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  • Govt apologises for excessive loadshedding, blames it on reduced hydropower availability
    Dawn - 11:06 Apr 15, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday apologised to power consumers for higher than promised “load management” arising out of lower water availability for power generation. In a statement, the Power Division said it was “apologising for the additional load management necessitated by reduced hydropower availability”. A spokesman for the Power Division also urged consumers to conserve electricity, particularly during nighttime hours, and to adopt energy-saving practices. The statement followed complaints from various parts of the country about excessive loadshedding on Tuesday, instead of only 2.25 hours promised a day earlier in an effort to avoid an increase in electricity prices. The power ministry reported a temporary increase in load management and attributed it to a sharp decline in hydropower generation during peak hours last night, which it said strained the electricity supply and widened the demand-supply gap. “Hydropower production dropped by 1,991 megawatts during the night, contributing to a total ...
  • North Korea boosting ability to make nuclear arms: UN watchdog
    Dawn - 10:27 Apr 15, 2026
    North Korea is showing a “very serious increase” in its ability to produce atomic weapons, the head of the UN nuclear watchdog said on Wednesday on a visit to Seoul. The diplomatically isolated north is believed to operate multiple facilities for enriching uranium, a key step in making nuclear warheads, South Korea’s spy agency has said. They include one at the Yongbyon nuclear site, which Pyongyang purportedly decommissioned after talks but later reactivated in 2021. “In our periodic assessments, we have been able to confirm that there’s a rapid increase in the operations” of the Yongbyon reactor, International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Rafael Grossi told reporters in Seoul. The agency also observed a rise in operations at Yongbyon’s reprocessing unit and light-water reactor, as well as the activation of other facilities, Grossi said. “All that points to a very serious increase in the capabilities of (the) Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) in the area of nuclear weapons production, which i...
    Tags: North Korea
  • Finance minister meets with US commerce secretary, briefs IMF official on war’s impact on Pakistan
    Dawn - 10:24 Apr 15, 2026
    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has met with the United States’ commerce secretary to discuss ways to boost bilateral economic partnership and briefed an International Monetary Fund (IMF) official about the Middle East conflict’s economic impact on Pakistan, the finance ministry said on Wednesday. Aurangzeb arrived in Washington on Monday to represent Pakistan at the World Bank Group and IMF Spring Meetings 2026. During his visit, the finance czar was expected to participate in over 50 high-level engagements from April 13 to 18. In a series of posts on Wednesday, the finance ministry said that Aurangzeb has held multiple meetings, given an address and taken part in a panel discussion while there. The finance minister met with US Secretary of Commerce Howard Lutnick in Washington, DC, where “both sides discussed avenues for deepening bilateral economic partnership, with a focus on enhancing trade, promoting investment flows, and facilitating private-sector engagement”. The ministry added that they also dis...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • ‘Privilege for none’: Pakistan calls for abolition of UNSC veto power, rejects new permanent seats
    Dawn - 10:17 Apr 15, 2026
    Reaffirming its consistent policy, Pakistan has called for the abolition or severe restriction of the veto power and strongly opposed any expansion of permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The stance was expressed by Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Ambassador Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, at a resumed session of the long-running Intergovernmental Negotiations (IGN) aimed at reforming the 15-member UNSC. “Pakistan’s policy position remains clear and consistent — veto should either be abolished or, at a minimum, its use by the current permanent members severely restricted,” Ambassador Ahmad stated. He expressed Pakistan’s firm opposition to “any expansion of the veto or addition of new individual permanent members”, contending that more vetoes would only aggravate the problem. “This is a position of principle,” he said, noting that Pakistan aligned itself with the statement delivered by the permanent representative of Italy on behalf of the Uniting for Consensus Group. The UN...
    Tags: Pakistan UNSC
  • Farmers owning under 12 acres eligible for new federal subsidy scheme
    Dawn - 08:41 Apr 15, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The federal government on Wednesday announced a special subsidy programme for farmers to mitigate the adverse impact of the global energy crisis. According to an official announcement, farmers owning less than 12 acres of land will be eligible for the subsidy. Eligible farmers can register for three easy subsidy packages through the Pakistan Asaan Khidmat application. Farmers can enrol in the programme by uploading their personal and other relevant information, along with documentary evidence, on the application. Meanwhile, a senior official told Dawn that the government would provide a subsidy of Rs1,500 per acre to farmers owning less than 12 acres of land. The amount, he said, will be transferred directly into farmers’ bank accounts or through mobile wallets such as JazzCash and Easypaisa. On April 3, the federal government announced targeted relief measures for motorcyclists, small farmers and transporters. Punjab reported that more than one million farmers now hold Kissan Cards, and that total...
    Tags: Farmers
  • Australia books Indian national for alleged sexual assault of woman seated next to him on flight
    Dawn - 08:11 Apr 15, 2026
    An Indian national was charged with the alleged sexual assault of a woman on a Perth-bound flight, Australian media reported on Wednesday. The 52-year-old man, according to the Australian Federal Police (AFP) and the Western Australia Police, committed “non-consensual sexual acts” on a woman seated next to him on the flight on Monday, which was headed from Singapore to Perth, News.com.au reported. According to the Australian Federal Police, the woman was moved to another seat after she complained to staff. At the same time, the suspect was monitored throughout the flight, the report said, adding that the staff also alerted the police. The suspect was escorted off the plane upon landing at the Perth Airport. The 52-year-old man was charged with “one count of sexual intercourse without consent and three counts of an act of indecency without consent”, News.com.au reported. The suspect has been remanded in custody ahead of a court appearance on Friday, the report said, adding that the incident was being investiga...
    Tags: Indian
  • Xi meets Russian FM as leaders flock to China over Middle East war
    Dawn - 07:31 Apr 15, 2026
    China’s President Xi Jinping met with Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov on Wednesday, Chinese state media said, as a string of leaders of countries impacted by the Middle East war flock to Beijing. Lavrov joins Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, Abu Dhabi’s Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan and Vietnam’s President To Lam in meeting with Xi this week. The Russian diplomat told a news conference after meeting Xi that Moscow could “compensate” for China’s energy shortages as shipping through the Strait of Hormuz remains choked by the Iran war. Xi, meanwhile, has sought to position China as a mediator and stable partner in the face of the US- and Israeli-led conflict. Xi told Abu Dhabi’s crown prince on Tuesday that China would play a “constructive role” in promoting peace talks in the Middle East. In talks with Spain’s Sanchez, Xi warned that the world was facing “chaos and turmoil” and “a contest between justice and force”, urging closer cooperation. The Spanish prime minister, meanwhile, welcome...
    Tags: Middle East China
  • Trump doubles down in criticising Pope Leo over Iran
    Dawn - 07:15 Apr 15, 2026
    US President Donald Trump, whose war and immigration policies have been condemned by Pope Leo, reiterated his criticism of the religious leader on Tuesday night. In a post on Truth Social, Trump urged that “someone please tell Pope Leo” about the killings of protesters by Iran and that “for Iran to have a Nuclear Bomb is absolutely unacceptable.” The US and Israel attacked Iran on February 28. Iran responded with its own strikes on Israel and Gulf states with US bases. US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Israeli attacks in Lebanon have killed thousands and displaced millions. Iran does not have nuclear weapons while the US does. Israel is widely believed to be the only Middle Eastern country with nuclear weapons. While Western countries have long believed that Iran wants a nuclear bomb — or at least the ability to make one very quickly — Tehran has always denied that, citing its membership of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. Trump’s comments come after Pope Leo warned earlier in the day of the risk of democra...
    Tags: Pope Iran Trump
  • King Charles to address Congress on US trip marking ‘shared history’: palace
    Dawn - 07:04 Apr 15, 2026
    King Charles III will give a landmark address to the US Congress on his first state visit this month, marking “shared history” and deep ties, Buckingham Palace said Tuesday. Making his first state visit to the US as monarch from April 27, Charles will address lawmakers from both chambers, accompanied by Queen Camilla, the royal communications team said. Buckingham Palace said the four-day visit would “recognise the shared history of our two nations” as well as the “breadth” of current ties, with “deep people-to-people connections”. The king had faced calls from some British politicians for his US trip to be cancelled or delayed amid open disagreements between Trump and British Prime Minister Keir Starmer over the Iran war. Starmer on Monday insisted the “very important” visit would go ahead, saying bonds built by the monarchy can “reach through the decades in a situation like this”. US President Donald Trump has posted on his Truth Social platform that the visit “will be TERRIFIC”. US Speaker Mike Johnson ann...
    Tags: Congress
  • Saudi Arabia pledges $3bn fresh deposit, extends $5bn facility through 2028
    Dawn - 06:13 Apr 15, 2026
    Saudi Arabia has pledged an additional $3 billion in deposits for Pakistan and has extended its existing $5bn facility for a further three years, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb announced in Washington. Pakistan will reportedly return a $3.5bn loan to the UAE this month, putting pressure on its reserves and risking breaches of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme targets. He added that the existing $5bn Saudi deposit would no longer be subject to the previous annual rollover arrangement and would instead be extended for a longer term. The finance minister made the announcement while speaking to media representatives in Washington, DC, on the sidelines of the World Bank–IMF Spring Meetings 2026, where he shared key details on Saudi financial support for Pakistan and the government’s external financing strategy. According to the finance czar, the support from the kingdom comes at a “critical time” for Pakistan’s external financing needs and would help “reinforce foreign exchange reserves and stre...
    Tags: Saudi Arabia
  • Trump says US-Iran talks could resume over the next two days, ‘we’re more inclined’ to go to Pakistan
    Dawn - 21:24 Apr 14, 2026
    US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that talks between Washington and Tehran could resume over the next two days and that “we’re more inclined to go” to Pakistan, reported The New York Post. “You should stay there, really, because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there,” Trump said. “It’s more likely, you know why? Because the Field Marshal is doing a great job. He’s fantastic, and therefore it’s more likely that we go back there,“ he told The NY Post. “Why should we go to some country that has nothing to do with it?” This was after he earlier told the US media outlet that discussions were “happening, but, you know, a little bit slow”, before indicating that a second round of direct negotiations would likely happen somewhere in Europe. According to The NY Post, he contacted them half an hour later and told their reporter to stay in Islamabad “because something could be happening over the next two days, and we’re more inclined to go there”. He also confir...
    Tags: Pakistan Trump
  • Govt announces more than 2 hours of daily loadshedding amid fuel constraints; K-Electric, Hesco excluded from plan
    Dawn - 20:44 Apr 14, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Amid fuel constraints, the government on Tuesday formally announced more than two hours of daily loadshedding “during peak hours” to prevent a sharp increase in electricity tariffs. However, K-Electric and Hyderabad Electric Supply Company (Hesco) are excluded from the loadshedding plan, the Power Division said. “The government has decided to suspend the electricity supply for about 2.25 hours daily between 5:00pm and 1:00am,” the Power Division said in a statement. “This step is aimed at reducing the use of costly fuels and preventing a sharp rise in tariffs,” it added. This stems from the suspension of liquefied natural gas (LNG) imports following the force majeure declared by Qatar due to attacks on its gas field amid the US-Israel war on Iran. Qatar is the main LNG supplier to Pakistan under two long-term contracts envisaging up to 1,000 million cubic feet per day (mmcfd). The Power Division said it was capable of meeting full demand but this had negative consequences. “The main challenge at pr...
    Tags: Hesco K-Electric
  • Lebanon, Israel agree to direct negotiations after Washington talks
    Dawn - 20:17 Apr 14, 2026
    Israel and Lebanon agreed to direct negotiations following talks in Washington on Tuesday that US Secretary of State Marco Rubio had hailed as a “historic opportunity” for peace. The two countries have technically been at war for decades, and Tuesday’s talks have been vehemently opposed by Hezbollah, which announced that it had fired rockets at more than a dozen northern Israeli towns just as the meeting was getting under way. The United States is pressing for a halt to the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah, fearing it could derail the two-week ceasefire in Washington’s war with Iran after talks with Tehran in Pakistan failed to achieve a breakthrough. Tuesday’s meeting in Washington, the first high-level direct talks since 1993, was mediated by Rubio and involved the Israeli and Lebanese ambassadors to the United States. “This is a historic opportunity,” Rubio said as he welcomed the ambassadors, acknowledging the “decades of history” complicating the process. “The hope today is that we can outline a fra...
    Tags: Lebanon Israel Washington
  • BBC reports ‘serious malpractices’ continued at Taunsa hospital months after it was linked to HIV outbreak
    Dawn - 18:54 Apr 14, 2026
    An expose by the BBC has revealed that “serious malpractices” in the children’s ward of a government hospital in Punjab’s Taunsa continued months after the facility was linked to an outbreak of HIV among children, the British broadcaster said. A surge in HIV cases at Taunsa Tehsil Headquarters Hospital was reported in late 2024. “Punjab authorities promised a crackdown – but months later, secret filming by BBC Eye Investigations found that children’s lives were still being put at risk,” the broadcaster said in a press release. The revelations were made in a documentary podcast and have also been detailed in a written report. The BBC said that months after 106 children were infected in Taunsa, health authorities promised a ‘massive crackdown’ and suspended the medical superintendent of THQ in March 2025, but an insider working in the hospital told the broadcaster that nothing had changed. “Acting on evidence provided, the BBC went undercover inside the children’s ward in late 2025. Filmed covertly over several...
    Tags: Taunsa
  • Around 250 people feared missing after boat capsizes in Andaman Sea: UN
    Dawn - 17:41 Apr 14, 2026
    Around 250 people, including children, were feared missing after a boat carrying Rohingya refugees and Bangladeshi nationals capsized in the Andaman Sea, the United Nations said on Tuesday. “The trawler, which departed from Teknaf in southern Bangladesh and was on its way to Malaysia, reportedly sank due to heavy winds, rough seas, and overcrowding,” the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) said in a statement. Thousands of Rohingya, Myanmar’s persecuted Muslim minority, risk their lives every year fleeing repression and civil war in their country. They travel by sea, often aboard makeshift boats. The Rohingya on board this latest boat were likely leaving huge camps in Bangladesh’s Cox’s Bazar, where more than a million refugees forced to flee Myanmar’s western state of Rakhine live in squalid conditions. Rakhine state has been the scene of fierce fighting between the military and the Arakan Army, an ethnic minority rebel group, over control of the territory. The exact circumstances surroundi...
    Tags: Around Andaman
  • Naqvi calls on businessmen to bring back ‘20-30pc’ of wealth to Pakistan
    Dawn - 16:43 Apr 14, 2026
    Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Tuesday called on the business community to bring back “20-30 per cent” of their wealth to Pakistan ahead of the upcoming budget. Speaking at a ceremony at the Federation House in Karachi, he said that the government would facilitate the business community but “at least give this one gesture over the next three months, before the budget and then see what happens”. “It is not tedious. You have to go online and use an app,” he said, adding that Pakistan offered strong returns on investment. He said that if the business community took this one step, it would compel the government to take more measures in their interests. “So, before the budget, bring back $10 billion … This is easily possible,” he said. In his address, he also said that a proposal for a separate passport for businessmen would be shared with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif soon. “We have almost prepared a proposal … which will be taken to the prime minister soon,” he said. He said that “genuine businessmen” face vi...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • Imran’s sisters manage to reach Adiala jail but still denied meeting with ex-premier
    Dawn - 16:15 Apr 14, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: In a surprising turn of events, the sisters of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan on Tuesday managed to make their way to Adiala jail but were still denied a meeting with their brother. The sisters were not allowed to enter the jail by the authorities, following which they returned to the checkpost where they are typically stopped by police. Speaking to the media, Aleema Khan said, “Usually, police do not allow us to proceed onward and the jail administration informs the court that we did not arrive because of which the meeting could not be arranged.” “This time we reached outside the gate of Adiala jail and informed them that we are here,” she added. She said they made sure that their faces were recorded in the CCTV footage so that the jail administration would not deny their presence. Asked how the sisters managed to reach the main gate, Aleema replied that they would not reveal how, as in that case, it would become difficult to do the same again. “We could have stayed there but police officials...
    Tags: Adiala
  • Trump says Italian PM Meloni lacks ‘courage’ on Iran war: report
    Dawn - 16:14 Apr 14, 2026
    US President Donald Trump on Tuesday launched a stinging criticism of Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, one of his main European allies, over her unwillingness to join the Iran war. “I’m shocked at her. I thought she had courage, but I was wrong,” he said in an interview with Italian daily Corriere della Sera. The interview was published the day after Meloni condemned as “unacceptable” Trump’s criticism of Pope Leo XIV, after the pontiff’s repeated calls for an end to the war in the Middle East. Trump told Corriere that it was she who was “unacceptable”, alleging she did not care if Iran had a nuclear weapon, adding that she did not want Italy to be involved in the war, which began with Israeli-US attacks on Iran, even though it gets much of its oil from the region. Meloni, Italy’s far-right leader since October 2022, has been one of Trump’s closest allies in Europe and often seeks to act as a mediator between diverging US and European views. Meloni’s allies and political opponents were swift to offer th...
    Tags: Meloni Italian Iran Trump
  • IMF cuts 2026 global growth forecast to 3.1pc on Mideast war, warns world economy could be ‘thrown off course’
    Dawn - 15:07 Apr 14, 2026
    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) cut its 2026 global growth projection on Tuesday, warning that the world economy could be “thrown off course” by war in the Middle East — as the conflict roils commodity markets and sparks higher prices. The global economy is set to grow by 3.1 per cent this year, said the IMF in its World Economic Outlook report, released during its spring meetings in Washington. This is down from 3.3pc forecast in January before hostilities erupted on February 28 with US-Israeli strikes against Iran that prompted Tehran’s retaliation and sparked a broader conflict in the region. “We were planning to upgrade growth for 2026 to 3.4pc” if not for the war, IMF chief economist Pierre-Olivier Gourinchas told AFP. Prices of oil, gas and fertilisers have surged, as Iran virtually blocked traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, a key shipping waterway. US President Donald Trump has also ordered a naval blockade around Iran’s ports. The IMF expects higher inflation this year at 4.4pc, 0.6 percentag...
  • SECP grants Buy Now Pay Later licence to Alibaba-owned Koko Tech Pakistan
    Dawn - 15:02 Apr 14, 2026
    The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) on Tuesday said it had granted a Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) licence to Alibaba-owned Koko Tech Pakistan Pvt. Ltd (KTPL). “The entry of Alibaba-backed KTPL marks a significant milestone for Pakistan’s digital financial ecosystem,” it said in a press release. The press release further stated: “One of the world’s leading e-commerce and technology companies, Alibaba’s move into Pakistan reflects growing international confidence in the country’s large consumer base, expanding digital economy, and untapped financial services market.” It said that with its advanced artificial intelligence-driven credit assessment systems and globally tested digital infrastructure, KTPL was expected to introduce “innovative, data-driven lending solutions” in the BNPL space. “This will enhance access to consumer financing, particularly for young users, freelancers, and small businesses that remain underserved by traditional banking channels,” the press release said. It highlighte...
    Tags: Buy Now Pay Later SECP

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