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Found 7421 news

  • Poison killed Putin critic Navalny, wife says
    Dawn - 10:13 Sep 17, 2025
    The wife of Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny said Wednesday that laboratory analysis of smuggled biological samples found he was killed by poisoning while incarcerated at an Arctic prison in February 2024. Navalny, President Vladimir Putin’s most formidable critic for years, died in mysterious circumstances while serving a 19-year prison sentence on a string of charges widely seen as retribution for his opposition. The charismatic anti-corruption campaigner had rallied hundreds of thousands across Russia in anti-Kremlin protests as he exposed the alleged ill-got gains of Putin’s inner circle. His allies allege he was murdered in prison, and Moscow has never fully explained the causes of his death, saying only that he fell ill while walking in the prison yard on February 16, 2024. Before he was buried, his wife Yulia Navalnaya said his allies “were able to obtain and securely transfer biological samples of Alexei abroad”. “Laboratories in two countries came to the conclusion that Alexei was killed. Spe...
    Tags: Navalny Putin
  • Three terrorists killed as police thwarts attacks in KP’s Bannu
    Dawn - 09:25 Sep 17, 2025
    At least three terrorists were killed in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bannu district as the police foiled two attacks, officials said on Wednesday. Bannu District Police Officer Saleem Abbas Kulachi told Dawn.com, “Three terrorists were killed in the Bannu operation responding to the attacks, but the rest of the terrorists fled, taking away the bodies.” The terrorists launched attacks on the Miryan Police Station and Mazang Checkpoints late at night, according to Bannu police spokesperson Kashif Nawaz. “Due to the timely and effective response by the police, both attacks were successfully repelled,” he said, adding that four police officers were injured. He also said that the attack on the Miryan Police Station was thwarted within 20 minutes, while an exchange of fire at the Mazang Checkpoint continued for about an hour. Bannu Deputy Inspector General of Police Sajjad Khan praised the bravery and timely response of the police in a statement. “Bannu Police stands firm against terrorists on every front. Protecting the ...
    Tags: Bannu Three
  • India’s gaming fans eye illegal sites after gambling ban
    Dawn - 08:32 Sep 17, 2025
    India’s ban on online gambling has shuttered a billion-dollar industry serving hundreds of millions of people and torpedoed the sponsorship of the national cricket team. But players say those determined to bet will find a way to access overseas and unregulated websites while fans of fantasy sport apps can still play, although for prizes and not cash. Adarsh Sharma, an advertising professional who regularly played fantasy sports games, said offshore sites will “see a sudden boom” as Indian gamblers look for a fix. “A habit once formed cannot be broken easily,” he said. “It is an addiction and people will find ways to gamble.” India’s parliament last month passed a sweeping law banning online gambling after government figures showed companies had stripped $2.3 billion annually from 450 million people. Officials said the rapid spread of the platforms caused widespread financial distress, addiction and suicide, while also being linked to fraud, money laundering and financing terrorism. The law has been challenged...
    Tags: India
  • Security forces kill 5 ‘Indian-sponsored’ terrorists in Khuzdar IBO: ISPR
    Dawn - 08:15 Sep 17, 2025
    Security forces earlier this week killed five “Indian-sponsored terrorists” during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Balochistan’s Khuzdar district, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Wednesday. The state has designated Balochistan-based groups as Fitna-al-Hindustan to highlight India’s alleged role in terrorism and destabilisation across Pakistan. In a press release, the ISPR said security forces conducted the IBO on the night of 14/15 September on the “reported presence of terrorists belonging to Indian proxy Fitna al Hindustan”. “During the conduct of operation, own forces effectively engaged the terrorists’ location, and after an intense fire exchange, five Indian sponsored terrorists were sent to hell,” the military’s media wing added. “Weapons, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from the terrorists, who remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities in the area,” the ISPR noted. Sanitisation operation was being conducted to eliminate any other terrorists fo...
    Tags: Indian-sponsored Khuzdar Security ISPR
  • ‘Nuclear arsenal keeps Indian designs in check’
    Dawn - 07:23 Sep 17, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: A top adviser to the country’s nuclear command and control body believes that Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal is what is keeping Indian military designs in check. Speaking at an event organised by the Islamabad Policy Research Institute (IPRI) on Tuesday, retired Lt Gen Khalid Ahmed Kidwai said that the country’s Full Spectrum Deterrence (FSD) — or minimum credible deterrence — was never compromised during the May standoff with India. Lt Gen Kidwai, an adviser to the country’s National Command Authority (NCA), also noted that the newly-formed Army Rocket Force Command (ARFC) will raise the nuclear threshold by providing an additional layer of strategic deterrence between conventional operations and the potential employment of nuclear forces. He explained that the ARFC has merely a response to modern battlefield needs, while the nuclear deterrent remains in place as the ultimate shield against India. A former head of the army’s Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Gen. Kidwai said that Pakistan’s FSD worked i...
    Tags: Indian
  • President Zardari pledges support for Chinese new energy vehicles
    Dawn - 07:17 Sep 17, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari assured a major Chinese car maker on Tuesday that the governm­ent would provide policy support for new energy vehicles (NEV), electric buses and local production of components. In a meeting with Yin Tongyue, the chairman of Chery Automobile Company Ltd, the president encouraged the firm to explore joint ventures in electric buses, mini trucks, green energy solutions and charging infrastructure. He also highlighted opportunities for collaboration with Pakistani companies in manufacturing, minerals and energy storage solutions. Mr Yin briefed the president and his delegation on Chery Auto’s global operations, its commitment to technological innovation, and its achievements in international markets. Witnesses accords on agriculture, mass transit, environment Meanwhile, Zhu Xiaoping, CEO and Co-founder of SUS Environment Technology, a leading Chinese waste management company, also called on the president. Discussions focused on urban was­­te management, waste-to-energy projec...
    Tags: Chinese
  • PCB to take final call over Asia Cup today
    Dawn - 06:16 Sep 17, 2025
    DUBAI: The Pakistan Cricket Board will take a final call regarding the national team’s participation in the Asia Cup on Wednesday after the handshake controversy that unfolded in their match against archrivals India. “The Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet made any final decision regarding the Asia Cup,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said in a statement that came late on Tuesday night, following what Dawn learnt was a meeting involving officials from the board and the government in Islamabad. “Consultations are ongoing in this regard, and a final decision will be made by tomorrow,” the spokesperson added. “The decision will be made keeping in view Pakistan’s interests.” The PCB correspondence was followed by Pakistan’s decision to not hold their pre-match press conference ahead of their final Group ‘A’ fixture against hosts UAE. The Pakistan team did, however, turn up for practice on the eve of the game. “Pakistan has decided not to hold their pre-match press conference today,” a short message from the Asian Cric...
    Tags: Asia
  • Leopard on the loose in Muzaffarabad captured after 36 hours
    Dawn - 05:23 Sep 17, 2025
    MUZAFFARABAD: A leopard that had played “hide and seek” with residents of the AJK capital for more than 36 hours was finally captured on Tuesday afternoon, bringing much-needed relief to the panicked populace. The drama began late Sunday night, when reports emerged on social media that a leopard had been spotted in the Sathra area. Residents fanned out with torches and mobile phone lights to trace it, but in vain. CCTV footage that surfaced later showed the animal roaming through Madina Market, a busy commercial hub about a kilometre away, without coming into contact with night watchmen or passers-by. On Monday morning, the big cat was sighted in the Central Plate neighbourhood near Jinnah Dental Hospital, where it leapt past a female resident and crouched in an open plot beside her house. “Surprisingly, it was not violent but friendly,” she recalled. Another resident, Raja Asad Khan, described his unnerving face-to-face encounter when the leopard jumped into his house. “As I stepped out of the washroom, I su...
  • Punjab’s wheat restrictions trigger domino effect
    Dawn - 05:22 Sep 17, 2025
    • Despite official denials, checkpoints set up at province’s exit points to curtail movement • Flour prices in KP jump 68pc; 20kg bag hits Rs2,800 • KP Assembly passes unanimous resolution against Punjab’s move LAHORE: Punjab’s unannounced ban on the interprovincial movement of wheat has ignited a new crisis, causing a severe flour shortage and soaring prices in other provinces. The move has drawn sharp criticism from politicians and flour millers who argue it violates constitutional rights and a recent deregulation agreement. While Punjab officials de­n­ied a formal ban, they acknowledged establishing checkpoints to curb what they termed “unusual” whe­at movement. Critics, however, argued that these mea­sures are against the spirit of a deregulated market. The ban has been met with strong condemnation from other provinces, particularly Khyber Pakhtu­nkhwa and Sindh, which heavily depend on Punj­ab’s wheat supply. The All-Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) has labelled the policy unconstitutional, citing...
    Tags: Punjab
  • Three booked for ‘gang-raping’ pregnant woman in Faisalabad
    Dawn - 04:54 Sep 17, 2025
    TOBA TEK SINGH: The Faisalabad Sahianwala police booked three persons on Tuesday for allegedly gang-raping a six-month pregnant woman. In her complaint, the victim’s mother said that her son-in-law had to live in another village for work. She alleged that during his absence, his younger brother and his two accomplices gave her daughter a sedative mixed in tea on Sept 1. She further alleged when the victim became unconscious, the trio not only gang-raped her but also committed sodomy. Furthermore, the complainant alleged that the accused and his family locked the victim in a room and refused to let her contact her mother or husband. She claimed that neighbours informed her about the incident on phone. The victim was recovered by the police on the orders of the additional district and sessions judge. Police spokesperson claimed that raids were being conducted to arrest the accused persons. DROWNS: A 17-year-old boy drowned in the river Ravi when he fell in the water while stepping off a boat near the shrine of ...
  • Gujranwala agent arrested for trafficking in the guise of football teams
    Dawn - 04:51 Sep 17, 2025
    GUJRAT: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Gujranwala Zone claims to have arrested a human trafficking agent involved in sending illegal immigrants to Japan as football players using fake credentials and certificates. A senior FIA official said that suspect Waqas Ali, a resident of Pasroor, Sialkot, was arrested in a case on Sept 15. The official said the suspect, with the connivance of 17 immigrants, managed to get 15-day visit visas of Japan on the invitation of Boavista Football Club. The official claimed that he used forged Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) registration letter and a fake NOC from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The official claimed that the suspect extorted Rs4 to 4.5 millions from each of the 17 person. He said that they travelled to Japan on January 1, 2024 and never returned. FIA Gujranwala Director Muhammad Bin Ashraf told Dawn that a case had been registered against the suspect and further investigation was ongoing. The suspect was also nominated in another similar case at FIA ...
  • Floods devastate India’s breadbasket
    Dawn - 04:02 Sep 17, 2025
    GURDASPUR: The fields are full but the paddy brown and wilted, and the air thick with the stench of rotting crops and livestock — the aftermath of record monsoon rains that have devastated India’s breadbasket. In Punjab, often dubbed the country’s granary, the damage is unprecedented: floods have swallowed farmlands almost the size of London and New York City combined. India’s agriculture minister said in a recent visit to the state that “the crops have been destroyed and ruined”, and Indian Punjab chief minister called the deluge “one of the worst flood disasters in decades”. Old-timers agree. “The last time we saw such an all-consuming flood was in 1988,” said 70-year-old Balkar Singh in the village of Shehzada, 30km north of Amritsar. The gushing waters have reduced Singh’s paddy field to marshland and opened ominous cracks in the walls of his house. Floods and landslides are common during the June-September monsoon season on the subcontinent, but experts say climate change, coupled with poorly planned dev...
    Tags: Floods India
  • US official calls on Islamabad to engage with Afghan Taliban
    Dawn - 02:30 Sep 17, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: Days after Pakistan asked the Afghan Taliban to choose whether they want to stand with their neighbour, or the outlawed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pak­­i­s­tan (TTP) militant group, a key US official has called on Islamabad to seek a political settlement with Kabul. Zalmay Khalilzad, who was named US special representative to Afghanistan during the previous Trump administration, also called on Afghanistan to “help Pakistan with such negotiations”. The former diplomat recently undertook a visit to Kabul alongside US hostage envoy Adam Boehler, where he met with key members of the Afghan Taliban regime. In a tweet posted after he wrapped up his visit, Khalilzad noted that violence between Pakistan’s security forces and the TTP had resulted in the deaths of a significant number of security personnel and citizens. Imran echoes Khalilzad’s views, terms dialogue with Kabul only way to achieve lasting peace Saying that he believed pursuing a military solution to this challenge was a mistake, he called on Islamabad...
    Tags: Afghan Taliban Islamabad
  • Asia Cup: Pakistan cancel pre-match press conference ahead of UAE encounter as crisis deepens
    Dawn - 19:22 Sep 16, 2025
    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday cancelled the pre-match press conference of the Pakistan-United Arab Emirates (UAE) men’s Asia Cup match as the crisis from the fallout of the Pakistan-India match worsened. The PCB had lodged a complaint with the International Cricket Council (ICC) against match referee Andy Pycroft over his alleged violations of rules pertaining to the “Spirit of Cricket“, with the board claiming that the referee had asked the Pakistan and India captains “not to shake hands at the time of the toss” for last Sunday’s match. “Pakistan will not be holding their pre-match press conference today,” the Asian Cricket Council confirmed in a statement on Tuesday ahead of Pakistan’s match against the UAE tomorrow. The PCB confirmed in a statement later in the day that the board had still not taken a final decision on continuing participation in the Asia Cup. “The Pakistan Cricket Board has not yet taken any final decision regarding the Asia Cup, “PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said in a statemen...
    Tags: Pakistan Asia
  • South Africa sail to victory against Pakistan by 8 wickets in pre-World Cup encounter
    Dawn - 19:00 Sep 16, 2025
    South Africa sailed their way to an easy victory over Pakistan after chasing down a target of 256 to win by eight wickets in the first one-day international (ODI) of their series in Lahore on Tuesday, in the lead-up to the Women’s World Cup. The World Cup, to be hosted later this month under a hybrid model across India and Sri Lanka, will see all of Pakistan’s fixtures staged in Colombo, with political tensions ruling out travel between the two neighbours. Earlier in the day, veteran batter Sidra Amin smashed a century as The Women in Green set the Proteas a target of 256 to win in the first ODI of the three-match series. South Africa’s reply was led by batters Tazmin Brits and Marizanne Kapp after Sadia Iqbal struck early for the Green Shirts. They remained unbeaten on 101 and 121 respectively as the Proteas chased down a decent total with 10 balls to spare. Pakistan skipper Fatima Sana had won the toss and elected to bat first at the Gaddafi Stadium. Sidra was ably supported by Muneeba Ali as the duo put Pa...
    Tags: Pakistan South Africa World
  • IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar orders removal of PTA chairman over ‘illegal’ appointment to office
    Dawn - 18:10 Sep 16, 2025
    The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the removal of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority Chairman retired Major General Hafeezur Rehman due to his “illegal” appointment to the position. The decision came in a verdict by IHC’s Justice Babar Sattar in a case pertaining to the appointment of the PTA’s member (administration) filed by digital rights activist Usama Khilji in 2023. Rehman later filed an urgent intra-court appeal against the verdict. The order said the court had admitted the petition for hearing and directed the government not to proceed with the hiring, following which the government had filed an appeal for a stay of the court injunction, which was partially accepted, as the court had subsequently allowed the recruitment process to continue while warning that any appointment would be subject to the final determination in the case. It added that the court was subsequently informed in later hearings that Hafeezur Rehman, a retired major general, was appointed as the member (administration)...
    Tags: Justice Babar Sattar
  • Pakistan warns of ‘dangerous escalation’ as UNHRC urges accountability for Israel’s Qatar attack
    Dawn - 18:07 Sep 16, 2025
    Pakistan warned of “dangerous escalation” as the United Nations and a long line of countries on Tuesday denounced Israel’s attack on Qatar last week, demanding “accountability”. Israel’s strikes on the Qatari capital on September 9 targeted Hamas leaders gathered to discuss a new US ceasefire proposal for Gaza. Five Hamas members and a Qatari security officer were killed. That strike “was a shocking breach of international law”, UN rights chief Volker Turk said during an urgent debate at the UN Human Rights Council about the strike. Denouncing the attack as “an assault on regional peace and stability”, he urged “accountability for unlawful killings”. His words were echoed by Qatar and dozens of country representatives who took the floor during the three-hour debate. Qatari International Cooperation Minister Maryam bint Ali bin Nasser Al-Misnad slammed Israel’s “treacherous attack” and demanded that the international community “take practical steps to hold the aggressors accountable and prevent their impunity”...
    Tags: Pakistan Qatar Israel
  • Nestle chairman Paul Bulcke to step down after CEO’s dismissal
    Dawn - 17:25 Sep 16, 2025
    Nestle said on Tuesday Chairman Paul Bulcke has decided to step down, days after the Swiss food giant abruptly dismissed its CEO Laurent Freixe for failing to disclose a romantic relationship with a subordinate. Bulcke will be succeeded by Vice Chairman Pablo Isla, effective October 1. Bulcke was earlier supposed to hand over the reins to Isla in April 2026. According to media report, Nestle investors had since been pushing for Bulcke — a Belgian national who served as Nestle CEO for nearly a decade before becoming chairman in 2017, to step down. The Financial Times reported that investors blamed him for a chaotic period at the company that culminated with Freixe’s ouster. Bulcke, who has been scheduled to remain in his position until next April, said in Tuesday’s statement that he had “full trust in Nestle’s new leadership and firmly believe this great company is well positioned for the future”. “This is the right moment for me to step aside and accelerate the planned transition, allowing Pablo and Philipp t...
    Tags: Nestle
  • US issues fresh round of sanctions that target financing of Iran’s military
    Dawn - 15:57 Sep 16, 2025
    The United States has issued a fresh round Iran-related sanctions targeting individuals and entities that Washington says finance Tehran’s military, including some in Hong Kong and the United Arab Emirates, the US Treasury Department said on Tuesday. Those targeted have helped coordinate funds transfers, including from the sale of Iranian oil, that benefit Iran’s military force, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corp (IRGC)- Quds Force and its Ministry of Defense and Armed Forces Logistics (MODAFL), the Treasury said. “Iranian ‘shadow banking’ networks like these — run by trusted illicit financial facilitators — abuse the international financial system, and evade sanctions by laundering money through overseas front companies and cryptocurrency,” it said in a statement. US sanctions generally prohibit American individuals and companies from engaging in any business transactions with those targeted. The US had issued Iran-related sanctions in June this year as well, taking aim at the procurement of machinery for ...
    Tags: Iran
  • Reviving the rural economy
    Dawn - 15:21 Sep 16, 2025
    THE recent floods have resulted in misery, displacement, death, loss of property and livestock, crop destruction and damage to infrastructure. While the total losses are yet to be calculated, it is critical to understand their economic repercussions and the urgent need to initiate damage limitation measures. The 2022 floods, which affected only Sindh and Balochistan, had displaced 33 million people, submerged their homes, destroyed livestock and crops and damaged infrastructure including the irrigation network. That deluge killed over 1,100 people and caused economic losses to the tune of $30 billion, or 10 per cent of GDP. Clearly, global warming has taken firm root in the form of droughts, glacier melt, floods, torrential rains, heatwaves and rising sea levels. Our response capacity must match the challenge. No other economic sector has such strong backward and forward linkages for national well-being as agriculture. The situation, therefore, requires a holistic rather than a narrow sectoral approach. In th...

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