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40 people have drowned in France over recent days as they sought to cool down to escape record heat, the prime minister said on Tuesday, ​as a heatwave swept across much of Europe. Britain, Italy, Switzerland and Spain were also sweltering in extreme heat, with record temperatures in some regions disrupting schools and transport ‌networks. Europe is warming at more than twice the global average, according to the World Meteorological Organisation, making such prolonged heat episodes increasingly likely. Children cool off in the Trocadero Fountain next to the Eiffel Tower in Paris as temperatures rise during a heatwave affecting a large part of France, June 22. — Reuters Heat alert across France Much of France is under severe heat alert and set to experience temperatures around 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit) on Tuesday, Meteo France said, with temperatures of up to 43°C expected in some parts of western France. The country has just recorded ...

Following months of all-out conflict that began on February 28, 2026, the United States and Iran have transitioned to a de-escalation phase. On June 17, Presidents Donald Trump and Masoud Pezeshkian signed a 14-point memorandum of understanding to end the war, establishing a 60-day ceasefire extension to negotiate the final terms of a deal. Pakistan served as a key mediator throughout the process. Following the signing and despite a rocky start, the first round of high-level talks concluded in Bürgenstock, Switzerland on Monday, June 22, with the two sides agreeing on a roadmap towards a final deal within 60 days, along with communication lines to keep the Strait of Hormuz open and a deconfliction cell to end fighting in Lebanon. Mediators Pakistan and Qatar described the outcome as reflecting encouraging progress, with technical talks set to continue through the rest of the week at Bürgenstock. Most observers and experts describe the overall process as a considerable (if still f...

All eyes were on Burgenstock over the weekend as high-level delegations from the United States, Iran, Qatar and Pakistan descended upon the idyllic Swiss hamlet to iron out the details of the Islamabad Memorandum. The US team of Vice President JD Vance, US Special Envoy Steve Witkoff and US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner, came face-to-face with the Iranian team comprising chief negotiator and parliamentary speaker, Bagher Ghalibaf, and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, in a rare meeting outside of Islamabad. The talks were hosted and mediated by the Pakistani team of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Information Minister Ataullah Tarar, along with a Qatari delegation led by Qatari Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani. The media circus unfolding above Lake Lucerne managed to capture moments f...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer said on Monday he would quit, paving the way for the country to have its seventh leader in 10 years. The chaos dates back to the Brexit referendum, 10 years ago to the day on Tuesday. In the years since the vote, Britain has tried to forge its own path but struggled to boost its low-growth economy, hamstrung by high debts and a growing welfare bill, at a time of growing geopolitical volatility. June 2016: UK votes for Brexit, PM Cameron quits Britons cause a global shock by voting 52-48 per cent to leave the European Union, ending a more than 40-year union and plunging the country into its biggest political crisis since World War Two. Conservative Prime Minister David Cameron resigns and the party chooses Theresa May to succeed him. June 2017: Snap election gamble backfires Riding high in opinion polls and seeking a bigger majority in parliament to push Brexit legislation through, May calls a snap election. The Conservatives lose their majori...

British Prime Minister Keir Starmer was reflecting this weekend on the “political realities” that he faces, a senior minister said on Sunday, amid media reports the premier would resign within days. It follows veteran Labour politician and rival Andy Burnham’s victory in a by-election on Friday, which paves the way for the 56-year-old to challenge the beleaguered Starmer to be party leader and prime minister. Any Labour leadership candidate must be a member of parliament. If Starmer does leave office this year, Britain will get its seventh prime minister in a decade — an unprecedented rate of churn in its modern history. US President Donald Trump shared his thoughts on Sunday in typically blunt fashion, writing on his Truth Social platform that “Keir Starmer will resign as Prime Minister of The United Kingdom”. “He failed badly on two very important subjects — IMMIGRATION AND ENERGY (OPEN NORTH SEA OIL!). I wish him well!” Burnham ...

Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye and Egypt on Sunday welcomed the signing of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the US and Iran during a Regional Four (R-4) meeting in Cairo, emphasising the importance of achieving a “swift and successful” conclusion to the subsequent phase of negotiations. The meeting came the same day as Pakistan, along with c0-mediator Qatar, hosted delegations from the US and Iran in Switzerland for high-level technical talks ironing out the details of the MoU. On Friday, the FO had announced that Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar would attend the fourth meeting of foreign ministers in Cairo on June 21 at the invitation of his Egyptian counterpart. In a joint statement issued by the participating nations, shared by the Foreign Office on X, the R-4 meet which convened in Cairo on Sunday at the invitation of Egypt, welcomed the signing of the Islamabad MoU. The participating n...

Delegations from the United States, Iran, Pakistan and Qatar arrived at Switzerland’s Burgenstock on Sunday for “technical-level” talks aimed at ironing out the details of the Islamabad Memorandum of Understanding signed by Tehran and Washington to bring an end to the conflict that has engulfed the majority of the Middle East. On the table today several important issues: the lifting of the US blockade of Iran, reopening the Strait of Hormuz, Israeli strikes on Lebanon and Hezbollah, unfreezing of Iranian assets, and the sale of the country’s oil. Each side will participate in bilateral talks ahead of the quadrilateral talks including mediators Pakistan and Qatar scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf and Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araqchi arrive at Zurich Airport, in Zurich, Switzerland, June 20, 2026. ─ Reuters Iran’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Seyyed Abbas Araghchi (C) arrives at t...

Pakistan is targeting the training and deployment of 300,000 to 400,000 workers for projects linked to the FIFA World Cup 2034 as part of a broader strategy to expand overseas employment opportunities and strengthen the country’s position in international labour markets. According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, workforce planning is being aligned with anticipated demand arising from the FIFA World Cup 2034, with trained Pakistani workers expected to support infrastructure development, aviation, tourism and related service sectors between 2026 and 2034. The initiative forms part of the government’s wider efforts to boost manpower exports and enhance the skills profile of Pakistani workers for overseas employment. During July-March FY2025-26, a total of 215,719 workers received soft-skills training aimed at improving adaptability, productivity and global employability. The documents indicate that overseas employment remains a key pillar of Pakistan’s labour mar...

As soon as Switzerland and Bosnia were off the pitch after their World Cup match on Thursday, another team were on it. But instead of tearing at the grass with studs this team were mowing, brushing, seeding, and repairing it. After being battered by some of the world’s best and most physically abusive (to grass) players for two hours, the surface was getting some tender loving care - a necessity in this World Cup, which is often being played atop grass pitches placed on a sub-surface that usually supports artificial turf. It has not all gone well. French coach Didier Deschamps, after his side’s 3-1 win over Senegal on Tuesday, said his squad had to alter their boots for the New York-New Jersey pitch, which was not great. “Let’s just say it’s … it’s different. It’s unusual, so you have to get used to it,” said Deschamps. “It’s different, so the bounce is different too.” None of his players used screw-in studs “even though boots today are a bit more adaptable.” France midfielder A...

LAHORE: In another case of May 9 riots , an anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday acquitted former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi while sentencing senior PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid , Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry to 10-year imprisonment each. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill announced the verdict , which was reserved on Thursday. In the case registered at Mughalpura Police Station, the leaders were accused of attacking and burning police vehicles in the Mughalpura area during the 2023 riots. The suspects were presented in the makeshift court established inside Kot Lakhpat Jail. Besides Qureshi, the court also acquitted 11 party workers. A total of 22 PTI leaders and workers were nominated in the case, while two accused had been declared proclaimed offenders after allegedly evading arrest. However, a few other workers were sentenced to 10 years’ imprisonment each. The prosecution alleged that the PTI leaders and other accused per...

Bolivian President Rodrigo Paz declared a state of emergency across the Latin American country on Saturday after more than six weeks of road blockades and protests demanding his resignation, saying he had exhausted “all avenues of dialogue.” The decision came hours after Paz signed an agreement with the country’s main trade union federation, Bolivian Workers’ Central (COB), ending the protests sparked by Paz’s plans for the economy. But not all sectors were covered by the agreement, and some unions continued protesting. “After exhausting all avenues of dialogue, reaching agreements with those whose demands were legitimate, and identifying those who used violence in an attempt to destabilise Bolivia, we made the decision to declare a state of emergency across the entire national territory,” Paz said in a televised speech. COB launched the protest movement in early May to reject US-backed Paz’s ideas for ending the country’s worst economic crisis in 40 years. Demonstrators — mainly...

As the hantavirus scare comes to an end with the last cruise ship passengers set to leave quarantine , what did the world learn from this sudden outbreak of a previously little-known virus? The deaths of three people who had been onboard the MV Hondius sparked a global health alert in early May, prompting fears the ship’s many international passengers could spread the rodent-borne disease across the world. Many nations responded by putting the passengers and contact cases in quarantine or isolation for the disease’s six-week incubation period. There were no further deaths during the outbreak — and all 12 confirmed hantavirus cases were passengers on the ship. With the last remaining passengers soon to leave quarantine, AFP answers key questions about an episode that again highlighted the risk viruses in animals pose to humans. Is it over? Almost all the passengers of the Dutch-flagged ship quarantined in the Netherlands have been allowed to return home, the World Health Organi...

A French appeals court on Friday confirmed that Moroccan football star Achraf Hakimi will face trial for the alleged rape of a woman in 2023, which the Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) defender denies. In February 2023, a woman then aged 24 told police in the Val-de-Marne region southeast of Paris that Hakimi had raped her. The PSG right-back and captain of the Moroccan national team, whose second match of the 2026 World Cup kicks off on Friday against Scotland, has consistently denied any wrongdoing. Shortly after the Versailles Court of Appeal delivered its ruling, Hakimi wrote on X that he had been “waiting for this trial since day one”. “At last, I’ll be able to speak,” he said. A date has not been announced for the start of the trial at the criminal court in the Hauts-de-Seine department. “This confirmation was expected. Nothing here says that he is guilty of anything, he remains steadfast in his defence,” Hakimi’s lawyer Fanny Coli...

The US and Iran have agreed to a basic framework. Whether this formal consensus translates into a concrete agreement is an open question. While Iran has officially declared the end of the war, Israel insists “our struggle has not yet ended”. Between these two statements lies all the space the spoilers need. The ceasefire was made possible by pragmatists. It will be threatened by apocalypticists. In Washington and Jerusalem, there are people at the helm of affairs who do not read this war as a security crisis to be resolved but a scheduled event — one that a ceasefire can delay but not, in their theology, prevent. For them, a deal is not a solution. It is an obstacle. And obstacles, in the eschatological imagination, are not negotiated around. They are removed. A changed world Whether the framework holds or collapses, one thing is clear: the West Asian security structure that existed on the morning of Feb 28, 2026, has ceased to exist. Firstly, South...

Oil prices tumbled further Thursday after US President Donald Trump and his Iranian counterpart signed off on a deal to end their war and reopen the Strait of Hormuz to tanker and cargo traffic. European and Asian stock markets were mixed, with some major indexes retreating after steep falls on Wall Street after the Federal Reserve raised its inflation forecast and projected higher US interest rates this year, boosting the dollar. “Politics and economics are front and centre for markets,” said Russ Mould, investment director at AJ Bell. “The US and Iran have signed an initial deal to end the war, causing oil prices to fall further,” he said, but the Fed’s hint at a rate increase “took the market by surprise and caused a wobble” on Wall Street and elsewhere. Kevin Warsh, the new Fed chief, vowed to “deliver price stability” after chairing his first policy meeting, even though Trump has repeatedly called for lower rates. “Persistently high prices are a burden for the American peop...

PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari is currently addressing the National Assembly, which is debating the proposed federal budget for the next fiscal year (FY27). He began his speech by praising the efforts of Pakistan’s leadership, particularly the prime minister and the army chief, in the peace agreement between the United States and Iran. “We have experienced the economic impact of uncertain situations. This is why Pakistan always promotes peace,” he said, terming peace “not just a moral necessity but also economic”. “When there is stability in the region, investment increases. When there is peace, the youth get employment, and the country progresses,” he said. “Today, when the world is inching towards peace, Pakistan will have to take a step towards development,” the PPP chairman stressed, adding that he would present his budget speech with the same “spirit”. More to follow from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/SrJMYDe

ISLAMABAD: Lawyers Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and Hadi Ali Chattha filed a petition in the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday, seeking an early hearing of their challenge to a Feb 19 Islamabad High Court (IHC) decision in the controversial social media posts case. On Jan 24, an Islamabad sessions court sentenced Imaan and Hadi to a total of 17 years in jail on multiple charges under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). In February, the IHC had denied the lawyers’ plea for suspension of their 17-year sentences under Peca. The controversy at the centre of the case stems from a complaint filed under Peca on August 12, 2025, by the NCCIA Islamabad assistant director (investigating officer) before the Cybercrime Reporting Centre, FIA. The complaint accused Imaan of disseminating and “propagating narratives that align with hostile terrorist groups and proscribed organisations”, while her husband was implicated for reposting some of her posts. Filed through senior counsel Faisal ...

ISLAMABAD: Halfway through his 5-year constitutional term, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has decided to transform the government’s monitoring mechanism through real-time digital oversight to improve service delivery and public perception. The step is a part of the Digital Nation Pakistan Initiative, whose monitoring model has already been finalised by the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA). The initiative coincided with media reports about a potential reshuffle in the federal cabinet after the federal budget 2026-27 is passed by the parliament later this month. In a press release issued on Wednesday, the Press Information Department (PID) said that Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema chaired a meeting “to review the Prime Minister’s Office System (PMOS), an innovative AI-powered platform designed to strengthen governance, enhance coordination and improve monitoring of government initiatives across ministries and departments”. Information Technology Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja,...