DOHA: Some personnel have been asked to depart the United States&#39; Al Udeid military base in Qatar, two diplomatic sources told AFP on Wednesday, with the Gulf state saying &quot;regional tensions&quot; were behind the move.&nbsp;The decision comes after Washington&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-keeps-iran-air-strikes-on-table-white-house-says" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">threatened</a>&nbsp;to respond to an Iranian government crackdown on&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-warns-of-very-strong-action-if-iran-hangs-protesters" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">protests</a>&nbsp;while Tehran has said it would strike US military and shipping assets in the event of a new attack.&nbsp;The measure was taken &quot;in response to the current regional tensions&quot;, Qatar&#39;s International Media Office said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;Qatar continues to implement all necessary measures to safeguard the security and safety including actions related to the protection of critical infrastructure and military facilities,&quot; it added.&nbsp;A diplomatic source told AFP earlier that a number of personnel were asked to leave the base by Wednesday evening.&nbsp;A second source confirmed the information, also on condition of anonymity.&nbsp;The US embassy in Qatar declined to comment on personnel movement at Al Udeid.&nbsp;In June, Iran targeted the United States&#39; Al Udeid military base in Qatar in response to earlier American strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.&nbsp;Ali Shamkhani, a senior adviser to Iran&#39;s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, warned US President Donald Trump on Wednesday that the strike on the base had demonstrated &quot;Iran&#39;s will and capability to respond to any attack&quot;.&nbsp;Doha was able to leverage the unprecedented attack on its soil to help deliver a speedy truce between Washington and Tehran.&nbsp;Washington has repeatedly said the United States is considering air strikes on Iran to stop a crackdown on protesters.&nbsp;Trump on Tuesday said in a CBS News interview that the United States would act if Iran began hanging protesters.&nbsp;Iranian authorities called the American warnings a &quot;pretext for military intervention&quot;.&nbsp;Mass protests in Iran since Thursday have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since the 1979 Islamic revolution ousted the shah.&nbsp;Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights said it had confirmed 734 people killed during the protests, including nine minors, but warned the death toll was likely far higher.&nbsp;&quot;The real number of those killed is likely in the thousands,&quot; IHR&#39;s director Mahmood Amiry-Moghaddam said.

Americas

Middle East

Qatar said some US personnel were asked to leave Al Udeid base due to regional tensions, amid US threats over Iran’s protest crackdown and Tehran’s warnings, following earlier Iranian strikes and unrest killing hundreds nationwide.

Qatar says some personnel departing US base over 'regional tensions': AFP sources

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: &nbsp;Iran&rsquo;s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Reza Amiri Moghaddam has said that the recent unrest in Iran was not a popular uprising, but a wave of violence driven by &ldquo;terrorist elements&rdquo; with foreign backing, claiming that peaceful economic protests were deliberately turned violent.&nbsp;Speaking to SAMAA TV&rsquo;s Red Line in an interview with Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain, the ambassador said the unrest, which began as protests by traders and shopkeepers over economic difficulties, was &ldquo;hijacked&rdquo; by armed groups late Friday night.&nbsp;&ldquo;For three to four days, the protests were completely peaceful,&rdquo; Dr. Moghaddam said. &ldquo;Then suddenly, on Friday night, terrorist elements entered, using firearms and bladed weapons, and deliberately created chaos.&rdquo;&nbsp;He said the violence lasted &ldquo;seven to eight hours&rdquo; and resulted in significant casualties, particularly among Iranian security forces.&nbsp;&ldquo;Most of the funeral processions taking place across Iran are of security personnel,&rdquo; he stated. &ldquo;In Tehran alone, around one hundred security force martyrs were laid to rest.&rdquo;&nbsp;Dr. Moghaddam alleged that attackers targeted civilian and public infrastructure, including &ldquo;hospitals, schools, mosques, banks, ambulances, vehicles, and police stations,&rdquo; adding that &ldquo;people were burned alive in mosques and hospitals.&rdquo;&nbsp;He claimed that some arrested individuals had confessed to receiving training, weapons, and instructions. &ldquo;They admitted they were trained, armed, and taught how to create unrest,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;They were given two agendas: first, to target security forces; and if that was not possible, to target ordinary civilians.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to the ambassador, the aim was to maximize casualties and influence public opinion inside and outside Iran. &ldquo;Their objective was mass killing so that global and domestic opinion could be turned against the Islamic Republic of Iran,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Addressing criticism that economic grievances reflected broader public anger, Dr. Moghaddam acknowledged hardship caused by decades of sanctions. &ldquo;We have faced US sanctions for 40 years,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;These sanctions have created economic pressure, and people have genuine difficulties. We do not deny that.&rdquo;&nbsp;He stressed that Iran&rsquo;s leadership supported peaceful protest. &ldquo;[Iran&rsquo;s] Supreme Leader [Ayatollah Ali Khamenei] himself recognized the traders&rsquo; right to protest and instructed the government to address their issues,&rdquo; he said, adding that senior officials met with business representatives before violence erupted.&nbsp;Dr. Moghaddam also slammed the United States and Israel of openly encouraging unrest.&nbsp;&ldquo;Their interference is clear from their own statements,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When foreign leaders publicly tell protesters to seize government buildings, that is not support for protest, it is incitement.&rdquo;&nbsp;The ambassador said the violence subsided by Friday morning, after which large public rallies were held in support of the state. &ldquo;From Sunday onward, the majority of people came out to condemn the violence, condemn the United States and Israel, and support the system,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;He concluded by saying that allowing peaceful protest was &ldquo;a strength, not a weakness,&rdquo; but warned that &ldquo;no country in the world accepts armed groups turning protests into bloodshed.&rdquo;

This photo shows Iran’s Ambassador to Pakistan Dr. Reza Amiri Moghaddam speaking during an interview with Talat Hussain in Islamabad.

Talking to Pakistani journalist Talat Hussain, Iranian Ambassador Dr. Reza Amiri Moghaddam says peaceful protests by traders escalate, security forces suffer casualties, and public rallies support the state.

Iranian ambassador says recent unrest was ‘foreign-backed terrorism,’ not protest

Malik Waqar Ahmed

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s senior policymakers and business leaders underscored macroeconomic stability, reform momentum, and investment-focused governance at the Pakistan Policy Dialogue in Islamabad, positioning the forum as a signal of renewed economic confidence for international investors.&nbsp;Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan had achieved macroeconomic stabilization and now needed growth led by the private sector.&nbsp;&ldquo;We are not talking about any other country,&rdquo; Dar said. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re talking about Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Macroeconomic stability in the country,&rdquo; the deputy PM said, citing lower interest rates, improved export financing and rising foreign exchange reserves.&nbsp;He added that while the International Monetary Fund (IMF) program are &ldquo;generally anti-growth,&rdquo; the government&rsquo;s focus is now on sustaining stability and unlocking growth potential.&nbsp;The dialogue brought together federal ministers, economic advisers, corporate leaders and development experts to discuss reforms spanning exports, digital infrastructure, climate resilience and institutional strengthening.&nbsp;Khurram Schehzad, adviser to the finance minister, said the dominant sentiment at the forum was confidence tempered with realism.&nbsp;&ldquo;Everyone is confident, everyone is positive, and of course, at the same time, critical as well,&rdquo; Schehzad said, pointing to recent macroeconomic gains and reforms as key takeaways, talking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;Digital infrastructure and investor accessibility featured prominently in the discussions.&nbsp;Mujeeb Zahoor, managing director at S&amp;P Global, said sustained investment in connectivity and enabling policy frameworks was critical to attract global capital.&nbsp;He emphasized the need for regulations that allow institutional investors and private markets to participate more effectively in Pakistan&rsquo;s economy.&nbsp;Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said inclusive growth required a sharper focus on human capital, particularly youth and women.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have to empower our youth and women, the drivers of economic growth,&rdquo; Iqbal said, noting Pakistan&rsquo;s young demographic profile and low female workforce participation, talking to Pakistan TV Digital.&nbsp;Participants said the Dialogue reflected a broader effort to project policy continuity and reform discipline at a time when Pakistan is seeking long-term investment, export-led growth and resilience against economic and climate shocks.

Economy

Pakistan’s policymakers and business leaders highlighted macroeconomic stability, ongoing reforms and investment-led growth at the Islamabad Policy Dialogue, projecting renewed confidence, policy continuity and reform discipline to international investors

Pakistan leaders highlight stability, reforms at Islamabad policy dialogue

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft on Wednesday said it has taken coordinated legal action in the United States and Britain to disrupt a low-cost subscription service called RedVDS that helps cybercriminals carry out lucrative scams.&nbsp;RedVDS charges as little as $24 monthly for access to disposable virtual computers that enable large-scale fraud that is difficult to trace, according to the company.&nbsp;&quot;Services like these have quietly become a driving force behind today&#39;s surge in cyber-enabled crime,&quot; Digital Crimes Unit Assistant General Counsel Steven Masada said in a blog post.&nbsp;Microsoft said RedVDS has been used primarily for payment diversion fraud, where attackers intercept legitimate business communications and redirect funds by impersonating trusted parties.&nbsp;Two victims joined Microsoft as co-plaintiffs: an Alabama pharmaceutical company that lost more than $7.3 million, and a Florida condominium association defrauded of nearly $500,000 in resident funds.&nbsp;Real estate transactions have been particularly vulnerable, Microsoft said.&nbsp;Generative AI tools are often paired with RedVDS services to help identify prime targets quickly and generate more authentic-appearing messages to victims, according to Masada.&nbsp;Microsoft reported finding hundreds of cases in which scammers used AI tools for face-swapping, voice cloning or video manipulation to trick victims.&nbsp;RedVDS did not respond to a request for comment.&nbsp;Microsoft estimated that <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/google-says-hackers-are-sending-extortion-emails-to-executives" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">cybercrime</a> involving RedVDS services is linked to some $40 million in US fraud losses since March of last year.&nbsp;Microsoft coordinated the legal action against RedVDS with Britain as part of a broad effort to thwart the growing trend of &quot;cybercrime-as-a-service,&quot; according to Masada.&nbsp;RedVDS provides inexpensive access to effective virtual computers running unlicensed software, allowing criminals to operate quickly, anonymously and across borders, Masada said.&nbsp;The US tech giant said the effort includes prosecutors and police in Germany, where a critical computer server used to power RedVDS was seized, according to Masada.&nbsp;Microsoft said it is also working with Europol&#39;s European Cybercrime Centre and law enforcement agencies elsewhere to disrupt the RedVDS server and payment networks.

Microsoft logo displayed at the company’s annual shareholder meeting, with the stage and branding visible in the background.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft launched coordinated legal action in the US and Britain against RedVDS, a low-cost service enabling large-scale cyber fraud, often paired with AI tools, linked to $40 million in losses and disrupted with international law enforcement support.

Microsoft disrupts cybercrime service linked to AI-enabled fraud

WASHINGTON: President Donald Trump said Wednesday that <a href="http://Trump%20warns%20Greenland%20deal%20will%20happen%20%E2%80%98easy%20or%20hard,%E2%80%99%20threatens%20Iran" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">US control of Greenland</a> was &quot;vital&quot; for his planned Golden Dome air and missile defense system. &quot;The United States needs Greenland for the purpose of National Security. It is vital for the Golden Dome that we are building,&quot; Trump, who has vowed to seize the Arctic island from ally Denmark, wrote on social media. &quot;NATO becomes far more formidable and effective with Greenland in the hands of the UNITED STATES. Anything less than that is unacceptable.&quot; Trump&#39;s post came early on a day when top <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/danish-foreign-minister-heads-to-white-house-for-highstakes-greenland-talks" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Danish and Greenlandic diplomats</a> were to visit the White House for talks on Greenland with Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Hours before the meeting was due to start, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen sought to ease US concerns about security in Greenland, telling AFP that Denmark was boosting its military presence there and was in talks with allies on &quot;an increased NATO presence in the Arctic.&quot; Trump for his part said that NATO &quot;should be leading the way&quot; in building the multi-layer missile defense system. &quot;IF WE DON&#39;T, RUSSIA OR CHINA WILL, AND THAT IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN!&quot; Trump wrote. The US leader has repeatedly threatened to take over the vast, strategic and sparsely populated Arctic island, and he has sounded emboldened since ordering a deadly January 3 attack in Venezuela that removed its president.

Picture shows Greenlandic flag hoisted in Elsinore

Europe

President Trump emphasized the importance of Greenland for U.S. national security and its role in the Golden Dome missile defense system. He stressed Greenland's value for NATO, threatening action if Russia or China took control.

Trump says US control of Greenland 'vital' for air defense

LONDON: An under-fire UK police chief on Wednesday blamed the use of AI for erroneous evidence given to MPs over the decision to ban Maccabi Tel Aviv football fans from a match against Aston Villa.&nbsp;The police classified the match in Birmingham in November as &quot;high risk&quot;, citing previous Maccabi games including a Europa League encounter in Amsterdam which sparked clashes between locals and Israeli fans.&nbsp;The decision to ban Maccabi fans from the Villa Park UEFA Europa League game was slammed by Prime Minister Keir Starmer, with the government ordering an independent report which is due to be published later on Wednesday.&nbsp;Scrutiny has increased on West Midlands police after multiple pieces of evidence used to justify the decision proved flawed, with the force rejecting allegations that the move was motivated by politics rather than fan safety.&nbsp;In an intelligence report for the game, police cited a match between West Ham and Maccabi Tel Aviv which never took place.&nbsp;When questioned about this by lawmakers earlier this month, chief constable Craig Guildford insisted that the error was the result of a Google search, and that the force had not used artificial intelligence in its research.&nbsp;However, in a letter to MPs on Wednesday, Guildford admitted that the erroneous information was due to the use of Microsoft Co Pilot, an AI chatbot.&nbsp;&quot;I would like to offer my profound apology to the committee for this error,&quot; Guildford said, adding that there was &quot;no intention to mislead the committee&quot;.&nbsp;That came after UK media reported in December that Dutch police also disputed evidence cited by the West Midlands force to justify the ban.&nbsp;UK police claimed they were told that Maccabi fans were behind several violent incidents during the 2024 Amsterdam clashes but that intelligence was partly contradicted by Dutch politicians and police.&nbsp;The decision to ban the fans was also sharply criticized by Israeli politicians, who claimed that it was antisemitic.&nbsp;British interior minister Shabana Mahmood will present the findings of the independent inquiry on Wednesday, which could heap further pressure on Guildford after opposition leader Kemi Badenoch called for his resignation over the debacle.&nbsp;The Guardian newspaper reported that the watchdog report is set to say that the police made a series of errors in how it gathered and handled intelligence while making the decision.&nbsp;The match went ahead amid heavy security, but without Maccabi fans after the Israeli team turned down their away ticket allocation.

Two Police officers walking outside New Scotland Yard in London.

UK police chief admitted AI-generated errors led to flawed evidence behind banning Maccabi Tel Aviv fans, apologizing to MPs as an inquiry finds intelligence failures, amid political backlash, antisemitism claims, and pressure for his resignation.

UK police blames AI for evidence error over Maccabi fan ban

BEIJING: The Chinese mobile app &quot;Are You Dead?&quot;, which sounds an alarm if a user does not check in every 48 hours, has announced it will drop its catchy name after drawing international media attention. It rose to the top of the <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-launches-fishing-museum-app-to-boost-sustainable-fisheries" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">paid app</a> rankings on Apple&#39;s App Store in China, prompting widespread media coverage in both Chinese and foreign press. The app, whose name &quot;Sileme&quot; in Mandarin translates to &quot;are you dead?&quot;, allows people living alone to register the name and email address of someone to contact in an emergency. If the user does not check in regularly on the app, the system automatically sends an alert to the emergency contact, warning them of a possible problem. &quot;After extensive consideration, the &#39;Sileme&#39; app will officially adopt the global brand name &#39;Demumu&#39; in its forthcoming <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/china-offers-ai-technology-to-pakistan-in-expanded-security-partnership" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">new release</a>,&quot; the company said in a statement on Tuesday evening. It said the app has &quot;experienced explosive growth overseas&quot; since the publication of an article by the British broadcaster BBC. Other foreign media outlets, including AFP, also covered the app&#39;s success. &quot;Demumu&quot; was already the name of the international version of the app, and &quot;Are You Dead?&quot; the Chinese version&#39;s. &quot;Moving forward, Demumu will remain steadfast in its founding mission of safeguarding safety, bringing China-originated protection solutions to the world and serving more solitary individuals globally,&quot; the company&#39;s statement added. Users expressed surprise online at the change rebranding, although its blunt name had divided public opinion. &quot;Don&#39;t you think your virality is precisely due to your name? Without it, no one would have installed this app, except in cases of absolute emergency,&quot; said one Weibo user. &quot;With this new name, it loses its flavour,&quot; another added. The name &quot;sileme&quot; was a play on the name of a popular food delivery app &quot;Eleme&quot;. In 2024, people who lived alone accounted for around one-fifth of all Chinese households, compared to 15 percent a decade earlier, official data shows.

China

The app allows people living alone to register the name and email address of someone to contact in an emergency.

Viral Chinese app 'Are You Dead?' to change its name

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and World Liberty Financial USA signed a memorandum of understanding in Islamabad on Wednesday&nbsp;to advance cooperation on crypto, digital payments innovation, and cross-border financial transactions. A delegation of World Liberty Financial USA, led by CEO Zachary Witkoff, called on Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, said a press release issued by Pakistan&rsquo;s Prime Minister&rsquo;s Office.<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; line-height: 2;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-3" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-3&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2011341672937111583&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=8ed77d2d00081bb47726d566733c5b6575426bfd&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff and Chief of Defense Forces&nbsp;Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb, SAPM Syed Tariq Fatemi, and Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) Chairman Bilal Bin Saqib also attended the meeting. Welcoming the delegation, the prime minister shared his vision for digital Pakistan, aimed at increasing connectivity, access, transparency, and openness for citizens. He said the rapid growth of digital payments and financial innovation is essential to Pakistan&rsquo;s expanding digital economy. The prime minister appreciated the growing international interest in Pakistan&rsquo;s digital financial markets and noted with deep satisfaction that Pakistan is fast becoming part of the global digital finance landscape. Zachary Witkoff expressed keen interest in engaging with Pakistan to build a secure, transparent digital payment infrastructure, including innovations in cross-border settlement and foreign exchange processes. He lauded Pakistan&rsquo;s policy framework, which is helping to position the country as a leading contender in the global digital finance landscape.Witkoff expressed a keen desire to further deepen engagement with Pakistan to explore next-generation digital payment and cross-border finance innovations. Signing of MoUPrime Minister Sharif and CDF Munir later witnessed the signing of the MoU between the Government of Pakistan and SC Financial Technologies LLC, an affiliated entity of World Liberty Financial, to enable structured dialogue and technical understanding around emerging digital payment architectures for cross-border transactions. Minister for Finance Muhammad Aurangzeb and CEO World Liberty Financial Zachary Witkoff signed the MoU on behalf of the respective sides.&nbsp;&lsquo;New economy&rsquo;Pakistan TV Digital correspondent Ayesha Mir spoke with Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, World Liberty Financial executives, and the chairman of PVARA, following the signing of the MoU between Pakistan and World Liberty Financial. Witkoff, the company&rsquo;s CEO, said, &ldquo;We&rsquo;re really excited about this MoU to bring the most regulated digital dollar in the world to Pakistan and its people.&rdquo; He added that the company was &ldquo;really excited to do business here.&rdquo; Finance Minister Aurangzeb framed the development as part of Pakistan&rsquo;s transition to what he called the &ldquo;new economy.&rdquo; He said the journey began last year with the formation of the Crypto Council and accelerated after learning from US legislative efforts. &ldquo;With this MoU, we take it to the next level,&rdquo; he said, adding that the government wanted to fast-track the process to help Pakistan &ldquo;leapfrog in terms of the new economy.&rdquo; &lsquo;Can&rsquo;t hide my excitement&rsquo;Aurangzeb also highlighted the scale of crypto adoption in the country, revising earlier estimates upward. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s not really 20 million; my latest understanding is that it&#39;s about 40 million,&rdquo; he said, describing strong uptake among young people and freelancers. &ldquo;As a finance minister, all I can say is that I can&rsquo;t hide my excitement to be on this journey.&rdquo; Bilal Bin Saqib, chairman of PVARA, stressed that the government was not promoting crypto but regulating an activity that already exists.&nbsp; &ldquo;We are not essentially promoting; we are regulating the adoption which has already existed without any classroom, without any framework,&rdquo; he said, calling the MoU a sign that Pakistan is creating an enabling but risk-mitigated environment. &lsquo;Crypto speed&rsquo;&nbsp;World Liberty Financial co-founder Chase Herro praised the pace of reform understanding. &ldquo;This absolutely is the fastest yet,&rdquo; he said, with Bin Saqib adding, &ldquo;This is being done at crypto speed.&rdquo; Zak Folkman, co-founder and COO of World Liberty Financial, outlined the economic rationale behind the agreement. He said between $20 billion and $25 billion in digital assets held by Pakistanis currently sit outside the formal system. By introducing USD1 and a regulated foreign exchange model, he said, Pakistan could bring these funds into compliance, reduce reliance on &ldquo;grey and black market brokers,&rdquo; lower costs for ordinary users, and attract foreign investment. &ldquo;Pakistan has always been at the forefront; now it&rsquo;s just time to bring it into a regulated ecosystem,&rdquo; Folkman said.

The signing -- witnessed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Field Marshal Asim Munir, and other top officials -- aims to modernize Pakistan’s digital finance ecosystem, enhance transparency, and attract foreign investment.

Pakistan, World Liberty Financial sign MoU advancing crypto cooperation

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday formally invited bids for the sale of franchise team rights of Multan Sultans ahead of the 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL).&nbsp;In an advertisement published in newspapers, the PCB called on &ldquo;interested parties&rdquo; to bid for the Multan-based franchise, describing it as an opportunity to become part of what it termed a &ldquo;new era&rdquo; of the PSL.&nbsp;The board said Multan Sultans, which joined the league in its third edition in 2018, has developed an established fan base and a strong presence in the competition, making it a &ldquo;compelling opportunity&rdquo; for potential investors to build on its legacy.&nbsp;Under the bidding process, interested parties are required to obtain bid documents from the PCB. The deadline for submission of technical proposals has been set for Jan. 30, 2026, at 3:00pm, with proposals to be opened on the same day.&nbsp;The PCB said only technically qualified bidders would be allowed to proceed to the next stage of the process. It added that official information regarding the bidding would only be shared through its designated email address.&nbsp;The development follows recent remarks by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who said the board would continue to operate Multan Sultans during the upcoming PSL 11 season before completing the sale.&nbsp;Speaking at the ceremony held for the auction of the league&rsquo;s seventh and eighth franchises last week, Naqvi said the franchise had been labelled as loss-making, a perception he was determined to challenge by demonstrating its commercial potential before the auction.&nbsp;The invitation for bids comes at a time of rapid expansion for the PSL. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/psl-auction-hyderabad-franchise-sells-for-a-record-61-million" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Hyderabad and Sialkot</a> were recently confirmed as the league&rsquo;s newest franchises following a record-breaking auction, taking the competition to eight teams for the first time.&nbsp;The 11th edition of the Pakistan Super League is scheduled to be held from March 26 to May 3, 2026, with the expanded format expected to deliver a longer and more competitive tournament for fans across the country.

Cricket

Calls on “interested parties” to bid for the Multan-based franchise, describing it as an opportunity to become part of what it termed a “new era” of the PSL.

PCB invites bids for Multan Sultans franchise ahead of PSL 11

ISLAMABAD: The International Rescue Committee (IRC) said on Tuesday it is expanding emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after a new assessment revealed the severity of the country&#39;s hunger crisis, warning that 4.7 million people now face acute starvation amid shrinking aid and worsening food insecurity. In a press release, the IRC announced a Cash for Food programme providing support to 3,200 households in Bamiyan, Kunar, and Herat provinces, following needs assessments that found that 95% of participants had &#39;poor&#39; Food Consumption Scores, indicating insufficient daily access to food. The New York-based agency said the findings reflect a broader deterioration in food access as Afghanistan enters the winter lean season, when household food stocks are depleted, and income opportunities decline. Deepening hunger and food insecurityRecent United Nations analyses show that about 17 million Afghans now urgently need food assistance, including 4.7 million in IPC Phase 4 (Emergency), with mothers and young children among the most affected.&nbsp; Under the Afghanistan Humanitarian Needs and Response Plan, more than one-third of the population is expected to face crisis-level or worse food insecurity during the 2025-26 lean season, with many households forced to sell assets or reduce meals to meet basic needs. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) has warned that humanitarian needs continue to outpace available assistance. In 2026, an estimated 21.9 million people, about 45% of Afghanistan&rsquo;s population, will require humanitarian aid, it said. Impact on children and womenUN agencies have repeatedly cautioned that Afghanistan is facing one of the world&rsquo;s most severe nutrition emergencies, particularly among children. The World Food Programme (WFP) estimates that nearly 3.7 million children under the age of five will suffer from acute malnutrition in 2025 and into early 2026, while 4.9 million women and children will require treatment for malnutrition. The agency said declining funding and high food prices have limited the scale of life-saving assistance. UNICEF reported that millions of children were screened for wasting in the first half of 2025, with hundreds of thousands admitted for treatment. The spread of preventable diseases such as measles and acute watery diarrhoea has further strained health services already operating under severe constraints. UN appeals and funding shortfallsThe humanitarian response faces severe funding constraints; 422 health facilities closed in 2025, leaving about three million people without access to essential healthcare, UN relief chief Tom Fletcher told the UN Security Council last month. At the end of 2025, the United Nations and its partners launched a $1.7 billion appeal to assist nearly 18 million people in urgent need through 2026, identifying food security, health, water, and sanitation as priority areas. The crisis has been compounded by multiple factors. OCHA says the ongoing drought has caused the failure of nearly 80% of rain-fed wheat crops in some regions, leaving many families without winter food reserves. Meanwhile, UNHCR data shows more than 2.6 million Afghans returned from Iran and Pakistan in 2025, adding strain to already impoverished communities. Aid agencies say funding shortfalls have forced cuts to critical programmes, including emergency food distributions and nutrition services.&nbsp;Lisa Owen, IRC&rsquo;s Afghanistan director, warned of severe consequences if funding declines continue. &ldquo;Acute hunger is a persistent challenge in Afghanistan, yet the latest figures show an appalling deterioration in humanitarian needs,&rdquo; she said. Humanitarian groups say the IRC&rsquo;s expanded food assistance highlights the urgency of closing funding gaps and scaling up life-saving aid.&nbsp; Without increased international support, Afghanistan&rsquo;s hunger and malnutrition crisis is expected to worsen in 2026, leaving millions at risk as winter conditions persist.

UNICEF/Munir Tanweer: Food rations for vulnerable families in Afghanistan are to be cut by the World Food Programme.

Afghanistan

The International Rescue Committee has expanded emergency food assistance in Afghanistan after assessments showed worsening hunger. UN agencies say 4.7 million people face emergency food insecurity as funding gaps threaten life-saving humanitarian programs.

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