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Dawn - 16:48 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday discussed regional developments and peace efforts regarding the Middle East conflict with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the two leaders held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss peace efforts in the region, while also reaffirming the bilateral ties between the two countries. The two leaders exchanged greetings and reaffirmed the “strong fraternal bonds of friendship” between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The prime minister conveyed his best wishes to President Aliyev for the success of the upcoming World Urban Forum, which will be held in Baku next week, the statement said. He expressed confidence that under Azerbaijan’s stewardship, the forum would serve as a “valuable platform for advancing the global urban development agenda”. The premier also expressed his regrets that pressing commitments would make him unable to personally attend the forum, but noted that he had ensured that Pakistan... -
Dawn - 16:07 May 12, 2026
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Tuesday that it was not certain whether the hantavirus strain involved in the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship may have mutated, although officials were “rather reassured”. “There are things … we do not know about this virus,” Rist told the National Assembly. “We do not yet have the complete sequencing of the virus, which allows us to say with certainty today, even if we are rather reassured to date … that this virus has not yet mutated.” The French health ministry did not respond to a request for additional comment. Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases, according to the World Health Organisation. It usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and fever, one to eight weeks after exposure. A cluster has been linked in recent days to the MV Hondius ship, which docked in Spain’s Canary Islands following a polar expedition that departed from Argentina. The outbreak has been linked to the Andes s... -
Dawn - 15:32 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Tuesday announced that students intending to pursue medical or dental education abroad must qualify for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) and obtain registration before going abroad. According to a statement, the PMDC informed that a high-level committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is currently overseeing the strengthening of the regulatory framework for medical and dental education in Pakistan. It said that a meeting of the PMDC’s Sub-Committee on Accreditation of Medical and Dental Colleges and Postgraduate Qualifications was held today to “review ongoing reforms and regulatory measures to strengthen medical and dental education in Pakistan”. “The sub-committee is focused on enhancing transparency, standardising accreditation mechanisms for medical and dental colleges, and streamlining the recognition process inspections for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in line with international standards,” it a... -
Dawn - 15:23 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: As international funding to Pakistan’s health sector continues to decline and major foreign donors are set to completely suspend grants by 2030, the country faces serious health risks unless urgent steps are taken by the government, it emerged on Tuesday. These are the findings of a report published last week, titled “Beyond Dependence: Understanding the Impact of ODA Cuts on Pakistan’s Health System”. The report, prepared by think tank Tabadlab, is authored by Behzad Taimur, Shahab Siddiqi and Syeda Farwa Qamar Jaffri and discusses the impact of declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) on Pakistan. ODA refers to grants and concessional loans provided by governments and international agencies to support economic development and welfare in low- and middle-income countries. The report finds that shrinking foreign assistance can threaten disease control programmes, immunisation efforts, and institutional capacity across the country. Once funding stops, it may significantly affect district-level... -
Dawn - 14:42 May 12, 2026
A powerful Hindu group from which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party emerged claimed on Tuesday it had organised foreign visits, including to the US, to counter perceptions that it is a paramilitary outfit involved in attacks on minority communities. The outreach by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or National Volunteer Organisation, came after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a report in November that it “has been involved in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against members of minority groups for decades”. The commission is a bipartisan body of the US federal government that monitors religious freedom around the world and makes policy recommendations to the president, the secretary of state and the US Congress. Modi joined the RSS in his youth, and the rise of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to near-national dominance is widely attributed to the RSS’ vast network of volunteers, during a period marked by a hardening Hindu-Muslim political divide in the offic... -
Dawn - 14:19 May 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced talks with Cuba, which has been crippled by a fuel blockade in the wake of Washington’s capture of key regional ally Nicolas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the communist-ruled island as “a failed country,” adding: “Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!!” He did not provide details. There is growing speculation in Washington that Trump is seeking to overturn the Cuban government as part of a drive to increase US dominance in the Caribbean and Latin America. Earlier this month, Trump said the United States would be “taking over” the Caribbean island off the Florida coast “almost immediately.” He has also said that following the US military operation to depose Venezuela’s longtime leader, Maduro, Cuba will be next. The communist island has been in a standoff with successive US administrations since the 1960s, and Florida, only around 145 kilometres away, hosts a large, politically influential Cuban... -
Dawn - 14:18 May 12, 2026
KARACHI: Amid recent reports of Cambridge exam paper leaks, students who appeared for an AS-level Mathematics paper on Tuesday made fresh claims that the paper they received was identical to a solved paper they had come across on social media just a day earlier. Cambridge International Education (CIE), part of Cambridge University Press and Assessment, offers internationally recognised exams to schools in over 160 countries. In Pakistan, O Levels (grades 10–11) cover a broad range of subjects, while A and AS Levels (grades 12–13) are more specialised and advanced, providing pathways to higher education in Pakistan and abroad. When Dawn reached out to Cambridge about the matter, a spokesperson said that Cambridge investigates all allegations of paper leaks. “We do not comment on individual reports of paper leaks. In the rare case where there is a genuine issue, we update schools at the right time and provide the recommended next steps,” the spokesperson said. “We ask people only to trust official statements fr... -
Dawn - 13:52 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on intra-court appeals filed by apartment owners of One Constitution Avenue and Bank of Punjab (BoP) and sought a response in the matter concerning lease cancellation and third-party rights. The bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Raja Inaam Amin Minhas, heard arguments from appellants’ counsel, Advocate Taimur Aslam, who requested the court to restrain disciplinary or coercive action until the recommendations of a committee recently formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are finalised and approved by the cabinet. On May 1, the premier constituted a high-level committee to review the issue involving One Constitution Avenue and halted authorities from taking any action. The court adjourned further hearing on the intra-court appeals, observing that the decision on the stay application would be issued later. The case stems from an April 30, 2026, judgment of a s... -
Dawn - 13:37 May 12, 2026
Pace bowler Nahid Rana claimed five wickets as Bangladesh trumped Pakistan by 104 runs in a rain-hit first Test on Tuesday after a thrilling fifth day of batting collapses. Chasing 268 for victory in Dhaka, Pakistan were 119-3 before they fell to 163 all out in the final session with debutant Abdullah Fazal scoring a valiant 66. Bangladesh now hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match home series. The Test win was Bangladesh’s first against Pakistan on home soil and their third overall. The 23-year-old Fazal put on 51 runs with Salman Agha, who made 26, to raise Pakistan’s hopes of victory before Rana rattled the opposition with career-best figures of 5-40. Rana, 23, made an impact with his pace and reverse swing and his final spell of 4.5 overs got him four wickets for just 10 runs to turn the match on its head. “Very happy — proud of all the guys, the way we played,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said. “We have been working hard the last few months and slowly we are getting better at Test cricket — that’s... -
Dawn - 12:00 May 12, 2026
While macroeconomic stability improved in the first half of fiscal year 2026, the war in the Middle East poses risks to the economic outlook amid heightened uncertainty, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Tuesday. The SBP released its Half Year Report 2025-26 (The State of Pakistan’s Economy) on Tuesday, showing that Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability strengthened in the first half of the fiscal year despite headwinds from uncertainty regarding global trade and domestic floods. However, the report noted that the war in the Middle East poses “significant risks to the macroeconomic outlook”, as supply chain disruptions are likely to affect the inflation trajectory, external trade and remittance flows, and the country’s economic activity, according to an SBP press release. Discussing the outlook for FY26, the report notes that the latest data on high-frequency indicators — including Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), LSM and construction — suggests that economic activity maintained the momentum through Febr... -
Dawn - 11:44 May 12, 2026
Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections. At a meeting of his cabinet, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that, while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. Four ministers expressed their support for him. It was the latest pledge from Starmer to press on with a premiership that has been dogged by scandal and policy U-turns since he won a large majority at a national election in 2024. On Monday, he promised to be bolder in tackling the problems besetting Britain to try to shore up his political future. Borrowing costs rise In a nod to an increase in borrowing costs on the markets over fears of another bout of political instability in Britain, Starmer said the “past 48 hours have been dest... -
Dawn - 11:32 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Kuwait agreed on Tuesday to “explore new opportunities” around building strategic storage in Pakistan’s petroleum sector, a statement by the Petroleum Division said, adding that the initiative could result in mutual benefit for both sides. The assurance came during a meeting between petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Kuwait’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi, in Islamabad. “Both sides discussed prospects for enhanced cooperation in the petroleum and energy sectors, especially refining, and agreed to explore new opportunities around building strategic storages in Pakistan that could bring mutual benefit to Pakistan and Kuwait”, the statement said. It added that the meeting focused on regional developments and energy cooperation. The two sides also agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand collaboration in areas of common interest, it said. For his part, the petroleum minister expressed gratitude to Kuwait’s government for its “timely facilitation an... -
Dawn - 10:52 May 12, 2026
'Children paying intolerable price': UN condemns child death toll from Israel's West Bank operations
The United Nations condemned on Tuesday the toll from “escalating” Israeli military operations and settler attacks in the occupied West Bank on children, with 70 Palestinian children killed since the start of 2025. “Children are paying an intolerable price for escalating military operations and settler attacks across the occupied West Bank, including East Jerusalem,” UN children’s agency spokesman James Elder told reporters. Since the start of 2025, when Israel began a large-scale military operation in the West Bank, “at least one Palestinian child has been killed on average every single week” there, adding that another 850 children had been injured during that period. “Most of those killed or wounded were done by live ammunition,” he said. Israeli forces were responsible for a full 93 per cent of the deaths, Elder said, highlighting that the scaled-up military operations had come amid “historic levels of settler attacks”. According to the UN, March 2026 saw the highest number of Palestinians injured by Israe... -
Dawn - 09:58 May 12, 2026
LAKKI MARWAT: At least nine people, including two traffic policemen, were martyred while 33 others were injured on Tuesday in a blast in the Serai Naurang tehsil of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lakki Marwat district, police said. Initially, Lakki Marwat district police officer’s spokesperson Qudratullah Khan, in a statement, said that seven people, including two traffic cops, were killed while 23 others were injured. He identified the martyred police officials as Adil Jan and Rahatullah. Separately, Lakki Marwat Deputy Inspector General of Police Sajjad Khan said that both the deceased were traffic police officials. A statement issued by the KP chief minister’s office also stated that the officials were traffic policemen. Subsequently, Lakki Marwat Deputy Commissioner Hameedullah Khan issued a statement saying that at least nine people were martyred. He said that, as per initial reports, terrorists had planted explosives in a rickshaw. An incident report issued by the THQ Hospital confirmed that nine people were kill... -
Dawn - 09:37 May 12, 2026
World Health Organisation (WHO) chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said on Tuesday “our work is not over” to contain hantavirus after evacuations from a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak of the illness. The fate of the MV Hondius sparked international alarm after three passengers died in an outbreak of the rare virus, for which no vaccines or specific treatments exist. Yet health officials stressed that the global public health risk was low and rejected comparisons to the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “There is no sign that we are seeing the start of a larger outbreak,” Tedros told a joint news conference in Madrid with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez. “But of course the situation could change, and given the long incubation period of the virus, it’s possible we might see more cases in the coming weeks,” Tedros said. More than 120 passengers and crew on the MV Hondius were flown out from Spain’s Canary Islands on Sunday and Monday, and countries adopted different health measures for their returning eva... -
Dawn - 09:29 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Tuesday asked the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to decide within two weeks the pleas of human rights lawyer Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir and her husband, Hadi Ali Chattha, seeking the suspension of their sentence in the controversial social media posts case. Until the IHC decides upon the petitions, the matter will remain pending before the apex court, a three-judge SC bench, consisting of Justice Shahid Waheed, Justice Naeem Akhtar Afghan and Justice Shafi Siddiqui, ordered. During the hearing, the couple’s lawyer, Faisal Siddiqi H, argued that the legal requirements were not met in the trial against his clients. He asserted that they did not get the opportunity to be cross-examined and statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code were also not recorded. He presented his arguments as the SC took up the couple’s plea seeking to set aside an IHC order denying interim relief to them in the case. The lawyer said that the IHC had kept his clients’ pleas for the suspension ... -
Dawn - 07:47 May 12, 2026
The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Tuesday forecast that Eidul Azha was expected to fall on May 27. “The new moon of Zilhajj 1447 AH is expected to be born on May 17 at 1:01am,” it said in a statement. It said that at sunset the same day, the age of the new moon would be approximately 18 hours and 30 minutes. It estimated an interval of 60 minutes between “sunset and moonset along the country’s coastal belt”. “Based on these astronomical parameters, the chances of sighting the Zilhajj crescent on the evening of May 17 are considered favourable,“ Suparco said, adding it would be subject to clear weather conditions and visibility near the horizon. “Consequently, the 1st Zilhajj 1447 AH is anticipated to fall on Monday, May 18, marking the conclusion of the holy month of Zilqad,” it said. Therefore, Eidul Azha will fall on May 27, Suparco said. “The final decision regarding the sighting of the Zilhajj crescent and the commencement of the holy month will be made by the Centra... -
Dawn - 07:27 May 12, 2026
President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday paid tribute to a brave citizen who sacrificed his life while averting a suicide attack in Attock’s Jand tehsil a day earlier. According to reports, the incident occurred near a key security post on the Punjab-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border, located in Jand, some 70km from Attock. A local shepherd, identified as Liaqat, noticed a suspicious individual in the area while grazing his goats nearby. Witnesses said Liaqat confronted the suspect after sensing something unusual about the man’s behaviour. As he approached, the suspect detonated himself with a powerful explosion, claiming Liaqat’s life in the process. In separate statements issued on Tuesday, the president and the prime minister lauded Liaqat’s sacrifice. PM Shehbaz said that as a responsible citizen, Liaqat stopped the terrorist and asked for his identification, who then blew himself up, resulting in the shepherd’s martyrdom. He said that Liaqat’s sacrifice would always be remembered... -
Dawn - 06:07 May 12, 2026
Israel’s parliament passed a law late on Monday establishing a military tribunal to try hundreds of Palestinian fighters linked to the October 7, 2023 attack on Israel. The surprise attack, led by elite “Nukhba” force fighters from the Palestinian group Hamas, killed at least 1,200 people. The fighters also took 251 hostages back to Gaza. Israel responded by launching an assault on the enclave that killed more than 72,000 Palestinians, mostly civilians, and left much of Gaza in ruins. Israel has been holding an estimated 200-300 fighters — the precise number is classified — captured in Israel during the attack, who have not yet been charged. The special military court established by the law, to be presided over by a three-judge panel in Jerusalem, could also try others captured later in Gaza and suspected of participating in the attack, or of having held or abused Israeli hostages. The new law was backed by a wide majority 93 of the Knesset’s 120 lawmakers, in a rare show of Israeli political unity. No trial ... -
Dawn - 05:22 May 12, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Tuesday termed a report by an American media outlet claiming that Islamabad “quietly allowed” Iranian military aircraft to park on its airfields while playing the role of a mediator in the Middle East conflict as “misleading and sensationalised”. Citing US officials, CBS News had alleged that days after US President Trump announced the ceasefire with Iran in early April, Tehran sent multiple aircraft to the Nur Khan Air Base. “Among the military hardware was an Iranian Air Force RC-130, a reconnaissance and intelligence-gathering variant of the Lockheed C-130 Hercules tactical transport aircraft,” the report claimed. In a response issued on Tuesday, the FO said, “Pakistan categorically rejects the CBS News report regarding the presence of Iranian aircraft at Nur Khan Airbase as misleading and sensationalised. Such speculative narratives appear aimed at undermining ongoing efforts for regional stability and peace.” “Following the ceasefire and during the initial round of the Islamaba...
10418 items