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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) resumed direct flights to the United Kingdom on Saturday, marking the restoration of services that had remained on hold for the past five years.&nbsp;The development follows the UK&rsquo;s decision in July to allow the national carrier to operate once again, after assessing that Pakistan&rsquo;s aviation safety standards meet international requirements. Earlier this month, the UK Civil Aviation Authority issued a Foreign Aircraft Operating Permit to PIA, completing the final procedural step. <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" 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=1982017808142926068&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Fsections%2F&sessionId=1955e616218c9bd2515cd73355e0e0aa6832ae8c&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 576px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1982017808142926068"></iframe></div></div>&nbsp;Speaking at the ceremony held at Islamabad International Airport, Defense Minister Khawaja Asif said the restoration of flights reflected the commitment and coordinated efforts of Pakistani aviation authorities.&nbsp;&ldquo;After a long and difficult delay of five years, today the resumption of flights from Islamabad to Manchester is a feat we have achieved through our hard work and determination,&rdquo; he said. Asif noted that significant improvements had been made in pilot training, licensing processes and aircraft safety compliance during this period.&nbsp;PIA has started with a twice-weekly service between Islamabad and Manchester, with plans to expand operations to London and Birmingham in the coming months. A PIA spokesperson confirmed that the first flight, carrying 284 passengers, departed for Manchester on Saturday afternoon.&nbsp;The airline had also resumed flights to Paris earlier this year after receiving clearance from European aviation authorities in late 2024.&nbsp;The government continues efforts to strengthen the national carrier and has reiterated its commitment to restructuring and reforming the organization.

Economy

PIA resumed direct flights to Manchester on Saturday after a five-year hiatus, following safety and regulatory improvements. The airline plans to add London and Birmingham routes next.

Pakistan national carrier resumes direct flights to Britain after five-year hiatus

Reuters

MUMBAI: Britain said on Thursday it had signed a 350 million-pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with U.K.-manufactured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defense partnership between the two countries. The announcement came as British Prime Minister Keir Starmer visited Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Mumbai, where the two leaders highlighted the potential for stronger commercial links following their months-old trade deal. In its statement on the defense deal, the British government said the new contract for Lightweight Multirole Missiles, made by Thales in Northern Ireland, would secure 700 jobs at a factory that currently produces the same weapons for Ukraine. &ldquo;The deal paves the way for a broader complex weapons partnership between the U.K. and India, currently under negotiation between the two governments,&rdquo; the statement said. Starmer has, over the past 12 months, thrown his support behind Britain&rsquo;s defense sector to spur economic growth, pledging to raise spending in line with NATO targets and focusing on winning exports, such as a recent $13.5 billion frigate contract with Norway. Britain also said on Thursday it reached a new milestone with India on a collaboration for electric-powered engines for naval ships, as both countries signed the next phase of the deal, worth an initial 250 million pounds.

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer, left and and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi attend the India-UK CEO Forum at Jio World Convention Centre in Mumbai, India, Thursday, Oct. 9, 2025. (Leon Neal/Pool Photo via AP)

Asia

United Kingdom

Britain said on Thursday it had signed a 350 million-pound ($468 million) contract to supply the Indian army with U.K.-manufactured lightweight missiles, as part of a deepening weapons and defense partnership between the two countries.

UK signs $468 million deal to supply India with missiles

LONDON: Denmark lost a fraud case in London&#39;s High Court on Thursday, in a blow to the country&#39;s efforts to recover 12.1 billion kroner ($1.9 billion) from a massive tax fraud scandal. The Danish tax authority, known as Skat, brought the case to recover funds from defendants it said fraudulently claimed tax rebates using so-called &quot;cum-ex&quot; scams. The schemes involve buying and selling shares around the time of dividend payments so quickly that the tax authorities are unable to identify the true owner, making it possible to illegally claim tax credits. London&#39;s High Court ruled Thursday that the Danish tax authority had failed to prove it was &quot;misled&quot; by these tax rebate claims. &quot;Its controls for assessing and paying dividend tax refund claims were so flimsy as to be almost non-existent,&quot; the judge Andrew Baker said in his decision. The main defendant was Solo Capital Partners, a London-based hedge fund founded by British trader Sanjay Shah, who was sentenced to 12 years in jail in Denmark last year. Shah was convicted of running a nine-billion-krone &quot;cum-ex&quot; scam between 2012 and 2015, and the Danish court ordered that assets worth 7.2 billion kroner be confiscated from him. In that case, the prosecution showed that dummy companies controlled by Shah pretended to own shares in Danish companies and received tax rebates for which they were not eligible. The ruling in Britain has dealt a blow to Denmark&#39;s attempts to recoup funds. The Danish tax authority said Thursday&#39;s ruling was a &quot;source of surprise.&quot; In May 2023, a Dubai court ordered Shah to pay&nbsp;Denmark&#39;s tax authority more than $1.2 billion. &quot;Cum-ex&quot; scams, which take advantage of a loophole in European tax laws, have been uncovered in several EU countries. According to Bloomberg estimates, the scams have cost European taxpayers up to 150 billion euros ($176 billion).&nbsp;

Europe

Denmark lost a fraud case in London's High Court, in a blow to the country's efforts to recover 12.1 billion kroner ($1.9 billion) from a massive tax fraud scandal

Denmark loses $1.9 billion London tax fraud case

<span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 700; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">LONDON: Luxury British department store Harrods has confirmed that customer details were compromised in a recent data breach, the latest in a series of cyberattacks targeting major British companies this year. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">The company said late Friday that some names and contact details of its online customers were taken after one of its third-party provider systems was compromised. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">&quot;The third party has confirmed this is an isolated incident which has been contained, and we are working closely with them to ensure that all appropriate actions are being taken. We have notified all relevant authorities,&quot; a Harrods spokesperson said. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Cybersecurity incidents have disrupted several UK sectors in recent months, with experts warning of increasingly advanced tactics used by criminal groups. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">In July, police arrested four people suspected of involvement in coordinated cyberattacks against Harrods, Marks &amp; Spencer (M&amp;S), and the Co-operative Group.&nbsp; <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">M&amp;S previously endured a major incident in April that forced its online store offline for nearly seven weeks. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Harrods stressed that this breach is not related to a separate event in May, when the retailer temporarily restricted internet access across its systems after detecting an attempted intrusion. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Other British businesses have also been hit. In August, Jaguar Land Rover&rsquo;s global production lines were suspended following a cyberattack attributed to another group of hackers. <span style="font-size: 18px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Richard Horne, chief executive of the National Cyber Security Centre, cautioned that such attacks have consequences far beyond technical disruptions. &ldquo;These incidents may sound abstract, but they impact people directly. Attackers are constantly improving their methods to maximize the damage,&rdquo; he told BBC Radio 4 on Saturday.

Gadgets

Luxury British department store Harrods has confirmed that customer details were compromised in a recent data breach, the latest in a series of cyberattacks targeting major British companies this year.

Harrods warns customers of data breach after third-party system compromised

PARIS: The European Union on Thursday approved the highly contentious Alzheimer&#39;s medication Kisunla under strict conditions, with the drug&#39;s effectiveness hotly debated by the medical community. &nbsp;&quot;The European Commission has granted EU marketing authorisation for Kisunla, a medicine to treat mild cognitive impairment, including mild dementia in the early stages of Alzheimer&#39;s disease,&quot; the commission announced in a statement.&nbsp;Produced by US multinational Eli Lilly, the active substance of Kisunla is the antibody donanemab.&nbsp;It is considered a breakthrough form of treatment for Alzheimer&#39;s disease along with Biogen&#39;s and Esai&#39;s Leqembi.&nbsp;But the actual benefits of both drugs have provoked a heated medical debate.&nbsp;On the one hand, they have shown an unprecedented effect during clinical trials after decades of unsuccessful research aimed at slowing patient deterioration.&nbsp;On the other hand, this effect remains minimal, and some experts argue that the difference for patients is not substantial enough.&nbsp;They can also cause severe and sometimes even fatal side effects, primarily haemorrhages and cerebral oedemas.&nbsp;Based on recommendations from its European Medicines Agency (EMA), the EU granted marketing authorisation for Leqembi in late 2024, under strict conditions and after initially refusing to do so.&nbsp;It did the same for Kisunla, which was also approved after an initial rejection: now, it may only be administered to patients in the early stages of Alzheimer&#39;s, and only if they do not have a genetic mutation that predisposes them to side effects.&nbsp;The authorisation gives EU member states free rein regarding reimbursement.&nbsp;In early September, France decided that Leqembi did not warrant an accelerated procedure for reimbursement approval, although it has not completely ruled out the possibility in the long term.&nbsp;Outside the EU, the United Kingdom has approved both treatments but will not reimburse them, deeming the cost too high for such limited benefits.&nbsp;The United States, both treatments have been authorised, but reimbursement is at the discretion of private health insurers.

The European Union approved Eli Lilly’s Alzheimer’s drug Kisunla under strict conditions, allowing use only in early-stage patients without high-risk genetic mutations, amid ongoing debate over limited benefits, severe side effects, and uncertain reimbursement across member states.

EU approves contentious Alzheimer's medication

LONDON: A man in his 40&#39;s was arrested in southern England over an alleged cyberattack that disrupted several European airports in recent days, including at London Heathrow, law enforcement officials said Wednesday. The United Kingdom National Crime Agency said the suspect was held in West Sussex on Tuesday on suspicion of offenses involving the misuse of computers and was released on conditional bail.&nbsp;&ldquo;Although this arrest is a positive step, the investigation into this incident is in its early stages and remains ongoing,&quot; said Paul Foster, head of the NCA&rsquo;s national cybercrime unit. &ldquo;Cybercrime is a persistent global threat that continues to cause significant disruption to the UK&quot;&nbsp;Starting late Friday and lasting through the weekend, airports in Berlin, Brussels and London were hit by disruptions to electronic systems that snarled up check-in and sent airline staffers trying options like handwriting boarding passes or using backup laptops. Many other European airports were unaffected.&nbsp;The cyberattack affected the software of Collins Aerospace, whose systems help passengers check in, print boarding passes and bag tags, and dispatch their luggage.&nbsp;The US-based company on Saturday cited a &ldquo;cyber-related disruption&rdquo; to its software at &quot;select&rdquo; airports in Europe.&nbsp;It was not immediately clear who might be behind the cyberattack, but experts said it could turn out to be hackers, criminal organizations or state actors.&nbsp;The European Commission, the executive branch of the 27-nation European Union, said aviation safety and air traffic control were unaffected.

UK authorities arrested a man in West Sussex after a cyberattack disrupted airports in London, Berlin and Brussels. The attack, linked to Collins Aerospace software, caused widespread check-in chaos, though aviation safety remained unaffected, officials confirmed.

Articles tagged with "United kingdom"

Pakistan national carrier resumes direct flights to Britain after five-year hiatus

UK signs $468 million deal to supply India with missiles

Denmark loses $1.9 billion London tax fraud case

Harrods warns customers of data breach after third-party system compromised

EU approves contentious Alzheimer's medication

Man arrested in UK over alleged cyberattack that affected European airports