Dawn
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Dawn - 06:20 Jun 21, 2026
Scottish authorities said on Saturday they charged a man in connection with attacks in Edinburgh that wounded five people with UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer saying the suspect “appears to be motivated by anti-Muslim hatred”. Police Scotland said officers had arrested a 36-year-old white Scottish man and there was “no further threat to the public”. “A 36-year-old man has been charged in connection with a number of incidents which took place in Edinburgh on Friday, June 19, 2026,” police said late on Saturday. “A report has been submitted to the Procurator Fiscal, and the individual will appear at court in due course.” Footage posted online showed a bare-chested man, believed to be the suspect, roaming the streets of the Scottish capital with a large weapon. A police statement said they received multiple emergency calls late on Friday from people reporting “violent attacks including threats, robbery and vandalism across Edinburgh, with five men injured”. The victims, two aged 22, and others aged 24, 27, and 39... -
Dawn - 05:01 Jun 21, 2026
Samuel Huntington is making a comeback. In his 1996 book The Clash of Civilisations, the American political scientist deeply divided academic opinion by arguing that culture, rather than ideology, would drive post-Cold War conflicts. In 2019, the British political theorist Christopher Coker wrote that the contemporary concept of the ‘civilisational state’ serves as a real-world evidence of Huntington’s core thesis. According to Coker, culture, rather than ideology, has become the primary currency of international politics. Indeed, Coker’s observation was the outcome of the increasing use of the term ‘civilisational state.’ But it was originally coined by American political scientist Lucian Pye in 1990. He viewed China not as a nation state in the European tradition but rather “a civilisation pretending to be a nation state.” In 2009, the British academic Martin Jacques wrote that the West continues to misread China by treating it purely as a nation state. He asserted China must be understood as a civilisation... -
Dawn - 04:59 Jun 21, 2026
KARACHI: A court on Saturday granted police more time to file the final charge sheet against alleged cocaine dealer Anmol Pinky and other suspects in a drug peddling case. At the last hearing, an investigating officer had filed an interim investigation report against prime suspect Pinky and others in a drug case lodged at Garden police station, while the court had sought the final report from police on June 20. When a judicial magistrate (South) took up the matter for hearing on Saturday, the IO could not file the final charge sheet and requested more time on the grounds that forensic and other reports were still awaited. While adjourning the hearing till June 27, the court allowed further time and directed the IO to file the final investigation report by the next hearing. The magistrate also reserved orders till the next hearing on applications seeking permission to record the voice samples of the suspects in the drug case and to discharge the names of two suspects from the case. The IO had filed an applicat... -
Dawn - 04:23 Jun 21, 2026
KARACHI: Despite the war in the Gulf region, Pakistani workers continued to leave for jobs in countries directly affected by the conflict, particularly during March. Official data showed that during January-May, over 300,000 Pakistanis found employment in Middle Eastern states led by Saudi Arabia and the UAE. The largest number of Pakistani workers left for Saudi Arabia, while around 50,000 emigrated to the UAE, one of the countries most affected by the war. According to data released by the Bureau of Emigration and Overseas Employment, 143,586 Pakistanis left for Saudi Arabia during the five-month period, the highest number for any single destination country. Saudi Arabia was also drawn into the conflict and reportedly faced multiple attacks by Iran targeting American facilities in the kingdom. Although the war, which began on Feb 28, ended after about a month following a ceasefire, intermittent strikes by the US and Israel, as well as retaliatory attacks by Iran, continued to fuel uncertainty across the reg... -
Dawn - 04:13 Jun 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The much-touted bill aimed at advancing fibreisation across the country has run into trouble after the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom deferred it, while criticism on social media has targeted the IT minister and sections of the telecom sector over what critics describe as an ‘exploitative law’. Concerns about the intentions behind the Pakistan Telecommunication (Amendment) Bill 2026 have intensified due to the timing of the government’s attempt to secure its passage through both houses of parliament. The bill was approved by the National Assembly on June 11, a day before the presentation of the federal budget 2026-27, and was presented in the Senate on June 15. Following objections from PTI senators, who demanded that the proposed legislation be referred to the relevant standing committee, Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecom Chairperson Senator Palwasha Khan convened a meeting the next day, June 16. Lawmakers reject clause letting telcos use public land without fee; flag Rs50m ... -
Dawn - 04:02 Jun 21, 2026
Naveed Qamar says climate funds must not be consumed without projects • Panel seeks stricter recovery of petroleum levies from OMCs • Islamabad token tax hike approved despite middle-class concerns ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Saturday raised concerns over the proposed carbon levy amid growing climate challenges, warned that reduced duties on scrap could create environmental risks and approved an increase in Islamabad’s token tax that is likely to affect middle-class vehicle owners. The National Assembly Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue reviewed the National Tariff Policy 2025-30 in detail, focusing on the phased reduction in import duties. Lawmakers asked tax authorities to redraft the proposed climate levy, stressing that it must be backed by a clear and defined objective. Commerce Secretary Jawad Paul briefed the committee, while Commerce Minister Jam Kamal remained absent. Since last year, the committee, chaired by MNA Naveed Qamar, has undertaken a clause-by-clause review of the Finan... -
Dawn - 03:55 Jun 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Setting a rapid pace for judicial appointments, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) has formally invited nominations to fill 10 vacant positions of additional judges in the Lahore High Court (LHC). The move comes just a day after the commission approved the Interviews of Judges Appointment Rules, creating a specialised seven-member panel to vet prospective candidates for the superior judiciary. According to an official communication circulated by the JCP Secretariat, nominations on the prescribed format have been sought for the LHC benches and must reach the commission by July 4. Sources told Dawn that following the compilation of these nominations, the JCP is scheduled to convene intensive sessions from July 21 to 23 to evaluate and finalise selections for the Lahore, Sindh, and Balochistan high courts. Concurrently, candidate recommendations for the Peshawar High Court (PHC) are being finalised and are expected to be placed before the commission during the same period. The swift procedural... -
Dawn - 03:31 Jun 21, 2026
• Energy, PDMA and BSDI receive major allocations • Rs28.35bn earmarked for energy sector; development spending exceeds Rs58bn QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly on Saturday approved the province’s supplementary budget of over Rs119 billion for the fiscal year 2025-26, without debate and without any cut motions being moved against the demands for grants. Soon after the session began, with Speaker retired Captain Abdul Khaliq Achakzai in the chair, opposition members sought to debate the supplementary budget. However, Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti asked members to first approve the budget, saying discussion could take place later. The speaker then directed Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani to move the demands for grants. Mr Nosherwani presented 46 demands for grants one by one, including 21 related to non-development expenditure and 25 concerning development expenditure. No opposition member moved a cut motion against either development or non-development expenditure as the finance minister tabl... -
Dawn - 03:25 Jun 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: The PTI on Saturday slammed the government for its “anti-farmer” and “anti-poor” policies, accusing the ruling coalition of weakening the economy and burdening the underprivileged with over-taxation. At a press conference, PTI MNAs Usama Mela, Khawaja Sheraz Mehmood, Mubeen Arif Jutt, and Shandana Gulzar presented a grim picture of the nation’s agriculture, economy, and law and order, exposing the “disconnect” between the government’s statistics and the ground realities. They claimed the rulers were directly responsible for the worsening economic situation, as they continued to increase their own lavish expenditures while ordinary citizens bore the burden of economic hardship. MNA Usama claimed that the agriculture sector was facing a “total collapse” under the PML-N government. He noted that cotton cultivation declined significantly, and that the agriculture sector failed to achieve even 0.6pc growth against a target of 6pc. “Due to crippling taxation policies, the total cultivable area for cotton... -
Dawn - 03:16 Jun 21, 2026
GAZA CITY: Gaza health officials said Israeli strikes on Saturday killed at least 11 people, including four members of the same family, in the latest violence to rock the Palestinian territory despite a ceasefire. Hamas accuses Israel of daily truce violations and the Gaza Strip continues to suffer severe bloodshed, with efforts to permanently halt the destructive assault on the enclave still at a standstill. An overnight Israeli airstrike on an apartment building in the Sabra neighbourhood of Gaza City killed four members of the Al-Safadi family, including the husband, wife and their two daughters, according to the civil defence agency, a rescue service that operates under Hamas authority. It said the strike also injured 12 others. Apartment bombing leaves four family members dead Gaza City’s Al-Shifa hospital confirmed receiving the bodies of four members of the Safadi family, including two children. “Around 2 o’clock, my cousins were asleep when a missile struck them. They have no connection to Hamas, nor ... -
Dawn - 03:11 Jun 21, 2026
• Truce under strain as Tel Aviv kills family of four, Lebanese soldier • Israel refuses to withdraw its troops from southern territory • Hezbollah warns unprovoked aggression will not pass without a response BEIRUT: Israeli strikes in Lebanon killed at least 20 people on Saturday, Lebanon’s state news agency said, one day after a ceasefire with Hezbollah took effect, underscoring the fragility of a truce aimed at halting months of escalating violence. Lebanon’s National News Agency reported that Israeli warplanes and drones struck multiple civilian and structural locations in southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. Hezbollah accused Israel of committing hundreds of blatant ceasefire violations and warned that the continued Israeli aggression “will not pass without a response”. The group noted that responsibility for the dangerous escalation lay solely with Israel and urged the US to place intense pressure on the Israeli regime to implement diplomatic agreements and halt its devastating attacks The Israeli mil... -
Dawn - 02:29 Jun 21, 2026
• Allocations in all climate heads face cuts, except for disaster management • Experts call for transparency in climate spending, structural reforms ISLAMABAD: Climate allocations in the next fiscal year’s federal budget again fall short of putting Pakistan on a path towards a climate-smart future and inclusive growth despite the immediate risks it poses to the country. Except for disaster management finance, allocations in almost all climate categories have decreased compared to the outgoing financial year. The mitigation funds have been reduced from Rs603 billion to Rs124 billion, while adaptation money has been slashed from Rs85bn to Rs70bn. The “green component” of subsidies also experienced budget cuts, with the energy sector’s allocation declining to Rs423 billion from Rs529 billion. Similarly, the food, industry, transport, and agriculture sectors also faced cuts in the proposed budget presented by the government on June 12. Giovanni Maurice Pradipta, who is a policy adviser at global NGO Germanwatch,... -
Dawn - 02:05 Jun 21, 2026
QUETTA: An additional district and sessions court on Saturday sentenced the father and maternal uncle of 14-year-old Pakistani-American girl Hira Anwar to life imprisonment for her murder. Additional District and Sessions Judge Shahid Javed announced the verdict after completing the trial and hearing arguments from both sides. According to the judgement, the court convicted Hira’s father, Anwar-ul-Haq Rajput, and her maternal uncle, Muhammad Tayyab Bhatti, and sentenced both men to life imprisonment. The court also imposed a fine of Rs200,000 on each convict. According to the prosecution, the two men shot and killed Hira on Jan 27, 2025, in Quetta’s Balochi Street area. The case was investigated by the Serious Crime Investigation Wing. Initially, Hira’s father had lodged an FIR at the Gawalmandi Police Station against unidentified assailants, claiming that his daughter had been shot by unknown gunmen. However, police investigations, witness statements and forensic evidence later pointed to the involvement of ... -
Dawn - 21:37 Jun 20, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chief of Defence Forces Field Marshal Asim Munir departed early on Sunday morning for Switzerland to attend technical-level talks between Iran and the United States in Burgenstock on June 21. The development comes after the long-awaited peace deal was signed on Thursday, heralding an end to months of bitter animosity that had gripped the Middle East and plunged the world into an economic crisis. Under the agreement, the US and Iran have agreed on a framework to end the war, lift the US blockade of Iran and reopen the Strait of Hormuz. “Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif and COAS & CDF Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir will participate in these talks,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a post on X, adding that the two are accompanied by a “high-level delegation”. FO announces talks in Switzerland Earlier on Saturday, the Foreign Office (FO) announced that technical-level talks will be held in Buergenstock, Switzerland, on Sunday. “Representatives of the United States and Ira... -
Dawn - 19:29 Jun 20, 2026
GILGIT: The PPP on Saturday announced that it would form a government in Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) with the support of the PML-N, mirroring the arrangement at the federal level. After elections on June 7, the PPP emerged as the largest party, with 12 seats in the 24-member GB assembly. The decision was announced by PML-N GB president Hafeez Hafeezur Rehman and PPP GB president Amjad Hussain at a press conference following a consultation meeting between the parties’ leaders. According to a press release issued on Saturday night, the parties decided to form a coalition government in Gilgit-Baltistan based on “mutual trust, consensus and consultation”. The statement added that both parties had expressed their determination to move forward together, prioritising political stability, public welfare and the promotion of democratic values. According to a statement, local PPP and PML-N leaders agreed on a proposed power-sharing formula following a consultation meeting, under which the region’s chief minister will be from... -
Dawn - 18:40 Jun 20, 2026
A punishing heatwave sweeping across much of Europe prompted a partial alcohol ban in France, nationwide warnings in Germany and the closure of a soccer fan zone in Spain, as temperatures climbed towards record levels. France was expecting 35 of its 96 departments or regions to declare red heatwave alerts on Sunday, with temperatures of 39 to 40 degrees Celsius expected from the southwest through the Paris region into Burgundy, with some areas possibly reaching 41°C. After a crisis meeting, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pre-emptively banned alcohol consumption on Sunday at the annual Fete de la Musique festivals and other public events to be held in those 35 regions on Sunday. Authorities in Paris ordered parks to remain open around the clock, however. A woman protects herself from the sun under an umbrella on the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise in Paris during a second heatwave affecting a large part of France, June 20, 2026. — Reuters Heat alerts were declared in most of Germa... -
Dawn - 17:59 Jun 20, 2026
Abed Hachem rebuilt his home when it was damaged in a conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in 2024, but is at a loss now that most of his village has been destroyed in Israel’s latest round of strikes. Where his house once stood in Qlaileh is now rubble; where his garden bloomed, dust, with more dust covering the toys and furniture strewn around the remains of his living room. “Oh dear… Oh God. There was a building here… here… there was a building here,” the 46-year-old father of three said as he pointed to the husks of buildings that once housed his neighbors. The spire of the local mosque is one of few structures still standing. A woman returning to her village after displacement by the war smiles as she holds a box salvaged from her neighbour’s house, which was destroyed by an Israeli strike, in Qlaileh, Tyre district, southern Lebanon. — Reuters The latest round of fighting between Hezbollah and Israel erupted on March 2. Israel carried out air strikes and a ground invasion that occupied parts of ... -
Dawn - 17:53 Jun 20, 2026
The IT ministry on Saturday clarified that a bill seeking amendments to telecommunication laws does not propose compulsory acquisition of private land. The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026, which seeks changes to a 1996 act and was tabled by IT Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja, was approved by the National Assembly on June 11 by a majority vote. It is currently pending before the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication, where it was referred on June 15. The proposed changes have been the subject of discussion on social media, with some users voicing concerns over provisions relating to the use of private property for infrastructure such as telecom towers. In a detailed statement issued on Saturday, the ministry said the Right of Way (ROW) provisions in the bill “do not permit telecom operators to enter individual private property without the owner’s permission or due legal process, and do not authorise compulsory acquisition of private land”. It stressed that the R... -
Dawn - 17:44 Jun 20, 2026
Police in Scotland said on Saturday that counter-terrorism officers were investigating several “violent attacks” the previous evening in Edinburgh that injured five men in suspected anti-Muslim incidents. Police Scotland said a 36-year-old white Scottish man had been arrested and that there was no further threat to the public. Footage posted online showed a bare-chested man — purportedly the suspect — roaming streets of the Scottish capital with a large weapon. “Counter Terrorism Policing Scotland is investigating, supported by other specialist colleagues and local policing officers,” police said in a statement. It added officers had received multiple emergency calls late Friday from people reporting “violent attacks including threats, robbery and vandalism across Edinburgh, with five men injured”. The victims — two aged 22, and others aged 24, 27, and 39 — sustained various injuries and three required hospital treatment, but none of the injuries were life-threatening, according to police. Scotland’s First Mi... -
Dawn - 16:54 Jun 20, 2026
Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni fired back at US President Donald Trump on Saturday, saying his “constant, unprovoked attacks are senseless” after he escalated a diplomatic row by accusing her of repeatedly seeking a photograph with him. The clash has opened an unusually personal rift between Trump and one of Europe’s most prominent right-wing leaders, who had sought to cast herself as a bridge between Washington and the continent during Trump’s return to power. Trump had initially told Italian broadcaster La7 that Meloni “begged” him for a picture at this week’s G7 summit in France, saying he agreed only because he “felt sorry for her.” Meloni angrily denied the claim, calling it “made up,” but Trump doubled down in a post on Truth Social, saying Meloni had asked “over and over” for a photograph during the summit. He also accused her of trying to repair relations with Washington for domestic political reasons after Italy failed to support US action against Iran. “Now, after the United States defeated I...
12400 items