Tag: daily pakistan times.com

MUSCAT, 22 August, 2026 (Nosheen): Oman’s long-standing role as a diplomatic bridge between the United States and Iran is facing renewed pressure as Muscat seeks to maintain its strategic partnership with Washington while preserving close relations with Tehran.The situation has become more challenging after US President Donald Trump threatened to take military action against Oman if it obstructed US efforts to end the conflict with Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. Washington and Tehran remain divided over how to end their months-long conflict, while Oman has continued separate discussions with Iran over arrangements for navigation through the strategically important waterway.The United States and Iran had previously reached an understanding that included Oman conducting dialogue with ...

 TUNIS, 22 August, 2026 (Ghufran): At least 13 Tunisians are missing after a migrant boat sank off the Tunisian coast while travelling towards Italy, while two people were rescued, according to the head of a migrant rights group. Mostafa Abdelkebir, head of the Tunisian Observatory for Human Rights, said the boat had departed early Thursday.One of the two survivors told rescuers aboard a local boat that they had remained stranded at sea for several hours after their vessel capsized. The second survivor was in critical condition, Abdelkebir said. Tunisia was previously a major departure point for migrants attempting to cross the Mediterranean, but departures have declined sharply over the past two years amid a crackdown and tighter maritime controls, supported by European funding a...

 TEHRAN, 22 August, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Iran has warned that any new US threats would trigger a “devastating” response after Washington announced plans to impose what it described as the toughest financial sanctions in history against Tehran. US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said he would provide details of the planned sanctions on Monday, after President Donald Trump warned that countries providing “any type of lifeline” to Iran would face economic consequences. Chief of Staff of Iran’s Armed Forces, Major General Ali Abdollahi, said Iran’s response to any new threats would be broad and decisive. According to Iranian media, Abdollahi said Iran’s armed forces were prepared across land, sea, air, air defence and cyberspace to respond to what he described as new enemy threats wit...

 WASHINGTON, 22 August, 2026 (Nosheen): The United States and Canada have failed to reach a trade agreement, with Washington announcing plans to impose 50% tariffs on certain Canadian imports, escalating trade tensions between the two long-time allies. A senior Trump administration official said tariffs under Section 338 covering around $20 billion worth of Canadian goods would take effect shortly after midnight on Saturday. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney said he had suspended trade negotiations with the United States and directed Canadian negotiators to return to Ottawa. He also said Canada would respond to the new US tariffs on a dollar-for-dollar basis. The decision followed three days of negotiations in Washington between Canada’s Minister for Trade with the United St...

  WASHINGTON, 22 August, 2026 (Ghufran): A US federal judge has struck down a Trump administration policy that suspended the issuance of immigrant visas to applicants from 75 countries, including Pakistan, ruling that the policy exceeded the statutory authority of Secretary of State Marco Rubio. US District Judge Jeannette Vargas in Manhattan described the policy announced by the State Department in January as unlawful and said it conflicted with federal immigration law governing the processing of immigrant visas by consular officers. The suspension affected applicants from several regions, including Pakistan and Bangladesh in South Asia, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay in Latin America, Bosnia and Albania in the Balkans, as well as countries across Africa, the Middle East...