Pakistan

The riders were taking different precautions to keep their body temperatures down

Two bombs exploded near the hotel in Damascus where Emmanuel Macron held meetings on Tuesday, Syrian state media said, but the French president’s office said he did not hear the explosions and he met Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa soon afterwards. The blasts underscore the major security challenges in Syria, where Macron is the first head of state of a European Union country to visit since rebels led by Sharaa toppled Bashar al-Assad in 2024. The explosions struck a busy area between the Syrian tourism ministry and the national museum across the street from the Four Seasons, where Macron was meeting civil society groups. Syria’s state news agency reported that 18 people were injured in the explosions, including four police officers. The first blast hit soon after Macron’s motorcade left for the presidential palace. Reuters footage showed flames and smoke billowing from a trash can when a second explosion was caught on camera a few metres away. The second blast went off next to an ambulance parked at the sce...

Balogun was sent off by Claus after a VAR check

PESHAWAR: One person was killed and four others were injured in a quadcopter attack in the Bakakhel area of Bannu district, police said on Tuesday. According to Bannu’s District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Furqan Bilal, terrorists dropped an explosive device from a quadcopter within the jurisdiction of Baka Khel Police Station. As a result, one person was killed on the spot, while four others sustained injuries, including a teenager, he said. The injured were immediately taken to the District Headquarters Hospital, where they are receiving medical treatment, he added. Assistant Commissioner Sajjad Hussain and former provincial minister Malik Shah Muhammad Khan visited the hospital to enquire about the condition of the injured and expressed solidarity with the affected families. The DPO stated that the deployment of anti-drone guns and enhanced security measures at police stations, checkpoints, and other sensitive locations had recently foiled several quadcopter attacks targeting police and security forces. ...

President Asif Ali Zardari and Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to boosting bilateral ties between Pakistan and Kyrgyzstan, particularly deepening trade, economic and investment cooperation. President Zardari arrived in Kyrgyzstan a day earlier for a four-day official visit, from July 6-9. According to a joint statement issued on Tuesday, the two expressed satisfaction over the “development of Kyrgyz-Pakistani relations”. The two reaffirmed their commitment to deepening bilateral cooperation and urged the “consistent implementation” of the agreements reached during the Kyrgyz president’s visit to Pakistan in December. As per the statement, the two leaders stressed the need for maintaining “active political dialogue, further expand contacts at the highest and high levels, and strengthen interaction between the parliaments, governments and foreign ministries of the two countries”. They also expressed readiness to establish “a strategic partnership” between Kyrgyzstan an...

President Zardari urges to further deepen cooperation by increasing trade, exploring new avenues of collaboration

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted a final adjournment to the counsel for former prime minister Imran Khan in the £190 million corruption case. The court warned that no further delay would be tolerated and the appeal would be decided on the available record if arguments were not presented at the next hearing. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif issued a written order on a criminal appeal filed by Imran against his conviction in the Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly referred to as the £190m corruption reference, by an accountability court in January 2025. When the matter came up for hearing on Tuesday, Sardar Latif Khosa, Imran’s counsel, sought a two-week adjournment. The court accepted the request after Khosa gave an unequivocal undertaking that he would not seek any further adjournment on any ground whatsoever and would argue the appeal on its merits at the next hearing. “The request for adjournment is acceded to. It is, however, made abun...

NATO unveils billions of dollars in arms deals in Turkiye ahead of Trump summit and defence spending talks

Air chief says sacrifice 'epitomises the finest traditions of the Pakistan Air Force and the Armed Forces of Pakistan'

The Sindh Counter-terrorism Department (CTD) on Monday said it had thwarted a major terrorist plot in Karachi by arresting two members of the proscribed group, the Baloch Liberation Army (BLA). In a statement, it said that “in view of the recent wave of terrorism in the country, especially Karachi, the CTD and federal intelligence agencies conducted an intelligence-based operation (IBO) on July 6 and arrested two trained BLA terrorists”. It added that “bomb-making material” was recovered from the two, who had planned to “target sensitive installations and the offices of law enforcement agencies”. It identified the terrorists as Mujahid Baloch and Farid Baloch. The CTD said the two terrorists were trained in a BLA camp in “recce and communication”. “They were living in Karachi under the direction of their commanders, Sajid Baloch and Bashir Zaib,” it said. It said teams recovered four kilogrammes of explosive material, a detonator, a prama card, and a ball ring from them. The department said cases had been reg...

The disputed temple site sparked 1992 riots after the Babri mosque was demolished, killing about 2,000 people

The dynamic duo give fans a glimpse of their playful friendship on the sets of their upcoming drama

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed that a comprehensive strategy be formulated to improve small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) access to financing. He made these remarks while chairing a review meeting of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (Smeda) in Islamabad. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the premier directed the authority to formulate a comprehensive strategy, in coordination with the State Bank of Pakistan and commercial banks, to improve SMEs’ access to financing. He stressed that greater facilitation should be provided for extending loans to SMEs to boost the country’s exports. He also directed that they be supported in enhancing their productive capacity, particularly by providing awareness and access to financing for farmers processing agricultural produce. The prime minister further directed that commercial banks be encouraged to develop dedicated financial products tailored to the needs of SMEs. PM Shehbaz instructed that SMEs sho...

India will supply BrahMos supersonic cruise missiles and Astra air-to-air missiles to Indonesia, an Indian government official said on Tuesday, as Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi started a two-day visit to Jakarta. Indian sources earlier told Reuters that the deal, worth around $630 million, would likely be signed during Modi’s visit. Indonesia would be the third country to sign an agreement to buy the missiles, which are manufactured by BrahMos Aerospace Private Limited. The deal would mark a major expansion of India’s defence exports and deepen strategic ties with Southeast Asia’s largest economy at a time of growing competition with China for influence in the Indo-Pacific. BrahMos missiles, jointly developed by India and Russia, are among the world’s fastest cruise missiles and can be launched from land, sea and air platforms. The Astra beyond-visual-range air-to-air missiles can be integrated on Russian-made Sukhoi fighter jets in the Indonesian Air Force. The Indian government did not respond to earl...

Antonio Tajani says Italy communicated willingness to support 'dialogue for peace' to Israel, Lebanon last month

Kylian Mbappé slams Paraguayan senator as 'despicable' after a racist tirade following France's World Cup win

QUETTA: At least nine policemen, including two senior officers, were martyred in a terrorist attack on a police post in Balochistan’s Ziarat district on Tuesday, officials said. Ziarat Deputy Commissioner (DC) Abdul Qudoos Achakzai confirmed that it was a terrorist incident, adding that it occurred in the Mangi Dam area. He added that nine policemen, including two senior officers, had been martyred. The DC said the whereabouts of five policemen were still unknown, adding that additional personnel had been dispatched to the area. More to follow

Council serves as a community-based forum that helps resolve local disputes through mediation

Danish Taimoor credits Ronaldo for his love of football, Yumna says 10% football knowledge, 100% heart for Ronaldo

An “unknown projectile” struck and caused a fire on an oil tanker off the coast of Oman near the Strait of Hormuz on Monday, British maritime security agency United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) said. The incident occurred near one of the world’s most important energy shipping routes, despite a ceasefire between the United States and Iran and ongoing efforts to secure a lasting peace agreement. The maritime agency said the incident took place eight nautical miles east of Limah, Oman. “A tanker has reported being hit by an unknown projectile on the port side causing a fire, whilst travelling southbound,” UKMTO said in a post on X. The agency said there were no reports of casualties or environmental damage. “Vessels are advised to transit with caution and report any suspicious activity to UKMTO,” the agency added, saying authorities were investigating. US news outlet Axios reported late on Monday that Iran had “fired at least two missiles at commercial ships”, citing two unnamed US officials. One of...