Tag: Germany

  • Absar Alam asks who is the mastermind behind attacks on journalists after his attackers arrested

    Absar Alam asks who is the mastermind behind attacks on journalists after his attackers arrested

     Police have arrested the accused who shot at and injured journalist and former PEMRA Chairman Absar Alam last year, reports Umar Cheema for The News.

    Absar Alam’s attackers not only confessed to making a life attempt on him but also admitted that they were tasked to hit another journalist, Asad Ali Toor. However, the attackers changed their plans after the hype created after the attack on Absar.

    Taking to Twitter, Absar said that he is thankful that for the first time assailants who attacked journalists were arrested. However, he went on to question the details that have come to the surface after the arrest. “Who was giving information and instructions from Pakistan about me and Asad to this person from Germany?”

    “Who is the real mastermind behind the murderous attacks on journalists by criminals in Germany and France?”

    “The big test of the police, intelligence agencies, and the government has now begun,” tweeted Absar.

    In April 2021, Absar was shot in Islamabad. He was walking in the F-11 park near his home when he got shot.

    In May 2021, journalist Asad Ali Toor was attacked by three unidentified men, who broke into his apartment and tortured him.

  • After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    After meeting Bilawal, German FM tests positive for Covid-19

    German Foreign Minister (FM) Annalena Baerbock tested positive for Covid-19, her ministry confirmed on Tuesday, reports Reuters.

    Earlier, Baerbock met her Pakistani counterpart Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad. She has also cancelled all further dates of the trip, which also included stops in Greece and Turkey.

    Responding to the news, FM Bilawal wished Baerbock a quick recovery. He tweeted, “Building on our excellent talks today, I look forward to our continued engagement and future interactions to further solidify Pakistan and Germany partnership.”

    Baerbock reached Islamabad today (Tuesday) on a two-day visit.

    Baerbock and Bilawal held a joint presser in the capital. It has been reported that Pakistan will inaugurate its Consulate General in Munich soon.

    ‘We support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir’: FM Baerbock

    During the presser, Bilawal said, “If India fails to condemn the comments, then it’s a reflection that it’s not a secular India but rather a Hindu-superiority India. We would want to engage with India but with a rationale.”

    Talking about the Kashmir issue, Baerbock said, “The foundation of human rights is indivisible and this counts for every region in the world. This also counts for Kashmir, this counts for women’s rights. This counts for minority rights and religious rights Therefore, we support the work of the UN and their stance on Kashmir to ensure that all human rights are being guaranteed.”

    “We believe that constructive approaches and measures from both sides are the only way forward to improve the relationships between India and Pakistan. The bilateral agreement along the line of control last year was a positive step”, she added.

    ‘Pakistan had been Germany’s closest and most reliable partner‘: FM Baerbock

    About the Afghan situation, the German FM said, “It is not the mistake of the people that the Taliban overthrew the government and since then have tightened their grip on Afghan society,” she said, promising that Germany would continue to provide humanitarian aid and support people who need it, especially women and girls.

    The diplomat highlighted that Pakistan had been Germany’s “closest and most reliable partner” in that regard, revealing that under this close cooperation between the two countries, 14,000 Afghans, who were at risk in the country, could travel to Germany via Pakistan and were able to start a new life in safety and without fear.

    ‘Pakistan does not want to be dragged in conflict’: FM Bilawal

    Bilawal also highlighted that Pakistan was playing an outside role in mitigating the economic crisis in Afghanistan. “This is the face of Pakistan. A modern Muslim country”, he said.

    While talking about the Ukraine crisis, Bilawal maintained that Pakistan “does not want to be dragged in conflict particularly given that we have just experienced decade after decade of conflict in Afghanistan”.

  • Germany to strengthen trade and investment ties with Pakistan

    Germany to strengthen trade and investment ties with Pakistan

    In a recent meeting with Federal Minister of Commerce and Investment Syed Naveed Qamar, German Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Dr Tobias Lindner expressed his hope that Germany and Pakistan would further strengthen and expand bilateral relations, particularly in trade and investment.

    Both countries discussed multiple aspects of bilateral ties, along a great emphasis on improving trade and financial collaboration to sustain economic growth in a post-Covid pandemic world. The duo agreed to exchange business envoys to look into the prospect of B2B cooperation in renewable power, farming, food security, autos, and technical assistance.

    The Commerce Minister praised Germany for its constant support for Pakistan’s GSP Plus scheme. He emphasized the importance of GSP Plus in widening bilateral trade and offering Pakistan a level playing field in the European segment.

    He also clarified that the scheme has served as a precursor for essential progressive social changes, particularly those relating to women’s empowerment. The German Minister convinced his nation’s continued and forthcoming assistance for the GSP Plus Scheme.

  • Referee halts football match to help Muslim player break Ramazan fast

    Referee halts football match to help Muslim player break Ramazan fast

    A referee had to halt a football league match for a Muslim player, Moussa Niakhate,26, to allow him to break Ramazan fast. It happened during a match between Mainz and Augsburg last week in Bundesliga which is a professional association football league in Germany.

    Moussa Niakhate who is a center-back in the Mainz team was observing fast during the match. The match referee stopped the game at 65 minutes to allow Niskhate to break Ramazan fast by drinking water.

    https://twitter.com/hdfootballl/status/1513867791740379143?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1513867791740379143%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Findianexpress.com%2Farticle%2Fsports%2Ffootball%2Ffirst-time-in-history-referee-pauses-game-at-sunset-to-let-player-break-his-ramadan-fast-7867346%2F

    Later, Niakhate ran up to the referee to thank him for this kind gesture. It was the first time in the history of the Bundesliga league that a match has been paused to allow the player to break the fast. Augsburg won the match against Mainz with 2-0 goals. There were other cases where the referee paused the game for a similar situation.

    According to The Mail, Lutz Michael Frohlich – director of communications for the German Referee Committee​ – has given his approval for officials to stop matches to allow players to break their fast during Ramazan.

    “There is no general instruction in this regard,” he said on Monday, “but of course, we support our referees allowing such drinking breaks during Ramazan at the request of the players.”

  • 57 dead bodies found in mass grave in Ukraine town

    57 dead bodies were found buried in a mass grave in a town in Ukraine called Bucha. It is situated in the west of the city of Kyiv. The mass grave was found at the back of the church in the town center. Ukrainian troops recaptured the area from Russian forces on Sunday, reports Khaleej Times.

    According to the head of rescue services, Serhii Kaplychnyi, “Here in this long grave, 57 people are buried.” Kaplychnyi is also responsible for organising the recovery of the bodies.

    Some dead bodies were either partially covered by the earth or unburied completely. Some bodies were found in black zip-up bags while some were in civilian clothing.

    Russian forces were accused of a ‘deliberate massacre’ in the town by Ukraine authorities.

    A French media reporter claimed that he saw almost 20 dead bodies in civilian clothing which were scattered across the streets in town. One make dead body identified had his hands behind his back tied with a white piece of cloth.

    Germany also called for new European Union (EU) sanctions against Russia for killing innocent civilians in Bucha and called it a ‘war crime.’ The United Kingdom also called for an investigation of these brutal war crimes committed by Russia.

  • Pakistan embassy warns stranded nationals in Poland not to go anywhere else

    Pakistan embassy warns stranded nationals in Poland not to go anywhere else

    The Pakistan embassy has given a serious warning to stranded Pakistani nationals who were transported to Poland from Ukraine. This warning was given after 15 Pakistanis were arrested while trying to flee to Germany on Saturday, reports Samaa News.

    The embassy said that they would stop evacuation if Pakistanis did not follow said rules and regulations. Poland has given 15 days visas on a humanitarian basis to all Pakistanis who were evacuated from Ukraine.

    They have to return back to Pakistan after their visa expiration. They are also strictly not allowed to leave Poland during this duration.

    The embassy said that whoever tries to enter another country from Poland would face serious consequences.

    Pakistan Embassy has updated the evacuation details on their Twitter. Until now, 411 Pakistanis have been evacuated from Ukraine. Some people are on their way to Lviv from Kharkiv, Poltava, and Kyiv.

    The evacuation process has been delayed due to a rush of people wanting to escape the country.

    The embassy has requested all nationals to stay in contact with the authorities “for smooth evacuation as soon as possible.” 

  • Can only travel visa free to 31 countries, Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst in 2022

    Can only travel visa free to 31 countries, Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst in 2022

    The Pakistani passport has been placed at 4th position in the category of the world’s worst passport for international travel in a list released by the Henley Passport Index 2022.

    Afghanistan, Iraq, and Syria ranked the top 3 worst passports in the world respectively.

    Overall, the Pakistani passport ranks at 108th position in the world for the third consecutive year with visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to 31 destinations around the world.

    India climbed up seven positions and ranked at 83rd on the list this year. India had previously ranked at 90th place after slipping from 85 in the year 2021.

    East Asian and European countries as usual dominated on the passport global ranking this year as well.

    Japan and Singapore have been placed at the top of the list of powerful passports in the global ranking which allows travel visa-free to 192 destinations.

    South Korea and Germany are placed in second place with total of 190 points whereas Finland, Italy, Luxembourg, and Spain gained 189 scores which made them into third place.

    France, Netherlands, and Sweden moved up at one spot and joined Austria and Denmark in fourth place with a score of 188.

    Ireland and Portugal received total scores of 187 and placed them in fifth place, and the United States and the United Kingdom rank in at number 6.

    Since 2006, the international firm, Henley & Partners has been regularly monitoring the world’s most travel-friendly passports under the “Henley Passport Index”.

  • Spain to consider pet custody in divorce battles

    Spain to consider pet custody in divorce battles

    A Spanish court has ruled that pets are also members of the family. In divorce cases, the husband and wife must share them when they get separated.

    There was already no doubt about it among animal lovers, but now pets are officially considered a member of the family in Spain. The new law, which came into force on January 5, recognises pets for the first time as living, sentient beings and not just as objects.

    “Animals are part of the family and when a family decides to separate, the fate of the animal must be regulated with the same importance as the fate of other family members,” said lawyer Lola Garcia.

    The court said that the courts are required to consider the welfare of animals. It aims to end the legal wrangling that often occurs between couples who keep pets.

    Owners must “guarantee” the pet’s well-being, and if either spouse has a history of animal cruelty, he or she may be refused or lose custody of the animal, according to the law.

    Spain is not the first country to do so; France, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, and Portugal are among the European countries that recognise animals as sentient beings.

  • Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats narrowly win against Angela Merkel’s party

    Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats narrowly win against Angela Merkel’s party

    Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats narrowly won Sunday’s national election, projected results showed, and claimed a “clear mandate” to lead a government for the first time since 2005 and to end 16 years of conservative-led rule under Angela Merkel, reported BBC.

    The SPD secured 25.7 per cent of the vote, while the ruling conservative CDU/CSU bloc gained 24.1 per cent. The Greens achieved the best result in their party’s history, coming in third with 14.8 per cent of the ballot.

    A coalition must now be created to form a government.

    Agreeing to a new coalition could take months, and will likely involve the smaller Greens and liberal Free Democrats (FDP).

    “We are ahead in all the surveys now,” the Social Democrats’ chancellor candidate, Olaf Scholz, said in a round table discussion with other candidates after the vote.

    Scholz’s conservative rival Armin Laschet signalled his bloc was not ready yet to concede, though his supporters were subdued.

    “It is an encouraging message and a clear mandate to make sure that we get a good, pragmatic government for Germany,” he added after earlier addressing jubilant SPD supporters.

    Scholz, 63, would become the fourth post-war SPD chancellor after Willy Brandt, Helmut Schmidt, and Gerhard Schroeder. Finance minister in Merkel’s cabinet, he is a former mayor of Hamburg.

    Attention will now shift to informal discussions followed by more formal coalition negotiations which could take months, leaving Merkel in charge of a caretaker role.

    Scholz and Laschet both said they would aim to strike a coalition deal before Christmas.

    Merkel plans to step down after the election, making the vote an era-changing event to set the future course of Europe’s largest economy.

  • PM Imran discusses Afghanistan with Germany and UK

    PM Imran discusses Afghanistan with Germany and UK

    Prime Minister Imran Khan Tuesday held discussions with German, Danish, and United Kingdom (UK) leaders regarding the situation in Afghanistan after the Taliban takeover.

    Prime Minister Khan received telephone calls from his British counterpart Boris Johnson and German Chancellor Angela Merkel.

    PM Khan stressed that safety and security, as well as protection of the rights of all Afghans, were critically important. PM Khan underlined that an inclusive political settlement was the best way forward.

    Pakistan is reaching out to all Afghan leaders. The international community must also stay engaged, particularly to support the people of Afghanistan economically, added the premier.

    PM Khan highlighted the positive role that Pakistan played in facilitating the evacuation of diplomatic personnel and staff of international organisations and others from Afghanistan.

    He also highlighted the extensive measures taken by Pakistan to contain the Covid-19, noted that the relevant data had been shared with the UK side, and called for the removal of Pakistan from the Red List.

    In conversation with Merkel, the prime minister expressed satisfaction at regular high-level exchanges between Pakistan and Germany. He said Pakistan looked forward to enhancing collaboration with Germany in all areas of mutual interest.