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Dawn - 06:28 Apr 05, 2026
Taiwan’s main opposition leader will make a rare trip to China on Tuesday, weeks before US President Donald Trump, with Beijing expected to use the visit to increase its influence over the democratic island. Cheng Li-wun, who will become the first sitting chairperson of the Kuomintang (KMT) to travel to China in a decade, said she wants to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping to build cross-strait “peace”. Taiwanese officials and experts, however, say Xi sees an opportunity to reinforce Cheng’s standing in the KMT and stymie further US weapons sales to Taiwan. The KMT has long advocated for closer relations with China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory and has threatened to use force to seize it. But Cheng, whose unexpected rise to the top of the KMT drew congratulations from Xi in October, has been accused by critics, including inside the party, of being too pro-China. Cheng’s visit comes as the United States — Taiwan’s most important security backer — intensifies pressure on Taiwanese opposition law... -
Dawn - 05:30 Apr 05, 2026
KARACHI: Police have launched an investigation after registering a terrorism case when a civil judge, who has also served as a judge of an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in the past, received an envelope containing a bullet in his chamber on Friday, officials said on Saturday. South DIG Syed Asad Raza said that Aram Bagh police have registered an FIR on a complaint of the private secretary of Judge Suhail Jabbar Malik, chairman of the Appellate Tribunal, Local Council Secretariat Karachi. According to the complainant, Javed Iqbal, on April 3 he found an envelope on the table inside the judge’s chamber. The envelope contained a 9mm pistol bullet and a note stating: “Suhail judge, your gift.” The FIR said the judge had also served in the ATC for over five years. The police have invoked Section 506-B (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code and relevant sections of the Anti-Terrorism Act of 1997. The investigation has been tasked to the in-charge of the Crime Investigation Cell (CIC), Preedy Division. As p... -
Dawn - 04:55 Apr 05, 2026
LAHORE: The Punjab Enforcement Regulatory Authority (Pera) teams are allegedly harassing and forcing the people, involved in sports activities and the businesses exempt from the 10pm closure time restrictions, to close businesses till 10pm in the wake of ongoing fuel crisis lockdown. In recent raids, the Pera teams working under command of the assistant commissioners (ACs) threatened the young people with dire consequences in case of not stopping playing at a locality near Pine Avenue. In another raid, a team led by a female assistant commissioner visited a bakery at 10pm or so, advising its management to close business. The team returned when the [bakery] staff told the officials that the bakeries and some other businesses are exempt from the closure time. On the other hand, the Lahore administration has allegedly failed to explain about restrictions and exemptions to ACs and Pera teams through any fresh notification, as it continues to implement an earlier notification related to businesses’ closure timings... -
Dawn - 04:52 Apr 05, 2026
KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has expressed serious resentment over the police for killing a suspect in a suspicious encounter and said that if police were allowed to continue with such actions, the very purpose of the courts would be undermined and public confidence in the judicial system would be eroded. The SHC also noted that the police, being a responsible force, were required to exercise reasonable restraint and discipline, as they were saddled with a responsibility rather than a sacred duty to the prosecution of offenders, and were expected to discharge that duty in accordance with law. A two-judge constitutional bench of the SHC, headed by Justice Mohammad Saleem Jessar, further observed that the suspect in question was said to be a proclaimed offender with a heavy criminal record, yet such stigma against an alleged offender will not grant an open license to the police to kill him in such a manner. It ruled that custodial killings are tantamount to perturbing the judicial system and cannot be al... -
Dawn - 04:33 Apr 05, 2026
• Health dept confirms four of seven children who died last month in Khairpur hospitals had mpox • Claims deaths not directly linked to zoonotic viral infection • Sukkur commissioner asks DHO to initiate ‘comprehensive contact tracing’ • Babies seemed to have infected from unsterilized hospital equipment: sources • Many ‘chickenpox-like’ cases reported from other districts KARACHI / SUKKUR: An outbreak of mpox, the first local outbreak of the zoonotic viral infection in the country, has claimed the lives of at least four newborns in Khairpur, it emerged on Saturday. The worrisome child health situation involving death of seven newborns in two Khairpur hospitals took an alarming turn when the provincial health department confirmed that “initial findings showed that four of the seven children [who died] were affected by mpox”. Sources said the seven babies affected by mpox were under treatment in intensive care units at public and private hospitals in Khairpur and seemed to have acquired the infection from unst... -
Dawn - 03:25 Apr 05, 2026
KARACHI: The Gulf War has begun to affect the Pakistani economy as hopes for an early recovery diminish with the conflict’s increasing intensity each day. The latest data from the State Bank showed that 90 per cent of foreign investment in domestic bonds had been withdrawn. Local investments in treasury bills are increasing as returns have risen to 11.5 per cent compared to the SBP’s policy rate of 10.5pc. This makes them very attractive to foreign investors, but a war ongoing for more than 35 days has undermined their confidence. The data showed total inflows in the first nine months of FY26 were Rs886.7 million, while the outflows were $794m (almost 90pc), leaving a meagre $93m invested. Analysts said that outflows from domestic bonds would have limited impact, but the withdrawal of deposits from the State Bank account by friendly countries could pose a serious threat to Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves. Reports indicate that the UAE government is hesitant to rollover $2 billion maturing this month. Chi... -
Dawn - 02:59 Apr 05, 2026
• UN official says Israeli forces destroy 17 surveillance cameras linked agency’s office in Naqura • Indonesia receives bodies of three peacekeepers slain by Israel BEIRUT: Israel’s military renewed its strikes on the southern Lebanese city of Tyre on Saturday, severely damaging buildings and a major hospital, as international tensions escalated over the safety of United Nations peacekeepers caught in the crossfire. As Indonesia received the bodies of three of its UN peacekeepers killed while deployed in Lebanon, a UN security official told AFP that Israeli forces destroyed 17 surveillance cameras linked to the UNIFIL main headquarters in Naqura. The bodies of the three Indonesian men arrived in Jakarta on Saturday. Their flag-draped coffins were carried into an airport hall on the shoulders of uniformed comrades for a ceremony attended by President Prabowo Subianto. Family members wept over the coffins, each fronted by a photograph of the dead soldier in a gold frame. The fatalities occurred in two separate ... -
Dawn - 02:55 Apr 05, 2026
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is considering a broader cabinet shake-up in the wake of Attorney General Pam Bondi’s removal this week, as he grows increasingly frustrated with the political fallout from the war with Iran, five people familiar with internal White House discussions said. Any potential reshuffling could serve as a reset for the White House as it confronts a politically challenging stretch: The five-week-old war has driven up gas prices, dragged down Trump’s approval ratings and intensified anxiety about the consequences for Republicans heading into November’s midterm elections. Some allies said his televised speech, which one senior White House official described as an attempt to project a sense of control and confidence about the direction of the war, fell flat, adding to the sense that changes in messaging or personnel were needed. National Intelligence Director Tulsi Gabbard, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick among those potentially on ‘the chopping block’ “A shake-up to show action ... -
Dawn - 02:40 Apr 05, 2026
• Araghchi denies rejecting Pakistan as venue for talks • Dar discusses UN resolution with Bahrain FM, calls Egyptian counterpart • Ghalibaf says sustainable security in region Iran’s priority, offers bilateral arrangements ISLAMABAD: Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday pushed back at reports that Iran was unwilling to travel to Islamabad for future talks with the US, underscoring that Tehran’s position hinged on the terms and conditions of any negotiations. “Iran’s position is being misrepresented by the US media. We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad,” Mr Araghchi said in a post on X. “What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” he further said. His remarks came a day after a report by The Wall Street Journal said Iran had declined to participate in talks in Islamabad, citing objections to US demands and suggesting Pakistan’s efforts had stalled. Responding to Mr Araghchi, P... -
Dawn - 02:37 Apr 05, 2026
Iran’s top security official and Supreme National Security Council secretary, Ali Larijani was killed in an Israeli airstrike on March 17, 2026: the latest round of US-Israel military strikes against Iran began when Tehran was engaged in negotiations with the Washington on its nuclear programme | AFP Operation Epic Fury — the latest round of military strikes against Iran — began when Iran was engaged in negotiations with the United States to renew restrictions on its nuclear programme. This is not the first time the United States has bombed Iran during nuclear negotiations. In June 2025, while its representatives were in talks with Iran over that country’s ability to produce nuclear weapons, Washington launched Operation Midnight Hammer, targeting three Iranian nuclear facilities in Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan. Washington has been broader in its selection of targets in Iran this time around, even though one stated US goal has been to ensure that Iran does not gain nuclear weapons capability. By launching strik... -
Dawn - 00:51 Apr 05, 2026
QUETTA: The Balochistan government on Saturday fixed the price of Iranian smuggled petrol at Rs280 per litre and announced that strict action would be taken against those charging more than this rate. Officials said that a meeting presided over by Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti decided that Iranian petrol would be sold in Balochistan at a fixed price announced by the provincial government. “The Iranian petrol will be sold only in Balochistan, and it will not be allowed to be sent out of the province,” said Kalat Deputy Commissioner Munir Ahmed Durrani, adding that nobody would be allowed to charge more than the fixed rate. He said there was no justification for selling Iranian petrol at the rate announced by the federal government for imported petroleum products. “The authorities will start strict checks and will take legal action against those found selling Iranian petrol at higher prices.” People involved in the Iranian petrol business had increased prices soon after the federal government announced highe... -
Dawn - 00:51 Apr 05, 2026
ISLAMABAD: While rain and windstorms killed at least six people across Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, authorities have warned that the impact may worsen, with a fresh spell of rains forecast in the coming days across the country. The Met office forecast further rain, windstorms and thunderstorms across much of the country over the coming week due to a new western disturbance entering Balochistan and KP on Sunday evening and persisting until April 9. There are concerns about urban flooding, infrastructure damage and crop losses as well. In KP, four people died in Khyber district, while 12 others were injured in rain-related incidents, including six in Mohmand and three members of a family in Bannu after a roof collapse. Additional injuries were reported in Karak and Bajaur. Authorities issued a flood advisory for low-lying areas along the Kabul and Budhni rivers, where water levels reached a mid-level flood stage with a discharge of 12,729 cusecs. Rescue 1122 urged residents near streams and canals in areas... -
Dawn - 18:05 Apr 04, 2026
The United Arab Emirates on Saturday condemned what it described as “riots, acts of vandalism, and assaults” outside its embassy and the residence of its head of mission in Damascus. In a statement, the UAE’s foreign ministry called on Syria to uphold its obligations to secure the embassy and its staff, investigate the incident and hold the perpetrators to account. A Reuters reporter saw dozens of protesters gathering outside the UAE’s embassy in Damascus at midday on Friday, including some chanting “the Zionist embassy”. A Syrian security official told Reuters that the incident occurred after some participants split off from a larger pro-Palestinian demonstration being held at the nearby Umayyad Square and tried to storm the embassy. “Internal security forces prevented them from doing so and dealt with the situation,” the official said, speaking anonymously because he was not authorised to speak to the media. Syria’s foreign ministry did not directly refer to the incident but said in a statement on Friday ev... -
Dawn - 17:41 Apr 04, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Saturday that the disbursement of relief funds to people operating public transport and freight vehicles had begun through digital wallets. In a post on the social media platform X, the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said that PM Shehbaz chaired a meeting to review the country’s petroleum reserves and the measures taken by the government to provide relief to the people during the ongoing crisis. “The prime minister said that the disbursement of relief funds to individuals operating public transport and freight vehicles had begun through digital wallets,” it said. “Subsidies are now being digitally transferred for public transport buses and wagons, as well as goods transport trucks and freight vehicles under an efficient and transparent system,” the premier was quoted as saying. The prime minister added that the government was striving to ensure that relief reaches economically vulnerable groups as quickly as possible, the PMO said. “We will not abandon our people during di... -
Dawn - 17:18 Apr 04, 2026
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi on Saturday said that Tehran’s leadership “never refused to go to Islamabad” for possible peace talks that Pakistan has offered to host to bring the ongoing US-Israeli war on the Islamic republic to an end. “Iran’s position is being misrepresented by US media,” Araghchi wrote on X. “We are deeply grateful to Pakistan for its efforts and have never refused to go to Islamabad. What we care about are the terms of a conclusive and lasting END to the illegal war that is imposed on us,” he emphasised. He also shared a video showing Iranians waving Pakistan’s flags in an apparent show of appreciation for Pakistan and its people. The Iranian official ended his post with “Pakistan Zindabad” written in Urdu. Araghchi’s statement comes a day after the Wall Street Journal (WSJ), citing unnamed mediators, reported that the “current round of efforts by regional countries led by Pakistan to reach a ceasefire” between the United States and Iran had reached a “dead end”. Deputy Prime Min... -
Dawn - 16:46 Apr 04, 2026
PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday stressed political unity in the country amid the economic crisis triggered by the US-Israeli war on Iran. He made the remarks while speaking in Garhi Khuda Bakhsh to mark the 47th death anniversary of PPP founder and former prime minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. “We feel that there should be consensus in Pakistan and political differences should be kept aside in order to work together,” he said. He also appreciated Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi for constructively participating in consultations held with the president and the prime minister. He thanked Afridi for participating in the meetings, and playing a “positive role” in the process. “Together, the Centre, provinces, political parties … will face these difficulties as one. If there is no division among us, there is no force in the world that can break Pakistan,” he said. In his remarks, Bilawal had also condemned the US-Israeli war on Iran, saying that the entire world, including Pakistan, was... -
Dawn - 16:10 Apr 04, 2026
Two family members of Iranian general Qassem Soleimani, who was assassinated in 2020, have been arrested in the United States after their residency permits were rescinded, the State Department said on Saturday. “Last night, the niece and grandniece of deceased Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps Major General Qassem Soleimani were arrested by federal agents following Secretary of State Marco Rubio’s termination of their lawful permanent resident (LPR) status,” a department statement said. It identified the niece as Hamideh Soleimani Afshar. Her daughter was not named. Both “are now in the custody of US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE),” the statement said, without specifying their whereabouts. Soleimani, who led the IRGC’s foreign operations arm, was assassinated in a US drone strike while he was in the Iraqi capital Baghdad in January 2020 — the final year of President Donald Trump’s first term in the White House. “As identified by both press reporting and her own social media commentary, Soleimani Af... -
Dawn - 15:50 Apr 04, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected “misleading and unfounded commentary” regarding financial deposits from the United Arab Emirates (UAE), saying this was a “routine transaction”. A senior Pakistani official had said on Friday that the country had decided to return $3.5 billion in debt to the UAE before the end of this month. According to the official, Abu Dhabi had sought the immediate return of the amount. These funds were part of external financing support extended by the UAE in 2019 to help stabilise Pakistan’s balance of payments. In a statement, FO Spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said, “The deposits were placed under bilateral commercial agreements, demonstrating the UAE’s strong support for Pakistan’s economic stability and prosperity.” He said that pursuant to mutually agreed terms, the government, through the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), was now returning the matured deposits to the UAE. “This is a routine financial transaction, and any attempt to portray it otherwise is erroneous and misleadin... -
Dawn - 15:21 Apr 04, 2026
The family of Jeffrey Epstein accuser Virginia Giuffre on Saturday urged Britain’s King Charles to meet with survivors during his state visit to the United States later this month, saying the trip coincides with the anniversary of her death. In a statement shared with Reuters, Sky and Amanda Roberts said the visit would take place two days after the one-year anniversary of Giuffre taking her own life. “We strongly urge King Charles to meet with us and survivors and hear what we have to say,” they said. “We are thankful to him for heeding our sister’s allegations against Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor, and for his decisive action in stripping his brother from his position as a prince.” Buckingham Palace didn’t respond to a request for comment. Palace officials have previously said the king could not become involved while investigations connected to sexual abuse by Epstein and his circle remain ongoing. Giuffre accused the late US financier Epstein of trafficking her to King Charles’ younger brother, Andrew Mountba... -
Dawn - 15:15 Apr 04, 2026
Pakistan is expected to witness a spell of heavy rains, beginning from Sunday night in Balochistan and lasting till April 9 in the upper parts of the country, according to the Met Office. In a weather advisory issued on Saturday, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said it predicted that “another western disturbance is likely to approach western parts of Balochistan” on Sunday evening and was likely to persist in the upper regions till April 9. Under the influence of the weather system, showers with isolated heavy falls or hailstorms were likely in various areas of all provinces, as well as Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In Balochistan, rain-windstorm/thunderstorm with isolated heavyfalls/hailstorm was expected in Quetta, Chaman, Chagai, Dalbandin, Kharan, Ziarat, Pishin, Qila Abdullah, Qila Saifullah, Nushki, Harnai, Zhob, Kalat, Khuzdar, Barkhan, Mastung, Sibi, Kohlu, Nasirabad and Loralai from Sunday night to the morning of April 7 (Tuesday) with occasional gaps. The same ...
12427 items