Pakistan

Price of 100kg wheat bag rose by Rs700 over last five days

Grieving family, fellow traders demand action as officials remain conspicuously silent

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ISLAMABAD: PPP Secretary General Nayyar Bokhari asserted on Sunday that provincial autonomy “must remain free from interference”. He said this in a statement, in which he also referred to a proposed 28th constitutional amendment — a possible constitutional package about which PPP insiders have expressed fear that it could deal a serious blow to the financial autonomy and powers over certain key portfolios that were devolved to the provinces after 2010 under the 18th Constitutional Amendment. The 18th Amendment, passed under the PPP-led government in 2010, was a landmark legislation in the country’s constitutional scheme, as it devolved powers to the provinces in key areas of public services, including health, women’s development, social welfare and local government. Under the amendment, the provinces’ share of federal resources was set at 57.5 per cent. Calls for a review of the 18th Amendment have been made several times in the past, and have come from different sides of the political spectrum. There have be...

Two wanted criminals were killed in a police encounter during an operation in Budhni Goth, police said on Sunday.

A civilian aircraft carrying skydivers crashed near the eastern French town of Tomblaine on Sunday, killing all 11 people on board, local authorities said, in one of France’s deadliest light aircraft accidents. The crash killed five instructors, five students, and the pilot, said Yves Seguy, the prefect of the eastern department of Meurthe-et-Moselle. “There were no bystanders among the victims,” he added, speaking at a press conference. The aircraft, registered in Germany, crashed in a grassy area near the runway of the Nancy-Essey aerodrome, close to a residential area and two roads, an AFP journalist reported. The cause of the incident was not immediately clear. Medical and psychological support teams were caring for relatives of the victims who were present at the airfield, as well as other witnesses. A technical investigation had been opened, said Amaury Lacote, deputy public prosecutor in the eastern city of Nancy. Police urged people on the social media platform X to “strictly avoid” the area around th...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday strongly condemned the terrorist attack on a Rangers camp in Karachi, praising the security forces for foiling the assault and eliminating the attackers.

Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warned on Sunday that any attempt to bypass the Strait of Hormuz routes agreed with the United States would “increase tensions” in the Middle East, as the countries traded attacks and accusations of violating a fragile ceasefire in the region. Araghchi’s warning came after the US military said it carried out new strikes on early Sunday on multiple targets in Iran, in response to a fresh attack on a ship transiting the Strait of Hormuz. Tehran responded by launching strikes against US bases in Bahrain and Kuwait. The exchanges underscored the fragility of a Pakistan-brokered interim peace deal aimed at ending a war launched by the United States and Israel on February 28, which disrupted shipping through the Strait of Hormuz and rattled global energy markets. “Any attempt to adopt new or separate arrangements compared to what is underway by the Islamic Republic of Iran, will only lead to more complicated situations and delays in the reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and w...

Bangladesh’s fugitive former leader Sheikh Hasina has vowed to return to her country “this year”, according to an interview published on Sunday, months after she was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity. Hasina, 78, fled to neighbouring India in August 2024 after a student-led uprising ended her 15-year, iron-fisted rule. She has not been seen in public since, except for a rare speech broadcast to a packed press club in New Delhi in January. In an interview with Indian broadcaster NDTV, Hasina said she was not afraid of death and that the verdict against her was “part of an illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated process”. “Many conspiracies have been hatched against me. But breaking through every web of conspiracy … I was elected prime minister five times by the people’s vote and worked for the country’s unprecedented development,” Hasina said. “I want to say clearly: overcoming every obstacle and every conspiracy, I will return to my country this year,” she added in respons...

Minister for Maritime Affairs Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Sunday said the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) has achieved the highest annual cargo handling volume in its 138-year history. Pakistani ports, including the KPT, have emerged as a safe trading hub in recent months due to the closure of the Strait of Hormuz amid the US-Iran war. Global shipping lines diverting vessels to Pakistan triggered an unprecedented surge in transhipment activity at Karachi ports. In a statement on Sunday, Chaudhry said KPT this fiscal year (FY25-26) surpassed its previous all-time cargo handling record of 54.685 million tonnes, which was set in FY17-18. Cargo handling refers to the movement, loading, unloading, and storage of goods between ships, trucks, trains, and storage facilities within the port area. According to figures on the KPT’s website, cargo handling for the previous year (FY24-25) stood at 53.951m tonnes. This figure shared on the KPT’s website shows cargo handling records from FY20-21 to FY24-25. — KPT In his statement, th...

Two senior members of the banned Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC), Faisal Gilani and Khawaja Anees, have announced their disassociation from the organisation, urging youth in Azad Jammu and Kashmir to stay away from its activities.

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab has launched a barcode-based identification system for registered water tankers to improve transparency and curb illegal tanker operations.

WASHINGTON: Presi­dent Donald Trump has unveiled a rendering of a new limited-edition US passport to mark the country’s 250th anniversary of independence — featuring his stern-faced likeness. “The USA’s New Pass­p­ort, which says, ‘Welcome, but be good!’” Trump said in a post on his Truth Social platform featuring the passport mock-up. The image features a glowering Trump leaning on his desk and his signature, with the text of the Declaration of Indepen­dence in the background. It appears to be based on a portrait taken by White House photographer Dan­iel Torok. The opposite page shows a painting depicting the declaration’s signing in 1776, with the words “Uni­t­­ed States of America 250.” White House calls it ‘Patriot Passport’ The White House pos­ted the same passport rendering, with the words “PATRIOT PASSPORT”. The State Department, which had previously an­­nounced that a commemorative passport with “custom artwork” would be available from July 6, did not immediately respond to a request for comment. In A...

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has suspended the licence of Geo News for 15 days over what it called an "unacceptable religious depiction" in its Muharram programme Safar-e-Ishq.

Google has put limits on Meta’s use of its Gemini AI models after the social media company sought more computing capacity than the rival tech group could provide, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Google, owned by Alphabet, told Meta around March it could not meet the full Gemini capacity the company had sought to purchase, the newspaper said, adding that the shortfall disrupted and delayed some of Meta’s internal AI projects. Several other Google clients have also been affected, though to a lesser extent, according to the report. Meta has been particularly impacted due to its exceptionally high demand for Google’s models, the FT said. Reuters could not immediately verify the report, which cited people familiar with the matter. Google and Meta did not immediately respond to requests for comment outside business hours. Due to the restrictions, Meta has encouraged staff to be more efficient with AI tokens, the units that measure AI usage, the FT report said. Even as companies continue to spend billions on...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has forecast intermittent pre-monsoon rainfall in parts of Pakistan from June 28 to July 3, warning of an increased risk of glacier melting, flash floods and landslides in the country's northern regions.

The Democratic Republic of Congo became the latest underdogs to roar at the World Cup on Saturday, battling into the knockout rounds for the first time as Iran’s rollercoaster campaign ended in elimination. A chaotic finale to the tournament’s expanded group phase saw Austria and Algeria fill the final two berths in the last 32 late on Saturday after battling to an extraordinary 3-3 draw in Group J — a result that dashed Iran’s hopes of advancing from their group. A win for either Austria or Algeria would have allowed Iran to squeeze into the last 32, and it looked as if the Asian side would advance when Riyadh Mahrez scored in the third minute of stoppage time to put the Algerians into a 3-2 lead. But Iranian joy was short-lived when Sasa Kalajdzic arrowed in a header in the sixth minute of injury time to snatch a draw for Austria and spark pandemonium in Kansas City. Austria midfielder Marcel Sabitzer, who scored Austria’s second goal, described the closing moments as “weird”. “It’s a draw normally, so you ...

Lionel Messi came off the bench to score his sixth goal of the tournament as Argentina warmed up for their World Cup knockout match with Cape Verde by beating Jordan 3-1 on Saturday. The ageless Messi tops the scoring charts in North America as the tournament heads into the last 32. Cape Verde’s players will be wondering how they can stop Messi when the debutants ranked 67 face the champions on July 3 in Miami. With qualification already in the bag, Messi started on the bench but came on after an hour in Texas to huge cheers to get his side’s third with a free-kick. Argentina finished emphatically top of Group J with maximum points after also beating Algeria 3-0 and defeating Austria 2-0, all those goals coming from Messi. The holders and their 39-year-old talisman look formidable, albeit in one of the weaker groups. Coach Lionel Scaloni said Messi could have played the full game. “But he chose to let his teammates have minutes, he chose to think about what’s coming, and that speaks volume about him,” he said...

SARGODHA: Angry mob vandalised the shop where eight-year-old Muntaha Zahra was killed on June 22. The youngsters destroyed the entire structure of the shop, Hanif Kiryana Store and in various videos circulating on social media, they are seen throwing the merchandise out on the road. They attempted to set the shop on fire too. Police have reportedly arrested the invaders after identifying them on CCTV footage. District Police Officer Sohaib Ashraf also assured the bereaved family that justice would be done and their reservation about the police/CCD investigation would be taken into consideration. It is pertinent to mention that the CCD are interrogating three suspects. It is learnt that mother of Arslan, the main suspect killed in the CCD encounter, alleged that the main culprits were the owners of the shop who had maneuvered the alleged confession of Arslan to take revenge from the father of the ill-fated girl. The DPO said the police, in collaboration with the CCD, are investigating all aspects and added tha...

ISLAMABAD: A majority of Pakistani people support bringing social media influencers into the country’s tax net but believe the government should adopt a balanced approach that protects small digital creators and encourages the growth of the digital economy, according to findings from a survey conducted by the Press Network of Pakistan. The findings of the nationwide online PNP survey titled “Social Media Influencer Tax in Pakistan,” provided public insight into the federal government’s decision to impose a 5pc withholding tax on income earned by social media influencers through platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and TikTok. Conducted after the proposal in the Finance Bill 2026, the survey received responses from 45pc male and 55pc female participants representing various age groups, diverse backgrounds and cities across Pakistan. The findings indicate that while respondents generally support the principle that digital content creators should become part of Pakistan’s formal tax system, there is eq...