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Dawn - 03:09 Jun 27, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif greets PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the National Assembly during the final budget session.—APP • Bilawal supports budget, highlights increased funding for BISP, tax relief • Opposition objects to FBR’s arrest powers, says ‘most corrupt’ body turned into police force ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with an outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, despite opposition calls for the budgetary proposals to be made public and for the passage to be delayed until public input had been sought. The House passed the Finance Bill for 2025 with certain amendments, incorporating around half of the suggestions put forward by the finance committees of both houses of parliament. All amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected. Speaking to lawmakers, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari explained why his party was supporting the federal budget. He highlighted an increase of 20 per cent in the allocation for the Bena... -
Dawn - 03:01 Jun 27, 2025
LAHORE: At least 10 persons were killed as heavy rain drenched cities across Punjab on Thursday, according to rescue officials and the provincial disaster management authority. Some districts in south Punjab were also hit by a strong windstorm. The weather brought much-needed relief after weeks of sweltering heat where temperatures increased to record levels. Rescue 1122 said it provided emergency services to 46 people in the last 24 hours, out of which 39 were hospitalised. Seven died in these emergencies. The most number of emergencies, eight, were reported in Okara, four in Multan, two each in Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang and Chiniot and one each in Lahore, Kasur, Jhelum, Sahiwal, Murree, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar and Khanewal. Two persons each died in Jhelum and Muzaffargarh and one each in Okara, Bahawalnagar and Khanewal. According to details, a 5-year-old girl, identified as Dua Fatima, died when a bamboo roof collapsed in Basti Riazabad in Okara. Two persons were also injured. In Jhelum, ... -
Dawn - 18:48 Jun 26, 2025
Magazine legend Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor of fashion bible US Vogue after 37 years in the post, US media reported on Thursday. British-born Wintour, 75, has been one of the most influential and formidable figures in fashion and magazine journalism for decades, famous for her ever-present sunglasses and unchanging bob haircut. She was widely seen as the inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada, a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, in which the role of a tyrannical magazine editor was played by Meryl Streep. Wintour, who took the helm at US Vogue in 1988, announced her departure at a staff meeting, but she will stay on as group owner Conde Nast’s global chief content officer and as editorial director at Vogue, People magazine reported. Several other publications also reported this news. Wintour, who held the title of Vogue’s editor-in-chief, was made a British dame in 2017 and in February this year was made a companion of honour, joining a select group never numbering more than 65 recognised for major... -
Dawn - 18:18 Jun 26, 2025
Sindh Police has established a “Driving Training School” in Karachi in a bid to prevent road accidents, which have risen in the metropolis lately, a statement by the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP) said on Thursday. Karachi has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. Last month, a woman was killed and her husband injured when a water tanker hit their motorcycle and ran them over in Korangi, prompting an angry mob to set the water tanker on fire. Sindh IGP spokesperson Syed Saad Ali revealed in the statement today that the driving school has been established at the Saeedabad Police Training College. “The Driving Training School will provide training in driving cars, motorcycles, as well as light transport vehicles and heavy transport vehicles,” the statement said. “Citizens will be taught driving and traffic rules during an 18-hour trainin... -
Dawn - 18:00 Jun 26, 2025
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil, as there was a lot left to be done. Speaking after two weeks of technical talks in Bonn, Stiell closed the annual climate diplomacy event saying: “We need to go further, faster and fairer.” Bonn is home to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, which coordinates international climate policy and hosts preparatory talks each year ahead of climate summits. “I’m not going to sugar coat … we have a lot more to do before we meet again in Belem,” he said. COP30 is due to be held on November 10-21 in the Amazonian city, which is the capital of Para state. At last year’s UN COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, rich nations agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion a year by 2035, an amount decried as woefully inadequate. Azerbaijan and Brazil, which is hosting this year’s COP30 conference, have launched an initiative to reduce the shortfall, with the expectation of “significant” contributions from internation... -
Dawn - 17:02 Jun 26, 2025
Defence ministers attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to India’s refusal, while Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating terrorism and promoting regional peace and security within the SCO framework. The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their defence ministers’ meeting was held as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders set for the autumn. Addressing the session, Asif condemned Israel’s recent 12-day war against Iran and stressed the importance of collective efforts to address evolving global and regional security challenges, state broadcaster PTV News reported. “Terrorism is a common threat. Pakistan calls on all states to desist from politicising the joint effort of the International Community to fight the means of terrorism to deflect attention from their internal failures... -
Dawn - 16:43 Jun 26, 2025
The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee on Thursday announced that the Muharram moon has been sighted in the country, hence the first of Muharram will fall on June 27 (Friday). Accordingly, the Ashura — Muharram 10 — will be observed on July 6 (Sunday). Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is also a month of mourning, observed in particular by Shia Muslims worldwide, commemorating the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, where, amongst many, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Imam Husain, was martyred, and other family members were martyred or subjected to humiliation. A notification by The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, said, “In pursuance of the decision of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, in its meeting held today at Quetta, the Federal Government in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Islamabad, hereby announces that the moon of Muharram-ul- haram 1447 AH has been sighted.” “Therefore, the 1... -
Dawn - 15:25 Jun 26, 2025
The United States consulates in Karachi and Lahore on Thursday requested that all applicants for F, M or J nonimmigrant visas make their social media accounts public for vetting, after similar instructions were issued by the US Embassy in Delhi earlier this week. US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but significantly tightened its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the country, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”, said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. In Instagram posts uploaded today, the consulates said: “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F,... -
Dawn - 14:46 Jun 26, 2025
The Finance Bill, 2025, was approved by parliament on Thursday, meaning that the Rs17.57 trillion budget for the coming fiscal year has been greenlit. The PPP on Wednesday voiced strong reservations over a set of politically unpopular provisions in the federal budget for the next fiscal year, urging the government to amend “contentious” clauses ahead of its expected approval in the National Assembly today (Thursday). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s amendments to various legislation, including the Income Tax Ordnance, 2001, were all approved, while opposition amendments were rejected, according to a Dawn.com correspondent. The bill was read out in the assembly and approved clause by clause. The session has been adjourned until 11am tomorrow. Addressing the House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his party would “happily support the budget,” since the government had accepted the party’s proposals. “We appreciate the government’s efforts as BISP’s (Benazir Income Support Programme) budget has been ... -
Dawn - 14:14 Jun 26, 2025
Cocaine production, seizures and use all hit record highs in 2023, the UN drug agency said on Thursday, with the illicit drug’s market the world’s fastest-growing. Illegal production jumped to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 per cent more than in 2022, and more than four times higher than 10 years earlier, when it was at a low, the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual report. The current surge is mainly due to an increase in the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated yield data, it added. Global cocaine seizures, too, recorded a high of 2,275 tons, marking a 68pc rise in the four years to 2023. The number of cocaine users also grew to 25 million in 2023, up from 17 million ten years earlier. “Cocaine has become fashionable for the more affluent society,” UNODC chief researcher Angela Me said, noting a “vicious cycle” of increased use and production. While Colombia remains the key producer, cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia... -
Dawn - 13:59 Jun 26, 2025
At least seven people were killed and 39 others were injured in multiple rain-related incidents as Punjab was battered by heavy monsoon showers on Thursday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122. 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. Earlier today, the PDMA said that four people died and 19 were injured in rain-related incidents. According to the data, 13 incidents were reported across Punjab, with the majority of them in the Okara district. Two children are among the four deceased. The majority of incidents were roof collapses caused by rain. “Two citizens were killed by the collapse of dilapidated and decaying buildings in Okara and Bahawalnagar,” a PDMA handout read. “Two citizens drowned in Jhelum … 13 dila... -
Dawn - 13:30 Jun 26, 2025
The head of Gavi on Thursday said the organisation which vaccinates children in the world’s poorest countries, was “disappointed” after Washington announced it was pulling funding in an incendiary video questioning its safety standards. A Brussels summit held by the group to raise money on Wednesday was overshadowed by a video message sent by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who raised sweeping vaccine safety doubts without evidence and announced an end to Washington’s support. “We were disappointed to see the video,” Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar told AFP in a phone interview. “Of course, we disagree with many of the things that were narrated in the video. It’s unfortunate but we are hopeful of a positive relationship with the United States. We will continue to engage them.” The United States’s funding withdrawal comes as Gavi and the United Nations reported in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and c... -
Dawn - 13:02 Jun 26, 2025
German police said on Thursday they had shot dead an Afghan man after he used a knife to attack officers trying to arrest him, seriously wounding one of them. The incident happened in the southern city of Wangen when two officers attempted to detain the 27-year-old man at his home to take him to serve a prison sentence for assault. “In the course of the operation, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the officers without warning,” police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. “As a result of the attack, the police officers fired several shots.” The Afghan died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him, they said. One officer was seriously injured after being stabbed several times, but was not in a life-threatening condition. The authorities have launched an investigation into the use of a firearm by police. Several serious attacks in Germany carried out in recent times — some by migrants — including knife attacks and car-rammings, fuelling a heated debate on immigration. Chanceller Fried... -
Dawn - 12:13 Jun 26, 2025
Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and Facebook since Monday shared videos allegedly showing Iranian armed forces thanking Pakistan for intelligence support against Israel. However, the viral clips are AI-generated. Israel launched wide-scale air strikes against Iran’s nuclear facilities, military sites and private residences, killing top commanders, scientists and hundreds of others on June 13. Both countries traded wave after wave of devastating strikes and missile volleys since then. A ceasefire was achieved on June 24 after 12 days of fighting. On Monday, a pro-military account on Facebook shared a video of two soldiers allegedly recording a video in gratitude to Pakistan. “Our nuclear programme is safe. Thank you, Pakistan, for protecting it with your intelligence support,” they said. The post was captioned: “An Iranian soldier thanking Pakistan, saying: Thank you, thank you, thank you.” The post gained 1.4 million views and 12,000 reactions. The viral clip was also shared here, here, ... -
Dawn - 11:27 Jun 26, 2025
US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth is set to hold a news conference on Thursday to offer a fresh assessment of strikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities, following a stinging row over how much American bombardment set back Tehran’s nuclear programme. After waves of Israeli attacks on nuclear and military sites and retaliatory missile fire from Iran since June 13, the United States bombed three key Iranian atomic facilities at the weekend. The extent of the damage in Iran, where Israel said it had acted to stop an imminent nuclear threat, has become the subject of profound disagreement in the United States. An initial classified assessment, first reported by CNN, was said to have concluded that the strike did not destroy key components and that Iran’s nuclear programme was set back only months at most. Another key question raised by experts is whether Iran, preparing for the strike, moved out some 400 kilogramme of enriched uranium — which could now be hidden elsewhere in the vast country. The US administration has ... -
Dawn - 10:36 Jun 26, 2025
The Ministry of Interior on Thursday announced that it planned to take strict action against elements spreading religious hate on social media as part of a security plan ahead of the month of Muharram. The government has ramped up security efforts in the past few weeks as the first month of the Islamic calendar inches closer. KP and the Punjab government have planned to impose Section 144 across the province from Muharram 1 to 10, barring public gatherings, protests, or other actions that might disrupt peace. The central Ruet-e-Hilal committee is set to meet today for the sighting of the moon for Muharram. According to a statement from the ministry today, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi chaired a meeting aimed at reviewing the security plan for the month. “It was decided that action will be taken against elements inciting religious hatred on social media in light of Muharram,” it said. “In this regard, PEMRA (Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority) has been instructed to monitor hateful content on elec... -
Dawn - 09:48 Jun 26, 2025
Efforts are underway to reconstruct the sequence of events leading to the Air India plane crash this month that killed 260 people, and identify contributing factors, India’s civil aviation ministry said on Thursday. The London-bound Boeing 787 Dreamliner crashed moments after takeoff from India’s Ahmedabad city on June 12, killing 241 of the 242 people on board and the rest on ground in the world’s worst aviation disaster in a decade. The black boxes of the plane — the cockpit voice recorder (CVR) and flight data recorder (FDR) — were recovered in the days that followed, one from the rooftop of a building at the crash site on June 13, and the other from the debris on June 16. They were transported to national capital Delhi on Tuesday, where a team led by India’s Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau began extracting their data, the ministry said in a statement. “The Crash Protection Module (CPM) from the front black box was safely retrieved, and […] the memory module was successfully accessed and its data do... -
Dawn - 09:28 Jun 26, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday approved a search and selection committee for recommending the appointment of members of the Pakistan Digital Authority (PDA) under the Digital Nation Pakistan Act. Enacted in January this year, the act aimed to transform Pakistan into a “digital nation” by enabling a digital society, digital economy, and digital governance. The bill was approved by the federal cabinet in June 2024. The bill said it was expedient to enable the people to become a digital nation by leveraging the transformative power of digital technologies, responsible use of data, innovative service delivery models and robust digital public infrastructure to accelerate sustainable economic development, improve citizen well-being, and modernise governance frameworks for efficient and effective public service delivery. According to a notification issued today by the ministry of IT and telecommunication, “the search committee will appoint a chairperson and two members of the PDA.” Federal Minister for IT... -
Dawn - 09:15 Jun 26, 2025
Pakistan has expressed concerns over the “worst forms of torture” the people of Palestine and Indian-occupied Kashmir are being subjected to by foreign occupation powers, the Foreign Office said in a statement on Thursday. There have been widespread reports of systematic torture and human rights violations by Indian occupation forces in held Jammu and Kashmir since the region was unilaterally annexed in 2019. Pakistan continues to provide political, moral, and diplomatic support to Kashmiris until they realise their inherent right to self-determination as per the UNSC resolutions. In Gaza, Israeli forces have killed 56,156 people and injured 132,239 in the enclave since launching a military onslaught in October 2023. A human rights monitor published a report detailing the “shocking” treatment of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons. “Pakistan remains gravely concerned at the widespread and systematic use of torture as an instrument of oppression in situations of foreign occupation” the FO statement said o... -
Dawn - 08:24 Jun 26, 2025
China hosted defence ministers from Iran and Russia for a meeting in its eastern seaside city of Qingdao on Thursday, against the backdrop of war in the Middle East and a summit of North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) countries in Europe that agreed to boost military spending. Beijing has long sought to present the 10-member Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) as a counterweight to Western-led power blocs and has pushed to strengthen collaboration between its member countries in politics, security, trade and science. The Qingdao meeting of the organisation’s top defence officials comes as a fledgling ceasefire between Israel and Iran holds after 12 days of fighting between the arch-foes. It is also being held the day after a summit of Nato leaders in The Hague, where members agreed to ramp up their defence spending to satisfy United States President Donald Trump. Beijing’s ties with Moscow are also in the spotlight. China has portrayed itself as a neutral party in Russia’s war with Ukraine, although ...
7934 items