Daily News Pakistan

President Volodymyr Zelenskiy has said Ukraine must do all it can to ensure the war with Russia ends next year through diplomacy, commenting at a decisive moment after Donald Trump's US presidential election win and Russia's grinding battlefield gains. However, Zelenskiy said Russian President Vladimir Putin was not interested in agreeing to a peace deal, and argued it was convenient for Moscow to sit down to talk while continuing to fight. "From our side, we must do everything so that this war ends next year, ends through diplomatic means," Zelenskiy said in a Ukrainian radio interview aired on Saturday. Moscow's ambassador to the UN in Geneva said on Thursday that Russia would be open to negotiations on an end to the war if they were initiated by Trump, although he added that these would have to acknowledge "realities on the ground". Moscow uses this phrase to mean Ukraine would have to cede four regions that Russian forces have partly occupied a

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday said it streamlined the virtual private network (VPN) registration process for organisations and freelancers. In a statement, the telecommunication regulator said entities such as software houses, call centres, banks, embassies, and freelancers can register their VPNs online through the PTA's official website. The development came a day after Ministry of Interior wrote a letter to the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to block illegal VPNs, highlighting increasing risks to national security and public morality. "VPNs are increasingly being exploited by the terrorists," stated the ministry's letter, a copy of which obtained by Geo News, "[…] to facilitate violent activities and financial transactions in Pakistan." The top telecom regulator has already intensified efforts to regulate VPNs for legitimate users to "regulate internet security and ensure the safety of users". The

A fire ripped through the neonatal unit of a hospital in northern India, killing 10 newborns and injuring 17, the authorities said. Emergency responders rescued 38 newborns from the ward, which housed 49 infants at the time of the incident, said Uttar Pradesh state’s Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday. The fire broke out at 10:30pm (17:00 GMT) on Friday at the Maharani Lakshmibai Medical College in Jhansi, about 450km (280 miles) south of the national capital, New Delhi. “Seventeen of the injured are receiving treatment in different wings and some private hospitals,” Pathak told reporters in Jhansi. The newborns died from burns and suffocation. Seven of the dead infants have been identified, while efforts were on to identify the remaining three, Pathak said. The cause of the fire was being investigated, but police said it was most likely caused by a faulty oxygen concentrator. Footage from the scene showed charred beds and walls inside the ward as anguished famili

Turkey's Personal Data Protection Board (KVKK) has fined Amazon.com's gaming platform Twitch 2 million lira ($58,000) over a data breach, the official Anadolu Agency reported on Saturday. KVKK launched an investigation after a 125 GB data leak. It found that Twitch had failed to take adequate security measures beforehand, addressing the issue only afterward. It also said risk and threat assessments had been insufficient. The breach affected 35,274 individuals in Turkey. KVKK imposed a 1.75 million lira fine for inadequate security and 250,000 lira for failing to report the breach. Twitch was not immediately available for comment. ($1 = 34.4185 lira)

The Philippines has ordered the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people and cancelled dozens of flights as a “potentially catastrophic” typhoon – the sixth storm in a month – approaches the archipelago. Packing winds of 240km/h (149mph), Man-yi was upgraded to a super typhoon by state weather agency PAGASA. “Pepito is approaching its peak intensity,” the agency said, using the local name for the storm that was expected to make landfall near the province of Catanduanes on Saturday night or early on Sunday. It warned of a “potentially catastrophic and life-threatening situation” for the central region of Bicol, where nearly 180,000 people have been evacuated. Man-yi was heading towards the eastern part of the main island of Luzon, prompting PAGASA to raise its highest Category 5 alert for Catanduanes and Category 4 for the northern part of Camarines Sur province. Both provinces are still recovering from the deadly Tropical Storm Trami, which hit the country in late October.

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Friday announced that mobile internet services in certain parts of Balochistan have been suspended to “ensure public safety”. Pakistan, particularly the Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, has witnessed a sharp uptick in terrorism-related incidents over the past year. At least 26 people were killed and 62 injured after a suicide blast ripped through a Quetta Railway Station on November 9, local authorities and hospital officials said. On September 26, at least two policemen were among a dozen people injured by a bomb attack, which targeted a police vehicle in Quetta. Officials said that unidentified miscreants had parked an explosives-laden motorcycle in the Bhosa Mandi area of Eastern Bypass. When a police vehicle reached the spot, an explosion was triggered, ostensibly using a remote-controlled device. “The general public is hereby informed that, under the directives of authorised departments, mobile internet services

US President-elect Donald Trump said on Thursday that his administration will work hard to end the Russia-Ukraine war, adding that the conflict needs to come to an end. “We’re going to work on the Middle East, and we’re going to work very hard on Russia and Ukraine. It’s gotta stop. Russia and Ukraine’s gotta stop,” Trump said at a gala for the America First Policy Institute at the Mar-a-Lago Club in Florida. “I saw a report today. Thousands of people over the last three days were killed. Thousands and thousands were killed. They happened to be soldiers, but whether they’re soldiers or they’re people sitting in towns, we’re going to work it,” he added. Turning to his election victory last week, Trump said the American people delivered “something very, very amazing”. “The biggest political victory in 129 years…We swept all swing states. We won the popular vote,” he said. He stressed that the country is “doing good” since he was elected on November 5. “Now the only thing is, Mr. S

WhatsApp is testing a new feature in its latest beta update that will bring themed icons to contacts and group chats. Users of Android devices can verify the new update via version 2.24.24.12. Currently, when a contact or group chat doesn’t have a profile photo, WhatsApp shows a simple grey icon. In the upcoming update, WhatsApp will introduce colorful icons, which makes it easier to tell contacts and groups apart. Each icon will have its color, which will help users quickly identify chats, even if they have the same name or no profile picture. This change is similar to the color-coded icons seen in the Android address book for contacts without photos. The new themed icons will be especially useful for users who don’t set profile pictures, as the different colors will make it much simpler to recognize who’s who. WhatsApp’s new colorful icons feature is under testing and will be available in a future update. If you’re using the WhatsApp beta on an Android device, you may see this

US President-elect Donald Trump officially announced on Wednesday he is nominating Republican Senator Marco Rubio, a senior member of both the foreign relations and intelligence committees and former political rival, to be secretary of state. "He will be a strong Advocate for our Nation, a true friend to our Allies, and a fearless Warrior who will never back down to our adversaries," Trump said in a statement. The choice could come as a relief to US partners worried that the Trump administration could pull back from its global network of alliances, including NATO, given Trump's more "America First" approach to foreign affairs. Rumours of Rubio's selection had prompted criticism from some members of the Republican party who saw his foreign policy views as too traditional and internationalist. Rubio, 53, is known as a China hawk, outspoken critic of Cuba's Communist government and strong backer of Israel. He has in the past advocated for a more asser

The Philippines has raised its highest storm alert and evacuated thousands of people as it braces for Super Typhoon Usagi, the fifth storm to hit the country in three weeks. Packing sustained winds of up to 185km/h (115mph), Usagi is set to make landfall in the already storm-battered northern part of the main island of Luzon on Thursday, according to the national weather agency. “Landfall at or near super typhoon intensity is likely,” the agency, PAGASA, said in its latest bulletin, adding that gusts could reach up to 230km/h (143mph). Luzon is the country’s most populous agricultural region. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr on Thursday urged residents in the affected areas to “heed the warning” of local governments. “To those who have been ordered to evacuate, please do so for your own safety,” he said. A series of storms has already killed 159 people in the last few weeks and prompted the United Nations to request $32.9m in aid for the worst-affected regions. The national weathe

Scientists have found the largest coral in the world near the remote Solomon Islands in the Pacific Ocean, a gigantic organism that can be seen from space. The “mega coral” is 32 metres (105 feet) long and 34 metres (111 feet) wide and is believed to be about 300 years old, the National Geographic Society said on Thursday. It is mainly brown but features splashes of bright yellows, blues and reds, and is covered with ripples of waves, mirroring the ocean’s surface. The organism, which has a circumference of 183 metres (600 feet), is made up of a network of coral polyps, tiny individual creatures. It was discovered by members of National Geographic’s Pristine Seas team – a group of scientists working on board a research vessel in the southwest Pacific Ocean in October. Unlike a reef, which is a network of many coral colonies, the newly discovered structure is a standalone coral that has grown uninterrupted for hundreds of years. Warming oceans caused by climate change have drained

Britain's The Guardian newspaper announced on Wednesday it would no longer post content from its official accounts on Elon Musk's X, branding it a "toxic media platform" home to "often disturbing content". "We think that the benefits of being on X are now outweighed by the negatives," the left-leaning newspaper, which has nearly 11 million followers on X, said in a statement on its website. It added that its "resources could be better used promoting our journalism elsewhere". "This is something we have been considering for a while given the often disturbing content promoted or found on the platform, including far-right conspiracy theories and racism," the statement noted. "The US presidential election campaign served only to underline what we have considered for a long time: that X is a toxic media platform and that its owner, Elon Musk, has been able to use its influence to shape political discourse." The paper

President-elect Donald Trump returned to the White House on Wednesday for the first time since winning last week's election and sat down for talks about the looming transfer of power with longtime political rival President Joe Biden. "Welcome, welcome back," Biden told Trump at the start of their meeting in front of a roaring fireplace. He promised Trump a smooth transition of power and to do all he could "to make sure you're accommodated." "It'll be as smooth as it can get," Trump said. It was a sharp contrast to the criticism the two men have hurled at each other for years. Their respective teams hold vastly different positions on policies from climate change to Russia to trade. Biden, 81, has portrayed Trump as a threat to democracy, while Trump, 78, has portrayed Biden as incompetent. Trump made false claims of widespread fraud after losing the 2020 election to Biden. Trump's motorcade rolled through the heavily guarded White Ho

Tesla said on Wednesday it was recalling 2,431 Cybertruck electric pickup trucks in the United States as loss of drive power could increase the risk of a crash, in its sixth such move this year. Last month, the EV maker said it would recall more than 27,000 Cybertrucks in the United States due to delayed rear-view camera images that could impair driver visibility and increase crash risks. A fault in the drive inverter in Cybertrucks manufactured between Nov. 6, 2023 and July 30 this year could cause the part to stop producing torque when the driver uses the accelerator pedal, resulting in a loss of propulsion and increasing the risk of a collision, Tesla said in a report. Tesla will replace the recalled drive inverter with one equipped with a functioning component at no extra cost, it said. After a two-year delay due to production and battery-supply challenges, Tesla began delivering its futuristic Cybertruck in 2023. The company has not disclosed specific production or delivery

The United Nations has said continued weapons supplies to Sudan’s warring military and paramilitary forces are “enabling the slaughter” and must stop, with civilians bearing the brunt of the conflict. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) are escalating their military operations and recruiting new fighters fuelled by “considerable” external support and a steady flow of arms, said Rosemary DiCarlo, the UN undersecretary-general for political and peacebuilding affairs. “To put it bluntly, certain purported allies of the parties are enabling the slaughter in Sudan,” she told the UN Security Council (UNSC) late on Tuesday, without naming any of the countries or parties sending weapons. “This is unconscionable. It is illegal, and it must end.” Sudan plunged into civil war on April 15, 2023, as a result of a power struggle between the RSF led by Mohamed Hamdan “Hemedti” Dagalo and SAF chief Abdel Fattah al-Burhan. The UN says the war has

A hit-and-run attack at a sports centre in the southern Chinese city of Zhuhai killed 35 people and severely injured 43, local police said on Tuesday. The incident happened at 7:48pm (1148 GMT) on Monday, when a small off-road vehicle was driven into a large group of people exercising outside the sports centre. Zhuhai police said in a statement that the suspect, a 62-year-old man surnamed Fan, was being treated at a hospital after hurting himself with a knife in his car. A Reuters reporter at the scene on Tuesday evening said people had begun leaving wreaths, counting 18 laid in front of a sign for the Zhuhai People’s Fitness Square. Others lit candles and incense. The police presence was low. A video, verified by Reuters, of the scene on Monday following the attack had shown at least 20 people lying on the ground. Cries of “terrorist” could be heard as ambulances arrived to take the injured to hospital. Hundreds of rescue personnel from Zhuhai city and Guangdong province were d

Climate change is helping to drive a rising refugee crisis, adding to the huge numbers already displaced by conflict, according to a United Nations report. Three-quarters of the world’s forcibly displaced people live in countries heavily affected by climate hazards, the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) said in the document released on Tuesday. The number of people fleeing conflict doubled to more than 120 million over the past decade, 90 million of them in countries with high-to-extreme exposure to climate-related hazards, it reported. Half of displaced people are in locations affected by both conflict and serious climate hazards, such as Myanmar, Somalia, Sudan and Syria. “For the world’s most vulnerable people, climate change is a harsh reality that profoundly affects their lives,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi. “The climate crisis is driving displacement in regions already hosting large numbers of people uprooted by conflict and insecurity, compounding their p

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has begun the process of blocking unregistered Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) in the country, as part of its efforts to regulate internet security and ensure the safety of users. Sources within the PTA said that the unregistered VPNs pose a significant security risk, as they may allow unauthorised access to sensitive data. These could also potentially provide access to illegal content as well, they added. Insiders further stated the government is also temporarily blocking some VPNs to allow for their inclusion in the PTA’s white-listing process. The telecommunication authorities initiated the VPN registration process back in 2010. To date, approximately 20,500 VPNs have been successfully registered, with over 1,422 companies having completed the registration process. The regulatory body is now focused on accelerating the white-listing of VPNs to improve compliance. Consumers have been facing difficulties in accessing free VPN serv

The Kremlin has denied reports that claimed the US President-elect Donald Trump has spoken with Russian President Vladimir Putin where the American leader reportedly urged Putin to not escalate the war in Ukraine. Casting the media reports as “pure fiction”, Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Monday said Putin has no specific plans to speak to Trump at the present. “This is completely untrue. This is pure fiction, it’s just false information. There was no conversation,” Peskov told reporters. “This is the most obvious example of the quality of the information that is being published now, sometimes even in fairly reputable publications,” Peskov said. Asked if Putin had plans for any contacts with Trump, Peskov said: “There are no concrete plans yet.” The Washington Post first reported that Trump held the call from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida on Thursday, just days after his stunning election victory over Democratic rival Kamala Harris. The Post, quoting several people famil

Meta-owned platform WhatsApp is working on a custom lists feature for its web version to allow users to filter chats for more efficient management for a future update. It is worth noting that this feature will ensure a more synchronised experience which will be available across both mobile and desktop platforms, reported WABetaInfo. Moreover, this will assist users to access personalised chat filters anytime in the future. Users can quickly locate specific chats, whether with friends, family, or other personal contacts by setting up custom lists. Any lists created on the mobile app will be automatically synced with WhatsApp Web with the help of this feature ensuring that user filters are available no matter where they access their chats. This makes it obvious that if a user creates a custom list such as "Family" or "Project Team" from their phone, that list will automatically appear on WhatsApp Web. Users will enjoy a consistent and unified experience across

China has reasserted its territories around a flashpoint reef in the South China Sea after the Philippines defined its sea boundaries in the contested waters. Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr signed two laws on Friday to define the country’s maritime entitlements and set designated sea lanes and air routes to “reinforce sovereignty”. China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Sunday that it “firmly opposes this and it will continue to take all necessary measures in accordance with the law to resolutely defend the country’s territorial sovereignty and maritime rights and interests”. Beijing claims sovereignty over nearly all of the South China Sea, including areas claimed by the Philippines, Brunei, Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam. China rejected a 2016 ruling by the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague that its sweeping claims were not supported by international law. The United States, a Philippine ally, backs the court’s ruling in the case, which was brought by M

Meta-owned platform WhatsApp announced that it was rolling out a message draft feature for iOS which will now be available for use over the coming weeks. The new feature has been designed to assist user keep track of partially composed messages which makes it easier to revisit and complete them later, reported WABetaInfo. Users can finally reduce the time spent searching through conversations for unsent messages by flagging these incomplete messages directly in the chat list. According to the official change log on the App Store, the message drafts are now indicated with a new "Draft" label directly with the chat list. Marked with the "Draft" label, this feature displays the text of any incomplete message right in the chat list. This will help users see what they were writing without opening the conversation. Moreover, this feature serves as a reminder for users, who often get interrupted or distracted while typing, by reducing the chance of leaving messages

Germany marked 35 years since the Berlin Wall fell with festivities on Saturday under the theme “Preserve Freedom!”, against the sombre backdrop of conflicts in Gaza and Ukraine and fears that democracy is under attack around the world. The liberal ideals of 1989 “are not something we can take for granted”, Chancellor Olaf Scholz said on Friday, just days after his governing coalition collapsed. “A look at our history and at the world around us shows this,” added Scholz, whose three-party alliance imploded the day Donald Trump was re-elected US president, plunging Germany into political turmoil and towards new elections. November 9, 1989, is celebrated as the day East Germany opened the borders to the West after months of peaceful mass protests, paving the way for German reunification and the collapse of Soviet Communism. That “joyful day” underlines the sombre fact “that freedom and democracy have never been a given”, Berlin mayor Kai Wegner told a commemoration service at the B

North Korea has staged a Global Positioning System (GPS) jamming attack, Seoul’s military has said, an ongoing disruption operation that has affected several ships and dozens of civilian aircraft in South Korea. South Korea’s Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) on Saturday warned ships and aircraft operating in the West Sea area, also known as the Yellow Sea, to be cautious of North Korea’s GPS signal jamming. “North Korea conducted GPS jamming provocations in Haeju and Kaesong yesterday and today [November 8-9],” the JCS said in a statement, adding that several vessels and dozens of civilian aircraft were experiencing “some operational disruptions” as a result. GPS relies on a network of satellites and receivers that allows for global positioning and navigation. The JCS also called on North Korea to immediately halt the interference and warned it would be held accountable for its actions. Between May 29 and June 2, an estimated 500 planes and hundreds of ships experienced GPS problems

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi strongly backed his government’s contentious 2019 decision to revoke the partial autonomy of Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), days after the territory’s newly elected lawmakers sought its restoration. “Only the constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar will operate in Kashmir… No power in the world can restore Article 370 (partial autonomy) in Kashmir,” Modi said, referring to one of the founding fathers of the Indian constitution. Modi was speaking at a state election rally in the western state of Maharashtra, where Ambedkar was from. Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government revoked partial autonomy in 2019 and split the state into the two federally administered territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh — a move that was opposed by many political groups in the Himalayan region. IoK held its first local election in a decade in September and October and the newly-elected lawmakers passed a resolution this week seeking the restoration. The territ

The Indian Cricket Board has confirmed that India will not participate in the 2024 Champions Trophy cricket tournament in Pakistan. Citing security concerns, they have communicated to the Pakistan Cricket Board their preference to relocate all matches to Dubai. Indian media quoted sources as saying, “This has been our stance and there is no reason to change that. We have written and asked them to shift our games to Dubai.” The Indian board that Dubai presents no logistical challenges, stating, “There are no issues in Dubai. Hotels are not a problem, logistics not a problem, everything can be handled smoothly. And the ICC has everything under control when it comes to Dubai.” The tournament, scheduled from February 19 to March 9, will feature the top eight teams in the world, with Karachi, Lahore, and Rawalpindi designated as host cities. Reports indicated that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has maintained its position regarding Pakistan “in consultation with the

Social media app TikTok said it will challenge an order by the Canadian government to shutter its business in the country. The North American nation took the decision citing national security concerns, Innovation Minister Francois-Philippe Champagne announced Wednesday. It means TikTok must close its offices in Toronto and Vancouver, but Canadians can still use the app. Champagne, however, warned them to exercise caution. “The government is not blocking Canadians’ access to the TikTok application or their ability to create content,” he said in a statement. Champagne said it was “important for Canadians to adopt good cyber security practices and assess the possible risks of using social media platforms and applications, including how their information is likely to be protected, managed, used and shared by foreign actors.” The decision to stop TikTok from doing business in Canada was made after a rigorous security review, he said. “The decision was based on the information and evi

President Joe Biden urged Americans on Thursday to lower the political temperature after Donald Trump’s crushing election win over Kamala Harris, saying in a conciliatory address to the nation that he would ensure a peaceful transition of power. In a solemn speech from the White House, Biden also said the result should “lay to rest” doubts about the integrity of the US election system fueled by Trump’s refusal to acknowledge his own 2020 defeat by the Democrat. “Something I hope we can do, no matter who you voted for, is see each other not as adversaries but as fellow Americans. Bring down the temperature,” Biden said. Staff rose to their feet, cheered and clapped as Biden arrived in the famed Rose Garden. The 81-year-old dropped out of the race against Trump in July and handed the Democratic nomination to Harris, his vice president. Biden said he had called Republican Trump to congratulate the twice-impeached former president and assure him there would be a “peaceful and orderl

Indonesia’s Mount Lewotobi Laki-Laki has erupted eight times, spewing a massive column of ash and prompting the government to consider permanent relocation for residents nearby. There were no immediate reports of casualties from Thursday’s eruptions, the ash plume rising 2,500 metres (8,200 feet) from its peak, but residents on the tourist island of Flores were seen fleeing in panic. Officials raised the alert for the 1,703-metre (5,587-foot) twin-peaked volcano to the highest level. At least 5,816 of the more than 16,000 people living in areas near the volcano had been evacuated to other villages, said Heronimus Lamawuran, a spokesperson for the Flores regional government. The country’s Center for Volcanology and Disaster Mitigation said a mixture of rock, lava and gas was also thrown up to 1km (0.6 miles) from its crater. The volcano erupted on Monday and Tuesday, killing at least 10 people and forcing the relocation of residents from a 7km (4.3-mile) exclusion zone. Anastasi

The Honor X9c phone has been launched globally. This marks a great achievement for the brand due to the fact that it is their most rugged smartphone to date. This new 5G Honor phone is a great example of the company’s remarkable steps forward in terms of both durability and visual appeal. The primary feature that stands out with the Honor X9c is its drop protection, which guarantees the phone's durability in case of falls from up to 2 meters. This tough mobile phone has won the top positions in SGS reliability testing and is built with a scratch-resistant body that endured more than 3,000 rounds of steel wool rubbing without damage. Besides its ability to absorb shock, the phone is capable of operating in a temperature range of -30 to 50 degrees Celsius which makes it even more durable. The Honor X9c’s IP65M rating is a higher standard for protection as it prevents water jet penetration from any angle, outmatching traditional ratings in overall safety. Performance users will b

Donald Trump’s electoral victory has left Mexico bracing for potential trade tensions, tariffs and mass migrant deportations that experts say could pose a major test of relations between the closely connected neighbours. On the eve of the election, Trump vowed to impose tariffs of at least 25 per cent on goods coming from Mexico unless it stops an “onslaught of criminals and drugs.” The Latin American nation “has to take what Trump says seriously” given his past actions such as building a border fence, said Pamela Starr, an expert on US-Mexican relations at the University of Southern California. At the same time, “Trump likes to negotiate from a position of strength, which means he tends to use coercive rhetoric to lay out an extreme position from which he can negotiate down,” she told AFP. Trump’s win sent the Mexican peso sliding to a two-year low against the dollar as markets prepared for increased trade frictions. Gabriela Siller, head of economic analysis for the financial