Daily News Pakistan

Saudi Arabia is in discussions with the United States over a defence agreement that could be finalised during Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s expected visit to the White House next month, the Financial Times reported on Friday, citing people familiar with the matter. A senior official from the Trump administration told the FT that there were “talks about signing something when the crown prince arrives, but the details are still being worked out.” According to the report, the proposed deal would resemble the recent US-Qatar defence pact, under which Washington pledged to treat any armed attack on Qatar as a threat to the United States. That agreement came shortly after Israel’s air strike on Doha last month, which targeted senior Hamas leaders. The US State Department described defence cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a “strong bedrock of our regional strategy,” but declined to provide details about the possible agreement. Neither the State Department, the White House, nor the...

A magnitude 6.1 earthquake shook southern Philippines on Friday, the United States Geological Survey (USGS) reported, just a week after two powerful quakes hit the country. Provincial rescuer Ralph Cadalena told AFP that there were no immediate reports of casualties or damage. “We felt a sudden strong shake, but it lasted only for a very short time,” he said. The tremor struck near Dapa municipality in Surigao del Norte province at a depth of around 69 kilometers (43 miles), according to USGS. This comes a week after two quakes measuring 7.4 and 6.7 magnitude struck the eastern part of Mindanao island, killing at least eight people. Earlier, a magnitude 6.9 earthquake had hit Cebu province in central Philippines, killing 76 people and damaging or destroying around 72,000 homes, according to government figures. Earthquakes are common in the Philippines, which lies on the Pacific "Ring of Fire" a zone of high seismic activity stretching from Japan through Southeast Asia ...

Pakistani actress Alizeh Shah has addressed and dismissed rumors suggesting that she uses AI or beauty filters to make herself look like Korean girls. Taking to her Instagram Stories, the Ehd-e-Wafa star posted a video of herself, subtly clarifying that her look is completely natural and not digitally enhanced. “I just washed my face,” Alizeh said at the start of the clip, pointing out that her appearance was makeup-free. She went on to add, “People think I’m using AI or some kind of filter  it’s not AI,” while placing her hand over one eye to prove that no filter was being used. Explaining her look further, Alizeh shared, “I’m just using a lip liner to make my lips appear fuller,” before applying the liner on camera to demonstrate. In the following story, the actress flaunted her silky straight hair and pouty lips in a monochromatic selfie, once again emphasizing her natural features. Earlier, Alizeh had made headlines after criticizing the producers and host of reality TV...

Instagram has tightened content filtering for teen accounts to align with PG-13 movie rating standards, the platform announced on Tuesday. The move comes as Meta and other social media platforms face increasing pressure to prioritize the well-being of younger users over profit and engagement. Instagram described the update as the most significant change to Teen Accounts since their launch in September last year. Under the new system, teens on Instagram will be exposed only to content comparable to what is allowed in PG-13-rated films—a rating introduced by the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA) in 1984. The PG-13 rating warns parents when a movie contains material that may be unsuitable for children under 13, including mild nudity, violence, or drug use. Meta’s Capucine Tuffier, head of public affairs for child protection, explained that applying movie rating standards to Instagram is part of an effort to implement the “most protective settings” for teenagers. Examples...

The Israeli military announced that the remains of four additional hostages handed over by Hamas on Tuesday have been brought into Israel from Gaza. This follows the confirmation of identities for those transferred a day earlier. The remains were initially handed over to the Red Cross before being transferred to Israel for forensic examination, marking the latest step in implementing a ceasefire aimed at ending over two years of conflict in the Gaza Strip. On Monday, Hamas had already transferred the remains of four hostages, shortly after releasing the last 20 living hostages under the ceasefire agreement brokered by US President Donald Trump. Separately, a Gaza hospital reported receiving the bodies of 45 Palestinians returned by Israel as part of the same ceasefire plan. The hostages whose remains were handed over on Monday included Israeli citizens Guy Iluz, Yossi Sharabi, Daniel Peretz, and Nepalese agriculture student Bipin Joshi. Yossi Sharabi, 53 at the time of Hamas’s O...

Environmental and climate litigation is on the rise in China, with thousands of specialized courts handling more than a million recent cases. However, the country’s approach differs significantly from trends seen elsewhere. Unlike in many parts of the world, where climate litigation is often led by activists and NGOs pressing governments for action, in China it is largely dominated by state prosecutors. Their focus is primarily on enforcing existing regulations rather than pushing for new government climate policies or ambitions. Globally, courts both domestic and international have emerged as a key arena for holding governments accountable on climate change. A notable example came in July at the International Court of Justice, which ruled that countries have a legal duty to address climate change. In China, however, cases tend to center on regulatory compliance, with NGOs and activists playing a minimal role. According to Zhu Mingzhe, a legal scholar at the University of Glasgo...

At GITEX 2025, Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) is turning heads with the showcase of its Cray supercomputing systems, which feature a groundbreaking 100% fanless direct liquid cooling architecture. This cutting-edge technology powers some of the world’s fastest and most efficient systems, including the renowned El Capitan supercomputer. It has also played a pivotal role in helping HPE secure top positions on the Green500 list, which ranks the globe’s most energy-efficient supercomputers. While next-generation accelerators have enhanced performance and efficiency, the rapid rise of AI workloads has led to a surge in power consumption outpacing the limits of traditional cooling systems. As a result, organizations handling large-scale AI operations are being pushed to adopt smarter, more sustainable infrastructure strategies. Positioning itself at the forefront of this transformation, HPE continues to lead the industry with its direct liquid cooling technology, recognized as one o...