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Dawn - 12:01 Jun 24, 2025
Amnesty calls out authorities for failing to protect KP civilians from ‘repeated quadcopter attacks’
Rights organisation Amnesty International on Tuesday criticised Pakistani authorities for “failing to protect the lives and property of civilians” in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid a surge in suspected quadcopter and drone attacks. The statement came in response to reports of multiple such attacks in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan over the past year. In March, at least 11 people were killed in Mardan in what locals insisted was a drone strike, while in May, a suspected quadcopter munitions drop claimed the lives of four children and injured five others in North Waziristan District’s Mir Ali tehsil. The military clarified that security forces were “falsely implicated” in the incident and that it was carried out by the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). Last Friday, a child was killed and five others were injured after a suspected drone hit South Waziristan District, prompting condemnations from KP politicians. “Pakistani authorities have failed to take action to protect the lives and property of civilians i... -
Dawn - 11:56 Jun 24, 2025
Shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) climbed by 5759.16 points after an earlier halt in trading on Tuesday, in the wake of US President Donald Trump announcing a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. The KSE-100 index climbed by 6079.16 points, or 5.23 per cent, to close at 122,246.63 points. Earlier in the day, shares at the PSX had climbed by 5,878 points a few hours after it opened. It reached an earlier intraday high of 122,045.62 from the last close of 116,167.47 yesterday, before a market halt was initiated. Yousuf M. Farooq, director of research at Chase Securities, attributed the rise to the overnight announcement of a ceasefire, with broad-based gains across sectors. Farooq said, “The Pakistan market rallied earlier today following the overnight announcement of a ceasefire. “However, reports during the day of Israeli claims that Iran has violated the ceasefire dampened sentiment, pulling the market down from an intraday high of 122,045.62 to 121,926.63 currently. Desp... -
Dawn - 11:07 Jun 24, 2025
Iraq will investigate suicide drone attacks on radar systems at two military bases, Sabah al-Numan, the military spokesman for the Iraqi prime minister, said on Tuesday, adding that Iraqi forces intercepted several other attempted incursions. “Several small suicide drones targeted multiple Iraqi military sites and bases,” according to the spokesman. No casualties were reported. No one has claimed responsibility for the attacks, and the government has not yet identified any perpetrators. Numan described the attacks as “cowardly and treacherous”. “The assault severely damaged radar systems at Camp Taji, north of Baghdad, and Imam Ali Base in Dhi Qar Province” in southern Iraq, he added. Iraqi forces also thwarted other attacks against “four additional sites across various locations”, Numan said, adding that the drones were downed “before they could reach their intended targets”. Prime Minister Mohammed Shia al-Sudani ordered the formation of “a high-level” committee to investigate the attacks and identify the p... -
Dawn - 10:38 Jun 24, 2025
The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has issued a show cause notice to K-Electric (KE) after the power distribution company failed to submit a satisfactory reply over discriminatory policies over loadshedding in Karachi. Nepra had earlier taken serious notice of alleged excessive and persistent loadshedding during summers, and directed KE to end consumers’ miseries. In a letter to the KE chief executive officer, the regulatory body stated that it had received a large number of complaints regarding persistent and excessive loadshedding across various areas of Karachi. In a notice issued on June 23, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the power regulatory said the power distribution companies are obligated to supply electricity on a “non-discriminatory” basis to all consumers, and shall have schedules to shed up to 30pc of its load on instructions of the NTDC. When instructed, power distribution companies (Discos) can announce loadshedding in the order namely: supply to rural areas, ... -
Dawn - 08:51 Jun 24, 2025
Indian spin great Dilip Doshi has died aged 77, with former cricketers praising a man they said had been a “gentleman to the core”. Doshi died in London on Monday, Indian media reported. The left-arm spinner was already in his thirties when he made his Test debut in 1979, and finished with 114 wickets in 33 matches. Doshi also played 15 one-day internationals for India between 1980 and 1982. Cricket veteran Sachin Tendulkar said Doshi was a “warm-hearted soul”, adding that he “will miss those cricketing conversations”. Former all-rounder Ravi Shastri said that Doshi was “a gentleman to the core and a fine, fine bowler”. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) also paid tribute to the former spinner. A bespectacled Doshi carried forward the Indian spin legacy started by the famous quartet of Bishan Singh Bedi, Erapalli Prasanna, Srinivas Venkataraghavan and Bhagwath Chandrasekhar. Doshi bamboozled world batsmen and played English County cricket, with a long stint with Nottinghamshire. -
Dawn - 06:59 Jun 24, 2025
Britain’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said on Tuesday it was proposing to designate Google with “strategic market status” to give it greater control over how the United States tech giant operates search services, according to a report by Reuters. According to a press release by the CMA, Britain’s competition regulator, Google search accounts for more than 90 per cent of all general search queries in the UK — with millions of people relying on it as a key gateway to the internet and more than 200,000 businesses in the UK relying on Google search advertising to reach their customers. The CMA said that steps it could take include making it easier for users to access different search providers and ensuring fair ranking principles for businesses appearing on Google search. It also proposed more transparency and control for publishers whose content appeared in search results if it goes ahead with the designation in October. Google will be the first company designated since the regulator gained new power... -
Dawn - 06:26 Jun 24, 2025
The US Supreme Court cleared the way on Monday for President Donald Trump’s administration to resume deporting migrants to countries other than their own without offering them a chance to show the harm they could face, handing him another victory in his aggressive pursuit of mass deportations. In an action that prompted a sharp dissent from its three liberal justices, the court granted the administration’s request to lift a judicial order requiring that migrants set for deportation to so-called “third countries” get a “meaningful opportunity” to tell US officials they are at risk of torture at their new destination, while a legal challenge plays out. Boston-based US District Judge Brian Murphy had issued the order on April 18. The Supreme Court’s brief order was unsigned and offered no reasoning, as is common when it decides emergency requests. The court has a 6-3 conservative majority. Justice Sonia Sotomayor, joined by the two other liberal justices, called the decision a “gross abuse” of the court’s power.... -
Dawn - 05:46 Jun 24, 2025
Israel’s military said Iran launched waves of missiles on Tuesday, with emergency services reporting four people killed, hours after US President Donald Trump announced a complete ceasefire between Israel and Iran to end a 12-day war. Witnesses said they heard explosions near Tel Aviv and Beersheba in southern Israel. Israel’s military said six waves of missiles were launched by Iran and Israel’s national ambulance service said four people were killed in Beersheba, the first reported deaths in Israel since Trump announced the ceasefire late on Monday. Trump said on Tuesday a ceasefire between Israel and Iran was now in place and asked both countries not to violate it, only hours after Iran launched waves of missiles, which Israel’s ambulance service said killed four people. “The ceasefire is now in effect. Please do not violate it!” he said in a Truth Social post. Earlier, a senior White House official said Trump had brokered a ceasefire deal in a call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel... -
Dawn - 05:20 Jun 24, 2025
• Calls attack a violation of international law and a dangerous provocation • Accuses Israel of repeating false claims about Iran’s nuclear weapons to manipulate American policy ISLAMABAD: PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Monday vociferously condemned the US strikes on Iran’s nuclear sites, noting that the Israeli government was forcing the American public into a war that the people do not support. “This is done through the same lie that was peddled to the American public before the Iraq war in 2003. Now it has been claimed that Iran is the one with weapons of mass destruction,” he said while speaking in the National Assembly. The PPP chairman said that after decades of repeating the same lie—that Iran was just days away from developing nuclear weapons, a claim made by the Israeli prime minister in 1996, 2001, 2003, 2007, 2010, 2012, 2023, 2024, and 2025 — Israel’s regime has finally attacked Iran under the pretext of this falsehood, which he deeply regretted. Condemning the attack on Iran, he said the ... -
Dawn - 03:36 Jun 24, 2025
LAHORE: Despite India’s heavy subsidies on exports, Pakistan’s rice shipments remained largely unaffected due to a strategy adopted by local exporters that prioritised agility and quality. India recently re-entered the international rice market after a two-year hiatus imposed to ensure domestic food security. The lifting of export bans by New Delhi generated considerable excitement in Indian media, which predicted a significant economic blow to Pakistan’s rice exports, which had been performing robustly in the interim. For the three months preceding India’s return (July to September 2024), Pakistan’s rice exports averaged a strong 550,000 tonnes per month. Indian officials, trade bodies, and think tanks anticipated that a surge in cheaper Indian rice would undercut Pakistan’s global market share. However, Pakistani exporters countered with a swift, quality-centric strategy, avoiding a direct price war and instead focusing on premium offerings. According to sector expert Hamid Malik, this approach paid off as ... -
Dawn - 03:26 Jun 24, 2025
• Tax on income derived from dividends raised to 29pc • 20pc tax proposed on profits from investments in government securities • FED of Rs10 imposed on one day-old chicks • No changes to voluntary pension regime; tax on pensions won’t apply to commutation & gratuity amounts ISLAMABAD: As the government announced a modest tax relief for the lower income slabs, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Monday introduced three new tax measures in the National Assembly to offset its revenue impact — part of the country’s ongoing commitment to remain within the fiscal parameters agreed with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). In his winding-up speech, Mr Aurangzeb informed the National Assembly that the proposed measures aim to offset the revenue shortfall resulting from the tax relief, while ensuring that the industrial and commercial sectors are not subjected to additional burden. As part of three new revenue measures, the government has proposed raising the tax rate on income derived from the debt portion of di... -
Dawn - 18:51 Jun 23, 2025
Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Kamran Murtaza on Monday submitted a resolution in the Senate against the government’s decision to nominate US President Donald Trump for the 2026 Nobel Peace Prize, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Iran. The government had decided to nominate Trump for the prestigious award to hail his “decisive diplomatic intervention and pivotal leadership” during last month’s Pak-India conflict, when both neighbours stepped back from the brink of war with US mediation. In a statement, it had highlighted that Trump “demonstrated great strategic foresight and stellar statesmanship through robust diplomatic engagement with both Islamabad and New Delhi”, which ultimately secured a ceasefire. However, after the US bombed Iran’s Fordow, Isfahan and Natanz nuclear sites, with Trump saying they were “totally obliterated”, leaders across the political spectrum joined citizens in voicing their reservations. In the resolution dated today, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, Sen... -
Dawn - 17:40 Jun 23, 2025
Iran on Monday struck a retaliatory missile attack targeting the American Al Udeid Air Base in Qatar, while launching a missile operation called “Annunciation of victory” against US bases in Iraq and Qatar, according to Iran’s Tasnim news agency. A day earlier, President Donald Trump said US air strikes “totally obliterated” Iran’s main nuclear sites, as Washington joined Israel’s war with Tehran in a flashpoint moment for the Middle East. The strikes drew threats from Tehran to retaliate, with US military installations in the region a potential target. The following are significant US facilities in the Middle East: Bahrain Home to the headquarters of the US Navy’s Fifth Fleet, whose area of responsibility includes the Gulf, Red Sea, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. Qatar The 24-hectare Al Udeid Air Base, in the desert outside the capital Doha, is the forward headquarters for US Central Command, which directs US military operations in a huge swathe of territory stretching from Egypt in the west to K... -
Dawn - 17:37 Jun 23, 2025
The Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) on Monday announced that the airspace ban on Indian airlines was extended until July 23. New Delhi had accused Islamabad, without evidence, of orchestrating last month’s deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Pakistan had strongly denied the allegations and called for a neutral probe. As the situation turned into a military confrontation between the nuclear powers, it took American intervention for both sides to agree to a ceasefire. On April 24, Pakistan’s top brass had announced a series of measures, including the closure of its airspace to all India-owned or Indian-operated airlines with immediate effect, as it retaliated against New Delhi’s slew of aggressive measures against the country. A revised notice to airmen (NOTAM) issued by the PAA today said, “[The] airspace closure for India has been extended for one month.” The statement said that the airspace will remain closed until July 23. “PAA maintains [the] ban on Indian airlines’ passenger and military aircr... -
Dawn - 16:17 Jun 23, 2025
Following new visa rules by the Trump administration, the United States Embassy in India on Monday asked all applicants for F, M, or J nonimmigrant visas to make their social public accounts public for vetting. 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 a post on X today, the US Embassy in India said: “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F, M, or J nonimmigrant visa are requested to adjust the pr... -
Dawn - 16:06 Jun 23, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Monday strongly condemned a suicide bombing in Damascus the day prior, as the death toll from the attack rose to 25. At least 20 people were killed and dozens injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of the Syrian capital Damascus on Sunday, health authorities and security sources said. In a statement issued today, the FO said: “Pakistan strongly condemns the heinous suicide bombing at the Mar Elias Church in the Dweila neighbourhood of Damascus, Syria, on June 22, 2025, which resulted in the loss of precious lives and left many injured. “Pakistan stands in full solidarity with the brotherly people of Syria in this hour of grief, and reaffirms its strong support for efforts aimed at achieving lasting peace and stability in the country.” Meanwhile, Syria’s state news agency SANA reported that the death toll rose to 25. The agency cited the country’s health ministry. Syria’s interior ministry on Sunday said the suicide bomber wa... -
Dawn - 15:19 Jun 23, 2025
A Bangladesh government-appointed commission investigating hundreds of disappearances by the security forces under ousted premier Sheikh Hasina on Monday warned that the same “culture of impunity” continues. The Commission of Inquiry into Enforced Disappearances is probing abuses during the rule of Hasina, whose government was accused of widespread human rights abuses. That includes the extrajudicial killing of hundreds of political opponents and the unlawful abduction and disappearance of hundreds more. The commission was established by interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, 84, who is facing intense political pressure as parties jostle for power ahead of elections expected early next year. Bangladesh has a long history of military coups and the army retains a powerful role. “Enforced disappearances in Bangladesh were not isolated acts of wrongdoing, but the result of a politicised institutional machinery that condoned, normalised, and often rewarded such crimes,” the commission said, in a ... -
Dawn - 14:51 Jun 23, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday arrived in the UAE for the upcoming 12th session of the Pakistan-UAE Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) to be held in Abu Dhabi. The 12th session of Pak-UAE JMC is being held following a hiatus of 13 years after it was scheduled in October 2024. The last session was held in Islamabad from 6-7 November 2013. According to a statement by the Foreign Office (FO), Dar will lead the Pakistan delegation to the meeting scheduled on June 24. “The JMC serves as the highest institutionalised platform for bilateral cooperation between Pakistan and the UAE. The upcoming session will take forward the agenda of deepening strategic, economic and development cooperation between the two brotherly countries,” the statement said. It said that the delegation “will comprise secretaries and senior officials from key ministries including Economic Affairs, Commerce, Energy, Maritime Affairs and Interior”. “The UAE side will be led by Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al-Nahyan, D... -
Dawn - 14:33 Jun 23, 2025
Oman issued a royal decree to become the first country in the Gulf to impose a personal income tax, its tax authority said on Sunday, as the small oil producer works to diversify its revenue stream. Oman, among the smaller Gulf economies, launched a medium-term fiscal programme in 2020 to reduce public debt, diversify revenue sources and spur economic growth, which has improved public finances. The sultanate, which still remains largely reliant on oil revenue, will impose a five per cent tax on taxable income for individuals earning over 42,000 Omani rials ($109,091) per year starting from 2028, according to the decree. “The law also includes deductions and exemptions that take into account the social situation in the Sultanate of Oman, such as education, healthcare, inheritance, zakat, donations, primary housing,” the country’s tax authority said in a statement. According to the state-run Oman News Agency (ONA), the plan also contributes to the objectives of Oman Vision 2040 by diversifying income sources an... -
Dawn - 13:40 Jun 23, 2025
The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast monsoon rain across the country from Wednesday, June 25, the weather agency said in a statement. 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. According to the Met Office, “moist currents are penetrating upper and central parts of the country and likely to become intensified in next couple of days.” “A westerly wave is expected to approach upper parts on June 25 and likely to become significant on June 26,” it said. Under the influence of these meteorological conditions, Punjab is expected to receive rainfall and thundershowers with scattered heavy rains in Islamabad,Rawalpindi, Murree, Galliyat, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Mandi Bahauddin, Gujrat, Gujranwala, Hafizabad, Wazirabad, Lahore, Sheikhupura, Sial...
7934 items