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ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said Pakistan and its regional partners stand on the brink of a &ldquo;revolution in trade, energy and economic cooperation,&rdquo; as he announced the launch of Phase II of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).&nbsp;Addressing the closing session of the Regional Transport Ministers&rsquo; Conference in Islamabad, attended by delegates from more than 20 countries, Sharif said the new phase of CPEC would shift focus from physical infrastructure to industrial and commercial collaboration.&nbsp;&ldquo;CPEC is the flagship project of President Xi Jinping&rsquo;s Belt and Road Initiative,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Now we are moving from bricks and mortar to business-to-business partnerships. We invite our Chinese brothers to expand investment and joint ventures in Pakistan.&rdquo;&nbsp;Sharif said Pakistan&rsquo;s geography had historically made it a crossroads of trade and exchange. &ldquo;The land now known as Pakistan has always been a bridge of civilizations and commerce,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We are reviving that historic role.&rdquo;&nbsp;He highlighted major connectivity projects, including the Trans-Afghan Railway and the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul corridor, which he said would &ldquo;reshape cross-border commerce&rdquo; and link Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East through integrated transport networks.&nbsp;The prime minister also emphasized digital connectivity. Pakistan, he said, was investing in data infrastructure and systems like the Pakistan Single Window to cut bureaucracy and speed up customs and logistics. &ldquo;Connectivity is not just roads and railways; it is data, innovation and technology,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;Sharif noted that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had consistently maintained that peace and economic progress were mutually reinforcing. &ldquo;My leader Muhammad Nawaz Sharif always believed that prosperity and stability are inseparable,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp;Federal Minister for Communications Abdul Aleem Khan termed the conference &ldquo;a collective commitment to enhance regional connectivity,&rdquo; saying improved links were essential for shared growth.&nbsp;Following his address, the prime minister toured an exhibition featuring the National Highway Authority, National Logistics Corporation and Pakistan Railways, underscoring Islamabad&rsquo;s push to align infrastructure, logistics and trade policy under a unified connectivity strategy.

Foreign Affairs

At Islamabad summit, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stresses regional connectivity via CPEC and cross-border transport links, saying cooperation boosts trade, energy and development, as Pakistan enters CPEC’s second phase focused on investment and business partnerships.

Pakistan PM unveils CPEC Phase II, calls connectivity ‘revolution in trade’

ISLAMABAD: India is set to begin a large-scale tri-services military exercise, codenamed Trishul, along its border with Pakistan in Rajasthan from October 30, Indian media reported on Friday. According to reports in Times of India and India Today, the 12-day exercise will run until November 10 and involve all three branches of the Indian military &mdash; the Army, Navy, and Air Force &mdash; conducting joint operations across multiple terrains, from the desert region of Jaisalmer to the coastal areas near Sir Creek in Gujarat. India&rsquo;s Defense Ministry said the exercise aims to demonstrate the combined operational capability of its forces, self-reliance (Atmanirbharta), and technological innovation. &ldquo;Troops from Southern Command will actively participate to validate joint operations across diverse and challenging terrains, including offensive maneuvers in the creek and desert sectors, amphibious operations off the Saurashtra coast, and joint multi-domain operational exercises,&rdquo; India Today quoted the ministry as saying. Indian media reports said nearly 30,000 personnel will take part in the drills, which will include deep strike simulations and multi-domain warfare exercises. Operations are expected to extend to altitudes of up to 28,000 feet, making it one of the largest Indian military exercises in recent years. The Trishul exercise will also feature India&rsquo;s indigenously developed and advanced weapon systems, including T-90S and Arjun tanks, Howitzer artillery, Apache attack helicopters, and heavy-lift transport aircraft, Dainik Bhaskar reported. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh recently reviewed security preparations in Gujarat and discussed the Sir Creek border region, a long-standing point of dispute between India and Pakistan, during his visit, according to India.com. Indian outlets noted that the upcoming drills are aimed at strengthening coordination among the three armed forces and testing new technologies for unified combat readiness.

India

India’s Defense Ministry says the exercise aims to demonstrate the combined operational capability of its forces, self-reliance (Atmanirbharta), and technological innovation.

India schedules military exercise near Pakistan border

ISLAMABAD: The second round of talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban has formally begun in Istanbul, Turkiye. The first round of talks in Doha between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban resulted in a ceasefire, following clashes between the two countries. Official sources told Pakistan Television Digital&nbsp;on Saturday that discussions are focused on a three-point agenda: establishing a joint monitoring and oversight mechanism to curb cross-border terrorist movements; ensuring adherence to existing laws and international obligations safeguarding national sovereignty; and addressing trade barriers, refugee repatriation, and the need to keep bilateral issues separate from domestic politics. Long-term political understanding&nbsp;Officials confirmed that the talks will also explore the possibility of reaching a long-term political understanding between the two sides. Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office Spokesperson, Tahir Andrabi, while addressing a regular press briefing on Friday, described the recent engagement in Doha as a &ldquo;positive marker.&rdquo;&nbsp; He said, &ldquo;There has been no major full-scale terrorist attack emanating from Afghan soil in the last two to three days. We would like the trend to continue in Istanbul and post-Istanbul.&quot; On the Afghan side, the Taliban government&rsquo;s chief spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid earlier confirmed on a post on X that Deputy Interior Minister Haji Najib is leading Kabul&rsquo;s delegation to Istanbul. &ldquo;The remaining issues will be discussed at this meeting,&rdquo; Mujahid said. &lsquo;Primary expectation&rsquo;&nbsp; Earlier, Pakistan&#39;s Foreign Office spokesperson said that &ldquo;Pakistan&rsquo;s basic focus is to stop terrorist attacks emanating from Afghan soil,&rdquo; adding that the ceasefire between the two sides &ldquo;by and large still stands.&rdquo; Pakistan has been battling a renewed wave of militancy in its western provinces bordering Afghanistan since the Taliban&rsquo;s return to power in 2021. Clashes broke out between the two countries after the Afghan Taliban attacked Pakistani posts at a time when their foreign minister Amir Khan Muttaqi was in India. Officials in Islamabad said the decision to hold talks was taken &ldquo;on the request of the Afghan side,&rdquo; and that both countries agreed &ldquo;through mutual understanding&rdquo; to pursue dialogue aimed at de-escalation. Islamabad maintains that sustained engagement and cooperation between the two neighbors remain essential for ensuring regional peace and stability.

Security

Focus on establishing a joint monitoring mechanism to curb cross-border terrorist movements; ensuring adherence to existing laws, safeguarding national sovereignty, and addressing issues such as trade barriers and refugee repatriation.

Pakistan, Afghan Taliban in second round of talks in Istanbul: sources

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday emphasized the need for national unity, social harmony, and collective effort to ensure Pakistan&rsquo;s peace, progress, and prosperity, saying that the entire nation must work together as one family to build a stronger and more developed country. Addressing participants of the National Workshop Balochistan in Islamabad, the prime minister said every citizen has a role to play in strengthening national cohesion and promoting love, tolerance, and sacrifice. &ldquo;Pakistan is one household, wherever there&rsquo;s a fire, we must join hands to put it out,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;Only through love, unity, and selflessness can we make Pakistan a great nation.&rdquo; Sharif said that Pakistan&rsquo;s provinces form one &ldquo;family,&rdquo; and harmony among them is vital for a strong federation. &ldquo;We are Pakistanis first and then Baloch, Sindhi, Punjabi or Pashtun,&rdquo; he noted, recalling the spirit of consensus during the 2010 NFC Award when Punjab made &ldquo;historic sacrifices&rdquo; to strengthen national unity. He praised Balochistan&rsquo;s unique culture, history, and natural wealth, stressing that its development is essential for Pakistan&rsquo;s overall prosperity. &ldquo;Balochistan&rsquo;s natural resources are a blessing that remain untapped. The province&rsquo;s progress will lead to the country&rsquo;s collective success,&rdquo; he added, noting that better roads, power supply, and infrastructure were key to bringing education, healthcare, and industry to remote areas.&nbsp;The prime minister also reflected on the country&rsquo;s security challenges, recalling that Pakistan had successfully defeated terrorism by 2018. &ldquo;We must now ask ourselves &mdash; why did divisions re-emerge? We need to confront these hard questions and work together to restore lasting peace,&rdquo; he said. Sharif further emphasized that peace, brotherhood, and development are the true guarantees of progress. Referring to the reconstruction of the Karachi-Chaman highway, once known as the &ldquo;bloody road,&rdquo; he said the government has approved its dualization project worth Rs350 billion to ensure safer travel and better connectivity for Balochistan. He added that the government&rsquo;s reform agenda is delivering positive results across institutions. &ldquo;The journey of improvement in every sector of Pakistan is moving ahead with determination,&rdquo; he said. PM hails PIA&rsquo;s comeback flight to UKMeanwhile, the prime minister congratulated the nation, especially overseas Pakistanis in the United Kingdom, on the resumption of Pakistan International Airlines&rsquo; (PIA) direct flights from Islamabad to Manchester. He lauded the efforts of Aviation Minister Khawaja Asif, the Civil Aviation Authority, and PIA officials, saying the airline&rsquo;s reputation, once damaged by restrictions, was being restored after years of effort. &ldquo;By the grace of Allah, Pakistan&rsquo;s image is being revived globally,&rdquo; he remarked, adding that the new direct flights would further strengthen people-to-people ties between Pakistan and the UK.

The prime minister says every citizen has a role to play in strengthening national cohesion and promoting love, tolerance, and sacrifice.

PM Sharif calls for unity, inclusive growth to strengthen Pakistan’s future

ISLAMABAD: Malaysia will play host to the 47th ASEAN Summit and related summits at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC), under the theme &ldquo;Inclusivity and Sustainability&rdquo; from 26 to 28 October 2025, said a press release issued by the Malaysian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Saturday. &nbsp; As chair of ASEAN for the year, Malaysia will bring together regional and global leaders for three days of high-level discussions aimed at advancing regional integration, economic growth, and long-term cooperation. Series of meetings&nbsp;The event will encompass a series of meetings including the ASEAN Summit, ASEAN Plus One Summits with seven dialogue partners, Australia, China, India, Japan, Republic of Korea, Russia, and the United States, as well as the ASEAN Plus Three Summit, the East Asia Summit, the ASEAN&ndash;United Nations Summit, and the ASEAN&ndash;New Zealand Commemorative Summit marking 50 years of dialogue relations.&nbsp; On the sidelines, Malaysia will also convene the 5th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) Summit and the 3rd Asia Zero Emission Community (AZEC) Leaders&rsquo; Meeting. The opening ceremony on 26 October 2025 will gather all ASEAN leaders, alongside the president and prime minister of Timor-Leste, the guests of the ASEAN chair, and other invited dignitaries, the press release said.&nbsp; Admission of Timor-Leste into ASEANA historic highlight of the ceremony will be the signing of the declaration on the admission of Timor-Leste into ASEAN, officially welcoming the nation as ASEAN&rsquo;s 11th Member State. Prime Minister Dato&rsquo; Seri Anwar Ibrahim will chair the 47th ASEAN Summit, divided into plenary and retreat sessions.&nbsp; Plenary session&nbsp;The plenary session will include participation from the prime minister of Canada, the president of the European Council, and the managing director of the International Monetary Fund (IMF).&nbsp; Discussions will center on strengthening the ASEAN Community, deepening regional integration, stimulating economic growth, and enhancing connectivity.&nbsp; Leaders will also deliberate on ASEAN unity, centrality, and the importance of a rules-based multilateral order.&nbsp; Canada and the EU will share perspectives on their partnership with ASEAN, while the IMF will brief leaders on global macroeconomic trends and ASEAN&rsquo;s policy outlook, the press release said. Retreat session&nbsp;In the retreat session, ASEAN leaders will review the implementation of the five-point consensus on Myanmar, discussing steps forward to address the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis, alongside other regional and global matters of shared concern. From 26 to 28 October, the ASEAN Plus One Summits will focus on trade, investment, supply chain resilience, digitalization, renewable energy, and green growth.&nbsp; A major milestone will be the ASEAN-New Zealand Commemorative Summit, during which leaders are expected to announce the ASEAN-New Zealand Comprehensive Strategic Partnership. On 27 October, the 28th ASEAN Plus Three (APT) Summit will convene ASEAN, China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea to discuss cooperation in the digital economy, maritime affairs, energy, health, education, and connectivity.&nbsp; The ASEAN+3 Macroeconomic Research Office (AMRO) and East Asia Business Council (EABC) will brief leaders on economic and financial outlooks. The same day, the 20th East Asia Summit will gather all 19 EAS participants, joined by the presidents of Brazil and South Africa as guests of the ASEAN chair, according to the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry&rsquo;s press release. Lula-Trump possible meeting&nbsp;There is a possibility of a meeting between the Brazilian president with the US president on the sidelines of the summit, according to AFP. &nbsp; Brazil&#39;s Minister of Mines and Energy, Alexandre Silveira, there is &quot;a convergence of interests between our mineral potential and American capital.&quot; The issue could feature at a possible meeting this weekend between Trump and Brazil&#39;s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Kuala Lumpur.Lula himself said Friday he was willing to &quot;talk about everything&quot; with Trump, &quot;from Gaza to Ukraine, Russia, Venezuela, critical minerals, rare earths.&quot; The South American giant holds the world&#39;s second-largest reserves of these elements used in everything from electric vehicles, solar panels and smartphones to jet engines and guided missiles. 20th anniversary&nbsp;Marking its 20th anniversary, the summit will reaffirm cooperation to promote peace, stability, and prosperity across East Asia, according to the Malaysian Foreign Affairs Ministry&rsquo;s press release. Following several ministerial and senior officials&rsquo; meetings from 22 to 25 October, the summits will conclude on 28 October with the handing over of the ASEAN chairmanship from Malaysia to the Philippines, symbolizing another milestone in ASEAN&rsquo;s ongoing journey toward a united, peaceful, and prosperous region, the press release concluded.

Asia

The event will encompass a series of meetings, including ASEAN Summit and ASEAN Plus One Summits; the plenary session will include participation from premier of Canada, president of the European Council, and IMF managing director. 

Malaysia to host 47th ASEAN Summit from October 26-28

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Coast Guards carried out a series of intelligence-based operations in Balochistan&rsquo;s coastal areas over the past week. The estimated value of the seized narcotics is worth over $35 million.&nbsp;&nbsp; During a raid in the Pleri area of Gwadar, officials recovered 201 kilograms of high-quality hashish concealed in a single-cabin vehicle, said an official statement on Saturday. In another operation in Pasni&rsquo;s Prag area, the Coast Guards seized 42 kilograms of crystal meth (ice), while at the Badok Road check post, a suspicious vehicle was stopped and searched, leading to the discovery of 1,183.71 grams of gold hidden in a bag. At the Hub Bypass Road check post, a passenger bus was intercepted, and 250 kilograms of hashish were found concealed in secret compartments. Market value&nbsp;According to a Pakistan Coast Guards spokesperson, the recovered narcotics were intended to be smuggled within or outside the country.The confiscated drugs and gold have been taken into custody, and legal proceedings have been initiated.The estimated international market value of the seized narcotics is around 35.95 million USD, while the gold is valued at approximately 0.15 million USD.The spokesperson added that Pakistan Coast Guards will continue their efforts to curb narcotics and all forms of smuggling to help strengthen the national economy.

In another operation in Pasni’s Prag area, Coast Guards seized 42 kilograms of crystal meth (ice), while at Badok Road check post, a suspicious vehicle was stopped and searched, leading to the discovery of 1.1kg of gold hidden in a bag.

Pakistan Coast Guards seize narcotics worth over $35 million 

ISLAMABAD: &nbsp;India&rsquo;s largest conglomerate, Tata, is complicit in &lsquo;providing the hardware of genocide, the machinery of daily oppression, and the digital backbone of apartheid&rsquo; in Gaza, according to a new report released by SALAM, a New York City-based South Asian political organization. The report states, &ldquo;Tata&rsquo;s emergence as a cornerstone of Indian capitalism is deeply entangled with colonial power and imperial war economies.&rdquo; &ldquo;Through its subsidiary, Tata Advanced Systems Ltd (TASL), it is a core global provider of wings for all new F-16 fighter jets and fuselages for all AH-64 Apache attack helicopters&mdash;the primary aircraft used by the Israeli Air Force to bombard Gaza,&rdquo; the extensively referenced report says. Critical command systems &nbsp;&nbsp;&ldquo;Through its partnership with Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI), TASL manufactures the critical command systems for the Barak-8 missile, a weapon actively deployed by the Israeli Navy,&rdquo; the report highlights. The report says, &ldquo;Tata Motors, via its subsidiary, Jaguar Land Rover, supplies the foundational chassis for the MDT David light armored vehicle, a ubiquitous tool of the Israeli military used for patrols, raids, and the violent suppression of protests in the occupied West Bank.&rdquo; Reputation laundering and sports washing&nbsp;To shield these operations, the report says, &ldquo;the Tata Group has meticulously cultivated a global image of corporate benevolence, leveraging its philanthropic trusts and a significant US presence.&rdquo; &ldquo;This strategy of reputation laundering culminates in its title sponsorship of the New York City Marathon, a textbook case of sportswashing designed to mask its role in profiting from genocide.&rdquo; Tata-Lockheed Martin joint venture&nbsp;According to the report, &ldquo;the joint venture Tata-Lockheed Martin Aerostructures Limited (TLMAL) is a core global provider of wings for all new Fighting Falcon fighter jets. The F-16 is a supersonic, multirole tactical fighter that has been the workhorse and backbone of the Israeli Air Force (IAF) for over four decades.&rdquo; &ldquo;The aircraft has been central to nearly every major Israeli military operation since the 1980s. IAF F-16s have played a major role in Israel&rsquo;s ongoing genocide115 in Gaza, carrying out thousands of airstrikes,&rdquo; it adds. India&rsquo;s complicity in genocide in Gaza&nbsp;&ldquo;During the ongoing genocide in Gaza, India&rsquo;s complicity has become overt,&rdquo; says the report. &ldquo;The government has abstained on UN resolutions calling for a truce and an arms embargo, while Indian corporations have reportedly exported Hermes 900 drones back to Israel, a fact made clear in May 2024 when a ship from Chennai carrying 27 tons of munitions for the Israeli military was blocked in Spain (these drones are partially manufactured in India to lower costs, through joint ventures with Israeli firms),&rdquo; the report highlights. Moreover, according to the report, &ldquo;the Indian state has sent thousands of migrant workers to replace Palestinian labor.&rdquo; &ldquo;During the genocide in Gaza, the Indian government has sent over 20,000 migrant workers to Israel to replace the Palestinian labor force whose work permits were canceled,&rdquo; according to the report. Diaspora lobbyist groupsThe report points out: &ldquo;This alliance is further supported by diaspora lobbyist groups in the US, like the Hindu American Foundation (HAF), which emulate Zionist organizations such as AIPAC to build political support.&rdquo; &ldquo;Under the current right-wing government of Narendra Modi, this longstanding affinity has materialized into a strategic state partnership,&rdquo; it adds. &lsquo;Israel model&rsquo;&nbsp;This is most evident in India&rsquo;s colonial occupation of Kashmir, where the &ldquo;Israel model&rdquo; is being explicitly replicated through new land laws that facilitate settlement by mainland Indians in &ldquo;Israeli-like&rdquo; guarded, Hindu-only enclaves. India and Israel -- explicit parallels&nbsp;&nbsp;The explicit parallels between the two states were made brutally clear after the Pahalgam incident in April 2025, the report says. It further points out: &ldquo;Framing the attacks as &ldquo;India&rsquo;s October 7th,&rdquo; prominent Indian figures made public calls for an &ldquo;Israel like&rdquo; response against Kashmiris, urging the state to replicate Israel&rsquo;s genocidal war on Gaza.&rdquo; Highlighting the alliance between Israel and India, the report states: &ldquo;When the Indian military later launched &ldquo;Operation Sindoor&rdquo; against Pakistani civilian targets using Israeli weapons, the Israeli government was the first and only foreign government to enthusiastically express its support.&rdquo; Shared ideology of ethno-racial supremacy&nbsp;&ldquo;This shared rhetoric and mutual affirmation of violence demonstrates that the material relationship rests on a deep, shared ideology of violent anti-Muslim racism, ethno-racial supremacy and settler-colonial entitlement to land,&rdquo; the report underlines.

Says during the ongoing genocide in Gaza, India’s complicity has become overt; states Tata Group’s strategy of reputation laundering is designed to mask its role in profiting from genocide.

India's Tata complicit in Israel’s genocide of Palestinians: report  

Cricket

Gambhir allegedly spends nearly five million Indian rupees on PR efforts following the team’s 0-2 loss in Australia.

Indian head coach accused of hiring paid PR to ‘neutralize’ online hate

WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump leaves on Friday for Asia and high-stakes talks with Chinese leader Xi Jinping &mdash; as Washington played down speculation that he could meet North Korea&#39;s Kim Jong Un. Trump is set to meet Xi in South Korea on the last day of his trip, aiming for a &quot;deal on everything&quot; to end a bitter trade war between the world&#39;s two biggest economies. The 79-year-old will also visit Malaysia and Japan on his first Asian trip since he returned to the White House in January in a blaze of tariffs and geopolitical deal-making. A senior US official said on Friday that Trump would &quot;deliver for the American people in one of the most economically vibrant regions of the world, signing a series of economic agreements.&quot; Talk about a possible meeting with Kim while Trump is in South Korea for a regional summit mounted after Seoul&#39;s reunification minister said there was a &quot;considerable&quot; chance. But the US official said it was &quot;not on the schedule,&quot; despite both leaders having said they would like to rekindle the unlikely relationship they fostered during Trump&#39;s first term. Peace and trade deals His first stop will be Malaysia, where he arrives on Sunday, for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) summit &mdash; a meeting Trump skipped several times in his first term. Trump is set to ink a trade deal with Malaysia, but more importantly he will oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, as he continues his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize. Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva may also meet Trump on the sidelines of the summit to improve ties after months of bad blood, officials from both countries told AFP. Trump&#39;s next stop will be Tokyo, where he arrives on Monday. He will meet conservative Sanae Takaichi, named this week as Japan&#39;s first woman prime minister, on Tuesday. Japan has escaped the worst of the tariffs Trump slapped on countries around the world to end what he calls unfair trade balances that are &quot;ripping off the United States.&quot; Trump and Xi But the highlight of the trip is expected to be South Korea, with Trump due to land in the southern port city of Busan on Wednesday ahead of the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit. Trump will meet South Korean President Lee Jae Myung, address an APEC lunch with business leaders and meet US tech bosses for dinner, on the sidelines of the APEC summit in the city of Gyeongju. On Thursday, Trump will meet Xi for the first time since his return to office. Global markets will be watching closely to see if the two men can halt the trade war sparked by Trump&#39;s sweeping tariffs earlier this year, especially after a recent dispute over Beijing&#39;s rare earth curbs. Trump initially threatened to cancel the meeting and imposed fresh tariffs over the critical minerals row, before saying he would go ahead after all. &quot;The president is most interested in discussing the trade and economic relationship,&quot; another senior US official said. Trump himself said on Thursday that the first topic on the agenda would be fentanyl, as he boosts pressure on Beijing to curb drug trafficking and cracks down on Latin American drug cartels. Trump&#39;s former advisor Steve Bannon told Politico the Xi talks were a risky move by the US leader given the huge implications if the talks collapse, calling it a &quot;throw of the iron dice.&quot; But analysts warned not to expect any breakthroughs. &quot;The meeting will be a data point along an existing continuum rather than an inflection point in the relationship,&quot; said Ryan Hass, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

Americas

China

Trump is set to ink a trade deal with Malaysia, but more importantly he will oversee the signing of a peace accord between Thailand and Cambodia, as he continues his quest for a Nobel Peace Prize.

Trump heads for Asia and Xi talks, as Kim speculation swirls

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon on Friday ordered the deployment of an aircraft carrier strike group to counter drug-trafficking organizations in Latin America, a major escalation of a US military buildup that Venezuela&#39;s leader warned was steered at &quot;fabricating a war.&quot; US President Donald Trump, who campaigned on a promise of ending foreign military interventions, in early September launched a military campaign targeting boats allegedly used to smuggle narcotics, destroying at least 10 vessels in a series of strikes. But the American military buildup as part of that campaign &mdash; including 10 F-35 stealth warplanes and eight US Navy ships &mdash; has sparked fears in Venezuela that Washington&#39;s ultimate goal is the overthrow of President Nicolas Maduro, and the decision to send the carrier is certain to add to those concerns. Late Friday, Maduro accused the Trump administration of stoking &quot;a new eternal war.&quot; &quot;They promised they would never again get involved in a war, and they are fabricating a war that we are going to prevent,&quot; Maduro told state broadcasters. The US-Venezuela standoff has also pulled in Colombia&#39;s Gustavo Petro, a sharp critic of the American strikes who was sanctioned by Washington on Friday for allegedly allowing drug trafficking to flourish. The deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford and accompanying ships &quot;will enhance and augment existing capabilities to disrupt narcotics trafficking and degrade and dismantle TCOs,&quot; Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said in a statement, referring to transnational criminal organizations. The carrier announcement came after Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said an overnight strike on a boat alleged to be operated by Venezuelan drug trafficking gang Tren de Aragua had killed six people in the Caribbean Sea. &quot;If you are a narco-terrorist smuggling drugs in our hemisphere, we will treat you like we treat Al-Qaeda. Day or NIGHT, we will map your networks, track your people, hunt you down, and kill you,&quot; Hegseth said on X. &#39;Inflame South America&#39;&nbsp;The latest military action brings the death toll from the US strikes to at least 43, according to an AFP tally based on US figures, but Washington has yet to release evidence that its targets were smuggling narcotics. Regional tensions have flared as a result of the campaign, with Caracas accusing the United States of plotting to overthrow Maduro, who said earlier this week that Venezuela had 5,000 Russian man-portable surface-to-air missiles to counter US forces. On Thursday, at least one US B-1B bomber flew over the Caribbean off Venezuela&#39;s coast, flight tracking data showed, following a show of force by multiple US B-52 bombers that circled off the country&#39;s coast last week. Colombia&#39;s Petro &mdash; who has accused Trump of murder over the strikes on the alleged drug boats &mdash; was sanctioned by the US Treasury on Friday along with his wife and son. Regional powerhouse Brazil has also weighed in on US actions, with a senior foreign policy advisor telling AFP that the country views a military intervention in Venezuela as unacceptable, fearing it could be damaging for the whole of South America. &quot;We cannot accept an outside intervention because it will trigger immense resentment,&quot; said Celso Amorim, aide to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. &quot;It could inflame South America and lead to radicalization of politics on the whole continent.&quot; Trump, meanwhile, said on Thursday that he did not need a declaration of war from US lawmakers to attack Venezuela or other countries he accuses of involvement in the drug trade, warning that strikes on land are coming. &quot;The land is going to be next,&quot; Trump said, likening drug cartels to the Islamic State group.

US president has launched a military campaign targeting boats allegedly used to smuggle narcotics, destroying at least 10 vessels in a series of strikes.

Trump sending US carrier to Latin America as war fears rise

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan&rsquo;s Foreign Office on Friday responded to the Afghan government&rsquo;s announcement of plans to construct a dam on the Kunar River, stating that &ldquo;transboundary rivers are governed by international law.&rdquo; The Kunar River originates in Afghanistan and flows into the Kabul River. According to policy research studies in Islamabad, the Kabul River is significant for Pakistan, supplying irrigation water, drinking water, and hydroelectric power. Earlier, Afghanistan&rsquo;s Energy and Water Minister Mullah Abdul Latif Mansoor was quoted in a post shared on the X account of the Afghan Information Deputy Minister Muhajer Farahi. In the post, Mansoor said, &ldquo;Afghans have the right to manage their own water,&rdquo; and added that the Afghan government had decided to begin the &ldquo;construction of dams on the Kunar River as soon as possible and to sign contracts with domestic companies and not wait for foreign companies.&rdquo; Responding to questions at a press briefing, Pakistan Foreign Office Spokesperson Tahir Hussain Andrabi said Pakistan was reviewing the situation. &ldquo;We are ascertaining the details,&rdquo; he stated, adding that, &ldquo;generally, transboundary rivers are governed by international law.&rdquo; He further noted that Pakistan is &ldquo;both an upper and lower riparian,&rdquo; and said the matter would continue to be monitored.

Remarks follow Afghanistan’s announcement to build dams on the Kunar River. Islamabad says transboundary waters are governed by international law, noting Pakistan is both an upper and lower riparian and will closely follow the matter.
