Pakistan

The Israeli opposition has planned to boycott the address of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the Knesset during his visit to the country, top Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Tuesday. The Indian prime minister will visit Israel from February 25 to 26, India’s foreign ministry said on Tuesday. It will be Modi’s second visit to Israel. According to the report, the opposition — led by Yair Lapid — is in a “standoff” with Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana due to his decision not to invite the Israeli Supreme Court President Isaac Amit to attend a special session of the parliament “as is customary”. The report said that Lapid on Monday urged Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to ensure Amit’s invitation. According to Haaretz, Lapid, in a post on X, said: “We want to be in the session, we need to be in the session. Prime Minister Netanyahu must instruct Ohana to allow us to participate in the session.” As per the report, Lapid, while speaking in the Knesset last week, warned that “boycotting Justice Amit is...

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was evacuated from his residence in Canberra late on Tuesday following a security threat, and returned several hours later after nothing suspicious was found, ABC News reported. Albanese was evacuated from The Lodge, his official residence in the capital Canberra. National broadcaster ABC reported the threat sparked a significant police operation, and led to the prime minister being taken to another location for several hours. Police said they had responded to an “alleged security incident” around 6pm (07:00 GMT), without giving more details on the nature of the incident. “A thorough search of a protection establishment was undertaken and nothing suspicious was located. There is no current threat to the community or public safety,” an Australian Federal Police spokesperson said in a statement.

Moroccan soccer player Achraf Hakimi is to face a rape trial, the defender, who plays for Paris St Germain and the Moroccan national squad, said in a social media post on Tuesday. He denies the allegation. “Today, a rape accusation is enough to justify a trial, even though I deny it and everything proves it’s false,” Hakimi said in a post on X. “This is as unjust to the innocent as it is to the genuine victims. I calmly await this trial, which will allow the truth to come out publicly,” he said. Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Colin said a trial had been ordered and the prosecutor in the Nanterre suburb of Paris confirmed. “A trial has been ordered on the basis of an accusation that rests solely on the word of a woman who obstructed all investigations, refused all medical examinations and DNA tests, refused to allow her mobile phone to be examined, and refused to give the name of a key witness,” Colin said. PSG coach Luis Enrique when asked about it at Tuesday’s press conference, ahead of the Champions League play-off ...

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Tuesday unanimously adopted a resolution condemning Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s remarks about a plan to ally with India and other countries to counter Muslim nations. The resolution moved in the House by PPP’s Palwasha Mohammad Zai Khan deplored the continued provocative steps and statements by the Israeli leadership that threatened the regional and international peace and stability, including the latest statement about forming “alliances” against Muslim nations. Addressing a cabinet meeting on Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said his country “will create an entire system — essentially a kind of hexagon of alliances — around or within the Middle East”, Times of Israel reported. Netanyahu listed India, Greece, Cyprus, and “unnamed Arab, African and Asian countries”, the report added. “The intention here is to create an axis of countries that see reality, the challenges, and the goals in the same way, in contrast to the radical axes,” he was quoted as saying. “B...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is attracting substantial foreign interest across a broad spectrum of sectors, including energy, logistics, information technology, agriculture, mining, and digital infrastructure, with much of this activity taking place through partnerships and joint ventures with local companies. Over the past three years, 79 new foreign companies have commenced operations in the country, while foreign firms invested Rs40.7 billion in key sectors during the same period. According to data released by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), 1,157 foreign companies are currently registered and operational in Pakistan. Nineteen foreign companies exited the market over the last three years. In 2023, 31 new companies entered Pakistan while six ceased operations. In 2024, 21 entered and nine exited. In 2025, 27 new companies registered, compared to just four closures. Beyond new market entries, foreign participation has also expanded through equity transactions. A total of 61 shareholding tra...

The glow of his phone screen often marks the end of Mohammad Daniyal Shahid’s day. A final-year MBBS student, buried in exam preparation, says his nights are the only moments that feel truly his. “The whole day is scheduled, lectures, wards, studying,” he says. “Night is the only time that feels like my own.” Between lectures, clinical rotations and the relentless pressure of becoming a doctor, Daniyal squeezes his passions, travel, fitness and photography, into whatever hours he can reclaim. A young woman looking at her phone while in bed at night. — Canva AI But when he checks his screen-time report, often stretching beyond four or five hours, the realisation hits. “I think I’ll scroll for a few minutes, and suddenly it’s 2am,” he says. “That’s when I realise I’ve delayed sleep again.” Those late-night hours are both comforting and costly. For Daniyal, they are a way of taking control, a quiet rebellion against packed schedules and constant responsibilities. “It feels like I’m reclaiming time,” he says. “Bu...

Pakistan’s benchmark index, KSE-100, closed in the red on Tuesday, down 1,432.54 points. Topline Securities noted that the session witnessed pronounced volatility, with the index staging a brief rebound to an intraday high of +1,546 points before intensified selling pressure pushed it to a low of –3,783 points. Despite the decline in points, trading activity remained robust, with total volumes clocking in at 687 million shares and turnover reaching Rs38.4 billion. The top active stocks were led by K-Electric Limited, falling 1.17pc to Rs7.57 at a volume of 64,848,829, followed by The Bank of Punjab, declining 1.62pc to Rs29.70 at a volume of 49,139,683, and Worldcall Telecom Limited, falling 0.76pc to Rs 1.31 at a volume of 45,981,935. The top advancers were led by Abdullah Shah Ghazi Sugar Mills Limited, rising 12.32pc to Rs9.12, followed by Chenab Limited, rising 11.79pc to Rs9.48, and Ittefaq Iron Industries Limited, rising 10.49pc to Rs8.11. The top decliners were led by LSE Capital Limited.(Right) declin...

PESHAWAR: Unidentified attackers blew up a school in the Birmal tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan in the late hours of Monday, the police said on Tuesday. According to District Police Officer (DPO) South Waziristan Lower Muhammad Tahir Shah Wazir, the explosion destroyed parts of the Government Middle School (GMS) Boys’ Sharif Khan Kot, including two classrooms, bathrooms, the main gate, and one side of the boundary wall. Initial reports confirmed no casualties were reported. The blast was so powerful that it was heard in distant areas. According to police sources, nearby houses were also affected. Solar panels, walls, and windows sustained partial damage from the blast. Following the explosion, police launched an investigation into the incident and began collecting evidence from the site. Local authorities reiterated their commitment to ensuring the safety of educational institutions and maintaining peace in the region. Meanwhile, KP Governor Faisal Karim Kundi strongly condemned the incident. ...

Militants ambushed ambulances near Ghole Banda Dam transporting injured Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel, resulting in the martyrdom of three officials.

An Iranian Army helicopter crashed into a fruit market in the central province of Isfahan on Tuesday, killing the pilot, co-pilot and two merchants, state media reported. The helicopter came down in the city of Dorcheh, causing a fire that was put out by emergency services, the reports added. Experts say Iran has a poor air safety record, with repeated crashes, many involving aircraft bought before the 1979 Islamic Revolution and lacking original spare parts for maintenance. Last week, a US-built F-4 fighter belonging to Iran’s regular air force crashed in the western province of Hamadan, killing one pilot during a training flight. In May 2024, a helicopter carrying Iran’s then-President Ebrahim Raisi and other officials was involved in a “crash upon landing” in the mountainous Varzaqan region of Iran amid poor weather conditions.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to hold high-level meetings in Doha with the Emir of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, and the Prime Minister of Qatar, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani, to discuss ways to further strengthen bilateral relations between the two countries.

All seven people on board a Beechcraft air ambulance that crashed in the Indian state of Jharkhand on Monday were killed, officials said on Tuesday, including two crew members, the patient and his relatives. The Beechcraft C90 plane, operated by Redbird Airways, took off from state capital Ranchi but requested a change to its flight path due to weather, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said on Monday. The aircraft subsequently lost communication and radar contact, the regulator said. Rescue and medical teams rushed to the site of the crash, which local media said was deep inside a difficult-to-access forest. “The team of doctors found them, and declared them dead,” local administrative official Keerthishree G told reporters, adding that two of the seven people killed were crew members. “We have pulled out the bodies and sent them for post-mortem and further investigation,” the official said. Keerthishree G is the deputy commissioner of Chatra district, where the crash occurred during a thunderstorm. ...

North Korea’s ruling party has elevated leader Kim Jong Un’s powerful younger sister to a top position, state media said on Tuesday, a sign of her far-reaching influence within the reclusive nation. Thousands of party elites have packed the capital Pyongyang for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers’ Party, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from diplomacy to war planning. Kim Yo Jong — long considered one of her brother’s closest lieutenants — was promoted to department director within the party’s apex central committee, the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) said. Although it was not clear which department she would lead, she has previously held a senior role within the party’s propaganda unit. Kim Yo Jong has in recent years emerged as one of the most powerful figures in North Korea, playing a highly visible role in diplomacy, nuclear negotiations and other matters of state. “Kim Yo Jong is one of the very few people Kim Jong Un can trust and rely on,” said Ahn Chan-il, a resea...

The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Tuesday sentenced a lawyer to six months’ imprisonment for making inappropriate and derogatory remarks against a female judge on social media.

An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in Islamabad has declared 30 workers of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as proclaimed offenders in connection with cases related to the November 26 protest.

London police released former ambassador Peter Mandelson on bail in the early hours of Tuesday, in a probe into his ties to disgraced US financier Jeffrey Epstein, only days after ex-prince Andrew was arrested. Mandelson, a pivotal figure in British politics and the UK’s former envoy to Washington, was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office around 17:00 GMT (10pm PKT) on Monday following allegations arising from the latest set of documents linked to Epstein. “A 72-year-old man arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office has been released on bail pending further investigation,” the Metropolitan police said in a statement around nine hours after he was taken in to an unnamed London police station. Images on UK television earlier appeared to show Mandelson, 72, being driven away from his north London home, accompanied by a man and a woman, after police raided his properties earlier this month. The arrest came days after Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, King Charles III’s younger brother, was de...

• Rana Sana urges opposition to rejoin parliamentary panels; seeks end to political confrontation, deadlock • Senate opposition leader asks govt not to complicate PTI chief’s health matters; says Imran not looking for deal • Upper house approves criminal procedure code tweaks to prevent police from holding suspects incommunicado ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Monday extended an olive branch to the PTI to advance the ‘Charter of Democracy’, signed between the PPP and the PML-N in 2006, and asked opposition lawmakers to rejoin parliamentary standing committees to kick-start the political process for reconciliation. The offer was made by PML-N Senator and PM’s aide Rana Sanaullah in his Senate address, while responding to a speech by Opposition Leader Raja Nasir Abbas. “Let us sit together to strengthen and take forward the charter of democracy,” Mr Sanaullah said, adding that the government was ready for a dialogue to strengthen democracy and avoid confrontation and deadlock. “We are ready to sit with you...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has announced a special development package worth Rs200 billion for Hazara Division.

KOHAT: Employees of the KDA Divisional Headquarters Hospital and members of the Young Doctors’ Association on Monday protested the murder of a woman doctor outside the hospital. Dr Mehwish Hasnain was killed late on Sunday as she was going home after performing duty at the KDA hospital. The police said they had registered an FIR against unidentified people for the murder. The protesters blocked the KDA Road and demanded the immediate arrest of the killer. They also called for tight security for themselves. The protesters insisted that Dr Mehwish was shot by an attendant whom she earlier asked to leave the space reserved for women patients. DPO says three teams formed to arrest killer Spokesman for the YDA’s provincial chapter Hafeez Orakzai said that the woman doctor left the hospital alone for home, considering the incident a minor one. “When Dr Mehwish was shot multiple times by the same visitor outside the hospital, she died on the spot,” he said. The spokesman said staff members had suspended all services...

The Lahore High Court has announced a new roster for its judges, which will remain in effect for two months from March 2 to May 2.