Pakistan

The Army Rocket Force Command conducted the successful training launch of the indigenously developed Fateh-II missile system, the military’s media wing said on Tuesday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the missile system was “equipped with advanced avionics and state-of-the-art navigation aids”. It said that the training launch was aimed at training troops, validating various technical parameters and evaluating the performance of different sub-systems incorporated for “improved accuracy and enhanced survivability”. ISPR added that the launch was witnessed by senior officers from the Strategic Plans Division (SPD), Army Rocket Force Command, and the Pakistan Army, as well as scientists and engineers from “strategic organisations”. “The forum commended [the] successful training fire of [the] indigenously developed missile of Fateh series,” the statement added. According to ISPR, President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Ar...

The Sindh High Court on Tuesday ordered an inquiry into the killing of an accused in an alleged fake police encounter and directed the Federal Investigation Agency to submit a report within 15 days.

Iran warned last week that submarine cables in the Strait of Hormuz were a vulnerable point for the region’s digital economy, raising concerns about potential attacks on critical infrastructure. The narrow waterway, already a chokepoint for global oil shipments, is equally vital for the digital world. Several fibre-optic cables snake across the seabed of the strait, connecting countries from Southeast Asia to Europe via the Gulf states and Egypt. What makes undersea cables important? Subsea cables are fibre-optic or electrical cables laid on the sea floor to transmit data and power. They carry around 99 per cent of the world’s internet traffic, according to the ITU, the United Nations specialised agency for digital technologies. They also carry telecommunications and electricity between countries, and are essential for cloud services and online communications. “Damaged cables mean the internet slowing down or outages, e-commerce disruptions, delayed financial transactions … and economic fallout from all of th...

Five people were sentenced to life in Bahrain on Tuesday for plotting “terrorist and hostile acts” with Iran, which bombarded the tiny Gulf state during the Middle East war. Two Afghans and three Bahrainis were convicted and a fourth Bahraini was acquitted by the High Criminal Court, the public prosecution said. They were accused of monitoring and photographing “vital facilities” for Iran, it said. “The Public Prosecution affirms that the crime of communicating with hostile foreign entities against the Kingdom of Bahrain is considered one of the most serious crimes affecting national security,” the statement said. The public prosecution is considering appealing against the acquittal of the sixth defendant, it added. Iran launched waves of missile and drone strikes against Gulf states, including Bahrain, in response to US and Israeli attacks on the Islamic republic that sparked the Middle East war on February 28. Human Rights Watch last month expressed alarm over the arrests of “dozens of people” in the region...

PESHAWAR: Police in the provincial capital allegedly resorted to firing and tear gas early on Tuesday to disperse a protest by tribesmen from Khyber district against a suspected quadcopter strike that killed a minor girl and injured six others. The protesters had gathered at the Hayatabad toll plaza to protest the death of a teenage girl in a suspected quadcopter strike in Bara’s Akkakhel area. Six other family members, including women and children, were injured in the attack. The site of the incident is located close to the Bara Bazaar. Hashim Afridi, one of the participants, told Dawn that about 150 tribesmen from Bara and other adjacent areas had gathered at the Hayatabad toll plaza to protest the quadcopter strike. He claimed that the police opened fire, apparently over some scuffle near a roadblock. However, he said there were no casualties, and no arrests were made. He added that Khyber MNA Iqbal Afridi joined the protest later. MNA Afridi, speaking to Dawn, said the firing began when some protesters br...

Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Tuesday said that a final decision regarding summer vacations in schools across the province will be taken after May 15, amid discussions on reducing holidays to cover academic losses.

An Indian billionaire’s son offered on Tuesday to take hippos descended from those introduced to Colombia by drug kingpin Pablo Escobar, rather than have the animals killed. Anant Ambani, the son of tycoon Mukesh Ambani, said he had formally requested the Colombian government to stay a decision to kill the animals, which have wreaked havoc on rivers in the South American nation. Instead, he has asked to allow the “safe, scientifically-led translocation that would bring the 80 animals to a permanent home” at his Vantara animal centre. The vast zoo in India’s western state of Gujarat bills itself as the “one of the world’s largest wildlife rescue, care and conservation centres”. Vantara is already home to hundreds of elephants, as well as 50 bears, 160 tigers, 200 lions, 250 leopards and 900 crocodiles, among other animals, according to India’s Central Zoo Authority. Experts have repeatedly sounded the alarm on Vantara’s massive animal intake, including the import of critically endangered and rare species. Esco...

The month of May 2026 is expected to bring an extended period of holidays across Pakistan, with estimates suggesting up to two weeks off when public holidays and weekends are combined.

President Asif Ali Zardari has visited SANY Heavy Industry Co.

Security forces destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban posts in Balochistan’s Chaman sector on Tuesday, said security sources. The sources said that the operation was carried out in response to “unprovoked aggression” by Afghan Taliban forces and terrorists on the border, under the ongoing Operation Ghazab lil-Haq. Security sources said the Pakistan Army effectively targeted and destroyed several Afghan Taliban posts in Chaman. The Sarshan, Al-Marjan and Edhi posts, as well as vehicles and other installations, were successfully hit, they added. They further added that security forces’ determination to defend the homeland was unwavering and that the “intentions of terrorists and their patrons will be crushed”. @dawn.today Security forces destroyed multiple Afghan Taliban posts in Balochistan’s Chaman sector on Tuesday, said security sources. The sources said that the operation was carried out in response to “unprovoked aggression” by Afghan Taliban forces and terrorists on the border, under the ongoing Operation Gh...

Tech giant Google on Tuesday marked the ceremonial start of work on its largest artificial intelligence hub outside of the United States with a groundbreaking ceremony in India. The firm promised in October 2025 to spend $15 billion over five years to construct the vast centre in Visakhapatnam, a southeastern port in Andhra Pradesh state of around two million people, popularly known as “Vizag”. “Today marks the first concrete milestone in Google’s largest commitment to India’s digital future,” Bikash Koley, Google’s Vice President for Global Infrastructure, told the ceremony. “This project represents a $15bn blueprint to deliver a full stack AI ecosystem,” he added. “At its core is our gigawatt scale data centre campus, purpose built for the immense computational demand of the AI era, powering services like Gemini and Google Search.” Nara Lokesh, information technology minister for Andhra Pradesh state, said he was “excited as we embark on this journey to build India’s most coveted AI and deep-tech hub”. Viza...

QUETTA: Five labourers were injured in a grenade attack in the Dalbandin area of Chagai district late on Monday night, police said. According to police officials, unidentified assailants on motorcycles threw a hand grenade at a house, which exploded in the backyard and injured five labourers. “The injured individuals are from Punjab who were working on a daily wage,” police officials said. Security forces rushed to the site shortly after the incident and shifted the injured to Prince Fahad Hospital. Police added that the windowpanes of the affected house and nearby homes were also damaged. An investigation has been launched, and no group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack. On Feb 16, two people were injured when unidentified individuals threw a hand grenade at a milk shop situated on Khuda-i-Dad Road in Quetta. Last year, an eight-year-old child was killed and five other members of a family, including two women, were injured when a grenade exploded inside a house in the Wadh area of Balochistan’s K...

Britain’s King Charles III met Donald Trump at the White House early Tuesday, kicking off a high-stakes state visit shadowed by transatlantic tensions and a new alleged attempt to assassinate the US president. Behind the warm welcome for Charles and Queen Camilla in front of the cameras lay a deepening rift in the so-called “special relationship” between Washington and London over Trump’s war in Iran. With such tensions simmering, Charles will address a joint meeting of Congress on Tuesday, when he will tell US lawmakers that the long history between the two countries is one of “reconciliation and renewal,” according to a released excerpt from the king’s speech. In mild Washington sunshine, Charles and Trump exchanged handshakes and apparently friendly remarks, which reporters were unable to hear, outside the White House South Portico. First Lady Melania Trump, wearing a primrose yellow suit, gave Charles and Camilla kisses on both cheeks. Camilla was wearing a Cartier brooch with the British and US flags in ...

LAHORE: A special court (central) on Tuesday granted interim pre-arrest bail to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s daughter, Rabia Imran and her husband Imran Yousaf in a money laundering case. The couple personally appeared before the court along with their counsel. Judge Ashfaq Ahmed heard and allowed the bail petitions of the couple, subject to submission of surety bonds, and restrained the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) from arresting them till May 7. Last week, an accountability court had suspended the perpetual arrest warrants issued against the prime minister’s daughter and son-in-law in a case related to alleged irregularities in the Punjan Saaf Pani Company. The court had accepted their request to surrender before it and directed both of them to appear on May 5. An accountability court had issued perpetual warrants for their arrest in 2021 and 2022. Lahore’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against PM Shehbaz and 20 others in connection with the Saaf Pani Company case. The ...

Imran Khan, the founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), underwent his fourth intravitreal eye injection on Tuesday at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) as part of his ongoing treatment.

The Secretariat of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly has raised objections to the proposed Regulation of Snuff (Naswar) Bill, 2026, delaying its initial review process.

RAWALPINDI: Troops from Pakistan and Sri Lanka commenced a two-week bilateral counter-terrorism exercise in Tarbela, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a press release. The “Pakistan–Sri Lanka Bilateral Exercise Shake Hands-II” is a joint counter-terrorism exercise conducted between the two armies, the ISPR said. The exercise commenced on April 27 (Monday) at Tarbela, with the participation of Pakistan Army’s Special Services Group (SSG) and Special Forces from the Sri Lankan Army. It is expected to last two weeks, according to the statement. “The exercise aims to enhance professional capabilities through joint training while further strengthening the longstanding military-to-military relations between the two friendly nations,” the military’s media wing added. “Participating troops will benefit from the exchange of operational experiences and expertise in counter-terrorism operations, contributing to improved interoperability and mutual understanding.” Last week, Pakistan and Egypt concluded ...

UNITED NATIONS: Pakistan told the United Nations Security Council on Monday that it remains firmly committed to a peaceful resolution of the escalating Iran-United States conflict, warning that the continued closure of the Strait of Hormuz could trigger severe global economic and security consequences. Speaking at a high-level UNSC debate on “The Safety and Protection of Waterways in the Maritime Domain”, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative Asim Iftikhar Ahmad underscored the urgent need to restore maritime stability and ensure uninterrupted global trade flows. “Any disruptions to the routine traffic at sea gravely impact international trade with negative repercussions for global economy, and breed volatility that imperils international peace and security,” Ambassador Ahmad said, pointing to the Strait of Hormuz crisis as “a case in point”. He cautioned that if the crisis persists, its immediate effects on energy supplies and essential commodities would ripple outward. “The first order impacts… will increasin...

Indonesia’s president ordered an investigation Tuesday after a long-distance train smashed into a stationary commuter train overnight, killing 14 people and injuring dozens. Officials ended a nearly 12-hour rescue effort near Bekasi Timur station, east of the capital Jakarta, which saw crews prying open mangled carriages following the Monday night collision. “And this morning… it is all finished,” Mohammad Syafii, head of the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) told a news conference Tuesday. “I am certain there are no more victims to be found.” One survivor described the terror of being trapped inside a crushed carriage. “I thought I was going to die,” Sausan Sarifah, 29, said from her bed at the RSUD Bekasi hospital where she was admitted with a broken arm and a deep cut to one thigh. Workers sit at the site of a train collision as rescuers work to save five survivors trapped inside a carriage after a passenger train locomotive pierced through the rear car of a commuter train at Bekasi Timur statio...

• Putin says Moscow will do everything to secure peace deal • Araghchi blames ‘excessive US demands’ for failure of dialogue • White House stays mum as Trump meets security aides to discuss Tehran’s proposal • Rubio says Iran ‘serious’ about deal, cites bleak economic outlook • Iran, US clash at NPT summit; Tehran slams EU for not lifting sanctions ST PETERSBURG / WASHINGTON: As the peace talks between the US and Iran hit a roadblock over the nuclear deal and the Strait of Hormuz closure, Russia’s President Vladimir Putin assured Iran’s top diplomat Abbas Araghchi that Moscow would do everything it could to help secure peace in the Middle East. The remarks by the Russian president came during Araghchi’s visit to Saint Petersburg, where he met the Russian president to discuss the ongoing peace negotiations with the US. Araghchi had arrived in St Petersburg on the fourth leg of a whirlwind diplomatic tour, having sandwiched a trip to Oman in between two visits to Pakistan over the past few days. In Islamabad, h...