Infinity Social Updates

China on Sunday unveiled 10 new incentive measures for Taiwan, including easing tourist curbs, allowing in “healthy” television ​dramas and facilitating food sales, following a visit by the island’s opposition ‌leader. The move comes at the end of a trip to China by Cheng Li-wun, chairwoman of the Kuomintang (KMT), Taiwan’s largest opposition party. She met Chinese President Xi Jinping and talked about ​the need for peace and reconciliation. The 10 measures, unveiled by the official ​Xinhua news agency, “explore” the establishment of a regular communication mechanism between ⁠the KMT and China’s Communist Party, the full resumption of flights between the ​two sides and permission for individuals from Shanghai and Fujian province to visit Taiwan. A ​mechanism will be established to ease inspection standards for food and fishery products, but that has to be on the political foundation of “opposing Taiwan independence,” Xinhua said. Taiwanese TV dramas, documentaries and ​animation...

Direct talks between the United States and Iran were continuing into the early hours of Sunday in Islamabad, but within hours, delegations from both sides were heading home. In the morning, US Vice President JD Vance addressed a press conference, noting there had been “a number of substantive discussions”. However, he said the two sides did not reach an agreement. Dawn takes a look at scenes from the day of the noteworthy US-Iran talks concluding. Freshly printed newspapers featuring a headline about the US and Iran peace talks in Islamabad, are kept on a table at a printing press in Karachi on April 12, 2026. — Reuters Vice President JD Vance arrives for a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran in Islamabad on April 12, 2026. — AFP US Vice President JD Vance and Jared Kushner arrive for a news conference after meeting with representatives from Pakistan and Iran, on April 12, 2026, in Islamabad. — Pool via Reuters Vice President JD...

After their face-to-face talks yielded no agreement , Iran’s Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf on Sunday said it was now time for the United States to decide whether it can “earn” Tehran’s trust. In a post on X, written in Persian, Ghalibaf said: “America has understood our logic and principles, and now it’s time for it to decide whether it can earn our trust or not?” Ghalibaf, who led the Iranian delegation, recalled that before the negotiations, he “emphasised that we have the necessary good faith and will, but due to the experiences of the two previous wars, we have no trust in the opposing side”. “My colleagues on the Iranian delegation Minaab168 raised forward-looking initiatives, but the opposing side ultimately failed to gain the trust of the Iranian delegation in this round of negotiations,” he added. The Iranian parliament speaker went on to state: “We certainly consider diplomacy of authority to be another method, alongside military struggle, for achieving...

US President Donald Trump’s administration plans to crack down on networks it says help pregnant women lie on visa applications in order to secure US citizenship for their US-born babies, an issue that Trump has highlighted to justify his attempts to restrict birthright citizenship. In an internal email sent on Thursday and reviewed by Reuters , US Immigration and Customs Enforcement ordered investigative agents around the country to focus on a new Birth Tourism Initiative. The operation will seek to root out networks that help pregnant foreign nationals come to the US to give birth so their children can receive citizenship, it said. Trump, a Republican, has kicked off an aggressive push to reduce both legal and illegal immigration after taking office in January 2025. His administration has used the threat of birth tourism as a rationale for attempting to restrict the practice of granting automatic citizenship to children born on US soil. “Uninhibited birth tourism poses a tremend...

General elections in Gilgit Baltistan will be held on June 7, the GB Election Commission announced on Saturday after a four-month delay. General elections for the assembly were scheduled for Jan 24, 2026 . However, days after the announcement, the elections were postponed indefinitely due to harsh weather conditions in the region. The GB Election Commission Secretariat, in a notification available with Dawn , announced June 7 as the poll day for the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly general elections. The GB Chief Election Commissioner Raja Shahbaz Khan also confirmed the development. As for the local government election, Khan said a schedule will be issued later, and it will be held after the general election. He added that preparations were ready for both. LG polls in GB, announced after a gap of 20 years, were initially set for Feb 14, 2026 . Earlier this month, the GB chief election commissioner said the electoral watchdog was preparing to conduct the elections but had not yet deci...

The United States and Iran have been sworn enemies since the 1979 Islamic revolution and the hostage crisis at the US embassy in Tehran. On Saturday, the arch-foes are set to hold talks in Islamabad to end more than a month of war in the Middle East, as a fragile ceasefire holds despite deep mutual mistrust. 1979: Hostage crisis On November 4, 1979, student activists demanding the extradition of Iran’s deposed monarch —Mohammad Reza Pahlavi, who was undergoing medical treatment in the US — take staff hostage at the US embassy in Tehran. The move comes seven months after the establishment of the Islamic Republic of Iran. Some 52 hostages are held for 444 days. In April 1980, Washington breaks off diplomatic relations with Iran and imposes restrictions on commerce and travel. Nine months later, the last hostages are released. 2002: ‘Axis of evil’ On April 30, 1995, US president Bill Clinton announces a complete ban on trade and investment with Iran, accusing it of supporti...

The federal capital is on ‘ red alert’ ahead of crucial peace talks between the US and Iran, with more than 10,000 police and security personnel deployed to ensure the safety of visiting delegates. Sources say the multi-tiered security arrangement is being supervised by the military, assisted by paramilitary forces such as the Rangers, along with Islamabad Police and Punjab Police. The Islamabad Traffic Police and the National Highways and Motorways Police are deployed on roads to ensure smooth traffic flow. Below are some glimpses of the heavy security arrangements in Islamabad during the US-Iran talks. Pakistani army soldiers arrive for deployment at the Red Zone area of Islamabad on April 10, 2026. —AFP A US Air Force transport aircraft with “Charleston” written on its tail approaches PAF Base Nur Khan as Pakistan prepares to host the US and Iran for peace talks, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan, April 10, 2026. —AFP An army soldier disperses locals who arrive to visit Faisal ...