Dawn
Source:
https://www.dawn.com
Found 7911 news
-
Dawn - 13:15 Feb 28, 2026
The United States and Israel launched a wave of strikes against targets in Iran on Saturday, triggering explosions in the capital Tehran and an escalation across the region. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” said US President Donald Trump in an address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. On the other hand, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to overthrow the Islamic Republic’s clerical leadership. In response to the Israel-US aggression, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps of Iran later in the day confirmed the launch of the “first wave” of missile and drone attacks against Israel in response to the strikes on its territory. Political figures and analysts in Pakistan have condemned the recent developments, particularly criticising ... -
Dawn - 12:06 Feb 28, 2026
The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Saturday suspended its flights to Gulf countries due to the “evolving situation in the Middle East”. According to a statement by the PIA spokesperson, flights have been suspended to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Doha, and Kuwait. “These flights will not operate until tomorrow evening or until the restoration of airspace, whichever comes later,” the spokesperson said. “PIA flights to Saudi Arabia will continue; however, their routes have been changed,” he added. “Flights have been shifted to Boeing 777 aircraft and will reach their destinations via longer routes,” the spokesperson added. The national carrier requested the travelers to contact the PIA call centre at 111-786-786 for information related to their flights or changes in the booking of flights. -
Dawn - 10:23 Feb 28, 2026
Countries in the Middle East and around the world were watching with bated breath after the United States and Israel carried out long-feared strikes on Iran on Saturday. Trump: ‘annihilate’ US President Donald Trump vowed that the strikes would cripple Iran’s military and urged Iranians to rise up against the Islamic republic. “We are going to destroy their missiles and raze their missile industry to the ground. It will be totally — again — obliterated. We’re going to annihilate their navy,” Trump said in the address from his Florida home posted to his Truth Social platform. Calling on Iranians to stand up to their government, Trump added: “The hour of your freedom is at hand.” But he also warned that “the lives of courageous American heroes may be lost and we may have casualties”. Netanyahu ‘cast off the yoke’ Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said the operation aimed to “remove the existential threat posed by the terrorist regime in Iran”, and urged Iranians to overthrow the Islamic republic’s cleri... -
Dawn - 10:15 Feb 28, 2026
The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on Saturday issued an advisory cautioning citizens against sharing “unverified, inflammatory or misleading information” in light of the recent geopolitical situation. “In view of the prevailing sensitive national situation, PTA urges all citizens to be responsible while using social media and digital platforms,” the body said, advising citizens not to “share, disseminate, forward or upload information/content which is authentic and based upon official sources and to refrain from spreading rumours and fake news”. PTA cautioned against sharing fake news or information “liable to legal action in accordance with applicable laws”. “PTA calls upon all citizens to act with caution, maturity, and a strong sense of national responsibility to help, maintain stability and public confidence,” the statement added. The statement comes against the backdrop of escalating geopolitical tension in the Middle East, as Israel and the United States launched an attack on Iran on Saturd... -
Dawn - 08:42 Feb 28, 2026
The moment reports of a military confrontation break, newsrooms gear up for sleepless nights, social media erupts with all sorts of “information” and memes (the latter is Pakistan-specific), and fact-checkers know they will have their hands full in the coming days. The latest clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan, which began late Thursday night and continued into early Saturday morning, was no different. Within the first 12 hours, the fact-checking team at iVerify Pakistan had spotted more than a dozen claims circulating on social media, ranging from the names of Taliban commanders allegedly killed and footage of Pakistani jets crashing to visuals of chaos following an attack on the Kakul military academy and soldiers from both sides purportedly being captured. Local journalists and social media commentators all fed into this cycle of mis- and disinformation, along with propaganda accounts from India and Afghanistan. When war turns into content In the midst of the late-night action on Thursday, as Pakista... -
Dawn - 05:58 Feb 28, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Friday he is directing the government to stop work with Anthropic, and the Pentagon said it would declare the start-up a supply-chain risk, dealing a major blow to the artificial intelligence lab after a showdown about technology guardrails. Trump added there would be a six-month phase-out for the Defence Department and other agencies that use the company’s products. If Anthropic does not help with the transition, Trump said, he would use “the Full Power of the Presidency to make them comply, with major civil and criminal consequences to follow”. The actions mark an extraordinary rebuke by the United States against one of the premier companies that has kept it in the lead on national security-critical AI, threatening to give Anthropic a pariah status that Washington until now had reserved for enemy suppliers. Google and Amazon are among Anthropic’s financial backers. The moves further set a precedent that US law alone would constrain how AI is deployed on the battlefield, wit... -
Dawn - 04:43 Feb 28, 2026
A SCREENSHOT from the Greens’ Urdu language campaign video. LONDON: The Green Party of England and Wales secured a landmark victory in the Gorton and Denton by-election, overturning Labour’s 13,000-vote majority in a result that comes as a significant setback to Keir Starmer. Hannah Spencer, a local plumber and Green councillor, was elected as the party’s first MP in northern England after winning 14,980 votes in a tightly contested race. Reform UK came second with 10,578 votes, while Labour slumped to third place, finishing 5,616 votes behind the Greens, a dramatic 25.3 per cent drop in its vote share compared with 2024. Starmer, facing mounting questions over Labour’s campaign strategy, vowed to “keep on fighting” after what party insiders described as a humiliating defeat in a constituency long considered a Labour stronghold. Multilingual campaign Central to Spencer’s campaign was an unprecedented multilingual outreach effort aimed at engaging Gorton and Denton’s diverse electorate. The Greens released cam... -
Dawn - 04:40 Feb 28, 2026
GENEVA: The UN rights chief has decried mounting threats to women’s rights worldwide, highlighting rampant femicide and horrific abuse exposed in cases like that of US sex offender Jefferey Epstein. Addressing the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, Volker Turk slammed “social systems that silence women and girls” and allow powerful men to abuse them with impunity. “Violence against women, including femicide, is a global emergency,” the High Commissioner for Human Rights told the UN’s top rights body. He highlighted the extreme situation in Afghanistan, warning that the “system of segregation imposed on women is reminiscent of apartheid, based on gender rather than race”. He also pointed to two cases that have recently caused shock waves around the world: those of convicted Epstein and of French rape survivor Gisele Pelicot. Both cases “show the extent of the exploitation and abuse of women and girls”, Turk said, asking: “does anyone think there are not many more men like Dominique Pelicot or Jeffr... -
Dawn - 03:40 Feb 28, 2026
human rights lawyer Imaan Mazari (right) with her husband Hadi Ali Chattha during a court hearing.—AFP/file ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Friday adjourned the hearing of applications seeking suspension of sentence filed by lawyer and rights activists Imaan Mazari and Hadi Ali Chattha in the controversial tweets case, as the defence pressed for an early date before Eid. Justice Muhammad Asif took up the matter amid a request from the state to transfer the appeal to another bench. During the proceedings, the assistant attorney general submitted that a case of similar nature had earlier been heard by Justice Azam Khan and requested that the present appeal also be placed before his court. He argued that it would be appropriate for the same bench to hear related matters. Rights activists granted bail by anti-terrorism court in two other cases However, the counsel for the appellants, Advocate Riasat Ali Azad, opposed the request, maintaining that no such case was pending before any other court of the cou... -
Dawn - 02:58 Feb 28, 2026
• Israel’s Supreme Court freezes ban on foreign aid organisations in enclave • US public sympathy shifts to Palestinians over Israel, new Gallup poll reveals CAIRO: Relentless Israeli attacks killed at least seven Palestinians in Gaza on Friday, medics said, adding to a death toll of at least 600 people killed by Israeli fire since a US-brokered ceasefire agreement came into effect last October. Gaza’s health officials reported that in southern Gaza, five people were killed and several others were injured, some critically, in Israeli drone strikes. The strikes targeted two police checkpoints in Khan Yunis and in the Abu Hujair area northwest of the Bureij refugee camp later in the day, medics said. Separately, an Israeli airstrike against a group of Palestinians in Gaza City’s Tuffah neighbourhood in northern Gaza killed two people and wounded several others. Ban on NGOs frozen Meanwhile, Israel’s Supreme Court decided in a ruling published on Friday to freeze a government ban on 37 foreign NGOs working in Ga... -
Dawn - 02:54 Feb 28, 2026
UNMARKED boxes can be used to violate rules on safe charity.—Dawn • Experts warn unregulated funds being channelled through anonymous collection boxes undermine NAP objectives • Official says ‘owners’ will be identified once seminaries registered with home department LAHORE: Despite the Punjab home department’s crackdown on illicit charities and the listing of 89 banned organisations, so-called “nameless donation boxes” continue to proliferate on street corners and electric poles, with their anonymous collectors leaving donors wondering who is really behind the appeals. These “nameless donation boxes”, physically secured with heavy chains and locks, can be spotted at road intersections, markets, shopping malls and banks across Punjab. Experts say billions of rupees in unregulated funds are being siphoned off under the guise of piety. They warn that this system has bypassed the core objectives of the National Action Plan, which was intended to dismantle the financial networks that fuel instability. When contac... -
Dawn - 02:51 Feb 28, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial has constituted a committee to address taxpayers’ issues following a meeting at the FBR Headquarters with representatives of the Pakistan, Lahore, Karachi, and Rawalpindi-Islamabad tax bar associations. An official statement said members of the Tax Bar Associations apprised the chairman of the challenges being faced by taxpayers, particularly in relation to the super tax and SRO 350(I)/2024. Mr Langrial assured participants that the FBR remains fully committed to facilitating taxpayers and addressing all genuine concerns on a priority basis. To ensure timely resolution, he announced the formation of a committee to examine the issues raised by the tax bar associations and propose practical solutions for their early redress. Operations, policy and legal members of FBR’s Inland Revenue wing also attended the meeting and took part in detailed deliberations. Appreciating the consultative role of the tax bar associations, the chairman s... -
Dawn - 02:47 Feb 28, 2026
• LHC says absence of record undermines transparency • Law officer hints at review mechanism for offloading LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has ruled that immigration authorities must record and communicate written reasons in every case where a passenger is offloaded from an international flight, holding that such action, though preventive, must comply with constitutional safeguards of due process. Justice Raheel Kamran announced the judgment while deciding two identical petitions filed by Muhammad Soban and Ali Raza against the federal government. The petitioners were offloaded on Dec 24, 2025, from the Allama Iqbal International Airport, Lahore, while attempting to travel to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on valid visit visas. They contended that they possessed valid passports, return tickets, confirmed hotel bookings, and that no criminal case, blacklist order or placement on the Exit Control List (ECL) existed against them. Through their counsel, they argued that the offloading was arbitrary, unlawful and ... -
Dawn - 02:39 Feb 28, 2026
• Qatar, Saudi Arabia lead diplomatic scramble; Iran offers to facilitate talks • Trump ‘refuses’ to intervene because of ‘fondness’ for Pakistan • UN, China, Russia, UK call for immediate ceasefire ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers said on Friday they were willing to negotiate after Pakistan unleashed air strikes on major Afghan cities, killing dozens in the most serious clashes between the allies-turned-foes, which Defence Minister Khawaja Asif described as an “open war”. The Afghan Taliban, who claimed to have launched “retaliatory attacks” over strikes against terrorists’ hideouts last weekend, said on Friday that they were “ready for dialogue”. “Afghanistan… has always preferred to resolve issues based on mutual understanding and respect,” the Afghan foreign ministry quoted Foreign Minister Amir Khan Muttaqi as telling Qatar’s junior Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khalifi by telephone. Taliban spokesperson Zabihullah Mujahid echoed that sentiment, saying “now also we want to resolve th... -
Dawn - 19:20 Feb 27, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The upper House of Parliament on Friday passed a bill for regulating virtual assets as well as the ‘establishment’ of the Pakistan Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority (PVARA) — a body already set up under an ordinance approved by the president in July last year. The development comes as the ordinance was set to lapse in early March. The rules were suspended in the Senate to take up the bill, which was moved by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, for immediate consideration. The preamble of the bill, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that it was expedient to establish a dedicated virtual assets regulatory authority to licence, regulate and supervise virtual assets and virtual asset service providers to “ensure investor protection, transparency and market integrity in Pakistan”. It further stated that it was necessary to provide a comprehensive legal framework to empower the said authority to combat money laundering, terrorist financing, proliferation financing and other illicit activit... -
Dawn - 18:27 Feb 27, 2026
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday again suspended the victory notification of PPP’s Ali Hassan Zehri, who contested the Balochistan Assembly PB-21 Hub constituency in the Feb 8, 2024, general elections. The development comes a day after the electoral watchdog had declared Zehri the winner of PB-21. “Pursuant to the order passed by the Islamabad High Court, Islamabad dated 26th February, 2026 […] whereby Mr. Ali Hassan Zehri was declared returned candidate from PB-21 Hub, are hereby suspended, till further orders,” said a notification by the ECP released on Friday. The recounting saga Originally, Balochistan Awami Party’s (BAP) Muhammad Saleh Bhootani, who had secured more than double the votes obtained by Zehri, was declared the winner in the constituency. But, a recount at 39 polling stations two months after the Feb 8, 2024, general elections led to Zehri being declared the winner. While the original count had not even declared him the runner-up, the recount not only got him the top spot b... -
Dawn - 17:56 Feb 27, 2026
ISLAMABAD: After Afghan Taliban forces used “rudimentary drones” to target various parts of the country, a ban has been imposed on flying unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) of any kind across the country. The development comes as several ‘drone attacks’ were reported from across part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Subsequently, during his press briefing, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) chief Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry stated that Afghan forces attempted to use “rudimentary drones” to attack areas like Swabi and Abbottabad. “However, the anti-drone system over there and the effective deployment took them out,” he said. According to local reports, at least six people were injured in three drone attacks in Bannu, Swabi and Abbotabad. In Bannu, a mosque in the Mirbaz Barkazai area was targeted by a quadcopter around Iftar, leaving five worshippers injured. The attack occurred in the evening, while people were inside the mosque breaking their fast. The incident in Swabi, which occurred near a girls’ school, was one ... -
Dawn - 17:46 Feb 27, 2026
Rehan Ahmed and Will Jacks smashed 44 off 16 balls to take England to a thrilling four-wicket T20 World Cup win in Colombo that denied New Zealand a guaranteed place in the semi-finals but kept Pakistan’s slender hopes alive. New Zealand would have joined England in the knockouts with a win in their final Super Eights match and they scored 159-6 after opting to bat. England lost wickets early and looked like they would be squeezed out at 117-6, needing 43 from the last three overs. But Ahmed and Jacks took 22 off the 18th over from Glenn Phillips to turn the match on its head. Ahmed blasted 19 off seven balls in his first T20 World Cup match alongside Jacks, who made an unbeaten 32 off 18, to see England to 161-6 with three balls to spare. England will move on to a semi-final in Mumbai on Thursday against either India or the West Indies, who clash on Sunday to decide the final semi-final berth. New Zealand now have to wait on the outcome of Saturday’s clash between Sri Lanka and Pakistan in Kandy to know if t... -
Dawn - 17:07 Feb 27, 2026
The UN nuclear watchdog issued a confidential report on Friday urging Iran to let it inspect all its nuclear sites and pointing at Isfahan as a place of interest because of a new enrichment plant and near-bomb-grade uranium that was stored there. The report was sent to members of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) ahead of a quarterly meeting next week of its 35-country board, amid nuclear talks between the United States and Iran, the latest round of which was held on Thursday with no breakthrough. Like previous IAEA reports, it could be used by Washington to support its argument that Tehran has not been transparent about its nuclear activities, at a time when US President Donald Trump has massed forces in the region and threatened new military action. The United States and Israel bombed Iranian nuclear sites last June, and Iran has since refused to show what happened to its stockpile of highly enriched uranium or allow IAEA inspectors access to sites where enrichment took place. “While the Agency ... -
Dawn - 16:39 Feb 27, 2026
LAHORE: A judicial magistrate at the district courts on Friday dismissed the post-arrest bail petition of a Canadian national pursuing doctoral research in Pakistan in a cybercrime case. Magistrate Naeem Wattoo announced the decision while hearing the bail plea of Hamza Ahmad Khan, after arguments from the prosecution and defence. Khan was booked by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) for targeting state institutions and leadership through “disseminating misinformation and disinformation” under sections 20 (offences against the dignity of a natural person), 24 (cyber stalking) and 26A (spoofing) of the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act. During the proceedings, the investigating officer (IO) told the court that the suspect had been uploading “derogatory posts against the state functionaries and state institutions with the intention to harm the reputation of the state functionaries”. On behalf of the petitioner, Advocate Asad Jamal argued that the suspect had been falsely implicated in the c...
7911 items