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Dawn - 06:35 May 13, 2026
The United States has said it was imposing visa restrictions on 13 people linked to Indian online pharmacy KS International Traders for selling counterfeit prescription pills laced with fentanyl. The 13 people are close associates of KS International Traders, which operates out of India, and its owner, the US State Department said on Tuesday. The Mumbai-based company’s web site, as listed in US government records, could not be accessed. No names or contacts of its senior executives were available. India’s foreign and health ministries did not immediately respond to requests for comment. KS International Traders generated revenue through trafficking in fentanyl, which President Donald Trump has designated as a “weapon of mass destruction”, the State Department said. Fentanyl is a powerful synthetic opioid used for pain relief, but it is tightly restricted in the United States because of its high potency and its role in a surge in overdose deaths linked to illicit use. “Illicit fentanyl is killing too many Amer... -
Dawn - 05:23 May 13, 2026
India has boosted its import tariffs on gold and silver in an effort to shore up the sagging value of the rupee and bolster foreign currency reserves hit by war in the Middle East. Gold imports are financed through dollars, which means buyers have to spend down foreign reserves or convert rupees to make purchases. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had already appealed days ago to the public to avoid buying gold for a year as the rupee’s year-long slide against the dollar has worsened during the Iran war. The government more than doubled import taxes on gold and silver to about 15 per cent from the existing 6pc, according to two official orders issued late Tuesday. The energy supply crisis caused by the Mideast war’s closure of the Strait of Hormuz — through which a fifth of the world’s crude passed — has hit India hard. India is the world’s third-largest oil importer and the spiking cost of petroleum has hit its foreign currency reserves. Elevated crude oil prices have increased India’s import bill, putting additi... -
Dawn - 04:54 May 13, 2026
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Wednesday that it had recieved $1.3 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). “The IMF Executive Board completed the third review under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) in its meeting held on May 8 and approved the disbursement of SDR 760 million for Pakistan. Furthermore, the IMF Executive Board has also approved the disbursement of the second tranche of SDR 154 million under the Resilience and Sustainability Facility (RSF),” the central bank said on the social media platform X. “Accordingly, SBP has received SDR 914 million (equivalent to about US$ 1.3 billion) under the EFF and RSF in value May 12 from the IMF,” it said. It said that the amount would be reflected in the country’s foreign exchange reserves for the week ending on May 15. Last week, the international money lender had approved the latest review of Pakistan’s reform programme. The decision paved the way for disbursements of about $1.1bn from the EFF and $220m from the RSF, bringing total payout... -
Dawn - 02:10 May 13, 2026
• Gap shrinks to Rs856bn, or 0.7pc of GDP, during July-March • Provincial surpluses, higher PDL collections, lower debt servicing drive improvement • Revenue-to-GDP ratio falls; defence, pension, subsidy expenditures rise ISLAMABAD: Supported by higher-than-targeted provincial contributions, strong petroleum levy collections and lower interest payments during the first three quarters of the current fiscal year, Pakistan recorded its lowest fiscal deficit in at least 27 years at 0.7 per cent of GDP, despite a decline in revenue ratios and increases in most expenditure heads except debt servicing. According to official fiscal operations data released by the Ministry of Finance for July-March, the historically low fiscal deficit was achieved after a gradual reversal of the Rs2.1 trillion surplus, equivalent to 1.6pc of GDP, recorded in the first quarter (July-September) of the current fiscal year. The budget surplus had narrowed to Rs542 billion (0.4pc of GDP) by the end of the first half and eventually turned i... -
Dawn - 18:39 May 12, 2026
KARACHI: Police on Tuesday arrested a “most-wanted” woman accused of supplying cocaine and other narcotics across the city, an official statement said. According to the statement, a joint operation was conducted by a police team from Garden Police Station and a civilian intelligence agency to arrest the accused after midnight. “A female suspect identified as Anmol alias Pinki, allegedly involved in supplying cocaine and other deadly narcotics across the city, has been arrested,” the statement said. It added that the accused was “most-wanted” by police and had been absconding in several cases. “One pistol, cocaine worth millions of rupees, chemicals, and other narcotics were recovered from the accused,” claimed police. In its statement, the police further said the accused was operating an “organised and extensive network” for narcotics dealing and supply, adding that she used to supply drugs online in Clifton, DHA, and other areas of Karachi through designated riders. The accused also used female riders to pro... -
Dawn - 18:21 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The sisters of PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister were once again denied a meeting with the ex-premier at Adiala jail on Tuesday. Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, told reporters that being denied a meeting was “nothing but contempt of court”, as they were not being allowed to meet Imran despite clear orders from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that family meetings be arranged every Tuesday and Thursday. When asked about the sit-in, she said that last time, a police officer had requested them to leave and gave an assurance that he would not repeat the request the next time she came to the prison. “I want to hold a sit-in throughout the night,” Aleema said. KP CM Sohail Afridi urged parliamentarians from across Pakistan to stand in solidarity with Imran’s sisters, adding that he was in Rawalpindi on Aleema’s invitation. “These people are shameless. They have paralysed the whole system after the constitutional amendment,” he said. “It is unfortunate t... -
Dawn - 17:56 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The treasury and opposition sparred in the Senate on Tuesday over a rising wave of terrorism in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) Senator Attaur Rehman asking whether the province had been “handed over to terrorists”. Speaking in the House, Senator Rehman accused the government of indifference to KP’s security situation, saying its focus on legislation was “in no way more important than the lives of the people of KP”. “Why has our blood turned white? Why is there no concern for KP?” Rehman asked. “Blood is being spilt there and you’re worried about your bills. Are these bills so important that human blood keeps flowing while you keep passing legislation?” He cited attacks in Lakki Marwat and Bannu and said the provincial chief minister was “still out on tours”. “Have some sense of our wounds. Why are Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s conditions not being given importance?” he said. Responding to the senator’s remarks, Parliamentary Affairs Minister Tariq Fazal Chaudhry s... -
Dawn - 17:05 May 12, 2026
Iran’s leadership is betting it can outlast an under-pressure Donald Trump in its peace negotiations with Washington, but its defiance risks renewed military confrontation, analysts say. With a shaky ceasefire holding, almost two-and-a-half months after the US-Israeli war against the Islamic republic began, the US president has angrily dismissed Iran’s responses to an American proposal for a settlement, warning the truce is on its last legs. But analysts say that even after the assassination of long-time supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on the first day of the war, Iran’s leadership remains fiercely ideological and dedicated to the preservation of the Islamic republic set up in the 1979 revolution that ousted the shah. The Iran flag flutters from a tall flagpole over high-rise buildings in northern Tehran on May 12, 2026. — AFP “They do think they can outlast Trump. The war is existential for them,” Sanam Vakil, director of the Middle East and North Africa Programme at the Chatham House think tank in Lon... -
Dawn - 16:48 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday discussed regional developments and peace efforts regarding the Middle East conflict with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO), the two leaders held a phone call on Tuesday to discuss peace efforts in the region, while also reaffirming the bilateral ties between the two countries. The two leaders exchanged greetings and reaffirmed the “strong fraternal bonds of friendship” between Pakistan and Azerbaijan. The prime minister conveyed his best wishes to President Aliyev for the success of the upcoming World Urban Forum, which will be held in Baku next week, the statement said. He expressed confidence that under Azerbaijan’s stewardship, the forum would serve as a “valuable platform for advancing the global urban development agenda”. The premier also expressed his regrets that pressing commitments would make him unable to personally attend the forum, but noted that he had ensured that Pakistan... -
Dawn - 16:07 May 12, 2026
French Health Minister Stephanie Rist said on Tuesday that it was not certain whether the hantavirus strain involved in the outbreak on the MV Hondius cruise ship may have mutated, although officials were “rather reassured”. “There are things … we do not know about this virus,” Rist told the National Assembly. “We do not yet have the complete sequencing of the virus, which allows us to say with certainty today, even if we are rather reassured to date … that this virus has not yet mutated.” The French health ministry did not respond to a request for additional comment. Hantavirus is primarily spread by rodents but can be transmitted between people in rare cases, according to the World Health Organisation. It usually begins with flu-like symptoms, such as fatigue and fever, one to eight weeks after exposure. A cluster has been linked in recent days to the MV Hondius ship, which docked in Spain’s Canary Islands following a polar expedition that departed from Argentina. The outbreak has been linked to the Andes s... -
Dawn - 15:32 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical and Dental Council (PMDC) on Tuesday announced that students intending to pursue medical or dental education abroad must qualify for the Medical and Dental College Admission Test (MDCAT) and obtain registration before going abroad. According to a statement, the PMDC informed that a high-level committee chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar is currently overseeing the strengthening of the regulatory framework for medical and dental education in Pakistan. It said that a meeting of the PMDC’s Sub-Committee on Accreditation of Medical and Dental Colleges and Postgraduate Qualifications was held today to “review ongoing reforms and regulatory measures to strengthen medical and dental education in Pakistan”. “The sub-committee is focused on enhancing transparency, standardising accreditation mechanisms for medical and dental colleges, and streamlining the recognition process inspections for undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications in line with international standards,” it a... -
Dawn - 15:23 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: As international funding to Pakistan’s health sector continues to decline and major foreign donors are set to completely suspend grants by 2030, the country faces serious health risks unless urgent steps are taken by the government, it emerged on Tuesday. These are the findings of a report published last week, titled “Beyond Dependence: Understanding the Impact of ODA Cuts on Pakistan’s Health System”. The report, prepared by think tank Tabadlab, is authored by Behzad Taimur, Shahab Siddiqi and Syeda Farwa Qamar Jaffri and discusses the impact of declining Official Development Assistance (ODA) on Pakistan. ODA refers to grants and concessional loans provided by governments and international agencies to support economic development and welfare in low- and middle-income countries. The report finds that shrinking foreign assistance can threaten disease control programmes, immunisation efforts, and institutional capacity across the country. Once funding stops, it may significantly affect district-level... -
Dawn - 14:42 May 12, 2026
A powerful Hindu group from which Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party emerged claimed on Tuesday it had organised foreign visits, including to the US, to counter perceptions that it is a paramilitary outfit involved in attacks on minority communities. The outreach by the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), or National Volunteer Organisation, came after the US Commission on International Religious Freedom said in a report in November that it “has been involved in acts of extreme violence and intolerance against members of minority groups for decades”. The commission is a bipartisan body of the US federal government that monitors religious freedom around the world and makes policy recommendations to the president, the secretary of state and the US Congress. Modi joined the RSS in his youth, and the rise of his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to near-national dominance is widely attributed to the RSS’ vast network of volunteers, during a period marked by a hardening Hindu-Muslim political divide in the offic... -
Dawn - 14:19 May 12, 2026
US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced talks with Cuba, which has been crippled by a fuel blockade in the wake of Washington’s capture of key regional ally Nicolas Maduro, the former president of Venezuela. In a post on Truth Social, Trump described the communist-ruled island as “a failed country,” adding: “Cuba is asking for help, and we are going to talk!!!” He did not provide details. There is growing speculation in Washington that Trump is seeking to overturn the Cuban government as part of a drive to increase US dominance in the Caribbean and Latin America. Earlier this month, Trump said the United States would be “taking over” the Caribbean island off the Florida coast “almost immediately.” He has also said that following the US military operation to depose Venezuela’s longtime leader, Maduro, Cuba will be next. The communist island has been in a standoff with successive US administrations since the 1960s, and Florida, only around 145 kilometres away, hosts a large, politically influential Cuban... -
Dawn - 14:18 May 12, 2026
KARACHI: Amid recent reports of Cambridge exam paper leaks, students who appeared for an AS-level Mathematics paper on Tuesday made fresh claims that the paper they received was identical to a solved paper they had come across on social media just a day earlier. Cambridge International Education (CIE), part of Cambridge University Press and Assessment, offers internationally recognised exams to schools in over 160 countries. In Pakistan, O Levels (grades 10–11) cover a broad range of subjects, while A and AS Levels (grades 12–13) are more specialised and advanced, providing pathways to higher education in Pakistan and abroad. When Dawn reached out to Cambridge about the matter, a spokesperson said that Cambridge investigates all allegations of paper leaks. “We do not comment on individual reports of paper leaks. In the rare case where there is a genuine issue, we update schools at the right time and provide the recommended next steps,” the spokesperson said. “We ask people only to trust official statements fr... -
Dawn - 13:52 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: A division bench of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued notices to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) on intra-court appeals filed by apartment owners of One Constitution Avenue and Bank of Punjab (BoP) and sought a response in the matter concerning lease cancellation and third-party rights. The bench, comprising Justice Muhammad Azam Khan and Justice Raja Inaam Amin Minhas, heard arguments from appellants’ counsel, Advocate Taimur Aslam, who requested the court to restrain disciplinary or coercive action until the recommendations of a committee recently formed by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif are finalised and approved by the cabinet. On May 1, the premier constituted a high-level committee to review the issue involving One Constitution Avenue and halted authorities from taking any action. The court adjourned further hearing on the intra-court appeals, observing that the decision on the stay application would be issued later. The case stems from an April 30, 2026, judgment of a s... -
Dawn - 13:37 May 12, 2026
Pace bowler Nahid Rana claimed five wickets as Bangladesh trumped Pakistan by 104 runs in a rain-hit first Test on Tuesday after a thrilling fifth day of batting collapses. Chasing 268 for victory in Dhaka, Pakistan were 119-3 before they fell to 163 all out in the final session with debutant Abdullah Fazal scoring a valiant 66. Bangladesh now hold a 1-0 lead in the two-match home series. The Test win was Bangladesh’s first against Pakistan on home soil and their third overall. The 23-year-old Fazal put on 51 runs with Salman Agha, who made 26, to raise Pakistan’s hopes of victory before Rana rattled the opposition with career-best figures of 5-40. Rana, 23, made an impact with his pace and reverse swing and his final spell of 4.5 overs got him four wickets for just 10 runs to turn the match on its head. “Very happy — proud of all the guys, the way we played,” Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said. “We have been working hard the last few months and slowly we are getting better at Test cricket — that’s... -
Dawn - 12:00 May 12, 2026
While macroeconomic stability improved in the first half of fiscal year 2026, the war in the Middle East poses risks to the economic outlook amid heightened uncertainty, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) said on Tuesday. The SBP released its Half Year Report 2025-26 (The State of Pakistan’s Economy) on Tuesday, showing that Pakistan’s macroeconomic stability strengthened in the first half of the fiscal year despite headwinds from uncertainty regarding global trade and domestic floods. However, the report noted that the war in the Middle East poses “significant risks to the macroeconomic outlook”, as supply chain disruptions are likely to affect the inflation trajectory, external trade and remittance flows, and the country’s economic activity, according to an SBP press release. Discussing the outlook for FY26, the report notes that the latest data on high-frequency indicators — including Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), LSM and construction — suggests that economic activity maintained the momentum through Febr... -
Dawn - 11:44 May 12, 2026
Prime Minister Keir Starmer defied calls to resign on Tuesday, telling ministers he would “get on with governing” despite a “destabilising” 48 hours of growing calls to set out a timetable for his departure after a drubbing in local elections. At a meeting of his cabinet, Starmer, in the top job for less than two years, repeated that, while he took responsibility for one of his Labour Party’s worst election defeats, there had been no official move to trigger a leadership contest. Four ministers expressed their support for him. It was the latest pledge from Starmer to press on with a premiership that has been dogged by scandal and policy U-turns since he won a large majority at a national election in 2024. On Monday, he promised to be bolder in tackling the problems besetting Britain to try to shore up his political future. Borrowing costs rise In a nod to an increase in borrowing costs on the markets over fears of another bout of political instability in Britain, Starmer said the “past 48 hours have been dest... -
Dawn - 11:32 May 12, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Kuwait agreed on Tuesday to “explore new opportunities” around building strategic storage in Pakistan’s petroleum sector, a statement by the Petroleum Division said, adding that the initiative could result in mutual benefit for both sides. The assurance came during a meeting between petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik and Kuwait’s ambassador to Pakistan, Nassar Abdulrahman Jasser Almutairi, in Islamabad. “Both sides discussed prospects for enhanced cooperation in the petroleum and energy sectors, especially refining, and agreed to explore new opportunities around building strategic storages in Pakistan that could bring mutual benefit to Pakistan and Kuwait”, the statement said. It added that the meeting focused on regional developments and energy cooperation. The two sides also agreed to further strengthen bilateral relations and expand collaboration in areas of common interest, it said. For his part, the petroleum minister expressed gratitude to Kuwait’s government for its “timely facilitation an...
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