Three former US intelligence operatives who worked as cyberspies for the United Arab Emirates admitted to violating US hacking laws and prohibitions on selling sensitive military technology, under a deal to avoid prosecution announced on Tuesday. The operatives — Marc Baier, Ryan Adams and Daniel Gericke — were part of a clandestine unit named Project Raven, first reported by Reuters, which helped …

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi received a phone call from his United Arab Emirates (UAE) counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Wednesday. During the call, Qureshi congratulated his counterpart on making “excellent arrangements” for Expo 2020 — scheduled to be held in Dubai from Oct 1 to March 31 — and …

US President Joe Biden denied on Tuesday a media report that his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, last week turned down an offer from Biden for a face-to-face meeting. The Financial Times cited multiple people briefed on a 90-minute call between the two leaders last week as saying Xi did not take Biden up on the offer and instead insisted that Washington adopt a less strident tone …

The civil aviation ministry of Afghanistan has requested Pakistan to allow two of its airlines — Ariana Afghan Airlines and Kam Air — to begin commercial flight operations to the neighbouring country. In a letter, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, sent by the Ministry of Aviation and Transport of the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan to Pakistan’s Civil Aviation …

KARACHI: The prices of liquid oxygen cylinders needed for patients, particularly those suffering from Covid-19, have sharply increased in Karachi over the past weeks while hospitals, particularly in the interior of Sindh, are now facing a shortage of supplies. It was reported on Tuesday evening that 15 more Covid-19 patients died overnight while 703 new cases emerged in the province. …

ISLAMABAD: Additional district and sessions judge Atta Rabbani on Tuesday rejected post-arrest bail applications of gardener and chef of Zakir Jaffer facing charges of abetting in Noor Mukadam’s murder. Kohsar Police had arrested them along with other co-accused. According to the charge-sheet recently submitted to the court, the gardener could have saved Noor Mukadam’s life, had he let her go …

ISLAMABAD: On the issue of elevation of a woman judge to the Supreme Court, Justice Umar Ata Bandial had suggested that the names of those be noted down who rejected the proposal for appointing Justice Ayesha A. Malik of the Lahore High Court (LHC) so that history recorded who stood for women’s rights. During the Sept 9 four-hour meeting of …

ISLAMABAD: Awami National Party (ANP) leader Aimal Wali Khan on Tuesday held separate meetings with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in Islamabad and discussed the prevailing political situation in the country. This was the first direct contact between the ANP and the PML-N, a major component of the Pakistan Democratic …

Veteran actor and comedian Omer Sharif is ready to travel abroad to receive medical treatment after requesting the prime minister’s assistance to facilitate his journey via a video message. Actor Reema Khan and Sharif’s wife Zareen recently posted details about the actor’s treatment plan on social media. Zareen posted a message on Facebook to ‘share the good news’. “Our beloved …

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Tuesday voiced full support for recognising the Taliban government in Afghanistan along with lawmakers from the opposition Pakistan Peoples Party and Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal (MMA). The house began a debate on the Afghan issue following an adjournment motion submitted by PPP member Ahmad Kundi seeking discussion on the situation across the border. Winding up discussion …