Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom on Wednesday agreed to enhance cooperation in counterterrorism, combating illegal migration and human smuggling, institutional collaboration and police training. The understanding was reached as Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met British Minister of State for the Middle East, South Asia and the UN Hamish Falconer According to the interior ministry, Falconer appreciated Pakistan’s “positive and significant” role in facilitating the US-Iran peace deal. “Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Asim Munir played a historic role for peace,” it quoted Falconer as saying. “The US-Iran peace deal has projected Pakistan as a flag-bearer of global peace,” he added. According to the statement, the two leaders also agreed on “enhancing cooperation between the two countries in various fields, including counterterrorism, combating illegal migration, institutional collaboration, and police training”. “Positive results are emerging from the UPSCALE Project and the...

Elon Musk’s artificial intelligence tool Grok was used in strikes against Iran, the United States government revealed in a legal briefing seen Tuesday by AFP. The June 15 brief defends the gas turbines used by a giant data centre belonging to the trillionaire’s company xAI, which are the target of an environmental lawsuit. In the brief, the US Department of Justice argued that the lawsuit “threatens American national, economic, and energy security by seeking to shut off the power supply for artificial intelligence innovation that supports the Department of War’s military operations”. To support the argument, federal prosecutors presented testimony from Pentagon AI chief Cameron Stanley in which he states, under oath, that Grok is already in use within Project Maven, the US military’s AI-assisted targeting programme that was initially powered by Anthropic’s Claude model. The project’s Maven Smart Systems (MSS) “enabled US forces to deploy over 2,000 munitions to 2,000 distinct targets within 96 hours during Op...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said on Wednesday that Pakistan was “pleased to facilitate the repatriation of 30 Iranian nationals”. In a post on the social media platform X, he said that this number included “eight Iranian fishermen rescued at sea by the British vessel MMA Valour after their boat ran aground, and 22 Iranian crew members from the vessel Lenore/Davina, recently interdicted by US authorities”. “Both groups are expected to transit through Karachi in the coming days,” he said. “We remain in close coordination with the Iranian, United States and United Kingdom authorities to ensure the safe transit and early return of our Iranian brethren to their homeland. Pakistan remains committed to humanitarian cooperation and to extending every possible assistance to our Iranian brothers,” he said. Earlier this month, US forces conducted an interdiction of ​the sanctioned oil tanker Davina in the Indian Ocean, the US military’s Indo-Pacific Command, which has now reverted back to the na...

Six suspected terrorists were killed by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) in two separate intelligence-based operations. According to two separate press releases issued by the CTD late Tuesday night, the suspected terrorists belonged to Fitna al-Khawarij — a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. The first statement said the Kohat CTD received information from sources, indicating that terrorists were hatching a plot and had established a checkpoint on the Shakardara Road in an attempt to obstruct the movement of law enforcement personnel. The statement said that upon receiving the information, a Special Weapons and Tactics (Swat) team reached the location, at which the “terrorists opened indiscriminate fire on the CTD personnel”. “In the ensuing exchange of fire, three Fitna al-Khawarij terrorists were killed. Three Kalashnikovs, nine magazines and multiple rounds of ammunition from their possession,” the statement said, adding that other...

Emerging markets suffer from inadequate representation at the United Nations (UN), its authority increasingly challenged by escalating political and economic disputes worldwide, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Wednesday. The comments, featuring brief mention of the Middle East and Ukraine conflicts but few details, came in a rare press briefing in Beijing for the issue of a white paper outlining ways to make global governance more just and equitable. “Countries, whether large or small, strong or weak, developed or developing, are equal members of the international community,” Wang said, calling for more voices to be heard from the Global South. New challenges in quick succession bring intertwining global crises, Wang said, adding, “The ship of civilisation has entered dangerous waters with hidden reefs and violent storms.” The disputes reveal deep-seated conflicts, while “black swan and grey rhino events” emerge continually, he said, referring to unexpected events or threats that are ignored despite ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday extended greetings to the nation and the Muslim Ummah on the beginning of the Islamic New Year 1448 Hijri, expressing hope that the year would usher in peace, prosperity and stability across the world.

SAN FRANCISCO: SpaceX said on Tuesday it will acquire artificial intelligence coding startup Cursor for $60 billion as shares of Elon Musk’s rocket company soared for a third straight session after a record-breaking IPO. Near 1130am (1530 GMT), shares of SpaceX, formally Space Explor­ation Technologies Corp., stood at $214.29, up 11.2 per cent, and lifting its market value above Amazon to become the fifth largest enterprise in terms of market valuation. Cursor, founded in 2022 and based in San Francisco, specialises in AI for creating software code, particularly for business uses. An acquisition had looked possible after the two companies had announced a partnership in April that included a clause for Cursor to be potentially bought by SpaceX for $60 billion. In a filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, SpaceX said the all-stock deal was expected to close in the third quarter of this year and that Cursor would become a wholly owned subsidiary. Combining Cursor’s software and product expertise with...

ISLAMABAD - A total of 158 students from various departments at the University of Sargodha (UoS) received scholarships worth PKR 1.

• Party claims budget differs from figures shared during pre-budget consultations • Questions provinces’ capacity to meet IMF-linked revenue targets • Another round of talks expected soon ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Tuesday once again conveyed his concerns over the federal budget to Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, indicating that he would not speak during the ongoing budget debate in the National Assembly unless all of the party’s reservations were addressed. “Bilawal sahib has decided that he will not deliver his speech unless all promises made by the government with the PPP regarding the budget are fulfilled,” a source close to the PPP chairman told Dawn after the meeting. In the huddle with Dar held at Parliament House, Mr Bhutto-Zardari was accompanied by senior PPP leaders, including Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Raja Pervez Ashraf and Ijaz Jakhrani. The source said Bhutto-Zardari appeared upset with the budget, stating that it was different from the docume...

FAISALABAD - Questions have been raised over alleged disregard of merit and seniority in the Health Department after the appointment of a junior officer as Chief Executive Officer of the District Health Authority Faisalabad.

Khangarh - To promote peace and order, religious harmony, and inter-sect unity in district Muzaffargarh during the sacred days of Muharram-ul-Haram, a delegation of the United Scholars and Spiritual Leaders Peace Council’s Safir-e-Aman Caravan participated in a special peace programme held at the shrine of Gul Hassan Shah in Khangarh.

GUJRAT - Three people, including a woman, were shot dead in an alleged family dispute in the Kotla Arab Ali Khan Road area of Mouza Buzurgwal within the jurisdiction of Kharian tehsil on Tuesday.

Mailsi - A mobile recruitment drive is being organised by the Army Selection and Recruitment Center (ASRC) Multan in Vehari and Mailsi tehsils of Vehari district for the recruitment of Sepoys, Clerks and Nursing Assistants in the Pakistan Army.

Vehari - Additional Deputy Commissioner (Revenue) Babar Suleman was accorded a warm farewell by the district administration, Revenue Coordination Council, Central Anjuman-e-Tajran Vehari, and representatives of the District Bar Association on his transfer from Vehari.

Bahawalnagar - Review of Muharram arrangements, emphasis on mutual cooperation of all institutions for establishment of law and order in Muharram Bahawalnagar: As per the special instructions of Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Maryam Nawaz Sharif, an important meeting was held on Tuesday in the committee room of the DC office regarding the.

MUZAFFARGARH - The Punjab Food Authority (PFA) launched major operations against the adulteration mafia on Jhang Road and Multan Road, resulting in the destruction of 15,000 litres of hazardous oil produced from animal fat and 2,000 litres of substandard milk.

SARGODHA - Commissioner Hafiz Shaukat Ali on Tuesday directed district administrations to further improve revenue recovery, public service delivery and governance standards, emphasising accountability, transparency and citizen-centric administration.

ISLAMABAD - The Supreme Court of Pakistan has dismissed an appeal filed by a former husband, holding that the repeated use of criminal and civil proceedings to challenge a woman’s remarriage after the dissolution of marriage through khula amounted to harassment and an abuse of the legal process.

GILGIT - Four newly elected independent members of the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly have announced their decision to join the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) following a meeting with IPP President and Federal Minister Abdul Aleem Khan.

JAKARTA - A 6.