Category: English

Rain in Islamabad and different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Tuesday brought a change in the weather, signalling the arrival of winter. In Peshawar, where rain started last night, broke the heat spell and turned the weather cooler and pleasant. Thunderstorms, strong winds and rain were reported in suburban areas of Khyber, including Bara, Jamrud and Landi Kotal, with hail reported in some areas. The rain has also affected traffic on the Pak-Afghan Highway, where flash floods at several points disrupted the flow of traffic. Heavy rain has been continuing…

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Talks between the government and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are continuing over the latest economic review, with discussions covering various fiscal matters, including health and education spending and petroleum subsidies. Sources said the IMF has agreed to allow the government to continue its petrol subsidy scheme but has stressed that the number of beneficiaries should not be increased. The two sides also discussed reducing subsidies on electric vehicles. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced a special petrol relief scheme on September 13, under which a subsidy of Rs100 per litre…

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US President Donald Trump’s approval rating has fallen to a record low, according to new opinion polls, raising concerns for Republicans ahead of next month’s midterm elections. A Reuters/Ipsos poll put Trump’s approval rating at 32%, with the president losing support among independent voters and Latinos who backed him in the 2024 election. The decline could pose a major challenge for Republicans as they seek to retain control of Congress in the November midterm elections. Trump dismissed questions about his falling approval ratings before boarding a flight to Nebraska on…

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US President Donald Trump has approved the execution by firing squad of Nidal Malik Hasan, the former US army psychiatrist convicted of killing 13 people at Fort Hood in 2009, the Pentagon said. Hasan’s execution would be the first carried out by the US military since 1961. The attack at the Texas military base also wounded more than two dozen people. Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell on Monday said Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth had recommended the firing squad execution and Trump had approved it. The secretary of the army will determine…

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The International Criminal Court (ICC) has unsealed four arrest warrants against senior Taliban figures over the alleged persecution of women and girls in Afghanistan. The ICC judges made public warrants for Taliban Supreme Leader Haibatullah Akhundzada and Chief Justice Abdul Hakim Haqqani, along with two other suspects, Habibullah Agha and Neda Mohammad Nadim. The court said there were reasonable grounds to believe that all four were criminally responsible for ordering, inducing or soliciting persecution, which constitutes a crime against humanity under Article 7(1)(h) of the Rome Statute, the ICC’s founding…

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US President Donald Trump said on Monday that a threat linked to Iran had prompted the removal of American B-1 bombers from a British airbase. The planes had been stationed at RAF Fairford, the preferred European ​base for US bombers, and had recently been used in US strikes on Iran. Last week, five British men were arrested near the base on suspicion of preparing terrorist acts. “We had an idea that there might be a threat, and why would I leave them there? It costs very little money to move…

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At least five Fitna Al Khawarij militants were killed and two others wounded in an intelligence-based operation in North Waziristan, security sources said on Tuesday. The operation targeted militant hideouts in North Waziristan and surrounding areas after security forces kept their movements under surveillance, the sources said. The forces remain committed to eliminating terrorism and establishing lasting peace in the region, they added. Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi praised the security forces for the successful operation, calling the personnel who killed five Indian-sponsored militants “heroes of the nation.” Naqvi also lauded…

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The Peshawar Education Board has postponed the matric annual examinations scheduled from October 7 to 10 due to the ongoing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) long march. According to the Peshawar Education Board’s Controller of Examinations, the papers scheduled for October 7, 8, 9 and 10 for the matric annual examinations-II 2026 have been postponed in view of the PTI long march. The controller said new dates for the postponed papers would be announced later and advised students to wait for the revised schedule. He clarified that papers scheduled after October 10…

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United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres arrived in Islamabad late Monday night for a three-day official visit from October 6–8. The UN chief’s visit came at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar. Upon arrival, the secretary-general was received by Acting Foreign Secretary Ambassador Nabeel Munir. During the visit, Guterres will hold meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, according to a Foreign…

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Cornell University students staged a mass rally on Monday, voicing solidarity with a classmate whose gang-rape ​allegations have ignited a national uproar and demanding that the Ivy League school take firmer action against sexual violence on campus. The protesters called for ‌an external inquiry into how Cornell’s administration has handled the matter, independent hearings and uniform minimum sanctions for all sexual assaults on campus, and better training for campus police in responding to complaints of sexual violence and harassment. The alleged gang-rape victim, identified by the pseudonym Jane Doe, has…

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