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Found 10418 news

  • Above-normal temperature forecast in Punjab
    Dawn - 04:53 Apr 26, 2026
    LAHORE: The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday forecast hot and dry weather across most districts of Punjab on Sunday and warned that temperatures might remain above normal, particularly in the central and southern plains. According to the latest weather outlook, a shallow westerly wave that previously affected upper parts of the country has weakened, leaving little chance of rain. As a result, dry and humid conditions are expected to dominate across the province. The PMD said that unlike Saturday — when isolated areas such as Kashmir, Murree and the Galliyat experienced partly cloudy weather with chances of light rain — Sunday will see no significant rainfall even in these upper areas. This shift indicates a further increase in heat intensity. In plains, especially across central and southern Punjab, daytime temperatures are expected to remain 3 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal, adding to the discomfort citizens already facing due to rising heat levels. Recent weather data highlights the i...
    Tags: Punjab
  • Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation partially restores water supply affected by maintenance work
    Dawn - 04:51 Apr 26, 2026
    KARACHI: As the city has been facing a shortage of 250 million gallons per day (MGD) due to the replacement of a main line, the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) announced on Saturday night that it had restored the supply of 100MGD to minimise the shortfall. On Saturday, the water utility started final interconnection work on a new transmission line at the Dhabeji Pumping Station and took offline nine pumps. It had said that 250MGD water shortfall would persist for two days as seven pumps would be restored by April 27, while two will remain offline for five more days to finish technical work. However, a KWSC spokesman said that four of the nine pumps had been restored late on Saturday night. He said that water supply from the K-3 pumping house at Dhabeji had been resumed after technical restoration work. “With four pumps now operational, the system has added nearly 100 MGD back into Karachi’s distribution network, easing pressure on the city’s water supply,” he added. The spokesperson added that o...
    Tags: Karachi Water Sewerage Corporation
  • Punjab to export livestock
    Dawn - 04:47 Apr 26, 2026
    LAHORE: Punjab will export livestock and meat as the provincial government on Saturday signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with seven institutions, including a Chinese company, for the purpose. A video link meeting in this regard was presided over by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Under the agreement one million livestock will be exported. The meeting was informed that China’s Global Meat Company would install a boiler unit in collaboration with the government-owned Punjab Agriculture and Meat Company in the province. “The boiler unit will prepare boiled meat on a large scale for export. Meat companies will import the meat of 300,000 animals ready for export. A target is set for fattening 300,000 buffaloes and cows, and 300,000 sheep and goats. Some 100,000 goats and sheep will be raised for export.” “The state-of-the-art veterinary hospitals will be established in every tehsil of the province. Four mobile veterinary dispensaries will operate in each tehsil to provide door-to-door animal treatment.” The ...
    Tags: Punjab
  • Measles claims lives of 71 children across country in four months
    Dawn - 04:45 Apr 26, 2026
    • National immunisation week begins amidst challenges • Experts call for local vaccine manufacturing to cut reliance on imported drugs KARACHI: Seventy-one children, including 40 in Sindh, have already lost their lives to measles in the first four months of this year as the provincial government held a series of public awareness activities on Saturday in connection with World Immunisation Week. The week 2026 — being observed globally from April 24 to April 30 — is dedicated to the theme ‘For Every Generation, Vaccines Work’ — aims to create public awareness and increase rates of immunisation. According to official data, of the 71 children died of measles across the country Sindh topped the list with 40 deaths followed by 12 each in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and four in Balochistan in the first four months. Sources said a total of 4,541 confirmed measles’ cases were reported in the first quarter of this year in the country with 1,712 in KP, 1,198 in Punjab, 1,183 in Sindh, 197 in Balochistan, 151 in Azad J...
  • Another POL price hike triggers widespread anxiety
    Dawn - 04:41 Apr 26, 2026
    LAHORE: The public at large, trade unions, associations and civil society groups have widely criticised the government for once again increasing the petrol and diesel prices and sought withdrawal of the decision with immediate effect. They also expressed concerns over the increasing price hike of commodities, transportation and other charges due to repeated increases in the petroleum prices. “With this increase of nearly Rs27 per litre, petrol has now crossed Rs393, almost reaching Rs400. So how can common people, who are already passing through immense financial stress, survive in such a terrible situation,” commented a motorist while talking to Dawn at a petrol pump in Gulberg. “We were expecting a reduction in the POL prices but the increase surprised us. This is highhandedness with the public at large,” he deplored while lashing out at the government. Fresh increase challenged in high court On Friday, the government announced a hike in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs26.77 each due t...
  • New auto assemblers dodge localisation details
    Dawn - 03:19 Apr 26, 2026
    • CKD imports surge to $1.47bn in 9MFY26 • Vendors slam low local parts use KARACHI: New auto players appear reluctant to share the localisation in their vehicle assembly operations, while local vendors continue to complain about the negligible localisation by the new entrants. As the current auto policy is expiring on June 30, vendors claim that the new entrants have not given any clear signal about future local assembly of parts, while some big vendors might have inked deals with them to assemble a few parts. Some assemblers already have parts-making factories, utilise their parts for their own vehicles, and sell parts to other assemblers. According to official data, imports of semi- and completely knocked-down (SKD/CKD) components by assemblers have surged by 116 per cent to $1.47bn in 9MFY26 year on year (YoY), while the import bill for auto accessories from FY22 to 9MFY26 has crossed $6bn, suggesting lukewarm efforts towards higher localisation. As new entrants did not respond to the request of sharing l...
  • Iran war jitters to influence policy rate decision
    Dawn - 03:16 Apr 26, 2026
    KARACHI: It appears that the financial market is certain that the interest rate is bound to see a rise in the next monetary policy scheduled for Monday. At the same time, most experts believed that it was not inflation but the growing fears in the region, including Pakistan, due to the Gulf war, that would determine the direction of monetary policy. “The risks in the Gulf war are unseen and so uncertain that nobody can claim that the economy of Pakistan and other countries like it would remain in the same shape as it is now,” said a financial expert. He added that inflation could entirely change the economy, with greater uncertainty, in the form of a sharp decline in manufacturing and a further increase in existing poverty. Experts see 100bps hike in SBP committee’s meeting on Monday The short-term inflation hit 14 per cent during the week that ended on April 23, reflecting the mood of headline inflation. The government has again increased diesel and petroleum prices, an approach to shield against possible fu...
  • Hormuz stays flashpoint amid reopening move
    Dawn - 02:37 Apr 26, 2026
    • Iran asks US to lift blockade, warns of response if ‘piracy’ continues • Macron wants full reopening of strait in ‘coming days and weeks’ • Turkiye, Germany agree to de-mining missions TEHRAN/ANKARA: As a blockade of the Strait of Hormuz by the US and Iran led to energy shortages, efforts were afoot to restore freedom of navigation in the vital maritime route, with multiple countries offering to de-mine the strait once peace was restored. After the US and Israel attacked Iran on Feb 28, Tehran responded by shutting down the strait and later announced it would charge vessels using the maritime route. The US earlier this month blockaded Iranian ports to stop its oil exports and returned over 30 ships leaving Iranian ports. Despite an extension in a recent ceasefire between the two, Hormuz remained a flashpoint, proving a major hurdle in the resumption of talks. Iran’s military said it would respond if the US maintained its blockade of Iranian ports, calling it “banditry” and “piracy”. In a statement carried b...
    Tags: Hormuz
  • Cybersecurity policy gaps expose firms to risks: survey
    Dawn - 00:02 Apr 26, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: A recent survey titled “Cybersecurity in the Workplace: Emp­loyee Knowledge and Behaviour” shows that 39pc of professionals in Pakistan consider their company’s cybersecurity rules excessive or not fully appropriate, while 8pc say their organisations either lack such rules or they are unaware of them. The survey, conducted by cybersecurity company Kaspersky, highlights a disconnect between corporate policies and emp­loyee adherence, underscoring risks link­­ed to shadow IT and unmanaged device usage. According to the report, 38pc of respon­dents said there are no policies governing the use of non-corporate devices. Mean­while, 17pc admitted they can use personal devices to access business information if these have some form of cybersecurity protection, even consumer-grade software. On the positive side, 16pc said personal devices must pass stringent corporate IT security checks before use, while 29pc reported that only company-issued devices are permitted for work. The situation is relatively bette...
    Tags: Cybersecurity
  • Iranian delegation led by Araghchi leaves after meeting PM, CDF Munir; Trump cancels US envoys' visit
    Dawn - 20:34 Apr 25, 2026
    An Iranian delegation led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi left Islamabad on Saturday after meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and army chief Field Marshal Asim Munir. However, Iranian state media said Araghchi will head back to Pakistan after visiting Oman. The IRNA news agency, citing the foreign ministry, reported that Araghchi “is scheduled to visit Pakistan again after completing his trip to Oman and before travelling to Russia”. Part of his delegation had returned to Tehran, it added, “to consult and obtain the necessary instructions on issues related to ending the war, and is scheduled to rejoin Araghchi in Islamabad on Sunday night”. At the same time, US President Donald Trump cancelled the visit of US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were expected to depart for Pakistan later in the day for talks with Iran. Araghchi’s meetings The Iranian foreign minister termed his visit to Pakistan “very fruitful”. In a post on X, he said, “Very fruitful visit ...
    Tags: Araghchi Iranian
  • President Zardari arrives in China for visit focused on 'economic cooperation, CPEC'
    Dawn - 19:28 Apr 25, 2026
    President Asif Ali Zardari arrived in China just past midnight on Saturday, for a trip where he will attend engagements related to economic and trade cooperation, as well as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). According to a statement from his office, the president arrived in Changsha and was received by Hu Xusheng, Vice Chairman of the Standing Committee of the Hunan Provincial People’s Congress. “[The] ambassadors of China in Pakistan and Pakistan in China were also present on the occasion,” the President’s Secretariat said. Earlier in the day, Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider had seen off the president at the Allama Iqbal International Airport in Lahore, state-run PTV said. According to the Foreign Office (FO), the president will travel to Hunan province’s Changsha from April 25 to 27, and then to Hainan province’s Sanya from April 28 to May 1. “During the visit, the president will hold meetings with provincial leadership to review the full spectrum of Pakistan–China ties, with particular focu...
    Tags: China
  • In call with Iranian president, PM says Pakistan committed to serving as 'honest and sincere facilitator'
    Dawn - 18:55 Apr 25, 2026
    Hours after an Iranian delegation departed Islamabad, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday spoke with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and said that Pakistan was committed to serving as an “honest and sincere facilitator”. In a post on the social media platform X, PM Shehbaz said that he had a “warm and constructive” call with the Iranian president on the evolving regional situation. “I appreciated Iran’s continued engagement, including the high-level delegation to Islamabad led by Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, whom I had the pleasure of meeting earlier today,” he said. “I reaffirmed that, with the support of friends and partners, Pakistan remains committed to [serving] as an honest and sincere facilitator — working tirelessly to advance durable peace and lasting stability in the region,” he said. According to the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the phone call lasted 50 minutes, with the two leaders exchanging views on the “current regional situation and ongoing efforts to promote peace and stabilit...
    Tags: Pakistan Iranian
  • Islamabad administration allows public, goods transport; revises business timings
    Dawn - 17:56 Apr 25, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The capital administration on Saturday night allowed all types of public and goods transport to enter the city, while also revising business timings. The administration said all bus stands across the city were operational, except Faizabad. It said that the Faizabad bus terminal would remain closed until further notice. The administration also opened hiking trails in the federal capital. It said that it had also opened all parks, including Daman-i-Koh and Lake View, to the public. Separately, the administration issued a notification revising business timings. The notification partially amended the second order issued in this regard on April 16. Changes were made in the timings of all sports facilities and clubs, including gymnasiums. Earlier, the closing time was 8pm but it has now been extended to 10pm. The notification issued from the office of Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon said that all the shops, markets and shopping malls shall close at 8pm throughout the week, including Satur...
  • Operation to recover boy swept away while swimming in water line continues for 2nd day in Karachi
    Dawn - 16:21 Apr 25, 2026
    KARACHI: For the second consecutive day, rescue workers on Saturday carried out a search operation to recover an 11-year-old boy feared to have drowned after being swept away while swimming in a major water line in Scheme 33. The boy, Zahid Mohammed Khan, was swept away around 2pm on Friday while swimming in the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC)’s line in Scheme-33 near Al-Azhar Garden. Lifeguards from Rescue 1122 and the Edhi Foundation searched until Friday night, but were unable to recover the boy. Subsequently, the operation was paused due to a lack of visibility. On Saturday, Rescue 1122 Spokesperson Hassanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that officials resumed the search operation at two separate locations, near Samama Shopping Mall and Continental Bakery in Gulistan-i-Jauhar, with the help of the district administration but the boy was not found. He referred to other incidents that had occurred in the vicinity in the recent past, saying the bodies were later recovered at the aforementioned location...
  • US State Department orders global warning about alleged AI theft by DeepSeek, other Chinese firms
    Dawn - 15:51 Apr 25, 2026
    The US State Department has ordered a global push to bring attention to what it says are widespread efforts by Chinese companies, including AI startup DeepSeek, to steal intellectual property from US artificial intelligence labs, according to a diplomatic cable seen by Reuters. The cable, dated Friday and sent to diplomatic and consular posts around the world, instructs diplomatic staff to speak to their foreign counterparts about “concerns over adversaries’ extraction and distillation of US AI models”. “A separate demarche request and message has been sent to Beijing for raising with China,” the document states. Distillation is the process of training smaller AI models using output from larger, more expensive ones as part of an effort to lower the costs of training a powerful new AI tool. This week, the White House made similar accusations. The State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment. OpenAI has warned US lawmakers that DeepSeek was targeting the ChatGPT maker and the nation’s l...
    Tags: DeepSeek Chinese State Department
  • Pakistan successfully launches indigenous satellite from China
    Dawn - 15:44 Apr 25, 2026
    The Foreign Office (FO) said on Saturday that Pakistan had successfully launched an indigenous electro-optical satellite from China’s Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, terming it a “significant milestone”. “The Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) has successfully launched its indigenous electro-optical satellite (EO-3) from the Taiyuan Satellite Launch Centre, marking another significant milestone in the nation’s space capabilities,” it said in a statement posted on the social media platform X. “Beyond its core imaging mission, EO-3 carries advanced experimental payloads aimed at validating next-generation space technologies. These include a multi-geometry imaging module for enhanced imaging accuracy, an advanced energy storage system, and an onboard AI-powered data processing unit to enable real-time analysis and intelligent decision support,” it said. It said that the addition of EO-3 to Pakistan’s Earth Observation satellite fleet “significantly enhances national capabilities i...
    Tags: Pakistan China
  • Journalist Fakharur Rehman sent to jail on judicial remand following arrest in Peca case
    Dawn - 14:20 Apr 25, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: A local court on Saturday rejected the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency’s (NCCIA) request for the physical remand of journalist Fakharur Rehman and instead sent him to jail on judicial remand. Rehman was arrested a day earlier under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). According to an NCCIA first information report (FIR) dated April 20, the journalist was one of the nine accused of spreading “false and misleading information against state institutions” through the social media platform X. On Saturday, Rehman was produced before the court of District Magistrate Yasir Mahmood. During the hearing, defence counsel Ahad Khokhar argued that the prosecution had failed to clearly establish the extent of Rehman’s alleged role. He maintained that the journalist had merely quoted statements made by a religious scholar in a post on X and had not expressed any personal opinion. The defence further contended that thousands of social media users had shared the video in question, wondering why ...
    Tags: Peca
  • Strait of Hormuz closure pushes Pakistan into expensive $18.4 per mmBtu LNG deal
    Dawn - 13:03 Apr 25, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: State-run Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) has approved a revised bid of $18.4 per million British thermal units (mmBtu) from TotalEnergies for delivery between April 27 and 30, while rejecting all other bids, it emerged on Saturday. TotalEnergies had initially bid $18.88 per mmBtu but later revised its offer downward to $18.4 following negotiations. After internal consultations, the authorities rejected all other bids for the first half of May, anticipating the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz. On Friday, PLL had received four bids at $17.997 to $18.88 per mmBtu for delivery between April 27 and May 8. A total of four bids were received from three bidders, and three were declared the lowest. Vitol Bahrain’s bid of $18.54 per mmBtu was declared the lowest for the May 1–7 delivery window, while OQ Trading was the lowest bidder at $17.997 per mmBtu for the May 8–14 period. However, both bids were rejected. PLL had on Thursday floated urgent tenders for the import of three LNG cargoes for delivery between ...
    Tags: Strait Hormuz
  • India to bid for 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad
    Dawn - 13:02 Apr 25, 2026
    India will bid to host the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad, the country’s Olympic chief told Reuters on Saturday, in its latest push to stage elite multi-sport events. The world’s most populous nation will stage the 2030 Commonwealth Games in Ahmedabad and is also bidding for the 2036 Olympic Games in the western Indian city. “Indian Olympic Association has already sent an expression of interest to OCA (Olympic Council of Asia) for organising the 2038 Asian Games in Ahmedabad,” IOA President P. T. Usha told Reuters by telephone from China. “I met the OCA president and other functionaries here and they are all happy and want to support us.” Former Olympian Usha is in China to attend the Asian Beach Games in Sanya. “They had an EC (executive committee) meeting here where they discussed it. They will be sending an evaluation committee to India very soon,” she added. India hosted the inaugural Asian Games in 1951 in New Delhi and again in 1982 in the capital city. The country hosted the 2010 Commonwealth Games, whi...
    Tags: Ahmedabad Asian Games India
  • Afghans in Qatar can return 'with full confidence', says Taliban govt
    Dawn - 13:02 Apr 25, 2026
    The Taliban government said on Saturday that Afghans who fled to Qatar, fearing reprisals over their collaboration with US forces, may return home “with full confidence”. The administration of US President Donald Trump, which has made a sweeping crackdown on immigration a signature policy, had given a March 31 deadline to close a camp where more than 1,100 Afghans were staying at a former US base in Qatar. Afghans have been going through the base for processing while seeking to move to the United States, fearing persecution by Taliban authorities for having worked with US forces before they withdrew and the Western-backed government collapsed in 2021. “According to media reports, a number of Afghan nationals who had been awaiting US visas in the State of Qatar have been asked to choose between the repatriation to Afghanistan or resettlement in a third country,” foreign ministry spokesman Abdul Qahar Balkhi said in a statement posted on X. “Afghanistan constitutes the shared homeland of all Afghans and it invi...
    Tags: Taliban Qatar Afghans

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