Dawn
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Dawn - 06:48 Jun 26, 2025
KARACHI: Four suspected Indian agents were arrested in a raid carried out in the Quaidabad area, police said on Wednesday. The Special Investigation Unit of the Sindh police and an intelligence agency conducted the raid on a tip-off, SIU SSP Mohammed Shoaib Memon said, adding that they had links with the Indian intelligence agency — the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW). He identified the suspects as Mohammed Khan alias Gullu, Yameen Malah, Akhter Thaheem and Ghulam Qadir alias Akash, and claimed that they were found involved in espionage activities. With their arrest, a plot to carry out terror attacks in the country was foiled, he said. SSP Memon said that two hand grenades, a Kalashnikov, a rifle, two pistols and mobile phones were seized from them. The mobile phones, believed to be containing sensitive digital material, have been sent for a forensic analysis, he said. “The suspects had made videos and captured pictures of the country’s sensitive installations, which they used to send to RAW using specialis... -
Dawn - 06:27 Jun 26, 2025
THE HAGUE: Nato Secretary General Mark Rutte on Wednesday likened President Donald Trump to a “daddy” intervening in a schoolyard brawl after the US leader repeatedly berated Middle East foes Israel and Iran this week including with a profanity. Talking to reporters alongside Rutte at a Nato alliance summit, Trump again berated Israel and Iran. “They’ve had a big fight, like two kids in a schoolyard. You know, they fight like hell, you can’t stop them. Let them fight for about 2-3 minutes, then it’s easy to stop them,” he said. In response, Rutte laughed and said: “And then daddy has to sometimes use strong language to get (them to) stop.” On Tuesday, after a ceasefire deal, Trump had raised eyebrows by saying Israel and Iran had been fighting “so long and so hard that they don’t know what the f*** they’re doing”. With the 32-member Nato alliance endeavouring to placate Trump after complaints that it was over-reliant on US financial and military muscle, Rutte was asked if he might be over-flattering the US pr... -
Dawn - 05:11 Jun 26, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Energy Ali Pervaiz Malik on Wednesday urged American investors and companies to explore Pakistan’s vast mineral wealth through public-private partnerships and joint ventures. Speaking at a webinar titled “Opportunities in Pakistan’s Mining Sector – Unlocking Mineral Potential”, the minister highlighted the country’s rich endowment of mineral resources, including gold, copper, coal, rare earth elements and other critical minerals vital for the global energy transition. The event was jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy and the US Embassy in Pakistan to promote investment opportunities in the country’s minerals and mining sector. Mr Malik assured that both the Government of Pakistan and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) are fully committed to facilitating international companies seeking to partner in unlocking Pakistan’s mineral reserves. He emphasised Pakistan’s growing role in the global shift towards clean energy, citing the nation’s abundant reserves o... -
Dawn - 05:02 Jun 26, 2025
KURRAM: At least four people were killed in two landmine explosions in the border area of Pewar Sharamkhel in Kurram district on Wednesday. According to Kurram District Police Officer Habibullah, the blasts also resulted in injuries to four others. Parachinar Hospital’s Medical Superintendent Mir Hassan Jan told Dawn that the deceased were identified as Nawab Ali, Aamir Hussain, Hidayat Hussain, and Manzar Ali. All four died on the spot. The injured — identified as Muhammad, Qunein, Shafaat Hussain and Hassan Ghulam — were initially taken to Parachinar Hospital for first-aid, and later referred to Peshawar for further treatment. DPO Habibullah said police teams had been dispatched to the area and that an investigation is underway. Two of the injured, Qunein and Hassan Ghulam, told Dawn that the landmines exploded as they neared a mountain area. They said they were seriously wounded in the blasts, which also killed four of their companions and two horses on the spot. Tribal elders strongly condemned th... -
Dawn - 04:56 Jun 26, 2025
• NA set to pass federal budget today with amendments • Omar Ayub labels budget ‘dead on arrival’, slams inflation claims • Rs4.8tr in grants approved for four ministries • Finance minister claims macroeconomic stability restored ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) came under fire in the National Assembly on Wednesday over allegations of collusion with smugglers and tax evaders, as the House paved the way for the federal budget’s passage today (Thursday). The budget, presented on June 10, is now set to pass with previously agreed-upon amendments. On Wednesday, the National Assembly completed the process of approving demands for grants to cover the expenses of various ministries and divisions. It approved 31 demands for grants totalling Rs4.814 trillion for four ministries and divisions —Finance and Revenue, Human Rights, Interior, and National Food Security — while rejecting all 430 cut motions submitted by the opposition. Leader of the Opposition Omar Ayub Khan, speaking during the debate on... -
Dawn - 04:47 Jun 26, 2025
A flash flood in the Burundubar stream near Attabad Lake blocks access to the Luxus resort.—Photo by the writer GILGIT: NDMA’s National Emergencies Operation Centre (NEOC) on Wednesday issued a Glacial Lake Outburst Flood (Glof) alert for northern areas, including Gilgit-Baltistan, citing a dangerous combination of persistent high temperatures, intensified monsoon currents and a prevailing westerly wave. The alert comes as current heatwaves intensify glacier melting across the region, leading to increased water levels and flash floods creating disasters in downstream areas. A flash flood triggered on Wednesday by a melting glacier occurred in the Burundubar stream, which flows into the famous tourist point Attabad Lake, according to Rescue 1122. The floodwater blocked access to the Luxus hotel, entering its premises where “a large number of national and foreign tourists were present”. 160 evacuated by boat after flash flooding near Attabad Lake More than 160 tourists and hotel staff were evacuated by boat. ... -
Dawn - 03:14 Jun 26, 2025
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Wednesday once again credited Field Marshal Asim Munir for helping prevent a nuclear conflict with India, adding that he persuaded both sides to back down by linking peace to trade. Explaining how he helped defuse tensions across the globe — from Ukraine to Serbia — Trump said “the most important” of these conflicts was last month’s war scare between India and Pakistan. “And that was not whether or not they may someday have nukes, like we are talking about the Middle East, like we are talking about with Israel and Iran. This is — they have nuclear weapons,” President Trump said at his news conference in The Hague, at the conclusion of a Nato summit. Referring to recent tensions between the two South Asian neighbours, Trump said, “I ended that with a series of phone calls on trade. I said, ‘Look, if you are going to be fighting each other…’ It was getting very bad — you know how bad that last attack was. It was very bad. If you are really going to go fighting with ... -
Dawn - 17:23 Jun 25, 2025
The James Webb Space Telescope has discovered its first exoplanet, astronomers said on Wednesday, capturing rare direct images of the relatively small world in the Earth’s galactic backyard. The telescope, which can see farther into the universe than anything before it, has turbocharged the search for planets beyond the Solar System since coming online in 2022. Until now, however, its deep gaze has mostly been used to probe already known exoplanets, to find out key information such as the atmospheric composition, rather than tracking down new worlds. The discovery of exoplanet TWA 7b, revealed in a study in the journal Nature, “represents a first for the telescope”, France’s CNRS research centre said in a statement. The large majority of the nearly 6,000 exoplanets found so far have been identified from the light they blot out when they pass in front of their star, rather than from direct images of the planet. Webb “has spent an enormous amount of time observing planets that have never been directly imaged”, ... -
Dawn - 15:59 Jun 25, 2025
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Wednesday slashed the base power tariff by Rs1.49 per unit for the next fiscal year. Nepra Spokesperson Safeer Hussain confirmed the development to Dawn.com and said the proposal had been sent to the federal government. Last month, against high hopes, the government sought revision in the base electricity tariff for the next fiscal year, proposing only 30 paise to a maximum of Rs2.25 per unit reduction in consumer rates under seven different scenarios. Only in one unlikely case of normal circumstances and a stable exchange rate at Rs280, the average base tariff would reduce by Rs2.25 per unit in fiscal year 2025-26 to Rs24.75 from the prevailing rate of about Rs27 per unit. In case of local currency depreciation to Rs300, the base tariff reduction would be around 30 paise per unit. The reduction mainly stems from lower capacity payments. The average Power Purchase Price (PPP) would be on top of about Rs8.16 to Rs9.52 per unit fuel cost, taking the to... -
Dawn - 15:13 Jun 25, 2025
Nato leaders on Wednesday backed a big increase in defence spending and restated their commitment to defend each other from attack after a brief summit tailor-made for United States President Donald Trump. In a short statement, Nato endorsed a higher defence spending goal of 5 per cent of GDP by 2035, a response to a demand by Trump and to Europeans’ fears that Russia poses a growing threat to their security following the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. “We reaffirm our ironclad commitment to collective defence as enshrined in Article Five of the Washington Treaty that an attack on one is an attack on all,” the statement said, after Trump had sparked concern on Tuesday by saying there were “numerous definitions” of the clause. But just before the summit opened, Trump had said of fellow Nato members: “We’re with them all the way.” Trump lauded the “tremendous” summit in the Hague as leaders wrapped up a meeting that saw the alliance back his demand to ramp up defence spending. “I think the summit was fantastic. It w... -
Dawn - 14:53 Jun 25, 2025
A Belarusian man on Wednesday was arrested for allegedly picking up a one-year-old Afghan boy and throwing him to the ground in the arrivals hall at Moscow’s Sheremetyevo Airport, inflicting spinal and cranial injuries, Britain’s The Daily Mirror newspaper reported. According to the newspaper, 31-year-old construction worker Vladimir Vitkov was arrested and confessed to “trying to murder” the child, who had arrived in Russia with his family after fleeing Iran due to its 12-day war with Israel. “Yazdan, aged 18 months, is now fighting for his life with serious skull fractures and spinal injuries,” The Mirror read, adding that Vitkov was on board the same flight as the child and his mother. Both The Mirror and British newspaper The Daily Mail reported that the boy suffered skull fractures and spinal injuries, with the latter reporting that the boy was “in a coma”. Graphic CCTV showed Vitkov picking up the boy before “hurling him to the ground of Moscow airport’s arrivals hall”. “The attacker — described as a ‘m... -
Dawn - 14:33 Jun 25, 2025
Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on mutual visa exemption during the 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC), the Foreign Office (FO) said on Wednesday. The session was held following a hiatus of 13 years after it was scheduled in October 2024. The last session was held in Islamabad from November 6-7, 2013. The FO said in a statement that the session, held in Abu Dhabi a day ago, was co-chaired by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his UAE counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan. “Prior to the formal proceedings, a working group meeting of the JMC was held under the leadership of Special Assistant to the PM Tariq Bajwa and Minister of State of the UAE Ahmed Ali Al Sayegh, the statement said. “The JMC reviewed the full scope of bilateral relations and agreed on concrete measures to strengthen cooperation in trade, banking, culture, investment, aviation, railways, energy, food security, climate change, defe... -
Dawn - 13:54 Jun 25, 2025
It was a sultry summer morning. Mir Shah Mohammad Talpur was visiting his sprawling mango orchards, located on the outskirts of Hyderabad, to inspect the year’s produce. However, the ruthless sun glaring on his back and mercury rising to 43.2 degrees Celsius were making things difficult for Mir. For the mangoes, though, these climatic conditions were in tandem with their harvest. Mir’s orchard is spread across 450 acres of land. “I have been looking after the bagh for six years … many trees here are around 50 years old,” he told Dawn.com. The 49-year-old wore a black sun cap along with a neck flap to avoid exposure to the intense heat. Like many in the area, Mir too sublets his mango orchard — a practice in vogue, by and large, in Sindh. Only a few growers, including those who believe in progressive farming, manage their own orchards. The province is known for its Sindhri mangoes, harvested in the first week of June. Two workers moving from one part of the orchard to other for picking of fruit. Despite other ... -
Dawn - 13:45 Jun 25, 2025
The Pakistan men’s team will travel to Bangladesh next month to play three Twenty20 internationals as part of the build-up to next year’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan’s tour will be a reciprocal one after they hosted Bangladesh for three T20Is over the last two months, all won by the home team and played in Lahore. Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said it has arranged various series to build for the T20 World Cup to be co-hosted in India and Sri Lanka next year. “Pakistan will arrive in Dhaka on 16 July before taking on the home side in the matches on July 20, 22 and 24 as part of the build-up for the World Cup,” the PCB said in a statement. All three T20Is will be held at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. From Bangladesh, Pakistan will fly to the West Indies to play three T20Is and as many one-day internationals, the schedule of which will be announced later. -
Dawn - 12:50 Jun 25, 2025
Pakistan and the United States have decided to conclude trade talks focused on reciprocal tariffs next week after a virtual meeting between Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb and US Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick. The negotiations are part of a broader push to reset economic ties at a time of shifting geopolitical alignments and Pakistan’s efforts to avoid steep US duties on exports. “Both sides showed satisfaction on the ongoing negotiations and resolved to conclude the trade negotiations next week,” the finance ministry said in a statement, adding that a longer-term strategic and investment partnership is also under discussion. “The discussion focused on meaningful engagement in trade, investment and deepening economic ties mutually beneficial to both sides, with technical-level trade-related discussions to be concluded next week,” it added. Pakistan faces a 29 per cent tariff on exports to the US under President Donald Trump’s measures to target countries with large trade surpluses with the US. Pakista... -
Dawn - 12:31 Jun 25, 2025
Posts from users on multiple social media platforms on Wednesday shared a video, claiming that it showed people in Qatar protesting against a United States air base. However, the video is from May, when people in Libya were protesting against their government. Today, Iran’s National Security Council confirmed that it carried out a retaliatory missile strike on the US military base at Al Udeid in Qatar. The attack came in response to American airstrikes on Iran’s nuclear facilities. In its official statement, Iran emphasised that the number of missiles launched matched the number of bombs used by the US, framing it as a proportional response. The council also clarified that the strike did not pose any threat to Qatar, describing the Gulf nation as a “friendly and brotherly country”. A video was shared today on X by a pro-military account, based on its bio, past posts and profile picture, showing people protesting. The caption of the post said: “For the first time in history, the Qatari people are protesting, a... -
Dawn - 12:08 Jun 25, 2025
Life-saving childhood vaccination coverage has stalled in recent decades, leaving millions of children at risk for deadly diseases with Pakistan having the highest number of children with zero doses in South Asia after India, according to a new study by British medical journal Lancet. The Lancet is a 200-year-old peer-reviewed weekly medical journal from the United Kingdom. Since its launch, the journal has expanded into a family of more than 20 speciality journals and has set up several global Lancet Commissions on various important issues in medicine and healthcare. In a press release issued a day ago, the journal said that since its inception in 1974, the World Health Organisation’s Essential Programme on Immunisation (EPI) achieved “unprecedented progress”, averting the deaths of an estimated 154 million children worldwide through routine childhood vaccination. However, it said that as per a major new analysis from the Global Burden of Disease Study Vaccine Coverage Collaborators, “Despite the progress of... -
Dawn - 11:11 Jun 25, 2025
Top-ranked Pakistani duo Nasir Iqbal and Noor Zaman stormed into the men’s final of the 2nd Asian Doubles Squash Championship after beating hosts Malaysia 2-1 in the semi-finals on Wednesday. The Malaysian duo of Duncan Lee and Syafiq Kamal took the first set 11-10 at the Jalan Stadium in Sarawak. But Zaman and Iqbal made a strong comeback to win the next two sets 11-9 in a thrilling 69-minute game. The duo will face India in the finals tomorrow. In Tuesday’s quarter-final, Pakistan defeated Korea 2-1 in a quick 37-minute game. Earlier this month, Zaman and Iqbal were in Malaysia for the 23rd Asian Individual Squash Championships, where Iqbal outclassed Lai Cheuk Nam of Hong Kong to advance to the quarter-finals while Zaman lost to Joachim Chuah of Malaysia 3-2 in their pre-quarterfinal. Zaman was crowned men’s champion at the U23 World Squash Championships in April after a stellar comeback against Egypt’s Karim El Torkey. -
Dawn - 09:54 Jun 25, 2025
Nasa retiree turned private astronaut Peggy Whitson was launched on the fifth flight to orbit of her career early on Wednesday, joined by crewmates from India, Poland and Hungary heading for their countries’ first visit to the International Space Station (ISS). The astronaut team lifted off from Nasa’s Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida, at about 2:30am EDT (11:30am PKT), beginning the latest mission organized by Texas-based startup Axiom Space in partnership with Elon Musk’s rocket venture SpaceX. The four-member crew was carried aloft on a towering SpaceX launch vehicle consisting of a Crew Dragon capsule perched atop a two-stage Falcon 9 rocket. Live video showed the towering spacecraft streaking into the night sky over Florida’s Atlantic coast trailed by a brilliant yellowish plume of fiery exhaust. Cameras inside the crew compartment beamed footage of the four astronauts strapped into their pressurized cabin, seated calmly side by side in helmeted white-and-black flight suits as their spacec... -
Dawn - 08:42 Jun 25, 2025
Punjab is predicted to receive 25 per cent more monsoon rains this year, Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Director General Irfan Ali Kathia said on Wednesday. Separately, Karachi is expected to receive rainfall on June 27 (Friday), the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said — potentially ending an ongoing wave of extreme heat and humid weather. The PMD has already forecast monsoon rain across the country from Wednesday, June 25. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. Monsoon rains have commenced in Punjab and first spell will continue till July 1, the PDMA said in a statement, adding that rainfall with strong winds and thunderstorms are predicted in most districts of the province. Relief Commissioner Punjab Nabeel Javed has instructed commissioners and deputy commissioners across the province to remain alert. He said all relevant departments including Rescue 1122 and WASA are on al...
7934 items