Pakistan

KARACHI: After over a year of price stability driven by declining interest rates and encouraging economic indicators, consumers are now facing rising prices for wheat and related products. The wheat crop, although harvested in March, came in below expectations, contributing to growing concerns. Traders warn that wheat consumption in the livestock and poultry sectors has added to the supply pressure, as a significant amount of wheat has been diverted for animal feed. In addition, recent heavy rains, particularly in Karachi and the upcountry, have exacerbated the supply-demand imbalance for vegetables, leading to higher prices at markets. As per the latest data from the Sensitive Price Index (SPI) for the week ending Aug 21, the price of a 10kg wheat bag in Karachi has risen to Rs660, up from Rs640 at the start of August. Similarly, the cost of one kilogram of fine flour has increased to Rs95 from Rs93. The 20kg wheat flour bag now costs between Rs1,500 and Rs1,800, compared to Rs1,350 to Rs1,700 earlier this m...

KARACHI: Amid the city’s ongoing water crisis, recent monsoon rains have brought a significant improvement by raising the Hub Dam’s water level by 11 feet and securing potentially enough storage for up to three years. According to official sources, the water level at Hub Dam rose significantly due to the recent monsoon rains, increasing from 322 feet to 333 feet. Karachi faces severe water shortages, with a daily requirement of over 1,200 million gallons per day (MGD) but currently receiving only around 650 MGD, officials said. The Hub Dam supplies approximately 100 MGD to the Keamari and West districts, while the remainder is sourced from Keenjhar Lake. Officials say additional six feet of water is required to reach dam’s maximum capacity of 339 feet Officials also said that the dam’s maximum capacity is 339 feet and when filled to this level, it can supply water to the West, Keamari and Central districts of the city for up to three years. When the dam reaches full capacity, excess water is released through ...

KARACHI: Currency dealers in the banking market have reported a sharp 50 per cent decline in dollar sales by money changers this month, amid concerns that the grey market has re-emerged, buying dollars at higher prices. Dealers indicated that while remittance inflows remain unaffected, with July witnessing $3.2 billion in transfers, the drop in open market sales could destabilise the exchange rate. Money changers explained that the strict documentation requirements for dollar purchases are limiting their sales, with only transactions of up to $500 not raising any questions. According to bankers, the open market has sold around $115 million to the banking sector this month, significantly lower than the same period last year. “The open market is running low on dollars. They are only selling what they receive from the public, which suggests that someone is purchasing dollars before selling them to money changers,” said a money changer, who requested anonymity. While sales may rise this year, the money changers e...

KARACHI - Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori has approved the Anti-Terrorism (Sindh Amendment) Bill 2025 here on Saturday.

GILGIT: The six-day-long protest sit-in of Gilgit-Baltistan lawyers outside the Chief Minister’s House ended on Saturday after the government assured them that their key demands would be accepted. The Gilgit-Baltistan Bar Council, GB Supreme Court Bar Association, GB High Court Bar Association and District Bar Associations had jointly given the call for protest. HCBA Secretary General Advocate Islamuddin told Dawn that lawyers in the region had been protesting for the past 10 months, boycotting court proceedings and holding rallies. They had also blocked the River View Road. The protesting lawyers said they had been demanding their rights, including the long-delayed induction of judges in the GB Supreme Appellate Court, the establishment of special courts such as family and consumer courts, advertisement of vacant civil judge posts, and the separation of judicial magistrate from civil judge positions in line with practice elsewhere in the country, with appointments made from the legal fraternity on merit. The...

QUETTA: The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Commercial Bank­ing Circle Quetta has arre­sted three suspects invol­ved in illegal currency exchange and hawala/hundi transactions. Meanwhile, the agency also taken into custody three human traffickers in separate operations in Taftan. A spokesperson for FIA said that the operation was conducted on the directives of FIA Director General Riffat Mukhtar Raja as part of a crackdown on networks enga­ged in hawala and illegal money transfers. The arrested suspects were identified as Muhammad Umar, Lal Muhammad, and Abdul Wali. Officials said a total of Rs1.7 million was recovered from the accused, along with four mobile phones, registers, and other evidence related to hawala/hundi dealings. The suspects, who failed to provide satisfactory explanations regarding the seized currency, were taken into custody and further investigation has been initiated. Human traffickers held Meanwhile, the FIA spokesman said that the agency also arrested three human traffickers in se...

TEHRAN: Iranian for­ces killed six militants in a raid in the restive southeast, saying they were members of a “terrorist” group linked to Israel. “During an intense exchange of fire with terrorists in Sistan-Baluch­istan province, six assailants were killed and two others arrested,” official news agency IRNA said, citing a statement from the intelligence services. Sistan-Baluchistan, which borders Pakistan and Afg­hanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes bet­ween security forces and armed groups. The news agency said there were “documents” indicating “the Zionist nature” of the group targeted in the latest raid, adding that its members had planned to attack a “vital” facility in Iran’s east, without elaborating. The report said that “the main operation team” was composed of “seven non-Iranian terrorists”, but did not specify their nationality. Two intelligence agents and a police officer were wounded in the gunfight. Published in Dawn, August 24th, 2025

LONDON: Former Brexit campaigner Nigel Farage set out plans on Saturday for “mass deportation” of migrants who have crossed the English Channel on small boats if his Reform UK party forms Britain’s next government. In an interview with The Times newspaper, Farage said he would withdraw Britain from the Euro­pean Convention on Human Rights and sign deals with Afghanistan, Eritrea and other top countries of origin to repatriate illegal migrants. “We can be nice to people, we can be nice to other countries, or we can be very tough to other countries … I mean (US President Donald) Trump has proved this point quite comprehensively,” Farage said. Asked if he was concerned that asylum seekers would be killed or tortured if they were sent to countries with poor human rights records, Farage said he was more worried about the threat he believed asylum seekers posed to Britons. Small-scale protests outside hotels housing asylum seekers have become frequent “I can’t be responsible for despotic regimes all over the world....

• Party leaders say legal options to restore Ayub, Shibli to be exhausted first • Omar says PkMAP chief’s nomination to boost opposition alliance ISLAMABAD: Amid controversy surrounding the nomination of Mahmood Khan Achakzai — the head of the Pashtunkhwa Milli Awami Party — and Senator Azam Swati as opposition leaders, PTI insiders have said these appointments will only proceed if former leaders Omar Ayub and Shibli Faraz remain barred from parliament. The party plans to avail all legal options to reverse the disqualification of National Assembly Oppo­s­ition Leader Omar Ayub and Senate opposition leader Shibli Faraz, who were disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakis­tan in light of the May 9 sentences. Against this backdrop, the PTI chief earlier this week named Mr Achakzai, who also heads the PTI-led opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan, and Senator Swati for these coveted roles. The decision, however, upset many in the party, and a debate ensued over why an outsider was picked to l...

LONDON: Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres netted his first two Premier League goals and defender Jurrien Timber scored twice in a 5-0 thrashing of Leeds United at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday. However, the loss of captain Martin Odegaard and winger Bukayo Saka to injury took some of the shine off Arsenal’s second win of the […]

By-polls: PML-N, PPP to support each other

DPM arrives in BD capital on landmark visit; Says two countries enjoy 'multifaceted relations'

FinMin raises alarm over unregulated digital deals

Field Marshal Munir stresses importance of good governance, inclusive progress

Says if state itself is 'perceived to be complicit', the courts are left powerless

Protest comes amid a growing backlog of thousands of cases and prolonged incarceration of under-trial prisoners

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs (MORA) has officially finalised the application process for Pakistan’s Government Hajj Scheme 2026, ARY News reported. According to the ministry’s resources, a total of 118,060 applications were received from different parts of the country, marking the end of this year’s submission phase. The application process was concluded in just […]

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa on Saturday added his voice to diplomatic pressure to end the war in Ukraine by calling for a meeting between Kyiv and Moscow. According to a statement from Pretoria, Ramaphosa made his comments during a phone conversation with his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. They come as hopes of a Russia-Ukraine […]

HAMBURG: Borussia Dortmund conceded goals in the last four minutes to waste a 3-1 lead and settle for a 3-3 at St Pauli in their Bundesliga opener on Saturday. The hosts scored with an 86th minute Danel Sinani penalty before captain Eric Smith rifled in an equaliser three minutes later to snatch a surprise draw […]

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: ARY News’ investigative team, Sar-e-Aam, has uncovered a shocking case of online exploitation and sale of explicit videos of girls on the dark web, ARY News reported. The team Sar-e-Aam caught a man red-handed, who was involved in recording and selling videos of women. This detention was executed during a secret operation, which […]