Pakistan News

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...

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...

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...

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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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...

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...

A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths. It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. “Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.” Over three-quarters of all the fatalities in 2025 were in conflict settings, the CPJ said in its report. More than 60 per cent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, it added. The Israeli military claims that it never “deliberately targets” journalists. The number of journalists killed in Ukraine and Sudan also increased in 2025 compared to the year before. The CPJ highl...

PESHAWAR: The main highway linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab remained closed on Wednesday following a suicide attack at the Dajil checkpost near the Dera Darya Khan bridge in Punjab’s Bhakkar district, causing hardship for commuters and traders on both sides of the inter-provincial border. The attack occurred on Tuesday at around 7pm when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the checkpost, located a short distance from the bridge connecting Dera Ismail Khan with Punjab. CCTV footage reportedly showed the attacker approaching the post before carrying out the blast. Two police personnel were martyred in the explosion, while four others sustained injuries. All injured personnel were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, where their treatment is ongoing. Following the attack, security was placed on high alert in both DI Khan and Bhakkar districts. Punjab police sealed the road near the Dera Darya Khan bridge and suspended all traffic as a precautionary measure, whil...

KOHAT: Employees of the KDA Divisional Headquarters Hospital and members of the Young Doctors’ Association on Monday protested the murder of a woman doctor outside the hospital. Dr Mehwish Hasnain was killed late on Sunday as she was going home after performing duty at the KDA hospital. The police said they had registered an FIR against unidentified people for the murder. The protesters blocked the KDA Road and demanded the immediate arrest of the killer. They also called for tight security for themselves. The protesters insisted that Dr Mehwish was shot by an attendant whom she earlier asked to leave the space reserved for women patients. DPO says three teams formed to arrest killer Spokesman for the YDA’s provincial chapter Hafeez Orakzai said that the woman doctor left the hospital alone for home, considering the incident a minor one. “When Dr Mehwish was shot multiple times by the same visitor outside the hospital, she died on the spot,” he said. The spokesman said staff ...

The Indian Air Force (IAF) has lost another Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) Tejas light combat aircraft after it overshot the runway at a frontline airbase, sustaining major damage to its airframe, Indian media, including The Hindu reported . The incident, believed to have been caused by a brake failure, took place on February 7, and the pilot ejected safely, according to The Times of India . Following the accident, the entire fleet of about 30 single-seat Tejas jets was grounded to undergo comprehensive technical inspections, The Hindu added. The latest mishap comes amid delays in the delivery of the Tejas Mk‑1A variant, according to Indian media outlets. HAL has faced repeated delays in supplying the jets, mainly due to GE Aerospace missing deadlines for engine deliveries. The IAF has not released an official statement regarding the incident. This is reported to be the third Tejas aircraft lost since induction. The first crash occurred near Jaisalmer in March 2024 after a...

North Korea’s ruling party touted nuclear advances as it re-elected Kim Jong Un to the top post of general secretary, state media said on Monday, during a rare national congress. Thousands of party elites have packed the capital Pyongyang for a once-in-five-years summit of the ruling Workers’ Party, a gathering that directs state efforts on everything from diplomacy to war planning. The congress offers a rare glimpse into the political workings of reclusive North Korea, and is widely seen as a forum for Kim to flex his grip on power. Military top brass made a “pledge of loyalty” to Kim as delegates rubber-stamped his re-election as general secretary on Sunday, the Korean Central News Agency said. The congress singled out Kim’s efforts to keep unnamed foes at bay by “radically” improving its “nuclear forces”. “He has energetically led the work to turn the Korean People’s Army, the pivot of national defence and pillar of safeguarding peace, into an elite and powerful army,” read a ...

NEW YORK — Karl-Anthony Towns scored 25 points, Jalen Brunson had 20 and the New York Knicks overcame an 18-point deficit in the fourth quarter to beat the Houston Rockets 108-106 on Saturday night. OG Anunoby added 20 points, and Mikal Bridges had 11 for New York. The Knicks bounced back two nights after a disappointing loss to Eastern Conference-leading Detroit. Kevin Durant scored 30 points for Houston. Jabari Smith Jr. had 21, Alperen Sengun added 16, and Amen Thompson had 12 points and 10 rebounds. The Rockets had won five a row. The Knicks, who led by 13 points in the first half, began their comeback with an 8-1 run in the opening minutes of the fourth before Smith hit a three-pointer in front of the Houston bench. Houston missed eight consecutive shots and turned the ball over two times as the Knicks went on a 14-2 run, capped by Towns’ layup off the glass that cut it to 99-97 with 3:32 left. Bruson’s jumper tied it at 103 with 1:26 left. Durant then lost the ball near t...

PAKISTAN might have gone ahead with their Twenty20 World Cup clash against India but clearly there is little love lost between the two countries, especially when it comes to cricket. Reports emanating from England this week suggest that Indian-owned franchises in The Hundred competition will not pick Pakistan players at next month’s auction amid concerns over a potential backlash in India due to ongoing tensions between the two. It is yet another case of politics spilling into cricket, but this time it is happening far away from the region, and in a competition India does not control. The Hundred is the English Cricket Board’s flagship tournament — just like the Pakistan Super League is for the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Indian Premier League for the Board of Control for Cricket in India. But Indian investors — mostly IPL team owners — have poured money in four Hundred franchises — Manchester Super Giants, Mumbai Indians London, Southern Brave and Sunrisers Leeds. Pakistan pla...

President Donald Trump has pushed the United States to the brink of war with Iran even as aides urge him to focus more on voters’ economic worries, highlighting the political risks of military escalation ahead of this year’s midterm elections. Trump has ordered a huge build-up of forces in the Middle East and preparations for a potential multi-week air attack on Iran. But he has not laid out in detail to the American public why he might be leading the US into its most aggressive action against the Islamic Republic since its 1979 revolution. Trump’s fixation on Iran has emerged as the starkest example yet of how foreign policy, including his expanded use of raw military force, has topped his agenda in the first 13 months of his second term, often overshadowing domestic issues like the cost of living that public opinion polls show are much higher priorities for most Americans. A senior White House official said that, despite Trump’s bellicose rhetoric, there was still no “unified ...

Turning the house where Adolf Hitler was born into a police station has raised mixed emotions in his Austrian hometown. “It’s a double-edged sword,” said Sibylle Treiblmaier, outside the house in the town of Braunau am Inn on the border with Germany. While it might discourage far-right extremists from gathering at the site, it could have “been used better or differently”, the 53-year-old office assistant told AFP . The government wants to “neutralise” the site and passed a law in 2016 to take control of the dilapidated building from its private owner. Workers are finishing works at the birth house of former German dictator Adolf Hitler that is turned into a police station, pictured in Braunau am Inn, Austria on February 17, 2026. — AFP Austria — which was annexed by Hitler’s Germany in 1938 — has repeatedly been criticised in the past for not fully acknowledging its responsibility in the Holocaust. The far-right Freedom Party, founded by former Nazis, is ahead in the polls aft...