INTERNATIONAL

Dec. 17: The US Senate voted to advance a $901 billion defence bill.

Dec. 17: Paris St Germain and France forward Ousmane Dembele was named FIFA men's player of the year.

Dec. 17: Barcelona midfielder Aitana Bonmati won the women's award for the third year in a row.

Dec. 18: Paris St Germain won the FIFA Intercontinental Cup title.

Dec. 18: The United States imposed sanctions on two more judges of the International Criminal Court after they rejected a challenge by Israel which sought to end a war crimes probe in Gaza.

Dec. 18: The US approved $11 billion-worth of arms to Taiwan.

Dec. 18: In its report on doping, the World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) declared India as the top global sports drug cheater for a third straight year.

Dec. 19: China filed a case against India's tariffs on information and communications technology products and Indian photovoltaic subsidies with the World Trade Organisation.

Dec. 19: EU leaders struck a deal to provide Ukraine a loan of 90 billion euros to plug its looming budget shortfalls.

Dec. 20: The US military launched Operation Hawkeye Strike on dozens of bases used by the militant Islamic State (IS) group in Syria.

Dec. 20: President Trump appointed General Francis L Donovan to head the US Southern Command, a role that oversees the major US military buildup taking place in the Caribbean.

Dec. 20: Massive crowds gathered in Dhaka for the funeral of the slain student leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

Dec. 21: Saudi Arabia and India inked a bilateral agreement granting mutual exemption from short-stay visa requirements for holders of diplomatic, special and official passports.

Dec. 21: Israel approved the establishment of 19 new settlements in the occupied West Bank.

Dec. 21: Australia defeated England to win the third Test in Adelaide to wrap up the Ashes in just 11 days of play.

Dec. 22: President Trump appointed the governor of Louisiana, Jeff Landry, as special envoy to Greenland.

Dec. 22: Thailand launched air strikes on Cambodia.

Dec. 23: President Trump announced a new class of heavily armed warships that will be named after himself.

Dec. 23: The head of Libya's armed forces Lieutenant General Mohammed al-Haddad was killed in a plane crash in Turkiye.

Dec. 24: Actor and filmmaker Mohammed Bakri, a champion of the Palestinian cause, died at 72.

Dec. 24: Algeria's parliament unanimously approved a law declaring France's colonization of the country a crime, and demanding an apology and reparations.

Dec. 24: The Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) launched its heaviest ever payload into low-Earth orbit.

Dec. 24: Star Japanese golfer Masashi “Jumbo” Ozaki died at 78 years.

Dec. 25: The tiny Pacific island nation of Palau agreed to accept up to 75 non-American migrants from the United States under a deal worth $7.5 million.

Dec. 25: Nasry Asfura, a conservative businessman and a son of Palestinian immigrants, was declared winner of the Honduran presidential vote.

Dec. 25: Aspiring prime minister and the son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, Tarique Rahman, returned to Bangladesh, ending nearly 17 years in self-imposed exile.

Dec. 25: Peng Peiyun, the head of China's Family Planning Commission from 1988 to 1998 and the one-child policy czar, passed away.

Dec. 26: A Malaysian judge sentenced former prime minister Najib Razak to 15 more years in jail for his role in the plunder of billions from the now-defunct 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB) more than a decade ago.

Dec. 26: Russia provided Turkiye with new financing worth $9 billion for the Akkuyu nuclear power plant being built by Moscow's state nuclear energy company Rosatom.

Dec. 27: India gave approval to the Dulhasti Stage-II hydropower project on Chenab River in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K).

Dec. 27: Israel formally recognized Somalia's northern region of Somaliland as an independent state.

Dec. 27: Thailand and Cambodia agreed to an “immediate” ceasefire.

Dec. 27: England won their first Test on Australian soil in 15 years.

Dec. 28: Daniel Brelaz, celebrated in Switzerland as the first Green politician elected to a national parliament anywhere in the world, died. He was 75.

Dec. 28: Kosovo citizens voted in snap parliamentary elections.

Dec. 28: Britain signed a $70 million joint procurement contract with Germany to acquire advanced artillery mounted on armoured vehicles.

Dec. 28: President Trump met Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky to discuss “the final stages of his efforts to end the war”.

Dec. 28: French film sensation Brigitte Bardot died aged 91.

Dec. 29: President Trump met Israeli PM Netanyahu in Florida for talks on breaking a deadlock over the Gaza ceasefire.

Dec. 29: Russia accused Ukraine of having fired dozens of drones at one of President Vladimir Putin´s homes.

Dec. 29: Hamas's armed wing confirmed the death of its spokesperson, Abu Obeida.

Dec. 29: The US pledged an initial $2 billion for United Nations humanitarian aid in 2026.

Dec. 30: Bangladesh's first woman prime minister, Khaleda Zia, died aged 80.

Dec. 30: The Iranian foreign ministry designated the Royal Canadian Navy a terrorist organization.

Dec. 30: Facebook owner Meta agreed to acquire Manus, an artificial intelligence agent created by a company founded in China but now based in Singapore.

Dec. 30: The UAE announced the immediate withdrawal of its remaining forces from Yemen.

Dec. 30: Sonam Yeshey, a left-arm spinner from Bhutan, became the first bowler to take eight wickets in a Twenty20 International.

Dec. 31: Bangladesh bade farewell to former prime minister Khaleda Zia in a state funeral.

Dec. 31: Norway's Magnus Carlsen, the world's number one chess player, won the World Blitz Championship in Doha, to secure his 20th world title.

Dec. 31: Taiwanese tech titan TSMC started mass production of its cutting-edge two-nanometer (nm) semiconductor chips.

Jan. 01: Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as New York mayor.

Jan. 01: Bulgaria became the 21st country to switch to the euro.

Jan. 02: Chinese carmaker BYD overtook Elon Musk's Tesla as the world's biggest seller of electric vehicles (EVs).

Jan. 03: The US attacked Venezuela and captured its long-serving President Nicolas Maduro in an overnight operation – Washington's most direct intervention in Latin America since the 1989 invasion of Panama.

Jan. 04: Saudi Arabia designated senior diplomat Major General (Retired) Rajeh Albugami as new ambassador for Pakistan.

Jan. 04: North Korea fired multiple ballistic missiles off its east coast.

Jan. 04: South Korea's President Lee Jae Myung reached China for a four-day visit.

Jan. 04: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) categorically refused to send its national team to India for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

Jan. 05: Deposed Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro pleaded not guilty to charges of narco-terrorism in a New York court.

Jan. 05: The embassy of Palestine was officially inaugurated in London.

Jan. 05: Myanmar's dominant pro-military party, Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP), won the first phase of junta-run elections.

Jan. 06: Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar visited Somaliland.

Jan. 08: Australia won the final Ashes Test against England to seal a dominant 4-1 victory.

Jan. 08: President Trump ordered the US government to pull out of 66 international organisations, including 31 UN entities.

Jan. 09: Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile overnight at a target in Ukraine near the border with NATO-member Poland.

Jan. 10: The Council of Foreign Ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held its 22nd extraordinary session in Jeddah.

Jan. 10: President Trump signed an executive order protecting US-held money derived from sales of Venezuelan oil.

Jan. 11: Israel and Germany signed a security pact to expand cooperation on counterterrorism and cyber defence.

Jan. 11: Poland beat Switzerland in the United Cup final.

Jan. 11: Owen Cooper made Golden Globe history as he became the youngest-ever winner of the award for Best Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role on Television.

Jan. 11: One Battle After Another reigned supreme at the Golden Globes, winning best comedy, while Hamnet sprung a surprise by taking best drama film.

Jan. 12: Australia tightened integrity checks for international student visas, placing India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Bhutan in the highest risk assessment category.

Jan. 12: Somalia cancelled all agreements with the UAE.

Jan. 13: Afghanistan´s Taliban government appointed Noor Ahmad Noor, a Taliban foreign ministry official, as their first senior official in India since the group returned to power in 2021.

Jan. 14: The year 2025 was among the planet`s three warmest on record, the World Meteorological Organisation reported.

Jan. 14: The United States launched the second phase of its plan to end the Gaza war.

Jan. 14: China posted the world's largest-ever trade surplus — the value of goods and services sold overseas compared to its imports — at $1.19 trillion. It's the first time China's full-year trade surplus has passed $1 trillion, beating 2024's record figure of $993 billion.

SOE Losses

Major loss-making state-owned enterprises (SOEs) posted a combined net loss of Rs123 billion during fiscal year 2024-25, marking a sharp 300 percent increase compared to losses of Rs30.6 billion recorded in FY24, underscoring a significant deterioration in the financial performance of the public sector entities.

In the first half of FY2025, major loss-making SOEs reported a combined net loss of Rs343 billion. The National Highway Authority (NHA) recorded a loss of Rs153.3 billion, pushing its accumulated losses to Rs1,953.4 billion — reflecting the unsustainable toll revenue model amid massive road infrastructure expansion. Quetta Electric Supply Company (QESCO) and Sukkur Electric Power Company (SEPCO) followed with losses of Rs58.1 billion and Rs29.6 billion, respectively, with accumulated losses of Rs770.6 billion and Rs473.0 billion, underscoring chronic inefficiencies and poor recoveries in the distribution segment. Other notable contributors to the fiscal drain included Pakistan Railways (Rs26.5 billion loss; accumulated losses Rs6.7 billion), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) with a Rs19.7 billion loss (Rs684.9 billion accumulated), and Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) reporting Rs15.6 billion in losses, raising its accumulated shortfall to Rs255.8 billion. Additionally, Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) posted Rs7.2 billion in losses (accumulated: Rs43.6 billion), Pakistan Post Rs6.3 billion (Rs93.1 billion accumulated), and Utility Stores Corporation Rs4.1 billion (Rs15.5 billion accumulated), revealing persistent operational and structural issues.

Among power generation entities, the GENCOs (I-IV) together posted over Rs8.3 billion in combined losses: GENCO-II (Guddu) at Rs3.8 billion, GENCO-III (Muzaffargarh) at Rs3.1 billion, and GENCO-I (Jamshoro) at Rs1.3 billion. Neelum Jhelum Hydro Power Company posted Rs2.3 billion in losses (accumulated: Rs58.2 billion). Collectively, “All other” loss-making SOEs added Rs2.7 billion to the burden, with their cumulative losses totalling Rs1,285.96 billion, bringing the total accumulated losses of these 15+ entities to Rs5,893.2 billion — a stark indicator of deep-rooted financial inefficiencies and the urgent need for turnaround strategies.

Heat, humidity due to climate change could increase stunting in South Asia's children by 2050

Hot and humid conditions driven by climate change could increase cases of stunting in South Asia's children by over three million by 2050, a study has estimated. Researchers at the US' University of California Santa Barbara looked at how exposure to extremely hot, humid conditions during pregnancy can impact children's health in the populous continent. 'Height-for-age' – a commonly-used indicator of chronic health status for children aged under five – was analyzed. It is the ratio of a one's height to what is average for their age.

Pregnant women are known to be especially susceptible to heat stress due to the added weight and hormonal changes, which makes them vulnerable to overheating.

The findings published in the journal Science show that humidity can worsen impacts of exposure to heat, in part because it prevents pregnant women from cooling down. The worst times were found to be very early and very late in pregnancy.

Wet-bulb globe temperature accounts for three additional factors beyond air temperature that influence heat stress: humidity, radiant heat and airflow.

The researchers also found that each additional day with a maximum wet-bulb globe temperature exceeding 29 degrees Celsius was associated with a reduced number of live births six to 12 months later.

However, each extra day with a maximum temperature of more than 35 degrees Celsius was found to be associated with an increased birth rates up to three months of exposure.

The results are in line with those from previous studies linking heat exposure with premature births – hotter temperatures are shifting births earlier, while hot-humid conditions could be bringing down overall conception rates, increasing rates of early-stage pregnancy loss, or both, the researchers said.