WASHINGTON: Former US president Joe Biden’s cancer has metastasised further, according to his son Hunter Biden, who disclosed the update in an interview with the BBC. In May 2025, four months after leaving office as the oldest sitting president in American history, the elder Biden revealed he had been diagnosed with an aggressive form of prostate cancer that had already...
‘We Are Not at War, But We Are a Daily Target’: Berlin Warns of Hybrid Attacks
BERLIN: Germany faces daily hybrid warfare attacks from abroad, Interior Minister Alexander Dobrindt said, following a suspected attack attempt involving an explosive-laden drone at Leipzig/Halle Airport. Speaking to the newspaper *Bild am Sonntag*, Dobrindt said foreign powers were seeking to subdue Germany politically and socially by stirring up fear. He said the country was not at war but was the...
Colombia Declares National Disaster as 7.4 Quake Levels Buildings
BOGOTÁ: A powerful magnitude 7.4 earthquake struck western Colombia on Monday morning, killing dozens of people, flattening buildings across several cities and trapping residents under debris. The epicentre was near San José del Palmar, a community of roughly 4,800 people in the Chocó region, some 400 kilometres west of Bogotá, according to the US Geological Survey and Colombia’s geological service....
Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’ Joins the Billion-Dollar Club – and China Is Next
LOS ANGELES: Christopher Nolan’s The Odyssey has crossed $1 billion in global ticket sales after three weeks in cinemas marked by heavy advance bookings and packed houses worldwide. Released on 17 July, the film has taken $429.65 million in the United States and $578.8 million internationally. It is Nolan’s first title to pass the billion-dollar threshold since The Dark Knight...
Sanam Saeed Steps In: ‘Very Lame’ to Pile On Durefishan Over an Accent
KARACHI: For a fortnight, the Pakistani internet’s favourite target has been Durefishan Saleem and the accent she uses in her new drama *Dar-e-Nijaat*. Now Sanam Saeed has stepped in to defend her colleague. In an Instagram story posted on Monday, Saeed described the pile-on as unsettling. She said it was very lame to watch everyone become so fixated on an...
The Guessing Game Ends: Adnan Siddiqui Unveils Tamasha Season Five Line-Up
KARACHI: After weeks of speculation, Adnan Siddiqui announced that he would officially reveal the contestant list for the fifth season of *Tamasha* on ARY Digital, with shooting beginning the following day. In an Instagram story, the actor-turned-game-master noted that YouTubers, bloggers, podcasters and what he jokingly called self-appointed *Tamasha* intelligence agencies had spent weeks confidently declaring who was in and...
‘Purely Defensive’: Ishaq Dar Says Makkah Pact Is Open to Other Regional States
ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar has said the trilateral defence agreement signed in Makkah by Pakistan, Saudi Arabia and Turkiye is purely defensive in character and open to other countries in the region. The accord — under which an armed attack on any one of the three states is to be treated as an attack on...
Punjab’s Deportation Drive Crosses 140,000 Afghan Nationals
LAHORE/ISLAMABAD: Official figures show that 140,468 illegal Afghan nationals have so far been deported from Punjab as part of the ongoing repatriation campaign. The number reflects the scale of an exercise that has continued across the province for an extended period, with district administrations and police running verification and holding operations before deportations are processed. The campaign remains one of...
Rs115bn Flood Rehabilitation Project in Balochistan Restructured – Quietly
QUETTA: A World Bank-funded flood rehabilitation programme worth Rs115 billion in Balochistan has been restructured without public announcement, according to a Dawn report. More than 134,000 flood-affected families in the province are being affected by the change, which comes against the backdrop of investigations into record tampering and duplicate claims in the beneficiary lists. The revelation raises fresh questions about...
Tarbela Dam Fills to the Brim as Rains and Snowmelt Push Flows Higher
ISLAMABAD: Tarbela Dam has reached its maximum storage level, according to officials, a milestone that reflects the intensity of the current high-flow season. Sources attributed the filling of the reservoir to sustained inflows driven by heavy rainfall and continued snowmelt in the catchment areas upstream. The development lands in the middle of a difficult monsoon. Punjab’s PDMA has already reported...