News

  • Pakistani women’s voices resonate at UN rights forum
    Dawn - 05:38 Mar 15, 2026
    UNITED NATIONS: At the 70th session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70) at the United Nations this week, two Pakistani voices — one from the country’s parliamentary platform and the other from the moral authority of a Nobel laureate — placed access to justice for women at the centre of a polarised global debate. Speaking during the General Debate on behalf of Asifa Bhutto Zardari, Senator Bushra Anjum stressed that strengthening access to justice requires more than declarations — it demands institutional reform, representation within justice systems, and dismantling structural barriers. Quoting Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto, she reminded delegates that “the discrimination against women can only begin to erode when women are empowered to claim their rights.” She highlighted Pakistan’s legal architecture: more than 480 specialised Gender-Based Violence Courts, legal aid mechanisms, family courts, ombudsperson institutions, and integrated protection services aimed at delivering remedies efficiently to wom...
  • Bitcoin whales are starting to accumulate again at $71K: Santiment
    Cointelegraph.com - 05:30 Mar 15, 2026
    Bitcoin whales are starting to accumulate again at $71K: SantimentSantiment says the recent uptick in Bitcoin whale accumulation is a "positive reversal," and the platform is watching for retail selling to confirm a potential market bottom. Large Bitcoin wallets are increasing their holdings again as the asset’s price holds around $71,000, according to crypto sentiment platform Santiment. “Their recent shift to accumulation is a bullish signal,” Santiment said in a report on Saturday, referring to wallets holding between 10 and 10,000 Bitcoin (BTC). “This is a positive reversal,” Santiment added. Santiment data shows wallets holding 10 to 10,000 Bitcoin (BTC) now control 68.17% of Bitcoin’s total supply, up from 68.07% seven days earlier. Read more
  • Karachi citizens fume as unannounced gas cuts continue to disrupt Sehri cooking, Iftar
    Dawn - 05:28 Mar 15, 2026
     A man walks past scores of gas cylinders, while LPG (right) is filled at a shop in North Nazimabad. —Fahim Siddiqi / White Star A man walks past scores of gas cylinders, while LPG (right) is filled at a shop in North Nazimabad. —Fahim Siddiqi / White Star KARACHI: Following the suspension of supply of liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar due to Iran’s blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, the city’s gas crisis has worsened amid Ramazan’s peak demand, leaving fasting residents struggling during crucial Sehri and Iftar hours. Meanwhile, the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) has introduced an unannounced supply schedule, compounding the peoples’ problems. Since the war has broken in Iran around two weeks ago, Karachi’s households have been struggling to cope with the worsening gas shortage across the city. A senior SSGC official, who preferred to be unnamed, told Dawn that the overall gas supply situation needed a lot of “adjustment” following the suspension of LNG supply from Qatar, adding that the gas utility had so far “successfully” managed to ensure gas supplies during Sehri and Iftar. However, with low gas pressure and disrupted supply...
  • De toekomst van het warenhuis, op stoomcursus met Oekraïense rekruten, en een SP’er in Bloemendaal
    FD - 05:20 Mar 15, 2026
    Speciaal voor u geselecteerd door de FD-redactie: zes artikelen van de afgelopen week die het lezen deze zondag meer dan waard zijn.
  • New Zealand observes seven years since shootings at Christchurch mosques
    Dawn - 05:14 Mar 15, 2026
    Remembrances took place in Christchurch to observe and honour the victims of two terror attacks on mosques that killed scores of worshipers seven years ago, media reports said Sunday. Fifty-one victims were killed and 40 injured at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre on March 15, 2019. in New Zealand’s deadliest-ever mass shooting. The day began with “the Walk the Talk for Unity” at the Bridge of Remembrance in the city centre, organised by the Sakinah Community Trust, a group founded by several widows of the victims, local broadcaster 1News reported. A memorial service at the Peace Bell in the botanical gardens began with a minute of silence, followed by the reading of the names of the 51 victims. It concluded with a laying of wreaths. Australian white supremacist Brenton Tarrant carried out the attacks at the Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Centre in Christchurch during Friday prayers. He was sentenced to life in prison in 2020 without the possibility of parole, in the first such ruling ever ha...
  • У кота сильно выросли клыки, а потом хозяйка узнала правду (фото)
    Focus.ua - 05:00 Mar 15, 2026
    Обеспокоенная владелица кота обратилась за советом в социальные сети, заметив что-то необычное в его внешнем виде. Узнав правду, она очень встревожилась.
  • Expert helpt starters met AI: ‘Ik vind dit toch altijd weer magisch’ 
    FD - 05:00 Mar 15, 2026
    Ondernemers weten dat zij veel aan AI kunnen hebben. Maar waar begin je? En hoe weet je of het te vertrouwen is?
  • Второй раз за неделю: дроны поразили российскую нефтебазу в Тихорецке (видео)
    Focus.ua - 04:59 Mar 15, 2026
    В ночь на 15 марта ударные беспилотники повторно атаковали нефтебазу в Тихорецке Краснодарского края РФ, из-за чего на территории предприятия вспыхнул пожар.
  • FO rejects India’s ‘absurd and unwarranted’ statement on Pakistan’s cross-border actions in Afghanistan
    Dawn - 04:38 Mar 15, 2026
    The Foreign Office (FO) on Sunday rejected a statement made by the Indian Ministry of External Affairs criticising Pakistan’s cross-border action in Afghanistan, stating that the statement was “absurd, unwarranted” and “shamefully hypocritical”. The development comes as Pakistan continues with Operation Ghazab lil-Haq, which was launched in late February following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border. A day earlier, the Indian MEA’s spokesperson Shri Randhir Jaisal claimed that Pakistan’s strikes in Afghanistan had led to “death of several civilians”, terming it an “act of aggression”. In response, the FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi rejected the claim, stating that the remarks against Pakistan’s “legitimate, targeted and precise actions against terrorist hideouts and support bases inside Afghanistan are not only absurd and unwarranted but also shamefully hypocritical”. The spokesperson maintained that India’s “active support and sponsorship” for terrorist groups operating from Afghan ...
  • "Хочу иметь нефть": Трамп объяснил, когда вернет санкции против российской нефти
    Focus.ua - 04:15 Mar 15, 2026
    Дональд Трамп пообещал возобновить нефтяные санкции против РФ, если на энергетическом рынке пройдет кризис, вызванный конфликтом на Ближнем Востоке, и цены стабилизируются.
  • FD Gazelle: ‘Een miljoen aan voorraad ging in rook op’
    FD - 04:00 Mar 15, 2026
    Door een brand bij de buren, ging bijna de hele voorraad van Natural Spices in rook op.
  • Bitcoin sold off first when the U.S.-Iran war began. Two weeks later, it's outperforming nearly everything
    CoinDesk - 03:50 Mar 15, 2026
    Each escalation in the Iran conflict has been larger than the last, but each bitcoin drawdown has been getting smaller.
    Tags: Iran
  • Govt hikes kerosene by Rs40 per litre, keeps petrol and diesel prices unchanged
    Dawn - 03:33 Mar 15, 2026
    The government has increased the price of kerosene oil by another Rs40 per litre and approved Rs23 billion price differential subsidy for payments to oil marketing companies (OMCs) to keep the prices of two other oil products — petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) — unchanged for the week ending March 20. Otherwise, the petrol and HSD prices should have gone up by more than Rs49 and Rs75 per litre with effect from March 14. With fresh price notification, Kerosene, commonly described as poor man’s fuel, has become the most expensive consumer product at Rs358 per litre and has seen the highest increase among all fuels since March 7. The kerosene rate has now increased by about 12.6pc on March 14, bringing its cumulative increase to 90pc from Rs188.87 earlier this month. In formal orders, the petroleum division of the energy ministry said that the prime minister had approved keeping the prices of HSD and MS unchanged, and that the government will pay the price differential of Rs75.05 per litre and Rs49.63 per litr...
    Tags: Rs40
  • POLITICS: THE RHETORIC OF WAR
    Dawn - 03:32 Mar 15, 2026
    When US Secretary of Defence James Mattis addressed the intensification of US combat operations against the Islamic State group in 2017, he assured the American public of his commitment to “get the strategy right” while maintaining “the rules of engagement” to “protect the innocent.” Mattis’ professional tone was a stark contrast to [current US] Secretary Pete Hegseth’s remarks following the first days of the joint US-Israeli combat operations in Iran. On March 2, 2026, after bragging about the awe-inspiring lethality of US “B-2s, fighters, drones, missiles”, Hegseth casually brushed aside concerns about long-term geopolitical strategy, declaring “no stupid rules of engagement, no nation-building quagmire, no democracy-building exercise, no politically correct wars. We fight to win.” Admonishing the press for anything less than total assent, he commanded, “to the media outlets and political left screaming ‘endless wars’: Stop. This is not Iraq.” Instead of briefi ng the public on the Iran war, US Secretary of...
  • Trump administration slams CNN over Iran war coverage
    Dawn - 03:10 Mar 15, 2026
    • Pete Hegseth calls reporting ‘patently ridiculous’ • Thompson says network will keep reporting ‘the truth’ WASHINGTON: The Pentagon and White House slammed CNN over its Iran war coverage on Friday — with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth saying he looked forward to an ally of President Donald Trump taking over the news network. Hegseth spent part of a news conference on US military operations against Tehran criticising the media and CNN in particular, urging for what he called an “actual patriotic press”. The former Fox News host was particularly incensed by a story the channel ran suggesting Washington had underestimated Iran’s ability to disrupt global oil traffic in the Strait of Hormuz. “Patently ridiculous,” Hegseth told reporters, before adding: “The sooner David Ellison takes over that network, the better.” David Ellison is the head of Paramount Skydance, which is set to complete a landmark takeover of Warner Bros. Discovery, the current owner of CNN, after beating Netflix in a bidding war. Earlier this...
    Tags: Iran
  • По энергетике Белгорода ударили ракетами: город без света, тепла и воды (видео)
    Focus.ua - 03:04 Mar 15, 2026
    В ночь на 15 марта ударные беспилотники и ракеты атаковали энергетическую инфраструктуру российского Белгорода, в результате чего в городе начались проблемы со светом.
  • Israeli strike kills 12 Lebanon medics amid peace push
    Dawn - 03:01 Mar 15, 2026
     A SITE in the Haret Hreik, a neighbourhood in southern Beirut which was struck by Israel.—AFP A SITE in the Haret Hreik, a neighbourhood in southern Beirut which was struck by Israel.—AFP • Death toll for paramedics this month rises to 31 after clinic bombing • France offers to host negotiations in Paris; urges Israel to halt its offensive • First direct talks since conflict expected in coming days, Haaretz reports BEIRUT: An overnight Israeli strike on a healthcare centre in Borj Qalaouiya killed at least 12 Lebanese medical personnel, Lebanon’s state news agency said on Saturday, as diplomatic efforts intensified amid reports Israel and Lebanon may hold their first direct talks to de-escalate the war. The health ministry said the death toll was preliminary, with rescue operations underway to search for those still missing under the rubble and the Israeli attack killed doctors, paramedics, and nurses working at the facility. This strike brings the total number of paramedics killed in Lebanon since the start of hostilities to 31, a grim statistic highlighted by the ministry as it accused Israel of rep...
  • War escalates as US strikes Iran’s energy lifeline
    Dawn - 02:54 Mar 15, 2026
    • US bombs Kharg Island, key to 90pc of oil exports • Tehran warns it will target any facility in region linked to US • Trump says warships from several countries to guard Hormuz • US embassy in Baghdad urges Americans to leave Iraq • Iran Guards say targeted US forces at Saudi base with missiles • Iranian military claims US aircraft carrier ‘neutralised’ DUBAI: After the United States on Saturday bombed Iran’s main energy hub and President Donald Trump predicted “many countries” would send warships, Tehran threatened to escalate the war raging in the Middle East by targeting any facility in the region with US ties. As the conflict entered its third week, Iran projected defiance after US forces hit military sites at Kharg Island, which handles 90 per cent of Iranian oil exports. A drone attack had already disrupted a United Arab Emirates energy hub and the US embassy in Baghdad warned US citizens to leave Iraq. Since Israel and the United States began attacking Iran on Feb 28, the war has killed more than 2,0...
    Tags: Iran
  • PTI calls for OIC moot over war on Iran
    Dawn - 02:47 Mar 15, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The PTI has expressed deep alarm over the rapidly deteriorating regional security environment and called upon the government to immediately convene an emergency meeting of the OIC to forge a united response and foil any attempt to once again drag the region and the Ummah into a foreign-imposed and catastrophic conflict. In a statement issued on Saturday, PTI Central Inf­ormation Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said urgent diplomatic action was imperative to prevent the Muslim world from being dragged into another devastating war. He warned that rapidly escalating tensions could destabilise the entire Middle East and have grave consequences for global peace, economic stability and the security of the Ummah. He said the unprovoked American and Israeli attacks on Iran constituted a blatant violation of international law and the sovereignty of a neighbouring Muslim state, warning that such reckless military actions risk igniting a wider regional conflict with catastrophic consequences for the Middle East ...
    Tags: Iran
  • Tehran reminds Modi about need to activate BRICS
    Dawn - 02:28 Mar 15, 2026
    • Under India’s chairmanship, the expanded bloc has remained silent • Pezeshkian, Araghchi urge Indian counterparts to spearhead a ‘strong and constructive’ intervention • New Delhi caught in a diplomatic bind amid domestic LPG crisis; balances pro-Israel comments with its ‘friend of Iran’ status NEW DELHI: Iran’s top leaders have urged their Indian counterparts to activate the BRICS to play a “strong and constructive role” in the escalating war with the US and Israel, according to Iranian government readouts of recent telephone conversations. The issue was raised during calls late on Thursday, March 12, between Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and separately between Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi and External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar. Tehran pressed New Delhi, which currently chairs the BRICS bloc, to help address the West Asia conflict that has disrupted global energy supplies and shipping routes, The Wire reported, citing an Iranian readout. The Iran...