Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Maritime Affairs has unveiled a long-term program to expand the country&rsquo;s Blue Economy and position Pakistan as a regional maritime hub by 2047, according to Radio Pakistan.&nbsp;The ministry said the new Maritime @100 initiative lays out a roadmap for &ldquo;development projects worth a hundred billion dollars&rdquo; aimed at strengthening the shipping and fisheries sectors. According to Radio Pakistan, officials said the plan is designed to expand maritime capacity, increase exports and create &ldquo;new economic opportunities.&rdquo;&nbsp;Under the shipping-sector component, the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation will add 15 ships to its fleet over the next three years. The ministry said the expanded fleet &ldquo;will result in [a] surge of exports and foreign reserves,&rdquo; Radio Pakistan reported.&nbsp;Officials also announced a series of industrial upgrades, including the establishment of Sea to Steel, Pakistan&rsquo;s first green ship-repair and recycling yard, at Port Qasim. A separate $43 million modernization program is planned for the Gadani Ship Breaking Yard to improve safety and operational standards.&nbsp;In the fisheries sector, the National Fisheries Policy 2025&ndash;35 calls for expanded deep-sea fishing, upgraded facilities and increased seafood exports. The ministry said the broader development program &ldquo;will create substantial investment and employment opportunities in the maritime industry,&rdquo; according to Radio Pakistan.&nbsp;The Ministry of Maritime Affairs said the combined measures underscore Pakistan&rsquo;s long-term strategy to strengthen its maritime footprint and grow sustainable economic activity across the country&rsquo;s coastal and marine sectors.

File Photo - Screengrab of Port Qasim on Nov 5, 2025 (X / Ministry of Maritime Affairs)

Economy

The Pakistani Ministry of Maritime Affairs has developed a comprehensive program to strengthen the country’s Blue Economy with support from the Special Investment Facilitation Council, outlining a long-term plan to make Pakistan a regional maritime hub by 2047.

Pakistan outlines $100 billion maritime plan to build regional hub by 2047

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that Sarah Beckstrom, one of the two National Guard troops shot a day earlier near the White House, had died, while the other soldier was &quot;fighting for his life.&quot; Hailing Beckstrom as a &quot;highly respected, young, magnificent person,&quot; Trump said he had learned of her death shortly before beginning a video call with US troops to mark the Thanksgiving holiday. &quot;The other young man is fighting for his life. He&#39;s in very bad shape,&quot; Trump said as he addressed the troops. Separately, the administration announced that it would review the immigration status of every permanent resident or &quot;Green Card&quot; holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries. US officials have identified the detained suspect in Wednesday&#39;s shooting as an Afghan national who previously worked with American forces in Afghanistan. The 29-year-old suspect was granted asylum &mdash; not permanent residency &mdash; in April this year, according to AfghanEvac, a group that helped resettle Afghans in the United States after the 2021 Taliban takeover. &quot;I have directed a full-scale, rigorous reexamination of every Green Card for every alien from every country of concern,&quot; said Joseph Edlow, director of the US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS), on X. When asked to specify to which countries Edlow was referring, a USCIS spokesperson pointed AFP to President Donald Trump&#39;s June executive order classifying 19 countries as &quot;of Identified Concern.&quot; The order banned the entry of almost all nationals from 12 of the countries, including Afghanistan. The 11 other countries facing a travel ban were: Myanmar, Chad, Congo-Brazzaville, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, and Yemen. Trump also imposed a partial ban on travelers from seven other countries: Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Some temporary work visas from those countries are allowed.

Americas

US administration announces it will review the immigration status of every permanent resident or "Green Card" holder from Afghanistan and 18 other countries.


Trump announces death of National Guard troop shot near White House

HONG KONG: Hong Kong authorities said on Friday the death toll from the city&#39;s worst fire in decades had risen to at least 94, with the blaze almost entirely extinguished and rescuers scouring torched high-rise buildings for scores of people still listed as missing. Early Friday, authorities said the fire had been contained to four of the sprawling apartment complex&#39;s almost 2,000 units, well over 24 hours after the blaze broke out in the eight-building complex. At least 76 people were injured in the blaze, including 11 firefighters, a government spokesperson said. Scores remain missing, although the exact number has not been updated since early on Thursday. An AFP reporter saw on Friday that the fire at Wang Fuk Court had weakened significantly, but sparks and thick smoke still occasionally burst forth from the structure. Firefighters continued to douse the building with water to cool the structure and prevent embers from re-igniting. Authorities have begun investigating what sparked the blaze &mdash; the financial hub&#39;s worst in almost 80 years &mdash; including the presence of bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the structures as part of a major renovation. Hong Kong&#39;s anti-corruption body said it had launched a probe into renovation work at the complex, hours after police said they had arrested three men on suspicion of negligently leaving foam packaging at the fire site. Residents of Wang Fuk Court, located in Hong Kong&#39;s northern district of Tai Po, told AFP that they did not hear any fire alarms and had to go door-to-door to alert neighbours to the danger. &quot;The fire spread so quickly. I saw one hose trying to save several buildings, and I felt it was far too slow,&quot; said a man surnamed Suen. &quot;Ringing doorbells, knocking on doors, alerting the neighbors, telling them to leave &mdash; that&#39;s what the situation was like,&quot; he said. &#39;Cannot describe it&#39;Of the 94 people confirmed dead as of 6 am local time (22 GMT Thursday), one was a 37-year-old firefighter, and two were Indonesians working as migrant domestic workers. It is Hong Kong&#39;s deadliest fire since 1948, when an explosion followed by a fire killed 135 people. But the toll could yet rise, with city leader John Lee saying in the early hours of Thursday that 279 people were unaccounted for. Firefighters said later that they had made contact with some of those people, and authorities have not updated the figure since. At least 12 survivors remained in critical condition, with hospital authorities describing the state of a further 28 as &quot;serious.&quot; Police at a nearby community center, hoping to identify victims, showed photos of bodies pulled from the fire to people seeking missing loved ones. &quot;If the faces are unrecognizable, there are personal items for people to identify,&quot; said a woman surnamed Cheung who was looking for her relatives. &quot;I cannot describe my feelings. There were children,&quot; she said. Deadly fires were once a regular scourge in densely populated Hong Kong, especially in poorer neighborhoods, but improved safety measures have made them far less common. Hong Kong authorities will immediately inspect all housing estates undergoing major work following the disaster, city leader Lee said. The city&#39;s number-two official, Eric Chan, told a news conference it was &quot;imperative to expedite the full transition to metal scaffolding.&quot; Hong Kong&#39;s government said it was setting up a HK$300 million (38.5 million US dollars) fund to help victims of the fire. City authorities said they had opened nine shelters and were organizing temporary accommodation and emergency funds for those who had lost their homes. Activities around Hong Kong&#39;s legislative elections, set to take place on December 7, have been suspended. Hellish scenes&nbsp;Sections of charred scaffolding fell from the burning apartment blocks in hellish scenes late on Wednesday, as flames inside apartments sometimes belched out through windows into a night sky that glowed orange. Fire services said the wind and drifting debris likely spread the fire from one building to another. Some of the residents in adjacent blocks who had been evacuated as a precaution were allowed back into their homes on Thursday afternoon. Crowds moved by the tragedy gathered near the complex to organise aid for displaced residents and firefighters, part of a spontaneous effort in a city that has some of the world&#39;s most densely packed and tallest residential blocks. Volunteers distributed clothes and lunch boxes at the open-air podium of a nearby mall, while a few people gave out flyers with information about missing people. &quot;It&#39;s truly touching,&quot; said Stone Ngai, 38, one of the organisers of an impromptu aid station. &quot;The spirit of Hong Kong people is that when one is in trouble, everyone lends support ... It shows that Hong Kong people are full of love.&quot;

Asia

At least 76 people injured in the blaze, including 11 firefighters, exact number of people missing has not been updated since early on Thursday.



Hong Kong's deadliest blaze in decades kills at least 94, several missing

JENIN: The Israeli army and police said on Thursday they were investigating the circumstances in which two Palestinians were shot dead in the occupied West Bank while seemingly surrendering to Israeli forces. The incident in Jenin in the northern West Bank, a stronghold of Palestinian armed groups, was filmed from several angles, including by AFP. The Palestinian Authority named the two men killed as 37-year-old Yussef Ali Asa&#39;sa and 26-year-old Al-Muntasir Billah Mahmud Abdullah. It said they were killed in a &quot;brutal&quot; summary execution and condemned the incident as a &quot;war crime.&quot; Israel&#39;s far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir swiftly backed the forces who opened fire, saying: &quot;Terrorists must die!&quot; Blood-soaked floorVideos circulating on social media and on television channels showed two men emerging from a building with their arms raised, surrounded by Israeli forces. They were then seen lying on the ground before being directed back inside the building. Gunshots rang out, and the two men were seen lying on the ground. AFP footage showed the two men exiting the building, then entering it again before the shots were fired. A building between the camera and the scene partially obscured the image. Troops were later seen removing a body. AFP pictures from the scene showed the blood-soaked floor of a building. People helped to clear up the damaged site afterwards, moving sheets of corrugated metal. In a joint statement, the Israeli military and the police &mdash; which oversees the border guard unit &mdash; said they attempted to apprehend &quot;wanted individuals who had carried out terror activities, including hurling explosives and firing at security forces.&quot; They said they &quot;enclosed the structure in which the suspects were located, and initiated a surrender procedure that lasted several hours. Following the use of engineering tools on the structure, the two suspects exited. &quot;Following their exit, fire was directed toward the suspects. &quot;The incident is under review by the commanders on the ground, and will be transferred to the relevant professional bodies.&quot; &#39;Brutal field execution&#39;Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967. The Palestinian Authority&#39;s health ministry said the two men were &quot;shot dead by Israeli forces in the Jabal Abu Dhahir area in the city of Jenin,&quot; adding that their bodies were being held by Israeli forces. The foreign ministry in Ramallah said it &quot;strongly condemns the brutal field execution carried out by the Israeli occupation army against two Palestinian youths,&quot; calling it a &quot;deliberate Israeli war crime.&quot; It urged the international community to take &quot;immediate action to stop the Israeli killing machine, deter these crimes, and impose urgent international protection mechanisms for the Palestinian people.&quot; The Palestinian group Hamas called it a &quot;cold-blooded execution of two unarmed Palestinian youths.&quot; Meanwhile, Ben Gvir offered his total backing to the Israeli forces involved. &quot;I fully support the border guard members and Israeli army soldiers who shot at wanted terrorists who emerged from a building in Jenin,&quot; he said on X. &quot;The forces acted exactly as expected of them &mdash; terrorists must die!&quot; &#39;Dehumanisation&#39;Israeli human rights group B&#39;Tselem said the two men were killed &quot;while posing no threat.&quot; &quot;The execution documented today is the result of an accelerated process of dehumanisation of Palestinians and the complete abandonment of their lives by the Israeli regime,&quot; said B&#39;Tselem&#39;s executive director, Yuli Novak. Violence in the West Bank has soared since Palestinian group Hamas&#39;s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war. It has not ceased despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas coming into effect last month. Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures. At least 44 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.

Middle East

Palestinian Authority says men were killed in a "brutal" summary execution and condemns the incident as a "war crime."


Israeli forces shoot dead two Palestinians apparently surrendering in West Bank

ISLAMABAD: A glacier in Hunza partially broke earlier this week, propelling a snowstorm and severe weather, as swift action by local authorities and emergency services prevented any loss of life and serious property damage, officials told Pakistan TV Digital. Head of Emergency Ejaz at the Aga Khan Agency for Habitat recognized the effective response from the authorities, saying, &ldquo;Rescue 1122 and the Assistant Director (AD) immediately reached there, they remained vigilant and active.&rdquo;&nbsp; The collapse took place behind Karimabad, the central village of Hunza, where the Ultar Glacier sits as a high, hanging formation directly above populated areas.&nbsp; According to technical experts, abrupt temperature variations, not steady warming but sharp, irregular fluctuations, triggered the dislodgement of a large mass of ice, which then fell and created a heavy snow-dust wave that blew rooftops off several homes and damaged trees. While there was no loss of life and livestock damage, emergency stocks pre-positioned by both the Gilgit-Baltistan Government and the Aga Khan Development Network remained on standby. However, the officials did not need to be deployed. Incident underscores wider pattern&nbsp;Ejaz noted similar glacier failures in Tajikistan and Afghanistan in recent months, describing the belt as &ldquo;highly active&rdquo; under the accelerating impact of climate change.&nbsp; Pakistan, he stressed, contributes nothing significant to global emissions yet faces severe consequences from the industrial output of other countries. Experts warned that glacier instability now threatens the country&rsquo;s long-term water reserves, which depend on solid ice maintained at high altitude.&nbsp; The collapse raises concerns about future hazards and events as dislodged glacier masses displaced water and sent destructive floods downstream. Authorities pointed to earlier rapid-recovery examples, such as the government&rsquo;s immediate restoration of a key transport route after a climate-related bridge failure, as evidence of an increasingly capable emergency system.&nbsp; But they cautioned that infrastructure designed in the 1970s will require climate-risk upgrades to withstand higher future discharges. Officials added that continuous monitoring is underway, and communities in the area, already highly literate and climate-aware, have been urged to remain vigilant, avoid unsafe channels, and follow updated local guidelines as temperature fluctuations persist across the high-mountain region.

Climate & Environment

Officials say continuous monitoring is underway, and communities in the area, already highly literate and climate-aware, have been urged to remain vigilant, avoid unsafe channels, and follow updated local guidelines as temperature fluctuations persist across the high-mountain region.

Hunza glacier dislodgement signals growing climate threats, emergency measures effective

Muhammad Usman Amin

PESHAWAR: Siyar Khan stands atop a shaky scaffold, balanced above the roaring chaos of Peshawar&rsquo;s Ring Road. Paintbrush in hand, he adds a final stroke to the gray flyover before beginning his descent. It is only when he climbs down, slowly, deliberately, that his struggle becomes visible.&nbsp; Once on the ground, he reaches for his crutches. They are not ordinary crutches. They are vibrant splashes of red, yellow, and electric blue, decorated in the same truck-art motifs that made Siyar famous. He painted them originally for customers with disabilities. Now, fate has willed that he must use them himself. &ldquo;When you are destined to fall, you fall,&rdquo; he told Pakistan TV Digital with a calm, almost casual acceptance. But as he settles on a charpai in his workshop, greeted warmly by fellow painters, the truth becomes clear: Siyar may have been injured, but his spirit hasn&rsquo;t bent an inch. Master of moving canvasesFor decades, Siyar dominated one of Pakistan&rsquo;s largest and most iconic canvases: the Bedford truck. Since the early 1990s, he has transformed mechanical giants into rolling murals, layering peacocks, falcons, flowers, and poetry across their frames. But when the coronavirus pandemic brought Pakistan&rsquo;s transport network to a standstill, Siyar&rsquo;s world shrank overnight. There were no trucks on the road, and no work for the artists who painted them. Instead of resigning himself to the crisis, Siyar reinvented his craft. &ldquo;My field changed from Truck Art to &lsquo;Truck Art Products&rsquo;,&rdquo; he recalled, pouring tea for his guests with the precision of a man who has spent a lifetime steadying his hands.&nbsp; &ldquo;I started painting clay pots, mobile covers, and purses. Suddenly, I wasn&rsquo;t just a mechanic&rsquo;s painter anymore.&rdquo; Teapots replaced truck doors. Lanterns replaced bumpers. His bold patterns migrated from highways to living rooms, reaching an entirely new audience. Global stage, painful contrastThe pivot didn&rsquo;t just keep Siyar afloat; it thrust him onto the global stage. He speaks proudly, though modestly, of invitations to the Dubai Expo, commissions for murals inside the Canadian and Thai embassies in Islamabad, and recognition from Lok Virsa, the country&rsquo;s national heritage institute. Yet with every international appreciation comes a reminder of home&rsquo;s indifference. &ldquo;Foreigners look at our work and see a masterpiece,&rdquo; Siyar said, frustration softening his voice. &ldquo;If an artist makes a portrait for a foreigner, they pay hundreds of thousands. But a local? They won&rsquo;t even pay Rs5,000 [$17.70].&quot; &quot;It is very simple: there is no value for the artist here.&rdquo; This is the dilemma of Pakistan&rsquo;s folk artists: globally admired, locally overlooked. While &ldquo;phool patti&rdquo; art is celebrated as a cultural export, its practitioners often struggle to make ends meet. Siyar dreams of changing that narrative. He wants a Pakistan where art is not dismissed as an indulgence, but respected as a profession. Where, as he put it, &ldquo;holding a brush is as dignified as holding a stethoscope.&rdquo; &#39;I still work hard&#39;Back in the workshop, the smell of paint thinner mingles with chai. Siyar picks up a brush and adds one last flourish to an old truck bumper. A nostalgic connection to his past life on the open road. His fellow painters watch quietly; they know his story better than anyone. He rarely mentions his achievements unless asked. Awards, expo invitations, government commissions, they are footnotes in his mind, not trophies. What he seeks is simpler: dignity for his craft. &ldquo;I don&rsquo;t let it get me down,&rdquo; he said, adjusting his painted crutches as he prepares to stand. &ldquo;I struggle even on these broken legs. I still work hard.&rdquo; As he walks away, sunlight catches the neon blossoms on his crutches, illuminating them in sharp colour against the concrete around him. In that moment, they are more than support. They are a metaphor for his life. Siyar Khan has taken something associated with pain and limitation and turned it into art, proving that you don&rsquo;t need strong legs to stand tall; you only need vision, resilience, and color.

Culture

Siyar Khan has taken something associated with pain and limitation and turned it into art, proving that you don’t need strong legs to stand tall; you only need vision, resilience, and color.

From trucks to teapots: How a Peshawar artist refused to fall

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office on Friday expressed &ldquo;deepest condolences and strong solidarity&rdquo; after an Afghanistan-based attack killed three Chinese workers in Tajikistan, pledging to work with &ldquo;China, Tajikistan, and other regional partners&rdquo; to uphold regional stability. Earlier this week, Tajikistan&rsquo;s Foreign Ministry condemned the armed drone attack that killed the Chinese workers in the country&rsquo;s southern Khatlon region, calling on Afghan authorities to take &ldquo;disruptive actions by criminal groups located in the territory of Afghanistan.&rdquo; In a statement issued on X, the foreign office &quot;unequivocally&quot; condemned the &quot;cowardly attack,&quot; &nbsp;stating that the use of &quot;armed drones in the incident&quot; underlined the &quot;gravity of threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it.&quot;&nbsp; &quot;As a neighbor that has repeatedly suffered terrorist attacks orchestrated from Afghan soil, the people of Pakistan fully understand and share the grief and anguish of our Chinese friends and Tajik partners,&quot; FO said, adding that the country has consistently stressed that Afghan territory must not be used for terrorism against its neighbors or any other country. On the repeated use of Afghan soil by &quot;terrorist elements and their continued presence under the patronage of Afghan Taliban regime,&quot; the foreign office said that it was a matter of &quot;serious concern for the entire region and the wider international community.&quot; &quot;Concrete and verifiable action against the perpetrators, abettors, facilitators, and financiers of terrorist groups operating from Afghan soil is the only way to address this growing menace,&quot; the statement said.

Foreign Affairs

Foreign office "unequivocally" condemns "cowardly attack," says use of "armed drones in the incident" underlined the "gravity of threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it." 


Pakistan stands with Tajikistan, China after Afghan attack kills Chinese workers

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday condemned the terrorist shooting near the White House that critically wounded two US National Guard members, with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi expressing &ldquo;deep shock&rdquo; and reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s solidarity with Washington. In a statement on social media platform X, Naqvi said he was &ldquo;deeply shocked by the terrorist shooting near the White House that wounded two US National Guard members.&rdquo; He added, &ldquo;I am praying for them and all those affected,&rdquo; while noting that Pakistan stands &ldquo;in solidarity with the United States against terrorism.&rdquo; The message was also conveyed to US Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem and US Charg&eacute; d&rsquo;Affaires Natalie A. Baker, according to the minister. Earlier in Washington, President Donald Trump said the suspect in custody was &ldquo;an Afghan man who fled the Taliban,&rdquo; calling the attack &ldquo;an act of terror.&rdquo; Briefing reporters, Trump said the individual was &ldquo;a foreigner who entered our country from Afghanistan, a hellhole on Earth,&rdquo; adding that he was flown in &ldquo;by the Biden administration in September 2021, on those infamous flights that everybody was talking about.&rdquo; Calling the shooting &ldquo;an act of evil, an act of hatred and an act of terror,&rdquo; Trump said the attack was &ldquo;a crime against our entire nation.&rdquo; Before the media briefing, the president posted an update on Truth Social, writing: &ldquo;The animal that shot the two National Guardsmen&hellip; will pay a very steep price.&rdquo; Following the incident, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced the deployment of 500 additional troops to Washington, bringing the total number of personnel in the capital to 2,500. The two National Guard members remain critically wounded in separate hospitals as investigations continue.

Interior Ministry Mohsin Naqvi says “deeply shocked by the terrorist shooting near the White House that wounded two US National Guard members.”

Pakistan condemns White House shooting, expresses solidarity with United States

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan High Commission in London said Thursday that an Indian delegation abruptly withdrew from a scheduled Oxford Union debate, leaving Pakistan to claim an uncontested walkover in what was billed as a rare public exchange on South Asian security policy.&nbsp;The debate, set for November 27 in the Union&rsquo;s historic chamber, was to follow a parliamentary format on the motion: &ldquo;This House Believes That India&rsquo;s Policy Towards Pakistan Is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the High Commission&rsquo;s statement, &ldquo;both sides had confirmed participation months earlier,&rdquo; with formal invitations issued in June.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s three-member delegation, Gen. (Ret.) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar, and High Commissioner to the UK Dr. Mohammad Faisal, had already arrived in London and was preparing to travel to Oxford for the event.&nbsp;The High Commission said India had likewise confirmed a high-profile trio: former army chief Gen. M. M. Naravane, former law minister and academic Dr. Subramanian Swamy, and former Rajasthan deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot.&nbsp;But on Thursday morning, organizers were informed that &ldquo;all three Indian speakers had withdrawn without offering any substantive explanation.&rdquo;&nbsp;The statement said Oxford Union officials were &ldquo;embarrassed&rdquo; by the sudden exit, noting it deprived students of a &ldquo;rare, structured exchange on a major South Asian security issue.&rdquo;&nbsp;Calling the decision &ldquo;particularly noteworthy,&rdquo; the High Commission emphasized that Indian students account for a far larger share of Union membership than Pakistani students. Even in what it described as a &ldquo;friendly environment,&rdquo; the statement said, India &ldquo;declined to defend its position before a vote.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the High Commission, the withdrawals reflected &ldquo;a lack of confidence&rdquo; in publicly defending India&rsquo;s policy toward Pakistan. It argued that while Indian officials often make forceful claims through partisan media, their representatives &ldquo;avoided testing those claims in an open, rules-based setting.&rdquo;&nbsp;Pakistan, the statement added, &ldquo;remained prepared to argue with facts, international law, and regional stability considerations.&rdquo; It thanked the Oxford Union for its efforts and said it remained ready for &ldquo;any future forum promoting serious and respectful dialogue on South Asian peace and security.&rdquo;&nbsp;It said Pakistan had expected &ldquo;a civilized, reasoned discussion,&rdquo; but India&rsquo;s last-minute pullout &ldquo;made that impossible.&rdquo;

Politics

Pakistan said India abruptly withdrew its entire delegation from a scheduled Oxford Union debate on South Asian security, leaving Pakistan with an uncontested walkover and prompting questions over India’s willingness to publicly defend its Pakistan policy.

India abandons Oxford debate, handing Pakistan clear walkover before vote

PARIS: Four European nations Thursday urged Israel to stop what they called increasing &quot;settler violence against Palestinian civilians&quot; in the occupied West Bank.&nbsp;&quot;We -- France, Germany, Italy, the United Kingdom -- strongly condemn the massive increase of settler violence against Palestinian civilians and call for stability in the West Bank,&quot; they said.&nbsp;&quot;These attacks must stop,&quot; they added, saying they risked undermining plans to end the Gaza war and prospects for long-term peace.&nbsp;Israel has occupied the West Bank since 1967.&nbsp;Violence in the West Bank has soared since Palestinian militant group Hamas&#39;s October 2023 attack on Israel triggered the Gaza war.&nbsp;It has not ceased despite the fragile truce between Israel and Hamas coming into effect last month.&nbsp;Israeli troops or settlers have killed more than 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank -- many of them militants, but also scores of civilians -- since the start of the Gaza war, according to an AFP tally based on Palestinian health ministry figures.&nbsp;At least 44 Israelis, including both soldiers and civilians, have been killed in Palestinian attacks or Israeli military operations, according to official Israeli figures.&nbsp;Israel&#39;s military on Wednesday launched a new operation against Palestinian armed groups in the occupied West Bank. A local governor told AFP that Israeli forces had raided several towns.

Europe

France, Germany, Italy and the UK urged Israel to halt rising settler violence in the West Bank, warning it endangers Gaza ceasefire efforts. West Bank casualties have surged as Israeli forces launch new operations across several towns.

Four European nations urge Israel to end West Bank 'settler violence'

Pakistan TV

ISLAMABAD: Russia stands ready to &ldquo;lend a helping hand whenever needed,&rdquo; said the Russian Energy Minister Sergei Tsivilev, adding that he arrived in Islamabad on the direct instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who believes that bilateral ties continued to grow stronger each year. In an exclusive interview with Pakistan TV on Thursday, during his visit to Islamabad, Tsivilev called the 10th meeting of the Pakistan-Russia Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) a &ldquo;turning point&rdquo; in bilateral ties.&nbsp; He reaffirmed Moscow&rsquo;s commitment to expanding long-term cooperation with Pakistan across energy, pharmaceuticals, education, tourism, and space technology. &ldquo;I have arrived in Islamabad on the direct instructions of Russian President Vladimir Putin, who conveyed respect to the Pakistani nation and believes that bilateral ties continue to grow stronger with each passing year,&rdquo; the Russian minister said, adding that President Putin wishes every success to the IGC and hopes for the launch of maximum joint projects for the development of both nations. Russia, Pakistan to develop joint space programTsivilev highlighted a series of initiatives aimed at deepening collaboration, one of which is the joint space program. He said, &ldquo;Russia and Pakistan are developing a joint program in the outer space, and it&#39;s very important that young people see these cosmonauts.&rdquo;He said perhaps, it will inspire the youth to pursue their dream of joining this research and with enough determination, it is attainable for anyone, &ldquo;including women.&rdquo; &ldquo;Russia will always stand by Pakistan&rdquo;The minister said Russia values its friendship with Pakistan and remains ready to assist whenever needed.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are always prepared to lend a helping hand to the friendly nation of Pakistan,&rdquo; he said&nbsp;Insulin production in Pakistan priority for &lsquo;pharmaceutical security&rsquo;One of the most concrete proposals discussed was localized insulin production in Pakistan. Tsivilyov said Moscow wants Pakistan to achieve &ldquo;pharmaceutical security&rdquo; by manufacturing essential medicines domestically rather than relying on imports.&nbsp;He confirmed that the final pricing model, aligned with the cost of American-made insulin currently imported by Pakistan, will be discussed during the IGC meeting. He added that Russia is open to jointly producing additional medicines and vaccines, including veterinary vaccines crucial for livestock protection.&nbsp;Energy Justice: A shared vision for developmentThe minister reiterated Russia&rsquo;s global call for &ldquo;energy justice,&rdquo; pointing to the urgent need for equal access to reliable electricity in developing regions.&nbsp;&ldquo;Energy today defines competitiveness, transport systems, AI infrastructure, even finance through cryptocurrencies,&rdquo; he said, adding that Russia has raised the issue at BRICS and SCO forums.&nbsp;Tsivilev said Pakistan-Russia cooperation in the energy sector will expand as new technologies and investments are explored.&nbsp;Engineering Education: Russia proposes joint schools and trainingA major long-term initiative Tsivilev announced is the potential rollout of Russia&rsquo;s Engineering Schools Program in Pakistan.The model begins at the secondary-school level with specialized physics, chemistry, and mathematics tracks, followed by university training and industrial internships.&nbsp;He said Russia aims to train 300,000 engineers by 2030 and is ready to include Pakistani students in a similar pipeline.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;s time to invest in children. In five to seven years, the payback will be far greater than any money spent today,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Tourism and direct flights on the agendaTourism emerged as another expanding avenue, with both sides seeing strong interest from travelers. Tsivilyov said Pakistan and Russia must &ldquo;remove existing restrictions&rdquo; and simplify travel, adding that increased tourism flows could justify regular direct flights between the two countries. This issue remained a key focus of working-group meetings ahead of the IGC sessions, he confirmed.

Russia’s energy minister called the Pakistan–Russia IGC a turning point, outlining deeper cooperation in energy, pharma, education, tourism, and space while reaffirming Putin’s message that Moscow stands ready to support Pakistan whenever needed.