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Dawn - 11:18 Jun 17, 2025
Waves of Russian drones and missiles struck districts across the Ukrainian capital Kyiv early on Tuesday, killing 14 people and injuring 44, according to the interior ministry. The Russian attack struck 27 locations around the capital, damaging residential buildings, educational institutions, and critical infrastructure facilities, Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. “Today, the enemy spared neither drones nor missiles,” he said about what he called one of the largest attacks on the city since Russia launched the full-scale invasion in February 2022. Reuters witnesses said drones swarmed over the capital and they heard what appeared to be missiles overhead. An air raid alert remained in effect more than seven hours after it had been proclaimed. Other parts of the country also came under attack, including a region outside the capital where one person was injured and the southern region of Odesa, where 13 people were injured, according to local authorities. Klymenko said a ballistic missile struck a... -
Dawn - 11:09 Jun 17, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed relevant authorities to link the Reko Diq project in Balochistan with the Pakistan Railway’s line network by 2028 to meet the requirements of future transportation and cargo services. In January, Saudi Arabian mining fund Manara Minerals said it was set to buy a 10-20 per cent stake in the Reko Diq copper and gold project in Pakistan for proceeds of about $500 million to $1 billion. In April, the Reko Diq Joint Venture shareholders approved the project’s updated feasibility study and conditionally approved the associated Phase-1 development capital, subject to securing up to $3bn in project financing. While chairing a meeting today, PM Shehbaz issued orders for the formation of an inter-ministerial committee to look after financing matters for upgrading and developing Pakistan Railways. The committee will present recommendations regarding to financing required for Pakistan Railways’ development and its extension to Reko Diq. During the meeting, the prime minis... -
Dawn - 10:12 Jun 17, 2025
An IndiGo flight travelling from Oman’s Muscat to New Delhi made an emergency landing in Nagpur city of India’s Maharashtra state on Tuesday after receiving a bomb threat, according to Indian media. The flight left India’s Kochi city, where it had a layover, for the Delhi airport carrying 157 passengers and six crew members at 9:31am IST (9:01am PKT). The Cochin International Airport Ltd. (CIAL) said the threat was received on its official email address, Press Trust of India reported. All passengers of the IndiGo flight had been safely disembarked, according to Nagpur Deputy Commissioner of Police Lohit Matani. While an investigation was underway, preliminary checks did not find anything suspicious, officials said. After the bomb threat was received by the CIAL airport, a Bomb Threat Assessment Committee (BTAC) was convened and the threat was declared as “specific”. As per ANI, a similar incident happened on Monday, where a Lufthansa flight LH752 scheduled to fly from Frankfurt to India’s Hyderabad, was force... -
Dawn - 10:02 Jun 17, 2025
US President Donald Trump is widely expected to extend the Thursday deadline for TikTok to find a non-Chinese buyer or face a ban in the United States. It would be the third time Trump put off enforcing a federal law requiring its sale or ban, which was to take effect the day before his January inauguration. “I have a little warm spot in my heart for TikTok,” Trump said in an NBC News interview in early May. “If it needs an extension, I would be willing to give it an extension.” Trump said a group of purchasers is ready to pay TikTok owner ByteDance “a lot of money” for the video-clip-sharing sensation’s US operations. Trump has repeatedly downplayed risks that TikTok is in danger, saying he remains confident of finding a buyer for the app’s US business. The president is “just not motivated to do anything about TikTok,” said independent analyst Rob Enderle. “Unless they get on his bad side, TikTok is probably going to be in pretty good shape.” Trump had long supported a ban or divestment, but reversed his pos... -
Dawn - 09:42 Jun 17, 2025
Karachi once again ranked in the bottom five of the world’s “least liveable cities” in a global survey by The Economist. According to the Economist Intelligence Unit, the metropolis ranked 170 on a list of 173 countries — just above Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus — and had a score of 42.7 on the index score, with a score of 100 being “most liveable”. It was the only Pakistani city to feature on the list, albeit poorly. Topping the list was Copenhagen, with a score of 98. Vienna and Zurich tied for second place at 97.1, followed by Melbourne at 97.0, and Geneva with a score of 96.8. The annual survey, designed to help companies calculate hardship allowances when they relocate staff, rates 173 cities across five categories: health care, culture and environment, education, infrastructure and stability, according to The Economist. In last year’s ranking, Karachi compared with Lagos, Tripoli, Algiers and Damascus. The year before, Karachi was ranked 169 out of 173 countries Last October, the Asian Development Bank s... -
Dawn - 09:11 Jun 17, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif reiterated Pakistan’s commitment towards defending its right to water, terming the Indus River as the “lifeline” of the people of Pakistan, in his message on “World Day to Combat Desertification and Drought”. Observed on June 17 every year, the annual day highlights global urgency against drought. Climate Risk Index 2025 ranks Pakistan 1st among top 10 countries most affected by extreme weather events in 2022, with over 68 per cent of its land area now classified as arid or semi-arid. Prolonged droughts in Balochistan, Sindh and South Punjab continue to push vulnerable communities deeper into poverty. In a statement released by the PM’s office, PM Shehbaz raised alarm over India’s unilateral action to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, calling it a “serious concern”. “There is no provision for such actions under the Treaty, and the waters of the Indus are the lifeline of the 240 million people of Pakistan,” he added, vowing to defend Pakistan’s right to water. He reaffirmed... -
Dawn - 08:34 Jun 17, 2025
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir has expressed his deep appreciation for the significant role being played by overseas Pakistanis as ambassadors of the country during his official visit to the United States, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. Field Marshal Munir arrived in Washington on Sunday for a five-day official visit aimed at reinforcing military and strategic ties between Pakistan and the United States, diplomatic sources confirmed. The visit, which sources described as “primarily bilateral in nature”, is not officially linked to the US Army’s 250th anniversary celebrations on June 14, despite its timing. “During the visit, the COAS interacted with the overseas Pakistani community in Washington DC,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. “During the interaction, the COAS expressed his deep appreciation for the vital and most significant role being played by overseas Pakistanis for being ambassadors of Pakistan,” the press release continued. He acknowledged thei... -
Dawn - 07:43 Jun 17, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said that Pakistan and the US will continue to strengthen their economic partnership as both sides agreed to advance negotiations on reciprocal tariffs through constructive engagement, state-run Radio Pakistan reported. Pakistan faces a potential 29 per cent tariff on its exports to the US due to a $3 billion trade surplus with the world’s biggest economy, under tariffs announced by Washington in April on countries around the world. While speaking at an event in Islamabad today, Aurangzeb said he had a constructive and positive conversation with the US Commerce Secretary, Howard Lutnick, last night. He said that both countries are moving in the right direction. “The government will stay the course of reforms in taxation, energy and other sectors,” he said. “We have also carried out tariff reforms to move towards competitive economy.” Aurangzeb continued that both sides agreed to advance negotiations on reciprocal tariffs through constructive engagement, aiming to... -
Dawn - 07:17 Jun 17, 2025
The US Department of Defence on Monday awarded OpenAI a $200 million contract to put generative artificial intelligence (AI) to work for the military. San Francisco-based OpenAI will “develop prototype frontier AI capabilities to address critical national security challenges in both warfighting and enterprise domains”, according to the department’s posting of awarded contracts. The programme with the defence department is the first partnership under the startup’s initiative to put AI to work in governments, according to OpenAI. OpenAI plans to show how cutting-edge AI can vastly improve administrative operations such as how service members get health care and also cyber defenses, the startup said in a post. All use of AI for the military will be consistent with OpenAI usage guidelines, according to the startup. Big tech companies are increasingly pitching their tools to the US military, among them Meta, OpenAI and, more predictably, Palantir, the AI defense company founded by Peter Thiel, the conservative tec... -
Dawn - 07:03 Jun 17, 2025
KARACHI: The board of directors of Fauji Fertiliser Company Ltd (FFCL) has approved the submission of an expression of interest (EoI) and pre-qualification documents to the Privatisation Commission for acquiring stakes in Pakistan International Airlines Corporation Ltd, along with a comprehensive due diligence process. FFCL shared this development in a stock filing on Monday. The 234th board meeting of FFCL was held on June 13, at which the decision to acquire PIA shares was taken. The government last month extended the deadline to submit EoI for buying PIACL until June 19 from June 3 deadline with all terms and conditions remaining the same. In a surprising turn of events, the People’s Unity of Pakistan International Airlines employees’ union, which had previously opposed the privatisation of PIA, has now submitted a bid to the Privatisation Commission to acquire shares of PIA and gain management control. While submitting the EoI, the joint letter, signed by the central president of People’s Unity of PIA Emp... -
Dawn - 06:44 Jun 17, 2025
• Health, education get major allocations • Govt employees’ salaries up by 10pc • Minimum pay raised to Rs40,000 • 50,000 families to get house loans • Lahore remains priority for development schemes • Credible plan to boost tax revenues missing LAHORE: The PML-N government in Punjab on Monday proposed a Rs5.33 trillion annual budget for the fiscal year 2025-26, focusing primarily on large infrastructure schemes and freebies for the urban middle classes, especially the youth, as well as small industries and farmers to regain the political ground it had lost in its stronghold in the 2024 election. The budget features a record Rs1.24tr Annual Development Programme (ADP), which is Rs240 billion or 25pc greater than the federal Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP), and commits to produce Rs740bn in estimated provincial surplus to meet a key IMF goal to hold down consolidated federal budget deficit. The Provincial Consolidated Fund also includes a one-time income of Rs160bn under the head of ‘supernumer... -
Dawn - 05:20 Jun 17, 2025
• WWF-P adviser suggests the marine mammal may have died after becoming entangled in gillnets • The most recent sighting of the world’s largest mammal was off the coast of Gadani in April last year KARACHI: A 35-foot-long blue whale was found dead in the Arabian sea, in a remote area called Gwater Bay, between Pakistan and Iran, on Monday. According to officials representing the World Wide Fund for Nature-Pakistan (WWF-Pakistan), local fisherman Ahmad Baloch spotted the dead whale floating near Kuntani, Balochistan. “It is likely that the whale may have died a few days back in the open sea between Pakistan and Iran and drifted towards the Gwater Bay by rough sea and strong currents,” said Muhammad Moazzam Khan, technical adviser at the WWF-Pakistan. He added that while the exact cause of the death could not be ascertained, the marine mammal might have gotten entangled in gillnets, commonly used in the coastal and offshore waters in the area for fishing. Classified as an endangered species, blue whales, scient... -
Dawn - 04:41 Jun 17, 2025
PAKISTAN is on the front lines of the global climate crisis, yet continues to approach the challenge with a troubling mix of policy confusion, underfunding, and institutional weakness. The country remains among the most climate-vulnerable in the world, without contributing even 1pc to GHG emissions. From the devastating floods of 2022 that affected over 33m people, to the recurring heatwaves, droughts and water shortages, the evidence is everywhere. What remains missing is a credible, well-resourced plan to take these challenges head-on — a plan rooted in data, foresight and political commitment. The recently unveiled federal budget once again reveals the contradictions that have long plagued our climate policy. While the government claims to prioritise climate resilience, its actual allocations tell a different story. Only Rs85bn has been allocated to adaptation — the category that includes essential interventions such as disaster preparedness, food and water security, early warning systems, and climate-resi... -
Dawn - 04:00 Jun 17, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar on Monday observed that the Constitutional Bench (CB) will never hand out a decision in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) judge’s seniority dispute that may invite criticism that the top court had amended the Constitution on its own. The observation came when senior counsel Barrister Salahuddin Ahmed, on behalf of five IHC judges, highlighted changes in the IHC Administrative Committee. At this, Attorney General of Pakistan (AGP) Mansoor Usman Awan raised an objection, stating that the issue raised by the counsel was not challenged by anyone before the CB, nor can it be discussed in rebuttal arguments. Headed by Justice Mazhar, a five-judge CB had taken up a joint petition filed by five IHC judges — Justices Mohsin Akhtar Kayani, Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, Babar Sattar, Sardar Ejaz Ishaq Khan and Saman Rafat Imtiaz – pleading that three transferred judges should not be treated as IHC judges until they take a fresh oath under Article 194, read in conjunction with Schedule III ... -
Dawn - 03:31 Jun 17, 2025
LAHORE: PTI leader Imran Khan’s refusal to undergo forensic procedures, including a lie detector test, could adversely affect his case during May 9 trials, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) judge has ruled. In a written order, ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill noted that the prosecution’s case heavily relied on digital evidence, which will be presented during the trial. The written order was issued after the judge dismissed the prosecution’s plea for more time to conduct forensic tests on Mr Khan. The judge remarked that Mr Khan’s decision to decline these polygraph and photogrammetric (facial and voice analysis) tests appeared to be a deliberate tactic to shield himself from the implications of the prosecution’s evidence. The accused will likely challenge the digital evidence during the trial by simply saying it was not analysed or verified through forensic means. “Ultimately, this refusal of the accused may go against him,” the judge remarked. The police had visited Adiala Jail twice to conduct tests on Mr Khan, bu... -
Dawn - 03:16 Jun 17, 2025
• New Delhi possessed 172 warheads in 2024, 180 in 2025 • SIPRI data says Pakistan continues development of new delivery systems, accumulation of fissile material ISLAMABAD: India is adding to its nuclear stockpile, while Pakistan continues the development of new delivery systems, according to an annual report by a Swedish armament watchdog. The arms race in South Asia is a microcosm of the “dangerous new nuclear arms race” that is emerging across the globe, as nearly all nuclear-armed states continued to modernise their arsenals in 2024, the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) said. In its annual yearbook, SIPRI warned that the nine nuclear powers — the United States, Russia, the United Kingdom, France, China, India, Pakistan, North Korea and Israel — are not only upgrading existing stockpiles, but also developing new nuclear weapons, amid the steady erosion of international arms control agreements. The report highlights the continuing deterioration of global security, exacerbated by war... -
Dawn - 03:11 Jun 17, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government is reevaluating the powers granted to Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) officers to arrest suspected tax evaders and adding guardrails to prevent arbitrary detentions after concerns expressed by businesspeople and lawmakers over the blanket authority and its potential misuse. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday formed a committee to reexamine the matter and recommend stringent safeguards to prevent the misuse of powers by tax officers. FBR Chairman Mahmood Langrial told Dawn that the provisions could be revised to mandate the permission of multiple senior officers before any arrest. In the Finance Bill introduced last week, the government proposed amendments to the Sales Tax Act, 1990, to allow FBR officers to investigate tax fraud and make arrests. As per the proposed amendments, assistant or deputy commissioners could arrest tax defaulters after seeking approval from the commissioner. The proposed Section 37AA reads: “The officer of Inland Revenue, during the investigation, ha... -
Dawn - 00:24 Jun 17, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday dismissed an alleged video circulating online of an Iranian official saying Pakistan will attack Israel with nuclear weapons, amid the ongoing conflict between Iran and Israel. Nearly 80 people, including top army officers, were killed while civilians were among over 300 wounded in Iran as a result of Israeli strikes on military sites and private residences on June 13. Iran subsequently launched its own retaliation with ballistic missiles fired at Israel and the two countries continued to exchange a volley over the weekend. Posts from multiple Indian and others users on social media platforms and Indian media outlets since Sunday shared a video of Iranian National Security Council member Mohsen Rezaei, claiming that he said Pakistan told Iran that if Israel drops a nuclear bomb on Tehran, Pakistan would retaliate in kind amid current tensions. However, fact-checking platform iVerify Pakistan concluded that the video was doctored, and the Iranian o... -
Dawn - 19:07 Jun 16, 2025
Israel and Iran have been trading missile strikes since the former launched an air offensive on Friday, killing commanders and scientists and bombing nuclear sites in a stated bid to stop Tehran from building an atomic weapon. The ongoing conflict has caused widespread destruction in both nations. Smoke billows from an explosion in southwest Tehran on June 16. — AFP Smoke billows from an explosion at the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building in Tehran after being attacked on June 16. — AFP Mourners carry the coffins of people killed in Israeli attacks during their funeral in Hamedan, western Iran on June 16. — AFP Smoke billows for the second day from the Shahran oil depot, northwest of Tehran, Iran on June 16. — AFP A man carrying a wounded girl following the Israeli strikes on Tehran, Iran on June 15. — Reuters Smoke billows from a site in the city of Haifa, Israel on June 16, following a barrage of Iranian missiles. — AFP Firefighters work at an impact site following an Iranian missile atta... -
Dawn - 19:04 Jun 16, 2025
Iran state TV resumed live coverage after Israel’s attack on the Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting (IRIB) building on Monday. “The Zionist regime, the enemy of the Iranian nation, minutes ago conducted a military operation against the Islamic Republic of Iran news network”, part of IRIB, said Hassan Abedini, a senior official at the broadcasting service. “The regime (Israel) was unaware of the fact that the voice of the Islamic revolution and the great Iran will not be silenced with a military operation.” The blast occurred as the presenter was live on TV, lambasting Israel before she was seen leaving the live broadcast, Iranian media reported, sharing a video of the incident. The attack was confirmed by the Israeli defence minister as well. Iran’s Mehr news agency posted visuals from the attack on the IRIB building on X. Iran’s Press TV also shared a video showing the aftermath of the attack. IRNA reported that “live programmes were briefly halted at the IRIB News Network but returned to normal a few min...
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