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Found 10706 news

  • Islamabad MoU nears finalisation as US, Iran clash on signing date
    Dawn - 04:41 Jun 14, 2026
    • Shehbaz hopes deal will pave way for lasting peace, says Pakistan preparing for ‘electronic signing’ • Trump claims signing scheduled for today; threatens Iran; official says Washington to take part in de-mining • Iran states deal close but rules out signing today; negotiators not going to Islamabad, Geneva soon ISLAMABAD: In what appears to be a historic milestone for Middle East peace, Islamabad is preparing for an electronic signing by the US and Iran on a framework for a peace deal, to be followed by technical-level talks next week, albeit with varying dates for the remote signing as Trump insisted that it would be inked on Sunday while Iranian authorities denied it would be as early. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, in a post on X on Saturday, announced that the agreement was expected to be “finalised in the next 24 hours”. The deal was “closer…than ever before”, he wrote, hoping that the deal would lay a “strong foundation for lasting peace”. Shortly afterwards, US President Donald Trump reposted PM She...
  • BUDGET 2026-27: Govt slammed over provincial freeze as budget debate opens
    Dawn - 03:47 Jun 14, 2026
    • Opening day dominated by political speeches in NA • Achakzai says freezing funds will hit provinces’ health, social sectors • PM defends govt’s approach, highlights Balochistan projects • Supports border fencing for national security; renews offer for talks with opposition • MQM calls for strong local govt system, approval of 28th Amendment ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Saturday formally began a general debate on the federal budget for the next financial year, with lawmakers delivering lengthy speeches and mostly raising political and local issues rather than discussing the budgetary proposals presented by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb amid noisy opposition protest on Friday. The highlight of the opening day of the budget debate was a more than hour-long speech by Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai and an immediate response from Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who attended the sitting for a significant time. In his speech, Mr Achakzai criticised the government’s decision to freeze developmen...
  • Trump to meet Middle East leaders at G7 summit
    Dawn - 03:32 Jun 14, 2026
    • Netanyahu not coming to Trump’s bilateral meetings • One-on-one session with Zelensky not planned WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump will meet Middle Eastern leaders and attend a working session with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky during the G7 summit next week, senior US administration officials said on Saturday. The officials said Trump, who is scheduled to travel to Evian, France, for the G7 summit early on Monday, would meet separately with the leaders of Egypt, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, France and India, though no bilateral meeting with Zelensky is planned. A senior US administration official said that Israel’s Netanyahu is not coming to Trump’s bilateral meetings with Middle Eastern leaders at G7. Trump will participate in a working session on Tuesday with Zelensky and G7 leaders. The meeting comes at a time when Russian advances in Ukraine have slowed and Ukraine seeks more military funding from its allies. One of the senior US officials, who briefed reporters on condition of anonymity ...
    Tags: Trump
  • Pakistan ‘secures entry’ to first FIFA ASEAN Cup
    Dawn - 02:42 Jun 14, 2026
    KARACHI: The Paki­stan Football team is set make its appearance in the FIFA ASEAN Cup as the country has been invited to participate in the tournament, according to media reports. According to reports, FIFA has extended an invitation to Pakistan for the newly launched competition, scheduled to be held in Indonesia from Sept 21 to Oct 6. The Pakistan Football Fed­eration (PFF) is also reported to have agreed to participate. The national team would rep­ortedly slot into Divi­s­ion 1, joining a highly competitive field that features Tha­iland, Malaysia, Sing­a­pore, the Philippines, India, and the Indonesian hosts. Local news outlets attributed the unexpected inclusion to ongoing, behind-the-scenes discussions between PFF Presi­dent Mohsen Gilani and FIFA leadership. However, an official confirmation was awaited till filing of this report. Such a development would mark a historic milestone for Pakistani football, representing the country’s first appearance in a FIFA-backed tournament outside of standard World Cu...
  • Drug addict kills wife for money in Swat
    Dawn - 00:22 Jun 14, 2026
    SWAT: An ice drug addict killed his wife in the Balasor Chuprial area of Swat on Saturday, residents said. They said that the suspect had a history of drug addiction and had reportedly been arrested and jailed multiple times in narcotics-related cases. On the day of the incident, the woman was reportedly on her way to seek medical treatment. Her 17-year-old son had given her money for the treatment expenses, they said. The residents alleged that when the woman reached near a graveyard, her husband attempted to take the money from her. When she refused, insisting that the money was needed for her treatment, the suspect allegedly attacked and killed her before fleeing with the cash. The couple’s three-year-old daughter was also present at the scene. According to a resident who was among the first to arrive after hearing the child crying, the young girl was found sitting beside her mother’s body, clutching her mother’s shoes and crying inconsolably. The witness said he carried the child home, but throughout the ...
    Tags: SWAT
  • US-Iran peace deal inches closer as PM Shehbaz says finalisation expected within a day
    Dawn - 18:24 Jun 13, 2026
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said that the peace deal between Iran and the United States is expected to be finalised in the next 24 hours. A day prior, PM Shehbaz said that a “final, agreed-upon” text of the peace deal between Tehran and Washington had been reached, adding that Islamabad was working “closely” with both sides to finalise the next steps of the process. “We are closer to a peace deal than ever before,” the premier said on X, adding that Pakistan is preparing for the electronic signing of the peace deal, and technical-level talks would follow afterwards. “We would like to thank [the] United States of America and Islamic Republic of Iran for their ongoing commitment during the negotiations, and we extend our sincere appreciation to our brothers in the region for their support,” he wrote. “We are confident that this historic peace deal will form a strong foundation for lasting peace.” Yesterday, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi made similar comments, calling the potential deal t...
    Tags: Shehbaz
  • US-Venezuela joint operation kills leader of Tren de Aragua gang
    Dawn - 18:21 Jun 13, 2026
     A photo of Tren de Aragua leader Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores. — Photo courtesy Immigration and Customs EnforcementThe leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in southern Venezuela as part of a joint operation with the United States, in what a top Pentagon official on Saturday described as a warning to “narco-terrorists” in Latin America. Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, was “neutralised” in southeastern Bolivar state, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications said in a statement on Friday. US President Donald Trump said Guerrero was killed in “a swift and lethal kinetic strike” by US forces, in an attack “coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela”. “As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Friday night. On Saturday, a senior aide to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth said the killing was meant to serve as a stark warning. “The death of Nino Guerrero sends a clear message to Latin America. There is no refuge for narco-terrorists in our hemisphere,” Patrick Weaver, Hegseth’s deputy ...
  • Trump's name removed from Washington arts center
    Dawn - 17:06 Jun 13, 2026
    A tarp covers the facade of the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, DC, on June 13, 2026. — AFPWorkers in the US capital removed President Donald Trump’s name from the facade of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday, the venue said, after a federal judge ruled that its renaming was unlawful. In a legal filing, the center’s Executive Director Matt Floca said it had “removed all physical signage on the Kennedy Center building and grounds” containing Trump’s name. Around noon Washington time, the sign on the building’s exterior was still covered by a white tarp put up as work was being conducted to remove Trump’s name. Earlier, loud noise echoed from beneath the cover, as morning joggers stopped briefly in front of the venue to watch the work. The effort came after a judge rejected a last-minute bid by the center’s board to halt the removal of Trump’s name, marking a setback for the president’s broader push since returning to the White House to place his name and image in official spaces – an abrupt break with American political tradition. An eager crowd had gathered outside the a...
  • Five dead after Indian Air Force transport plane crashes in remote northeast
    Dawn - 16:52 Jun 13, 2026
    Five Indian air force personnel were killed when a Russian-made Indian military plane crashed while landing at a base in the country’s remote northeast on Saturday, the military said in a statement. “The Indian Air Force deeply regrets the loss of five personnel in the An-32 accident at Jorhat”, a city in Assam state, the air force said in a statement. However, an air force official, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to brief the media, told AFP the co-pilot had survived. News channel NDTV broadcast images of the crash site, showing a thick black plume of smoke and the aircraft apparently broken into pieces. The air force said it “extends its deepest condolences to the bereaved families and stands firmly with them in this hour of grief”. It said earlier that the Russian-made Antonov An-32 was on a “routine sortie” when it crashed as it came in to land. “A court of inquiry is being constituted, to ascertain the cause of the accident,” the air force said. The An-32, a twin-engine tu...
  • NCCIA prioritises cases of blackmail, harassment of women; arrests 10 in Punjab
    Dawn - 16:33 Jun 13, 2026
    LAHORE: The National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) has begun prioritising complaints against individuals involved in blackmail, harassment and harming the “dignity and reputation of women”, and arrested 10 alleged “harassers” on Saturday in different parts of Punjab. “The NCCIA is according the highest priority to complaints involving the harassment, exploitation, and blackmailing of women in the digital space,” NCCIA Punjab chief Muhammad Ali Waseem told Dawn. “While the NCCIA remains committed to addressing all forms of cybercrime and is making every effort to facilitate complainants, cases related to the online harassment, intimidation, and blackmailing of women are being treated on a priority basis,” he said. Waseem added that, given the serious psychological, social and reputational harm such offences can inflict on victims, the agency was ensuring swift action and dedicated attention to such complaints to provide timely relief and bring perpetrators to justice. It is worth noting that a large...
  • Police in Larkana stop forced child marriage of two teenagers
    Dawn - 16:11 Jun 13, 2026
    Larkana police’s Women and Child Protection Cell (WCPC), along with other officials, conducted a raid and stopped a forced child marriage involving two teenagers in Khero Dero village of the district on Friday. A 13-year-old girl was being forced into marriage with her 16-year-old cousin when WCPC officials, the SHO of Women Police Station Larkana and the SHO of Lashari Police Station reached the spot, according to a statement by Child Protection Officer Larkana Gada Hussain Abbasi. Naween Mangi, who runs the Ali Hasan Mangi Memorial Trust in Upper Sindh, alerted the police about the marriage. After finding out about the girl being “forcibly married off,” Mangi said she tried to intervene through the community to stop the marriage. When that did not work, she involved the district police. The WCPC statement added that the groom and his family fled upon police’s arrival. “The girl, along with her parents, was brought to the Women Police Station Larkana for her safe custody,” the statement added. The girl’s par...
    Tags: Larkana
  • Finance minister terms proposed FY27 budget as 'significant progress' in path to economic growth
    Dawn - 15:37 Jun 13, 2026
    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Saturday termed the proposed budget for FY26-27 as a significant move towards setting the country on the path of economic growth. “In this budget, we have made significant progress in that direction of travel [towards economic growth] that we spoke earlier about,” he said at the outset of his media briefing in Islamabad. The minister affirmed that the government has “made comprehensive efforts to create an enabling environment” for an export-led growth, recalling the abolishment of an advance tax. He stressed the decision to reduce the super tax for businesses earning more than Rs500 million, terming it a “very meaningful direction of travel”. During the budget presentation yesterday, the finance minister announced that super tax would be abolished for businesses earning between Rs150m and Rs500m annually, and it would be reduced from 10pc to 8pc for businesses whose income exceeded Rs500m. Aurangzeb said he proposed the abolishment of the super tax for “all exporters”, ...
  • SJC allows judges to attend political, diplomatic functions with prior approval
    Dawn - 14:48 Jun 13, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Judicial Council (SJC), which approved amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges in its June 11 meeting, decided to allow judges of the superior courts to attend or preside over political or diplomatic functions after obtaining prior permission from the relevant chief justices. Presided over by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi, the June 11 SJC meeting decided to make certain amendments to the Code of Conduct for judges while considering the draft Rules Regulating Procedure and Conduct of Business of the Council. The SJC meeting was also attended by Chief Justice Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) Justice Aminuddin as well as the chief justices of Lahore and Peshawar high courts. According to an official announcement issued here on Saturday, one of the amendments made to the code provides that judges of the superior courts shall abstain from attending or presiding over any political or diplomatic functions, except with the permission of the relevant chief justices. Earlier...
  • In NA, PM Shehbaz affirms govt commitment to provinces' development
    Dawn - 13:23 Jun 13, 2026
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday affirmed the government’s commitment to contribute to the development of all provinces. He made the remarks on the floor of the National Assembly on Saturday, a day after the federal budget for FY27 was proposed. He began his speech by noting that he would not give a “detailed response” to the criticism voiced by Opposition Leader Mehmood Khan Achakzai, but at an “appropriate time”. After the NA proceedings began at 11am, Achakzai had spoken mostly on the country’s law and order situation. He had also criticised the government’s decision to freeze the development allocations for the provinces, contending that it would hit their health and social sectors. Noting that all MNAs were immensely respectable and the legislature was akin to a “house”, PM Shehbaz said, “Each one can have their politics and vision, but one thing that this House will always attest to is that we are here if Pakistan is.” “There is no difference of opinion on this,” he affirmed, recalling Achakzai...
    Tags: Shehbaz
  • CTD claims arrest of suspect supplying drone technology to TTP in Karachi
    Dawn - 12:49 Jun 13, 2026
    KARACHI: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD), in a joint operation with a federal civilian intelligence agency, arrested a suspect in Karachi for allegedly supplying drone technology and electronic equipment to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) for use in drone-based attacks, a CTD spokesperson said on Saturday. According to the CTD, the suspect is the brother of Talal alias Zaid Baloch, an alleged active member of the banned TTP currently based in Afghanistan and listed among the department’s most-wanted militants. In a statement, the CTD described the arrest as a significant development, claiming that the suspect played a key role in the procurement and supply of modern drone technology and explosive-related material allegedly used in terrorist activities. Officials said that, on the instructions of his brother, the suspect allegedly purchased drone motors, propellers, batteries, controller boards and other electronic items that could be used in the preparation of improvised explosive devices (...
    Tags: Karachi
  • The unconstitutionality of abolishing Kashmiri refugee seats
    Dawn - 11:47 Jun 13, 2026
    In the charged political landscape of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC)’s core demand to abolish the 12 reserved seats for Kashmiri refugees in the legislative assembly strikes at the heart of constitutional governance, historical justice, and the enduring Kashmir cause. These seats, constitutionally entrenched under Article 22 of the AJK Interim Constitution 1974, are not mere administrative privileges or tools for “electoral engineering,” as JAAC alleges. They represent a solemn recognition of the displaced Kashmiri population’s integral role in the state’s polity. Any attempt to abolish them — whether through executive fiat, street pressure, or even hasty legislative action — stands on shaky constitutional ground and risks violating fundamental rights and principles of state policy as guaranteed by the AJK Constitution. While the AJK Supreme Court, recognising the situation, issued in haste its 32-page advisory opinion in response to a presidential reference under Articl...
    Tags: Kashmiri
  • Anthropic disables Fable 5, Mythos 5 models after US order limiting foreign access
    Dawn - 08:46 Jun 13, 2026
    Anthropic said on Friday it will “abruptly disable” its most advanced AI models for all users after the US government ordered it to suspend access to the models for foreign nationals, citing national security concerns. The company received the export control directive to suspend access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all foreign nationals, without being given specific details of its national security concern, Anthropic said in a statement. It is Anthropic’s understanding that the government believes there is a method of bypassing, or “jailbreaking,” a safeguard that would prevent Fable 5 from being used in identifying software vulnerabilities, the company said. The order comes just as a previous dispute between Trump administration officials and IPO-bound Anthropic showed signs of easing across parts of the US government. Anthropic’s relationship with the government ruptured this year after it refused to allow the US military to use its AI models for domestic surveillance and fully autonomous weapons systems. The...
  • Alleged militant commander killed in Bannu; attempt to destroy link bridge foiled
    Dawn - 07:22 Jun 13, 2026
    BANNU: An alleged militant commander and two people were killed in separate incidents in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district, while militants also attempted to blow up a key link bridge, local sources said on Saturday. The Police Peace Committee said that Shahid, son of Mir Khatam and a resident of Wali Noor in Jani Khel, was killed near Kangar Bridge during an operation on Friday night. The deceased was said to be a close associate and facilitator of militant commander Akhtar Muhammad and was allegedly involved in several terrorist activities. In a separate incident, two bodies were recovered from Domel Link Road. The deceased were later identified as Ghazi Marjan and Parvez, residents of Wanda Sarai Naurang in Lakki Marwat district. According to reports, the two men had allegedly been abducted and later killed by militants. Police launched an investigation into the incident. Meanwhile, militants attempted to destroy the Teri Ram Bridge on Miryan Road with explosives. Local sources said the blast caused part...
    Tags: Bannu
  • 21 terrorists killed in North Waziristan IBOs in last 72 hours: ISPR
    Dawn - 06:44 Jun 13, 2026
    Continuing their intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s North Waziristan, the security forces have killed 21 terrorists in the last 72 hours, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Saturday. In a statement, the military’s media affairs wing said multiple terrorist locations were engaged in the “general area Miranshah and surroundings in North Waziristan”. “Following fierce fire exchanges, in [the] last 72 hours, 21 more khwarij belonging to Indian-sponsored Fitna-al-Khawarij, including four kharji ring leaders (Kharji Khalid Raza alias Salar, Kharji Muftoon, Kharji Musa and Kharji Imran alias Ayan) have been sent to hell, thereby causing a significant blow to the khwarijs’ network operating in the area,” the ISPR said. The Pakistani government uses the term “Fitna al-Khawarij” to refer to the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and its affiliates. The ISPR said the killed ring leaders were “highly wanted for their involvement in numerous terrorist activities, including ki...
    Tags: ISPR
  • US thrash Paraguay in LA to launch home FIFA World Cup in style
    Dawn - 06:18 Jun 13, 2026
    The United States opened their World Cup campaign with a 4-1 win over Paraguay on Friday, powered by a first-half double from striker Folarin Balogun, but the victory was tempered by concern over the fitness of Christian Pulisic. The emphatic Group D win marked a dream start for the co-hosts, whose four goals were their most ever in a World Cup match. Balogun became the first US player to score twice in a World Cup game since the 1930 tournament. “Amazing result,” US captain Tim Ream said. “It’s exactly the way we wanted to start the tournament.” The US broke through Paraguay’s vaunted defence in the seventh minute when Pulisic deftly split two players and found Weston McKennie, whose cross was kicked into the net by Damian Bobadilla for an own goal. Shortly after the first-half hydration break, Pulisic raced with the ball up the left side and sent a perfect cross to Balogun, who angled his shot past the diving goalkeeper Orlando Gill for a 2-0 lead. Balogun struck again on the stroke of halftime, taking a lo...
    Tags: Paraguay

10706 items