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• Report highlights trade-based money laundering in solar kit imports • Senate panel fumes over absence of economic minister, provincial secretaries ISLAMABAD: Another episode of massive under-invoicing for tax evasion and trade-based money laundering through the import of solar kits came to light before a parliamentary committee, which expressed serious displeasure over the continued absence of the minister for economic affairs and provincial secretaries. The Senate Secretariat released selected operational parts of a report presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs by the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), detailing grave irregularities in the import of solar home system kits under the Sindh Solar Energy Project (SSEP). The report revealed that solar kits were declared at $16-$23.4 per unit for tax purposes by contractors, while payments of up to $112.44 per unit, or about 700 per cent higher, were made by the World Bank for the SSEP, reflecting a difference of ...

An Israeli air strike killed an AFP freelancer and two other journalists in Gaza on Wednesday, the territory’s civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck “suspects” operating a drone. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations . In a statement, the civil defence said “the bodies of the three journalists killed in an Israeli air strike in the Al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah”. It named the dead as Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Shaat and Anas Ghneim. Shaat had contributed regularly to AFP as a photo and video journalist, but at the time of the strike, he was not on assignment for the agency. In a statement, the Israeli military said troops had “identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas in the central Gaza Strip”. The military did not e...

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ISLAMABAD: The world is experiencing the dawn of an “era of water bankruptcy”, according to a United Nations report. The report, released on Tuesday, invited leaders to facilitate “honest, science-based adaptation to a new reality” amid chronic depletion of groundwater, over-allocation of water, land and soil degradation, deforestation, and pollution — all compounded by global warming. Titled “Global Water Bankruptcy: Living Beyond Our Hydrological Means in the Post-Crisis Era”, the report was produced by the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health. It noted that in many regions, water systems were already in a “post-crisis state of failure”. Leaders urged to wake up to ‘new reality’ as the world is living beyond its ‘hydrological means’ Over decades, societies have extracted more water than climate and hydrology can provide, drawing down not only the annual ‘income’ of renewable flows but also the ‘savings’ stored in aquifers, glaciers, soils, wetl...

• US, Israel, Gulf allies all were underprepared for retaliation • Regime remained resilient as security forces stay loyal • Backchannel pledged to ‘stop the killing’ offered exit ramp WASHINGTON: The crisis in Iran, driven by economic collapse, soaring inflation and deep public anger, has underscored both the limits of external military intervention and the resilience of Tehran’s clerical regime, analysts and former officials said. US President Donald Trump publicly encouraged Iranian protesters, warning Tehran that it would face consequences if it “violently kills peaceful protesters”. But behind the scenes, Washington came close to — and then stepped back from — military action, exposing the operational, political and strategic constraints shaping US policy. According to a detailed Axios investigation , senior military, political and diplomatic officials across Washington and the Middle East believed US strikes on Iran were imminent. Preparations were real, officials stres...

Asset tokenisation is clearly gaining popularity in Pakistan. Already, Pakistan’s Finance Ministry has signed a non-binding memorandum of understanding with the global crypto giant Binance for consultations on the tokenisation of sovereign bonds, treasury bills, and commodity reserves valued up to $2 billion. Separately, Pakistan’s Virtual Assets Regulatory Authority has also granted No Objection Certificates to Binance and HTX to begin local licensing processes. With an estimated 30–40 million Pakistanis actively using digital assets, the government has been increasingly positioning blockchain as a key element in its quest for financial transformation. In simple words, asset tokenisation is the process of turning a physical or financial asset into its digital copies, or tokens, that can then be traded or owned in a blockchain network. One of the main benefits of tokenisation is that it allows the fractionalisation or breakup of non-fungible or indivisible assets into smaller, affo...

PESHAWAR: At least six members of a family, including two women and children, were killed on Sunday when gunmen opened indiscriminate fire following a “domestic dispute” in the Sabirabad area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Karak district. According to a Rescue 1122 official, “Upon receiving the report, rescue officials rushed to the spot immediately, accompanied by ambulances and medical teams.” “All the bodies were taken to the District Headquarters Hospital for postmortem,” he said. The rescue official further said that a six-year-old and a three-month-old girl were among the deceased. Suspect apprehended According to a police spokesperson, Shaukat Khan, “Upon receiving information about the incident, District Police Officer Saud Khan took serious notice and directed the Sabirabad station house officer to take immediate action.” “Acting swiftly, police arrested the suspect within moments of the incident and recovered the weapon used in the crime,” he added. The spokesperson said that...

ISLAMABAD: As many as 40 environmental samples from all four provinces and the federal capital were found positive during the month of December. According to an official of the polio laboratory located at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, as many as 127 sewage samples from 87 districts were tested for the presence of poliovirus in December 2025. Of these, 87 samples tested negative, while 40 samples were found positive for poliovirus. “As many as 23 samples were collected from Balochistan, of which 21 were found negative and two were found positive. A total of 34 samples were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which 26 were negative and eight were found positive. From Punjab, 31 samples were collected, of which 25 were negative and six were positive. In Sindh, six samples were found negative and 23 were positive. In Islamabad, one out of five samples was found positive. However, five samples collected from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan were found neg...

A large fire erupted at the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s MA Jinnah Road on Saturday night, killing at least three people, according to officials. Dr Sabir Memon, executive director of the Civil Hospital trauma centre, said three dead bodies had been brought to the facility. He said that all three were dead when they were brought to the hospital. South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that seven others were injured. Rescue 1122 spokesperson Hassaanul Haseeb Khan told Dawn that the fire erupted in shops located on the ground floor. However, he said there were people stuck on the upper portion of the high-rise building. “Six people have been injured and taken to the hospital,” he said. “Six fire tenders are busy controlling the fire; however, the situation is critical,” he said. Garden Sub-divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Mohsin Raza said in a statement that the fire appeared to have been caused by a short circuit at one of the shops, before spreading to th...

• PTI senators slam ban on meetings with Imran • Law minister says jail superintendent responsible for meetings, denies solitary confinement claim ISLAMABAD: Senators on Fri­day called for keeping tabs on the use of social media platforms by children under 18, with the chair proposing a special committee to develop safeguards in consultation with relevant ministries. The issue was raised through a calling-attention notice moved by Senators Falak Naz, Fawzia Arshad, Aimal Wali Khan, Saadia Abbasi and Dilawar Khan. Presiding over the sitting, Senator Sherry Rehman said some checks were needed and suggested forming a special committee comprising representatives of the ministries of information technology, interior, education and law, along with parliamentary parties and provincial governments. She said the final decision would rest with Senate Chairman Yousaf Raza Gilani. Speaking on the notice, Senator Naz said most platforms were designed for adults and warned that children’s expos...

Pakistan’s ICC U19 Cricket World Cup campaign got off to a disappointing start on Tuesday as England dismantled the Green Shirts’ top order, taking six wickets for 86 runs to seal a 37-run victory. Winning the toss at the Takashinga Sports Club in Harare, Pakistan U19 team captain Farhan Yousuf elected to field first — a decision that turned out to be in the team’s favour as it bowled out England for just 210 in a fifty-over match. English batter Caleb Falconer scored 66 runs, for which he also got the Man of the Match award later, aided by Ben Dawkins’ 33 and Ralphie Albert’s 25. With the help of the commanding spells by Pakistani bowler Ahmed Hussain, who took three wickets, and Ali Raza, Abdul Subhan, and Moshin Qamar, who grabbed two wickets each, Pakistan established their position, booming in the first innings. While chasing the target, howeve, Pakistan’s top order could not stand England’s Alex Green and James Minto’s bowling attack, as both took a couple of wickets each. S...

US President Donald Trump said Friday he may impose trade tariffs on countries that don’t support his plans to take over Greenland, part of the territory of Denmark. “I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said at a health roundtable at the White House. “I may do that,” added Trump. Trump compared the possible Greenland tariffs to those that he threatened on France and Germany last year over the price of pharmaceutical products. The threat is the latest pressure tactic by Republican Trump as he steps up his bid to acquire the autonomous Arctic island , a goal that he has threatened to achieve by military means if necessary. Trump claims the United States needs mineral-rich Greenland and has accused Greenland of not doing enough to ensure its security against rivals Russia and China. European nations have in recent days shown their support for North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) ally Denm...

Ali Shaath • Ex-deputy planning minister vows to clear debris in three years; Belfast-educated civil engineer will chair 15-member body • Prioritises urgent temporary shelter over rebuilding; defies UN estimates with seven-year restoration timeline • Secures dual endorsement from Hamas, Mah­moud Abbas JERUSALEM: Ali Shaath, the Palestinian former government official chosen to administer Gaza under a US-backed deal, has an ambitious plan that includes pushing war debris into the Mediterranean Sea and rebuilding destroyed infrastructure within three years. The appointment of the civil engineer and former deputy planning minister on Thursday marked the start of the next phase of US President Donald Trump’s plan to end Israel’s war in Gaza. Shaath will chair a group of 15 Palestinian technocrats tasked with governing the Palestinian enclave after years of occupation by Israel. Under Trump’s plan, Israel has withdrawn from nearly half of Gaza but its troops remain in control of t...

KARACHI: Minister for Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Chaudhry Salik Hussain on Thursday said the government aimed to provide overseas employment opportunities to 800,000 individuals this year, compared to 740,00 manpower export last year. Citing a significant increase in demand for Pakistani labour in GCC countries and other regions, he said Pakistan was launching soft-skills training programmes in collaboration with Korea and Japan. He also announced that the minimum age for women seeking overseas employment had been reduced from 35 to 25 years. A Pakistani worker employed in Korea is currently remitting an average of $1,800 per month to Pakistan, he said while speaking at a meeting with members of the Korangi Association of Trade and Industry (Kati). The minister said the government was undertaking comprehensive reforms to address issues faced by overseas Pakistanis, promote skills development and create better employment opportunities. He advised the Korangi o...

KARACHI: Pakistan will need a staggering $565.7 billion in investment to achieve its Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0 climate commitments by 2035. These include a 17 per cent unconditional and 33pc conditional reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 30pc increase in electric vehicle adoption, and a shift to 60pc renewable energy. Meeting these ambitious goals will depend heavily on mobilising green-aligned investments, making frameworks like the Pakistan Green Taxonomy and robust ESG disclosure practices essential for guiding capital toward sustainable projects. This was revealed during a session on Pakistan Green Taxonomy (PGT) and ESG Disclosure Guidelines hosted by the Overseas Investors Chamber of Commerce and Industry (OICCI), which was attended by top business executives and industry stakeholders on Wednesday. According to OICCI’s press release, the session was held in the backdrop of the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan’s issuance of the revi...

• Washington withdraws staff from Middle East bases; diplomatic contact cut off • Tehran threatens retaliation; informs Qatar, Saudi Arabia, others • Riyadh assures it won’t allow its territory to be used against Iran WASHINGTON: Tensions flared across the Middle East on Wednesday as the US began withdrawing personnel from crucial bases in the region, while Tehran warned that it would retaliate against American bases in the Gulf, if Washington initiated an attack. The catalyst for the showdown is the violent protests within Iran. Trump has repeatedly threatened to intervene in support of protesters, declaring in a Tuesday interview that “help is on the way” and vowing “very strong action” if executions of demonstrators continue. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump said in a press conference late on Wednesday night he had been told that killings in Iran’s crackdown on nationwide protests were subsiding and that he believed there was currently no plan for large-scale executions. ...

ISLAMABAD: Internet users in Pakistan, barring Nayatel customers, are unlikely to experience slow speeds on Thursday, according to a clarification by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) and correspondence by the internet service provider (ISP). Nayatel has informed its customers via email that “an unavoidable maintenance activity” is planned on one of Pakistan’s submarine cables on January 15 (Thursday) at around 2pm, saying that it could last up to eight hours. “This may cause internet slowness across Pakistan,” the service provider said. Meanwhile, reports circulating on social media, without specifying any particular ISP, said there was a possibility of internet disruption in the country on Thursday. However, the PTA clarified in a statement that “information regarding any disruption of internet services on January 15 is incorrect and without factual basis”. “Internet services across Pakistan remain stable and fully operational. Routine submarine cable maintena...

After US President Donald Trump announced a 25 per cent tariff for any country doing business with Iran, Pakistan has limited options available, but none of them are without consequences. The announcement from President Trump came at a time when protests were raging in the Islamic Republic amid a severe crackdown, resulting in the death of at least 500 people, as per a rights monitor. The statement marked a sharp escalation in Washi­n­gton’s long-running campaign of economic pressure against Iran. Issued via social media and declared “effective immediately”, the statement by President Trump seeks to recast tariffs not as a trade remedy but as an instrument of foreign policy enforcement, with global reach and few visible limits. The language of the post is categorical. Any country that maintains commercial ties with Iran, regardless of scale or sector, would see its exports to the US penalised. This is not a sanction in the conventional sense. Iran is already subject to extensive A...

ISLAMABAD: The government has planned to announce an ‘export emergency’ in the country and create a special cell at PM Office to address problems and complaints of the business community on an urgent basis for increasing exports by 40pc in four years and by around 200pc by 2035 for sustainable economic growth and job creation. “We will have to transform the entire system and become an export nation on an emergency basis, otherwise, the dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and friendly countries for financial support would continue,” said Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal at a news conference on Monday. He conceded the country’s export performance in first four months (July-October) was not satisfactory even though exports grew by around 1pc. He also said there were genuine questions and impatience why GDP was not growing fast quickly but it was a pragmatism decision of the government not to rush for growth through consumerism as was done by the previous...

Tech giants Apple and Google on Monday announced a multi-year partnership that will see Apple’s next-generation artificial intelligence (AI) features, including its Siri assistant, be powered by Google’s Gemini technology. The collaboration marks a significant shift for Apple, which has traditionally developed its core technologies in-house. A joint statement said Apple selected Google’s AI technology after a “careful evaluation” determined it provided “the most capable foundation” for the iPhone-maker’s AI ambitions. The announcement represents a rare alliance between two companies that have long competed in the smartphone market, where Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android operating systems dominate globally. However, the two rivals have maintained a lucrative partnership for years, with Google paying Apple billions of dollars annually to remain the default search engine on iPhones and other Apple devices. That arrangement has faced scrutiny from regulators, with the US Justice ...

LAHORE: President of the Istehkam Pakistan Party (IPP) and Federal Communications Minister Abdul Aleem Khan has urged political parties to show magnanimity and accept the need for smaller provinces to facilitate the people at their doorsteps. Speaking at a party workers’ convention at Kamoke, around 50km from Lahore, he said that the IPP has launched a movement for creation of smaller provinces as an immediate and sustainable solution to problems of people living in far-flung areas. “We will not change the names of provinces; new provinces should be created like in Punjab as North, South, West, and East Punjab. For this purpose, political parties must rise above narrow-mindedness and show magnanimity as it is in everyone’s own interest,” he said. Welcoming support from MQM and other political parties for the proposal of new provinces, he said this would save people’s time and energy and allow their issues to be resolved closer to their doorstep. Parties must show magnanimity to...

The US Department of Homeland Security is sending “hundreds” more officers to Minnesota, a day after tens of thousands of people marched through Minneapolis to protest the fatal shooting of a woman by an immigration agent, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said in remarks that aired on Sunday. The officers would be deployed on Sunday and Monday to bolster the safety of Immigration and Customs Enforcement and Border Patrol officials already in Minnesota, Noem said on Fox News ’ “Sunday Morning Futures” programme. Some 2,000 federal officers have already been dispatched to the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in what DHS has called its largest operation ever. The new deployments were scheduled to begin even as more than 1,000 rallies were planned nationwide this weekend to protest the federal government’s deportation push and Wednesday’s fatal shooting of 37-year-old Renee Good by an ICE officer. Minnesota officials have called the shooting unjustified, pointing to bystander video the...

• ISPR says forces kill 11 terrorists in N. Waziristan, Kurram raids • One killed, two held in Khyber • Two CTD men martyred in Peshawar, Bajaur attacks • JUI-F leader dies after South Waziristan blast; Fazl condemns attacks on clerics PESHAWAR: At least 12 terrorists were killed in multiple counterterrorism operations and gun battles in different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Saturday, while violence elsewhere in the province left two Counter-Terrorism Dep­artment (CTD) personnel martyred in targeted attacks and claimed the life of a senior JUI-F leader who succumbed to injuries from a bomb blast a day earlier in South Waziristan. In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said security forces carried out two intelligence-based operations on Thursday after receiving information about the presence of terrorists. It said the first operation was conducted in North Waziristan, where troops engaged a terrorists’ location and gunned down six of them in an exchange of...

Syrian authorities on Saturday began transferring Kurdish fighters from the country’s second city, Aleppo, to areas they control in the country’s northeast, state television reported, after days of deadly clashes . The violence in Aleppo erupted after efforts to integrate the Kurds’ de facto autonomous administration and military into the country’s new government stalled. Since the fighting began on Tuesday, at least 21 civilians have been killed, according to figures from both sides, while Aleppo’s governor said 155,000 people have been displaced. On Saturday evening, state television reported that Kurdish fighters “who announced their surrender … were transported by bus to the city of Tabaqa” in the Kurdish-controlled northeast. An AFP correspondent saw at least five buses on Saturday carrying fighters leaving the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud district, accompanied by security forces. Kurdish fighters sit in a bus as they leave the Kurdish-majority Sheikh Maqsud neighbourho...

Turkiye is reportedly seeking entry into a mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, potentially paving the way for a new security alignment that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond, Bloomberg reported Friday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a “ Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement ” in Riyadh last September, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both. Citing people familiar with the matter, who spoke anonymously, Bloomberg reported that the talks are at an advanced stage and “a deal is very likely”. “The expanded alliance would make sense because Turkiye’s interests increasingly overlap with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in South Asia, the Middle East and even Africa,” the report read. “Turkiye also sees the pact as a way of strengthening security and deterrents when there are questions over the reliability of the US, which has str...