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  • Over 600 pilgrims briefly hospitalised due to chlorine gas leak in Iraq’s Karbala
    Dawn - 11:22 Aug 10, 2025
    More than 600 pilgrims in Iraq were briefly hospitalised with respiratory problems after inhaling chlorine as a result of a leak at a water treatment station, authorities said on Sunday. The incident took place overnight on the route between the two Shia holy cities of Najaf and Karbala, located in the centre and south of Iraq, respectively. This year, several million Shia Muslim pilgrims are expected to make their way to Karbala, which houses the shrines of the revered Imam Husain and his brother Abbas. There, they will mark the Arbaeen — the 40-day period of mourning during which the community commemorate the death of Husain, grandson of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). In a brief statement, Iraq’s health ministry said that “621 cases of asphyxia have been recorded following a chlorine gas leak in Karbala”. “All have received the necessary care and left the hospital in good health,” it said. Security forces charged with protecting pilgrims meanwhile said the incident had been caused by “a chlorine leak from a water...
    Tags: Iraq Karbala
  • ‘Self-amusement’: Chinese expert spurns India’s claims on downing Pakistani jets
    Dawn - 10:39 Aug 10, 2025
    China’s former defence attache in South Asia Cheng Xizhong on Sunday spurned India’s much-delayed claim that it had shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the May conflict, terming it “self-amusement”. Having faced international coverage of its own craft being downed by Pakistan and scathing criticism from the opposition, India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh — three months after the conflict — claimed yesterday that his country had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during those clashes. While Pakistan had already denied that India downed any of its aircraft, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif swiftly rubbished Singh’s “belated assertions” yesterday. Commenting on the matter today, Cheng said India’s allegations lacked strong evidence and have been “widely questioned by the international community, being considered groundless”, the Associated Press of Pakistan reported. Singh’s remarks were “comical, implausible and unconvincing”. “We may call it self-amusement,” he said i...
    Tags: Pakistani India
  • China wants US to relax AI chip-export controls for trade deal: report
    Dawn - 09:04 Aug 10, 2025
    China wants the United States to ease export controls on chips critical for artificial intelligence as part of a trade deal before a possible summit between presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Chinese officials have told experts in Washington that Beijing wants the Trump administration to relax export restrictions on high-bandwidth memory (HBM) chips, the newspaper reported, citing unnamed people familiar with the matter. The White House, State Department, and China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the report. HBM chips, which help perform data-intensive AI tasks quickly, are closely watched by investors due to their use alongside AI graphic processors, particularly Nvidia’s NVDA.O. The FT said China is concerned because the US HBM controls hamper the ability of Chinese companies such as Huawei to develop their own AI chips. Successive US administrations have curbed exports of advanced chips to China, looking to stymie Beijin...
    Tags: China
  • 3 terrorists eliminated as cop killed in southeast Iran: media
    Dawn - 08:59 Aug 10, 2025
    Extremists killed one policeman in Iran’s restive southeastern province of Sistan-Baluchistan, Iranian media reported on Sunday, adding that three assailants also died. “A policeman from Saravan was killed while terrorists were trying to enter the police station” in that area of Sistan-Baluchistan, the Tasnim news agency said. The attackers were members of the militant group Jaish al-Adl ( “Army of Justice” in Arabic) active in Iran’s southeast, the agency said. “Three terrorists were killed and two were arrested,” Tasnim said. Sistan-Baluchistan, which shares a long border with Pakistan and Afghanistan, has been the site of frequent clashes between security forces and insurgents or smugglers, including militants who say they are fighting for greater rights and autonomy. On July 26, gunmen stormed a courthouse in the province’s capital Zahedan, killing at least six people, in an attack that was later claimed by Jaish al-Adl. In one of the deadliest attacks in the province, 10 police officers were killed in Oc...
    Tags: Iran
  • Trump nominates State Dept spokeswoman Bruce as US deputy representative to UN
    Dawn - 08:00 Aug 10, 2025
    United States President Donald Trump said on Saturday he was nominating State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce as the next US deputy representative to the United Nations. Bruce has been the State Department spokesperson since Trump took office in January. In a post on social media in which Trump announced her nomination, the president said she did a “fantastic job” as State Department spokesperson. Bruce will need to be confirmed for the role by the US Senate, where Trump’s Republican Party holds a majority. During press briefings, she has defended the Trump administration’s foreign policy decisions ranging from an immigration crackdown and visa revocations to US responses to the Russia-Ukraine war and Israel’s military onslaught on Gaza, including a widely condemned armed private aid operation in the Palestinian territory. Bruce was previously a political contributor and commentator on Fox News for over 20 years. She has also authored books like Fear Itself: Exposing the Left’s Mind-Killing Agenda, which ...
    Tags: Bruce Trump
  • Noor Zaman crashes out of World Games
    Dawn - 07:24 Aug 10, 2025
    CHENGDU: Noor Zaman’s hopes of a World Games squash medal were quashed after he was on the losing end of a thrilling five-game battle on Saturday, while Nasir Iqbal kept his hopes alive in the plate event. Pitted against Colombian world number 21 Miguel Rodriguez in the last-16 stage, Noor managed to come from 2-1 down to force a deciding game but was ultimately overpowered. “Noor played with heart, but Rodriguez’s experience made the difference in crucial moments,” said Pakistan coach Fahim Gul, with the team making its debut at the Games. “This is a learning curve for him and hell come back stronger.” Noor made a fast start, taking the first game 11-2 in just six minutes but Rodriguez grew into the contest, taking the next two games 11-7 and 11-9. Noor hit back in the fourth game, taking it 13-11 before Rodriguez clinched the decisive fifth game 11-6. He will now have to contend with the special plate event with a quarter-final against Egyptian Mohammad Nasser on Sunday. Nasir advanced to the quarter-finals...
    Tags: Noor Zaman World Games
  • Nearly 50pc of heart attack patients in Pakistan are under 49, moot told
    Dawn - 06:39 Aug 10, 2025
    • Experts reveal heart attack patients often report no chest pain • If you feel heaviness while walking or climbing stairs, get an ECG done immediately, cardiologists advise KARACHI: Senior cardiologists on Saturday shared the shocking findings of a study according to which nearly 50 per cent of heart attack patients in the country are younger than 49 years, and 12 to 15pc of them are under 40 years of age. The health experts representing the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) were speaking at a symposium held at a local hotel here. The experts warned that this trend — fueled by diabetes, hypertension, obesity, smoking, and unhealthy lifestyles — is making Pakistan one of the world’s worst-hit countries for early-age heart attacks. The trial was designed and conducted independently by NICVD’s cardiology team and ran from June 7, 2021, to December 31, 2023. It enrolled 261 post-heart attack patients for testing effects of two anticoagulants for treating a blood clot that can form in the hear...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • Maqbool Ahmad Gondal named new Auditor General of Pakistan
    Dawn - 06:05 Aug 10, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Presi­d­ent Asif Ali Zardari on Saturday appointed Maq­bool Ahmad Gondal, a BS-22 officer of the Pakis­tan Audit and Accounts Group who had been serving as the Controller General of Accounts, as the new Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP). Talking to Dawn, Mr Gondal confirmed his appointment and said he would assume the post next month, upon the completion of the current auditor general’s term. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had moved the summary, which included senior officials of the Pakistan Audit and Accounts Group, and the president appointed Mr Gondal as the new AGP. Mr Gondal is a public fi­­nance executive with over three decades of leadership experience in financial governance, audit and public procurement. As controller general of accounts, he is credited with leading initiatives that included the digitisation of public financial ma­­nage­m­ent and the reco­very of more than Rs460 billion through audit enforcement. His previous roles also include managing director of the Public Procure­ment ...
    Tags: Pakistan Auditor General
  • ‘Debt Swap Hub’ is a major opportunity for Pakistan: UN official
    Dawn - 05:57 Aug 10, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan has a significant opportunity to convert its debt into climate investments through a new “Debt Swap Hub” launching in 2026, provided the country prepares by building institutional capacity and identifying high-impact projects, United Nations Department of Economic Affairs (DESA) senior official said on Saturday. The United Nations and its partners will roll out the dedicated hub for climate investments, creating a pathway for debt-distressed nations to foster sustainable development. “An early engagement by Pakistan will allow the co­­u­ntry to be among the first to get access to this mechanism for converting debt into investment in climate resilience, education or healthcare,” UN Assistant Secretary-Gen­eral for Economic Development Navid Hanif told Dawn. Mr Hanif, who just completed a visit to Pakistan, said the recent Fourth International Conference on Financing for Develo­pment in Seville, Spain, opened a window for the country to mobilise new public and private capital if it takes a ...
    Tags: Pakistan Debt Swap Hub
  • Smuggled goods, high energy costs cripple economy
    Dawn - 05:50 Aug 10, 2025
    KARACHI: The recent reduction in the State Bank of Pakistan’s policy rate to 11 per cent, nearly half of what it was in July 2024, has failed to generate enthusiasm among the country’s traders and industrialists. While the rate cut is seen as a step towards easing the cost of doing business, many in the sector argue that it remains uncompetitive compared to regional rates and does little to address the core challenges hindering economic growth. Industry leaders point to the high cost of production and the rising influx of smuggled goods from countries such as Iran, China, and Bangladesh, which continue to undermine the competitiveness of Pakistani products in both domestic and international markets. “The market is flooded with smuggled goods — everything from high-quality shoes and garments to food products. New shopping centres popping up around Karachi are full of these imports, and shop owners openly advertise their smuggled stock,” said one frustrated currency dealer. He attributed the failure of anti-smu...
  • Iran offers incentives for joint ventures in Balochistan
    Dawn - 05:42 Aug 10, 2025
    QUETTA: Iranian Consul General in Quetta Ali Reza Rajaei and President of the Zahidan Chamber of Commerce and Industry Abdul Hakim Regi have invited Balochistan’s industrialists and business community to launch joint ventures with Iranian investors in Mirjaveh Free Zone. They said that the Iranian government will extend all facilities and incentives for starting joint ventures with Iranian entrepreneurs and investors. They extended the offer during a meeting with business leaders and representatives of the Quetta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Small Chamber of Commerce and Small Industries and the Pak-Iran Chamber of Commerce in Quetta on Saturday. The Iranian officials emphasised that achieving the $10 billion bilateral trade target between Pakistan and Iran depends on cooperation. They also congratulated Balochistan’s business community on the resumption of Quetta-Zahedan flight services via Mashhad. The Iranian envoy and members of the delegation expressed satisfaction over recent agreements signed ...
    Tags: Iran Balochistan
  • NAB recovers Rs547bn in first half of 2025
    Dawn - 05:35 Aug 10, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) recovered movable and immovable properties, as well as money, worth Rs547.31 billion during the first half (January to June) of the current year from corrupt elements. NAB made recoveries amounting to Rs456.3bn during the second quarter of 2025, marking a substantial increase of Rs365.29bn compared to Rs91.01bn recovered in the first quarter. Of the total recoveries, movable and immovable properties worth Rs532.33bn have been disbursed and handed over to different ministries and departments of federal and provincial governments, as well as to financial institutions. In addition, 12,611 victims in various cases of public cheating have also been compensated. Over the past two years, the anti-graft body has recovered Rs5.854 trillion, which is 700 per cent more than Rs839.08bn recovered previously since the bureau’s inception. Preliminary estimates indicate that state land worth approximately Rs5tr is under illegal possession and will be reclaimed. Two-year rec...
  • Two more die as rain lashes Punjab; Indus in low-level flood
    Dawn - 04:27 Aug 10, 2025
    LAHORE: Two more people died on Saturday, taking the death toll due to monsoon rainfall in Punjab to 166, as another spell of torrential monsoon lashed several cities in Punjab. The deaths were reported in Sialkot and Jhelum, with the former receiving 78 millimetres of rain — the highest in the province. According to the Pakistan Meteorologi-cal Department (PMD), Sialkot City received 78mm of rain, Lahore 43.4mm, Gujranwala 36.8mm, Chakwal 23mm, Attock 13.6mm, Mangla 12.2mm, Gujrat 10.6mm, Narowal 5.0mm, Rawalakot 4.0mm, Islamabad Airport 3.9mm, and Mandi Bahauddin 0.5mm. The Met Department said mainly hot and humid weather was expected in most parts of Punjab, but rain-wind/thundershower was expected at isolated places in northeastern Punjab, Potohar, Islamabad, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, and adjoining hilly areas on Sunday. According to provincial figures issued on Aug 8, 164 people have died and 82 have sustained injuries during the ongoing monsoon season that has also killed 121 head of cattle. Ab...
    Tags: Punjab
  • Bajaur locals fear operation after peace talks fall through
    Dawn - 03:02 Aug 10, 2025
    BAJAUR: After talks between local militant commanders and the Bajaur Amn Jirga for their return to Afghanistan hit a snag on Saturday, the locals are apprehensive about the resumption of a military offensive, ‘Operation Sarbakaf’, in Lowi Mamund tehsil. Initially, the anti-terror operation had been postponed after both sides agreed to a ceasefire until the conflict was completely resolved thro­ugh talks. The failure of the peace talks has also plunged the local population into fear and a state of uncertainty. Accor­ding to reports, a number of families from 16 areas of Lowi Mamund tehsil left their homes for peaceful areas in the district on Saturday. The reports added that more families from the said areas were expected to leave their homes today. “The collapse of negotiations between members of the Bajaur Aman Jirga and militant leaders, aimed at convincing them to leave the region peacefully, has left no option but to resume Operation Sarbakaf to neutralise militants in the region, who pose a significant t...
  • 14 more terrorists neutralised as infiltration bid foiled: ISPR
    Dawn - 02:45 Aug 10, 2025
    • 47 terrorists eliminated in two-day operation along Pak-Afghan border • Three soldiers, woman martyred in spate of attacks in Lakki Marwat QUETTA / LAKKI MARWAT: Security forces have thwarted yet another terrorist infiltration attempt in the Sambaza area of Balochistan’s Zhob district, eliminating 14 terrorists, the military’s media wing said on Friday. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the latest action brings the total number of terrorists killed in the last two days to 47, following successful operations by security forces in Sambaza. This adds to the earlier neutralisation of 33 militants. “Following the successful engagements by the security forces in the general area Sam­baza, Zhob district, on Aug 7-8 night, during which 33 Khwarij were sent to hell; on the night of Aug 8-9, a deliberate sanitisation operation was conducted in the surrounding areas of Sambaza along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border,” the ISPR said. “During the conduct of the operation, 14 more Indian sponsored Kh...
    Tags: ISPR
  • Balochistan CM Bugti asserts state authority against armed militants
    Dawn - 18:26 Aug 09, 2025
    Balochistan Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Saturday asserted that no group of armed militants could impose its ideology on the 250 million citizens of Pakistan. The security situation in Balochistan has worsened in recent months, as militants, long involved in a low-level insurgency, have stepped up the frequency and intensity of their attacks. In February, nearly 62 per cent of the total terrorism-related deaths in the country occurred in Balochistan. Speaking during a conference in Quetta, CM Bugti emphasised that peace was steadily returning to Balochistan and reaffirmed the state’s unwavering support for its people against forces seeking to destabilise the province. Bugti described Balochistan as the heart of Pakistan, without which the nation was incomplete. He lamented the lack of attention given to the province’s positive realities and the limited recognition of its voices. The chief minister condemned the spread of anti-state narratives. “Balochistan faces challenges, but poverty and underdevelop...
    Tags: Bugti Balochistan
  • PTI’s Zartaj Gul, Ejaz Chaudhry appeal to LHC against ATC convictions in May 9 riots cases
    Dawn - 17:52 Aug 09, 2025
    PTI leaders Zartaj Gul and Ejaz Chaudhry filed appeals in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday against their convictions by anti-terrorism courts (ATC) in May 9 riots cases. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, following which thousands were arrested. On July 31 this year, an ATC in Faisalabad sentenced PTI leaders, including Gul, to 10 years of imprisonment for their involvement in the riots. The Election Commission of Pakistan later disqualified her and other PTI lawmakers following their convictions. Chaudhry was convicted in another May 9 case by an ATC in Lahore on July 22 and sentenced to 10 years in prison. Gul filed an appeal against her conviction and sentencing in the LHC today. A division bench of the LHC will hear the case on Monday. The appeal was filed through Gul’s lawyers, Barrister Ali Zafar and Muhammad Hussain, and pleaded the court to set aside her conviction and acquit her in the case. It said that...
    Tags: Zartaj Ejaz Chaudhry
  • Tony Hemming resigns as Pakistan Cricket Board’s chief curator
    Dawn - 17:35 Aug 09, 2025
    Australia’s Tony Hemming has resigned from his position as the chief curator, the Pakistan Cricket Board announced on Saturday. He was appointed as chief curator in July last year as no extension was given to previous chief curator Agha Zahid. “One of Hemming’s immediate tasks will be to prepare pitches for the upcoming five ICC World Test Championship matches against Bangladesh [two in August/September] and England [three in October]. Hemming will also oversee pitch preparations for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, which Pakistan will host from Feb 19 to March 9,” the PCB had said at the time. “Hemming is a highly respected curator with nearly four decades of experience. He has worked at various iconic cricket grounds in Australia, including Melbourne, Perth and Tasmania, as well as in countries such as Bangladesh, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where he was the ICC Head Curator from 2007 to 2017 in Dubai. “During his time with the ICC, Hemming also oversaw pitch preparation at the Dubai Int...
    Tags: Tony Hemming Pakistan Cricket Board
  • Four astronauts home from space station after successful splashdown
    Dawn - 17:30 Aug 09, 2025
    An international crew of four astronauts returned home on Earth on Saturday after nearly five months aboard the International Space Station, returning safely in a SpaceX capsule. The spacecraft carrying US astronauts Anne McClain and Nichole Ayers, Japan’s Takuya Onishi and Russian cosmonaut Kirill Peskov splashed down off California’s coast at 8:44am local time (8:34pm PKT). Their return marks the end of the 10th crew rotation mission to the space station under Nasa’s Commercial Crew Program, which was created to succeed the Space Shuttle era by partnering with private industry. The Dragon capsule of billionaire Elon Musk’s SpaceX company detached from the International Space Station (ISS) at 2215 GMT (3:15am PKT) on Friday. The capsule’s dizzying, 17-hour drop back down to Earth was slowed when it re-entered the atmosphere, then further reined in by the deployment of huge parachutes. After the capsule splashed down, it was recovered by a SpaceX ship and hoisted aboard. Only then were the astronauts able to ...
  • Defence minister rubbishes Indian air chief’s ‘comical’ claims of downing 6 Pakistani aircraft in May conflict
    Dawn - 17:21 Aug 09, 2025
    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday rubbished what he said were “implausible” and “comical” claims by the Indian Air Force chief that the country had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May. The comments are the first such statement by the Indian side three months after its worst military conflict in decades with its neighbour. During the conflict, Pakistan said it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat on May 7, later stating that figure as six. India’s highest-ranking general has also acknowledged that its forces suffered losses in the air, but denied losing six aircraft. Speaking at an event in the southern city of Bengaluru, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed: “We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,” adding that the large aircraft, which could be a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 kilometres. He alleged that most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-m...
    Tags: Indian Pakistani

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