Posts in category: World

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has arrived in Iran on an official visit, where he met his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni, to discuss Pakistan-Iran bilateral relations and the latest situation in the region.

According to details, the two sides reviewed progress on ongoing cooperation between Pakistan and Iran in various fields during the meeting.

Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni thanked Pakistan’s prime minister and field marshal for their efforts toward regional peace and stability. He also expressed gratitude for Pakistan’s continued efforts to promote peace in the region and described Pakistan’s recent visit as highly beneficial.

Mohsin Naqvi said that bilateral relations between Pakistan and Iran would be further strengthened in the coming period.

Naqvi is currently in Iran on an official visit. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni received him at the airport.

Also Read: White House Says No Talks Underway With Iran, All Options Remain on Table

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump’s announced ban on CNN, MS NOW and Politico has begun taking effect, with journalists from the three organisations reportedly denied access to the White House on Saturday.

Trump announced a day earlier that CNN, MS NOW and Politico would be barred from the White House, accusing the organisations of repeatedly reporting what he described as “fake news.”

Initially, there was little visible change after the announcement. Journalists from the affected outlets continued working from the White House on Friday afternoon. The situation changed on Saturday morning.

MS NOW White House correspondent Akayla Gardner arrived at the White House with a cameraman but found that her hard press pass no longer worked. Gardner said a security officer asked her to hand over her badge and told her it had been disabled. When she asked why, she was told the decision had come from above the officer.

CNN White House reporter Betsy Klein and a cameraman were also seen attempting to enter the White House grounds before leaving without their badges. Klein later reported that her press credential had also been deactivated.

Politico’s White House reporter Cheyenne Haslett was also reportedly denied entry and had her badge confiscated, bringing all three organisations named in Trump’s announcement into the latest access dispute.

Trump did not identify a particular CNN, MS NOW or Politico report as the reason for the decision. Instead, he criticised the organisations’ overall coverage and described it as “fake news.” He said the decision was based on what he described as cumulative reporting over recent years and suggested that other media organisations could also face similar action.

Also Read: Trump Says US Will Control Strait of Hormuz and Impose 20% Transit Fee on Ships

CNN said it stands behind its White House team and will continue covering the administration. The network said its journalists have a constitutional right to report without government interference.

MS NOW said it intends to take all necessary steps to defend its First Amendment rights and the role of independent journalism. The organisation also said it would continue reporting on the president, his administration and issues affecting the American people.

The White House Correspondents’ Association has backed the three organisations, saying journalists were being singled out for doing their jobs and stressing the importance of independent access to the activities and decisions of the administration.

The dispute is not without precedent. During Trump’s first term, the White House revoked the press credentials of CNN reporter Jim Acosta following a heated exchange with the president. CNN challenged the decision in court, and a federal judge ordered the credential restored.

More recently, the Trump administration restricted access for Associated Press journalists after the news agency continued using “Gulf of Mexico” while acknowledging Trump’s decision to rename it “Gulf of America.” The dispute also resulted in litigation over White House media access.

The latest restrictions could therefore lead to another legal battle over press access and First Amendment protections, with CNN, MS NOW and Politico indicating that they intend to defend their journalistic rights.

LOS ANGELES:  A news helicopter covering a bus crash live in the US city of Los Angeles crashed while broadcasting footage of the incident.

According to US media reports, a female reporter and the pilot aboard the helicopter, along with a person on the ground, were killed in the crash.

At the time of the incident, a live feed from the helicopter was being broadcast on US news channel NBC.

The cause of the helicopter crash was not immediately known. However, in the final video broadcast live by the crew before the crash, an alarm could be heard inside the cockpit as the helicopter was losing altitude.

According to officials, the helicopter caught fire after the crash, while at least four vehicles and two storage containers on the ground also caught fire. The fires were brought under control shortly afterwards.

Also Read: Alleged Use of Government Aircraft for Maryam Nawaz’s Daughter’s Graduation Reaches Punjab Assembly

Iran has announced that it will sign an agreement with Oman concerning the Strait of Hormuz on Monday.

Media reports said Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian announced that a meeting of the foreign ministers of Iran and Arab countries would be held in Muscat on Monday, where the Iran-Oman agreement would be signed.

President Pezeshkian said all countries from whose territories Iran was attacked would participate in the meeting.

The Iranian president also reiterated that the Strait of Hormuz would be reopened if the United States ended its blockade and aggression.

Also Read: Pakistan Says Iran-US Talks Could Resume Anytime With Consent of Both Sides

White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt has said that the United States is not currently engaged in negotiations with Iran, while stressing that all options remain on the table regarding Tehran.

In an interview with Fox News, Leavitt described Iran’s economic situation as being in severe crisis, claiming that the country is facing soaring inflation and growing difficulties in meeting the financial needs of its security forces.

According to the White House spokesperson, Iran’s inflation rate has exceeded 100 percent, while the Iranian government is also struggling to pay the salaries of police and military personnel.

Leavitt said Iran was still dealing with the damage caused by the US operation dubbed “Epic Fury,” adding that the consequences of the operation continued to affect the country.

Also Read: Trump Visa Appointment Pause Could Affect Pakistanis Seeking U.S. Entry

She reiterated that preventing Iran from acquiring nuclear weapons remains President Donald Trump’s primary objective. According to Leavitt, the administration is closely monitoring Iran’s nuclear programme and developments across the region.

The White House spokesperson made clear that no negotiations with Iran are currently taking place. However, she said the US administration continues to keep all options open regarding possible future actions.

Leavitt maintained that despite Iran’s economic difficulties and the losses it has suffered, Washington would not compromise on its stated objective of preventing Tehran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

The Trump administration has announced a worldwide pause in visa appointments as part of its ongoing immigration crackdown, a move that could affect applicants in Pakistan seeking entry to the United States.

The U.S. State Department confirmed the pause on Tuesday, saying global training initiatives have been launched across U.S. embassies and consulates. The training will temporarily halt visa applications that have reached the interview stage, while visa services will be adjusted to accommodate the initiatives.

The development comes as President Donald Trump, during his second term, has pursued tighter immigration and entry policies, including deportations, visa revocations and application rejections.

Media outlet Newsweek mapped countries that could be worst affected by the move by examining countries with the highest numbers of legal immigrants moving to the United States, using the latest available data from the World Population Review, dated 2023.

India ranked third on the list with 78,070 legal immigrants moving to the U.S., while Afghanistan ranked eighth with 30,300. The list was led by Mexico with 180,530, followed by Cuba with 81,600.

The other countries among the top 10 were the Dominican Republic with 68,870, China with 59,260, the Philippines with 49,200, Vietnam with 36,000, Brazil with 28,880 and El Salvador with 26,210.

According to Migration Policy Institute data cited in the report, Indian immigrants accounted for 6.3 percent of the U.S. immigrant population in 2024, with 3.163 million Indian immigrants. Chinese immigrants accounted for 5.2 percent, while Filipino immigrants accounted for 4.3 percent.

Also Read: Students Protest at Islamabad University Campus as Man in Military Uniform Allegedly Opens Fire

The pause comes amid broader changes to the U.S. visa process and tighter immigration restrictions under the Trump administration.

Visas and green cards have been revoked and applications rejected over a range of issues, including political opinions and pro-Palestinian advocacy.

The administration is also set to remove visas of up to 200,000 people who have applied for, or are currently seeking, asylum in the United States. The State Department is expected to announce that B1 and B2 visas issued between 2016 and 2026 will be revoked if their holders have sought asylum or are currently seeking asylum, according to a report by The Associated Press citing State Department documents.

The immigration crackdown has also faced legal challenges. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Jeannette Vargas struck down a policy that suspended visa processing from 75 countries, including Iran and Somalia. The administration had argued that nationals from those countries were likely to require public assistance in the United States.

Vargas, who was appointed by former President Joe Biden, ruled that Secretary of State Marco Rubio had exceeded his authority in issuing the policy.

The temporary pause in visa appointments and other visa-related measures could also face legal opposition.

Source: Newsweek

Pakistan has summoned the US Chargé d’Affaires and lodged a strong protest over the visit of the US ambassador to India to occupied Kashmir and his controversial remarks.

According to the Foreign Office spokesperson, a strong protest was conveyed over the US ambassador’s statement regarding the status of occupied Kashmir. The spokesperson said the US ambassador had made remarks about occupied Kashmir that were contrary to facts.

Pakistan strongly condemned the characterization of Jammu and Kashmir as “part of India” and categorically rejected the US ambassador’s statement regarding occupied Kashmir.

According to the Foreign Office, Jammu and Kashmir is an internationally recognized disputed territory that awaits a final settlement in accordance with United Nations resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people.

Also Read: Government Keeps Petrol and Diesel Prices Unchanged Until August 17

The Foreign Office said the US ambassador’s irresponsible statement contradicted the United States’ longstanding position on the Kashmir dispute. It also said the statement was contrary to US commitment to international law and the UN Charter.

According to the spokesperson, Pakistan appreciated President Donald Trump’s offer of mediation for the resolution of the Kashmir dispute and urged the United States to ensure that its public statements reflect the disputed status of Jammu and Kashmir.

Five years have passed since the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan and the Taliban’s return to power, with the country continuing to face a severe humanitarian crisis and growing restrictions on women and girls, according to US media reports and United Nations officials.

Reports say the situation of human rights in Afghanistan has deteriorated significantly, with the Taliban continuing to impose restrictions on the rights and freedoms of women and girls.

According to UNESCO, around 2.4 million Afghan girls are currently out of school. Women and girls have increasingly been deprived of their ability to participate independently in education, employment and public life.

The humanitarian situation remains equally concerning. Reports indicate that approximately one in every 10 Afghan children suffers from severe malnutrition, highlighting the scale of the country’s food and humanitarian crisis.

Meanwhile, the United Nations has urged the international community to maintain funding for programmes supporting women in Afghanistan.

Speaking to journalists, Susan Ferguson, the UN’s special representative for women in Afghanistan, warned that funding shortages could force half of the 74 women’s organisations operating in the country to suspend their activities.

Ferguson said only around 25 per cent of the $1.7 billion humanitarian appeal for Afghanistan had been funded, leaving major gaps in assistance programmes.

She said three-quarters of women’s organisations in Afghanistan had faced funding cuts over the past year, while the country was experiencing an acute crisis concerning women’s rights.

Also Read: EU Report Identifies Afghanistan-Based Daesh Khorasan as a Threat to Europe

Ferguson called on governments and international donors to continue financing programmes for Afghan women, stressing that sustained support was essential amid the worsening humanitarian and rights situation.

She also said the Taliban had issued more than 100 orders restricting women’s rights, including measures preventing Afghan girls and women from attending secondary schools and universities.

Five years after the Taliban takeover, international organisations continue to warn that restrictions on women’s education, employment and participation in public life, combined with severe humanitarian needs and funding shortages, are placing millions of Afghans at increasing risk.

MICHIGAN: Six people, including a suspected gunman, were killed in a series of shooting incidents at different locations in the US state of Michigan, according to American media reports.

Police said the bodies of three people were found inside a house in Muskegon County, while another person was discovered injured at the scene.

During a search for a suspected shooter, police found a fourth body at another residence. Investigators later located the vehicle of the 39-year-old suspected gunman near a wooded area.

Authorities subsequently discovered the bodies of the suspected attacker and another individual near the vehicle, bringing the total death toll to six.

Police have launched an investigation to determine the circumstances and motive behind the shootings. Further details are expected as investigators continue examining the scenes and gathering evidence.

Also Read: Indonesian Woman Rescued in Hyderabad After Allegedly Being Confined by Husband

DUBAI: The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has introduced a fee for playing music in cafes, hotels, malls and other commercial venues.

UAE authorities said a licence fee for the commercial use of music will come into effect from December and will apply to cafes, hotels, malls and other commercial establishments.

According to the authorities, the music licence will be valid for one year and will have to be renewed annually.

Educational institutions, government institutions and non-commercial events will be exempt from the fee.

Authorities said the new system has been introduced to protect the copyright rights of singers.

They added that action will be taken against those who play music commercially without obtaining the required music licence.

Also Read: Iran Announces Resumption of UAE Flights from July 1 Following Ceasefire Agreement