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CHARLI XCX announces major plans before album release Charli XCX has announced a massive new tour ahead of the release of her highly anticipated seventh studio album. Titled the Music, Fashion, Film Tour, the live dates will support her upcoming record, Music, Fashion, Film,...
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What is Siri AI? Everything to know about new assistant revealed at WWDC 2026 Apple revamped โSiri AIโ at its Worldwide Developers Conference on Monday, June 8, marking the companyโs long-awaited entry into the next generation of conversational AI. The new Siri, which is...
A controversial proposal to expand military technology cooperation between the United States and Israel is headed for a vote in the House of Representatives after surviving its first major congressional challenge, setting the stage for a broader debate over the future of one of Washingtonโs closest strategic relationships. The measure, known as the United States-Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative, advanced out of the House Armed Services Committee on Friday after lawmakers rejected an amendment seeking to remove it from the annual defence policy bill. Opponents are expected to renew their challenge when the legislation reaches the House floor, likely in July. The initiative is part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual legislation through which Congress sets policy and priorities for the US military. If enacted, it would establish a formal framework for expanding cooperation between American and Israeli defence industries and research institutions. The proposal would require the Pentagon to designate a senior official to coordinate joint projects and identify areas for cooperation ranging from artificial intelligence and cyber security to autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing and counter-drone technologies. Supporters describe the measure as a logical extension of a decades-old partnership that already includes intelligence sharing, missile defence programmes and joint weapons development. They argue that closer cooperation in emerging technologies would help both countries maintain military advantages in a rapidly changing security environment. Critics contend that the proposal goes much further than existing arrangements and could create an unprecedented level of integration between the American and Israeli defence sectors. The strongest challenge so far has come from Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, who sought to remove the provision during the committeeโs consideration of the defence bill. โWe need to tell Netanyahu that America calls the shots, not the prime minister of any other country,โ Khanna told the committee. He also argued that Americans wanted โless cooperation and blank checks to Israel, not more.โ Khannaโs effort received support from Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has also questioned deeper military commitments abroad. But the amendment was defeated after lawmakers from both parties rallied to defend the proposal. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers dismissed concerns that the measure would undermine US sovereignty. โClaims that this provision somehow cedes authority to a foreign government are ridiculous,โ Rogers said. Representative Adam Smith, the committeeโs senior Democrat, argued that the initiative largely formalises cooperation that already exists between the two countries. The debate reflects broader political changes in Washington. While support for Israel remains strong in Congress, divisions have become more visible in recent years, particularly following the Gaza war and growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahuโs government. Progressive Democrats have increasingly questioned military aid and diplomatic support for Israel, while most Republicans and many mainstream Democrats continue to back close strategic ties. Even after clearing the committee, the proposal faces several hurdles before becoming law. The House must approve the defence bill, the Senate must pass its own version, and the two chambers must reconcile any differences before sending final legislation to the president. For now, however, supporters have won the first round of what is likely to be a longer battle over the future scope of US-Israel military cooperation.
PESHAWAR/MANSEHRA: Following the emergence of a dissident group of lawmakers within the ruling PTI, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati seems reluctant to hold an assembly session, apparently fearing criticism against the provincial government by the partyโs own MPAs over the question of Imran Khanโs continued imprisonment. Reports of rifts within the PTI emerged soon after the induction of new ministers, advisers and special assistants โ who took oath on May 22. It is understood that some of the MPAs in question are unhappy after not being included in the provincial cabinet. The last sitting of the KP Assembly was held on May 18, which was adjourned by the chair till June 1. However, the house did not meet on the scheduled date, as the speaker first postponed it to June 8. The latest notification issued by the assembly secretariat on Sunday said that the sitting would now be held on Monday, June 15 at 2pm. One of the dissidents told Dawn that there were initially 25 of them, but the number had now risen to 30 over the past couple of days. The lawmaker was unwilling to name them, as that would expose them to pressure from the party and the chief minister to withdraw from their stance. โThe four to five dissident lawmakers who can tolerate the pressure are known to everyone,โ he said. MPA Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, who is also among the dissidents, told Dawn that they have their own grievances and political stance, which would be presented on the floor of the house. He said that during a recent meeting, he had informed Speaker Swati that they were not a dissident group; they wanted a clear-cut announcement by the chief minister on plans for Imran Khanโs release. โWe donโt need any incentives; our one-point agenda is the decisive movement for the release of Imran Khan,โ Ghani told Dawn. He said that their other demands included arranging a meeting of party leaders and relatives with Imran Khan, providing him medical treatment through doctors of his choice at Shifa International Hospital, and expediting the court proceedings of his cases. Ghani noted that sporadic protesters outside Adiala Jail had proven to be ineffective, adding that they wanted to move towards โa permanent sit-in that continues until a logical conclusionโ. When asked whether former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur was leading the dissidents, he said that there was no one person leading the group; the lawmakers had come together on a single-point agenda, i.e., securing the release of the partyโs founder. Another dissident legislator told Dawn on condition of anonymity that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was perturbed by the rise of the dissident group. โThe chief minister is trying to make the dissidents happy by including their development schemes in the Annual Development Program,โ he claimed. When contacted, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati told Dawn that the assembly session would be convened after presentation of the federal budget in the National Assembly. However, it is worth noting that the KP Assembly has been in session for the last couple of months. On June 1, when the chief minister convened a parliamentary party meeting, only 57 out of the 92 lawmakers attended the meeting. This was where many MPAs complained to CM Afridi about corruption in government departments, poor law and order in the province and indifference to police, district administration and bureaucracy to their legitimate demands related to peopleโs issues. The next day, a group of dissidents wrote to interim party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, expressing concern over the โlack of effortsโ by the leadership to secure Imran Khanโs release. Efforts to win dissidents over In the interim, the KP speaker and other party leaders are engaged in hectic politicking in a bid to win over the dissident lawmakers. Speaker Swati recently met with Ghani to defuse tensions, the latter told journalists in Mansehra. โSwati was here to defuse tensions with our group. We made it clear to him that we do not have any personal vendetta against the chief minister or any other in the government and firmly stand with PTI founding chairman Imran Khan,โ Ghani said. One of the groupโs leaders, privy to the meeting between Swati and Ghani, claimed that the former had offered the latter the position of senior provincial minister in the cabinet, which Ghani had declined. Ghani said that more than 30 MPAs were active members of their group. โWe, all like-minded MPAs, whose number exceeds 30, have made it clear to the chief minister that if he stages a sit-in outside the National Assembly on June 10, we all will not return until the desired results are achieved,โ he said. He said that if the government presented the budget in the assembly without a prior meeting between CM Afridi and Imran Khan, the group would boycott proceedings and would not help in its passage.
View of an Apple logo at an Apple store in Paris, France, April 23, 2025. โ ReutersApple unveiled an artificial intelligence overhaul for the iPhone on Monday, turning to Google for help two years after the company stumbled on a first attempt. The presentation marked...
PESHAWAR/MANSEHRA: Following the emergence of a dissident group of lawmakers within the ruling PTI, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Babar Saleem Swati seems reluctant to hold an assembly session, apparently fearing criticism against the provincial government by the partyโs own MPAs over the question of Imran Khanโs continued imprisonment. Reports of rifts within the PTI emerged soon after the induction of new ministers, advisers and special assistants โ who took oath on May 22. It is understood that some of the MPAs in question are unhappy after not being included in the provincial cabinet. The last sitting of the KP Assembly was held on May 18, which was adjourned by the chair till June 1. However, the house did not meet on the scheduled date, as the speaker first postponed it to June 8. The latest notification issued by the assembly secretariat on Sunday said that the sitting would now be held on Monday, June 15 at 2pm. One of the dissidents told Dawn that there were initially 25 of them, but the number had now risen to 30 over the past couple of days. The lawmaker was unwilling to name them, as that would expose them to pressure from the party and the chief minister to withdraw from their stance. โThe four to five dissident lawmakers who can tolerate the pressure are known to everyone,โ he said. MPA Mushtaq Ahmed Ghani, who is also among the dissidents, told Dawn that they have their own grievances and political stance, which would be presented on the floor of the house. He said that during a recent meeting, he had informed Speaker Swati that they were not a dissident group; they wanted a clear-cut announcement by the chief minister on plans for Imran Khanโs release. โWe donโt need any incentives; our one-point agenda is the decisive movement for the release of Imran Khan,โ Ghani told Dawn. He said that their other demands included arranging a meeting of party leaders and relatives with Imran Khan, providing him medical treatment through doctors of his choice at Shifa International Hospital, and expediting the court proceedings of his cases. Ghani noted that sporadic protesters outside Adiala Jail had proven to be ineffective, adding that they wanted to move towards โa permanent sit-in that continues until a logical conclusionโ. When asked whether former chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur was leading the dissidents, he said that there was no one person leading the group; the lawmakers had come together on a single-point agenda, i.e., securing the release of the partyโs founder. Another dissident legislator told Dawn on condition of anonymity that Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was perturbed by the rise of the dissident group. โThe chief minister is trying to make the dissidents happy by including their development schemes in the Annual Development Program,โ he claimed. When contacted, Speaker Babar Saleem Swati told Dawn that the assembly session would be convened after presentation of the federal budget in the National Assembly. However, it is worth noting that the KP Assembly has been in session for the last couple of months. On June 1, when the chief minister convened a parliamentary party meeting, only 57 out of the 92 lawmakers attended the meeting. This was where many MPAs complained to CM Afridi about corruption in government departments, poor law and order in the province and indifference to police, district administration and bureaucracy to their legitimate demands related to peopleโs issues. The next day, a group of dissidents wrote to interim party chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, expressing concern over the โlack of effortsโ by the leadership to secure Imran Khanโs release. Efforts to win dissidents over In the interim, the KP speaker and other party leaders are engaged in hectic politicking in a bid to win over the dissident lawmakers. Speaker Swati recently met with Ghani to defuse tensions, the latter told journalists in Mansehra. โSwati was here to defuse tensions with our group. We made it clear to him that we do not have any personal vendetta against the chief minister or any other in the government and firmly stand with PTI founding chairman Imran Khan,โ Ghani said. One of the groupโs leaders, privy to the meeting between Swati and Ghani, claimed that the former had offered the latter the position of senior provincial minister in the cabinet, which Ghani had declined. Ghani said that more than 30 MPAs were active members of their group. โWe, all like-minded MPAs, whose number exceeds 30, have made it clear to the chief minister that if he stages a sit-in outside the National Assembly on June 10, we all will not return until the desired results are achieved,โ he said. He said that if the government presented the budget in the assembly without a prior meeting between CM Afridi and Imran Khan, the group would boycott proceedings and would not help in its passage.
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KARACHI: Recognising the growing threat of narcotics consumption in the cityโs educational institutions, the cityโs South Zone police have prepared an anti-drug policy in collaboration with the heads of 22 universities and schools. Speaking to Dawn on Monday, South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza said: โRecognising the need for a coordinated, proactive and sustainable response, the police have adopted this comprehensive anti-drug policy to safeguard students from substance abuse and foster a safe, healthy and drug-free educational environment.โ He added that the policy was founded on the principles of โprevention, early intervention, parental engagement, rehabilitation, institutional accountability and lawful enforcementโ. โIt aims to establish and maintain drug-free educational institutions, protect students from exposure to narcotics and other harmful substances, and promote awareness of the physical, psychological, social and legal consequences of substance abuse,โ the South DIG said. He maintained that strengthening collaboration among educational institutions, parents, healthcare professionals and law enforcement agencies was key to achieving the policyโs objectives. โBesides facilitating the early identification, intervention, counselling and rehabilitation of students requiring assistance, the policy also aims to prevent the infiltration of drug supplies, peddlers and criminal elements into educational environments, and foster a culture of responsible citizenship, healthy lifestyles and positive personal development,โ the senior police officer said. The senior police official added that under the policy, anti-drug committees would be formed in educational institutions, comprising institutional heads, teachers, parents and law enforcers. DIG Asad elaborated that educational institutions would also organise regular seminars and awareness campaigns highlighting the dangers of drug abuse. โIt has also been proposed that parents or legal guardians shall execute a drug prevention consent and responsibility declaration at the time of admission or readmission, authorising the educational institution to conduct reasonable and lawful drug-screening programmes,โ he said. โEducational institutions shall cooperate with law enforcement agencies to identify and report individuals or groups attempting to target students for drug-related activities.โ Furthermore, he observed that the policy represented a collective commitment by educational institutions, parents, students and law enforcement authorities to preserve the sanctity of learning environments and nurture a generation that is healthy, disciplined, productive and resilient. He said the South district police had already established a โCampus Security and Substance Abuse Watchโ, including female police officers, to strengthen surveillance and preventive intervention around educational institutions. โOut of 158 private schools in the South district, 20 are under surveillance, while eight of the districtโs 22 private colleges are under surveillance,โ the South DIG said, adding: โFour of the nine private universities in the district are also under surveillance.โ DIG Asad said all senior superintendents of police had been directed to submit fortnightly progress reports highlighting enforcement actions, awareness initiatives, inspections conducted, cases registered and challenges encountered during the crackdown on narcotics. โThe objective is not merely the enforcement of the law but the protection of future generations, the preservation of public health and the strengthening of societal values,โ he said. Last year in October, the Campus Security and Substance Abuse Watch Force comprising 50 police personnel was established to curb the menace of drugs in educational institutions within the jurisdiction of the South Zone of Karachi police.
President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday stressed that the upcoming 2026โ2027 federal budget should prioritise โpublic welfare, provincial rights and economic stabilityโ during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Presidency said. The meeting, part of wider pre-budget consultations between major allied parties in the Centre, came a couple of days ahead of the governmentโs announcement to present the federal budget for FY2026โ27 on June 10. A handout released after the meeting said Zardari and Shehbaz discussed the upcoming budget at the Presidentโs House. โWhile discussing budget proposals and public relief, the president stressed prioritising public welfare, provincial rights and economic stability in the federal budget,โ the handout said. It added that the president directed that every effort should be made to harmonise the growth rate with public welfare schemes in the upcoming budget. National security, as well as the internal and regional situation, were also discussed. The Presidency said Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi briefed the president on his recent visit to Iran and regional diplomatic engagements. Apart from the federal budget and national security, the meeting also discussed the economy, the recent Gilgit-Baltistan elections, the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, law and order, and other matters of national importance, the handout said. Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb, and Prime Ministerโs Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah were present at the meeting. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, Prime Minister of Azad Jammu and Kashmir Raja Faisal Rathore, and MNA Raja Pervaiz Ashraf also attended the meeting. Senator Sherry Rehman, MNA Syed Naveed Qamar, Senator Saleem Mandviwalla and Senator Ahad Cheema were also present, according to the presidencyโs brief statement. On Sunday, a PPP delegation, led by party chairman Bilawal, had expressed its reservations related to taxes during a pre-budget meeting with FM Dar. During the meeting, FM Dar assured the PPP that their proposal would be incorporated into the budget. The IMF has asked the Centre to introduce at least Rs430bn worth of additional budgetary measures in the upcoming budget, alongside a nearly matching amount of Rs430bn to be generated by the four provinces. In this connection, the PPP had asked FM Dar for ways for the provinces to increase their tax revenues during the meeting. PPP leaders also opposed new taxes and hoped the government would change its approach to taxation to provide relief to inflation-hit masses, asserting that the government should prefer a broader tax base instead of exerting pressure on the same class, which is already paying taxes.
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Yemenโs Houthis said on Monday that they would ban ships linked to Israel from the Red Sea after Israel renewed its military attacks on Iran, adding to concerns about global shipping and energy flows. This is why it matters and what it means for the Iran war and the global energy crisis: How big is the risk to global energy markets? Iranโs closure of the Strait of Hormuz since Israel and the United States attacked it on February 28 has disrupted most oil and other energy exports from the Gulf, raising prices and causing a major energy shock. Saudi Arabia has responded by diverting more than 70 per cent of its normal daily crude exports to the Red Sea port of Yanbu. That has been a lifeline for the energy market, helping to keep down global oil prices. Any sustained Houthi disruption to Red Sea shipping, including potential attacks on shipping or ports, could be a big problem. When the Houthis launched attacks on Red Sea shipping in November 2023, Gulf oil exports were flowing freely, meaning cargoes were diverted to avoid the Red Sea, but not halted. This time, they are being loaded there. A Houthi source told Reuters that preventing Israeli ships from transiting the Red Sea was โa first stepโ but that if escalation continued, the group would stop any ships heading to Israel as well as other measures. When the group attacked shipping during the Gaza war, its stated target of Israel-linked vessels included any vessel belonging to any company that used Israeli ports and its attacks on those ships dissuaded most companies from using the route. Who are the Houthis? The Houthis emerged as a military, political and religious movement in north Yemen in the 1990s, fighting guerrilla wars against the government in Sanaa. After the 2011 Arab Spring, they strengthened ties with Iran and seized on instability to capture the capital in 2014, derailing a Gulf-backed political transition plan. As Yemenโs civil war ground to a stalemate, the Houthis attacked oil installations and other infrastructure in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates with missiles and drones. However, a 2022 truce between Yemenโs warring sides has largely held. Iran champions the Houthis as part of its regional โAxis of Resistanceโ, which includes Lebanonโs Hezbollah and Iraqi groups, though its ties with the Yemeni movement are less clear than with those other groups. The Houthis do not recognise Iranโs supreme leader as their ultimate religious authority in the same way Hezbollah and the Iraqi groups do. Its motivations are mainly domestic, though it is ideologically aligned with Iran. The US claims Iran has armed, funded and trained the Houthis with help from Hezbollah. The Houthis deny being an Iranian proxy and say they develop their own weapons. What happened when the Houthis attacked Red Sea ships before? After the Oct 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, and Israelโs devastating campaign in Gaza, the Houthis began firing at Israel and on international shipping in the Red Sea, saying they were doing so in support of Palestinians. The Houthi attacks in the Red Sea severely disrupted global shipping, prompting Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd and other major companies to divert around Africa โ a far longer, more expensive route. A US-led mission to restore free navigation in the Red Sea involved repeated strikes on Houthi targets and a campaign that shot down hundreds of drones and missiles. But some Houthi attacks continued until last summer, only ending completely with the Gaza ceasefire in October. What have they done during the latest Iran war? While Hezbollah and the Iraqi groups joined the war early with rocket and drone fire after the first US and Israeli strikes on Iran, the Houthis have been comparatively quiet. The groupโs leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said on March 5: โOur fingers are on the trigger at any moment should developments warrant itโ. Iranian military commanders have repeatedly warned the Houthis could join the war, with Revolutionary Guards Quds Force commander Esmaeil Qaani saying on June 1 they could choke off the Red Sea. But before this week, the groupโs only involvement was a few missile and drone attacks on Israel in late March and early April. Why the Houthis have been relatively quiet so far is not entirely clear. They and Iran may have wanted to use the threat of another major energy route closure to warn Israel and the United States off further escalations. The Houthis may also feel less committed to Iranโs security than do Tehranโs other regional allies. And the group may not want to antagonise its powerful, wealthy neighbour Saudi Arabia and risk reigniting the conflict at home. Header image: Protesters, mainly Houthi supporters, rally to show solidarity with Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in Sanaa, Yemen on July 5, 2024. โ Reuters/File
The PTI on Monday rejected the tentative election results for 24 seats of the Gilgit-Baltistan Legislative Assembly, levelling allegations of rigging and calling for re-election in a constituency in Astore. The preliminary count from Sundayโs polls indicates that the PPP is currently leading in 10 constituencies, the PML-N in six, and independent candidates in five. Addressing a press conference, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said PTI was barred from campaigning in the days leading up to the election, alleging that it was part of a โplanned arrangement aimed at eliminating the party from the pollsโ. He said that out of the regionโs 24 seats, PTI-backed candidates were leading in two constituencies โ Naik Karim in Hunza and Sohail Abbas in Gilgit โ while their ally Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeenโs Muhammad Kazim was ahead in Skardu. However, Gohar claimed PTI-backed candidates were โwinning 100 per centโ in a total of eight constituencies โ one seat from Astore, one from Diamer, two from Nagar, and one from Ghizer. He alleged that due to โrigging, vote-stuffing, and the casting of bogus votesโ, PTIโs โvictoryโ was overturned. The PTI chairman said the party had demanded a re-election in Rehmanpur, Astore, stating that they had brought evidence of โ167 bogus votesโ to the presiding officerโs attention. โPTI rejects the process, results and vote count of this election,โ the PTI chairman said, stressing that โonce again, people who did not have the peopleโs mandate have been given a false mandateโ, in an apparent reference to the 2024 general elections. He said the party planned to issue a white paper on the issue and outlined plans to hold a protest in GB after consulting its political allies. โWe will also observe a black day on the day the chief minister takes oath,โ Gohar said. He also demanded that, out of six seats reserved for women and three seats reserved for technocrats, PTI be given one seat from each category. On Sunday, both PTI and the PPP were among the most vocal in their complaints of alleged irregularities and rigging. The two parties separately accused officials of delaying the release of official paperwork used to verify results at the polling-station level. As the PPP and other political parties staged a series of rallies across the region and ramped up efforts to garner support ahead of the polls, PTI had alleged that the party was not being allowed to campaign for the elections, with its leaders detained and expelled from the region. โAction replayโ of 2024 elections: TTAP Separately, the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahaffuz Ayeen-e-Pakistan (TTAP) held a consultative meeting under the chairmanship of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Mehmood Khan Achakzai, during which the alliance condemned efforts aimed at โkeeping PTI out of the democratic processโ in the GB elections. In a statement, the TTAP called the GB elections an โaction replayโ of the 2024 general elections and rejected the results. โWhen the decisions are going to be made elsewhere, then what is the point of holding elections?โ the statement said, adding that in the aftermath of the elections, โneither the election commission nor the electoral process had any credibility leftโ. The opposition alliance also expressed alarm at the law and order situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), urging the government to resolve the โlegitimate demandsโ of the regionโs people through dialogue amid ongoing protests in the region. Referring to the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC )โs recent proscription, TTAP said, โBanning any representative organisation of the people is not a solution to the problem, nor can public opinion be changed by forceโ.
For more than a decade, Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo has quietly become one of the most trusted figures in the household of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The Spanish-born Norland-trained nanny first joined the royal household in 2014, when Prince George was still an infant, and has...
Iran on Monday said it was ending its latest military operation against Israel after the first exchanges of fire between the foes since a shaky ceasefire began, but warned it could inflict a more โcrushingโ response. United States President Donald Trump earlier on Monday told both Iran and key ally Israel to stop fighting, against the background of reports of an increasingly testy relationship between the US leader and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Iran fired dozens of missiles at Israel overnight and Israel responded by targeting military sites in the Islamic republic, sparking fears the escalation could usher in a new full-scale conflict after the April 8 truce. โIsrael and Iran must immediately stop โshooting.โ President DONALD J. TRUMP,โ the US leader wrote on his Truth Social network. Minutes later, he added in a new post that โfinal negotiationsโ towards peace were proceeding โsubject to ignorance or stupidity getting in its way.โ Iranโs military command then said it was halting the operation against Israel after delivering a โpainful responseโ. But it warned โthat should acts of aggression and hostility continue, including in southern Lebanon, much more severe and crushing measures than before will followโ. Shortly after, Israelโs army intercepted three projectiles fired from Lebanon, according to an AFP journalist near their shared border, with the military confirming the munitions had targeted its forces operating in Lebanonโs south. โSome of the projectiles were intercepted prior to crossing into Israeli territory, and an additional projectile fell near IDF soldiers. No injuries were reported,โ the military said. Tehranโs earlier strikes followed attacks by Israel against targets of the Lebanese group Hezbollah in the southern suburbs of Beirut. Iran had repeatedly warned it would strike Israel if the Lebanese capital was targeted. โPeople frustratedโ On Monday in Tehran, there was little sign of any return to war, with cafe terraces packed. Traffic seemed lighter than usual for a weekday, suggesting that some people had stayed home and there were also many more people queuing at gas stations. Maryam, 41, an accountant in Tehran, described โa sense of uncertainty and confusionโ. โYou donโt know if thereโs going to be a war, nor do you know if the peace agreement will last. Nothing is clear. People are frustrated,โ she said. Residents of Tel Aviv meanwhile went to shelters as sirens went off. โI hope it will be short, but you can never know. Last time we thought it will be short and then it was a month, so I donโt know,โ said Jonathan Ariel, 30. Oil prices surged more than five per cent on worries that war could break out again, with hopes now punctured of a rapid end to the standoff that has seen shipping limited through the key Strait of Hormuz trade bottleneck. The strikes also came at a critical moment with diplomatic efforts to end the conflict involving mediator Pakistan on a knife-edge. Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei warned at a press conference in Tehran attended by AFP that diplomacy was continuing but risked being โaffectedโ by the escalation. As he was speaking at the foreign ministry, a huge explosion shook the building, followed by repeated explosions believed to be from air defence systems, the AFP reporter said. Pakistan Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi visited Tehran to deliver what he said was a โspecial letterโ to Iranโs supreme leader Mojtaba Khamenei, according to Iranian state television. He has since travelled back to Pakistan, an official Pakistani source said on Monday. Iranian President Masoud Pezehskian wrote on X that Tehran was still โat the negotiating tableโ. โPrepared for long-term warโ No casualties have been reported in either Israel or Iran after the exchange of fire. The Israeli military said it struck and dismantled Iranian defence systems deployed across several areas in the country. Iran fired nearly 30 missiles towards Israel since Sunday night, an Israeli military official said. An AFP correspondent also saw a missile fall in agricultural land in the area of Najha, in the countryside of the Syrian capital Damascus, causing a fire around the impact site but no reported human casualties. โMaterial damage is minor, but the psychological impact is significant. The area is home to children, farm caretakers, livestock and solar power installations,โ said Fadil Ataya, a local farmer. A military source told the Tasnim news agency that โIran is prepared for a long-term war with the Zionist regime and for strikes against US interestsโ in the region. It also remains unclear who is leading decision-making in Tehran with Mojtaba Khamenei, said to have been wounded in a US-Israeli strike, yet to appear in public after taking over from his father Ali Khamenei who was assassinated on the first day of the war on February 28. The European Unionโs top diplomat Kaja Kallas called on both sides to โsit down to a negotiation table and agreeโ, adding that โthe region does not need an escalation.โ Israeli strikes on Iran โfully coordinatedโ with US, says Tehran Iran said on Monday that the recent wave of Israeli strikes against the country was โfully coordinatedโ with US forces. Tehranโs statement comes after Israel and Iran exchanged attacks for the first time since the shaky ceasefire in the Middle East war took effect on April 8, despite Trump calling for restraint. The flare-up, which also drew in other countries in the region, saw Israel striking Iran after the latter targeted it in vengeance for an airstrike on Beirutโs southern suburbs. No casualties have been reported so far in either Israel or Iran. โThe direct responsibility of the United States for the actions of the Zionist regime is clear, and the consequences of escalating tensions will also fall on the United States,โ Baqaei told a new briefing, according to state news agency IRNA. โNo one believes that the Zionist regime would carry out any action without prior coordination and cooperation with the United States,โ Baqaei said. โIt is perfectly natural that the diplomatic process initiated to put an end to this imposed war would be affected,โ the official observed. Nonetheless, Baqaei said that Pakistanโs mediation efforts to end the war with the US were continuing even after fighting resumed with Israel. โDiplomatic consultations are naturally continuing in all circumstances,โ the spokesman said. Baqaei further stressed that it had โbeen frequently repeated by us together with the Pakistani mediator that Lebanon is part and parcel of the [ceasefire] agreementโ, according to Al Jazeera. โWe cannot allow the Zionist entity or the United States to undermine this part of the part of the deal,โ he was quoted as saying. โThese events [of the past day] will definitely intensify suspicions. We were already exchanging messages with the American side in an atmosphere of extreme suspicion,โ the Iranian official noted. โThe USโs contradictions to date โ whether intentional or unintentional โ have caused enough chaos in the diplomatic process. The incidents that have occurred in the past 24 hours will only fuel this chaotic situation in the diplomatic process,โ he added. Baqaei also reiterated Tehranโs stance that the head of the United Nationsโ nuclear watchdog was disregarding the realities of the conflict and held biased views. He contended that International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Director General Rafael Grossi was โacting with deliberate bias against Iran and the Iranian nuclear issueโ, according to Al Jazeera. Tit-for-tat strikes after Iranโs warning Earlier on Monday, an Israeli airstrike targeted a petrochemical firm in southwestern Iran, causing partial damage to the industrial complex, Iranian officials said. Iranโs Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) said Tehran had retaliated against the attack by striking similar industrial targets in Israelโs Haifa. Israelโs attacks had followed missile launches by Iran, whose military said it targeted Israelโs Ramat David Airbase with ballistic missiles in response to Israeli attacks in southern Lebanon and Beirut. The statement warned that any further attacks would be met with โa broader and more severeโ Iranian response. Last night, the IRGC demanded that the Israeli army stop its attacks on Lebanon. โWe had previously warned that if the crimes in the Dahieh area of Beirut expand, we will attack targets in the occupied territories,โ the IRGCโs top joint military command said. On late Saturday night, Iranโs Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi also shared an image on X depicting Iran and Lebanonโs national flags. Earlier on Saturday, Israel launched strikes in the Beirut area for the first time since the US announced a truce plan for Lebanon last week. The region has been on edge since the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran on February 28, triggering Iranian retaliation on Israel and other regional countries hosting US military sites. A temporary ceasefire was reached on April 8, but negotiations later stalled amid disputes over its implementation and subsequent regional developments.
President Asif Ali Zardari meets Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad, on March 10, 2025. โ X@GovtofPakistanCoalition leaders meet in Islamabad for budget discussions: sources.PML-N, PPP leaders "reach broad agreement" on budget proposals.Technical committees will continue...
Afghan residents in the western city of Herat have told AFP of witnessing multiple women detained by the Taliban governmentโs morality police, in a crackdown over clothing which has drawn criticism from the United Nations. The UN mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) said on Sunday it was โconcerned over multiple arrests and detentions of women in Herat Afghanistan for alleged non-compliance with dress requirementsโ. Taliban authorities have gradually tightened restrictions on women since returning to power in August 2021. Women nationwide must be completely covered when they leave home, with many wearing a flowing abaya robe along with a headscarf and a face covering. In Herat, residents witnessed women being detained on Saturday for not wearing the body-cloaking chador or burqa. They spoke to AFP on condition of anonymity for security reasons. โI saw two employees of the ministry, one of whom was carrying a whip, putting two women who were not wearing chadors into a vehicle,โ said a 23-year-old woman, referring to officials from the Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice (PVPV). She said those detained were fully covered, including wearing Muslim headscarves. โEveryone is frightened,โ she told AFP. Another woman said she saw PVPV officials stopping vehicles and checking passengersโ clothing, and saw multiple women being detained and put into vans. โThe majority of those arrested were women who were not wearing chadors,โ the 27-year-old said. The PVPV ministry did not comment on women being detained when contacted by AFP. โThere is nothing unusual in Herat,โ the ministryโs information department said. The dress code โis a divine command and an enforced law, and we are obligated to implement itโ, the ministry asserted. Since the crackdown was launched, an AFP journalist and multiple residents in Herat said the number of women leaving home had dropped sharply. A 20-year-old taxi driver said โtheyโre not seen in the city at allโ. โWeโve been told not to transport women without a chador,โ he said. One woman described the situation as โunbearableโ. โI am genuinely saddened that we donโt even have the right to breathe freely,โ the 33-year-old said. โLife has become very difficult for us.โ
India has deported nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens since Prime Minister Narendra Modiโs Hindu-nationalist party swept to power in West Bengal last month, according to official statistics. Modiโs Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won a sweeping victory in elections in the eastern border state of more than 100 million people, promising to โdetect, delete and deportโ illegal migrants. India shares a long and porous border with Muslim-majority Bangladesh, where migration has historically been driven by economic hardship and longstanding family links. On taking power, the new West Bengal government ordered the establishment of detention centres for undocumented Bangladeshis and Rohingya refugees, a mainly Muslim people who fled persecution in Myanmar. State Chief Minister Suvendu Adhikari, speaking in the capital Kolkata on Sunday, said nearly 5,000 Bangladeshi citizens had been deported across the border. โWe have started the work of deporting Bangladeshi infiltrators who do not fall under the purview of the Citizenship Amendment Act,โ Adhikari said, saying the government had โestablished holding centres in all districts of the stateโ in May. โFrom these centres, 4,800 Bangladeshi infiltrators have already been deported so far,โ he added. โAnother 836 people are currently in the holding centresโฆ we are making arrangements to deport the 836 soon,โ Adhikari said. The deportation campaign comes against a backdrop of longstanding political tensions over immigration in the border state. Top Indian officials have referred to migrants as โtermitesโ and โinfiltratorsโ. Critics say the BJPโs rhetoric and policies have added to the unease and marginalisation of Indiaโs more than 200 million Muslims, accusing the party of conflating religious identity with illegal migration. Rights groups have previously accused India of also pushing hundreds of Bengali-speaking Muslims into Bangladesh without due process. Relations between India and Muslim-majority Bangladesh soured after a 2024 revolution in Dhaka ended the autocratic rule of then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, an ally of New Delhi, who fled to India. A new government in Dhaka was elected in February, and relations have since slowly improved. Bangladesh and Indian border force chiefs are due to meet in New Delhi on Monday.
ISLAMABAD: In a landmark judgment, the Supreme Court ruled on Monday that โvitriolageโ (acid attack) is an offence more heinous than homicide. The ruling came after Abdul Manan, convicted for throwing acid on a young woman in Faisalabad, appealed against a 2022 Lahore High Court (LHC) order. The LHC had upheld an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) verdict sentencing him to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1 million. Justice Muhammad Hashim Khan Kakar, heading a three-judge bench consisting of Justice Salahuddin Panhwar and Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, upheld the LHC order. The ruling comes only days after an acid attack on a female doctor in Quettaโs Civil Hospital. Following the attack on 29-year-old Mahnoor Nasir, doctors in Quetta went on strike, demanding a thorough investigation. โUnlike death, which consumes its victim only once, the victim of an acid assault is relegated to a living death, where they are compelled to endure the agony of their trauma and the degradation of their physical self on a daily basis,โ observed Justice Kakar in a 14-page strongly worded judgment he authored. In the court ruling, federal and provincial governments were also recommended to consider accommodating acid attack victims under disability quotas along with enactment and enforcement of specialised legislation for establishment of a National Acid Survivorsโ Rehabilitation Fund. The ruling added that such a statutory fund should provide comprehensive medical coverage for extensive reconstructive surgeries and specialised physical therapy. The fund should also provide mandatory access to professional trauma counselling, psychotherapy and psychiatric care for psychological and social rehabilitation. โThe perpetratorโs objective is not merely to kill, but to extinguish the victimโs soul, leaving the living corpse as a permanent reminder of their depravity,โ Justice Kakar said. The apex court also recommended a mandatory monthly stipend for survivors who, due to the nature of their injuries or ongoing medical conditions, are rendered incapable of financial self-support. Justice Kakar also suggested the formulation of national rehabilitation guidelines as a standardised framework ensuring gratuitous, lifelong medical and mental health treatment across all state-mandated and private medical facilities through the fund. He further observed that acid violence is a tool of patriarchal dominance. โIn the past, such incidents have occurred following rejection of marriage proposals or sexual advances, as well as dowry disputes.โ The ruling added that acid violence is used to inflict a social death upon women by destroying their physical identity. The primary deterrent against such depravity lies in a dual strategy of rigorous criminalisation followed by stringent regulation of corrosive substances, Justice Kakar observed, citing a number of examples from foreign jurisdictions such as Bangladesh and Cambodia. The first essential step towards eradication is the categorical criminalisation of the act itself, he added. The judgment also highlighted that the eradication of acid violence was inextricably linked to restrictions on access to corrosive substances. While the legislative amendments of 2011 served to criminalise acid violence with the severity it warrants, the persistence of such atrocities reveals that penal sanctions alone are insufficient to address the root of the problem, Justice Kakar observed. โAs long as corrosive substances remain easily available, the deterrent effect of penal consequences will be perpetually undermined.โ In this context, the Punjab Acid Control Act 2025 represents a watershed moment in provincial jurisprudence. Justice Kakar cited it as an example of a shift from post-occurrence punishment to pre-emptive regulation, noting that the Act mandates a rigorous licensing regime and categorically prohibits the sale of acid to individuals under the age of 18. โIt is our sanguine expectation that the rigorous enforcement of such specialised regulatory regimes will effectively dismantle the accessibility of these lethal instruments, thereby serving as a robust bulwark to curb and eventually eradicate this heinous offence from our social fabric,โ Justice Kakar emphasised. He added that the ordeal of an acid attack survivor does not end with the conclusion of the criminal trial. Instead, it marks the beginning of a gruelling, lifelong journey of medical intervention. Survivors are frequently subjected to an exhaustive series of reconstructive surgeries and specialised procedures that are not only physically agonising but also financially prohibitive, rendering essential healthcare inaccessible to the majority of victims, the judgment noted. Citing the Asian Human Rights Commission, the judgment said the devastating impact of acid violence in Pakistan was exemplified by survivors such as Irum Saeed and Memuna Khan, who underwent 25 and 21 reconstructive surgeries respectively following attacks triggered by marital rejection and inter-family disputes. Justice Kakar added that despite existing laws, their purpose was defeated if implementation and enforcement remained weak, as evidenced by recurring incidents across the country. The SC also strongly recommended that the high courts actively monitor and ensure that, in cases of vitriolage, statutory timelines provided under relevant laws for the completion of trials are strictly adhered to. The prime intent of the legislature is to ensure swift adjudication and prevent secondary victimisation, the judgment added. Vitriolage is an offence deeply rooted in gender-based violence, deep-seated misogyny and patriarchal aggression, the judgment said. The Supreme Court also recommended that the federal and all provincial governments impose a complete ban on the sale of acid to private individuals. For legal acid sales, the court suggested a centralised digital system governed and monitored by the relevant authorities in real time. Under this system, entities intending to purchase acid must apply through prescribed electronic forms, disclosing the purpose of purchase and the name and details of the purchaser, along with a photograph and biometric thumb impression. Such a real-time system will completely eradicate manual record-keeping and enable the trade to be managed with absolute transparency, the ruling added. The apex court judgment was forwarded to all High Courts and relevant departments of the federal and provincial governments. Case history On September 4, 2019, the accused threw sulfuric acid on the victimโs face while she was cooking in the kitchen of her home. The victim sustained extensive burns on her face, chest, back, left leg and foot, as well as โcomplete destruction of the left earโ, court documents state. The victim was examined on January 16, 2020, during trial proceedings. At the time, โshe was unable to recline, move or walkโ, according to court documents. The victim has been bedridden since the incident. Abdul Manan denied the allegations but failed to provide evidence in his defence. At the time of the incident, he was a minor, with court documents stating his age as 17โ18. The petitionerโs lawyer requested leniency owing to his young age, while the prosecutor argued that โage cannot be a shield for such barbaric actsโ. On February 1, 2020, the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) Faisalabad sentenced the accused to life imprisonment along with a fine of Rs1 million to be paid to the victim. Following an appeal, the Lahore High Court (LHC) upheld the ATCโs ruling on November 21, 2022.