Daily News Pakistan

WhatsApp Business is enhancing its features with the latest beta update for Android, version 2.24.26.16. The update, available via the Google Play Beta Programme, introduces AI-powered replies and a business platform connection, along with refreshed theme colours for a more user-friendly experience. The new update brings updated light and dark theme colours to the app, replacing the old light blue accents with black for the light theme and white for the dark theme. These changes align the Android app with recent updates to the iOS version, making it easier to differentiate between WhatsApp Messenger and WhatsApp Business. The most significant addition is the integration of AI-powered replies. Businesses can now use AI to respond to customer messages, particularly during times when human staff are unavailable. The AI can handle common questions, guide users through the purchasing process, and even manage complex queries using machine learning models customised to the business’s need...

Elon Musk said Starlink satellite internet is inactive in India, his first comments since authorities seized two of the company's devices in recent weeks, one in an armed conflict zone and another in a drug smuggling bust. Starlink is seeking approval in India to provide satellite broadband services and the Musk-owned company is trying to address any potential security concerns as part of the process. Musk wrote on X late on Tuesday that "Starlink satellite beams are turned off over India" and were "never on in the first place." He was responding to a post from the Indian Army about a search operation on Dec. 13 in Manipur state in India's northeast, where a communal conflict has raged since early last year. The post included photos of seized weapons and a satellite dish and receiver with a Starlink logo. Earlier this month, Indian police sent a legal demand to Starlink seeking purchase details of a device found when they caught smugglers at sea with ...

Authorities in Russia have arrested a suspect over the killing of a top general and his aide in a bomb blast in Moscow. The Investigative Committee said in a statement on Wednesday that a national of Uzbekistan had been arrested on suspicion of having committed the attack that killed Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov and his assistant Ilya Polikarpov on Tuesday morning. It added the 29-year-old suspect said he had been “recruited by Ukrainian special forces”. Kirillov, 54, had been the head of Russia’s Nuclear, Biological and Chemical Protection Troops since 2017. He was killed outside an apartment building when a bomb hidden in an electric scooter went off. The bomb was triggered remotely, according to Russian reports. Images from the scene showed shattered windows and scorched brickwork. Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) published footage of the interrogation of the suspect, who, it said, faces “a sentence of up to life imprisonment”. The agency said he had been promised ...

China’s foreign minister said Tuesday that Beijing and Washington can achieve “many great things” if they work together, ahead of next month’s inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump. But top diplomat Wang Yi also warned against what he called the US’ “crude interference” on the issue of Taiwan. The world’s two largest economies have butted heads on a range of issues in recent years, from trade and technology to human rights and China’s growing assertiveness towards the self-ruled island of Taiwan. Wang said China’s policy towards the United States “has not changed” during a Tuesday address in Beijing that reflected on the country’s diplomatic work in the past year and its expectations for the future. He said that economic working groups and cooperation on cross-border drug control “fully prove that as long as China and the United States cooperate, we can accomplish many great things”. He also, however, repeated a warning over Taiwan, saying Beijing “resolutely opposed ille...

TikTok made a last-ditch effort on Monday to continue operating in the United States, asking the Supreme Court to temporarily block a law intended to force ByteDance, its China-based parent company, to divest the short-video app by Jan. 19 or face a ban. TikTok and ByteDance filed an emergency request to the justices for an injunction to halt the looming ban on the social media app used by about 170 million Americans while they appeal a lower court's ruling that upheld the law. A group of U.S. users of the app filed a similar request on Monday as well. Congress passed the law in April. The Justice Department has said that as a Chinese company, TikTok poses "a national-security threat of immense depth and scale" because of its access to vast amounts of data on American users, from locations to private messages, and its ability to secretly manipulate content that Americans view on the app. The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit in Washington on ...

A senior Russian general in charge of nuclear protection forces in Moscow has been killed by a bomb hidden in an electric scooter, Russia’s investigative committee said. Lieutenant General Igor Kirillov, who was chief of the Troops of Radiological, Chemical and Biological Defence, was killed on Tuesday outside an apartment building on Ryazansky Prospekt. “Igor Kirillov, the head of the radiation, chemical and biological protection forces of the armed forces of the Russian Federation, and his assistant were killed,” the investigative committee said. Russia’s TASS news agency reported, quoting a law enforcement official, that the explosive device “had a capacity of some 300 grams in TNT equivalent”. Photographs posted on Russian Telegram channels showed a shattered entrance to a building littered with rubble and two bodies lying in the blood-stained snow. A criminal case has been opened. Russia’s radioactive, chemical and biological defence troops are special forces who operate un...

Australia has unveiled a new visa program aimed at attracting skilled workers to address workforce shortages in key industries across the country. The Skills in Demand (SID) visa replaces the previous Temporary Skills Shortage (TSS) visa, offering a more streamlined and efficient pathway for professionals seeking to live and work in Australia. The SID visa is divided into three distinct streams, each tailored to meet different workforce needs. The Specialist Skills Pathway targets top-tier professionals with exceptional expertise who can drive innovation and contribute to Australia’s economic growth. The Core Skills Pathway is designed to address workforce shortages in priority sectors, while the Essential Skills Pathway is focused on filling industry-specific gaps through targeted agreements. Additional details regarding the Essential Skills Pathway will be announced in the near future. One of the key features of the SID visa is the reduced work experience requirement, which has...

Former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad broke his silence following the collapse of his government on December 8, releasing a statement detailing his account of the events that unfolded in Syria earlier in December. “First, my departure from Syria was neither planned nor did it occur during the final hours of the battles, as some have claimed. On the contrary, I remained in Damascus, carrying out my duties until the early hours of Sunday 8th December 2024,” a statement posted on the Telegram channel of the Syrian presidency quoted Assad as saying on Monday, Russian and Arab media reported. The authenticity of the statement, the first since Assad left Damascus for Moscow last Sunday, could not be independently verified. “When the state falls into the hands of terrorism and the ability to make a meaningful contribution is lost, any position becomes void of purpose,” the statement added. Armed militants, led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), overthrew the Assad government on December ...

Russian President Vladimir Putin has accused the West of forcing Russia into a corner, pushing it to its "red lines" and compelling a response. Speaking to a gathering of defense officials on Monday, Putin reiterated that Russia had no choice but to act in the face of what it perceives as escalating threats from the West. Putin’s comments came amid growing concerns over the United States’ development and potential deployment of short and medium-range missiles. The Russian president expressed unease at these developments, signaling that Russia is closely monitoring the situation. He warned that if the U.S. proceeds with the deployment of such missiles, Russia would respond by lifting all voluntary restrictions it has imposed on its own missile deployments. The Russian president further emphasized that the country's nuclear arsenal is intended solely for deterrence, underscoring its strategic value in maintaining balance. Putin also highlighted the continued progres...

Israel has hit Syria’s coastal Tartus region with “the heaviest strikes” in the area in more than a decade, a war monitor group has said. “Israeli warplanes launched strikes targeting a series of sites including air defence units and ‘surface-to-surface missile depots’”, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, in what it said were “the heaviest strikes in Syria’s coastal region since the start of strikes in 2012”. The observatory said that “violent explosions” were heard in the coastal city of Tartous “as a result of the successive strikes and the flying of ground-to-ground missiles from the warehouses”. The US embassy in Damascus advised Americans to leave Syria, saying the security situation there continues to be volatile and unpredictable with armed conflict and “terrorism throughout the country”. The EU is sending a senior diplomat to Damascus to make contacts with Syria’s new leaders, in a further sign of western engagement after the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The EU’s ...

WhatsApp has unveiled significant improvements to its video calling experience, designed to benefit both personal and professional users, TechCrunch reported. As one of Meta's flagship messaging services, WhatsApp is building on past updates, such as message drafts and voice note transcription, to make its video calls more user-friendly and engaging. Group call participant selection A standout update allows users to selectively choose participants for group video calls, rather than notifying the entire group. This enhancement gives users more control over who’s included in the conversation, streamlining calls that don’t require everyone’s attention. Creative new video call effects WhatsApp is adding 10 new video call effects to spice up virtual conversations. From puppy ears to underwater settings and karaoke microphones, these effects offer a fun way to make video calls more entertaining. Businesses can also use these effects for informal meetings or team-building activitie...

Minister of State for IT and Telecommunication Shaza Fatima Khawaja has said that Smart Village project will play a significant role in bringing forward talented youth. Addressing the inauguration ceremony of Asia’s first smart village project in Roras, Sialkot, Shaza Fatima Khwaja said this pilot project has been launched under the government’s Digital Pakistan Vision. She said the aim of Smart Village project is to digitally connect remote and rural areas with internet connectivity, so that quality of life of the people improves and it becomes easier to resolve daily issues including health and education digitally. The State Minister said that one hundred girls and boys will be given training in business and computer skills at the Digital Village Center to improve their employability. Shaza Fatima Khawaja said Pakistan is the first country in the Asia-Pacific countries where e-village facilities are being provided. She said similar smart village projects will soon be launched i...

Users of Microsoft have been alerted to potential cyber threats targeting their accounts and login credentials, putting sensitive information at risk. An advisory issued by the National Cyber Emergency Response Team, operating under the Cabinet Division, warned about cyber attacks aimed at breaching networks through Microsoft Windows systems. The advisory emphasised that hackers may exploit vulnerabilities to gain unauthorised access to networks and confidential data. Hackers do not even need to open any file to gain access, while Microsoft has not yet released an official solution for the problem. The advisory says access to login passwords and networks can lead to control of entire system. It can affect all Windows versions — Windows 7 to 11 — and Windows Server 2022, it adds. The advisory recommends a dual security system and network strengthening, saying specific information can be protected with a firewall and virtual local area network. The advisory has also asked users n...

Greek authorities have recovered the body of a man and rescued 39 migrants from the sea after their boat capsized off the southern island of Gavdos in the Mediterranean, the coastguard said. Many are still missing, according to witnesses, and the coastguard has launched a search operation on Saturday assisted by vessels and aircraft. An Italian frigate and helicopters were operating at the site, with more ships heading to the area. In separate incidents on Saturday, a Malta-flagged cargo vessel rescued 47 migrants from a boat sailing about 40 nautical miles (74km) off Gavdos, while a tanker rescued another 88 people some 28 nautical miles (52km) off the island. According to initial information, coastguard officials believe the boats left together from Libya. Greece received nearly one million migrants from the Middle East, Africa and Asia in 2015-2016, most of whom took the dangerous route of crossing the sea on inflatable dinghies. Similar shipwrecks off Crete and Gavdos, whic...

South Korean lawmakers will vote on Saturday to decide whether to impeach President Yoon Suk Yeol over his failed attempt to impose martial law, marking a second parliamentary showdown that remains uncertain. The vote, scheduled for around 4:00 pm (0700 GMT), will focus on a resolution for impeachment due to "insurrectionary acts," following an unsuccessful attempt to remove Yoon the previous week. Yoon has vowed to fight until the end, continuing to make unproven claims that opposition parties are aligned with the country's communist enemies. To pass the impeachment, 200 votes are required, meaning that the opposition must persuade eight members from Yoon's conservative People Power Party (PPP) to switch allegiances. Seven lawmakers from the ruling party have pledged to support the motion, with many others still undecided, according to local media reports. The main opposition Democratic Party has stated that impeaching Yoon is the "only way" to "s...

Russia hammered Ukrainian energy facilities in a massive aerial attack on Friday that President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said was one of the largest yet on the ailing grid and evidence of why Kyiv needed more Western support before any peace with Russia. Russia’s 12th major assault on the energy system this year damaged power facilities in several Ukrainian regions and forced authorities to impose even longer electricity cuts for millions of civilians, the national grid operator said. With winter temperatures currently around -6 degrees Celsius, the strikes increase pressure on Ukraine at an unpredictable moment with Donald Trump set to return to the White House next month, vowing to end the war quickly. “This is (Russian President Vladimir) Putin’s plan for ‘peace’ – to destroy everything. This is how he wants ‘negotiations’ – terrorising millions of people,” Zelenskiy said on X. “A strong reaction from the world is needed: a massive strike – a massive reaction.” Russia launched 93 ...

The European Union has cleared Bulgaria and Romania to become full members of the borderless Schengen zone from the start of next year, according to officials. Hungarian Minister of the Interior Sandor Pinter, whose country holds the EU’s rotating presidency, heralded the accession of the two countries as a “historic moment” at a gathering of ministers on Thursday. The decision comes after a 13-year journey to accession for the two EU and NATO members, who were finally cleared for entry after Austria agreed to drop its veto, which it had previously wielded because of concerns about undocumented immigration. Romanian President Klaus Iohannis called accession a “natural and necessary step” that will significantly reduce waiting times at borders, lower logistical costs for businesses and raise attractiveness to foreign investors. “Schengen membership has been a strategic objective for our country,” he said in a statement. “Over time, there have been numerous obstacles, despite Roman...

The Samsung Galaxy S25 series may arrive with unexpected good news for buyers: no price increase. While earlier reports speculated that the upcoming lineup would be costlier than the Galaxy S24 series, a new report suggests otherwise, at least in Northern Europe. In Sweden, the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra are expected to launch at the same price points as their S24 counterparts. This means the Galaxy S25 base model with 128GB storage may still cost $962.93 in Germany, the S25+ with 256GB storage at $1,228.43 and the S25 Ultra with 256GB storage at $1,550.43. While the Galaxy S25 series doesn’t promise massive upgrades, it brings notable improvements. The Snapdragon 8 Elite processor will replace the Exynos 2400 in European models, significantly boosting performance. The Galaxy S25 will also include 12GB RAM (up from 8GB), while the S25+ and S25 Ultra may offer configurations with up to 16GB. The S25 Ultra is set to feature a new 50MP ultra-wide camera, while other specificat...

Receiving WhatsApp messages or channel updates in a language you don't understand can be a bit stressful as it leaves with no other choice but to use a translation tool to avoid missing out any important messages. However, this frustration in Meta's popular instant-messaging app may soon go away as WhatsApp is now developing an exciting new feature that will allow users to easily translate chat messages and channel update within the app. Set to debut in a future update, the new feature has been designed in a way that improves communication on the app without violating any user's privacy. According to WABetaInfo, the translations through the new feature will occur directly on the user's device, ensuring that no data is sent to third-party services or even WhatsApp's own servers. Additionally, the feature is designed to work offline, allowing users to download language packs in advance. Once these packs are installed, translations can be processed locally, even ...

An Israeli attack on Palestinian security guards escorting a humanitarian aid shipment in the Gaza Strip has killed at least 12 people and injured dozens. Medics and local residents told the Reuters news agency that at least 30 people were injured, including several in critical condition, following the Israeli attack on Thursday that targeted civilian guards tasked with securing the aid convoy in the southern part of the war-torn enclave. A video clip shared by local Palestinian media in Gaza showed bodies stacked in a morgue that were reported to be the aid convoy’s security personnel who were targeted west of Khan Younis. The attack is only the latest by Israeli forces on humanitarian aid workers, convoys and those trying to assist the safe entry of food and other supplies into war-torn Gaza, which is gripped by food shortages and fears of famine in the north of the territory, where an Israeli military ground operation and siege have been ongoing for several weeks. On Sunday ni...

Afghanistan’s acting minister for refugees Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani has been killed in an explosion in the capital, Kabul, according to his nephew and officials. Khalil Ur-Rahman Haqqani was killed on Wednesday in the blast that also claimed the lives of five others, local media said. His death was confirmed by his nephew, Anas Haqqani, Reuters news agency reported. Interior Ministry officials told The Associated Press news agency the explosion was caused by a suicide bombing. A government source, who asked to remain anonymous, told the AFP news agency that the explosion happened at the Ministry of Refugees in Kabul. The Taliban leadership has not yet confirmed Haqqani’s death, and there has been no claim of responsibility. Haqqani became a minister in the Taliban’s interim government after foreign forces withdrew from Afghanistan in 2021. He was a senior leader of the powerful Haqqani Network, responsible for a number of violent attacks during the Taliban’s two-decade armed cam...

TikTok's Canada unit filed an emergency motion with Canada's Federal Court seeking a judicial review of an order that the company shut down its operations in the country on national security concerns, it said in a statement on Tuesday. The Chinese-owned social media app requested the court set aside a government order requiring TikTok to wind-up its business in Canada, a filing dated Dec. 5 showed. As an alternative, the filing said the court could set aside the order and return it to the government for review along with guidance. Ottawa last year began investigating TikTok's plan to invest and expand its business in Canada. The review led to a government order last month that required the firm to end its Canadian operations because of national security concerns. Closing its Canadian business would lead to hundreds of job losses, TikTok argued in its statement on the legal challenge. "We believe it's in the best interest of Canadians to find a meaningful solu...

Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, Iran’s Supreme Leader, stated Wednesday that the Syrian crisis was orchestrated by the U.S. and Israel, with evidence confirming their involvement. Addressing a gathering in Tehran, he mentioned a neighboring country, likely Turkey, also played a role. Khamenei rejected claims of a weakening resistance front, asserting that pressure only strengthens it. He condemned militants’ divisions and predicted Syria's liberation by its youth, adding that U.S. influence in the region will eventually diminish through resistance efforts. "There should be no doubt that what happened in Syria was plotted in the command rooms of the United States and Israel. We have evidence for this," Ayatollah Khamenei told a group of people in Tehran Wednesday. "One of the neighboring countries of Syria also played a role, but the primary planners are the US and the Zionist regime," the Leader added, apparently referring to Turkey. Ayatollah Khamenei qua...

The UN General Assembly is set to vote Wednesday on a draft resolution calling for an immediate, unconditional, and permanent ceasefire in Gaza, as well as the release of all hostages. The non-binding resolution also demands unrestricted humanitarian aid access to Gaza, particularly in the north, which has suffered over a year of conflict. This follows the US vetoing a similar measure in the Security Council. The war, triggered by Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack that killed 1,208 people and involved the kidnapping of 251 hostages, has seen Israel’s retaliatory offensive result in at least 44,786 deaths in Gaza, mostly civilians, according to UN-reliable figures from Hamas health authorities. Palestinian ambassador Riyad Mansour called Gaza the “bleeding heart of Palestine,” urging the international community to act. Conversely, Israel’s ambassador Danny Danon criticized the resolution for not addressing what he described as Hamas’s “infrastructure of hate.” A second draft resoluti...

India’s top career diplomat was in Bangladesh on Monday to defuse tensions between the two neighbours arising from the August overthrow of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina in a student-led revolution. Hasina’s iron-fisted rule was strongly backed by India and the 77-year-old remains in New Delhi where she took refuge after her ouster, despite Bangladesh announ­cing it would seek her extradition. Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, leader of an interim government tasked with implementing democratic reforms, has condemned acts of “Indian aggression” that he alleged were intended to destabilise his administration. Vikram Misri, the secretary of India’s foreign ministry, arrived in Dhaka on Monday for the first in-person meeting between top officials of both countries since Hasina’s ouster. Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus, who met Misri on Monday, has said the reports were exaggerated. Yunus “asked India to help clear the ‘clouds’ that have cast a shadow over the relationshi...

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has fixed Febraury 6 for hearing the plea challenging the ban on social media platform X, formerly known as Twitter. The petition, which was last heard on April 17, 2024, has faced multiple delays, with prior hearings on May 2 and June 11, 2024, also being postponed. A miscellaneous application for an early hearing was accepted by the court on November 22, 2024. IHC Chief Justice Aamir Farooq, after reviewing the case, directed that the petition be heard after the winter vacation period. In March, the interior ministry admitted to the Sindh High Court (SHC) that X had been officially blocked in February based on intelligence reports. Access to the platform has been restricted in various parts of Pakistan since February 17. However, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar clarified that the ban on social media platform X, formerly Twitter, was imposed due to national security concerns, not to limit freedom of expression. Notably, Pakistan has landed i...

This year’s Nobel Peace Prize will be presented Tuesday to Japan’s atomic bomb survivors’ group Nihon Hidankyo, which lobbies against the weapons now resurging as a threat 80 years after the Hiroshima and Nagasaki bombings. The three co-chairs of Nihon Hidankyo will accept the prestigious award during a ceremony starting at 1pm (1200 GMT) in Oslo’s City Hall, at a time when states like Russia increasingly threaten to break the international taboo on the use of nuclear arms. "Nuclear weapons and humanity cannot co-exist," one of the three co-chairs, Terumi Tanaka, told a press conference on Monday in the Norwegian capital. "Humanity may come to its end even before climate change brings its devastating impacts," the 92-year-old said. Nihon Hidankyo works tirelessly to rid the planet of the weapons of mass destruction, with testimonies from survivors of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, known as "hibakusha". Around 140,000 people were killed in Hiroshima when th...

Instagram, a widely used social media platform, is currently experimenting with a new functionality that will enable users to schedule messages. This feature will permit users to select a specific time for sending messages to others. It will complement the existing capability to schedule posts, reels, and various other types of content. With the recently launched Schedule Message feature, users can plan and send messages to any Instagram contact, ensuring that the message is delivered automatically, even if the user’s device is offline. This functionality is especially helpful for those who often have tight schedules. Additionally, this feature can be utilized to send birthday wishes. Users can easily schedule a message, which will be sent automatically, regardless of whether they are awake at that time. We have tested the Instagram message scheduling feature on several Android devices, and based on our experience, here is a guide on how to schedule your Instagram direct messages...

Russian President Vladimir Putin personally approved Bashar Assad’s asylum in Moscow, the Kremlin confirmed on Monday. The revelation follows reports that the former Syrian president and his family had arrived in Russia after the fall of Damascus to armed opposition forces. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov told a press briefing that there was no meeting scheduled to take place between Putin and Assad. “There is nothing to say regarding Assad’s whereabouts,” he added. When asked how Assad had been granted political asylum, Peskov said: “Such decisions cannot be made without the head of state; it is his decision.” Mikhail Ulyanov, a senior Russian diplomat, confirmed earlier Monday that Assad and his family were in Moscow, saying this reflected Russia’s commitment to its allies in challenging times. “Russia does not betray its friends in difficult situations… unlike the US,” Ulyanov stated. On Sunday, Russian media reported that Assad and his family had been granted asylum in Russia ...

Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma voiced confidence in its affiliate Ant Group's future, seeing significant opportunities in artificial intelligence for the fintech giant, at a rare public appearance since China halted its planned IPO in 2020. Speaking at the 20th anniversary celebration for Ant Group, which he also co-founded, Ma welcomed the AI technological revolution, according to Chinese media outlet 36kr. "Our generation is very lucky. We seized the opportunities of the Internet era," said Ma, according to the report. "From today's perspective, the great changes brought by the AI ​​era in the next 20 years will exceed everyone's imagination." He also said he was grateful for the experiences and challenges Ant had faced over the past few years. "It is these encouragements and criticisms that help Ant grow and mature," he was quoted as saying. Ma, China's best-known tech entrepreneur, publicly criticized Chinese regulators in a speech in...

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has been banned from leaving the country over a failed attempt at imposing martial law, amid growing calls for him to step down and a deepening leadership crisis. Oh Dong-woon, the head of the Corruption Investigation Office for High-ranking Officials, said on Monday he ordered a ban on foreign travel for Yoon when asked at a parliament hearing what actions have been taken against the embattled president. A Ministry of Justice official, Bae Sang-up, told the committee the travel ban order has been executed. Yoon’s People Power Party (PPP) staged a walkout of the chamber before a vote to impeach the president on Saturday, prompting accusations of being “accomplices to insurrection” after the motion failed. On Sunday, PPP leader Han Dong-hoon said Yoon would be excluded from foreign and other state affairs, and Prime Minister Han Duck-soo would manage government affairs until Yoon eventually stepped aside. The decision to delegate presidential ...

WhatsApp has rolled out a new feature in its latest beta update, version 2.24.25.29, which introduces reminder notifications for unread messages from important contacts. The update is available for Android users enrolled in the Google Play Beta Programme. Previously, WhatsApp's reminders were limited to status updates from frequently contacted individuals. The latest feature now extends these alerts to unread chat messages, aiming to ensure users do not overlook communication with their most active contacts. The app uses an internal algorithm to determine key contacts based on user interaction frequency. However, this data is not backed up or stored on WhatsApp's servers, meaning it will reset if the app is reinstalled. According to WhatsApp, the feature is designed to provide meaningful and non-intrusive notifications, making it easier to stay connected with essential conversations. Currently available to a limited number of beta testers, the feature is expected to ro...

The Syrian government fell early Sunday in a stunning end to President Bashar al-Assad’s 24-year rule over the Arab country after the militant group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) stormed and captured the capital Damascus. In a statement on Sunday morning, the HTS militants declared that they had captured the capital, confirming reports of the fall of the Assad government. Earlier in the day, Reuters quoted an unnamed officer as saying that the Syrian army command notified officers that the Assad government had fallen. Syrian PM: Ready to cooperate with power transfer Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Ghazi al-Jalali expressed the government’s readiness to “extend its hand” to the militants and hand over its functions to a transitional government. “I am in my house and I have not left, and this is because of my belonging to this country,” he said in a video statement. He also noted that he would go to his office to continue work in the morning, calling on Syrian citizens not to defac...

The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), in its bid to facilitate freelancers, has announced the registration of virtual private networks (VPNs) against mobile numbers for those internet users who lack a static IP address. In a statement issued on Saturday, the PTA said: "The step is aimed to further simplify the VPN registration process for facilitation of the IT industry". Revealing that over 31,000 VPNs have been registered so far, the regulatory body advised users to register the VPNs against mobile numbers by accessing its website. The development comes as the PTA, in light of security concerns raised by the government, had announced to initiate a crackdown against unregistered VPNs. The body had initially set out a November 30 deadline for VPN registration. However, later it decided to not block VPNs on the expiration of the deadline maintaining that it would go beyond it. The Ministry of Interior had announced to begin the process of shutting down all unr...

South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol has made a public apology for his attempt to impose martial law this week but did not resign, defying intense pressure to step down – even from some in his own party – only hours before a planned impeachment vote. In a televised address to the nation on Saturday, Yoon said he would not seek to avoid legal and political responsibility for his decision to invoke the emergency measure of martial law for the first time in South Korea since 1980. “I am very sorry and would like to sincerely apologise to the people who were shocked,” Yoon said, promising there would be no second attempt. “I leave it up to my party to take steps to stabilise the political situation in the future, including the issue of my term in office,” he said, standing in front of the South Korean flag and bowing after he finished his brief remarks. The speech was the embattled leader’s first public appearance since he rescinded the martial law order early on Wednesday, just six ...

Qatar is engaging with the incoming Trump administration on Gaza after sensing a new momentum with the administration on ceasefire talks, Qatar’s Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani said on Saturday. Al Thani said during the Doha Forum that his country has seen encouragement from the Trump administration to reach a ceasefire in Gaza before Trump’s inauguration in January. The latest humanitarian situation report on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank paints a brutal picture of increasing Israeli settler violence, forced displacement of local Palestinian communities, and ongoing killings by Israeli forces. In the week between November 26 and December 2, Israeli forces killed five Palestinians and wounded 27 others — including seven children — across the West Bank and occupied East Jerusalem, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports. During the latest reporting period, 14 people, including eight children, ...