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Donald Trump joins Elon Musk to watch SpaceX Starship’s liftoff

US President-elect Donald Trump on Tuesday watched Elon Musk’s SpaceX successfully launching the sixth test flight of its Starship rocket alongside the billionaire. The roughly 400-foot-tall (122-meter-tall) rocket system, designed to land astronauts on the moon and ferry crews to Mars, lifted off at 4 pm CT (2200 GMT) from SpaceX’s sprawling rocket development site in Boca Chica, Texas. The first stage, called Super Heavy, unexpectedly made a splashdown in the Gulf of Mexico instead of attempting to return to its launchpad, indicating something went wrong. Starship, in space, will…

Punjab, Islamabad police gear up for upcoming PTI protest

The Punjab and Islamabad police have intensified their preparations to uphold law and order ahead of the November 24 protest announced by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) as authorities vowed to take firm action against any efforts disturbing the peace. Over 10,700 police personnel from across Punjab have been put on standby, according to a letter issued by the Additional Inspector General (AIG) of Operations to all the relevant officers at the behest of Punjab’s police chief. The standby force includes 3,500 personnel from the Punjab Highway Patrol, 1,000 personnel from…

G20 leaders take group shot without Biden

US President Joe Biden, at his final summit as US president on Monday, headed for the group photo with fellow G20 leaders in Rio de Janeiro, only to find they had already taken the picture without him. Biden missed out on the shot, along with the Canadian and Italian prime ministers in an incident blamed by frustrated US officials on “logistical issues”. It came during a South American tour during which Biden’s counterparts have been looking past the outgoing US president in political terms — and towards his successor Donald…

Sharif family reacts to Hasan Nawaz company bankruptcy ruling

LONDON: The Sharif family has stated that companies facing bankruptcy are exempt from paying taxes, a stance supported by the British court in the case involving Hasan Nawaz. This clarification came through a statement from the family’s spokesperson in response to the recent UK court decision declaring Hasan Nawaz’s company bankrupt. Hasan, the son of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, has been declared bankrupt by the London High Court in a tax and liability case, according to the court papers. According to UK laws, a bankruptcy order is part of…

Russian lawmakers warn of ‘world war three’ if Ukraine strikes using US missiles

Washington’s move to allow Kyiv to target deep within Russia using long-range US missiles has escalated the Ukraine conflict and could provoke World War Three, senior Russian lawmakers warned on Sunday. The shift marks a major reversal in US policy, as revealed earlier on Sunday by two US officials and a source familiar with the decision. “The West has decided on such a level of escalation that it could end with the Ukrainian statehood in complete ruins by morning,” Andrei Klishas, a senior member of the Federation Council, Russia’s upper…

Trump transition team weighs candidates for transportation secretary role

WASHINGTON: The transition team of President-elect Donald Trump is reportedly considering several candidates for the position of US Transportation Secretary. Among the potential nominees are a former executive from Uber and three Republican lawmakers, including one currently serving as a Fox News host.   Emil Michael, a Trump donor and technology entrepreneur who knows Elon Musk socially, has emerged as a leading contender, three of the sources said. Tech executives who backed Trump have advocated for the former Uber executive, two of the sources said. Other candidates include Sam Graves –…

Security forces kill 12 terrorists in Miran Shah, Kech IBOs

At least 12 terrorists were eliminated during separate intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan and Balochistan’s Kech districts, the military’s media wing said on Wednesday. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on November 12-13, security forces conducted IBO in North Waziristan’s Miran Shah area on reported presence of terrorists. “During conduct of the operation, own troops effectively engaged khwarij’s [terrorists] location, as a result of which, eight khwarij were sent to hell, while six khwarij got injured,” it added. Separately, the ISPR said at least…