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Dawn - 17:48 May 22, 2025
Fifty-five men, including a priest, a paramedic, and a music teacher, were arrested in France this week as part of an operation to dismantle a suspected paedophile ring operating via the Telegram messaging app, authorities said on Thursday. The arrests took place in 42 departments over possession, distribution and regular viewing of pornography involving children “under the age of 10”, France’s OFMIN, which is tasked with preventing violence against minors, told AFP. OFMIN issued the warrant that led to the arrest of Telegram founder Pavel Durov in Paris in 2024, and he remains under formal investigation by French authorities over illegal content on the popular service. The arrests of the 55 men aged 25 to 75, which followed a 10-month investigation, took place from Monday to Thursday. The men exchanged messages on Telegram and were in contact with “extremely dangerous” child sex abusers who have been in prison since last summer, Quentin Bevan, head of OFMIN’s operational unit, told AFP. The large-scale opera... -
Dawn - 17:39 May 22, 2025
Several people are feared dead after a small plane crashed into a California neighbourhood before dawn on Thursday, destroying homes and setting cars on fire. At least 10 houses were burned or hit by debris that spread over a wide area, and cars on both sides of a street were set on fire when the Cessna 550 slammed into the ground in San Diego. “There are more than one fatality that we found so far, but we’re waiting to get the registered numbers that were on the plane itself,” said San Diego’s Assistant Fire Department Chief Dan Eddy. “When it hit the street, as the jet fuel went down, it took out every single car that was on both sides of the street,” he said, adding: “We have jet fuel all over the place.” Footage of the immediate aftermath of the crash showed a line of burning fuel linking the flaming cars. Eddy said “miraculously” no one on the ground had been killed or seriously hurt. Daylight revealed what a close call it had been for some people, with images showing the roof of one home blackened and c... -
Dawn - 17:19 May 22, 2025
Army’s top brass vows to stop ‘externally-sponsored terrorists’ from destroying national peace: ISPR
The armed forces have vowed to prevent the country’s peace being compromised by externally-sponsored terrorism, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. A day earlier, at least six people, including three students, were slain while over 40 others — mostly students — were injured after a bomb targeted a school bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was on its way to drop the students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the vow was made during the 270th Corps Commander Conference (CCC) at the General Headquarters in Rawalpindi, chaired by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir. “A comprehensive review of the prevailing internal and external security environment was undertaken, with particular emphasis on the successful conclusion of Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, a decisive chapter of Marka-i-Haq,” the statement read. It was observed that “following its military failure in the wake o... -
Dawn - 16:23 May 22, 2025
The Punjab Home Department on Thursday launched a campaign to raise awareness about the safety of children. According to the spokesperson of the home department, the campaign called ‘Safe Children, Safe Punjab’ was launched on the instructions of the Punjab Chief Minister. The statement said, “The home department released the first episode of a special animation series to create awareness about ‘Good Touch, Bad Touch’. “The campaign was launched to prevent incidents of sexual abuse of minors.” The statement also said that the series introduced the characters named Haya and Bahadur, who educate children about “Good Touch and Bad Touch”, with a message for children stating, “We will not be afraid of those who touch us badly.” Educating children about personal safety was the need of the hour, the statement said, adding that the series taught children about “appropriate and inappropriate physical behaviour in a positive way”. With proper education and awareness, children can recognise and report inappropriate beh... -
Dawn - 15:52 May 22, 2025
Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would hold the United States responsible for any Israeli attack on its nuclear facilities, after US media reported that Israel was preparing for a strike. The report came even as Iran and the United States were set to meet in Rome on Friday for a fifth round of Omani-mediated nuclear talks. “We believe that in the event of any attack on the nuclear facilities of the Islamic Republic of Iran by the Zionist regime (Israel), the US government will also be involved and bear legal responsibility,” Araghchi said in a letter to the United Nations published on Thursday. “Iran strongly warns against any adventurism by the Zionist regime and will respond decisively to any threat or unlawful act by this regime,” Araghchi added. On Tuesday, CNN reported that Israel was making preparations to strike Iranian nuclear facilities. The nuclear talks, which began on April 12, are the highest-level contact between the long-time foes since the United States in 2018 pulled out of a landmar... -
Dawn - 15:38 May 22, 2025
In sweltering Karachi, as tensions with India simmer over the Indus Waters Treaty, Musadik Masood Malik sips an Americano. Recently appointed as Pakistan’s federal minister for climate change and environmental coordination, Malik left his previous post overseeing the Ministry for Water Resources and Petroleum to take on what he describes as an urgent and daunting role. In one of his first interviews since the March 2025 reshuffle, he speaks exclusively to Dialogue Earth. Malik leans forward to list what he sees as Pakistan’s most pressing environmental threats: “Air pollution and its economic toll on the people of Pakistan. Water pollution and access. And solid waste [management], whether methane or carbon dioxide. These are the three major challenges we face,” he says. But it’s Pakistan’s melting glaciers that concern him most. Before arriving in Karachi, one of Senator Malik’s first official visits was to Gilgit-Baltistan, Pakistan’s northernmost region and home to some of the world’s largest glacial reserv... -
Dawn - 14:16 May 22, 2025
Saudi Arabia’s health ministry on Thursday launched a health awareness kit, including one in Urdu, to promote the health and well-being of Haj pilgrims. Haj, one of the fundamental pillars of Islam, is performed each year by millions of Muslims worldwide. Pakistan receives one of the highest Haj quotas from Saudi Arabia. In a post on X, the Saudi health ministry said that the kit was available in eight languages. “In all languages, we care about pilgrims’ health. Explore the health awareness kit to promote health and well-being among pilgrims,” the post said. The multilingual kit contained essential information for pilgrims, such as: preventing heat-related illnesses and managing health in extreme conditions, required vaccinations (meningitis, Covid-19, polio and yellow fever), managing chronic diseases, and accessing free health services during Haj. It also included short videos, social media assets, and printable posters. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia signed the annual Haj agreement in January, which would see ... -
Dawn - 13:07 May 22, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday held a meeting with an International Monetary Fund (IMF) delegation and reaffirmed his government’s commitment to fast-track institutional reforms alongside macroeconomic stabilisation, asserting that Pakistan was now firmly on the path to economic development. The meeting with the IMF delegation, led by the Fund’s Director of the Middle East and Central Asia Department Jihad Azourat the PM’s Office, took place as Pakistan gears up to present the budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on June 2. “Pakistan is now moving from economic stability toward sustainable growth,” the prime minister said, emphasising that the government’s top priority was not only to sustain macroeconomic gains but to expedite comprehensive institutional reforms, crucial for long-term resilience. The meeting focused on discussions related to the implementation and progress of the ongoing IMF programme in Pakistan. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the economic reforms undertaken by the governme... -
Dawn - 12:55 May 22, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said that two major terrorist groups operating in Pakistan were “Indian proxies”, adding that Islamabad will present “complete evidence” to prove New Delhi’s involvement in the attack on a school bus in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district that killed three children and injured several others. At least six people, including three students, were slain while over 40 others — mostly students — sustained injuries after a bomb targeted the bus near Zero Point in Khuzdar on the Quetta-Karachi highway when it was on its way to drop the students at the Army Public School in Khuzdar Cantonment. The condition of at least a dozen is said to be serious due to critical injuries, officials said, adding that at least 15 girl students were among the injured. Security forces vowed to “relentlessly pursue” the culprits of the attack as Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir visited the injured in Quetta yesterday. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath... -
Dawn - 10:40 May 22, 2025
THE death penalty awarded to Zahir Jaffar for the brutal killing of Noor Mukadam in 2021 has been upheld by the Supreme Court. The court has reiterated that the murderer must pay for the crime with his life. It is, no doubt, a dire sentence — this paper, in principle, opposes capital punishment. The judges, it must be noted, did commute the death sentence on the rape charge to life imprisonment, and the kidnapping sentence from 10 years to one. However, when it came to the murder charge, it appears they felt it necessary to match the severity of the crime with the severity of the punishment. Many well-wishers hope that the verdict will bring the Mukadam family some closure after their long ordeal to secure justice for their murdered daughter. Noor’s brutal killing had shaken the Pakistani public out of its reverie to take note of the misogyny and domestic violence prevalent in society. The case had been closely followed. The evidence, eyewitness accounts, and sequence of events stitched together by the media ... -
Dawn - 10:25 May 22, 2025
Two Israeli embassy staffers were shot dead late on Wednesday outside a Jewish museum in Washington by a gunman who shouted “free Palestine”. authorities said, with US and Israeli leaders expressing shock and outrage over the killings. US President Donald Trump quickly condemned the attack, saying, “These horrible DC killings, based obviously on anti-Semitism, must end, now!” “Hatred and radicalism have no place in the USA,” he added on social media. Gunfire broke out on the sidewalk outside the Capital Jewish Museum in the centre of Washington as the venue held a social event for young professionals and diplomatic staff. The victims were a young couple who planned to get married, the Israeli ambassador said. A video clip circulating on social media showed a young bearded man in a jacket and white shirt shouting “free, free Palestine” as he was led away by police. Police confirmed the suspected shooter walked into the museum after the shooting and had been detained. “We believe the shooting was committed by a... -
Dawn - 09:59 May 22, 2025
PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan has felicitated Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir for his elevation to the rank of field marshal, saying that he now had more responsibility to “make the situation better”. Earlier this week, the government promoted Gen Munir to the rank of field marshal in recognition of his “strategic leadership and decisive role” in defeating India during the military confrontation between the two countries that ended with a US-mediated ceasefire. Field marshal is the highest rank in armies modelled after the British Army. In Pakistan, it was awarded only once before, to General Mohammad Ayub Khan in 1959. Speaking to reporters outside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail yesterday after meeting with incarcerated ex-premier Imran Khan, Gohar said: “A long time has passed. The PTI is a major party, Khan sahib is the most popular leader. We want these difficulties to end now. “This is why I am saying that the [army chief] has gotten this new honour of field marshal. [We] have congratulated but after this... -
Dawn - 09:47 May 22, 2025
Japanese police said on Thursday they arrested a former taxi driver on suspicion of drugging and raping a female passenger, with media reports saying there could be dozens more victims. The Yomiuri Shimbun daily and Jiji Press reported that police found about 3,000 videos and images of him sexually assaulting around 50 women in his taxi or his home. Last year, the man “got a woman, then in her 20s, to take sleeping pills which caused her to lose consciousness, took her to his home and committed an indecent act, which he filmed,” a Tokyo police spokesman told AFP. Police arrested the 54-year-old on Wednesday on “suspicion of non-consensual sexual intercourse and violation of the law on punishment of filming of sexual parts,” he added without elaborating further. Traces of sleeping pills were detected in her hair, according to media reports. The footage recovered on the man’s phone and other devices dated back to 2008, the reports said. Media also said that he was arrested last October on suspicion of drugging ... -
Dawn - 08:45 May 22, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade deficit with nine neighbouring countries widened by 34.64 per cent, reaching $9.787 billion in the first ten months of the current fiscal year (FY25), compared to $7.269 billion during the same period last year. Exports witnessed significant growth to Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Sri Lanka, spurred by recent changes in the regional political landscape. However, trade with these countries continues to face considerable challenges, largely due to unfavourable government policies. Despite this positive development in exports, the overall trade gap with regional countries widened, primarily due to increased imports from China, India and Bangladesh during the period under review. In FY24, the trade deficit with these countries stood at $9.506bn, up 49pc from $6.382bn in the preceding year. Export gains to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka offset by soaring imports Pakistan’s exports to Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka saw a hefty growth in July-April FY25. Still, exports to othe... -
Dawn - 08:36 May 22, 2025
RAWALPINDI: Six people were injured after a sewer pipeline exploded due to gas accumulation on Wednesday morning, leaving behind a big crater on the road that connects the Holy Family Hospital Road with Phagwari Road. Due to the incident, a traffic jam was witnessed on the slip roads, which created problems for the residents, while the site was cordoned off by the authorities. According to the district administration officials, gas accumulated in the pipeline caused the explosion. They said that the Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa), the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and the Rawalpindi Municipal Corporation (RMC) officials were informed about the incident and asked to check the reason behind it. District Emergency Officer Sibghatullah told Dawn that Rescue 1122 received a call about the explosion in the sewer line and rushed to the site. He said that two people were injured in the first gas explosion and four people were injured in the second explosion. He said the injured were moved to Holy Fam... -
Dawn - 08:24 May 22, 2025
The festive occasion of Eidul Azha is likely to be celebrated across Pakistan on June 7, 2025, according to the Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). In a statement, the commission issued a prediction regarding the sighting of the crescent moon for the month of Zilhaj 1446 AH, “based on scientific analysis, astronomical data, and modern observational techniques.” It said according to astronomical models, the birth of the new moon for Zilhaj will occur on May 27, 2025, at 8:02pm PST. The scientific analysis for May 27, 2025 (29 Ziqa’ad) in Pakistan indicates the age of the moon at sunset will be approximately 11 hours and 34 minutes, it mentioned. “Even under the most optimal weather conditions, the possibility of the moon being sighted across the country is extremely low, as there will only be a 37-minute interval between sunset and moonset,” it added. The commission said 1st Zilhaj is expected to fall on May 29. Therefore, Eidul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan on June 7. It added ... -
Dawn - 08:21 May 22, 2025
RAWALPINDI: The Water and Sanitation Agency (Wasa) has settled its liabilities after paying Rs1.9 billion to the Islamabad Electric Supply Company and Rs1.5 billion to the Capital Development Authority with the aid provided by the provincial government. Talking to Dawn, Wasa Managing Director Saleem Ashraf said that the provincial government had been requested to provide financial aid to the agency to clear its liabilities. He said Rs1.980 billion owed to Iesco had been pending for the last two years for the electricity supply to 480 tube wells in the garrison city and the Rawal Dam filtration plant. He said that it was difficult for the agency to pay the electricity supply bills because of its meagre income over the last two years. Regarding the CDA, there was Rs1.59 billion outstanding amount pending for the last 16 years against Wasa’s share for the operation and maintenance of the Khanpur Dam Filtration Plant in Sangjani. He said that a year ago, Wasa did not have additional money available to pay its sha... -
Dawn - 07:27 May 22, 2025
LAHORE: Quetta Gladiators sealed a spot in the HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) with a clinical 30-run victory over Islamabad United in the Qualifier here at the Gaddafi Stadium on Wednesday, thanks to brilliant contributions by Dinesh Chandimal, Faheem Ashraf and Usman Tariq. It was a statement win for Gladiators, who came into the match against the defending champions as the league stage’s table toppers and the Saud Shakeel-led side hardly felt the heat of the big occasion. After having posted 209-5, thanks to what proved to be a match-winning partnership between Chandimal and Faheem, Gladiators never really let United get away with the game as Usman took three wickets. Chasing the big total, United — who will now face the winners of the first Eliminator between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars — scampered on their way to 45-1 in the powerplay, with opener Alex Hales playing Faheem’s pace onto his stumps early in the innings. The incoming Rassie van der Dussen responded to the slow start when he lifted... -
Dawn - 06:09 May 22, 2025
• Regrets how CJP could mark cases to a judge mentioned in petition • Observes it is embarrassing for judges to bracket them for deciding in favour of a political party ISLAMABAD: Justice Shahid Bilal Hassan on Wednesday took exception to uncharitable pleadings on behalf of PTI chairman Imran Khan in which disparaging remarks were made against certain judges of the Islamabad High Court (IHC). “This is embarrassing even for judges to bracket them for deciding in favour of a political party,” Justice Hassan regretted, adding how the Chief Justice of Pakistan could mark cases to the judge mentioned in the petition after reading such remarks in the plea. Justice Hassan was a member of the five-judge Constitutional Bench that 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 Artic... -
Dawn - 05:30 May 22, 2025
KARACHI: A mob stormed a charity hospital in Landhi, beat the staff, damaged ambulances and machinery on Wednesday, the hospital administration said. Prof Dr Tipu Sultan, who heads the 250-bed hospital in Kohi Goth, told Dawn that around three weeks ago, a woman from a nearby village had given birth at the health facility. She suffered complications and was referred to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi, where she remained under treatment for a week and died on Tuesday. He said on Wednesday scores of people from nearby villages attacked the hospital, beat the staff with sticks and stones, damaged ambulances parked there and the health facility. Dr Sultan said he and his colleagues had established the hospital several years ago, where quality treatment was being provided free of cost. He said that the incident extremely saddened him. He said it was the second hospital in the world where treatment of fistula was being provided to women free of cost. Dr Sultan, who was a former principal of the Dow Medical ...
6698 items