting Ukraine to the meeting as well as Denmark to discuss disagreements over Greenland.

The offer comes as Europe is weighing countermeasures after Trump threatened to impose tariffs on eight European countries in a bid to pressure the EU over Greenland.

"My friend, we are completely aligned on Syria. We can do great things in Iran. I don't understand what you are doing in Greenland," Macron said in his message.

"I can organize a G7 meeting in Paris on Thursday afternoon after Davos," Macron wrote, referring to the gathering of global elites in Switzerland where the US president is set to be in attendance.

"I can invite the Ukrainians, the Danes, the Syrians and the Russians on the sidelines" of the meeting, he added.

Trump's relations with Macron hit a new low Monday when the US president threatened 200 percent tariffs on French wine over France's intention to decline an invitation to join his "Board of Peace".

"Tariff threats to influence our foreign policy are unacceptable and ineffective," a source close to Macron told AFP on Tuesday.

World

ISIS Claims Deadly Blast at Chinese-run Restaurant in Afghan Capital

Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
TT
TT

ISIS Claims Deadly Blast at Chinese-run Restaurant in Afghan Capital

Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL
Security forces stand at the site of an explosion in Kabul, Afghanistan, 19 January 2026. EPA/SAMIULLAH POPAL

ISIS claimed an explosion that officials said killed a Chinese national and six Afghans, while injuring several more as it tore through a Chinese-run restaurant in a heavily guarded part of Afghanistan's capital.

Monday's blast took place in the commercial Shahr-e-Naw area that is home to offices, shopping complexes and embassies, police spokesperson Khalid Zadran said.

It is considered one of the safest neighborhoods in the city.

According to Reuters, the Afghan branch of ISIS claimed responsibility, saying in a statement it ‌was carried out ‌by a suicide bomber.

The restaurant serving the Chinese ‌Muslim ⁠community was jointly run ‌by a Chinese Muslim man, Abdul Majid, his wife, and an Afghan partner, Abdul Jabbar Mahmood, Zadran said.

"The nature of the explosion is unknown so far and is being investigated," he said.

A Chinese national, identified only as Ayub, and six Afghans were killed in the blast near the restaurant's kitchen, while several others were injured, Zadran added.

The Amaq news agency said the domestic arm of ISIS had put Chinese citizens on its list of targets, citing "growing crimes by the Chinese government against ‌Uyghurs".

Rights groups accuse Beijing of widespread abuses of Uyghurs, ‍a mainly Muslim ethnic minority group ‍numbering about 10 million who live in China's far western region of ‍Xinjiang.

Beijing denies any abuse and has accused Western countries of interference and peddling lies.

The blast injured five Chinese nationals, and China has requested that Afghanistan spare no effort to treat the injured, Guo Jiakun, a spokesperson for China's foreign ministry, said at a press briefing on Tuesday.

China also requested that Afghanistan take effective measures to protect the safety of ⁠its citizens and investments, and investigate, Guo said.

On Monday, videos shared on social media showed smoke billowing from a large hole torn in the facade of the restaurant building, while debris littered the street outside.

"We have received 20 people at our hospital," Dejan Panic, the Afghanistan director of humanitarian group EMERGENCY, said in a statement, adding that seven were dead on arrival. "Among the wounded are four women and a child."