Pakistan

The animals arrive before the city wakes. By three in the morning, a few weeks before Eidul Azha, the livestock markets on the periphery of Karachi are already dense with noise and colour, the restless lowing of cattle from Sindh’s interior, the sharper bleating of goats driven down from Balochistan, the occasional camel standing in imperious silence while traders haggle beneath fluorescent lights. The men who have brought these animals have been travelling for days. They have fed these animals, watered them, negotiated their passage across provincial checkpoints and absorbed the cost of fodder — the price of which has only increased in the past three years — and the ever-increasing cost of transportation, courtesy a sovereign that refuses to be fiscally responsible. They are supply-side participants in one of Pakistan’s largest annual markets. But no official body counts them with any precision. Every Eidul Azha, millions of Pakistanis participate in a decentralised economic event larger than half the federa...

A viral social media account focusing on the concerns of India’s Gen Z has come under attack, with its founder alleging hacking and threats to his family after it won millions of followers disenchanted with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government. The satirical “Cockroach Janta Party” (CJP) account garnered more than 22 million followers on Instagram within days, reflecting mounting unease among young users on issues it highlighted, from unemployment to the leaks of exam questions. “The government has taken down our iconic website,” founder Abhijeet Dipke wrote on X, adding that its X account had been withheld in India while the group’s Instagram account had been compromised and his family had received threats. Reuters could not independently verify the claim of a government takedown. The government has not publicly confirmed any action against the website or the Instagram account. India’s home and IT ministries did not respond to requests for comment. State electoral wins by Modi’s party The surge in popul...

President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday extended felicitations to King Abdullah II ibn Al Hussein of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan and the people of Jordan on their Independence Day, annually observed on May 25.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Education Department has announced the schedule for summer vacations in educational institutions across the province’s plains and upper cold regions.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday met Chinese Premier Li Qiang in Beijing, where the two sides agreed to maintain close coordination, accelerate the implementation of ongoing projects and advance bilateral ties through practical and high-quality cooperation.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark index began the week on a strong note on Monday, gaining over 4,000 points during intraday trading. KSE-100 gained 4,013.17 points or 2.39 per cent to stand at 171,857.41 points at 3:24pm from the previous close of 167,844.24 points. The market opened with bullish momentum, gaining 3,594 points at 9:30am from Friday’s close. It then dipped to an intraday low of 170,161.66 points at 12:47pm, still in the green with a gain of 2,317.42 points. The development comes amid hopes that a deal between the United States and Iran to open the Strait of Hormuz could be announced soon. Earlier today, Tehran acknowledged that both sides have “reached a conclusion” on many issues, but cautioned that an agreement was not necessarily imminent. Oil prices also fell on Monday. The price of North Sea Brent crude and West Texas Intermediate slipped close to 5pc to $99.41 and $92.49 a barrel, respectively. Despite last-minute jitters, the stock market had closed last week in green terri...

MARDAN: At least 16 people were killed and seven others were injured after a Swat-bound passenger coach collided with a bus parked by the roadside of the Swat Motorway in Khoro Kotay Saeedabad area on Monday, Rescue 1122 said. Rescue 1122 Public Relations Officer Syyed Abbas Shah confirmed the number of casualties. According to the motorway police, the passenger coach crashed into a bus that was parked by the roadside after developing a mechanical fault. The motorway police, Rescue 1122 officials and locals of nearby areas rushed to the spot after the incident was reported and shifted the dead and injured to Mardan Medical Complex Hospital. Hospital and Rescue 1122 officials said that the identities of the dead and injured persons had yet to be ascertained. However, they said that the majority of the victims hailed from Dir and Bajaur, and were headed home for the Eid holidays. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan expressed grief at the incident. He said that the injured ...

A local election in an industrial city in northern Italy is exposing differences over immigration between governing coalition parties and showing how the country’s rapidly changing social fabric is shaping politics. Surrounded by factories and rice paddies, Vigevano is a city of 62,000 people where 15 per cent of the population is foreign, including many people from Egypt and Romania. Many more are naturalised Italians and second-generation immigrants. Once a Communist Party bastion, the city is held by the League, a far-right junior partner in Italy’s ruling coalition whose leader Matteo Salvini has said citizenship should be revoked for second-generation immigrants who commit crimes. Then-deputy PM of Italy, Matteo Salvini, attends a news conference for the government’s first budget in Rome, Italy on Nov 22, 2022. — Reuters/File But the League’s mayoral candidate, Riccardo Ghia, a jeweller, made headlines last month when he put two Muslim candidates on his list of prospective councillors — with an eye to at...

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from dispossessing the residents of One Constitution Avenue and issued a stay order on intra-court appeals filed against the dismissal of their writ petitions. A division bench comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Raja Inaam Ameen Minhas heard the appeals filed by the residents of One Constitution Avenue. During the proceedings, the court directed the CDA not to take any coercive action against the occupants till the next hearing. The residents’ counsel, Sardar Taimur Aslam, said, “We want the CDA board to hear us and give us an opportunity to prove our innocence.” Justice Khan inquired about the process of sub-leasing and whether it was documented with an institution or done informally. Senior lawyer Ali Raza, another counsel representing the residents, contended that the CDA had leased out the land and subleases were executed while the original lease was intact. He argued that the CDA had rece...

Political leaders across Balochistan have strongly condemned the recent blast in Quetta and reaffirmed their resolve to stand united against terrorist elements, pledging decisive action against those responsible.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has directed deputy commissioners and district police officers across the province to ensure strict checking of buses and bus terminals ahead of Eid-ul-Adha.

A large-scale anti-encroachment operation is being planned in Islamabad, with authorities preparing to launch a coordinated drive across different parts of the federal capital, according to sources.

Iran said on Monday that Tehran and Washington had reached understandings on many issues in exchanges over a deal for ending the war, but warned an agreement was not imminent. “It is correct to say that we have reached a conclusion on a large portion of the issues under discussion,” foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said, during a weekly news briefing. “But to say that this means the signing of an agreement is imminent — no one can make such a claim,” he said, accusing Washington of “contradictions” and shifting its positions. The remarks come after Iran said it was finalising a 14-point framework for a deal on ending the war. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said a deal to end the war with Iran could materialise on Monday as US President Donald Trump told his negotiators not to “rush”. During the press conference, Baqaei insisted that the framework being drafted “is focused on ending the war” across the region, including in Lebanon. He reiterated that details on Iran’s nuclear programme — a key stic...

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Sunday visited the site of the Red Line Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project in Karachi to review the progress of ongoing construction work.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday called for joint efforts by Pakistan and China to promote peace and stability in the Middle East, while thanking the Chinese leadership for supporting Islamabad’s ceasefire initiatives in the region.

India’s ruling Hindu-nationalist party has ordered detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingyas in West Bengal state, sparking fear among minorities that it could lead to arbitrary expulsions. The directive comes just days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won power in the eastern state for the first time since the country’s independence in 1947. The order calls on local authorities to set up “holding centres” for “apprehended foreigners” awaiting deportation, as part of a broader crackdown on illegal migration. The government has defended its “detect, delete, deport” principle, saying those targeted are migrants staying illegally in the country. “Illegal migration has security and socio-economic ramifications which are often well beyond law enforcement” read the order, issued last week. The decision has fuelled anxiety among West Bengal’s roughly 35 million Muslims, many of whom share linguistic and cultural ties with neighbouring Bangladesh. Critics say the m...

This though technically, is the last, in the series of planning and commanding one’s life with a structure and continuous improvement, there may be a requirment of more such as “managing time” and many others on various related aspected, however, they will come a little later.

Over 1.5 million Muslims began filling a vast tent city in Makkah on Monday for the annual Haj pilgrimage carried out against the backdrop of hopes for an end to the war in the Middle East. The white-robed pilgrims on buses or on foot arrived at the sprawling encampment in Mina after performing the tawaf. The start of the Haj came as US President Donald Trump continued to send mixed signals over a possible agreement to extend an uneasy ceasefire with Iran and a deal to reopen the Strait of Hormuz. This year’s rites, drawing Muslim worshippers from across the world, including Iran, follow waves of attacks on targets in Saudi Arabia and its Gulf neighbours. Saudi officials have been keen to keep conflict far from the minds of visitors, many of whom have travelled long distances for one of the world’s largest annual pilgrimages. Despite the uncertainty triggered by the conflict, Saudi officials noted over the weekend that more pilgrims had travelled from abroad to participate in this year’s Haj than in 2025. But...

Islamabad - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Beijing after concluding his official engagements in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, at a time when rapidly evolving geopolitical developments across the region have enhanced the strategic significance of Pakistan-China consultations.

Travis Head and his wife Jessica have been subjected to a barrage of online abuse after the Australian cricketer was embroiled in a spat with India great Virat Kohli during an Indian Premier League (IPL) match. The players clashed during the T20 match between Head’s Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kohli’s Royal Challengers Bengaluru on Friday. Heated words were exchanged between the two before Kohli was dismissed for 15 and his team slumped to a 55-run defeat. As the two sets of players lined up for the post-game handshakes, Kohli ignored Head’s outstretched arm but shook hands with the other players. The Instagram accounts for Head and Jessica have since been flooded with abusive comments, apparently from fans of the former India captain. Jessica told The Advertiser newspaper that her friends and family had also received hateful private messages. “I woke up to my socials blasting … we are fine but they are attacking my friends and family,” she said Monday, according to the reports. “Passion will always be part of sp...