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Found 10706 news

  • 'Illegal, unacceptable': Pakistan, 13 other nations condemn Somaliland's announcement of opening embassy in Jerusalem
    Dawn - 11:30 May 24, 2026
    Pakistan, along with 13 other nations, on Sunday condemned the “illegal and unacceptable step” of the so-called Somaliland opening a “purported” embassy in occupied Jerusalem, terming it an “infringement on the legal and historical status of Jerusalem,” the Foreign Office (FO) said. Somaliland is a breakaway region of Somalia. In December 2025, Israel became the first country to formally recognise the self-declared Republic of Somaliland as an independent and sovereign state. Somalia rejected this move and termed a “deliberate attack” on its sovereignty. On May 19, it was announced that Somaliland would set up an embassy in Jerusalem soon. Subsequently, the foreign ministries of Pakistan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Jordan, Lebanon, Turkiye, Indonesia, Djibouti, Somalia, Palestine, Oman, Sudan, and Yemen condemned “the illegal and unacceptable step taken by the so-called ‘Somaliland’ region in opening a purported ‘embassy’ in occupied Jerusalem”. “This constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and...
    Tags: Pakistan Jerusalem
  • Gunman killed by US Secret Service after opening fire near White House
    Dawn - 11:26 May 24, 2026
    A gunman opened fire near the White House on Saturday evening, with US Secret Service agents killing the assailant in a shoot-out during which a bystander was also struck, authorities said. President Donald Trump was in the White House at the time — on a day when he was working to negotiate a deal with Iran — but was not impacted by the incident, Secret Service communications chief Anthony Guglielmi said in a statement. The confrontation took place just after 6pm (3am PKT) when a man near the White House security perimeter “pulled a weapon from his bag and began firing”. “Secret Service Police returned fire striking the suspect who was transported to an area hospital where he was pronounced deceased. During the shooting one bystander was also struck by gunfire,” Guglielmi said, without giving details on the bystander’s condition. Multiple US media identified the suspect as Nasire Best, 21, of Maryland, reporting that Best had a history of mental health concerns and had multiple prior interactions with Secret ...
    Tags: Secret Service White House
  • Heatstroke kills 16 in southern India as temperatures climb
    Dawn - 09:57 May 24, 2026
    At least 16 people have died of heatstroke in southern India so far this summer, officials said on Sunday, as a heatwave grips swathes of the country following official health warnings. India is no stranger to scorching summers but years of scientific research have found climate change is causing heatwaves to become longer, more frequent and more intense. Temperatures in several cities across the country of 1.4 billion people have recently hovered well above 45 degrees Celsius. The deaths were reported in the southern state of Telangana, with revenue minister Ponguleti Srinivasa Reddy calling for “statewide vigilance” to safeguard public health. “The intensity of the heat has reached unprecedented levels” and officials in Telangana should issue advance warnings about precautions to be taken during heatwaves, Reddy’s office said in a statement. Health experts say that extreme heat can lead to dehydration that thickens the blood and, in particularly severe cases, causes organs to shut down. The local government...
    Tags: India
  • TikToker held in Faisalabad for using obscene language for female tourists in Naran
    Dawn - 07:31 May 24, 2026
    TOBA TEK SINGH: A TikToker from Faisalabad, who made a video using obscene words about women at lake Saiful Muluk, was arrested on his return home. According to details, Yousuf, a resident of Chak 236 RB Faisalabad, allegedly made a video of female tourists present at lake Saif-ul-Muluk in Naran a few days ago and used obscene language for them. The accused later uploaded the video on social media. The Roshanwala Police identified the accused and registered a case against him on the complaint of ASI Mubashir Hafeez and arrested him on Saturday. In a video statement after his arrest, the suspect ‘confessed’ to making videos of women as a profession and using obscene words about them. He claimed in the video that the police had ‘convinced’ him and had also “updated his software”. He said, “I sincerely apologise to my mothers and sisters. All TikTokers should consider women as their mothers and sisters and think a thousand times before making such videos”. RAPE: A 16-year-old girl suffering from cancer was alleg...
    Tags: Faisalabad Naran TikToker
  • More facts surface ahead of high profile One Constitution project case hearing
    Dawn - 06:18 May 24, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: As the Islamabad High Court (IHC) is set to resume hearing on the high-profile One Constitution project on Monday, intriguing new facts have surfaced in the court record, including a 2012 interim arbitration award issued by incumbent Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif and a former chamber president to resolve disputes between two main partners. The arbitration award, dated September 13, 2012, was issued by Khawaja Asif and Mian Hamid Javed, former president of the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries. The agreement was meant to settle differences between Abdul Hafeez Sheikh of M BNP and Nadeem Zia Pirzada of M/s Paragon regarding the five-star hotel project. According to the settlement placed on record, the parties agreed that BNP’s ownership would ultimately be 75 per cent with Sheikh and 25 per cent with Pirzada, subject to a forensic audit to determine financial contributions, loans and liabilities. Interestingly, the award records that bank loans taken by Sheikh and his family for ...
    Tags: One Constitution
  • Karachi Museum of History to be built by the seaside
    Dawn - 05:11 May 24, 2026
    • CM, city mayor among others perform groundbreaking of the landmark project at Clifton’s Beach View Park • Murad says museum will preserve stories and legacy of migrants, traders, intellectuals for generations to come KARACHI: For now, it is only a piece of turf by the seaside. But this part of the Beach View Park in Clifton is where a new, one of its kind, digitally interactive museum to preserve and celebrate the history and heritage of Sindh and the Pakistan independence movement will come up soon. It is where the Sindh government, the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) and the Citizens Archive of Pakistan (CAP) hosted the ground-breaking ceremony of the Karachi Museum of History on a very breezy Saturday afternoon. Planned as a landmark cultural and educational space, the Karachi Museum of History will be built on globally recognised museum practices to create an immersive cultural institution that brings Pakistan’s independence and Sindh’s 5,000-year history to life through storytelling, technology,...
    Tags: Karachi Museum History
  • Neighbour to a superpower
    Dawn - 04:44 May 24, 2026
    AS Pakistan and China celebrate 75 years of diplomatic relations, an important question emerges that goes beyond symbolism: what direction will the relationship take in a rapidly changing world and regional order? No longer merely a rising power, China is now in the ranks of global superpowers alongside America. This transformation has profound implications for Pakistan. Sharing borders with an emerging superpower presents opportunities, dependencies, pressures and strategic dilemmas that Pakistan has never experienced before. Pakistan’s long association with the US has seen fluctuating phases of cooperation, mistrust and tra­­nsactional alignments. Geographic distance was a critical factor that allowed Pakistan to have divergent strategic priorities. Washington not only tolerated it but also took advantage whenever needed. But with China, it is a different story. The relationship is rooted in strategic convergence, regional connectivity, defence cooperation and political trust developed over decades. Yet Chi...
  • Cooling appliances’ demand surges ahead of Eidul Azha
    Dawn - 04:36 May 24, 2026
    KARACHI: The lament of rising cost of living notwithstanding, the sale of appliances like refrigerators and deep freezers has picked up in the run-up to Eidul Azha. Although peak summer is creating extra demand for cooling gadgets, dealers claim that prices remain the same as of last year. Sohail Malik, finance secretary of the Karachi Electronic Dealers Association (KEDA), told Dawn that “the sales of fridge and deep freezers have been 25-30 per cent higher during this Eid season than last year, while the number of ACs sold shows no big difference”. To avoid any risk of losing a sizable quantity of meat, many families are buying new cooling appliances, he said. Consumers usually keep Qurbani meat frozen for at least two to three months. Sale of refrigerators, deep freezers jumps by a quarter Before the sighting of Eidul Azha moon, airconditioner was the appliance most in demand, but after the sighting of Eidul Azha moon, consumers’ focus has shifted towards fridge and deep freezers, Sohail Malik pointed out....
    Tags: Eidul Azha
  • PTI denounces crackdown on ‘nationwide protest’
    Dawn - 03:55 May 24, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: A day after its members protested in different parts of the country, the PTI spo­kesperson on Saturday denou­n­ced the government for an alle­ged crackdown on the ‘nationwide protests’ and demanded the release of a few workers detained by the authorities. In a statement, PTI Inform­at­­ion Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram claimed a large number of PTI supporters took to the streets on Friday despite the hurdles created by the government. He alleged pre-dawn raids, fabricated cases, and heavy police deployment to stop the protesters, who “rejected the government and took to the streets in large numbers”. He claimed the PTI protest proved “public power” could not be crushed by using force while condemning the arrests of protesters and demanding their immediate, unconditional release. He dismissed the government’s portrayal of family meetings with Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as “confidence-building measures,” calling it “cynical theatre”. He pointed out that these were the basic constitutional rights, not ...
  • Civilians must not be attacked ‘anywhere’, Pakistan tells UNSC
    Dawn - 03:40 May 24, 2026
    • Envoy urges return to US-facilitated peace talks, ceasefire to end Ukraine war • Unicef warns children are paying the price of conflict UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan has called for an immediate ceasefire and renewed diplomatic efforts to end the war in Ukraine, warning the UN Security Council that the escalating conflict is exacting a devastating toll on civilians, including children. Speaking at an emergency meeting on Friday, convened after a reported strike on a college dormitory in the Russian-occupied Luhansk region, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UN, Asim Iftikhar Ahmad, said the worsening humanitarian situation demanded urgent action. “We are deeply perturbed by the escalation in fighting lately and the consequential worsening humanitarian impact,” Mr Ahmad told the 15-member council. He underscored that civilians must not be attacked in situations of armed conflict anywhere, calling for purposeful efforts to end this protracted conflict. “Military means cannot bring lasting peace. Only a resolute commitmen...
    Tags: Pakistan
  • Records of charges against US Capitol rioters removed
    Dawn - 03:37 May 24, 2026
    • Thousands of Trump supporters stormed building in 2021 during certification of Biden’s victory • Over 1,500 people were charged after riot • Justice Dept says press releases deleted from website WASHINGTON: The US Justice Department has removed from its website hundreds of press releases detailing criminal charges brought against individuals involved in the Jan 6, 2021 attack on the US Congress, according to media reports. The Jan 6 attack happened after Donald Trump lost the 2020 presidential election to Joe Biden. Trump repeatedly claimed that the election was stolen from him. Thousands of Trump supporters marched to the Capitol building while Congress was meeting to officially confirm Biden’s victory. Rioters broke through police barriers, smashed windows and entered the building. Lawmakers were forced to hide or flee. Several people died and many police officers were injured. After the attack, the Justice Department carried out one of the biggest investigations in US history. More than 1,500 people were...
    Tags: Capitol
  • SC upholds consecutive life terms in multiple murder cases
    Dawn - 02:53 May 24, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has affirmed that imposing concurrent sentences in cases involving multiple murders substantially diminishes the seriousness of additional offences and artificially equates the taking of one life with the taking of several. “To direct all sentences to merge into one concurrent term in cases of multiple murders would substantially dilute the gravity of the additional offences and create an artificial equivalence between the taking of one life and the taking of several,” observed Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar in a judgement he authored. Justice Kakar, who headed a three-judge SC bench comprising Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, heard a jail petition filed by Qaiser Abbas against a May 11, 2018, judgement of the Lahore High Court. Qaiser Abbas was convicted of killing Faiza Bibi and Abiha on June 23, 2011. The prosecution stated a quarrel had taken place a month earlier between the deceased, Faiza Bibi, the complainant’s wife, and Shameem Bibi, the petitio...
  • 25 terrorists killed in Bannu clash
    Dawn - 02:40 May 24, 2026
    • Two policemen, two civilians also martyred in exchange of fire • Police defuse 10kg bomb planted near mosque BANNU: A fierce clash erupted on Saturday between police, a peace committee and terrorists in the Barakzai Akh­undkhel area of Miryan tehsil in Bannu district, leaving at least 25 terrorists dead and several others injured, police said. Two police personnel and two civilians were martyred in the exchange of fire, while seven policemen and three civilians sustained injuries. District Police Officer Yasir Afridi told Dawn that more than 25 terrorists were killed during the police operation. According to sources, the police peace committee received information about the presence of a large number of terrorists in the area and immediately launched an operation. The Lakki Marwat police peace committee also arrived to support the Bannu police. Terrorists had erected barricades at various points along the routes, which police managed to clear while advancing. Police sources said that despite intense firing,...
    Tags: Bannu
  • US-Iran deal in sight as CDF wraps up trip
    Dawn - 02:20 May 24, 2026
    • ISPR says ‘intensive negotiations’ resulted in ‘encouraging progress’ towards agreement • Trump claims MoU on peace deal ‘largely negotiated’, will only sign when ‘we get everything we want’ • Tehran says accord in ‘finalisation’ stage • Ghalibaf asserts Iran has rebuilt military capabilities during lull in fighting ISLAMABAD: Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir concluded a high-stakes visit to Tehran on Saturday after intense negotiations that produced encouraging progress towards a final understanding between Iran and the United States to end the conflict. The two-day visit marked the most consequential mediation effort since the direct talks hosted by Pakistan last month. According to the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Field Marshal Munir had held “high-level engagements” with the Iranian leadership “as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and constructive engagement”. “The discussions remained focused upon expediting the consultative process underway t...
  • In Spectrum: Memory, migration and making of Lahore’s urban soul (Part-I)
    Dawn - 01:56 May 24, 2026
    In Lahore, food is never merely food. It is memory, migration, performance, class, longing and history carried on the tongue. Few places embody this truth more vividly than Gawalmandi, the dense and storied neighbourhood in central Lahore whose narrow streets, smoky grills, old facades and crowded eateries became inseparable from the cultural imagination of the city. To speak of Gawalmandi is to speak of Lahore itself: a city built through displacement, improvisation, coexistence and reinvention. Until recently, Gawalmandi has been celebrated primarily for its famous Food Street, for sizzling kebabs, fragrant hareesa, fried fish, doodh-jalebi and late-night crowds that gather under strings of lights. Yet reducing Gawalmandi to a culinary destination alone would flatten its layered historical significance. The neighbourhood is also a site through which one can understand urban modernity in South Asia, the social consequences of Partition, and the transformation of everyday life in postcolonial cities. Through ...
    Tags: Lahore
  • Four CTD men martyred in operation near Quetta
    Dawn - 01:55 May 24, 2026
    QUETTA: As many as 13 terrorists were killed, while four Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) personnel were martyred and six others injured during separate operations conducted by the CTD and security forces in the Panjpai and Noshar areas on the outskirts of Quetta, and in Pishin. A spokesperson for CTD said that nine terrorists belonging to a banned outfit were killed, while four Counter-Terrorism Depart­ment personnel were martyred and six others injured during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) conducted by the CTD and security forces in the Panjpai and Noshar areas near Quetta district on Saturday. He said the operation was carried out on the outskirts of Quetta after authorities received information about the presence of terrorists. “A heavy gun battle continued for more than three hours. Nine terrorists were killed, while four CTD personnel embraced martyrdom and six others were injured in the intense exchange of fire,” the spokesperson said. 13 terrorists killed during IBOs in Pishin, Panjpai and No...
    Tags: Quetta
  • ‘Clever and street-smart’: Police say Anmol did not employ anyone permanently
    Dawn - 20:25 May 23, 2026
    KARACHI: Anmol alias Pinky, an alleged cocaine queenpin arrested by police in Karachi, is ‘clever and street-smart’ as she did not hire anyone on a permanent basis in her narcotics trade, South Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said on Saturday. DIG Asad told Dawn that the her associates supplied cocaine to customers through a network of 35 riders across the country. “She started her own network in Lahore after ending a 10-year marriage with her husband, Rana Nasir, who was also an alleged drug dealer, accusing him of domestic violence,” the senior police official said. He elaborated that around nine or ten riders working for the accused had been arrested in Karachi’s Clifton and Defence areas. “The accused hired lawyers and paid them fees to pursue the cases of the arrested riders. In addition, she remained in contact with different police officers,” DIG Asad said. According to details shared by the DIG, Anmol told investigators that she had wanted to become a model since childhood, but her famil...
    Tags: Anmol
  • 'Encouraging progress' made during CDF Munir's Tehran visit: ISPR
    Dawn - 17:34 May 23, 2026
    Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of the Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir conducted intensive negotiations with the Iranian leadership over the past 24 hours that have resulted in “encouraging progress towards a final understanding”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement on Saturday. The engagements with Iran’s senior leadership were held in a “positive and constructive environment” and contributed meaningfully to the ongoing mediation process, the military’s media wing said following the conclusion of the army chief’s Tehran visit. The visit came at a time when negotiations appeared to have moved beyond political signalling into detailed bargaining over a narrow interim framework dealing with the Strait of Hormuz, Iran’s nuclear programme, sanctions relief and guarantees against renewed military action. “During the visit, the field marshal held high-level engagements with Iranian leadership as part of ongoing mediation efforts aimed at promoting de-escalation and constructive enga...
    Tags: ISPR Tehran
  • KP announces four Eid holidays from May 26 to 29
    Dawn - 17:21 May 23, 2026
    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced four Eid holidays from May 26 to May 29 (Tuesday to Friday), according to a notification issued on Saturday. Meanwhile, in a notification issued today, the Punjab government announced three Eid holidays from May 26 to May 28 (Tuesday to Thursday) in line with the federal government’s Eid holiday schedule. A day earlier, the Sindh government announced a four-day holiday, including Friday, the third day of Eidul Azha, in its holiday schedule. Eidul Azha will be celebrated across Pakistan from May 27 to May 29. The federal government on Wednesday announced a three-day public holiday from May 26-28 (Tuesday to Thursday) to mark Eidul Azha. According to a notification issued by the Cabinet Division, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif declared May 26 to 28 as “public holidays on the occasion of Eidul Azha”. The announcement was made after moon sighting testimonies were received from Karachi and other cities of Sindh, Mardan, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and some other areas. Celeb...
  • Traders’ coalition demands turnover tax be reduced to 0.5pc
    Dawn - 17:03 May 23, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: Traders’ coalition on Saturday demanded that the turnover tax be reduced to 0.5 per cent ahead of the upcoming federal budget, citing economic difficulties. Speaking at a news conference at the National Press Club in Islamabad, All Pakistan Anjuman-i-Tajiran and Traders Action Committee President Ajmal Baloch said the proposed turnover tax scheme was an excellent initiative that would free traders from “corruption and blackmail”. He appreciated the efforts of the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Finance Bilal Azhar Kiani and his team for introducing reforms in tax collection. “For the first time, serious negotiations were held with representatives of small traders, which largely proved successful after nearly one and a half months of discussions,” Baloch said. He said that if the government implemented the easy tax scheme, it would not only boost tax collection but also protect traders from difficulties created by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR). “If the scheme is approved and included in a long-term...
    Tags: Traders

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