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Red Cross urges world to alleviate ‘dire’ Gaza suffering

GENEVA: The world must seize the momentum from the first phase of the ceasefire to urgently alleviate the catastrophic human suffering in the Gaza Strip, International Committee of the Red Cross chief said on Friday, calling for an end to restrictions that have left millions in misery. ICRC President Mirjana Spoljaric emphasised that while recent prisoner exchanges allowed families to mourn or reunite, the civilian population remains in a desperate struggle for survival against harsh winter conditions and devastated infrastructure in the besieged territory. “States must harness the momentum generated by the first phase of the agreement between Israel and Hamas to urgently improve the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza,” Spoljaric said. For the past 15 weeks, the ICRC has worked with mediators to facilitate the return of prisoners and the remains of the deceased. Israeli kills three more Palestinians in Gaza However, Spoljaric stressed that humanitarian steps are irreplaceabl...
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AGP audit observations cannot be used against taxpayers: Supreme Court

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Thursday ruled that audit observations by the Auditor General of Pakistan against government entities of the federal or provincial governments cannot be used by tax authorities to initiate audit proceedings against a taxpayer. “Any audit observation made by the Auditor Gen­eral in relation to the accounts of, e.g., the Inland Revenue Department or the FBR or any other governmental entity or any authority or body established by the federation or a province cannot form the basis of enabling or allowing any tax authority exercising powers and performing functions under a fiscal statute to regard that observation as information that would allow for the audit or inspection of the accounts or activities of a taxpayer or sustain the issuance of any notice or initiation of any proceedings under the fiscal statute,” affirmed Justice Munib Akhtar. Headed by Justice Akhtar, a two-member bench had taken up an appeal against the July 7, 2025, Peshawar High Court’s ...
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Trump says ‘looks like’ Hamas will disarm in Gaza deal progress

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US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that it “looks like” Hamas would give up its weapons, a step the group has not confirmed, in what would be a major step forward in the fragile Gaza ceasefire with Israel. “A lot of people said they’ll never disarm. It looks like they’re going to disarm,” Trump told a cabinet meeting. Trump hailed cooperation with Hamas after Israeli forces brought back the remains of the last captive held in Gaza, Ran Gvili. “They did help us with those bodies, getting them back, and that family is so grateful,” Trump said. Trump had asked for an update on the Middle East from his roving special envoy Steve Witkoff, sitting in the side of the room as cabinet members and media listened. An upbeat Witkoff voiced high confidence in Hamas following through. “We’ve got the terrorists out of there and they’re going to demilitarise. They will because they have no choice,” Witkoff said. “They’re going to give it up. They’re going to give up the AK-47s,” he told...
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Gilgit-Baltistan continues to suffer as roads remain inaccessible

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• Temperatures drop below -15°C in the region in wake of snowfall • Residents protest against prolonged power outages GILGIT / ISLAMABAD: The difficulties of Gilgit-Baltistan residents intensified on Wednesday as snowfall disconnected road access to remote areas, with temperatures dropping below minus 15 degrees Celsius in the region. As freezing temperatures persisted, people took to the streets to protest prolonged power outages. A patient in Astore allegedly died due to the unavailability of transportation facilities for treatment. A fresh spell of snowfall on Monday and Tuesday brought life to a standstill across parts of GB amid freezing temperatures, power outages and road closures. The suffering of residents due to snow, harsh weather, lack of electricity and other basic facilities continued in remote areas on Wednesday. Police said up to six inches of snow was recorded in parts of Skardu, Astore, Ghanche, Shigar, Kharmang, Hunza, Nagar and Ghizer, disrupting routine life a...
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US agents involved in latest Minneapolis shooting put on leave: reports

At least two federal agents who were involved in Saturday’s fatal shooting of a US citizen in Minneapolis have been placed on administrative leave, two US media outlets said on Wednesday. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said the two immigration agents who discharged their weapons during the deadly encounter with Alex Pretti were put on leave as part of standard procedures, Fox News reported. MS NOW earlier reported that agents involved in the shooting of Pretti were being put on leave, citing an unnamed source. Representatives for DHS could not be immediately reached to confirm the reports. Immigration agents on Saturday fired multiple shots at Pretti, an ICU nurse at a hospital for veterans. His death was the second fatal encounter between Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents and US citizens in Minnesota this month, sparking a national uproar. US review of Pretti’s killing does not mention him brandishing firearm Meanwhile, an initial US government review of ...
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Pakistan, Australia eye mining partnership

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Australia on Tuesday discussed the possibility of an Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA) for structured, long-term cooperation in Pakistan’s mining and mineral sector. The IGA between the two sides was proposed by Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik here during his meeting with the new Australian High Commissioner (AHC) to Pakistan, Timothy Kane. It builds on a July 2025 Australian proposal made through former AHC Neil Hawkins for collaboration between Australian universities, mining firms, and Pakistani institutions to provide specialised training programmes in modern mining techniques and services and enhance local expertise and support Pakistan’s mining sector development. An official statement said the new AHC Kane and the petroleum minister discussed avenues for enhanced bilateral cooperation in the mining and gemstone sectors. The minister welcomed the strong interest of Australian companies in Pakistan’s mining sector and highlighted the country’s immen...
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LHC upholds order restraining Meesha Shafi from making sexual harassment claims against Ali Zafar

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Tuesday upheld a trial court order restraining singer Meesha Shafi from making statements related to sexual harassment allegations against actor-cum-singer Ali Zafar until the conclusion of the defamation suit filed by the latter against the former. In the written order seen by Dawn , Justice Ahmad Nadeem Arshad observed that the veracity of the allegations cannot be determined without recording evidence and that repeated public statements while the matter was sub judice could amount to a “parallel media trial, which is neither permissible nor desirable in the interest of justice and fair adjudication”. The judge subsequently dismissed the plea filed by Shafi challenging the gag order issued by the trial court on Jan 24, 2019. Zafar had claimed that the allegations levelled against him by Shafi were false and had damaged his reputation. Along with the defamation suit, he had sought an interim injunction to prevent the defendant female singer fr...
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