Daily News Pakistan

China's AVIC Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, the maker of J-10C aircraft used by Pakistan to down India's French-made planes in May last year, has reported a significant surge in profits, according a report by Bloomberg. Revenue increased by 15.8% to 75.4 billion yuan ($11 billion) in 2025, with profit up 6.5% to 3.4 billion yuan in 2025, the publication cited the jetmaker as saying in a statement. The numbers are the highest-ever for the company, Bloomberg reported, adding that Chengdu's first-quarter sales rose almost 80% on year. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) inducted J-10C in March 2022, in a major boost to the country’s military capabilities to defend airspace. At the time, the government said that the fighter jet could carry more advanced, fourth-generation air-to-air missiles, including the short-range PL-10 and the beyond-visual-range PL-15. The fighter jet saw its first combat use in May 2025 when India launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on May 6, follow...

Microsoft has updated its digital mapping services to include Palestinian place names and remove ‘misleading’ Israeli designations in the occupied West Bank, according to a digital rights group. The Arab Centre for the Advancement of Social Media (7amleh) said in a statement that the revisions affect several location-based tools, including Microsoft’s Bing search engine. Labels that previously identified West Bank locations as “Judea and Samaria, Israel” have now been replaced with “West Bank,” the statement added. “Judea and Samaria” is the Israeli administrative term used for the occupied West Bank. However, under international law, the territory — including East Jerusalem — is considered occupied Palestinian land and is widely viewed as part of a future Palestinian state. 7amleh described the update as a “necessary correction,” with advocacy manager Lama Nazeeh urging technology companies to comply with international law and avoid contributing to what she called the “digital ...

Asian stocks fluctuated on Wednesday while oil prices swung as talks to end the Iran war appeared to be at a standstill and the crucial Strait of Hormuz no nearer being reopened. While the White House has said Donald Trump and his team were considering Tehran's latest proposal to restore traffic through the waterway, CNN and the Wall Street Journal said the president was sceptical. The Islamic republic this week submitted a plan that would reportedly see it ease the chokehold and Washington lift its retaliatory blockade on the country's ports as talks continued, including over its nuclear programme. While US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Iran's proposal was "better than what we thought they were going to submit", he insisted any eventual deal had to be "one that definitively prevents them from sprinting towards a nuclear weapon". Iranian defence ministry spokesman Reza Talaei-Nik said Washington "must abandon its illegal and irrational d...

The United Arab Emirates said on Tuesday it quit Opec and Opec+, dealing a heavy blow to the oil exporting groups, at a time when the Iran war has caused a historic energy shock and unsettled the global economy. The stunning loss of the UAE, a longstanding Opec member, could create disarray and weaken the group, which has usually sought to show a united front despite internal disagreements over a range of issues from geopolitics to production quotas. Opec Gulf producers have already been struggling to ship exports through the Strait of Hormuz, a narrow chokepoint between Iran and Oman through which a fifth of the world’s crude oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes, because of Iranian threats and attacks against vessels. But the UAE exit from Opec represents a big win for US President Donald Trump, who has accused the organisation of "ripping off the rest of the world" by inflating oil prices. Trump has also linked US military support for the Gulf with oil prices...

Alphabet’s Google joined a growing list of technology firms to sign a deal with ​the US Department of Defence to use its artificial intelligence models ‌for classified work, The Information reported on Tuesday, citing a person familiar with the matter. The agreement allows the Pentagon to use Google’s AI for “any lawful government purpose”, the report added, ​putting it alongside OpenAI and Elon Musk’s xAI, which also have deals to supply ​AI models for classified use. Classified networks are used to handle a ⁠wide range of sensitive work, including mission planning and weapons targeting. The Pentagon signed ​agreements worth up to $200 million each with major AI labs in 2025, including Anthropic, OpenAI, ​and Google. The Pentagon is seeking to preserve all flexibility in defence and not be limited by warnings from the technology’s creators against powering weapons with unreliable AI. Google’s agreement requires ​it to help in adjusting the company’s AI safety settings and filte...

Signatories of the landmark nuclear non-proliferation treaty began a meeting Monday at the United Nations as fears of a renewed arms race escalate, with atomic powers again at loggerheads over safeguards. In 2022, during the last review of the treaty considered the cornerstone of non-proliferation, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres warned humanity was "one misunderstanding, one miscalculation away from nuclear annihilation." On Monday he warned "the drivers" of nuclear weapons proliferation were accelerating. "For too long, the treaty has been eroding. Commitments remain unfulfilled. Trust and credibility are wearing thin. The drivers of proliferation are accelerating. We need to breathe life into the treaty once more," Guterres said in opening remarks. With global geopolitical friction only heightened since the last meeting, it was unclear what the gathering at UN headquarters could achieve. France's Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot told s...

The people of Iran are fighting bravely and heroically for their sovereignty, Russian President Vladimir Putin told Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during their meeting on Monday. Putin met the visiting Iranian foreign minister in St. Petersburg. He hailed the Iranian people for "bravely and heroically" fighting to preserve their national sovereignty and expressed hope that they would overcome these difficult times and peace would return to their country. Putin added that Russia will take every necessary step to ensure the interests of Iran and other regional countries and to help restore peace in the region as soon as possible. The Russian president noted that he received a written message from the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Mojtaba Khamenei, last week. The Iranian foreign minister, who is in Moscow on the last leg of his regional tour, commended Russia’s constant support for Iran, particularly during the unprovoked war of aggression la...

Hezbollah’s secretary general says Iran’s insistence on ending Israeli aggression against Lebanon during indirect negotiations with Washington was the decisive factor that made a ceasefire with Israel possible. "A ceasefire would not have been achieved without Iran’s position during the Pakistan talks," Sheikh Naim Qassem said in a statement released on Monday. The Hezbollah chief noted that the Tel Aviv regime is currently at an impasse, and Hezbollah remains staunchly prepared, strong, and invincible. Earlier this month, negotiations began between Iranian and US delegations in Islamabad on an end to the US-Israeli aggression against the Islamic Republic. Ever since, Tehran had kept pushing for a ceasefire in Lebanon as a major condition for any progress in the talks and the start of the second round of negotiations. This finally forced US President Donald Trump and the Tel Aviv regime to comply on this issue. Israel was trying to continue the war on Lebanon despite ...

A new wave of social media accounts is reshaping how celebrity news is consumed, with creators posting round-the-clock updates on stars’ lives to millions of followers. Accounts like Buzzing Pop and Pop Crave share constant updates ranging from red carpet moments to chart rankings and viral interviews, attracting massive engagement across platforms. Jay, a 25-year-old researcher for Buzzing Pop, says the work is continuous. “We’re at this 24 hours a day, seven days a week,” he said, adding that the team relies on both established media sources and anonymous tips, which are checked for credibility before posting. Similar accounts have gained huge followings, while others focus on individual celebrities such as Taylor Swift, Selena Gomez and Zendaya. Andrei Ciprian, who runs a Taylor Swift updates page with nearly two million followers, said he began by tracking details from the singer’s Eras Tour, spending hours daily posting updates for fans. Experts say the trend has made celeb...

Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi arrived in Saint Petersburg on Monday after completing his second visit to Islamabad in as many days. "He arrived early on Monday morning with the aim of meeting and holding talks with Russian President Vladimir Putin," Iranian state news agency IRNA posted on Telegram. Moscow's TASS news agency confirmed earlier that Putin plans to meet Araghchi, citing Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov. Earlier, Araghchi headed to Russia as peace efforts between Tehran and Washington hung in the balance, following a flurry of regional diplomacy and the collapse of planned talks in Pakistan. Abbas Araghchi visited Oman between trips to Pakistani capital Islamabad and is expected to meet President Vladimir Putin on Monday, according to the Iranian ambassador. On Saturday, US President Donald Trump scrapped a planned trip to Islamabad by his envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner. In a sign that efforts were ongoing, the Fars news agency sai...

Iran’s foreign ministry has announced that Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is set to visit Pakistan again after concluding his trip to Oman and before travelling to Russia, state media IRNA reports. Part of Araghchi’s delegation returned to Tehran after talks in Islamabad to seek guidance on issues related to ending the war, and is expected to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad tonight, the report added. Iran’s foreign minister set to return to Pakistan ahead of Moscow visit https://t.co/owCHoLY3p6 pic.twitter.com/bEyOsuQjOu — IRNA News Agency ☫ (@IrnaEnglish) April 26, 2026

United States President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump were rushed out of the White House Correspondents’ Association dinner by Secret Service agents on Saturday night after a man opened fire on security personnel, officials said. A man armed with a shotgun fired at a Secret Service agent, an FBI official told Reuters. The agent was hit in an area covered by protective gear and not harmed, the official said. All federal officials, including Trump, were safe. About an hour after Trump was rushed from the event, he posted on Truth Social that a “shooter had been apprehended”. “Quite an evening in DC, Secret Service and Law Enforcement did a fantastic job,” Trump added. Shortly afterwards, he posted, “The First Lady, plus the Vice President, and all Cabinet members, are in perfect condition”. Anthony Guglielmi, a Secret Service spokesman, said the service was investigating a shooting near the main screening area at the entrance to the event. The incident occurred at the...

DeepSeek, the Chinese startup whose low-cost AI model stunned the world last year, launched on Friday a preview of a highly awaited new model adapted for Huawei chip technology, underlining China's growing autonomy in the sector. The Pro version of the new model outperforms other open-source models in world-knowledge benchmarks, trailing only Google's closed-source Gemini-Pro-3.1, DeepSeek said. The close collaboration with Huawei on the new model, the V4, contrasts with DeepSeek's past reliance on Nvidia's AI chips. Huawei said its chips were used in some of the V4's training process. "This is a big deal for China's AI industry," said He Hui, director of semiconductor research at consultancy Omdia. "Huawei's Ascend chips are the country's best homegrown alternative to Nvidia, and supporting DeepSeek V4 shows that top Chinese AI models can now run-on Chinese hardware." Most leading AI models are trained and run-on chips made by...

The first deputy head of the Main Directorate of International Military Cooperation of the Russian Defense Ministry says Iran demonstrated a “shining example” of defense during the recent illegal US-Israeli war of aggression. “Iranian Armed Forces showed to the world a shining example of their firm resolve to defend their country's interests,” Major-General Yevgeny Ilyin said during a ceremony in Moscow on Thursday, marking Iran’s National Army Day. Iranian forces, he added, stand ready to deliver a proper and proportionate response to emerging challenges and threats. The Russian military official said the Islamic Republic of Iran Army, with its steadfastness and courage, has protected the country’s defense and security and turned into a reliable guarantor for the nation’s independence and stability. The unprovoked US-Israeli aggression on Iran began on February 28 with airstrikes that assassinated senior Iranian officials and commanders. Iranian armed forces unleashed 100 w...

US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Islamabad on Saturday morning for talks with Iran mediated by Pakistan, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said in an interview with Fox News. "Everyone will be on standby to fly to Pakistan if necessary, but first, Steve and Jared will be going over there to report back to the president, the vice president and the rest of the team," Leavitt said on the Fox News show "America Reports." Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi was expected in the Pakistani capital Islamabad on Friday to discuss proposals for restarting peace talks with the United States.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi is expected to arrive in Islamabad on Friday night, sources said, without providing details about who he was likely to meet. Islamabad has been gearing up for an anticipated second round of talks between the United States and Iran, but it was not clear whether Araghchi and the delegation accompanying him would meet any US officials to discuss the Middle East war. Iranian state media reported that Araghchi will depart on Friday for a tri-nation tour that includes visits to Islamabad, Muscat and Moscow, Iranian. "The purpose of this visit is to hold bilateral consultations, and discuss current developments in the region, as well as the latest situation in the war imposed by the United States and the Israeli regime against Iran," the state news agency IRNA said. Meanwhile, a US official told Reuters on Friday that President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and son-in-law Jared Kushner will travel to Pakistan soon for ta...

India’s unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty under the pretext of security concerns constitutes a flagrant violation of international law , devoid of any legal basis within the Treaty framework. By invoking unsubstantiated claims surrounding the Pahalgam incident , India advances a dangerous doctrine that legitimizes treaty erosion and the coercive weaponisation of shared resources. The Indus Waters Treaty is a binding bilateral instrument that contains no provision permitting unilateral suspension , reinterpretation, or conditional compliance, thereby rendering India’s decision to hold it in abeyance legally untenable and inconsistent with the principle of pacta sunt servanda. The attempt to justify this breach through allegations linked to the Pahalgam incident remains entirely unsubstantiated in international fora, exposing the claim as a politically motivated pretext rather than a lawful justification. By conflating disputed security narratives with treaty obligation...

A composed half-century from captain David Warner, supported by a late surge from Khushdil Shah, guided Karachi Kings to a five-wicket win over Lahore Qalandars in Pakistan Super League (PSL) 11 encounter at Lahore's Gaddafi Stadium on Thursday. Set to chase a daunting 200-run target, the visitors knocked off the winning runs for the loss of five wickets and eight balls to spare to keep their playoff hopes alive. The Kings got off to a shaky start to the pursuit as Ubaid Shah dismissed right-handed opener Jason Roy (nine) in the second over with just 10 runs on the board. Warner then shared brief partnerships with Reeza Hendricks and Salman Ali Agha, who could contribute 10 and 14, respectively. The skipper then received ample support from the other end in the form of Moeen Ali, and the experienced duo put together 58 runs at a brisk pace before Ubaid struck again, dismissing the latter, who made a 17-ball 39, laced with four sixes and a four. The Kings then suffered another...

The Turkish parliament voted on Wednesday to prevent children under the age of 15 from accessing social media platforms, state media agency Anadolu reported, the latest country to try such a ban. Under the law, under-15s will be banned from creating accounts on social media, while digital platforms will be forced to put in age-verification systems, Turkish news broadcaster NTV reported. The vote follows in the footsteps of similar bans and proposals to limit the harms of internet use for young people, including Australia's landmark move to restrict social media to over-16s only. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to sign the legislation, which was introduced by his party. The law will enter into force six months after being published in the official gazette. If alerted to an "emergency", major social media platforms will have a duty to intervene within an hour of harmful content being posted online, NTV said. Besides Turkey, France has been spearhe...

The Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Wednesday announced a landmark advancement in Pakistan’s manned space mission programme as two astronaut candidates — Khurram Daud and Muhammad Zeeshan Ali — are set to depart for China to begin advanced astronaut training at the Astronaut Centre of China (ACC). In an X post, the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said that this is a significant step forward in Pakistan’s space exploration journey that positions the country in the community of a select group of nations actively engaged in human spaceflight programmes. Under this collaboration, Pakistan is preparing for its first-ever participation in a mission to the China Space Station (CSS), it added. “The mission is currently planned for launch in late 2026, where a Pakistani astronaut will serve as a Payload Expert aboard the Shenzhen mission,” said the ministry. During the mission aboard the CSS, the Pakistani astronaut will conduct several scientific expe...

The Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) Navy says it has intercepted and transferred to Iranian territorial waters two vessels for having committed violations in the Strait of Hormuz. In a statement released on Wednesday, the IRGC identified the vessels as the MSC-Francesca, which it said belongs to the Israeli regime, and the Epaminodes. The vessels, it said, were operating without authorization, committing repeated violations, tampering with navigation aid systems, and endangering maritime security in an attempt to exit the strait covertly. "With the intelligence dominance of the forces, these vessels were identified and stopped in order to uphold the rights of the noble Iranian nation in the Strait of Hormuz," the IRGC Navy said. It added that the vessels have now been transferred to Iranian territorial waters for inspection of their cargo and documents. The IRGC Navy reiterated that any attempt to disrupt the implementation of laws announced by Iran for transit ...

Meta is installing new tracking software on US-based employees’ computers to capture mouse movements, clicks and ​keystrokes for use in training its artificial intelligence models. The move is part of a broad initiative to build AI agents that can perform work tasks autonomously, the company told staffers in ‌internal memos seen by Reuters. The tool, called Model Capability Initiative (MCI), will run on work-related apps and websites and will also take occasional snapshots of the content on employees’ screens, according to one of the memos, posted by a staff AI research scientist on Tuesday in a channel for the company’s model-building Meta SuperIntelligence Labs team. The purpose, according to the memo, was to improve the company’s AI models in areas where they struggle to replicate how humans interact with computers, like choosing from dropdown menus ​and using keyboard shortcuts. “This is where all Meta employees can help our models get better simply by doing their daily work,...

Iran's agriculture minister said a US naval blockade has had little impact on the country's ability to supply basic goods and food, citing strong domestic production and alternative import routes. "Despite the US naval blockade, we have no problem in supplying basic goods and food because, due to the size of the country, it is possible to import from different borders," Agriculture Minister Gholamreza Nouri said on Tuesday. "About 85 percent of agricultural products and basic goods are produced domestically, so the country's food security is established," he added, according to the official IRNA news agency. The United States imposed a naval blockade on Iran's ports and coasts on April 13, days after a ceasefire was announced that paused its war with Iran. Iran has strongly criticised the blockade, describing it as a violation of the ceasefire.

US President Donald Trump on Wednesday extended a ceasefire with Iran, delaying its expiry to allow more time for negotiations mediated by Pakistan. Trump said the decision followed a request from Pakistan, which has been facilitating talks between Washington and Tehran. He added that US forces would maintain a naval blockade of Iranian ports while attacks remain paused. The extension comes despite Trump’s earlier threats to strike Iranian infrastructure. In a statement, Trump said attacks on Iran would remain on hold, but military readiness and the blockade would continue. Trump said that he was extending a ceasefire between the US and Iran until Tehran submitted a “unified proposal” and “discussions are concluded, one way or the other”. “Based on the fact that the Government of Iran is seriously fractured, not unexpectedly so and, upon the request of Field Marshal Asim Munir, and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, of Pakistan, we have been asked to hold our Attack on the Country o...

No Iranian delegation has arrived in Islamabad for talks with the United States, says a report, as senior Iranian officials declared they will not engage in talks "under the shadow of threats" following renewed American aggression at sea. Contrary to numerous international and regional media reports suggesting an Iranian delegation was set to arrive for talks, IRIB News Agency reported on Tuesday that "to date, no delegation from Iran has gone to Islamabad, Pakistan; neither a main nor a subsidiary delegation; neither primary nor secondary." The report dismissed speculation about scheduled meetings, stating that news circulated since Saturday about the "departure" or "arrival" of an Iranian team, or even specific meeting times, was entirely without basis. This firm stance follows blatant breaches of a two-week-old ceasefire by Washington. Iranian officials have maintained a consistent position since Sunday evening, asserting that the "c...

President Masoud Pezeshkian says Iranians will never submit to force despite “bitter messages” from American officials. Pezeshkian made the remark in a post on his X account on Monday as US President Donald Trump said an American delegation was on route to Islamabad for talks with Iran after he renewed his threat of attacking Iranian power plants and bridges if no deal is reached. Iranian officials have said there is currently no plan to hold a second round of talks with the US after 21 hours of Pakistani-mediated negotiations failed to yield an agreement on April 11-12 over Washington’s excessive demands and shifting positions In his post, Pezeshkian stressed that honoring commitments was the basis of “meaningful dialogue.” “Deep historical mistrust in Iran toward U.S. gov conduct remains, while unconstructive & contradictory signals from American officials carry a bitter message; they seek Iran’s surrender. Iranians do not submit to force,” the president wrote. Speaking to...

South Korean battery maker Samsung ​SDI said on ‌Monday it has signed a multi-year agreement ​with Mercedes-Benz to ​supply batteries for electric ⁠vehicles, marking its ​first EV battery supply ​deal with the automaker. The batteries will feature high-nickel ​NCM (nickel, cobalt, and ​manganese) chemistry, powering Mercedes-Benz’s next ‌generation ⁠EVs, Samsung SDI said in a statement Mercedes-Benz planned to use ​the ​batteries ⁠in future compact and mid-size electric ​SUVs and ​coupe ⁠models, the statement said. Samsung SDI did not ⁠disclose ​the size ​of the deal.