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Dawn - 18:30 May 15, 2025
President Donald Trump on Thursday pledged to strengthen US ties to the United Arab Emirates on a visit to the Gulf state that is expected to deepen cooperation on artificial intelligence. Trump began a visit to the UAE on the latest stage of a tour of wealthy Gulf states after hailing plans by Doha to invest $10 billion in a US military facility during a trip to Qatar. “I have absolutely no doubt that the relationship will only get bigger and better,” Trump said in a meeting with UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan. “Your wonderful brother came to Washington a few weeks ago and he told us about your generous statement as to the 1.4 trillion,” Trump said, referring to a UAE pledge to invest $1.4tn in the US over 10 years. Trump was referring to Sheikh Tahnoon bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Sheikh Mohamed’s brother and the UAE’s national security adviser and chairman of two of Abu Dhabi’s deep-pocketed sovereign wealth funds. “And all I can say is thank you very much,” Trump added. “We will work very hard t... -
Dawn - 18:16 May 15, 2025
Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Thursday said that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was extended until May 18, adding that the matter will “ultimately go to dialogue” between the civilian leadership of the two nations. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. On Monday, the director general of military operations for both sides held the first round of talks via hotline after the ceasefire. Speaking in the Senate today, FM Dar said that a military-to-military conversation took place between the two countries today, where they decided to extend the ceasefire until May 18. “Ultimately, the matter will go to dialogue between the civilian leadership of the countries,” FM Dar said. “Rig... -
Dawn - 17:26 May 15, 2025
A vice president of one of the parallel film events at the Cannes Festival was suspended Thursday after being publicly denounced for sexual violence, witnesses and organisers told AFP. During a roundtable discussion about sexual assault organised by France’s film board (CNC), a woman stood up and publicly denounced an executive from the ACID Cannes film section. “The young woman acted with great courage and was immediately taken care of by charities present,” Erwan Balanant, a French MP who was in the room, told AFP. It came as the main Cannes Festival barred a French actor from the premiere Thursday of a film in the running for the Palme d’Or top prize because he has been accused of rape by three former partners. The ACID Cannes event is not part of the official festival, but runs at the same time and has some organisational links. It showcases up-and-coming directors and more experimental cinema. “Today, during a public roundtable, we heard testimony implicating one of our members, currently vice-president ... -
Dawn - 16:35 May 15, 2025
Egypt has handed opposition figure and former presidential hopeful Hisham Kassem a new six-month prison sentence for defaming a former minister, his lawyer told AFP on Thursday. Kassem was released in February 2024 after serving a six-month sentence that effectively stopped him from contesting a December 2023 presidential election. The new sentence was issued in absentia on Wednesday because Kassem is out of the country, his lawyer Nasser Amin told AFP. Kassem had not been notified of the new charges against him, Amin said, adding: “These measures have been very concerning.” The European Parliament described Kassem’s original prosecution in September 2023 as “politically motivated”. His latest conviction was on charges of defaming another former labour minister, apparently in the same comments as the first. Human rights group the Egyptian Initiative for Personal Rights condemned the ruling, describing it as “continued judicial persecution for political purposes”. “Retrying Kassem for the same incident and on ... -
Dawn - 15:08 May 15, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the agriculture sector was being developed on modern lines to achieve self-reliance and directed the development of a comprehensive regulatory framework for the sector. During the second quarter of FY25, the agriculture sector experienced a significantly declined growth rate of 1.10pc compared to 5.80pc the previous year. The prime minister has previously stated his government’s determination to transform the sector on modern lines to achieve self-sufficiency, emphasising its vast potential for rapid economic development. Chairing a meeting on agricultural sector reforms today, the prime minister stressed that government’s priority for the promotion of modern technology in the agricultural sector. He also directed the relevant department to present a National Agri-Innovation Plan for the agricultural sector. The prime minister instructed the formulation of a coordinated strategy to develop the agriculture sector in consultation with provinces and relevant stakeho... -
Dawn - 14:48 May 15, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that he spoke with Apple CEO Tim Cook and told him not to expand his production facilities in India, but to do so in America. “I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday,” Trump said during his visit to Qatar. “I said to him, Tim, you’re my friend, I treated you very good. You’re coming here with $500 billion, but now you’re building all over India,” he said, referring to Apple’s plan announced in February to invest $500bn in the US over the next four years. View this post on Instagram Trump said he informed Cook that he does not want him to build production facilities in India, and that Apple will be “upping their production in the United States”. The US president claimed that selling American goods in the world’s most populous country is “very difficult” because India has one of the highest tariff barriers in the world. However, he noted that while the Asian country looks for a deal on import duties, India has offered them a “no-tariff” deal. Trump’s remarks ca... -
Dawn - 14:25 May 15, 2025
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry on Thursday warned in an interview with British broadcaster Sky News that any Indian ceasefire violation would be met with a “swift and assured response” by Pakistan, cautioning that serious escalation could result in mutual destruction. The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came as the former blamed Islamabad for the Pahalgam attack. On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, resulting in civilian casualties. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week. It took American intervention for both sides to finally drop their guns. On May 10, when tensions between the two countries peaked, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached between India and Pakistan. According to the government, forty civilians — including seven women and 15 children — lost their lives in the Indian aggression, and 121 others sustained injuries. Speaking... -
Dawn - 12:40 May 15, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that India had offered a trade deal that proposed “no tariffs” for American goods, while expressing his dissatisfaction with Apple’s (AAPL.O) plans to invest in India. New Delhi is seeking to clinch a trade deal with the US within the 90-day pause announced by Trump on April 9 on tariff hikes for major trading partners. “It is very hard to sell in India, and they are offering us a deal where basically they are willing to literally charge us no tariffs,” Trump said in a meeting with executives in the Qatari capital Doha. Reuters has reported that New Delhi has offered to reduce duties to zero on 60 per cent of tariff lines in a first phase of the deal under negotiation with Washington, while offering preferential access to nearly 90pc of the merchandise India imports from the US. India’s equity benchmarks jumped to a seven-month high after Trump’s comment on the deal with India. The Indian trade ministry did not reply to a mail seeking comments on the proposed deal. T... -
Dawn - 11:58 May 15, 2025
Pakistan has welcomed the United States’ decision to lift all sanctions on Syria, terming the move a “pivotal step towards regional stability”, according to a statement from the Foreign Office. US President Donald Trump, on his Gulf tour, met with Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Wednesday. Despite concerns within sectors of his administration over Syria’s leaders’ former ties to Al Qaeda, Trump said on Tuesday during a speech in Riyadh that he would lift sanctions on Syria in a major policy shift. “Pakistan has consistently advocated for constructive engagement and dialogue. The easing of sanctions is expected to facilitate economic growth, improve access to essential services, and support the rebuilding efforts of the Syrian authorities,” the FO statement read. Reaffirming Pakistan’s commitment towards Syria’s unity, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, the statement said, “Pakistan supports a Syrian-led and Syrian-owned resolution.” “We commend the commitment of all countries, in particular the US, T... -
Dawn - 11:39 May 15, 2025
Swedish prosecutors said on Thursday the intelligence service’s arrests of a Kurdish representative and a Swedish diplomat were not linked to a journalist facing “terror” charges in Turkiye. Public broadcaster Sveriges Radio had alleged late on Wednesday that one of the suspects was connected to the case of Swedish journalist Joakim Medin, who is currently in custody in Turkey awaiting trial on a charge of belonging to a “terrorist” group. The Swedish Security Service (Sapo) confirmed to AFP that two people had recently been arrested for “aggravated unauthorised handling of secret information”. They had since been released but were still suspects, Sapo said. It declined to disclose any details of the case. Sveriges Radio said one of the suspects in Sapo’s case was a Swedish citizen who was a leading representative for Kurds in Northern Syria. The other was a diplomat at the foreign ministry. The broadcaster said it was unclear whether the arrests had been made as a result of a request from Turkey or not. But ... -
Dawn - 11:35 May 15, 2025
Bulls took control of the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Thursday as shares gained over 1,400 points, bringing calm to yesterday’s heightened volatility. The positive momentum comes just a day after Pakistan received the second tranche from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), worth $1 billion, under its loan programme. The KSE-100 index opened with a gain of 858.23 points (0.73 per cent) to stand at 119,394.75 points from the previous close of 118,536.52 at 9:40am. The intraday high was recorded 119,990.30 points at around 3:18pm, 1,453.78 points (1.23pc) higher than yesterday. Finally, the KSE-100 closed at 119,961.91 points, with a gain of 1,425.39 points (1.20pc) compared to the previous close. This screengrab taken at around 3:40pm shows bullish activity at the PSX on May 15, 2025. — PSX data portal Samiullah Tariq, head of research and development at Pak Kuwait Investment Company Ltd, said the market was positive due to the recent inflows from the IMF. He also noted there were “expectations of furth... -
Dawn - 09:56 May 15, 2025
A powerful explosion targeted the vehicle of local JUI-F leader Maulana Noorullah on Thursday near a seminary in the lower South Waziristan district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, police said. The explosion hit Maulana Noorullah’s car near Shahzad Madrassah, adjacent to a police station in the district’s Azam Warsak market. According to a police statement, the bomb attack was carried out to target Maulana Noorullah, who remained unharmed. Police confirmed the incident and said there were no casualties in the explosion. Security forces cordoned off the area and started an investigation. According to a video later released by the JUI-F, Maulana Noorullah told his supporters that he was accompanied by local party leaders Maulana Ishaq and Maulana Amanullah when the blast occurred. “We all are safe,” he told his supporters. “We want peace in the country and protection of religious schools, mosques and all Muslims.” JUI-F leaders have been targeted in different parts of KP and Balochistan over the past several months. On ... -
Dawn - 09:06 May 15, 2025
The first of 180 Pakistani Hajj flights scheduled to fly to Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah — part of the Road to Makkah Initiative — arrived at the King Abdul Aziz International Airport from Islamabad carrying 310 Haj pilgrims, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported today. Launched in 2019 at the Islamabad airport and later extended to Karachi, the Road to Makkah initiative offers an exemption to Haj pilgrims from the immigration process at Saudi airports by clearing them at their respective airports in Pakistan by Saudi immigration officials before boarding their flights. Marking the second phase of the initiative, the passengers were received at the airport by Minister of Religious Affairs & Interfaith Harmony Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, Consul General of Pakistan in Jeddah Khalid Majid, DG Hajj Abdul Wahab Soomro and the senior officers of the Consulate General of Pakistan. The pilgrims were presented bouqets by the receiving party. This year, an estimated 50,500 Haj pilgrims will travel to Saudi Arabia under the in... -
Dawn - 08:52 May 15, 2025
US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States was getting very close to securing a nuclear deal with Iran, and Tehran had “sort of” agreed to the terms. “We’re in very serious negotiations with Iran for long-term peace,” Trump said on a tour of the Gulf, according to a shared pool report by AFP. “We’re getting close to maybe doing a deal without having to do this … there [are] two steps to doing this, there is a very, very nice step and there is the violent step, but I don’t want to do it the second way,” he said. An Iranian source familiar with the negotiations said there were still gaps to bridge in the talks with the United States. Fresh talks between Iranian and US negotiators to resolve disputes over Tehran’s nuclear programme ended in Oman on Sunday with further negotiations planned, officials said, as Tehran publicly insisted on continuing its uranium enrichment. Though Tehran and Washington have both said they prefer diplomacy to resolve the decades-long nuclear dispute, they remai... -
Dawn - 07:47 May 15, 2025
• OMCs, refineries, dealers to benefit from additional Rs75bn • Petroleum division mulls GST on oil products ISLAMABAD: For a third time in two months, the government is considering imposing additional costs — this time at the rate of Rs4.12 per litre — on the prices of petroleum products, a move that may deprive consumers of potential relief in prices due to be announced for the next fortnight today (Thursday). This has been proposed by the petroleum division to the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet. The impact of Rs4.12 per unit works out to be around Rs75 billion on an annual basis to be paid to oil marketing companies (OMCs), refineries and retail dealers to meet their demands. On top of this, the petroleum division has also recommended imposition of general sales tax on petroleum products at the rate of Rs3-5 per litre from July 1, through the finance bill 2025-26. Without these proposed measures, the prices of petrol and diesel were estimated to decline by about Rs3.5 and Rs7 per litr... -
Dawn - 07:33 May 15, 2025
PARIS: Human Rights Watch on Wednesday said grave abuses were being committed on giant construction sites in Saudi Arabia and warned the risks to migrant workers could increase as the building of stadiums for the 2034 World Cup gathers pace. HRW said that “scores of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia die in gruesome yet avoidable workplace-related accidents, including falling from buildings, electrocution, and even decapitation”. The NGO, which has studied nearly 50 cases of deaths in Saudi Arabia, said Saudi authorities had “failed to adequately protect workers from preventable deaths, investigate workplace safety incidents, and ensure timely and adequate compensation for families” including through life insurance policies and benefits to survivors. “The risks of occupational deaths and injuries are further increasing as the Saudi government ramps up construction work for the 2034 World Cup as well as other ‘giga-projects’,” HRW added. The Gulf kingdom was handed the right to host the 2034 World Cup at a FIFA C... -
Dawn - 07:18 May 15, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Saudi Arabia has deported a total of 5,033 Pakistani beggars whereas another 369 individuals have been apprehended for begging in five other countries in the last 16 months. This information was placed before the National Assembly by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Wednesday in a written reply to a question asked by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) MNA Sehar Kamran. The official data provided by the minister shows that a total of 5,402 Pakistanis have been deported from Saudi Arabia, Iraq, Malaysia, Oman, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) since January 2024. As many as 4,850 Pakistani nationals faced deportation from these countries in the year 2024 whereas 552 have returned to Pakistan this year. The questioner has sought data of the last three years, but the minister provided details of the period starting from January 2024. Another 369 individuals caught begging in five other countries; nearly 52pc deportees belong to Sindh; Pakistan has expelled over one million illegal Afghans Interesting... -
Dawn - 06:52 May 15, 2025
ISLAMABAD: An Intelligence Bureau (IB) report claims that an “organised system of corruption” has been prevalent in the Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC), specifically highlighting the “fraudulent” establishment and recognition of Bahawalpur Medical College (BMC), according to a document available with Dawn. However, the current PMDC management has distanced itself from the allegations, asserting that any wrongdoing occurred in the past and that new checks and balances have now been introduced. “It is learnt that there is an organised system of corruption prevalent in PMDC primarily due to excessive discretionary powers and a lack of transparency,” the report stated. “A perception persists that heavy bribe is a norm for recognition of private medical and dental colleges as well as their affiliated teaching hospitals and for their inspections.” The report further alleged, “Reportedly, private medical colleges pay approximately Rs10 million per seat for the allocation of additional student seats. Anot... -
Dawn - 06:49 May 15, 2025
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court on Wednesday allowed the prosecution/police to conduct polygraph (lie detection) and photogrammetric (facial and voice analysis) tests of incarcerated PTI founding chairman Imran Khan in 12 cases of May 9 (2023) riots against him. ATC-I Judge Manzer Ali Gill granted the permission to the prosecution accepting its written application, which was opposed by the lawyer of the former prime minister. The judge has ordered completion of the tests within 12 days, saying the prosecution may meet the PTI founding chairman in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, during that period. Earlier, the judge heard the concluding arguments of PTI founder’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, and the prosecution before reserving the verdict. Barrister Safdar opposed the prosecution request, questioning the police decision to conduct the polygraph and photogrammetric tests 727 days after the May 9 incidents. The lawyer argued that bail had already been granted to the former prime minister in 21 cases and the state... -
Dawn - 05:54 May 15, 2025
KARACHI: A seminary student was found murdered in a seminary in the Gadap area on Wednesday and an autopsy revealed that he was raped before being killed, police said. They said that the body of the 13-year-old Mujeebur Rehman was found inside the seminary in Jameel Colony within the remit of the Gadap City police station. The corpse was shifted to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed said that the body bore multiple marks of injuries. “Findings [of the post-mortem examination] are suggestive of sexual violence,” she said. DIG-East Usman Ghani told Dawn that the victim boy was a seminary student. Police arrest madressah teacher after family lodges FIR Malir SSP Kashif Abbasi said that the police launched an investigation into the incident In a statement, he said that the seminary administration, teachers and students are being questioned about the incident. The crime scene unit of the police collected evidence from the spot. The victim was an orphan, who orig...
5467 items