Blaze News - Pakistan

UAE Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed on Friday stressed the need to protect maritime corridors ​and ensure freedom of navigation through the Strait ‌of Hormuz in a call with his Iranian counterpart Abbas Araqchi. The exchange, reported by state news agency WAM, marks a rare ​public contact between Abu Dhabi and Tehran following ​tensions linked to the US-Israeli war on Iran. It ⁠was the first announced conversation between the two ministers ​since the US and Israeli strikes on Iran, which ​were followed by Iranian attacks across the Gulf, including in the United Arab Emirates, where the US has military bases. عبدالله بن زايد يتلقى اتصالا هاتفيا من معالي عباس عراقجي، وزير خارجية الجمهورية الإسلامية الإيرانية جرى خلاله بحث التطورات الإقليمية، وذلك في أعقاب التوصل إلى اتفاق حول مذكرة التفاهم بين الولايات المتحدة الأمريكية وإيران وتوقيع البلدين عليها، وشدد سموه على أهمية الالتزام الكامل… pic.twitter.com/8jetiba0MG — OFM (@OFMUAE) June 26, 2026 Sheikh ...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has approved a Diaspora Doctor Locum Programme (DDLP) under which overseas Pakistani and foreign specialist doctors will perform advanced surgeries and provide medical services in 12 public sector hospitals across the province. Chairing a meeting of the Punjab Specialised Healthcare Department, the chief minister approved the launch of the programme aimed at bringing highly qualified international medical professionals to the province. A dashboard and operational web portal will also be established for the programme. The participants were informed that the inauguration of the Nawaz Sharif Institute of Cardiology, Sargodha, was expected on July 15, the NS Institute of Cancer Treatment and Research on July 31 and the Jinnah Institute of Cardiology in Lahore on August 15. The chief minister received detailed briefings regarding the progress on the institutes besides healthcare service delivery in the province. Under the locum programme, ...

European Union antitrust regulators said Amazon and Microsoft’s cloud computing services should be designated as “gatekeepers” under landmark tech rules, ​a step that would subject them to strict obligations aimed at curbing market ‌power. The designation under the Digital Markets Act would impose a set of obligations and bans on the world's two largest cloud providers, Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure, including limits on self-preferencing and ​requirements to ensure interoperability and data portability. So far, EU regulators have targeted core ​platform services such as search, social media and app stores to rein ⁠in Big Tech. Extending the DMA to cloud infrastructure would mark a significant expansion ​into a sector seen as critical to AI. The preliminary findings follow a seven-month-long investigation. "Cloud ​services have become a cornerstone of Europe’s economy — and a prerequisite for AI — with over half of...

A committee constituted by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to review the controversial Pakistan Telecommunication Reorganisation (Amendment) Bill, 2026, has proposed sweeping changes to the legislation, ruling out any access to or use of private property without the owner's consent and calling for clearer wording in several provisions to remove ambiguity. The development comes a week after the prime minister formed the committee following strong criticism from both government allies and opposition lawmakers, who demanded thorough scrutiny of the bill and amendments to its contentious clauses. According to a statement issued by the Ministry of Law and Justice on Wednesday, the committee reviewing the bill's Right of Way provisions submitted its interim report after conducting a detailed review of the proposed amendments and the existing legal framework governing Right of Way. Read More: PM forms committee to review contested telecom bill; directs proposals submission o...

Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that claimed ​dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week. Smashing previous records, Britain logged its ‌highest temperature for June, reaching 35.8 degrees Celsius (96.26 degrees Fahrenheit) in southern England as a heat dome hovered over much of Western Europe. Western Europe was in the grip of a heatwave on Wednesday that claimed ​dozens of lives, disrupted power supplies, shut schools and cultural landmarks, as forecasters warned the extreme temperatures could persist until the end of the week. A sign outside a pharmacy displays the 37-degree temperature in west London during a heatwave, in central London on June 24, 2026. Photo: AFP Smashing previous records, Britain logged its ‌highest temperature for June, reaching 35.8 degrees Celsius (96.26 degrees Fahrenheit...

The Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government on Tuesday vowed to proceed in accordance with the law if leaders of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) surrendered to authorities, while holding the group responsible for a series of violent attacks against law enforcement officials as well as public assets to destabilise law and order in the valley. For the last couple of years, the local administration and the JAAC have been at loggerheads over the abolishment of 12 reserved seats in the AJK Assembly allocated for the refugees hailing from the Indian-occupied Kashmir who settled in Pakistan after 1947. Addressing a joint press conference, AJK Chief Secretary Flight Lieutenant (Retd) Khushal Khan and Inspector General of Police (IG) Captain (Retd) Liaqat Ali Malik outlined the government's stance on the law and order crisis in the valley that led to the negotiation deadlock. Appealing to the public, Khan urged citizens to avoid what he termed "misleading pro...