Pakistan

Pakistan continued their dominance on the squash courts as four players advanced to the finals of the 32nd Asian Junior Individual Squash Championships in Gimcheon, South Korea, on Friday. Top seed Muhammad Sohail Adnan beat India’s Amarya Bajaj in three straight sets 11-5, 11-1, 11-2 to advance to the Boys U13 final. He will play against India’s Ayyan Dhanuka in tomorrow’s final. Over on the girls’ side, Mahnoor Ali beat Malaysia’s Maisarah Binti Khairulnizam 11-7, 11-5, 11-7, and will play against China’s Yin. Z. The Boys U15 final will be an all-Pakistan showdown as Ahmed Rayyan Khalil and Nauman Khan face each other. Khalil beat Yuen Tsz Kong of Hong Kong in a commanding win of 11-8, 11-2, 11-1, while top seed Khan beat India’s Aryaman Singh 11-5, 11-1, 11-5. In the Boys U19 semi-final, Abdullah Nawaz was outclassed by Korea’s Jooyoung Na who made it to the final with a 3-1 win, beating the Pakistani 11-7, 10-12, 11-2, 11-4. “Best of luck to our finalists! May they bring gold medals to Pakistan!” the Paki...

At least six people, including five women, lost their lives after a tourist vehicle plunged into the Neelum River in the Chilhana area of Neelum Valley.

The federal government has decided to enhance travel facilities for pilgrims heading to Iran and Iraq by increasing the number of flights and introducing a ferry service.

As many as 350 Afghan students have reached Pakistan to pursue studies in top-tier Pakistani universities across diverse disciplines under HEC Allama Muhammad Iqbal Scholarships to Afghan Students (Prime Minister’s Directives).

The spillways of the Tarbela Dam have been opened to release water, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) confirmed on Thursday.

Pakistan and Azerbaijan have agreed to enhance their cooperation in the fields of trade and investment.

Federal Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Thursday called for the integration of Artificial Intelligence (AI) into the national development strategy, announcing new measures, including the establishment of a national AI fund to provide financial support for innovative ideas and pilot projects. The announcements were made as Iqbal chaired a meeting of the National Task Force on Artificial Intelligence. Formed in April 2023, the body is working to develop a 10-year roadmap for accelerated adoption of AI in different sectors. According to a statement from the Press Information Department, during the meeting, Iqbal emphasised that it was time for Pakistan to move with clarity and purpose. “He stated that AI adoption cannot be advanced in isolation and must instead be guided by cross-sectoral collaboration, alignment with national priorities, and effective coordination across all relevant institutions,” the statement read. It added that the taskforce was assigned a clear mandate to identify twelve k...

The bodies of Liverpool footballer Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva arrived in northern Portugal on Friday for a wake in their hometown, as tributes continued to pour in after they died in a car accident in Spain. A convoy of hearses left for Gondomar near Porto on Thursday evening from the morgue of Puebla de Sanabria, near where the Lamborghini the brothers were travelling in had veered off the road and burst into flames after midnight early on Thursday. Police said they suspected a tyre had burst. Jota’s wife Rute Cardoso, who had married the footballer just weeks earlier, was seen leaving the morgue and joining the convoy, as was Jota’s longtime agent Jorge Mendes. A wake is expected to take place at a chapel in Gondomar from 4pm (8pm PKT) and a funeral on Saturday at a church nearby at 10am local time, Gondomar’s mayor’s office said. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro arrived in the village on Friday morning. Portugal’s Prime Minister Luis Montenegro arrives at the Chapel of the Resurrection...

At least seven people lost their lives on Friday when a five-storey residential building collapsed in Karachi’s Lyari area, leaving several others trapped under the rubble.

Pakistan thrashed the Maldives 60-35 in the final to win the Asian Youth Netball Championship on Friday and maintain its winning streak throughout the tournament being held in South Korea. Pakistan had a strong start with 17-5 in the first quarter before ending halftime at 34-17. The Green Shirts surged to 45-23 in the third quarter and ended at 60-35 to lift the championship trophy. Standout performances were delivered by Leya Raza Shah, Alisha Naveed, Sumayya Kouser, Haleema, Jasmine Farooq, Alina, Amani, Parisa and Farah Rasheed, who collectively maintained Pakistan’s stronghold on the game from start to finish. Chairman of the Pakistan Netball Federation Mudassir Arian, along with President Sameen Malik and Secretary General Muhammad Riaz, extended their congratulations to the team. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif lauded the team for their victory. “Special appreciation for staying undefeated throughout the tournament!” he said in a post on X. “Very well played!” The Pakistan Embassy in Seoul congratulated ...

Israeli Defence Minister Israel Katz has said the army must draw up a plan to prevent Iran from threatening Israel again after the arch-foes fought a 12-day war last month, in comments released on Friday. “The Israeli military’s current mission is to prepare an enforcement plan to ensure that Iran cannot threaten Israel again,” Katz said at a meeting with military leaders on Thursday, according to a statement released by his ministry. “The army must prepare on the intelligence and operational level to ensure that the air force maintains air superiority over Tehran, the ability to enforce restrictions on Iran and prevent it from rebuilding its capabilities,” he added. Israel launched a bombing campaign against Iran on June 13 following a decades-long shadow war, saying it aimed to prevent it from developing a nuclear weapon — an ambition Tehran has consistently denied — and degrade its ballistic missile arsenal. Following a US-announced ceasefire, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu vowed to prevent Iran...

India will launch a $234 million incentive programme for civil and military drone makers to reduce their reliance on imported components and counter rival Pakistan’s programme built on support from China and Turkiye, three sources told Reuters. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. The nuclear-armed neighbours are now locked in a drones arms race. New Delhi will launch a 20 billion Indian rupees ($234m) programme for three years that will cover the manufacture of drones, components, software, counter-drone systems, and services, two government and one industry source, who did not want to be named, told Reuters. Details of the programme have not been previously reported and its planne...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) warned on Friday that the risk of glacial lake outburst flood (Glof) has increased in the glacial areas of the province due to heavy rains and flash floods. Glof refers to the sudden release of water and debris from a glacial lake, leading to the loss of lives, property and livelihoods in mountain communities. Over 7.1 million people in Gilgit Baltistan and KP are vulnerable, according to the Ministry of Climate Change. In an advisory issued today, the PDMA warned that continuous increase in temperature increases the possibility of melting of glaciers and flash floods. “The residents of Chitral, Dir, Swat and Kohistan have been instructed to remain alert about possible glacial outbursts. The district administration has been instructed to monitor sensitive areas, ensure timely warning and evacuation drills,” the disaster management agency said. The PDMA has advised residents to avoid unnecessary movement near rivers and canals and refrain f...

Thirty terrorists of an “Indian proxy” outfit were killed as they attempted to infiltrate through the Pak-Afghan border in Hassan Khel tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, the military’s media wing said on Friday. Pakistan has witnessed an uptick in terror activities, especially in KP and Balochistan, after the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) ended its ceasefire with the government in November 2022. The country ranked second in the Global Terrorism Index 2025. A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) read that on the nights of July 2 and July 3, “movement of a large group of khwarij, belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Khawarij, who were trying to infiltrate through Pakistan-Afghanistan border, was detected by the security forces in general area Hassan Khel, North Waziristan district”. Fitna al Khawarij is a term used by the government for the TTP, while those associated with the terrorist group are referred to as khaarji. As per the ISPR, “all 30 Indian-sponsore...

Healthcare groups slammed the passage of US President Donald Trump’s tax-cut and spending bill on Thursday, warning that its sweeping healthcare provisions would inflict widespread harm on millions of Americans. The bill, when enacted, will overhaul the government’s Medicaid healthcare programme that covers around 71 million low-income Americans, introducing changes including mandatory work requirements that are expected to leave nearly 12 million people uninsured, according to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO). Republicans have said the legislation will lower taxes for Americans across the income spectrum and spur economic growth. According to the CBO, the bill would lower tax revenue by $4.5 trillion over 10 years and cut spending by $1.1tr. Much of those spending cuts come from Medicaid. Bobby Mukkamala, president of the American Medical Association, an influential US doctors’ group, warned that the Medicaid cuts would limit access to care by leaving millions without health insurance and make it harder...

ISLAMABAD - On the concluding day of the three-day Ministerial Conference of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO), a bilateral meeting was held between Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan, and the Deputy Minister of Transport of the Russian Federation Andrey Sergeyevich Nikitin.

• Flash flood risk in northern areas from July 7-12 • Heavy rain forecast across all provinces, GB and AJK • Second monsoon spell expected to affect most Punjab districts • PDMA Balochistan warns of flash floods in 20 districts • Tourists advised to avoid high-risk areas; citizens urged to stay indoors RAWALPINDI / LAHORE / QUETTA: The National Emer­gencies Operation Centre (NEOC) of the National Disa­ster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued impact-based weather alerts ahead of predicted monsoon activity and a strong westerly wave expected to affect multiple regions of the country from July 6 to 10. Flash flood risks are also anticipated in northern areas from July 7 to 12. Isolated rain and thunderstorms are expected in Islamabad and across Punjab, including Rawalpindi, Attock, Jhelum, Chakwal, Mianwali, Sargodha, Khushab, Gujran­wala, Gujrat, Faisalabad, Lahore, Kasur and Okara from July 6 to 10. Widespread moderate to heavy rainfall is forecast across northern and central Punjab, while southern district...

Pakistani security forces successfully thwarted a major infiltration attempt along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, eliminating 30 Indian-sponsored terrorists in the Hassan Khel area of North Waziristan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) confirmed on Thursday.

The Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP) has finalized a comprehensive traffic and diversion plan to ensure the safety of participants and smooth vehicular movement during the 8th Muharram procession on Friday.

PESHAWAR - Chief Minister (CM) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Ali Amin Khan Gandapur visited CMH Peshawar to inquire after the security personnel injured in the recent suicide attack in North Waziristan.