Dawn
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Dawn - 09:53 Nov 02, 2025
Rows of coffins line a university classroom in the South Korean port city of Busan, ready for use in training the funeral directors of the future in a rapidly ageing country. Growing numbers are finding work in the business of death as South Korea undergoes massive demographic change, with birth rates among the lowest in the world and almost half the population aged 50 or older. Students at the Busan Institute of Science and Technology carefully draped a mannequin in traditional Korean funeral cloth, smoothing the fabric as if over real skin, before gently lowering it into a coffin. “With our society ageing, I thought the demand for this kind of work would only grow,” said Jang Jin-yeong, 27, a funeral administration student. Another student, 23-year-old Im Sae-jin, decided to enter the field after his grandmother died. “At her funeral, I saw how beautifully the directors had prepared her for the final farewell,” he said. “I felt deeply grateful.” ‘Like portraits’ More and more South Koreans are also living —... -
Dawn - 09:24 Nov 02, 2025
Jamaat-i-Islami emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Sunday criticised the Sindh government’s e-challan initiative, calling it a “drama” meant to burden citizens instead of improving the city’s transport and road infrastructure. In June, the Sindh government decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. Vehicles with unpaid fines would not be allowed to be sold or transferred. Last month, the system was officially inaugurated, drawing a mix of praise and criticism from the public. Speaking at an event in Karachi today, the JI chief said, “While the government was issuing challans worth Rs5,000, Rs10,000, and even Rs25,000 to Karachi’s commuters, it had failed to provide the city with a viable transport system.” “When the same challan is Rs200 in Lahore, and Rs5,000 in Karachi, isn’t the criticism on the Pakistan People’s Party valid?” he questioned. Citing World Bank reports, he said Karachi required around 15,000 buses, but the Sindh government had br... -
Dawn - 09:00 Nov 02, 2025
Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi’s health has improved after a cardiac issue yesterday, his Awaam Pakistan party said on Sunday. Abbasi complained of pain in his shoulder yesterday morning and was “immediately taken to a nearby hospital, where doctors diagnosed a cardiac issue during examination”, Awaam Pakistan spokesperson Dr Zafar Mirza said in a statement. “The doctors provided him with timely treatment, after which his health has improved significantly, and he is resting at the hospital,” the statement added. It prayed for the speedy recovery of the Awaam Pakistan chief and urged the media to be considerate of his “private life and privacy”. Awaam Pakistan co-founder Miftah Ismail also said on X that Abbasi’s “health condition continues to improve, and he is now resting comfortably”. “We expect and pray for his quick and full recovery. I thank friends who have been calling to ask about his health,” the former finance minister added. Anchorperson Nadia Mirza and journalist Asad Toor expressed th... -
Dawn - 08:08 Nov 02, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Tens of thousands of solar power users with on-grid systems and green meters have been shocked to see their current month’s electricity bills, which state that they must replace their green meters with Automatic Meter Reading (AMR) meters within three months to ensure the continuation of net metering. Consumers who have invested up to Rs1 million or more are being told to purchase the AMR meters for Rs52,000, while their existing green meters, which they had earlier bought, will be taken away by the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (Iesco). A number of consumers have approached the Prime Minister’s Portal, seeking relief and requesting the government to stop Iesco from forcing them to purchase new meters. However, an Iesco official said that although it was principally decided to replace the meters, the implementation has been temporarily put on hold, and a policy will soon be announced in this regard. Consumers approach PM Portal against demand to replace meters worth Rs52,000 each It is worth me... -
Dawn - 07:43 Nov 02, 2025
Jamaican officials announced plans on Saturday to set up multiple field hospitals as it recovers from Hurricane Melissa, with the death toll numbering at least 50 across the Caribbean — and expected to rise. The island’s confirmed deaths remain at 19 as of Saturday, though Health Minister Christopher Tufton told a briefing, “I would imagine it’s more… because there are still places that we have had difficulties reaching.” Haiti’s Civil Protection department, meanwhile, said at least 31 people have been killed there as a result of the storm. Melissa tore across Jamaica as a ferocious top-level Category 5 hurricane, the most powerful storm ever recorded on the island, with sustained winds peaking at 185 miles (nearly 300 kilometers) per hour while drenching the country with torrential rain. Hospitals in western Jamaica were particularly hard-hit, prompting officials to deploy several field hospitals in the coming days to shore up health responses. The first such field hospital — in Black River, the capital of t... -
Dawn - 06:20 Nov 02, 2025
WASHINGTON: US Vice President JD Vance has defended saying that he hopes his wife Usha — who was raised as a Hindu — converts to Christianity. A fervent Catholic who himself converted in 2019, Vance said on Friday that pushback against his remarks reeks of “anti-Christian bigotry“. The 41-year-old was asked about raising their three children in an interfaith marriage at a Turning Point USA event honouring assassinated right-wing activist Charlie Kirk at the University of Mississippi on Wednesday. “Do I hope eventually that she is somehow moved by the same thing that I was moved in by church? Yeah, I honestly do wish that,” he said. “But if she doesn’t, then God says everybody has free will, and so that doesn’t cause a problem for me.” Published in Dawn, November 2nd, 2025 -
Dawn - 06:11 Nov 02, 2025
LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) says that dependent parents have the right to file maintenance suits against their children before family courts, ruling that such cases fall within the courts’ jurisdiction under the Family Courts Act, 1964. Justice Raheel Kamran issued a detailed judgment on a petition filed by one Azhar Ijaz Khawaja who had challenged the orders of a family court of Model Town-Lahore and an additional district & sessions judge, directing him to pay monthly maintenance to his mother, Riffatun Nissa. The family court had ordered Khawaja and his other three brothers to pay Rs5,000 per month as interim maintenance to their mother by the 14th day of each month. When the payments were not made, the family court struck off their defence and decreed the suit under Section 17-A of the Family Courts Act. The appellate court/sessions court also upheld that order, prompting the petitioner to approach the LHC. Accepts a son’s plea against lower court verdict over ‘irrelevant’ section, ‘premature acti... -
Dawn - 05:28 Nov 02, 2025
A supermarket explosion killed at least 23 people in northern Mexico on Saturday, according to local officials, with investigators saying the blast was an accident possibly caused by a faulty electric transformer. “Sadly, a number of the victims we’ve found were minors,” Alfonso Durazo, governor of Sonora state, said in a video message as he announced the toll of 23 dead and another 11 injured. Durazo said the survivors were being treated at hospitals in the city of Hermosillo, where the explosion took place. “I have ordered an extensive and transparent investigation to determine the causes of the incident and figure out those responsible,” he said. The prosecutor’s office said in a statement that “the working assumption is that the incident was accidental, and the investigation is looking into a transformer located inside the store“. “Once the firefighters allow access into the building … it will be possible to precisely determine the cause of the incident,” it added. The explosion happened at a Waldo’s stor... -
Dawn - 04:52 Nov 02, 2025
Babar Azam showed his mastery with the bat after Shaheen Shah Afridi led a sparkling bowling performance from Pakistan as the hosts cruised to a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the series-deciding third T20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. Shaheen picked up 3-26, being the standout of Pakistan’s bowling attack, in which Faheem Ashraf and debutant Usman Tariq picked up two wickets each, as South Africa were restricted to 139-9 after being put into bat. Babar then provided an anchor in the chase with a brilliant 68, featuring nine fours, as Pakistan eased to victory with six balls to spare. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the team on X, saying, “Very well-played boys in Green!” He also commended Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and his team for their “great efforts”. In a statement, Naqvi hailed Babar’s batting and Shaheen’s bowling skills for playing an “important role” in the win. Conveying his congratulations to Captain Salman Agha, Head Coach Mike Hesson and... -
Dawn - 04:48 Nov 02, 2025
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has linked the filing of 892,419 new tax returns for the tax year 2025 to rising public confidence in the government’s reform agenda. The premier’s remarks followed the Federal Board of Revenue’s announcement that the tax department received 5.912 million tax returns for tax year 2025, up from 5.025m returns in tax year 2024, marking a 17.65 per cent increase. The last date for filing the tax returns was Oct 31. An official announcement issued by the Prime Minister’s Secretariat has commended the FBR for achieving a historic milestone. He expressed deep gratitude to the public for demonstrating civic responsibility and trust in the government’s economic policies. Highlighting the inclusion of new filers into the tax net, Prime Minister Shehbaz said this surge reflects growing public confidence in the government’s reform agenda. “We are sincerely thankful to the people for their support,” he stated. PM Shehbaz links surge in new returns to FBR digitisation drive Mr Sheh... -
Dawn - 03:17 Nov 02, 2025
• Trio visited party vice chairman in hospital to seek his support for ‘release Imran’ campaign • Fawad says leading efforts to pave way for dialogue, get PTI chief released from jail LAHORE: After PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi was hospitalised in the provincial capital, three former PTI leaders arrived in his hospital room, ostensibly to convince the incarcerated party vice chairman to join their ‘release Imran Khan campaign’ — a move rebuffed by Mr Qureshi. According to his lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer, former leaders Fawad Chaudhry, Imran Ismail, and Maulvi Mahmood managed to gain access to Mr Qureshi on Thursday when he was alone in his room. “Shah Mahmood Qureshi was surprised to see them and immediately asked the police on duty to call his lawyer, who had left just a minute ago, and tell him some ‘guests’ had arrived,” Rana Mudassar said, adding by the time he got back, the ex-PTI leaders had already gone. He said the visitors stayed only a little over 10 minutes and left without any political discussion... -
Dawn - 02:52 Nov 02, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The government-backed group has won three out of the five available seats in the Islamabad Bar Council elections, according to unofficial results. Hamid Khan group won one seat and an independent candidate claimed the remaining position. As per the unofficial tally, Abdul Rehman Har Bajwa emerged as the top scorer with 1,369 votes, followed closely by Raja Aleem Abbasi with 1,351 votes, Chaudhry Hafeezullah Yaqoob 1,295 votes, Mohammad Zafar Khokhar 1,288 votes and Asif Irfan 1,126 votes. The candidates backed by the government — Abdul Rehman Har Bajwa, Raja Aleem Abbasi and Asif Irfan — were declared successful. Chaudhry Hafeezullah Yaqoob, representing the Hamid Khan group, also secured a seat while Mohammad Zafar Khokhar won as an independent candidate. A total of 21 candidates contested the elections. Under the rules, five candidates securing the highest number of votes are declared members of the bar council. As soon as the results were announced, supporters of the winning candidates celebrate... -
Dawn - 01:37 Nov 02, 2025
Bilal sat in a Lyari police station in Karachi last October, explaining why he’d murdered four women in his family. It wasn’t about honour, going by what he told investigators. His girlfriend wanted her name on a house deed. His mother refused. His sisters mocked him on TikTok. So, he killed them all — his mother Shamshad, sisters Madiha and Ayesha, and his nine-year-old niece — then threw the dagger into the sea. “He tried to frame it as honour,” says Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) for Karachi’s District South Arif Aziz, who investigated the case. “But it was about property and control,” he continues. “His family was modern and powerful, unwilling to accept male domination,” the investigator tells Eos. According to Bilal’s charge sheet, he’d watched the Indian crime series Crime Patrol to learn how to avoid leaving evidence. The case is still in court. Police say Bilal’s case reveals a disturbing evolution: honour is now a legal shield for murder driven by property disputes, male insecurity and the ra... -
Dawn - 21:01 Nov 01, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif sidestepped answering a question on whether Pakistan had conducted a test of a hypersonic ballistic missile, saying such matters should not be asked about publicly. “Now don’t ask all these questions. Ask such things in private,” he said while responding in an interview on Samaa TV show ‘Mere Sawal’ on Friday, when asked to confirm whether Pakistan had conducted the missile test or not. The question came in the wake of a “rare lenticular cloud formation” observed over Quetta in the early hours of Tuesday that left the public puzzled over the phenomenon and its origins. Citizens had reported sighting the phenomenon around morning prayers from many parts of Balochistan and speculation was rife about the likely cause. Many social media accounts hinted that the cloud formation was the result of a missile test or a new technology tested by the military. In a post on X later in the day, the Pakistan Meteorological Department said the sight was a “lenticular cloud formation” which was o... -
Dawn - 18:49 Nov 01, 2025
Babar Azam showed his mastery with the bat after Shaheen Shah Afridi led a sparkling bowling performance from Pakistan as the hosts cruised to a four-wicket victory over South Africa in the series-deciding third Twenty20 International at the Gaddafi Stadium on Saturday. Shaheen picked up 3-26, being the standout of Pakistan’s bowling attack, in which Faheem Ashraf and debutant Usman Tariq picked up two wickets each, as South Africa were restricted to 139-9 after being put into bat. Babar then provided an anchor in the chase with a brilliant 68, featuring nine fours, as Pakistan eased to victory with six balls to spare. Shaheen got Pakistan off to a flyer with two wickets halfway through the first over and almost bagged a third victim two balls later. Opener Quinton de Kock’s stumps were undone on the second ball of the innings with a delivery that jagged back, found an edge and clattered into the woodwork. On the very next ball, Lhuan-dre Pretorious then spooned a catch to Usman Tariq at short fine-leg. Pakis... -
Dawn - 18:40 Nov 01, 2025
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Saturday that India wanted to keep Pakistan busy and engaged on the eastern and western fronts amid tensions with Kabul and New Delhi. Pakistan and Afghanistan agreed early on Friday morning to continue a ceasefire between the two countries following a rapid deterioration of ties and a brief conflict along their shared border last month. The Istanbul talks followed a sharp escalation in tensions that saw Pakistan launch Oct 9 airstrikes on Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan sanctuaries in Afghanistan, triggering Oct 11 border clashes that continued for days before a ceasefire was formalised in Doha on Oct 18-19. The Istanbul agreement came after days of deadlock that nearly brought the process to a halt, with mediators pulling both delegations back to the table even as Pakistan’s team had already begun preparations to return home. Meanwhile, an uneasy peace persists between Pakistan and India after their May conflict earlier this year that led to a United States-brokered ceasefir... -
Dawn - 18:07 Nov 01, 2025
Former PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that there was a dire need to bring down the political temperature, adding that pursuing engagement with other parties and shunning confrontation was the best way to resolve current issues afflicting the party. Chaudhry, who had remained in jail for months after the removal of the PTI government in April 2022, after his release, had condemned the May 9 violent protests by the party’s supporters and, through a post on X on May 24, 2024, had himself announced to part ways with former premier Imran Khan. The PTI had “completely disassociated” itself from him in December 2024, stating that he was not authorised to issue statements to the media or participate in TV talk shows on behalf of the party. Talking to Dawn on Saturday in his hometown of Jhelum, Chaudhry said: “I am a politician by birth and I believe in a political solution to political issues. Confrontation and endless confrontation see no light at the end of the tunnel.” The former information minister s... -
Dawn - 16:20 Nov 01, 2025
A 20-year-old man from Afghanistan suspected of having links to an offshoot of the Islamic State group has been arrested in France, anti-terrorism prosecutors said on Saturday. The man was charged with participating in a criminal terrorist organisation and financing a terrorist enterprise, the National Anti-Terrorism Prosecutor’s Office (PNAT) said. The suspect, who was arrested in Lyon last week, was placed in pre-trial detention. “He is suspected of having been in contact with IS-K (Islamic State in Khorasan),” the anti-terrorism unit said. The man is suspected of “sending funds” and helping translate and relay “the propaganda of this terrorist organisation”, PNAT added. The IS-K, the militant group’s branch in Afghanistan, also operates in Pakistan and former Soviet countries in Central Asia, including Uzbekistan. The group has been responsible for deadly attacks in Afghanistan and Russia, including an attack on a Moscow concert hall in March 2024 that killed 150 people. According to French daily Le Parisi... -
Dawn - 15:14 Nov 01, 2025
At least nine people were crushed to death after a massive crowd surge at a Hindu temple in southern India’s Andhra Pradesh on Saturday, state officials said. The stampede occurred as worshippers crowded into the Sri Venkateswara Swamy temple in the city of Srikakulam on Ekadashi, a day Hindus consider auspicious, said Pawan Kalyan, the state’s deputy chief minister. “An inquiry will be conducted into the tragic incident,” Kalyan said in a statement, adding that the temple was run by private individuals. He put the death toll at nine. Andhra Pradesh Governor S. Abdul Nazeer expressed his “profound grief on the death of nine pilgrims in the stampede”. As many as 25,000 devotees crowded into the temple, which can accommodate only about 2,000, leading to the crush, state minister Anam Ramanarayana Reddy added, while district officials have been told to provide the injured with medical help. A total of 18 injuries have been reported so far, the collector and magistrate of Srikakulam district Swapnil Dinkar Pundka... -
Dawn - 14:34 Nov 01, 2025
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government assigned portfolios to the newly formed 13-member all-male provincial cabinet on Saturday. The 13-member provincial cabinet picked by KP Chief Minister Sohail Afridi took the oath of office a day ago in Peshawar. Many on social media were quick to point out that the new KP government lacked female representation. A notification issued today from the Cabinet Wing of the KP government’s Administration Department said CM Afridi assigned the following portfolios to the 13 members: Provincial ministers: Meena Khan Afridi — local government, elections and rural development Arshad Ayub Khan — elementary and secondary education Fazal Shakoor Khan — public health engineering Amjad Ali — housing Aftab Alam Afridi — law, parliamentary affairs and human rights Syed Fakhar Jehan — excise, taxation and narcotics control Riaz Khan — irrigation Khaleequr Rehman — health Aqibullah Khan — relief, rehabilitation and settlement Faisal Khan Tarakai — labour Aides Muzzammil Aslam — finance adviser...
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