Connect with us

Published

on

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan, and his wife, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison in a corruption case, officials say.

It comes a day after the cricketer-turned-politician was jailed for 10 years for leaking state secrets.

In this latest case, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were accused of retaining and selling state gifts when he was in power.

Alongside the sentence, the court disqualified Khan from holding any public office for 10 years.

The disqualification order comes ahead of the country’s parliamentary elections on 8 February.

FILE PHOTO: Security officers escort Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan, as he appeared in Islamabad High Court, Islamabad, Pakistan May 12, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro/File Photo
Image:
Khan appears in court in May last year. Pic: Reuters


Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 until he was ousted from power through a no confidence vote in April 2022, had hoped to run again.

But he had been barred from standing due to a previous conviction.

The 71-year-old, the founder of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, was jailed in August 2023 on corruption charges – which he has claimed are politically motivated.

Khan has appealed that conviction. However, he faces around 150 other charges, ranging from contempt of court to terrorism and inciting violence.

State secrets case

On Tuesday, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for leaking state secrets.

His former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi was also given a 10-year jail sentence as part of the case.

Read more from Sky News:
Why are Iran and Pakistan firing rockets at each other?
Lahore shuts down as South Asian cities shrouded in heavy smog

It was alleged Khan shared the contents of a secret cable sent by the country’s ambassador in Washington to the ministry of foreign affairs in Islamabad by waving it at a rally.

Khan claimed the cable was proof of a conspiracy by the Pakistani military and US government to topple his government in 2022, after he visited Moscow just before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

He also previously said the contents of the cable appeared in the media from other sources.

A supporter of Imran Khan throws stones using a slingshot toward police officers during a protest against the arrest of their leader in Peshawar, Pakistan. Pic: AP
Image:
A supporter of Imran Khan throws stones using a slingshot during a protest against his arrest in May. Pic: AP

A police vehicle burns during a protest by the supporters of Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan after his arrest, in Karachi, Pakistan, May 9, 2023. REUTERS/Akhtar Soomro
Image:
A burning prison van set on fire by supporters of Khan during a protest last year. Pic: Reuters


Washington and the Pakistan military have denied Khan’s claims.

Khan’s party said they would challenge the decision, by a special court judge at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, and called it a “sham case”.

Pakistan has seen violent demonstrations since Khan’s arrest in May last year.

Authorities have cracked down on his supporters and party since then.

Continue Reading

World

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy pushes for Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of US inauguration

Published

on

By

Donald Trump's Middle East envoy pushes for Gaza ceasefire deal ahead of US inauguration

Donald Trump’s Middle East envoy has met Israel’s prime minister in an effort to secure a ceasefire deal in Gaza before the president-elect takes office on 20 January.

Benjamin Netanyahu’s office confirmed details of the meeting with Steve Witkoff on Saturday, adding that the head of the Israeli Mossad intelligence agency has been deployed to Qatar in order to “advance” talks.

It was not immediately clear when David Barnea would travel to Doha for the latest round of indirect discussions between Israel and Hamas.

Earlier on Saturday, an Israeli official said some progress had been made, mediated by Egypt, Qatar and the United States, to reach a deal in Gaza.

Israel's Chief of the Mossad David Barnea and Security Agency director Ronen Bar attend a memorial ceremony of the Hamas attack on October 7 last year that sparked the ongoing war in Gaza, at the Mount Herzl military cemetery in Jerusalem on October 27, 2024. GIL COHEN-MAGEN/Pool via REUTERS
Image:
Ronen Bar (left), director of Israel’s security agency, and David Barnea (right), head of Mossad, at a ceremony marking the 7 October Hamas attack. File pic: Reuters

The mediators are making renewed efforts to halt fighting in Gaza and free the remaining Israeli hostages held there before Mr Trump takes office.

A deal would also involve the release of some Palestinian prisoners held in Israeli jails.

Families of Israeli hostages welcomed Mr Netanyahu’s decision to dispatch the officials, with the Hostages and Missing Families Forum Headquarters describing it as a “historic opportunity”.

Mr Witkoff arrived in Doha on Friday and met the Qatari Prime Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatar’s foreign ministry said.

Egyptian and Qatari mediators received reassurances from Mr Witkoff that the US would continue to work towards a fair deal to end the war soon, Egyptian security sources said, though no further details were released.

Read more from Sky News:
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
Trump says Vladimir Putin wants to meet
A guide to Donald Trump’s inauguration

Israel launched its assault on Gaza after Hamas fighters stormed across its borders in October 2023, killing 1,200 people and taking more than 250 hostages, according to Israeli figures.

Families of the roughly 100 hostages still held in Gaza are pressing Mr Netanyahu to reach a deal to bring their loved ones home.

Since then, more than 46,000 people have been killed in Gaza, according to Palestinian health officials, with much of the area destroyed and gripped by a humanitarian crisis, with most of its population displaced.

Continue Reading

World

Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction

Published

on

By

Pope Francis honoured by Joe Biden with Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction

Pope Francis has been honoured with America’s highest civilian award by President Joe Biden, who has described the pontiff as “a light of faith, hope, and love that shines brightly across the world”.

It is the first time Mr Biden, 82, has given the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction during his four years in office.

In a statement, the White House said the award is “presented to individuals who have made exemplary contributions to the prosperity, values, or security of the United States, world peace, or other significant societal, public or private endeavours”.

Mr Biden had been scheduled to present the medal to Pope Francis, 88, in person on Saturday in Rome on what was to be the final overseas trip of his presidency. But the president cancelled his visit to monitor the California wildfires.

The White House said Mr Biden bestowed the award during a phone call in which they also discussed efforts to promote peace and alleviate suffering around the world.

President Joe Biden presents Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP
Image:
President Joe Biden presented Bono with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Pic: AP

President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Denzel Washington. Pic: AP
Image:
Denzel Washington was also recognised. Pic: AP

President Joe Biden presents the Presidential Medal of Freedom to Michael J Fox. Pic: AP
Image:
Michael J Fox was bestowed with the honour. Pic: AP

The award can be presented with or without distinction.

Mr Biden presented the medal of freedom – without distinction – on 5 January to several people including fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton, humanitarian and U2 singer Bono, fashion designer Ralph Lauren and actors Michael J Fox and Denzel Washington.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

‘I could have beaten Trump’

Read more from Sky News:
Gay men can become priests
Search widened for missing sisters
Carrie Johnson left ‘struggling to breathe’

Mr Biden himself is a recipient of the award with distinction, recognised when he was vice president by then president Barack Obama in a surprise ceremony eight years ago.

President Barack Obama presents Vice President Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom during a ceremony in the State Dining Room of the White House in Washington, Jan. 12, 2017. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
Image:
Barack Obama presented Joe Biden with the Presidential Medal of Freedom with Distinction in 2017. File pic: AP

The citation for the pope’s honour said his “mission of serving the poor has never ceased”.

“A loving pastor, he joyfully answers children’s questions about God. A challenging teacher, he commands us to fight for peace and protect the planet. A welcoming leader, he reaches out to different faiths,” it added.

Continue Reading

World

Ukraine says it has captured two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield in Russia

Published

on

By

Ukraine says it has captured two North Korean soldiers on the battlefield in Russia

Ukraine has captured two North Korean soldiers fighting in Russia’s Kursk region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has said.

The injured pair are now in Kyiv and communicating with the Security Service of Ukraine, the country’s domestic intelligence agency, he said.

Ukrainian special forces and paratroopers captured the North Koreans, Mr Zelenskyy said in a post on X.

“As with all prisoners of war, these two North Korean soldiers are receiving the necessary medical assistance,” he said.

“I have instructed the Security Service of Ukraine to grant journalists access to these prisoners.

“The world needs to know the truth about what is happening.”

Mr Zelenskyy said capturing the soldiers alive was “not easy”. He also claimed Russian and North Korean forces fighting in Kursk have tried to conceal the presence of North Korean soldiers, including by killing wounded comrades on the battlefield to avoid their capture and interrogation by Ukraine.

The post included images of the two men – one with a bandage around his jaw and the other around both hands and wrists – and what appeared to be a Russian military document.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

Ukrainian drone targets Kursk soldiers

Ukraine’s security service SBU on Saturday provided further details.

It said one of those detained had no documents at all, while the other had been carrying a Russian military ID card in the name of a man from Tuva, a Russian region bordering Mongolia.

“The prisoners do not speak Ukrainian, English or Russian, so communication with them takes place through Korean translators in cooperation with South Korean intelligence,” a statement said.

One of the soldiers claimed he had been told he was going to Russia for training, rather than to fight against Ukraine, according to the SBU.

The agency added both men are being provided with medical care in line with the Geneva Conventions, and investigated “in cooperation with South Korean intelligence”.

Read more:
Ukraine launches new offensive in Russia’s Kursk region
Russia and Ukraine swap at least 300 prisoners of war

North Korean regular troops entered the war on Russia’s side in October, according to Ukraine and its Western allies.

US, South Korean and Ukrainian intelligence assessments suggest up to 12,000 North Korean combat troops have been sent by Pyongyang under a pact with Moscow.

They believe North Korea has also been supplying Russia with vast quantities of artillery shells.

Continue Reading

Trending