
Turkish consulate celebrates Children's Day
Addressing the event, Turkish Consul General in Karachi, Cemal Sangu said that Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, the founder of modern Turkiye, decided to celebrate April 23 as a holiday in 1924, the only universal holiday dedicated to children.
With UNESCO's declaration of 1979 as the "World Children's Year", this holiday is celebrated with great enthusiasm and excitement together with the children of the world, he added.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Business Recorder
4 hours ago
- Business Recorder
Erdogan tells Putin Turkiye backs Ukraine peace talks involving ‘all parties': presidency
ISTANBUL: President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday informed his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin by phone that Turkiye would support a process involving 'all parties' for peace in Ukraine, the Turkish presidency said. Erdogan told Putin that 'Turkiye has sincerely strived for a just peace since the beginning of the war, and in this context, supports approaches aimed at establishing lasting peace with the participation of all parties,' his office said in a statement. Turkiye, which enjoys friendly ties with both its Black Sea neighbors, has hosted three rounds of peace talks between Ukraine and Russia since May. Ankara has often insisted on the protection of Ukraine's territorial integrity while shying away from Western sanctions on Russia. US, NATO planners start to craft Ukraine security guarantee options US President Donald Trump held talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and European leaders in Washington on Monday, three days after his landmark encounter with Putin in Alaska. NATO head Mark Rutte called Erdogan on Tuesday by phone on his way back to Europe after that meeting, the Turkish presidency said. The pair discussed 'Turkiye's contribution to the peace process, as one of NATO's most important countries' and agreed to remain on close coordination, according to the presidency. They also exchanged views on feasible and sustainable security guarantees, the statement said, without further elaboration.


Express Tribune
21 hours ago
- Express Tribune
No Air Force One yet; optics secured
The writer is an Economist based in Islamabad. For insights and updates, follow on Twitter: @SalmanAneel or reach out via email at aneelsalman@ Is he coming or not? The question is hanging in Islamabad's diplomatic air like smog before monsoon. No official itinerary. No confirmation. And yet, the entire capital is abuzz with speculation, prepping for the possibility that Donald J Trump may soon be setting foot on Pakistani soil — with a camera crew in tow. Top media outlets have already done the classic Islamabad two-step: break the story, then retract it. The White House issued a dry-as-toast denial: "No trip scheduled at this time." But with Trump, absence of confirmation often is the confirmation. Denial, after all, is part of the build-up. Because Trump is not a president in the conventional sense. He is a performer playing a president, on a stage where policy is the prop and optics are the plot. Let's rewind the show. In June, Trump rolled out the red carpet for Pakistan's Army Chief at the White House — a move so unorthodox under a civilian government that even the most seasoned analysts blinked twice. Then came the hammer on India. First a 25% tariff, and then an additional 25% blow for Delhi's ongoing flirtation with Russian oil. And in the same breath, Trump was touting a "massive oil exploration deal" with Pakistan. He even brokered the Indo-Pak ceasefire in May which he keeps mentioning in his speeches. This isn't diplomacy. It's pageantry, choreographed to disrupt the old order while staging a new one — centred entirely around Trump. If the visit materialises, expect theatre. Not handshakes over policy documents, but a fireworks display of "deals" and declarations. A press conference about American companies exploring Pakistan's untapped oil reserves — even if the oil's more rumour than resource. Trump doesn't care about whether deals are signed or implemented. He cares that the announcement makes a splash. And he'll certainly paint the Pakistan visit as a strategic masterstroke. "We punished India, and look — Pakistan welcomed us." Expect a trade narrative: crypto, IT, minerals. Expect energy promises. Expect vintage Trump logic, where tariffs on one partner prove that another was the better option all along. He may even try to revive his peace-broker persona. Cue a speech at a local university, maybe even a soundbite about deserving the Nobel Prize. But beneath the showmanship, Pakistan must ask: what's really on offer? This is where we need to be careful. Trump is not pivoting to Pakistan because of shared values or vision. He's pivoting because we're currently the convenient headline. In this moment, Islamabad is not the favourite — it's the foil. And the minute the optics shift, so will the attention. So how should Pakistan play it? First, keep it real. If Trump wants a show, let him have it — but behind the curtains, ask for substance. Frame every conversation with facts, feasibility, and follow-up. Announcements are nice. Agreements are better. Second, use the spotlight. Push for serious engagement in energy, rare earths, Fintech. Pitch ourselves not as a hedge against India, but as a regional hub with value beyond geopolitics. Third, protect the sovereignty clause. This is not the moment to nod along to every soundbite. Make sure any cooperation is framed around mutual benefit — not someone else's election season optics. Finally, think beyond Trump. Engage Congress. Reconnect with think tanks. Make the case to American institutions that Pakistan isn't a wildcard, but a partner with a plan. Trump is just one act in the American playbook. We should be speaking to the full cast. Whether Air Force One lands or not, the stage is already set. The visit may be imaginary, but the impact isn't. For now, Trump has recast Pakistan not as a pariah, but as a possibility. For a transactional politician, that's as close to a compliment as it gets. And so we wait. For the motorcade that may never arrive. For the handshake that may remain hypothetical. But most of all, for the headlines that — confirmed visit or not — have already shifted the South Asian narrative. In the end, this is classic Trump. Promise big. Say little. Deliver drama. Whether or not Air Force One touches down at Nur Khan, one thing is clear: Trump's foreign policy was never about alliances. It was always about audience. And right now, Pakistan is in the spotlight. Let's not miss the cue.


Express Tribune
2 days ago
- Express Tribune
US has revoked 6,000 student visas under Rubio: State Dept
The US State Department has revoked 6,000 student visas since Secretary of State Marco Rubio took office seven months ago, it said Monday. Rubio, to the delight of President Donald Trump's right-wing base, has proudly moved against students using an obscure law that allows him to rescind visas for people deemed to counter US foreign policy interests. The Trump administration has also more broadly sought mass deportations of people in the United States illegally. 'The State Department has revoked over 6,000 student visas for overstays and law violations, the vast majority being assault, DUI, burglary and support for terrorism,' a State Department official said. The official said that about 4,000 of the visas were for violations of the law. The State Department did not break down the visas by nationality. Rubio has vowed to be aggressive in targeting students from China. The top US diplomat in March told reporters that he was revoking visas daily, saying of activist students: 'Every time I find one of these lunatics, I take away their visas.' He has particularly pointed to students who have protested against Israel, and accused activists of anti-Semitism, charges they deny. The administration has faced setbacks in two of the highest-profile cases. Mahmoud Khalil, a legal permanent resident in the United States who led pro-Palestinian protests at Columbia University, was freed in June by a judge. Khalil, whose son was born while he was in detention, has since sued the Trump administration, saying it sought to 'terrorize' him. Rumeysa Ozturk, a Turkish graduate student at Tufts University who wrote a piece in a campus newspaper critical of Israel, was freed by a judge in May pending arguments. She had been taken away off a Massachusetts street by masked plainclothes agents.