IslamabadIn a major political development, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has declared all Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) lawmakers as independent members, following the Supreme Court’s August 25, 2025 ruling. According to an official ECP notification, all national and provincial assembly members previously affiliated with PTI or SIC will now no…
Gaza / Tel Aviv The Israeli military has begun preparing to withdraw from interior areas of Gaza following the implementation of the Gaza Peace Agreement, Arab media reported on Thursday. Under the first phase of the ceasefire deal, Israeli troops are expected to pull back to agreed demarcation lines, marking the start of a phased…
IslamabadPakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told the National Assembly on Thursday that Afghan authorities had once asked Islamabad for PKR 10 billion to relocate people Pakistan considers involved in cross-border militancy into western Afghanistan — an offer Pakistan rejected because Kabul would not guarantee they would not return. Asif, describing a visit to Kabul…
Jerusalem / Washington Israel’s far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said on Thursday that Hamas “must be destroyed” once Israeli hostages are returned, and that he will vote against the ceasefire and hostage-exchange agreement negotiated this week. The comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump announced that Israel and Hamas had agreed on the first phase…
Washington: The White House has confirmed that a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas is expected to begin on Monday as part of the initial phase of former U.S. President Donald Trump’s 20-point peace plan, recently agreed upon by both sides. According to reports, Hamas will release 48 Israeli detainees, while Israel is set to…
Tel Aviv: The Israeli government has announced that a ceasefire will be implemented within 24 hours following cabinet approval of the proposed agreement. Government spokesperson Eylon Bedrosian stated that, under the agreed terms, a 72-hour period will commence immediately after the ceasefire takes effect.
Kevin PeacheyCost of living correspondent Getty Images The debate around stamp duty is intensifying. When Kemi Badenoch said a future Conservative government would abolish it on the purchase of main homes, it went down well at the Tory Party conference. There has also been speculation that the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, is considering replacing it. Scrapping…
OpenAI is gearing up to host its third annual developer conference, DevDay 2025, on Monday. The company says more than 1,500 people are scheduled to convene at Fort Mason in San Francisco for OpenAI’s “biggest event yet,” which features announcements, keynotes from OpenAI executives, and a fireside chat between CEO Sam Altman and longtime Apple…
Islamabad: Pakistan’s National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) has fined K-Electric, the country’s largest private power utility, PKR 25 million (around USD 90,000) for failing to restore electricity following a major nationwide blackout in January 2023. NEPRA stated that the company failed to meet its operational responsibilities, with repeated tripping incidents revealing a lack of…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Wednesday informed the International Monetary Fund (IMF) that its economy suffered Rs744 billion in losses due to floods, with 60% of the damage occurring in the agriculture sector and again sought adjustment of these losses against the programme targets. The preliminary damage assessment has been shared with the IMF, as Finance Minister…
