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Dawn - 16:43 Aug 25, 2025
France’s embattled Prime Minister Francois Bayrou said on Monday that his government would request a vote of confidence on September 8, seeking parliamentary backing for his battle against soaring public debt. Far-right National Rally (RN) leader Jordan Bardella immediately said his party would not back Bayrou’s planned cuts, suggesting the minority government could face defeat in the vote. Bayrou told a news conference the National Assembly would be asked to “confirm the scale” of spending reductions, as the government seeks to save around €44 billion ($51bn) a year. “I have asked the president, who has agreed, to convene an extraordinary session of parliament on Monday, September 8,” Bayrou told reporters. Bayrou does not have a majority in parliament’s lower house, the National Assembly, and the upcoming vote underscores the fragility of his position. Bayrou said France was going through a “decisive moment”. “If you have a majority, the government is confirmed. If you do not have a majority, the government... -
Dawn - 16:21 Aug 25, 2025
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday warned that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s remarks about a “Greater Israel” threatened regional peace and security. Earlier this month, AFP reported that Netanyahu was asked by i24NEWS interviewer Sharon Gal if he subscribed to a “vision” for a Greater Israel, to which he said “absolutely”, adding, “If you ask me what I think, we’re there.” These remarks drew widespread condemnation from the international community, including Pakistan. Last week, Israel’s defence minister approved a plan to conquer Gaza City, while Tel Aviv approved a controversial plan to build an Israeli settlement which would sever the occupied West Bank from East Jerusalem. Addressing an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s Council of Foreign Ministers (OIC-CFM) in Jeddah, Dar said that in recent days, Israel exhibited its “characteristic sordid insensitivity to international norms” with highly provocative and unwarranted statements e... -
Dawn - 16:12 Aug 25, 2025
Elon Musk’s companies xAI and X filed a sweeping US antitrust lawsuit on Monday against Apple and OpenAI, alleging the tech giants formed an illegal partnership to stifle competition in artificial intelligence and smartphone markets. The 61-page complaint, filed in federal court in Texas, accuses Apple and OpenAI of entering an exclusive deal that makes OpenAI’s ChatGPT the only generative AI chatbot integrated into Apple’s iPhone operating system, while blocking rivals like xAI’s Grok. “This is a tale of two monopolists joining forces to ensure their continued dominance in a world rapidly driven by the most powerful technology humanity has ever created: artificial intelligence,” the lawsuit states. The plaintiffs claim Apple holds 65 per cent of the US smartphone market, while OpenAI controls at least 80pc of the generative AI chatbot market through ChatGPT. Apple and OpenAI announced their partnership in June 2024, making ChatGPT the exclusive AI assistant accessible through Apple’s Siri voice assistant and... -
Dawn - 16:08 Aug 25, 2025
A Faisalabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday sentenced key PTI leaders Omar Ayub, Shibli Faraz and Zartaj Gul, along with 56 others, to 10 years in jail and acquitted 34 in the case of an attack on former interior minister Rana Sanaullah’s house during the May 9, 2023 riots. On May 9, 2023, military installations and state-owned buildings were vandalised as PTI supporters protested the arrest of ex-premier Imran Khan, who was released later but has been imprisoned in various cases since August 2023. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including the party’s top leadership, were arrested. Judge Javed Iqbal Sheikh presided over today’s hearing of the case registered at the Samanabad police on May 9, 2023. PTI legal team head Malik Khalid Shafiq confirmed the convictions to Dawn.com. He said that out of the total 109 accused, 59 were handed 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment and 16 were given three years’ jail time. Ayub, Faraz and Gul, as well as Muhammad Ahmad Chattha, were recently disqualified fro... -
Dawn - 15:30 Aug 25, 2025
Constant rains and raging floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa have already destroyed a large chunk of infrastructure and agricultural lands, including hundreds of houses, roads, and bridges, and washed away livestock. The battered locals are now facing an even worse ordeal, the outbreak of waterborne and other diseases, in addition to psychological trauma. The expected outbreak has prompted government health authorities and non-governmental relief organisations to set up makeshift clinics and medical camps, mainly across KP, to cope with the massive outbreaks of several waterborne and skin diseases. Rains and flood-related accidents have already killed more than 400 people across the province since August 15, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). “Post-floods situation is even more dangerous as the lurking threat of outbreak can kill more people than floods did,” warned Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro, the secretary general of the Pakistan Medical Association. Speaking to Anadolu, Shoro called for... -
Dawn - 15:19 Aug 25, 2025
Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Monday issued orders to evacuate the people living in areas around rivers and low-lying ones ahead of heavy rains and flood predictions across the province. Punjab is on high alert for floods before the arrival of a fresh monsoon spell as the provincial government on Saturday evacuated thousands of people along the Sutlej River, as the river surged to a high flood level at Ganda Singh Wala, recording a dangerous flow of 129,866 cusecs. A statement by the chief minister’s office said that CM Maryam issued orders “to ensure timely evacuation of the stranded population in view of [the] arrival of flood torrents”. She ordered access to “all possible available resources” to prevent loss of life, relocation of population from around rivers and low-lying areas to safe places, and prompt measures for the timely relocation of livestock to safe places, it added. The chief minister directed authorities to “vigilantly monitor the flood situation of Sutlej River and other rivers”, mak... -
Dawn - 14:05 Aug 25, 2025
Elon Musk’s SpaceX on Sunday called off the launch of Starship’s tenth mission from Texas over an issue at its launch site, delaying an attempt to achieve several long-sought development milestones missed due to past tests ending in early failures. The 70.7-metre-tall Super Heavy booster and its 52m-tall Starship upper half sat stacked on a launch mount at SpaceX’s Starbase rocket facilities as it was being filled with propellant ahead of a liftoff time of 7:35pm ET (4:35am PKT). But roughly 30 minutes from liftoff, SpaceX said on X that it was standing down to allow time to troubleshoot an issue with ground systems. Musk had been poised to provide an update on Starship’s development progress prior to the rocket’s launch on Sunday, but a placeholder live stream indicated it had been cancelled. Similar postponements in the past have been resolved in a matter of days. SpaceX is now targeting as soon as Monday, August 25, for Starship’s next launch attempt, according to its website. Development of SpaceX’s next-... -
Dawn - 12:58 Aug 25, 2025
A Karachi anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday sent Chanesar Town Municipal Corporation (TMC) Chairman Farhan Ghani on a four-day physical remand over the alleged assault of a government employee. Farhan, brother of PPP leader and Sindh Local Government Minister Saeed Ghani, was arrested and remanded in a terrorism and attempted murder case on Sunday for allegedly assaulting a government employee overseeing fibre optic network laying work on Sharea Faisal. Saeed had said his brother and his associates would voluntarily surrender themselves and prove their “innocence in court”. Farhan, Shakeel and Qamar Ahmed were produced before the ATC today upon the completion of their one-day police custody. The court asked the IO the charges under which the accused were booked, to which the IO responded that the accused had beaten up the complainant while he and others were laying down the fibre optic cable on Sharea Faisal. Farhan, who did not have legal representation, denied the claim, stating that he was “falsely accu... -
Dawn - 12:20 Aug 25, 2025
A woman was left injured on Monday after her husband allegedly threw acid on her during a domestic dispute in Samundri tehsil of Punjab’s Faisalabad district, according to the police. An incident report from the City Samundri Police station house officer said a call was received at 7:22am that a man had thrown acid on the caller’s daughter in Housing Colony No. 1, adding that she was in critical condition and being taken to the hospital. The SHO added that he and other police personnel reached the Samundri Tehsil Headquarters Hospital, where the victim’s father told them that his daughter was married to the suspect about a year ago but was still living with her parents. The father told the police that the couple had an argument earlier today over household expenditure, due to which the husband got angry and threw acid on her, wounding her face, left shoulder and hands. The report added that doctors administered first aid and referred her to the Allied Burn & Reconstructive Surgery Centre. The SHO said that le... -
Dawn - 12:01 Aug 25, 2025
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday warned that criminals are circulating fake first information reports using the agency’s name to blackmail people, according to a press release. “FIA has received information that criminal elements are harassing people by sending fake and fabricated FIRs on WhatsApp in the name of” the agency, the press release, available with Dawn.com, stated. “Citizens are named in fake FIRs and terrorised.” “These elements try to present themselves as FIA officials by using fictitious and misleading names,” the agency added. “In such messages, attempts are being made to blackmail citizens by making serious allegations like ‘cybercrimes and terrorism’.” The FIA stated that it does not send messages of this nature to people via WhatsApp and urged the public to file complaints about suspicious messages with the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), which is the “authorised agency to investigate cybercrime”. “Beware of fake messages, and never share your personal and ... -
Dawn - 12:00 Aug 25, 2025
The world’s first commercial service offering carbon storage off Norway’s coast has carried out its inaugural CO2 injection into the North Sea seabed, the Northern Lights consortium operating the site said on Monday. Northern Lights, led by oil giants Equinor, Shell and TotalEnergies, involves transporting and burying CO2 captured at smokestacks across Europe. The aim is to prevent emissions from being released into the atmosphere, and thereby help halt climate change. “We now injected and stored the very first CO2 safely in the reservoir,” Northern Lights’ managing director Tim Heijn said in a statement. “Our ships, facilities and wells are now in operation.” In concrete terms, after the CO2 is captured, it is liquified and transported by ship to the Oygarden terminal near Bergen on Norway’s western coast. It is then transferred into large tanks before being injected through a 110-kilometre (68-mile) pipeline into the seabed, at a depth of around 2.6 kilometres, for permanent storage. Carbon capture and stor... -
Dawn - 11:54 Aug 25, 2025
The Foreign Office on Monday said India had shared flood warnings with Pakistan but stressed that the alerts were routed through diplomatic channels rather than the Indus Waters Commission, as stipulated under the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT). India in April held the IWT in abeyance following the attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 — an incident New Delhi blamed on Islamabad without evidence. Pakistan termed any attempt to suspend its water share an “act of war”, noting the IWT had no provision for unilateral suspension. Under paragraph 8 of Article IV of the IWT, “each party agrees to communicate to the other party, as far in advance as practicable, any information it may have in regard to such extraordinary discharges of water from reservoirs and flood flows as may affect the other party”. Punjab is on high alert for floods before the arrival of a fresh monsoon spell as the provincial government on Saturday evacuated thousands of people along the Sutlej River, as the river surged to a high flo... -
Dawn - 11:07 Aug 25, 2025
At least two Federal Constabulary (FC) personnel were martyred and 18 others were injured in a terrorist attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Hangu district, police said on Monday. Kohat Regional Police Officer Abbas Majeed confirmed the incident to Dawn.com, saying that terrorists attacked an FC fort in the Torah Wadi area of Doaba. “The terrorist fired and martyred two FC personnel and injured 18 others,” he said. The officer said that the FC soldiers retaliated to the attack, “resulting in the death of six terrorists”. He added, “The terrorists managed to escape with the bodies of their accomplices.” He also said that the martyred and injured personnel were taken to CMH Hospital after being provided with first aid. Meanwhile, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi condemned the terrorist attack on the Federal Reserve Police fort in Hangu by Fitna al Hindustan, state media APP reported. In May, the government designated all terrorist organisations in Balochistan as Fitna al Hindustan — a new phrase aimed at framing In... -
Dawn - 10:58 Aug 25, 2025
Three people were killed and one was injured after a car hit a motorcycle at Karachi’s Drigh Road Underpass on Monday, officials said. The city has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. A spokesperson for the Eastern District police said that the accident took place within the limits of the Sharea Faisal police station. “According to initial information, a car hit a motorcycle, causing serious injuries to passers-by who were taken to the hospital,” the spokesperson said. He added that the driver of the car had been arrested and the vehicle was in custody. Karachi’s Edhi Information Centre confirmed three fatalities, including two men and an unidentified woman, adding that another woman was injured. All were taken to Jinnah Hospital via Edhi ambulance. The traffic police have issued an alert that the Drigh Road Underpass is blocked due to the in... -
Dawn - 09:07 Aug 25, 2025
Credit-rating firm Fitch on Monday maintained its long-term foreign-currency issuer default rating on India at ‘BBB-’, citing the country’s strong economic growth and resilient external finances. “India’s economic outlook remains strong relative to peers, even as momentum has moderated in the past two years,” Fitch said in a statement. The agency forecast GDP growth of 6.5 per cent for the fiscal year ending March 2026 (FY26), unchanged from FY25, and well above the ‘BBB’ median of 2.5pc. Fitch’s rating comes days after S&P Global Ratings lifted its sovereign credit rating on India, citing strong economic growth, marking its first upgrade in 18 years. Economic Affairs Secretary Anuradha Thakur had then said she expects other rating agencies to take note of the factors behind S&P’s upgrade and follow suit. Domestic demand will remain “solid”, helped by the government’s ongoing capital spending drive and steady private consumption, Fitch said, but flagged that private investment will remain moderate due to risk... -
Dawn - 09:06 Aug 25, 2025
Aryna Sabalenka and Novak Djokovic overcame early tests to reach the US Open second round before the Grand Slam descended into chaos late on Sunday when Daniil Medvedev launched a tirade at the match umpire and fans disrupted his opponent’s service game. New York’s famously rowdy fans caused a six-minute delay by refusing to stop jeering and booing midway through Medvedev’s 6-3 7-5 6-7(5) 0-6 6-4 defeat by Benjamin Bonzi on Louis Armstrong Stadium. The controversy began when a photographer entered the court prematurely after Bonzi missed his first serve on match point at 5-4 in the third set, prompting chair umpire Greg Allensworth to award the Frenchman another first serve for the disturbance. An incensed Medvedev exploded at the official and whipped up the crowd, preventing a rattled Bonzi from serving. Russia’s Daniil Medvedev talks to the referee during his first round match against France’s Benjamin Bonzi. — Reuters Daniil Medvedev breaks his racket after losing in five sets to Benjamin Bonzi of France d... -
Dawn - 08:49 Aug 25, 2025
Karachi residents faced disruptions in their daily commute on Monday morning due to traffic jams caused by repair work on tattered and flooded roads in the aftermath of last week’s heavy rains. Torrential rains on August 19 had flooded neighbourhoods, severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, left people stranded on roads for hours, disrupted industrial operations and led to prolonged power outages. Thoroughfares are still riddled with potholes, exposing the devastation of Karachi’s road network and posing serious dangers to commuters across the metropolis. Subsequently, as Karachiites left their homes for offices and schools this morning, they faced hurdles caused by accumulated rainwater and “development work” being carried out to repair the ruined roads, as reported by the traffic police. Areas in the Malir, East and Korangi districts were affected, with locations including the busy thoroughfare of Dr Ziauddin Ahmed Road near Shaheen Complex. Dawn.com staffers also reported traffic congestion nea... -
Dawn - 07:31 Aug 25, 2025
The World Bank on Monday approved a $47.9 million grant to improve primary education in Punjab, saying the project will expand early childhood schooling, re-enrol out-of-school children and strengthen teacher support. The move came over a month after the Higher Education Commission (HEC) and the World Bank teams conducted the 12th and final mission to review and evaluate progress against the targets set under the Higher Education Development in Pakistan (HEDP) project. “The World Bank has approved a US$47.9 million grant, funded by the Global Partnership for Education Fund, to help improve girls’ and boys’ participation at pre-primary and primary levels in Pakistan’s Punjab province,” the organisation said in a press release dated August 23, shared on social media today. According to the press release, the GRADES-Balochistan project will also improve the responsiveness of the education sector to climate change and emergencies. Among the four million children that the project aims to benefit are 80,000 out-of-... -
Dawn - 06:42 Aug 25, 2025
India fears a planned Chinese mega-dam in Tibet will reduce water flows on a major river by up to 85 per cent during the dry season, according to four sources familiar with the matter and a government analysis seen by Reuters, prompting Delhi to fast-track plans for its own dam to mitigate the effects. The Indian government has been considering projects since the early 2000s to control the flow of water from Tibet’s Angsi Glacier, which sustains more than 100 million people downstream in China, India and Bangladesh. But the plans have been hindered by fierce and occasionally violent resistance from residents of the border state of Arunachal Pradesh, who fear their villages will be submerged and way of life destroyed by any dam. Then in December, China announced that it would build the world’s largest hydropower dam in a border county just before the Yarlung Zangbo river crosses into India. That triggered fears in New Delhi that its longtime strategic rival — which has some territorial claims in Arunachal Prad... -
Dawn - 05:46 Aug 25, 2025
Fatima Sana will lead the women’s side in the upcoming ICC Women’s World Cup as the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday announced a 15-member squad for the tournament set to take place in India and Sri Lanka in September. Pakistan will play all their matches of the 50-over World Cup in Sri Lanka’s capital Colombo when India hosts this year’s tournament from Sept 30 to November 2. Following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, a “hybrid model” was decided upon whereby India would play all its matches in Dubai, chosen as a neutral venue. The women’s national selection committee named the squad for the tournament, and announced that the same squad will also feature in a three-match ODI series against South Africa, scheduled at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore from Sept 16-22. “Uncapped right-handed batter Eyman Fatima, who recently made her T20I debut against Ireland, is part of the ODI squad,” PCB said. “Fatima Sana, who represented Pakistan in the previous edition o...
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