Faraz Saeed

Pakistan TV Digital&#39;s Faraz Saeed marks Eid Al-Adha in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, offering prayers at the central mosque while covering the International Water Conference 2026.

Asia

Pakistan TV Digital's Faraz Saeed marks Eid Al-Adha in Dushanbe, Tajikistan, offering prayers at the central mosque while covering the International Water Conference 2026.


Eid Al-Adha in Dushanbe: Pakistan TV Digital's Faraz Saeed joins prayers at landmark central mosque

DUSHANBE: Pakistan on Tuesday called for a binding international legal framework to protect transboundary water rights, warning that existing global mechanisms had failed lower riparian states after the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.&nbsp;Addressing the plenary session of the 4th High-Level International Conference on Water for Sustainable Development in Dushanbe, Federal Minister for Climate Change and Environmental Coordination Musadik Masood Malik said the current global water governance structure lacked effective enforcement mechanisms against unilateral actions by upper riparian countries.&nbsp;Referring to the Indus Waters Treaty between Pakistan and India, Malik described it as &ldquo;until recently, considered the most successful transboundary water treaty in the world,&rdquo; noting that it had survived wars and decades of tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours.&nbsp;&ldquo;Last year, it was unilaterally suspended,&rdquo; Malik told delegates. &ldquo;The treaty did not collapse. It was revealed. It was revealed that a lower riparian country&rsquo;s water rights are only as secure as the goodwill of the upper riparian state.&rdquo; <div class="fr-embed youtube-embed"><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3tS6Q7wvL-A?si=FSwKUi6fVa5DMjRu" title="YouTube video player" 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>&nbsp;The minister said Pakistan approached the institution that brokered the treaty after its suspension, but found there was no effective mechanism to compel compliance by a sovereign state.&nbsp;The remarks come amid heightened regional tensions following the 2025 Pahalgam incident, after which India announced suspension of cooperation measures related to the Indus Waters Treaty framework.&nbsp;Pakistan has maintained that the treaty is an internationally binding agreement that cannot be unilaterally suspended or held in abeyance.&nbsp;Malik said vulnerabilities faced by lower riparian states extended beyond South Asia and affected river basins worldwide where power asymmetries shaped water-sharing arrangements.&nbsp;Calling for reforms ahead of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference, he urged the international community to establish &ldquo;a binding international covenant on transboundary water rights&rdquo; with compulsory dispute resolution mechanisms and enforceable consequences for violations.&nbsp;&ldquo;We have had enough of committing. It is time to start complying,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Highlighting the broader global water crisis, Malik said nearly two billion people still lacked access to safe drinking water, while three billion faced water scarcity for at least one month annually.&nbsp;He said Pakistan remained among the countries most vulnerable to climate change despite contributing less than one percent to global greenhouse gas emissions.&nbsp;Referring to melting glaciers feeding the Indus River system, recurring floods and droughts, groundwater depletion and soil degradation, the minister warned that water insecurity was intensifying across the region.&nbsp;Throughout his address, Malik cited the human impact of water scarcity, including women travelling long distances to fetch water, children dying from waterborne diseases and farmers losing ancestral lands to climate-related disasters.&nbsp;Concluding his remarks, the minister said water must be treated as a fundamental right protected under international law.&nbsp;&ldquo;Water is a right. And rights require protection,&rdquo; Malik said, adding that Pakistan stood ready to support stronger international cooperation on global water governance.

Foreign Affairs

Pakistan on Tuesday called for a binding international legal framework to protect transboundary water rights, warning that existing global mechanisms had failed lower riparian states after the unilateral suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.

At Dushanbe summit, Pakistan warns India over weaponization of water

DUSHANBE: World leaders and UN officials have convened in Dushanbe for a major international conference to accelerate global cooperation and action on water sustainability ahead of the 2026 UN Water Conference. The 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action, &ldquo;Water for Sustainable Development&rdquo; (2018-28) has commenced in Dushanbe, bringing together world leaders and senior United Nations officials to accelerate global action on water. Tajikistan, in partnership with the United Nations and key international stakeholders, is hosting the conference in the capital from May 25 to 28. The meeting opens as countries continue efforts under the UN Water Action Decade framework, aimed at strengthening the implementation of water-related development goals and international cooperation.&nbsp;Global water diplomacyTajikistan, as the initiator of the Water Action Decade and co-host of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference, continues to position Dushanbe as a central platform for global water diplomacy. The conference builds on the Dushanbe Water Process meetings held in 2018, 2022, and 2024, and serves as a preparatory step toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, while supporting progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.&nbsp;Broad global participation&nbsp;The gathering brings together heads of state and government, ministers, UN entities, international and regional organizations, financial institutions, civil society, scientific institutions, youth, indigenous peoples, and the private sector. Discussions will focus on sustaining momentum from the UN 2023 Water Conference, advancing implementation of the Water Action Agenda, and initiating dialogue toward the 2028 UN Water Conference, which will also be hosted by Tajikistan.&nbsp;Program highlightsOver the coming days, participants will engage in high-level plenaries, nine thematic sessions aligned with the interactive dialogue structure of the 2026 UN Water Conference, pre-conference forums, side events, and an international exhibition. A regional preparatory meeting convened by the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific is also bringing together countries across the Asia-Pacific region. Field visits will highlight Tajikistan&rsquo;s cultural heritage and its experience in water management and hydropower infrastructure.&nbsp;Expected outcomesThe conference is expected to conclude with a final declaration, a co-chairs&rsquo; summary, and a formal contribution to the 2026 UN Water Conference. A UN framing note describes the gathering as a platform to &ldquo;strengthen partnerships, foster innovation, mobilize financing, and accelerate concrete action&rdquo; on global water priorities.

Central Asia

The 4th High-Level International Conference on the International Decade for Action 'Water for Sustainable Development' will serve as a preparatory step toward the 2026 UN Water Conference, while supporting progress on Sustainable Development Goal 6 on clean water and sanitation.

World leaders gather in Dushanbe to advance global water agenda

Muhammad Ibrahim

ISLAMABAD/LAHORE: Pakistan raised 1.75 billion yuan ($250 million) through its inaugural Panda Bond issuance in China&rsquo;s domestic capital market, with investor demand exceeding the offering size by more than five times, according to the top officials of Pakistan&#39;s finance ministry. The three-year fixed-rate bond, Pakistan&rsquo;s first sovereign yuan-denominated issuance in China&rsquo;s onshore market, attracted orders worth more than 8.8 billion yuan ($1.26 billion), Adviser to the Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad said Thursday in a statement posted on X. The bond carried a 2.5% coupon, which authorities said reflected investor confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s improving macroeconomic outlook, external-sector stability and fiscal management. &ldquo;The strong order book enabled highly competitive pricing [2.5% coupon], demonstrating the market&rsquo;s positive assessment of Pakistan&rsquo;s improving macroeconomic fundamentals, external stability, disciplined fiscal management, and sovereign repayment capacity,&rdquo; Schehzad said. Pakistani officials described the transaction as a milestone in the country&rsquo;s efforts to diversify external financing sources and deepen financial cooperation with China.<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" 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=2054937784734069136&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=255bcace2f24cbbe5a45f799ff858b0be5b5b10c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=6a3ad42b224df%3A1778106238597&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 648px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</iframe></div></div>According to the statement, demand for the inaugural issuance alone exceeded Pakistan&rsquo;s broader Panda Bond program target of 7.2 billion yuan, or roughly $1 billion. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb described the issuance as a &ldquo;historic achievement,&rdquo; saying the successful transaction reflected strengthening international confidence in Pakistan&rsquo;s economic reforms and sovereign financial credibility. &ldquo;The Panda Bond issuance is a strong signal of Pakistan&rsquo;s return to international financial markets,&rdquo; Aurangzeb said, adding that the transaction opened &ldquo;a new chapter&rdquo; in Pakistan&rsquo;s global economic and financial engagement. Waqas Ghani, chartered financial analyst and head of research at JS Global Capital, told Pakistan TV Digital the issuance reflected &ldquo;strong investor confidence that Pakistan&rsquo;s fiscal reforms are structural, not temporary.&rdquo; &ldquo;By accessing one of the world&rsquo;s largest capital markets, Pakistan is moving beyond crisis-driven borrowing and toward stronger investment-grade credibility,&rdquo; Ghani said.&nbsp; He added that Pakistan was seeking to diversify external financing sources and expand access to international capital markets beyond conventional dollar-denominated borrowing. Talking to Pakistan TV Digital, Rabia Ikram, assistant professor at Lahore School of Economics, said the issuance highlighted growing financial trust between Pakistan and China while reducing dependence on traditional Western lenders. &ldquo;It gives Pakistan access to a new market and reduces dependence on traditional Western lenders,&rdquo; Ikram said. &ldquo;At the same time, borrowing alone is never the solution unless it is backed by reforms and export growth.&rdquo; &ldquo;Overall, it&rsquo;s a smart financial move if managed carefully in the long run.&rdquo; Pakistan has sought to stabilize its economy following a prolonged balance-of-payments crisis that led the country to secure financial support from the International Monetary Fund and allied countries.&nbsp; Officials say the Panda Bond issuance marks a broader effort to transition from short-term stabilization toward sustained access to international capital markets.

This picture taken on May 28, 2025 shows a man walking past a currency exchange in Seoul's Daerim neighborhood, home to thousands of ethnic Chinese. (AFP/File)

Economy

Finance chief says Pakistan’s debut Panda Bond marks a historic return to international financial markets, reflecting stronger global confidence in the country’s economic reforms, sovereign credibility and expanding engagement with global capital markets.

Pakistan raises $250 million in debut Panda Bond, demand tops fivefold

LAHORE: Classical dancers in Pakistan struggle. There are few venues dedicated to their art, fewer funding sources, and little opportunity for students to learn directly from masters. A two-day festival here attempted to solve that problem by providing a platform devoted entirely to Kathak, one of the South Asia&rsquo;s oldest dance traditions. The festival, held at the Alhamra Art Centre and Maharaj Kathak Studio, brought together established practitioners, emerging dancers and students. Organizer Maan Sayeed and co-organizer Momina Farooq Khan designed the event to address the structural challenges Kathak performers face. &quot;Dancers are struggling due to the absence of platforms and a permanent source of income,&quot; Maan Sayeed said while speaking to Pakistan TV Digital. &quot;This gives them space, so young dancers can meet maestros, learn, and so the art form remains part of public conversation.&quot; First day: Discussions and workshops The opening day featured panels and workshops. Senior scholars and performers including Sheema Kermani, Nighat Chaudhry, Bina Jawwad, Adnan Jahangir, Ghazala Irfan and Abuzar Madhu discussed Kathak&#39;s history across the subcontinent. They said the form should be understood as shared artistic heritage, not divided by borders into separate cultural narratives. Conversations also addressed how to make classical arts more accessible and create sustainable platforms for dancers in Pakistan. A second panel brought together younger practitioners. Momina Farooq Khan, Hammad Rasheed, Jessica Zakria Iqbal and Kanza Bano discussed how they entered the field and the obstacles they face building careers. Workshops led by Sayeed, Rasheed and Sujata Banerjee allowed younger practitioners to train directly under experienced ones. Second day: Performances By the second day, the focus shifted to live performance. The venue filled to capacity, with crowds standing outside unable to enter. The evening opened with student dancers followed by Hammad Rasheed, a Kathak instructor at Alhamra. Organizer Maan Sayeed and co-organizer Momina Farooq Khan also gave a graceful performance. The program then shifted to classical music. Vocalist Akbar Aki Khan performed &quot;Man Atkeya Beparwah De Naal,&quot; a composition by Sufi poet Shah Hussain. Flute maestro Ustad Muhammad Hanif Khan, known for blending dhrupad and khayal traditions, performed next. Bina Jawad led the ensemble Harsukhiyan with her three daughters. Meanwhile, Sheema Kermani&#39;s performance brought the audience to a standing ovation. Nighat Chaudhry performed last, closing the festival. Speaking to Pakistan TV Digital, she highlighted the importance of institutional spaces for both emerging and established artists. &quot;This kind of festival is important to provide platforms to young artists and for them to meet seasoned practitioners,&quot; she said. &quot;It changes how Kathak is viewed, and even the audience becomes more informed through exposure.&quot;

Culture

Senior performers and scholars discuss Kathak’s shared heritage across South Asia and examine ways to improve access, training opportunities and long-term support for classical dancers in Pakistan.

Kathak: South Asia’s classical dance tradition comes alive in Lahore

LAHORE: In eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, construction is the sound of a city becoming itself.&nbsp;Before sunrise, the streets begin to stir, tea stalls hiss awake, trucks rattle through narrow roads, and half-built homes stand like unfinished promises against the skyline. By midmorning, the rhythm takes over: steel striking steel, wet cement turning to walls, bricks passing hand to hand in practiced motion.&nbsp;Lahore, Pakistan&rsquo;s cultural heart and one of South Asia&rsquo;s fastest-growing cities, is expanding upward and outward.&nbsp;New housing blocks, roads, schools and commercial centers continue to reshape its edges, powered by the hands of construction workers. The labor force behind the city&rsquo;s transformation.&nbsp;On International Labor Day, their work comes into sharper focus.&nbsp;&ldquo;Laborer is everywhere,&rdquo; Muhammad Sardar, 35, a daily-wage construction worker in Lahore told Pakistan TV Digital earlier this week. &ldquo;Wherever you see buildings, colleges, homes&hellip; laborer built them.&rdquo;&nbsp;It is a simple truth, often overlooked.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s construction sector employs millions and remains one of the country&rsquo;s largest engines of economic activity, linking more than 40 allied industries, from cement and steel to transport and engineering.&nbsp;In Punjab alone, where Lahore sits, the provincial minimum wage for unskilled workers stands at Rs40,000 ($143.48) a month, or roughly Rs1,538 ($5.52) a day under current wage notifications.&nbsp;The province&rsquo;s labor framework also guarantees overtime protections, workplace safety standards, and social security registration for eligible workers.&nbsp;But for workers like Sardar, every rupee has a destination before it is earned. Rent, school fees, electricity bills, medicine.&nbsp;By dawn, he is at a construction site. By dusk, he has helped build walls he may never live inside.&nbsp;That is the quiet paradox of labor: building shelter for others while chasing stability for your own family.&nbsp;In Lahore&rsquo;s fast-changing neighborhoods, where old brick homes meet new concrete towers, workers carry entire futures on their backs. A bag of cement weighs 50 kilograms. A stack of bricks, even more. But the heavier burden is often the one waiting at home.&nbsp;For 55-year-old Ghulam Muhammad, construction work has been life&rsquo;s only profession. For nearly four decades, he has helped build roads, homes and public buildings across Lahore.&nbsp;&ldquo;I have spent my life building,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;When you see these roads and structures, there is a laborer behind them.&rdquo;&nbsp;His hands are weathered now, his pace slower. But like thousands of others, he still reports for work each morning.&nbsp;For many workers, Labor Day is less about celebration than reflection. And in a city known for its history, from the Mughal walls of the Lahore Fort to its expanding modern neighborhoods, labor remains the thread connecting past and future.

In Lahore, construction workers power the city’s growth, building homes, roads and schools daily, as Labour Day highlights their essential yet often overlooked role, marked by hard labor, low wages, and the ongoing struggle to support families

Lahore rises brick by brick on workers’ shoulders and dreams

With the Hormuz blockade tightening around Iran&#39;s exports, storage tanks are filling fast. According to Kepler data, Iran could run out of storage space in as little as 12 to 22 days. The obvious solution is to stop pumping. But in the oil industry, that is rarely the answer. Shutting down a well risks permanent pressure loss, collapsed flow pathways and costly restarts that can take months or years.&nbsp;

Shorts

With the Hormuz blockade tightening around Iran's exports, storage tanks are filling fast. According to Kepler data, Iran could run out of storage space in as little as 12 to 22 days. 


Iran running out of oil storage space: Here's why it can't just turn off its wells

<span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-weight: 400; letter-spacing: -0.07px; orphans: 2; text-align: start; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; white-space: pre-wrap; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial; text-decoration-style: initial; text-decoration-color: initial; float: none; display: inline !important;" id="isPasted">The Ravi Lounge has been established amid a steady rise in the number of Chinese nationals arriving in Pakistan for business, infrastructure projects, and official engagements, prompting targeted facilitation at one of the country&rsquo;s busiest airports.

Ravi lounge at lahore airport dedicated for chinese passenger

Ravi lounge at Lahore airport dedicated for Chinese passenger

Kalma Chowk has defined modern Lahore since the mid-1980s&mdash;and today, it stands as a symbol of the city&rsquo;s evolution into a globally comparable urban hub.

Punjab Series: Underpasses and arterial links: Inside Lahore's reborn Kalma Chowk

Rising tensions around the Strait of Hormuz have prompted Pakistan to increase domestic oil production. OGDCL has crossed 40,000 barrels per day for the first time in six years, with Kohat&#39;s Baragzai well reaching record levels. Pakistan now produces over 90,000 barrels per day but consumes around 440,000 barrels per day. The country still depends largely on imports, using the recent rise in domestic production as a strategic cushion rather than a complete solution.

 OGDCL has crossed 40,000 barrels per day for the first time in six years, with Kohat's Baragzai well reaching record levels. 

Viral

OGDCL has crossed 40,000 barrels per day for the first time in six years, with Kohat's Baragzai well reaching record levels.

Pakistan sets highest single-well oil production record in its history

HONG KONG:&nbsp;Oil prices bounced higher on Thursday while Asian stocks mostly fell, as new US strikes on Iran marked the latest test of a shaky ceasefire in the Middle East war. The price jumps erased much of Wednesday&#39;s declines on the hopes of an imminent deal to end the conflict that has all but halted shipping through the crucial <a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/asia-stocks-oil-prices-mixed-on-usiran-deal-uncertainty" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">Strait of Hormuz</a> for months. An American official said the military had shot down four Iranian drones and struck a control center in the southern city of Bandar Abbas. The official, speaking to AFP on condition of anonymity, described the latest actions as &quot;measured, purely defensive, and intended to maintain the ceasefire&quot;. Tehran&#39;s state media said Iranian forces had fired at four ships in the strait, while Kuwait said its air defenses were responding to missile and drone attacks. The developments came despite an Iranian official saying renewed hostilities with the United States were unlikely, and a threat from US President Donald Trump to &quot;finish the job&quot; if a peace deal was not reached.&nbsp;Mixed signals&nbsp;The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, which has profoundly shaken <a href="https://pakistantv.com/article/oil-falls-asian-stocks-climb-on-hopes-of-usiran-hormuz-deal" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">global energy markets</a>. Brent North Sea crude, the main international benchmark, rose by 1.8% in Thursday morning trade to $95.95 a barrel, while the main US contract, WTI, increased by 1.7% to $90.17. Stock markets across Asia were mostly down, with Hong Kong&#39;s Hang Seng index dipping more than 1.5%. Seoul was down nearly one percent, while Shanghai ticked 0.3% lower. Taipei&#39;s main index gained more than one percent, while Tokyo was flat at the midday break. The declines came after a strong day for global stocks on Wednesday, as investors, bullish on artificial intelligence, looked past the conflicting headlines on Iran. In Asia, South Korean chipmaker SK hynix hit a $1 trillion market capitalization, placing it alongside regional tech heavyweights Samsung Electronics and TSMC, as well as US chipmaker Micron. The tech surge has coincided with a persistent spike in energy prices, which has threatened several major Asian economies that rely on oil shipments from the Middle East. Economists warn that central banks may have to raise interest rates if inflation worsens as a result of the war, increasing borrowing costs and potentially weighing on economic growth. On Wednesday, &quot;every headline pulled the market in a different direction, leaving traders with the same conclusion they have been wrestling with for weeks&quot;, said Stephen Innes at SPI Asset Management. &quot;The Strait may eventually reopen fully, but until there is something more concrete than draft frameworks and political theatre, every barrel remains hostage to headline volatility, even if sub-$100,&quot; he said. <h2 style="line-height: 2;">Key figures at around 0230 GMT&nbsp;</h2>Brent North Sea Crude: UP 1.8% at $95.95 a barrel West Texas Intermediate: UP 1.7% at $90.17 a barrel Tokyo - Nikkei 225: FLAT at 64,980.63 points Hong Kong - Hang Seng Index: DOWN 1.5% at&nbsp;24,943.99 Shanghai - Composite: DOWN 0.3% at&nbsp;4,082.86 Euro/dollar: DOWN at $1.1614 from $1.1629 on Wednesday Pound/dollar: DOWN at $1.3405 from $1.3434 Dollar/yen: UP at 159.54 from 159.53 yen Euro/pound: UP at 86.64 from 86.59 pence New York - DOW: UP 0.4% at 50,644.28 (close) London - FTSE 100: UP 0.1% at 10,505.01 (close)

Business

The mixed signals underscored the fragile state of talks aimed at ending the Middle East war, which has profoundly shaken global energy markets.

Oil prices bounce higher after new US strikes on Iran   

Muhammad Usman Amin

As Eid Al-Adha is celebrated across Pakistan, markets stocked up on everything from sacrificial knives and cleavers to barbecue skewers, grills, and charcoal.&nbsp; Peshawar&#39;s Reti Bazar emerged as a key hub for sacrificial tools and barbecue gear, with ironmongers and wholesalers moving 1&ndash;2 tons of skewers per shop daily to meet the national demand.

Peshawar's Reti Bazar emerged as a key hub for sacrificial tools and barbecue gear, with ironmongers and wholesalers moving 1–2 tons of skewers per shop daily to meet the national demand.



Peshawar's Reti Bazar braces for Eid rush as demand for sacrificial tools, barbecue gear surges

Asfandyar Yahya

Eid ul-Adha goes back 4,000 years to Prophet Ibrahim&#39;s test of devotion.&nbsp; Today in Pakistan alone, over six million animals are sacrificed across three days, with 1.8 billion dollars changing hands and one-third of all meat distributed directly to those who cannot afford it.

Tell Me Why

Today in Pakistan alone, over six million animals are sacrificed across three days, with 1.8 billion dollars changing hands and one-third of all meat distributed directly to those who cannot afford it.



Tell Me Why: We celebrate Eid al-Adha

Web Desk/AFP

This live blog follows the latest developments across the Middle East crisis, including regional diplomacy, maritime security, ceasefire negotiations, and economic fallout.<hr style="line-height: 2;">Catch up: Yesterday&rsquo;s top developments<ul style="list-style-type: square;"><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Oil prices continue to slide as investors monitor US-Iran negotiations</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0); line-height: 2;">Hezbollah says it carried out 37 attacks on Israeli forces in southern Lebanon</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Trump claims &lsquo;nobody&rsquo;s going to control&rsquo; the Strait of Hormuz</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Iran&#39;s president appreciates Pakistan&#39;s peace efforts</li><li style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0);">Israel kills chief of Hamas armed wing in Gaza strike</li></ul><hr style="line-height: 2;"> Mideast war reshaping national energy strategies: IEAPublished: May 28, 2026 | 04:21 GMT | by AFP The Middle East war is pushing countries to open new supply routes and turn to domestic resources to tide over the world&#39;s biggest energy crisis, the International Energy Agency said Thursday. &quot;We are in the midst of the largest energy security crisis the world has ever faced &ndash;- and I believe this will reshape investment strategies globally, with parallels to the major changes the energy world witnessed after the oil shocks of the 1970s,&quot; said IEA executive director Fatih Birol. &quot;We are already seeing intensified efforts by both producer and consumer countries to diversify trade routes and energy sources -&ndash; such as advancing new pipelines and other supply infrastructure, on the one hand, and turning more to domestically available resources, on the other,&quot; he added in the World Energy Investment report by the energy agency of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). The IEA estimates that global energy investment will reach $3.4 trillion in 2026, slightly higher than the previous year, with around $2.2 trillion devoted to power grids, storage, low-emission fuels, nuclear, renewables, energy efficiency and electrification. Alongside this, around $1.2 trillion is expected to be invested in oil, natural gas and coal. It nevertheless expects oil investment to decline for the third straight year in 2026, falling below $500 billion despite rising crude prices. <hr> Iran Guards say targeted US base in retaliation for strikes: State TVPublished: May 28, 2026 | 03:57 GMT | by AFP The Iranian Revolutionary Guards targeted an American base on Thursday in retaliation for US strikes on the country&#39;s south, Iran&#39;s state broadcaster IRIB reported. &quot;Following this morning&#39;s aggression by the invading US military against a location on the outskirts of Bandar Abbas Airport using aerial projectiles, the American air base that served as the source of the attack was targeted at 4:50 am (0120 GMT),&quot; the Guards said, according to IRIB. It did not provide details of the location of the base, though Kuwait, said it was responding to missile and drone attacks on Thursday morning. <hr> Iran forces fired at 4 ships attempting to cross Hormuz: State broadcasterPublished: May 28, 2026 | 03:11GMT | by AFP Iranian forces fired at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz, state broadcaster IRIB reported on Thursday, the same day Washington carried out fresh strikes on southern Iran. &quot;Four vessels attempted to cross the Strait of Hormuz and enter the Persian Gulf without coordination with the security forces,&quot; IRIB posted on Telegram, saying the incident took place at around 12:35 am local time (2105 GMT Wednesday) but without providing details on the ships. &quot;They were warned, but after they ignored the warning, warning shots were fired at them, forcing them to return,&quot; it added. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Kuwait army says air defenses responding to missile, drone attacksPublished: May 28, 2026| 02:41GMT | by AFP Kuwait&#39;s military said on Thursday it was responding to missile and drone attacks, after the United States carried out fresh strikes on Iran and Tehran said it had fired at ships in the Strait of Hormuz. &quot;Kuwaiti air defenses are currently engaging hostile missile and drone attacks,&quot; the Kuwaiti army posted on X. <hr style="line-height: 2;"> US Treasury sanctions Iran authorities overseeing Strait of HormuzPublished: May 28, 2026| 02:36GMT | by AFP The United States Treasury announced sanctions Wednesday against Iran&#39;s Persian Gulf Strait Authority, Tehran&#39;s new agency that collects fees for traveling through the strategic Strait of Hormuz. &quot;The Iranian military&#39;s latest attempt to extort global maritime trade is proof that Economic Fury has left the regime desperate for cash,&quot; Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent said in a statement. The statement extended the threat of sanctions to anyone paying the fees, because they &quot;may be providing support to and receiving services from&quot; Iran&#39;s Revolutionary Guards, and therefore may &quot;be exposed to sanctions risk.&quot; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> Israeli military issues evacuation order in Lebanon&#39;s southern city of TyrePublished: May 28, 2026 | 02:30GMT | by AFP Israel&#39;s military issued an evacuation warning for residents of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon on Thursday, saying it would operate against the fighter group Hezbollah in the area. &quot;The IDF is compelled to take forceful action against it,&quot; the Israeli military&#39;s order said, in reference to Hezbollah. It added that residents of the zone around certain buildings should leave and travel north of the Zahrani River, and that remaining in the area &quot;places you at risk.&quot; <hr style="line-height: 2;"> US military conducts new strike in southern Iran: US mediaPublished: May 27, 2026 | 00:51 GMT | by AFP The US military shot down four drones launched from Iran and struck a control center in the port city of Bandar Abbas, US media reported Wednesday evening, citing unnamed officials. The strike in Bandar Abbas prevented a fifth drone from being launched, CNN and The New York Times reported, and follows what the US military described as &quot;self-defense&quot; attacks overnight Monday to Tuesday on Iranian missile sites and mine-laying boats. <hr>

Middle East

Americas

The US military shot down four drones launched from Iran and struck a control center in the port city of Bandar Abbas; Iranian forces fire at four ships attempting to cross the Strait of Hormuz; Israel's military issues evacuation warning for residents of the city of Tyre in southern Lebanon.







US military conducts new strike in southern Iran: US media

Maryam Shah

ISLAMABAD: As Eid al-Adha approaches, millions of Muslims living in conflict zones and displacement camps continue to observe the festival despite circumstances shaped by war, hunger and displacement. In the besieged and bombarded territories of Palestine, famine-hit regions of Sudan, and camps scattered across Syria and Yemen, the rituals of Eid persist even where normal life has largely collapsed. According to the Elham Fund, Gaza resident Nahidh Abu Armaneh said his family woke up to the sound of Takbeer, wore their best clothes &ldquo;even if they weren&rsquo;t new,&rdquo; and gathered for Eid prayers. &ldquo;We started by greeting everyone we met, whether we knew them or not, because people especially need kindness and peace in these times,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;After that, we visited relatives to extend our Eid wishes, ate sweets and drank coffee, though the coffee tasted as bitter as our lives.&rdquo; Nahidh and millions of others across conflict zones, displacement camps and war-damaged cities continue observing Eid al-Adha each year under conditions that would ordinarily make celebration unimaginable. In peaceful societies, Eid al-Adha is built around abundance and sharing.&nbsp; To commemorate Prophet Ibrahim&rsquo;s willingness to sacrifice his son in obedience to Allah, Muslims slaughter livestock animals and traditionally divide the meat into three portions: one for the household, one for relatives and neighbors, and one for the poor. The ritual centers on generosity flowing outward from the family to the wider community. But in war zones where many families have lost homes, livelihoods and livestock, the practice increasingly depends on humanitarian aid. According to Islamic Relief Worldwide, Sudan is facing the world&rsquo;s largest displacement crisis, with nearly 14 million people uprooted by conflict and famine conditions reported in parts of Darfur. The organization said Eid al-Adha meat distributions had become the only source of meat for many displaced families, with its Qurbani program reaching 3.2 million people across 29 countries in 2025. &ldquo;Eid al-Adha means everything to me,&rdquo; displaced Sudanese resident Halima said in a statement released by the organization, adding that she did not expect to eat meat this year. In Syria and Yemen, where wars have stretched on for more than a decade, Eid al-Adha has become an annual confrontation with memory and loss. According to Al Jazeera, Umm Ghadi, a displaced Syrian mother living in an Idlib camp, gathered with neighbors to prepare sweets for children ahead of Eid despite harsh camp conditions. &ldquo;At the camp, there is no joy for the Eid, but we need to make the children happy,&rdquo; she said. &ldquo;Eid al-Adha in the villages is nicer.&rdquo; In Yemen, Abdul-Raqeeb al-Samey traveled through front-line areas to return to his home village in Taiz after purchasing a traditional jambiya &mdash; a ceremonial dagger worn during Eid celebrations &mdash; in Sanaa, according to Al Jazeera. Meanwhile in Syria, former residents of the remote Rukban displacement camp returned home for Eid only to find destroyed houses and devastated neighborhoods. According to Al Jazeera, Yasmine al-Salah returned home during Eid al-Adha 2025 after spending nine years in the camp. &ldquo;Even though our house is destroyed, and we have no money, and we are hungry, still, it&rsquo;s a castle in my eyes,&rdquo; she said. Across these conflict zones, Eid functions not as denial of suffering but as an insistence that interrupted lives are not extinguished lives. What unfolds during Eid al-Adha in such places reflects something central to the story of Prophet Ibrahim: the ability to move through catastrophe while refusing to surrender hope entirely. This is not simple optimism. While optimism assumes improvement, people living through war often continue their traditions fully aware of destruction around them, choosing meaning despite devastation. For many trapped in conflict, the acts of washing, dressing, praying and sharing whatever food remains become assertions of dignity and humanity against conditions designed to strip both away. None of these moments erase the catastrophes surrounding them. Hunger, displacement and violence persist. Yet the prayers are still offered, sweets are still prepared and families still gather where they can. In places shaped by siege and loss, Eid al-Adha becomes more than a religious celebration.&nbsp; For many, it is also a quiet declaration that war has not succeeded in erasing faith, memory or the will to endure.

Across conflict zones and displacement camps, Muslims observe Eid al-Adha despite war and famine, turning sacrifice and shared traditions into acts of resilience, dignity and hope amid devastation and loss.


Muslims celebrate Eid al-Adha across war zones despite devastation and displacement

WASHINGTON: The International Monetary Fund&#39;s board on Wednesday approved two reviews of Sri Lanka&#39;s loan program, making $695 million in additional loans immediately available to the crisis-hit island nation. It is the latest tranche in the country&#39;s four-year $3 billion bailout, with the Fund warning of further risks due to the economic impact of the Iran war. Surging oil prices due to the war, launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, have heavily impacted many import-dependent Asian countries. &quot;Sri Lanka&#39;s strong implementation under the EFF arrangement has continued despite challenging circumstances,&quot; said Kenji Okamura, the IMF&#39;s Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair. &quot;Gains from the economic reform program helped preserve economic resilience and provided room to respond to cyclone Ditwah and the Middle East war. The latter, however, has significantly worsened Sri Lanka&#39;s economic outlook and tilted risks to the downside.&quot; The IMF projects 2026 growth to slow to 3%, with higher oil prices increasing inflation and weighing on the current account balance. The board&#39;s approval was contingent on Sri Lanka adjusting certain energy market subsidies issued in the wake of the war. Wednesday&#39;s statement said the Sri Lankan authorities had met the Fund&#39;s requirements on fuel and electricity prices, meeting cost-recovery criteria. Criteria on ensuring no new external debts and on not imposing or intensifying import restrictions &quot;were not observed,&quot; however.

Sri Lanka

It is the latest tranche in the country's four-year $3 billion bailout, with the Fund warning of further risks due to the economic impact of the Iran war.


IMF approves $695M for crisis-hit Sri Lanka

KAMPALA, Uganda: Conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is complicating efforts to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak, the World Health Organization chief warned Wednesday, while Uganda announced it was shutting its border. The WHO has recorded 10 confirmed and 223 suspected Ebola deaths in the DRC since the outbreak was declared in mid-May, out of more than 1,000 confirmed and suspected cases. Its chief fears insecurity in the eastern DRC, which has been plagued for three decades by conflict involving a litany of armed groups, is making it extremely difficult to contain the outbreak. &quot;Eastern DRC now faces a catastrophic collision of disease and conflict with the Ebola outbreak in Ituri province outpacing the response,&quot; the UN agency&#39;s head Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on X. No vaccine or treatment exists for the Bundibugyo strain of Ebola, which is behind the DRC&#39;s 17th recorded outbreak of the disease. State services in rural Ituri province, where it was first detected, have been largely absent for decades. In Rwampara, one of the epicentres of the outbreak, AFP saw a symptomatic woman being brought to hospital on a motorbike, squeezed between her sister and the driver. A health worker recorded a high fever and bleeding from her nose, a common symptom of Ebola, which causes a haemorrhagic fever. He rushed to spray chlorine on the bike and driver, who wore a surgical mask but little else to protect him against a virus that spreads through bodily fluids. With no ambulances available, &quot;people make do with motorbikes&quot;, the health worker, Dieudonne Sezabo, told AFP. The hospital has set up a temporary isolation centre but is still awaiting crucial equipment deliveries. Uganda shuts borderNeighbouring Uganda, which has recorded one death confirmed to be from Ebola and six additional cases, announced it was shutting its border with the DRC with immediate effect. It also said it was imposing a 21-day quarantine on anyone arriving from the DRC, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and district surveillance teams. The WHO said the case fatality rate was under 25 percent -- much lower than in other recent outbreaks. But experts suspect the virus was circulating under the radar for some time and the true extent of the health crisis has yet to be seen. The WHO chief lamented that clashes were &quot;driving mass displacement, pushing exposed contacts into overcrowded camps and severing critical containment corridors&quot;. &quot;Frontline workers are risking everything, while attacks on health facilities make tracking cases and their contacts nearly impossible,&quot; Tedros warned. &quot;We cannot build community trust or isolate the sick while bombs are falling,&quot; Tedros said, urging &quot;all warring parties to agree to an immediate ceasefire to contain this outbreak&quot;. The United States plans to open a quarantine centre in Kenya, the Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday, primarily intended for Americans who need to leave the DRC quickly and quarantine. Kenya said it had screened some 55,000 people crossing the border from Uganda and had yet to confirm an Ebola case.

Response team members are helped to wear protective suits before burying a person suspected of having died from Ebola in Bunia, in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on May 25, 2026. (AFP)

Africa

The World Health Organization chief warns that conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo is complicating efforts to rein in a deadly Ebola outbreak, while Uganda shuts its border.

WHO warns of 'catastrophic collision' of Ebola and war in DR Congo

PARIS: YouTube will in the future automatically detect AI-generated content and flag the information to viewers on its platform, the Google-owned company said Wednesday. The move reverses a previous policy of relying on video creators to self-report if they had used generative AI tools. &quot;If a creator doesn&#39;t specify whether or not they used AI, but our systems detect significant photorealistic AI use, we will now automatically apply a label,&quot; YouTube said in a blog post. The video platform&#39;s last steps on generative AI date back to 2024, when it requested that creators flag content where they had used the technology. Since then there have been major strides in producing photorealistic images and video, with widely available AI models including Google&#39;s Veo 3.1 and Seedance from Tiktok&#39;s parent company Bytedance. Creators will be able to challenge the new flags if they think their content has been unfairly labelled as AI, Youtube said. The platform added that the flags would have no impact on its algorithm for recommending videos to users. Other platforms and social networks to introduce automatic flagging of AI content recently include music streamer Spotify. Many online spaces are flooded with AI-generated images, video or audio, which is growing increasingly difficult to tell apart from human creations as the tools become more capable.

Artificial Intelligence

YouTube to automatically detect AI-generated content and flag the information to viewers on its platform, the Google-owned company says.

YouTube says will flag AI-generated content

Shizza Jasmin

Renowned vloggers&nbsp;<a href="https://globie.io/products/esim-pakistan" style="color:#0073e6;">Luke Damant</a>,&nbsp;associated with&nbsp;<a href="https://globie.io/products/esim-pakistan" style="color:#0073e6;">Globie.io</a>,&nbsp;and Don Rob joined Chatroom with Shizza for a conversation about Pakistan&#39;s food, people and hospitality.&nbsp;<a href="https://globie.io/products/esim-pakistan" style="color:#0073e6;">Luke</a>&nbsp;explained what &#39;Burger&#39; means in Pakistani culture, showed off his Urdu skills, and reacted to a surprise cheese paratha. His verdict on Pakistan versus India on hospitality was direct and unfiltered.&nbsp;

Chatroom with Shizza

Renowned vloggers Luke Damant, associated with Globie.io, and Don Rob joined Chatroom with Shizza for a conversation about Pakistan's food, people and hospitality

Articles by Faraz Saeed

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US military conducts new strike in southern Iran: US media