뉴스

The next digital divide may not be internet access, but AI fluency

Leaders at the National AI & Skills Summit weigh in on how AI adoption may create a new kind of inequality

«C’est une honte pour notre pays» : à Paris, en hommage à Lyhanna, des manifestantes jusque sous les fenêtres du ministère de la Justice

Lundi 8 juin, à Paris, lors de l’hommage à Lyhanna, des manifestantes dans toute la France ont exprimé leur colère. Au cœur des revendications : la protection des victimes de violences sexuelles et l’adoption d’une loi intégrale contre celles-ci.

Indonesia eyes AI to accelerate 5G network adoption

Artificial intelligence (AI) is poised to become the definitive "killer application" driving the widespread ...

EU's chief diplomat reveals contents of "mini-package" of Russia sanctions set for 15 June adoption

The European Union's upcoming "mini-package" of sanctions against Russia, set to be approved at the EU Foreign Affairs Council meeting in Luxembourg on 15 June, will target over 80 Russian propagandists, human rights violators and companies linked to Russia's defence industrial base.

Namibia: Chiefs Offer Haven for Unwanted Babies

[New Era] Ongwediva -- Various traditional authority leaders in northern Namibia have called on mothers who do not want their babies for a myriad of reasons to take the children to their palaces for adoption rather than dumping.

Higher EV import prices from July 1 risk slowing Malaysia’s momentum

Imported EV price hike in Malaysia risks slowing adoption even as interest in such vehicles grows.

Alan Cayetano camp seeks interim admin setup with new Senate majority

MANILA, Philippines— The camp of Sen. Alan Peter Cayetano, who claims he’s still the Senate president, is proposing possible interim administrative arrangements to the new majority group now led by Senate President Pro Tempore Sherwin Gatchalian. One possible arrangement is the adoption of a dual-signatory or joint certification by current officials and those still asserting authority on important documents such

OpenAI CFO: I wouldn't hire a finance person who doesn’t know how to use Excel

OpenAI's CFO, Sarah Friar, stressed that AI tool proficiency is now as crucial for finance professionals as spreadsheets were decades ago. She highlighted that companies are actively seeking employees skilled in AI, with demand for compute power outstripping supply. Friar also underscored the need for inclusive access to AI technologies as adoption grows.

DepEd: Reforms to benefit 26M learners, some 900,000 teachers

MANILA, Philippines — As the new school year kicks off on Monday, the Department of Education (DepEd) is implementing a broad set of reforms and teacher support initiative to improve basic education for over 26 million students, strengthen more than 45,000 public schools, and support nearly 900,000 teachers nationwide. The reforms include the adoption of

PM nominee sets sights on AI transformation

Prime Minister nominee Han Seong-sook said Monday she would focus on spurring wider adoption of artificial intelligence technologies and shared growth if she is approved as deputy head of the government. "I will spur the country's AI transformation and focus on accelerating innovation, amid industrial restructuring accelerated by AI and a complex global crisis," said the 59-year-old on her way to her temporary office in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to prepare for a confirmation hearing. Cheong Wa Dae motiv

Is parliament effective?

A DEMOCRACY needs an effective parliament. Has Pakistan’s parliament lived up to this responsibility? The evidence suggests it hasn’t. Parliament has underperformed. It has acted as little more than a rubber-stamp for the present government. This reflects a broader trend of democratic erosion in the country in recent years. Several reports offer telling insights into parliament’s functioning. The most recent was released last week by a civil society organisation. It records the low attendance of members of the National Assembly in its proceedings. According to Fafen (Free and Fair Election Network), only 20 per cent of MNAs attended all sittings of the Lower House in the 27th session in May. Thirty-three members did not show up for any sitting. The prime minister was absent from all nine sittings as were some ministers. The leader of the opposition, however, attended all of them. As many as 267 members out of 333 skipped at least one sitting of the session. An earlier report by Pildat (Pakistan Institute of Legislative Development and Transparency) evaluated the National Assembly’s performance in the parliamentary year March 2025 to February 2026. It also found low attendance by members. The report pointed out that the Assembly’s lack of quorum was raised 19 times, with eight sittings adjourned due to the absence of members. Despite this low and declining engagement by MNAs, the ruling party has made no effort to address the recurring problem of empty benches. Attendance is not the only indicator of parliamentary conduct. What matters most is how it performs its legislative and deliberative functions. This is arguably the most unedifying aspect of its performance. It is due principally to the attitude of the government, which enjoys a simple majority in the Assembly, but with its ally, the PPP, it has a two-thirds majority. The way constitutional amendments have been bulldozed through parliament in the past two years is a striking illustration of its attitude to parliamentary institutions. A parliament that doesn’t assert itself surrenders its authority to others. In 2024, when parliament adopted the 26th Constitutional Amendment, it was done in the darkness of night. Even the final text was not made available to lawmakers before it was tabled. The entire legislative process lacked transparency. It was over in hours, without any debate on an amendment of far-reaching implications for judicial independence. The controversial amendment made the judiciary subservient to the executive and seriously undermined the rule of law. Official coercion to secure the required two-thirds vote robbed the entire process of legitimacy. The adoption of the 27th Constitutional Amendment in November 2025 followed a similar path. It was passed in just a couple of days. There was hardly any debate other than some speeches from treasury benches during which the opposition walked out. The amendment struck at the heart of the Constitution. It involved structural changes in the country’s judicial system including the creation of a Federal Constitutional Court, restructuring of the military high command and grant of sweeping constitutional privileges and immunities to key officeholders. It sparked intense public controversy and evoked much criticism from the opposition, legal community, media and civil society. It was widely seen as another power grab by the executive. But again, the government rushed through the process. Treasury members and their allies made no effort to press for a full debate. Another controversial bill, rushed through the NA in January 2026, was the Elections (Amendment) Bill. This limited public access to MPs’ asset statements by granting discretionary power to the Assembly Speaker or Senate chairman to withhold disclosures on unspecified ‘security grounds’. Opposition objections were cast aside to a law that undermined the principle of accountability of parliamentary members. These examples show how parliament has acted as a handmaiden of the executive. It has rubber-stamped actions that aggrandised the establishment’s powers. As it is the majority party that sets the tone and substance for parliamentary activity, its stance is the principal reason for turning this Assembly into a passive and largely ineffective body. The PML-N leadership sees parliament as a means to maintain its party in power rather than as an instrument of governance or forum to articulate and debate policy. As in its previous stints in government, the party has not encouraged the Assembly to play an active role in both its legislative and deliberative functions. With its majority, the ruling party should not be reluctant to encourage open parliamentary debate and allow members to freely deliberate on national issues. But it doesn’t see the value of parliamentary debate. It also doesn’t recognise the utility of parliament as a forum to ventilate opinion, change opinion and share opinion. Whether this reflects lack of confidence in its own backbenchers or understanding of how parliament should function, the outcome is marginalisation of the legislature’s role in the political system. The PPP has also contributed to this outcome by not pushing for debate on key national and foreign policy issues or insisting that constitutional amendments should be deliberated upon and not rushed through the two chambers. As for the opposition, it has had to face incessant obstacles put in its path by an authoritarian set-up. Even so, it has tried to generate pressure for debate and subject government actions to critical scrutiny. But its frequent walkouts and boycotts, albeit in protest against efforts to muzzle its voice, have proven to be counterproductive. It has left the field open for treasury benches to do whatever they want. Parliament is as good as its members. Many are adept in constituency politics and are products of a culture of patronage. For them, a seat means a ticket to an elite club and access to state resources to shore up their local power base. Attendance is secondary and policy debates of little interest. The result is weak parliamentary oversight of executive actions. Elected representatives repeatedly declare their commitment to parliamentary supremacy. But they are unwilling to lend substance to these pronouncements by their actions. Supremacy becomes a talking point, not a rulebook. A parliament that doesn’t assert itself surrenders its authority to others. A hollowed House does no service to democracy. The writer is a former ambassador to the US, UK and UN. Published in Dawn, June 8th, 2026

Nigeria: Lagos Okays Nature-Based Solution to Climate Change Challenges

[Leadership] The Lagos State government has called for an urgent adoption of nature-based solutions in addressing climate change challenges and safeguarding the future of urban populations.

India’s EV push fails to scale, despite schemes and targets

The Lok Sabha plans to allocate EVs to 40 staffers, but India's EV adoption is slow, lagging behind global averages, raising energy security concerns.

Climate Crisis: Nnimmo Bassey urges Edo to protect forests, embrace clean energy

Nnimmo Bassey urges Edo State to protect its forests, end environmental degradation and accelerate clean energy adoption as climate change threats intensify. The post Climate Crisis: Nnimmo Bassey urges Edo to protect forests, embrace clean energy appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.

Smart money move: Why Groww MF's equity chief is betting on multicap strategies

While warning about the risk of a looming oil shock, Groww Mutual Fund’s equity chief, CA Anupam Tiwari, says multicap strategy together with bottom-up investing can work well in this market.Although there might be valuation concerns in some specific areas, the overall investment environment for active stock picking in mid and small caps has improved to some extent, he says in an interview with ET Markets.Edited excerpts from a chat:Markets have recovered from recent corrections despite geopolitical tensions. What is the market pricing that investors may be underestimating?Markets are showing signs of recovery from the fall due to the prospects of de-escalation and continued talks regarding the resolution of the Middle East crisis. Nevertheless, one possible threat that investors might be overlooking is the possibility of prolonged geopolitical instability that can cause oil prices to remain elevated for an extended period.Sustained higher energy prices could have broader implications for inflation, currency stability, corporate profitability, and economic growth. While markets appear to be pricing in a relatively benign outcome, any disruption that results in persistently elevated crude prices could have a more meaningful impact on the macroeconomic environment than is currently reflected in markets.With valuations still elevated in parts of the market, how should investors think about allocating money across large-, mid- and small-cap stocks today?Broad concerns regarding valuation levels in the market have cooled off in recent months. At the current juncture, close to one-third of the mid-cap space is priced below its five-year average valuation levels, whereas nearly half of the small-cap space is trading below its own five-year average valuation levels.Under these circumstances, although there might be valuation concerns in some specific areas, the overall investment environment for active stock picking in mid and small caps has improved to some extent. Here, a multicap strategy together with bottom-up investing can work well in uncovering better businesses.The multicap category has seen rising investor interest. What advantages does a multicap strategy offer in the current market environment compared to pure large-cap or mid-cap approaches?While the current phase is marked by heightened volatility, volatility is often uneven across segments. In such an environment, a multicap strategy may provide disciplined exposure across market caps within a single portfolio.This allows investors the relative stability and earnings visibility of larger companies, while also participating in the long-term growth potential of mid- and small-cap businesses. By maintaining exposure across segments, a multicap approach can help reduce over-reliance on any single category and provide a more balanced way to navigate changing market conditions.One of the key benefits of a multicap strategy is that it removes the burden of market-cap allocation from investors. Determining when to allocate across segments can be challenging, particularly as market leadership often shifts across cycles. A multicap strategy addresses this by embedding this decision within a disciplined investment framework, freeing investors from having to make often difficult and timing-sensitive allocation calls.From a long-term perspective, multicap funds can serve as a core equity allocation for investors, enabling investors to participate in India's growth story through a combination of established market leaders and emerging businesses.Many retail investors continue to favour mid- and small-caps despite recent volatility. Is the risk-reward equation still attractive in these segments?While mid- and small-cap stocks are generally more exposed during periods of market volatility, the opportunity set within these segments has improved as valuations have moderated across several pockets of the market while business fundamentals have remained intact and even improved in several pockets.Rather than looking at mid and small caps as segments, investors should focus on a disciplined investment framework. Selective opportunities continue to exist despite volatility, making active stock selection increasingly important in determining outcomes.Which sectors currently offer the strongest earnings visibility, and where are you finding opportunities despite market volatility?We continue to focus on sectors where earnings visibility remains relatively strong despite broader market volatility. Financials remain a key area of interest, supported by reasonable valuations, stable asset quality, improving credit growth, and a favorable funding environment, particularly within select NBFCs and mid-sized financial institutions.Within industrials, we remain constructive on themes such as power transmission & distribution, renewable energy, and defence, where order books remain healthy and policy support continues to drive long-term demand. In the auto space, we continue to see opportunities linked to premium consumption trends, EV adoption, and select auto-component manufacturers benefiting from structural drivers such as exports, and regulatory and policy changes.We are also positive on specialty chemicals, particularly businesses with strong contract manufacturing franchises, niche product portfolios, and long-term customer relationships. If you had to allocate fresh money today, which market-cap segment would receive the highest allocation and why?Our equity investment philosophy, QGaRP (Quality and Growth at a Reasonable Price), is market-cap agnostic and driven primarily by stock selection rather than segment-level calls. We seek to invest in businesses that combine high quality management, growth potential, and valuation comfort.That said, our multicap strategy has historically maintained a growth-oriented tilt towards mid- and small-cap companies. With valuations having moderated across several pockets of the mid- and small-cap universe, we believe the environment has become more conducive in these segments for active stock selection.As a result, while we continue to maintain a diversified allocation across market caps, we remain constructive on selectively identifying opportunities within the mid- and small-cap space where fundamentals, growth prospects, and valuations are aligned with our philosophy.

Israel's permanent state of war comes with economic, social costs

The enormous costs of Israel’s multi-front war and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s determination to turn his country into a “super-Sparta” of the Middle East are driving up the defence budget and raising fears of cutbacks in education and healthcare. The total cost of the series of interconnected regional conflicts that began with Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7, 2023 stood at 405 billion shekels ($138bn) as of late April, according to the governor of the Bank of Israel, Amir Yaron. “That’s a huge figure, more than 17 per cent of GDP,” he said during a recent economic conference in Herzliya, north of Tel Aviv. Just the military campaign against Iran, which began with a wave of US-Israeli strikes on February 28, incurred an additional cost of 35bn shekels ($12bn) for the state up until a ceasefire took effect on April 8, according to an initial estimate by the finance ministry. Following the adoption of the 2026 budget in late March, the government noted the defence ministry’s budget had more than doubled since October 2023. To support the war effort, the government borrowed heavily on international markets in 2024 and 2025. It has reached the point where public debt now accounts for more than 69pc of GDP, compared to 60pc before the war, according to the Treasury. Taxes and social security contributions have also increased. ‘Trauma economy’ Israelis are “paying twice” for the war, said Esteban Klor, an economics professor at Jerusalem’s Hebrew University. The first cost, he told AFP, is via the decline in government social spending and reduced investment in public services resulting from several successive “across-the-board” budget cuts, even as “we are… increasing the debt”. “Education will suffer, the quality of infrastructure will decline, as will the performance of the healthcare system,” he said. The second cost is to economic growth, though this has been less visible as the Israeli economy quickly overcame the initial shock of the war. GDP had returned to its 2022 level by 2024 and is continuing to grow at an enviable rate. But the ongoing mobilisation of tens of thousands of reservists since October 2023 is also taking a toll. “Since… many of our workers are in the army rather than at their jobs, this affects production,” Klor explained. According to a survey published on June 1 by the Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) think tank, 31pc of respondents said they had experienced a decline in their wages or income since October 7, 2023. The phenomenon is hitting the self-employed and lowest-income workers the hardest. At the Herzliya conference, the deputy head of budgets at the finance ministry, Tamar Levy-Boneh, warned against a “trauma economy” — in which the sense of shock and failure from October 7 leads the military to constantly demand more funding to ensure the country’s security. “The security establishment must learn to meet its needs in a way that does not undermine the standard of living and must assume its share of responsibility,” Levy-Boneh said. ‘Super-Sparta’ But Netanyahu advocates the opposite view. In September 2025, he said Israel had no choice but to become a “super-Sparta”, a reference to the ancient Greek city-state devoted entirely to war. As divergences emerge between Netanyahu and US President Donald Trump regarding Israel’s offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon and how to end the war with Iran, the Israeli premier is pushing for greater self-sufficiency. Under his vision, Israel would gradually wean itself off its reliance on the massive military aid it receives from the United States. He confirmed as such on May 3, vowing to invest 350bn shekels over the next decade in the national defence industry to ensure “overwhelming aerial superiority”. Economics professor Klor warned that the defence budget could exceed 10pc of GDP and called for a swift return to a “more reasonable” level. Israel is one of the developed countries where inequality is most glaring, and the dragging war is not helping. According to the latest available study by the Israeli National Insurance Institute, the proportion of children living below the poverty line rose from 27.6pc to 28pc between 2023 and 2024.

Room for less: Next big thing in hospitality?

Can the search for a hotel room lead to a business idea? It did, for Alok Mishra.In 2014, during a trip with his wife, Mishra needed a hotel room for six hours as he did not want to drive late at night. But he was asked to pay for a full day and subjected to a series of intrusive questions despite being married—and was finally refused a room. “That got me thinking that there might be travellers like me who need rooms only for a few hours but have to pay for an entire day. Later, while working in the US, I came across pay-for-use concepts and felt that India needed a more flexible, customer-friendly model,” he says.That experience led to the launch of Bag2Bag in 2019, an online platform for booking hotels, service apartments, homestays and other accommodations, with a focus on hourly stays.The business started gaining momentum around 2021. Bag2Bag’s hourly-stay revenue has risen from roughly Rs 50 lakh in 2021 to Rs 5-6 crore today. The company has served more than 1 lakh customers, lists over 10,000 properties across India and offers hourly stays at 6,000-7,000 of them. The service is available in more than 50 cities, though Bengaluru and Mumbai remain its strongest markets.Also read | The safe keepers: Inside India's booming locker economy“People now understand that this is a practical solution rather than a niche service. One of our biggest achievements has been to help normalise the category. Earlier, hourly stays were often associated with couples seeking privacy,” he says. “We deliberately broadened the use case by allowing family bookings, including travellers with children. We wanted people to see hourly stays for what they really are— a convenient accommodation option.”HOUR OF NEED That convenience is growing as online hotel booking platforms that allow short stays are on the rise. Alongside Bag2Bag, there is Noida-based Brevistay, Bengaluruheadquartered MiStay, Mumbai’s Hourly Rooms and Qwiksta, all specialising in micro stays. Larger travel platforms like MakeMyTrip, Agoda and Goibibo have also introduced hourly booking options.Like Bag2Bag, Brevistay was born out of a travel inconvenience. In 2016, cofounders Prateek Singh, Aditya Naithani, Shubham Agarwal, Avnish Kumar and Nikhil Pathak arrived in Manali at 5 am only to find that hotels would not allow early check-ins without charging for an extra night. The friends went on to cofound the travel tech startup Brevistay, which raised Rs 3 crore in 2023 and today reports revenue of about Rs 18 crore. It has 15 lakh registered users, 4 lakh monthly active users and around 11,000 listed hotels, including brands such as Ginger, Ramada and Blue Motel.LONG JOURNEY Getting there, however, was not easy.Pathak, cofounder and chief technology officer of Brevistay, says, “The challenge in this segment is not customers but hotels. In 2016, many hoteliers would simply bang the phone on us. Some agreed in principle but didn’t want their properties listed publicly and preferred bookings to come through offline calls. It took us nearly two years before we started seeing meaningful traction and recurring bookings,” says Pathak.The same resistance greeted MiStay when it launched in 2016. Starting with a pilot in Delhi, MiStay has since expanded to more than 100 cities. Shwetha Sameernath, general manager, business and growth, MiStay, says, “When we launched, scepticism was high. Most hotels were uncomfortable with the model, concerned about guest quality and operational challenges. Over time, that changed as hotels began seeing it as a revenue opportunity.”MiStay tackled resistance through education and curation. The company worked to show hoteliers that short stays served a broad and legitimate market of business travellers, transit passengers and day-use guests. It also selectively onboarded premium hotel brands, helping build credibility for the category. “When hotels see actual customer segments across varied, legitimate use cases, it builds their confidence that the model won’t compromise their brand,” says Sameernath, adding that the concept is now largely normalised.Also read | Major change in buyer behaviour as e-scooters race deeper into BharatPathak says the customer has evolved as well. Brevistay continues to market actively to couples, but he argues that the category should no longer be viewed through that lens. “There’s nothing illegal happening. In fact, there’s no law that prevents consenting adults from booking a hotel room. The issue was perception, not legality. What eventually changed minds was revenue,” he says. “Once hotels realised they could sell the same room multiple times in a day and generate seven or eight bookings instead of one, the business case became impossible to ignore.”The use cases have expanded too. Back in 2017, couples accounted for nearly 90% of Brevistay’s bookings. Today, that figure is down to 50-60%. Business travellers, transit passengers, tourists looking to freshen up between journeys, students travelling for exams and people attending interviews or meetings have all emerged as important customer segments.Hotels, meanwhile, have had to adapt operationally. Mishra says the biggest challenge is that traditional hotel system was never designed for flexible check-ins and check-outs. Bag2Bag addressed this by developing its own software platform for partner hotels. “Once they realised they could monetise idle inventory and generate additional revenue from rooms that would otherwise remain empty, adoption became much easier,” he says.REVENUE CHECKS IN For Sameernath, the turning point was the entry of premium hotel brands. “Today, acceptance has grown across the ecosystem. Channel managers and property management systems are evolving to support slot-based bookings, and customers increasingly treat hourly booking as the natural way to reserve a room for less than a day,” she says.Also read | Indian tourists go viral for all wrong reasons. Here's how not to become the next horror storyMishra has observed another interesting shift. Reliability and brand trust are becoming increasingly important. “Whether it’s a three-star or a five-star property, even if a branded hotel costs 20-25% more, customers prefer it because they know what they’re getting,” he says. The economics are compelling for hotels too. Sameernath points out that average hotel occupancy in India is under 65%, while daytime occupancy can fall to as low as 30% as guests check out in the morning and new arrivals come in much later. Platforms like MiStay help hotels monetise those idle hours by attracting guests who would never have booked a full-day room. “For hotels near airports or railway stations, the upside is even greater. A room priced at Rs 8,000 for a full night could earn Rs 3,500-4,000 for a daytime slot and another Rs 6,000 for the night—generating `10,000-plus from the same room in a single day,” she says.CHANGING PERCEPTION MiStay today works with brands like IHG, Pride, Ramada, The Park, Radisson and Novotel IHG, while Brevistay is in discussions with Hyatt. Sameernath says that on the demand side, once customers experience flexible booking, they don’t go back. Their repeat rate reflects this, as 48% of MiStay’s monthly business comes from repeat guests “The pay-per-use model in hospitality is the same transformation that happened in transport. You no longer book a cab for a full day; you pay for the distance. Hotels are heading the same way,” she says.Pathak believes the next wave of growth will be driven by younger travellers. “They’re vocal about spending time with their partners and don’t carry the hesitation earlier generations did. In metros, the industry has largely moved beyond the old perceptions, and hourly stays are increasingly viewed as a convenience product rather than something unusual.”The customer, it seems, has reached the destination. The hospitality industry needs to arrive.ChallengesPersistent social stigmaTrust and safety concernsBranded hotels worried about perceptionComplexities in managing multiple check-ins and check-outsLack of awareness among travellersOpportunitiesRise in domestic travel and frequent short tripsGrowth of bleisure (business + leisure) travelYounger consumers demanding flexibilityTech platforms making discovery and booking seamlessHotels looking to monetise vacant rooms

UN affirms Kashmir and Palestine are unresolved disputes

UNITED NATIONS: The UN Security Council’s annual report for 2025, presented to the General Assembly on Friday, reaffirmed the continued relevance of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute and the Palestinian question, describing them as long-standing issues on the UNSC’s agenda with implications for regional and international peace and security. The report noted that more than 20 communications concerning the India-Pakistan question were brought before the UNSC during the reporting period and that the council held closed consultations on the issue in May 2025. It also documented the UNSC’s engagement with the situation in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly Gaza, including the adoption of Resolution 2803 endorsing a Gaza peace plan. Pakistan, which coordinated and drafted the introduction to the report during its UNSC presidency in July 2025, welcomed the references to both disputes, saying they underscored the need for their resolution in accordance with UN resolutions and international law. Addressing the General Assembly debate, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the report highlighted the continued relevance of the Jammu and Kashmir and Palestinian disputes, which must be resolved in accordance with international legitimacy and UNSC resolutions. “This underscores that the Jammu and Kashmir dispute, which has remained on the Council’s agenda for over seven decades, continues to engage its attention,” he said. Pakistan, India clash over references to Kashmir in Security Council’s report Ambassador Asim reiterated Pakistan’s position that durable peace in South Asia required a just settlement of the Kashmir dispute in line with UNSC resolutions and the aspirations of the Kashmiri people. The annual report reviews the UNSC’s work from Jan to Dec 2025 and records its engagement with conflicts and crises across Africa, the Middle East, West Asia, South Asia, Europe and Latin America, as well as thematic issues such as the peaceful settlement of disputes. Highlighting Pakistan’s role in preparing the report, Ambassador Asim said Islamabad adopted an open, constructive and inclusive approach and secured early consensus on the introduction through consultations with Council members and the wider UN membership. He said the report showed that despite heightened geopolitical tensions, the Security Council remained actively engaged in addressing threats to international peace and security. He also highlighted the unanimous adoption of Resolution 2788, sponsored by Pakistan, which promoted the peaceful settlement of disputes and fuller utilisation of the UN Charter’s conflict-resolution mechanisms. Turning to Palestine, the ambassador said the continuing tragedy in the occupied Palestinian territory, particularly Gaza, remained high on the Council’s agenda. He described Resolution 2803, endorsing the Gaza Peace Plan, as a significant step after repeated failures to halt the bloodshed and stressed the need for its full implementation. Pakistan also reiterated support for the Palestinian people’s right to self-determination and for an independent, viable and contiguous State of Palestine. Separately, Pakistan joined UN member states in marking the International Day of UN Peacekeepers. The ambassador noted that Pakistan has contributed more than 237,000 peacekeepers to 48 UN missions over the past six decades, with more than 183 personnel losing their lives. The debate also witnessed a sharp exchange between Pakistan and India over references to Kashmir in the report. Exercising Pakistan’s right of reply, Counsellor Gul Qaiser Sarwani rejected India’s criticism and said the report itself recorded communications on the India-Pakistan question and the UNSC’s consultations in May 2025. Published in Dawn, June 7th, 2026

PM Shehbaz meets interior minister ahead of Naqvi’s Iran visit

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday held a meeting with Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi, during which they discussed the latter’s upcoming visit to Tehran, according to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The interior minister also briefed the prime minister on his recent engagements on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) conference in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan, the PMO added. “Consultations also took place between the prime minister and the interior minister regarding his upcoming visit to Tehran. The prime minister provided guidance related to the visit,” the statement added. A day earlier, Naqvi met his Iranian counterpart, Eskandar Momeni. The two ministers held an important meeting focusing on bilateral relations and the current regional situation. During the talks, both ministers exchanged views on Pakistan-Iran relations and recent regional developments, according to a post by the Interior Ministry. In the meeting today, a detailed exchange of views also took place on the country’s overall law and order situation and prevailing security conditions between the premier and the interior minister. The interior minister informed the prime minister about the measures being taken to maintain peace and security across the country and ensure the protection of citizens, the statement said. PM Shehbaz emphasised the need for close coordination among all relevant institutions and the adoption of a unified strategy to strengthen law and order and further enhance national security. On May 17, Naqvi landed in Tehran on a previously unannounced two-day visit, which diplomatic sources said was linked to Pakistan’s continuing efforts to revive the stalled Iran-US peace process after President Donald Trump rejected Tehran’s latest response to American proposals. Diplomatic sources in Islamabad said the unscheduled trip was part of Pakistan’s continuing shuttle diplomacy aimed at preventing the negotiations from collapsing entirely after momentum generated by earlier rounds of talks in Islamabad slowed sharply. The visit, officially framed around bilateral and border security cooperation, came as the fragile ceasefire brokered earlier through Pakistani mediation continued to hold unevenly amid intermittent tensions around the Strait of Hormuz and prolonged disruption to global energy shipping. During the visit, Naqvi met Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf. According to Iranian media, the minister’s one-on-one meeting with the president was held at the Presidential Palace and lasted around 90 minutes. Iranian Interior Minister Eskandar Momeni and Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi were also present on the occasion, the official IRNA news agency reported. Naqvi later met Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, who criticised “some regional governments” for believing that the presence of the United States would bring them security. “Recent events have shown that this presence not only fails to create security but also lays the groundwork for insecurity,” Ghalibaf was quoted as saying by IRNA. The US-Iran conflict is currently stalemated in a shaky ceasefire struck in April, which was followed by historic direct talks between the warring parties hosted by Pakistan. Though daily strikes throughout Iran and the Gulf have stopped since then, bursts of armed conflict have continued. Earlier today, tensions surged again when the US military said it struck radar sites in Iran after downing drones headed toward the strait. Shortly after, air raid sirens sounded in neighboring Gulf nations Kuwait and Bahrain — both US allies. Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said they had targeted “enemy bases in the area” with missiles in response to a US “invasion” of the country’s Sirik and Qeshm islands. The US and Iran also exchanged attacks on each other’s military targets on Monday. After the US military carried out strikes near the Strait of Hormuz, Iran responded with a missile attack on Wednesday, damaging Kuwait’s airport and resulting in casualties. Since the conflict began, Iran has repeatedly attacked targets in the Gulf region home to US military bases. Nevertheless, diplomacy has continued with Trump under pressure to reach an agreement that would lift the US and Iranian competing blockades around the Strait of Hormuz, which have choked international oil supplies and threatened the global economy with rising prices.

« Une Corrézienne d’adoption et de cœur » : Sarran pleure Bernadette Chirac, « sa » première dame