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THE UNRAVELLING OF THE AMERICAN EMPIRE

“My name is Ozymandias, king of kings: Look on my works, ye mighty, and despair! Nothing beside remains. Round the decay Of that colossal wreck, boundless and bare The lone and level sands stretch far away.” — Percy Bysshe Shelley, Ozymandias “I am in blood, Stepped in so far that, should I wade no more, Returning were as tedious as go o’er.” — William Shakespeare, Macbeth PROLOGUE This is and isn’t about America’s illegal war against Iran. It is primarily about hiding an empire in plain sight and now watching it unravel in plain sight. The war against Iran becomes a consequential event in tandem with other structural weaknesses, a fillip of sorts. It reminds one of the Soviet war on Afghanistan. That war, in and of itself, did not bring down the Soviet Leviathan. The process inhered in the very make-up of the Soviet Union. The war just shoved it over the precipice. But let’s get on with our purpose here. In Aug...
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Security forces thwart attack on military post in North Waziristan: security sources

Security forces foiled a suicide attack by Fitna al Khawarij on a military post near Miranshah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan district, security sources said on Tuesday. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan. As per security sources, the terrorists attempted to ram an explosive-laden vehicle into the post. However, security forces took timely action and destroyed the vehicle before it could reach the target, they said. During the operation, four terrorists were killed, and security forces were on high alert, due to which the attack was thwarted. Security sources further stated that the terrorists attempted the attack fearing the success of operations around Miranshah over the past few days, adding that over 20 terrorists have been killed in these operations so far. According to security sources, further operations were underway in the area, and the perpetrators of the attack and their facilitators w...

Federal cabinet approves track and trace system to eliminate counterfeit medicines

The federal cabinet has approved the nationwide implementation of a Track and Trace system for pharmaceutical products across Pakistan, Minister for Health Mustafa Kamal announced on Tuesday. According to an official handout , the system aims to strengthen public health and safeguard citizens from counterfeit medicines. The cabinet has also approved the necessary amendments to the Drug Labeling and Packing Rules, enabling the introduction of “a modern digital system for tracking and verifying medicines throughout the supply chain”, the statement said. “This decision marks a major and historic step towards eliminating counterfeit, fake and substandard medicines from Pakistan,” said Kamal according to the statement. “For the first time, every medicine in the country will be digitally traceable and verifiable, ensuring greater transparency, safety, and accountability,” he said. The statement noted that under the new regulatory framework, all pharmaceutical manufacturers and importers...

Myanmar president holds trade and security talks with India's Modi

India gave a red-carpet welcome on Monday to Myanmar’s junta leader-turned President Min Aung Hlaing — his first trip abroad since becoming civilian leader — with talks focusing on security and trade. The former military chief met with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, where they shook hands outside New Delhi’s sprawling Hyderabad House. Modi told the Myanmar leader that “India remains Myanmar’s trusted neighbour, a reliable partner and steadfast first responder in times of crisis”, Indian foreign ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said. Min Aung Hlaing was sworn in as Myanmar’s president in April, continuing his rule from a civilian post five years after snatching power in a military coup. Modi also “reaffirmed India’s readiness to support peace and dialogue in Myanmar”, Jaiswal added. New Delhi’s top career diplomat, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri, told reporters after the meeting that discussions included border security and the impact of the...

The malnourished children of 2018 are teenagers now. Why?

In 2018, Pakistan produced the widest survey in its history on how much nutrition its people were getting. The NNS or National Nutrition Survey was the fifth such epic exercise to be undertaken since 1965, and the first ever to show us the numbers from the districts. It was the most comprehensive data-gathering effort in Pakistan’s history and is regularly cited today in policymaking. The NNS results painted such an alarming picture at the time that the government should have declared a national emergency. Instead, I find myself writing this seven years on with a question as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb tables an estimated Rs17.1 trillion federal budget for fiscal year 2026-27: What did Pakistan’s budget-makers do with the population nutrition evidence? No prizes for guessing the answer was scant little. What we got instead is a story of policy documents without funding to see through on the ground, bodies meant to coordinate without the mandate or teeth, and a government th...