Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 7960 news
-
Dawn - 03:05 Jul 15, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi on Monday announced a new initiative for underprivileged litigants to engage legal representation, at state expense. The initiative, launched under the auspices of the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan (LJCP), will be implemented across all levels of the judiciary, from magistrate courts to the Supreme Court. The counsels in such cases would be given up to Rs50,000 in remuneration, which would be provided to them through the District Legal Empowerment Committees, to ensure equitable access to justice for all citizens. The decision was taken during a meeting presided over by the chief justice at the Supreme Court Branch Registry in Quetta. The meeting reviewed institutional linkages between the bar associations of Balochistan and LJCP in strengthening justice delivery. During the meeting, the CJP shared insights from his visits to some remote districts, where he noticed a gap in coordination between bar associations and the LJCP. He said that des... -
Dawn - 02:44 Jul 15, 2025
• Urdu version to be available by July-end, Sindhi and Pashto versions will follow suit • New system will automatically pull data linked to filer’s CNIC, at-source deductions, bank details • PM seeks early release of income tax refunds for salaried individuals; wants Raast chairman, board to be appointed by September ISLAMABAD: In a move to simplify tax filing procedures for the salaried class, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has introduced a new interactive return form, which will incorporate an auto-fill system that seamlessly integrates data about purchases, asset details and tax deductions at source etc. — ultimately generating a single-form return upon completion. The new return form is currently available in English, while the Urdu version is set to come out by the end of this month. During the first rollout phase, the form will also be available in two regional languages, Sindhi and Pashto. More versions in regional languages — Punjabi and Balochi — are expected to be rolled out subsequently. Under ... -
Dawn - 18:59 Jul 14, 2025
OpenAI, Alphabet’s Google, Anthropic and Elon Musk’s AI firm xAI have won contracts of up to $200 million each, aimed at scaling up adoption of advanced AI capabilities in the United States Department of Defence (DoD), the government agency said on Monday. The contracts will enable the DoD to develop agentic AI workflows and use them to address critical national security challenges, the department’s Chief Digital and Artificial Intelligence Office said. “The adoption of AI is transforming the [DoD’s] ability to support our warfighters and maintain strategic advantage over our adversaries,” Chief Digital and AI Officer Doug Matty said. US government agencies have been expanding their use of AI, driven by a White House order in April promoting adoption. President Donald Trump has also moved to soften regulations on technology by revoking a 2023 Biden-era executive order, which sought to reduce AI risks through mandatory data disclosures. Separately on Monday, xAI announced a suite of its products called “Grok f... -
Dawn - 18:59 Jul 14, 2025
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) on Monday announced the dates for cricket’s return to the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, stating that matches will be played on June 12, 2028. Cricket is returning to the Olympics for the first time since the Paris Games in 1900 with a proposed six-team Twenty20 format for men and women in Los Angeles. The IOC had said in October 2023 that cricket’s inclusion had the potential to activate and engage new audiences, with the sport’s worldwide fan base estimated at 2.5 billion people. A press release issued today said the sport’s highly anticipated return was revealed with the official competition schedule. Cricket “will play out starting July 12, with the 20th and 29th of the same month earmarked for the medal matches”, the press release read. “There are no cricket matches scheduled on July 14 and 21 at LA28,” it added. “Most of the matchdays will be double headers, with the games starting from 9am and 6:30pm as per local Los Angeles time. It’s the same for the medal mat... -
Dawn - 18:24 Jul 14, 2025
A man was killed and three others were injured when the roof of a shop collapsed in Hyderabad’s Timber Market area as heavy rain caused urban flooding and brought civic life to a halt in the city on Monday, according to officials. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are also vital for agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people. Market Police Station House Officer Munir Abbasi told Dawn.com, “A person from Moro died and three others were injured when the roof of a shop collapsed in the Timber Market area.” A dust storm preceded rain in the city, Latifabad and Qasimabad. The Met Office recorded the speed of rainfall at 42 nautical miles per hour with 94 millimetres of rainfall in the city, while 56mm was recorded in Latifabad. However, the waterlogging situation remained equally bad in both areas, regardless of the... -
Dawn - 17:05 Jul 14, 2025
England beat India by 22 runs to win a thrilling third Test at Lord’s on Monday as they went 2-1 up in a five-match series. India were on the brink of defeat at 147-9, still needing a further 46 runs to reach a victory target of 193, when last man Mohammed Siraj joined Ravindra Jadeja in the middle. Nevertheless, the pair batted on until after tea on the final day to give India hope of an improbable win. But with India in sight of just their fourth win in 20 Tests at Lord’s, Siraj played on to off-spinner Shoaib Bashir — off the field for much of the match with a finger injury — with the ball just dislodging the leg bail to the batsman’s visible despair. Jadeja was left stranded on 61 not out — the all-rounder’s fourth consecutive fifty this series — after taking India to within sight of what would have been a stunning success before they were all out for 170. England captain Ben Stokes bowled two lengthy spells today on his way to an innings return of 3-48, with fast bowler Jofra Archer — in his first Test a... -
Dawn - 16:56 Jul 14, 2025
The Ministry of National Food Security and Research on Monday announced that the ex-mill price of sugar has been fixed at Rs165 per kilogramme, marking an increase of Rs25 from the fixed price last June. An official statement issued by the ministry said that the government and sugar industry had reached an agreement on the new ex-mill price of the commodity. “All provincial governments will ensure the availability of cheap sugar to the public in light of this decision,” the statement read. Last week, the federal government approved the import of half a million tonnes of sugar in a bid to maintain affordable prices of the commodity. “The committee approved the import of up to 500,000 metric tonnes of sugar to ensure a stable supply and maintain affordable prices nationwide,” said a statement posted on X. In March, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said that retail sugar prices should not exceed Rs164 after the Competition Commission of Pakistan (CCP) warned sugar mills against price manipulation. Dar said that a... -
Dawn - 16:16 Jul 14, 2025
India on Monday ordered its airlines to examine fuel switches on several Boeing models, while South Korea said it would order a similar measure, as scrutiny intensified of fuel switch locks at the centre of an investigation into a deadly Air India crash involving a Boeing 787. The moves by India and South Korea came despite the planemaker and the US Federal Aviation Administration telling airlines and regulators in recent days that the fuel switch locks on Boeing jets are safe. The locks have come under scrutiny following last month’s crash of an Air India jet, which killed 260 people. A preliminary report found that the switches had almost simultaneously flipped from run position to cutoff shortly after takeoff. The report noted a 2018 advisory from the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), which recommended, but did not mandate, operators of several Boeing models, including the 787, to inspect the locking feature of fuel cutoff switches to ensure they could not be moved accidentally. India’s Directorate... -
Dawn - 16:14 Jul 14, 2025
United States President Donald Trump and Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte announced a plan on Monday to rearm Ukraine with missiles and other weaponry in its fight to fend off Russian invaders and warned of severe tariffs if Moscow does not end the war. The announcement by the two leaders followed weeks of frustration on the part of Trump with Russian President Vladimir Putin over his refusal to make an agreement to end the conflict. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has made frequent appeals to Trump and Nato leaders for more weapons. Under the deal, Trump said the US will supply weapons that will be paid for by Nato countries. Rutte said massive numbers of weapons would be sent, including missiles, as part of a first wave of equipment. “It’s a full complement with the batteries,” Trump said when asked whether he would send Patriot missiles specifically. “We’re going to have some come very soon, within days … a couple of the countries that have Patriots are going to swap over and will replace the Patri... -
Dawn - 15:48 Jul 14, 2025
Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhary on Monday stressed that the revamped Federal Constabulary (FC) was not a police force. President Asif Ali Zardari on Sunday promulgated an ordinance empowering the federal government to transform the FC, a border security force, into the Federal Constabulary to maintain law and order, supplement the law enforcement agencies, and address the diverse security needs in a coordinated manner. According to the ordinance, the Frontier Constabulary was originally established to maintain law and order in frontier and border areas, ensuring the security of these critical regions, and preserving public peace in remote territories. However, the changing dynamics of national security, the increasing frequency of emergencies, natural disasters, civil unrest, and other emerging threats necessitated a more adaptable and versatile force to respond to such challenges. Before this ordinance, the use of force by the government for VIP security often attracted criticism, but now, un... -
Dawn - 15:20 Jul 14, 2025
Gilgit-Baltistan has imposed a moratorium on all kinds of construction and expansion of hotels on three famous lakes in Hunza, as well as in ecologically-sensitive areas in the Baltistan division, it emerged on Monday. Earlier this month, the Gilgit-Baltistan Environmental Protection Agency (GB-EPA) recommended a five-year ban on the construction and expansion of hotels on three lakes in Hunza. Last month, the GB administration imposed a fine of Rs1.5 million on a hotel for allegedly dumping sewage waste into Attabad Lake. The development came a day after a foreign tourist and vlogger named George Buckley posted a video on his Instagram page, claiming that sewage water was being pumped out by the hotel into the Attabad Lake. A notification by the office of the Hunza Division Deputy Commissioner, dated July 11, available with Dawn.com, said, “Accordingly, issuance of any new no-objection certificates (NOCs) for construction or expansion of commercial or residential structures is hereby suspended with immediate... -
Dawn - 14:43 Jul 14, 2025
At least six people have died, including four children, while one person was injured over the last 24 hours in rain-related incidents as heavy downpours continue to lash parts of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) said on Monday. Last week, PDMA alerted the district administrations across KP to the possibility of floods due to a new spell of torrential rains from July 11 to 17. Heavy rainfall and flash floods have wreaked havoc in the province in June and are set to continue. Pakistan experiences Monsoon rainfall from June to September every year. The heavy rains also trigger deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. In Bajaur, a woman died after the boundary wall of her house collapsed due to heavy rain and gusty winds, according to the PDMA report, while in Khyber district, two children were swept away in a flash flood after heavy rains. Per the report, Rescue 1122 officials found the body of one o... -
Dawn - 14:41 Jul 14, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Monday announced that he and his counterparts in and Iran and Iraq will form a trilateral working group to prevent illegal migration under the guise of pilgrimage, Radio Pakistan reported. Earlier this month, the government, during a meeting, decided that under the new measures, the traditional Salar System for zaireen (pilgrims) will be abolished and replaced with a zaireen group organisers model. From 2026 onwards, pilgrims will only be allowed to travel under registered organisers. Speaking at a trilateral conference of the interior ministers of Pakistan, Iran, and Iraq in Tehran, Naqvi told journalists the conference agreed to take all possible measures to facilitate zaireen travelling to Iran and Iraq. View this post on Instagram “We had a great and good discussion,” Naqvi said. “We will have a joint working group between the three countries so we can have better coordination. “The most important thing to acknowledge is that there are several million people who go to Ira... -
Dawn - 14:40 Jul 14, 2025
PTI leader Sayed Zulfikar Bukhari, a former aide to ex-premier Imran Khan, is set to offer testimony on “political repression” in Pakistan before the United States Congress’ Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, it emerged on Monday. According to its website, the bipartisan commission was established in 2008 and is charged with promoting, defending and advocating for international human rights as enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other relevant human rights instruments. The commission’s hearing notice states that the session will take place on Tuesday (tomorrow) at 3:30pm (12:30am PKT on Wednesday) and will “examine the government of Pakistan’s persecution of opposition political figures and journalists, and its actions to control media communications and prevent free and fair elections in Pakistan”. The session is open to the public and the media. “Many date the current phase of repression in Pakistan to 2022, when, with the involvement of the Pakistan military, popular Prime Minister ... -
Dawn - 13:59 Jul 14, 2025
India and China must resolve friction along their border, pull back troops and avoid “restrictive trade measures” to normalise their relationship, India’s foreign minister told his Chinese counterpart in Beijing on Monday. Subrahmanyam Jaishankar met Wang Yi in Beijing during his first trip to the country since 2020, when a deadly border clash between their troops led to a four-year military standoff and damaged ties until a thaw began in October, when they agreed to step back. “Good progress” made by the countries in the past nine months for normalisation of relations is a result of the resolution of friction along their border, Jaishankar told Wang. India and China share a 3,800-kilometre border that is poorly demarcated and has been disputed since the 1950s. They fought a brief but brutal border war in 1962, and talks over the decades to settle the border dispute have made slow progress. Last month, Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that the two countries should seek a “per... -
Dawn - 13:54 Jul 14, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday said that the additional powers granted to the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) had nothing to do with income tax. The expanded enforcement powers for the FBR include the authority to block high-value financial transactions by non-filers — such as vehicle and property purchases, investment in securities and mutual funds, and opening certain prestigious bank accounts — along with powers to seal unregistered business premises, confiscate goods and recover taxes from firms, including those in the public sector. The move has generated criticism from many quarters. Addressing the matter in a press conference in Karachi today, Aurangzeb said, “I think there is something to understand about what the existing law was at the time. The first thing to understand is that it has no relation to income tax. This whole issue is a sales tax fraud issue.” The finance minister added that in the original law, Inland Revenue Service officers had the authority to arrest, and it was the ... -
Dawn - 12:55 Jul 14, 2025
A man accused of trying to kill a woman by shooting her as she refused to marry him was arrested in Karachi and was found in possession of illegal weapons, the Ittehad Town police said on Monday. However, the woman remained safe and a case under Sections 324 (attempt to commit intentional murder) and 34 (common intention) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) was registered at the Ittehad Town police station. As soon as the case was registered, a police team led by Station House Officer Inspector Rao Shabbir Ahmed, acting on the information of a special informant, successfully arrested the accused. The police team also found him in possession of illegal weapons. A case under Section 23(1)-A of the Arms Act was also registered in this connection. In 2021, he had allegedly attempted to murder his ex-wife by throwing acid on her. A case was registered under Sections 336-A (hurt caused by corrosive substance) and 336-B (punishment for hurt by corrosive substance) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at Saeedabad police st... -
Dawn - 12:07 Jul 14, 2025
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) witnessed a positive trajectory on Monday, crossing the 136,000 barrier due to increased investor sentiment and improved economic outlook. The benchmark KSE 100 index surged by 2202.77 points, or up by 1.64 per cent, to close at 136,502.53 points. The stock market reached its highest intraday level of 136,841.49 points around 3:28pm. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed satisfaction as the stock market surged to cross the all-time high level. According to a statement from the Prime Minister’s Office, he said the “significant achievement by the PSX is a clear reflection of the business community’s growing confidence in Pakistan’s economy”. “The recent positive economic indicators are a testament to his government’s policies moving in the right direction,” he emphasised, reiterating that providing a business-friendly environment remains the government’s top priority.“ He said the country had moved from economic stability towards the path of economic growth, adding that the g... -
Dawn - 11:56 Jul 14, 2025
“When our boats are stranded onshore, our kitchens remain empty,” says Lateefa Nasir. “My children haven’t been to school for a month and we live on loans now.” Nasir is a member and beneficiary of the Ormara Cooperative Society, a local NGO advocating for the improvement of fishers’ livelihoods and welfare. She and her family live in Ormara, a town in Gwadar district, along the coast of Pakistan’s south-western Balochistan province. Her husband is a fisher and like many fishing households in the area they are in crisis due to the Iran-Israel conflict. The war has led Pakistan to close its border with Iran, disrupting both the inflow of fuel and the export of fish. This double blow has crippled fishing communities already suffering from the impacts of climate change and overfishing. Balochistan boasts an approximately 770-kilometre coastline along the Arabian Sea which plays a significant role in the country’s fisheries. Allaudin Kakkar, a senior official from the Balochistan Fisheries and Coastal Development... -
Dawn - 11:05 Jul 14, 2025
A magnitude 6.7 earthquake struck on Monday off eastern Indonesia, the US Geological Survey (USGS) said, but a monitor said there was no tsunami threat. The quake struck at 12:49pm Western Indonesia time (10:49pm PKT) and its epicentre was at a depth of 66 kilometres, around 177 kilometres west of the city of Tual in the eastern Maluku province, the USGS said. The Pacific Tsunami Warning Centre said there was no tsunami threat, and Indonesia’s geophysics agency said in a social media post the quake “did not have the potential to cause a tsunami”. There were no immediate reports of damage or casualties. The vast archipelago nation experiences frequent earthquakes due to its position on the Pacific “Ring of Fire”, an arc of intense seismic activity where tectonic plates collide that stretches from Japan through Southeast Asia and across the Pacific basin. A magnitude 6.2 quake that shook Sulawesi in January 2021 killed more than 100 people and left thousands homeless. In 2018, a magnitude-7.5 quake and subseque...
7960 items