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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,”…

OpenAI will purchase up to 750 megawatts of computing power over three years from chipmaker Cerebras as the ChatGPT maker looks to pull ahead in the AI race and meet the growing demand, the two companies said on Wednesday. This deal is worth more than $10 billion over the life of the contract, according to a source familiar with the matter. The ChatGPT maker plans to use the systems built by Cerebras to power its popular chatbot in what is the latest in a string of multi-billion-dollar deals struck by OpenAI. Cerebras Chief Executive Andrew Feldman said the two companies…

Elon Musk’s platform X on Wednesday announced measures to prevent its AI chatbot Grok from undressing images of real people, following global backlash over its generation of sexualized photos of women and children. The announcement comes after California’s attorney general launched an investigation into Musk’s xAI – the developer of Grok – over the sexually explicit material and multiple countries either blocked access to the chatbot or launched their own probes. X said it will “geoblock the ability” of all Grok and X users to create images of people in “bikinis, underwear, and similar attire” in those jurisdictions where such…

Pakistani actress and television host Fiza Ali has extended heartfelt wishes to her ex-husband, Fawad Farooq, on the occasion of his second marriage. Fiza Ali shared a video of her daughter, Faraal, with her father on social media and accompanied it with a lengthy and thoughtful caption. In her message, the actress reflected on life, relationships, and the importance of respect even after separation. “Life is not always straightforward; sometimes it brings us to a point where silence gives way to patience,” she wrote. She added that her daughter, with her innocent smile, was recording the preparations for her father’s…

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a severe cold wave alert for Gilgit-Baltistan, Upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Kashmir, urging the public and relevant institutions to take immediate precautionary steps. According to the National Disaster Management Authority, extremely cold weather conditions are expected during night and morning hours in Gilgit-Baltistan, upper areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Kashmir until the end of January. The authority warned that temperatures could drop significantly, increasing health and safety risks for residents in these regions. Roads, power, transport NDMA said moderate to heavy snowfall is likely in upper parts of the country,…

China’s astronomical observatory at Dome A, the highest peak of the Antarctic plateau, has successfully concluded its 2025 nighttime astronomical observations, the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) said on Tuesday. The initial charging of the solar battery on August 25, 2025, marked the official end of the 2025 Antarctic night observation season after the polar night. As the largest-aperture optical telescope currently operating in the Antarctic inland, the Antarctic telescope AST3‑2 has completed three consecutive years of overwinter operations. According to the Nanjing Institute of Astronomical Optics & Technology (NIAOT) of the CAS, the AST3-2 telescope has operated at Dome…