Daily News Pakistan

The eyes of the world turned to Busan this week as Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump met on the sidelines of the APEC Summit their first face to face meeting in six years. It was more than just a diplomatic encounter; it was a moment that carried the weight of history and the hope of renewal. After years of distance, the two leaders sat across from each other once again, aware that their words could influence the course of the global economy and the tone of international politics. In an era of rising tensions and fractured communication, this meeting signaled that the door to dialogue is still open and that engagement remains the only path toward stability. President Xi Jinping arrived in Busan with a message of confidence, balance, and long term vision. He once again outlined China’s enduring philosophy: cooperation over confrontation, dialogue over division, and shared prosperity over zero sum rivalry. His words reflected a deep conviction that develop...

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday said he had instructed the military to launch “powerful strikes” in Gaza, accusing Hamas of breaching the ongoing ceasefire agreement in the enclave. A statement from Netanyahu’s office did not provide specific details regarding the alleged violation. However, an Israeli military official claimed Hamas had attacked Israeli forces in a zone under Israel’s control, calling it “another clear breach of the ceasefire.” Earlier, Netanyahu had also accused Hamas of failing to return the correct remains during the process of transferring the bodies of Israeli hostages. Hamas had initially announced that it would hand over the body of a missing hostage discovered in a tunnel in Gaza, but later postponed the handover, saying Israel had already violated the ceasefire terms. Reports from Israeli media suggested clashes took place between Israeli troops and Hamas fighters in Rafah, though the Israeli military has not commented on those acc...

North Korea test-fired sea-to-surface cruise missiles off its western coast, state media said Wednesday, only hours before U.S. President Donald Trump was set to arrive in South Korea. According to the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA), the vertically-launched missiles were fired from the Yellow Sea on Tuesday and remained airborne for over two hours. The launch was supervised by senior military official Pak Jong Chon, who said the country was achieving “significant progress” in strengthening its nuclear capabilities as a deterrent to adversaries. Pak said the purpose of the test was to verify “the reliability of various strategic offensive systems and demonstrate our capabilities to the enemies.” He added that it was the military’s “duty to continuously reinforce our nuclear combat readiness.” Notably, leader Kim Jong Un did not attend the launch, even though he is usually present for major weapons tests. Trump, who has expressed willingness to meet Kim during his trip his fir...

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday lauded Japan’s first female prime minister, Sanae Takaichi, during talks in Tokyo, welcoming her commitment to accelerate Japan’s military buildup and overseeing the signing of new agreements on trade and critical minerals. Takaichi a close ally of Trump’s late friend and golfing partner, former Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reportedly told Trump she would nominate him for the Nobel Peace Prize, according to White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt. Sources familiar with the discussions said the new Japanese leader is also expected to announce a $550 billion investment package, including shipbuilding projects and increased imports of U.S. soybeans, natural gas, and pickup trucks. Analysts believe these commitments could ease potential U.S. pressure on Tokyo to spend even more on defense amid rising tensions with China. Takaichi has already pledged to boost defense spending to 2% of GDP as part of her government’s long-term strategy. “It’s a ver...

American multinational technology company Meta has officially launched Meta AI in Urdu for users in Pakistan, marking a major step toward making artificial intelligence tools more inclusive and locally accessible. The launch took place during the event “Future in Focus: AI and Innovation,” organised in collaboration with the Ministry of Information Technology and Telecommunication (MoITT), according to a press release issued by the company. "These initiatives aim to accelerate the process of digital transformation in the country," read the release, adding: "Pakistani users will now be able to interact with Meta AI not only in English but also in Urdu." Speaking at the event, Federal IT Minister Shaza Fatima said: “Under the Prime Minister’s Digital Nation Vision, Pakistan is moving toward a future where technology empowers every citizen." "Our partnership with Meta reflects this commitment, promoting AI education, digital transformation, and innovati...

Australia’s competition watchdog has filed a lawsuit against Microsoft, accusing the tech giant of misleading millions of users into paying more for its AI assistant, Copilot. The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) announced Monday that it had taken legal action in the Federal Court against Microsoft Australia and its parent company, Microsoft Corp. According to the regulator, Microsoft made “false or misleading” claims to about 2.7 million Australians subscribed to Microsoft 365 plans with automatic renewal. The company allegedly implied that users faced two choices: either upgrade to new Microsoft 365 plans integrated with Copilot at a higher cost or cancel their subscriptions altogether. However, the ACCC said a third, less obvious option existed allowing customers to remain on their existing “Classic” plans without Copilot at the original price. This option reportedly became visible only after users initiated the cancellation process. “Microsoft deliberat...

Israel reaffirmed on Sunday that it will retain full control of security inside Gaza, despite agreeing to a US-mediated ceasefire that envisions the deployment of an international peacekeeping force. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told cabinet ministers that Israel alone would decide when and where to strike its enemies and which nations would be permitted to send troops to oversee the truce. “Israel is a sovereign nation. We will defend ourselves by our own means and continue to shape our destiny,” Netanyahu declared. “We seek no one’s approval for our actions. Our security remains in our hands.” AFP footage showed an Egyptian convoy entering Gaza carrying rescue personnel and heavy machinery to assist in locating the remains of Israeli hostages reportedly buried under the rubble in the war-ravaged territory. Trucks bearing the Egyptian flag and loaded with bulldozers and diggers were seen heading toward Al-Zawayda, where an Egyptian aid coordination committee is based. Isra...

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio met with Indian Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar on Monday as Washington and New Delhi seek to advance trade talks and ease tensions over recent US tariffs. While few specifics were disclosed, the meeting marked the highest-level engagement between the two countries since the United States imposed sanctions last week on several Russian oil firms  a key source of India’s crude imports. Jaishankar shared a photo on social media showing him shaking hands with Rubio, noting that he “appreciated the discussion on our bilateral ties, as well as regional and global developments.” The talks were held on the sidelines of a Southeast Asian summit in Malaysia, which was attended in person by US President Donald Trump, while Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi joined via video link. Relations between Washington and New Delhi plummeted in August after Trump raised tariffs to 50 percent, with US officials accusing India of fuelling Russia's war in ...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday expressed confidence that he could “quickly resolve” the ongoing Pakistan-Afghanistan conflict, lauding Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir as “great people.” Trump made the remarks while speaking at the signing ceremony of a Thailand–Cambodia peace accord, held on the sidelines of the ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur. Border crossings between Pakistan and Afghanistan have remained closed since October 11, following deadly clashes earlier this month the most intense since the Taliban’s 2021 takeover of Kabul which left dozens dead on both sides. The skirmishes erupted after Islamabad urged Kabul to rein in militants launching cross-border attacks into Pakistan from Afghan territory. A ceasefire brokered in Qatar and Turkiye last weekend has so far held, and during a follow-up round of talks in Istanbul, Pakistan reportedly handed over a comprehensive counterterrorism plan to the Afghan Taliban, acco...

US President Donald Trump has once again lauded Pakistan’s Field Marshal Asim Munir, describing him as a “good man,” while also calling Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a “great leader.” Speaking at the ASEAN Summit 2025 in Kuala Lumpur, President Trump said he had received reports of possible tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan but praised Pakistan’s leadership for handling the matter “swiftly and peacefully.” “I am an advocate for peace across the world,” Trump said during his address, adding that he has successfully helped halt eight wars so far. “I stopped wars through trade,” he remarked, emphasizing that the United States prefers commerce over conflict. “I like stopping wars,” he reiterated, noting that economic cooperation is the true key to lasting global peace. Earlier, Thai Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul and Cambodian counterpart Hun Manet signed an expanded ceasefire agreement at a ceremony witnessed by President Trump. The signing, held under the banner “Deliv...

China on Saturday reported a magnitude 5.5 earthquake in Jilin, a province that shares a border with North Korea, the official Xinhua news agency reported. The earthquake struck the Chinese city of Hunchun at 7:45 p.m. local time (1145 GMT), with the epicentre at a depth of 560 kilometres (348 miles), according to Xinhua.

Two Australian women cricketers, currently in India for the ICC Women's World Cup, were allegedly harassed in Indore while walking from their hotel to a nearby café on Thursday, according to Indian media reports. The players immediately sent out an SOS alert following the incident, prompting security personnel to rush to the scene. Danny Simmons, the Australian team’s security manager, lodged a formal complaint at the MIG police station later that evening. Acting on the complaint, police swiftly registered an FIR and arrested the suspect, identified as Aqeel, who was reportedly riding a motorcycle at the time of the incident. The players, staying at the Radisson Blu Hotel along with their teammates, were targeted on Khajrana Road, where the accused allegedly followed them and inappropriately touched one of the players before fleeing, officials said. According to Sub-Inspector Nidhi Raghuvanshi, the cricketers immediately contacted their team security officer, who coordinated...

Thailand’s former Queen Sirikit, mother of the reigning King Maha Vajiralongkorn and wife of the country’s longest-serving monarch, King Bhumibol Adulyadej, passed away late Friday at the age of 93, according to an official palace statement. Revered as a national mother figure, Queen Sirikit was deeply admired across Thailand, where the royal family is regarded with near-divine respect. Portraits of the late queen and her husband adorn countless public spaces and homes across the nation. During her 66-year marriage to King Bhumibol, Sirikit earned international recognition as both a fashion icon and a symbol of grace and compassion. Western media outlets once compared her elegance and influence to that of former US First Lady Jackie Kennedy. “I knew she had been unwell for a long time, but it’s still heartbreaking,” said Bangkok resident Sasis Putthasit, 53. “She was like a mother to all Thais.” According to the palace, Queen Sirikit had been suffering from multiple health issu...

Artificial intelligence company Anthropic announced on Thursday that it is significantly expanding its use of Google Cloud and specialized chips in a deal valued at tens of billions of dollars. As part of the arrangement, Anthropic will purchase up to one million Tensor Processing Units (TPUs), custom-designed integrated circuits developed by Google, according to the San Francisco-based startup. The expansion is expected to bring more than a gigawatt of new computing power online by the end of 2026, enabling Anthropic to meet the “exponentially growing demand” for its Claude AI models, said Chief Financial Officer Krishna Rao. Anthropic currently serves more than 300,000 business customers. Founded in early 2021 by former OpenAI employees who believed their previous employer was not doing enough to mitigate the risks of its AI models, Anthropic quickly established itself among the leading generative AI companies following the launch of ChatGPT by OpenAI in November 2022. Althoug...

The United States has deployed B‑1 supersonic bombers to the Caribbean coast near Venezuela, bolstering its military presence amid rising tensions with President Nicolás Maduro’s regime. The Pentagon said the B‑1s launched from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew over the Caribbean Sea toward Venezuela as part of routine training exercises. A U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed the flights occurred near Venezuelan shores but did not say whether the aircraft entered Venezuelan airspace. The B‑1 Lancer capable of carrying the largest weapons payload in the U.S. Air Force, including long‑range cruise missiles joins a broader U.S. buildup in the region. U.S. military activity has intensified since September, when American forces began striking vessels they say were used for drug trafficking near Venezuelan waters, an action President Donald Trump has cited publicly. Last week, B‑52 Stratofortress bombers also patrolled the area, escorted by Marine Corps F...

US President Donald Trump imposed Ukraine-related sanctions on Russia for the first time in his second term, targeting oil companies Lukoil and Rosneft as his frustration grows with Russian President Vladimir Putin over the war. The move came after EU countries on Wednesday approved a 19th package of sanctions on Moscow for its war against Ukraine that included a ban on Russian liquefied natural gas imports. Trump’s measures also followed Britain’s sanctioning last week of Rosneft and Lukoil. The US Treasury Department said it was prepared to take further action as it called on Moscow to agree immediately to a ceasefire in Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began in February 2022. “Given President Putin’s refusal to end this senseless war, Treasury is sanctioning Russia’s two largest oil companies that fund the Kremlin’s war machine,” Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. “We encourage our allies to join us in and adhere to these sanctions.” Oil prices jumped more than...

ChatGPT creator OpenAI announced on Tuesday its new “Atlas” search browser, leveraging artificial intelligence in a direct challenge to Google Chrome. “This is an AI-powered web browser built around ChatGPT,” OpenAI CEO Sam Altman said during a streamed presentation. OpenAI has been intensifying its competition with Google, which has responded by rapidly adding AI features across its search engine and other platforms. According to Reuters, shares of Alphabet, the parent company of Chrome, fell 2.6% in afternoon trading. Atlas is the latest entrant in the growing market of AI-powered browsers, which includes Perplexity’s Comet and Opera’s Neon, as companies add tools that can summarise pages, fill out forms, and even draft code to attract users. The browser allows users to open a ChatGPT sidebar in any window to summarise content, compare products, or analyse data from any website. In the agent mode in Atlas, ChatGPT interacts with sites for users, who can use it to do tasks fro...

US President Donald Trump said that he had told Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi there should be no war with Pakistan, emphasizing that he had helped avert several conflicts through diplomacy and trade pressure. Speaking to reporters in the Oval Office during Diwali celebrations, Trump extended his “warmest wishes to the people of India” and said he had “just spoken to your Prime Minister today.” He described the conversation as “great” and added, “We talked about trade... He's very interested in that.” Trump also discussed preventing conflict, stating, “Although we did talk a little while ago about let's have no wars with Pakistan.” He highlighted commerce as a tool to ease tensions: “The fact that trade was involved, I was able to talk about that.” He emphasized the outcome, saying, “And we have no war with Pakistan and India. That was a very, very good thing,” and praised Modi personally: “He's a great person, and he's become a great friend of mine over the y...

Japan made history on Tuesday by appointing Sanae Takaichi as its first female prime minister. A China hawk and social conservative, Takaichi secured the position after striking an 11th-hour coalition deal. She becomes Japan’s fifth premier in as many years and will lead a minority government with a packed agenda, including a scheduled visit by US President Donald Trump next week. Parliament voted Takaichi into office after she unexpectedly won a majority in the first round. She is set to formally take office following a meeting with the emperor. Takaichi, a former heavy metal drummer, became head of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) on October 4. The LDP, which has governed almost continuously for decades, has been losing support, and six days later, the Komeito party left the coalition due to Takaichi’s conservative views and an LDP slush fund scandal. This prompted Takaichi to form a last-minute alliance with the right-leaning Japan Innovation Party (JIP), which suppo...

OpenAI is placing orders worth hundreds of billions of dollars for advanced chips in the artificial intelligence race, prompting investors to question how the startup will finance such purchases. In less than a month, the San Francisco-based company behind ChatGPT has committed to acquiring roughly 26 gigawatts of sophisticated data processors from Nvidia, AMD, and Broadcom more than 10 million units, consuming power equivalent to 20 standard nuclear reactors. “They will need hundreds of billions of dollars to live up to their obligations,” said Gil Luria, managing director at financial consulting firm D.A. Davidson. The challenge is significant: OpenAI does not expect to be profitable until 2029 and is forecasting billions in losses this year, despite generating approximately $13 billion in revenue. OpenAI declined to comment on its financing strategy. However, in a CNBC interview, co-founder Greg Brockman acknowledged the difficulty of building enough computing infrastructure ...

US President Donald Trump on Sunday reiterated that Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi assured him India would halt Russian oil purchases, warning that New Delhi would face “massive” tariffs if it did not comply. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump said, “I spoke with Prime Minister Modi of India, and he said he’s not going to be doing the Russian oil thing.” When asked about India’s denial of any such conversation, Trump responded, “But if they want to say that, then they’ll just continue to pay massive tariffs, and they don’t want to do that.” Russian oil has been a key sticking point in prolonged trade talks with India about half of Trump’s 50% tariffs on Indian goods are in retaliation for these purchases. The US government has said that petroleum revenues fund Russia’s war in Ukraine. India has become the largest buyer of discounted seaborne Russian oil after Western nations shunned purchases and imposed sanctions on Moscow following its 2022 invasion of Ukrai...

Israel, which has reportedly breached the Gaza ceasefire agreement 47 times so far, carried out fresh airstrikes on Rafah on Sunday, sparking concerns over possible casualties. Earlier in the day, an Israeli tank shell struck a bus in northern Gaza, killing 11 Palestinians. Meanwhile, Hamas has firmly denied the U.S. allegations that it was plotting attacks on civilians, calling the claims baseless and politically motivated. Hamas said it did not violate the ceasefire accord.

More than seventy Khwarij belonging to Gul Bahadur group, including key Khwariji leader Farman alias Al-Karamah, have been killed during effective precision strikes on terrorist hideouts of Khwariji Gul Bahadur group in the areas of Paktika. According to credible intelligence sources, these strikes were carried out in the night of 17th of October. According to security officials, the Khwariji Gul Bahadur group is involved in major and numerous acts of terrorism in Pakistan while infiltrating from Afghanistan. On October 17, the same group also carried out a failed VBIED attack in Khadi area of North Waziristan, in which three women, two children and a jawan were martyred. Moreover, other Khwariji leaders Gulab alis Deewana, Rehmani, Adil,Siddiqullah Dawar, Ghazi Maddah Khel, Muqarrab, Qismat Ullah and Fazal-ur-Rehman were also killed in the attacks. Khwariji Fazal-ur-Rehman is the close relative of Gul Bahadur. Similarly, Khwariji Ashiq Ullah alias Kausar and Younus were also ki...

Meta has announced plans to discontinue Messenger’s desktop apps for both Windows and Mac starting December 15. From December 16, users will need to use Facebook.com or Messenger.com to continue chatting on their computers, according to a report by CNET. The report adds that Meta will issue in-app notifications to inform users as it begins winding down the desktop versions. Messenger users will have a 60-day grace period before access is completely blocked. After that, users “will be unable to use the Mac Messenger app,” the platform’s help page states. Meta has also urged users to enable secure storage in Messenger to preserve their chat history. Those who haven’t done so can activate it and set a PIN through the desktop app before it’s phased out. After the transition, chat histories will remain accessible across all platforms via Facebook.com or Messenger.com. Users who use Messenger without a Facebook account will still be able to log in directly at Messenger.com, without ne...

The United Nations’ humanitarian chief on Saturday assessed the enormous challenge of restoring essential services across the war-ravaged Gaza Strip, as Israel received the remains of another hostage from the October 7 attack, marking the second week of the ceasefire. In a small convoy of white UN vehicles, relief coordinator Tom Fletcher and his team navigated through the wreckage of demolished buildings to inspect a wastewater treatment facility in Sheikh Radwan, north of Gaza City. “I drove through here seven or eight months ago when most of these buildings were still standing. To see this level of destruction vast stretches of the city turned into wasteland it’s absolutely heartbreaking,” Fletcher told AFP. Once densely populated with over two million Palestinians, Gaza’s cities now lie in ruins after two years of relentless bombardment and fierce clashes between Hamas and the Israeli army. A little over a week after U.S. President Donald Trump helped broker the truce, the ma...

After landing chip manufacturing contracts from Apple and Tesla, South Korean tech giant Samsung has reportedly secured yet another major deal this time with Hyundai Motor Company to produce semiconductor chips for its upcoming vehicle lineup. According to a report by ZDNet Korea, Samsung Foundry has won the order to manufacture 8nm automotive chips designed by Hyundai for its future models. The new chip, developed in-house by Hyundai, is reportedly part of the company’s push toward autonomous driving technology. Development is expected to conclude by 2028, while mass production is planned to begin in 2030. Although earlier reports suggested Hyundai was working with Samsung on 5nm self-driving chips, that project has been delayed until next year. The upcoming 8nm chip will reportedly debut in premium vehicles, particularly under Hyundai’s luxury brand Genesis. Sources indicate that Hyundai opted for the 8nm process because it strikes a balance between performance and cost-effic...

US President Donald Trump described the ongoing Afghanistan-Pakistan conflict as “an easy one” for him to resolve, emphasizing his pride in saving lives and preventing wars. Speaking at a joint press conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy in Washington on Saturday, Trump said, “This is pretty much the last one, although I understand Pakistan is involved in an attack with Afghanistan. That’s an easy one for me to solve if I have to. In the meantime, I have to run the USA, but I love solving wars.” Trump highlighted his track record, saying, “I like stopping people from being killed. I’ve saved millions and millions of lives, and I think we’re going to have success with this war.” He also referenced Pakistan’s Prime Minister, noting that his mediation during the recent Pakistan-India conflict saved tens of millions of lives, avoiding a confrontation between two nuclear-armed nations. Trump added that he has helped defuse eight global conflicts in the past eight mo...

Inside a research lab nestled in the scenic Swiss town of Vevey, scientists are keeping small clusters of human brain cells alive in a nutrient-rich solution — not for medical study, but to power computers. These “mini-brains” must remain healthy at all times, as they serve as living computer processors and unlike laptops or servers, once they die, there’s no restarting them. The emerging field, known as biocomputing or “wetware,” seeks to tap into the extraordinary and still largely mysterious computing potential of the human brain. During a tour of the Swiss start-up FinalSpark, co-founder Fred Jordan told AFP that he envisions a future where biological processors replace the silicon chips driving today’s artificial intelligence revolution. Currently, the supercomputers that power AI systems like ChatGPT rely on semiconductor chips designed to imitate neurons and brain networks. “Instead of mimicking the brain, why not use the real thing?” Jordan said. One of the biggest prom...