Skip to content
Search AI Powered

Latest Stories

Pakistan slams French paper for reprinting Mohammed cartoons

Pakistan's foreign office condemned on Tuesday the decision by French satirical newspaper Charlie Hebdo to reprint cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

Thousands of people marched in Pakistani cities in 2015 after the weekly magazine first ran the images, deemed by many in the conservative Muslim country to be blasphemous.


"#Pakistan condemns in the strongest terms the decision by the French magazine, Charlie Hebdo, to re-publish deeply offensive caricature of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH)," the ministry of foreign affairs tweeted.

"Such a deliberate act to offend the sentiments of billions of Muslims cannot be justified as an exercise in press freedom or freedom of expression. Such actions undermine the global aspirations for peaceful co-existence as well as social and inter-faith harmony".

Under Pakistan's strict blasphemy laws, insulting the prophet can carry the death penalty.

Among those injured during a January 2015 march in Karachi was AFP photographer Asif Hassan, who recovered after being shot in the back.

Protesters at the time shouted slogans including "death to France", "death to the blasphemers" and "(We are) ready to sacrifice life for Prophet Mohammed".

Twelve people, including some of France's most celebrated cartoonists, were killed on January 7, 2015, when brothers Said and Cherif Kouachi went on a gun rampage at the Charlie Hebdo offices in Paris.

The paper said Tuesday it was reprinting the cartoons to mark this week's start of the trial of alleged accomplices to the attack.

More For You

amrit-snan-kumbh-getty

In a celestial coincidence, two major bathing rituals occurred on consecutive days, with Paush Purnima on Monday and Makar Sankranti on Tuesday. (Photo: Getty Images)

Maha Kumbh: Millions gather as ascetics take 'royal bath' on Makar Sankranti

MILLIONS of devotees, including ascetics with matted hair and holy ash smeared on their bodies, took a ritual dip in the rivers of Prayagraj on Tuesday, marking the first 'Amrit Snan' (royal bath) of the Maha Kumbh Mela on Makar Sankranti.

The ritual bathing, conducted at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati, is believed to cleanse sins and grant salvation.

Keep ReadingShow less
Chelsea unveils flower show
plans for sustainable gardens

Artistic impressions of The SongBird Survival Garden by Nicola Oakey

Chelsea unveils flower show plans for sustainable gardens

EVEN as parts of Britain lie under heavy snow, the Royal Horticultural Society has brought a touch of summer by announcing plans for this year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

It will be recalled that in May 2023, Eastern Eye made its debut with an especially colourful garden at Chelsea, where the designer Manoj Malde got married, and King Charles and Queen Camilla made a special effort to visit the exhibit.

Keep ReadingShow less
Starner-AI-Getty

Starmer said AI would be central to his economic growth strategy. (Photo: Getty Images)

Starmer unveils plan to make country an AI 'superpower'

PRIME MINISTER Keir Starmer has announced plans to position the country as an artificial intelligence (AI) "superpower," focusing on pro-innovation regulation, access to public data for researchers, and the establishment of data centre zones.

Speaking at University College London on Monday, Starmer said AI would be central to his economic growth strategy.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pakistan-coal-mine-Getty

Coal mine collapses are frequent in Balochistan, where hazardous working conditions and poor safety standards persist. (Representational image: iStock)

Death toll in Pakistan coal mine collapse rises to 11

THE DEATH toll in a coal mine collapse in Pakistan's Balochistan's Sanjdi area has risen to 11 after rescuers recovered seven more bodies, officials said.

The incident occurred on Wednesday evening, about 40 kilometres from Quetta, due to a methane gas buildup that triggered an explosion and caused the mine to cave in.

Keep ReadingShow less
tulip-siddiq-getty

According to the investigation, Siddiq lived in a Hampstead property linked to an offshore company named in the Panama Papers, which is reportedly connected to two Bangladeshi businessmen. (Photo: Getty Images)

Bangladesh's Yunus calls for probe into Tulip Siddiq's assets

BANGLADESH government's chief adviser Muhammad Yunus has urged an investigation into the properties owned by Tulip Siddiq and her family, suggesting they may have been acquired unlawfully during the tenure of her aunt, Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

In an interview with The Times, Yunus criticised the alleged use of properties gifted to the Treasury and City minister and her family by "allies of her aunt's deposed regime."

Keep ReadingShow less