Category: English

Pakistan’s foreign minister said Iran has suggested engaging Yemen’s Houthis politically after attacks by the group, an idea a committee of ​the Makkah defence pact will discuss at an emergency meeting in ‌Riyadh next week. The proposal comes as Saudi Arabia, which has accused the Houthis of targeting Islam’s two holiest cities, faces escalating attacks. Saudi Arabia, Turkey and Pakistan, the pact’s three members, will decide ​next steps at the meeting, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar told a news ​conference. He said the date would be confirmed later. Dar said Iran…

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Pakistan on Friday condemned the attack by the Houthi militia on the Taibah power distribution station in Madinah. In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Sajjad Haider Khan said this reprehensible attack against civilian infrastructure supplying electricity to the Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) Mosque is a grave provocation and a matter of deep concern and anguish for millions of Muslims worldwide. The Saudi-led coalition fighting Yemen’s Houthis said on Thursday the militant group had attacked a power distribution station in Madinah this week, putting one transformer out of service but without affecting…

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Pakistan’s trade deficit marginally increased by over 6% to $3.56 billion in September 2026, as compared to the same month of the previous year, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Friday. The country’s trade balance, the gap between exports and imports, was recorded at a deficit of $3.35 billion in September 2025. The trade deficit expanded year-on-year (YoY) in September 2026 despite higher exports. Exports in September 2026 stood at $2.94 billion, up 17.6% against $2.5 billion recorded in September 2025. Meanwhile, imports were recorded…

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Riot police clashed with high school students in cities across France on Friday, as President Emmanuel Macron’s government battled ​to contain increasingly violent protests over classroom conditions and funding. Tear gas clouded the streets in the eastern city of ‌Strasbourg, fireworks were aimed at police lines in Marseille in the south and rubbish bins set ablaze in Rennes in the west. In Paris, where there were also skirmishes, students waved placards reading “We have a future to build, not to endure”. Six months before next year’s presidential election, opinion polls…

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Two unarmed Pakistani civilians were killed, and another was injured after India’s Border Security Force (BSF) allegedly opened fire on three local residents near the Pakistan-India international border in Kasur, Pakistani security sources said on Friday. According to the sources, the three men from Ladhar village had moved only a few steps beyond a border pillar when BSF personnel allegedly targeted them without warning. The sources said the three civilians were unarmed and had not attempted to cross the border fence. The deceased were identified as Azmat Rasul, son of…

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The Pakistan Army’s top brass has warned that any attempt to create agitation or a situation similar to the May 9, 2023 unrest will be met with “decisive force” and the rule of law. The warning came during the 277th Corps Commanders’ Conference held at General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi on Friday. The meeting was presided over by Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the forum underscored the importance of internal stability. It resolved that…

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Four of 10 Pakistani crew members affected by the hijacking of MV Honour 25 off the coast of Somalia have been safely retrieved and are scheduled to arrive in Karachi on Saturday, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar said on Friday. In a post on social media platform X, Dar said the safe retrieval of the four crew members was made possible through sustained efforts by the Foreign Office and Pakistan’s Embassy in Djibouti. The four crew members are Yasir Khan, Aqeel Khan, Amin bin Shams…

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Saudi authorities have rejected reports circulating online about the presence of a suicide bomber at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, saying there was no truth to the claims. The clarification came after social media posts claimed that a suspected suicide bomber wearing an explosives-laden vest had been spotted moving towards the holy Kaaba and was arrested by security personnel. Saudi security authorities said a man was detained for harassing passersby and causing fear and panic among people in the holy city. In a statement posted on X on Friday, the…

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Representatives of three international organisations raised concerns at the 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council over what they described as a deteriorating human rights situation in Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, according to a press release issued in Geneva on Friday. Speaking under the framework of the Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, Mohib Ali of the International Action for Peace & Sustainable Development raised concerns over recent land policies. Ali highlighted the impact of the Jammu and Kashmir Land Grants Rules, 2022, saying the non-renewal of expired…

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An OPEC+ review to help to determine members’ 2027 oil output quotas has been delayed after the US-Israeli war on Iran disrupted ​projects to expand capacity across the Middle East, throwing estimates of ‌future production potential into uncertainty, said two sources close to the matter. OPEC+, which comprises the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries plus Russia and other allies, had ordered ​its production capacity review for all members in late 2025 before ​setting 2027 quotas, with completion due by the end of ⁠September 2026. The deadline has slipped, the…

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