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

COLOMBO: India captain Suryakumar Yadav and his Pakistan opposite number Salman Agha did not shake hands at the coin toss for their T20 World Cup showdown in Colombo on Sunday.&nbsp;Agha won the toss and elected to bowl in the Group A match, which was only confirmed as going ahead six days ago when the Pakistan government made a U-turn on a threat to boycott the match.&nbsp;Suryakumar also did not shake hands with Agha in any of their three matches at the Asia Cup in Dubai last year, including the final.&nbsp;The biggest and most lucrative clash in world cricket was in doubt after Bangladesh refused to play their T20 World Cup matches in India and were kicked out, replaced by Scotland.&nbsp;The Pakistan government protested and responded by ordering its team to boycott the India game in Sri Lanka, the tournament&#39;s co-hosts.&nbsp;The cricket teams of the nuclear-armed neighbours only meet in multi-nation tournaments at neutral venues as part of a compromise deal.&nbsp;It has been more than 18 years since India and Pakistan last met in a Test match, and 13 years since either side crossed the border to play a bilateral series.&nbsp;The 35,000-capacity R.Premadasa Stadium was sold out for the clash, with tickets going for more than four times face value on the black market.&nbsp;Excitement was building outside the ground before the start of the hotly awaited clash.

Cricket

At the ICC Men's T20 World Cup match in Colombo, India’s Suryakumar Yadav and Pakistan’s Salman Agha skipped a handshake amid political tensions. Pakistan won the toss and chose to field.

No handshake between India, Pakistan captains before T20 World Cup clash

TEHRAN: Iran is ready to compromise on its stockpile of highly enriched uranium in exchange for US sanctions being lifted, its deputy foreign minister said in a BBC interview published Sunday.&nbsp;Majid Takht-Ravanchi&#39;s remarks came after the resumption of nuclear talks between Iran and the United States in Oman on Feb. 6.&nbsp;Switzerland announced on Saturday that a new round of talks would take place in Geneva next week, without specifying the day.&nbsp;Iran has not yet officially confirmed the new round of talks, but Takht-Ravanchi, who was in Iran&#39;s delegation to Oman led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, said they would be on Tuesday, the BBC reported.&nbsp;Western countries, led by the United States as well as by Israel, Iran&#39;s arch-enemy and considered by experts to be the only nuclear power in the Middle East, accuse the Islamic republic of seeking to acquire nuclear weapons.&nbsp;Tehran denies having such military ambitions, but insists on its right to this technology for civilian purposes.&nbsp;Iran is ready to compromise to reach an agreement with the United States, including diluting its highly enriched uranium, but Washington must lift its sanctions, which are crippling Iran&#39;s economy, Takht-Ravanchi said, according to the BBC.&nbsp;&quot;If we see the sincerity on their (American) part, I am sure we will be on a road to have an agreement,&quot; he said, speaking in English.&nbsp;The BBC said he was also questioned about the possibility of Tehran agreeing to ship its stockpile of more than 400 kilos of highly enriched uranium out of the country and did not rule out a compromise, saying &quot;it is too early to say&quot; what will happen at the talks.&nbsp;Several countries, including Russia, have offered to take responsibility for the stockpile, an offer Iran has so far refused.&nbsp;Considerable uncertainty surrounds the fate of Iran&#39;s stockpile of more than 400 kilos of 60% enriched uranium that was last seen by nuclear watchdog inspectors last June 10, before Israeli and US strikes against Iranian nuclear sites.&nbsp;Iran had been enriching uranium to 60 percent, well above the 3.67 percent limit allowed by the now-defunct 2015 nuclear agreement and close to 90 percent needed to make a bomb, according to the International Atomic Energy Agency.&nbsp;US President Donald Trump has repeatedly called for zero enrichment in Iran.&nbsp;&quot;The issue of zero enrichment is not an issue any more and as far as Iran is concerned, it is not on the table any more,&quot; Takht-Ravanchi told the BBC.&nbsp;The Fars news agency, citing a foreign ministry official, reported on Sunday that the talks would also cover potential American investments in Iran&#39;s energy sector.

Asia

Deputy Foreign Minister Majid Takht-Ravanchi says Iran is open to diluting or compromising on its highly enriched uranium stockpile if the United States lifts sanctions, as nuclear talks resume and disputes over enrichment limits persist.

Iran says ready for nuclear compromise if US lifts sanctions

MUNICH: EU top diplomat Kaja Kallas pushed back Sunday against &quot;bashing&quot; of Europe by the United States, saying Russia must be forced to make concessions in talks to end the war in Ukraine. &quot;Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/chinese-fm-wants-to-work-with-canadian-counterpart-to-eliminate-interference" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Europe</a> is not facing civilizational erasure,&quot; Kallas said on the last day of the Munich Security Conference. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-and-europe-belong-together-rubio" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">US Secretary of State Marco Rubio</a>&nbsp;on Saturday reassured allies by saying Washington and&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/european-debate-over-nuclear-weapons-gains-pace-at-munich-security-conference" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Europe</a> &quot;belong together&quot; -- but insisted the continent must defend against mass migration to protect its &quot;civilization&quot;. &quot;The message that we heard is that America and Europe are intertwined, have been in the past and will be in the future. I think this is important,&quot; Kallas said. &quot;It is also clear that we don&#39;t see eye to eye in all the issues, and this will remain the case,&quot; she said. The gathering in Munich has seen European officials insist that the continent must take the lead in its defense in the face of an aggressive Russia and doubts about the reliability of the United States, as President Donald Trump upends ties. &lsquo;Need to reclaim European agency&rsquo;&quot;There is an urgent need to reclaim European agency,&quot; Kallas said. She said European defense &quot;starts in Ukraine&quot; and depends on how Russia&#39;s war ends as the United States pushes efforts to stop the fighting. &quot;Let&#39;s be clear-eyed about Russia. Russia is no superpower,&quot; Kallas said, insisting the country was &quot;broken.&quot; &quot;The greatest threat Russia presents right now is that it gains more at the negotiation table than it has achieved on the battlefield.&quot; Size of Russia&rsquo;s military&nbsp;The EU top diplomat called for the size of Russia&#39;s military to be capped, said Moscow must pay for damages caused, and be held accountable for war crimes. France&#39;s Europe minister, Benjamin Haddad, backed calls for Europe to pay less attention to what the US says and to focus on bolstering its own capabilities. &quot;I think the worst lesson we could draw from this weekend is to say, well, I can cling to some love words that I heard in part of his speech and push the snooze button,&quot; Haddad said of Rubio&#39;s address. &quot;Focus on what we can control, focus on our rearmament, on the support for Ukraine and the threat that Russia poses to all of our democracies.&quot;

Europe

‘Contrary to what some may say, woke, decadent Europe is not facing civilizational erasure,’ says Kaja Kallas on the last day of the Munich Security Conference.

EU top diplomat rejects Europe 'bashing' by US

DHAKA: Bangladesh&#39;s Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition, which lost its chance to form the country&#39;s next government in this week&#39;s polls, submitted complaints to the Election Commission on Sunday, challenging results in 32 constituencies. The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladeshs-next-pm-signals-regional-reset-unity-and-saarc-revival-in-first-address" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Tarique Rahman</a>, the scion of one of the country&#39;s most influential <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladeshs-election-commission-publishes-gazette-of-newly-elected-mps" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);" rel="noopener noreferrer">political dynasties</a>, celebrated a sweeping victory in the South Asian nation of 170 million after general elections on Thursday. They were the first polls since a 2024 uprising ousted the autocratic government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.&nbsp;Election results&nbsp;The BNP-led alliance won 212 seats, compared with 77 for the Jamaat-e-Islami-led alliance, according to the Election Commission. Jamaat chief Shafiqur Rahman conceded on Saturday, saying his party would &quot;serve as a vigilant, principled, and peaceful opposition&quot;. Newly elected lawmakers are expected to be sworn in on Tuesday, after which Rahman is set to become the country&#39;s next prime minister. But on Sunday, Jamaat officials submitted their complaints. &quot;We have identified 32 constituencies where our candidates were unfairly defeated,&quot; said senior Jamaat official Hamidur Rahman Azad. &quot;The election day began smoothly, but the ending was not what we had expected. Fake votes, the circulation of black money (bribes), threats, assaults, and attacks marred the atmosphere.&quot; Police records show that political clashes during the campaign period left five people dead and more than 600 injured.&nbsp;Without major unrest&nbsp;But despite weeks of turbulence ahead of the polls, voting day passed without major unrest and the country has so far responded to the results with relative calm. At least two people were killed in post-poll clashes, while scattered acts of vandalism and assaults were reported in several districts, police said. Both Jamaat-e-Islami and its ally, the National Citizen Party (NCP) -- formed by student leaders who spearheaded the uprising -- reported attacks on their supporters. NCP loyalists marched through the Dhaka University campus against the BNP on Friday. Police spokesman AHM Shahadat Hossain said police were deployed to maintain order. &quot;Over 150,000 police personnel were trained to tackle pre- and post-election violence,&quot; Hossain told AFP.&nbsp;59% turnout&nbsp;The Election Commission said turnout was 59% across 299 of the 300 constituencies where voting was held. Only seven women were directly elected, although a further 50 seats reserved for women will be allocated to parties according to their share of the vote. Four members of minority communities won seats, including two Hindus -- a population that makes up roughly 7% in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Bangladesh

'We have identified 32 constituencies where our candidates were unfairly defeated,' said senior Jamaat official Hamidur Rahman Azad.

Bangladesh's Jamaat-e-Islami-led coalition submits poll complaints

MUNICH: China&#39;s Foreign Minister Wang Yi told his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, that their two countries should work to &ldquo;eliminate interference&rdquo; as they met on the sidelines of a security conference on Saturday. Wang, who met a slew of Western leaders at the Munich Security Conference, has been eager to portray Beijing as a more stable partner than the United States. Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney, who took office last year, visited China in January as part of his global effort to broaden Canada&#39;s export markets and reduce its reliance on the United States for trade. Preliminary trade deal&nbsp;Under a preliminary trade deal announced, Beijing is expected to reduce tariffs on Canadian canola imports. But the United States -- Canada&#39;s traditional ally and largest trading partner -- has threatened to impose 100% tariffs on Canadian products if the deal goes ahead, saying it would allow China to &quot;dump goods.&quot; Beijing&#39;s top diplomat, Wang, told his Canadian counterpart, Anita Anand, on Saturday that their countries should jointly counter &quot;interference,&quot; without naming the United States. &lsquo;Eliminate interference&rsquo;&quot;China is willing to work with Canada to eliminate interference, restart exchanges and cooperation in various fields,&quot; Wang told Anand, according to a readout from Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry. China has overturned the death sentence of Canadian Robert Lloyd Schellenberg, who was detained on drug charges in 2014, a Canadian official told AFP in February. China-Canada ties had nosedived following the 2018 arrest in Vancouver of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou. That arrest infuriated Beijing, which detained two Canadians -- Michael Spavor and Michael Kovrig -- on espionage charges that Ottawa condemned as retaliatory. But on Saturday, Wang hailed Carney&#39;s visit to China as &ldquo;fruitful&rdquo; and said the two countries should build a healthy and stable &ldquo;new type of strategic partnership.&rdquo; China grants visa-free entryChina confirmed that Canadian and British citizens will be able to visit the country visa-free from Tuesday, after the two countries&#39; leaders announced the agreements during official trips to Beijing. British and Canadian prime ministers Keir Starmer and Mark Carney both visited Beijing in January, seeking to bolster relations with China and pivot from the increasingly mercurial United States. Both leaders had hailed progress following meetings with top Chinese leaders, including President Xi Jinping, on issues such as visa-free access for their citizens to China. Beijing&#39;s foreign ministry confirmed these agreements on Sunday, saying Canadian and British citizens will be able to travel to China visa-free from Tuesday, with the policy in effect until Dec. 31. &quot;Holders of ordinary passports from these countries can enter China without a visa for business, tourism, visiting relatives and friends, exchanges, or transit for a period not exceeding 30 days,&quot; it said in a statement. This was to &quot;further facilitate people-to-people exchanges between China and other countries,&quot; it added.

Wang Yi, who met a slew of Western leaders at the Munich Security Conference, has been eager to portray Beijing as a more stable partner than the United States.

Chinese FM wants to work with Canadian counterpart to 'eliminate interference'

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and India will renew their storied rivalry on Sunday (today) in a high-stakes Group &lsquo;A&rsquo; encounter of the T20 World Cup at the R. Premadasa Stadium.&nbsp;The match is scheduled to begin at 6:30 PM (PST) and has already&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/indiapakistan-hottest-ticket-in-cricket-sparks-t20-world-cup-fever" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(41, 105, 176);" rel="noopener noreferrer">generated massive anticipation</a>, with the 35,000-capacity stadium sold out. Millions more are expected to tune in worldwide.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed" style="line-height: 2;"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bnE2TvkELRQ" title="Pakistani fans share bold expectations ahead of Pakistan vs India World Cup clash" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share" referrerpolicy="strict-origin-when-cross-origin" allowfullscreen="" style="width: 100%; height: auto; aspect-ratio: 16 / 9; max-width: 100%; display: block;"></iframe>&nbsp;</div>Qualification on the lineBoth teams have made a strong start to their campaign, securing two wins each and collecting four points. A victory on Sunday will guarantee a place in the Super Eight stage. Even in the event of a washout, both sides would move to five points and confirm qualification.&nbsp;India, the defending champions, have defeated Namibia and the United States in their opening fixtures. Pakistan, led by&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-always-ready-for-india-despite-late-green-light-agha" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(41, 105, 176);" rel="noopener noreferrer">Salman Ali Agha</a><a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistan-always-ready-for-india-despite-late-green-light-agha" target="_blank" style="color: rgb(41, 105, 176);" rel="noopener noreferrer">,</a> also registered back-to-back wins and will be aiming to maintain momentum in the tournament&rsquo;s most anticipated clash.&nbsp;Key players to watchFor Pakistan, spinner Usman Tariq has emerged as a potential game-changer after his impressive display against the USA. The pace battery, led by Shaheen Shah Afridi, will also be central to Pakistan&rsquo;s plans against India&rsquo;s in-form batting line-up.&nbsp;India will rely on skipper Suryakumar Yadav and wicketkeeper-batter Ishan Kishan, who recently became the first Indian wicketkeeper to score a half-century in a T20 World Cup match. Jasprit Bumrah and Varun Chakravarthy remain key threats with the ball.&nbsp;Head-to-head recordSince the inaugural T20 World Cup in 2007, India have largely dominated their encounters with Pakistan on cricket&rsquo;s biggest T20 stage. Out of eight meetings between the two sides in the tournament&rsquo;s history, India have emerged victorious seven times, while Pakistan have managed just one win, underlining India&rsquo;s consistent upper hand in this high-profile rivalry. &nbsp;Weather watchRain could play a role in Sunday&rsquo;s contest. Forecasts indicate a 50 to 70% chance of showers in Colombo, particularly in the evening. However, the Premadasa Stadium is equipped with an advanced drainage system and extensive ground covers, allowing play to resume within 45 to 60 minutes after rainfall stops. An additional 60 minutes of extra time is also available if required.&nbsp;Where to watch live?&nbsp;The match will be broadcast live on PTV Sports and Geo Super in Pakistan, while digital streaming will be available on platforms including Myco, Tapmad and Tamasha.&nbsp;With regional pride, qualification, and momentum at stake, another gripping chapter in cricket&rsquo;s greatest rivalry is set to unfold under Colombo&rsquo;s lights. SquadsPakistan: Salman Agha (C), Babar Azam, Abrar Ahmed, Fakhar Zaman, Faheem Ashraf, Saim Ayub, Khawaja Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Salman Mirza, Sahibzada Farhan, Shadab Khan, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Usman Khan, and Usman Tariq.&nbsp;India: Suryakumar Yadav (C), Abhishek Sharma, Ishan Kishan, Rinku Singh, Shivam Dube, Axar Patel, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Varun Chakaravarthy, Washington Sundar, Mohammed Siraj, Jasprit Bumrah, and Kuldeep Yadav.

Pakistan bowlers Shadab Khan (left), Shaheen Shah Afridi (center) and Usman Tariq interact during a training session at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on Saturday. (File photo: PCB)

Pakistan spinner Usman Tariq emerges as a potential game-changer after his impressive display against the USA.

Pakistan, India set for decisive T20 World Cup showdown

PAPEETE: French authorities said Saturday they had seized 2.4 tonnes of cocaine from a vessel in the Pacific during a joint operation with the United States, as officials step up interceptions in Polynesian waters. The seizure of 100 bales of the drug took place on Thursday, and the vessel was allowed to continue on to its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/nigeria-arrests-22-indian-ship-crew-members-in-drug-bust" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">destination</a>, which officials did not specify. &quot;In accordance with practices applicable under international law... the vessel and its crew resumed their voyage,&quot; the High Commission in French&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/us-kills-14-in-strikes-on-alleged-pacific-drug-boats" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Polynesia</a>&nbsp;said in a statement. It added that the operation was carried out with &quot;the cooperation of US government agencies&quot;. The statement did not specify the ship&#39;s flag or point of origin. Over the past month, French authorities have seized nearly 12 tonnes of cocaine around Polynesia, including three that were between two and five tonnes each. The United Nations has said in recent years that organised criminal groups trafficking cocaine and methamphetamine have expanded their presence in the Pacific. Large amounts of drugs are transported from North and South America for Australian and New Zealand markets, according to the UN. In 2025, the French navy seized a record 87.6 tonnes of drugs worldwide, including 58 tonnes of cocaine.

Over the past month, French authorities have seized nearly 12 tonnes of cocaine around Polynesia, including three that were between two and five tonnes each.

French navy seizes 2.4 tonnes of cocaine in Pacific

ISLAMABAD: Bangladesh&rsquo;s interim government has invited Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to attend the swearing-in ceremony of the new government, Bangladeshi media reported on Sunday. Citing sources in the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the interim administration, The Daily Star said the ceremony is scheduled to be held on Feb. 17.&nbsp;According to the newspaper, a foreign ministry official confirmed that invitations have been sent to more than 12 heads of government from South Asian and other Asian countries, including Pakistan and China, but did not provide further details. Tarique Rahman-led BNP secured a landslide victory in the 13th National Parliamentary Election, the first since a 2024 uprising ended 15 years of authoritarian rule. Final results show the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-election-results" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">BNP winning 209 seats outright</a>, rising to 212 with allies.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/bangladesh-jamaateislami-chief-recognizes-overall-outcome-of-election" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami</a>&nbsp;secured 68 seats, rising to 77 with alliance partners, emerging as the largest opposition force. Overall voter turnout stood at 59.44%. International reaction, particularly from Pakistan, framed the outcome as a milestone for democratic continuity. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif telephoned Rahman to congratulate him on what he termed a &ldquo;historic and resounding victory,&rdquo; reaffirming Islamabad&rsquo;s commitment to strengthening bilateral cooperation. President Asif Ali Zardari also congratulated Rahman and the people of Bangladesh on the successful and peaceful conduct of the polls, while Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar said Pakistan would continue to engage Bangladesh &ldquo;based on sovereign equality and mutual respect.&rdquo; With a clear mandate at home and reform legitimacy secured at the ballot box, Rahman now faces the task of translating electoral momentum into governance, while redefining Bangladesh&rsquo;s regional posture in a fractured South Asian landscape.&nbsp; &nbsp;

According to a report published in The Daily Star, the swearing-in ceremony is scheduled to take place on Tuesday, Feb. 17.

Pakistan premier invited to Bangladesh PM hopeful Rahman's swearing-in ceremony: Report

ISLAMABAD: Potholes claimed 9,438 lives across India between 2020 and 2024, according to government data presented in Parliament.&nbsp;Uttar Pradesh alone accounted for 5,127 of these fatalities, more than half of all pothole-related deaths recorded during the five-year period,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/india-announces-record-defense-budget-after-pakistan-war-exposed-gaps" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Indian</a>media reported.&nbsp; In contrast, more than half a&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/three-indian-sisters-die-after-roof-jump-following-online-gaming-restrictions" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">dozen states</a>&nbsp;and Union Territories, including Andhra Pradesh, Bihar, Goa and Chandigarh, reported zero road crashes, injuries or deaths under the pothole category, raising questions about data recording practices.&nbsp;Over 53% increase&nbsp;In a detailed response to the Lok Sabha on Thursday, the road transport ministry said fatalities due to pothole-related crashes have steadily increased from 1,555 in 2020, the Covid-19 year, to 2,385 in 2024, marking a rise of over 53%.&nbsp; The accident data for 2025 has not yet been published. According to the figures, Madhya Pradesh recorded the second-highest number of pothole-related deaths at 969 during the period, followed by Tamil Nadu (612), Odisha (425), Punjab (414) and Assam (395).&nbsp;&nbsp;50 deaths in Delhi&nbsp;Among Union Territories, Delhi reported the highest number of such fatalities at 50. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s surprising that while states like Manipur, Nagaland and Tripura have registered accidents and deaths due to potholes, there was not a single accident due to such road conditions in bigger states like Andhra Pradesh and Bihar that have longer road networks,&rdquo; an expert involved in crash data investigation said, according to the Indian media report.

India

In a detailed response to the Lok Sabha, road transport ministry said fatalities due to pothole-related crashes have steadily increased from 1,555 in 2020, to 2,385 in 2024, marking a rise of over 53%. 

Potholes killed over 9,400 people from 2020 to 2024 in India

PARIS: The introduction of advertisements and sponsored content into chatbots has raised privacy concerns among AI users as brands scramble to stay relevant in a fast-changing online environment. <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/over-million-users-talk-about-suicide-weekly-to-chatgpt-open-ai" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">ChatGPT</a>&nbsp;developer OpenAI began showing ads in chatbot conversations for free and low-cost users to start balancing its hundreds of billions in spending commitments with new revenue sources. It swiftly came in for mockery from rival Anthropic, which has staked its reputation on safety and data security. Anthropic&#39;s advertisement broadcast during last week&#39;s Super Bowl showed a man asking advice from a conversational AI, which then shoehorns advertising copy for a dating site into its otherwise relevant response. OpenAI boss Sam Altman shot back that the clip was &quot;clearly dishonest&quot;.&nbsp;Beyond OpenAI, Microsoft has been&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/openai-introducing-ads-to-chatgpt" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">running contextual ads</a>&nbsp;and sponsored content in its Copilot AI assistant since 2023.&nbsp;AI search engine Perplexity has been testing ads in the United States since 2024, while Google is also testing ads in the AI &quot;overviews&quot; its namesake search engine has been offering since last year. Data privacyGoogle has repeatedly denied wanting to run ads in its&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/apple-chooses-googles-gemini-ai-to-power-siri" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Gemini</a>chatbot, with Demis Hassabis, head of the search giant&#39;s DeepMind AI arm, saying that ads &quot;have to be handled very carefully&quot;.&nbsp;&quot;The most important thing&quot; in AI is &quot;trust in security and privacy, because you want to share potentially your life with that assistant,&quot; he added.&nbsp;OpenAI has sought to reassure users that ChatGPT&#39;s responses will not be modified by the ads, which are shown alongside conversations rather than being integrated into them.&nbsp;It has also promised not to sell user data to advertisers.&nbsp;AI companies are &quot;concerned that selling ads will scare away users,&quot; said Nate Elliott, an analyst with US data firm Emarketer.&nbsp;But &quot;when it&#39;s free, you&#39;re the product. It&#39;s a risk we&#39;re all more or less aware of already,&quot; said Jerome Malzac of AI consultancy Micropole.&nbsp;&quot;We accept it because we find value in it.&quot;&nbsp;If that proves true, advertisers will be delighted to surf the AI wave as it crashes over the world&#39;s internet users.&nbsp;Game changer&quot;It&#39;s going to be a game changer for the entire industry,&quot; said Justin Seibert, head of Direct Online Marketing.&nbsp;&quot;We&#39;re already seeing how high the conversion rates (interactions resulting in a purchase) are for people that are coming in from ChatGPT and the other LLMs (large language models),&quot; he added.&nbsp;AI assistants could account for up to 2% of the online advertising market by 2030, HSBC bank analysts suggested in a report.&nbsp;Many brands are already prioritizing visibility on the new channel, including US supermarket chain Target and software maker Adobe.&nbsp;Beyond buying a spot on users&#39; screens, companies are also pushing for their products to appear in chatbots&#39; organic responses.&nbsp;The practice is known as GEO (Generative Engine Optimization), an evolution of the Search Engine Optimization strategy during the era of Google&#39;s dominance over the web.&nbsp;&quot;We identified 90 rules that can make sure the content you create is valued by AI and spread to the right places,&quot; said Joan Burkovic, head of French GEO startup GetMint.&nbsp;The company already claims 100 clients, including fashion brand Lacoste.&nbsp;Malzac highlighted techniques like including references to scientific papers, adding a &quot;frequently asked questions&quot; section to your website, and posting information that&#39;s structured and regularly updated, Malzac said.&nbsp;&quot;If your brand isn&#39;t referenced (by chatbots), it no longer exists&quot; for some users, he warned.

This picture shows screens displaying the logos of OpenAI and ChatGPT. — (AFP/FILE)

Artificial Intelligence

ChatGPT developer OpenAI begins showing ads in chatbot conversations for free and low-cost users to start balancing its hundreds of billions in spending commitments with new revenue sources.

Articles by Adil Shahzeb