Dawn
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Found 5493 news
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Dawn - 05:15 Sep 09, 2025
KARACHI: Following a surge in sugar prices, consumers are now facing higher costs for flour and roti across various parts of Pakistan as wheat and flour prices continue to rise. In Karachi, tandoor operators have raised the price of various roti varieties by an average of Rs2 per piece, which will mainly impact low- and middle-income groups, particularly daily wage earners and the labour class, who typically rely on eating their meals at local eateries. The sharp rise in prices is evident in branded flour, with some millers raising the cost of a five-kilogram bag of fine flour to Rs700, up from Rs500 on Aug 1 and Rs600 on Sept 1, despite the arrival of the new wheat crop earlier this year. Retailers report that large-scale traders are likely profiting from the rise in prices, taking advantage of the higher demand for old flour stocks. Some market analysts believe the ongoing wheat crisis is unrelated to the recent floods in Punjab and other regions, as the new wheat crop was harvested in March/April. However,... -
Dawn - 04:11 Sep 09, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government announced on Monday that Pakistan and China had agreed to form a consortium of bilateral and multilateral partners to finance the $7 billion Mainline-1 (ML-1) railway project, along with a four-year action plan (2025-29) for the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Speaking at a news conference, Planning and Development Minister Ahsan Iqbal said that during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent visit to China, the two sides had agreed to constitute a consortium of financiers, including the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB), China and Pakistan, for the 1,700-km Karachi-Peshawar railway line. He said China had assured financing not only for ML-1 but also for the Karakoram Highway. Negotiations with multiple financiers would be concluded within a month. He added that ML-1 and the Sukkur-Hyderabad Motorway would already have been completed, had it not been for the 2018 political change, alleging that the subsequent PTI gove... -
Dawn - 02:42 Sep 09, 2025
LAHORE: Floods in Punjab, which have submerged more than 1.3 million acres of farmland along the eastern rivers, have caused significant damage to the Kharif crops, particularly cotton, prompting fears of food inflation. Floods have displaced two million people, submerged 2,000 villages, and led to the relocation of 760,000 residents and 516,000 heads of cattle from the affected areas. The satellite imagery of 24 Punjab districts in the command areas of the Sutlej, Ravi, and Chenab rivers shows that around 3,661 square kilometres, or 4.7 per cent of the total area, remained under floodwaters. The floods have devastated key crops, including rice, sugarcane, corn, vegetables, and cotton. According to the Pakistan Business Forum, approximately 35pc of the cotton crop in central and southern Punjab has been destroyed, with losses reaching as high as 40-50pc in Bahawalnagar, the province’s largest cotton-producing district. Kissan Board leader claims losses to tune of Rs500bn; over 1.3m acres of farmland submerge... -
Dawn - 02:33 Sep 09, 2025
KARACHI: Remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis have remained robust despite the rationalisation of incentives for banks and exchange companies. According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), remittance inflows in the first two months of FY26 rose by 7pc, dispelling fears that a reduction in incentives would lead to a decline in remittances. In August, remittances totalled $3.137 billion, showing a 6.6pc year-on-year increase. However, the monthly inflows saw a slight decline of 2.4pc compared to July, when they were $3.214bn. While the growth in the first two months of FY26 is positive, it pales in comparison to the remarkable growth witnessed during the same period last fiscal year. Remittances surged by 44pc in 2MFY25 compared to FY24. This extraordinary growth contributed to a record annual total of $38.3bn, which helped maintain exchange rate stability and allowed the SBP to increase its foreign reserves by $7.8bn, reaching $14.5bn. The government does not expect remittance growth to match the record l... -
Dawn - 18:00 Sep 08, 2025
Weeks of torrential monsoon rains have unleashed catastrophic floods across the country, killing more than 920 people, displacing nearly two million, submerging vast stretches of farmland, and sweeping away homes, schools and livestock. The disaster could now trigger one of the country’s largest internal migrations since the devastating 2010 floods, aid agencies and local experts warn. “Migration has already started in several areas as unprecedented rains and floods have left nothing behind for millions of people,” Shaukat Ali Chadhar, president of the Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Agriculture, told Anadolu. Chadhar said the ongoing deluges have already affected around 10m people dependent on agriculture across the country, mainly in Punjab. “A multi-pronged combination of rains and floods has affected the farmers in many ways, destroying stored and standing crops, agricultural lands and livestock,” he explained, saying it could take up to 18 months for the land to become cultivable again. “This gloomy s... -
Dawn - 17:45 Sep 08, 2025
The Rawalpindi Police on Monday booked PTI founder Imran Khan’s sister Aleema Khan, party lawyer Naeem Panjutha and others for violence against a journalist outside Adiala Jail. A first information report (FIR) was filed at the Saddar Bairooni Police Station today on the complaint of Supreme Court Press Association President Tayyab Baloch under Sections 147 (punishment for rioting), 149 (every member of unlawful assembly guilty of offence committed in prosecution of common object), 382 (theft after preparation made causing death, hurt or restraint in order to committing of the theft), 427 (mischief causing damage to the amount of fifty rupees) and 506 (punishment for criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code. Baloch said that he was present outside Adiala Jail at around 3:55pm for reporting with other journalists when Aleema and other people began a media talk after a hearing for the Toshakhana case. “During this time, a person named Naeem Panjutha called out: ‘Teach him a lesson for questioning Aleem... -
Dawn - 16:47 Sep 08, 2025
A United States appeals court upheld on Monday a jury’s $83.3 million penalty against President Donald Trump for defaming author E. Jean Carroll, whom he was found to have sexually assaulted. The January 2024 order consisted of $65m in punitive damages after the jury found Trump acted maliciously in his many public comments about Carroll, $7.3m in compensatory damages and $11m to pay for an online campaign to repair Carroll’s reputation. The civil order, which prompted an audible gasp in the federal court, far exceeded the more than $10m in damages for defamation that Carroll had sought. Trump — whom a jury found liable for sexually assaulting Carroll in a separate federal civil case in New York — used his Truth Social platform at the time to fire off a spate of insulting messages attacking Carroll, the trial and the judge, whom he called “an extremely abusive individual”. ‘Substantial financial penalty’ “We hold that the district court did not err in any of the challenged rulings and that the jury’s duly ren... -
Dawn - 16:34 Sep 08, 2025
In yet another letter highlighting the rift within the judiciary, four Supreme Court (SC) judges expressed their reservations on Monday regarding the process being adopted for the review and approval of Supreme Court Rules 2025. They dubbed the full court meeting, which was called for this purpose today, a mere “stamp of approval” for the rules, which they said were already decided and unilaterally approved. The letter addressed to Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, was sent by senior puisne judge Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Ayesha Malik and Justice Athar Minallah. The four judges also skipped the full court meeting held later today. They pointed out that “if the full court was not deemed necessary for the adoption of the rules themselves, how can it now be summoned to deliberate upon their amendment?” The judges said the working paper for the meeting’s agenda stated that under Rule 1(4) of the Supreme Court Rules 2025, the CJP... -
Dawn - 16:09 Sep 08, 2025
Parts of Karachi received light rain on Monday intermittently amid a forecast for heavy showers in the city from the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). The city is bracing for heavy rainfall over the coming days as strong monsoon currents penetrate Sindh as the PMD had said a day ago that a deep depression was expected to enter the southeastern parts of the province from India today. While issuing a severe weather warning, the PMD had highlighted the likelihood of torrential rains, gusty winds and possible urban flooding across Karachi and other parts of Sindh. According to rainfall figures from the PMD as of 5pm today, University Road received the most rain with 8.8 millimetres, followed by Gulshan-i-Maymar (8mm), Gulshan-i-Hadeed (7mm), Airport Old Area (6.6mm), Saadi Town (4.3mm), Korangi (4mm), PAF Faisal Base 3mm), Jinnah Terminal (2.8mm), Nazimabad (1.5mm), North Karachi (1.2mm) and Keamari (1mm). In a message on X at 4:12pm, Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab said it had begun to rain again and urged p... -
Dawn - 16:08 Sep 08, 2025
Pakistan has signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) worth $500 million with an American metals company, the US Strategic Metals (USSM), it emerged on Monday. The USSM, based in the state of Missouri, is focused on producing and recycling critical minerals, which the United States Department of Energy has defined as essential in a variety of technologies related to advanced manufacturing and energy production. The USSM is a company that specialises in extracting critical metals from old lithium-ion batteries and mining cobalt, nickel and copper, according to its website. According to the American embassy, the US Department of Energy has defined critical minerals as essential in a variety of technologies related to advanced manufacturing and energy production. A press release from the US Embassy, published on Sunday, stated that Acting Deputy Chief of Mission Zach Harkenrider accompanied a USSM-led delegation to sign an MoU with the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) at the Prime Minister’s House. Speaking a... -
Dawn - 14:39 Sep 08, 2025
Unrest killed at least 19 people in Nepal on Monday, authorities said, as police in the capital fired tear gas and rubber bullets at protesters trying to storm parliament in anger at a social media shutdown and corruption. Some of the mainly youth protesters forced their way into the parliament complex in Kathmandu by breaking through a barricade, a local official said, setting fire to an ambulance and hurling objects at lines of riot police guarding the legislature. “The police have been firing indiscriminately,” one protester told the ANI news agency. “[They] fired bullets which missed me but hit a friend who was standing behind me. He was hit in the hand.” More than 100 people, including 28 police personnel, were receiving medical treatment for their injuries, police officer Shekhar Khanal told Reuters. Protesters were ferrying the injured to the hospital on motorcycles. Another two people were killed when protests in the eastern city of Itahari turned violent, police said. Prime Minister KP Sharma Oli cal... -
Dawn - 14:19 Sep 08, 2025
Pakistan is set to host Sri Lanka for a series of one day international (ODI) matches in Rawalpindi from Novermber 11-15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Monday. A day earlier, the PCB announced that it was set to host Sri Lanka and Afghanistan for a T20 International (T20I) tri-series for the first time from November 17 to 29 in Lahore and Rawalpindi. In a press release, the PCB noted that this would be Sri Lanka’s first bilateral ODI series in Pakistan since 2019, when they last visited for a three-match series that the Green Shirts won 2-0, with the first ODI in Karachi abandoned due to rain. “Sri Lanka’s most recent visit to Pakistan came in 2023, when they participated in the ACC Asia Cup and played against Afghanistan in Lahore,” the press release read. The PCB reiterated that the nation’s maiden tri-series will be held after the ODI matches, while the Green Shirts will host two ICC World Test Championship matches and six white-ball games against South Africa from October 12 to November 8.... -
Dawn - 13:49 Sep 08, 2025
Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Monday said the Supreme Court had plans to use artificial intelligence to categorise cases for fixation but the judiciary was “not ready” for the technology yet. He was addressing a judicial conference at the apex court, marking the commencement of the new judicial year. “We all talk about technology, we all talk about AI to be utilised for enhancing the justice delivery system,” Justice Afridi said, adding that 61,000 files will be digitally screened under a project that will be completed within six months. “It is only when you have them digitally scanned that you can utilise the tools of AI for categorisation. It will be easy to categorise cases and to fix before one bench one issue,” he said. The chief justice emphasised, “Yes, technology is necessary. Yes, AI has to be utilised. But no, not now. We are not ready for it. We have to prepare ourselves for that.” Justices Mansoor Ali Shah, Munib Akhtar, Aminuddin Khan, Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Ayesh... -
Dawn - 13:13 Sep 08, 2025
The Quetta police arrested more than 100 protesters for violating a ban on gatherings, allegedly forcefully shutting down markets and blocking highways, an officer said on Monday. “More than 100 people were arrested under charges of violating Section 144, forcefully shutting down markets and blocking highways,” Quetta Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Muhammad Baloch told Dawn.com. The arrests come as six opposition political parties announced a complete wheel-jam and shutter-down strike across Balochistan today to protest against the suicide bombing that targeted a public meeting of the Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) on Sept 2 and claimed 15 lives. Police in Quetta fired tear gas to disperse protesters and arrested them, AFP reported. AFP pictures showed people blocking roads by placing stones, which they were also pelting, and burning objects. At 12pm, the National Highways and Motorways Police said the N-25 highway near Baleli Custom in Quetta was closed due to a “public protest”. Parts of t... -
Dawn - 12:25 Sep 08, 2025
Commander of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Naval Forces, Major General Humaid Abdulla Alremeithi, was on Monday awarded the Nishan-i-Imtiaz (Military) by President Asif Ali Zardari at a special investiture ceremony at the Presidency. A press release from the President’s Secretariat quoted Zardari as saying that the award was “in recognition of his outstanding services and contributions”. “He (President Zardari) added that the commander’s visit reflected the enduring fraternal ties between Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates, which stand as a testament to the two countries’ shared commitment to deepening cooperation in all fields,” the press release read. According to the press release, the president appreciated the confidence the UAE’s Navy placed in the professional expertise of the Pakistan Navy and expressed interest in further collaboration, stating that they remain ready to support their Emirati counterpart’s manpower requirements in the future. President Zardari also highlighted the extraordinary and... -
Dawn - 12:21 Sep 08, 2025
Monday’s bus stop shooting in Jerusalem killed six people and injured several others, including a pregnant woman, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said at a press conference during a visit to Budapest. Earlier, emergency service and medical teams “pronounced the deaths of four victims, including a man about 50 years old and three men aged around 30”, a statement from Magen David Adom — Israel’s emergency service — said, adding it was providing medical treatment to several other people, with five evacuated to hospitals. The service received reports of more than a dozen people injured by gunfire on Monday at a road junction in east Jerusalem, with police saying the assailants had been “neutralised”. It later said paramedics and ambulance crews were providing medical treatment and evacuating five “seriously wounded people” who had been sent to hospitals in Jerusalem. “Several other victims, with varying degrees of injury, are also being treated at the scene,” it added. Two Israeli policemen speak to a border... -
Dawn - 11:48 Sep 08, 2025
The Gilgit-Baltistan police chief on Monday banned the use of social media platform TikTok by personnel of the force for the purpose of maintaining “discipline”. A notification issued today from the office of the GB inspector general of police said: “In order to maintain discipline, uniformity and dignity of the force, it is hereby directed that no GB police officer/official shall use social media platform (TikTok).” It ordered all district police officers and unit heads to bring the direction to the notice of all personnel under their command, warning that any non-compliance would be “viewed seriously and cause disciplinary action”. In July, two constables from the Security Division Islamabad were suspended and facing an inquiry for allegedly violating the capital police’s social media policy by making and uploading TikTok videos in uniform. Sources had said that dozens of other lower-ranking officials had been warned and directed to remove their TikTok accounts to avoid further action. In March, the Punjab ... -
Dawn - 11:27 Sep 08, 2025
Two people were killed and another was injured on Monday when a “minor dispute” escalated into a gun battle between two groups in Punjab’s Nankana Sahib, according to police. In a statement, Nankana police said that the incident took place in Sangla Hill and that two people were killed and one was injured; the latter was moved to the Allied Hospital in Faisalabad. “As soon as the incident was reported, Nankana DPO (District Police Officer) Faraz Ahmed reached the spot,” the statement read, quoting a police spokesperson. “The scene of the incident was inspected, and orders were issued for the immediate arrest of the suspects involved.” The statement added that the DPO visited the victims’ families and vowed that the suspects would “be arrested and brought to justice as per the law”. Later, another statement from Nankana Police confirmed that following an operation in Sangla Hill, two of the suspects were arrested. “A successful police operation was carried out under the leadership of DPO Faraz Ahmed,” the seco... -
Dawn - 09:15 Sep 08, 2025
Two policemen were killed and two others injured in a shooting attack on a police station near the Turkish city of Izmir on Monday, with a 16-year-old suspect arrested, a minister said. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the “heinous” attack on the police station in Balcova, a district just west of the resort city, left two officers dead and a third “seriously injured”. “The suspect in the incident, 16-year-old E.B., has been arrested and an investigation has been opened,” he wrote on X. It was not immediately clear why the station was attacked, but footage posted by the Gercek Gundem news website showed mobile phone footage of a person in a balaclava, a black top and pale trousers jogging along the pavement carrying a rifle, then entering a building. Another clip broadcast by Turkish TV stations showed a group of civilians helping to manhandle the alleged attacker, wearing white trousers, into a police van. The DHA news agency said the assailant had used “a long-barrelled gun” while NTV television describe... -
Dawn - 09:08 Sep 08, 2025
KARACHI: The city is bracing for heavy rainfall over the coming days as strong monsoon currents penetrate Sindh as a deep depression is expected to enter the southeastern parts of the province from India within the next 24 hours, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Sunday. While issuing a severe weather warning, the PMD highlighted the likelihood of torrential rains, gusty winds and possible urban flooding across Karachi and other parts of Sindh. “Thunderstorm and rains are expected tomorrow [Monday] in Karachi with possibility of heavy falls,” said PMD’s focal person Anjum Nazeer Zaigham. An advisory issued by the PMD stated that a depression over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Guajrat has intensified further into a deep depression. “It is very likely to move westward and entered in southeastern Sindh during the next 24 hours causing widespread rains with strong winds.” During the day, Karachi experienced overcast and humid conditions, with dense cloud cover persisting throughout. Light r...
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