Pakistan

Research could help Pakistan cultivate marginal land, boost organic cotton production

KSE-100 climbs to 182,242 as US-Iran peace talks ease oil price fears

Finance ministry says debt-to-GDP ratio improves to 68.5% as govt advances reforms

Finance ministry ignored longer-term, cheaper debt offered by Citibank, says MNA

Airport to be outsourced to private operator under long-term concession framework

Initiative will expand broadband infrastructure, prop up digital economy

WoW index eases 0.45% as tomato, LPG, fuel prices drop; yearly inflation stands at 11.94%

$26.5b share sale indicates investor enthusiasm for chip stocks despite recent pullback

If FIFA President Gianni Infantino imagined his embrace of technology might finally put an end to disputes over refereeing decisions, the World Cup would have disabused him of the notion. The use of technology has been at the heart of every major controversy at the tournament, including the saga around the red card for Folarin Balogun that drew in United States President Donald Trump. Criticism of technology has ranged from charges of over-reach and inconsistency of application, to full-blown conspiracy theories that VAR was being used to determine the outcome of matches in favour of certain teams or players. Egypt coach Hossam Hassan gave voice to all three on Tuesday after his team had a goal scratched off by VAR because of a foul at the other end of the pitch, and a penalty shout that went unchecked, before losing 3-2 to Argentina in the last 16. “What’s happening isn’t fair,” he said. FIFA referees’ chief Pierluigi Collina said in an interview on Wednesday that he was happy with how things were going and ...

ISLAMABAD: The Privatisation Commission Board on Friday approved the signing of a transaction advisory services agreement (TASA) with the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for the outsourcing of operations of Islamabad International Airport. In February, the board formed a negotiation committee to engage with the ADB and discuss terms for a financial advisory services agreement. This committee would undertake negotiations and submit recommendations to the board for approval. The meeting, presided over by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Privatisation and Privatisation Commission Chairman Muhammad Ali, reviewed the terms of the agreement negotiated with the ADB and approved it. The board expressed confidence that the ADB, with its expertise and experience, would be able to successfully complete this important transaction swiftly while ensuring maximum competition and transparency. Islamabad International Airport will be outsourced to a qualified private sector operator under a long-term concession framework through...

National Disaster Management Authority issued weather alert about prolonged spell of hot and humid weather is set to grip most parts of Pakistan from July 11 to 18, with monsoon activity expected to gather strength during the second half of the week as a westerly wave combines with moisture laden currents from the Arabian Sea, raising the.

PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday inaugurated the "Open Wi-Fi" project, under which free internet access will be provided at government universities, colleges and key public places across the province.

The Senate Standing Committee on Interior has approved a proposed law that would grant free official (blue) passports to former members of parliament and their eligible family members.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has intensified its campaign against undocumented Afghan nationals following the expiration of the government's deadline for their legal stay on July 10.

China on Friday successfully tested an experimental rocket retrieval system using a net attached to a sea platform, state media reported, in the hope of breaking US dominance in reusable rockets. The Long March 10B rocket lifted off from the Hainan commercial space launch site in southern China at 12:15pm (9:15am PKT) and, about six minutes after separation of its booster and upper stage, the booster returned vertically and was recovered on an offshore platform, state broadcaster CCTV reported. The test marks China’s first successful retrieval of an orbital-class rocket, putting the country closer to developing reusable rockets. The rocket had sent a satellite into preset orbit on Friday, state media said. Shares in Chinese aerospace firms jumped on the news, with China Spacesat and China Satellite Communications hitting daily limits. The Long March 10B has been compared to the Falcon 9, SpaceX’s widely used medium-lift rocket. It was developed for commercial aerospace by the country’s main state rocket devel...

Renowned Islamic scholar Mufti Taqi Usmani has declared purchasing goods with cryptocurrency “impermissible”, citing research conducted by experts so far which found that cryptocurrency does not qualify as “wealth”, it emerged on Friday. The fatwa was originally issued by Darul Ifta, Jamia Darul Uloom, Karachi, and dated 24 Zilhaj 1447 AH (June 10, 2026). Apart from Mufti Usmani, a former judge of the Federal Shariat Court, five other prominent scholars are its signatories. Responding to a question about purchasing books with cryptocurrency, the fatwa said: “It is not permissible for you to purchase the books in question using cryptocurrency.” “According to research and opinion of experts so far, cryptocurrency is not considered ‘maal’ (wealth) in Sharia. Instead, it is merely the recording of fictitious numbers in an account, whether in the form of USDT or other crypto tokens,” it stated. As cryptocurrency was not recognised as wealth, the fatwa maintained that the buyer did not technically become the owner ...

The Sindh government on Friday ordered a private school in Karachi to reverse fee hikes imposed during the summer holidays. In a letter addressed to the principal and administrator of Veritas Learning Circle (Primary), dated July 10 (Friday), Sindh’s Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions — part of the provincial government’s School Education and Literacy Department — referred to a hearing held the previous day regarding complaints about the school’s “illegal and extraordinary” fee hike. A copy of the letter is available with Dawn. “During the course of the hearing, it was determined that your school, including all of its campuses, had enhanced tuition fees without the approval of the registration authority, in violation of the Rule 7(6) of the Sindh Private Educational Institutions (Regulation and Control) Rules 2005,” the letter said. The rule states that “any complaint regarding the tuition fees in violation of the rules or charging of any fee other than tuition fees shall be li...

As flames approached their homes and the smoke-filled air became choking, panicked residents in rural Andalusian villages around Los Gallardos in southern Spain chose to flee, a decision some paid for with their lives. Firefighters on Friday were still trying to contain one of Spain’s deadliest wildfires, with a total of 11 people confirmed dead, while 19 more are missing. A firefighting vehicle stands next to a Spanish Civil Guard vehicle as residents get ready to leave their homes while smoke and flames rise during a wildfire in Los Gallardos, Almeria, Spain on July 10, 2026. —Reuters Authorities told some residents of areas in the mountains above Los Gallardos to evacuate via a recommended route, while residents of the forested hamlet of Bedar were told to shelter in place. However, as the flames rapidly approached, Antonio Rubio, a handyman living in Bedar, said the smoke had made it impossible to shelter in place. “We left the house yesterday (Thursday) afternoon at 5 o’clock. The fire didn’t reach my ho...

Cause remains unclear

The Pakistan Aviation Authority (PAA) said on Friday that the search for the crew of a cargo plane that crashed into the Arabian Sea was ongoing, adding that additional wreckage had been located. In a statement, the authority said the search and rescue missions by the Pakistan Navy and Pakistan Maritime Security Agency in the deep sea were still in progress. “The search for the crew members is continuing with full vigour through the coordinated employment of aerial and sea-borne assets,” it said. “Additional parts and debris of the ill-fated aircraft have been located and retrieved for subsequent analysis by the investigation team,” it said, adding that updates would be shared as the search and rescue operations continued. On Tuesday night, a K2 Airways Boeing 737-400 cargo aircraft en route from Sharjah to Karachi had disappeared from radar over the Arabian Sea, about 300 kilometres west of Karachi, while approaching Pakistani airspace. The pilot had reported a navigation problem during the flight and reques...