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Iran’s Supreme National Security Council has announced that no transit fees will be charged for vessels passing through the Strait of Hormuz for the next 60 days, as Tehran begins implementing provisions of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed with the United States to end months of conflict. The move marks a major step toward restoring normal maritime traffic through one of the world’s most strategically important waterways after the US-Iran war disrupted global energy markets and international shipping routes. In a statement issued on Thursday evening and carried by Iranian state broadcaster IRIB, the Supreme National Security Council confirmed…

India’s temporary restriction on Telegram has sparked a sharp rise in VPN downloads and alternative messaging app installations, as millions of users sought ways to stay connected after authorities blocked access to the platform over concerns related to exam fraud. According to app intelligence firm Appfigures, the day India announced the Telegram restriction marked the country’s biggest day for VPN app downloads since the start of 2025. Downloads of major VPN applications jumped 49%, rising from an average of 139,000 daily downloads to 208,000. VPN apps see massive growth Several VPN providers recorded significant increases in downloads following the restriction.…

New Zealand seized the upper hand in the second test after extending their first innings ​to 391 on Thursday before working through England’s top order to leave the hosts on 222-6 at stumps on the second day ‌at The Oval. Glenn Phillips helped himself to his first test century before lunch as England’s ragged bowling allowed New Zealand to add 100 vital runs to their overnight 291-7. In reply, Ben Duckett was run out after a rapid 36 and fellow opener Emilio Gay made a half century but New Zealand pace bowler Matt Henry trapped both England dangermen Joe ​Root…

Shares of SpaceX dropped more than 6% on Thursday, as the post-IPO ​frenzy that briefly placed Elon Musk’s rockets-to-AI firm among the world’s top five most valuable ‌companies appeared to fizzle out. The stock was last down 6.5% at $178.50, after falling nearly 5% in the last session. It was still more than 30% above its $135 offering price. If the losses persist, SpaceX’s market value of $2.52 trillion ​would shrink by more than $150 billion on Thursday. “Given the magnitude of the ​IPO and the strong initial performance, some degree of profit-taking is ⁠not surprising,” IPOX Schuster analyst Kat…

Preparations for technical negotiations between the United States and Iran have hit a roadblock after a planned meeting in Switzerland was called off, raising fresh questions about the implementation of the recently signed agreement aimed at ending months of conflict between the two countries. The development comes as both sides continue to navigate a fragile ceasefire and prepare for complex negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program, sanctions relief, and regional security issues. Talks that had been scheduled for Friday at the Burgenstock mountaintop resort in Switzerland will no longer take place, according to a statement issued by Switzerland’s foreign ministry. The…

China’s Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and six other departments have jointly issued an action plan to promote coordinated development of large, medium-sized and small enterprises in the platform economy from 2026 to 2028. The plan aims to advance synergy in innovation, ecosystems and openness among enterprises of different sizes, fully stimulate the creativity and competitiveness of the platform economy and promote deeper integration of the real economy and the digital economy. By 2028, China aims to significantly improve the level of coordinated development among platform enterprises of different sizes, form a number of replicable models for collaborative innovation…

Chinese researchers have developed a new platform that enables the comprehensive characterization of individual neurons by simultaneously capturing their gene-expression profile, morphology and functional activity, a breakthrough that could advance understanding of how the brain works and how neurological disorders develop. The study, led by researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, was published on Thursday in the journal Cell. Neurons, the brain’s basic signaling units, can be understood through three key dimensions: how they function, how they are structured and connected, and which genes they express. However, scientists have long faced a major challenge: no technology could comprehensively measure all…

China views the remarks by a Foreign Ministry official of the Republic of Korea (ROK) positively, who has publicly reiterated in its entirety the language on Taiwan in the China-ROK joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations, a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Thursday. Nam Jin, director-general for Northeast Asian and Central Asian Affairs at the ROK’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told media on June 18 that the joint communique states “the government of the Republic of Korea recognizes the government of the People’s Republic of China as the sole legal government of China and respects China’s position…

China’s Ministry of Commerce and seven other government departments Thursday released an implementation guideline document to accelerate the development of “artificial intelligence (AI) plus consumption.” It includes 17 measures in five areas to promote deeper integration of AI with consumer markets by expanding smart product consumption, empowering services consumption and creating new consumption scenarios. Regarding goods consumption, the document calls for increasing the supply of new AI products, upgrading consumer electronics, household appliances and home products, cultivating the smart wearable market, and promoting AI-powered robots for elderly care, companionship and daily assistance. Addressing services consumption, it encourages wider AI application…

ISLAMABAD (PEN) : The Embassy of Pakistan in Beijing today organized two investment promotion events for Pakistan-China B2B Investment Confernce on Pharmaceuticals, Biotechnology and Healthcare. These events were co-hosted with the China Overseas Development Association (CODA) and IBI Goulian Gufen designed to mobilize Chinese investors for the B2B Confernce scheduled in Karachi on 17-18 July 2026. The two events attracted nearly 60 leading Chinese enterprises, including over 40 companies led by CODA at the Embassy premises and 17 companies at the IBI event in Beijing’s Fengtai District. Participating companies represented a broad spectrum of sectors, including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, vaccines, medical…