Adil Shahzeb

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif and Intelligence Chief Lt General Asim Malik are scheduled to depart for Doha on Saturday (today) to engage in talks with representatives of the Afghan Taliban. Official sources confirmed exclusively to PakistanTV Head Adil Shahzeb that the Afghan Taliban delegation is expected to be of equivalent seniority. Meanwhile, security sources have dismissed recent news reports suggesting that a Pakistani delegation is already present in Doha as baseless.<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: 619px; 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=1979286075995816063&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=85e31fe9165fa38157c3cdc1014052f50716feb7&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px"></iframe></div></div>The Pakistani government has previously communicated its concerns to Kabul about the presence of &ldquo;fitna al-khwarij&rdquo;, also known as TTP, elements within Afghan territory, which have contributed to recent tensions. Pakistan has expressed deep concern over the provocative attacks by Taliban forces and Fitna Al-Khwarij along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border from October 11 to 15.&nbsp; Pakistan has successfully repelled these assaults in self-defence. Highlighting the impact of such actions, Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office has stressed that these unprovoked attacks undermine the spirit of peaceful neighbourhood relations and mutual cooperation between Pakistan and Afghanistan. The upcoming talks in Doha are expected to address these security challenges and aim to foster stability along the shared border.

SAT News Desk

High-level discussions aimed at tackling cross-border terrorism and regional stability set to commence with Taliban representatives in Doha today 


Exclusive: Pakistan Defence Minister, Intelligence Chief to Visit Doha for Talks with Afghan Taliban

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs in Italy over the next three years, enabling 3,500 Pakistani workers to be employed annually across sectors such as healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, and shipbreaking. According to a state-run Press Information Department press release issued on Saturday, Pakistan has secured a quota of 10,500 jobs from Italy. The press release said that over the next three years, 3,500 Pakistanis will travel to Italy annually for employment under seasonal and non-seasonal quotas. This includes 1,500 Pakistanis under the seasonal quota and 2,000 under the non-seasonal quota each year. Skilled and&nbsp;semi-skilledPakistan has been allocated job quotas for skilled and semi-skilled workers in the sectors of shipbreaking, hospitality, healthcare, and agriculture. Opportunities will be offered in fields such as welding, technician roles, chefs, waiters, housekeeping, nursing, medical technicians, farming, and agriculture. Italy is the first European country to allocate job quotas for Pakistan. Working group meeting&nbsp;The second meeting of the Joint Working Group between Pakistan and Italy will be held in Islamabad in February 2026, the PID press release said. A Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development spokesperson said Italy is the first European country to formally allocate a country-specific labor quota to Pakistan, calling it a landmark development in Pakistan-Europe labor cooperation, Radio Pakistan reported on Sunday.

Economy

It will allow 3,500 Pakistanis annually to work in healthcare, hospitality, agriculture, and shipbreaking; Italy is the first European country to grant a country-specific labor quota.

Italy allocates 10,500 jobs to Pakistanis over three years

SOFIA: Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the euro on Thursday, but some believe the move could bring higher prices and add to instability in the European Union&rsquo;s poorest country. A protest campaign emerged this year to &ldquo;keep the Bulgarian lev,&rdquo; playing on public fears of price rises and a generally negative view of the euro among much of the population. But successive governments have pushed to join the eurozone, and supporters insist it will boost the economy, reinforce ties to the West, and protect against Russia&rsquo;s influence. The single currency first rolled out in 12 countries on January 1, 2002, and has since regularly extended its reach, with Croatia the last country to join in 2023. But Bulgaria faces unique challenges, including anti-corruption protests that recently swept a conservative-led government from office, leaving the country on the verge of its eighth election in five years. Boryana Dimitrova of the Alpha Research polling institute, which has tracked public opinion on the euro for a year, told AFP anti-EU politicians would seize on any problems with euro adoption. Any issues will become &ldquo;part of the political campaign, which creates a basis for rhetoric directed against the EU,&rdquo; she said. While far-right and pro-Russia parties have been behind several anti-euro protests, many people, especially in poor rural areas, worry about the new currency. &ldquo;Prices will go up. That&rsquo;s what friends of mine who live in Western Europe told me,&rdquo; Bilyana Nikolova, 53, who runs a grocery store in the village of Chuprene in northwestern Bulgaria, told AFP. &lsquo;Substantial&rsquo; gains&nbsp;The latest survey by the EU&rsquo;s polling agency, Eurobarometer, suggested 49% of Bulgarians were against the single currency. After hyperinflation in the 1990s, Bulgaria pegged its currency to the German mark and then to the euro, making the country dependent on the European Central Bank. &ldquo;It will now finally be able to take part in decision-making within this monetary union,&rdquo; Georgi Angelov, senior economist at the Open Society Institute in Sofia, told AFP. An EU member since 2007, Bulgaria joined the so-called &ldquo;waiting room&rdquo; to the single currency in 2020, at the same time as Croatia. The gains of joining the euro are &ldquo;substantial,&rdquo; European Central Bank President Christine Lagarde said last month in Sofia, citing &ldquo;smoother trade, lower financing costs and more stable prices.&rdquo; Small and medium-sized enterprises stand to save the equivalent of some 500 million euros ($580 million) in exchange fees, she added. One sector expected to benefit in the Black Sea nation is tourism, which this year generated around 8% of the country&rsquo;s GDP. Bulgaria&#39;s euro coin designs Ancient rock art, a patron saint, and a monk will be emblazoned on euro coins from Thursday, when Bulgaria joins the single currency. The motifs are already on the lev, the currency Bulgaria adopted in 1881, which is named after an archaic word meaning &ldquo;lion.&rdquo; Rider of independence&nbsp;The Madara Rider, a rock relief created at the beginning of the eighth century during the early years of the formation of the Bulgarian state, graces the 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, 20-, and 50-cent euro coins. The artwork, showing a knight triumphing over a lion, is carved into a cliff near the village of Madara in northeast Bulgaria. The site has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1979. Patron saint&nbsp;The one-euro coin features Bulgarian patron saint John of Rila (c. 876&ndash;946), regarded as the founder of the Rila Monastery, the largest in the country. He is said to have become a hermit in the mountains and to have lived in the hollow of a centuries-old tree. Monk who wrote key work&nbsp;The two-euro coin features Paisius of Hilandar (1722&ndash;c. 1773), a monk of the Orthodox monastery on Mount Athos who wrote a key work of Bulgaria&rsquo;s national revival. The edge of the coin bears the inscription: &ldquo;God protect Bulgaria.&rdquo;

A grocery store owner returns lev banknotes to a customer in a grocery store in the village of Chuprene, northwestern Bulgaria on December 7, 2025 (AFP)

Europe

Bulgaria will become the 21st country to adopt the euro on Thursday, but some believe the move could bring higher prices and add to instability in the European Union’s poorest country.

Bulgaria adopts euro amid fear and uncertainty

ISLAMABAD: The Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and 21 nations, including Pakistan, strongly rejected Israel&rsquo;s recognition of Somalia&rsquo;s northern &#39;Somaliland&#39; region as a sovereign state, citing violations of sovereignty, international law, and regional stability. Pakistan&rsquo;s Ministry of Foreign Affairs on its social media account on X Sunday shared a joint statement by the foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, Yemen, and the OIC. According to the statement, the foreign ministers and the OIC underscored the following: 1- Their unequivocal rejection of Israel&rsquo;s recognition of the &ldquo;Somaliland&rdquo; region of the Federal Republic of Somalia on 26 December 2025, given the serious repercussions of such unprecedented measure on peace and security in the Horn of Africa, the Red Sea, and its serious effects on international peace and security as a whole, which also reflects Israel&rsquo;s full and blatant disregard to international law. 2- Their condemnation in the strongest terms of such recognition, which constitutes a grave violation of the principles of international law and the United Nations Charter, which explicitly stipulates the imperative of protecting the sovereignty of states and their territorial integrity, and reflects Israel&rsquo;s expansionist aims. 3- &nbsp;Full support of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, and the unequivocal rejection of any measures that undermine the unity of Somalia, its territorial integrity, or its sovereignty over its entire territory. 4- The recognition of parts of states constitutes a serious precedent and threatens international peace and security, and violates the cardinal principles of international law and the United Nations Charter. 5- The full rejection of any potential link between such a measure and any attempts to forcibly expel the Palestinian people from their land, which is unequivocally rejected in any form as a matter of principle.<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: 971px; 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=2005144577460797853&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=f0c00d3cc015e0e089bc3a969b1a91b18167742b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div> OIC statement&nbsp;Meanwhile, the Organization of Islamic Cooperation shared the following statement on X on Saturday:&nbsp; &ldquo;The General Secretariat of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation expressed its strong condemnation and categorical rejection of Israel&rsquo;s recognition, as the occupying power, of the &#39;Somaliland&#39; region as an independent state, considering it a violation of the sovereignty of the Federal Republic of Somalia, its national unity, and its territorial integrity.&rdquo; It further said: &ldquo;The General Secretariat reaffirmed its full solidarity with the Federal Republic of Somalia and its unwavering support for its sovereignty and territorial unity, as well as its unequivocal support for its legitimate institutions.&rdquo; &ldquo;It also underscored the necessity of adhering to the principles of the Charter of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, the Charter of the United Nations, and international law, all of which stipulate respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Member States,&rdquo; it added. The statement said: &ldquo;The Organization emphasized the need to preserve security, peace, and stability in the Horn of Africa region, and rejected any actions that could undermine regional stability.&rdquo;<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-1" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 801px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-1&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2004921379599339775&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fdashboard%2F&sessionId=f0c00d3cc015e0e089bc3a969b1a91b18167742b&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>

Africa

Foreign ministers of Jordan, Egypt, Algeria, Comoros, Djibouti, Gambia, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Maldives, Nigeria, Oman, Pakistan, Palestine, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Turkiye, Yemen, and the OIC issue a joint statement.

OIC, 21 nations condemn Israel’s recognition of Somalia’s 'Somaliland' region

ISLAMABAD: A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the leader of the opposition in India&rsquo;s West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday called for Bangladesh to be &ldquo;taught a lesson,&rdquo; invoking Israel&rsquo;s military campaign in Gaza, while leading a protest in Kolkata. &ldquo;A lesson should be taught [to Bangladesh]. Like Israel taught in Gaza,&rdquo; Adhikari said while marching to the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission alongside party leaders and seers, according to the Times of India. TRT World later shared the video footage of the incident on their official Instagram page.&nbsp; <div class="fr-embed instagram-embed" style="width: 50%; display: block; max-width: 600px;"><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/DSx8cdSgXw-/embed/captioned/?cr=1&v=14&wp=592&rd=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com&rp=%2Farticles%2F3092#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A3366212.0999999996%2C%22ls%22%3A554.7000000001863%2C%22le%22%3A654.3000000007451%7D" allowfullscreen="true" frameborder="0" height="1023" scrolling="no" style="background: white; max-width: 540px; width: calc(100% - 2px); border-radius: 3px; border: 1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219); box-shadow: none; display: block; margin: 0px 0px 12px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0px;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div> The comments referenced Israel&rsquo;s ongoing war in Gaza, which has drawn widespread international scrutiny. Israel&rsquo;s military campaign has killed over 70,000 Palestinians and injured 179,100 since October 7, 2023, according to Gaza&rsquo;s Health Ministry. Earlier this year, the United Nations Independent International Commission of Inquiry concluded that Israel is responsible for genocide in Gaza, resulting in mass civilian casualties, the deliberate starvation of the population, the collapse of health and education systems, and violations of binding orders issued by the International Court of Justice. Adhikari also linked his remarks to India&rsquo;s recent confrontation with Pakistan. &ldquo;Our country&rsquo;s 100 crore Hindus; the government is being run in the interest of Hindus. A lesson should be taught. Like we taught Pakistan during Operation Sindoor,&rdquo; he said, according to the Times of India. India&rsquo;s ruling party rivals condemned the language. The Trinamool Congress wrote on X that the Bharatiya Janata Party had &ldquo;perfected hate and intolerance into an art form,&rdquo; accusing Adhikari of making incendiary and extremist remarks. The controversy unfolded amid renewed political debate in India over the outcome of the May conflict with Pakistan. Earlier this month, senior Indian Congress leader and former Maharashtra chief minister Prithviraj Chavan had said India was &ldquo;completely defeated&rdquo; during the fighting, claiming the &ldquo;entire Indian Air Force&rdquo; was grounded. &ldquo;On the very first day, we faced a complete defeat,&rdquo; Chavan said while addressing a meeting of party workers in Pune. After another Bharatiya Janata Party politician, Subrahmanyam Swamy, claimed that Pakistan had downed five Indian aircraft during the escalation, India&rsquo;s top military commander acknowledged losses. Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan told Bloomberg on the sidelines of the Shangri-La Dialogue that India had suffered &ldquo;some losses.&rdquo; According to Indian media, US&nbsp;President Donald Trump has at least 25 times cited claims that five to eight &ldquo;brand new, beautiful&rdquo; aircraft were shot down during the Pakistan-India May conflict.

India

A senior leader of the Bharatiya Janata Party and the leader of the opposition in India’s West Bengal, Suvendu Adhikari, on Saturday called for Bangladesh to be 'taught a lesson,' invoking Israel’s military campaign in Gaza, while leading a protest in Kolkata.

Indian BJP leader says Bangladesh should be taught a lesson 'like Israel did in Gaza'

ISLAMABAD: All-rounder Shadab Khan, and wicketkeeper-batter Khawaja Nafay have been named in Pakistan&#39;s 15-member squad for the upcoming three-match T20I series against Sri Lanka, set to begin in January. Shadab, who last played for Pakistan in June, returns after a successful rehabilitation following shoulder surgery earlier this year.&nbsp;The series, scheduled to take place at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium from January 7 to 11, will provide Pakistan an opportunity to finalize their squad for the ICC Men&rsquo;s T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, 2025.&nbsp;Shadab&rsquo;s inclusion is a significant boost for the team as they prepare for the World Cup. The 27-year-old is currently featuring in the Big Bash League (BBL) in Australia, which marks his return to competitive cricket.&nbsp;Nafay, 23, is uncapped at the international level but has impressed with his performances for Pakistan Shaheens, having played 32 T20 matches with an impressive strike rate of 132.81.&nbsp;Salman Ali Agha, who captains the team, will continue in his role for the series. Agha has had a standout year, featuring in a record 34 T20I matches &mdash; the most by any Pakistan player this year. He will lead the side as Pakistan looks to build momentum ahead of the World Cup.&nbsp;The squad also includes a mix of experienced players and emerging talent, with the likes of Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Nawaz, Faheem Ashraf, Naseem Shah, and Mohammad Wasim Jnr all included.&nbsp;Pakistan&#39;s team management will be led by head coach Mike Hesson, with Ashley Noffke as the bowling coach and Hanif Malik as the batting coach.&nbsp;The series, that follows <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-rout-sri-lanka-to-win-t20i-triseries" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Sri Lanka&#39;s white-ball tour to Pakistan</a> in November, is expected to be a crucial step for Pakistan in refining their lineup for the T20 World Cup, where they will play all their matches in Colombo.&nbsp;Pakistan T20I squad: &nbsp;Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abdul Samad, Abrar Ahmad, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.Team management: &nbsp;Naveed Akram Cheema (manager), Mike Hesson (head coach), Ashley Noffke (bowling coach), Hanif Malik (batting coach), Shane McDermott (fielding coach), Cliffe Deacon (physiotherapist), Grant Luden (strength and conditioning coach), Talha Ejaz (analyst), Syed Naeem Ahmad (media manager), Col. Usman Anwari (security manager), Dr. Wajid Ali Rafai (team doctor), Muhammad Ehsan (masseur).&nbsp;Series schedule:&nbsp;January 7: First T20I&nbsp;January 9: Second T20I&nbsp;January 11: Third T20I

Cricket

The series is to take place at the Rangiri Dambulla International Cricket Stadium, Dambulla, from January 7 to 11.

Shadab, Nafay make it to Pakistan’s T20I squad for Sri Lanka series

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&#39;s 2025 monsoon season killed more than 1,000 people and affected nearly 7 million others, with climate scientists determining the extreme rainfall was approximately 12% more intense than it would have been without human-induced climate change, according to a report released by Christian Aid. The &ldquo;Counting the Cost 2025&quot; annual report noted how the floods, which struck Pakistan between June and September, submerged 1.3 million acres of crops and caused $1.4 billion in agricultural losses alone. The monsoon rains damaged 12,500 homes, washed away 240 bridges, and killed at least 6,500 livestock, according to the report. More than 600 kilometers (375 miles) of roads were damaged. &quot;These climate disasters are a warning of what lies ahead if we do not accelerate the transition away from fossil fuels,&quot; the Christian Aid&#39;s Chief Executive, Patrick Watt, said in the report&#39;s foreword. The climate attribution finding came from a World Weather Attribution study cited in the Christian Aid report, which analyzed how human-caused global warming intensified the monsoon rainfall. Torrential rains triggered deadly floods, landslides, and flash floods throughout the country, with rivers overflowing and thousands of towns submerged, according to the report. Entire communities were displaced, particularly in vulnerable regions. The monsoon season, combined with glacial floods and riverine inundation, created catastrophic conditions across Pakistan, according to Christian Aid. The agricultural losses hit particularly hard in a country where the sector is critical to millions of livelihoods. Pakistan&#39;s disaster was part of a broader India-Pakistan monsoon season that killed at least 1,860 people across both countries and caused up to $6 billion in combined damage, ranking as the fifth most expensive climate disaster globally in 2025, according to the Christian Aid report. Christian Aid stated that the cost figures often exclude forms of loss that are difficult to quantify, &quot;such as damages to livelihoods, lost income, long-term damage to the environment, and permanent displacement of residents.&quot; &quot;As a result, the true toll of disasters is almost certainly far higher than the insured losses suggested,&quot; the report stated. Scientists have linked the extremity of monsoon seasons to human-driven climate change, estimating that for every degree of warming, monsoon rains will likely increase by around 5%, according to research cited in the Christian Aid report. &quot;Warmer oceans and atmosphere supercharge evaporation, increasing atmospheric moisture and fueling heavier downpours,&quot; the report stated. These conditions also accelerate the melting of glaciers and permafrost, &quot;further amplifying the risk of floods and landslides.&quot; Pakistan&#39;s monsoon occurred during what Christian Aid characterized as &quot;a year of climate breakdown.&rdquo; The report noted that &quot;some of the most devastating extreme weather events in 2025 hit poorer nations, which have contributed little to causing the climate crisis and have the least resources to respond.&quot; Christian Aid&#39;s&nbsp;Watt said Pakistan exemplified how &quot;the poorest communities are first and worst affected&quot; by climate breakdown. &quot;They also underline the urgent need for adaptation, particularly in the global South, where resources are stretched, and people are especially vulnerable to climate shocks,&quot; Watt said. The Director of Nairobi-based energy and climate think tank Power Shift Africa, said wealthy nations count financial costs while &quot;millions of people across Africa, Asia and the Caribbean are counting lost lives, homes and futures.&quot; &quot;In 2026, governments must stop burying their heads in the sand and start responding with real support for the people on the frontlines &mdash; through scaled-up finance for those in need and faster emissions reductions,&quot; he said in a statement included in the report. Christian Aid called for urgent action, including emissions cuts, accelerated transition to renewable energy, and increased climate finance for vulnerable communities, particularly through the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage. The organization noted that attribution science has advanced to where researchers can now directly link greenhouse gas emissions to specific deadly weather events, with 213 heatwaves this century traced to pollution from major fossil fuel producers, according to research cited in the report. &quot;The suffering caused by the climate crisis is a political choice,&quot; Watt said. &quot;It is being driven by decisions to continue burning fossil fuels, to allow emissions to rise, and to break promises on climate finance.&quot; Thousands of school children affected According to Save the Children, the disaster forced widespread school closures across flood-affected areas, leaving tens of thousands of Pakistani children out of education. The organization identified the Asia floods as one of five major climate disasters in 2025 that disrupted children&#39;s lives. Save the Children and local partners created safe spaces for children in affected areas where they could play, learn, and recover, while also delivering essential aid to affected families, according to the organization&#39;s year-in-review released in late December 2205. The organization said&nbsp;that two million children would avoid experiencing unprecedented lifetime exposure to droughts if global warming could be limited to 1.5 degrees Celsius by 2100, according to the organization&#39;s analysis aligned with the Paris Agreement goals. According to Save the Children data spanning 30 years, climate disasters have cost the world more than $122 billion globally. It has affected an estimated 136,000 children daily.

Climate & Environment

Scientists link human-caused warming to intensified rainfall, as floods submerged 1.3 million acres of crops and destroyed 12,500 homes.

7 million displaced: Climate change made Pakistan's monsoon 12% deadlier in 2025

ISLAMABAD: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky will sit down Sunday with Donald Trump to seek the US president&rsquo;s stamp of approval for a new proposal to end the nearly four-year conflict with Russia. The 20-point plan, which emerged from weeks of intense US-Ukraine negotiations, lacks Moscow&#39;s approval, and the face-to-face in Florida comes in the wake of a massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv. The meeting, hosted by Trump at his opulent Mar-a-Lago residence, will be the pair&#39;s first in-person encounter since October, when the US president refused to grant Zelensky&#39;s request for long-range Tomahawk missiles. During a stopover in Canada on Saturday, Zelensky said he hoped the talks would be &quot;very constructive&quot; and said Russian leader Vladimir Putin had shown his hand with the latest assault on the Ukrainian capital. &quot;This attack is again, Russia&#39;s answer on our peace efforts. And this really showed that Putin doesn&#39;t want peace,&quot; he said. Europeans vow supportWhile in Canada, Zelensky held a conference call with European leaders who, according to German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, pledged their full support for his peace efforts. Russia has accused Ukraine and its European backers of trying to &quot;torpedo&quot; a previous US-brokered plan to stop the fighting. EU chiefs Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, who participated in the conference call, said the European Union&#39;s backing for Ukraine would never falter and vowed to maintain pressure on the Kremlin to come to terms. Trump has so far been non-committal on the new peace proposal. Zelensky &quot;doesn&#39;t have anything until I approve it,&quot; the president said in an interview with Politico on Friday. &quot;So we&#39;ll see what he&#39;s got.&quot; The talks will address a plan that would stop the war along its current front lines and could require Ukraine to pull back troops from the east, allowing the creation of demilitarized buffer zones. As such, it contains Kyiv&#39;s most explicit acknowledgement yet of possible territorial concessions. But is does not envisage Ukraine withdrawing from the 20 percent of the eastern Donetsk region that it still controls -- Russia&#39;s main territorial demand. Trump has made ending the Ukraine and Gaza wars the centerpiece of his self-proclaimed second term as a &quot;president of peace.&quot; But the Ukraine war has, by his own admission, proved far harder than he expected, and the president has repeatedly voiced his frustration with both sides for failing to secure a truce. Security guaranteesIn Canada, Zelensky told reporters that security guarantees would be a key focus of the talks in Florida. &quot;Security guarantees must be simultaneous with the end of the war, because we must be confident that Russia will not start aggression again,&quot; he stressed. &quot;We need strong security guarantees. We will discuss this and we will discuss the terms.&quot; Ukraine insists it needs more European and US support in terms of funding and weaponry -- especially drones. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who met with Zelensky during his stopover on Saturday, announced CAN$2.5 billion (US$1.82 billion) in fresh economic assistance to help Ukraine rebuild once the war ends. The latest Russian attack, which saw 500 drones and 40 missiles pummel the Ukrainian capital and its infrastructure, knocked out power and heating to hundreds of thousands of Kyiv region residents during freezing temperatures.

This files combination of pictures created on February 25, 2025 shows US President Donald Trump (L) on February 24, 2025, and Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky (R) on February 23, 2025.

Americas

The meeting, hosted by Trump at his opulent Mar-a-Lago residence, will be the pair's first in-person encounter since October, when the US president refused to grant Zelensky's request for long-range Tomahawk missiles.

Zelensky looks to close out Ukraine peace deal at Trump meet

ISLAMABAD: Voting began Sunday in Myanmar&#39;s heavily restricted polls, with the ruling junta touting the exercise as a return to democracy five years after it ousted the last elected government, triggering a civil war. Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, while her hugely popular party has been dissolved and was not taking part. Campaigners, Western diplomats and the UN&#39;s rights chief have all condemned the phased month-long vote, citing a ballot stacked with military allies and a stark crackdown on dissent. The pro-military Union Solidarity and Development Party is widely expected to emerge as the largest one, in what critics say would be a rebranding of martial rule. The Southeast Asian nation of around 50 million is riven by civil war and there will be no voting in rebel-held areas. In junta-controlled territory, the first of three rounds started at 6:00 am local time, including in constituencies in the cities of Yangon, Mandalay and the capital Naypyidaw. &quot;The election is very important and will bring the best for the country,&quot; said Bo Saw, the first voter at a polling station in Yangon&#39;s Kamayut Township near Suu Kyi&#39;s vacant home. &quot;The first priority should be restoring a safe and peaceful situation,&quot; the 63-year-old told AFP. Slow start Snaking queues of voters formed outside polling stations in the last election in 2020, which the military declared void when it ousted Suu Kyi and seized power in 2021. But this time journalists and polling staff outnumbered early voters at a downtown station near the gleaming Sule Pagoda &ndash; the site of huge pro-democracy protests after the coup. Among a trickle of early voters, 45-year-old Swe Maw dismissed international criticism. &quot;It&#39;s not an important matter,&quot; he said. &quot;There are always people who like and dislike.&quot; The run-up saw none of the feverish public rallies that Suu Kyi once commanded, and the junta has waged a withering pre-vote offensive to claw back territory. &quot;It is impossible for this election to be free and fair,&quot; said Moe Moe Myint, who has spent the past two months &quot;on the run&quot; from junta air strikes. &quot;How can we support a junta-run election when this military has destroyed our lives?&quot; she told AFP from a village in the central Mandalay region. &quot;We are homeless, hiding in jungles, and living between life and death,&quot; said the 40-year-old. Junta chief Min Aung Hlaing has not responded to AFP requests for interview, but has consistently framed the polls as a path to reconciliation. Electronic voting The military ruled Myanmar for most of its post-independence history before a 10-year interlude saw a civilian government take the reins in a burst of optimism and reform. But after Suu Kyi&#39;s National League for Democracy party trounced pro-military opponents in the 2020 elections, Min Aung Hlaing snatched power in a coup, alleging widespread voter fraud. Suu Kyi is serving a 27-year sentence for charges rights groups dismiss as politically motivated. &quot;I don&#39;t think she would consider these elections to be meaningful in any way,&quot; her son Kim Aris said from his home in Britain. Most parties from the 2020 vote, including Suu Kyi&#39;s, have since been dissolved. The Asian Network for Free Elections says 90% of the seats in the last elections went to organizations that will not appear on Sunday&#39;s ballots. New electronic voting machines will not allow write-in candidates or spoiled ballots. &#39;Repression&#39; The junta is pursuing prosecutions against more than 200 people for violating draconian legislation forbidding &quot;disruption&quot; of the poll, including protest or criticism. &quot;These elections are clearly taking place in an environment of violence and repression,&quot; UN rights chief Volker Turk said this week. The second round of polling will take place in two weeks before the third and final round on January 25, but the junta has conceded elections cannot happen in almost one in five lower house constituencies. When the military seized power it put down pro-democracy protests, and many activists quit the cities to fight as guerrillas alongside ethnic minority armies that have long held sway in Myanmar&#39;s fringes. &quot;There are many ways to make peace in the country, but they haven&#39;t chosen those &ndash; they&#39;ve chosen to have an election instead,&quot; said Zaw Tun, an officer in the pro-democracy People&#39;s Defence Force in the northern region of Sagaing. &quot;We will continue to fight.&quot;

Asia

Former civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi remains jailed, while her hugely popular party has been dissolved and was not taking part.

Myanmar junta stages election after five years of civil war

ISLAMABAD: Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro underwent a medical procedure Saturday to treat recurrent hiccups he has been dealing with for months, according to his medical team. The 70-year-old ex-president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, had been released from prison Wednesday to undergo surgery for a groin hernia at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia. That surgery was performed Thursday without incident, and Bolsonaro remained hospitalized for several days for evaluation. During that time, Bolsonaro&#39;s medical team determined it was necessary to perform an anesthetic block of the phrenic nerve&mdash;which controls the diaphragm&mdash;to treat his recurring hiccups. Bolsonaro&#39;s doctor, Claudio Birolini, told reporters on Thursday that the procedure involved locating the nerve using an ultrasound machine and then injecting it with a local analgesic. The procedure on Saturday &quot;went well,&quot; according to another of the doctors, Mateus Saldanha. Birolini said the process took about an hour, adding that &quot;it&#39;s not surgery...it does not involve any incisions.&quot; The right side of the nerve was treated Saturday, and a procedure to treat the left side of the nerve is set for Monday. &#39;Months of struggle&#39; &quot;My love just went to the surgical center to have his phrenic nerve blocked,&quot; former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro wrote in an Instagram post Saturday. &quot;It&#39;s been nine months of struggle and anguish with daily hiccups,&quot; she added. The far-right former president, who was in power from 2019 to 2022, has for years been dealing with the aftermath of an abdominal stab wound he suffered during a 2018 campaign rally, requiring several major surgeries. In September, Brazil&#39;s Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and handed him a 27-year prison sentence. The coup failed due to a lack of support from top military brass. The far-right ex-president has claimed his innocence, claiming he was being persecuted by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro was under house arrest from August until his imprisonment on November 22. Once discharged from the hospital, Bolsonaro will return to serving his sentence at a federal police jail in the capital. Brazil&#39;s Supreme Court on Saturday also ordered house arrest for 10 officials from Bolsonaro&#39;s administration who were involved in planning the coup plot, sought legal justification for it, or spread disinformation about it on social media. The 10 officials had been convicted but were out of prison due to pending appeals. One of the officials, Silvinei Vasques, was detained in Paraguay on Friday after he allegedly tried to board a flight with false papers.

The former president, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for an attempted coup, had been released from prison Wednesday to undergo surgery for a groin hernia.

Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro treated for hiccups

ISLAMABAD: The suspect in the stabbing of three women in the Paris metro has been released from custody and moved to a psychiatric hospital, prosecutors said Saturday. The man was arrested suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro on Friday as the capital&#39;s end-of-year festivities were in full swing. The three victims were attacked at three different locations along the Line 3 metro track that runs across central Paris. They were injured, but not critically. Continued police custody was not appropriate for the suspect because it is &quot;considered incompatible with the state of his health&quot;, the prosecutors&#39; office told AFP. Police had used surveillance-camera footage and mobile-tracking tools to locate the 25-year-old suspect in the Val d&#39;Oise region north of Paris. Transport police had opened an investigation into attempted homicide and assault with a weapon. The interior ministry said the man was a Malian citizen imprisoned in January 2024 for aggravated theft and sexual assault. He had been required to leave France after being released in July. The man had been placed in an administrative detention center but failure to obtain a consular travel document required for his deportation had meant he was released after 90 days, as required by law, the statement said. Interior Minister Laurent Nunez last week called for &quot;maximum vigilance&quot; during the festive season in a message to senior officials due to what he said was a &quot;very high level of the terrorist threat&quot; and &quot;the risk of public disorder&quot;. Nunez specifically asked for particular attention to be paid to security on public transport.

The man was arrested suspected of stabbing three women in the Paris metro on Friday as the capital's end-of-year festivities were in full swing.

Articles by Adil Shahzeb