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France said Friday it was blocking access to the online prediction market Polymarket, as punters continued to make bets despite a ban already in place.

The national gaming authority ANJ said that Polymarket’s webpage would be blocked on French territory, which adds to a November 2024 ban on financial transactions to the site.

Polymarket is one of a number of online prediction markets which allow people to bet on the outcome of future events.

The ANJ said the site’s continued availability — where betting odds on different events are updated in real time — constituted advertising.

“Advertising, by any means whatsoever, in favour of an unauthorised betting or gambling site is a criminal offence,” the ANJ said, and noted the fines could reach 100,000 euros ($114,000).

The regulator said that despite the ban on transactions from French accounts, visits from French internet addresses to Polymarket’s site have been rising, hitting 578,751 last month.

The betting markets have caused a number of problems.

France’s weather agency, Meteo-France, filed a complaint in April after one of its weather probes was hacked in order to fix bets on Polymarkets.

A US soldier is facing federal charges for using classified information to bet on online prediction markets related to the US operation in January to capture former Venezuelan president Nicolas Maduro. He allegedly made more than $400,000.

The White House said Thursday a teleprompter operator had been suspended over allegations he placed bets with a prediction market on the content of US President Donald Trump’s speeches.

France is one of a number of European countries that restrict or block access to online prediction markets such as Germany, Italy and Spain, according to the ANJ.

France allows online sports betting.

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PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s assertion that agriculture and livestock hold the key to Pakistan’s quick economic revival is spot-on. The sector contributes almost a quarter of GDP, employs well over a third of the labour force and remains the largest source of livelihoods. Livestock alone accounts for more than 60pc of agriculture’s value addition, while Pakistan ranks among the world’s largest milk producers, and possesses considerable untapped potential in both milk and meat exports.

Few sectors offer comparable opportunities to generate growth, reduce poverty, improve food security and earn foreign exchange simultaneously. But the PM’s declaration that the economy can be revived within a year through agriculture highlights the gap between ambition and policy execution. The agricultural crisis has never been about the absence of potential. It is the consequence of decades of policy neglect and inconsistency, institutional decay and distorted incentives.

While successive governments have acknowledged the sector’s importance, budgetary allocations, research spending, extension services, water management, market reforms and investment priorities have not reflected that recognition. The current year’s federal and provincial budgets are no exception. Despite repeated references to economic transformation, agriculture barely figures in official priorities. This contradiction is becoming increasingly costly.

Pakistan now imports billions of dollars’ worth of food and raw materials for its textile and clothing industry, and its food exports have weakened over time. This is eroding precious foreign exchange at a time when the economy remains dependent on external financing. Rising production costs, unpredictable pricing, market manipulation, inadequate storage and weak value chains continue to undermine farmers’ incomes. Farmers are expected to increase production while bearing risks that neither markets nor public policy adequately mitigate.

Mr Sharif’s emphasis on technology, AI, disease control and value addition must be lauded. Yet technology cannot compensate for dysfunctional policy. Farmers will not invest simply because AI is introduced into agriculture if fertilisers remain expensive, energy costs continue to rise, water becomes increasingly scarce and markets fail to offer remunerative prices. With industry struggling and exports stagnating, agriculture remains one of the few sectors capable of driving inclusive growth.

But this demands actual reforms. It requires strengthening research, developing indigenous vaccines, improving traceability systems, correcting market distortions, expanding rural credit, investing in climate resilience, enhancing irrigation efficiency and creating incentives for private investment across agricultural value chains.

Every government promises to transform agriculture; few are willing to undertake the reforms needed to achieve that aim. Declarations that agriculture can revive the economy will remain aspirational so long as the authorities continue to avoid policy reforms.

Published in Dawn, July 17th, 2026

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The recovery plan for war-battered Gaza, under US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace (BoP), has been significantly scaled back and, instead of reconstructing the entire territory, now envisions a small pilot project in the south of the besieged territory, the British publication The Guardian reported on Thursday.

The board was initially proposed in September 2025 and formally established in January. Under its charter, the US government serves as its official depository and Trump has designated the Donald J Trump Institute of Peace in Washington as the Board’s headquarters.

A UN Security Council resolution adopted in mid-November last year authorised the board, along with cooperating states, to establish an international stabilisation force in Gaza following a ceasefire that began in October under a Trump-backed plan accepted by Israel and Hamas.

According to the publication, the new pilot project now aims to construct a small temporary camp for a fraction of Gaza’s population, with a Palestinian administration, police and a small contingent of the International Security Force (ISF).

The plan is not expected to take shape before the end of 2026.

However, some steps have been taken in recent weeks to initiate the process, the British publication said. It said some Moroccan and Kosovan officers had arrived in Israel to form the cadre of the ISF, which is intended to protect the pilot camp, while a logistics base is under construction near Kerem Shalom to house the force’s vehicles, equipment and other material.

Construction on the pilot camp, situated near Rafah, to house civilians has yet to begin. “Satellite images of the area show disturbed earth but no new structures. Substantial progress is not expected before Israel holds elections on 27 October, which could bring down Benjamin Netanyahu’s far-right coalition government,” said The Guardian in its report.

An unnamed diplomat quoted in the report said that the BoP had “no choice but to make the most of very limited progress, as an admission of failure would open the way for extreme factions in the Israeli government with radically different plans for Gaza”.

“The aim is just to keep something going, keep the ball in play, because if you stop there are others with a more extreme agenda just waiting to jump in and take over, and they are talking about wholesale population transfer and colonisation,” the diplomat said.

There are growing concerns that Netanyahu, facing the prospect of electoral defeat, may launch another full-scale offensive in Gaza ahead of the October vote, the report added.

The publication’s report further added that Israeli officials have repeatedly suggested that a return to war is inevitable, citing Hamas’s refusal to disarm. Hamas, however, has said it is willing to lay down its weapons under certain conditions and participated in negotiations in Cairo over the weekend on possible disarmament mechanisms.

However, the Palestinian resistance group is unlikely to disarm as long as Israel keeps carrying out strikes in Gaza and continues to occupy large swathes of Gaza.

In January, Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner pledged that aid access would be expanded and basic infrastructure, including water, sewage and electricity systems, hospitals and bakeries, would be restored across the Gaza Strip within 100 days.

The pilot camp outlined in the current blueprint would comprise portable cabins for tens of thousands of displaced Palestinians in Gaza and would be established in the buffer zone along the ceasefire line near Rafah, said the publication’s report, adding that the camp would be overseen by the ISF and a specially trained Palestinian police force.

“Preference for settlement in the pilot camp would be given to former residents of the Rafah area, but it is not clear what other criteria would be used in vetting Palestinians wanting to move there,” added The Guardian.

The report also touched upon funds for the reconstruction of Gaza, stating that very little of the $17bn originally pledged for Trump’s 20-point peace plan for Gaza has actually materialised.

Pakistan is among the 14 countries that signed the charter of the Board of Peace on January 22 on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum in Davos, becoming a founding member of the body.

The list of founding members also includes Argentina, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Albania, Bahrain, Belarus, Bulgaria, Cambodia, El Salvador, Egypt, Hungary, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kosovo, Kuwait, Mongolia, Morocco, Paraguay, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Turkiye, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan, and Vietnam, spanning the Middle East, Asia, Europe, Latin America and the Caucasus.

The board was originally conceived to oversee the ceasefire and reconstruction of Gaza, but its charter expands its mandate to peace-building in all areas affected by or at risk of conflict.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s oil supply chain players appeared nervous as petrol stocks declined to a 14-day cover on Thursday, prompting the government to urgently address procedural issues and activate enforcement mechanisms to discourage hoarding for profiteering in the market.

The decline comes amid rising prices following renewed US-Iran hostilities.

Informed sources said the government may have to revert to the fuel conservation measures adopted over the past couple of months as it reviews the latest regional situation.

A session with the oil industry, urgently convened by the recently created National Coordination and Management Council (NCMC) — a civil-military body on energy supplies — “holistically” reviewed the availability of petroleum products across the country. Minister for Economic Affairs Ahad Khan Cheema is the chairman, while Lt Gen Zafar Iqbal is the co-chairman of the NCMC’s executive committee.

Informed sources said petrol consumption had risen over the past three weeks following a substantial price cut.

In the first half of July, petrol consumption was almost 18-20 per cent higher year-on-year, while diesel demand was about 40pc higher than in July over the past five years. This was a clear indication of a reduction in smuggled inflows from Iran due to the narrower price gap.

The cancellation of a couple of Pakistan State Oil’s (PSO) planned import cargoes after they failed to secure clearance from the NCMC amid falling global prices ahead of the interim US-Iran peace agreement also contributed to this.

Subsequent tensions sent import premiums skyrocketing again. PSO’s two latest petrol cargoes attracted around $25 per barrel in premiums, compared to $12 about 10 days ago.

However, as of Thursday, petrol and diesel were estimated to be costlier by around Rs10-12 and Rs40-42 per litre, respectively, providing an incentive for dealers to seek greater supplies from oil marketing companies and for hoarders to profiteer.

While PSO remains the country’s fuel lifeline, smaller players are reluctant to burn their fingers, citing more than Rs66 billion in pending price differential claims against the government. Oil companies have also complained of challenges in customs clearance.

Diesel stocks now stand at a cover of around 21 days and local refining is keeping pace with requirements.

Petrol consumption currently stands at around 25,000 tonnes per day against stocks of 345,000 tonnes, while local refineries can supply no more than 9,000 tonnes per day. HSD stocks stand at around 465,000 tonnes against daily consumption of about 23,000 tonnes, with local refineries supplying around 16,000 tonnes per day.

It was against this background that the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC) — an association of over three dozen refiners and OMCs — raised red flags by writing an urgent warning to the government about an ensuing supply chain challenge.

During the NCMC meeting, “the supply-side challenges highlighted by the representatives of the OCAC were discussed and addressed”, an official statement said.

The committee observed that the concerns raised by OCAC primarily stemmed from an abnormal increase in petroleum product sales during the first 15 days of July. An analysis presented by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) also indicated the possibility of hoarding in anticipation of a potential price increase, the statement added.

“The NCMC emphasised that Ogra’s enforcement mechanism should play a more proactive role, and urged provincial governments to ensure that there is no hoarding and that petroleum products remain readily available to the general public without any inconvenience,” the council said after the meeting.

The meeting was attended by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervez Malik, representatives of oil marketing companies and refineries, as well as officials from the Oil Companies Advisory Council (OCAC), Member Customs FBR, OGRA and other relevant stakeholders.

“The committee reaffirmed that petroleum product stocks in the country are sufficient and directed all relevant stakeholders to maintain uninterrupted supply across the country,” the statement concluded. Informed sources said the customs authorities promised to remove challenges at their end immediately.

A day earlier, the OCAC had updated the government about the challenges and demanded the immediate disbursement of about Rs67bn in Price Differential Claims (PDCs) to ensure smooth supplies. It had complained that a portion of existing stocks were unavailable for sale due to bottlenecks in the customs clearance process, effectively reducing immediately saleable inventory.

“Under the prevailing circumstances, any further delays in customs clearance could materially impact product availability and increase the likelihood of localised shortages, especially in upcountry locations”, the OCAC had said.

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis residing abroad who hold an invalid, expired or cancelled National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) will no longer be allowed to board flights to Pakistan, official sources said on Wednesday.

According to official sources, the government has issued immediate directives to all zonal directors of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to convey the decision to every airline operating inbound flights to Pakistan.

A government official told Dawn that the practice of allowing travel on invalid NICOPs had been going on for a long time and that it had been decided to stop it with immediate effect.

“Airlines should be instructed to verify the validity of NICOPs prior to boarding and refuse carriage to any passenger presenting an invalid, expired or cancelled NICOP,” the official said.

He added that passengers travelling on a foreign passport with an expired or otherwise invalid NICOP would not be allowed to board flights to Pakistan unless they held a valid Pakistani visa.

The official clarified that the decision was not country-specific and would apply to travellers arriving from all countries.

Meanwhile, a senior FIA official said the law regarding valid travel documents was already in place and the latest directive was aimed at strict enforcement.

He said the decision had also been conveyed to all immigration check-posts to ensure uniformity.

The official added that the move would bring travel regulations in line with other state services where an expired CNIC or NICOP leads to suspension of banking, SIM, and property rights.

“The FIA has been tasked with monitoring compliance at airports to ensure airlines implement the verification requirement before boarding,” he said.

While the move for stricter enforcement has generally been welcomed, many believe that the government should ensure faster renewal services at Pakistani missions abroad.

“Many Pakistanis only realise their NICOP has expired when they’re at the airport,” said Muhammad Riaz Chaudhary, a Pakistani settled in Heidelberg, Germany.

“The government should provide an emergency extension or expedited renewal to avoid genuine hardship,” he observed.

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As Europe’s railways buckle under record heat, roads melt and power grids strain, countries are turning to an array of fixes for ageing infrastructure, from drones inspecting tracks and AI-powered sensors to a surprisingly simple tool: white paint.

At Norway’s Oslo airport on Wednesday, with temperatures set to hit 30 degrees Celsius, 10℃ above normal for the time of year, workers doused the tarmac with water to keep it cool.

It’s a marked shift in a country more used to coping with the cold that reflects how Europe is having to adapt to rising temperatures that are stoking wildfires, causing thousands of excess deaths and putting infrastructure under growing pressure.

“In Norway, the asphalt must withstand both extreme cold and fairly warm temperatures,” said Jrn Arvid Remark, operating engineer at Norwegian state-owned airport operator Avinor, adding the airport was testing a new heat-resistant asphalt.

The fire brigade sprays around 9,000 litres of water on key parts of the runway, which can get damaged at high temperatures as it softens under the weight of aircraft.

Europe’s roads and railways, many built decades ago, are increasingly struggling to cope.

Temperatures across Western Europe on Wednesday were 5.5℃ above the average for July 15, according to the Reuters Climate Monitor.

“Our infrastructure is in no way prepared for the extreme weather events that we’re going to see,” said Chris Dodwell, co-head of sustainability centre at Impax Asset Management, adding heatwaves, once rare, were becoming regular events.

A 2025 report by leading central banks estimated that severe weather events, including heatwaves, droughts and floods, could cut euro zone GDP by as much as 4.7 per cent by 2030.

Higher temperatures mean more storms and floods

Europe’s railways have felt the impact acutely.

An EU report in April found that more than 70pc of rail managers were seeing growing disruption from extreme weather.

Between 2015 and 2024, weather-related interruptions amounted to the equivalent of one to three years of railway service across the region.

Heat can cause tracks to expand, and points, signals and power to fail.

However, extreme weather triggered by high temperatures can be even more disruptive.

“The most critical issue for rail networks is not the heat itself, but the thunderstorms, strong winds and landslides that often follow heatwaves,” said Oliviero Baccelli, a professor at Milan’s Bocconi University.

“Italy has already experienced significant disruptions to its railway network, particularly on Alpine routes, as a result of climate-related events.”

Northern European countries such as Britain face particular challenges because much of their rail infrastructure was designed for a narrower temperature range than networks in southern Europe.

John Lawrence, chair of the IET Railway Technical Network, said many rail components and systems were “in essence frozen in time”.

He added it would be a huge cost to heat-proof entire networks, though operators were exploring more stable sleeper designs and technologies such as AI and drones to “speed up the amount of track that can be inspected and monitored”.

Britain’s Network Rail has pledged to invest 2.6 billion ($3.5 billion) between 2024 and 2029 to help its network withstand increasingly extreme weather.

Not all solutions are hugely expensive, however, with some operators using traditional methods to reflect heat.

Stockholm’s transport authority spent about 100,000 Swedish crowns ($10,300) painting sections of metro track white in May and June to reduce the risk of track buckling.

Heatwaves ‘more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting’

Martin Wilson, engineering director at French rail equipment manufacturer Alstom, said Europe could learn lessons from transport systems such as the Riyadh Metro and Dubai tram, designed to operate in temperatures above 50℃.

“Today’s heatwaves are often more intense, more frequent and longer-lasting,” he said.

“Rising temperatures are increasingly challenging rail systems across Europe.”

Roads face similar pressures.

Engineers say northern European highways were built primarily to withstand damage from freeze-thaw cycles, while southern countries such as Spain use asphalt blends better suited to prolonged summer heat.

Finding the right balance is becoming harder as countries contend with both colder winters and hotter summers.

“They may have to adjust their approach,” said Jos Pablo Sez Villar of the Spanish Civil Engineers Association, referring to planners and road builders in northern Europe.

Paris transport operator RATP has created a heatwave contingency unit and is preparing a climate adaptation plan by the end of the year.

In Norway, officials say warmer, wetter weather is changing how new infrastructure is designed.

“Roads are going to be made more robust,” said Grethe Vikane, head of social development and climate at the Norwegian Public Roads Administration.

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US cases of an intestinal infection from the cyclospora parasite that causes diarrhoea, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms have surged in recent days, with 34 states reporting infections, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Michigan, which reported its outbreak in May, recorded 3,309 cases on Tuesday.

What is it?

Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that can be contracted by consuming food, typically raw fruits and vegetables, or water contaminated with faeces, that transmit the cyclospora parasite, according to the CDC.

Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems facing a higher risk of serious illness.

While cyclosporiasis is rarely life-threatening, untreated infections can persist for weeks and may lead to hospitalisation, particularly because of dehydration.

The US has had previous outbreaks of the disease. Michigan, for instance, said it typically records 40 to 50 cases annually.

What is the source?

Michigan health officials said current evidence points to lettuce or other salad greens as a potential source of the outbreak, although investigators have not completely ruled out other food items. They added that no specific type of produce, grower or supplier has been linked to the outbreak.

The CDC and other state health departments have not identified the source of the food contamination.

They and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) are tracing back from where ill people reported eating or purchasing food to points along the supply chain that can go back to the farm where an ingredient was grown. They may use genetic sequencing.

Past outbreaks have occurred with fresh food, including bagged salad mixes and some herbs, Michigan officials said.

What can people do to protect themselves?

The parasite lives in contaminated food or water and is not commonly transmitted directly from person to person.

Health officials advised people to wash their hands with soap and water before and after preparing raw fruit and vegetables, to wash fruits and vegetables thoroughly and to scrub firm fruits and vegetables with a clean brush.

Michigan advised consumers to buy whole heads of lettuce rather than bagged salad mixes and kits and throw away the outer leaves. It advised consumers to cook leafy greens and other items when possible.

Past outbreaks were linked to bagged salad mixes and kits, fresh cilantro and basil, raspberries, snow peas and green onions.

For people who have cyclosporiasis, the CDC recommends treatment with trimethoprim-sulfamethoxazole, an antibiotic commonly sold as Bactrim, taken twice daily for seven to 10 days. People living with HIV may require longer treatment, according to the agency.

Where is the outbreak?

Michigan, Ohio and New York have reported high numbers of cases. Illinois, Kentucky, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, and Texas have all reported 31 cases or more as of July 13, according to the CDC, which tallied confirmed cases at 1,645. It said 141 of those people had been hospitalised. The CDC figures lag because of delays in states reporting to the federal agency.

Case counts are expected to rise as the CDC receives more data, with delays between exposure and case confirmation potentially taking up to six weeks. Cases typically rise from May 1 through August 31, the CDC said.

Sick people ranged in age from 5 to 88 years, with a median age of 44, and 59 per cent were female.

What surveillance is being done?

The Foodborne Diseases Active Surveillance Network, or FoodNet, is a collaboration among the CDC, the US Department of Agriculture, the FDA and 10 state health departments. Last July, it stopped tracking six of eight pathogens, including cyclospora, due to funding cuts.

FoodNet contacts physicians and clinical labs with the goal of monitoring trends and providing context for outbreaks, not of detecting outbreaks, said Barbara Kowalcyk, director of the Institute for Food Safety and Nutrition Security at George Washington University.

Without monitoring cyclospora, health officials will have a harder time fully understanding what proportion of cases may be missed due to underdiagnosis or underreporting, Kowalcyk said, adding that officials also may have a harder time preventing the next outbreak.

“It’s not just FoodNet that needs funding. The whole system needs funding,” she said.

The CDC did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

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