Pakistan

The United Nations General Assembly voted on Friday to renew Volker Turk’s mandate as high commissioner for human rights for four years despite strong opposition from the United States, Russia and Israel. By a vote of 144 in favour, 10 against, and 13 abstentions, the assembly approved the renewal, beginning October 12, 2026, as proposed by UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. An alternative proposal from Russia to extend the mandate by only a few months, until December 31, 2026, was overwhelmingly rejected, as was the US request to postpone the vote. Ambassador Jeff Bartos, US representative for UN management and reform, criticised the four-year renewal on both procedural and substantive grounds, accusing Guterres of having rushed the process. “Make no mistake: If this assembly tolerates procedural overreach, backroom deals, and the misuse of UN posts, there will be consequences. “The United States will immediately reassess our engagement, participation, and funding,” he warned just before the vote, accusi...

Dar and Prince Faisal underscore diplomacy and peace as regional tensions continue to rise

US President Donald Trump lashed out at “fake news media” and talked about serving a banned third term as he addressed a rescheduled White House Correspondents’ Dinner on Friday, three months after an assassination attempt disrupted the event. “This place is really the largest group of Trump derangement syndrome people ever put together at one time,” Trump told the media gala at the Waldorf Astoria hotel in Washington, DC. The 80-year-old started with a relatively conciliatory tone, reflecting on the attack by a gunman that forced him to be evacuated from the dinner in April. “The show must go on,” Trump said. But he quickly pivoted to attacking a wide range of perceived enemies in an often rambling speech, starting with journalists before training his fire on Democratic opponents. Trump had earlier thrown up his hands and laughed as he shook hands with a Wall Street Journal team that broke stories on his ties to disgraced financier Jeffrey Epstein. But he later joked that “this has not been an easy evening, ...

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has set up a dedicated dark web investigation unit to track and prosecute criminals operating in the shadowy realm, to effectively counter threats to the country’s interests emanating from encrypted online platforms, officials said on Saturday. Housed in the state-of-the-art National Command and Control Centre (NC3) at FIA headquarters, the unit will use modern technology to overcome obfuscation techniques employed by criminals to identify them, track dubious transactions usually carried out through cryptocurrency, and execute enforcement actions, FIA Director General Dr Usman Anwar told Dawn. He said the unit will focus on tracing criminal networks involved in creating illegal documents that facilitate human trafficking and illegal migrant smuggling and other similar subjects within the ambit of the FIA. The dark web refers to websites that are not indexed by search engi­nes, and are usually encry­pted, only accessible through specialised browsers. It can be ...

Security forces destroy an explosive-laden vehicle; President Zardari, Naqvi hail security forces' swift response

Modi's video failed to quell protests; the education minister quit, handing demonstrators a rare victory

India’s Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan said on Saturday he has resigned from his position, handing a major victory to youth protesters nationwide who demanded that he quit to take responsibility for examination paper leaks. India’s biggest street protests of recent years had become a political flashpoint, posing one of the biggest challenges to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as opposition politicians joined youngsters’ calls to demand action and disrupted parliament. The minister announced his resignation on X just as police fired tear gas to scatter young protesters in Delhi, hours before their leaders were set to hold another round of talks with ministers to push for the move. In a two-page statement shared on X, Pradhan said he has sent his resignation to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. “Considering the situation that has developed at Jantar Mantar and across the country — that anti-national forces should not take advantage of this situation, that the unity of the country should be preserved, tha...

Accuses government of economic mismanagement and corruption while urging people to join the party's planned protest

Washington gave no immediate reason for halting 13 nights of strikes launched after the Iran-Hormuz truce collapsed

Security forces have killed three more terrorists in an ongoing intelligence-based operation (IBO) in the Khad Kocha area of Balochistan’s Mastung district, state-run Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday, citing security sources. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, in a statement commending the security forces, also confirmed the development. The security operation, conducted under an indefinite curfew, was launched after a shooting on a Karachi-bound coach coming from Quetta claimed three lives and injured five others on Wednesday. On Saturday, Radio Pakistan quoted security sources as saying that “Fitna al-Hindustan has suffered further losses” in the IBO, which has been dubbed Operation Al-Azm. The government uses the term “Fitna al-Hindustan” for Balochistan-based groups to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. “The number of terrorists killed so far during Operation Al-Azm has reached 13,” Radio Pakistan reported. Six of these had been killed on Thursday and another ...

Says medium-level flooding noted at Khanki, Qadirabad and Chiniot Bridge on the Chenab River

Samsung's $200b Broadcom pact strengthens chip supply as US AI firms race to secure computing infrastructure

Rising water levels in the Chenab and Ravi rivers have triggered flooding in several parts of Punjab, damaging farmland, eroding riverbanks and forcing authorities to step up relief measures in vulnerable areas.

He clocked one minute and 17.939 seconds

A viral video of a Thai woman confronting a group of noisy Italian teenagers who exchange vulgar words and gestures on a Bangkok train prompted online backlash and an apology from Italy’s embassy on Saturday. The TikTok video, posted on Friday, was shared more than 28,000 times with the caption: “What nationality are they?? Is it time for Thailand to stop free visas yet?” In the clip, a Thai woman off-camera is heard repeatedly telling the Italian group to be quiet. “In Thailand, we don’t scream,” she says, before a woman from the group replies: “Sorry for bringing money to your country.” One boy was filmed waving and then gesturing to the camera with only his middle finger raised. The dispute escalated as the Thai woman accused the Italians of having “no manners” — and then also used vulgar language and gestures. The incident has divided opinion online, with some internet users criticising the teenagers for impropriety and disrespecting local customs, while others said the Thai woman reacted too harshly. The...

Her death and exam-related suicides fuelled mass protests demanding accountability from Modi's government

Naqvi, CM Bugti agree to accelerate security measures, saying peace, progress and prosperity go hand in hand

At least 144 states vote in favour, 10 against and 13 abstain

The letter fuels debate over harder-to-regulate open-source AI models versus closed systems from OpenAI and Anthropic

MUZAFFARABAD: The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Election Commission on Saturday warned that it would not allow any individual or institution to violate the code of conduct, amid a controversy over development pledges made by the PML-N during the ongoing election campaign. The warning came after former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz announced development schemes, including the ‘gift’ of 10 e-buses at election rallies in Muzaffarabad and Mirpur. The announcement did not go over well with the PPP, which described it as “political bribery”. It subsequently approached the Election Commission, urging it to take notice of what it termed a violation of the election code of conduct. An Election Commission spokesperson said federal and provincial ministers were free to participate in electioneering in AJK but could not use official protocol, government resources or the state machinery for electoral purposes. The spokesperson warned that the announcement of any new development scheme, ...