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Dawn - 19:44 Oct 19, 2025
The government has approved the wheat policy for 2025-26, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said on Sunday, adding there would be no restriction on the inter-provincial movement of wheat to ensure its availability across the country. The development comes against the backdrop of the Punjab government tightening controls on the inter-provincial movement of wheat and flour through a restrictive permit regime to curb price hikes within the province — a move that has particularly been denounced by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa amid soaring prices and wheat shortage there. According to the PMO statement, a high-level meeting was held yesterday (Saturday) to discuss the 2025-26 wheat policy. It was chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and attended by the chief ministers of Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. The statement said a representative of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa CM was also present at the meeting while the Azad Jammu and Kashmir PM and relevant stakeholders also attended the meeti... -
Dawn - 19:32 Oct 19, 2025
Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the law and order situation in the country as the two met on Sunday, a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said. The statement added that PM Shehbaz was also briefed on the development projects under way in Islamabad. Today’s meeting between the premier and the interior minister comes a week after they had met ahead of a police operation to dismantle the protest camp of the Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) in Muridke. The TLP planned to march on Islamabad and hold a demonstration outside the US embassy there in “solidarity with Gaza”. Naqvi had briefed PM Shehbaz on the overall law and order situation across the country during last week’s meeting as well and had told him that measures were being undertaken by the Ministry of Interior to strengthen internal security. For his part, the premier had appreciated the efforts of the interior minister and his team, directing that coordinated and effective actions must continue t... -
Dawn - 17:57 Oct 19, 2025
Four-time champions England booked their ticket to the semi-finals of the ICC Women’s World Cup after pulling off a nail-biting four-run win over hosts India in Indore on Sunday. England had posted a competitive 288-8 thanks to Heather Knight’s century and held their nerve in the field to defend it, despite their bowling, usually their strong suit, being a touch off colour. India looked to be cruising towards victory, needing just 62 runs off the last 10 overs with seven wickets in hand. But the dismissal of Smriti Mandhana turned the tide, as scoreboard pressure crept in and dot balls piled up. Soon after, Richa Ghosh and Deepti Sharma departed in quick succession, leaving the tail high and dry. Reckless batting cost India dear. Mandhana’s downfall opened the floodgates when she danced down the track to left-arm spinner Linsey Smith but failed to clear long-off. Then, after reaching her half-century, Deepti Sharma perished trying to take on Sophie Ecclestone, a slog sweep that found deep mid-wicket to perfec... -
Dawn - 17:53 Oct 19, 2025
Liverpool slumped to a fourth consecutive defeat for the first time in 11 years as Manchester United won 2-1 on Sunday to end their near decade-long wait for victory at Anfield. Harry Maguire’s 84th-minute header secured back-to-back Premier League wins for the first time in Ruben Amorim’s tenure as United boss. Twelve minutes from time, Cody Gakpo had cancelled out Bryan Mbeumo’s opener after just 61 seconds. Defeat leaves Liverpool four points adrift of Arsenal at the top of the table and Arne Slot still searching for answers in how to get the right blend after splashing out nearly £450 million ($604 million) on new players in the transfer market. United close to within two points of their historic rivals and up to ninth in the table to ease the pressure on Amorim after his biggest win in nearly a year in charge. Liverpool had only lost one of the previous 14 Premier League meetings between the sides and United had not tasted victory at Anfield since the early days of Jurgen Klopp’s reign in January 2016. H... -
Dawn - 16:14 Oct 19, 2025
Pakistan is relying on its spin strength to seal the Test series against South Africa after defeating the Proteas men in the first Test match in Lahore on Wednesday, interim red-ball head coach Azhar Mahmood said at a press conference ahead of the second match on Monday. Left-arm spinner Noman Ali was South Africa’s chief tormentor as Pakistan won the first Test by 93 runs. Set a daunting 277-run target for victory, the visitors and World Test champions were bowled out for 183 on day four. “The pre-series camp was aimed at adapting spin on these types of pitches; different shots, scoring options,” Azhar said at the presser. “We’re trying that if we play this method at home, then we’ll know how to play spin.” Azhar noted that the playing XI will be decided the morning of the match after seeing pitch conditions, saying there is a possibility of some changes, “but not too many”. “With regards to the toss, we don’t want that the whole match is decided by the toss. “I said this before the series as well, that thes... -
Dawn - 15:46 Oct 19, 2025
Lahore was ranked the second most polluted city in the world in terms of air quality on Sunday, according to air quality monitoring platform IQAir. The Air Quality Index (AQI) is a measure of the concentration of various pollutants in the air, such as fine particulate matter (PM2.5), coarse particulate matter (PM10) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2), and ozone (O3). Any IQAir AQI ranking above 150 is considered “unhealthy” and above 200 is considered “very unhealthy”. The AQI reading for Lahore stood at a very unhealthy 189; it was just beaten by Delhi, which registered a reading of 212 around 7:30pm. Additionally, levels of the pollutant PM2.5 were measured at 109 microgrammes per cubic metre of air (μg/m³), 21.8 times higher than the World Health Organisation’s annual PM2.5 guidelines. PM2.5 particles are floating particulate matter in the air measuring 2.5 micrometres in diameter or less, according to IQAir. PM2.5 is so small that it can be absorbed into the bloodstream upon inhalation. IQAir recommended on its w... -
Dawn - 15:22 Oct 19, 2025
Pakistan on Sunday launched its first Hyperspectral Satellite (HS-1) from a Chinese launch centre, the country’s space agency said, describing it as “a breakthrough achievement”. Hyperspectral imaging is a type of advanced camera technology used in satellites to study the Earth and space, according to a study published in the Journal of Computational Intelligence and Neuroscience. Unlike regular satellite cameras that capture only a few colours (like red, green, and blue), hyperspectral cameras capture hundreds of very narrow colour bands. This means they can detect tiny differences in light that the human eye, or even normal satellites, can’t see. In a statement issued today, Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) said, “The nation’s space agency today announced a breakthrough achievement with the successful launch of Pakistan’s first Hyperspectral Satellite (HS-1) from China.” View this post on Instagram Detailing the function of the satellite, the statement said, “HS-1 satellite ... -
Dawn - 14:19 Oct 19, 2025
Two women were killed and 30 others were injured on Sunday when a coaster carrying a wedding party collided with the mountainside on Jab road in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Haripur, according to Rescue 1122. A Rescue 1122 statement said the accident took place due to brake failure. Subsequently, four Rescue 1122 ambulances and a rescue vehicle were sent to the site, it said, adding that the bodies and most of the injured were taken to Trauma Centre Haripur. Two of the injured whose condition was critical were sent to Abbottabad. In a similar incident in late September, 11 deaths were reported after a truck crashed in KP’s Dera Ismail Khan. Three people were also injured in the accident, which a Rescue 1122 spokesperson attributed to brake failure. In another accident the same month on September 9, two women had died while four people were injured after a jeep they were travelling in plunged into a ravine in KP’s Mansehra. This was two day after five members of a family were killed in a road accident on the Hazara Mo... -
Dawn - 11:23 Oct 19, 2025
France’s Interior Minister Laurent Nunez said that jewellery stolen from the Louvre Museum on Sunday in Paris was “priceless”. The minister told French news outlets France Inter, France Info and Le Monde that “three or four” thieves had focused on two displays in the exhibition venue’s “Gallerie d’Apollon” (“Apollo’s Gallery”), completing their broad daylight robbery in just seven minutes. Earlier in the day, France’s Culture Minister Rachida Dati reported a break-in at the Louvre in Paris, as the world-renowned museum said it was closing for the day. “A hold-up took place this morning at the opening of the Louvre Museum,” she wrote on X, using a French word that can also mean “robbery”. “No injuries reported. I’m on site with museum staff and police,” she added. At least one person had entered the museum, a member of her team told AFP, without adding anything about any possible theft. The Louvre said it was closing for the day “for exceptional reasons”. The museum was not immediately available for comment. -
Dawn - 11:16 Oct 19, 2025
The newly elected Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has called for a grand peace jirgah on October 25, in the province’s Khyber district, in a bid to discuss avenues for “establishment of peace” in the province. In a statement on X, Afridi said, “For the establishment of peace, a grand peace jirga of tribal elders, leaders, and youth — transcending political affiliations — will be held on Saturday, October 25, 2025, in Khyber District, Bara Tehsil.” Stressing the need for prioritising the will of KP’s people in deciding the matters of the province, he said, “The people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa will themselves decide their lives and their future.” “No one will be allowed to impose decisions made in closed rooms on the people,” he said, vowing that the KP government “will stand with Imran Khan’s ideology and the interests of the people.” The development comes as the province witnesses a rise in terrorist attacks, which escalated after the TTP broke a fragile ceasefire deal with the state in November ... -
Dawn - 09:01 Oct 19, 2025
Over 43.3 million children of up to five years of age have been vaccinated against polio in the first five days of an anti-polio campaign across the country, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Saturday, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Yesterday’s data reported that more than 22.9m children have received the oral polio vaccine in Punjab, while approximately 10.2m children were immunised in Sindh. “In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 6.1m children have been vaccinated … in Balochistan, over 2.5m; in Islamabad, around 443,000; in Gilgit-Baltistan, nearly 294,000 and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, over 733,000... -
Dawn - 08:37 Oct 19, 2025
A Pakistan Air Force (PAF) contingent comprising JF-17 Thunder Block-III fighter jets, accompanied by skilled air and ground crew, has landed in Azerbaijan to participate in a bilateral aerial combat exercise, the military’s media wing said on Sunday. Pakistan regularly participates in bilateral and multilateral air exercises with countries around the world, showcasing its growing aerial capabilities and fostering military cooperation. These exercises allow the PAF to train in diverse operational environments, enhance interoperability with foreign forces, and demonstrate its cutting-edge aircraft and skilled personnel on the international stage. Such engagements also strengthen defence diplomacy and strategic ties with partner nations. According to a statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the exercise, called Indus Shield Alpha, aims to enhance mutual understanding, tactical coordination and interoperability between the air forces of Pakistan and Azerbaijan. View this post on Instagram “In... -
Dawn - 07:40 Oct 19, 2025
• Health dept data suggests all is well on dengue front in Sindh with just 819 confirmed cases • Figures obtained from four Karachi hospital show 2,972 positive cases reported from Sept 1 to Oct 16 • One public sector Hyderabad lab confirms 9,075 dengue cases between Sept 1 and Oct 14 • Govt says 215,270 malaria cases also reported this year in province KARACHI / HYDERABAD: While the provincial health department puts the total number of dengue cases in Sindh this year at 819, figures obtained by three major Karachi hospitals and one public sector laboratory and its branches in Hyderabad suggest an outbreak-like situation, with the actual number exceeding 12,000 in a short span of just six weeks. The government had confirmed one dengue-related death in July, but independent figures suggest four dengue patients in Hyderabad —a young girl and two men and an elderly woman — and two in Karachi had lost their lives after testing positive to the mosquito-borne disease. As the government remained tight-lipped over th... -
Dawn - 07:24 Oct 19, 2025
Ukrainian drones attacked a gas plant in Russia’s Orenburg region, the local governor said on Sunday, causing a fire to break out at a workshop which emergency services were working to put out. The governor, Yevgeny Solntsev, said on his official Telegram channel that none of the plant’s employees were hurt in the attack, which left the plant partially damaged. Solntsev said earlier this month that Ukrainian drones had tried to attack an unnamed industrial facility in the Russian city of Orsk near the border with Kazakhstan. Unverified video posted to Telegram at the time showed an object smashing into a facility identified as the Orsknefteorgsintez oil refinery in Orsk. Ukraine has stepped up its attacks on Russian refineries and other energy facilities since August to try to disrupt petrol supplies and deprive Moscow of funding. -
Dawn - 05:17 Oct 19, 2025
LAHORE: The Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) faces the prospect of being completely shut out of the upcoming Punjab local government polls, as the party remains without an official election symbol. According to officials familiar with the development, the PTI may be unable to field its candidates in the polls since the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to allot it a symbol — a prerequisite for participation under the new Local Government Act. The officials said under the recently enacted law, any candidate elected as an independent councillor must join a political party within 30 days of assuming office. However, with PTI lacking formal registration and a symbol, independents supportive of the party will neither be able to affiliate themselves with it nor face disciplinary action from its leadership if they act against party lines. The PTI’s intra-party election dispute has been pending before the ECP for the past 19 months. Legal experts said PTI’s lawyers have shown little urgency in resolving the... -
Dawn - 04:55 Oct 19, 2025
KARACHI: Two bike riders were killed and two others injured when heavy vehicles hit them in separate incidents in the city on Saturday, police and rescue services officials said. Central SSP Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi told Dawn that 37-year-old Sabir Baber was riding a motorcycle when a water bowser (KJF-6195) hit him at Liaquatabad-10 in the limits of Sharifabad police station. He sustained critical injuries and was transported to the Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead. The incident angered area people who set the heavy vehicle on fire, after which it was completely destroyed, said Rescue-1122 spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan. He added that it was a private company’s bowser. The driver responsible for the incident escaped from the spot. The mob also damaged a trailer (TMP-156), said a traffic police official. In another incident, a motorcyclist was killed while two others were injured when a heavy vehicle hit them on M.M. Alam Road near Malir Cantonment. Model Colony SHO Shaukat Awan t... -
Dawn - 04:00 Oct 19, 2025
• Price surges to Rs560 per kg • Pulses stay costly despite global drop • Poultry prices fall amid overproduction KARACHI: The price of tomatoes has surged, with rates reaching as high as Rs560 per kilogram in retail markets. Wholesalers, however, claim that retailers are charging more than double the wholesale price, which currently stands between Rs250-300 per kg. The inflated prices have left many consumers buying smaller quantities, often just 250 grams, to meet their immediate needs. Haji Shahjehan, President of the Falahi Anjuman Wholesale Vegetable Market Super Highway, attributed the high prices to a shortage of tomatoes in the wholesale market. He cited the declining Balochistan crop, which is nearing its end, and the thin arrival of tomatoes from Iran as key factors. The situation has been further exacerbated by the tense border conditions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, making tomato shipments from Afghanistan unlikely. New supplies from Sindh are expected to arrive next month. Shahjehan added th... -
Dawn - 03:15 Oct 19, 2025
ISLAMABAD: The rise of generative artificial intelligence and widespread digitalisation could displace both men and women from jobs, with the latter likely to experience a significantly higher rate of impact, thereby worsening gender inequalities in the workplace, a United Nations policy update warns. Globally, 27.6 per cent of jobs held by women are potentially exposed to automation or major changes from generative AI (GenAI), compared to 21.1pc of jobs held by men, the report from the UN Department of Social Affairs (DESA) found. These risks stem from structural inequalities, gender biases embedded in technology, and uneven access to digital resources. The impact is expected to be felt most acutely in high-income and upper-middle-income countries, where women are concentrated in clerical jobs, education, and public administration — sectors with high exposure to GenAI. Urges govts to close digital gender gap by ensuring affordable internet and digital skills training for women This trend follows a historical...
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Dawn - 03:15 Oct 19, 2025
SAN FRANCISCO: A US judge has granted an injunction barring Israeli spyware maker NSO Group from targeting WhatsApp users but slashed a $168 million damages award at trial to just $4m. District Judge Phyllis Hamilton ruled on Friday that NSO Group’s behaviour fell short of a “particularly egregious” standard needed to support the jury’s calculations on a financial penalty. But in the ruling, she said the court “concluded that defendants’ conduct causes irreparable harm, and there being no dispute that the conduct is ongoing” the judge granted WhatsApp owner Meta an injunction to stop NSO Group’s snooping tactics at the messaging service. “We applaud this decision that comes after six years of litigation to hold NSO accountable for targeting civil society members,” WhatsApp boss Will Cathcart said in a statement. Evidence at trial showed that NSO Group reverse-engineered WhatsApp code to stealthily install spyware targeting users, according to the ruling. The spyware was repeatedly redesigned to escape detecti... -
Dawn - 03:14 Oct 19, 2025
Vehicles loaded with timber are a recurring sight on the roads of Jand in Attock | Photos by the writer In the early hours of an August morning, when mist still clings to the ground, the sound of axes and chainsaws echoes from village thickets across the south-western tehsil of Jand in Punjab’s northern Attock district. “By the time the sun is fully up, truckloads of timber have already left for markets far away,” says Muhammad Ramzan, a 62-year-old farmer from Kanni village, pointing toward a barren patch where a small forest once stood. “These trees took decades to grow, but only hours to fell,” he tells Eos. This is a pattern across villages in Jand and adjoining areas in Attock, where an entrenched network of illegal loggers, transporters and middlemen — called the ‘timber mafia’ — is stripping the hillsides at a pace the land cannot recover from. While data remains limited, the Punjab State of Environment Report 2024 notes that forest cover accounts for only about three percent of the land, amounting to ...
5680 items