LAHORE: Eminent Urdu novelist Abdullah Hussain passed away here on Saturday after protracted illness. He was 84. Abdullah Hussain was renowned for his Urdu novel Udas Naslein, which is considered a masterpiece of Urdu literature. His other acclaimed works include Nasheb, Nadaar Log, Azaad Log and

YANGON: Myanmar officials on Wednesday announced November 8 as the date for a historic general election set to be the first contested by Aung San Suu Kyi's opposition in a quarter of a century. The announcement fires the starting gun for the much-anticipated poll in the former junta-run nation, w

LONDON: About 800 million people still live in dire poverty and suffer from hunger despite the United Nations Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) being the most successful anti-poverty push in history, the UN said on Monday. The number of people living in extreme poverty on less than $1.25 a day ha

US Secretary of State John Kerry has said negotiating teams are close to a historic agreement over Iran's nuclear programme but cautioned that the talks could still go either way, and that Washington is still willing to walk away if an acceptable deal is not reached. "It is now time to see whethe

Witnesses say two bombs have exploded at a crowded mosque and an elite Muslim restaurant in Nigeria’s central city of Jos, killing at least 15 people. There was no immediate official word on the Sunday night blasts. Witnesses who requested anonymity for fear of reprisals say the explosion at Y

WASHINGTON: In a scathing attack, Democratic presidential aspirant Hillary Clinton has accused China of "hacking into everything that doesn't move" in America and "stealing" huge amounts of government information. During a Fourth of July campaign organising event at a house party in Glen in n

VIENNA: Global powers appeared late Friday to be inching towards a historic nuclear deal as the Iranian foreign minister said the world had never been closer to ending a 13-year standoff with Tehran. Iran's Mohammad Javad Zarif warned there was still "no guarantee" of success, but in a rare move

LAHORE: A train carrying hundreds of Pakistan military personnel and their families plunged into a canal on Thursday, killing 12 soldiers, when a bridge collapsed in what the army suspects was sabotage, officials said. The military’s media wing confirmed that four carriages fell into the canal. It

MANILA: A ferry with 173 people on board overturned in rough waters in the central Philippines on Thursday as rescuers rushed to the scene, the coast guard said. The Kim Nirvana was heading from the central city of Ormoc to the island of Camotes when it capsized, the coast guard office in Man

HONG KONG: Hong Kongers are set to take to the streets on Wednesday to renew their call for full democracy for the Asian financial hub in a rally that follows a turbulent year of protests over political reform. Organizers expect tens of thousands at the annual protest march, held on a public holi

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential aspirant Bobby Jindal has asked his party leadership in the Congress to reject a nuclear deal with Iran, saying any such agreement could start an arms race in the Middle East. "One, they should absolutely reject it (nuclear deal). Congress made a huge mistake i

BEIJING: Around 30 per cent of China's Ming-era Great Wall has disappeared over time as adverse natural conditions and reckless human activities - including stealing the bricks to build houses - erode the Unesco World Heritage site, state media reported. The Great Wall is not a single unbroken st

Israel’s navy intercepted a Swedish vessel attempting to breach a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip early Monday and was redirecting it to an Israeli port, the military and the activists said. The military said that after exhausting all diplomatic efforts, the government ordered it to block the ve

TAIPEI: More than 200 people were injured, over 80 of them seriously, in an explosion at a water park outside Taiwan’s capital Taipei Saturday after colored powder being sprayed onto a crowd ignited, officials said. “Our initial understanding is this explosion and fire... was caused by the powder s

KATHMANDU: Three mild aftershocks were felt within three hours in different areas in Nepal, two months after the deadly temblor jolted the Himalayan nation and claimed nearly 9,000 lives. The three aftershocks were felt on Thursday night, according to the National Seismological Centre. A 4.3-m

WASHINGTON: US and Chinese negotiators bridged some differences over economic policy in annual bilateral talks Wednesday, even as the two countries continue to wrestle with major strategic disagreements. Both sides suggested they closed gaps in talks on a bilateral investment treaty (BIT) followi

BEIJING: Almost half a billion dollars worth of smuggled frozen meat — some of it rotting and more than 40 years old — has been seized in China, reports said on Wednesday. More than 100,000 tonnes of chicken wings, beef and pork worth up to three billion yuan ($483 million) were seized in the nat

Saudi Arabia allegedly offered $10 billion to secure the release of ousted Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, according to documents released last week by WikiLeaks. Some of the several documents leaked by WikiLeaks quoted a Brotherhood leader as saying that the group could ensure Mr. Mubarak woul