Pakistan

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SEPA tests water near Kotri as treatment project stalls, industries defy rules

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Commission directed to submit all relevant documents within seven days

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has arrived in Shusha for a two-day official visit to Azerbaijan to attend the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The federal government on Thursday announced two public holidays on the occasion of Ashura.

Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky said on Wednesday that nearly 8,500 users from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) faced cyberattacks in the year so far, where “malicious or unwanted software” was disguised as popular online productivity tools. In April, Kaspersky — a cybersecurity company that provides antivirus and other security software for computers and mobile devices — said that widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies in recent years has provided “threat actors with sophisticated new tools to perpetrate attacks”. In a press release issued today, Kaspersky said that based on the “unique malicious and unwanted files” observed, the most common lures for the cyberattacks included Zoom and Microsoft Office, with newer AI-based services such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek being increasingly exploited by attackers. It said its analysts explored how frequently malicious and unwanted software was disguised as legitimate applications commonly used by SMBs, using ...

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has held a series of high-level bilateral meetings and strategic engagements on the sidelines of the Fourth International Conference on Financing for Development, currently underway in Seville, Spain.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday acquitted four PTI members who had been convicted on charges of attacking a police station during the violent May 9 riots. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting the party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were arrested. An Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad had sentenced PTI MNA Abdul Latif and 11 other party members were convicted under various charges on May 30 for attacking the Ramna police station in Islamabad. Following the verdict, the police took the four of the convicted members present in the court, namely Mira Khan, Muhammad Akram, Shahzeb, and Sohail Khan, into custody. During today’s hearing, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Khadim Soomro acquitted the four convicts after the prosecution was unable to prove their presence...

The cryptocurrency market witnessed notable movement on Thursday, with Ripple (XRP) showing a marked increase in value against both the Pakistani Rupee (PKR) and the US Dollar (USD).

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Azerbaijan on Thursday to participate in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO). The summit is set to run from July 3–4 in Khankendi, convening ECO heads of states/governments, ministers, ECO observers, special guests from non-ECO countries and heads of international organisations to achieve development and prosperity through fragile economic integration. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the prime minister during the two-day visit. The delegation arrived in the city of Shusha for a two-day visit, where it was received by Azerbaijan’s Minister for Culture Adil Karimli, at Fuzuli Airport. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin and other senior diplomatic and government officials were also present to welcome the delegation. In a statement ahead of the visit, the Foreign Office had said the prime minister would “share Pakistan’s...

Following the recent salary hike, the Punjab government has approved a significant increase in leave allowances for provincial ministers, the Speaker, and the Deputy Speaker by aligning them with their full monthly salaries.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday underscored the importance of a digital transaction system for ensuring transparency and efficiency in the national economy.

Senior Sindh Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Wednesday said that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has no one but itself to blame for its current predicament, adding that Imran Khan’s imprisonment is the direct result of his party’s own political choices.

President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill was in limbo early Thursday as Republican leaders in the US Congress scrambled to win over a group of rebels threatening to torpedo the centrepiece of the president’s domestic agenda. Trump is seeking final approval in the House of Representatives for his Senate-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — but faces opposition on all sides of his fractious party over provisions set to balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net. As midnight (9am PKT) struck, House Speaker Mike Johnson was still holding open a key procedural vote — the bill’s last hurdle before it can advance to be considered for final approval — more than two hours after it was first called. With no clear sign of the stalemate breaking, his lieutenants huddled in tense meetings behind the scenes with the rebels who had either voted no or had yet to come to the House floor. “We’re going to get there tonight. We’re working on it and very, very positive about...

Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation programme said on Thursday. Earlier this week, the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as concern grows over China’s dominance in resources vital to new technologies. Rare earths — 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth’s crust — are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles. China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 per cent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. A Japanese deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu will from January conduct a “test cruise” to retrieve ocean floor sediments that contain rare earth elements, said Shoichi Ishii, director of Japan’s Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Programme. “The test to retrieve the sed...

Punjab Assembly Speaker Malik Muhammad Ahmad Khan has formally submitted disqualification references against 26 members of the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), citing misconduct and violation of assembly decorum during a session held on June 27.

Liverpool’s Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, 28, died in a fiery car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother, Spanish state-owned TV station TVE said on Thursday, citing local firefighters. Police told Reuters everything pointed to that information being correct, although they could not yet officially confirm the names. The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. View this post on Instagram Liverpool Football Club said it was “devastated by the tragic passing of Jota”. “The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre,” it said on social media. “Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable l...

Posts from multiple users on the social media platform X on Sunday claimed that Russia had officially signed the joint statement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in favour of Pakistan over India. However, no such development occurred. The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping comprising members such as China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their defence ministers’ meeting was held on June 26 as a precursor to the annual summit of their leaders set for the autumn. The defence ministers attending the SCO meeting failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to India’s refusal because of what it said was “a lack of consensus on referring to ‘terrorism’”. Russia and India are close allies with significant military and defence interests, while the former’s relationship with Pakistan has seen significant growth in recent years. On Sunday, digital news outlet The Daily CPEC shared a post on X that read: “Breaking: Russia has officially signed the joint SCO statement, su...