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Son of ousted Bangladesh PM Hasina denies graft in $12.65bn nuclear deal

Ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and adviser on Tuesday described allegations of corruption involving the family in the 2015 awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely bogus” and a “smear campaign”. Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission said on Monday it had launched an enquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom. A deal for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, was signed in 2015. The commission has alleged that there were financial irregularities worth about $5bn involving Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed and her niece and British treasury minister Tulip Siddiq, through offshore accounts. Rosatom, the world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, refuted the allegations, adding that it was committed to combat corruption in all its projects and that it maintains a transparent procurement system. “Rosatom ...
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Rana Sanaullah says govt will accommodate PTI’s time frame for progress in talks

Senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah announced late Tuesday that the government was willing to accommodate PTI’s demand for a time frame in ongoing talks, following PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s conveyance of former premier Imran Khan’s demand for a defined timeline. Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression . Tensions further intensified after PTI’s ‘Final Call’ rally last month, with renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against alleged “malicious campaigns.” PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters during this period, a claim the government denies. Following the turmoil, Imran established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone,” signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the recommendation of NA...
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2 human traffickers in Gujranwala get 33-year jail term each

GUJRAT: The special judge, Central-I, Gujranwala, on Tuesday sentenced two human traffickers to 33-year imprisonment each, besides imposing a fine of Rs1.8 million on each of them. The court issued the verdict in case No 505/23, registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Dec 5, 2023, under sections 17(1)& 22(b) EO 1979 & 3,6 PSMA 2018. According to the prosecution, Muhammad Sarwar and Muhmmad Rauf received Rs700,000 from the complainant on the pretext of sending his brother to Italy. But, when the emigrant reached Libya, the convicts took him hostage, tortured him and extorted Rs2.55 million more from his family in Pakistan. Despite extortion of extra amount, the traffickers neither sent the emigrant to Italy from Libya, nor back to Pakistan and he had been missing since then. The case was prosecuted by FIA Assistant Director (Legal) Asfahan Akram Kang and Inspector Shafique was the investigation officer. In yet another case (No 139/21), the court handed down...
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12 killed in blast at Turkiye explosives plant

A powerful blast ripped through an explosives plant in northwestern Turkiye on Tuesday killing 12 people and injuring five others, officials said. Footage showed shards of glass and metal scattered outside the plant, where ambulances stood by. “According to initial reports, 12 employees died and four were taken to hospital with injuries as a result of the explosion” in the Karesi district of Balikesir province, local governor Ismail Ustaoglu said. “I wish God’s mercy upon our deceased citizens and a speedy recovery to our wounded,” he added. Officials later revised the number of the injured as five and added they were not in a serious condition. There were no staff members left inside the factory and the blaze was put out, they added. The blast took place at 8:25am (0525 GMT) at a section of the plant which local officials said collapsed under the force of the explosion. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the cause of the blast at the factory, which is located away from reside...
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House of Sharifs

TWO political families have mainly piloted our twisted and bumpy semi-democratic ride. I covered the Bhuttos last time. Today, I turn to the Sharifs, now into a record fifth family stint and 11-plus years as prime minister despite joining politics much later than the Bhuttos, their past arch-enemy and present frenemy. The Sharifs started their political ride under a dictator like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto left Ayub Khan to start an anti-establishment, socialist party to build on ongoing such politics since 1947 in the smaller provinces and won a fair mandate in West Pakistan but backed Yahya Khan against fellow socialist Mujibur Rahman in 1971. In contrast, Nawaz Sharif’s rise in 1980s reflected a re-politicisation after decades of Punjab’s elites, who, after the 1950s, had shirked politics given their hold on bureaucracy, the judiciary and military and the Bengali electoral edge. The 1971 tragedy and the numerical edge it gave Punjab made democracy both necessary and viable f...
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Pakistan to host West Indies for two January Tests in Multan

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed details of the West Indies men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan for the two ICC World Test Championship matches. The West Indies cricket team will arrive in Islamabad on January 6. After playing a three-day match against Pakistan Shaheens from Jan 10-12 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, they will take on Pakistan in back-to-back Tests in Multan, according to a PCB statement . “The first Test will be played from Jan 17-21, while the second Test will be held from Jan 25-29,” the statement said. The matches will count towards the World Test Championship, though both teams are out of contention to reach the final. This will be the West Indies’ first Test tour of Pakistan in 19 years when they played three Tests in November 2006, while their last Test away Test series against Pakistan was in the UAE in October 2016. However, the West Indies have thrice toured Pakistan since April 2018; once for the ODI series (June 2022) and twice...
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Starbucks workers expand strike in US cities, including New York

Starbucks workers have expanded their strike to four more US cities, including New York, the union representing over 10,000 baristas said late on Saturday. The five-day strike, which began on Friday and initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has added locations in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, Workers United said in a statement. It did not specify in what New Jersey city the walkout was occurring. Starbucks said the disruptions from the strike have no significant impact on its operations because only a small handful of US stores have been impacted. “Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64 per cent, and by 77pc over the life of a three-year contract. This is not sustainable,” the coffee chain said. The union is striking in 10 cities, also including Columbus, Ohio; Denver and Pittsburgh, during the busy holiday season which may impact the company’s Christmas sales. The co...
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