GILGIT: Two Japanese climbers, who went missing while attempting to summit the 7,027-metre Spantik Peak, were located by Pakistan Army helicopters on Thursday. A ground rescue team will attempt to reach Ryuseki Hiraoka and Atsushi Taguchi early on Friday and bring them back to the base camp. Shigar Deputy Commissioner Waliullah Falahi told Dawn that the Japanese climbers went missing at Camp 2, situated …

ATHENS: Greece shut more ancient tourist sites in Athens on Thursday and elderly people took refuge at designated air-conditioned spots as the first heatwave of the summer persisted for a third day. The famous Acropolis, set on a rocky hill overlooking the capital, and other nearby tourist attractions were closed on Thursday afternoon as winds from North Africa pushed temperatures …

BARI (Italy): G7 leaders on Thursday called on Hamas to accept a roadmap towards a ceasefire in Gaza announced by US Presi­dent Joe Biden in May. The UN Security Council had supported the plan and “now it is important that everyone implements it,” German Chancellor Olaf Scholz said at the Group of Seven summit in Italy. “We therefore call on …

ISLAMABAD: The head of Pakistan-based liaison office for the UN Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA), Malick Ceesay, has said easing restrictions on women’s access to education and employment and an inclusive system of governance by Taliban rulers of Afghanistan will pave the way for their recognition by the international community. Speaking at the fourth round of Pak-Afghan religious scholars dialogue, …

SAN FRANCISCO: Former Twitter platform X on Thursday said “likes” on the platform will now be private in an effort to protect users and drive up engagement. With the change, which includes the removal of the “Likes” tab on a profile page, users will no longer be able to track the likes of other users to figure out their interests …

MOSCOW: Russian prosecutors said on Thurs­day they had sent the case of detained US reporter Evan Gershkovich to court after concluding he had been collecting information for the US Central Intelligence Agency about a Russian tank factory. Gershkovich, 32, was arrested on March 29, 2023, in the Urals city of Yekaterinburg on charges of espionage that carry up to 20 …

GENEVA: More than half of Gaza’s agricultural land, crucial for feeding the war-ravaged territory’s hungry population, has been degra­ded by conflict, satellite images analysed by the United Nations show. The data reveals a rise in the destruction of orchards, field crops and vegetables in the Palesti­nian enclave, where hunger is widespread after eight months of Israeli bombardment. The World Health …

UNITED NATIONS: Afghans continue to make up the largest population of refugees worldwide, with the majority seeking refuge in Iran and Pakistan, maintaining a trend observed in previous years, according to a UNHCR report released on Thursday. The UN refugee agency’s 2024 Global Trends Report includes estimates of internally displaced persons, pointing out that the years 2023 and 2024 saw historically high …

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan has turned down Swit­zerland’s invitation to the Ukraine Peace Sum­mit citing scheduling conflicts and other considerations. “Pakistan received an invitation from Swit­zerland for the Conference, which is being held from 15th to 16th of June. However, due to a host of factors, including scheduling challenges, Pakistan is not participating in this conference,” FO Spokes­person Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said at the …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission has challenged the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) decision to appoint six tribunals to settle election disputes in Punjab. In a petition moved before the Supreme Court on Thursday, the electoral watchdog also questioned whether the ECP or LHC has the final say in the appointment of tribunals. On May 29, while hearing petitions filed by PTI-backed independent candidates …