Dawn
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Found 7960 news
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Dawn - 08:29 Jul 22, 2025
The United States will soon require international visitors to pay a “visa integrity fee” of at least $250, a new addition to existing visa application costs, according to a provision in the Trump administration’s recently enacted domestic policy bill, CNN reported on Tuesday. In the fiscal year 2024, the US issued nearly 11 million non-immigrant visas according to the State Department. These encompass international students, many leisure and business travellers and other temporary visitors. The new fee will apply to all visitors requiring non-immigrant visas to enter the US. This does not include tourists and business travellers from countries that are included in the Visa Waiver Programme — including Australia and many European countries — that do not need visas for stays of 90 days or less. The fee is to be paid at the time visas are issued. Although there will be no fee waivers for the payment, the provision states that travellers who comply with the terms of their visa can have the fee reimbursed after th... -
Dawn - 08:04 Jul 22, 2025
Iran has no plans to abandon its nuclear programme, including uranium enrichment, despite “severe” damage to its facilities after US strikes last month, Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Monday. For now, enrichment “is stopped because, yes, damages are serious and severe”, Araghchi told Fox News’ “Special Report with Bret Baier”. “But obviously we cannot give up enrichment because it is an achievement of our own scientists,” he continued, calling it a source of “national pride”. He stressed that any future nuclear deal would have to contain the right to enrichment. When asked whether any enriched uranium had been saved from the strikes, Araghchi said he had “no detailed information”, but that Iran’s Atomic Energy Organisation is “trying to evaluate what has exactly happened to our nuclear material, to our enriched material”. Washington bombed three nuclear facilities in Iran on June 22 to support Israel’s 12-day military offensive, including the Fordow underground uranium enrichment site located south o... -
Dawn - 07:31 Jul 22, 2025
Pakistan on Monday signed a United Nations (UN) agreement aimed at conserving marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, the Foreign Office (FO) said. In 2015, Pakistan’s seabed territory grew by about 50,000 square kilometres after a UN body accepted Islamabad’s claim for extension of sea limits. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar signed the “Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction” (BBNJ Agreement) at the UN Headquarters in New York. The BBNJ pact is the third implementing agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (Unclos), which was adopted in 1982 and entered into force in 1994. Pakistan signing the BBNJ agreement “reflects on its commitment to multilateral cooperation and protection and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction”, the FO noted in a statement. The BBNJ agreement was adopted on 19 June 2023 by an intergovernmental conference. “Paki... -
Dawn - 06:59 Jul 22, 2025
At least 25 children were among the 27 dead pulled from scorched buildings after a Bangladesh Air Force jet on a training mission crashed into a college and school campus in Dhaka, officials said on Tuesday, with 88 people being treated in hospital. The F-7 BGI aircraft crashed soon after it took off at 1:06pm (12:06pm PKT) on Monday from the airbase in Kurmitola in the capital on a routine training mission. The military said the plane experienced a mechanical failure. Visuals showed rescue workers scouring the charred buildings for debris as distressed family members surrounded the site. Sayedur Rahman, special assistant to the chief adviser on health, told reporters that 27 people had died and 88 were admitted to hospital with burn injuries. Those dead included 25 children, a teacher and the pilot. The government announced a day of mourning, with flags at half-mast and special prayers at all places of worship. The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, acc... -
Dawn - 06:45 Jul 22, 2025
KARACHI: Nolberto Solano’s last managerial job might have not gone too well but the Newcastle United legend will look to turn a page on that when he takes over as the head coach of Pakistan’s senior and under-23 teams next month. Solano is the first major appointment by the freshly-elected Pakistan Football Federation leadership with president Mohsen Gilani telling Dawn on Monday that he expected the former Peru winger to help the national team reach new heights. “He will bring more zest and energy to the national team … especially in our style of play,” Mohsen added, noting Solano’s experience as the assistant coach of the Peruvian national team. During his seven-year stint as assistant to Ricardo Gareca, Solano helped his country qualify for their first FIFA World Cup appearance in 36 years as Peru made it to the 2018 tournament in Russia. Solano, who also helmed the under-23 side, stayed till 2022, leaving after Peru fell to Australia in an intercontinental playoff for the World Cup that year in Qatar. Sin... -
Dawn - 06:05 Jul 22, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Monday passed several private member bills, including one enhancing punishment for obscenity-related offences. The Criminal Laws (Amendment) Bill 2024, introduced by PPP Senator Shahadat Awan, seeks to amend Sections 292 to 294 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The bill has defined obscenity as per Article 37(g) of the Constitution, which states: “[The State shall:] prevent prostitution, gambling and taking of injurious drugs, printing, publication, circulation and display of obscene literature and advertisements”. Under the proposed changes, Section 292 would increase the penalty for publishing, producing, exhibiting, distributing, or selling obscene material from a three-month sentence and an unspecified fine to two years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000. A proviso clarifies the law does not apply to religious content or objects used for religious purposes. Section 293 would raise the punishment for selling obscene material to individuals under 20 years from six months’ impriso... -
Dawn - 05:58 Jul 22, 2025
QUETTA: Police have arrested at least 14 suspects for their involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in the Quetta district, who were shot dead on the orders of a tribal jirga ahead of Eidul Azha for so-called honour. The horrific video of the incident went viral on Sunday, prompting a countrywide outcry. Balochistan Police chief Moazzam Jah Ansari told Dawn the woman’s family and her tribe members were allegedly involved in the murder as they killed her and her partner for allegedly having a relationship out of wedlock. The man who shot and killed the woman was her brother, the IGP said. On Sunday, it was reported that the woman and the man had contracted a love marriage, and they were invited by their families on the pretext of a feast, where they were informed about the decision of the jirga. Separately, a court ordered the police to exhume the bodies and conduct an autopsy, while an anti-terrorism court granted physical remand of Sardar Sherbaz Satakzai to police for two days. Balochistan Hi... -
Dawn - 05:54 Jul 22, 2025
MUMBAI: An Indian court acquitted on Monday 12 men previously convicted for a series of bomb blasts that ripped through packed commuter trains in Mumbai in 2006 that killed 187 people. The men were convicted in 2015 of murder, conspiracy, and waging war against the country over the attacks during the evening rush hour of July 11, 2006 that also injured more than 800 people. Five were sentenced to death, while the other seven were given life imprisonment. But, 10 years later, the Bombay High Court set aside a lower court’s verdict and acquitted the 12 men. Justices Anil Kilor and Shyam Chandak said in their judgement, the prosecution had “utterly failed to establish the offence beyond the reasonable doubt against the accused on each count”. The men were ordered to be released from jail “if they are not required to be detained in any other case”. The prosecution can appeal against the order in the Supreme Court. A total of seven blasts ripped through the trains after the bombs, packed into pressure cookers, wer... -
Dawn - 05:47 Jul 22, 2025
LONDON: The defamation trial between Brigadier (retd) Rashid Naseer and UK-based former army officer Adil Farooq Raja opened today at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. The proceedings, scheduled to continue until July 24, centre on a series of online allegations made by Mr Raja against the retired intelligence officer, which Brigadier Naseer claims are defamatory and untrue. Mr Raja, who runs a YouTube channel and has positioned himself as a whistleblower, is accused of making multiple defamatory statements on social media, including allegations of corruption, electoral interference, judicial manipulation, and human rights abuse, all of which Brigadier Naseer strongly denies. Brigadier Naseer appeared in person in the court, whereas Mr Raha appeared via video link. Mr Raja’s witness former accountability tsar Shehzad Akbar appeared in person, whereas Shaheen Sehbai and Syed Akbar Hussian appeared online from the US. Naseer told the UK High Court that he and his family had faced threats to their lives, ha... -
Dawn - 04:22 Jul 22, 2025
HONG KONG: China’s Premier Li Qiang announced construction had begun on what will be the world’s largest hydropower dam, on the eastern rim of the Tibetan Plateau, at an estimated cost of at least $170 billion, the official Xinhua news agency said. Commencement of the hydropower project, China’s most ambitious since the Three Gorges Dam on the Yangtze, was seized by Chinese markets as proof of economic stimulus, sending stock prices and bond yields higher on Monday. Made up of five cascade hydropower stations with the capacity to produce 300 billion kilowatt-hours of electricity annually, equal to the amount of electricity consumed by Britain last year, the dam will be located in the lower reaches of the Yarlung Zangbo. A section of the river tumbles 2,000 metres in a span of 50km, offering huge hydropower potential. India and Bangladesh have already raised concerns about its possible impact on the millions of people downstream, while NGOs warned of the risk to one of the richest and most diverse environments... -
Dawn - 19:00 Jul 21, 2025
Russia and Ukraine will hold new peace talks on Wednesday as a follow-up to two rounds in Istanbul that made little progress on ending their war, President Volodymyr Zelensky announced. “Today, I discussed with [Ukrainian Security Council chief] Rustem Umerov the preparations for the exchange and another meeting in Turkey with the Russian side. Umerov reported that the meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,” Zelensky said in his daily address on Monday. He added that more details would be released on Tuesday. The rival sides met in Istanbul on May 16 and June 2 amid US pressure to agree on a ceasefire. Despite the urging of US President Donald Trump, no breakthrough was made. Ukrainian and Russian negotiators have so far only agreed to hold prisoner exchanges. And Russia has since launched intense air attacks on Ukraine and seized more frontline territory. Russia has demanded that Ukraine give up four regions, on top of Crimea, which it annexed in 2014. The Kremlin also insists that Ukraine give up any idea of j... -
Dawn - 17:53 Jul 21, 2025
At least 20 people were killed and 171 injured as a Bangladesh air force training jet crashed into a college and school campus in the capital, Dhaka, on Monday after experiencing a technical problem shortly after take-off, according to a military statement. The F-7 BGI jet took off at 1:06pm (0706 GMT) from the Bangladesh Air Force base in Kurmitola, Dhaka, as part of a routine training mission, but encountered a mechanical failure, said the spokesperson, Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury. “The pilot … made a valiant attempt to divert the aircraft away from densely populated areas. Despite his best efforts, the aircraft … crashed into a two-storey building belonging to Milestone School and College,” he said. The pilot was among those killed in the incident, the military said, adding that a committee had been formed to investigate its cause. The F-7 BGI is the final and most advanced variant in China’s Chengdu J-7/F-7 aircraft family, according to Janes Information Group. Bangladesh signed a contract ... -
Dawn - 17:49 Jul 21, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday stated that Pakistan is targeting using 60 per cent renewable energy by 2030 during his address to the General Debate of the Ministerial Segment of the UN High-Level Political Forum (HLPF) in New York, according to a statement from the Foreign Office (FO). Pakistan assumed the UNSC Presidency for the month of July 2025, making it the country’s eighth term on the Security Council as a non-permanent member. Islamabad began its current two-year term as a non-permanent member in January 2025 and will serve through the end of 2026. The presidency involves a focus on multilateralism, peaceful dispute resolution, and regional cooperation. According to the FO, Dar reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and outlined key policy measures driving growth, climate resilience and economic reform in his address. “The compounding effects of the pandemic, the food, fuel, and finance crises, as well as intensifying climate im... -
Dawn - 17:43 Jul 21, 2025
At least three tourists were killed, four others were injured and 15 went missing after floods triggered by heavy rain swept through Gilgit-Baltistan’s (GB) Babusar area in Diamer district on Monday. Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September every year, continue to lash many parts of the country, prompting authorities to release an urban flooding warning for several cities. According to Faizullah Firaq, spokesperson for the GB government, three bodies were recovered from flood debris today, while four injured people were transported to a hospital in Chilas. “Fifteen other tourists have gone missing, as eight tourist vehicles were washed away in the raging flood,” Firaq said in a statement. “Medical assistance for the injured is ongoing, with one individual in critical condition.” The spokesperson added that communication systems were disrupted due to a fibre optic break, while thousands of tourists were stranded and communication with their homes had been cut off. “The government has ... -
Dawn - 17:07 Jul 21, 2025
An Air India Airbus A320 flight veered off the runway as it landed during heavy rain at the Mumbai International Airport on Monday, briefly shutting the runway and damaging the underside of one of the plane’s engines. All passengers and crew members have since disembarked, Air India said, without saying whether anyone was injured. Air India flight AI2744 had flown from Kochi in southern Kerala state to Mumbai. The Mumbai airport said in a statement that there were “minor damages reported to the airport’s primary runway” due to what it described as a “runway excursion”, and a secondary runway had been activated to ensure operational continuity. The aircraft has been grounded for checks, Air India added. A Times of India report, citing sources, said three tyres had burst on the aircraft after the landing. TV footage from NDTV and India Today showed the outer casing of the engine damaged, with some apparent cracks. In a separate incident reported by Indian media, an Air India flight from Delhi to Kolkata was abo... -
Dawn - 16:50 Jul 21, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday launched the Digital System for Licensing and Registration of Medical Devices, which will accelerate the registration process, state media Radio Pakistan reported. The registration of life-saving medical devices and diagnostic products in Pakistan became a critical issue earlier this year. The Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (Drap) was under scrutiny over “sluggish” and “highly inefficient” operations for the approval and registration of medical devices. According to the chairman of Healthcare Devices Association of Pakistan, the situation was causing heavy financial losses to importers and disrupting patient care in hospitals. Speaking at the launch ceremony in Islamabad, he said that the process will be completed in the shortest possible time, stating: “Now, decisions will be made swiftly and transparently.” The premier hoped that the applications for registration of medical services and equipment would be decided within 20 days in a transparent and merit-based ... -
Dawn - 16:00 Jul 21, 2025
At least 11 more suspects, including a tribal leader, were arrested on Monday for their alleged involvement in the killing of a man and a woman in Balochistan after a video of the murder went viral on social media, with the case now handed over to the Serious Crimes Investigation Wing (SCIW), according to the police. SCIW Superintendent of Police (SP) Syed Saboor Agha told Dawn.com, “Eleven people have been arrested, including a tribal leader who issued directives to shoot the couple, and all of them will appear before a judicial magistrate today.” The viral video showed a group of men leading a couple out of vehicles and into a desert before gunning them down with pistols and shooting the bodies. Political figures and activists said it was an ‘honour’ killing incident. On Sunday, Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti announced on X that he had directed the Balochistan Police to take immediate action, following which one suspect was apprehended. According to a first information report (FIR) — a copy of whi... -
Dawn - 15:52 Jul 21, 2025
The seat-adjustment arrangement between the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and opposition arrangement came through in the Senate elections in the province on Monday — with the treasury winning six and the opposition bagging five seats, according to unofficial results. The treasury and the joint opposition alliance had agreed on a seat-sharing formula under which six seats would go to the treasury, which has 92 members in the KP Assembly, and five seats to the opposition, which is 53-strong. On Sunday, it emerged that what initially shaped up to be a three-way contest — among PTI, PTI “dissidents” and opposition lawmakers — turned out to be almost a two-way match after the size of PTI’s “disgruntled” faction was effectively reduced to just one candidate. PTI’s Murad Saeed, Faisal Javed, Mirza Afridi and Noorul Haq Qadri were elected as senators on general seats, according to the unofficial results. Murad Saeed received 26 votes, Mirza Afridi and Faisal Javed both bagged 22, and Noor-ul-Haq Qadri 21. PTI’s Azam ... -
Dawn - 15:50 Jul 21, 2025
The government detained several traders on Monday after they protested at the Pakistan-China border against taxes and announced the closure of the dry port on the call of the Pak-China Trades Action Committee, a traders organisation in Gilgit-Baltistan. Traders have closed the Karakoram Highway at several places in Hunza and Nagar districts, due to which travellers and a large number of tourists from the two districts have been stranded. “Traders had blocked the Karakoram Highway by staging a sit-in at two places in the Hunza area, in which the Murtazaabad sit-in ended,” Hunza Deputy Commissioner (DC) Huzaifa Anwar told Dawn.com. “However, a sit-in is ongoing in the Sost area of the Pak-China border. Talks are being held with the traders there. It is likely that it will be cleared in two to three hours,” DC Anwar added. He said that three traders were detained at the Sost Dry Port after the announcement of the sit-in, one of whom has been released, but two are in custody. The DC said that the traders were not... -
Dawn - 15:17 Jul 21, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s lunch meeting with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir prompted a private diplomatic protest from India in a warning to Washington about risks to their bilateral ties while New Delhi is recalibrating relations with China as a hedge, officials and analysts said. The meeting and other tensions in the US-India relationship, after decades of flourishing ties, have cast a shadow in trade negotiations, they said, as Trump’s administration weighs tariffs against one of its major partners in the Indo-Pacific. India blames Pakistan, especially the military establishment, for supporting what it alleges is cross-border terrorism and has told the US it is sending the wrong signals by wooing Field Marshal Munir, three senior Indian government officials directly aware of the matter told Reuters. It has created a sore spot that will hamper relations going forward, they said. Pakistan has denied accusations that it supports militants who carried out an attack in Ind...
7960 items