Spain stun France to reach World Cup final

ARLINGTON: Spain stunned tournament favourites France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final on Tuesday, producing a tactical masterpiece to shatter Les Bleus’ dreams of winning the title for the third time. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a 58th-minute Pedro Porro goal sealed an utterly clinical victory for the European champions at the…

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Judicial corruption in Pakistan ‘systemic’

ISLAMABAD: International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) has warned that judicial corruption in Pakistan has reached a systemic scale and may amount to grand corruption, saying the country’s justice system has become increasingly vulnerable to political influence and institutional capture. The organisation made the observations in a report titled “Under the Bench: Mapping Corruption Risks…

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Young man shot dead in Swabi

. SWABI: A 28-year-old man was shot dead over an alleged longstanding family dispute in Swabi, while police also recovered the throat-slit body of a taxi driver from a parking area at the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway service area in a separate incident. According to an FIR registered at Lahore Police Station, complainant Baogy, a resident of…

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K-P steps up youth empowerment drive

PESHAWAR: A high-level meeting chaired by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Muhammad Sohail Afridi was held at the Chief Minister’s House to review progress on the implementation of the Provincial Youth Policy 2026. Senior officials briefed the Chief Minister on various aspects of the policy, the proposed governing boards of youth centres, and multiple initiatives aimed at…

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Drinking water need to be assessed

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif chairs video link meeting to finalise cleanliness arrangements across province for Eidul Azha, May 23, 2026. SCREENGRAB LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif directed deputy commissioners across the province on Tuesday to identify areas lacking access to safe drinking water and immediately submit reports in this regard. Chairing…

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Crisis deepens as waste mismanagement exposed

A lab assistant holds test tube filled with HIV positive blood sample. Photo: APP/file KARACHI: Fresh concerns have emerged over infection control and regulatory oversight at Valika Hospital after hazardous medical waste was found lying in the open, even as 81 children have been confirmed HIV-positive in a growing health crisis. During a visit, used…

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Trump backs down from Hormuz transit fee

US begins blockade on Iranian shipping, continues strikes Iran widens missile and drone attacks across Gulf region WASHINGTON/TEHRAN: In a dramatic policy reversal, US President Donald Trump abandoned plans to impose a 20% transit fee on vessels using the Strait of Hormuz as the renewed confrontation between the United States and Iran intensified sharply on…

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Parliamentary privileges and democratic conventions

. The writer is a former Secretary to Government, Home & Tribal Affairs Department and a retired IG. He can be reached at syed_shah94@yahoo.com​​​​​​​ The enactment of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Assembly (Powers, Immunities and Privileges) Act, 2026, granting lawmakers expanded benefits, has sparked intense public backlash and a subsequent government review. Undoubtedly within the…

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After the oath, G-B waits for governance

. The writer is a graduate in Philosophy of Humanities from IIS London and a development practitioner in Pakistan. Email: shakeelahmedshah@yahoo.com Gilgit-Baltistan has a new government, and for a few hours Gilgit looked like a region entering a great democratic transition: roads closed, traffic diverted, ordinary people trapped in narrow lanes, and protocol moving with…

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