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France intends to recognise a Palestinian state in September at the United Nations General Assembly, President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday in hopes of bringing peace to the region, but the plan drew angry rebukes from Israel and the United States. Macron, who unveiled the decision on X, published a letter sent to Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas confirming France’s intention to press ahead with Palestinian recognition and work to convincing other partners to follow suit. “True to its historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East, I have decided that France will recognise the state…

French President Emmanuel Macron has announced that France will officially recognise the State of Palestine, a move he says aims to help end the war in Gaza and address the worsening humanitarian crisis. The recognition will be formalised at the United Nations General Assembly in September. “The urgent thing today is that the war in Gaza stops and the civilian population is saved,” Macron posted on social media, adding, “Peace is possible.” France becomes the most influential European country to declare such recognition. More than 140 of the UN’s 193 member states already recognise Palestine, but France’s shift is viewed…

Thailand and Cambodia exchanged heavy artillery fire on Friday as their worst fighting in more than a decade stretched for a second day, despite calls from the region and beyond for an immediate ceasefire in an escalating border conflict that has killed at least 16 people. Thailand’s military reported clashes from before dawn in the Ubon Ratchathani and Surin provinces and said Cambodia had used artillery and Russian-made BM-21 rocket systems. Authorities said 100,000 people had been evacuated from conflict areas on the Thai side. “Cambodian forces have conducted sustained bombardment utilising heavy weapons, field artillery and BM-21 rocket systems,”…

A superb 166-run opening partnership between Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett lead England’s recovery on day two of the fourth test against India, the hosts 225-2 at the close of play on Thursday, trailing the tourists by 133 runs. A gutsy half century from the injured Rishabh Pant helped India post 358 in their first innings, with England captain Ben Stokes’ first five-wicket test haul in eight years helping see off the tourists’ tail. Crawley and Duckett moved at a rapid rate before tea to eat into India’s total as England’s reply got under way, but neither could convert their…

The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) has declared that appropriate spacing between births is essential for the health and well-being of both mothers and children in Pakistan. The announcement came during a high-level consultative meeting between the CII and the Population Council. The gathering aimed to address growing concerns about maternal and child health, population management, and the equitable distribution of resources. Citing alarming health statistics, the population council revealed that 11,000 women die each year in Pakistan due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth — the highest maternal mortality rate among Islamic nations, including Indonesia, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Iran, Kuwait,…

The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves fell by $69 million during the past week, according to an official statement. According to details surfaced on Thursday, following the decline, the central bank’s reserves stood at $14.4566 billion. Meanwhile, commercial banks held reserves amounting to $5.4609 billion. As a result, the country’s total foreign exchange reserves reached $19.9175 billion. Last week, it was reported that Pakistan recorded a current account surplus of $2.1 billion in the fiscal year 2024–25, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). According to details surfaced on Friday, this marked the first annual surplus…

Batters Dewald Brevis and Lhuan-dre Pretorius have been included in South Africa’s Twenty20 and One Day International squads for their white ball tour of Australia next month, as off-spinner Prenelan Subrayen earns a maiden limited overs call-up. South Africa play their hosts in three T20 matches between August 10-16 before a three-game ODI series from August 19-24. Having rested several regulars for the tri-series tournament in Zimbabwe this month that also includes New Zealand, South Africa have recalled Aiden Markram, Kagiso Rabada, Ryan Rickelton and Tristan Stubbs. Key all-rounder Marco Jansen misses out on the tour through injury. Markram will…

China has reiterated its firm support for Pakistan’s efforts to combat all forms of terrorism and expressed hope that the Pakistani military will continue to ensure the security of Chinese personnel, projects and institutions within the country. Wang Yi, a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Office of the Central Commission for Foreign Affairs, made the remarks during a meeting with Pakistan’s Chief of Army Staff Asim Munir on Thursday in Beijing. Wang congratulated Munir on his recent appointment as field marshal, describing the Pakistani military as a steadfast…

United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has welcomed the commitment of China and the European Union to deepen climate change cooperation and support the global just transition. “As two of the world’s largest economies, the secretary-general believes it is critical that China and the European Union continue to work together to ensure that COP30 in Brazil represents a major turning point in the global effort to address the climate crisis,” according to a statement released by his spokesperson’s office on Thursday. “Guterres reiterates his call to all G20 countries to present 2035 NDCs that are economy-wide, cover all emissions, align with…

By H.E. Jiang Zaidong, Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan In October 1971, the 26th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA), with an overwhelming majority, adopted the draft resolution proposed by Pakistan and 22 other countries. The UNGA Resolution 2758, which decided to “restore all its lawful rights to the People’s Republic of China and to recognize the representatives of its Government as the only legitimate representatives of China to the United Nations”, and to “expel forthwith the representatives of Taiwan authority from the UN and all the organizations related to it”. This resolution settled once and for all the…