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Dawn - 09:34 Nov 28, 2025
The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Friday published for the first time directives to improve the prevention, detection and treatment of infertility, which affects millions across the globe. “One in six people worldwide experience infertility during their lifetime,” said Pascale Allotey, the global health body’s head of sexual and reproductive health. “The condition affects individuals and couples across all regions and income levels. “And yet access to safe and affordable care remains highly inequitable.” Allotey told reporters that the issue of infertility had been neglected “for far too long”. The new guide would provide a “unified, evidence-based foundation” to ensure care is safe, effective and accessible for all, she added. According to the WHO, infertility is a condition of the male and female reproductive system, defined as the inability to achieve pregnancy after 12 months or more of regular unprotected sexual relations. The situation can lead to major distress, stigmatisation and financial diffic... -
Dawn - 09:27 Nov 28, 2025
The National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), a statutory body working for women rights, on Friday condemned the “misogynistic and irresponsible remarks” made by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi on the Noor Mukadam case, saying that they reflected a “harmful mindset that shifts responsibility away from the perpetrators of violence and onto women themselves”. Justice Najafi — a member of the three-judge bench of the Supreme Court that had upheld the death penalty awarded to Noor’s murderer — attributed the ghastly 2021 murder to what he described as a vice prevalent in society. In his additional note, which surfaced on Wednesday, Justice Najafi upheld the sentence handed to Zahir and observed that “the present case is a direct result of a vice spreading in the upper society which we know as ‘living relationship’ [sic]”. It appeared the judge was referring to a live-in relationship, where two unmarried individuals in a romantic relationship cohabitate. The judge also observed that societal compulsions in such... -
Dawn - 07:54 Nov 28, 2025
PTI MPA Anwar Zeb Khan has said that one person has been injured after his home in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district was targeted in a “drone attack” last night, it emerged on Friday. In a video statement posted on his social media account on Thursday, the provincial lawmaker said, “My house in Raghagan, Khar tehsil, was targeted by a drone (quadcopter) attack by unknown individuals tonight, injuring one of my security guards.” Khan, who said he was in Peshawar at the time of the incident, strongly condemned the incident. He also identified the injured as Zair Muhammad, saying he was rushed to the District Headquarters Hospital in Khar. Following the incident, police personnel arrived at the scene and initiated an investigation. However, local police have not yet released any official statement regarding the nature of the incident and those responsible. Meanwhile, KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi, in a statement, condemned the incident, terming it an act by “anti-peace elements”. As per the statement, CM Af... -
Dawn - 07:54 Nov 28, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday strongly condemned the shooting of two soldiers of the United States’ National Guard in Washington, DC, saying that the incident “heralds a troubling resurgence of terrorism on a global scale”. Two National Guard soldiers were critically wounded on Wednesday after being shot a few blocks from the White House, with US President Donald Trump terming the incident an “act of terror”. Trump has since announced that one of the soldiers had died. In a press release, the FO said, “Pakistan strongly condemns the shooting incident in Washington DC, reportedly involving an Afghan national. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the departed soldier, and (we) wish the injured a swift and complete recovery,” it said. It also extended sympathies to the families affected, as well as to the government and people of the US. The FO said the attack was “undoubtedly an act of terrorism and a heinous assault on US soil”. “For the past two decades, Pakistan has endured countless similar terrorist inci... -
Dawn - 07:53 Nov 28, 2025
The death toll in a fire that ripped through a Hong Kong residential estate this week has risen to 128, the city’s security chief said on Friday. Dozens were still missing, Secretary for Security Chris Tang told a press conference, adding that he sent his condolences to those affected. Flames had moved quickly through the Wang Fuk Court housing estate in Tai Po district on Wednesday afternoon, spreading through the eight high-rises and transforming the densely packed complex into an inferno. After burning for over 40 hours, the blaze was “largely extinguished” by 10:18am local time on Friday, the fire services said, announcing the end of its operations. Authorities are investigating what sparked the fire, including examining the bamboo scaffolding and plastic mesh wrapped around the complex as part of a major renovation. At the charred apartment blocks, workers searched for survivors and pulled out bodies in black bags, with an AFP reporter counting four in one 15-minute period. Vehicles unloaded corpses at a... -
Dawn - 06:45 Nov 28, 2025
US President Donald Trump on Thursday unleashed a series of posts on Truth Social that could dramatically reshape US immigration policy, declaring that he will “permanently pause” migration from “all third world countries” and calling for “reverse migration” to remove certain immigrants. “I will permanently pause migration from all third world countries to allow the US system to fully recover. This is necessary because unchecked migration has weakened American society and strained its resources. Until the system stabilises, no new immigrants from these countries will be allowed entry,” Trump wrote. He did not identify any countries by name or give any specifics about what he meant by “permanently pause”. However, his posts signal a sweeping crackdown that could affect millions of residents from Asia, Africa, Latin America, and the Caribbean, and which could also alter refugee, Green Card, and other immigration programmes. The development comes a day after the US government abruptly halted the processing of al... -
Dawn - 02:45 Nov 28, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) has condemned the attack which claimed the lives of three Chinese workers in Tajikistan, saying that the use of armed drones in the incident underlined the “gravity of the threat emanating from Afghanistan and the brazenness of those behind it”. Tajik authorities said on Thursday that three Chinese workers in Tajikistan were killed in an attack launched from Afghanistan near the border. The foreign ministry said a drone and firearm attack hit workers of a Chinese company in the country’s south. “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality,” it said in a statement. Dushanbe rarely comments officially on such incidents, and it did not say who it suspects carried out the attack. Subsequently, the FO, in a statement issued early on Friday, expressed Pakistan’s condolences and solidarity with China and Tajikistan over the lives lost in a “heinous terrorist attack in Tajikistan near its border with Afghan... -
Dawn - 02:25 Nov 28, 2025
• LHCBA petition wants ICAs ‘restored to their original forum’ • Says 27th Amendment ‘unlawful, undermining judiciary’ • Fears parliament can ‘abolish or replace forum for constitutional adjudication at will’ if permitted ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA) on Thursday filed an application before the Federal Constitution Court (FCC), requesting that the pending intra-court appeals (ICAs) against the May 7, 2025 judgement on military trials of civilians be returned to the Supreme Court. The application has been moved under Order 35, Rule 6 of the Supreme Court Rules, 2025, which the FCC has adopted for the time being until it frames its own rules. On June 13, the LHCBA and the Lahore Bar Association filed ICAs before the SC, seeking to revisit and set aside the May 7, 2025 judgement on the military trials of civilians. These appeals were filed through senior counsel Hamid Khan. In addition, former chief justice of Pakistan (CJP) Jawwad S. Khawaja and senior lawyer Barrister Aitzaz A... -
Dawn - 20:11 Nov 27, 2025
Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah and senior PTI leaders on Thursday dismissed reports of former premier Imran Khan’s ill health, with both sides stating that the PTI founder is ‘fine and nothing is wrong with him’. The PTI demanded a meeting with the incarcerated leader earlier today, saying the party was worried about his health as he has been barred from seeing his family and lawyers for over three weeks. Imran has been in jail since August 2023, serving a 14-year sentence on corruption charges. His family and party members have protested outside Adiala Jail in recent days, demanding a meeting. A party delegation visited the prison to see Imran today, but authorities again denied access. Amid media reports that the 73-year-old former international cricketer might be moved to a high-security prison to make meeting him more challenging, international media outlets such as Japan’s Nikkei and the BBC also covered the concern over his status. His well-being became a talking point... -
Dawn - 20:08 Nov 27, 2025
The death toll from a massive blaze in a Hong Kong apartment complex rose to 65 on Thursday, with over 250 still missing, as police said the fire may have been caused by a “grossly negligent” construction firm using unsafe materials. Almost a full day after the fire began, firefighters were struggling to reach residents potentially trapped on the upper floors of the Wang Fuk Court housing complex due to intense heat and thick smoke from the blaze that erupted on Wednesday afternoon. Hong Kong’s government said the death toll from the fire had risen to 65. The fire had “claimed 65 lives and injured 70 people” by 8pm local time (5pm PKT), a government spokesperson told AFP, citing fire service figures, adding that 10 firefighters had been injured since the blaze broke out yesterday. The tightly packed complex in the northern Tai Po district has 2,000 apartments in eight blocks that are home to more than 4,600 people in a city struggling with chronic shortages of affordable housing. “We bought [a place] in this ... -
Dawn - 19:09 Nov 27, 2025
The most sweeping transformation of the higher defence organisation took effect at midnight on Thursday with the abolition of the post of chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) under the 27th Constitutional Amendment, even as the government had yet to notify the appointment of the country’s first chief of defence forces under the new structure. The operationalisation of the amendment to Article 243 of the Constitution, passed by parliament on November 13 and signed into law by President Asif Ali Zardari, was timed to coincide with the retirement of the last CJCSC, General Sahir Shamshad Mirza. With his departure, the tri-service coordinating post created in 1976 stood dissolved, ending nearly five decades of institutional representation for the navy and air force at the apex of military decision-making. Gen Mirza retired as the 18th and final occupant of the CJCSC office, a position which critics argued never fully realised its intended role of ensuring robust coordination among the three ser... -
Dawn - 18:54 Nov 27, 2025
The man suspected of shooting two National Guard soldiers near the White House on Wednesday was an Afghan national who worked alongside US forces in Afghanistan, US media reported. Washington has labeled the violence an “act of terror” and announced increased oversight of foreigners who entered the United States from Afghanistan in recent years. What we know about the suspected shooter Multiple media outlets, including CNN, The New York Times, CBS and NBC identified the man as 29-year old Rahmanullah Lakanwal and say he arrived in America in 2021. A relative of Lakanwal told NBC that he arrived after serving in the Afghan army for 10 years in support of US Special Forces. The relative told NBC that Lakanwal originally came from Afghanistan’s southeastern Khost province and had spent some of his military service at a base in the southern province of Kandahar. Kandahar is the birthplace of the Taliban and was the center of heavy fighting during the 20-year war between the then-insurgents and foreign-backed forc... -
Dawn - 18:35 Nov 27, 2025
A high-profile debate at the Oxford Union that was scheduled to feature senior figures from Pakistan and India was cancelled after the Indian delegation withdrew at the last minute, prompting strong reactions from Pakistan’s High Commission in London and triggering speculations about why India pulled out last minute. According to statements issued by the High Commission, the debate centred on the motion “This House Believes India’s Policy Towards Pakistan is a Populist Strategy Sold as Security Policy” had been confirmed weeks in advance. It is scheduled for 12:30am PKT. Pakistan’s delegation, comprising former Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee chairman Lt Gen (R) Zubair Mahmood Hayat, former foreign minister Hina Rabbani Khar and former diplomat Dr Mohammad Faisal, was already in London for the event. The High Commission claimed that India’s originally announced speakers, General M.M. Naravane, Dr Subramanian Swamy and politician Sachin Pilot, “withdrew at the eleventh hour”, leaving the event without its oppo... -
Dawn - 17:48 Nov 27, 2025
Security forces killed 22 terrorists in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the operation was conducted based on the reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian Proxy Fitna al Khwarij. Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “During the conduct of [the] operation, own troops effectively engaged the khawarij location and after an intense fire exchange, 22 khawarij were sent to hell,” the ISPR stated. “Sanitisation operation is being conducted to eliminate any other Indian-sponsored kharji found in the area, as the relentless counter-terrorism campaign under vision ‘Azm-i-Istehkam’ (as approved by the Federal Apex Committee on National Action Plan) by security forces and law enforcement agencies of Pakistan will continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponso... -
Dawn - 17:40 Nov 27, 2025
Dushmantha Chameera held his nerve with a barrage of pinpoint yorkers in the final over as Sri Lanka defended 184 to beat Pakistan by six runs in a nerve-jangling Twenty20 International tri-series encounter at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday night. Needing 10 off the last six balls with three wickets in hand, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha (unbeaten 63 off 44) could only manage a single and watch helplessly as Faheem Ashraf (seven) holed out to long-on and Mohammad Wasim blocked the final perfect yorker. A packed house fell silent as Sri Lanka clinched victory and stormed into the Saturday final. Pakistan were reeling at 43 for 4 in the sixth over after Chameera removed Sahibzada Farhan (nine) and Babar Azam (zero) in the space of three deliveries and young pacer Eshan Malinga rattled Saim Ayub’s (27 off 18) stumps. From that precarious position, Salman and Usman Khan (33 off 23) launched a spirited counter-attack, adding 56 for the fifth wicket and keeping the asking rate in sight. Usman fell tr... -
Dawn - 17:17 Nov 27, 2025
Additional Interior Secretary Salman Chaudhry said on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates had not been issuing visas to Pakistanis. Pakistan and the UAE share close diplomatic, economic, and cultural ties. The UAE is one of Pakistan’s largest trading partners in the Middle East and a major source of remittances, with a large Pakistani expatriate population living and working there. The secretary made this revelation during a meeting of the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights, further stating that Saudi Arabia and the UAE had “stopped short of imposing a ban on the Pakistani passport”. “If a ban is imposed, getting it removed would be difficult,” he warned. The official said that currently, the UAE was only issuing visas to blue and diplomatic passport holders. Separately, Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, who heads the Senate committee on human rights, also confirmed that the interior ministry official’s remarks to Dawn. She said the bar was attributed to concerns about people travelling to the UAE and ... -
Dawn - 17:16 Nov 27, 2025
Shangla police on Thursday sent a woman to a Darul Aman shelter home after expressing fear for her following a video of her that went viral on social media. Aloch Police Station House Officer (SHO) Khurshid Ali told Dawn that the woman contacted the station, stating that her life is at risk and that her family is plotting to kill her. “We sent a team to the area and brought the woman to the police station, where we recorded her statement,” SHO said. He further said that the woman said a man filmed a video with her and uploaded it to social media, which drew the ire of her family. “She said in the statement that her family might kill her and requested police protection,” SHO Ali said. The officer added that the woman was produced before the magistrate on duty in the Chakesar courts, where, on his order, she was moved to the shelter home in Swat. “We have started work on the case and submitted it to the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency,” SHO Ali added. Replying to a question, he elaborated that the sus... -
Dawn - 17:14 Nov 27, 2025
Pakistan’s squash renaissance is guaranteed a homegrown champion as young compatriots and relatives Hamza Khan and Noor Zaman Khan stormed into the final of the Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Serena Hotel International Squash Championship on Thursday, setting up an all-Pakistan title decider. The final, to be played on Friday, pits the world number 101, Hamza, against the second seed and world number 43, Noor, with both players expressing their ambition to restore Pakistan to its former glory on the global squash scene. Hamza continued his sensational run in the tournament, adding Switzerland’s David Bernet to his list of scalps just a day after stunning top-seeded Egyptian Karim El Hamamy. He secured a gripping 11-9, 11-13, 12-10, 11-5 victory in a 55-minute semi-final thriller. After an evenly matched first game, Bernet mounted a comeback, edging a nail-biting second set. Hamza reclaimed control, winning a tight third set before dominating the fourth with powerful cross-court shots to seal the match. “I am super ... -
Dawn - 17:07 Nov 27, 2025
At least three Chinese workers in Tajikistan were killed in an attack launched from Afghanistan near the border, Tajik authorities said on Thursday. Tajikistan has strained relations with the Taliban regime in Afghanistan and several border clashes have broken out in recent months. The foreign ministry said a drone and firearm attack hit workers of a Chinese company in the country’s south.’ “The attack, carried out with firearms and a drone loaded with grenades, claimed the lives of three employees of Chinese nationality,” it said in a statement. Dushanbe rarely comments officially on such incidents, and it did not say who it suspects carried out the attack. Militants are active in the mountainous border region, which spans around 1,350 kilometres between the two countries. Muslim-majority Tajikistan, one of the poorest countries in the former Soviet Union, has been concerned about possible flare-ups in extremism since the Taliban returned to power in 2021. Tajik President Emomali Rakhmon, in power since 1992... -
Dawn - 16:35 Nov 27, 2025
US FBI Director Kash Patel said on Thursday that the suspected shooter of two National Guard members had worked in Afghanistan with partner forces. “We are fully investigating that aspect of his background as well to include any known associates that are either overseas or here in the United States of America, that is what a broad-based international terrorism investigation looks like,” Patel said at a news conference. The suspect worked with “the US government, including CIA, as a member of a partner force in Kandahar,” during the US war in Afghanistan, CIA Director John Ratcliffe told the New York Times and Fox News. The two soldiers, part of a militarised law enforcement mission ordered by President Donald Trump months ago and challenged in court by Washington DC officials, were hospitalised and had come through surgery, Attorney General Pam Bondi said. The suspect, who was wounded in an exchange of gunfire before he was arrested, was identified by the Department of Homeland Security as Rahmanullah Lakanwa...
10471 items