Pakistan

AI fears shake India's $315B IT sector as clients demand faster projects, fewer engineers and lower costs

Scientists seek safer, more accurate drone-based tools to measure volcanic gases after 15 years of use

The US military launched fresh strikes on Iran after the latter struck a container ship on Sunday ‌while Tehran said it had again closed the Strait of Hormuz and escalated attacks on US facilities in states across the Gulf. A series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the war on Iran that the US and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued negotiations. Iran said it closed the strait after firing a warning ​shot that struck a vessel travelling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response.” The US Central Command, however, claimed commercial ​vessels continue to transit through the waterway that carried one-fifth of the world’s oil and LNG shipments before the war. The Central Command said US forces hit 140 Iranian military targets on Saturday, out of more than 300 during three nights of strikes “to degrade Ira...

LAHORE: Consumers have criticised the Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) field officials for allegedly harassing and disconnecting power supply unlawfully on the pretext of recovery of dues in the city. On the other hand, the office of the Lahore commissioner has also decided to take the matter up with senior Lesco officials in a meeting scheduled for Tuesday (July 14) after it was approached to intervene and resolve the matter. “A Lesco team came to our house on Saturday and started pressuring us to pay the bill immediately, failing which they threatened to remove the meter, disconnecting the power supply. I told the team that my bill is for just the month of July and the due date has just passed. There is no previous bill pending to be paid on my part. So, I thought to pay the bill with the next month’s bill,” revealed a consumer of Attari Saroba on Ferozepur Road. He claimed the team continued exerting pressure to pay the bill immediately or be ready for power disconnection. “I told them that I am not ...

ANKARA: Turkiye’s health ministry has fined more than 100 obstetrician-gynaecologists for carrying out Caesarean sections, suspending them from duty and forcing them to undergo training, BirGun newspaper reported on Saturday. The country has the highest rate of C-section births among the OECD’s 38 nations, according to the last available data from 2023, with around 615 such procedures out of every 1,000 live births that year. Medical professionals have said C-sections were more time-efficient for medical staff — 30 minutes, versus 12 hours for a traditional delivery — and lowered the risk of legal action over complications, ensuring a guarantee of safety for both the physician and the women. Last year, the Turkish government began a campaign to tackle falling birthrates under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s “Decade of the Family” initiative that has seen it move to exert greater control over how women give birth. Erdogan, a pious Muslim who is pushing for women to have so-called natural births, wants to addr...

THE TV was on in the background when the finance minister delivered his budget speech. The usual noise: opposition members on their feet, slogans, desk-thumping. I wasn’t listening. Then two words cut through it: ‘sanitary pads’. I put down what I was doing; the government was removing the tax on sanitary products. The finance minister had said ‘sanitary pads’ on the floor of the National Assembly, on live television, with the ease of a man reading out grain prices. The information minister then hailed the decision. I thought immediately of my late editor, Tahir Mirza. In 2024, I wrote in this space about the complaints we received when a sanitary pad advertisement ran on the back page of a mid-week magazine I edited at this paper. Readers had written in. Colleagues had raised eyebrows. Mirza sahib took the calls in his stride. People need time to accept change, he said. The noise in the Assembly hasn’t changed. The comfort with which those two words were said has. The change did not come from government enli...

FM Dar extends his condolences, pays tribute to rescue personnel, armed forces, medical teams and relief workers

Julian Alvarez scored a breathtaking goal as Argentina battled past 10-man Switzerland 3-1 after extra-time on Sunday, setting up a mouthwatering World Cup semi-final against bitter rivals England. Fans of the South American team dominated the stands in Kansas City and were celebrating as early as the 10th minute when their hero Lionel Messi set up Alexis Mac Allister’s opener. Switzerland levelled midway through the second half through Dan Ndoye, but minutes later, disaster struck when Embolo was sent off after picking up a second yellow card for simulation. The match went to extra-time and Switzerland snuffed out wave after wave of attacks until Alvarez curled a breathtaking strike into the top corner in the 112th minute. Lautaro Martinez added gloss with a late third. The hard-fought victory for Lionel Scaloni’s men at the Arrowhead Stadium means the top four teams in the FIFA rankings will contest the semi-finals of the 2026 tournament. Argentina are now unbeaten in their past 12 World Cup matches as they...

While the general sales tax (GST) on services was the main driver of provincial tax collections in 2025-26, the more significant story is the revenue the provinces failed to mobilise. A closer examination of provincial tax structures highlights significant differences in tax capacity, economic structure and revenue mobilisation. The figures also reflect that provinces differ not only in the collection of tax, but also in the composition of their revenues, indicating varying success in mobilising taxes outside the GST regime. Data compiled from provincial tax collections show that GST on services accounted for 69.6 per cent of Punjab’s total provincial tax revenues, followed by 66.7pc in Balochistan, 60.8pc in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 56.7pc in Sindh. At first glance, Punjab appears to be the most dependent on GST, while Sindh seems to have a more diversified revenue structure. However, these percentages require careful interpretation because each province operates under distinct economic conditions and possesse...

EVERYTHING appeared normal until the crew of K2 Airways Flight 1732, a Boeing 737-400 registered as AP-BOI, reported a navigation systems failure at 9:18pm (0418 UTC) on July 7. While operating a ferry flight from Sharjah to Karachi, the crew requ­ested heading guidance from air traffic control. The aircraft had undergone maintenance in Sharjah prior to departure, indicating that maintenance work had been carried out before the ill-fated flight. Three minutes after the initial distress call, the aircraft began a rapid plunge towards the sea, reaching a descent rate of 22,400 feet per minute, as recorded by Flightradar24 — a rate far exceeding even dual-engine failure scenarios, as commercial aircraft are designed to glide rather than descend like a stone. The crash resulted in the death of all five crew members on board. As findings of any investigation are awaited, IRU failure, spatial disorientation, CRM breakdown are explored among likely causes of crash Captain Muhammad Rizwan Idrees had spent most of his...

QUETTA: Balochistan National Party (BNP-M) chief Akhtar Mengal on Saturday demanded a transparent probe into the killing of policemen in Ziarat, calling out the government for failing to provide a lasting solution to people plagued by violence. Addressing the sit-in organised by the families of the police officials martyred in Ziarat, the BNP leader said if a functional justice system existed in the province, then why had there been no independent and transparent investigation into the Ziarat attack and other incidents like that? He said the state’s lack of confidence in its own institutions and decisions is one of the country’s greatest tragedies. According to the BNP chief, several experiments have been carried out in Balochistan, including the abolition of Levies force and then its merger with the police; however, all such measures have failed. The governments continue to mislead the public by forming committees and sending representatives instead of providing lasting solutions. Therefore, he urged protest...

THE latest surge of violence in Balochistan has once again compelled Pakistan’s civil and military leadership to reaffirm its resolve to eliminate terrorism. During a high-level visit to Quetta following a series of deadly attacks, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir, during a provincial apex committee meeting, declared that the country’s political and military leadership had reached a “mutual and singular decision” to eradicate terrorism. While the apex committee was meeting in Quetta to discuss the implementation of the National Action Plan, another, less visible process involving the local community was unfolding only a short distance away. In the Hanna Urak area, a jirga of local elders was engaged in direct negotiations with an armed group that had abducted several citizens. Apparently, the elders secured the hostages’ release without any visible involvement of the district administration or provincial government. The abductors reportedly claimed affiliation with the banned TTP, al...

In separate press briefing, Tarar says hosting OIC women's conference a distinct honour for Pakistan

EVEN as threats and missiles continue to fly across the Gulf, the US and Iran are attempting to keep the negotiation process alive so that the ceasefire remains intact. Both sides have traded fire over the past few days, raising fears that the truce was headed for a premature and violent end. Yet on Saturday, delegations from the US and Iran were in Oman for ‘technical’ talks — in the midst of President Donald Trump’s rambling and threatening social media posts. The American leader earlier said that the ceasefire was over, but that negotiations would continue. In a post on Saturday, he said “1,000 missiles” were locked, loaded and aimed at Iran; he alleged the Iranians were trying to kill him. Mr Trump’s warning appears to have been triggered by mourners at Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral processions who raised slogans and held up banners calling for his death. More importantly, Mr Trump’s Israeli friends have warned him about an “Iranian plot” to assassinate him. In such a febrile atmosphere, how can the pe...

LAHORE - Punjab Information and Culture Minister Azma Bokhari on Saturday said that development, prosperity, and beautification are progressing simultaneously across Punjab under the leadership of Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, with the pace of development projects now significantly faster than in previous years.

Over 71,000 student have applied so far, CM told LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Saturday said the overwhelming response to admissions in the Nawaz Sharif Schools of Eminence reflected renewed public confidence in government schools, as more than 71,000 students applied for admission to 65 institutions established under.

Eiffel Tower closes early, Tour de France shortens stage for first time in its history

The US military said it launched another round of strikes on Iran — the third in a week — after the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps struck a container ship travelling through the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday. Iranian state media has reported explosions in a number of port cities after the strikes. A series of attacks between the US and Iran over the past several days led President Donald Trump to declare the end of a ceasefire meant to halt the war on Iran that the US and Israel began on February 28, though Trump has left the door open to continued negotiations. Iran said it closed the vital Strait of Hormuz after firing a warning shot that struck a vessel travelling on an unapproved route. It warned that any retaliation over the incident would be met with a “severe response.” US Central Command identified the vessel as the M/V GFS Galaxy, a Cyprus-flagged container ship, saying it suffered significant engine-room damage and that a civilian crew member was missing. The United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations...

Actor discusses Emraan Hashmi comparisons, says criticism made her cautious

MUZAFFARABAD: At least one man was killed and several others were injured in clashes between protesters and law enforcement personnel along a key road linking Arja and Rawalakot district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, officials said. Poonch Divisional Com­missioner Sardar Waheed Khan said law enforcement personnel had been dispatched from Arja to restore an abandoned police post at Jindala Cross, where the main road to Rawalakot bra­nches off towards the Tain-Dhalkot bridge over the Jhelum River. According to him, activists of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) had blockaded the road and were allegedly preventing people from travelling freely between the two sides. He also referred to the alleged assault on a traders’ leader from Arja at the same location recently. Traders’ leader Nasir Arbab and his cousin were reportedly thrashed on July 1 when they attempted to remove road obstacles to allow an ambulance carrying a body from Rawalpindi via Tain-Dhalkot to pass. His family alleged th...