Dawn
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Dawn - 04:26 Jul 04, 2025
• Justice Minallah admits judiciary at fault when appeals exceed reasonable timeframe • Regrets how petition by death row prisoner received first hearing seven years after it was filed • Criticises abysmal conditions in overcrowded prisons across the country ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Wednesday expressed regret over the inordinate delays plaguing the country’s criminal justice system, warning that such inefficiencies are eroding public confidence in the judiciary and amount to a form of “unauthorised punishment”. In a detailed judgement, Justice Athar Minallah called for the urgent completion of appeal processes and said the abysmal conditions in overcrowded prisons across the country add to the unimaginable suffering of prisoners — especially those on death row. These conditions become “a form of unauthorised punishment not intended by the legislature”, he wrote. He emphasised that it was the constitutional duty of every organ of the state — the executive, the judiciary and the legislature — to take urg... -
Dawn - 03:30 Jul 04, 2025
WASHINGTON: The US has imposed sanctions on six companies and multiple vessels said to be involved in the sale and transport of Iranian petroleum and petrochemical products — including a firm based in India and another in Pakistan — as part of its continuing campaign to intensify economic pressure on Tehran. The designations, announced by the State Department and the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC), target a network of shipping and management firms accused of helping Iran covertly move oil and petrochemicals in violation of US sanctions. The latest measures come weeks after Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities and reflect Washington’s resolve to enforce the Trump administration’s “maximum pressure” policy. “The Treasury will continue to target Tehran’s revenue sources and intensify economic pressure to disrupt the regime’s access to the financial resources that fuel its destabilizing activities,” said US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in a statement. Among those sanctioned... -
Dawn - 02:46 Jul 04, 2025
MOSCOW: Russia on Thursday became the first country to formally recognise the Taliban government in Afghanistan. Moscow’s special representative for Afghanistan, Zamir Kabulov, told the state news agency Ria Novosti that the government had “recognised” the Taliban. In a statement issued after it accepted the credentials of a new ambassador from Kabul, the foreign ministry said the move would give impetus to the development of productive bilateral cooperation between our countries in various fields. No other country has formally recognised the Taliban government that seized power in August 2021 after US-led forces staged a chaotic withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war. However, China, the United Arab Emirates, Uzbekistan and Pakistan have all designated ambassadors to Kabul, in a step towards recognition. The Russian move represents a major milestone for the Taliban administration as it seeks to ease its international isolation. It is likely to be closely watched by Washington, which has frozen bil... -
Dawn - 18:55 Jul 03, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill passed through Congress on Thursday, meaning it was ready to be signed into law by the 47th president. The Republican-controlled House of Representatives earlier launched a final yes-or-no vote on the ‘One Big, Beautiful Bill’ after the chamber’s top Democrat delayed action with a record-breaking speech that lasted more than eight hours. Republicans called the vote after a marathon overnight session in which they cleared a procedural hurdle, setting the stage for final passage. “Now we are finally ready to fulfil our promise to the American people,” House Speaker Mike Johnson said on the House floor. Republicans control the chamber 220-212 and can afford to lose no more than three votes from their side. The bill would extend Trump’s 2017 tax cuts, cut healthcare and food safety net programmes, fund the president’s immigration crackdown and eliminate many green-energy incentives. It also includes a $5 trillion increase in the nation’s debt ... -
Dawn - 18:44 Jul 03, 2025
The Pakistan Sports Board said on Thursday that the hockey team’s participation in the 2025 Men’s Hockey Asia Cup and the Federation of International Hockey (FIH) Junior Men’s Cup — both hosted by India — remained unconfirmed. Earlier today, Indian media outlets reported that Pakistan had been cleared to take part in both events, scheduled from August 27 to September 7, and from November 28 to December 10, respectively. In exclusive comments to Dawn.com, Pakistan Sports Board spokesperson Khurram Shahzad said that the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) issued a request about whether or not the national hockey team can travel to India to play in the Asia Cup, amid spiking tensions between the two nations. “On June 19, the Pakistan Sports Board sent this request to the Ministry of Inter-Provincial Coordination, which forwarded it to the Ministry of Interior and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for a final decision,” Shahzad said. “However, no decision has been taken on this yet.” Shahzad noted in his comments that... -
Dawn - 18:31 Jul 03, 2025
A tourist from the Czech Republic died on Thursday after falling into a ravine at the Nanga Parbat base camp in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), according to officials. The Nanga Parbat — the world’s ninth-highest mountain — is notoriously known as the “Killer Mountain”, earning its grisly nickname after more than 30 climbers died trying to conquer it before the first successful summit in 1953. Muhammad Qasim, coordinator to the GB chief minister, told Dawn.com: “A tragic incident occurred at the Nanga Parbat base camp around 4am as a foreign tourist, Kolouchava Klara from the Czech Republic died.” He had attributed her death to an oxygen cylinder explosion. However, Diamer Additional Deputy Commissioner Nizamuddin told Dawn.com the climber fell from a height between Camp One and Camp Two. He said the location where she fell would be traced and the recovery operation would begin thereafter. “The team accompanying the climber had come to the base camp and informed about her death,” the official said. “There were initial... -
Dawn - 18:16 Jul 03, 2025
The Lahore High Court on Thursday ruled that the prosecution evidence concerning offences attributed to jailed PTI founder Imran Khan in connection with the May 9, 2023, riots amounted to “conspiracy and abetment”. Following the arrest of the ex-premier on May 9, 2023, from the Islamabad High Court’s (IHC) premises, riots erupted across the country and went on for at least 24 hours. Protesters vandalised and torched government buildings and military installations, while also breaking into the residence of the Lahore corps commander. The state subsequently launched a crackdown against him and his party, filing several other cases against Imran since the events of May 9, in many of which he has been acquitted. Imran had approached the LHC seeking post-arrest bail in eight cases of the May 9 riots, including an attack on the corps commander’s residence, in January. The other cases involve attacks on Askari Tower at Liberty, PML-N offices in Model Town, Shadman police station, the burning of police vehicles near ... -
Dawn - 17:44 Jul 03, 2025
A senior Iranian diplomat said on Thursday his country remains open to diplomacy provided the United States offers guarantees it will not resort to military action against the Islamic Republic. The remarks came as US news website Axios, citing two unidentified sources, reported that White House Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff was planning to meet Iran’s foreign minister and chief negotiator, Abbas Araghchi, in Oslo next week. Neither Tehran nor Washington confirmed the Axios report, which said a final date for the talks has yet to be set. “We are for diplomacy,” Iran’s deputy foreign minister, Majid Takht-Ravanchi told NBC News, adding that the US should “convince us that they are not going to use military force while we are negotiating”. “That is an essential element for our leadership to be in a position to decide about the future round of talks,” he added. Tehran and Washington had held five rounds of nuclear talks since April 12 and were set to hold a new round two days before Israel launched a bombing ca... -
Dawn - 17:36 Jul 03, 2025
Viral rumours of impending disaster stemming from a comic book prediction have taken the sheen off Japan’s tourism boom, with some airlines cancelling flights from Hong Kong where passenger numbers have plunged. Japan has seen record numbers of visitors this year, with April setting an all-time monthly high of 3.9 million travellers. That dipped in May, however, with arrivals from Hong Kong — the superstitious Chinese-controlled city where the rumours have circulated widely — down 11 per cent year-on-year, according to the latest data. Steve Huen of Hong Kong-based travel agency EGL Tours blamed a flurry of social media predictions tied to a manga that depicts a dream of a massive earthquake and tsunami hitting Japan and neighbouring countries in July 2025. “The rumours have had a significant impact,” said Huen, adding that his firm had seen its Japan-related business halve. Discounts and the introduction of earthquake insurance had “prevented Japan-bound travel from dropping to zero,” he added. Branden Choi,... -
Dawn - 17:35 Jul 03, 2025
Russian President Vladimir Putin told United States President Donald Trump in a phone call on Thursday that Moscow wants a negotiated end to the Ukraine war, but will not step back from its original goals, a Kremlin aide said. In a wide-ranging conversation that also covered Iran and the Middle East, Trump “again raised the issue of an early end to military action” in Ukraine, the aide, Yuri Ushakov, told reporters. “Vladimir Putin, for his part, noted that we continue to seek a political and negotiated solution to the conflict,” Ushakov said. Putin briefed Trump on the implementation of agreements reached between Russia and Ukraine last month to exchange prisoners-of-war and dead soldiers, Ushakov said, and told him that Moscow was ready to continue negotiations with Kyiv. “Our president also said that Russia will achieve the goals it has set: that is, the elimination of the well-known root causes that led to the current state of affairs, to the current acute confrontation, and Russia will not back down from... -
Dawn - 17:20 Jul 03, 2025
The Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) on Thursday issued a traffic plan for 8-10th Muharram, outlining the procession routes as well as alternative traffic flows. Stringent security measures are being taken across the country, such as army deployment as well as a crackdown on sectarian content and hate mongers, ahead of Ashura (Muharram 10), which will be observed on Sunday. The government today officially notified July 5 and July 6 (Saturday and Sunday) as public holidays on account of Ashura, both for offices observing a five and six-day working week. According to the KTP plan, Muharram processions on all three days will depart Nishtar Park and culminate at Hussainiya Iraniyan Imam Bargah after following their traditional fixed routes. Due to security reasons, MA Jinnah Road will remain closed from Guru Mandir to Tower. The police broke down the procession routes as follows in a press release: From Nazimabad Lasbela, Albela, right side Garden Jamaat Khana, Soldier Bazaar No 3 light signal to Numaish From Liaquat... -
Dawn - 17:14 Jul 03, 2025
A motorcyclist was mauled to death by a bear on a road in the Carpathian Mountains in Romania on Thursday, emergency service officials said, the latest attack in the country with the European Union’s largest population of brown bears. Romania has a brown bear population of 10,000 to 13,000, preliminary results of a multi-year DNA study showed this year, and authorities are struggling to keep residents and tourists in mountain towns safe. Police and emergency services said in a joint statement that tourists had alerted them to Thursday’s attack on the Transfagarasan road in the central county of Arges. The bear had dragged the motorcyclist down a ravine, they said. There were no details about the motorcyclist’s identity. Almost 30 people have been killed by bears in Romania over the last two decades, the environment ministry has said. Sightings of bears are common and local media regularly report bear attacks on people and livestock. Last year, Romania’s parliament doubled the annual bear kill quota to 481 bea... -
Dawn - 15:04 Jul 03, 2025
Global cybersecurity company Kaspersky said on Wednesday that nearly 8,500 users from small and medium-sized businesses (SMBs) faced cyberattacks in the year so far, where “malicious or unwanted software” was disguised as popular online productivity tools. In April, Kaspersky — a cybersecurity company that provides antivirus and other security software for computers and mobile devices — said that widespread adoption of artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies in recent years has provided “threat actors with sophisticated new tools to perpetrate attacks”. In a press release issued today, Kaspersky said that based on the “unique malicious and unwanted files” observed, the most common lures for the cyberattacks included Zoom and Microsoft Office, with newer AI-based services such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek being increasingly exploited by attackers. It said its analysts explored how frequently malicious and unwanted software was disguised as legitimate applications commonly used by SMBs, using ... -
Dawn - 13:53 Jul 03, 2025
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday acquitted four PTI members who had been convicted on charges of attacking a police station during the violent May 9 riots. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting the party founder Imran Khan’s arrest, staged violent protests throughout the country, vandalising military installations and state-owned buildings, while also attacking the Lahore corps commander’s residence. Following the riots, thousands of protesters, including party leaders, were arrested. An Anti-Terrorism Court in Islamabad had sentenced PTI MNA Abdul Latif and 11 other party members were convicted under various charges on May 30 for attacking the Ramna police station in Islamabad. Following the verdict, the police took the four of the convicted members present in the court, namely Mira Khan, Muhammad Akram, Shahzeb, and Sohail Khan, into custody. During today’s hearing, Justice Azam Khan and Justice Khadim Soomro acquitted the four convicts after the prosecution was unable to prove their presence... -
Dawn - 13:33 Jul 03, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif arrived in Azerbaijan on Thursday to participate in the 17th Summit of the Economic Cooperation Organisation (ECO). The summit is set to run from July 3–4 in Khankendi, convening ECO heads of states/governments, ministers, ECO observers, special guests from non-ECO countries and heads of international organisations to achieve development and prosperity through fragile economic integration. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and Special Assistant Tariq Fatemi are accompanying the prime minister during the two-day visit. The delegation arrived in the city of Shusha for a two-day visit, where it was received by Azerbaijan’s Minister for Culture Adil Karimli, at Fuzuli Airport. Pakistan’s Ambassador to Azerbaijan Qasim Mohiuddin and other senior diplomatic and government officials were also present to welcome the delegation. In a statement ahead of the visit, the Foreign Office had said the prime minister would “share Pakistan’s... -
Dawn - 12:55 Jul 03, 2025
President Donald Trump’s signature tax and spending bill was in limbo early Thursday as Republican leaders in the US Congress scrambled to win over a group of rebels threatening to torpedo the centrepiece of the president’s domestic agenda. Trump is seeking final approval in the House of Representatives for his Senate-passed “One Big Beautiful Bill” — but faces opposition on all sides of his fractious party over provisions set to balloon the national debt while launching a historic assault on the social safety net. As midnight (9am PKT) struck, House Speaker Mike Johnson was still holding open a key procedural vote — the bill’s last hurdle before it can advance to be considered for final approval — more than two hours after it was first called. With no clear sign of the stalemate breaking, his lieutenants huddled in tense meetings behind the scenes with the rebels who had either voted no or had yet to come to the House floor. “We’re going to get there tonight. We’re working on it and very, very positive about... -
Dawn - 12:51 Jul 03, 2025
Japan will from January attempt to extract rare earth minerals from the ocean floor in the deepest trial of its kind, the director of a government innovation programme said on Thursday. Earlier this week, the country pledged to work with the United States, India and Australia to ensure a stable supply of critical minerals, as concern grows over China’s dominance in resources vital to new technologies. Rare earths — 17 metals difficult to extract from the Earth’s crust — are used in everything from electric vehicles to hard drives, wind turbines and missiles. China accounts for almost two-thirds of rare earth mining production and 92 per cent of global refined output, according to the International Energy Agency. A Japanese deep-sea scientific drilling boat called the Chikyu will from January conduct a “test cruise” to retrieve ocean floor sediments that contain rare earth elements, said Shoichi Ishii, director of Japan’s Cross-ministerial Strategic Innovation Promotion Programme. “The test to retrieve the sed... -
Dawn - 12:31 Jul 03, 2025
Liverpool’s Portuguese forward Diogo Jota, 28, died in a fiery car crash near Zamora in northwestern Spain with his brother, Spanish state-owned TV station TVE said on Thursday, citing local firefighters. Police told Reuters everything pointed to that information being correct, although they could not yet officially confirm the names. The regional fire department of Castille-Leon, where Zamora is located, said on its website a car crashed shortly after midnight on Thursday and burst into flames, with two men, aged 28 and 26, found dead. View this post on Instagram Liverpool Football Club said it was “devastated by the tragic passing of Jota”. “The club have been informed the 28-year-old has passed away following a road traffic accident in Spain along with his brother, Andre,” it said on social media. “Liverpool FC will be making no further comment at this time and request the privacy of Diogo and Andre’s family, friends, teammates and club staff is respected as they try to come to terms with an unimaginable l... -
Dawn - 12:04 Jul 03, 2025
Posts from multiple users on the social media platform X on Sunday claimed that Russia had officially signed the joint statement of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in favour of Pakistan over India. However, no such development occurred. The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping comprising members such as China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their defence ministers’ meeting was held on June 26 as a precursor to the annual summit of their leaders set for the autumn. The defence ministers attending the SCO meeting failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to India’s refusal because of what it said was “a lack of consensus on referring to ‘terrorism’”. Russia and India are close allies with significant military and defence interests, while the former’s relationship with Pakistan has seen significant growth in recent years. On Sunday, digital news outlet The Daily CPEC shared a post on X that read: “Breaking: Russia has officially signed the joint SCO statement, su...
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