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First used in the 1991 Gulf War, the US Patriot air defence system has seen demand spike sharply this year, with supplies of interceptor missiles depleted by Ukraine’s war against the Russian invasion and the widening war in the Middle East. Ukraine is urgently seeking more Patriot interceptors to defend against a nightly barrage of Russian ballistic missile strikes. But the Iran war has drained arsenals in the US and the Gulf, and some European countries are holding onto missiles they may need for their own defence. The following are some details about the Patriot air defence system, one of the most advanced weapons in the US arsenal. What is the Patriot system? Patriot, short for Phased Array Tracking Radar for Intercept on Target, is a mobile surface-to-air missile defence system built by US weapons maker Raytheon Technologies that can be used in all kinds of weather and at long range. Developed in the 1980s, the Patriot system has been modernised over the past decades, expanding its capabilities and reach...

United States President Donald Trump has threatened to attack a site linked to Iran’s nuclear programme known as Pickaxe Mountain, a fortified facility buried deep underground near one of Tehran’s main nuclear sites. The threat reflects escalating tensions as Tehran and Washington trade fire in the ​Gulf, setting back efforts to end the conflict. Here is what we know about Pickaxe Mountain: What is Pickaxe Mountain? Pickaxe Mountain is located 220 kilometres (140 ‌miles) south of Tehran and 2km (1.2 miles) from the Natanz nuclear complex. The Natanz site, where two of Iran’s uranium enrichment plants were located, was bombed during the war started by the United States and Israel on February 28, and during last year’s 12-day war. The tunnel facility under construction at Pickaxe Mountain was not targeted in either of those wars, according to the Institute for Science ​and International Security (ISIS), a US-based think-tank focused on nuclear non-proliferation. The peak rises to some 1,600 metres above sea lev...

US cases of an intestinal infection from the cyclospora parasite that causes diarrhoea, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms have surged in recent days, with 34 states reporting infections, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Michigan, which reported its outbreak in May, recorded 3,309 cases on Tuesday. What is it? Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that can be contracted by consuming food, typically raw fruits and vegetables, or water contaminated with faeces, that transmit the cyclospora parasite, according to the CDC. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems facing a higher risk of serious illness. A crate of iceberg lettuce. — Reuters/File While cyclosporiasis is rarely life-threatening, untreated infections can persist for weeks and may lead to hospitalisation, particularly because of dehydration. The US has had previous outbreaks of the disease. Michigan, for instance, said it typically re...

A Qatari tanker loaded with liquefied natural gas (LNG) was at risk of exploding, one source said, after it sustained significant damage in an attack on the Omani side of the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday. While the LNG industry has experienced a few accidents at onshore facilities, there has never been a catastrophic LNG cargo-tank explosion on a commercial LNG carrier at sea. Recent targeting of energy shipping vessels by belligerents in both the Ukraine and Iran wars has raised concerns, however. Tuesday’s incident involving the tanker Al Rekayyat marks the second case this year of an LNG vessel being caught up in a war-related attack. In March, the Russian LNG tanker Arctic Metagaz caught fire in the Mediterranean after it was struck by Ukrainian naval drones, forcing its crew to abandon ship, according to Russia’s transport ministry. What is LNG and how is it stored and transported? LNG is natural gas that has been cooled to around minus 162 degrees Celsius. Cooling turns the gas into a liquid and shrinks ...

Former US President Joe Biden on Saturday night criticised the policies of his successor, President Donald Trump, calling him corrupt, narcissistic, and incompetent. “It’s not just his vanity projects, tearing down the East Wing of the White House, making room for his ballroom, putting his name on the Kennedy Centre, building an arch in his own honour, even hiring his own pool guy to fix the reflecting pool. Woah! What a loser,” Biden said at a Maryland Democratic Party fundraiser event. In a 10-minute speech at a Maryland casino, Biden delivered one of his strongest criticisms of President Donald Trump since leaving office. “The reflecting pool reflects something even worse than the narcissism and incompetence at the core of this administration,” he said. “It’s the corruption, the corruption, the brazen, blatant corruption. Corruption on a scale never seen before in American history in any administration.” “What makes me angry is that Trump wants to give taxpayers’ money, your money, to the January 6th insur...

At the heart of the deal to end the Middle East war lies a $300 billion fund to rebuild and develop Iran – but so far it is unclear who will foot the bill. Here’s what we know about the fund and its potential backers. What’s in the text? The memorandum of understanding (MoU) says Washington “undertakes with regional partners to develop a definitive mutually agreed plan with at least $300 billion for the reconstruction and economic development” of Iran. “The mechanism for the implementation of this plan will be finalised as part of a final deal within 60 days. All required licenses, waivers, and permissions needed for the relevant financial transactions will be granted by the United States of America,” it added. The text does not say who will contribute to the fund, which is only one of many economic incentives the Americans have dangled in front of Iran to encourage them to sign a definitive deal. The text also states the end of “all types of sanctions” on Iran upon the signing of a final deal, with Washingto...

The United States and Iran appear closer than ever to a deal that would end a war that has engulfed the Middle East and disrupted the global oil market. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the world might “get some good news” soon after President Donald Trump announced an agreement had been “largely negotiated” and would include the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. Before Trump’s announcement, Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei spoke of “a trend towards rapprochement” with Washington, but warned that “it does not necessarily mean that we and the United States will reach an agreement on the important issues.” He said on state television that Iran’s “intention was first to draft a memorandum of understanding, a kind of framework agreement,” before a final deal is reached within 30 to 60 days. What do we know about the possible agreement? Nuclear question Baqaei said that the nuclear issue was not be part of an initial framework. It will rather be “subject to separate discussions” at a later s...

A scrubby island in the Gulf that is roughly one third the size of Manhattan, Kharg Island is the nerve centre of the Iranian oil industry — and at the heart of US President Donald Trump’s latest efforts to pressure Tehran. On Monday, Trump vowed that a failure by Iran to agree a deal to end the war could see the United States “completely obliterating” the export hub. A day earlier, he had said the United States could take the island, eyed by the Pentagon for ground operations, “very easily”. So what are Trump’s options, and how might Iran react if he presses on this pressure point? What is Kharg Island? It may be a mere scrap of land, but Kharg handles around 90 per cent of Iran’s crude exports, according to a report by US bank JP Morgan. Located in the north of the Gulf, around 30 kilometres from the Iranian coast and more than 500km from the Strait of Hormuz, it has no oil wells. But it has Iran’s largest oil terminal, oil pipelines, storage tanks and related infrastructure. It also has military facilities...

US President Donald Trump has invited countries to pay $1 billion in exchange for a permanent seat on a newly proposed initiative known as the “Board of Peace”. The body was initially envisioned as a mechanism to address Israel’s war on Gaza, though its charter does not restrict its mandate solely to the occupied Palestinian territory. Several states have been approached by the US to join the initiative. Pakistan also received an invitation on Sunday. Today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif accepted the proposal to participate in the initiative with the aim of “achieving lasting peace in Gaza”, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO). What is the board meant to do? According to AFP, the Board of Peace will be led by Trump under the terms outlined in its founding charter. The document describes it as “an international organisation that seeks to promote stability, restore dependable and lawful governance, and secure enduring peace in areas affected or threatened by conflict”. It further states t...

Buying gifts for men should be easy, right? You walk into a store, grab something in leather or metal — a wallet, a watch, maybe a bottle of perfume that smells “fresh and manly”, and you’re done. Safe, predictable, problem solved. Except, it’s not. Because when it comes to gifting men, there’s this generic paradox. Everyone thinks it’s simple, yet most men end up with things they neither want nor use. Well, we all know the holy trinity of male gifts — watches, perfumes, and shoes, but perhaps it’s time to retire them. So, we decided to ask a few men what they actually want as gifts. The answers were funny, practical, a little bitter, and somewhat relatable. image showing a fancy watch in a box. — Ashutosh Pradhan/ Pixabay Zareef, a part-time cartoonist, began his confession with dry honesty: “I often don’t get gifts. But not getting gifts doesn’t bother me much. What bothers me is getting gifts I can’t use, like fancy mugs or flashy ties. I already have seven fancy mugs gathering dust, and a yellow tie that ...

The man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House on Wednesday was an Afghan national who worked alongside US forces in Afghanistan, US media reported. Washington has labeled the violence an “act of terror” and announced increased oversight of foreigners who entered the United States from Afghanistan in recent years. What we know about the suspected shooter Multiple media outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, CBS and NBC identified the man as 29-year old Rahmanullah Lakanwal and say he arrived in America in 2021. A relative of Lakanwal told NBC that he arrived after serving in the Afghan army for 10 years in support of US Special Forces. The relative told NBC that Lakanwal originally came from Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost province and had spent some of his military service at a base in the southern province of Kandahar. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and was the center of heavy fighting during the 20-year war between the then-insurgents and foreign-backed forc...

European Union (EU) Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis on Wednesday said that the country needed to “do more” in terms of fulfilling its commitments under the Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status ahead of a review. The status was granted by the EU in 2014, resulting in a 108 per cent increase in Pakistani textile exports to the EU due to concessional tariffs. In October 2023, the European Parliament unanimously voted to extend the GSP+ status for another four years until 2027 for developing countries, including Pakistan. The upcoming GSP+ monitoring mission will scrutinise Pakistan’s record on 27 international conventions tied to the trade scheme. Maintaining GSP+ status is critical for Pakistan to keep export costs low. What is GSP+ status? According to the EU, GSP+ status is a special incentive awarded to developing countries to “pursue sustainable development and good governance” in exchange for cutting import duties to zero on two-thirds of the tariff lines of its exports. Governmen...

The UK government has unveiled unprecedented changes to its asylum system in a bid to deter irregular migration and make deportations easier. How long will it take to implement the measures? Will there be any obstacles, and could the proposals be effective in discouraging small boat crossings, which successive governments have failed to curb? What is the timeline? The policy paper titled “Restoring Order and Control” was announced on Monday by interior minister Shabana Mahmood, who told lawmakers the reforms would discourage migrants from crossing the Channel from France on small boats. Many of the changes will need to be introduced as new legislation and be approved by parliament, where Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s Labour Party holds a significant majority. The interior ministry has said it will end its legal obligation to provide support to asylum seekers “in the coming months”. Other changes — including increasing the time refugees must wait before applying for permanent residency from five to 20 years — ...

The Sindh government has introduced a new e-challan system that aims to improve the city’s traffic while minimising the traffic police’s interaction with the public. Under the new system inaugurated recently, at least 5,500 challans have already been issued to traffic rule violators throughout the city. Here is what you need to know about the system. What is the e-challan system? Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Admin Karachi Traffic Police Kashif explained that the system has been introduced as part of the Karachi Safe City Project. A total of 1,076 cameras have been installed on main thoroughfares in the first phase. When phase 2 and 3 of the initiative are completed, up to 12,000 cameras will have been installed in all areas of Karachi as well as on toll plazas. Once a challan is initiated, it will be sent via Pakistan Post to an address linked to the number plate issued by the Sindh Excise and Taxation Department. While the total time to pay off the challan is 21 days, if it is paid within 14 days, t...

Nepal was plunged into political uncertainty after its prime minister resigned on Tuesday following widespread anti-corruption protests, triggered by a social media ban, that killed at least 19 people. As the poor Himalayan nation once again stands at a crossroads, here is a look at what could lie ahead: What is the immediate next step? The army has asked protesters to take part in talks to reach a solution. With the protesters — most of them young people belonging to “Generation Z”, implying they were born between 1997 and 2012 — having no single leader, however, it is unclear exactly who authorities can talk to. “Gen Z should set up a negotiation team,” constitutional expert and former Supreme Court judge Balaram K.C. said, adding that the president should then hold talks with the team and others, including civil society members and the army. What does the constitution say? Under Nepal’s 2015 constitution, a successor must be appointed from the party that has a majority in parliament. If no party has a majo...

Israel’s strikes on Iran’s nuclear installations so far pose only limited risks of contamination, experts say. But they warn that any attack on the country’s nuclear power station at Bushehr could cause a nuclear disaster. Israel says it is determined to destroy Iran’s nuclear capabilities in its military campaign, but that it also wants to avoid any nuclear disaster in a region that is home to tens of millions of people and produces much of the world’s oil. Fears of catastrophe rippled through the Gulf on Thursday when the Israeli military said it had struck a site in Bushehr on the Gulf coast — home to Iran’s only nuclear power station — only to say later that the announcement was a mistake. What has Israel hit so far? Israel has announced attacks on nuclear sites in Natanz, Isfahan, Arak and Tehran itself. Israel says it aims to stop Iran from building an atomic bomb. Iran denies ever seeking one. The international nuclear watchdog, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA), has reported damage to the uran...