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Dawn - 09:53 Jun 28, 2025
France will ban smoking on beaches and in parks, public gardens and bus shelters from Sunday, the government said. The decree, published in the official government gazette on Saturday, will also ban smoking outside libraries, swimming pools and schools, and is aimed at protecting children from passive smoking. The decree did not mention electronic cigarettes. Violators of the ban will face a fine of €135 (Rs44,849). “Tobacco must disappear from places where there are children,” Health and Family Minister Catherine Vautrin had said in May, underscoring “the right of children to breathe pure air”. Cafe terraces are excluded from the ban. Some 75,000 people are estimated to die from tobacco-related complications each year in France. According to a recent opinion survey, six out of 10 French people (62 per cent) favour a smoking ban in public places. -
Dawn - 08:45 Jun 28, 2025
At least two more people died in a rain-related incident in Punjab on Saturday, taking the province’s death toll for the past four days to 14, according to rescue officials and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Monsoon rains across the region offer respite from the summer heat and are vital for agriculture and food security. Weather-related incidents are common during the season, but experts say climate change is increasing their frequency and severity. Two people died while four were wounded in a roof collapse incident reported at 3:20am in the Abbas Nagar area of Lahore’s Shahdara Town, Rescue 1122 said in a statement today. It noted that the house was single-storied and the roof was made of mud. The bodies were taken to Shahdara Hospital, where some of the injured were also taken, while others wounded were brought to Mayo Hospital. Separately, eight children were among 12 dead while 39 others were injured in various rain-related incidents across Punjab since Wednesday, according to a PDM... -
Dawn - 07:04 Jun 28, 2025
LAHORE: Ecotourism, the country’s pioneering initiative, led by the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department, and developed in accordance with the Global Sustainable Tourism Council (GSTC) criteria, marks the first structured effort that offers a unique blend of nature-based experiences, animal conservation, cultural immersion and education, ensuring sustainable tourism that benefits both biodiversity and local communities. Considering the ecological significance of Changa Manga, Uchali Lake and Chashma for their rich flora and fauna, these sites were strategically selected for ecotourism development, officials at the Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Department told Dawn. Mentioning initiatives taken under the spotlight of ecotourism, the officials said the proposed ecotourism development. Changa Manga Forest Reserve, located 80km south of Lahore, spans over 12,500 acres and is one of the world’s largest man-made forests. It is home to a rich variety of native flora and fauna. With the proposed ecotourism developme... -
Dawn - 06:42 Jun 28, 2025
China has expanded the economic safeguards for segments of its population affected by flood control schemes in times of extreme rainfall, including pledges of direct compensation from the central government and payments for livestock losses. In China, diverting floodwaters to areas next to rivers is a major step in managing downstream flooding. As extreme rainfall grows in frequency, China is increasingly utilising such areas, some of which have been unused until now and have been populated by farms, croplands and even residential buildings, stoking social tensions. According to revised rules on compensation related to flood diversions released late on Friday, the central government will now bear 70 per cent of all compensation funds, with local governments responsible for the rest. Previously, the ratio was to be decided based on actual economic losses and the fiscal situation of local governments. Livestock and poultry that cannot be relocated in time before the arrival of diverted floodwaters will also be ... -
Dawn - 06:35 Jun 28, 2025
QUETTA: The body of a 14-year-old student, Muhammad Musawir Kakar, who was kidnapped for ransom on November 15, 2024 has been recovered by the police, Quetta DIG Aitzaz Ahmed Goraya said on Friday. He revealed that Afghan nationals were involved in the kidnapping. They abducted the boy with the help of local accomplices and later handed him over to the extremist group Daesh, also known as IS, which demanded a ransom of $12m from the victim’s father. The DIG added that after killing the boy, the kidnappers buried his body in the Maro Isplinji area of Mastung district. The grave was located by the police. The body appeared to be over two months old, he said, adding the postmortem report revealed the boy was shot in the chest and head. His identity was confirmed through DNA testing. “We tracked down the kidnappers, raided multiple locations, and eliminated some of them, but unfortunately, we were unable to ensure the safe recovery of the boy, for which we are deeply sorry,” said DIG Goraya. He added that the inv... -
Dawn - 06:08 Jun 28, 2025
NEW DELHI: India is vigilant of developments in its neighbourhood that “have a bearing” on its “interest and security”, the external affairs ministry said of a recent trilateral meeting between Pakistan, Bangladesh and China, adding that it factors in the “evolving context” in its bilateral relations with these countries. According to The Wire, during a trilateral meeting in Kunming, China, on June 19 involving Chinese vice foreign minister Sun Weidong, Bangladesh’s acting foreign secretary Ruhul Siddique and Pakistan’s additional foreign secretary Imran Siddiqui, the three sides agreed to explore cooperation in a number of sectors including trade, ‘maritime affairs’, health and the environment. Asked for comment on the meeting during the ministry’s weekly press briefing on Thursday, spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said that “we maintain a constant watch on the developments in our neighbourhood that have a bearing on our interest and our security”. “Our relations with individual countries, while they stand on th... -
Dawn - 05:47 Jun 28, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs has been ordered to refund Rs36 billion to aspiring pilgrims who couldn’t perform Haj this year. The money would be returned to over 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims who were supposed to go on Haj through private tour operators but couldn’t over delays in payments. The sub-committee of Senate Standing Committee on Religious Affairs on Friday directed the ministry to fully reimburse the victims. The sub-committee’s convener, Senator Aon Abbas Buppi, announced that Rs36.43 billion held in Saudi Arabia must be refunded by August 15. There should be no deductions whatsoever, including currency exchange losses or service charges, Mr Bappi emphasised. Religious Affairs Secretary Dr Attaur Rehman informed the committee that Pakistan was allotted a quota of 179,210 pilgrims for the Haj in 2025 by the Saudi government. Of this quota, 90,830 slots were allocated to private Haj operators. However, the Saudi government later revised its policy to only allow operators with a group of ... -
Dawn - 05:25 Jun 28, 2025
• CB’s ruling overturns SC’s July 12, 2024 majority judgement; restores Peshawar High Court’s original verdict • Seven judges accept review petitions by ECP, PML-N et al; three judges ‘partially allow’ them • 77 reserved seats in national and provincial assemblies will be distributed among other parties • Ruling coalition can now comfortably achieve two-thirds majority in NA ISLAMABAD: The Constitutional Bench (CB) on Friday overturned the Supreme Court’s earlier judgement in the reserved seats case — effectively taking away reserved seats from the PTI and handing them to their rival parties in the national and provincial legislatures. The decision, handed down by a majority of seven judges, supersedes the July 12, 2024 majority judgement by eight judges, which had declared the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) eligible for reserved seats for women and non-Muslims in the assemblies. “[B]y majority of seven namely Justice Amin-ud-Din Khan, Justice Musarrat Hilali, Justice Naeem Akhter Afghan, Justice Shahid Bila... -
Dawn - 05:11 Jun 28, 2025
• Losses of Rs342bn in six months seen as ‘Rs1.9bn daily drain’ on public finances • Circular debt crosses Rs4.9tr; unfunded pensions, weak governance deepen fiscal strain ISLAMABAD: With relentless financial haemorrhaging of nearly Rs342bn in just six months, the cumulative losses and unfunded pension liabilities of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) have crossed Rs7.5tr — almost three times the country’s defence allocation of Rs2.55tr for FY26, and over seven times the upcoming year’s Public Sector Development Programme (Rs1tr). The Ministry of Finance informed the Cabinet Committee on State-Owned Enterprises (CCoSOEs) on Friday that total SOE losses now exceed Rs5.8tr — nearly one-third of the recently passed Rs17.5tr federal budget for 2025-26. Presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, the meeting was briefed by the Central Monitoring Unit of the Finance Division on the biannual performance of federal SOEs for the period July to December 2024. The report outlined the worsening state of SOEs, in... -
Dawn - 04:53 Jun 28, 2025
• Reiterates firm support for two-state solution to Israel-Palestine conflict • Insists Trump’s Nobel nomination a joint civil-military decision • Dismisses claim Islamabad sought ceasefire ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday ruled out the possibility of Pakistan joining the Abraham Accords, stating that such a move would effectively mean abandoning the country’s longstanding support for a two-state solution to the Palestinian conflict and recognising Israel. Speaking at a news conference at the Foreign Office, Mr Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, reiterated Pakistan’s firm support for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. His comments came in response to recent remarks by US Special Envoy for the Middle East Steve Witkoff, who suggested that more countries, which were not previously “contemplated”, were preparing to join the US-brokered accords, which normalise ties with Israel. Witkoff had joined President Donald Trump at the White House lunch for Army Chief Fie... -
Dawn - 02:47 Jun 28, 2025
• Additional burden on consumers to be offset by disbursement through BISP • Committee approves supplementary grants worth Rs856bn; passes the buck on sugar import to minister-led body ISLAMABAD: The government has increased the price of gas by 50 per cent in an apparent move to meet the demand of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the federal cabinet approved the hike in fixed gas charges for all consumers from July 1. The rate for non-domestic consumers has been increased by 29pc to cumulatively raise an additional Rs72 billion. The ECC meeting on Friday, chaired by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, also approved supplementary grants of Rs856bn. However, the committee failed to reach a decision over the import of sugar and passed the responsibility to a political committee led by the National Food Security and Research minister. Increase in gas price The summary for the revised natural gas pricing structure for the fiscal year 2025–26 was moved by the Petr... -
Dawn - 02:36 Jun 28, 2025
• Court of Arbitration rules that New Delhi’s decision to hold Indus treaty in abeyance doesn’t affect its competence to hear and decide disputes • Islamabad welcomes, India rejects ‘supplemental award’ as it exposes Kishenganga and Ratle hydel projects to Pakistan’s objections ISLAMABAD: In a major boon for Pakistan in its dispute over the ‘one-sided’ suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), the Permanent Court of Arbitration in The Hague has ruled that India’s actions have no bearing on its competence to adjudicate the matter. The court found that its competence cannot be affected by the unilateral decision of a party taken after the initiation of arbitral proceedings, regardless of whether India’s recent decision was characterised as a suspension of the treaty, or otherwise. The court further found that it has a continuing responsibility to advance proceedings in a timely, efficient and fair manner, notwithstanding India’s position on “abeyance”. It also declared that these findings also apply to the N... -
Dawn - 18:41 Jun 27, 2025
The Supreme Court’s Constitutional Bench on Friday dismissed the petitions filed by the PTI in the reserved seats case, declaring that the party will not be eligible for them in the national and provincial assemblies. The verdict came as an 11-member bench of the SC, headed by Justice Aminuddin Khan, resumed the hearing of the reserved seats case today. However, Justice Salahuddin Panhwar recused himself. The bench previously had 13 members, but Ayesha A. Malik and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi had declared the applications inadmissible and were not part of the subsequent proceedings, with the CB head judge noting they had stepped back voluntarily. Among the remaining 10 members, the review petitions were accepted by a majority of seven judges, including Justices Aminuddin Khan, Musarrat Hilali, Naeem Akhter Afghan, Shahid Bilal Hassan, Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, Aamer Farooq and Ali Baqar Najafi. The judges who rejected the petitions today included Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and... -
Dawn - 18:39 Jun 27, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Friday that he is calling off trade negotiations with Canada in retaliation for taxes impacting major US tech firms, adding that Ottawa will learn of their tariff rate within a week. “Based on this egregious tax, we are hereby terminating all discussions on trade with Canada, effective immediately,” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform. He added that Canada will soon find out the levy it needs to pay to do business in the United States, calling his country’s northern neighbour “very difficult” to trade with. Washington has previously taken issue with Canada’s digital services tax, requesting dispute settlement talks last year over the matter. While Canada’s digital services tax is not new — it was enacted last year — US service providers are “on the hook for a multi-billion dollar payment in Canada” by June 30, noted the Computer and Communications Industry Association. While Canada has been spared from some of Trump’s most sweeping duties, such as a 1... -
Dawn - 18:38 Jun 27, 2025
At least 11 people died and six others were injured in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Swat and Malakand districts on Friday amid flash floods triggered by heavy rains, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA). Earlier today, Rescue 1122 spokesperson Bilal Faizi said that nine bodies were recovered among 16 people who went missing in the Swat River this morning, with three people being rescued. A search operation to find the four remaining people was underway, he added. The PDMA data showed that 10 people were killed in Swat while one person was killed in Malakand. It also revealed that 56 houses had been damaged in Swat due to the flooding. The report also said that a total of 120 people were trapped, with 107 of them being rescued by Swat Rescue 1122. “All concerned Departments, Rescue 1122 are actively deployed in the field, conducting roundtheclock operations to ensure maximum safety and relief,” it added. Screengrab from a report by KP PDMA, June 27. Separately, KP Chief Secretary Shahab A... -
Dawn - 18:22 Jun 27, 2025
Pakistan on Friday welcomed the decision by the Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) in The Hague to issue a “Supplemental Award of Competence” in the Indus Waters case, stating that India cannot unilaterally hold the treaty in abeyance, a statement issued by the government said. According to the PCA’s rules, a supplemental award is an additional ruling issued by a court or tribunal after its initial decision, usually to address a specific issue that wasn’t fully resolved or to clarify certain points, such as jurisdiction, competence, or interpretation of a treaty or agreement. India in April held the Indus Waters Treaty 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. It later said it was considering court action, citing a violation of the 1969 Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties. Acc... -
Dawn - 18:18 Jun 27, 2025
PPP Chairman and former foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Friday said that following the Pahalgam attack in occupied Kashmir and the brief but intense military escalation with Pakistan last month, India “lost its international credibility due to a lack of transparency and widespread disinformation”. Earlier this month, Pakistan launched a broad-based engagement campaign to present its perspective on the conflict with India to the world and counter New Delhi’s unproven allegations. As part of its global outreach, a delegation led by Bilawal visited the United States, London and Brussels. Addressing reporters at the National Press Club in Islamabad, the PPP chairman stressed that through spreading false information, both in the media and through diplomatic channels, India stripped itself of credibility. “Pakistan gained victory on the narrative front, which is beneficial,” Bilawal said. “The whole world saw what the Indian [and] Pakistani media were doing. “People all over the world were reading and a... -
Dawn - 17:52 Jun 27, 2025
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday welcomed the United Nations Secretary General’s decision to remove references to Pakistan from its annual report on children and armed conflict. The UN’s Children and Armed Conflict agenda, led by the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, works to protect children affected by war by monitoring six grave violations: killing and maiming, recruitment and use of children, sexual violence, abduction, attacks on schools and hospitals, and denial of humanitarian access. The annual report of the Secretary-General lists parties committing these violations, aiming to hold them accountable and promote measures for child protection in conflict zones. In its latest report released on June 17, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General noted that, “In view of the level of grave violations in Pakistan and the preventive measures adopted as agreed by the government in June 2025 in cooperation with the United Nations to protect children, the situation of Pakistan will be r... -
Dawn - 15:49 Jun 27, 2025
The United States Supreme Court handed President Donald Trump a major victory on Friday by curbing the power of lone federal judges to block executive actions. In a 6-3 ruling stemming from Trump’s bid to end birthright citizenship, the court said nationwide injunctions issued by district court judges “likely exceed the equitable authority that Congress has granted to federal courts”. The top court did not immediately rule on the constitutionality of Trump’s executive order seeking to end automatic citizenship for children born on American soil. But the broader decision on the scope of judicial rulings will remove a big roadblock to Trump’s often highly controversial orders and reaffirm the White House’s power. “Federal courts do not exercise general oversight of the Executive Branch; they resolve cases and controversies consistent with the authority Congress has given them,” said Justice Amy Coney Barrett, author of the opinion. “When a court concludes that the Executive Branch has acted unlawfully, the answ... -
Dawn - 12:02 Jun 27, 2025
The Pakistan Meteorological Department has forecast another spell of rain in Karachi, Hyderabad and other parts of Sindh on Friday. Several parts of Sindh received moderate to heavy rainfall on Thursday, ending the prolonged dry spell across the province and bringing relief from the scorching summer heat. The authorities had earlier released an urban flooding warning for several cities. In its latest weather advisory issued today, the Met Office said “strong monsoon currents are penetrating over the province.” Under its influence, rain thunderstorm/rain with few moderate to isolated heavy falls is likely in Karachi, Hyderabad, Umerkot, Mirpurkhas, Badin, Thatta, Sujawal, Dadu, Sukkur, Larkana, Qamber Shahdadkot, Shikarpur, Khairpur, Naushahro Feroze, Shaheed Benazirabad, Mitiari, Sanghar, Jamshoro, Tando Allahyar, Tando Muhammad Khan, Jacobabad, Ghotki, Kashmore and Tharparker districts till June 29. In its weather forecast for Karachi, the Met Office said intermittent thunderstorm and rain with moderate to i...
5467 items