Speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump said the talks were taking place at the request of Iran as well as regional countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

“Talks are going on right now,” Trump said. “This is a last chance for them to sign a good document.”

Trump warned that Iran faced “decapitation” if it failed to reach an agreement, reiterating his threat to launch a major attack on the country.

“I think we’re going to maybe get something, but I want to give them every last chance before decapitation,” he said.

Earlier in the day, after Iran said no negotiations were under way, Trump criticised what he called the country’s “unbelievably duplicitous” leadership.

According to a notification issued by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) after federal government approval, the price of petrol has been reduced by Rs4.08 per litre, bringing the new ex-depot price down to Rs331.95 per litre.

The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has been cut by Rs2.45 per litre, lowering its new ex-depot price to Rs389.93 per litre.

The revised prices will take effect from midnight on August 4.

The latest reduction follows a marginal cut announced on Friday, when petrol prices were lowered by 12 paise per litre and HSD by 66 paise per litre under the government’s daily pricing mechanism.

Pakistan replaced its weekly petroleum pricing system with a daily mechanism earlier this year, under which the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) determines ex-depot prices using a rolling seven-day average of international oil prices and other cost factors.

Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik has said the new system enables domestic fuel prices to reflect changes in global markets more quickly while improving transparency in petroleum pricing.

The latest price cut comes as international oil prices fell sharply on Monday after US President Donald Trump held off on a fresh attack on Iran, raising hopes of renewed diplomacy that could increase oil supplies from the Gulf.

Oil prices fell about 5% to a three-week low on Monday after US President Donald Trump held off on a fresh ​attack on Iran in the hope of sealing a quick deal that could boost oil supplies from the Gulf.

Brent futures fell $4.19, or 4.8%, to $83.74 a barrel ‌at 12:40 p.m. ET (1640 GMT), while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude fell $4.92, or 5.8%, to $79.75.

In a statement shared on X, the ministry said the two foreign ministers exchanged views on regional and international developments during the conversation.

The discussions also covered the deteriorating situation in Occupied East Jerusalem, Dar said.

“DPM/FM invited Foreign Minister Araghchi to visit Pakistan at his earliest convenience,” he added.

The conversation comes after Iran said there were no direct talks with Washington, as Trump had insisted there would be when he called off a threatened round of heavy bombing against Iran over the weekend, citing what he said were appeals from regional powers and Tehran.

The Iranian foreign ministry said Monday that the only talks it was holding were with Oman to discuss plans for sharing control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for the global energy trade.

Trump insisted Iran had asked for talks — “some would say ‘beg’” — but was now giving “their usual blather” about controlling Hormuz.

The strait, Trump insisted, “is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!’ Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished.”

The tankers, which were empty of cargo after returning ​from destinations in Asia, were sailing in formation ​towards southern Africa, rather than opting to transit the ⁠southern Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb chokepoint, according ​to AIS ship-tracking on LSEG and MarineTraffic.

One of the tankers, ​Dilam, had Gibraltar as its destination, ship tracking showed.

The vessels’ Saudi-based operator Bahri and other Saudi officials did not immediately respond to requests ​for comment.

The tankers, each of which can carry a maximum ​of two million barrels of crude oil, had opted to re-route via ‌the Cape, taking into account the security situation, two trade sources said, based on their assessments.

Their journeys will add at least 25 additional days of sailing time if they opt ​to cross Suez ​back to ⁠Saudi ports in the Red Sea, according to Reuters calculations.

The Iran-aligned Houthis on July 20 declared ​a maritime embargo against Saudi Arabia, opening a ​new front against the US and its allies in the Iran war.

Houthi attacks in recent days on Saudi-linked ships prompted London’s marine ⁠insurance ​market last week to widen its “high ​risk” zone in the Red Sea, adding waters close to more Saudi Arabian ​ports.

Calling Iran “duplicitous” for “openly and proudly” saying it was not negotiating, Trump wrote: “Whether Iran wants to admit it or not, we are, in fact, talking of a solution to a problem that they have caused, for decades.”

Trump’s statement on Truth Social came after Iran said there were no direct talks with Washington, as Trump had insisted there would be when he called off a threatened round of heavy bombing against Iran over the weekend, citing what he said were appeals from regional powers and Tehran.

The Iranian foreign ministry said Monday that the only talks it was holding were with Oman to discuss plans for sharing control over the Strait of Hormuz, a vital passage for the global energy trade.

Trump insisted Iran had asked for talks — “some would say ‘beg’” — but was now giving “their usual blather” about controlling Hormuz.

The strait, Trump insisted, “is already completely controlled by the United States Navy and our ‘Blockade’ or, as some say, ‘The United States Wall of Steel!’ Nothing gets through to Iran, unless we want it to, and nothing will get through, unless a Deal, or Total Surrender, is accomplished.”

Trump launched a war, together with Israel, against Iran on February 28.

Original goals included destruction of the country’s nuclear industry, missiles and backing for a popular uprising against the government.

More than five months later, Iran remains able to fire missiles and drones at US and allied targets in the region, and retains its enriched uranium stockpiles.

Despite the US pressure, Iranian attacks on ships in Hormuz have severely impacted global energy trading, giving Tehran a strong new card in the standoff.

According to the sources, Rehman Bhola was taken into custody from North Nazimabad. CCTV footage circulating on social media shows police escorting him after the arrest.

Police sources said he was detained over allegations of involvement in the firing that erupted during Sunday’s confrontation between two groups of MQM-P workers at the party’s Bahadurabad headquarters.

Rehman Bhola was acquitted in the Baldia Town factory fire case only a few weeks ago.

The clash broke out after Anees Qaimkhani arrived at the party headquarters with his supporters while a meeting led by MQM-P Chairman Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was in progress.

According to reports, a heated exchange preceded a confrontation between supporters of the two groups after Siddiqui left the venue. The situation escalated into a physical altercation, and gunfire was also reported.

During the unrest, a cameraman from a private television channel was allegedly detained inside the party office, assaulted and stripped of his camera after recording footage of the firing. He was later released after allegedly being warned against making the video public.

Party sources also claimed that Sindh Assembly member Hafiz Ejazul Haq and National Assembly member Sabeen Ghori were subjected to abusive behaviour before the firing incident. The reported gunfire created panic in the area late into the night.

Following the incident, Siddiqui announced an emergency late-night press conference but cancelled it minutes later without addressing the media.

Police have yet to issue an official statement on the arrest or the charges against Rehman Bhola.

Chairing a meeting to review progress on the privatisation of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) in Islamabad, the prime minister said the programme should move forward without delays to improve efficiency and attract investment.

Shehbaz also instructed officials to structure the proposed privatisation of Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL) in a way that preserves its core mandate of supporting the agriculture sector.

He said the bank must continue providing agricultural credit and financial services to small and medium-sized farmers after privatisation, adding that easier access to finance was essential to improving crop yields, strengthening food security and supporting economic growth.

Officials told the meeting that 27 state-owned enterprises had been placed on the privatisation agenda under three phases of the programme.

The meeting was informed that the financial closing process for the privatisation of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) and First Women Bank had been completed. The government also completed the first financial closing of PIA and transferred its management control on June 29, officials said.

The prime minister reviewed progress on the privatisation of Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO), Faisalabad Electric Supply Company (FESCO) and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GEPCO).

Officials said expressions of interest had already been invited for all three power distribution companies. The deadlines for submitting qualification documents are August 7 for FESCO, August 21 for GEPCO, and September 7 for IESCO.

The meeting was told that several international companies had expressed interest in the three transactions, while roadshows for prospective investors were under way.

The privatisation process for ZTBL was also reviewed, with officials briefing the prime minister that the transaction structure was being designed to safeguard the bank’s agricultural lending mandate.

The meeting further reviewed progress on the planned privatisation of Islamabad International Airport, Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, and Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore.

Concluding the meeting, PM Shehbaz directed the relevant authorities to closely monitor all ongoing privatisation initiatives and ensure that every milestone is achieved on schedule.

There ​was no immediate comment from Ukraine, which, like Russia, says it does not ​deliberately target civilians in the full-scale war which Moscow launched in ⁠2022.

Social media videos, verified by Reuters, showed what appears to be a drone slamming ​into a busy beach area near the town of Gelendzhik, accompanied by a loud ​explosion.

Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region where Gelendzhik is located, called what had happened a tragedy. He said 17 people were being rushed to hospital.

“What happened today was a deliberate attack by ​the Kyiv regime on the civilian population, which has no connection whatsoever to military ​infrastructure,” Veniamin Kondratyev, the governor of Russia’s southern Krasnodar region which includes the resort, said in a statement ‌on Telegram.

A specialist medical disaster team had been dispatched to the scene of the explosion at the holiday village of Arkhipo-Osipovka, part of the wider Gelendzhik resort area, local authorities said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova was cited by the TASS state news agency ​as accusing Ukraine of ​resorting to terrorism.

Russia ⁠last month accused Kyiv’s forces of killing 11 people, including four children, in an attack on a holiday camp in a Russian-held part ​of Ukraine’s Zaporizhzhia region.

Russia itself has repeatedly struck targets in ​Kyiv and ⁠other Ukrainian cities, displacing millions and laying waste to swathes of Ukraine. Thousands of civilians have so far died in the war, most of them Ukrainians killed in Russian attacks.

Ukraine ⁠has stepped ​up long-range attacks deep into Russia in recent ​months, mainly targeting oil refineries and e-commerce warehouses, in what it says is a campaign to make Russians ​feel the cost of the war.

The benchmark index remained in positive territory throughout the session, hitting an intraday high of 178,985.94 before closing at 178,200.02, up 2,105.91 points, or 1.20%, from the previous close.

The rally was driven by optimism over the possibility of renewed diplomatic engagement between the United States and Iran after US President Donald Trump held off on a fresh attack on Iran.  

The easing tensions pushed international oil prices lower, encouraging broad-based buying across key sectors.

Trading opened on a strong note, with the benchmark quickly reaching its intraday peak.

Early gains, however, prompted profit-taking, causing the index to retreat and trade in the 178,200-178,500 range through the late morning.

Selling pressure intensified after midday, dragging the index to an intraday low of 177,759.88, before late-session buying erased most of the losses and lifted the market to a strong finish.

Topline Securities said in its market report that investor sentiment was also supported by the inflation data released on Monday.

Pakistan’s headline consumer price inflation eased to 9.2% in July 2026 from 11.07% in June, although it remained above 4.06% recorded in July last year.

Among index heavyweights, FFC, MCB Bank (MEBL), Lucky Cement (LUCK), Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) and Engro Holdings (ENGROH) led the advance, contributing a combined 699 points to the benchmark index.

Market participation also improved, with total traded volume rising to 785 million shares, while the value of traded shares reached Rs33 billion. TSBL topped the volume chart with nearly 113 million shares changing hands.

The gains extended last week’s recovery, when the KSE-100 snapped a three-week losing streak as easing tensions between the United States and Iran improved market sentiment.

A sharp decline in international Brent crude prices during the week further strengthened risk appetite, helping the benchmark recover more than 5,000 points.

According to the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s weekly market review, the KSE-100 Index gained 5,072.93 points, or nearly 3%, to close last week at 176,094.13.

According to party sources, the incident occurred on Sunday night while a meeting led by Siddiqui’s group was underway at the Bahadurabad headquarters.

Former deputy convener Anees Qaimkhani later arrived at the venue with his supporters, leading to a heated exchange between members of the two groups.

After Siddiqui left the premises, workers from both sides confronted each other, resulting in a physical altercation that escalated tensions.

During the incident, a cameraman from a private television channel was allegedly detained inside the party office, assaulted and had his camera confiscated after filming footage of the reported firing.

According to the allegations, the cameraman was later released after being warned against making the video public.

Party sources also claimed that Sindh Assembly member Hafiz Ejazul Haq and National Assembly member Sabeen Ghori were subjected to abusive behaviour during the confrontation. They further alleged that gunfire erupted during the incident, causing panic in the area late into the night.

Following the clash, Siddiqui announced an emergency late-night press conference but cancelled it around 10 to 15 minutes later without addressing the media.

Speaking a day later, the MQM-P chairman said the incident resulted from a misunderstanding and an argument between party workers.

“The party leadership has reviewed the matter, and the situation is now better,” Siddiqui said.

According to the game’s official website and Steam listing, players took on the role of Osman Ghazi, leading the early Ottoman tribe through battles, political intrigue and territorial expansion in 13th-century Anatolia. The game combined sword combat, horseback travel, stealth missions, settlement management and open-world exploration.

Meaningful Games said the title featured historically inspired locations, including forests, fortresses and trade routes, while blending historical events with fictional gameplay mechanics.

“We’ve worked closely with historians to ensure authentic representation while taking creative liberties for gameplay purposes,” Meaningful Games said.

Players recruited companions, raided enemy strongholds and confronted Byzantine forces, Mongol armies and rival Anatolian beyliks as they worked to establish the foundations of what would later become the Ottoman Empire.

The game was announced for PC via Steam, where it was listed with a release date of “To be announced.” It was set to support English, Turkish, Arabic and French language options, according to its Steam page.

Historical action games had become an increasingly competitive segment of the video game industry, with developers using real historical figures and settings as the basis for narrative-driven experiences.

Titles inspired by medieval Europe, feudal Japan and the Ottoman period had gained audiences seeking story-rich alternatives to fantasy role-playing games.

Osman Ghazi, also known as Osman I, founded the Ottoman dynasty around the turn of the 14th century. The state established under his leadership later expanded into an empire spanning parts of Europe, Asia and Africa for more than six centuries.

Meaningful Games had not announced a release date or pricing details for Osman Ghazi: Ottoman Rising, saying the game would launch simultaneously on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X/S.

The tragedy occurred in Jabori, where the three girls were returning home from school when they attempted to cross a seasonal stream flowing from Chattu to Saran, according to local and rescue officials.

The strong current swept the girls away. Rescue teams recovered the bodies of two girls near the NADRA office in Jabori, while the third was rescued safely.

The deceased girls, aged between seven and eight years, were identified as the daughters of Qari Shafiq, son of Muhammad Ashraf, and Ashiq Hussain, son of Abdul Jalil, both residents of Karak. Rescue workers and local residents took part in the search operation.

The incident came as monsoon rains continued to batter Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Lahore and several districts of Punjab, disrupting daily life and causing widespread urban flooding.

Low-lying areas inundated

Heavy rain submerged several low-lying neighbourhoods in Rawalpindi, including Dhoke Khaba, Chaklala, Kutchery and Liaquat Bagh, with rainwater entering homes and shops.

A six-year-old boy was also swept away by a rainwater drain on Gorja Road. Rescue teams were continuing search operations at the time of filing this report.

The Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) said emergency drainage operations were under way using water pumps and heavy machinery to clear flooded areas.

In Islamabad, persistent rainfall disrupted traffic and affected normal life in several parts of the federal capital.

Lahore and several other districts of Punjab also received heavy rain accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds, bringing relief from hot and humid weather but causing traffic congestion and waterlogging.

According to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the highest rainfall in Lahore was recorded in Shadman and Shadipura (55mm), followed by Gulberg (54mm), Mughalpura (50mm) and Tajpura (34mm).

Heavy rain was also reported in Farooqabad, Renala Khurd, Sheikhupura, Chak Jhumra, Kamoke, Nankana Sahib, Sharqpur Sharif, Dina and Bahawalnagar.

In Kamoke, water accumulated on the service road, GT Road and underpasses, severely disrupting traffic. Rain also caused power outages in several cities after multiple electricity feeders tripped.

More rain forecast

The PMD has forecast more heavy rainfall on Tuesday in upper Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Azad Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

It also warned of urban flooding and landslides in Murree and Galiyat, while southern Punjab, Sindh and most parts of Balochistan are expected to remain hot and humid.

Authorities have also opened the spillways of Tarbela Dam, with water inflows expected to increase from 220,000 to 245,000 cusecs. Residents living along the Indus River have been advised to avoid riverbanks and waterways due to the expected rise in water levels.

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has directed all relevant agencies to remain on high alert and urged the public to take precautionary measures.

Rain-related death toll reaches 136

According to the NDMA, 10 people were killed and two others injured in rain-related incidents across Pakistan over the past 24 hours.

Five of the latest fatalities, including three children, were reported from Sindh, while Punjab recorded three deaths, including two children.

Since June 26, monsoon-related incidents have claimed at least 136 lives and injured 418 people nationwide. The fatalities include 63 children and 26 women.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa remains the worst-hit province, with 57 deaths, including 27 children, while mountainous areas continue to face landslides and flash flooding.

Punjab has recorded 50 deaths and 308 injuries, largely due to roof collapses and other rain-related incidents.

Sindh has reported 10 deaths and eight injuries, while 10 people have died and five others were injured in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Balochistan has recorded eight fatalities and 15 injuries, with flash floods continuing in streams across the Sulaiman Range and northern districts.

The NDMA said more than 1,150 houses had been partially or completely damaged, while 545 livestock had perished.

Floods have also damaged infrastructure, affecting 37 bridges and around 25 kilometres of roads nationwide.

Flooding persists at Ganda Singh Wala on the Sutlej River, while medium to high flood levels are expected at Balloki Headworks on the Ravi River. Authorities have issued alerts for villages around Lahore as well as Kasur, Okara and Pakpattan districts.

The NDMA and provincial disaster management authorities have established more than 75 relief camps in Punjab and other affected areas to accommodate displaced residents.

Rescue 1122, district administrations and other emergency services remain on high alert. Authorities have advised people to stay away from rivers, streams, electricity poles and unsafe buildings, and to avoid unnecessary travel during heavy rainfall.

Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Memon claimed the election followed the pattern of the 2024 general elections, describing it as a “Form 47 Plus” operation that undermined the mandate of the Kashmiri people.

He said the AJK polls were of critical importance for the PPP, but alleged that the party was defeated through coordinated efforts involving the federal government, the Punjab government, the Election Commission and the PML-N.

Memon said the ruling party should have prioritised the interests of the people of Kashmir over political gains, adding that the PPP would continue challenging the election results and the alleged irregularities “until the last stage.”

He further alleged that the Election Commission had acted as a facilitator for the PML-N rather than as an impartial institution.

Referring to the postponement of polling in LA-27, Memon claimed the Election Commission cited rainfall despite what he described as clear weather.

He alleged the electoral body failed to deliver polling materials on time and said it should explain the reasons if it was unable to conduct the process as scheduled.

The PPP leader also alleged that one party worker was shot dead during the election process, while a PPP member of the National Assembly came under gunfire.

He further claimed that supporters of the PML-N attacked the president of AJK, but no arrests were made despite complaints.

Memon alleged the AJK chief secretary and inspector general of police, appointed by the federal government, remained under Islamabad’s influence, while the AJK prime minister appeared powerless. He also claimed the AJK president was not provided adequate security.

Memon alleged that PPP leader Nayyar Bukhari had presented pre-stamped ballot papers before the media and claimed ballot papers had been provided to PML-N candidates two days before polling. He further alleged ballot papers were openly stamped in Lahore and Sialkot.

PPP AJK leader Chaudhry Yasin also questioned the credibility of the election process, alleging polling agents were locked inside rooms while fake stamping of ballot papers took place.

He claimed security was not provided despite repeated requests to the relevant authorities and alleged that nearly 90% voter turnout was recorded at around 40% of polling stations, describing it as highly unusual.

Yasin also alleged that polling agents were assaulted and criticised authorities for abandoning an earlier proposal to hold elections in phases due to security concerns.

The PML-N, the Election Commission and other relevant authorities had not issued any official response to the allegations at the time of filing this report.

Chairing a meeting on private investment and sustainable economic development, the prime minister instructed officials to submit a comprehensive plan for developing both the country’s public equity market and the proposed private equity fund.

He said the initiative would improve businesses’ access to capital and help attract greater foreign investment.

PM Shehbaz said private sector investment was critical to sustaining economic growth, adding that private equity funds could play a key role in mobilising capital, expanding businesses and creating jobs.

He said sectors including minerals, agriculture, livestock, energy and information technology (IT) had the potential to become major engines of economic growth, stressing that a stronger public equity market would help channel investment into these industries.

The prime minister also noted that financing from the banking sector remained limited, highlighting the need to develop alternative funding mechanisms to meet the country’s growing investment needs.

Reaffirming the government’s economic agenda, PM Shehbaz said Pakistan was focusing on private sector-led investment, industrial expansion and export growth to build a stronger and more sustainable economy.

The meeting was attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister Haroon Akhtar, and senior officials from relevant ministries and institutions.

Spain estimates that about 69,500 migrants have returned to Morocco over the past four days, exceeding initial estimates of around 50,000 arrivals in Ceuta on Thursday. The official death toll on the Spanish side of the border stands at 72, with 11 deaths on the Moroccan side.

Many said they left as shop closures had left them without food, they encountered hostility from locals ​, and they were unable to travel on to the Spanish mainland.

Ceuta and Spain’s other North African enclave, Melilla, sit on Morocco’s Mediterranean coast and ​periodically face attempted crossings by migrants seeking to reach Europe.

Reuters video showed scores of migrants, most of them from sub-Saharan Africa, ⁠lying on the sand of El Trampolin beach. Many were wrapped in towels to shield from the wind, while army and police vehicles patrolled the road behind ​them.

Ceuta’s leader Juan Jesus Vivas told broadcaster Telecinco that between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants remained in the enclave, adding that its two migrant reception centres — one for adults ​and another for minors — had “collapsed”.

Local official Alberto Gaitan said the city was processing 862 migrant minors, who enjoy special legal protections from deportation.

Diplomatic fallout

The crisis has fuelled anti-immigration rhetoric throughout Europe and sparked diplomatic tensions within the European Union over border policy, with Spain accusing some partners of an unhelpful and polarising response.

Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albares said on Monday that Spain had ​previously supported other EU countries during migration crises and now expected reciprocal backing.

The bloc has called an emergency video conference meeting of interior ministers to discuss the crisis ​on Tuesday.

Albares sharply criticised Italy’s government, accusing it of helping amplify misinformation.

He said Morocco had immediately offered police support and had not attached conditions to its cooperation, allowing for the ‌rapid return ⁠of most of those who crossed.

But Ceuta’s Vivas was critical of Rabat, saying there was a widespread perception within Ceuta that it had allowed — if not orchestrated — the crisis.

“Morocco has shown us that it isn’t reliable. There’s no alternative but to put in place whatever means are necessary to ensure it cannot do this again,” Vivas told the newspaper, El Pais.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry on Sunday blamed the surge on misinformation on social media, human trafficking networks and misinterpretation of a Spanish court ruling banning immediate ​returns of migrants intercepted at sea. That ​was in line with Madrid’s official ⁠view.

Intelligence services under scrutiny

According to reports by El Pais and Cadena SER radio, citing officials familiar with the matter, Spanish intelligence services have concluded that Morocco did not plan the mass crossing, but allowed it to happen.

Moroccan border controls were gradually ​relaxed during July and were allegedly removed as crowds surged toward the Tarajal crossing during Morocco’s Throne Day holiday, the ​reports said.

Morocco’s Interior Ministry ⁠did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

In its Sunday statement, it said Morocco is “committed to strengthening international cooperation and coordination in combating irregular migration and human trafficking”.

Spain’s Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska told reporters on Saturday the foreign intelligence agency CNI, controlled by the Defence Ministry, did not warn him of an imminent surge. El Pais said ⁠on Monday ​that had caused tensions between the two ministries.

An Interior Ministry spokesperson downplayed the reported tensions.

Defence Minister ​Margarita Robles declined to say whether the CNI had any prior intelligence of the mass crossing, adding its work was secret and praising the “exceptional” work of Spanish security services personnel.

Hair experts agree that frizz starts with dehydration — when strands lack moisture, they pull it from the humid air instead, causing the hair shaft to swell and lose its smooth shape. That’s especially true in Pakistan’s climate, where humidity, dust, and hard water leave hair parched and prone to frizz almost year-round.

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Vitamin C is known to support healthy-looking hair, ceramides help maintain hydration, and pearl protein binds moisture into the strand — together giving hair the glossy, smooth finish that naturally resists frizz. Used as a shampoo-and-conditioner duo, Sunsilk Black Shine is built to keep hair sleek through Karachi humidity or a Lahore dust storm alike.

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Sunsilk Black Shine Shampoo and Conditioner, thanks to its Vita Gloss Complex and up to 48-hour shine.

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In the letter, dated August ⁠3rd, she also reiterated the ​EU’s support to help Spain tackle ​illegal immigration while noting that more needed to be done.

The letter came after ​last week’s huge rush of ​migrants who surged over the Moroccan border to ‌enter the Spanish enclave of Ceuta in north Africa. At least 67 people died as a result.

“In co-operation ​with Spain, ​especially ⁠on anything related to Ceuta and Melilla, we ​could enhance border management early-warning ​systems ⁠and improve our technical and financial support to Morocco,” wrote von ⁠der ​Leyen in the ​letter.

On a month-on-month basis, the consumer price index (CPI) rose 1.2% in July, compared with a 0.3% decline in June. Monthly inflation had increased 2.9% in July 2025.

Urban inflation stood at 8.7% year-on-year in July, down from 11.2% in June but higher than 4.4% a year earlier. On a monthly basis, urban CPI rose 1.2%, reversing a 0.5% decline in June.

Rural inflation came in at 9.9% year-on-year, compared with 10.9% in the previous month and 3.5% in July 2025. On a monthly basis, rural CPI increased 1.2%, after remaining unchanged in June.

Government outlook

The July inflation reading was in line with the Finance Division’s latest monthly outlook, which projected CPI inflation in the 9-10% range, citing pressure from higher global oil prices.

The outlook came as Pakistan’s foreign direct investment (FDI) fell 33.9% in fiscal year 2025-26 to $1.64 billion, down from $2.48 billion a year earlier.

Last week, the State Bank of Pakistan’s Monetary Policy Committee kept the benchmark policy rate unchanged at 11.5% in its first meeting of fiscal year 2026-27.

Speaking after the policy decision, SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad had said inflation was expected to moderate in July and remain within the central bank’s target range later in the fiscal year.

“We expect the CPI to clock in at the upper band of our target range of 5-7% by the end of this fiscal year,” Ahmad said.

His government expanded benefits like cheap cooking gas and direct farm subsidies, giving Ashok and his younger brother Abhishek hope for a better future.

Their parents rewarded Modi with votes in three elections.

But last week, 25-year-old Ashok found himself demonstrating against Modi next to Jantar Mantar, an 18th-century astronomical observatory that anchors New Delhi’s main protest site.

The protests were spearheaded by the Cockroach Janta Party, a satirical movement that has become the voice of India’s young and disaffected.

The unrest erupted after the government invalidated national medical exam test results for about 2 million students, including Abhishek, after discovering test questions had been leaked.

In India, such standardised tests offer a pathway to the middle class.

The world’s most populous country rations access to thousands of public-sector jobs — diplomats and administrators, but also clerks and forest rangers — through gruelling exams for which students spend years and small fortunes preparing.

Success can be statistically harder than getting into Harvard, but the prize includes lifelong security, as well as pension and housing benefits unavailable in the private sector.

Meanwhile, corporate job growth has slowed to 3% annually from 11% in the decade before 2020, according to Marcellus Investment Managers.

Since 2014, at least two dozen exams have had their results invalidated due to leaks, according to a Reuters review of public records and media reports.

But this time, it sparked one of India’s largest uprisings in decades.

Tens of thousands took to the streets in Delhi and elsewhere to express their fury at the repeated mismanagement of an examination system that stands between the masses and an iron rice bowl, an Asian metaphor for job security.

Four years ago, Ashok packed a small bag and moved a thousand kilometres away from his home state of Bihar.

In Delhi, he earned a master’s degree and enrolled in a test-cramming school, repeatedly trying but failing to crack elite civil service exams.

His younger brother Abhishek later joined him to prepare for a similarly competitive medical-school exam.

Thousands of similarly disenchanted youth have joined demonstrations airing an array of grievances against Modi’s Hindu fundamentalist government that are often obscured by India’s growth figures.

The complaints include widening economic inequality, high youth unemployment and an erosion of free speech rights, according to Reuters interviews with dozens of people during six days of protests.

Indians under the age of 30 are three times as likely as the average citizen to be unemployed, government data show.

Students held up posters mocking in abusive language the septuagenarian Modi and his ministers, who govern a populace including some 900 million under the age of 35.

They punctured the aura of inviolability around a strongman who has electorally crushed India’s once powerful Congress party and, critics say, cowed its historically freewheeling media.

Modi’s office didn’t respond to a request for comment.

It has previously pushed back against criticism of its economic stewardship, arguing that claims of an unemployment crisis are overblown and that macroeconomic fundamentals remain robust.

The people’s party

The Cockroach Janta Party (or “people’s party”) takes its name from a disparaging remark made by India’s chief justice earlier this year about unemployed youth.

He later said his comments had been misconstrued.

On July 20, more than 50,000 attempted to march on parliament, according to some estimates.

They were met with a violent police response but won sympathy from the many more following the protests online.

The crowds, which by then spanned age groups and socioeconomic classes, swelled. Bollywood stars voiced support on social media.

“People are usually divided by religion, caste and language,” said Ashok, showing off a bruise he said came from a police baton during a demonstration.

“This was the first time they united around education.“

Delhi Police didn’t respond to questions about its management of the protests.

It has previously said that the demonstrations were policed professionally and that 118 officers were injured during the July 20 confrontation.

By the end of the week, the cockroaches had their scalp: Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, a primary protest target, had resigned.

In a rare concession, Modi had bowed to demonstrators’ demands.

Modi’s government has since moved to tighten a law against exam leaks with harsher penalties.

He also announced the creation of a panel to review the examination system in a video speaking directly to India’s youth.

The government has additionally agreed to offer compensation to the families of students who died by suicide after exam papers were leaked, as well as to drop efforts to prosecute protesters.

Pradhan didn’t return a request for comment.

Rice farming, buffalo milk

One of the world’s great economic booms began in the 1990s, when India cast off decades of protectionism and welcomed global conglomerates.

The country later developed leading companies of its own, providing back-office services to Wall Street and Silicon Valley.

It has for some years been one of the world’s fastest-growing major economies and now claims roughly half a billion middle-class citizens.

That prosperity, however, can seem distant in Ashok and Abhishek’s home state of Bihar, India’s poorest on a per capita basis.

Reuters reporters visited their family home in a remote corner of the eastern state, which depends on farming.

They found a buffalo tethered in a courtyard littered with dung.

The animal provides the milk their mother sells to supplement her husband’s income from tending a rice plot.

The invalidation of the May medical school exam deflated 20-year-old Abhishek, who unsuccessfully attempted that test three times.

“I thought becoming a doctor would help me get my mother some jewellery, a TV for the home,” Abhishek said at the family home.

Instead, Abhishek found himself dreading asking his parents for money to replace the beaten-up flip-flops he was wearing.

“How much can I study?” he said. “I can’t prepare this much again.“

Ashok, the older brother, had decided as a teenager to pursue a civil service job.

Working for the government is one of the few paths available for ambitious Biharis looking to flee the fields.

He started going to exam-cramming schools while living at home, sometimes studying by lantern light when the electricity went off.

“I thought hard work alone would be enough,” he recalled.

A series of cheating scandals – many in Bihar – disabused him of the notion.

The state briefly became a fixture of global headlines in 2015, when photos of the relatives and friends of exam candidates scaling a building to sneak answers through windows were widely broadcast around the world.

“Cheats Climb High,” one American news website wrote.

As recently as 2024, hundreds protested the alleged leak online of an exam for entry into the state’s civil service.

The Bihar government, which Modi’s party helps lead, said there were only limited irregularities and certified the results.

That didn’t help Ashok. He had fallen short of the cut-off to advance to the next round by just 10 points.

He had taken the test while preparing for more competitive national exams, and came away embittered at the near-miss result.

Over the last four years, he has taken seven such tests, missing out each time.

He estimates that he has spent more than $10,000, nearly all from the savings his father has scraped together.

Back in Ashok’s claustrophobic Delhi rental room, the peeling plaster walls are adorned with posters, including one with an inspirational quote from the Hindu monk Swami Vivekananda: “Arise, awake, and stop not until your goal is achieved.”

The sentiment, however, seems lost on him.

“The public examination system has largely collapsed,” he said.

‘Future of children’

Divya Unny is one of India’s winners.

She was just a child when India set off on its journey of economic liberalisation.

By the time she was an adult, India had its own Vogue magazine, which she worked for before successfully pivoting into acting and directing.

Her feminist short films have been watched by millions on YouTube.

But in July, the 41-year-old joined thousands of disillusioned “cockroaches” at Jantar Mantar.

The crowds chanted “Inquilab Zindabad” — an anti-colonial slogan that means “Long live the Revolution.”

Michael Jackson’s 1990s protest anthem “They Don’t Care About Us” blared from loudspeakers.

Unny, who lives in the coastal city of Mumbai, had her gripes with the government.

She complained that Indian film studios seemed to prioritise making Hindu-nationalist-themed movies. Wages hadn’t kept up with prices, she said.

But Unny wasn’t in Delhi primarily for herself.

She had developed a sisterly rapport with Simran Singh, the 21-year-old daughter of her housekeeper Mamta Singh.

Simran had fallen into a funk after taking the medical exam and seeing her results invalidated.

Wanting to help, but not sure how, the filmmaker took a 17-hour train ride with her husband and marched at Jantar Mantar, wearing her late mother’s sari and a flower garland in her hair.

“We were just going to support something for the future of the children of this country,” she said.

Unny’s housekeeper, Mamta, had come to Mumbai from Bihar, like the Kumar brothers.

She had moved to the city to enable bigger dreams for herself and Simran.

Until May’s exam results were cancelled, that bet appeared to be paying off.

Her hours were long, but the wages enabled her to spend over $3,000 annually on test coaching for Simran.

Her daughter was determined to live up to the expectations, dedicating herself to months of study and largely isolating herself from friends, Mamta said.

After the test, Simran expected that she would score higher than 500 points – likely enough to attend medical school.

But soon after, Indian media started reporting suspected irregularities with the exam.

Simran shut herself away for two days without eating, Mamta said.

Modi’s government later announced the tests would be invalidated “in the interest of students.”

It also referred the leak to federal investigators, as it did in 2024, when questions for that year’s exam were also prematurely released.

The government organised a retest in June, but this time Simran scored below expectations.

Even before that, however, she had decided to abandon her medical dreams and opt for a less prestigious course of study.

“Today my daughter is 21,” Mamta said.

“After one year she’ll be 22 and again the same thing will happen. Will we keep doing this our whole life? When will she live her life?”

“I extend my heartfelt congratulations to all the successful candidates of the PML-N,” the prime minister said in a statement.

He said this continued success was the result of the hard work of the party’s Quaid Nawaz Sharif and the entire PML-N team.

“Under the leadership of the PML-N Quaid, the party’s team conducted a highly successful election campaign in Azad Jammu and Kashmir,” the prime minister added.

He said the victory of the PML-N was reflective of the confidence of the people of Azad Jammu and Kashmir in the party’s policies.

“The development and prosperity of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, along with the welfare and well-being of its people, remain among the foremost priorities of the PML-N,” the prime minister said and added that the active participation of political parties in the second phase of the Azad Kashmir elections will further strengthen the democratic process.

Infantino is facing the biggest crisis of his decade-long tenure after regional confederations UEFA and CONCACAF declared no confidence in his leadership following the abortive proposal to bring private equity into the World Cup.

He confirmed his intention to stand for a fourth term at next year’s Congress in April, but the pressure on Infantino may ​not wait until the election.

Wales on Monday became the first soccer federation to formally withdraw support for Infantino, while European body UEFA confirmed it had ​written to the 56-year-old Swiss to inform him it was weighing legal action against him regarding the proposal.

Opponents can ⁠mount a push to depose him with a vote at an Extraordinary Congress (EC) if 20% of FIFA’s membership of 211 member associations request one in writing.

An ​EC would need to be held within three months of a request, providing time for rival candidates to emerge.

UEFA, whose 55 member nations voted to boycott all ​FIFA tournaments if the stake sale went ahead, alone could trigger an EC with a unanimous vote.

But getting a majority of FIFA’s membership to vote Infantino out at the EC may not be an easy task.

Despite vast disparities in wealth, soccer development and influence across the footballing world, all 211 nations have an equal vote.

Rather than smoothing things over with ​established football giants like France, Spain and England, Infantino’s best chance of clinging to power may rest with members like Bhutan and Vanuatu — emerging nations ​that have never competed at a World Cup and rely overwhelmingly on FIFA to support their football programmes and participate in international events.

FIFA members have been able to claim up ‌to $3 million ⁠for soccer development projects over the course of the 2023-26 World Cup cycle, $1 million more than the previous cycle.

The money is small beer for rich nations with professional teams but vital for football’s have-nots.

The stake sale was always aimed at the latter members, and many have done well under Infantino’s patronage.

Vanuatu experience

Vanuatu are ranked 160th in the world, and sixth among the Oceania confederation teams, but their football association head Lambert Maltock has a seat at FIFA’s highest table ​as one of eight vice-presidents in the ​body’s Executive Council.

FIFA gave the island ⁠nation of about 340,000 people a development grant of $4.15 million to help build a 6,500-seat stadium in the capital Port Vila, which was completed in 2022.

For Vanuatu’s first professional player, Brian Kaltak, Infantino’s backing has been a huge boost ​for the country and developing nations generally.

“First of all, he gave a chance for our president to be part ​of FIFA and ⁠then, with development projects, he’s been trying to grow the game — not just Vanuatu but all third-world countries,” the Perth Glory defender told Reuters on Monday.

“He’s opening up more chances for a team like ours, for nations like ours to make it … It’s been a massive help.”

Similar funding splashes are common across Asia, Africa, the Caribbean ⁠and the ​Pacific, where FIFA grants have financed training pitches, gyms and soccer programmes that national associations would ​otherwise struggle to finance.

For critics, however, that same funding model has reinforced a system in which FIFA trades financial power for political influence, making it difficult to build a coalition to unseat ​an incumbent president.

Any campaign to remove Infantino may ultimately be a numbers game that extends far beyond Europe’s traditional elite.

Speaking at a press conference in Karachi, representatives of various transport associations warned that the movement of goods across the country will come to a complete halt if their demands were not met.

Speaking on the occasion, transport alliance president Malik Shahzad Awan said transporters would suspend the transportation of goods nationwide from August 8 to protest against rising fuel prices and “unsustainable operating costs.”

He said transporters could no longer continue their business due to the increasing prices of diesel and petrol, and demanded that the government abolish the daily fuel price adjustment mechanism and revert to fixing petroleum product prices on a monthly basis.

Awan also called on the government to reverse the recent increases in petrol and diesel prices, restore toll tax rates to their June 2024 level, and abolish the 7% withholding tax imposed on the goods transport sector.

The alliance warned that freight operations across Pakistan would remain suspended until their concerns were addressed.

The price of gold per tola climbed Rs1,700 to reach Rs428,436, according to rates shared by the All-Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA). Ten-gram gold rose Rs1,457 to Rs367,314.

The local gains followed a decline on Saturday, when gold per tola fell Rs3,700 to Rs426,736.

Internationally, gold gained $17 to reach $4,060 per ounce, with a $20 premium.

Silver also rose, gaining Rs54 to reach Rs6,291 per tola.

Election officials said polling staff and election material would be dispatched to the polling stations on Monday evening to ensure voting begins on schedule.

The elections in the two constituencies were postponed during the second phase of elections after polling staff and election material could not reach 57 polling stations on time due to bad weather.

In LA-27, a total of 26 candidates are in the race, including Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Noreen Arif, Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) candidate Sardar Javed Ayub, and Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP) candidate Sardar Tabarak Ali.

Meanwhile, LA-28 is witnessing a contest among 24 candidates, including PPP’s Syed Bazil Ali Naqvi and PML-N’s Chaudhry Shehzad.

Authorities said comprehensive security measures have been put in place to ensure peaceful and orderly polling in both constituencies.

The rebuttal by the Iranian foreign ministry follows Trump saying he had held off launching new strikes on the Islamic Republic to allow for further diplomatic efforts, a familiar pattern in the conflict.

Washington and Tehran have been at war since February 28, when the US and Israel launched surprise strikes against Iran, though months of on-off diplomacy have led to periods of relative calm.

Trump last week threatened to hit Iran “very hard”, with the US leader reportedly considering renewed attacks, including against energy infrastructure.

But the president pulled back from that threat Saturday, saying the “perimeters” of a deal were there.

Iran’s foreign ministry, however, denied there were currently negotiations taking place.

“We are not currently negotiating with the United States. Our negotiations are with Oman to secure passage through the Strait of Hormuz,” said foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei during a weekly press briefing.

The Hormuz shipping route is a major sticking point in efforts to end the war.

Iran has obstructed vessels attempting to pass the critical trade corridor, firing on commercial ships.

Before the war, there was free passage through the strait, but Iran now insists on retaining control and charging fees, something the US rejects.

Tehran has refused to let ships travel any route other than one which hugs the Iranian coast.

On Sunday, Baghaei told state television that a deal was close on managing Hormuz together with Oman, which sits on the other side of the narrow waterway.

“We are now going to reach an understanding on a route acceptable to both sides — neither the northern route nor the southern route — but one that respects the sovereign rights of both sides and safeguards our national interests and security,” he said.

But he insisted that such an agreement did not mean the reopening of the strait.

‘It begins tomorrow’

On Sunday, a tanker off the coast of Oman reported hearing an explosion nearby, the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) Centre reported, but the ship and crew were all reported safe.

Trump told reporters on Sunday that the new talks with Iran would cover Hormuz and ultimately the denuclearisation of Iran.

The US president said at the start of the conflict that the war was necessary to deal with Iran’s nuclear programme.

Western nations accuse Iran of seeking a bomb, though Tehran insists the programme is entirely civilian in nature.

“Now what we’re doing is we’re talking to them in the form of a negotiation. It begins tomorrow afternoon,” Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One on Sunday, without providing details of the venue or participants.

The president said he had been asked by Iran as well as US partners Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar to hold off on further strikes, which he claimed would have been “the biggest attack since World War II”.

Iranian media denied that Tehran had asked Trump not to strike.

Trump has repeatedly claimed a settlement to end the war is near, only for fighting to resume.

He has previously issued apocalyptic warnings to Tehran, only to later backtrack by saying diplomacy was underway.

A previous ceasefire deal between the foes fell through last month.

It was supposed to open the Strait of Hormuz to ships carrying vital energy exports from the Gulf to feed the global economy.

Iranian lawmaker Hassan Ghashghavi, spokesman for the parliament’s national security commission, said on Sunday that mediators were trying to revive the US-Iran memorandum of understanding that was agreed in June.

That agreement was not intended as a final peace deal, but as a stepping stone to negotiations on a comprehensive agreement, though it did include provisions on Hormuz.

“They know that the main issue and, in fact, the key to the matter right now is the issue of the Strait of Hormuz, so yes, there is an exchange of views,” Ghashghavi said.

Posting on X, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian said: “We must strive to compel the enemy to remain committed to what it has signed.”

The FIR was lodged at the Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) police station in Swat on the complaint of the Station House Officer (SHO) of Kabal police station.

It includes charges under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA) and other terrorism-related provisions.

According to the FIR, a protest organised by the Pasoon organisation was underway at Kabal Chowk when an explosion occurred at the main gate of Kabal police station at approximately 6.04pm.

The FIR states that preliminary findings suggest the attack may have been carried out by Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) commander Muzaffar and other militants active in the area.

However, the sources said that the investigation was still going on.

Meanwhile, a Swat police spokesperson said that two more injured police personnel, Constable Mukarram Khan and Constable Hussain Khan, died while undergoing treatment at a hospital.

Their deaths have raised the overall death toll from the suicide attack to 17.

The spokesperson added that 13 injured police personnel remain under treatment at the hospital.

According to official documents available with Wealth Pakistan, the initiative marks a fundamental shift from isolated restoration projects to an integrated heritage management framework for the wider Taxila World Heritage Property, with major conservation interventions undertaken at the ancient sites of Mohra Moradu and Sirkap.

The programme aims to safeguard the authenticity, integrity and Outstanding Universal Value of Taxila while ensuring its sustainable preservation for future generations.

The World Heritage Property has suffered for decades from natural deterioration, incompatible restoration methods, moisture damage, uncontrolled vegetation, erosion and increasing environmental pressures.

Previous conservation efforts were often undertaken independently without an overarching management framework, while the use of reinforced concrete and cement in earlier repairs adversely affected the historic fabric of several monuments.

To address these challenges, the Punjab government commissioned The Urban Unit to prepare Taxila’s first comprehensive master plan, followed by an implementation programme developed by NESPAK.

The strategy integrates archaeological research, structural conservation, environmental management, museum development, visitor facilities, digital documentation, accessibility improvements and institutional capacity building within a multidisciplinary framework.

The conservation programme began at Mohra Moradu, one of the finest Buddhist monastic complexes of the Gandhara period, where reinforced concrete structures installed over the Main Votive Stupa were removed and replaced with a lightweight protective shelter designed in accordance with internationally recognised conservation principles.

The project also introduced accessibility measures by creating a discreet earthen ramp for persons with disabilities without disturbing the site’s original stone staircase.

Archaeological investigations uncovered the monastery’s original drainage system and rediscovered a historic sacred water well, improving site preservation while enhancing archaeological understanding.

At Sirkap, conservation teams removed extensive vegetation and accumulated debris that had concealed archaeological remains and accelerated structural deterioration.

Conservation work focused on stabilising vulnerable masonry using compatible materials and minimum-intervention techniques rather than speculative reconstruction.

For the first time, the conservation programme was supported by comprehensive scientific documentation, including archival research, archaeological investigations, Geographic Information System (GIS) mapping, three-dimensional laser scanning, structural condition surveys, Heritage Impact Assessments and material compatibility studies, providing a technical baseline for future monitoring and conservation.

The programme has also resulted in the preparation of Taxila’s first Conservation Management Plan, establishing long-term policies for conservation, maintenance, visitor management, disaster preparedness, environmental monitoring and institutional coordination.

The programme also strengthened legal and spatial protection through the delineation of buffer zones around component sites.

In addition, proposals were developed to improve visitor facilities, interpretation, site presentation and museum display facilities to better present the site’s historical significance.

The movie, which marks actor Tom Holland’s fourth outing as the web-slinging superhero, depicts Peter Parker fighting crime in a world that has forgotten he ​is Spider-Man.

Zendaya co-stars as MJ, the love of Parker’s life.

Audiences returned for a film that was grounded in ​Parker’s struggles with loneliness and his pursuit of human connection.

“Spider-Man: Brand New Day is fundamentally a movie about ⁠friendship, about the balm of connection in all our lives, and that is resonant to audiences of all ages and all around the ​world,” Tom Rothman, chairman and chief executive of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s Motion Picture Group, said.

Data from Rentrak indicates Spider-Man: Brand New Day had the ​highest domestic gross opening since the COVID-19 pandemic and the second-highest of all time, in North America and worldwide, behind the 2019 release of the superhero film Avengers: Endgame.

That film raked in an inflation-adjusted $1.6 billion in global ticket sales, including $467 million in the United States and Canada, in its opening.

Internationally, Spider-Man: Brand New Day grossed $572 ​million in opening weekend ticket sales, with China leading international markets with $121 million in ticket sales, according to the studio.

Spider-Man is one of ​the most popular of Marvel’s comic book characters, with a cinematic appeal that endures even as audiences have shown signs of fatigue with the superhero genre. ‌

The ⁠latest instalment has been well-received, scoring a 90% rating from critics and 98% approval from movie-goers on Rotten Tomatoes.

Paul Dergarabedian, head of marketplace trends for Rentrak, said on Friday that the franchise is approaching the $10 billion mark in unadjusted worldwide theatrical box office, which speaks to the character’s appeal.

Greg Durkin, the founder and CEO of the entertainment research firm Enact Insight, said the movie’s central themes of loneliness and isolation, and ​triumphing over drama, resonated especially with ​Gen Z filmgoers.

“There’s a mental ⁠health crisis now with young people in our country — it’s especially acute for young men right now. There’s a friendship crisis,” Durkin said.

“The pandemic created a bunch of shock-wave effects that we haven’t fully documented, ​much less addressed. This movie touches on some really important themes.”

The performance of Spider-Man: Brand New Day fuels ​an already-robust summer ⁠box office, which has been buoyed by such major releases as Toy Story 5 and The Odyssey.

Dergarabedian said on Sunday that the combination of Spider-Man: Brand New Day with another hit, The Odyssey, created the “all-time biggest domestic weekend” in movie theatres.

“There’s no better lead-in to this movie than The Odyssey,” Dergarabedian said.

“Think of how ⁠many people ​around the world were in movie theatres being exposed to trailers marketing for Spider-Man: Brand ​New Day.”

Holland, Zendaya and Jon Bernthal appear in both movies.

The overall domestic box office performance remains below pre-pandemic levels.

Year-to-date receipts are up 10% from last year, but 16% ​below 2019, the year before the pandemic struck, according to Rentrak.

DeepSeek, which sources have said is preparing for a potential IPO, officially released its V4-Flash ​model on Friday, its latest attempt to regain momentum by doing what it is best known for - ​offering ultra-low-cost AI alternatives.

The startup’s R1 model became a global sensation in early 2025, triggering ⁠a selloff in global technology stocks and raising questions about the large amounts US companies were spending on ​AI.

DeepSeek’s V4-Flash charges $0.14 per million input tokens and $0.28 per million output tokens, according to research firm Artificial Analysis. A ​token is a unit of data used to measure AI usage.

San Francisco-based Artificial Analysis estimated V4-Flash’s average cost at 3 cents per test, compared with 86 cents for Kimi K3 from Chinese rival Moonshot AI, $1.86 for OpenAI’s GPT-5.6 Sol and $3.15 for Claude Fable 5.

The ​comparison provides a more realistic measure of value than pricing alone because it accounts for the amount of ​data a model must process and generate to complete a task.

A model with a low headline price can still prove expensive ‌if it ⁠requires significantly more steps to produce an answer.

DeepSeek once commanded most of the headlines about Chinese AI development but was quickly besieged by many domestic rivals, including other startups such as Moonshot, MiniMax and Z.AI as well as tech giants like ByteDance and Alibaba.

All are vying with US tech firms for global adoption, targeting businesses seeking cheaper ​ways to deploy AI ​at scale.

Artificial Analysis said DeepSeek’s ⁠V4-Flash model scored 50 out of 100 on its Intelligence Index, which combines results from nine benchmarks spanning coding, reasoning and workplace-style assignments.

That’s the same score as Google’s ​Gemini 3.6 Flash, and one point behind Meta’s Muse Spark 1.1 and GLM-5.2 ​from Z.AI, which ⁠is also known as Zhipu.

Moonshot’s Kimi K3, however, scored a 57 while Anthropic’s Claude Opus 5, Fable 5, and OpenAI GPT-5.6 scored nine or more points higher.

DeepSeek is also preparing a more powerful version of its model, called the ⁠V4-Pro.

It ​has not given a date for that version’s official release.

Separately on ​Monday, Alibaba unveiled its largest and most capable artificial-intelligence model to date, the Qwen3.8-Max, which is not far behind in size when compared with an ​offering from domestic rival Moonshot AI launched last month.

According to sources, a meeting of the group led by MQM-P Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was underway when senior party leader Anees Qaimkhani arrived at the venue accompanied by his supporters.

The sources said a heated exchange took place following Qaimkhani’s arrival.

After Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui left the meeting, workers from the two groups reportedly came face-to-face, leading to a physical altercation.

During the clash, several party workers were allegedly assaulted.

Sources claimed that the clothes of a member of the party’s Central Committee were torn, while Member of the Provincial Assembly Hafiz Ejaz-ul-Haq and Member of the National Assembly Sabeen Ghauri were also allegedly subjected to mistreatment.

The sources further claimed that gunfire was also reported during the incident.

However, there was no immediate official confirmation regarding the firing or any casualties.

Following the clash, a heavy police contingent was deployed to the MQM-P headquarters in Bahadurabad.

In view of the tense situation, the party’s central office was closed, while authorities continued to monitor the situation.