Tag: thepakistantimes.net

DAMASCUS, 16 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): Syria's parliament on Wednesday voted to abolish the Assad-era Counter-Terrorism Court and nullify the legal effects of its rulings, state television reported, marking one of the first major legislative decisions by the country's new assembly. The court was established in 2012 under then-President Bashar al-Assad to prosecute Syrians accused of terrorism-related offences amid the uprising against his rule and was used in thousands of cases. The parliamentary vote formalises its abolition after Syria's new authorities had already treated the court as defunct. In June 2025, President Ahmed al-Sharaa dismissed 67 judges who had served at what he described as the “abolished Counter-Terrorism Court.” Syria's March 2025 constitutional declaration also ...

 KYIV, 16 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Ukraine is proposing record defence spending for 2027 as the cost of its war with Russia, now in its fifth year, continues to rise and the country seeks increased financial support from international partners, officials said on Wednesday. Defence spending is expected to reach 4.89 trillion hryvnias, or around $110 billion, in 2027, marking a 12% increase from this year and accounting for about two-thirds of the total spending in the draft 2027 budget of 7.27 trillion hryvnias presented to parliament. State revenues are projected at 5.6 trillion hryvnias. Parliamentary Budget Committee Chair Roksolana Pidlasa told lawmakers that the proposed budget would be the sixth budget of the full-scale war and that the rising cost of the conflict was putti...

BRUSSELS, 16 September, 2026 (Ghufran): European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed opening the way for Canada to become the European Union's first “associate member” as the bloc seeks to strengthen ties with allies in what she described as an “openly hostile world.” EU lawmakers gave a standing ovation after von der Leyen made the proposal during her annual State of the Union address in Strasbourg, before she walked over to embrace Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who was attending the European Parliament session. Von der Leyen said new partnerships were needed amid the “cold fragility of today’s world.” The 27-member European Union is facing war on its borders following Russia's invasion of Ukraine, while both the EU and Canada are dealing with growing co...

 WASHINGTON, 16 September, 2026 (Kamran Raja): The six-month-old US war against Iran has cost approximately $38 billion so far, with the cost projected to increase by around $3 billion per month, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). The CBO said the conflict is expected to increase inflation by 0.5% during the first three months of 2027. The mounting costs have placed pressure on US munitions stockpiles and contributed to higher energy prices, raising concerns over Washington's ability to respond to other potential conflicts while managing an already strained federal budget. The budget office estimated that the majority of the costs resulted from the rapid use of munitions and said replenishing US stockpiles could take up to five years. The report noted that the US ...

 CAIRO/GAZA, 16 September, 2026 (Nosheen): Gaza rescuers searched through the wreckage of a seven-storey apartment building that collapsed overnight after being damaged in an Israeli airstrike, killing at least 20 Palestinians, including six children, and injuring 14 others. Nearly 100 people were believed to remain trapped beneath the rubble. Gaza's civil defence said several families were living in the building, while rescue workers continued efforts to locate survivors. Raed Al-Dahshan, director of Gaza City's civil defence service, said there was still hope of finding survivors, noting that voices could still be heard from beneath the rubble. Rescue operations have been hampered by a lack of heavy machinery and proper equipment, with some people forced to dig through the debri...