The Saudi finance minister was in Islamabad on Saturday in a show of "economic support", a source familiar with the matter told AFP, days after Pakistan said it would return billions in loans to Riyadh's ally-turned-rival the UAE.

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met US Vice President JD Vance in Islamabad on Saturday, the former's office said, adding that peace talks to end the Middle East war had "commenced".

US Vice President JD Vance landed at an airbase near Pakistan's capital on Saturday ahead of negotiations with Iran aimed at ending the war in the Middle East.

The Pakistan Navy rescued 18 crew members, including foreign nationals, of a merchant vessel in the North Arabian Sea after receiving a distress call, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Friday.

A delegation of top Iranian officials has arrived in Islamabad ahead of ceasefire talks with the United States in the Pakistani capital, Iranian state television reported Friday.

The long-term fallout of the war in Iran is only beginning to take shape, but this much is clear: The conflict has left the Middle East unsettled, alliances strained and the world facing uncertain shifts in the balance of economic and military power.

Saudi Arabia said on Thursday that the attacks carried out in recent weeks by Iran against the kingdom's energy infrastructure killed one person and impacted its oil production capacity.

For the 41-year-old Vance, who has kept a notably low profile during the Middle East conflict, it will be one of the biggest moments of his career.

A sweeping narrative links global finance, philosophy, and geopolitics, arguing that modern economic systems are engineered “shadows” shaped by centuries of power consolidation

In a historic and unprecedented moment, Prince Andrew became the first senior British royal in nearly 400 years to be arrested. The move signals a profound shift in accountability within the monarchy.

Each year, Ramadan in Pakistan arrives with promises of relief and billion-rupee subsidy packages. Yet for many citizens, the holy month brings soaring prices instead of ease. From weak market monitoring to ineffective implementation, the gap between announcements and ground realities exposes systemic flaws.

Pakistan has largely lost its traditional leverage over Afghanistan—refugees, militants, and border control—leaving it with limited and risky options like drone strikes or potential military action.

A critique of media influence and authoritarian tendencies that discourage critical thinking, suppress dissent, and keep citizens distracted rather than informed.

In Iran, subsidy reform is economically necessary but politically perilous because cheap essentials underpin daily survival amid inflation and low trust.

India is highly vulnerable to Gulf instability due to its heavy energy reliance on the Strait of Hormuz, exposing it to inflation, trade disruptions, and risks to its diaspora.

Abu Mohammad al-Julani’s shift from global jihadist to pragmatic power broker in Syria highlights how image management and governance shape political survival. The Taliban’s refusal to reform, by contrast, has deepened Afghanistan’s isolation and weakened its legitimacy.