Pakistan

Police in Japan’s Shiga prefecture have arrested an Indian man for allegedly raping a teenage girl last month, local news outlet Kyoto Shimbun reported. Shiga’s Otsu police arrested the man, identified as a 24-year-old temporary worker, on Thursday on suspicion of assaulting and raping a teenage high school girl. The man allegedly assaulted the “girl living in the prefecture, including by choking her, and then having sexual intercourse with her at a hotel in Otsu city”. The incident took place in the early hours of June 21, according to the report, which was also carried by Tokyo Reporter. It quoted the Otsu police as saying that the suspect and the girl did not know each other. The man had gone with her to the front of a hotel under the pretence of asking for directions, then forced her into a room, the police said. The suspect denied the charges and was quoted as saying, “I did not force her.” In May, Japanese police said they arrested a former taxi driver on suspicion of drugging and raping a female passen...

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur met with Afghanistan’s Ambassador to Pakistan, Ahmad Shakeeb, to discuss bilateral relations, mutual cooperation, and regional stability.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Mohammad Ishaq Dar on Saturday departed from Kuala Lumpur to Islamabad after a successful two-day visit to Malaysia for the 32nd Asian Regional Forum Ministerial Meeting.

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and his Bahraini counterpart Gen Shaikh Rashid bin Abdullah Al Khalifa have stressed the need to further boost collaboration in counterterrorism and anti-human trafficking efforts between their countries. Pakistan and Bahrain share close fraternal ties based on shared culture and religion, with both countries having cooperation in security and economy. Naqvi met with Gen Rashid in Manama on Thursday, according to the Bahrain News Agency (BNA). Both officials emphasised the need to “further strengthen their security collaboration”, state-run Radio Pakistan reported today. The two sides held discussions on bilateral cooperation in counterterrorism, combating human trafficking and anti-narcotics efforts. They also mulled making the Pakistan-Bahrain Joint Security Committee more effective. The Bahraini interior minister expressed his appreciation for cooperation and coordination between the two countries in various fields, including security, according to Radio Pakistan. “We value t...

A farm worker was in critical condition on Friday, his family said, after being injured during a raid by US immigration agents on a legal cannabis farm in California that resulted in the arrests of 200 undocumented migrants and clashes with protesters. US President Donald Trump, meanwhile, called demonstrators involved in attacks on Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents “slimeballs” and said they should be arrested. In another development, a district judge ordered a halt to “roving patrols” in Los Angeles by federal agents who were detaining suspected undocumented migrants without probable cause and denying them due process. District Judge Maame Ewusi-Mensah Frimpong ordered an end to the arrests, which she said were being made “based upon race alone”, on whether a person was speaking Spanish or English with an accent or because of their place of work. Trump’s remarks and the court order come a day after a chaotic raid on a cannabis plantation in Ventura County, some 56 miles (90 kilometers) from L...

The Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued a flood alert for hill torrents (Rod-Kohi) in the Dera Ghazi Khan and Rajanpur districts, warning of a potential medium flood due to ongoing monsoon rains in the Koh-e-Suleman region.

KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah on Friday expressed concern over federal policies that were “creating major hurdles” in the development of Sindh’s energy sector and said that despite the province’s vast potential to serve as a key contributor to the nation’s energy needs, current federal approaches were obstructing progress on multiple fronts. Speaking as the chief guest at the Sindh Energy Diversity Conference, Mr Shah described the province as the country’s “energy basket,” endowed with rich reserves of coal, natural gas, wind and solar energy. However, Mr Shah pointed out that federal policies had created ongoing challenges that hindered energy sector development in the province. He also recounted historical setbacks, including investor reluctance after the 1996 government change and federal opposition to wind power projects in Sindh. Mr Shah urged the gathering of stakeholders, experts and policymakers to discuss the province’s vast energy resources and the urgent need for sustainable energy s...

Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja stressed the government’s focus on artificial intelligence (AI) training in education and the workforce, Radio Pakistan reported on Saturday. The interest shown by children in AI tools has doubled during the past year, according to a report, with businesses also employing them on a wide scale. However, experts have warned that AI’s development should not be guided by market forces alone and stressed its regulation. Khawaja met with Google’s Regional AI Developer Ecosystem and Communities team on Friday to explore strategic collaboration in advancing Pakistan’s AI landscape. In the policy discussion, the minister emphasised the government’s strategic focus on AI training across three critical domains: mainstream education from kindergarten to university; workforce development, including freelancers; and industrial innovation. According to Radio Pakistan, the minister also stressed the need for inclusive access to tools such as the AI Seekho programme, sandbo...

The nine Punjabi passengers brutally martyred in a terrorist attack by the banned Baloch Liberation Army (BLA) in Zhob, Balochistan, have been laid to rest in their respective hometowns across Punjab under tight security arrangements.

A preliminary report depicted confusion in the cockpit shortly before an Air India jetliner crashed and killed 260 people last month, after the plane’s engine fuel cutoff switches flipped almost simultaneously and starved the engines of fuel. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner bound for London from the Indian city of Ahmedabad began to lose thrust and sink shortly after takeoff, according to the report on the world’s deadliest aviation accident in a decade released on Saturday by Indian accident investigators. The report by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau (AAIB) about the June 12 crash raises fresh questions over the position of the critical engine fuel cutoff switches. Almost immediately after the plane lifted off the ground, closed-circuit TV footage showed a backup energy source called a ram air turbine had deployed, indicating a loss of power from the engines. In the flight’s final moments, one pilot was heard on the cockpit voice recorder asking the other why he cut off the fuel. “The other pilot r...

Peshawar - Advisor to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Information and Public Relations, Barrister Saif, has stated that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are being denied even the basic rights and facilities typically granted to ordinary prisoners.

ISLAMABAD: Over 270 students gathered in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi this week in preparation to travel to the United States to begin bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes at US universities, a statement issued by organisers said. “EducationUSA at the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) hosted these annual pre-departure orientations (PDOs) to prepare students for the educational and cultural journey ahead. Discussion topics included classroom and campus life, resources for international students, and adapting to new cultural experiences,” the statement read. Parents, school counsellors and alumni of US institutions also joined the discussions to help ensure the students’ successful transition. According to the Institute of International Education’s 2024 Open Doors report, nearly 11,000 Pakistanis were enrolled at US institutions last year—an all-time high for Pakistan and an 8.1 per cent increase over the previous year. “Pakistan is home to thousands of alumni of US colleges and unive...

LAHORE: The police reportedly thwarted a mob attack on a worship place of the Ahmadi community in Samanabad here on Friday. A strong contingent of force from several police stations responded to the emergency 15 call from the community when local residents were about to march towards their (Ahmadi) worship place. “Six SHOs, a DSP, a divisional SP and an SSP rushed to the site along with armed policemen on the direction of Lahore Operations DIG Faisal Kamran to rescue members of the Ahmadi community at any cost,” a police officer told Dawn. He said some women and children were also among the worshippers. As the mob tried to surround the worship place, the police launched a major operation and rescued women, children and other worshippers, shifted them to a secured area and increased security of the worship place. Police high-ups also engaged known local figures, including religious leaders, to maintain peace. An Ahmadi worshipper told Dawn his community had built a worship place on Poonch Road and got it regis...

Peshawar - In a landmark move toward climate action and sustainable development, the government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has officially launched the province’s first Carbon Asset Inventory for its renewable energy portfolio.

ISLAMABAD - French Ambassador to Pakistan Nicolas Galey yesterday hosted a grand reception to mark the 236th anniversary of Bastille Day, a historic milestone that ignited the French Revolution and embodies the timeless values of liberty, equality, and fraternity.

Says economic development impossible without modernising outdated system Wants a committee to finalise actionable proposals for restructuring of ministries, institutions.

DG KHAN / ISLAMABAD/QUETTA - The bodies of nine people who were martyred by unidentified armed men in the Sur-Dakai area on the border between Balochistan’s Zhob and Loralai districts late Thursday night were received in Dera Ghazi KHAN on Friday morning.

Foreign minister says Indian leadership not ready to digest defeat in war against Pakistan Addressing ASEAN Regional Forum in Kuala Lumpur, Dar stresses collective commitment to build peaceful Asia-Pacific.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan yesterday said that India’s involvement in terrorism within Pakistan is undeniable and that it is now orchestrating acts of terrorism and massacres across the globe.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi arrived in Manama, Bahrain, on Saturday for a one-day official visit aimed at strengthening bilateral security ties between Pakistan and Bahrain.