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‘Bombing a sovereign country is not preemptive’: Politicians, activists react as US and Israel strike Iran

The United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran on Saturday, triggering explosions in the capital Tehran and an escalation across the region. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” said US President Donald Trump in an address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership. In response to the Israel-US aggression, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran later in the day confirmed the launch of the “first wave” of missile and drone attacks against Israel in response to the strikes on its territory. Political figures and analysts in Pakistan have condemned the recent developmen...
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World holds breath as US, Israel strike Iran

Countries in the Middle East and around the world were watching with bated breath after the United States and Israel carried out long-feared strikes on Iran on Saturday. Trump: ‘annihilate’ US President Donald Trump vowed that the strikes would cripple Iran’s military and urged Iranians to rise up against the Islamic republic. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” Trump said in the address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. Calling on Iranians to stand up to their government, Trump added: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.” But he also warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties”. Netanyahu ‘cast off the yoke’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to ove...
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Misinformation and memes run amok amidst Pak-Afghan conflict

The moment reports of a military confrontation break, newsrooms gear up for sleepless nights, social media erupts with all sorts of “information” and memes (the latter is Pakistan-specific), and fact-checkers know they will have their hands full in the coming days. The latest clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which began late Thursday night and continued into early Saturday morning, was no different. Within the first 12 hours, the fact-checking team at iVerify Pakistan had spotted more than a dozen claims circulating on social media, ranging from the names of Taliban commanders allegedly killed and footage of Pakistani jets crashing to visuals of chaos following an attack on the Kakul military academy and soldiers from both sides purportedly being captured. Local journalists and social media commentators all fed into this cycle of mis- and disinformation, along with propaganda accounts from India and Afghanistan. When war turns into content In the midst of the late-nig...
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Israel’s ‘expansionist mindset’ bereft of any regard for international law, Dar tells OIC moot

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday condemned Israel’s recent actions in the occupied West Bank of converting the territory’s areas into “state property”, highlighting that the country’s “expansionist mindset” held no regard for international law. The minister made the statement while addressing a meeting of the executive committee of the Organisation of Islamic Council (OIC) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. The meeting was taking place against the backdrop of the Israeli government approving a proposal to register large areas of the occupied West Bank as “state property” for the first time since the occupation of the territory in 1967. Addressing the meeting, the foreign minister took note of the “latest illegal measures taken by Israel to convert areas of the occupied West Bank into so-called state property”, stressing that Israel’s actions reflected “an annexationist and expansionist mindset bereft of any regard for international law or humanitarian norms”. A...
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Japan births fall for 10th straight year

The number of births in Japan fell for the 10th straight year in 2025, official data showed on Thursday, highlighting the challenges for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi. A total of 705,809 babies were born in Japan, the preliminary health ministry data showed, down 2.1 per cent from 2024. The data includes births to Japanese nationals in Japan, foreign births in Japan and babies born to Japanese nationals overseas. Meanwhile, 505,656 couples got married in 2025, up 1.1pc, while the number of divorces fell 3.7pc to 182,969 cases. There were 1,605,654 deaths, down 13,030 or 0.8pc from 2024. The internal affairs ministry estimated Japan’s overall population as of February at 122.86 million people, down 0.47pc, or 580,000, from a year ago. The world’s fourth-biggest economy has one of the world’s lowest birth rates and a falling and ageing population. This is leading to a host of problems, including labour shortages, a ballooning social security bill and fewer working people paying...
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Several coaches, locomotive of Greenline Express derail in Rawalpindi

RAWALPINDI: Several coaches and the locomotive of the empty rake of the Greenline Express train derailed a kilometre away from Rawalpindi Railway Station on Wednesday, apparently due to the poor condition of the track as described by railway officials. The rake was on its way to the Margalla Railway Station in Islamabad to prepare for 6DN journey with passengers to Karachi when the locomotive and several coaches derailed. Except for the locomotive and two passenger coaches, the remaining coaches were put back on track and moved swiftly to Rawalpindi Railway Station from where Greenline Express departed for Karachi with a delay of half an hour. The waiting passengers at the Margalla Railway Station were moved to Rawalpindi station by buses and coaches by the railway administration of Rawalpindi, for onward journey. Divisional Superintendent of Pakistan Railways Nooruddin told Dawn that the cause of the derailment was apparently ‘weak track’ on this particular point located close to B...
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