ISLAMABAD  –  A delegation of newly appointed officers of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), led by the Director General Ms Nighat Siddiqui, on Tuesday visited the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan (FCCP) as part of their professional capacity building program aimed at enhancing their understanding of constitutional governance and the functioning of key state institutions. During the visit, the officers observed judicial proceedings of the Federal Constitutional Court, providing them with valuable insight into the Court’s constitutional jurisdiction, judicial processes, and the administration of constitutional justice.

The delegation was subsequently given a comprehensive briefing by senior officers of the FCCP, who provided an overview of the Court’s organizational structure, its various departments and administrative wings, and the significant milestones achieved since the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court. The briefing highlighted the Court’s institutional development, modernization initiatives, administrative reforms, technological advancements, and efforts to strengthen constitutional adjudication and public service delivery. As part of the program, the delegation also viewed a documentary showcasing the vision and objectives behind the establishment of the Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan. The documentary highlighted the Court’s constitutional mandate, its role in strengthening the rule of law and constitutional governance, and its notable achievements and institutional progress since its inception.

The interactive session enabled participants to engage with FCCP officials, exchange views, and gain a deeper appreciation of the constitutional responsibilities entrusted to various state institutions and the importance of institutional coordination in promoting good governance. The visit concluded with a group photograph, followed by the presentation of souvenirs to the Director General, Ms Nighat Siddiqui, and the Directors of the training program as a token of appreciation and to commemorate the visit. The Federal Constitutional Court of Pakistan remains committed to supporting capacity-building initiatives and fostering greater institutional understanding among public servants through educational and professional engagement programs. Such visits contribute to strengthening knowledge of constitutional governance and promote closer collaboration among state institutions in the service of the Constitution and the people of Pakistan.

Spain stunned tournament favourites France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final on Tuesday, producing a tactical masterpiece to shatter Les Bleus’ dreams of winning the title for the third time.

A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a 58th-minute Pedro Porro goal sealed an utterly clinical victory for the European champions at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas.

Spain, World Cup winners in 2010, will now face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s final in New Jersey.

France had entered the showdown as the overwhelming favourites for the tournament after a dazzling, goal-laden run to the semi-finals.

But France’s vaunted front four of captain Kylian Mbappe, Ballon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise were snuffed out by a combination of Spanish poise and power.

Spain, who had beaten France in their previous two competitive meetings, had vowed to go on the front foot in the pre-match build-up and they proved as good as their word.

A commanding performance by Spain’s midfield led by Manchester City star Rodri and assisted by Fabian Ruiz and Dani Olmo never allowed the French to gain a foothold in the contest.

Spain’s midfield quickly overran the outnumbered French duo of Adrien Rabiot and Aurelien Tchouameni, passing around their opponents with ease to control the early exchanges.

The first signs of French frustration came after just nine minutes when midfielder Rabiot was booked for treading on Olmo’s foot on the edge of the area.

Yet despite the early dominance it was France who looked the more threatening when venturing into the final third, and it needed a desperate late block by Pau Cubarsi to thwart Mbappe in the 16th minute as the French captain looked to break clear.

Early dominance 

Spain’s early dominance got its reward in the 20th minute, though, when a hopeful cross by Marc Cucurella flew across the penalty area.

Lucas Digne didn’t get enough purchase on his attempted headed clearance and as the Aston Villa player instinctively swung out a leg he kicked Yamal, sending the Barcelona star crashing to the turf.

El Salvadoran referee Ivan Barton pointed immediately to the spot and after a brief delay as French players loitered, Oyarzabal stepped up to sweep in a spot-kick that beat the dive of French goalkeeper Mike Maignan.

France’s rocky start got worse after 31 minutes when key central defender William Saliba hobbled off with an injury to be replaced by Maxence Lacroix.

Spain almost doubled their lead with a sublime passing move on 38 minutes when wonderful interplay on the edge of the area sliced open France’s defence, with Dayot Upamecano’s block denying Fabian Ruiz.

France enjoyed their best spell in the closing minutes of the first half and only excellent anticipation from Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon denied Mbappe after Rabiot’s clever through ball.

Spain though reasserted themselves at the start of the second half and Deschamps’ failure to adjust France’s tactics again left the Spanish midfield in charge.

On 58 minutes, Spain struck the hammer blow. Porro and Olmo worked a sensational one-two on the edge of the area that sent Porro through and the Tottenham defender clipped a fine finish past Maignan.

Only a fractional offside decision denied Spain a third goal in the 61st minute, when Lamal had the ball in the net.

Deschamps made a flurry of substitutions but France were unable to penetrate Spain’s smothering defence, their best chance coming when Mbappe’s shot was blocked at the near post by Simon.

French frustration was symbolised by Mbappe in the closing minutes, booked for following through on Simon as Spain closed out the victory.

Bollywood star Kriti Sanon recently shared that she made the decision to freeze her eggs during her physical preparation for the film Mimi.

The 35-year-old actress, who is currently enjoying the success of her recent projects, looked back on Mimi—the film in which she portrayed a surrogate mother, a performance that earned her a prestigious National Award.

During a candid appearance on the Humans of Bombay podcast, the Crew actress revealed that she froze her eggs, describing it as one of the smartest and most significant decisions of her life.

“I froze my eggs,” Sanon shared. “Very smartly, I did it during the time when I had to gain weight for Mimi. The procedure makes you bloat, and I was already gaining weight anyway.”

The Shehzada star explained that she had been contemplating the procedure after someone told her that freezing her eggs would be the best gift she could ever give herself. She decided to take advantage of the timing when she was set to begin working on Mimi.

Given that the treatment requires hormone injections—which can cause temporary bloating—the Heropanti star noted that undergoing the procedure while preparing for Mimi made perfect practical sense.

“This is a film on surrogacy, so I thought, let me just do it, because I was already feeling everything emotionally,” she remarked. “There is a point during the process where you feel almost hormonally disrupted, much like a pregnant woman. Your mood swings go off the charts. But I did it, and I am glad I did, because I don’t want to have that ticking clock in my head.”

The Do Patti actress added that conceiving can become more challenging as a woman ages, noting that while egg freezing is a demanding physical and emotional process, it is an incredibly empowering one.

PESHAWAR: A member of the Bomb Disposal Unit (BDU) of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) police was martyred on Tuesday while defusing an improvised explosive device (IED) inside an abandoned police post in Peshawar’s Hassan Khel subdivision, police said.

According to the police, the post in the Faqeeri Banr area of Hassan Khel had been abandoned and was lying vacant. Terrorists had detonated one IED inside the post and left another unexploded.

“It was a vacant post and terrorists had already detonated one IED inside it, but they left another unexploded. A BDU member, Khaisat Rehman, who had travelled from the provincial capital, was attempting to defuse the second IED when it exploded,” a senior police official told Dawn.

He said the area was immediately cordoned off and a search operation was launched.

Hassan Khel, located about 50 miles south of the provincial capital, has witnessed a surge in terrorist attacks on law enforcement agencies over the past four years.

On July 1, a woman was killed and six others of the same family were injured when a suspected drone strike took place in Pastawana—a village located up in the mountainous terrain of Hassan Khel subdivision.

Sources in the area stated that the suspected strike, which targeted a house, had initially left seven persons wounded; a woman later succumbed to injuries while being shifted to the hospital, adding that the victims were immediately shifted to Shamshato Hospital located on the border between Peshawar and Nowshera districts, where four persons, having sustained minor injuries, were discharged.

On June 9, six Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and four were injured while responding to an attempt by terrorists to capture a post in the Hassan Khel area. Eight terrorists were also been killed in retaliatory action, and the attempt to capture the post was foiled.

BEIJING: China’s Dalian Ocean University (DLOU) and Pakistan’s Lasbela University of Agriculture, Water and Marine Sciences (LUAWMS) signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to strengthen cooperation in marine science and education.

The signing ceremony took place in Dalian, where an LUAWMS delegation led by Vice Chancellor Abdul Malik met Liu Wenhe, vice president of Dalian Ocean University, and other university officials.

According to a statement issued by DLOU, the two universities planned to focus their cooperation on the sharing and application of marine big data, research into changes in the marine environment and modern aquaculture, CEN reported on Tuesday.

The partnership would also include joint training programmes for faculty members and students, collaborative research projects and the proposed establishment of a Belt and Road marine laboratory.