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The government has paid off Rs500 billion worth of debt to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) ahead of schedule, pushing the total early repayments to Rs1.5 trillion. In a post on social media platform X (formerly Twitter), Finance Advisor Khurram Shahzad termed the development a “bold fiscal success”, crediting the Debt Management Office for facilitating the early retirement of the loan. The repayment, originally scheduled for 2029, was made four years in advance. “This milestone reflects the government’s commitment to prudent fiscal management and a shift towards a sustainable debt profile,” Mr Shahzad stated. He added that the early repayment…

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday presented a letter to Donald Trump nominating the former US president for the Nobel Peace Prize, citing his role in advancing regional peace accords. The nomination was made during a meeting at the White House, where the two leaders discussed ongoing developments in the Middle East. Speaking to reporters at the beginning of their meeting, Netanyahu praised Trump’s past efforts in brokering diplomatic agreements in the region, particularly the Abraham Accords, under which several Arab countries normalised ties with Israel. “He’s forging peace as we speak, in one country, in one region after…

The death toll from the catastrophic floods that swept through Texas over the Fourth of July weekend has surpassed 100, officials said on Monday, as rescue and recovery operations are hampered by ongoing rainfall and dangerously saturated terrain. Among the dead are at least 27 girls and their counsellors who had been attending a summer camp in Kerr County when the Guadalupe River burst its banks in the early hours of Friday. The tragedy, which unfolded at Camp Mystic — a Christian girls’ retreat housing around 750 people — has left the community reeling and families across the state in…

President Donald Trump has officially delayed a planned increase in tariffs on certain imports, while simultaneously notifying 14 countries — including Japan, South Korea and Thailand — of new tariff rates set to take effect from August 1. The decision follows the expiry of a 90-day suspension period on the White House’s earlier tariff plans, which had been scheduled to lapse this week. While the higher duties were originally set for July 9, officials said they were extending the deadline to allow time for further trade discussions. President Trump, speaking to reporters at the White House, described the new deadline…

PML-N parliamentary leader in the Senate, Irfan Siddiqui, on Monday strongly dismissed rumours about a change in the country’s presidency, affirming that no such proposal is under consideration at any level of the government. In a statement, Siddiqui praised President Asif Ali Zardari’s performance, stating that he is fulfilling his role as the constitutional head of the state with responsibility and diligence. “President Zardari is doing a very good job as the constitutional head of the state,” Siddiqui said. “There is no move, discussion, or proposal to replace him.” Rejects Nawaz-Adiala meeting speculations Senator Siddiqui also addressed recent media speculation…

Novak Djokovic reached the Wimbledon quarter-finals for the 16th time, but it proved a hard day’s work at his Centre Court office as he ground past Australian Alex de Minaur on Monday. The 38-year-old started abysmally and lost the opening set in 31 minutes but eventually assumed control of a cagey battle to win 1-6 6-4 6-4 6-4 to keep alive his quest for an unprecedented 25th Grand Slam title. With Roger Federer watching from the front row of the Royal Box, the player whose record eight men’s titles Djokovic is trying to equal, the sixth seed’s usually surgical game…

Internet sensation Chahat Fateh Ali Khan has announced the launch of a full-fledged music and acting academy in the United Kingdom. Speaking to a group of journalists in London, the singer-turned-actor revealed that the initiative, which initially began as a music academy, has now expanded to include formal acting courses. “The primary aim is to give new talent a platform,” Khan said, adding that he wants to help aspiring entertainers refine their skills and gain visibility. Located in the UK, the academy will focus not only on technical aspects of acting but also on linguistic training. “We will start by…

A Chinese robotic dog reached a speed of 10.3 meters per second in a TV show , on par with top human sprinters, marking a new milestone in robotics. The four-legged robot, dubbed Black Panther 2.0, broke the machine dog world dash record set by Boston Dynamics’ WildCat. Weighing 38 kilograms and standing at 0.63 meters tall, it had reached an impressive speed on the treadmill within 10 seconds of exceeding 10 meters per second. Usain Bolt’s 100-meter world record is 9.58 seconds, which translates to a speed of 10.44 meters per second. The record was set during the robotic…

China has on Monday launched the International Deep Space Exploration Association (IDSEA) with an aim to empower other developing countries in deep-space technologies. Located in Hefei, east China’s Anhui Province, the association will be the nation’s first international academic organization in the aerospace domain, capitalizing on the growing global interest in China’s lunar and Mars missions. “We strive to, within a decade, attract 500 international research members and 100,000 individual scientist members,” Wu Weiren, chief designer of China’s lunar exploration program and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, told CGTN. The IDSEA will focus on deep-space study, which…

Chinese Premier Li Qiang  called for commitment to building an open world economy, and stressed the importance of opposing unilateralism and protectionism. In remarks at the plenary sessions of the 17th BRICS Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Li emphasized the need to maintain the stability and smoothness of industrial and supply chains. Li said China supports the New Development Bank in growing its strength and scale, and urged progress in the World Bank’s equity review and the International Monetary Fund’s quota share adjustment. He also called for the representation and voice of developing countries to be increased. The Chinese premier…