Dawn
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Dawn - 12:09 Jul 31, 2025
Pakistan successfully launched a remote sensing satellite from a launch centre in China on Thursday that aims to strengthen Pakistan’s agricultural monitoring and disaster management, among other capabilities, according to a Foreign Office statement. Pakistan has held strong bilateral relations with China which has supported it through many investments and development projects such as the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), termed as a “lifeline” for the country’s economy. “In a major milestone for space exploration and technological progress, Pakistan today successfully launched its Remote Sensing Satellite from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (XSLC) in China,” a statement by the foreign ministry said. The satellite was launched by Pakistan’s national space agency, the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco), in collaboration with the China Electronics Technology Group Corporation (CETC) and Microsat China, according to the ministry. According to the statement, the satellit... -
Dawn - 12:07 Jul 31, 2025
United States President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the sweeping tariffs he has imposed on nations around the world were making the country “great and rich again”, as governments raced to strike deals with Washington less than 24 hours before an August 1 deadline. “Tariffs are making America great and rich again,” he wrote on his Truth Social platform. “One year ago, America was a dead country, now it is the ‘hottest’ country anywhere in the world,” he added. A day earlier, the US president imposed new tariffs to punish or favour several major trading partners — the latest round of sweeping measures that have roiled markets around the world. South Korea squeezed in at the last moment, securing agreement on a 15 per cent tariff for exports to the US — significantly below the 25pc that Trump had earlier threatened to introduce. But Trump also announced crippling 50pc tariffs on Brazil and a 25pc levy on Indian exports, while warning Canada it would face trade repercussions for planning to recognise a Pal... -
Dawn - 11:38 Jul 31, 2025
Experts have welcomed the announcement of a trade deal struck between the US and Pakistan on Wednesday night that includes a partnership in developing oil reserves in the country. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is currently in Washington for negotiations on a tariff deal and also began meetings with senior US officials yesterday. United States President Donald Trump said early on Thursday that his administration has struck a trade deal with Pakistan that includes joint development of the country’s “massive” oil reserves. “We are in the process of choosing the oil company that will lead this partnership. Who knows, maybe they’ll be selling oil to India someday!” Trump said on social media. A post by US President Donald Trump on Truth Social in which he announced that a trade deal between Pakistan and the US had been reached, on July 31, 2025. — realDonaldTrump via Truth Social Additional details of the agreement were not immediately available; however, local experts welcome the development with a positive... -
Dawn - 11:25 Jul 31, 2025
PML-N Senator Irfanul Haque Siddiqui has strongly denied rumours that party chief and ex-PM Nawaz Sharif intends to run for president or is making a political comeback. His statement comes amid speculations earlier that President Asif Ali Zardari would resign from his post. However, the news was rejected across the political spectrum. Speaking on Dawn News programme ‘Doosra Rukh’ on Wednesday night, Siddiqui categorically denied any such developments, saying, “Nawaz Sharif has neither expressed a desire to become president, nor has there been a discussion about it. “There is no truth to speculation that Nawaz Sharif is trying to change the system to become president himself. These are baseless, table stories.” He added that there was a time when it was inconceivable that Zardari would become the president, but the decision was made due to the situation, timing and political climate. Siddiqui had earlier also denied reports of Zardari’s resignation. Speaking on Geo News programme ‘Geo Pakistan’, he said: “Repo... -
Dawn - 09:12 Jul 31, 2025
Sindh Rangers branch and Malir Police on Thursday carried out a joint operation and arrested six suspects for allegedly stealing goods from cargo trucks and kidnapping truck drivers on the outskirts of Karachi, according to a statement from Sindh Rangers. Per the statement, Pakistan Rangers (Sindh) and Police, acting on sensitive intelligence information, conducted a joint operation in the Korangi area of Karachi. “During the operation, six suspects involved in international drug trafficking were arrested,” the statement said. “Among them was Irfan alias Irfanullah, an Afghan national and a key member of the network. This year, he had been using intercity buses and trucks to transport drugs to various parts of the country.” It said that for the past several months, the suspects had robbed trucks transporting cargo from Karachi to other parts of Pakistan, kidnapped drivers, and moved them to an undisclosed location. “After stealing the items from the loaded trucks, they would leave the vehicles in an isolated ... -
Dawn - 06:42 Jul 31, 2025
At least three people died and another three were injured in separate roof collapse incidents due to heavy rains across Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, rescue officials said on Thursday. Monsoon rains, which fall across the region from June to September every year, continue to lash many parts of the country. Starting in late June, Monsoon rains have wreaked havoc across the country in the past month by triggering deadly floods, landslides and displacement, particularly in vulnerable, poorly drained, or densely populated areas. In Lakki Marwat’s Sarai Naurang tehsil, three people were reported dead, including two women and a 15-year-old boy, when the roof of a room in their house collapsed amid heavy rain, according to a Rescue 1122 statement. The Rescue 1122 team has cleared the debris and recovered the bodies of the deceased from the site of the incident, which were transferred to Tehsil Headquarters Hospital in Sarai Naurang, said the statement. Meanwhile, in a separate incident in Bannu, at least two others — includin... -
Dawn - 05:09 Jul 31, 2025
KARACHI: Pakistan faces another challenging year of external debt servicing in FY26, requiring significant rollovers to manage repayments totalling $25.9 billion, including $22bn in principal and $4bn in interest. According to a report by Topline Securities, the country will need to arrange a net financing of $10bn, comprising $6bn in principal and $4bn in interest, after accounting for expected rollovers and refinancing. In a briefing to analysts and researchers after announcing a status quo in the monetary policy on Wednesday, State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed said foreign exchange reserves are projected to reach $15.5bn by December 2025 and $17.5bn by June 2026. Any proceeds from international bond issuances, such as Eurobonds or Sukuk, would be over and above this target. The governor added that Pakistan is due to repay $1.8bn in FY26 on account of two maturing Eurobonds — one of $800 million and the other of $1bn. Islamabad must arrange $10bn net external financing in FY26; SBP says total repayments reach... -
Dawn - 04:53 Jul 31, 2025
LARKANA: Police rescued a woman and her two minor children on Wednesday who allegedly attempted suicide along with them by jumping into the Rice Canal. An official at the Civil Lines police station identified the woman as Farida Chandio, resident of Rasool Abad locality, and the children as three-year-old Usman and two-year-old Sadaf. When she jumped into the canal, policemen present on the spot rescued and shifted her to the women’s police station. Later, police produced her in the court of the fourth additional and sessions judge. Farida told the court that five years ago, she was married to Shahid Hussain Chandio. She said her husband was of a suspicious nature and used to abuse her physically over false accusations, putting her and children’s lives at risk. She requested for protection. The woman refused to return to her husband or go with her brothers and instead wished to stay at a shelter home (Darul Aman) for some time. She was shifted to Darul Aman after the court passed an order. Published in Dawn, ... -
Dawn - 04:39 Jul 31, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The business community has voiced serious concerns over the abrupt withdrawal of a promised Rs7.41 per unit electricity relief and the prolonged outage of the 969-megawatt Neelum-Jhelum Hydropower Project (NJHP), warning of accelerating de-industrialisation. These grievances surfaced during a public hearing held by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra), on the Central Power Purchasing Agency’s (CPPA) request for a Rs8.7bn refund — equal to 65 paise per unit — to consumers due to lower-than-expected fuel costs in June. Nepra members Amina Ahmed and Anwar Maqsood Khan presided over the session. Several industrialists, referencing a recent meeting with Field Marshal Asim Munir, lamented that the prime minister’s announcement in March of Rs7.41 per unit tariff relief was not time-bound, yet its impact had dwindled. The actual reduction now stands at just Rs1.15 per unit in base tariff terms. As a result, applicable power rates have surged from around Rs30 per unit to Rs34-35 from Jul... -
Dawn - 18:39 Jul 30, 2025
A formidable new radar satellite jointly developed by the United States and India launched on Wednesday, designed to track subtle changes in Earth’s land and ice surfaces and help predict both natural and human-caused hazards. Dubbed NISAR (Nasa-ISRO Synthetic Aperture Radar), the pickup truck-sized spacecraft blasted off around 5:40pm (5:10pm PKT) from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre on India’s southeastern coast, riding an ISRO Geosynchronous Satellite Launch Vehicle rocket. A livestream of the event showed excited schoolchildren brought to watch the launch and mission teams erupting in cheers and hugging. Highly anticipated by scientists, the mission has also been hailed by US President Donald Trump and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a milestone in growing cooperation between the two countries. “Congratulations India!” Dr Jitendra Singh, India’s science and technology minister, wrote on X, calling the mission a “game changer”. “Our planet’s surface undergoes constant and meaningful change,” Karen St... -
Dawn - 18:15 Jul 30, 2025
The Pakistani veterans team advanced into the World Championship of Legends (WCL) final on Wednesday after Indian players forfeited the semi-final scheduled for Thursday. The WCL is an international cricket league where retired, non-contracted international players return to competitive T20 cricket, according to the league’s website. The tournament commenced on July 18 and is being held in Birmingham, England. Earlier in the month, a group match between the two teams was also cancelled after Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to play against Pakistan. In a statement posted on X today, WCL organisers announced: “Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final.” The WCL said it respected the India Champions’ decision to withdraw from the semi-finals and “we equally respect the Pakistan Champions’ readiness to compete”. The league organisers added they believed in ... -
Dawn - 17:50 Jul 30, 2025
Thousands lined the streets of UK city Birmingham on Wednesday to pay an emotional farewell to hometown hero Ozzy Osbourne as the heavy metal hellraiser was laid to rest. Black Sabbath frontman Osbourne, who earned the nickname the “Prince of Darkness” and once bit a bat while on stage, died on July 22 at the age of 76. He had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease in 2019 and died 17 days after playing a final gig to a sold-out crowd in Birmingham. Osbourne’s funeral procession set off at around 1200 GMT (5pm PKT) on a route planned with the rocker’s family through the English city. Chants of “Ozzy! Ozzy! Ozzy!” could be heard, with one fan crying out “we love you Ozzy!” as his coffin — sitting in a stately black Jaguar hearse topped with flower arrangements — and other vehicles crawled by. The procession, which earlier passed the star’s childhood home in the city’s Aston area, was accompanied by a live brass band performance by local musicians from Bostin’ Brass. Fan Mhairi Larner said it was “overwhelming... -
Dawn - 17:23 Jul 30, 2025
The federal cabinet on Wednesday marked major reforms after key decisions in strategic areas, including the approval of the National Artificial Intelligence (AI) Policy 2025. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif chaired a meeting of the federal cabinet today, which unanimously approved the National AI Policy 2025, designed to create a complete AI ecosystem in the country. The policy aims to democratise access to artificial intelligence, enhance public services and open up new employment and innovation avenues. “Our youth are Pakistan’s greatest asset. Providing them with education, skills, and equal opportunities in AI is a top priority,” PM Shehbaz said. The AI policy outlined training a million AI professionals by 2030, establishing an AI Innovation Fund and AI Venture Fund to boost private sector involvement, creating 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 local AI products in the next five years. It also called for the distribution of 3,000 annual AI scholarships and facilitation of 1,000 research projects, i... -
Dawn - 17:09 Jul 30, 2025
Incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan’s son Kasim Khan has highlighted that his father was jailed in “really poor conditions” that were “getting worse by the moment”. Imran’s sons — Sulaiman Khan, 28, and Kasim, 26 — called attention to their father’s incarceration for the first time publicly in May. Earlier this month, Imran’s sister Aleema Khan said Sulaiman and Kasim will go to the United States before coming to Pakistan as part of a movement calling for the ex-premier’s release. The siblings visited the US and engaged US lawmakers on the issue of their father’s incarceration. Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a sentence at the Adiala Jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. In an interview on US media outlet Real America’s Voice shared today, Kasim said, “Right now he’s in really, really poor conditions and it looks like they’re getting worse and worse by the moment. So we’re looking for any way ou... -
Dawn - 17:09 Jul 30, 2025
United States President Donald Trump’s administration, seeking to ease an uproar plaguing his presidency, urged two judges to release testimony to a grand jury that indicted Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell on sex trafficking charges. In late-night court filings on Tuesday, US federal prosecutors said unsealing the materials would be appropriate given the “abundant public interest” in the case of Epstein, the late financier, and Maxwell, an imprisoned British socialite. The Republican Trump had promised to make public Epstein-related files if reelected and accused Democrats of covering up the truth. But this month, the Department of Justice (DOJ) said a previously touted Epstein client list did not in fact exist, angering Trump’s supporters. DOJ first sought court permission on July 18 to make public transcripts of the confidential testimony given by witnesses years ago in the two cases, but Manhattan-based US District Judges Richard Berman and Paul Engelmayer asked the government to flesh out the legal ... -
Dawn - 17:01 Jul 30, 2025
United States President Donald Trump on Wednesday imposed a 25 per cent tariff on goods imported from India starting August 1, along with an unspecified penalty for buying Russian weapons and oil, potentially straining relations with the world’s most populous democracy. The US decision singles out India more severely than other major trading partners, and threatens to unravel months of talks between the two countries, undermining a key strategic partner of Washington and a counterbalance to China. In posts on his social platform Truth Social, he said the US had a “massive trade deficit” with India. In another post, he said: “Remember, while India is our friend, we have, over the years, done relatively little business with them because their tariffs are far too high, among the highest in the world and they have the most strenuous and obnoxious non-monetary trade barriers of any country. “Also, they have always bought a vast majority of their military equipment from Russia, and are Russia’s largest buyer of ene... -
Dawn - 16:36 Jul 30, 2025
Four suspected members of a banned separatist militant group were arrested in Karachi on Tuesday over charges of killing a man in Matli in Badin district, according to the Counter-Terrorism Department. “The Karachi CTD and a federal intelligence agency jointly carried out an IBO [intelligence-based operation] at Drigh Road Station in Karachi and arrested four suspects,” according to a CTD press statement issued on Wednesday. “They were arrested at a time when they were coming from Punjab to Karachi by train,” the press release added. During interrogation, the suspects confessed that they had gunned down a man identified as Abdul Rehman in Matli on May 18, 2025, where a case was registered under terror charges. “The weapon used in the murder has also been recovered from their custody, which has been sent to the police’s forensic science lab for investigation purposes,” the press release added. The suspects also admitted that they had stayed at a hotel in Hyderabad for five days for the purpose of carrying out ... -
Dawn - 16:22 Jul 30, 2025
German mountaineer Laura Dahlmeier, who went missing two days ago while attempting to scale Gilgit-Baltistan’s Laila Peak (6,096 metres), was confirmed dead on Wednesday, according to officials. Mountains in the north of Pakistan are a popular destination for adventure tourism, with many climbers aiming to summit prestigious peaks such as K2 and Nanga Parbat. However, rough terrain and harsh weather conditions create a challenge, frequently causing deaths and injuries. She was climbing in alpine style with her partner, Marina Eva, also from Germany. Dahlmeier was at an altitude of approximately 5,700m when she was hit by the rock on Monday afternoon, while Eva was below her on the mountain at the time. Despite being injured, Dahlmeier managed to communicate with her partner, but Eva was unable to reach her. A coordinated rescue operation was launched, involving Pakistan Army Aviation helicopters and local high-altitude porters. However, adverse weather and the difficult terrain prevented helicopters from land... -
Dawn - 16:12 Jul 30, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur announced on Wednesday that a series of jirgas will be convened from August 2 to decide on future steps on a wide array of concerns among the province’s residents. The provincial government has opposed the newly launched military operation in Bajaur unless it is taken into confidence by the Centre and has vowed to lift a three-day curfew imposed in the district’s 16 areas yesterday. Security forces backed by gunship helicopters and artillery launched ‘Operation Sarbakaf’ against terrorists in the Lowi Mamund tehsil on Tuesday. Tribal elders in Bajaur and some other KP districts have long opposed any military operation, citing concerns over displacement. Although not confirmed officially by security forces, sources said that at least four terrorists were killed, around 12 were wounded, and about 10 were captured alive in different areas of the Lowi Mamund tehsil. Locals also claimed that a child was among two civilians who died, and eight others, including tw... -
Dawn - 15:26 Jul 30, 2025
The Punjab Police on Wednesday said they arrested a man suspected of molesting a minor girl in Multan district after a video of the incident went viral online. The video of the incident did the rounds on social media earlier in the week and generated intense criticism with calls for the suspect to be arrested, particularly as it came after the police arrested a man after footage showing him allegedly molesting a minor girl in Kasur district also went viral online. A statement issued by the Multan Crime Control Department (CCD) today said: “The man who attempted to sexually assault a girl was arrested in an ‘injured’ condition.” The incident occurred on July 15 in Mustafa Colony, Rashidabad area, with the limits of Bahauddin Zakaria Police Station when “an unknown person tried to sexually assault a girl in the street and fled from the scene”, according to the statement. A case was registered under Section 377B (unnatural offences with a minor) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) at the BZ Police Station and the i...
9196 items