Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and T&uuml;rkiye are moving to deepen cooperation in drones, defense, and aviation after two high-level meetings this week with Turkish business and industrial delegations.&nbsp;On Thursday, a T&uuml;rkiye delegation met Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan in Islamabad to explore joint ventures, technology transfer, and local manufacturing in aerospace, drone technology, and defense systems, the Ministry of Commerce said.&nbsp;The delegation included senior professionals from T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s aviation, aerospace engineering, defense systems, automotive engineering, and advanced materials sectors.&nbsp;&ldquo;The visitors conveyed strong interest in pursuing joint ventures, technology transfer, and establishing manufacturing capabilities in Pakistan,&rdquo; the ministry said.&nbsp;Khan welcomed the delegation, noting: &ldquo;Pakistan is committed to strengthening economic and industrial ties with T&uuml;rkiye. Our longstanding goodwill provides significant potential for cooperation in aerospace, defense production, minerals development, and dual-use manufacturing.&rdquo;&nbsp;He urged Turkish companies to view Pakistan as &ldquo;a strategic production and export base for regional and global markets, including ASEAN, Africa, the Gulf, and South Asia.&rdquo;&nbsp;Khan also highlighted initiatives including the Karachi Expo Centre expansion and enhanced coordination among the commerce ministry, ministry of defense production, and national technology institutions.&nbsp;Earlier this week, a high-powered delegation of T&uuml;rkiye aerospace, defense, and industrial manufacturers visited the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) in Islamabad.&nbsp;Representing the Bursa Aerospace and Defense Cluster Association (BASDEC) and T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s Defense Industry Agency, the delegation met PEC Chairman Engr.&nbsp;Waseem Nazir, who briefed them on PEC&rsquo;s reforms, digital modernization, international accreditation, and efforts to align Pakistan&rsquo;s engineering sector with global standards.&nbsp;&ldquo;We welcome T&uuml;rkiye&rsquo;s rapid strides in defense and industrial innovation and remain committed to expanding international engineering linkages,&rdquo; Nazir said.&nbsp;Representatives from fourteen leading Turkish companies, including ERFA Torna, Bizpark (Ucaksan), FTS Tasarim, LEVKA, MFK, and Defense Systems, presented their capabilities and explored collaboration in R&amp;D, co-production, localized manufacturing, and technology sharing.&nbsp;PEC officials also highlighted Pakistan&rsquo;s regulatory framework and opportunities in aerospace and defense engineering.&nbsp;Both sides discussed professional certification, skill development, and joint innovation programs, reaffirming &ldquo;their commitment to advancing mutually beneficial industrial cooperation,&rdquo; the PEC statement said.&nbsp;The meetings signal a major step toward deeper Pakistan-T&uuml;rkiye collaboration in drones, defense manufacturing, and aviation, laying the groundwork for long-term industrial and technological partnerships.

Foreign Affairs

Economy

Islamabad and Istanbul held high-level meetings this week to strengthen cooperation in drones, defence, and aviation, exploring joint ventures, technology transfer, and long-term industrial partnerships.

Pakistan, Türkiye expand drone, defense, aviation cooperation, explore joint ventures

SYDNEY: Former Australian Test batsman Damien Martyn has been rushed to hospital in an induced coma after being diagnosed with meningitis, media reports said on Wednesday. The 54-year-old, who played 67 Tests between 1992 and 2006 and 208 one-day internationals, was admitted on Boxing Day last week after falling ill while lying down. Australian media said he was being treated for meningitis, which can be deadly. Meningitis is an inflammation of the membranes surrounding the brain and spinal cord. &quot;He is getting the best of treatment,&quot; Test great and close friend Adam Gilchrist told The Australian newspaper. &quot;Amanda (his partner) and his family know that a lot of people are sending their prayers and best wishes.&quot; Former Australian coach Darren Lehmann, a long-time teammate of Martyn&#39;s, also sent support. &quot;Lots of love and prayers... keep strong and fighting, legend. Love to the family,&quot; he wrote on X. Known as one of the game&#39;s great strokemakers, Martyn became a key figure in Steve Waugh&#39;s all-powerful Australian side, hitting 13 centuries and averaging 46.37. He was also part of the Australian team that won the 2003 ODI World Cup, cracking 88 not out in the final against India in a match-winning partnership with Ricky Ponting. He retired in 2006 during the Ashes series and has kept a low profile since.

Cricket

54-year-old, who played 67 Tests between 1992 and 2006 and 208 one-day internationals, admitted on Boxing Day last week after falling ill while lying down; reports say he is being treated for meningitis, which can be deadly.

Australian cricket great Damien Martyn 'in induced coma'

PARIS: Norway&#39;s Magnus Carlsen, the world&#39;s number one chess player, on Tuesday won the World Blitz Championship in Doha, days after victory in the slightly longer &#39;rapid&#39; format, to secure his 20th world title. Carlsen, 35, beat Uzbekistan&#39;s Nodirbek Abdusattorov, 21, in the final, securing victory with black in the fourth and final game, after losing the first. Blitz games are played with three minutes at the start for both players, plus an additional two seconds per move. Carlsen almost failed to reach the semi-finals after suffering three defeats in the 19 qualifying games, finishing third in the standings. He beat American Fabiano Caruana in the semis to take on Abdusattorov, the rapid world champion in 2021. On Sunday, Carlsen was crowned rapid world champion, where players have 15 minutes and 10 seconds added per move, finishing first in the regular standings, with the competition taking place without a final phase. The Nordic grandmaster now has nine blitz titles, six in rapid, and five in the most prestigious longer format, which involves more than 10 games between the world champion and a challenger. Carlsen relinquished his long-format crown in 2023, citing a lack of motivation. It is now held by India&#39;s Dommaraju Gukesh. In October, he and the International Chess Federation (FIDE) backed a new world championship format that sets the stage for his return. The new &quot;Total Chess World Championship Tour&quot; will consist of four events a year and will crown one combined champion for three disciplines: fast classic, rapid, and blitz. A pilot version of the competition will be tested in the autumn of next year, with the first full season set for 2027.

Europe

Nordic grandmaster now has nine blitz titles, six in rapid and five in the most prestigious longer format, which involves more than 10 games between the world champion and a challenger.

Norway's Magnus Carlsen wins 20th world chess title

JERUSALEM: Israel warned on Tuesday that it would suspend from January several aid organizations operating in Gaza for failing to provide details about their Palestinian staff, accusing two Doctors Without Borders employees of links to militant groups. The Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism said in a statement the move was part of Israel&#39;s decision to &quot;strengthen and update&quot; regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory. &quot;Humanitarian organizations that fail to meet security and transparency requirements will have their licenses suspended,&quot; the ministry said. It added that organizations that &quot;failed to cooperate and refused to submit a list of their Palestinian employees in order to rule out any links to terrorism&quot; had received formal notice that their licenses would be revoked as of January 1. The organizations concerned &mdash; whose names were not disclosed &mdash; were ordered to cease all activities by March 1. The ministry said the groups were given 10 months to provide the requested information, but &quot;nonetheless failed to comply with the requirements.&quot; The ministry told AFP earlier this month that as of November 25, approximately 100 registration requests had been submitted and &quot;only 14 organization requests have been rejected.&quot; &quot;The remainder have been approved or are currently under review,&quot; it added. In its statement on Tuesday, the ministry alleged after an investigation that the international medical charity Doctors Without Borders (MSF) had employed two individuals with links to Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, respectively. &quot;Despite repeated requests, the organization did not provide full disclosure regarding the identities and roles of these individuals,&quot; the statement added. When contacted, MSF said it &quot;would never knowingly employ people engaging in military activity&quot; as they would &quot;pose a danger to our staff and our patients.&quot; The charity added that it &quot;continues to engage and discuss with Israeli authorities,&quot; and that it has &quot;not yet received a decision on re-registration.&quot; The ministry said its latest measures would not affect the delivery of aid to Gaza. &quot;Only a limited number of organizations &mdash; less than 15% &mdash; were found to be in violation of the regulatory framework,&quot; it said. Several NGOs have told AFP the new rules will have a major impact on aid distribution in Gaza. Humanitarian organizations say that the amount of aid entering Gaza remains inadequate. While the October 10 ceasefire agreement stipulated the entry of 600 trucks per day, only 100 to 300 are carrying humanitarian aid, according to NGOs and the United Nations. COGAT, the Israeli defense ministry body responsible for Palestinian civilian affairs, said last week that on average, 4,200 aid trucks enter Gaza weekly, which corresponds to around 600 daily.

Middle East

Ministry of Diaspora Affairs and Combating Antisemitism says move part of Israel's decision to "strengthen and update" regulations governing the activities of international NGOs in the Palestinian territory.

Israel warns will suspend several aid groups operating in Gaza

ISLAMABAD: In a huge reversal that contradicts mainstream political narratives across the Western world, 2025 has become the year of the greatest return migration in modern history, with approximately 9.8 million people returning to their countries of origin&mdash;nearly 170 times the recorded returns of 2024. While far-right groups from Germany&#39;s Alternative for Germany (AfD) to America First Legal frame immigration as an unstoppable &quot;invasion,&quot; data from international organizations and government agencies tells a starkly different story: one of unprecedented mass departures and people heading home in numbers that dwarf any previous migration reversal. According to the International Organization for Migration (IOM), assisted voluntary returns in 2024 totaled just 58,729 globally. By contrast, returns of forcibly displaced people to just seven countries in the first half of 2025 alone reached 6.48 million, according to UNHCR mid-year data. US drives largest single-nation exodus The US recorded the most dramatic single-country departure figures in modern immigration history. According to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), more than 2.5 million people left the country between January 20 and mid-December 2025. This exceeds the entire 2024 global assisted return total by more than 40 times. Of these departures, approximately 1.9 million people &quot;voluntarily self-deported,&quot; as per DHS figures, while over 622,000 were formally removed through deportation proceedings. The exodus was directly driven by comprehensive policy changes implemented starting January 20, 2025, according to official White House and DHS documents. The administration terminated Temporary Protected Status for nationals from Afghanistan, Cameroon, Nepal, Haiti, Honduras, Nicaragua, Venezuela, Syria, and South Sudan, removing legal work authorization and deportation protections for hundreds of thousands. According to DHS policy memoranda, the government encouraged unauthorized migrants to use the CBP Home mobile app to register their departure, offering stipends increased to $3,000 by late 2025. The administration simultaneously expanded expedited removal authority to its &quot;statutory maximum&quot; on January 21, 2025, and terminated categorical parole programs for Cubans, Haitians, Nicaraguans, and Venezuelans while reinstating the &quot;Remain in Mexico&quot; policy, as per executive order documentation. Fear and force drive majority of returns While Western political rhetoric often frames migration as voluntary movement toward prosperity, the 2025 return data reveals a reality driven primarily by coercion and fear. In the US, the 1.9 million who self-deported did so specifically to avoid potential arrest, prosecution, or formal removal, as per DHS analysis. Iran&#39;s large-scale deportation drives targeting undocumented Afghans resulted in over 2.2 million Afghan returns by October 2025, according to combined UNHCR and IOM reporting. This represents a massive increase from 2024, when only 86,800 Ethiopians were forcibly returned from Saudi Arabia, as per IOM tracking. The UNHCR warned that 95% of returns to crisis zones including the Democratic Republic of Congo, Sudan, and Myanmar in 2025 were &quot;adverse&quot;; meaning migrants returned to areas still experiencing insecurity and lacking basic services because they had no remaining options in host countries, according to UNHCR protection monitoring reports. Syria&#39;s regime change sparks massive return wave Syria experienced one of 2025&#39;s biggest return movements following a seismic political shift. According to UNHCR and IOM reporting, over 1.5 million Syrian refugees returned to their areas of origin in 2025. The primary catalyst was the fall of President Bashar al-Assad&#39;s government on December 8, 2024, which removed what international assessments identified as the primary barrier to return for millions, according to reports from the UK Home Office and European Union Agency for Asylum. The return wave was also driven by deteriorating conditions in host countries. Syrian refugees in Lebanon, Jordan, and Iraq cited extreme poverty due to declining international donor funding, high living costs, and lack of livelihood opportunities as key factors in their decisions to return home, according to IOM surveys. A sharp increase in returns was recorded in June 2025, coinciding with the end of the school term as families moved after children finished exams, according to UNHCR flow monitoring data. Europe and UK tighten return policies European nations steadily increased return operations throughout 2025. According to Eurostat, 90,985 third-country nationals were effectively returned to countries outside the EU through the first three quarters of 2025, with the third quarter showing a 14.6% increase compared to the same period in 2024. The European Union designated seven countries including India, Morocco, and Egypt as &quot;safe&quot; to allow for fast-tracked rejections and returns of asylum seekers, according to EU policy directives. The United Kingdom recorded 286,000 non-EU nationals returning to their countries of origin for the year ending June 2025, according to UK Office for National Statistics; an increase from 2024&#39;s comparable emigration figures. Displaced populations return to conflict zones Returns of forcibly displaced people were heavily concentrated. Seven countries accounted for 95% of all such returns during the first half of 2025, according to UNHCR mid-year data: the Democratic Republic of Congo (1.9 million), Syria (1.5 million), Sudan (1.2 million), Afghanistan (874,900), Ethiopia (438,100), Ukraine (306,300), and Myanmar (261,500). According to IOM surveys, high levels of financial debt, inability to pay for housing, and lack of employment opportunities were cited as key secondary reasons for return alongside fear of arrest and policy coercion. Alt-right claims meet contradictory reality The 2025 return migration data directly contradicts narratives promoted by far-right organizations monitored by international watchdogs and civil rights groups. In the US, organizations identified by the Southern Poverty Law Center in its 2024-2025 reporting (including America First Legal and Turning Point USA added to the SPLC&#39;s &quot;hate and extremism&quot; list in 2025) have consistently framed immigration as an uncontrollable crisis. According to IOM reports on political narratives, these groups use &quot;invasion&quot; rhetoric to suggest nations are being overwhelmed by migrants. In Europe, the IOM and EU agencies have documented an increase in &quot;remigration&quot; narratives&mdash;advocating for the forced return of non-ethnic residents. Germany&#39;s AfD has openly advocated for closing borders and the &quot;remigration&quot; of millions, while the UK&#39;s Reform UK and Britain First have mobilized against asylum seeker accommodations, as documented by the Institute of Race Relations. France&#39;s National Rally frames immigration as &quot;security madness,&quot; while Austria&#39;s Freedom Party and Spain&#39;s Vox have called for mass deportations, according to platforms monitored by European civil society organizations. Yet the actual direction of human movement in 2025 has been overwhelmingly homeward&mdash;9.8 million returns compared to an estimated 304 million total international migrants globally as of mid-2024, according to UN migration data. A historic reversal The 2025 return migration represents not just a statistical anomaly but a fundamental shift in global movement patterns. The nearly 10 million returns dwarf the 58,729 IOM-assisted voluntary returns in all of 2024 and occur against a backdrop where dominant political narratives claim the opposite is happening. Whether driven by policy coercion, economic desperation, changing political circumstances in origin countries, or fear of arrest, the scale of return migration in 2025 challenges fundamental assumptions in Western political discourse about the nature and direction of contemporary global migration. For millions, 2025 was not the year of seeking refuge in the West, it was the year of going home, by choice or by force.

Asia

Africa

Americas

Mass departures challenge alt-right claims of uncontrolled migration as global return movement dwarfs previous year's totals.

2025 becomes year of greatest migration return in history

ISLAMABAD: While much of the world tracked Pakistan&#39;s economic challenges in 2025, its scientists were quietly rewriting the country&#39;s technological narrative. Where a quantum physicist simulated radar systems that could detect hypersonic threats invisible to conventional technology, a teenager from Rawalpindi outcompeted students from 70 nations to claim biology&#39;s biggest prize. Moreover, twin satellites, launched from opposite sides of the world, began beaming back images to monitor everything from melting glaciers to ripening crops. The year 2025 also brought Pakistan&#39;s most significant scientific advances in decades, spanning quantum computing, space technology, artificial intelligence (AI) and human achievement on the global stage. Quantum leap in defense tech Dr. Zuhair Ahmed doesn&#39;t work in a laboratory with billion-dollar equipment. Instead, the chairman of the Centre of Excellence for Technology, Quantum, and AI Pakistan connects remotely to IBM&#39;s quantum processors to conduct cutting-edge research. In October, his team achieved 99.1% quantum fidelity using a technique called Quantum Time Reversal Interferometry on IBM&#39;s 133-qubit Torino processor. The breakthrough demonstrates error correction essential for making quantum computers reliable enough for complex calculations. However, Ahmed&#39;s November achievement grabbed more international attention: Simulating quantum radar capable of tracking stealth-coated hypersonic missiles. Using a three-qubit quantum circuit, the system locked onto simulated targets at 83.2 kilometers and calculated mid-air interception at roughly 40 kilometers altitude. Both studies, published through SSRN and Elsevier, position Pakistan in an elite group of nations exploring quantum applications for defense and computing. Eyes in orbit Pakistan now has four satellites providing real-time intelligence from space, including two launched in 2025 through partnerships with China and T&uuml;rkiye. The HS-1 hyperspectral satellite was launched on October 19 from China&#39;s Jiuquan Satellite Launch Centre. Managed by the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission, it captures hundreds of spectral bands invisible to the human eye, providing data crucial for predicting floods, monitoring glacial melt, and identifying geological risks along the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. The PAUSAT-1 CubeSat, a collaboration between Pakistan Air University and Istanbul Technical University, launched January 14 aboard a SpaceX Falcon 9. Its multispectral imager achieves 1.5-meter ground resolution, sharp enough to distinguish individual vehicles in urban areas. Pakistan also launched its first domestically produced observation satellite, PRSC-EO1, in January and the KS-1 agricultural monitoring satellite in July. Rawalpindi student makes history Abdul Raffay Paracha had competed internationally before, but never won gold. That changed in July at the International Biology Olympiad in the Philippines. The Siddique Public School student became the first Pakistani to claim gold at the IBO since the country began participating in 2006. He competed against top students from more than 70 nations at the 35th edition of the competition. The win validates a decade of investment by the STEM Careers Programme, a partnership between the Higher Education Commission and the Pakistan Institute of Engineering and Applied Sciences that identifies and trains talented students. AI for farmers Mahroosh Umer&#39;s team didn&#39;t set out to win a United Nations competition. They wanted to solve a problem: how to help smallholder farmers adapt to climate change without expensive consultants or technology. Their solution, AgriGuard.AI, uses artificial intelligence to deliver climate-smart agricultural advice. In August, it won first place at the AI 4 Good Incubator 2025 in Dubai, part of the UN&#39;s AI for Good Global Summit organized by the International Telecommunication Union. The team beat hundreds of global entries and received seed funding, mentorship and connections to scale the platform for farmers worldwide. What it means The 2025 achievements reflect both growing international partnerships and homegrown talent. The quantum research advances Pakistan&#39;s capabilities in cryptography and materials science. The satellites strengthen disaster preparedness. And the human achievements prove Pakistani students can compete at the highest levels.

From quantum computing milestones to space launches and an Olympiad gold, Pakistan marked its strongest year yet in science and technology. 

Pakistan's quantum, space and glory — all rolled in 2025 

LONDON: The foreign ministers of 10 nations on Tuesday expressed &quot;serious concerns&quot; about a &quot;renewed deterioration of the humanitarian situation&quot; in Gaza, saying the situation was &quot;catastrophic&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;As winter draws in, civilians in Gaza are facing appalling conditions with heavy rainfall and temperatures dropping,&quot; the ministers of Britain, Canada, Denmark, Finland, France, Iceland, Japan, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland said in a joint statement released by the UK&#39;s Foreign Office.&nbsp;&quot;1.3 million people still require urgent shelter support. More than half of health facilities are only partially functional and face shortages of essential medical equipment and supplies. The total collapse of sanitation infrastructure has left 740,000 people vulnerable to toxic flooding,&quot; the statement added.&nbsp;The ministers said they welcomed the progress that had been made to end the bloodshed in Gaza and secure the release of Israeli hostages.&nbsp;&quot;However we will not lose focus on the plight of civilians in Gaza,&quot; they said, calling on the government of Israel to take a string of &quot;urgent and essential&quot; steps.&nbsp;These included ensuring that international NGOs could operate in Gaza in a &quot;sustained and predictable&quot; way.&nbsp;&quot;As 31 December approaches, many established international NGO partners are at risk of being deregistered because of the government of Israel&rsquo;s restrictive new requirements,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;It also called for the UN and its partners be able to continue their work in Gaza and for the lifting of &quot;unreasonable restricts on imports considered to have a dual use&quot;.&nbsp;This included medical and shelter equipment.&nbsp;The foreign ministers also called for the opening of crossings to boost the flows of humanitarian aid into Gaza.&nbsp;While welcoming the partial opening of the Allenby crossing, they said other corridors for moving goods remained closed or severely restricted for humanitarian aid including Rafah.&nbsp;&quot;Bureaucratic customs processes and extensive screenings are causing delays, while commercial cargo is being allowed in more freely,&quot; the statement said.&nbsp;&quot;The target of 4,200 trucks per week, including an allocation of 250 UN trucks per day, should be a floor not a ceiling. These targets should be lifted so we can be sure the vital supplies are getting in at the vast scale needed,&quot; it added.

Ten foreign ministers said Gaza’s humanitarian situation is catastrophic as winter arrives, with severe shortages of shelter, healthcare and sanitation. They urged Israel to allow NGOs and the UN to work freely, open crossings, and increase aid deliveries.

10 countries warn of 'catastrophic' Gaza situation

TEHRAN: The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization on Tuesday in what it said was retaliation for Canada&#39;s 2024 blacklisting of Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards.&nbsp;In a statement, the ministry said that the move was in reaction to Ottawa declaring the Guards, the ideological arm of Iran&#39;s military, a terror group &quot;contrary to the fundamental principles of international law&quot;.&nbsp;Iran &quot;within the framework of reciprocity, identifies and declares the Royal Canadian Navy as a terrorist organization,&quot; the statement added, without specifying what ramifications if any the force will face.&nbsp;On June 19, 2024, Canada declared the IRGC a terror group. This bars its members from entering the country and Canadians from having any dealings with individual members or the group.&nbsp;Additionally, any assets the Guards or its members hold in Canada could also be seized.&nbsp;Canada accused the Guards of &quot;having consistently displayed disregard for human rights both inside and outside of Iran, as well as a willingness to destabilize the international rules-based order.&quot;&nbsp;One of the reasons behind Ottawa&#39;s decision to designate the force as a terror group was the Flight PS752 incident.&nbsp;The flight was show down shortly after takeoff from Tehran in January 2020, killing all 176 passengers and crew, including 85 Canadian citizens and permanent residents.&nbsp;The IRGC admitted its forces downed the jet, but claimed their controllers had mistaken it for a hostile target.&nbsp;Ottawa broke off diplomatic ties with Tehran in 2012, calling Iran &quot;the most significant threat to global peace&quot;.&nbsp;Iran&#39;s archenemy, the United States, listed the Guards as a foreign terrorist organization in April 2019 while Australia did the same last month, accusing the force of being behind attacks on Australian soil.

Iran has called the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist group in response to Canada labeling Iran’s Revolutionary Guards as terrorists, citing human rights abuses and the 2020 downing of Flight PS752.

Iran designates Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization

ISLAMABAD: The United States embassy in India on Tuesday warned Indians of &ldquo;significant criminal penalties&rdquo; for illegally immigrating to the US, according to a statement posted on its official X account. &ldquo;If you break U.S. law, you will be punished with significant criminal penalties,&rdquo; the statement said. The warning comes as part of the current US administration&rsquo;s commitment to ending illegal immigration and protecting national borders. According to estimates by the Pew Research Center and the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), around 700,000 Indian people were residing illegally in the US as of 2022, making them the third-largest group after Mexico and El Salvador. However, official data from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) suggests that around 220,000 unauthorized Indians are based in the US. Whereas, this year in February, a US military aircraft carrying 104 deported Indians landed in Amritsar. US President Donald Trump has made the mass deportation of undocumented foreign nationals a key policy, with the North American&nbsp;country reportedly identifying about 18,000 Indian nationals it believes entered the country illegally, according to the BBC. Earlier this year, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said India would take back its nationals who were in the US illegally and would also crack down on the &ldquo;human trafficking ecosystem.&rdquo; &ldquo;These are children of very ordinary families, and they are lured by big dreams and promises,&rdquo; he said during his visit to Washington. In recent times, relations between Washington and New Delhi have become strained. This is attributed to President Trump&rsquo;s sweeping 50% tariffs on Indian goods, according to Chatham House in August, and India&rsquo;s discomfort over US engagement with Pakistan following the May conflict between the two South Asian rivals. Regarding the recent statement, neither the US State Department nor US missions in Pakistan or other countries, including Afghanistan, Syria, Myanmar, or China, have issued similar warnings, Pakistani local media reported.&nbsp;

The US Embassy in India warned Indians of criminal penalties for illegal immigration, citing border enforcement priorities, amid strained US-India relations this year.

US warns Indian nationals of ‘criminal penalties’ for illegal immigration

ISLAMABAD: Turkish authorities arrested 357 suspected Islamic State (ISIS) group members in coordinated raids across 21 provinces Tuesday, T&uuml;rkiye Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said. &quot;This morning, in 21 provinces, we apprehended 357 suspected ISIS members in simultaneous operations conducted by our police,&quot; Yerlikaya said in a statement on X (formerly Twitter). The operations were conducted by the national police&#39;s counterterrorism and intelligence departments in coordination with prosecutors&#39; offices, according to the statement. Raids took place in Adana, Ağrı, Ankara, Antalya, Bing&ouml;l, &Ccedil;orum, Denizli, Erzincan, Gaziantep, Giresun, Istanbul, Kastamonu, Kilis, Konya, Muğla, Niğde, Osmaniye, Şanlıurfa, Şırnak, Yalova and Van. The announcement came a day after three police officers and six suspected militants were killed during an eight-hour standoff in the northwestern town of Yalova. Eight police officers and one security force member were wounded, local media reported. Last week, Turkish authorities arrested 115 suspects accused of planning attacks targeting non-Muslims during Christmas and New Year&#39;s celebrations, local media reported. Several detainees are suspected of collecting money under the guise of charity and funneling it to ISIS-linked networks in Syria, according to prosecutors, Al-Arabiya reported. &quot;Just as we have never given an opportunity to those who try to bring this country to its knees with terrorism, we will never give them an opportunity in the future either,&quot; Yerlikaya said. The ISIS has carried out multiple deadly attacks in Turkey, including a shooting at an Istanbul nightclub on January 1, 2017, which killed 39 people.

Türkiye said 357 suspects were apprehended across 21 provinces in coordinated raids as Ankara intensifies actions against ISIS.

Turkish police detain more than 350 suspects in raids against ISIS

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud reviewed &#39;the evolving regional situation and recent developments&#39; in a telephonic conversation, the Foreign Office (FO) said in a statement on Tuesday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The Saudi Foreign Minister reaffirmed Saudi Arabia&rsquo;s commitment to strengthening and deepening bilateral ties with Pakistan, highlighting the importance Riyadh attaches to its longstanding relationship with Islamabad, the statement said.&nbsp; Dar expressed satisfaction over the positive progress of bilateral relations between Islamabad and Riyadh, the statement added.<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 770px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2005958717796417881&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=0a4277fff51fc9779360cb27c73be39ad1b5ef70&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>Dar also conveyed season&rsquo;s greetings and best wishes for the New Year to his counterpart, the statement said.&nbsp;Prince Faisal warmly reciprocated, the FO statement added.

Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Saudi Arabia’s Foreign Minister held a phone call to discuss regional developments, exchange new year greetings, express satisfaction over growing bilateral ties, and agree on further strengthening cooperation and long-standing relations.

