Pakistan

As part of its plans to strengthen weather forecasting and disaster preparedness, the government has allocated Rs1.6 billion to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) for the fiscal year 2026-27. The government plans to do so through a series of projects and policy initiatives detailed in the Annual Plan 2026-27 released last month. The Rs1.6bn allocation includes Rs344 million for the proposed National Centre for Rainfall Enhancement to support water security, climate adaptation and agricultural productivity. Weather surveillance radar projects in Multan and Sukkur have been earmarked Rs195m and Rs5m, respectively, to improve real-time weather monitoring and early warning capabilities. Another Rs1bn has been allocated for the modernisation of Hydromet Services in Pakistan project, which aims to upgrade hydrometeorological infrastructure, improve forecasting accuracy and strengthen climate-related data systems. The Ministry of Climate Change and Environmental Coordination was to receive Rs2.48bn under t...

A Pakistan Air Force officer was shot dead after intervening to rescue a woman during an alleged abduction attempt on Islamabad's Ninth Avenue, police and initial reports said.

KHANEWAL: A coach of the Lahore-to-Karachi Shalimar Express derailed near Khanewal Railway Station on Sunday, causing a delay of around one hour, while all passengers remained safe, according to Pakistan Railways.

Venezuela’s devastating twin earthquakes killed nearly 3,000, updated official figures showed on Saturday, as international rescue teams began winding down search operations for survivors in the rubble of the disaster. Fatalities jumped by more than 300 from Friday to 2,954, following the June 24 disaster that has left thousands homeless in the streets and sheltering in camps. Tens of thousands more are still reported missing. The government has not given any estimates, but the United Nations has estimated as many as 50,000 are unaccounted for following the 7.2 and 7.5-magnitude shocks. One of Latin America’s worst earthquake disasters hit hardest in the coastal La Guaira area north of the capital, Caracas, where scores of residential complexes were flattened. Ten days after the double shocks, which came just 38 seconds apart, rescue teams are starting to wrap up searches for survivors while families still try to recover bodies of loved ones from the wreckage. The critical window for rescues in disasters like...

Federal Minister for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja has clarified that the proposed Telecom Bill will not permit the forced occupation of private land or property, rejecting allegations surrounding the legislation as baseless.

Police have arrested another suspect in the murder of a man in Karachi's Ibrahim Hyderi area, revealing that he is also the victim's son and allegedly helped plan the killing.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to suspend the driving licences of motorists operating smoke-emitting vehicles as part of an intensified campaign to curb air pollution and reduce smog in Lahore.

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has decided to ban conventional disposable syringes nationwide as part of efforts to prevent the spread of HIV/AIDS and other infectious diseases caused by the reuse of syringes.

The leadership of the Pakistan armed forces paid tribute to Captain Karnal Sher Khan Shaheed for his “unmatched courage, unwavering devotion, and supreme sacrifice” on the 27th anniversary of his martyrdom, the military’s media wing said on Sunday. Khan was martyred on July 5, 1999, while fighting against Indian forces in the snow-capped mountains in Kargil. The Inter-Service Public Relations (ISPR) said that Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Naveed Ashraf, and Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu and the armed forces of Pakistan paid “profound tribute” to Khan to his “unmatched courage, unwavering devotion, and supreme sacrifice in the service of the nation”. Khan had displayed “extraordinary gallantry and resolute leadership while defending the motherland against overwhelming odds” during the 1999 Kargil conflict, the ISPR statement said. “Leading from the front with exceptional determination, he embraced martyrdom in the finest trad...

Hit by the biggest energy supply shock in decades during the Middle East war, import-dependent India is expanding domestic crude exploration, its oil minister says. India, the world’s third-largest importer of oil and the second-largest buyer of liquefied petroleum gas, faced major disruptions due to restrictions on the Strait of Hormuz during the conflict between the United States and Iran. With a temporary US-Iran deal in place to pause hostilities, oil and gas shipments are flowing through the Gulf waterway again, and restrictions and price hikes in India are being rolled back. But Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas Hardeep Singh Puri said the energy crunch provided fresh impetus for India’s expansion of domestic supplies. “We are currently in the process… to bid out about 250,000 square kilometres (96,500 square miles) of unexplored area,” Puri told AFP. India is a modest producer in global terms. Domestic crude production in 2025-2026 was 25.98 million metric tonnes, according to the oil ministry. Tha...

US President Donald Trump’s visit to Ankara for the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) summit could help secure Turkiye’s acquisition of dozens of fighter jet engines, but won’t resolve the F-35 dispute that has soured ties, analysts say. The July 7-8 summit, which is being hosted by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, will bring together leaders from the military alliance’s 32 member states. Last month, Trump promised to make Erdogan “very happy” when asked about Turkiye looking to secure F110 jet engines and being readmitted to the F-35 fighter jet programme. Analysts said it would likely mean freeing up fighter jet engines Turkiye wants to use in its flagship KAAN stealth fighter project. “It’s likely to be the green light for the F110 GE engines for the KAAN fighter plane, about 40 of them. There had been obstacles to that supply and very possibly those are now being removed,” Sinan Ulgen, director of the Istanbul-based Edam think tank, told AFP. “Turkey has produced a couple of prototypes which are fl...

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Three girls were killed and four other members of the same family were injured in a suspected quadcopter attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Lower South Waziristan early on Sunday morning, according to local sources. Munitions were suspected to have been dropped by a quadcopter drone on the house in the Nargasi area of Birmal tehsil, the sources said. The incident reportedly occurred at the residence of a member of the Dinor subtribe. The deceased were identified as three girls aged between six and 15, while the injured include one woman and three young boys who sustained varying degrees of injuries. Residents rushed to the scene immediately after the incident and launched rescue efforts before shifting the injured to the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in Wana for medical treatment. Hospital sources said the victims were receiving treatment, while medical staff continued to monitor their condition. No official statement has been issued by the relevant authorities as yet. Officials have also...

The lion at the animal sanctuary after rescue.—Dawn KARACHI: A lion whose distress image went viral on social media after being discovered in a private zoo in Nazimabad has been rescued and safely moved to an animal sanctuary, it emerged on Saturday. “The lion was in bad shape so we had to get him out of the private zoo first in an emergency. There are still other animals that are in line to also be moved out of the place,” animal activist Jude Allen told Dawn. He said that the lion was lucky to have a chain of events take place in his favour, the most important of which was the arrival of Sana Raja, a highly experienced wildlife rescuer and behaviourist with extensive fieldwork and training including exposure to advanced conservation practices in South Africa, in Karachi. Allen got to know her during her previous mission of the rescue and rehabilitation of Rano, a Himalayan bear. “This time she was back in the city after successfully rescuing another two bears from abusive captivity in Islamabad who, on the ...

United States President Donald Trump hailed America on its 250th birthday on Saturday as the “crowning achievement” of human history, even as he used the event to renew his attack on domestic opponents he branded communists. In a speech delayed by several hours when storms forced the temporary evacuation of crowds in Washington, Trump claimed that under his presidency the United States was “prouder than ever before”. While Trump had promised a huge political rally to stamp his brand on the national celebrations, the 80-year-old Republican largely stuck to a more traditionally patriotic script. “For two and a half centuries, our American republic has stood as the crowning achievement of human history,” Trump told tens of thousands of people on the National Mall. On stage, he hailed also veterans from World War II and the Korean and Vietnam wars. But he then hailed the latter two as examples of the battle against “communists” — reprising his message from his speech on Friday night at the iconic Mount Rushmore m...

• Another prosecutor greenlights IO to file charge sheet in court without including judicial commission’s report • Four members of shopping plaza’s management committee and owner of artificial flower shop will also face trial KARACHI: An 11-year-old boy is set to be tried in a court of law for igniting a fire at the Gul Plaza Shopping Centre on Jan 17 that resulted in the deaths of 72 persons. This was stated in a charge sheet filed in court by the investigating officer of the Gul Plaza fire case through in charge district prosecutor Abdul Razzaq Gujjar on Saturday. Only on Friday, another prosecutor had returned the charge sheet to the IO, asking him to remove certain defects he pointed out and include the report of a judicial commission. However, prosecutor Gujjar gave the go-ahead to the IO to file the charge sheet as the judicial commission’s report can be filed at a later stage. According to the charge sheet, 72 people had lost their lives, eight sustained injuries and 1,153 shops were gutted in the deva...

MUZAFFARABAD: Government officials have ruled out the possibility of long marches as sit-in participants of the proscribed Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) are expected to hold demonstrations at their respective protest sites today. The main sit-in continued at the Eidgah ground, while smaller gatherings, with attendance ranging between 100 and 500 people, were also being held at Mutyalmera, Singola, Paniola and Shujaabad. According to official sources, participants at the main sit-in on the outskirts of Rawalakot were expected to organise a short rally near the protest site after assembling there at 2pm on Sunday. “There is no information suggesting they intend to move beyond their respective protest sites,” an official said, attributing the rumours of long marches to the absence of communication facilities in the region. An official described the sit-ins on the outskirts of the town as gatherings where participants mostly assembled in the evening “to enjoy the cool weather and free meals”. He said there ...

• FIR alleges reckless driving; authorities seal company’s office • Most victims belonged to KP • Compensation announced for deceased, injured QUETTA: Police have registered an FIR over the tragic passenger coach crash that claimed dozens of lives at Dhanasar police station in Sherani district. The deceased coach driver, Babu Ustad, has also been nominated in the FIR, along with the Mekhtar Bus Company management and owners. The case has been registered under Sections 322, 320, 337-G, 279, 427 and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of SHO Zulfiqar Ali. Authorities have sealed the bus company’s office and launched an investigation on the directives of Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti. Investigators have questioned several people in connection with the incident. Officials said 26 victims had been identified and their bodies dispatched to their native areas, while the identification process for the remaining victims was continuing. According to officials, most of the deceased belonged to various district...

• Names forwarded to JCP ahead of scrutiny under new rules • Commission likely to finalise appointments later this month ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) administration has finalised three candidates for three vacant positions of judges, sources familiar with the development told Dawn, as the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) prepares to take up appointments. The names forwarded to the JCP incl­u­­de District and Sessions Judge Shahrukh Arjumand, former Advo­ca­­te General Islamabad Ayyaz Shaukat, who currently serves as Chairman of the Social Media Protection and Regulatory Authority, and advocate Umair Majeed Malik, according to sources privy to the matter. The development comes as the JCP, in its meeting on June 19, formally invited nominations from high courts for appointment of judges against vacant positions. The commission has set July 4 as the deadline for submissions, following which the initial pool of nominees will undergo formal scrutiny under the recently approved 2026 rules. Several...

• Lebanese president urges Washington to ‘keep standing’ by Lebanon’s institutions, army and people • Ceasefire holds unevenly as Israeli strikes continue in the south BEIRUT: Lebanese President Joseph Aoun on Saturday urged the United States to stand by his country after a recent US-backed framework deal with Israel aiming to permanently end hostilities after the latest Israel-Hezbollah war. The deal reached in Washington calls for the disarmament of Hezbollah, a gradual Israeli withdrawal from southern Lebanon and the deployment of the Lebanese army there, starting with two “pilot” areas. Hezbollah has rejected the deal, which does not set a timetable for an Israeli withdrawal. In a congratulatory message to President Donald Trump marking the United States’ 250th anniversary of independence, Aoun urged Washington to “keep always standing beside Lebanon’s right and just causes, its institutions, army and people”. Aoun expressed hope that Lebanon could “turn the page on wars… and open a new page of hope, peac...

LAHORE: A constitutional petition has been filed in the Lahore High Court (LHC) seeking the immediate operationalisation of constitutional benches under Article 202A of the Constitution. The petition, filed by Azhar Siddique, chairman of the Judicial Activism Panel, a public interest litigation association, names the federation, the Law and Justice Commission of Pakistan, and the National Judicial (Policy-Making) Committee (NJPMC), among other federal and provincial authorities, as respondents. The petitioner contends that despite the enactment of the 26th Amendment in 2024, constitutional benches have yet to be established in the Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Balochistan High Courts. To date, only the Sindh High Court has substantially implemented the framework envisaged under Article 202A. According to the petition, Article 202A uses mandatory language, stipulating that constitutional benches must be constituted and that only these specialised benches may exercise jurisdiction under Article 199. The peti...