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  • Pakistan dominates at Amerigol Latam ice hockey tournament in US
    Dawn - 14:44 Aug 22, 2025
    Pakistani teams on Thursday displayed their prowess at the Amerigol Latam Cup ice hockey tournament in Coral Springs, Florida in the United States with the men’s team clinching the Division III championship and the women’s team claiming the Division II bronze medal in their debut appearance. The tournament is designed to showcase talent from regions where ice hockey is a growing sport and “break barriers and unite non-traditional hockey markets in a thrilling display of skill, passion, and camaraderie”, according to the organisers’ website. A press release from the National Hockey League (NHL), stated that this year’s Latam Cup features 62 women’s, men’s and youth teams and over 1,450 players representing 17 countries and territories. The tournament started on Sunday and will continue through August 24. The NHL stated that Pakistan’s men’s team went undefeated throughout the tournament and playoffs, defeating Peru 6-1 to win the championship for the first time. The Pakistani Ice Hockey Team wrote in an Instag...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • How floods in Pakistan turned wedding celebrations into 24 funerals
    Dawn - 14:22 Aug 22, 2025
    Noor Muhammad sits with guests in a condolance gathering at his 36-room family house which was hit by devastating floods in the mountainous Qadir Nagar village of KP’s Buner district on August 21. — ReutersTwo days before his wedding, Noor Muhammad had a long phone call with his mother, just hours before devastating floods in Pakistan killed her along with 23 family members and relatives. “I cannot explain how happy she was,” he said standing by the rubble of his family’s large 36-room house, perched on the bank of a floodwater channel in Qadir Nagar village. The village in mountainous Buner district has been the worst hit by recent massive rain in the country, accounting for over 200 deaths out of nearly 400 in floods in the northern areas since August 15. Buner is a three-and-a-half-hour drive from Islamabad. “Everything was finished,” sobbed Muhammad, 25, as mourners sat at his damaged house to offer condolences, saying there was nothing left when he got home except for rubble and heavy rocks, which swept down from the mountains along with mud and raging flood waters, smashing into houses, markets and buildings. “The flood came, a huge flood came, it swept away everything, home, mother, sister, brother, my u...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • PM Shehbaz to call meeting on illegal constructions on rivers soon
    Dawn - 13:55 Aug 22, 2025
    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday said that he will convene a meeting over the illegal constructions on rivers soon, as monsoon rains caused catastrophic floods in northern parts of the country. Record rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, which started on August 15, have wreaked havoc on different parts of the province. Last week, the provincial government declared an emergency as torrential rains ravaged homes, displaced families, and left a trail of destruction across Buner, Swat, Shangla, Mansehra, and beyond with the death toll at 393. Speaking during a federal cabinet meeting today, PM Shehbaz said, “I will call a meeting over the illegal constructions on rivers, such as hotels, restaurants and houses.” He highlighted the concerns over such structures, which reflected “catastrophic beauty”, and over the cutting of trees in Galiyat, where plazas and houses have been constructed. “There is no room for man-made disasters,” he said, adding that the meeting will be called on an all-Pakistan basis to discuss the...
    Tags: Shehbaz
  • Fact-finding committee finds senior journalist ‘died by suicide’ in Sanghar
    Dawn - 13:52 Aug 22, 2025
    A fact-finding committee formed by police investigating the death of senior DawnNews reporter Khawar Hussain Bajwa has ruled that he died by suicide, according to a copy of its final report available with Dawn.com. The senior journalist was found dead in his car last week, parked on Hyderabad Road in Sanghar under what police termed “mysterious circumstances”. The body was found in the driving seat, with a gunshot wound to the head. The day after the incident, police said that they were probing the incident “from all possible angles” and a fact-finding committee had been formed to probe Hussain’s death. This committee, led by Sindh Additional Inspector General of Police (IGP) (Counter-Terrorism Department) Azad Khan, comprised Karachi West Zone Deputy IGP Irfan Baloch and Sanghar Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abid Baloch. The committee reached its conclusion based on a detailed examination of the crime scene, interviews of witnesses, examination of postmortem and forensic reports and analysis of CCTV ...
    Tags: Sanghar
  • Five Iran police killed in Sistan-Baluchestan province ambush
    Dawn - 12:59 Aug 22, 2025
    At least five Iranian police have been killed in an ambush in the restive Sistan-Baluchestan province, Iranian media reported on Friday. The unidentified assailants struck two units on patrol near the town of Iranshahr, the Fars news agency said, citing local police. “In this terrorist act, five servants of security and peace were martyred,” it quoted police as saying. Sistan-Baluchestan, which borders Pakistan and Afghanistan, has long been a flashpoint for clashes between security forces and armed groups, including drug traffickers and separatists. The province, which is home to a large Sunni Muslim Baloch minority, is one of the poorest regions of the Shia-majority country. Police said the officers had been on routine patrol when they came under fire. Iranian media published an image of a bullet-riddled police pickup with bodies lying on the ground nearby. An operation was underway to “track down and identify” the assailants, Fars said. No group immediately claimed responsibility. Iran regularly reports de...
  • Commerce minister meets Bangladesh govt adviser to discuss bilateral trade enhancement
    Dawn - 12:51 Aug 22, 2025
    Pakistan’s commerce minister and a Bangladeshi government adviser met in Dhaka on Friday to discuss the enhancement of bilateral trade and the strengthening of economic ties between the two countries. Ever since a popular uprising in Bangladesh that saw Hasina’s government toppled in August of last year, with the deposed premier fleeing to her old ally India, there has been a thaw in ties between the Islamabad and Dhaka, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. A press release by the Ministry of Commerce said that Pakistan’s Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan, who reached Dhaka on August 21 for an official visit, met with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Commerce Sheikh Bashir Uddin. During the interaction, both sides “held in-depth discussions in Dhaka today to advance economic cooperation, mutual investments and strengthen bilateral trade ties”. It added that Pakistan’s high commissioner to Bangladesh, Imran Haider, was also present during the meeting. “The two countries are in the process ...
  • Sri Lanka’s former president Wickremesinghe arrested over alleged misuse of state funds
    Dawn - 12:40 Aug 22, 2025
    Former Sri Lankan president Ranil Wickremesinghe, who led the country during a devastating 2019-2024 economic crisis, was arrested and appeared in court on Friday over allegations he misused state funds while in office, police said. Wickremesinghe, 76, who lost power in a 2024 election, had been investigated over a visit he made to London to attend his wife’s graduation ceremony, local media reported. Police confirmed his arrest for alleged misuse of public funds. “Former president Ranil Wickremesinghe has been arrested and produced in court. We are awaiting the court directive to decide what further steps need to be taken,” a police spokesperson said. Wickremesinghe’s office did not respond to a request for comment from Reuters. An ally from his United National Party (UNP) proclaimed his innocence and suggested the case was politically motivated. “Ranil Wickremesinghe has never misused public funds or state funds,” UNP member Nishantha Sri Warnasinghe told reporters gathered outside the court complex where t...
  • Saleema Imtiaz set for ODI debut in Pakistan-South Africa women’s series
    Dawn - 12:30 Aug 22, 2025
    Saleema Imtiaz is set for her umpiring debut in the upcoming women’s ODI series between Pakistan and South Africa in Lahore, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced on Friday, alongside confirming other match officials for the series. Last year, Saleema became the first Pakistani female official to join ICC’s International Panel of Development Umpires, enabling her to officiate women’s bilateral international matches and ICC women’s events. The three-match One-Day International series will be staged at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium from September 16-22. Saleema, who is part of the ICC International Panel of Umpires will be joined by Australia’s Claire Polosak, who returns to Pakistan after officiating in the Pakistan v West Indies women’s series last year in Karachi, PCB said. Polosak, also a member of the ICC International Panel of Umpires, will stand in all three ODIs as an on-field umpire. Humairah Farah has been named as the reserve umpire for the series, while Tariq Rasheed from the PCB Elite Panel of Umpi...
  • China’s Foreign Minister Wang, COAS Munir discuss regional security and counter-terrorism
    Dawn - 12:16 Aug 22, 2025
    China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi held a meeting with Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir in Islamabad during his official visit to the country, discussing regional security and counter-terrorism, the military’s media wing said on Friday. The Chinese foreign minister arrived in Pakistan late Wednesday night to attend the sixth Pakistan-China Strategic Dialogue on Thursday morning. He also met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, reaffirming China’s commitment to working with Pakistan to promote regional peace, development, and stability. Wang said that China was prepared to support its neighbours on issues concerning their core interests and to firmly oppose external interference in the region, per a Chinese foreign ministry handout. He stressed the need to improve the security dialogue mechanism, deepen law enforcement and security cooperation, strengthen the fight against transnational terrorism, and eliminate conditions that promote extremism. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public ...
  • Javelin star Yasir throws season’s best to clinch bronze at Asian Throwing Championships
    Dawn - 11:02 Aug 22, 2025
    Pakistan’s javelin sensation Muhammad Yasir Sultan threw a season’s best of 77.43m to clinch a bronze medal at the Asian Throwing Championships in Mokpo, South Korea on Friday. The 27-year-old threw a massive 77.43m on his sixth and final attempt to snag a podium finish and smash his previous season’s best of 76.07m set at the Asian Athletics Championships in May. Sri Lanka’s Pathirage Rumesh Tharanga won gold with an 82.05m throw and became the only athlete to cross the 80m barrier this morning. Behind him was Japan’s Gen Naganuma with 78.60m. Yasir opened his campaign with a no-throw, followed by a solid 75.79m. He the then threw two successive throws in the 72m range before anther no-throw on his fifth attempt. It was on his final attempt that he struck his medal-winning 77.43m throw. Yasir said in a social media post that he was “happy for a podium finish” and season’s best throw despite “tough conditions”. He thanked his supporters and hoped for more medals in the future. View this post on Instagram Yasi...
  • India’s top court revises stray dog policy after public outcry
    Dawn - 08:59 Aug 22, 2025
    India’s Supreme Court modified its order on stray dogs on Friday, directing that those picked up from streets in and around Delhi be released after sterilisation and immunisation, after a storm of protests from animal lovers. Earlier this month, the court ruled that all stray dogs in Delhi and its suburbs be moved to shelters following a surge in dog bites and cases of rabies. Critics of the ruling had said it could not be implemented because there were not enough shelters. Many animal lovers took to the streets to protest against the order. Animal rights activists signed online petitions asking the court to revoke its decision. The court ruling also drew criticism from politicians and celebrities. India’s opposition leader Rahul Gandhi called it a “step back from decades of humane, science-backed policy”. On Friday, the court said that dogs picked up in the past few weeks in Delhi and its suburbs would be released after sterilisation and immunisation, barring those showing aggressive behaviour or signs of ra...
    Tags: India
  • Aleema’s son held in May 9 case
    Dawn - 06:39 Aug 22, 2025
    LAHORE: The Lahore police arrested on Thursday another nephew of Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Imran Khan in a ‘May 9 case.’ A senior officer of investigation police said Shahrez Khan, son of Aleema Khan, was wanted in the 2023 violence which erupted following the arrest of Imran Khan. Rejecting police claim, PTI Secretary-General Salman Akram Raja said Shahrez had nothing to do with politics. Shahrez’ father Suhail Khan said his son was doing business and now he was preparing to go abroad to participate in a world triathlon championship. Earlier, Salman Raja said plainclothes men attacked the residence of Aleema Khan and abducted her son Shahrez. “Aleema Bibi’s home in Lahore has been attacked by men in plainclothes and her son Shahrez abducted,” tweeted Mr Raja. He also alleged that the intruders harassed Aleema Khan’s family members and even thrashed staff. PTI lawyer Rana Mudassar told Dawn.com that Shahrez was “kidnapped” from his home in Lahore. “People dressed in plainclothes entered the house and to...
  • Japan city proposes two-hour daily smartphone limit
    Dawn - 06:20 Aug 22, 2025
    A Japanese city will urge all smartphone users to limit screen time to two hours a day outside work or school under a proposed ordinance that includes no penalties. The limit — which will be recommended for all residents in central Japan’s Toyoake City — will not be binding and there will be no penalties incurred for higher usage, according to the draft ordinance. The proposal aims “to prevent excessive use of devices causing physical and mental health issues… including sleep problems”, mayor Masafumi Koki said in a statement on Friday. The draft urges elementary school students to avoid smartphones after 9:00pm, and junior high students and older are advised not to use them after 10:00pm. The move prompted an online backlash, with many calling the plan unrealistic. “I understand their intention, but the two-hour limit is impossible,” one user wrote on social media platform X. “In two hours, I cannot even read a book or watch a movie (on my smartphone),” wrote another. Others said smartphone use should be a d...
    Tags: Japan
  • ADB to give $410m for Barrick-run Reko Diq
    Dawn - 05:37 Aug 22, 2025
    ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank will provide a $410 million financing package to help develop Pakistan’s Reko Diq copper mine, one of the world’s largest untapped deposits, which will be operated by Barrick Gold , two sources told Reuters on Thursday. Islamabad hopes the project will serve as a springboard to draw more foreign interest to its mineral sector, particularly to exploit rare earth deposits. Pakistan has already attracted interest from the Trump administration and offered future concessions to US companies. The loans and a financing guarantee will support development of Reko Diq, which is expected to produce copper and gold from 2028 and generate about $70 billion in free cash flow over its lifespan. The financing is composed of two loans totalling $300m to Barrick and a $110m financing guarantee for the Government of Pakistan, both sources said ahead of the official announcement. The $6.6bn project in Balochistan is 50pc owned by Barrick with the other half held by the federal and provincial...
  • PDMA issues widespread rain advisory for KP as death toll surges to 393
    Dawn - 04:39 Aug 22, 2025
    PESHAWAR: With the death toll from last week’s flash floods in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa reaching 393, the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Thursday issued an advisory for widespread rains in the province from August 22 to 26. A PDMA report issued here said that the tally of deaths from last Friday’s catastrophic rains and flash floods had gone up to 393, with Buner, the most affected district, reporting 234 fatalities as well as injury to 128 people. Also, 42 people were killed and 20 injured in Swabi district, while Shangla district has recorded 36 deaths, Mansehra 25, Bajaur 22 and Swat 20. The PDMA report said that the Pakistan Meteorological Department had forecast the start of widespread rains in the province’s central and upper parts from August 22. Most 234 fatalities reported in Buner district It said that widespread downpour, along with wind and thunderstorms, were very likely in Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Malakand, Buner, Mansehra, Battagram, Torghar, Abbottabad,...
    Tags: PDMA
  • Floods displace thousands as South Punjab rivers overflow
    Dawn - 04:07 Aug 22, 2025
     KOT ADDU: Villagers carrying their children on their shoulders wade through floodwaters in Ehsan Pur village.—AFP KOT ADDU: Villagers carrying their children on their shoulders wade through floodwaters in Ehsan Pur village.—AFP • Fresh spell of torrential rains forecast across the country • PDMA issues high-alert warning for Punjab • Tarbela Dam is at maximum capacity; Mangla Dam is 74pc full LAHORE / RAWALPINDI: Thousands of families in south Punjab have been displaced as floods caused by overflowing Indus and Chenab rivers have destroyed homes, crops and farmland. Districts including Layyah, Taunsa Sharif, Kot Addu, Dera Ghazi Khan, Muzaffargarh, Rajanpur and Multan are among the worst affected. In Multan, floodwaters entered several villages, destroying crops and mango orchards. In Kot Adu, residents of Ehsanpur and Hinjrai union councils were forced to evac­uate along with their livestock. “Houses are surrounded by water, crops have vanished and land is eroding,” a rescue official told Dawn on condition of anonymity, adding that his team had evacuated over 150 people and their cattle by boat. In Layyah, floodwaters w...
  • 11 injured as forces clash with militants in South Waziristan
    Dawn - 04:03 Aug 22, 2025
    BAJAUR / SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: At least 11 people — including a woman and children — were injured, when heavy clashes erupted between security forces and militants in the Birmal tehsil of Lower South Waziristan district on Thursday morning, officials and residents told Dawn. The exchange of fire took place near Karmazi Stop, as troops were carrying out an operation to take control of a key militant stronghold. Sources said security forces managed to establish two new posts in the area. Officials said that several militants initially managed to take refuge inside a nearby structure, but later fled during the clearance operation. The crossfire left 11 residents injured, who were provided first aid before being shifted to the District Headq­uarters Hospital in Wana. Witnesses said intermittent firing continued throughout the day, and residents said the area remained tense throughout the operation, with families confined to their homes for several hours. The Wana-Azam Warsak Road remained closed until around 1pm, dis...
  • After furore over ‘abduction’, police say Aleema Khanum’s son ‘arrested’ in May 9 case
    Dawn - 19:38 Aug 21, 2025
    Hours after the PTI announced late Thursday that men in plainclothes had “abducted” the son of Aleema Khanum, the sister of party founder and ex-premier Imran Khan, from her residence, Lahore police announced that Shahrez Khan had been arrested in connection with a May 9 case. Shortly after the ‘abduction’ was reported, police officials had expressed ignorance of Shahrez’s whereabouts and said they could only look into the matter if an official complaint was lodged. Earlier, PTI Lawyer Rana Mudassar Umar had told Dawn.com that Aleema’s son, Shahrez Khan, was “kidnapped” from his home in Lahore. “People dressed in plain clothes entered the house and took Aleema Khan’s son with them,” he claimed. “No case has been registered against Shahrez, nor is he related to politics.” Mudassar said that no information had been given about Shahrez’s whereabouts and that he would approach the Lahore High Court for his recovery. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram wrote on X: “During an attack, people dressed in pla...
  • ‘All 55 million US visa holders under scrutiny for deportable violations’: State Dept
    Dawn - 19:38 Aug 21, 2025
    A US State Department official on Thursday said that continuous vetting applies to “all of the more than 55 million foreigners who currently hold valid United States visas”, including those who have already been admitted to enter the country. “The State Department revokes visas any time there are indications of a potential ineligibility, which includes things like any indicators of overstays, criminal activity, threats to public safety, engaging in any form of terrorist activity, or providing support to a terrorist organisation,” the official said. In a written comment to The Associated Press, the official said that if a visa holder presents these indications, their visa will be revoked and they will be subject to deportation if they are already in the US. US President Donald Trump has made cracking down on illegal immigration a focus of his presidency, boosting resources to secure the border and arresting people in the country illegally. Earlier this month, the US government announced that it could require b...
  • Army chief did not seek apology over May 9, culprits should be held accountable, DG ISPR clarifies
    Dawn - 18:56 Aug 21, 2025
    Military spokesperson Lieutenant-General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry clarified on Thursday that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir did not seek an apology from anyone over the May 9, 2023 riots, saying the perpetrators should be “held accountable”, Geo News reported. The remarks come days after it was reported that the army chief had sought a ‘sincere apology’ over the 2023 countrywide protests — apparently from the PTI, which the state holds responsible for the May 9 riots. Suhail Warraich, a senior editor for the Daily Jang newspaper, wrote in a column on August 16 that COAS Munir had spoken to him in person recently in Belgium’s capital of Brussels, where the army chief had stopped over on his return from his visit to the United States. “On a question about politics, he (the army chief) said that political reconciliation is possible only if there is a sincere apology,” the column read, without specifying who the army chief was referring to or who the question was about. “Neither did the army chi...

7447 items