The dismal economic conditions affecting the majority of the people, the growing chasm between the government and the discontented masses, divisive elitist politics, and rising militancy and violence have enhanced internal security risks. The earlier successes achieved by the military in subduing fanaticism have not been consolidated by economic development that could bring peace and prosperity to the areas devastated …

The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) decision to reintroduce market-driven exchange rates from Jan 26 has started paying off dividends. After experiencing a massive, quick depreciation of 19.8 per cent value against the US dollar between Jan 26 and Feb 3, the rupee recovered 2.6pc of its lost value during the week ended on Feb 10. On that day it …

PARIS: Users of the Replika “virtual companion” just wanted company. Some of them wanted romantic relationships, or even explicit chat. But late last year users started to complain that the bot was coming on too strong with racy texts and images — sexual harassment, some alleged. Regulators in Italy did not like what they saw and last week barred the …

LONDON: British arms and military vehicles could be manufactured in Ukraine under licence, easing the country’s dependence on supplies of arms from Western allies, the Telegraph newspaper reported on Sunday. The report said British defence industry executives had travelled to Kyiv to discuss plans to set up joint ventures to manufacture weapons and vehicles locally. Manufacturers from other European countries were also …

JENIN: Israeli forces killed a Palestinian teenager on Sunday in the occupied West Bank, the Palestinian health ministry said, with the army reporting they came under fire during a raid. The ministry reported 14-year-old Qusai Radwan Waked died “as a result of being seriously wounded in the abdomen by live fire from the occupation (Israel)” in Jenin, a city in …

JANDARIS: As an excavator claws at the shattered remains of yet another home in Syria’s rebel-held northwest, Abdel Qader Abdelrahman surveys the debris in the hope of spotting people who might — against all the odds — still be alive underneath. The former school principal joined the White Helmets in 2022 as a medic, drawn to its humanitarian mission through …

BERLIN: German Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s Social Democrats suffered a setback in a regional poll in Berlin on Sunday, falling behind the opposition conservatives in the capital for the first time in over two decades. While the Berlin vote turned on local issues, the disappointing loss comes as Scholz faces widespread criticism for his hesitant military support for Ukraine in the …

WASHINGTON: The second round of US-Pakistan mid-level defence dialogue begins in Washington on Monday (today) to consider various options for strengthening ties between the two establishments. The Pakistani team, headed by the Chief of General Staff (CGS), Lt Gen Mohammed Saeed, reached the US capital on Sunday afternoon. The delegation includes two major generals, two brigadiers and a civilian representative, …

KARACHI: In uncertain economic conditions, consumers continue to receive severe price shocks following an unchecked hike in the prices of daily use items, including loose milk, which has been increased to Rs210 from Rs190 per litre by some shopkeepers and live broiler chicken which has seen an increase of Rs30-40 per kg in the last two days, taking the cost …

LAHORE: Prime Minis­ter Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday issued directives for speedy completion of solar and wind energy projects. While chairing a meeting on renewable energy, he said it was the government’s main priority to encourage the production of electricity through solar and wind energy sources. The renewable sources would produce low-cost and environment-friendly electricity, he added. PM Sharif pointed out …