Pakistan

New York became the first US state on Tuesday to halt construction of large new data centres, imposing a one-year moratorium as concerns grow that the facilities driving the artificial-intelligence boom are raising power costs, straining water supplies and burdening local communities. The moratorium positions New York at the forefront of a growing national debate over how to manage the infrastructure needed to support AI. While technology companies are racing to build new data centers, lawmakers and regulators in dozens of states are weighing measures to limit their effect on electricity grids, utility bills and local communities. “As data centre development threatens to hike up utility bills, deplete our natural resources, and create uncertainty for New Yorkers, it’s my responsibility to take action and lead,” said New York Governor Kathy Hochul. She will also pursue legislation to repeal sales tax exemptions for large data centres, Hochul added. The construction ban will apply to data centres that use 50 me...

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Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir is on an official visit to Turkiye aimed at strengthening strategic and defence cooperation between the two countries, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that during his visit, the CDF had a series of high-level engagements with Ankara’s political and military leadership. “Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir called on President HE Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Minister of National Defence, Yasar Guler, to discuss matters of mutual interest and regional security,” an ISPR statement read. The military’s media wing added that the discussions focused on strengthening the strategic partnership between Pakistan and Turkiye in the “evolving geopolitical environment”. A post on the Turkish Presidency’s X account, which also had a picture of the two, said Erdogan received Munir at the Ankara airport. ISPR added that Field Marshal Munir was welcomed with a guard of honour at the Turkish Genera...

France on Tuesday showcased its military power and unity with allies, holding its largest-ever national day parade with Ukraine’s president as the guest of honour. The final July 14 parade presided over by President Emmanuel Macron brought together thousands of French troops and two dozen foreign heads of state and government, including Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, and hundreds of European troops. The parade marks the storming of the Bastille fortress in the French revolution. Troops march during the annual Bastille Day military parade as a national flag flutters under the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. —AFP France’s Armed Forces drive their motorised vehicles during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Paris on July 14, 2026. —AFP Soldiers of the 12th Cuirassier Regiment Contact Block (12e régiment de cuirassiers – bloc mêlée/contact) march during the annual Bastille Day military parade on the Champs-Elysees Avenue in Pari...

For Ukraine and its supporters, the sudden death of US Senator Lindsey Graham raises an important question: Without a close ally of President Donald Trump advocating loudly for President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s government, will his administration’s recent tilt in favour of Kyiv last? The answer will especially affect two major issues — legislation to sanction Russia, which Graham pushed for more than a year, and military assistance for Ukraine. On both, the momentum has lately been in Ukraine’s favour as Kyiv faces intensified attacks by Russia and pressure to end the nearly 4.5-year-long conflict. Graham and other senators who back the sanctions bill announced on Friday that they had an agreement with the White House to move ahead on the “Sanctioning Russia Act,” which has been stalled due to resistance from Trump despite being co-sponsored by 85 of 100 senators. Trump himself said last week that he would grant Kyiv a license to make interceptors for the Patriot defensive missile system, although Zelenskiy’s g...

Karachi was ranked among the ‘least-liveable cities in the world’ last week, ranking 170th among 173 cities on the Economist Intelligence Unit’s (EIU) annual Global Liveability Index 2026. The EIU’s ranking measures indicators such as stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure, and quantifies the challenges presented to an individual’s lifestyle in any given location. Karachi scored poorly in nearly all metrics except education, with an overall score of 43 out of 100 — higher only than Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus. It scored 20 on stability, 54 on healthcare, 36 in culture and environment, 75 in education and 52 in infrastructure. Work is carried out on Karachi’s Red Line BRT on a dug-up road. — White Star A motorcyclist navigates over a broken road in Karachi. — White Star Cars drive single-file along a road that is mostly dug up in Karachi. — White Star Workers carry out construction work on a pipeline under a dug-up road in Karachi. — White Star Vehicles idle amid a traffic...

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday said that an operation was under way in the region to clear obstacles created by the banned Jammu and Kashmir Awami Action Committee (JAAC) at entry and exit points, warning that the government would treat “blackmailers” with an “iron hand”. “The clearance operation will continue until all routes are opened,” AJK Home Secretary Chaudhry Guftar Hussain said during a press conference. Hussain also reaffirmed the government’s commitment to protecting human lives and ensuring the continuation of economic and business activities in the region. “The state is committed to protecting human lives and property against all threats and to ensuring the continuation of economic, educational and business activities, and restoring normalcy across the region,” the home secretary said at the press conference. “The state will not accept any threat or blackmail, and all blackmailers will be treated with an iron hand,” he warned. The home secretary also shared details of a vi...

'It was $29b when I left office,' Jules Hurst tells Senate, repeating answer from earlier posture hearing

Payout represents the original $5 million civil verdict, plus interest

US astronaut Anil Menon, two Russian cosmonauts launch aboard Soyuz MS-29 for eight-month ISS mission

Replaces the previously proposed 20% US reimbursement fee with trade and investment deals for various Gulf States

PESHAWAR: Twenty-one of a total of 26 vehicles loaded with World Food Programme (WFP) aid items crossed into Afghanistan via the Torkham border on Tuesday. Since October 2025, the Torkham border — a key trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan — has been closed due to the “escalating security situation” along the border. Torkham officials and agents said that all 26 vehicles carrying humanitarian assistance comprising food items for Afghanistan arrived in Torkham from Karachi on Monday. The vehicles then underwent the necessary electronic scanning and customs clearing process before these vehicles were issued gate passes for crossing over to Afghanistan. However, they were unable to cross the border on Monday evening due to the stipulated closure of the border at 8pm. The vehicles were taken to the Zero Point on Tuesday morning and later allowed to cross the border into Afghanistan. Officials said that the remaining five will also leave for Afghanistan later in the day. Custom clearing agents said that af...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formally started consultations with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to finalise the date for local government elections in 23 districts of the province. The tenure of LGs in KP ended on March 15 this year. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, local representatives are elected for a four-year term. Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan Raja chaired a meeting to this effect at the ECP Secretariat on Tuesday. Members of the commission, the ECP secretary, the KP chief secretary, the local government secretary and senior ECP officials attended the meeting. According to a press release, the chief election commissioner emphasised the importance of establishing local governments, saying holding LG elections was a constitutional requirement under Article 140-A of the Constitution. “Under Section 219(4) of the Elections Act, 2017, the ECP is bound to hold local government elections within 120 days of the expiry of the term of lo...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index lost more than 6,400 points on Tuesday as equities experienced a massive meltdown amid renewed fighting between the United States and Iran. The KSE-100 index opened in the red and had lost 3,464.89 points at 10am, dropping to 176,462.15 points from the previous close of 179,927.04. During the day, the market witnessed minor fluctuations, followed by a steep decline after 2:30pm. Finally, the index closed at 173,518.81 points, down 6,408.23 points (3.56 per cent) from the previous close. The decline came as global oil prices rose to their highest in four weeks on Tuesday, as the US reimposed its naval blockade of Iran while the two countries stepped up attacks in the Strait of Hormuz, heightening uncertainty about energy flows. Brent crude futures were up $2.89, or 3.47pc, at $86.19 per barrel at 5pm PKT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $1.53, or 1.96pc, to $79.67 a barrel. Oil prices are now at their highest since the two countries signed a memor...

Pakistan and Turkiye have agreed to strengthen bilateral cooperation in social protection, family welfare and poverty alleviation, besides expediting the finalisation of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the relevant ministries of the two countries.