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Pakistan-China pharma conference ends with $850m agreements

• Health minister says 16 contracts, 80 MoUs finalised • Agreements include 18 deals related to herbal medicines ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s agreements with Chin­ese companies reached $850 million on the concluding day of the two-day Pakistan-China Pharmaceutical and Healthcare B2B Investment Conference . During a media briefing on the second day of the event, Federal Health Minister Mustafa Kamal said on Saturday said 16 contracts and 80 memoranda of understanding had been finalised. He termed it a key economic milestone for cooperation between the two countries in the pharmaceutical sector. He said an environment had been created for local production of health equipment and investment in the country. Sharing details, Mr Kamal said contracts worth $600m and MoUs worth $250m had been signed. He said these included 18 agreements related to herbal medicines. He acknowledged growing business-to-business ties between Pakistani and Chinese firms and welcomed investment from Chinese companies...
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Policemen martyred in Ziarat attack buried as Quetta sit-in ends

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Mourners shower rose petals on a vehicle carrying coffins of the martyred police personnel.—AFP • Thousands attend funeral prayers offered at Quetta’s Ayub Stadium amid strict security arrangements • Koila Phatak, police stations, educational institutions renamed after martyrs • Bugti reaffirms commitment to ensuring timely implementation of accord QUETTA: The pol­icemen who were martyred in the Ziarat terrorist attack were buried in their native towns on Saturday after their funeral prayers were offered at Ayub Stadium, Quetta, attended by thousands of people following the culmination of a 10-day-long sit-in by their relatives. The sit-in committee agreed to call off the protest after a Friday-night agreement with the provincial government, in which all of their demands, including the call for a judicial probe, were accepted. Besides other measures, the government also agreed to constitute a judicial commission to probe the attacks in Ziarat and Hanna ...
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England edge France 6-4 in chaotic World Cup bronze match

England beat France 6-4 in a chaotic World Cup third-place playoff on Saturday as Kylian Mbappe became the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history. Both teams had higher aspirations at the 2026 tournament but suffered painful semi-final exits — France were outplayed by Spain while England suffered a late collapse against Argentina. Both coaches made multiple changes for the match in the oppressive heat of Miami, with a host of stars on the bench at the start. England boss Thomas Tuchel left out Harry Kane and Jude Bellingham from his starting line-up while Deschamps, stepping down after 14 years at the helm, omitted Bradley Barcola and Ousmane Dembele. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice put England ahead with a goal from distance in the third minute and Ezri Konsa headed home to make it 2-0. Kylian Mbappe and Michael Olise were a threat as France searched for a way back into the game but they found England’s second-choice goalkeeper Dean Henderson in top form. The game threatene...
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Washington tightens visa rules for foreign students

• DHS limits stays to four years under new framework, citing ‘abuse of immigration system’ • Move likely to deter thousands of foreign students from applying to American universities WASHINGTON: Foreign students will now face stricter immigration requirements in the United States under a new rule that ends the decades-old “duration of status” system, which allowed them to remain in the country as long as they maintained their student status. The US Department of Home­land Security (DHS) announced the new regulation on Thursday, a move that could have a significant impact on thousands of students from countries such as India and Pakistan who travel to the US each year for higher education. The final rule replaces the existing arrangement, under which international students could remain in the US as long as they maintained their academic status, with a fixed period of admission for holders of F, J and I category visas. Under the new system, foreign students on F visas and exchange v...
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Messi eyes glorious farewell as Spain, Argentina clash in World Cup final

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Spanish elan meets Argentinian steel in a historic World Cup final on Sunday which sees the reigning champions of Europe and South America battle for football’s ultimate prize. Holders Argentina are bidding to become the first team in 64 years to successfully defend the title , in what is almost certainly the final World Cup match of captain Lionel Messi’s career. Spain are aiming to thwart those ambitions by clinching the country’s second World Cup crown following their maiden victory in 2010. US President Donald Trump will be among a star-studded crowd of just over 80,000 spectators at the MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford as the largest World Cup in history reaches its climax. World Cup officials have said they are “monitoring closely” air quality from Canadian wildfires affecting the region around the final, which kicks off at 12am PST. The final will also see an unprecedented 25-30 minute half-time interval for a Super Bowl-style concert featuring the likes of Madonna, Shak...
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Barren reforms

PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s assertion that agriculture and livestock hold the key to Pakistan’s quick economic revival is spot-on. The sector contributes almost a quarter of GDP, employs well over a third of the labour force and remains the largest source of livelihoods. Livestock alone accounts for more than 60pc of agriculture’s value addition, while Pakistan ranks among the world’s largest milk producers, and possesses considerable untapped potential in both milk and meat exports. Few sectors offer comparable opportunities to generate growth, reduce poverty, improve food security and earn foreign exchange simultaneously. But the PM’s declaration that the economy can be revived within a year through agriculture highlights the gap between ambition and policy execution. The agricultural crisis has never been about the absence of potential. It is the consequence of decades of policy neglect and inconsistency, institutional decay and distorted incentives. ...
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Gaza reconstruction plan under Trump’s Board of Peace reduced to pilot project: British publication

The recovery plan for war-battered Gaza, under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), has been significantly scaled back and, instead of reconstructing the entire territory, now envisions a small pilot project in the south of the besieged territory, the British publication The Guardian reported on Thursday. The board was initially proposed in September 2025 and formally established in January. Under its charter, the US government serves as its official depository and Trump has designated the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington as the Board’s headquarters. A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November last year authorised the board, along with cooperating states, to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza following a ceasefire that began in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Hamas. According to the publication, the new pilot project now aims to construct a small temporary camp for a fraction of Gaza’s populat...
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