Category: English

Security forces killed a militant during an intelligence-based operation in the Minaz area of Balochistan’s Kech district after militants attempted to set up a roadblock while taking two women with them, security sources said on Thursday. The sources said troops pursued the fleeing militants, triggering an exchange of fire in which one militant was killed. Weapons and ammunition were recovered from his possession. Clearance operations are underway in the area to track down any other militants who may be present, the sources added. The operation was conducted as part of…

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The leader of a key Arab political party has offered to support an opposition-led Israeli government from outside the coalition to remove Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as election results show no clear winner and Arab parties emerge as potential kingmakers. Yousef Jabareen of the Joint List said on Wednesday that his party would not join a government coalition under current circumstances, citing Israel’s war in Gaza, settlement expansion in the occupied West Bank and other issues. “However, with the aim of bringing down this government, it would be possible for…

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North ​Korea fired around 10 ballistic missiles toward the sea off its east coast on Thursday, South Korea’s military said, as tensions run ‌high ahead of Pyongyang’s end-of-month deadline to activate propaganda loudspeakers along the heavily armed border. The short-range missiles were launched at around 12:30pm from around Wonsan on North Korea’s eastern coast and flew about 250 km, South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said. South Korea was strengthening surveillance and maintaining readiness for additional launches, while closely sharing information with ​the United States and Japan, it added.…

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An anti-terrorism court in Rawalpindi on Thursday sentenced lawyer and human rights activist Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, to 10 years in prison each in a case involving the removal of security barriers and interference in official duties. ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra announced the verdict at Adiala Jail after the completion of the trial and legal proceedings. The court convicted the two under three separate legal provisions and also imposed fines on them. The case was registered against Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha on October…

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Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has intercepted and destroyed an MQ-1 drone east of the Strait of Hormuz, marking the 14th such drone it says its air defence system has brought down, the semi-official ISNA news agency reported on Thursday. Citing the IRGC, ISNA said the incident occurred in airspace east of the strait, opposite the coastal area of Sirik. The force did not identify the drone’s operator. The incident comes amid growing indications of a possible renewed US-Israeli offensive against Iran. The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday…

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Polling is underway for the Supreme Court Bar Association’s 2026-27 annual elections on Thursday, with voting delayed in Karachi as election officials await the arrival of polling agents. A total of 4,634 registered voters are eligible to cast their ballots at 13 polling stations across the country. Polling in Lahore and Karachi is scheduled to continue until 5pm, with a break at 1pm. The main contest for the presidency is between Syed Amjad Ali Shah of the Asma Jahangir Group, also known as the Independent Group, and Sardar Amanullah Khan…

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At least eight people, including a pregnant woman, were killed and four others seriously injured after an oxygen cylinder exploded while being replaced in an ambulance at a hospital in Nagarparkar’s Dano Dhandhal area, rescue sources said on Thursday. The deceased included a patient, attendants and hospital employees. Several bodies were badly burnt in the fire, making identification difficult. The rescue sources said the incident occurred at a People’s Primary Healthcare Initiative (PPHI) ambulance parked at a Basic Health Unit Plus in Dano Dhandal. An explosion occurred while an oxygen…

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Truth Social, the social media platform founded by President Donald Trump, has signed up news and data provider Bloomberg and two Wall Street ​firms for faster access to the president’s posts, which it sells for up to $100,000 a month, according to people with direct knowledge of the matter. The firms are Susquehanna International Group and ‌Jump Trading, both high-frequency trading firms focused on algorithmic and automated strategies. The service gives subscribers a timing advantage to Trump’s posts on Truth Social, which has the potential to create swings in financial…

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Hello Kitty maker Sanrio has cancelled a collaboration with a Japanese TV spy show after ‌a backlash in China, the second incident in days to highlight the tightrope foreign firms and celebrities must walk in the lucrative market. The Wednesday announcement by Sanrio’s Chinese subsidiary came just after French soccer star Kylian Mbappe apologised for remarks about late ​Chinese leader Mao Zedong that saw several Chinese sponsors cut ties with him. The hit show VIVANT, ​produced by Japanese broadcaster TBS and also available on Netflix, centres on Japanese spies ⁠and…

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Hundreds of people permanently living aboard a ​touring cruise ship were forced to disembark in Cambodia this week after the vessel’s operator said ‌fuel price increases from the Iran war had made operations prohibitively expensive. The Villa Vie Odyssey had been cruising the world for at least 755 days as one of only a handful of ships that offered passengers the opportunity to rent or buy long-term or even permanent ​residences on board. On Tuesday, the ship’s owner, Villa Vie Residences, announced it was suspending operations and disembarking ​those passengers…

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