Palestinians search for casualties under the rubble in the aftermath of Israeli strikes. PHOTO: ReutersIn response to the escalating military situation in Gaza, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, as the current chair of the Islamic Summit, has extended an invitation to hold an extraordinary meeting of the Executive Committee of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC). The meeting is scheduled for October 18 and will take place at the General Secretariat headquarters in the Jeddah Governorate. But an approach that sidelined Palestinians would risk angering Arabs around the region, as Arab news outlets broadcast images of Palestinians killed in Israeli retaliatory airstrikes. Read More: At least 1,900 Palestinians killed as Israel makes first raids into GazaHamas fighters killed more than 1,300 Israelis in their Oct 7 attack and more than 2,000 Palestinians had been killed by Friday in Israel's ongoing strikes on Gaza.

At least 1,900 Palestinians have been killed in the blockaded enclave of Gaza in a brutal air campaign of reprisal attacks by Israel as infantry forces from the IDF made their first raids into the Gaza Strip. Israel has vowed to annihilate Hamas after its fighters burst out of Gaza a week ago and carried out operation in southern Israel. Since then, Israel has placed the Hamas-run Gaza Strip, home to 2.3 million Palestinians, under a total siege and bombarded it with unprecedented air strikes. Renowned boxer Amir Khan expressed his unwavering support for Palestine, drawing upon his personal experiences and dedication to making a positive change. She also shared a gut-wrenching post about babies being killed in Palestine: "I don’t think I can cry anymore.

Xbox maker Microsoft closed its $69 billion deal for Activision Blizzard on Friday, swelling its heft in the video-gaming market with best-selling titles including "Call of Duty" to better compete with industry leader Sony. "Today is a good day to play," Microsoft Gaming CEO Phil Spencer said in a post on the X social media platform, formerly known as Twitter. https://t.co/KBCESknYYh https://t.co/jTHOeH48Wx — Phil Spencer (@XboxP3) October 13, 2023Spencer has touted the purchase as a way for Microsoft to break into the more than $90-billion market for mobile games. Activision makes popular mobile titles including "Candy Crush Saga" and "Call of Duty Mobile" - games that were excluded from the cloud streaming deal Microsoft signed with France's Ubisoft Entertainment to secure approval from Britain. "The new deal will stop Microsoft from locking up competition in cloud gaming as this market takes off, preserving competitive prices and services for UK cloud gaming customers," it said in a statement.

One of them was the prayer leader of the mosque, a leader of banned militant outfit Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM) and his security guard. Latif remained in jail after being arrested from Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) in 1993 until his release in 2010. The Indian media had accused him of being involved in the attack on the Pathankot Airbase in 2016. He elaborated that the main handlers of the Daska mosque attack were based abroad. The teams simultaneously conducted raids in Pakpattan, Lahore, Kasur and other areas over 100 kilometres away from the site of the attack and arrested the assailants.

Entire nation behind Pakistani cricket team: PM KakarCaretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar says the entire nation is behind Pakistani cricket team and cheering for them. In a tweet on Saturday, he expressed best of luck to them against India for today's match. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar prayed to play with determination, skill and the unwavering fighting spirit that they are known for.

PESHAWAR - Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Friday ruled out any talks with Tehrik- i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) saying that the state of Pakistan is powerful enough to fight them even for next 100 years. The state of Pakistan is so powerful to fight TTP, not just one year rather 100 years,” the prime minister told the media during his visit to Peshawar. Asked what the impediments were in talks with TTP, the prime minister said the biggest obstacle was that no one was willing to talk to them. Keep in mind, I may die but not Pakistan.” Rubbishing the notions of any registered Afghan refugees being expelled from Pakistan, the prime minister said only the foreigners living illegally in Pakistan were being ousted. The prime minister felicitated the bravery of the Jawan belonging to Swabi who braved the firing during the Hangu attack.

Speaking during a meeting with the representatives of the Sarhad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCI) and a press conference during his visit to Peshawar, Kakar declared that the State of Pakistan was powerful enough to fight the terrorists even for next 100 years. The state of Pakistan is so powerful in the fight against the TTP, not just one year, rather 100 years,” Kakar told the reporters. “The state wanted to rid the country of those causing social ills as well as becoming a challenge of terrorism and crimes,” he added. Earlier, talking to an SCCI delegation, Prime Minister Kakar said that the government would never let any outfit or group to take up arms and challenge the writ of the state. The prime minister said that due to the timely actions of the government, the value of the rupee had increased.

At around 6:45 p.m., North Precinct officers were dispatched to a person shot call in the 300 block of 2 Avenue North. Officers arrived on the scene at around 6:45 p.m. and observed the victim, Reginald Dewayne Tolbert, 51, of Birmingham, lying unresponsive in an abandoned building, suffering from a gunshot wound. The suspect then shot the victim and ran away from the scene. Officers on scene were given detailed information about the suspect. Officers then began searching for the suspect and quickly took the suspect into custody without incident.

Javed Iqbal called on Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani at the Parliament House and matters of mutual interest including professional matters of the Pakistan Navy were discussed during the meeting. Appreciating the professionalism of the officers and men of the Pakistan Navy, Sanjrani said PN soldiers always created stories of bravery that the nation was proud of. “Officers and men of the Pakistan Navy guarding the maritime boundaries are our valuable assets. Like the Pakistan Army and the Pakistan Air Force, the Pakistan Navy has always given a befitting reply to the aggression of the enemy and made our maritime boundaries invincible,” he said, adding that the role of the Pakistan Navy in defending the maritime boundaries of the country would be written in golden letters. “Whenever the people of Pakistan have been victims of natural disasters, the Pakistan Navy stood by them.

HYDERABAD-The people of Hyderabad came out on the streets to protest against Israeli attacks in occupied Palestine, especially in Gaza. They chanted slogans against Israel and appealed to all Muslim countries, including the United Nations, to get involved and help stop the Israeli aggression. After Friday prayers, various political, religious, and social organizations organized protest rallies to express their solidarity with the martyrs of Palestine and to condemn Israeli aggression. These rallies were conducted by Jamait-e-Islami, Jamiat Ulema-e-Pakistan, Milli Yakjehti Council, Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (F), Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam (S), Tehreek-e-Labbaik, Majlis-e-Wahdat-e-Muslimeen, Sunni Tehreek, and others. The governor said that Pakistan’s position on Kashmir and Palestine was very clear, urging the Muslim Ummah to try to resolve problem of Palestine.

Perpetrators behind the recent terror attack on a mosque in Sialkot have been arrested, said Punjab Inspector General of Police Dr Usman Anwar on Friday, levelling blame on a "rogue nation's hostile intelligence agency". Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Dr Anwar said that the attack was "planned outside Pakistan". He did not name the nation allegedly responsible for the shooting in a mosque in Daska, Sialkot, which claimed at least two lives earlier this week. At least six unidentified gunmen were involved in the attack that took place on October 11 with three of them carrying out the fatal shooting. He added that the arrested culprits behind the shooting in Daska mosque will be presented before the court.

LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz (PML-N) president and the former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif Thursday emphasised the critical link between political stability and Pakistan’s sustainable economic growth, underscoring their interdependence. Shehbaz Sharif, whose government’s term concluded in August this year, stressed the pivotal role of thriving businesses in advancing Pakistan’s overall well-being. Reiterating his position, the former prime minister asserted that his government’s members had made sacrifices in the realm of politics to preserve the state’s integrity. On this day in 1999, the government of Mian Muhammad Nawaz Sharif was overthrown through a martial law. Shehbaz Sharif praised the achievements during Nawaz Sharif’s third term in power, acknowledging the challenges faced, such as 20-hour power outages.

photo: fileThe International Monetary Fund (IMF) said on Thursday that Pakistan’s external financing needs remain large but its foreign exchange reserves coverage is precarious at only 70% of the country’s short-term foreign debt. The report warned about the growing risk to Pakistani banks from a substantially large exposure to the government debt. “External financing needs will remain large, and reserve coverage is forecast to remain precarious in several countries, averaging about 70% of short-term external debt in Egypt, Pakistan, and Tunisia,” stated the report released on Thursday. Commenting on the government’s high gross financing needs, the IMF said that elevated public sector gross financing needs are still a significant challenge, which will reach “21% of GDP by 2024 for Pakistan” (or over Rs22 trillion). High rate impactThe IMF said that a prolonged period of higher interest rates could trigger adverse feedback loops between the sovereign and the banking sector.

ISLAMABAD, Oct 13 (APP): Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) on Friday observed ‘Palestine Solidarity Day’ across the nation expressing unity with the oppressed Palestinians and offering special prayers in Friday sermons. The PUC Chairman Hafiz Muhammad Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi, along with other prominent religious leaders, spoke out in support of Palestine. They highlighted the critical juncture in the Palestinian issue and called on Muslim leaders to play their role immediately. Addressing the issue of human rights, PUC Chairman Ashrafi deplored the silence on the mass killings of the oppressed Palestinians. He emphasized that for decades, Israel had been subjecting innocent civilians, hospitals, schools, and ambulances to its ruthless aggression.

With regards to the Zainab Abbas situation, a well-known Pakistani cricket presenter with international recognition, who had to curtail her stay in India, the Foreign Office (FO) has expressed its concern over the case filed against her in India, calling it “not an appreciable step”. 🔴LIVE: Spokesperson's Weekly Press Briefing 12-10-23 at Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad https://t.co/WVBnyczanR — Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) October 12, 2023Zainab Abbas had attributed her early departure from India to "personal reasons". The complaint was based on screenshots of tweets allegedly made by an account associated with Abbas back in 2014. Also read: Cricket presenter Zainab Abbas ‘leaves’ IndiaThe FO spokesperson reiterated that the case filed against Zainab Abbas in India is an unwarranted development, as she has been unfairly implicated in the matter. Also read: To be sorry or not to be sorry: Zainab Abbas' old anti-India tweets divide the internetA Pakistani news channel, citing anonymous sources, reported that Zainab Abbas vehemently denied the allegations and asserted that she had been unjustly singled out.