Dawn
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Found 7447 news
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Dawn - 18:31 Aug 21, 2025
China affirmed its commitment on Thursday to working with Pakistan on promoting regional peace, development and stability. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties ranging across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence and infrastructure. The fifth round of Strategic Dialogue in May 2024 was co-chaired by Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in Beijing. The Chinese foreign minister is currently on a visit to Pakistan. Wang called on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister’s House, according to a statement from the PM Office. The meeting was also attended by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir and senior cabinet members. “FM Wang Yi emphasised that China regarded Pakistan as an ironclad friend and all-weather strategic partner. He expressed China’s desire to elevate bilateral relations with Pakistan to new heights of cooperation and collaboration. Commending ... -
Dawn - 17:34 Aug 21, 2025
A teenager inspired by Adolf Hitler, who planned to set fire to a Scottish mosque, was sentenced to 10 years in custody on Thursday. Police arrested the 17-year-old in January while he was carrying a military-style rucksack as he tried to gain entry to the building in Greenock, on the west coast of Scotland. Inside the bag, officers found a German-made Glock-type air pistol, ammunition, ball bearings, gas cartridges and aerosol cans, prosecutors said. The teen had mapped out the building’s interior on his phone. Investigators also found a list of individuals who had inspired his political beliefs, including Hitler, Benito Mussolini and Norwegian mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik. A search of his home found Hitler’s book Mein Kampf, knives and masks, as well as instructions and ingredients for the manufacturing of explosives. The High Court in Glasgow sentenced him after he pleaded guilty to two charges of terrorism, Scotland’s Crown Office said. The teenager — who cannot be named for legal reasons due to h... -
Dawn - 17:24 Aug 21, 2025
At least two people were killed and 33 were injured when a massive explosion took place inside a warehouse in a densely populated area near Karachi’s Taj Medical Complex on Thursday afternoon, according to police and hospital officials. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that 20 injured people were brought to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre, including two with critical wounds, while 14 other men were brought to the trauma centre at Civil Hospital Karachi, with two in critical condition. “The condition of other wounded persons is being evaluated,” she said. Later in the day, she said the police brought the body of a 16-year-old who was found dead at the last level of the warehouse. A statement from Rescue 1122 also confirmed the body’s retrieval. In a subsequent update, she said: “One critical patient has unfortunately expired.” Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn.com that there was a three-storey building near Taj Medical Complex in Saddar where families resided on upper flo... -
Dawn - 17:19 Aug 21, 2025
A man was killed in a rain-related incident on Thursday as parts of Karachi received rain again for a third day with the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) issuing an emergency alert. Tuesday’s rains had severely strained Karachi’s fragile infrastructure, causing stormwater drains and sewers to burst, and also disrupting industrial operations across the economic hub. Several areas experienced extended power and internet service outages, which continued late into Wednesday, disrupting everyday life and adding to citizens’ misery. The rain-related death toll rose to 14. Most of the deaths occurred due to collapsing structures, drowning and electrocution during the past three days, according to hospital officials. Parts of Karachi intermittently received rain today as well, beginning after 2pm. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn.com that the body of a 30-year-old, who died from an electric shock, was brought from Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority to the medico-legal section of Jinnah Postgrad... -
Dawn - 15:11 Aug 21, 2025
A collision between a bus and a rescue ambulance on Thursday killed six people, including four rescue personnel, and injured two others in Punjab’s Rahim Yar Khan district, according to officials. A statement issued by Punjab Rescue Spokesperson Farouk Ahmed said the accident occurred on the Rahim Yar Khan Road in the Kot Samaba area. “Six people, including four rescue personnel, died in the accident,” he said. According to Rescue 1122 spokesperson Adnan Shabbir, the incident took place at 3:21pm. He said the two injured people were taken to Sheikh Zayed Medical College Hospital for treatment. Rahim Yar Khan District Police Officer Irfan Ali Sammon had reached the spot to monitor the relief activities. Deputy Commissioner (DC) Khuram Javed condoled the families of the deceased rescue officials and sought a report from concerned officers. The Rescue 1122 statement added that the emergency services secretary instructed the district rescue officer to provide an immediate report of the accident. “Provincial Minis... -
Dawn - 14:43 Aug 21, 2025
Commerce Minister Jam Kamal Khan held productive discussions with Bangladesh’s Adviser for Industries Adilur Rahman Khan in Dhaka on Thursday to explore avenues for industrial cooperation between the two countries. The two countries were once one nation but split following a bloody civil war, which saw the territory previously referred to as ‘East Pakistan’ seceded to form the independent nation of Bangladesh. In the years since, Dhaka’s leaders, especially the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina, stayed firmly in the Indian camp. However, after Hasina’s government was toppled last year, there has been a thaw in ties between the two capitals, with trade and bilateral relations seeing a marked improvement. The commerce minister is currently on a visit to Bangladesh. He was received upon his arrival in Dhaka by Bangladesh’s Commerce Adviser Sheikh Bashiruddin. “Looking forward to engagements with officials and business leaders,” he said. Kamal and Rahman discussed the importance of leveraging their economies and ind... -
Dawn - 14:12 Aug 21, 2025
The Supreme Court on Thursday accepted the bail pleas of former prime minister Imran Khan in eight cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots. On May 9, 2023, PTI supporters, protesting Imran’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. In November 2024, a Lahore anti-terrorism court had denied Imran bail in the cases related to the May 9, 2023 riots, including an attack on the house of the Lahore corps commander. The incarcerated PTI leader’s plea challenging that was also rejected by the Lahore High Court (LHC) on June 24. Subsequently, days later, Imran had challenged that dismissal before the apex court. A three-member bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi and comprising Justices Muhammad Shafi Siddiqui and Hasan Azhar Rizvi resumed hearing the petitions today. Barrister ... -
Dawn - 12:54 Aug 21, 2025
India’s sports ministry on Thursday declared that India and Pakistan would not have any bilateral sporting ties even on neutral venues as per an unprecedented new policy but the cricket team would not be stopped from playing the Asia Cup next month as it is a multi-lateral engagement, the Press Trust of India (PTI) reported. Political tensions between the two nations over the years have cast a shadow over bilateral sporting events, causing major tournaments to hang in the balance. The countries’ teams have previously refused to travel across the border for sporting events, electing to play on neutral ground via a hybrid model instead. Last month, the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) instructed all national sports federations to seek prior consultation and approval before participating in any sporting events held in India due to ’“security concerns”. According to PTI, India’s sports ministry unveiled the new policy with regard to India’s international engagements with emphasis on Pakistan. It added that a well-p... -
Dawn - 10:54 Aug 21, 2025
A clash broke out between police and protesters in the early hours of Thursday, leaving several injured, protest organisers claimed, as traders continued to block routes in Gilgit-Baltistan’s Sost Valley. Last month, Pak-China Tajeer Etihad Action Committee launched a protest against the suspension of border trade via the Khunjerab Pass, blaming the federal government’s inaction over unresolved tax-related issues, which have inflicted heavy losses on importers and exporters over the year. One of the organisers, Muhammad Ismail, claimed that the police had launched a crackdown against peaceful protesters, stating: “Police resorted to tear gas and aerial firing to disperse protesters from the venue.” Speaking to reporters, Hunza Superintendent of Police Nabeel Ahmed said that there was no plan to launch a crackdown on the sit-in. “Police were deployed only to arrest a suspect who is allegedly extorting traders at the customs and immigration area upon their return from China,” he said. “The sit-in organisers had... -
Dawn - 10:43 Aug 21, 2025
A Lahore man accused of “sextortion” of a minor via social media platform Snapchat was handed over to police for a five-day physical remand, the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency (NCCIA) said on Thursday. As per the court order given by a district and sessions court in Lahore, it was notified that the accused should be handed over to the police for a five-day investigation. According to NCCIA’s application for the remand, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the accused was arrested after NCCIA received a tip-off from an international organisation. He was booked for sharing pornographic material via the social media application Snapchat and engaging in “sextortion” of a minor. Upon arrest, NCCIA confiscated the phone of the accused and found pornographic material on the phone, in its “screenshot” and “screen-recording” folders. During the initial interrogation conducted by the NCCIA, the accused confessed to the crimes. Subsequently, a first information report (FIR) was registered against the ... -
Dawn - 10:18 Aug 21, 2025
Meta Platforms has paused hiring in its artificial intelligence division after bringing on more than 50 researchers and engineers, the Wall Street Journal reported on Wednesday. The move comes amid growing global concerns that investment in AI is moving too fast. In July, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg had pledged hundreds of billions for AI data centres in a “superintelligence push”. The social media giant is among the large tech companies that have struck high-profile deals and doled out multi-million-dollar pay packages in recent months to fast-track work on machines that could outthink humans on many tasks. “The hiring freeze, which went into effect last week and coincides with a broader restructuring of the group, also prohibits current employees from moving across teams inside the division,” according to the WSJ report. “The duration of the freeze wasn’t communicated internally.” “All that’s happening here is some basic organisational planning: creating a solid structure for our new superintelligence efforts af... -
Dawn - 09:57 Aug 21, 2025
The restoration of mobile services in Balochistan was underway on Thursday after the Balochistan High Court (BHC) ordered their immediate resumption, ending a 15-day suspension. Earlier this month, mobile data services in the province were announced to be suspended until August 31 over “security reasons”. Balochistan’s Consumer Civil Society chairman, Khair Muhammad Shaheen, had filed a constitutional petition against the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority and others regarding the suspension of mobile phone internet services. The petition argued that the mobile phone services were a basic mode of communication for businessmen, students, educational institutions and others. It added that the suspension constituted a violation of fundamental rights guaranteed under Articles 9 (security of person), 15 (freedom of movement etc), 18 (freedom of trade, business and profession), 19-A (right to information) and 25 (equality of citizens) of the Constitution. A two-member BHC bench, comprising Chief Justice Rozi Kha... -
Dawn - 08:51 Aug 21, 2025
HYDERABAD: A provisional report of the second post-mortem of deceased DawnNews reporter Khawar Hussain Bajwa has described head injury by a ‘contact shot’ of a firearm as cause of his death on Aug 16 in Sanghar. The report was signed by all three experts, Dr Waseem Khan, police surgeon of Liaquat University Hospital (LUH) as chairman; Prof Dr Waheed Ali Nahiyoon of Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS) and Dr Mohammad Adeel Rajput, additional police surgeon LUH, as members of the committee probing the death. “Firearm head injury causing displaced chip fractures of right and left parieto temporal and occipital bones with damage to brain matter is sufficient to cause death in ordinary course of nature. The distance of fire: contact shot,” an opinion part of the report said. Published in Dawn, August 21st, 2025 -
Dawn - 07:23 Aug 21, 2025
LAHORE: Thousands of villagers in low-lying areas of Layyah, Taunsa, Dera Ghazi Khan, Rajanpur and Muzaffargarh are compelled to leave their homes after rising level of Indus River washed away all the protective guide bunds and dykes constructed to support the Layyah-Taunsa Bridge as heavy rains continue to lash several many parts of Punjab. The severe flooding destroyed earthen homes and agricultural fields in Sumra Nashaib, Dulu Nashaib, Lohanch Nashaib, Mirani Paka, Loni, Darkhan, Chadhar, Mohana, and Mosan Shah, leaving families displaced and without shelter. Many struggle to save livestock amid the rising floodwaters. In Taunsa, several villages such as Bait Lakho, Jarh Leghari, Jarah, Urra, Bodu Manaan, Thulla Chaki, Eida Arain, Basti Habib, Lal Shah, and Kotla Miran have been submerged, with houses reduced to rubble. Thousands of acres of crops in these areas are underwater and entirely ruined, leaving the displaced population without shelter or livelihood, forced to live under the open sky. In Muz... -
Dawn - 07:19 Aug 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Authorities on Wednesday warned that heavy rainfall, ranging between 50 to 100 millimetres or more, would batter Karachi and parts of Sindh over the next 12 to 24 hours, raising concerns of urban flooding, waterlogging and disruption to daily life. According to the Zoom Earth weather tracking website, an intense system forming over Sindh would hit urban centres like Hyderabad and Karachi after midnight on Wednesday. The system, which is likely to head out to sea by the morning, might precipitate heavily concentrated downpours in lower Sindh. A spokesman for the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) advised residents in vulnerable areas, including Karachi, Hyderabad, Thatta, Badin, Mirpurkhas and Sukkur, to remain alert and closely monitor official updates to mitigate potential hazards. Urban flooding is expected to persist in Karachi, Hyderabad, Sukkur and Mirpurkhas due to continued downpours and poor drainage infrastructure. Simultaneously, districts such as Thatta, Badin, Jams... -
Dawn - 07:11 Aug 21, 2025
KARACHI: Expressing concern over performance of certain local bodies including towns under control of the opposition Jamaat-i-Islami (JI), Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has called upon all political stakeholders to refrain from blame games and fulfil their respective responsibilities to aid the city’s recovery. Talking to the media and responding to a question on coordination and accountability among agencies during a visit to the city a day after heavy rain lashed the metropolis, the CM expressed concern over the performance of some local representatives, including JI’s town chairmen, particularly after the formation of town administrations, which he said had led to division and inefficiency in service delivery. He acknowledged certain shortcomings, welcomed constructive criticism, and announced disciplinary action against officials who failed to perform. He underlined the urgent need for modern and efficient drainage systems to mitigate the impact of extreme weather in the future, ensuring urban ... -
Dawn - 06:45 Aug 21, 2025
Frank Caprio, a retired municipal judge in United States’ Rhode Island who found online fame as a caring jurist, passed away on Monday aged 88. Judge Caprio, host of ABC series ‘Caught in Providence’ was known for his kindness, even while serving justice. According to CNN, Caprio billed his courtroom as a place “where people and cases are met with kindness and compassion“. “Judge Frank Caprio passed away peacefully at the age of 88 after a long and courageous battle with pancreatic cancer,” said a post on the social media-famous judge’s Facebook account. “Beloved for his compassion, humility, and unwavering belief in the goodness of people, Judge Caprio touched the lives of millions through his work in the courtroom and beyond,” the post recalled. “His warmth, humour and kindness left an indelible mark on all who knew him […] In his honour, may we each strive to bring a little more compassion into the world — just as he did every day.” Videos of Caprio “treating defendants with empathy and respect gained more... -
Dawn - 06:26 Aug 21, 2025
Olympic boxing champion Imane Khelif has denied claims made by her former manager that she has retired from the sport, saying she is still training regularly. Algerian Khelif and Taiwan’s Lin Yu-ting were in the spotlight at the Paris Games last year over their eligibility after they had been disqualified from the 2023 World Championships by the IBA, which said sex chromosome tests had ruled them ineligible. However, they competed in the women’s category in Paris after being cleared by the International Olympic Committee, with both winning gold medals in their weight classes. Khelif has not competed since her win in Paris. In an interview with French newspaper Nice-Matin on Wednesday, Khelif’s former manager Nasser Yesfah said she had “left the world of boxing”. In a follow-up interview with the same newspaper hours later, Yesfah clarified he was only referring to Khelif’s boxing commitments in the city of Nice, where she was previously part of the Nice Azur club. Khelif criticised Yesfah’s comments in a post... -
Dawn - 05:36 Aug 21, 2025
• In a letter, two senior judges reject CJP’s explanation about not convening full court on 26th Amendment controversy • Letter says CJP’s response, now in public domain, neither provides valid reason nor legal justification for not convening full court ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court’s decision to make public the minutes of the committee meeting held on Oct 31, 2024 — convened to call a full court session to determine the vires (validity) of the 26th Constitutional Amendment — has caused a considerable stir on the judicial front. Two notes from Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Yahya Afridi were uploaded on the SC’s official website on August 14, reviving the debate on 26th Amendment controversy. On Wednesday, a letter surfaced from two senior judges of the Supreme Court, Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Munib Akhtar. The letter appeared to be a response to the publication of the minutes of the three-judge committee formed under the Supreme Court (Practice and Procedure) Act, 2023. The two judges had co... -
Dawn - 02:57 Aug 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Confusion arose on Wednesday after different government notifications appeared to contradict each other regarding the donation of federal cabinet members’ salaries for flood victims in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit-Baltistan. The finance division issued a notification suggesting the withdrawal of a directive for cabinet members to donate a month’s salary. However, another notification from the same division stated that the one-day pay of senior bureaucrats from Grades 19 to 22 will be donated to the flood victims. Meanwhile, officials at the Prime Minister’s Office clarified that the decision to donate one month’s salary of cabinet members has not been withdrawn, and that their salaries will be donated to the flood-hit people through another notification issued by the cabinet division. The cabinet division’s notification said: “The prime minister has been pleased to direct that all federal ministers, ministers of state, advisers and special assistants to the prime minister shall contribute one mo...
7447 items