Author: MM Report

MM Report BEIJING: China has rejected India’s objections to infrastructure work in the Shaksgam Valley in Kashmir and New Delhi’s criticism of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). “First of all, the territory you have mentioned is part of China’s territory, and China’s infrastructure development activities in its own territory are beyond reproach,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said during her regular briefing on Monday. Mao said that Pakistan and China signed a border agreement in the 1960s and formally determined the border between the two countries. Spokesperson Mao Ning added that such agreements reflect the rights of Pakistan and…

MM Report WASHINGTON: A US-based research group, India Hate Lab, has reported a rise in hate crimes targeting minorities in India during 2025. According to the report, Muslims and other minority communities experienced a 13% increase in hate-related incidents compared with the previous year. The group noted that many of these incidents occurred in states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), led nationally by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is a longstanding member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). The report describes the RSS as the ideological backbone of the BJP, alleging that extremist elements within the organization are…

MM Report DHAKA: A Bangladesh commission investigating disappearances during the rule of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina said on Monday that at least 287 people were presumed killed. The commission said some corpses were believed to have been dumped in rivers, including the Buriganga in the capital, Dhaka, or buried in mass graves. Formed after Hasina was toppled by a mass uprising in August 2024, the government-appointed panel said it had examined 1,569 abduction cases, with 287 victims presumed dead. “We have identified a number of unmarked graves in several places where the bodies were presumably buried,” Nur Khan Liton,…

MM Report SYDNEY: Usman Khawaja was set to retire from all international cricket after the fifth Ashes Test at the Sydney Cricket Ground on 4 January, bringing the curtain down on a 15-year career that reshaped the image of Australian cricket as much as it delivered runs at the highest level. At 39, the left-handed opener prepared to step away as Australia’s first Muslim and Pakistan-born Test player, having amassed 6,206 runs and 16 centuries in the longest format of the game. Khawaja’s career was often defined by resilience as much as elegance at the crease. Born in Islamabad and…

MM Report KARACHI: A video circulated widely on Telegram on Thursday intensified already fragile regional tensions after a local commander from Afghanistan’s Wardak province claimed responsibility for shooting down an Indian drone inside Afghan territory. The commander, identified as Khalilullah, appeared in the video delivering a defiant message that was directed not only at India but also at Afghanistan’s own rulers, underscoring a widening circle of dissent in the country’s volatile security environment. Speaking directly to the camera, Khalilullah said Afghans would not tolerate what he described as foreign interference or covert activities carried out on their soil. Meanwhile, some…

MM Report SA’ANA: A senior Yemeni military official claimed that the United Arab Emirates had made covert contact with the Houthi leadership, urging it to carry out missile strikes on the Saudi city of Neom, a flagship project promoted by Riyadh as the centerpiece of its economic future. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official described the alleged approach as a “sensational and dangerous proposal”, saying the Emirati side had offered a package of political recognition, substantial financial support and military cooperation in return for attacks on Saudi territory. According to the claim, the offer included formal acceptance of the…

MM Report DHAKA: Bangladesh’s former prime minister and BNP chairperson Begum Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 after a prolonged illness. She passed away while undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka. A two-time prime minister and one of the most influential figures in Bangladesh’s political history, Khaleda Zia had been hospitalized for more than a month with multiple health complications. Her death marks the end of a defining chapter in the country’s politics, coming just months before crucial national elections scheduled for February 2026. Her passing also comes at a politically significant moment. Her son, Tarique…

MM Report DHAKA: Dhaka witnessed a significant gathering of minority community leaders this week, as the Bangladesh Hindu Buddhist Christian Unity Council (BHBCUC) convened a roundtable discussion to address the political representation of religious minorities in the country. The meeting, chaired by the council’s general secretary, Monindra Kumar Nath, brought together activists, community representatives, and policymakers who voiced their concerns over the ongoing marginalization of minority communities in national politics. During the discussion, participants underlined the urgent need for structural reforms to ensure that minorities are given a meaningful role in the country’s political process. At the heart of their…

India’s foreign policy, critics argue, has fallen short of expectations, with lofty promises undermined by limited economic, military, and diplomatic influence MM Report NEW DEHLI: The year 2025 has proved to be the most challenging period of the century for India, marked by foreign policy failures, strategic miscalculations and diminishing diplomatic influence, according to an assessment published by the Indian newspaper The Hindu. In a year-end analysis, the newspaper said India’s foreign policy fell short of expectations, with promises unfulfilled and ambitions constrained by a lack of real economic, military and diplomatic leverage. It argued that symbolic diplomacy, personal relationships…

Pakistan and Libya sealed a strategic defence agreement, including the sale of 16 JF‑17 fighter jets and 12 Super Mushak trainers, signaling a deepening military partnership (Catchline) MM Report BENGHAZI: Pakistan finalized a major arms agreement with the Libyan National Army (LNA), valued at more than $4 billion and potentially up to $4.6 billion, during a high‑level discussions between Pakistan’s army chief, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and LNA deputy commander‑in‑chief Saddam Khalifa Haftar The negotiations, which Pakistani sources said were sensitive and tightly held, brought to an informal dialogue between the two militaries. A preliminary copy of the agreement, reviewed…