Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s embassy in Beijing has co-organized a job fair aimed at connecting Pakistani students and professionals with leading Chinese companies, marking what officials described as the first embassy-led initiative of its kind. The event was held in collaboration with the China Overseas Development Association (CODA) and China International Intellectech Group Co., Ltd., according to an official statement issued by the embassy. &ldquo;Nearly 2,000 participants joined on site and online,&rdquo; the embassy said, adding that &ldquo;a total of 372 Pakistani candidates registered, including close to 100 who took part in the on-site initial interviews.&rdquo; Pakistan&rsquo;s Ambassador to China Khalil Hashmi described the job fair as a &ldquo;pilot initiative&rdquo; designed to link Pakistani talent with Chinese enterprises, particularly those involved in overseas projects. Addressing participants, Hashmi said the embassy was seeking to create &ldquo;practical pathways&rdquo; for employment while strengthening bilateral economic engagement. The ambassador reaffirmed the embassy&rsquo;s commitment to &ldquo;facilitating Chinese investment&rdquo; and to &ldquo;supporting enterprises in identifying and integrating qualified Pakistani professionals into their workforce,&rdquo; the statement said. During the event, the president of CODA urged Pakistani youth to capitalize on such initiatives to advance &ldquo;China-Pakistan cooperation,&rdquo; emphasizing the growing demand for skilled professionals across Chinese domestic and international projects. Participating companies presented their business portfolios and interacted directly with candidates during initial screening sessions, the statement said. The recruitment process has now moved into what organizers described as &ldquo;the next phase,&rdquo; with &ldquo;shortlisted candidates to be contacted for further interviews and selection.&rdquo; According to the embassy, the next phase of the recruitment process is expected to begin by January 31.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan’s embassy in China brings students and professionals together with Chinese employers, launching a pilot recruitment drive to support overseas projects and expand employment opportunities for Pakistanis.

Pakistan embassy hosts Beijing job fair linking students with Chinese firms

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Morocco have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to enhance defense cooperation, underscoring efforts to strengthen bilateral security ties, according to Pakistan&rsquo;s Press Information Department (PID). &ldquo;The MoU was signed during an official visit by Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif to Morocco,&rdquo; the statement issued this week said, describing the agreement as a step toward deeper collaboration in defense and security-related fields. The visit provided an opportunity for discussions on bilateral and regional issues, with both sides reaffirming their commitment to peace, stability, and continued cooperation, it added. During his visit, Asif held delegation-level talks with Morocco&rsquo;s Minister Delegate in charge of the National Defense Administration, Abdellatif Loudiyi. The discussions focused on areas of mutual interest, particularly defense and security cooperation. The Pakistani defense minister also met separately with Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, the African Cooperation, and Moroccan Expatriates. According to the PID, the meetings reflected the &ldquo;longstanding friendly relations&rdquo; between Pakistan and Morocco and a shared intent to further expand cooperation across multiple sectors. &ldquo;Prior to the official talks, the defense minister visited the Mausoleum of Mohammed V, where he offered Fateha and signed the guest book,&rdquo; the statement said. At the conclusion of the visit, both sides exchanged gifts, with Asif presenting a Pakistan-made football to his Moroccan counterpart, the PID added.

Security

Islamabad and Rabat hold high-level talks and reaffirming commitments to security collaboration, bilateral relations, and regional stability.

Pakistan, Morocco sign defense cooperation pact during ministerial visit

Web Desk/AFP

JERUSALEM: Gaza&#39;s civil defense agency on Tuesday said that the Israeli strikes in various parts of the Strip killed at least 13 people, including five children, bringing the total tally of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire took effect to 447. Separately, the Israeli army said it killed two fighters in the southern Gaza Strip in an exchange involving tank fire and air strikes, despite its fragile ceasefire with Hamas. The military said in a statement that it identified &quot;six armed terrorists in the western Rafah area, adjacent to IDF (Israeli army) troops.&quot; &quot;Tanks arrived at the scene and fired at the terrorists. The terrorists fired at the soldiers in one of the tanks, and an exchange of fire ensued, including targeted aerial strikes in the area,&quot; it said, adding two fighters were killed and that troops were searching for the others. Under the truce that entered into force in October, following two years of war between Israel and Hamas, Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip withdrew to positions behind a demarcation known as the &quot;yellow line.&quot; The city of Rafah is located behind the yellow line, under Israeli army control. The area beyond the yellow line remains under Hamas authority. Both sides have repeatedly accused the other of violating the ceasefire. On Thursday, the army said it struck Hamas targets in various parts of the Strip in response to the failed launch of a projectile from Gaza towards Israel. The Israeli army says fighters have killed three of its soldiers during the same period.

Middle East

Total tally of Palestinians killed since the ceasefire took effect rise to 447; Israeli army says it killed two fighters in the southern Gaza Strip in an exchange involving tank fire and air strikes, despite its fragile ceasefire with Hamas.

Israel kills 13 people in Gaza, including five children, despite ceasefire

PARIS: US President Donald Trump urged Iranians on Tuesday to keep protesting against the country&#39;s theocratic leadership, telling them &quot;help is on its way,&quot; whereas Iranian authorities insisted they had regained control of the country.&nbsp;As international outrage grows over a crackdown, protests nationwide since Thursday have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since it came to power in the 1979 revolution.&nbsp;International phone links were restored on Tuesday, but only for outgoing calls, according to an AFP journalist, and the quality remained spotty, with frequent interruptions.&nbsp;Trump, who has repeatedly threatened Iran with military intervention, said Iranians should continue their nationwide protests, take over institutions, and record the names of &quot;killers and abusers.&quot;&nbsp;&quot;Iranian Patriots, KEEP PROTESTING,&quot; Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform. &quot;I have canceled all meetings with Iranian Officials until the senseless killing of protesters STOPS. HELP IS ON ITS WAY.&quot;&nbsp;It was not immediately clear what meetings he was referring to or what the nature of the help would be.&nbsp;European nations also signaled their anger, with France, Germany, and the United Kingdom among the countries that summoned their Iranian ambassadors to protest what French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot called &quot;state violence unquestioningly unleashed on peaceful protesters.&quot;&nbsp;The European Union also summoned Iran&#39;s ambassador in Brussels.&nbsp;&#39;Last days&#39;The government on Monday sought to regain control of the streets with mass nationwide rallies that supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed as proof that the protest movement was defeated, calling them a &quot;warning&quot; to the United States.&nbsp;In power since 1989 and now aged 86, Khamenei has faced significant challenges, most recently the 12-day war in June against Israel, which resulted in the killing of top security officials and forced him to go into hiding.&nbsp;&quot;When a regime can only hold on to power through violence, then it is effectively finished,&quot; said German Chancellor Friedrich Merz during a trip to India. &quot;I believe that we are now witnessing the last days and weeks of this regime.&quot;&nbsp;Analysts, however, have cautioned that it is premature to predict the immediate demise of the theocratic system, pointing to the repressive levers the leadership controls, including the Revolutionary Guard Corps, which is charged with safeguarding the Islamic revolution.&nbsp;&quot;These protests arguably represent the most serious challenge to the Islamic republic in years, both in scale and in their increasingly explicit political demands,&quot; Nicole Grajewski, professor at the Sciences Po Centre for International Studies in Paris, told AFP.&nbsp;She said it was unclear if the protests would unseat the leadership, pointing to &quot;the sheer depth and resilience of Iran&#39;s repressive apparatus.&quot;

As international outrage grows over a crackdown, protests nationwide have posed one of the biggest challenges to the clerical leadership since it came to power in the 1979 revolution; international phone links are restored, but only for outgoing calls, and the quality remains spotty, with frequent interruptions.

Iran protests: Tehran asserts control as Trump says ‘help coming’

ISLAMABAD: Hate speech and incitement against religious minorities in India escalated sharply in 2025, with Muslims and Christians overwhelmingly targeted in public gatherings, political rallies, and religious processions, according to a new study by the United States&ndash;based Center for the Study of Organized Hate.&nbsp;The report documented 1,318 in-person hate speech incidents across India in 2025, marking a 13% increase from 2024 and nearly doubling the number recorded in 2023.&nbsp;Researchers said minorities were subjected to an average of four hate speech incidents per day, underscoring what they described as the normalization of extremist rhetoric in public life.&nbsp;&ldquo;Hate Lab (IHL) documented 1,318 hate speech events targeting religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in 2025 across 21 states, one union territory, and the National Capital Territory of Delhi,&rdquo; the report stated.&nbsp;States governed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi&rsquo;s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), either directly or through coalition arrangements, accounted for 88% of all recorded incidents, the study found. Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Delhi emerged as the most affected regions, with hundreds of speeches explicitly demonizing minorities.&nbsp;Muslims were targeted in 98% of the incidents, while anti-Christian hate speech rose by 41% compared to 2024. The report also recorded 120 instances of calls for economic and social boycotts of minorities and more than 270 appeals to demolish or remove mosques and churches, including prominent religious sites in Uttar Pradesh.&nbsp;The escalation extended beyond rhetoric. Researchers documented 308 speeches that openly encouraged violence against minorities and 136 instances calling for Hindus to arm themselves against what speakers described as &ldquo;perceived threats.&rdquo;&nbsp;The study warned that digital platforms played a central role in amplifying hate. More than 1,200 speeches were livestreamed or uploaded to Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and X, often reaching nationwide audiences within minutes.&nbsp;The report criticized technology companies for what it called &ldquo;systemic failure&rdquo; to enforce their own hate speech policies.&nbsp;Researchers concluded that the surge reflects more than isolated extremism. They warned that the growing frequency and acceptance of hate speech points to a deliberate political strategy.&nbsp;The report described 2025 as &ldquo;a new and dangerous phase&rdquo; in which anti-minority rhetoric has become &ldquo;fully embedded into India&rsquo;s political and social landscape,&rdquo; serving to polarize society and justify discriminatory policies.&nbsp;Minorities under attack nationwideBeyond hate speech, minority communities faced repeated incidents of violence and discrimination. In Karnataka, more than 200 Muslim homes were reportedly demolished in Bengaluru&rsquo;s Waseem Layout and Fakir Colony, displacing families during a government-led operation.&nbsp;In Bihar, a Muslim clothes vendor, Athar Hussain, was allegedly lynched by a mob in Nawada district after being questioned about his religious identity. Police later detained four suspects following a complaint filed by his wife. In a separate incident at the Bihar chief minister&rsquo;s secretariat, media reports said a Muslim woman&rsquo;s hijab was forcibly removed during an official appointment ceremony.&nbsp;Christian communities also reported growing intimidation. During the Christmas season, coordinated attempts were reported to disrupt celebrations in several regions. In Raipur, Chhattisgarh, a mob of 40 to 50 men reportedly entered a shopping mall, removed Christmas decorations, questioned visitors about their religion, and vandalized property.&nbsp;The report warned that without accountability and political restraint, India&rsquo;s minorities face an increasingly hostile environment where hate speech, violence, and state inaction reinforce one another under the guise of nationalism.

Asia

In a report, US researchers warn anti-minority hate speech in India intensifies under Modi, targeting Muslims and Christians, embedding violence and discrimination into politics, governance, and public life.

Anti-minority hate surges across India under BJP government, US study finds

PARIS: More than 350 tractors parked near the French parliament building on Tuesday after driving down the Champs-Elysees avenue, as farmers protested a litany of woes, including the EU-Mercosur trade deal.&nbsp;The protests reflect a deep sense of malaise afflicting France&#39;s agricultural sector, with the planned signing of an accord between the European Union and the Mercosur bloc seen as the last straw.&nbsp;French farmers have complained about economic uncertainties and environmental rules, and have since December staged protests and set up roadblocks over the government&#39;s handling of a lumpy skin disease outbreak.&nbsp;Arriving from towns around Paris and beyond, the protesters parked their tractors not far from the National Assembly in central Paris.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re at the end of our tether,&quot; said one of the activists, Guillaume Moret, 56.&nbsp;&quot;We haven&#39;t made any money from our farms for three years,&quot; said the head of the FNSEA union for the Paris region.&nbsp;&quot;The peasant revolt continues,&quot; read a banner unfurled in front of the legislature.&nbsp;The FNSEA, France&#39;s leading agricultural union, and another union, Jeunes Agriculteurs, are demanding &quot;concrete and immediate action&quot; from the government.&nbsp;Agriculture Minister Annie Genevard, who came out to meet the farmers, said Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu would make a new announcement later Tuesday.&nbsp;The protesters also spoke with Yael Braun-Pivet, head of parliament&#39;s lower house.&nbsp;&nbsp;No cows at agriculture show&nbsp;&nbsp;The government last week already announced a planned 300-million-euro package to support the farmers, as well as other measures including an increase in the number of wolves that can be killed.&nbsp;In a move highlighting the atmosphere, France&#39;s biggest agricultural show will this year feature no cows, for the first time since the event&#39;s creation in 1964.&nbsp;Farmers, driven by health concerns and a sense of solidarity with breeders affected by the lumpy skin disease outbreak, have refused to present their cattle at the fair in February.&nbsp;The event&#39;s chairman, Jerome Despey, called the move a &quot;blow to the show.&quot;&nbsp;The first convoy of about 15 tractors rolled into the French capital shortly before 6:00 am (0500 GMT). Joined by dozens of others, they drove down the Champs-Elysees honking their horns.&nbsp;&quot;We won&#39;t leave without measures that allow us to catch our breath a little,&quot; said protester Guillaume Moret.&nbsp;Several days before the scheduled signing of the EU-Mercosur agreement in Paraguay on Saturday, the FNSEA union reiterated its opposition to the deal and also listed several national &quot;priorities&quot; to be defended on Tuesday.&nbsp;The union is calling on the government to address a number of issues including wolf predation and the use of fertilisers.&nbsp;Police said some 400 protesters had gathered near the parliament building. The FNSEA union put turnout at over 500 tractors and 800 farmers.&nbsp;DissatisfactionMost of the European Union&#39;s 27 nations back the Mercosur trade deal, which supporters argue is crucial to boost exports, help the continent&#39;s ailing economy and foster diplomatic ties at a time of global uncertainty.&nbsp;The deal, more than 25 years in the making, would create one of the world&#39;s largest free-trade areas, boosting commerce between the EU and the Mercosur bloc comprising Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina and Uruguay.&nbsp;It would see the European Union export machinery, chemicals and pharmaceuticals with lowered tariffs applied.&nbsp;But farmers in France and several other countries fear being undercut by an influx of cheap beef and other agricultural products from South America.&nbsp;Thousands of farmers in France and Ireland staged protests over the weekend.&nbsp;In France, politicians across the divide have also been up in arms against the deal, which they view as an assault on the country&#39;s influential farming sector.

Europe

Hundreds of French farmers drove tractors to Paris, protesting economic hardship, disease rules, and the EU-Mercosur trade deal they fear will undercut them, demanding immediate government action as agriculture faces deep crisis nationwide sector pressure.

Furious farmers roll hundreds of tractors into Paris in fresh protests

SAN FRANCISCO: Microsoft said Tuesday it will shoulder the full electricity costs of its US data centers to prevent American households from facing higher power bills driven by surging AI energy demand.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump first announced the initiative late Monday on Truth Social, saying his administration had been working with technology companies to ensure they &quot;pay their own way&quot; for power consumption.&nbsp;&quot;I never want Americans to pay higher Electricity bills because of Data Centers,&quot; Trump wrote.&nbsp;Ahead of midterm elections in November, the increase in electricity bills has become a hot-button issue across the country, with tech companies multiplying major data center projects to meet their AI ambitions.&nbsp;US data center electricity consumption is projected to more than triple by 2035, according to the International Energy Agency, and already covers six to eight percent of US electricity use.&nbsp;To meet the demand, utilities sometimes need to build new power plants, upgrade transmission lines, or expand grid capacity -- investments that usually get passed on to all customers through rate increases.&nbsp;Microsoft said Tuesday it will work with utilities and regulators to ensure residential customers are not charged for the massive infrastructure investments needed.&nbsp;&quot;Especially when tech companies are so profitable, we believe that it&#39;s both unfair and politically unrealistic for our industry to ask the public to shoulder added electricity costs for AI,&quot; Microsoft President Brad Smith wrote in a blog post.&nbsp;The company outlined a four-point plan, including paying higher rates that cover infrastructure costs and collaborating early with utilities on how to pay for grid expansion.&nbsp;Microsoft pointed to deals in Wyoming and Wisconsin as models, where the company has structured agreements that protect residential ratepayers.&nbsp;The move comes as the United States faces aging electricity infrastructure and supply chain bottlenecks, with new transmission projects taking seven to 10 years due to permitting delays.&nbsp;Trump said more announcements from other technology companies would follow &quot;in the coming weeks.&quot;&nbsp;Microsoft also said it will replenish more water than its data centers withdraw, responding to growing concerns that AI infrastructure is straining local water systems.&nbsp;This would be done through leak detection programs, wetland restoration, and water infrastructure upgrades, the company said.&nbsp;AI data centers run chips at extremely high temperatures that would burn out within minutes without proper cooling, usually provided by locally supplied water.

Artificial Intelligence

Microsoft will cover electricity costs for its US data centers to prevent higher household power bills as AI demand grows, following a Trump-backed initiative, pledging to fund grid upgrades and reduce water use impacts.

Microsoft says will foot AI's massive power bill

GENEVA: The World Health Organization chief warned Tuesday that Washington&#39;s decision to withdraw from the UN health agency was dangerous for the United States and the rest of the world alike. US President Donald Trump signed an executive order just hours after returning to the White House on January 20, 2025, ordering his country&#39;s exit from the WHO. With the one-year withdrawal process due to reach completion next week, WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters he deeply regretted the move. &quot;Withdrawal from WHO is a loss for the United States, and it&#39;s also a loss for the rest of the world,&quot; he said, speaking from his agency&#39;s Geneva headquarters. The withdrawal, he warned, &quot;makes the US unsafe... and makes the rest of the world unsafe, so it&#39;s not really the right decision&quot;. Tedros highlighted that &quot;there are many things that are done through WHO that benefit the US... especially the health security issues&quot;. &quot;That&#39;s why I said the US cannot be safe without working with WHO,&quot; he said. &quot;I hope the US will reconsider its decision and rejoin.&quot; WHO&#39;s chief legal officer Steve Solomon said it was a bit unclear when exactly the withdrawal would be official. He explained to reporters that the WHO constitution does not include a withdrawal clause, but that Washington made arrangements in 1948 reserving the right to withdraw, under certain conditions. One condition was that it would need to give one year&#39;s notice, and the second was that it would need to &quot;meet its financial obligations to the organisation in full for the current fiscal year&quot;, he said. But currently, &quot;the US for 2024 and 2025 is in arrears on its payments&quot;, he said, without giving figures, adding that the WHO member states would need to consider: &quot;Has the condition been fulfilled?&quot; At a time when dramatic cuts to international aid budgets have hit health systems worldwide hard, Tedros stressed that &quot;funding is very important for our organisation, for WHO to really deliver&quot;. But he insisted that when calling for the US to return to the WHO fold, &quot;it&#39;s not about money&quot;. &quot;What matters most is solidarity, cooperation and for the whole world to prepare itself for any eventualities, to a common enemy like a virus, like Covid,&quot; he insisted. &quot;The best immunity is solidarity.&quot;

Americas

WHO chief Tedros says the US exit from the World Health Organization makes both America and the world less safe, warning cooperation and solidarity are essential to confront global health threats.

Withdrawal from WHO makes US, world 'unsafe': Agency chief

PARIS: President Donald Trump will join dozens of leaders at the World Economic Forum in Switzerland next week, along with &quot;the largest US delegation ever&quot;, the forum&#39;s chief executive said Tuesday. &quot;We&#39;re pleased to welcome back President Trump,&quot; Borge Brende told an online press conference ahead of the Davos summit, six years after his latest appearance during his first term. At least five key secretaries including Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent will also attend, Brende said, as well as Steve Witkoff, Trump&#39;s special envoy for the Middle East and Ukraine. The US president addressed Davos by video last year, just days after his re-election, but it was unclear if he would be appearing this year after a year of upending the global order with a tariff blitz against allies and adversaries alike. He will be among a record 64 heads of state or government descending on the Alpine ski resort, Brende said, including six of the G7 leaders. Overall around 3,000 attendees are expected from the business world, including 850 CEOs or board chairs, as well as social, environment and labor activists.

President Donald Trump will attend the World Economic Forum in Davos alongside a record US delegation, including top cabinet officials, joining 64 world leaders and thousands of business executives at the annual summit next week.

Trump to attend World Economic Forum in Davos next week: organizers

GENEVA: At least 100 children have been killed by Israeli airstrikes and ground forces in Gaza since the start of a tenuous ceasefire three months ago, the United Nations said on Tuesday.&nbsp;The UN children&#39;s agency UNICEF said that at least 60 boys and 40 girls had been killed in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territory since early October.&nbsp;&quot;More than 100 children have been killed in Gaza since the ceasefire,&quot; UNICEF spokesman James Elder told reporters in Geneva.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s roughly a girl or a boy killed here every day during a ceasefire,&quot; he said, speaking from Gaza City.&nbsp;&quot;These children are killed from airstrikes, drone strikes, including suicide drones. They&#39;re killed from tank shelling. They&#39;re killed from live ammunition. They&#39;re killed from quad copters.&nbsp;&quot;We are at 100 -- no doubt,&quot; he said, adding that the true number was likely higher.&nbsp;&quot;A ceasefire that slows the bombs is progress but one that still buries children is not enough.&quot;&nbsp;AFP has sought a response from the Israeli military.&nbsp;An official at Gaza&#39;s health ministry, which maintains casualty records, has reported a higher figure of 165 children killed during the tenuous ceasefire, out of a total 442 fatalities.&nbsp;&quot;Additionally, seven children have died from exposure to cold since the beginning of this year,&quot; Zaher Al-Wahidi, Director of the Computer Department at the Ministry of Health, told AFP.&nbsp;Elder stressed that the ongoing Israeli attacks came after more than two years of war which has &quot;left life for Gaza&#39;s children unimaginably hard&quot;.

Since early October, at least 100 children, 60 boys and 40 girls, have been killed in Gaza during a tenuous ceasefire, mainly from airstrikes, drones, tanks, and live ammunition, UNICEF and Gaza’s health ministry reported.

Pakistan embassy hosts Beijing job fair linking students with Chinese firms

Related Articles

Peshawar’s kahwa tradition endures centuries, blending culture, hospitality and history

President, PM condemn attack on police, vow eradication of terrorists

Misinformation bigger threat than nuclear war, climate change: Pakistan information minister

Safety guidelines for households using gas cylinders

Latest News

Pakistan, Morocco sign defense cooperation pact during ministerial visit

Pakistan embassy hosts Beijing job fair linking students with Chinese firms

Israel kills 13 people in Gaza, including five children, despite ceasefire

Iran protests: Tehran asserts control as Trump says ‘help coming’

Anti-minority hate surges across India under BJP government, US study finds