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Found 10732 news
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Dawn - 12:44 Apr 21, 2026
Azerbaijan’s state energy company SOCAR is ready to supply liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Pakistan as soon as it receives a request from Islamabad, the company told Reuters on Tuesday, as Islamabad seeks spot cargoes to ease a growing energy shortfall. SOCAR said a framework agreement signed in 2025 between SOCAR Trading and Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) allows the Pakistani buyer to purchase LNG cargoes directly under an accelerated procedure. “SOCAR is ready to provide LNG to Pakistan as soon as PLL submits a corresponding request,” the company said in response to Reuters questions. SOCAR did not say whether such a request had already been made, when a first delivery could take place, or whose LNG would be supplied under the agreement. Pakistan, which relies heavily on gas for its energy needs, remains vulnerable to declining domestic production and swings in global LNG prices amid the supply disruptions related to the US-Israeli war on Iran. Facing criticism over loadshedding even before t... -
Dawn - 12:13 Apr 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Around 3.3 million jobs may have been affected by the 2025 floods in Pakistan, according to an assessment conducted by the International Labour Organisation (ILO). The ILO — a specialised United Nations agency — announced on Tuesday that it had undertaken an employment and livelihoods loss assessment for 14 of the worst-affected districts of Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the ILO, the assessment showed that the majority of employment losses and disruptions were borne by the nine flood-affected districts in Punjab. It further indicated that rural areas accounted for nearly 78 per cent of the total estimated employment losses, with agriculture emerging as the most affected sector, followed by services and industry. According to the statement, the assessment was in support of the review and validation by the Preliminary Assessment of 2025 Flood Damages, a collective exercise supported by the United Nations, Asian Development Bank, European Union, and the World Bank, with the United Natio... -
Dawn - 11:34 Apr 21, 2026
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Tuesday said the government was actively pursuing a diversified capital markets strategy, aimed at strengthening external buffers and ensuring sustainable financing. He made the remarks during a meeting with European Union (EU) Ambassador to Pakistan Raimundas Karoblis, the finance ministry said in a post on the social media platform X. The minister underscored Pakistan’s steady return to macroeconomic stability and renewed engagement with international capital markets, highlighting “growing investor confidence and the government’s commitment to a structured and forward-looking economic reform agenda”. “He noted that Pakistan has recently re-entered international capital markets after a four-year hiatus through a privately placed Eurobond transaction, which witnessed strong investor interest and was successfully upsized,” the ministry said. It added that Aurangzeb emphasised that “this milestone reflects improving economic fundamentals and signals a positive trajectory f... -
Dawn - 11:20 Apr 21, 2026
The Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of the indigenously developed ‘Taimoor’ air-launched cruise missile, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the “Pakistan Navy has conducted successful live weapon firing of Taimoor air-launched cruise missile — an indigenously developed Anti-Ship Weapon System — in a powerful demonstration of precision strike capability and operational readiness”. ISPR said that the cruise missile “executed its mission with exceptional precision, validating Pakistan Navy’s combat capability to detect, target and decisively neutralise enemy sea-based threats at extended ranges”. @dawn.today The Pakistan Navy conducted a successful test of the indigenously developed ‘Taimoor’ air-launched cruise missile, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the “Pakistan Navy has conducted successful live weapon firing of Taimoor air-launched cruise missile — an indigenously developed... -
Dawn - 11:19 Apr 21, 2026
As springtime temperatures rise in Gaza, a surge in rats, fleas and other pests has compounded the misery of hundreds of thousands of displaced people still living in tents after more than two years of war. With meagre shelter and almost no sanitation, Palestinians told AFP the vermin are invading their makeshift homes, biting children and contaminating food, in what aid agencies warned was a growing public health threat. “My children have been bitten. One of my sons was even bitten on the nose,” said Muhammad al-Raqab, a displaced Palestinian man living in a tent near the southern city of Khan Yunis. “I am unable to sleep through the night because I must constantly watch over the children,” the 32-year-old construction worker, originally from Bani Shueila, told AFP. With shelters erected directly on soft sand by the Mediterranean Sea, rodents can easily burrow under tent walls and wreak havoc inside, where people have established makeshift pantries and kitchens. “The rodents have eaten through my tent,” Raqa... -
Dawn - 11:06 Apr 21, 2026
Around 7,900 people died or disappeared on migration routes in 2025, taking the total dead and missing since 2014 beyond 80,000, the United Nations’ migration agency said on Tuesday. The UN’s International Organisation for Migration (IOM) said people were being forced into dangerous, irregular journeys when safe pathways were out of reach, and urged countries to find the political will to save more lives on migration routes. “The deaths or disappearance of nearly 7,900 people were documented on global migration routes worldwide in 2025,” the IOM said. The IOM’s Missing Migrants Project “has documented more than 80,000 deaths and disappearances during migration since 2014”, the agency said. “While these figures represent only the lowest boundary of the true number of affected people, they nonetheless underscore the need for urgent action to end migrant deaths and address the complex needs of families left behind,” said the IOM. The IOM said the 7,904 deaths and disappearances documented in 2025 “mark a continu... -
Dawn - 10:40 Apr 21, 2026
• US team heading to Islamabad today; Iran also ‘considering’ sending negotiators • Trump extends ceasefire by a day, says further extension ‘highly unlikely’ • Pezeshkian criticises ‘bitter, contradictory’ messages from US; Iran speaker says engaged in talks but also ready for ‘necessary measures’ • PM Shehbaz, European Council president stress continuation of dialogue; Dar speaks to Iranian, Australian counterparts • Xi tells Saudi crown prince ‘normal traffic’ thru Hormuz must be maintained • Moscow hopes talks will continue; Macron denounces Hormuz blockade • Unprecedented security deployment in Islamabad ahead of expected talks ISLAMABAD/WASHINGTON: With the ceasefire between Iran and the US set to expire tomorrow (Wednesday), a US delegation is expected to head to Islamabad today (Tuesday), while Tehran also appeared open to sending its team for the second round of peace talks. CNN reported that Vice President JD Vance and other top US officials were expected to depart for Islamabad on Tuesday, while ... -
Dawn - 09:50 Apr 21, 2026
Japan on Tuesday unveiled its biggest overhaul of defence export rules in decades, scrapping restrictions on overseas arms sales and opening the way for exports of warships, missiles and other weapons. The move aimed at strengthening Japan’s defence industrial base marks another step away from the pacifist restraints that have shaped its postwar security policy. It has been made in tandem with efforts to deepen ties with other nations in Asia to counter China’s growing regional influence. Wars in Ukraine and the Middle East are also straining US weapons production, expanding opportunities for Japan. At the same time, US allies in Europe and Asia are looking to diversify suppliers as Washington’s long-held security commitments look less certain under President Donald Trump. “No single country can now protect its own peace and security alone, and partner countries that support each other in terms of defence equipment are necessary,” Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said in a post on X. While countries suc... -
Dawn - 08:23 Apr 21, 2026
The Pakistan Airport Authority (PAA) on Tuesday extended its airspace ban for Indian aircraft for another month until May 24, marking a year of flight restrictions on India’s airlines. “Pakistani airspace will remain closed to Indian-registered aircraft, or Indian airlines/operators (including military flights),” a PAA Notice to Airmen (Notam) said. “This ban will now be effective till May 24, 2026 at 4:59am.” Pakistan’s airspace is divided into two flight information regions (FIRs) — Karachi and Lahore, according to a Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) document from 2022. The Notam applies to both the Karachi (OPKR) and Lahore (OPLR) FIRs. The Notam issued by Pakistan for barring Indian flights in its airspace till May 24, 2026. — PAA website The previous extension was set to expire on April 24. India and Pakistan have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines since late April 2025, when tensions between them escalated in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian-occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. On April... -
Dawn - 06:02 Apr 21, 2026
KARACHI: State Minister for Finance Bilal Azhar Kiani has said that proposals for relief to the salaried class and measures to broaden the tax base by bringing retail and wholesale sectors into the tax net would be considered in the upcoming budget formulation process. He said the government values constructive input from chambers of commerce and industry stakeholders during ongoing budget consultations. While reviewing proposals submitted by the Overseas Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI) during a meeting on April 19, the minister acknowledged the importance of maintaining an investment-friendly fiscal environment. He assured foreign investors that the government recognises the need to streamline the tax structure to support economic growth. OICCI emphasised the need for a more equitable tax framework in which all segments of the economy — including agriculture, retail and wholesale trade, real estate, and services — contribute proportionately to national revenues. The chamber recommended reducing the ... -
Dawn - 05:56 Apr 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The year 2025 saw 358 natural hazard-related disasters, resulting in over 16,000 fatalities, affecting 110.2 million people and causing $169.68 billion in economic losses, according to Emergency Events Database maintained by the Centre for Research on the Epidemiology of Disasters (Cred) at one of the oldest universities in Europe. The Cred at the University of Louvain in Belgium provides data on significant disasters to support research, humanitarian action, evidence-based decision-making in disaster preparedness and response, and disaster risk reduction. The database also helps assess community vulnerability and inform policy priorities. Asia accounted for a disproportionately large share of disaster-related deaths, due largely to major earthquakes in Myanmar and Afghanistan. The year was also marked by a record-breaking drought in Syria, which left 80 per cent of the population in need of assistance; and by the Palisades and Eaton Fires, which ranked among the costliest wildfires ever recorded, ... -
Dawn - 05:36 Apr 21, 2026
• Says cybercrime, anti-terror laws are weaponised to silence voices; authorities pull ads from critical newspapers • Warns world faces unprecedented rights crisis; cites use of AI, tech to expand surveillance, curb online dissent LONDON: Global rights watchdog Amnesty International released its annual report on Tuesday, delivering a stark warning that the world is confronting its “most challenging moment” as fundamental human rights are under a direct and escalating assault globally. Amnesty’s Secretary General Agnès Callamard said the report, The State of the World’s Human Rights 2026, marks a moment that is fundamentally different, reflecting not a gradual erosion but a deep global crisis. “What marks this moment as fundamentally different is that we’re no longer documenting erosion around the system’s edges,” Callamard said. “This is a direct assault on the foundations of human rights and the international rules-based order by the most powerful actors for the purpose of control, impunity and profit.” The... -
Dawn - 05:14 Apr 21, 2026
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) confirmed on Tuesday that Pakistan has received $1 billion from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. “State Bank of Pakistan has received funds of US$1 billion from Ministry of Finance, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in the value date of 20April2026.” The central bank said this is the second tranche of the $3bn deposit recently agreed by Saudi Arabia. The first tranche of $2bn was transferred last week. The development came following Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s visit to Saudi Arabia to push diplomatic efforts to promote peace in the Middle East. On Friday, the kingdom pledged an additional $3bn in deposits for Pakistan and extended its existing $5bn facility for a further three years. Pakistan will reportedly return a $3.5bn loan to the UAE this month, putting pressure on its reserves and risking breaches of its International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme targets. The development comes at a sensitive time for the country’s external account position, which is already under strain from ris... -
Dawn - 04:15 Apr 21, 2026
• Some roads, markets closed, transport suspended • Many varsities start online classes and others remain open RAWALPINDI: The residents of Rawalpindi are in a state of confusion as some roads have been closed while others remain open, many universities and schools have been shut while others continue to operate. Moreover, both goods and public transport are off the roads. These disruptions come as the second round of US-Iran peace talks has yet to begin in Islamabad, prompting the government to implement heightened security measures in this regard. The roads around Nur Khan Airbase and the area between Rawalpindi and Islamabad were closed. Markets in Raja Bazaar, Saddar and other areas were opened, but those in residential streets around the old airport as well on Murree Road from Shamsabad to Faizabad were closed. Moreover, the Metro Bus Service between Rawalpindi and Islamabad and the electric buses remained suspended while the district administration directed to also suspend all public and goods transpor... -
Dawn - 04:10 Apr 21, 2026
KARACHI: A judicial magistrate on Monday sent a man to prison on judicial remand in a case pertaining to extending alleged threats to bomb the US consulate general in Karachi. Suspect Sharjeel Akbar was on Sunday arrested and booked in a case registered under Sections 506-B (criminal intimidation) and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Pakistan Penal Code read with Section 25-D (Penalty for causing annoyance) of the Telegraph Act. The FIR was lodged at the Docks police station on the complaint of an inspector of the Foreign Security Cell, who said he was deputed at the US consulate and on April 15, the consulate’s staff informed him that they had received a threatening phone call from a man, who identified himself as Sharjeel Akbar, claiming that he had planted a bomb near the consulate. The complainant stated that he immediately informed his superiors and he, along with bomb disposable unit, searched the area for the explosives but did not find anything near the consul... -
Dawn - 02:48 Apr 21, 2026
TWELVE British universities paid a private firm run by former military intelligence officials to “spy” on student protesters and academics, including those who have expressed solidarity with Palestine, according to a report published by Al Jazeera. The report says that a joint investigation by Al Jazeera English and Liberty Investigates has uncovered evidence that Horus Security Consultancy Limited trawled through student social media feeds and conducted secret counter-terror threat assessments on behalf of some of Britain’s most elite institutions. Horus, which describes itself as a “leading intelligence” firm, has been paid at least £440,000 by universities since 2022. Among those monitored were a Palestinian academic invited to give a guest lecture at Manchester Metropolitan University and a pro-Gaza PhD student at the London School of Economics, according to internal documents. At least £440,000 spent to monitor social media accounts, run background checks on guest speaker In October 2024, the Univ... -
Dawn - 21:20 Apr 20, 2026
Apple on Monday announced that Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Tim Cook will step down in September, handing the job to company veteran John Ternus. The announcement answers long-simmering questions about who would succeed Cook, 65, and comes as Apple strives to show it is not being left behind in the age of artificial intelligence. Ternus, who joined Apple in 2001, has recently overseen the company’s hardware engineering efforts and has played a key role in reigniting sales of products such as Apple’s Mac computers, which have gained market share in recent years. Cook, who has led Apple since 2011, will become the company’s executive chairman, Apple said in a statement. “It has been the greatest privilege of my life to be the CEO of Apple and to have been trusted to lead such an extraordinary company,” Cook said in a release. In naming Ternus chief executive, Apple is shifting from Cook, a supply chain guru who helped turn Apple into a global brand that churns out hundreds of millions of units per year, to a l... -
Dawn - 18:41 Apr 20, 2026
US delegation expected in Islamabad but uncertainty prevails over talks amid mixed signals from Iran
Key developments Trump has confirmed an American delegation will be arriving in Pakistan for talks. While he said on Monday evening that JD Vance and an American delegation were en route to Islamabad, US news outlets reported that the US vice president had yet to depart Iran says it has yet to decide whether it will attend next round of talks with US; parliament speaker highlights lack of trust in Washington Tight security in Islamabad for arrival of foreign delegations; Red Zone sealed and public transport in twin cities suspended Uncertainty prevailed on Monday over whether the United States and Iran would hold a second round of direct talks, as mixed signals emerged from Tehran amid intensifying tensions with Washington, even as Islamabad prepared to host the two sides. Meanwhile, US Donald Trump confirmed that a US team would be in Islamabad for the expected talks. However, it was not clear when the team would depart and arrive in Pakistan. Initially, Trump told The New York Post on Monday evening that US... -
Dawn - 18:40 Apr 20, 2026
More than $71 billion will be needed over the next decade for recovery and reconstruction in war-ravaged Gaza, according to a European Union and United Nations assessment published on Monday. In their final Gaza Rapid Damage and Needs Assessment (RDNA), the United Nations and the European Union said that more than two years of war in the Palestinian territory “has led to unprecedented loss of life and a catastrophic humanitarian crisis”. “Recovery and reconstruction needs are estimated at around $71.4bn,” said the assessment, developed in coordination with the World Bank. Much of Gaza — including schools, hospitals and other civic infrastructure — has been reduced to rubble by an Israeli military offensive. The final assessment determined that $26.3bn would be required in the first 18 months to restore essential services, rebuild critical infrastructure and support economic recovery. “Physical infrastructure damages are estimated at $35.2bn, with economic and social losses amounting to $22.7bn,” a joint state... -
Dawn - 16:27 Apr 20, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The government said on Monday that Pakistan’s economic growth would be affected during the current and next fiscal years due to an almost 20 per cent cut in development budget for fuel subsidies and inflationary impacts of global supply chain disruptions amid the war in the Middle East. “This (cut in development budget) will have a negative impact and, coupled with international oil prices and inflation, will result in economic slowdown and affect our growth target of 4.2pc” for the current year, Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal said while addressing a news conference. This is the first official confirmation of lower than targeted economic growth, although international lenders have projected the growth rate between 3.2pc and 3.5pc. Responding to the question, Iqbal said that the Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) for the current year had been slashed by Rs173bn to Rs837bn from the Rs1.01 trillion target set in the budget. He said PSDP was reduced to finance the Prime Minister’s Austerity Fund...
10732 items