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Dawn - 14:04 Mar 16, 2026
Spot premiums for Middle East crude grades Oman and Dubai have soared to all-time highs even as trade slumps due to the US and Israeli war on Iran, with some traders arguing that the benchmarks have lost relevance due to supply disruption. The surge in the benchmarks, used to price millions of barrels of Middle Eastern crude bound for Asia, is pushing up costs for Asian refiners, forcing them to seek alternatives or reduce output further in coming months. Cash Dubai’s premium to swaps jumped to $56 a barrel on Monday, compared with an average of 90 cents in February, data from S&P Global Platts and Reuters showed. The premium accounts for about a third of the grade’s value, assessed at $153 a barrel by Platts for May-loading cargoes, versus $111.76 for Murban futures. Dubai prices are distorted, given its wide price gap with Murban, three trade sources said. Similarly, the premium for Oman crude futures to Dubai swaps hit a record near $51 a barrel on Friday, far above February’s 75 cents average. Middl... -
Dawn - 13:35 Mar 16, 2026
The envoys from US President Donald Trump’s “Board of Peace” have met representatives of Hamas in Cairo in an effort to safeguard the Gaza ceasefire, under serious strain since the United States and Israel began bombing Iran, three sources told Reuters. The weekend meeting is the first publicly reported since the start of the Iran war between Hamas and the board, a new international body personally headed by Trump, which has been tasked with overseeing post-war Gaza. Following the meeting, Israel announced on Sunday that it would soon reopen the sole crossing for pedestrians between Gaza and Egypt, shut since the Iran bombing campaign began. One of the sources said he believed the Israeli announcement was a direct result of the meeting between Hamas and the board. Prior to the war in Iran, Trump’s plan for Gaza was his flagship initiative for the Middle East. The sources said the Hamas representatives warned the board that they could back away from its previous promises under the Gaza ceasefire if Israel main... -
Dawn - 12:45 Mar 16, 2026
The US-Israel war against Iran entered a decisive inflection point on Monday, the 17th day of fighting, as persistent restricted movement through the Strait of Hormuz and Israel’s large ground assault in southern Lebanon erased any remaining notion that the conflict would be a short one. What was initially framed in Washington and Tel Aviv as a rapid coercive campaign to force regime change in Tehran is increasingly showing the contours of what some strategists are already describing as a potential strategic defeat for the US in terms of its inability to restore the pre-war regional order despite its overwhelming military force. Trump’s diplomatic push yields little US President Donald Trump has since yesterday pressed allies and partners, including Nato members and Asian economies dependent on Gulf oil, to contribute warships, escorts or minesweepers for a multinational effort to reopen Hormuz. The argument from Washington is that the strait is a global economic lifeline and its closure cannot be tolerated. ... -
Dawn - 10:42 Mar 16, 2026
LAHORE: Several jailed PTI leaders have written to Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi, seeking the early hearing of appeals against their convictions in a May 9 riots case, it emerged on Monday. On July 22, 2025, a Lahore Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sentenced Yasmin Rashid, Omar Sarfraz Cheema, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and others to 10 years in prison in a case related to violence on Sherpao Bridge. In the letter — a copy of which is available with Dawn — Rashid, Cheema, Rasheed and Chaudhry contended that despite being “law-abiding citizens of Pakistan”, their constitutional rights had been “trampled” upon as they continued to suffer “political victimisation”. “We have been languishing in jail for the last 34 months,” the letter stated. Recalling the July 2025 sentences, the leaders said they had submitted appeals against their convictions before the Lahore High Court (LHC) since their sentencing. “[However,] for the last eight months, our appeals and suspensions have not been heard.” The lea... -
Dawn - 10:25 Mar 16, 2026
Pakistan’s benchmark KSE-100 index slipped 4,687.50 points to close in the red on Monday, marking a turbulent start to the week as selling pressure returned to the market. The index shed 3.05 per cent from its previous close of 153,866.16 points. During the session, the benchmark touched an intraday high of 153,943.69 points and fell to a low of 148,747.72 points, reflecting persistent downward pressure throughout the day. The sharp decline follows the index’s seventh consecutive week of losses, with geopolitical uncertainty and weak investor sentiment continuing to weigh on Pakistani equities. Analysts at Topline Securities noted that the market remained under pressure for most of the trading session, with the index largely trading in negative territory as investors adopted a cautious stance amid ongoing volatility in international oil prices. The recent surge in oil prices was triggered by US-Israel aggression against Iran, which led to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, a critical global oil shipping rou... -
Dawn - 09:52 Mar 16, 2026
On March 2, just a few days into the ongoing war, the United States and Israel carried out attacks on Iran’s Natanz nuclear enrichment facility. After initially disputing the claims, the IAEA later confirmed damage to the entrance buildings of the underground fuel enrichment plant at Natanz, located on the outskirts of Qom. The attack came several months after the 12-day standoff between Iran and Israel, when a similar attack was carried out on the Natanz uranium enrichment site’s underground structures. These attacks have established a dangerous new precedent in global nuclear politics. The targeting of Iranian nuclear facilities — Natanz, Fordow and Isfahan — operating under the IAEA safeguards renders irrelevant the very system designed to ensure nuclear programmes remain peaceful. “Again, they attacked Iran’s peaceful safeguarded nuclear facilities yesterday. Their justification that Iran wants to develop nuclear weapons is simply a big lie,” said Reza Najafi, Iran’s envoy to the International Atomic Ener... -
Dawn - 09:00 Mar 16, 2026
War in the Middle East is disrupting the flow of critical medicines to the Gulf, imperilling supply routes for cancer drugs and other treatments that require refrigeration and forcing companies to reroute flights and find overland access into the region, industry executives said. The conflict, sparked by US and Israeli attacks on Iran two weeks ago and broadened by Iranian strikes around the region, has knocked out key air transit hubs and closed shipping routes, snarling the movement of goods for many products from medicines to food and oil. While there are few signs yet of major shortages, that could change if the conflict drags on, some executives said. The Gulf relies heavily on imports and some medicines have short shelf lives and need strict cold-chain storage, making lengthy overland shipping less practical. Executives at Western drugmakers said they were seeking alternative routes into the Gulf and trucking some drugs overland from airports like Jeddah and Riyadh in Saudi Arabia. Other options were Is... -
Dawn - 08:18 Mar 16, 2026
MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Sargodha police on Monday said they arrested two individuals, including a man who allegedly murdered his wife and five children for so-called ‘honour’ before attempting to take his own life. The tragic incident was reported from Chak 25 South area of Punjab’s Sargodha district. Sargodha District Police Officer (DPO) Muhammad Sohaib Ashraf confirmed to Dawn that the primary suspect, as well as another man nominated in the case, was in their custody. The DPO added that the primary suspect, who was the slain woman’s husband, was in a stable condition. A first information report (FIR) was registered at Bhagtanwala Police Station on the complaint of the woman’s brother in the early hours of Monday. It invoked sections 302 (Punishment of qatl-i-amd), 311 (Ta’zir after waiver or compounding of right of qisas in qatl-i-amd) and 322 (Punishment for qatl-bis-sabab) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). The deceased were identified as the suspect’s wife, his daughter aged 15-16 years, three sons aged 5-6 ye... -
Dawn - 07:02 Mar 16, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Sunday that the United States could soon reach a deal with Cuba or take other action, signaling that developments in the long-strained relationship may come quickly. “Cuba also wants to make a deal, and I think we will pretty soon either make a deal or do whatever we have to do,” Trump said to reporters on Air Force One. “We’re talking to Cuba, but we’re going to do Iran before Cuba.” The comments come as tensions between Washington and Havana remain elevated following years of sanctions, diplomatic friction and disputes over migration and security, with regional allies and investors watching closely for signs of a policy shift. Cuba’s President Miguel Daz-Canel said on Friday that the country opened talks with the United States as the island faces one of its most severe economic crises in decades. “These talks have been aimed at finding solutions through dialogue to the bilateral differences we have between the two nations,” Diaz-Canel said in a video aired on state televisi... -
Dawn - 06:51 Mar 16, 2026
A fire at a government-run hospital in eastern India killed at least 10 critically ill patients who were admitted in the trauma care unit, officials said on Monday. Building fires are common in India due to a lack of firefighting equipment and a routine disregard for safety regulations. The fire broke out early on Monday on the first floor of the SCB Medical College and Hospital in Odisha state’s Cuttack city, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi told reporters. “A short circuit caused the fire in the trauma ICU ward where patients were being treated,” he said, adding that 23 patients were present on the floor at the time of the incident. Ten people died following the blaze, while the remaining patients were moved to other wards, he added. At least 11 staff members suffered burn injuries as they tried to rescue the patients. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the incident “deeply painful” in a post on social media and offered his condolences to the families of the victims. He also announced compensation ... -
Dawn - 05:34 Mar 16, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The National Highway and Motorway Police (NHMP) has initiated a fact-finding inquiry against its officials for allegedly showing leniency to a well-known television anchorperson, Mansoor Ali Khan, after he was intercepted for over-speeding on the motorway. According to official sources, the incident occurred on February 28 when a motorway patrol team was conducting speed-checking near Chakri Interchange 310 at around 5:30pm. During the operation, officials detected a vehicle travelling at 166 kilometres per hour, well above the prescribed speed limit. The patrol team, comprising Inspector Police Waseem Murtaza and Sub-Inspector Saadat Hassan, signalled the vehicle to stop. However, the driver allegedly did not stop at that point and continued driving. Later, the vehicle was intercepted near Islamabad by Inspector Police Faraz Mehdi, who managed to stop the car and identify the driver. According to the preliminary account, the officer initially did not recognise the driver. Sources said Inspector Az... -
Dawn - 04:16 Mar 16, 2026
HYDERABAD: A division bench of the Sindh High Court (SHC) Hyderabad circuit allowed a constitutional petition by setting aside the order of the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment of Women in a case of harassment against a regional level officer of the National Savings Pakistan. Comprising Justice Arbab Ali Hakro and Justice Riazat Ali Sahar, the bench passed the order on a petition filed by the incharge of the Regional Directorate of National Savings Hyderabad, Syed Farhan Ahmed Shah. He was represented by Jawad Qureshi advocate. The petitioner had challenged the Jan 18, 2024 order of the ombudsman secretariat that demoted him to a lower position and slapped a fine of Rs100,000 on him in the harassment case of a woman, Kiran Mehmood. The SHC had served a notice, which was also published in the print media, but no one appeared before the bench to represent her in the officer’s petition. She had initiated a series of complaints against the petitioner at various forums and finally fi... -
Dawn - 03:34 Mar 16, 2026
KARACHI: After already struggling with higher war risk and freight charges due to deteriorating geopolitical conditions stemming from the Middle East war, exporters are now facing Rs25–50 per kg in “ad hoc charges” on export cargo shipments by air. Gerry’s dnata Pakistan has introduced ad hoc charges of Rs50 per kg — excluding all applicable taxes — due to rising costs. The charges will be collected from the party presenting the cargo before acceptance at the warehouse. Shippers or their authorised representatives are required to furnish NTN or CNIC details at the time of acceptance. Similarly, Menzies Ras Pakistan has introduced ad hoc operating charges of Rs25 per kg — excluding all applicable taxes — on export cargo, effective from March 17. The company said increasing fuel prices have triggered a significant rise in the cost of transportation, ground support services and overall supply chain operations. The charges have been introduced as temporary operational support to address the extraordinary rise in ... -
Dawn - 03:23 Mar 16, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has granted a final one-month extension for the disbursement of a $360 million loan for the embattled Central Asia Regional Economic Corridor (Carec) Tranche-III project, which has already been delayed by around a year due to issues with the National Highway Authority (NHA). “The ADB approves an extension of bid validity from March 6, 2026, to April 5, 2026 (for a period of 30 days). This shall be the last and final extension of bid validity. The NHA is requested to ensure that the contract award is completed within this extended period, as no further extension is envisaged by the ADB,” the bank said in a recent letter. “Within the same period, the NHA is also requested to provide any new and material information justifying the delay for ADB’s review. In the absence of such information, or if the contract is not awarded within the extended bid validity period, the matter may need to be assessed as a potential non-compliance case, which could affect the financing o... -
Dawn - 03:07 Mar 16, 2026
PARIS: Top US and Chinese economic officials launched a new round of talks in Paris on Sunday to iron out kinks in their trade truce and clear a smooth path for US President Donald Trump’s trip to Beijing to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the end of March. The discussions, led by US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, are expected to focus on shifting US tariffs, the flow of Chinese-produced rare earth minerals and magnets to US buyers, American high-tech export controls and Chinese purchases of US agricultural products. The two sides began talks on Sunday morning at the Paris headquarters of the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), and were expected to continue on Monday, a Treasury official said. China is not a member of the club of 38 mostly wealthy democracies and considers itself a developing country. Before departing for Paris, US Trade Representative Jamieson Greer said that US officials want to ensure stability in the relationship. “... -
Dawn - 21:55 Mar 15, 2026
LAHORE: Punjab Senior Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Sunday that the provincial government has decided to take legal action against those involved in a “malicious campaign” targeting it over the use of an official jet. Last month, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz faced severe criticism from the opposition and some journalists regarding the government’s purchase of the aircraft. The Gulfstream 19-seater jet is estimated to be worth between $38 million and $42m (over Rs10bn) and was acquired for the CM’s use. More recently, there have been claims and speculation on social media about Maryam’s son, Junaid Safdar, using the jet to travel to Europe for his honeymoon. In a post on X, the senior minister took note of a “deliberate malicious campaign of lies and fabricated stories about the use of the official plane of the Punjab government”, which she said was being run by “known pathological liars and peddlers of fake news”. The minister shared that the government had decided to take legal action against “ev... -
Dawn - 20:18 Mar 15, 2026
A video posted on Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s X account is being seen as his response to the rumours of his death, which were earlier debunked by his office. The video was posted on Sunday evening, in which Netanyahu is seen getting himself a coffee and being asked about the rumours, Israeli news website Jerusalem Post reported. The post also had a caption stating: “They say I am what?” During the conversation taking place in what appears to be Hebrew, Jerusalem Post quoted Netanyahu as saying: “I love … coffee, I love my nation.” The report further elaborated that he also used the Hebrew slang word “met” during the conversation, which, according to Jerusalem Post, means “love” and is also the Hebrew word for “dead”. To simplify, his remarks could be translated to: “I am dead … for coffee.” According to Jerusalem Post, Netanyahu also asked the person filming him whether they wanted to count his fingers, seemingly mocking people speculating that a recent video of his was AI-generated and that h... -
Dawn - 19:29 Mar 15, 2026
1 dead as Lahore-bound Shalimar Express derails after colliding with goods train in Naushahro Feroze
KARACHI/LAHORE: At least one person died on Sunday after Lahore-bound Shalimar Express collided with a goods train at Lakha Road Railway Station in Sindh’s Naushahro Feroze district on Sunday. There are also reports of injuries, but the exact number is yet to be ascertained. In a statement, Sindh’s Rescue 1122 said a body was recovered from the site, while 13 injured people were rescued and provided with first aid. The rescue service listed the names and ages of the 13 injured, with the wounded aged between 15 and 60 years. Rescue 1122 said its Urban Search and Rescue teams from the Bandhi satellite station had reached the site of the incident soon after receiving the alert. Railways Minister Hanif Abbasi also confirmed to Dawn that a person had lost their life in the incident, saying that he was a temporary employee of the Pakistan Railways (PR) and that he was aboard the goods train and not Shalimar Express. He, however, claimed that none of the passengers aboard Shalimar Express were either killed or injur... -
Dawn - 18:14 Mar 15, 2026
LAHORE: Former Pakistan skipper Sarfraz Ahmed announced his retirement from international cricket on Sunday, bringing an end to a decorated two-decade-long career. In a statement issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board, Ahmed said he had “always tried to play fearless cricket and build a united team”. In a post on X, the PCB said Chairman Mohsin Naqvi presented a “special shield” to Sarfaraz on his international retirement, honouring his services to Pakistan cricket. Ahmed captained Pakistan in 100 international matches across formats (50 One Day Internationals, 37 T20Is, 13 Tests) and led the side to the No.1 ranking in T20I cricket. His captaincy saw the green shirts achieve a world-record streak of 11 consecutive T20I series victories and recorded six clean sweeps against the West Indies (2016 and 2018), Sri Lanka (2017), Australia (2018), New Zealand (2018) and Scotland (2018). He also led his side to victory during the ICC U19 Cricket World Cup 2006 and a historic win against arch-rivals India in the ICC Ch... -
Dawn - 18:12 Mar 15, 2026
Bangladesh clinched a three-match series against Pakistan 2-1 as the Green Shirts faced a narrow defeat in the third one-day international (ODI) match at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Mirpur on Sunday. Chasing a total of 291 runs, Pakistan’s batters fell short by 11 runs as a fighting 106-run knock by Salman Agha went in vain. Green Shirts lost early wickets as openers Sahizada Farhaan and Maaz Sadaqat went back to the pavilion after scoring just six runs each. Debutant Saad Masood scored 38 runs, while captain Shaheen Afridi added 37 runs to the scoreboard. Bangladesh’s Taskin Ahmed’s heroic 4-wicket haul was impressive as he also took the key wicket of Salman Agha, who was looking unswerving to outdo the winning mark. Mustafizur Rehman also grabbed three wickets, while Nahid Rana managed to secure two. Winning the toss, the visitors decided to bowl first in the series decider. Bangladesh’s openers provided a sturdy start to the innings with Tanzid Hasan scoring his maiden ODI century, which also...
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