BRISBANE: Aryna Sabalenka beat Karolina Muchova in straight sets to reach her third Brisbane International final in a row on Saturday, a week before the Australian Open.&nbsp;Sabalenka looked in great touch against the tricky Czech, who had won their last three meetings and went into the match as one of the few players with a winning record over the world number one.&nbsp;But Sabalenka showed her class and power as she broke Muchova once in each set to take the semi-final 6-3, 6-4 in 89 minutes and will face Ukraine&#39;s Marta Kostyuk in Sunday&#39;s women&#39;s final.&nbsp;Former world number one Daniil Medvedev will take on unseeded American Brandon Nakashima in the men&#39;s final.&nbsp;&quot;I struggled against her a couple of times (in the past),&quot; Sabalenka, the defending champion, said of Muchova.&nbsp;&quot;I&#39;m happy that today I was focused from the beginning and I was able to show such great tennis and put her under so much pressure and get the win in straight sets.&quot;&nbsp;The 27-year-old Belarusian said she could feel her level getting better with every match in Brisbane, where she is yet to drop a set.&nbsp;She said that with seven of the world&#39;s top 10 having entered, it was ideal preparation for the Australian Open, which begins in Melbourne on January 18.&nbsp;Sabalenka is aiming to win a third Australian Open in four years.&nbsp;&quot;I definitely feel that compared to the first match here, I&#39;m playing better and better,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;That&#39;s really important heading to Melbourne, to build that level, and to play some great matches against great opponents.&nbsp;&quot;So I&#39;m super happy with the performance so far and cannot wait to play my final match here.&quot;&nbsp;Kostyuk, who entered the week ranked 26th in the world, swept past world number six Jessica Pegula 6-0, 6-3 in just 55 minutes in a stunning display of power and aggression.&nbsp;Kostyuk&#39;s demolition of the American made it three wins over top 10 players in succession.&nbsp;She beat world number three Amanda Anisimova in the third round and ninth-ranked Mirra Andreeva in the quarter-finals.&nbsp;&quot;I think it was one of those days today when everything you touch turns into gold,&quot; Kostyuk said.&nbsp;&quot;Personally, I didn&#39;t have many matches like this in my career, especially against top-10 players, so it&#39;s a great bonus to have such a match because it&#39;s not easy conditions in Brisbane. It&#39;s very hot, very humid.&quot;&nbsp;Kostyuk has never beaten Sabalenka in four previous meetings but said the pressure was all on her opponent.&nbsp;&quot;The pressure is not on me -- I want to go out there and put on a good show for the crowd,&quot; she said.&nbsp;&quot;I really have nothing to lose.&quot;&nbsp;In the men&#39;s draw, top seed Medvedev beat Alex Michelsen of the United States 6-4, 6-2 while Nakashima defeated another American in Aleksandar Kovacevic, 7-6 (7/4), 6-4.

Tennis

Aryna Sabalenka reached her third straight Brisbane final after beating Karolina Muchova and will face Marta Kostyuk. Daniil Medvedev also advanced to the men’s final, as players prepare for the Australian Open.

Sabalenka into third straight Brisbane final ahead of Australian Open

JAKARTA: Indonesia suspended Elon Musk&#39;s AI chatbot Grok on Saturday over concerns about AI-generated pornographic content, the country&#39;s communication and digital affairs minister said.&nbsp;Grok has faced a global backlash after it emerged that its image creation feature allowed users to sexualize pictures of women and children using simple text prompts.&nbsp;Indonesia is the first country to deny all access to the tool, which has been restricted to paying subscribers elsewhere following the backlash.&nbsp;&quot;In order to protect women, children, and the public from the risks of fake pornographic content generated using the artificial intelligence technology, the government has temporarily blocked access to the Grok application,&quot; Communication and Digital Affairs Minister Meutya Hafid said in a statement.&nbsp;&quot;The government views non-consensual deep fake practices as a serious violation of human rights, dignity, and the security of citizens in the digital space.&quot;&nbsp;The ministry has also summoned representatives from social media platform X to seek clarification on the issue.&nbsp;According to AFP journalists in Jakarta, the Grok X account was still active and replying to queries, including in Bahasa Indonesia, on Saturday evening.&nbsp;Musk-owned startup xAI, which developed Grok, was not immediately available for comment in person.&nbsp;European officials and tech campaigners slammed the move to limit Grok&#39;s features to paying subscribers, saying it failed to address concerns about sexually explicit deep fake content.&nbsp;Musk said last week in response to a post about the explicit images that anyone using Grok to &quot;make illegal content will suffer the same consequences as if they upload illegal content&quot;.

Artificial Intelligence

Indonesia has blocked Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok over concerns it enables pornographic deepfake content involving women and children. The government called it a human rights violation and summoned platform X for clarification.

Indonesia suspends Musk's Grok AI over pornographic content: minister

ISTANBUL: One person died and seven others were missing Saturday after a migrant boat sank in the Aegean Sea off the coast of Turkiye, the Turkish coast guard said.&nbsp;Thirty-seven passengers on a rubber dinghy which took on water before dawn off the western city of Dikili, north of Izmir, were rescued alive, the coast guard stated.&nbsp;Dikili, a small seaside resort, faces the Greek island of Lesbos, some 20 kilometres (12 miles) away.&nbsp;&quot;Search operations ... are continuing to find the seven missing irregular migrants,&quot; the coast guard said.&nbsp;Shipwrecks are common for perilous crossings to the Greek islands, which are a gateway to the European Union.&nbsp;Nearly 1,900 migrants either disappeared or were found drowned in the Mediterranean in 2025, according to the International Organization for Migration.

Asia

One migrant died and seven were missing after a rubber dinghy sank off Dikili, Turkiye. Thirty-seven were rescued near Lesbos, and searches continue. The International Organization for Migration says 1,900 migrants died or disappeared in 2025.

One dead, seven missing after migrant boat sinks off Turkiye

HAVANA: The capture by US forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro and the killing in the operation of 32 Cubans assigned to protect him represent a major blow for the island&#39;s revered intelligence services, experts say.&nbsp;Fearful of betrayal by dissenters within Venezuela&#39;s ranks, the leftist Maduro, like his late mentor Hugo Chavez sourced his security detail in communist-ruled Cuba.&nbsp;But the Cubans proved little match for the US special forces sent by helicopter to snatch Maduro from a military compound after US jets had pummeled Venezuela&#39;s air defenses.&nbsp;Of the 32 Cubans killed, along with 23 Venezuelan troops, 21 were from the Cuban interior ministry, which oversees the intelligence services, officials said.&nbsp;The remaining 11 were from Cuba&#39;s military.&nbsp;Experts consulted by AFP agreed that the key to the seamless execution of the US operation meticulously prepared for months, in complete secrecy was the element of surprise.&nbsp;But former Venezuelan military officer Jose Gustavo Arocha of the Center for a Secure Free Society, a US think tank specializing in defense issues, also suggested that Cuba had misjudged the threat.&nbsp;Cuban intelligence &quot;convinced the Maduro regime and its security agencies that the United States would never attack on Venezuelan territory,&quot; Arocha said.&nbsp;Former US intelligence officer Fulton Armstrong, who is now a Latin America researcher at American University in Washington, also pointed to intelligence failures.&nbsp;Chief among them, he said, was the failure to anticipate the attack and then to detect helicopters entering Venezuela&#39;s airspace.&nbsp;&quot;Even a five- or 10-minute warning would have made a massive difference for the guards and for Maduro,&quot; the former CIA agent said.&nbsp;US forces however, had a major advantage in the form of stealth drones, used to monitor the Venezuelan leader&#39;s movements in real time, as well as more advanced weapons and combat gear.&nbsp;Paul Hare, a former British ambassador to Cuba and Venezuela, argued that Cuban intelligence underestimated US access to &quot;insider cooperation in Venezuela,&quot;&nbsp; an informant within Maduro&#39;s camp.&nbsp;Citing sources close to the operation, The New York Times reported that a CIA source within the Venezuelan government revealed Maduro&#39;s location.&nbsp;The United States had issued a reward of $50 million for information leading to his capture.&nbsp;Aura of invincibility&nbsp;For decades, the Cuban secret service, trained during the Soviet era by the KGB, enjoyed a reputation for invincibility.&nbsp;Besides having foiled some 600 assassination attempts against late leader Fidel Castro, Cuba was reputed for its ability to infiltrate foreign intelligence services and recruit high-ranking informants, particularly Americans.&nbsp;The most recent case to come to light was that of Victor Manuel Rocha, a former US diplomat sentenced in 2024 to 15 years in prison after working for over four decades for the Cuban state.&nbsp;But Cuba &quot;didn&#39;t adequately read the Trump administration,&quot; said Arocha, noting that the administration&#39;s National Security Strategy unveiled in December clearly articulated Trump&#39;s goal of asserting US dominance over Latin America.&nbsp;Washington had regularly denounced Cuba&#39;s role, since the 2000s, in the Venezuelan security apparatus.&nbsp;The routine response from Caracas and Havana was that Cuba, in return for Venezuelan oil supplies, provided its ally with doctors and humanitarian workers.&nbsp;Arocha argued that &quot;so many years... doing the same thing successfully&quot; blinded the Cubans to Trump&#39;s willingness to defy diplomacy and international law, so they did not see him coming.&nbsp;The Republican leader stunned the world by ordering the capture of the Venezuelan president in what his administration said was a law enforcement operation that did not require authorization from Congress.&nbsp;&quot;All the capabilities of Cuban intelligence were blocked for the first time in the region... because their traditional methods became irrelevant against this new decision-making style,&quot; Arocha said.

Americas

US forces captured Nicolas Maduro in a surprise operation that killed Cuban and Venezuelan guards. Experts say Cuban intelligence failed to anticipate the attack, underestimated US intentions, and was outmatched by secrecy, technology, and insider information.

How Cuba was blindsided by the operation to capture Maduro

NUUK: &quot;We don&#39;t want to be Americans,&quot; Greenland&#39;s political parties said after US President Donald Trump again suggested using force to seize the mineral-rich Danish autonomous territory. The statement late Friday came after Trump repeated that Washington was &ldquo;going to do something on Greenland, whether they like it or not&rdquo;. &ldquo;We don&#39;t want to be Americans, we don&#39;t want to be Danish, we want to be Greenlanders,&rdquo; the leaders of five parties in Greenland&#39;s parliament said. &quot;The future of Greenland must be decided by Greenlanders.&quot; Denmark and other European allies have voiced shock at Trump&#39;s threats to take control of Greenland, where the United States already has a military base. Trump says controlling the strategic island is crucial for US national security, given the rising military activity of Russia and China in the Arctic. &lsquo;Nice way or the more difficult way&rsquo;&quot;We&#39;re not going to have Russia or China occupy Greenland. That&#39;s what they&#39;re going to do if we don&#39;t. So we&#39;re going to be doing something with Greenland, either the nice way or the more difficult way,&quot; the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/trump-warns-greenland-deal-will-happen-easy-or-hard-threatens-iran" style="color:#0073e6;">US president said Friday.</a> Both Russia and China have increased military activity in the region in recent years, but neither has laid any claim to the vast icy island. Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has warned that an invasion of Greenland would end &ldquo;everything&rdquo;, meaning the transatlantic NATO defense pact and the post-World War II security structure. Trump has made light of the concerns of Denmark, a steadfast US ally that joined the United States in the 2003 invasion of Iraq. &lsquo;Boat land there 500 years ago&rsquo;&nbsp;&ldquo;I&#39;m a fan of Denmark, too, I have to tell you. And you know, they&#39;ve been very nice to me,&rdquo; Trump said. &ldquo;But you know, the fact that they had a boat land there 500 years ago doesn&rsquo;t mean that they own the land.&rdquo; Secretary of State Marco Rubio is due to meet next week with Denmark&#39;s foreign minister and representatives from Greenland.

Europe

US President Trump says controlling the strategic island is crucial for US national security, given the rising military activity of Russia and China in the Arctic.

'We don't want to be Americans': Greenland's political parties

PARIS: Iranians took to the streets in new protests Friday to press the biggest movement against the Islamic republic in more than three years, as authorities sustained an internet blackout as part of a crackdown that has left dozens dead. On Friday, US President Donald Trump said it looked like Iran&#39;s leaders were &ldquo;in big trouble&rdquo; and repeated an earlier threat of military strikes if peaceful protesters are killed. &ldquo;It looks to me that the people are taking over certain cities that nobody thought were really possible just a few weeks ago,&rdquo; Trump said.<div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/JwDkD8GhDrE" title="Trump threatens to hit Iran 'very very hard'" 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> Rising cost of living&nbsp;Protests have taken place across Iran for 13 days in a movement sparked by anger over the rising cost of living, with growing calls for the end of the clerical system that has ruled Iran since the 1979 Islamic revolution, which ousted the pro-Western shah. In Tehran&#39;s northern Sa&#39;adat Abad district, people banged pots and chanted slogans deriding Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, as cars honked in support, a video verified by AFP showed. Other social media images showed similar protests elsewhere in Tehran, while videos published by Persian language television channels based outside Iran showed large numbers taking part in new protests in the eastern city of Mashhad, Tabriz in the north, and the holy city of Qom. These protests followed giant demonstrations on Thursday that were the biggest in Iran since the 2022-2023 protest movement sparked by the custody death of Mahsa Amini, who had been arrested for allegedly violating the dress rules for women. &lsquo;Nationwide internet shutdown&rsquo;The rallies came as internet monitor NetBlocks said authorities imposed a &ldquo;nationwide internet shutdown&rdquo; for the last 24 hours that was violating the rights of Iranians and &ldquo;masking regime violence&rdquo;. Amnesty International said the &ldquo;blanket internet shutdown&rdquo; aims to &ldquo;hide the true extent of the&nbsp;grave&nbsp;human rights violations&nbsp;and crimes under international law&nbsp;they are carrying out&nbsp;to&nbsp;crush&rdquo; the protests. Norway-based NGO Iran Human Rights, raising a previous toll of 45 issued the day earlier, said at least 51 protesters, including nine children, have been killed by security forces and hundreds more injured.In a joint statement Friday, the foreign ministers of Australia, Canada, and the European Union issued a strong condemnation and called on Iran to &ldquo;immediately end the use of excessive and lethal force by its security forces&rdquo;. &ldquo;Too many lives -- over 40 to date -- have already been lost.&rdquo; <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Stained with blood&#39;&nbsp;</h2>In his first comments on the escalating protests since January 3, Khamenei on Friday called the demonstrators &ldquo;vandals&rdquo; and &ldquo;saboteurs&rdquo;. Khamenei, in a speech broadcast on state TV, said US President Donald Trump&rsquo;s hands &ldquo;are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians&rdquo;, in apparent reference to Israel&rsquo;s June war against the Islamic republic, which the US supported and joined with strikes of its own. He predicted the &ldquo;arrogant&rdquo; US leader would be &ldquo;overthrown&rdquo; like the imperial dynasty that ruled Iran up to the 1979 revolution. &ldquo;Everyone knows the Islamic republic came to power with the blood of hundreds of thousands of honorable people, it will not back down in the face of saboteurs.&rdquo; Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, on a visit to Lebanon on Friday, accused Washington and Israel of &ldquo;directly intervening&rdquo; to try to &ldquo;transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones&rdquo;, which a US State Department spokesperson called &ldquo;delusional&rdquo;. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">&#39;Red line&#39;&nbsp;</h2>The son of the Shah of Iran, ousted by the 1979 Islamic Revolution, US-based Reza Pahlavi, urged Trump to intervene to help the protesters, adding, &ldquo;the people will be on the streets again in an hour&rdquo;.But judiciary chief Gholamhossein&nbsp;Mohseni Ejei warned that punishment of &ldquo;rioters&rdquo; would be &ldquo;decisive, the maximum and without any legal leniency&rdquo;. The intelligence branch of the Revolutionary Guards, the security force entrusted with ensuring the preservation of the Islamic republic, said the &ldquo;continuation of this situation is unacceptable&rdquo; and protecting the revolution was its &ldquo;red line&quot;. Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi, who lives in exile, warned security forces could be preparing to commit a &quot;massacre under the cover of a sweeping communications blackout&quot;. &lsquo;Exercise restraint&rsquo;&nbsp;The leaders of France, the United Kingdom, and Germany on Friday issued a joint statement condemning what they described as the &quot;killing of protestors&quot; in Iran, urging the authorities to &quot;exercise restraint&quot;. Meanwhile, Iranian state television on Friday broadcast images of thousands of people attending counter-protests and brandishing slogans in favor of the authorities in some Iranian cities. The Haalvsh rights group, which focuses on the Baluch Sunni minority in the southeast, said security forces fired on protesters in Zahedan, the main city of Sistan-Baluchistan province, after Friday prayers, causing an unspecified number of casualties. Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch said in a joint statement that since the start of the protests on December 28, security forces &quot;have unlawfully used rifles, shotguns loaded with metal pellets, water cannon, tear gas and beatings to disperse, intimidate and punish largely peaceful protesters&quot;.

Middle East

US President Donald Trump says it looks like Iran's leaders are ‘in big trouble’; Khamenei says US President Donald Trump’s hands ‘are stained with the blood of more than a thousand Iranians’.  

New protests erupt in Iran despite internet shutdown 

MINNEAPOLIS: Local officials in Minneapolis slammed federal agencies Friday for excluding them from the probe into an immigration officer&#39;s fatal shooting of a woman, as public outrage grew ahead of planned weekend protests. Officials in the midwestern state of Minnesota said their law enforcement agencies have been excluded from the investigation into the killing of motorist Renee Good, 37, by a federal immigration officer on Wednesday. A local prosecutor said Friday that federal investigators had taken Good&#39;s car and shell casings from the scene. The Trump administration has sought to paint the victim as a &quot;domestic terrorist,&quot; insisting that the Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent who fatally shot her was acting in self-defense. Cell phone footage apparently taken by the officer who fired the fatal shots shows him interacting with Good as he approaches and circles her car, and her saying, &quot;I&#39;m not mad at you.&quot; After he passes in front of the car, another agent can be heard ordering Good to exit the vehicle before she tries to drive off and shots ring out. The White House insisted the video gave weight to the officer&#39;s claim of self-defense &mdash; even though the clip does not show the moment the car moved away, or him opening fire. &quot;This is not the time to bend the rules. This is a time to follow the law...the fact that Pam Bondi&#39;s Department of Justice and this presidential administration has already come to a conclusion about those facts is deeply concerning,&quot; Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey, a Democrat, told a briefing on Friday. &quot;We know that they&#39;ve already determined much of the investigation,&quot; he said, adding that the state&#39;s Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, within its department of public safety, has consistently run such investigations. &quot;Why not include them in the process?&quot; Frey said. On Thursday, US Vice President JD Vance said that the ICE officer, named in US media as Jonathan Ross, had &quot;absolute immunity&quot; &mdash; a claim disputed by local prosecutors. Court filings seen by AFP showed that in June 2025, Ross was dragged 100 yards (meters) along a road by a car driven by a man who was the subject of immigration enforcement activity. &quot;When the FBI, when the federal agencies, say they won&#39;t share evidence with the local authorities, the public can&#39;t trust that it&#39;s going to be a true, transparent investigation,&quot; said local Patrick O&#39;Shaughnessy, 43. &#39;Get out&#39; Minnesota officials have said that local investigators were initially invited by the FBI to participate in the inquiry into the shooting of Good, but were subsequently blocked from taking part. Good was one of four people who have been killed by ICE since Trump launched his immigration crackdown. Good&#39;s wife Becca Good told local media that they had gone to the scene of immigration enforcement activity to &quot;support our neighbors.&quot; &quot;We had whistles. They had guns,&quot; she said. Local prosecutor Mary Moriarty, the Hennepin County attorney, said &quot;our goal must be that a thorough investigation is completed at the local level.&quot; &quot;The FBI currently has, for example, Ms Good&#39;s car, the shell casings and witness interviews.&quot; Moriarty unveiled an online evidence portal, calling for submissions so that all available leads could be compiled. The divide between local and federal authorities widened Friday when US Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins suspended the payment of $129.2 million in federal financial agriculture awards, according to a letter she posted to X. Federal authorities have openly clashed with Minnesota officials over allegations that Somali immigrants have committed large-scale fraud to extract public benefit funds, with Rollins accusing local officials of turning &quot;a blind eye&quot; to the problem. Protest action continued Friday with hundreds gathering at a federal facility that has become a focal point of anti-ICE demonstrations with at least one detention seen. Federal immigration officers armed with pepper ball guns and tear gas clashed with the noisy crowd. There were some 1,000 weekend protest gatherings planned across the United States, according to organizers.

Protest action continues with hundreds gathered at a federal facility that has become a focal point of anti-ICE demonstrations; Federal immigration officers armed with pepper ball guns and tear gas clash with the noisy crowd; some 1,000 weekend protest gatherings are planned across the United States.

Anger over Minneapolis shooting probe fuels protests

SAN FRANCISCO: Tech giant Meta announced Thursday major agreements with three US nuclear energy companies that it says will add up to 6.6 gigawatts of clean power by 2035.&nbsp;The deals make Meta one of America&#39;s largest corporate buyers of nuclear energy as it seeks to fuel its artificial intelligence operations.&nbsp;The Facebook parent company signed agreements with Vistra, TerraPower and Oklo to extend existing nuclear plant operations and develop advanced reactor technology, following a similar agreement with Constellation Energy last year.&nbsp;&quot;State-of-the-art data centers and AI infrastructure are essential to securing America&#39;s position as a global leader in AI,&quot; said Joel Kaplan, Meta&#39;s Chief Global Affairs Officer. &quot;Nuclear energy will help power our AI future.&quot;&nbsp;The agreements will provide financial support to extend operations at three existing nuclear plants while backing development of more experimental nuclear technologies.&nbsp;The deals with Oklo, backed by OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, and TerraPower, backed by Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, involve experimental Small Modular Reactors (SMRs) that aim to provide clean and easier-to-develop nuclear energy.&nbsp;SMR designs promise enhanced safety features and more efficient operations than traditional plants, but have yet to be deployed at scale.&nbsp;Meta said the projects would support its Prometheus supercluster data center in New Albany, Ohio.&nbsp;Crucially, Meta said it pays the &quot;full costs&quot; for energy used by its data centers so consumers don&#39;t bear the expenses, addressing concerns about tech companies&#39; growing electricity demands and whether investment costs get passed on to residential users.&nbsp;The nuclear push reflects the massive energy requirements of AI development, with tech giants racing to secure reliable sources for their expanding data center operations -- a trend that has seen big tech companies scale back their climate commitments.&nbsp;Nuclear energy provides consistent baseload power unlike intermittent renewable sources such as wind and solar, making it attractive for facilities that require 24/7 electricity.&nbsp;The announcements come as the nuclear industry seeks revival after decades of stagnation caused by nuclear accidents and high costs.&nbsp;Amazon is also championing a nuclear revival through SMRs, and Google plans to restart a reactor in Iowa in 2029.&nbsp;Microsoft has signed a 20-year deal with Constellation Energy to take essentially all the output of the restarted Three Mile Island plant in Pennsylvania.&nbsp;The Trump administration announced in &nbsp;October an $80 billion investment to begin construction on ten conventional reactors by 2030 in partnership with Westinghouse Electric Company.&nbsp;The US government is trying to spark a nuclear investment boom to catch up with China that had more than 30 conventional reactors under construction in 2025, according the World Nuclear Association.&nbsp;The United States had none.&nbsp;

Meta will use nuclear power to run its AI data centers, signing deals with three US companies to supply clean, reliable energy by 2035 and support both existing plants and new small reactors.

Meta partners with US nuclear companies to power AI data centers

BEIRUT: Iran&#39;s foreign minister accused the United States and Israel on Friday of fueling a growing protest movement in the country, while dismissing the possibility of direct foreign military intervention after US warnings over crackdowns on demonstrators.&nbsp;&quot;This is what the Americans and Israelis have stated, that they are directly intervening in the protests in Iran,&quot; said Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi during a visit to Lebanon.&nbsp;&quot;They are trying to transform the peaceful protests into divisive and violent ones,&quot; he said, adding that &quot;regarding the possibility of seeing military intervention against Iran, we believe there is a low possibility of this because their previous attempts were total failures&quot;.

Iran’s foreign minister Abbas Araghchi accused the United States and Israel of directly intervening in Iran’s protests, claiming they are turning peaceful demonstrations violent, while dismissing the likelihood of any foreign military intervention.

Iran FM says US, Israel 'directly intervening' in protests

BREST: The world&#39;s oceans absorbed a record amount of heat in 2025, an international team of scientists said Friday, further priming conditions for sea level rise, violent storms, and coral death. The heat that has accumulated in the oceans last year increased by approximately 23 zettajoules &mdash;&nbsp;an amount equivalent to nearly four decades of global primary energy consumption. This finding &mdash; published in the journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences &mdash; was the highest reading of any year since modern record keeping began in the early 1950s, researchers said. To derive these calculations, more than 50 scientists from 31 research institutions used multiple sources including a thousands-strong fleet of floating robots that track ocean changes to depths of 2,000 metres. Peering into the depths, rather than fluctuations at the surface, provides a better indicator of how oceans are responding to &quot;sustained pressure&quot; from humanity&#39;s emissions, said study co-author Karina von Schuckmann. &quot;The picture is clear: results for 2025 confirm that the ocean continues to warm,&quot; von Schuckmann, an oceanographer from French research institute Mercator Ocean International, told AFP. Oceans are a key regulator of Earth&#39;s climate because they soak up 90 percent of the excess heat in the atmosphere caused by humanity&#39;s release of greenhouse gases like carbon dioxide. All that additional energy has a powerful knock-on effect. Warmer oceans increase moisture in the atmosphere, providing fuel for tropical cyclones and destructive rainfall. Hotter seas also directly contribute to sea level rise &mdash; water expands when it warms up &mdash; and make conditions unbearable for tropical reefs, whose corals perish during prolonged marine heatwaves. &quot;As long as the Earth continues to accumulate heat, ocean heat content will keep rising, sea level will rise and new records will be set,&quot; said von Schuckmann. Humanity&#39;s choice Ocean warming is not uniform, with some areas warming faster than others. The tropical oceans, the South Atlantic, the Mediterranean, the northern Indian Ocean, and the Southern Ocean were among waters that absorbed record amounts of heat in 2025. This occurred even as average sea surface temperatures decreased slightly in 2025 &mdash; yet still remained the third-highest value ever measured. This decrease is explained by the shift from a powerful, warming El Nino event in 2023&ndash;2024 to La Nina-type conditions generally associated with a temporary cooling of the ocean surface. In the long term, the rate of ocean warming is accelerating due to a sustained increase in greenhouse gas concentrations in the atmosphere caused mainly by burning fossil fuels. As long as global warming is not addressed and the amount of heat trapped in the atmosphere keeps rising, oceans will keep breaking records, the researchers said. &quot;The greatest uncertainty in the climate system is no longer the physics, but the choices humanity makes,&quot; said von Schuckmann. &quot;Rapid emission reductions can still limit future impacts and help safeguard a climate in which societies and ecosystems can thrive.

Gadgets

The heat that has accumulated in the oceans last year increased by approximately 23 zettajoules — an amount equivalent to nearly four decades of global primary energy consumption.

Experts say oceans soaked up record heat levels in 2025

Aleena Zara Malik

Global media often frames conspiracy theories in Pakistan as cultural or even biological, while treating the same beliefs in Western societies as political or social phenomena. In this episode of Debunkistan, we challenge that double standard. Using data from the US, UK, and Europe, this episode breaks down why conspiracy thinking is a human response to uncertainty, mistrust, and broken information systems, not a national DNA marker.

Debunkistan

Conspiracy Is Not a National Trait | Debunkistan

Web Desk

The Pentagon building in Arlington, Virginia, US (AFP/File)

Viral

Fact Check

Social media users revived the 'Pentagon pizza theory' after late-night restaurant activity near the Pentagon, fueling speculation about secret US military activity.

Pentagon pizza theory: late-night orders spark online war speculation

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Navy demonstrated its operational readiness and combat preparedness through a comprehensive exercise in the North Arabian Sea, showcasing both conventional and unmanned capabilities, as per the dictates of evolving naval warfare. A press release issued by Pakistan military&rsquo;s media wing, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Saturday, stated: The exercise included the successful live firing of LY-80(N) Surface to Air Missile (SAM) from Vertical Launching System at extended range, validating the long-range capabilities of Pakistan Navy&#39;s modern air defense systems. Loitering munition&nbsp;The statement said that &ldquo;LY-80(N) SAM successfully engaged and neutralized an aerial target, demonstrating Pakistan Navy&#39;s robust air defense capabilities.&rdquo; &ldquo;The exercise also featured the successful engagement of surface targets using Loitering Munition (LM), demonstrating Pakistan Navy&#39;s precision strike capabilities.&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" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 624px; 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=2009930694253052185&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=0dfc7bbdac468c5b6e22137503d5558da1ddc4b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2009930694253052185"></iframe></div></div>Loitering Munition (LM) successfully engaged and destroyed surface targets, showcasing its effectiveness in modern naval warfare, it said. Autonomous naval technologyThe press release said successful open-sea trials of Unmanned Surface Vessel (USV) were also conducted, marking a significant leap in autonomous naval technology. &ldquo;The trials validated the platform&rsquo;s ability to combine high-speed performance with mission-critical durability,&rdquo; the ISPR&rsquo;s statement said.<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-2" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 1056px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-2&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=2009930696912187840&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=0dfc7bbdac468c5b6e22137503d5558da1ddc4b8&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" data-tweet-id="2009930696912187840"></iframe></div></div>Key capabilities demonstrated include extreme maneuverability, precision navigation, and weather resilience, it added. The statement further said, &ldquo;USV offers a low-risk, high-impact solution with the stealth of a tactical interceptor.&rdquo; Safeguarding maritime interests &nbsp;Commander Pakistan Fleet witnessed the exercise, which showcased Pakistan Navy&#39;s ability to employ advanced systems. Admiral Naveed Ashraf, Chief of the Naval Staff, commended officers and men of the Pakistan Navy for their professionalism and operational competence. He reaffirmed Pakistan Navy&#39;s resolve to ensure seaward defense of Pakistan and safeguard national maritime interests under all circumstances.

Security

Demonstrates its combat readiness in the North Arabian Sea through a comprehensive exercise featuring live missile firing, precision strikes, and advanced unmanned systems, underscoring its evolving operational capabilities.

Pakistan Navy showcases modern warfare capabilities in North Arabian Sea

ISLAMABAD: Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu, Chief of Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force (PAF), called on Lieutenant General Staff Pilot Mohanad Ghalib Mohammed Radi Al-Asadi, Commander of the Iraqi Air Force, during his official visit to Iraq, the military said on Saturday.&nbsp;The Air Chief was received with a Guard of Honor at the Iraqi Air Force Headquarters, reflecting strong mutual respect between the two forces, according to the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of the Pakistani military.&nbsp;Discussions focused on enhancing bilateral military cooperation, including joint training, capacity building, and operational coordination.&nbsp;Air Chief Sidhu highlighted the deep-rooted religious, cultural, and historical ties between Pakistan and Iraq, reaffirming PAF&rsquo;s commitment to supporting the Iraqi Air Force in training and capacity development. Both commanders agreed to pursue joint exercises and training initiatives to strengthen interoperability.&nbsp;The Iraqi Air Chief praised PAF&rsquo;s professionalism and technological advancements, expressing keen interest in Pakistan&rsquo;s world-class training programs, JF-17 Thunder fighter jets, and Super Mushshak trainer aircraft. He also acknowledged Pakistan&rsquo;s role in promoting regional stability.&nbsp;The visit highlighted the shared resolve of both air forces to further deepen defense ties and professional collaboration.

Discussions focus on enhancing bilateral military cooperation, including joint training, capacity building, and operational coordination.


Pakistan air chief pledges support for Iraqi Air Force training

ISLAMABAD: Turkiye is reportedly seeking to join the mutual defense agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, potentially creating a new trilateral security alignment, Bloomberg reported on Saturday.&nbsp;&nbsp;The US-based news agency cited unnamed sources familiar with the matter, saying the talks are at an advanced stage and &ldquo;a deal is very likely.&rdquo;&nbsp;According to Bloomberg, Turkiye views joining the pact as a way to strengthen security and deterrence amid questions over the reliability of the United States and changing regional dynamics. The report noted that Turkiye&rsquo;s interests increasingly overlap with those of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in South Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.&nbsp;The story also referenced comments from Nihat Ali Ozcan, a strategist at Ankara-based think tank TEPAV, who highlighted the combined strengths of the three countries.&nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Riyadh brings financial clout, Islamabad its nuclear capability and manpower, while Turkiye contributes military experience and a developed defense industry,&rdquo; Ozcan told Bloomberg.&nbsp;&nbsp;The report added that the expanded alliance could shift regional and global security calculations, particularly as countries seek new mechanisms to identify friends and foes in a changing geopolitical environment.&nbsp;Bloomberg further noted that Turkiye has already been deepening defense ties with both countries, including constructing corvette warships for the Pakistan Navy, upgrading the Pakistan Air Force&rsquo;s F-16s, and sharing drone technology.&nbsp;&nbsp;The outlet added that Turkiye now aims to involve Pakistan and Saudi Arabia in its Kaan fifth-generation fighter jet program.&nbsp;Pakistan-Saudi Arabia defense pactThe&nbsp;<a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/pakistansaudi-defense-pact-oozes-with-unknowns" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Pakistan-Saudi Strategic Mutual Defense Agreement</a>&nbsp;was signed in Riyadh in September 2025 by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman.&nbsp;Under the pact, any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both. The agreement is part of a broader effort to strengthen military and strategic cooperation between Islamabad and Riyadh, which also includes economic assistance and energy support.

Foreign Affairs

Bloomberg says Turkiye views joining the pact as a way to strengthen security and deterrence amid questions over the reliability of the United States and changing regional dynamics.

Articles by AFP

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