Pakistan

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday strongly condemned the attacks on Saudi Arabia, describing them as a blatant violation of the Kingdom’s sovereignty and territorial integrity with the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Tuesday underscored the need for a revitalized SAARC, guided by the principles of its Charter, to advance regional connectivity, sustainable development, and the collective well-being of the peoples of South Asia.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday lauded his economic team for achieving significant progress in promoting digital payments and advancing Pakistan’s transition towards a cashless economy over the past year, saying the shift would enhance transparency, improve financial inclusion, and support sustainable economic.

India has prohibited the import of goods produced using forced labour, the trade ministry said on Tuesday, in a move that could help avert new tariffs from a probe by the United States. The Asian nation is one of the several countries facing proposed new US trade tariffs of up to 12.5 per cent over allegations they failed to prohibit import of goods produced with forced labour. The ministry’s notification, dated Monday, said it empowers “the central government to prohibit, by notification, the import of goods produced or manufactured, wholly or in part, through the use of forced labour”. India’s foreign trade body will investigate whether imported goods were made using forced labour and, if evidence is found, recommend that the government ban imports of those products after consultations, according to the notification. The notification will come into force after 30 days. Like most countries, the bulk of goods from India currently face a 10pc US tariff. But Washington is expected to introduce steeper tariffs t...

Says American projectile explodes near water and power facility on Kish Island

ECP says it is prepared to hold local government elections in 23 KP districts after completing delimitation

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday that Pakistan “strongly condemns the blatant attacks” against Saudi Arabia the previous night, reaffirming Islamabad’s unwavering support for the kingdom’s security. The premier’s condemnation in an X post did not further specify the attacks. But, his statement came after Saudi Arabia said on Monday that it had intercepted ballistic missiles fired at the country’s south by Houthis. “Such reprehensible actions constitute a violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and have the potential to further undermine regional peace and stability,” PM Shehbaz warned. He said Pakistan “reaffirms its unwavering support for the kingdom’s security and stands in complete solidarity with the brotherly kingdom of Saudi Arabia at this critical time”. “On its part, Pakistan will continue to support all sincere efforts aimed at promoting peace, stability, security, and mutual understanding across the region,” he added. Pakistan and Saudi Arab...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed that remittances from abroad be fully digitised as the government aims to achieve a cashless and digital economy. The premier issued the directives during a meeting he chaired in Islamabad on promoting a cashless economy and digital payments. “The prime minister directed that awareness campaigns to encourage merchants toward digital payments via QR codes be made more effective, and that remittances from abroad be digitised to 100 per cent,” a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. The meeting was briefed that 92pc of remittance funds were received digitally during the past year. Workers’ remittances are seen as the single most critical stabilising force for Pakistan’s external sector, with the inflows reaching a record $41.6 billion in the last fiscal year. The government last month also expanded the scope of its Roshan Digital Account (RDA) framework, opening the scheme initially meant for overseas Pakistanis to foreign nationals and investors...

Over 1,100 Palestinians killed since Gaza ceasefire, officials say, as truce halts major fighting but not violence

Number of internal AI-assisted systems used to score and rank employees ⁠on a ​termination list according to lawsuit

Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir has met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara, according to a post on the Turkish Presidency’s X account. The presidency’s post on Tuesday, which also had a picture of the two, said Erdogan received Munir at the Ankara airport. Reuters reported that the meeting was held behind closed doors at the Ankara airport. The report said that Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz, Chief of Turkish General Staff General Selcuk Bayraktaroglu and National Intelligence Organisation (MIT) Director Ibrahim Kalin also attended the meeting. Separately, an X post by the Turkish embassy in Pakistan said CDF Munir was accorded a guard of honour by a tri-services contingent of the Turkish armed forces following his arrival in Ankara. General Bayraktaroglu welcomed him during his official visit, the post said. “Rooted in brotherhood, mutual trust and a shared strategic vision, the enduring defence and military cooperation between Turkiye and Pa...

Around 10,500 people were screened for the virus at the hospital

Decision ends a two-decade philanthropic partnership amounting to more than $47 billion in stock donations

Officials warn students may be used as human shields during JAAC protests

Iran threatens a new pressure point at Bab el-Mandeb after disrupting shipping through the Strait of Hormuz

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index lost more than 6,000 points during intraday trade 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. After minor fluctuations, the index had lost 6,088.03 points (3.38 per cent) by 3pm, dropping to 173,839.01 points. 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 $2.74, or 3.29pc, at $86.04 per barrel at 12:51pm PKT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose $2.21, or 2.83pc, to $80.35 a barrel. Oil prices are now at their highest since the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding to end the war on June 18. Awais Ashraf, dir...

Teacher Raja Dey fears attendance might drop now that government-run schools have stopped serving eggs for lunch in his eastern Indian state, a dietary change that has stirred a political storm. The humble egg, a popular food in West Bengal, was taken off the menu after the state’s recently elected Hindu nationalist government said a religious charity will provide free, vegetarian cooked meals in state-run schools. The new arrangement has rekindled a long-running debate over food, faith and nutrition in the world’s most populous country, with critics accusing the government of trying to turn schoolchildren vegetarian. Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party, which swept to power in West Bengal for the first time in regional elections held in May, often promotes vegetarianism as a part of its nationalist agenda, although most Indian Hindus eat meat and fish. Eggs, which Hindus generally consider non-vegetarian, are even more widely consumed. Former West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, whose regional Trinam...

The feathered creatures are kept in quarantine, sometimes for several weeks, until they are fit to be released.

Another four terrorists have been killed during the ongoing Operation Shaban in Balochistan, following which the total number of terrorists killed in the operation has reached 83, state-owned Pakistan TV reported on Tuesday, citing security sources. The ongoing sweep was launched in retaliation for a deadly attack on a police post at the Mangi Dam pumping station in Ziarat. During that assault, armed attackers kidnapped and killed 27 police officers. Troops from the army, Frontier Corps, police and the Anti-Terrorism Force are participating in the joint operation. In a post on the social media platform X, the broadcaster said, “Security sources say four more khawarij terrorists were killed in ongoing air and ground operations, taking the total number of terrorists killed in Operation Shaban to 83.” “Since July 5, a total of 121 khawarij terrorists have been eliminated in Operation Shaban and other intelligence-based operations,” it said, adding that the operation would continue “until the last terrorist is ne...

Says region must learn from Iran war, not dwell on past; urges inclusive Gulf security architecture after conflict