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Dawn - 08:07 Jun 27, 2025
Bulls regained control of the trading floor as shares at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) climbed nearly 1,600 points at the close of the first session on Friday, a day after the passage of the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year. The KSE-100 index climbed 1581.77 points, or 1.3 per cent, to stand at 123,628.23 at the close of the first session, from the last close of 122,046.46 points. Awais Ashraf, director research at AKD Securities, said, “[The] passage of [the] federal budget with the absence of aggressive incremental revenue measures and slight relief for salaried and business is also well received by the investors.” The National Assembly on Thursday passed the federal budget for the FY25-26, with an outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, despite opposition calls for the budgetary proposals to be made public and for the passage to be delayed until public input had been sought. “The ceasefire between Iran and Israel has redirected investor focus toward improving macroeconomic fundamentals. Lower inflation ... -
Dawn - 07:54 Jun 27, 2025
India has deported without trial to Bangladesh hundreds of people, officials from both sides said, drawing condemnation from activists and lawyers who call the recent expulsions illegal and based on ethnic profiling. New Delhi says the people deported are undocumented migrants. The Hindu nationalist government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has long taken a hardline stance on immigration — particularly those from neighbouring Muslim-majority Bangladesh — with top officials referring to them as “termites” and “infiltrators”. It has also sparked fear among India’s estimated 200 million Muslims, especially among speakers of Bengali, a widely spoken language in both eastern India and Bangladesh. “Muslims, particularly from the eastern part of the country, are terrified,” said veteran Indian rights activist Harsh Mander. “You have thrown millions into this existential fear.” Bangladesh, largely encircled by land by India, has seen relations with New Delhi turn icy since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled Dhaka’s gov... -
Dawn - 07:19 Jun 27, 2025
Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir on Friday stressed the “indispensable” role of the civil bureaucracy within governance to probationary civil officers — as part of an initiative aimed at strengthening understanding between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, according to the military’s media wing. In the wake of recent Indian aggression, Field Marshal Asim Munir has repeatedly appreciated the strategic foresight of the country’s political leadership, and vice versa. On June 18, Field Marshal Asim Munir met with US President Donald Trump in a high-level meeting — marking the first time a US president has hosted top Pakistani military leadership. Today’s engagement is part of a broader initiative to strengthen “institutional synergy and mutual understanding” between Pakistan’s civil and military leadership, according to a statement by Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR). Field Marshal Asim Munir, while speaking to probationary officers of the 52nd common training program (CTP) of the Civil ... -
Dawn - 06:36 Jun 27, 2025
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke on Thursday with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif about recent developments in the Middle East, underlining a shared commitment to regional stability and non-proliferation amid renewed efforts to engage Iran. “Secretary of State Marco Rubio spoke today with Pakistani Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif regarding events in the Middle East. Secretary Rubio emphasised that Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon,” US State Department Spokesperson Tammy Bruce said in a statement. “The two leaders acknowledged the importance of working together to promote a durable peace between Israel and Iran and to maintain regional stability,” she added. The call highlights Washington’s growing engagement with Islamabad at a time when the Trump administration is reportedly exploring a new diplomatic initiative with Tehran, possibly “as early as next week”. Rubio’s statement that “Iran can never develop or acquire a nuclear weapon” will be interpreted in various ways in both Pa... -
Dawn - 06:12 Jun 27, 2025
Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh told his Chinese counterpart that the two countries should seek a “permanent solution” to their decades-old border dispute, India’s defence ministry said on Friday. Singh met China’s Dong Jun on the sidelines of the meeting of the defence ministers of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Qingdao on Thursday and stressed on solving issues between the two countries through a structured roadmap, the ministry said in a statement. The world’s two most populous nations — both nuclear powers — share a 3,800-km, largely undemarcated and disputed border in the Himalayas and have gone to war over it. Although the frontier has been mostly peaceful in recent decades, a deadly clash between their troops in 2020 resulted in the deaths of 20 Indian and four Chinese soldiers. The clash led to a four-year military standoff with both armies deploying tens of thousands of troops in the mountains until they reached a pact in October to step back, leading to a thaw in ties. During h... -
Dawn - 03:33 Jun 27, 2025
Japan executed a man on Friday who killed nine people after contacting them on social media, the first use of capital punishment in the country in nearly three years. Takahiro Shiraishi had been sentenced to death for his 2017 strangling and dismembering of eight women and one man in his apartment in Zama city in Kanagawa near Tokyo. He was dubbed the “Twitter killer” as he contacted victims via the social media platform. Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, who authorised Shiraishi’s hanging, said he made the decision after careful examination, taking into account the convict’s “extremely selfish” motive for crimes that “caused great shock andunrest to society.” It followed the execution in July 2022 of a man who went on a stabbing rampage in Tokyo’s shopping district Akihabara in 2008. It was also the first time a death penalty was carried out since Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s government was inaugurated last October. In September last year, a Japanese court acquitted Iwao Hakamada, who had spent the world’s... -
Dawn - 03:30 Jun 27, 2025
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei • In first appearance since truce with Israel, supreme leader hails ‘slap’ on the face of America • Hegseth insists strikes on N-facilities were successful • Iran’s legislature clears bill to suspend cooperation with IAEA TEHRAN / WASHINGTON: Even after Iran’s supreme leader accused President Donald Trump of exaggerating the impact of US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Washington continued to insist on the success of its actions, claiming that there was no evidence Tehran had been able to move any of its highly enriched uranium. In his first public appearance since a ceasefire in the war with Israel took hold, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei hailed what he termed a “victory” over Israel, vowing never to yield to US pressure and insisting that the US had been dealt a humiliating “slap”. “The American president exaggerated events in unusual ways, and it turned out that he needed this exaggeration,” Khamenei said, rejecting US claims Iran’s nuclear programme had been set back by decades. The str... -
Dawn - 03:09 Jun 27, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif greets PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari in the National Assembly during the final budget session.—APP • Bilawal supports budget, highlights increased funding for BISP, tax relief • Opposition objects to FBR’s arrest powers, says ‘most corrupt’ body turned into police force ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly on Thursday passed the federal budget for the upcoming fiscal year, with an outlay of Rs17.57 trillion, despite opposition calls for the budgetary proposals to be made public and for the passage to be delayed until public input had been sought. The House passed the Finance Bill for 2025 with certain amendments, incorporating around half of the suggestions put forward by the finance committees of both houses of parliament. All amendments proposed by the opposition were rejected. Speaking to lawmakers, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari explained why his party was supporting the federal budget. He highlighted an increase of 20 per cent in the allocation for the Bena... -
Dawn - 03:01 Jun 27, 2025
LAHORE: At least 10 persons were killed as heavy rain drenched cities across Punjab on Thursday, according to rescue officials and the provincial disaster management authority. Some districts in south Punjab were also hit by a strong windstorm. The weather brought much-needed relief after weeks of sweltering heat where temperatures increased to record levels. Rescue 1122 said it provided emergency services to 46 people in the last 24 hours, out of which 39 were hospitalised. Seven died in these emergencies. The most number of emergencies, eight, were reported in Okara, four in Multan, two each in Faisalabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Jhang and Chiniot and one each in Lahore, Kasur, Jhelum, Sahiwal, Murree, Muzaffargarh, Bahawalnagar and Khanewal. Two persons each died in Jhelum and Muzaffargarh and one each in Okara, Bahawalnagar and Khanewal. According to details, a 5-year-old girl, identified as Dua Fatima, died when a bamboo roof collapsed in Basti Riazabad in Okara. Two persons were also injured. In Jhelum, ... -
Dawn - 18:48 Jun 26, 2025
Magazine legend Anna Wintour is stepping down as editor of fashion bible US Vogue after 37 years in the post, US media reported on Thursday. British-born Wintour, 75, has been one of the most influential and formidable figures in fashion and magazine journalism for decades, famous for her ever-present sunglasses and unchanging bob haircut. She was widely seen as the inspiration behind The Devil Wears Prada, a hit 2003 novel and 2006 movie, in which the role of a tyrannical magazine editor was played by Meryl Streep. Wintour, who took the helm at US Vogue in 1988, announced her departure at a staff meeting, but she will stay on as group owner Conde Nast’s global chief content officer and as editorial director at Vogue, People magazine reported. Several other publications also reported this news. Wintour, who held the title of Vogue’s editor-in-chief, was made a British dame in 2017 and in February this year was made a companion of honour, joining a select group never numbering more than 65 recognised for major... -
Dawn - 18:18 Jun 26, 2025
Sindh Police has established a “Driving Training School” in Karachi in a bid to prevent road accidents, which have risen in the metropolis lately, a statement by the Sindh inspector general of police (IGP) said on Thursday. Karachi has lately witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles, including dumpers and water tankers, which killed nearly 500 people and injured 4,879 in 2024, according to hospital data. Last month, a woman was killed and her husband injured when a water tanker hit their motorcycle and ran them over in Korangi, prompting an angry mob to set the water tanker on fire. Sindh IGP spokesperson Syed Saad Ali revealed in the statement today that the driving school has been established at the Saeedabad Police Training College. “The Driving Training School will provide training in driving cars, motorcycles, as well as light transport vehicles and heavy transport vehicles,” the statement said. “Citizens will be taught driving and traffic rules during an 18-hour trainin... -
Dawn - 18:00 Jun 26, 2025
UN climate chief Simon Stiell urged countries on Thursday to accelerate negotiations ahead of the COP30 in Brazil, as there was a lot left to be done. Speaking after two weeks of technical talks in Bonn, Stiell closed the annual climate diplomacy event saying: “We need to go further, faster and fairer.” Bonn is home to the UN Climate Change Secretariat, which coordinates international climate policy and hosts preparatory talks each year ahead of climate summits. “I’m not going to sugar coat … we have a lot more to do before we meet again in Belem,” he said. COP30 is due to be held on November 10-21 in the Amazonian city, which is the capital of Para state. At last year’s UN COP29 summit in Azerbaijan, rich nations agreed to increase climate finance to $300 billion a year by 2035, an amount decried as woefully inadequate. Azerbaijan and Brazil, which is hosting this year’s COP30 conference, have launched an initiative to reduce the shortfall, with the expectation of “significant” contributions from internation... -
Dawn - 17:02 Jun 26, 2025
Defence ministers attending the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) meeting on Thursday failed to reach a consensus on a joint statement due to India’s refusal, while Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif reaffirmed the country’s commitment to combating terrorism and promoting regional peace and security within the SCO framework. The SCO is a 10-nation Eurasian security and political grouping whose members include China, Russia, Pakistan, India, and Iran. Their defence ministers’ meeting was held as a precursor to the annual summit of its leaders set for the autumn. Addressing the session, Asif condemned Israel’s recent 12-day war against Iran and stressed the importance of collective efforts to address evolving global and regional security challenges, state broadcaster PTV News reported. “Terrorism is a common threat. Pakistan calls on all states to desist from politicising the joint effort of the International Community to fight the means of terrorism to deflect attention from their internal failures... -
Dawn - 16:43 Jun 26, 2025
The Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee on Thursday announced that the Muharram moon has been sighted in the country, hence the first of Muharram will fall on June 27 (Friday). Accordingly, the Ashura — Muharram 10 — will be observed on July 6 (Sunday). Muharram is the first month of the Islamic calendar. It is also a month of mourning, observed in particular by Shia Muslims worldwide, commemorating the Battle of Karbala in 680 AD, where, amongst many, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him), Imam Husain, was martyred, and other family members were martyred or subjected to humiliation. A notification by The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, said, “In pursuance of the decision of the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee, in its meeting held today at Quetta, the Federal Government in the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Islamabad, hereby announces that the moon of Muharram-ul- haram 1447 AH has been sighted.” “Therefore, the 1... -
Dawn - 15:25 Jun 26, 2025
The United States consulates in Karachi and Lahore on Thursday requested that all applicants for F, M or J nonimmigrant visas make their social media accounts public for vetting, after similar instructions were issued by the US Embassy in Delhi earlier this week. US President Donald Trump’s administration on Wednesday ordered the resumption of student visa appointments but significantly tightened its social media vetting in a bid to identify any applicants who may be hostile towards the country, according to an internal State Department cable reviewed by Reuters. US consular officers are now required to conduct a “comprehensive and thorough vetting” of all student and exchange visitor applicants to identify those who “bear hostile attitudes toward our citizens, culture, government, institutions, or founding principles”, said the cable, which was dated June 18 and sent to US missions on Wednesday. In Instagram posts uploaded today, the consulates said: “Effective immediately, all individuals applying for an F,... -
Dawn - 14:46 Jun 26, 2025
The Finance Bill, 2025, was approved by parliament on Thursday, meaning that the Rs17.57 trillion budget for the coming fiscal year has been greenlit. The PPP on Wednesday voiced strong reservations over a set of politically unpopular provisions in the federal budget for the next fiscal year, urging the government to amend “contentious” clauses ahead of its expected approval in the National Assembly today (Thursday). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb’s amendments to various legislation, including the Income Tax Ordnance, 2001, were all approved, while opposition amendments were rejected, according to a Dawn.com correspondent. The bill was read out in the assembly and approved clause by clause. The session has been adjourned until 11am tomorrow. Addressing the House, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said his party would “happily support the budget,” since the government had accepted the party’s proposals. “We appreciate the government’s efforts as BISP’s (Benazir Income Support Programme) budget has been ... -
Dawn - 14:14 Jun 26, 2025
Cocaine production, seizures and use all hit record highs in 2023, the UN drug agency said on Thursday, with the illicit drug’s market the world’s fastest-growing. Illegal production jumped to 3,708 tons, nearly 34 per cent more than in 2022, and more than four times higher than 10 years earlier, when it was at a low, the Vienna-based UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) said in its annual report. The current surge is mainly due to an increase in the size of the area under illicit coca bush cultivation in Colombia and updated yield data, it added. Global cocaine seizures, too, recorded a high of 2,275 tons, marking a 68pc rise in the four years to 2023. The number of cocaine users also grew to 25 million in 2023, up from 17 million ten years earlier. “Cocaine has become fashionable for the more affluent society,” UNODC chief researcher Angela Me said, noting a “vicious cycle” of increased use and production. While Colombia remains the key producer, cocaine traffickers are breaking into new markets across Asia... -
Dawn - 13:59 Jun 26, 2025
At least seven people were killed and 39 others were injured in multiple rain-related incidents as Punjab was battered by heavy monsoon showers on Thursday, according to the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) and Rescue 1122. Monsoon rains fall across the region from June to September, offering respite from the summer heat and are crucial to replenishing water supplies. They are also vital for agriculture, and therefore the livelihoods of millions of farmers and food security for South Asia’s nearly two billion people. Earlier today, the PDMA said that four people died and 19 were injured in rain-related incidents. According to the data, 13 incidents were reported across Punjab, with the majority of them in the Okara district. Two children are among the four deceased. The majority of incidents were roof collapses caused by rain. “Two citizens were killed by the collapse of dilapidated and decaying buildings in Okara and Bahawalnagar,” a PDMA handout read. “Two citizens drowned in Jhelum … 13 dila... -
Dawn - 13:30 Jun 26, 2025
The head of Gavi on Thursday said the organisation which vaccinates children in the world’s poorest countries, was “disappointed” after Washington announced it was pulling funding in an incendiary video questioning its safety standards. A Brussels summit held by the group to raise money on Wednesday was overshadowed by a video message sent by US Health Secretary Robert F Kennedy Jr, who raised sweeping vaccine safety doubts without evidence and announced an end to Washington’s support. “We were disappointed to see the video,” Gavi CEO Sania Nishtar told AFP in a phone interview. “Of course, we disagree with many of the things that were narrated in the video. It’s unfortunate but we are hopeful of a positive relationship with the United States. We will continue to engage them.” The United States’s funding withdrawal comes as Gavi and the United Nations reported in April that outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases such as measles, meningitis and yellow fever are on the rise globally amid misinformation and c... -
Dawn - 13:02 Jun 26, 2025
German police said on Thursday they had shot dead an Afghan man after he used a knife to attack officers trying to arrest him, seriously wounding one of them. The incident happened in the southern city of Wangen when two officers attempted to detain the 27-year-old man at his home to take him to serve a prison sentence for assault. “In the course of the operation, the man suddenly pulled out a knife and attacked the officers without warning,” police and prosecutors said in a joint statement. “As a result of the attack, the police officers fired several shots.” The Afghan died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him, they said. One officer was seriously injured after being stabbed several times, but was not in a life-threatening condition. The authorities have launched an investigation into the use of a firearm by police. Several serious attacks in Germany carried out in recent times — some by migrants — including knife attacks and car-rammings, fuelling a heated debate on immigration. Chanceller Fried...
9222 items