world news

A MOB of 200 masked Swedish men have gone on the rampage in Sweden attacking migrants citing revenge for assaults on women, say police.                              The gang was targeting migrants The gang, dressed all in black, had been handing out leaflets to passers-by around Stockholm’s main train station declaring “enough now” before the men began targeting migrants and anyone who did not look Swedish. The group, believed to have links to Sweden’s football hooligan scene, had also donned black armbands before the attack. The leaflet referred to the killing of Alexandra Mezher, 22, who was working at a refugee centre in Mölndal when she was fatally stabbed after a quarrel broke out among asylum seekers. A 15-year-old boy from Somalia was later arrested on suspicion of murder. The pamphlet said: “All over the country, reports are pouring in that the police can no longer cope with preventi...

A HEROIC pilot has been praised after a British Airways plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Heathrow Airport following a problem with its landing gear at 33,000ft.   The British Airways flight was on its way to Chicago The BA295 flight to Chicago left Heathrow Airport at 12.14pm today. The passenger plane declared a 'pan pan pan' and emergency on board at 33,000 ft saying there was no immediate danger to life. The plane was held at 9,000 ft and dumped fuel before landing at around 5.30pm. Emergency services were called to the scene after the captain told passengers there was a "technical fault" with the plane. The plane is due to be towed away and passengers have been told to leave the plane in a certain order to avoid "tipping over" the plane. Passenger Martin Robinson said: “About three hours in we were told we would be returning to London due to a technical issue and it would take two hours to get back. “A...

ROME: Iranian President Hassan Rouhani flew to Italy on Monday at the start of his first official visit to Europe, looking to sign multi-billion dollar contracts to help to modernise Iran’s economy after years of crippling financial sanctions. Heading a 120-strong delegation of Iranian business leaders and ministers, Mr Rouhani will spend two days in Rome before flying to France. While diplomacy will figure high on his agenda, trade ties are likely to dominate the headlines, with Iran announcing plans to buy more than 160 European planes, mainly from Airbus, on the eve of President Rouhani’s departure. Officials here said Italian companies were poised to sign deals worth up to $18.4 billion over the next two days, including in the energy and steel sectors. The deals will give a boost to Prime Minister Matteo Renzi, who is struggling to revive Italy’s underperforming economy. President Rouhani championed a deal last year under which Iran curbed its nuclear p...

ISLAMABAD: Chief of the Army Staff Gen Raheel Sharif ended on Monday growing speculations about an extension in his tenure through a brief, but sudden statement that paved the way for the government to start   considering his successor who will take up the job from him in about 10 months from now. “I don’t believe in extension and will retire on the due date.” Gen Sharif’s statement, quoted by a military spokesman in a tweet, shattered the quietness of the slow start to the week. The 43-word statement issued on behalf of the army chief was meant to quash the debate on whether or not the government should give him an extension and if he would accept it. Coincidentally, the statement came as a petition was filed in Supreme Court’s Lahore registry seeking an extension for him. It was, however, unusual for an army chief to so early confirm that he would be leaving his office on retirement. Gen Sharif, who became the army chief on Nov 29, 2013, is set to retire on Nov 30 t...

LAHORE: Pakistan’s successive defeats against New Zealand and England in the T20 contests have set the alarm bells ringing in the cricketing quarters here with the all-important World T20 now just weeks away. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reluctant in taking any drastic steps at this juncture.   PCB chairman Shaharyar M Khan, talking to media after inaugurating the Benazir Bhutto Women Cricket Tournament at the Bagh-i-Jinnah ground here on Monday, said: “I have no serious concerns over the team’s performance against New Zealand but some little changes may be made. In fact, we want to encourage our team instead of bringing them down. “Whenever we play outside the country it is a difficult proposition for us. In England and New Zealand we face a lot of problems due to the seaming conditions,” Shaharyar said. “India, too, have lost matches to Australia in Australia. “Wins and losses are part of the game. In today’s ODI against New Zealand, we got t...

ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office on Monday summoned the Afghan Charge d'Affaires, Syed Abdul Nasir Yousafi, to convey Pakistan's concern regarding the use of Afghan soil by terrorist elements in the Bacha Khan University attack, said a statement issued from the FO.   It said the diplomat was summoned on Monday and was told that investigations revealed the perpetrators of the deadly attack on the varsity were operating from Afghan territory and used the Afghan telecommunication network. Related: APS mastermind claims Bacha Khan University attack, 21 killed The statement further said relevant evidence had also been shared with the Afghan diplomat. It was conveyed to the Afghan government that they must take action against the perpetrators of the terrorist attack and extend cooperation to Pakistani authorities in order to bring them to justice, it added. At least 21 people were killed when unidentified gunmen entered the university in Charsadda town last week an...