<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 600; letter-spacing: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: capitalize; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: nowrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">LOS ANGELES:&nbsp;Former multi-weight world champion Floyd Mayweather Jr has announced he will come out of retirement and return to professional boxing following his upcoming exhibition bout with Mike Tyson this spring. The 48-year-old, who retired in 2017 with a perfect 50-0 record, said Friday that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level of the sport. &ldquo;I still have what it takes to set more records in the sport of boxing,&rdquo; Mayweather said in a statement to AFP. &ldquo;From my upcoming Mike Tyson event to my next professional fight afterwards no one will generate a bigger gate, have a larger global broadcast audience and generate more money with each event &nbsp;than my events.&rdquo; A first professional fight is tentatively scheduled for this summer, with an opponent yet to be announced. Further details are expected in the coming weeks. World&rsquo;s highest-paid athlete Nicknamed &ldquo;Money,&rdquo; Mayweather was once the world&rsquo;s highest-paid athlete, earning an estimated $300 million in 2015 according to Forbes. At his peak, he was widely regarded as boxing&rsquo;s pound-for-pound king, dominating the welterweight division for more than a decade with his defensive mastery and tactical precision. His last professional bout came in 2017 against former UFC champion Conor McGregor, a crossover spectacle that generated massive global interest and revenue. Since then, Mayweather has participated in several high-profile exhibition fights, including a win over John Gotti III in Mexico in August 2024. Mayweather has now signed an exclusive agreement with promoter CSI Sports/Fight Sports, which will begin after his exhibition clash with Tyson.&nbsp; Boxing outlet The Ring recently reported that the Mayweather-Tyson exhibition is scheduled for April 25 in the Republic of Congo, though neither the date nor the venue has been officially confirmed. Tyson, 59, last fought in November 2024, suffering a one-sided defeat to YouTuber-turned-boxer Jake Paul in Texas. The Netflix-backed event drew a crowd of around 70,000 spectators, with millions more watching globally. Despite past controversies surrounding his career and personal life, Mayweather remains one of the most commercially successful fighters in boxing history. His return to professional competition is likely to generate significant attention across the sport and beyond.

US boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. gestures during an open to public training session for his upcoming exhibition fight against John Gutti III in Mexico City on August 22, 2024. Floyd Mayweather is coming out of retirement and will return to professional boxin

Boxing

The 48-year-old, who retired in 2017 with a perfect 50-0 record, says Friday that he still has the ability to compete at the highest level of the sport.

Floyd Mayweather to come out of retirement

PAMPLONA: Raul Garcia&#39;s superb 90th-minute strike consigned leaders&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/vinicius-bags-brace-as-real-madrid-take-liga-lead-end-sociedad-run" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Real Madrid</a>&nbsp;to a 2-1 defeat at Osasuna in La Liga on Saturday, in a blow to their title hopes. Champions Barcelona trail Madrid by two points but can overtake them on Sunday if they beat Levante at Camp Nou. Alvaro Arbeloa&#39;s Madrid put on a below-par performance in Pamplona and fell behind to an Ante Budimir penalty, before Vinicius Junior pulled the visitors level. The second leg of Madrid&#39;s Champions League play-off against Jose Mourinho&#39;s Benfica on Wednesday seemed to play on their minds as they failed to kick on at El Sadar. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/uefa-opens-probe-into-discriminatory-behavior-towards-vinicius" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Vinicius</a>, who scored a sensational goal to give Madrid a slender first-leg lead but was then the victim of alleged racial abuse, thought he had earned his team a point before Garcia blasted home the winner. &quot;It was not a good game from us... we have to play a lot better,&quot; Arbeloa told reporters. &quot;Nobody likes to lose, us least of all, but we&#39;re not hurt. There&#39;s a long way to go. &quot;We had control at some points but we lacked speed in our play... on Wednesday we have another final, another game that is very important for us.&quot; Croatian target man Budimir curled narrowly wide of Real Madrid goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois&#39;s far post early on, the first of many problems he gave the visitors. The Belgian stopper made an excellent save a few minutes later, after Budimir tried to nod home Ruben Garcia&#39;s cross under pressure from Alvaro Carreras. Budimir also clipped the post with a header as Osasuna impressed, with their victory helping them rise to ninth. Madrid defender David Alaba came close when Alejandro Catena blocked his shot, shortly before the hosts took the lead. Budimir burst into the area and went down under a challenge from Courtois. Although he was initially booked for diving a VAR review showed the goalkeeper stood on his foot. The veteran forward took the resulting penalty himself and sent Courtois the wrong way to give Osasuna the lead. &quot;I knew it was a penalty and I wanted to stay cool (while it was being reviewed),&quot; said Budimir. Osasuna sat deep at times in the second half, looking to fend off 15-time European champions Madrid. Arda Guler came close with a vicious shot that flew just over. Chasing an equaliser, Arbeloa threw on creative duo Trent Alexander-Arnold and Brahim Diaz and his team began to take control. French superstar Kylian Mbappe put the ball in the back of Osasuna&#39;s net but had edged offside, although the equaliser was not long in coming. Fede Valverde charged into the box with the ball, unperturbed by Osasuna&#39;s defenders bouncing off him, before crossing for Vinicius to tuck home. It was the Brazilian&#39;s fifth goal in his last four games across all competitions, having found his best form since Arbeloa replaced Xabi Alonso at the helm in January. Wasted chance Mbappe, La Liga&#39;s top goalscorer, should have put Madrid ahead with 10 minutes to go but Javi Galan brilliantly blocked his shot. Alexander-Arnold curled a free-kick wide as the clock ticked down and it looked like Madrid were left ruing two points dropped, when the third was taken away from them too. Raul Garcia cut inside the sliding Raul Asencio brilliantly and fired across Courtois and in at the far post. The striker&#39;s celebrations were cut short by the offside flag but a VAR review showed he was onside and the goal was given. It was the first time Osasuna have beaten Madrid in La Liga for 15 years. &quot;It&#39;s an incredible feeling... I think (that fact) is crazy. The fans deserved a victory like this after so many years,&quot; Raul Garcia told DAZN. &quot;When I saw (Asencio) coming I knew he was going to go to ground and after that I stayed calm to swerve him and was able to score.&quot; Real Betis, fifth, were held 1-1 at home against Rayo Vallecano earlier Saturday, leaving them three points behind fourth-placed <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/olmo-and-torres-lead-barcelona-to-30-win-over-getafe-in-spanish-league" style="color:#0073e6;" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Atletico Madrid</a>. Diego Simeone&#39;s side host Espanyol later on, aiming to make amends after last weekend&#39;s 3-0 defeat by Rayo.

Football

Raul Garcia’s 90th-minute goal handed Real Madrid a 2-1 loss to Osasuna, ending a 15-year winless streak. Madrid struggled despite Vinicius Junior’s equalizer, leaving them with title race setbacks.

Liga leaders Real Madrid stung by late Osasuna winner

JERUSALEM: Arab countries condemned on Saturday remarks by US ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee, who appeared to suggest in an interview that Israel had a biblical right to a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/un-says-israeli-actions-raising-ethnic-cleansing-fears-in-west-bank-gaza" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">vast swath</a>&nbsp;of the Middle East. Huckabee, a former Baptist minister and a fervent Israel supporter, was speaking with far-right commentator and Israel critic Tucker Carlson. In a podcast episode released Friday, Carlson pushed Huckabee on the meaning of a biblical verse sometimes interpreted as saying that Israel is entitled to the land between the river Nile in Egypt and the Euphrates in Syria and Iraq. In response, Huckabee said: &quot;It would be fine if they took it all.&quot; When pressed, however, he continued that Israel was &quot;not asking to take all of that&quot;, adding: &quot;It was somewhat of a hyperbolic statement.&quot; Several Arab countries condemned the American diplomat in harsh terms. Saudi Arabia described his words as &quot;reckless&quot; and &quot;irresponsible&quot;, while Jordan said it was &quot;an assault on the sovereignty of the countries of the region&quot;. Egypt&#39;s foreign ministry wrote that it &quot;reaffirms that Israel has no sovereignty over the occupied Palestinian territory or any other Arab lands&quot;. The Palestinian Authority said on X that Huckabee&#39;s words &quot;contradict US President Donald <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/hamas-says-israel-must-end-aggression-as-trump-board-plans-gaza-future" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Trump</a>&#39;s rejection of (Israel) annexing the West Bank&quot;. On Saturday, Huckabee published two posts on X further clarifying his position on other topics touched upon in the interview, but did not address his remark about the biblical verse. The speaker of the Israeli parliament, Amir Ohana, praised Huckabee on X for his general pro-Israel stance in the interview, and accused Carlson of &quot;falsehoods and manipulations&quot;. Carlson has recently found himself facing accusations of antisemitism, particularly following a lengthy, uncritical interview with self-described white nationalist Nick Fuentes &ndash; a figure who has praised Hitler, denied the Holocaust and branded American Jews as disloyal.

US Ambassador to Israel Mike Huckabee (R) is shown a painting of Jerusalem during a visit to the Beit Hanassi presidential residence, in Jerusalem, on September 15, 2025. (AFP)

Middle East

Arab nations condemned US Ambassador Mike Huckabee's comments suggesting Israel's biblical right to vast Middle East lands. Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt criticized his remarks as reckless and harmful to regional sovereignty.

Arab countries condemn US ambassador's remarks on Israel's right to Mideast land

WASHINGTON: NASA chief Jared Isaacman on Saturday ruled out a March launch for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, citing technical issues.&nbsp;Workers detected a problem with helium flow to the massive SLS rocket that will &quot;take the March launch window out of consideration,&quot; Issacman said in a post on X.&nbsp;&quot;I understand people are disappointed by this development. That disappointment is felt most by the team at NASA, who have been working tirelessly to prepare for this great endeavor,&quot; Isaacman said.&nbsp;&quot;During the 1960s, when NASA achieved what most thought was impossible, and what has never been repeated since, there were many setbacks.&quot;&nbsp;The towering SLS rocket and Orion spacecraft will be rolled back into the Vehicle Assembly Building at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to investigate the technical issues and make any necessary repairs, Isaacman said.&nbsp;A complete briefing will follow in the coming days, he added.&nbsp;The highly anticipated Artemis 2 mission, lasting about 10 days, will see three Americans and one Canadian fly around Earth&#39;s satellite.&nbsp;It would be a huge step towards Americans once again setting foot on the lunar surface, a goal announced by President Donald Trump in his first term.&nbsp;On Friday, NASA had set March 6 as the earliest possible launch date.&nbsp;The US space agency hopes to put humans back on the Moon as China forges ahead with a rival effort that is targeting 2030 at the latest for its first crewed mission.&nbsp;China&#39;s uncrewed Chang&#39;e 7 mission is expected to be launched in 2026 for an exploration of the Moon&#39;s south pole, and testing of its crewed spacecraft Mengzhou is also set to go ahead this year.&nbsp;NASA surprised many late last year when it said Artemis 2 could happen as soon as February -- an acceleration explained by the Trump administration&#39;s wish to beat China to the punch.&nbsp;But the program has been plagued by delays.&nbsp;The uncrewed Artemis 1 mission took place in November 2022 after multiple postponements and two failed launch attempts.&nbsp;Then technical problems in early February -- which included a liquid hydrogen leak -- cut short a so-called wet dress rehearsal for the Artemis 2 launch. That was finally completed earlier this week.&nbsp;The wet dress rehearsal was conducted under real conditions -- with full rocket tanks and technical checks -- at Cape Canaveral in Florida, with engineers practicing the maneuvers needed to carry out an actual launch.&nbsp;NASA is hoping that the Moon could be used to help prepare future missions to Mars.

Artificial Intelligence

NASA chief Jared Isaacman ruled out a March launch for Artemis 2, the first crewed flyby mission to the Moon in more than 50 years, citing technical issues.

NASA chief rules out March launch of Moon mission over technical issues

BERLIN: The artificial intelligence revolution sweeping through the entertainment sector was at first glance not evident at this year&#39;s Berlin Film Festival, but the potential for widespread changes was still on people&#39;s minds.&nbsp;The festival has had the air of an arthouse bubble when it comes to the topic of AI and the event&#39;s leadership is keeping above the fray.&nbsp;&quot;At present, we do not intend to issue any statements regarding the use of AI in the film industry,&quot; the festival said in a statement sent to AFP, adding: &quot;We are monitoring developments with great interest.&quot;&nbsp;Nevertheless, some of the filmmakers present addressed the question of how the technology is changing the industry.&nbsp;Yoshitoshi Shinomiya, director of the only animated feature in competition, &quot;A New Dawn,&quot; told reporters he had briefly considered using AI in his film.&nbsp;&quot;During production, we weren&#39;t entirely sure we would be able to complete the film. At one point we wondered whether we should use AI for the backgrounds,&quot; he said.&nbsp;But Shinomiya concluded that AI is not yet &quot;well-developed enough&quot; to do that sort of work.&nbsp;Juliette Prissard from Euro cinema, an organization representing French film and TV producers, said it&#39;s only a matter of time until the tools improve.&nbsp;&quot;It&#39;s reasonable to think that in one, two or three years... you won&#39;t be able to tell the difference anymore,&quot; she told AFP.&nbsp;AI can already &quot;write scripts&quot; and replaces extras in crowd scenes or even generate &quot;digital replicas&quot; of someone.&nbsp;No choiceIn France, where foreign-language films are frequently shown with dubbing, voice actors have already been raising the alarm about AI&#39;s impact on their profession.&nbsp;But Prissard warns other film industry jobs could be replaced in the &quot;near&quot; future, such as &quot;technicians, the set designers&quot; and even &quot;the producers themselves&quot;.&nbsp;Sevara Irgacheva, secretary general of the European Film Agency Directors&#39; association (EFAD), said that already &quot;junior jobs are disappearing: all the assistant editors, assistant screenwriters&quot;.&nbsp;Despite this, the industry &quot;is leaning toward accepting&quot; AI &quot;because, in any case, we have no choice&quot;.&nbsp;The tools have the potential to help the sector become more efficient and &quot;save time at every stage of production&quot;, particularly in the more &quot;bureaucratic&quot; aspects of the process.&nbsp;A survey carried out in early 2025 by France&#39;s National Centre for Cinema (CNC) found that 90 percent of film and audiovisual professionals surveyed were already using AI tools in their work.&nbsp;In Berlin, Austrian director Georg Tiller presented a short film mixing filmed footage and AI-generated images, saying it was an attempt to encourage his fellow filmmakers to fight for a place in the new &quot;digital cinema&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;If we don&#39;t then I fear that that we will die a slow death, because it will just steamroll over us,&quot; Tiller told AFP.&nbsp;The &#39;temptation&#39; of deregulationThe issue garnered some relief with a December agreement between OpenAI and Disney, which allowed the use of the entertainment giant&#39;s characters on Sora, the AI-generated video platform.&nbsp;In return, Disney now has &quot;privileged access&quot; to OpenAI&#39;s &quot;highly sophisticated&quot; tools, giving it a &quot;technological advantage over the rest of the sector&quot;, said Prissard.&nbsp;But the use of AI in cinema has prompted thorny legal questions over intellectual property and the very notion of authorship, at a time when legislation is only just beginning to grapple with the subject.&nbsp;Under EU rules, streaming platforms such as Netflix and Amazon Prime must carry at least 30 percent of European content in their catalogues.&nbsp;Prissard questioned how those enforcing the rules &quot;will be able to tell the difference &rdquo;Between original creations and &quot;synthetic&quot; ones.&nbsp;Given &quot;the fear of falling behind&quot; the United States and China in developing AI technologies, Prissard said that Europe may succumb to the &quot;temptation to allow more leeway to innovate without obstacles&quot;.

Film & TV

At the Berlin Film Festival, AI’s growing influence on cinema sparked debate, as filmmakers acknowledged its potential to write scripts and replace jobs, while legal and ethical concerns persist. Despite risks, most industry professionals are already adopting AI tools.

AI revolution looms over Berlin film fest

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Saturday he is raising the worldwide tariffs on goods entering the United States from <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-vows-10-global-tariff-after-stinging-court-rebuke" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">10 percent to 15 percent</a>&nbsp;&quot;effective immediately,&quot; a day after the Supreme Court largely struck down his sweeping duties.&nbsp;Trump said on his Truth Social platform that after a thorough review of Friday&#39;s &quot;extraordinarily anti-American decision&quot; by the court to rein in his tariff program, the administration was hiking the import levies &quot;to the fully allowed, and legally tested, 15% level.&quot;

Americas

President Donald Trump raises worldwide tariffs on goods entering the United States from 10 percent to 15 percent a day after the Supreme Court largely struck down his sweeping duties.

Trump announces hike in US global tariff rate from 10 to 15%

ATHENS: The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said Friday.&nbsp;Twenty migrants were rescued by the commercial vessel which was directed to the area on the orders of the Greek Search and Rescue Center.&nbsp;Most of them were Egyptians and Sudanese, and there were four minors among them, the Athens News Agency reported.&nbsp;According to Greek public broadcaster ERT, an accident occurred when the vessel approached the migrants&#39; wooden boat. As the passengers tried to climb up ladders into the vessel a sudden movement caused the small boat to capsize.&nbsp;The search for survivors was continuing with four patrol boats, an aircraft, and two ships from the European border agency Frontex, a spokesperson for the Greek coast guard told AFP.&nbsp;According to ERT, survivors said about 50 people were aboard the wooden boat.&nbsp;A second boat carrying around forty migrants was spotted in the area, triggering another rescue operation.&nbsp;For over a year, migrants have been attempting the perilous crossing from Libya to Crete, the gateway to the European Union.&nbsp;According to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), more than 16,770 people seeking asylum in the EU arrived in Crete in 2025.&nbsp;Faced with the surge in arrivals, the conservative Greek government suspended the processing of asylum applications for three months last summer, particularly for those arriving from Libya.&nbsp;UNHCR says 107 people died or went missing in Greek waters in 2025.

Europe

The bodies of three migrants were picked up in waters off the Greek island of Crete during a rescue effort involving a commercial ship, authorities said.

At least three dead as migrant boat capsizes off Greek island

RIO De JANEIRO: Former Brazil captain Neymar said he is thinking of retiring at the end of the year after being hampered by injuries but hopes to go to the World Cup first.&nbsp;The ex-Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain striker returned in January 2025 to his boyhood club Santos from Saudi club Al-Hilal.&nbsp;After an injury-interrupted first season he extended his contract until the end of 2026 but then missed the start of the Brazilian season in January after undergoing knee surgery in late December.&nbsp;&quot;I don&#39;t know what will happen from now on, I don&#39;t know about next year,&quot; the striker told Brazilian online channel Caze. &quot;It may be that when December comes, I&#39;ll want to retire. I&#39;m living year to year now.&quot;&nbsp;He made his return as a second-half replacement in a Sao Paulo championship match on February 16, 11 days after his 34th birthday.&nbsp;&quot;Obviously, I wanted to come back to help my team in the best way possible, but I ended up holding back a little so I could come back 100 per cent,&quot; he said.&nbsp;Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals, two more than Pele, but has not played for the national team since October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay.&nbsp;Carlo Ancelotti has not called up Neymar since taking over as Brazil coach last May.&nbsp;&quot;This year is a very important year, not only for Santos, but also for the Brazilian national team, as it&#39;s a World Cup year, and for me too,&quot; Neymar said. &quot;So it&#39;s a huge challenge.&quot;

Neymar says he might retire at the end of the year due to injuries but hopes to play in the World Cup. Neymar is the all-time leading scorer for Brazil, with 79 goals, two more than Pele, but has not played for the national team since October 2023 when he suffered a serious knee injury against Uruguay.

Neymar hints at possible retirement after World Cup 

COLOMBO: The Super Eight clash between Pakistan and New Zealand in the Twenty20 World Cup was washed out without a ball being bowled after heavy rain in Colombo on Saturday.&nbsp;Persistent drizzle right after the toss which Pakistan won and opted to bat at the Premadasa stadium did not relent with umpires finally calling the match off at 9:05pm local time (15:35 GMT).&nbsp;Not even a five-over match was possible by the 10:16 pm (1646 GMT) cut-off time, giving the two teams one point each.&nbsp;Pakistan, New Zealand, England and co-hosts Sri Lanka are in Group 2 of the Super Eights.&nbsp;Title-holders India, South Africa, Zimbabwe and the West Indies are in Group 1.&nbsp;The top two teams from each Group will qualify for the semi-finals.

Cricket

The T20 World Cup Super Eight match between Pakistan and New Zealand in Colombo was abandoned due to heavy rain. Both teams shared one point, with semi-final spots reserved for the top two from each group.

Pakistan-New Zealand Super Eight World Cup clash rained off

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has said that at a time when the multilateral system is facing an unprecedented stress, and there are widespread calls for a United Nations that is truly fit for purpose, demands for special privileges and new permanent seats should have no place in the reform discussions. Speaking during the second IGN meeting on the cluster of &ldquo;Categories of Membership,&rdquo; Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, Pakistan&rsquo;s Permanent Representative to the UN, said that Pakistan&rsquo;s position has remained consistent and unequivocal: the addition of new permanent members will not dilute the disproportionate influence of the existing permanent members; rather, it risks entrenching and further expanding it, said a press release shared on X by Pakistan&#39;s Permanent Mission to the UN, on Saturday.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2025026834132250673&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=c28e7388c936359b389c6946dae3ab6b905b1080&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="2025026834132250673">&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Two wrongs cannot make a right and a larger oligarchy is no antidote to an elite power club,&rdquo; he said. He said that a circle of permanence within the Security Council, even though expanded, will still remain a closed circle, adding that no wonder some of the P5 are happy to expand this club, primarily to protect what he termed as &ldquo;their own outdated status in today&rsquo;s Council.&rdquo; The Pakistan UN Ambassador suggested a proposal of a meaningful increase in the number of elected, non-permanent members to balance the unequal power of the P5 as part of efforts to make the Security Council more democratic, accountable and representative. He said that this shift in the internal balance of an expanded Council in favour of the wider UN membership will enhance transparency, inclusivity, and accountability in the Council&rsquo;s decision-making process. Referring to Africa&rsquo;s demand for permanent seats in the reformed Council, Ambassador Ahmad explained that Pakistan fully respected and understood the demand, stating that advanced on behalf of and for the entire region, this demand was fundamentally different from other proposals that are divisive as they seek permanent membership for individual States. Addressing proposals for longer-term fixed regional seats, he acknowledged the Co-Chairs&rsquo; efforts to bridge differences and explore middle-ground solutions.&nbsp; He noted that such ideas implicitly recognize the lack of feasibility surrounding the creation of new permanent members and instead point toward models based on longer-term elected seats, re-election, and regional rotation. &#39;Reform for All &ndash; Privilege for None&#39; While describing these ideas as constructive and worthy of consideration, he stressed that any arrangement must avoid evolving into de-facto permanence. Reform, he emphasized, must not result in expanded exclusivity or privilege. In this context, Pakistan reiterated its longstanding position that expansion of the veto is neither desirable nor feasible. The ambassador stated that any viable reform model must ensure genuine rotation and equitable regional representation.&nbsp; This, he said, can only be achieved through a reasonable expansion in elected, non-permanent seats &mdash; including longer-term and regular two-year terms &mdash; particularly to address the under-representation of certain regions. He further stressed the importance of accommodating sub-regional and cross-regional groupings, including Small Island Developing States (SIDS) and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), consistent with commitments outlined in the Pact for the Future. Concluding his statement, the ambassador reaffirmed Pakistan&rsquo;s readiness to engage constructively and in a spirit of flexibility with the Co-Chairs and all Member States to advance genuine reform. He reiterated Pakistan&rsquo;s guiding principle:&nbsp;&ldquo;Reform for All &ndash; Privilege for None.&rdquo;

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan told the UN IGN debate Security Council reform must avoid new permanent seats or veto expansion, urging more elected members, genuine rotation, regional equity, and inclusivity.

'Reform for All – Privilege for None': Pakistan outlines vision for UN Security Council reform

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistan Army officer was martyred, and five terrorists were killed after security forces foiled a major attack in the northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military&rsquo;s media wing said on Saturday.&nbsp;According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), terrorists targeted a security forces convoy in Bannu district during an intelligence-based operation.&nbsp;The operation was launched on reports about the presence of terrorists in the area, including a suicide bomber.&nbsp;ISPR said a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading troops, thwarting what could have been a large-scale attack on civilians and law enforcement personnel in Bannu city.&nbsp;In the ensuing exchange of fire, five terrorists were killed. However, the attackers rammed an explosives-laden vehicle into one of the security vehicles.&nbsp;As a result, Lt Colonel Shahzada Gul Faraz, 43, a resident of Mansehra district who was leading his troops from the front, was martyred along with Sepoy Karamat Shah, 28, a resident of Peshawar district.<img src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/0e27c82a-2382-4573-8708-4537a88cbed9-sepoy Karamat Shaheed.jpeg" alt="Sepoy Karamat Shaheed." class="fr-fil fr-dib"><figcaption class="caption-cover-image text-sm text-gray-600 italic">Sepoy Karamat was martyred on Feb. 21 during an operation against terrorists in Bannu district. (Photo: ISPR)</figcaption> The military said the terrorists were operating from Afghan soil and vowed to continue operations under the &ldquo;Azm-e-Istehkam&rdquo; campaign to eliminate foreign-sponsored terrorism.

Lt. Col. Shahzada Gul Faraz was martyred on Feb. 21 while leading an operation against terrorists in Bannu district. (Photo: ISPR)

Security

ISPR says a vehicle-borne suicide bomber was intercepted by the leading troops, thwarting what could have been a large-scale attack on civilians and law enforcement personnel in Bannu city.
