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Amid a spate of terrorist and quadcopter attacks, police on Friday carried out a search and targeted operation alongside security forces in Hoveed and Wazirabad areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu, arresting “14 terrorist facilitators and destroying three hideouts”.

Over the past few months, multiple areas of KP — including Bannu, Peshawar, Karak, Lakki Marwat and Bajaur — have seen a series of attacks, particularly targeting police personnel in Bannu in July.

Bannu police spokesperson Khanzala Quraishi said in a statement: “Pakistan Army and police conducted a joint operation in Hoveed and Wazirabad areas based on intelligence inputs and arrested 14 facilitators of the banned organisation, while 3 hideouts of terrorists were demolished.”

Quraishi added that the operation was carried out on information about the presence of terrorists in Wazirabad and Tudonar along the Tuchi River, where five suspected targets were cleared. Security forces also seized three vehicles, which included two motorcycles and a rickshaw.

“Joint patrols were also conducted in Hoveed Bazaar and its surroundings to ensure the presence of security forces in the area,” the police spokesperson added.

In a statement issued earlier today, Quraishi had said: “This operation has been launched on the basis of intelligence reports, the main objective of which is to cleanse the area from the scourge of terrorism and establish lasting peace.”

The operation began at 5am on Friday, according to Quraishi, and was launched on the instructions of Regional Police Officer Sajjad Khan under the supervision of District Police Officer Saleem Abbasi Kalachi.

“During the operation, security forces and police personnel have completely surrounded the area and house-to-house searches are ongoing,” the statement said.

“In case of any suspicious activity or resistance, immediate and effective action is being taken so that the terrorists do not get any chance to escape or hide.”

A curfew was imposed in the area during the duration of the operation for the sake of public safety, and citizens were advised to cooperate with security agencies and stay indoors.

“Immediately report any suspicious person or activity to the relevant authorities,” the statement read.

“Authorities have warned that providing any kind of facility or assistance to terrorists is a serious crime, and strict legal action will be taken against such elements.”

Last week, a police constable was martyred in a terrorist attack on a checkpoint in Bannu, where an exchange of fire also left three terrorists dead and three policemen injured.

In July, ter­rorists used a quadcopter to attack a police station in Miryan, Bannu, making it the fifth such attack at the installation in a month.

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China wants the United States to ease export controls on chips critical for artificial intelligence as part of a trade deal before a possible summit between Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

Chinese officials have told experts in Washington that Beijing wants the Trump administration to relax export restrictions on high-bandwidth memory chips, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter.

The White House, State Department, and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report.

HBM chips, which help perform data-intensive AI tasks quickly, are closely watched by investors due to their use alongside AI graphic processors, particularly Nvidia’s NVDA.O.

The FT said China is concerned because the US HBM controls hamper the ability of Chinese companies such as Huawei to develop their own AI chips.

Successive US administrations have curbed exports of advanced chips to China, looking to stymie Beijing’s AI and defence development.

While this has impacted US firms’ ability to fully address booming demand from China, one of the world’s largest semiconductor markets, it still remains an important revenue driver for American chipmakers.

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Two siblings were killed and their father injured in a road accident involving a dumper on Karachi’s Rashid Minhas Road near Lucky One Mall early Sunday, sparking mob violence and protests that disrupted traffic on key city routes, officials said.

In recent months, Karachi has witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data.

According to Central Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said that around 3:15am, a dumper truck hit a motorcycle carrying a family, killing Mahnoor, 22, and her 14-year-old brother Ahmed Raza, and injuring their 48-year-old father, Shakir.

Following the incident, transporters staged a protest by blocking Rashid Minhas Road and the Superhighway near Sohrab Goth, causing traffic jams.

“A mob gathered and set fire to a total of seven dumpers on both sides of the road within the limits of Yusuf Plaza and Federal B Area police stations,” the SSP told Dawn.com.

“The police reached the spot to apprehended the driver and took the dumper in custody.”

The police cordoned off the area, set up diversions, and called fire tenders to put off the fire, Siddiqi said.

“Furthermore, police have arrested 14 suspects on charges of torching the dumpers, and more arrests are being made with the help of videos and technical evidence.”

Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com the siblings were brought dead to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, while their father was injured. Quoting relatives, she said the deceased girl was to get married soon.

Dr Summaiya said police brought in two drivers with critical injuries after they were beaten by the mob. She said the alleged errant driver was critically injured but stable, while a driver of another burnt dumper was also in critical condition with head injuries.

Earlier this month, a high-speed trailer truck crashed in Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority (DHA), injuring two people.

In July, a 59-year-old milk supplier was killed when a dumper ran over his motorcycle in Karachi’s Saudabad.