Blaze News - Pakistan

In line with the government-announced austerity measures due to disruption in the supply of petroleum products, the Supreme Court of Pakistan also announced similar measures on Tuesday, adopting a four-day working week from Monday to Thursday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif a day earlier announced a number of steps as part of a broader austerity plan to manage the situation arising from the fuel crunch linked to the ongoing Middle East crisis following attacks by the United States and Israel on Iran. During a meeting attended by representatives of the federal and provincial governments, the premier announced a four-day work week and a work-from-home policy as part of wide-ranging austerity measures. According to a statement issued by the Supreme Court, the National Judicial Policy Making Committee (NJPMC) met under the chairmanship of Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi during an emergent virtual meeting. The meeting, attended by the Federal Shariat Court chief justice, the ...

France is sending about a dozen naval vessels, including its aircraft carrier strike group, to the Mediterranean, Red Sea, and potentially the Strait of Hormuz, as part of defensive support for allies threatened by the Middle East conflict. Speaking in Cyprus before visiting the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier, which arrived this weekend in the eastern Mediterranean, President Emmanuel Macron sought to reassure his Cypriot counterpart after drones were intercepted approaching the island last week. "When Cyprus is attacked, then Europe is attacked," Macron said after meeting President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in Paphos. European states have largely been sidelined as the conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran has escalated, affecting Gulf Arab states and drawing Lebanon into the line of fire after Hezbollah attacked Israel. With Middle Eastern shipping lanes disrupted and oil prices surging above $100 a barrel, European...

The Sindh government distributed 300 pink electric scooters on the occasion of International Women’s Day in Karachi on Sunday. Addressing the event, Sindh Senior Minister for Information, Transport and Mass Transit Sharjeel Inam Memon extended greetings to women and highlighted their role in society. “Without women, we would not exist. International Women’s Day is not only a day for women but also for everyone who has given birth to a woman,” he said. The minister said women had long been neglected in society but added that Benazir Bhutto created a new history by empowering women. “Under the leadership of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, women proved that they have the full potential to run the country,” he said. Read: Islamabad Police arrest 14 during Aurat March rally over Section 144 violation He said women in Sindh were provided various opportunities and quotas, adding that Faryal Talpur had contested on a general seat, while Aseefa Bhutto Zardari and Shazia Marri had also won ...

The US Embassy in Islamabad has suspended visa services from March 9 to 13 but says it will continue to provide routine and emergency services to US citizens as tensions rise in the Middle East. “All immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments are cancelled for March 9–13,” the embassy said in a statement on X, adding that visa applicants affected by the suspension would receive instructions by email on how to reschedule their appointments. The U.S. Embassy in Islamabad will continue to serve U.S. citizens requiring routine and emergency services. All immigrant and nonimmigrant visa appointments are cancelled for March 9-13. Visa applicants will receive instructions by email on rescheduling their appointments. All… pic.twitter.com/8ATavoIum5 — U.S. Embassy Islamabad (@usembislamabad) March 8, 2026 “The US Embassy in Islamabad will continue to serve US citizens requiring routine and emergency services,” the statement said. Meanwhile, all consular services at the US Consulates General i...

Over nearly a decade leading the United Nations, I have seen our world repeatedly tested – by climate shocks, deepening poverty, violent conflict and shrinking civic space. But I have also watched many solutions take root, and they shared one common denominator: women. As the world marks International Women's Day, it is time to recognise that gender inequality is the greatest human rights challenge of our time – and advancing equality is one of the strongest drivers of sustainable development and peace. Here are eight actions, drawn from my own experience, to advance women's rights and deliver results. 1) Fix the Power Gap: Gender equality is a question of power. But male-dominated institutions still shape our world. A rising tide of authoritarianism is deepening these inequalities, rolling back hard-won protections – from fair work practices to reproductive rights – and entrenching racial and gender biases that hold women back. Gender equality lifts societies. When power is sh...

A classified report by the National Intelligence Council (NIC) has concluded that even a large-scale military assault on Iran by the United States would be unlikely to dislodge the Islamic republic’s entrenched military and clerical establishment, The Washington Post reported on Saturday. The assessment comes as the President Donald Trump administration signals the possibility of an extended military campaign, which officials have described as “only just begun”. Tensions in the Middle East surged last week after US and Israeli air strikes killed Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with several senior officials, sparking retaliatory attacks from Tehran and broadening the regional conflict. In response, Iran targeted US military bases across multiple Gulf countries, significantly escalating the confrontation. The findings, confirmed by three sources familiar with the report, raise questions about Trump’s stated plan to “clean out” Iran’s leadership and install a rule...