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Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday inaugurated Pakistan’s first Asan Khidmat Center in Islamabad, calling it a major step toward improving public service delivery and easing citizens’ access to essential government services. Speaking at the inauguration ceremony, Prime Minister Shehbaz expressed gratitude to Ilham Aliyev, saying the idea was inspired by a similar service center he saw during his visit to Baku last year. “Thank God, the first Asan Khidmat Center has now been established in Pakistan,” the prime minister said, adding that he had been deeply impressed by the efficiency of such centers in Azerbaijan. Multiple govt services The…

US President Donald Trump told Reuters that Ukraine – not Russia – is holding up a potential peace deal, rhetoric that stands in marked contrast to that of European allies, who have consistently argued Moscow has little interest in ending its war in Ukraine. In an exclusive interview in the Oval Office on Wednesday, Trump said Russian President Vladimir Putin is ready to wrap up his nearly four-year-old invasion of Ukraine. Zelenskiy, the US president said, was more reticent. “I think he’s ready to make a deal,” Trump said of the Russian president. “I think Ukraine is less ready to…

Police successfully repelled a late-night attack on a checkpost in Dera Ismail Khan after unidentified armed terrorists opened fire, killing two attackers in a fierce exchange while one policeman sustained minor injuries. According to police, unidentified armed terrorists targeted the Khati police check post in Dera Ismail Khan late last night. The attackers opened sudden fire on the checkpost, prompting an immediate and forceful response from police personnel stationed there. Police retaliated vigorously, leading to an intense exchange of fire from both sides. As a result of the timely and courageous response, the attack was successfully foiled and two terrorists…

Bangladesh cricket was thrown into uncertainty on Thursday after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a show-cause notice to its director, M Nazmul Islam, over objectionable public comments, even as players announced a nationwide boycott of cricket activities. The Bangladesh Cricket Board issued a show-cause notice to its director M Nazmul Islam on Wednesday, citing his “objectionable comments” made publicly against Bangladesh’s cricketers. The notice was issued just hours before the scheduled start of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) matches for the day, intensifying tensions between players and the board. Players call nationwide boycott Despite the BCB’s disciplinary move, the…

The United States is withdrawing some personnel from bases in the Middle East, a US official said on Wednesday, after a senior Iranian official said Tehran had warned neighbours it would hit American bases if Washington strikes. With Iran’s leadership trying to quell the worst domestic unrest the Islamic Republic has ever faced, Tehran is seeking to deter US President Donald Trump’s repeated threats to intervene on behalf of anti-government protesters. The UN Security Council is due to meet on Iran on Thursday at the request of the United States. A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the…

US President Donald Trump said on Wednesday that killings in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and he believed there was no plan for large-scale executions of protesters, as analysts and diplomats warned of possible risks from a US military intervention. Trump’s comments during an Oval Office event come as fears have escalated in the Middle East that the United States could launch strikes on Iran, following the US president’s repeated threats to intervene on behalf of protesters. He did not rule out possible US military intervention, however. Some experts and regional diplomats warn that military intervention could backfire…

Pakistan’s passport has moved up two places to rank 98th in the Henley Passport Index 2026, marking steady progress in global mobility and international access for Pakistani citizens. Pakistan now shares the 98th position with Yemen, up from 100th last year, according to the latest Henley Passport Index. The improvement reflects Pakistan’s growing diplomatic engagement and recent international agreements that are gradually expanding travel freedom for its citizens. Visa-free, visa-on-arrival access Pakistani passport holders now enjoy visa-free, visa-on-arrival (VOA), or electronic travel authorization (eTA) access to 31 countries across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, and Oceania. These expanded options make leisure…

Days before mass anti-government protests erupted in Iran in late December, Israeli and Iranian officials exchanged rare private assurances through Russia, agreeing not to launch preemptive attacks if neither side was struck first, diplomats and regional officials said. According to diplomats and regional officials familiar with the exchange, Israel informed Iran via Russia that it would not carry out strikes against Iran unless Israel itself came under attack. Iran responded through the same Russian channel, saying it would also refrain from launching any preemptive military action, despite the deep hostility between the two rivals, which fought a 12-day war in…

Iran reopened its airspace after a near-five-hour closure amid concerns about possible military action between the US and Iran that forced airlines to cancel, reroute or delay some flights. Iran closed its airspace to all flights except international ones to and from Iran with official permission at 5:15pm ET (2215 GMT) on Wednesday, according to a notice on the US Federal Aviation Administration website. The notice was removed shortly before 10pm ET, or 0300 GMT, according to tracking service Flightradar24, which showed five flights from Iranian carriers Mahan Air, Yazd Airways and AVA Airlines were among the first to resume…

Switzerland’s competition commission said on Thursday it launched a preliminary investigation into Microsoft’s (MSFT.O) licensing fees in the country. The antitrust authority said it has received complaints from private businesses as well as many government agencies and public companies over significant price hikes of Microsoft’s product licenses, which may indicate an unlawful restriction of competition. “Should such indications be confirmed, this could warrant the opening of a formal investigation,” the agency, also known as COMCO, said in a statement. “Microsoft is committed to complying with Swiss competition law and will cooperate with the Swiss Competition Commission in its preliminary investigation,”…