WASHINGTON — The United States has made its 2025 “Visa Bond Pilot Program” permanent, under which citizens of certain countries are now required to submit a refundable financial guarantee — known as a visa bond — ranging from $10,000 to $20,000 in order to obtain a visitor visa.According to an international online publication, the list…
RAWALPINDI — Report By Muhammad Saleem Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the headquarters of the National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC), where he was given a detailed briefing on preparations made to deal with potential disasters during the monsoon season.During the briefing, the Field Marshal commended the efforts of the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA)…
While the Reflecting Pool prosecution and the so-called “anti-weaponisation fund” may be topics of intense presidential interest, they barely register as concerns for the larger American public. That is decidedly not the case with the war with Iran, where Trump is once again accusing Iran of deceit amid another round of on-again, off-again negotiations and…
Pakistan has formally requested China for early refinancing of $1.3 billion. According to sources, Pakistan made payments totaling $2.2 billion to China last month, which included the repayment of a $1.3 billion Chinese commercial loan.Islamabad now wants the repaid amount refinanced as soon as possible in order to ease pressure on the country’s foreign exchange…
WASHINGTON/TEHRAN — US President Donald Trump once again announced late Sunday into Monday that talks with Iran were resuming, but Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei denied the claim on Monday, saying his country is not currently holding any negotiations with the United States.Trump said the US wants to reach two separate agreements with Iran…
TOKYO — Japanese social activist Yusuke Furisawa says he has been staging a solitary daily protest in support of Gaza since October 2023, and will continue his campaign despite widespread public indifference. Every day, for about an hour, he stands in Tokyo and other Japanese cities holding banners for Palestine, chanting “Free Palestine,” “Stop the…
CCTV footage released on Monday showed the moment a pilot was caught at Jakarta airport trying to smuggle 70,000 ecstasy pills in his suitcase. A group of officers at the airport can be seen removing several bags full of drugs – which amounted to around four stone (26kg) – from a silver suitcase. The man…
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said an 89-year-old woman was killed and two girls, aged two and 12, were among seven injured in a Russian strike on the southern port city of Mykolaiv overnight. A woman and two girls, aged five and 10, were killed in a strike on a residential area in Sumy, and…
Saudi Arabia’s holy city of Mecca has secured fifth place worldwide in the International Visitor Reception Index. According to the report, Mecca welcomed more than 19.3 million international visitors during 2024, further cementing its status as one of the world’s most important religious and international tourist destinations.Islam’s holiest city has crossed another major milestone in…
US President Donald Trump’s social media company, TMTG Technology Group and Trump Media, has launched a new service called Truth API, under which Wall Street trading firms and institutional users can pay up to $100,000 a month for ultra-fast access to Trump’s posts on Truth Social ahead of the general public. The move has drawn…
