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Dawn - 14:07 Sep 01, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that India has offered to reduce its tariffs on US goods to zero amid deteriorating ties between the two countries. While calling the US’s relationship with India “one-sided”, Trump wrote on Truth Social, “They have now offered to cut their tariffs to nothing, but it’s getting late. They should have done so years ago.” The Indian Embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to Trump’s comments, which follow the implementation of total duties as high as 50 per cent on Indian goods. Relations between the two countries have plummeted, with 50pc levies on many Indian imports into the US taking effect last week as punishment for New Delhi’s massive purchases of Russian oil, a part of US efforts to pressure Moscow into ending its war in Ukraine. Since his return to the White House this year, Trump has wielded tariffs as a wide-ranging policy tool, with the levies upending global trade. Amid this dispute, India has grown closer to Beijing and Moscow. Indian Pr... -
Dawn - 14:03 Sep 01, 2025
The Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) on Monday called for support from the country’s business community for victims of the earthquake that killed at least 800 people and left more than 2,500 injured. The quake, which struck at a relatively shallow depth of eight kilometres, was 27km from the city of Jalalabad in Nangarhar province, according to the US Geological Survey (USGS). “The (ACB) calls upon all national businessmen, traders [and] rich countrymen to extend their support to the affected families of Kunar and other eastern provinces in this dire situation, while also recognising its own responsibility in this regard,” the governing body said in a statement on X. “The leadership of the ACB, along with all the players and staff, express its deepest sorrow over the loss of lives and casualties caused by the severe earthquake in the eastern provinces, particularly in Kunar. “In this time of immense grief, we consider ourselves united with all our people.” It added that the earthquake had caused many deaths an... -
Dawn - 12:29 Sep 01, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday raised the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT) issue at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation’s (SCO) summit in China and called for a “structural” dialogue on all outstanding disputes. PM Shehbaz arrived in China on Saturday to attend the SCO Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit held from August 31 to September 1. Besides Pakistan, the SCO comprises China, India, Russia, Iran, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Uzbekistan and Belarus. Another 16 countries are affiliated as observers or “dialogue partners”. “We respect all international and bilateral treaties and expect similar principles to be followed by all SCO members,” PM Shehbaz said at the summit today, in an apparent reference to fellow SCO member India and its unilateral move to hold the IWT in abeyance in April. “Uninterrupted access to due share of water as per existing treaties among SCO members will strengthen the SCO working smoothly and will support the achievement of broader goals for which the SCO was establis... -
Dawn - 12:17 Sep 01, 2025
The Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of state summit underway in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin (Aug 31–Sept 1) showcases the group’s ambition to anchor what analysts describe as an ‘alternative model’ of multilateral cooperation within the rules-based World Trade Organisation (WTO) framework at a time of heightened global economic and geopolitical uncertainty. The bloc has showcased itself at Tianjin as a ‘pillar of multipolarity’ rooted in the ‘Shanghai Spirit’ characterised by “mutual trust, equality, benefit and respect for diversity”. The timing of the summit is crucial as the world is torn by recent wars, rising US-led trade protectionism and climate emergencies. The meeting is expected to push deeper economic and security cooperation among member states and signal the emergence of an alternative to a global order dominated by the US-led West. The gathering’s significance is underscored by its scale, as leaders from more than 20 countries and 10 international organisations are in Tian... -
Dawn - 12:01 Sep 01, 2025
A powerful earthquake jolted eastern Kunar province of Afghanistan late on Sunday, killing at least 800 people and injuring 2,500 others, with authorities fearing a rise in the death toll. Surrounded by mountains, Afghanistan is prone to earthquakes as it sits near the junction of the Indian and Eurasian tectonic plates, a highly active seismic zone. Many of the recent quakes have had shallow depths, which increased the intensity of shaking on the surface and destruction. Here is a timeline of major earthquakes that struck the country since the Taliban returned to power in 2021 and before. August 31, 2025: A 6.0 magnitude earthquake shook eastern Kunar province, killing more than 800 people and injuring more than 2,000 others, and flattening hundreds of houses and buildings. Afghans dig graves for the victims’ bodies from the earthquakes in Sarbuland village, Zendeh Jan district of Herat province on Oct 8, 2023. — AFP October 7, 2023: A 6.3 magnitude earthquake and subsequent aftershocks in Herat province kil... -
Dawn - 11:48 Sep 01, 2025
Karachi’s population has crossed 20 million people, indicating the economic promise and perilous byproducts of the ambition to cash it. However, in these trials of the city’s resilience lies the immense potential for Karachi to become a model of regenerative urbanism. Regenerative infrastructure design Metropolitan cities must actively regenerate ecosystems disturbed through infrastructure design for long-term sustainability. For Karachi, this could mean adapting the urban environment to restore biodiversity, manage heat, and mitigate floods. Examples include the treatment of industrial runoff and the construction of wetlands in Malir and Korangi, due to their proximity to waterways. Green corridors can be connected to urban public spaces, such as Karachi University, Safari Park, and the Malir River, to form a biodiversity belt. Using permeable paving in all public spaces could help restore aquifers and groundwater. Greener mobility A mobility system that prioritises people instead of vehicles is needed. Curr... -
Dawn - 11:38 Sep 01, 2025
A fresh polio case was reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Tank district, taking the nationwide tally to 24, the Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at Islamabad’s National Institutes of Health (NIH) said on Monday. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Despite global efforts to eradicate the virus, challenges such as security issues, vaccine hesitancy, and misinformation have slowed progress. According to NIH, the latest case was detected in a 20-month-old infant in the southern KP’s Tank district, taking the province’s total tally to 16. Fifteen of them have been detected in southern KP, according to the NIH. Last week, the KP government launched a polio immunisation campaign, with emphasis on the south of the province, where polio teams faced the most resistance. The latest case has taken the total cases recorded in 2025 to 24, according to NIH — including 16 from KP, six from Sindh, and one each from Punjab and Gilgit-Balti... -
Dawn - 11:32 Sep 01, 2025
Thousands rallied across Indonesia on Monday as the military was deployed in the capital after six people were killed in nationwide protests sparked by anger over lavish perks for lawmakers. At least 500 protesters gathered outside the nation’s parliament in Jakarta on Monday afternoon as dozens of police officers watched on. Soldiers were present earlier but left after several hours. Thousands more rallied in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds gathered separately in Banjarmasin on Borneo island, Yogyakarta on the main island of Java and Makassar on Sulawesi island, according to AFP journalists around the country. “Our main goal is to reform the parliament. We hope the parliament will come out and meet us. We want to talk to them directly, they are our representatives,” protester and university student Nafta Keisya Kemalia, 20, told AFP outside parliament. “Do they want to wait until we have a martial law?” The deadly protests, which began last week over MP housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum... -
Dawn - 11:28 Sep 01, 2025
The ongoing torrential rains and surging floods have inundated large swaths of farmlands and destroyed ready-to-reap crops across Pakistan, triggering fears of a food crisis and inflation, the UN and growers warned on Monday. The raging floods struck the northeastern Punjab, the country’s largest province and food basket, last week, submerging hundreds of villages, schools and health centres, washing away livestock and destroying crops, aside from killing around 50 people and triggering evacuations. The surging floods have so far affected more than 2 million people, in addition to the evacuation of more than 700,000 people, according to official statistics. The water is flowing further south to fall into the mighty Indus River and is feared to wreak havoc on Sindh in the coming days. “This isn’t normal — yet it’s becoming the new normal. Monsoons, driven by climate change, now bring fear and devastation to communities across Pakistan,” Mo Yahya, the UN resident and humanitarian coordinator, said in a post on ... -
Dawn - 11:09 Sep 01, 2025
The United Nations on Monday launched a network on migration in Pakistan in a bid to improve migration governance and tackle human trafficking in the country, according to a UN press release. Every year, many young Pakistanis leave the country via illegal routes in hopes of better employment opportunities. A 2023 study by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and the European Union (EU) found that 24,000 Pakistanis entered EU countries illegally over the past three years. The network, called — Pakistan United Nations Network on Migration (UNNM) — was inaugurated at a ceremony in Islamabad and aims to develop a “unified, collaborative approach to migration governance”, the press release said. The UNNM will focus on “responding to the interconnected challenges of human trafficking and migrant smuggling” within international frameworks such as the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (SDGs) and the Global Compact for Safe, Orderly and Regular Migration (GCM). The GCM is “the first intergovernme... -
Dawn - 10:01 Sep 01, 2025
A crew of five died on Monday after an army helicopter crashed in Diamer District’s Chilas town in Gilgit-Baltistan after developing a “technical fault”, the military’s media wing said in a statement. “On 1 Sep 25, at around 1000 hours, an MI-17 helicopter crash landed near Hudor village, approximately 12 kilometres away from Thakdas Cantonment,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement. “The helicopter was on routine training flying when it developed a technical fault and crashed.” It added that all crew members on board were martyred as a result of the crash. The crew members were identified as Major Atif, who was the pilot in command, Major Faisal, the co-pilot, flight engineer Naib Subedar Maqbool, and crew chiefs Havaldar Jahangir and Naik Amir, according to the ISPR. Earlier, Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed, in a statement, had confirmed the incident, saying that the helicopter was conducting a test landing on a newly proposed helipad when it crashed. He... -
Dawn - 08:47 Sep 01, 2025
LAHORE: The area declared as “prone to floods” by the Punjab irrigation department is rife with violation of rules and regulations, absence of requisite infrastructure as well as weak enforcement led to the massive devastation in private housing schemes along a long stretch of River Ravi in Lahore. The rules defined for the approval of private housing schemes by various authorities are either not being implemented or enforced when it comes to the area prone to floods. In recent days, billions of rupees of residents have been lost in various housing schemes and katchi abadis after floodwater entered their houses and business premises. This area comes under the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project being executed along a 46km long stretch of Ravi by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda). There is also a disparity in the approval mechanism between different authorities, especially Ruda. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) follows the Private Housing Scheme Rules 2014 (updated), under which (rule-7) ... -
Dawn - 07:58 Sep 01, 2025
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced a staggering increase in the prize money for the tournament set to be staged in India and Sri Lanka. The 13th edition of the women’s showpiece 50-over tournament will begin on Sept 30. Pakistan is set to play its matches in Sri Lanka following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, which resulted in a “hybrid model” being decided upon. The overall prize money at the eight-team marquee tournament totals $13.88 million — a monumental rise of 297 per cent from $3.5m at the last edition held in New Zealand in 2022, ICC said in a statement. The total prize pot eclipses that at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup from two years ago in India, which had total prize money of $10 million. “The announcement aligns with ICC’s strategy to amplify the growth of women’s cricket and a decision to introduce pay parity was announced ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024,” ICC said. The winners of the 13th edition of the Wom... -
Dawn - 07:17 Sep 01, 2025
LAHORE: While announcing the reopening of all other schools in Lahore on Monday (today) after the summer vacations, the District Education Authority (DEA) Lahore said that 45 schools will remain closed due to flooding or their current use as flood relief camps. The schools that will remain closed are primarily located in severely flood-impacted areas, including Shahdara, Saggian, Maraka, Chung, Manga, and Bund Road. The affected institutions include 33 government schools, three schools managed by the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), one school under the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority (PEIMA-PSSP), and eight private schools, according to an order issued by the deputy commissioner. Temporary closure also affects specific institutions, including Government Higher Secondary School Maraka Quarter, Government High School Shahdara Mor Farakh Abad, Government Higher Secondary School Niaz Baig, and Government Central Model School No. 2 Rattigan Road. Private institutions in the Tehsil Raiwind area,... -
Dawn - 06:02 Sep 01, 2025
SHARJAH: Pakistan’s emerging batter Hasan Nawaz believes he is a part of the country’s “best T20 team” following back-to-back wins in the opening two matches of the ongoing tri-series in the United Arab Emirates. In the tournament being played as warm-up ahead of the Asia Cup — which starts Sept. 9 — Pakistan have started with thrashings of Afghanistan and UAE thanks to a number of players chipping in with impactful contributions. After seasoned pacer Haris Rauf and skipper Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan to a 39-run win over Afghanistan in the opener, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz himself scored half centuries each to see the side down UAE by 31 runs. The UAE fixture saw Pakistan cross the 200-mark as Hasan Nawaz launched a late onslaught after opener Saim Ayub had set the stage. Experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali then wrapped up the proceedings with 3-47 as UAE’s Asif Khan’s blistering 77 off 35 went in vain. Under white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan are building up to next year’s T20 World Cup without now ... -
Dawn - 05:58 Sep 01, 2025
An Australian government-commissioned report said selfie-based age-guessing software could enforce a teen social media ban, but noted that some groups experienced “unacceptable” levels of inaccuracy, raising concerns about the December rollout. The report, published by the government on Monday, said photo-based age estimation products were broadly accurate, fast and privacy-respecting but noted worsening results for people near the age minimum of 16. The findings foreshadow a mixed experience once the ban takes effect in December: Caucasians three years over the age cut-off can expect minimal disruption, but non-Caucasians and teenage girls face challenges. The experience may also be more complicated for social media platforms from Meta’s META.O Instagram to Alphabet’s GOOGL.O YouTube, which, under the law, must show they are taking reasonable steps to block users under 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million). The trial found high accuracy for people over 19, but those up to three years on eit... -
Dawn - 04:31 Sep 01, 2025
RAWALPINDI: More than 25 countries of the world, including Pakistan, have temporarily suspended mail delivery to the United States after the US imposed new taxes and duties. Because of this situation, the Pakistan Post has also stopped delivering booked mail to the US because it fears it will be returned under the new US rules. The US government has suspended the previous duty-free facility under an executive order number 14324 on July 25. The US move has severely affected postal communications to the US worldwide because now all types of mail delivery to the US will have to pay duties and taxes under the new system. All major countries of the world, including China, the UK, Japan. Austria, Australia, New Zealand, India, Germany, France, Russia, Singapore, have temporarily stopped mail delivery to the US because airlines have also shown their inability to deliver mail. The countries hit by the US move have taken up the matter with the US through the Universal Postal Union, a UN agency, which is taking steps t... -
Dawn - 02:33 Sep 01, 2025
• Next 48 hours critical; PDMA warns of ‘exceptionally high flood’ levels at Sutlej, Chenab through Sept 3 • Death toll rises to 33 in Punjab; monsoon claims 850 lives nationwide • UN envoy visits flood-hit Sialkot • Sindh preparing for ‘super flood’, CM Murad fears 200,000 people may be affected • Woman, two daughters killed in roof collapse in South Waziristan LAHORE: The overflowing Chenab, Ravi and Sutlej rivers have displaced more than two million people across 2,200 villages since Aug 23, while Sindh braces for what officials warn could be a “super flood” as massive inflows from Punjab move downstream. Rescue and relief operations are underway on an unprecedented scale in Punjab, where the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has warned that the next 48 hours are critical. In Sindh, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has cautioned that inflows of nearly one million cusecs could threaten barrages and inundate vast swathes of land, endangering more than 200,000 people. The Punjab PDMA has warned ... -
Dawn - 21:36 Aug 31, 2025
Tremors from a 6.0 magnitude earthquake were felt across several districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab in the early hours of Monday, according to the authorities but no casualties or damage were reported. According to the state-run PTV which cited the Pakistan Meteorological Department, the earthquake was recorded at 12:18am. It added that the tremors were felt in Peshawar, Manshera, Abbottabad, Hangu, Malakand, Swat, Chitral, Rawalpindi, and Islamabad. A Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) spokesperson said the quake was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres with its epicentre located southwest of Asadabad, Afghanistan. Shocks were also felt in India and Tajikistan. Following the tremors, district administrations across Punjab began inspections of buildings to assess structural safety. “However, no casualties or damage have been reported so far,” PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia confirmed. The PDMA stated that its provincial control room and all district emergency operation cente... -
Dawn - 19:16 Aug 31, 2025
The Finance Division announced on Sunday night that petrol price will remain unchanged, while the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) will be reduced by Rs3 per litre for the next fortnight. Petrol, used mainly in private cars, small vehicles, rickshaws and motorcycles, directly impacts the budgets of middle- and lower-middle-income groups. Most of the transport sector runs on HSD and its price is considered inflationary as it is mostly used in heavy transport vehicles, trains and agricultural engines like trucks, buses, tractors, tube-wells and threshers and particularly adds to the prices of vegetables and other eatables. A notification from the Finance Division, available with Dawn.com, stated that the new price of HSD was Rs269.99, while petrol would remain at Rs264.61 — the same as the start of August. Additionally, the prices of superior kerosene oil and light diesel oil were slashed by Rs1.46 per litre and Rs2.40, respectively. “The government has revised the petroleum product prices for the fortnight sta...
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