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President, PM, others return gifts to Toshakhana

ISLAMABAD: Presi­dent Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar and other federal cabinet members received dozens of gifts from foreign dignitaries this year, with the items being deposited in Toshakhana. The information ministry recently issued details of gifts received by the premier, deputy premier and other officials over the past three months, as the cabinet division also made available on its official website records of gifts received by officeholders since 2002 although the names of foreign dignitaries who presented the gifts were not disclosed. Following the release of the latest Toshakhana rec­o­rds, Information Mini­ster Attaullah Tarar told Dawn that the government periodically publishes details of gifts received by officials and that the latest information covered the previous three months. Interestingly, the cabinet division’s website, while releasing details of gifts, mentioned that the evaluation [of ...
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Israel to allow international force into Gaza, Israeli official says

Israel will allow a multinational security force to enter Gaza as proposed under US President Donald Trump’s ceasefire plan for the enclave, an Israeli official said on Sunday, a day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu heads to Washington. Netanyahu’s security cabinet on Sunday approved the legal framework that would allow the force’s entry to Gaza, the official said. Netanyahu is scheduled to depart for Washington on Monday and is expected to meet Trump on Tuesday. The official said that the mission, called the International Stabilisation Force (ISF), will include 200 members from “friendly countries such as Uganda and Morocco” deploying in areas that are not under Israeli control. Each contingent requires individual Israeli approval to enter Gaza. It was unclear when the forces would deploy. Much of Gaza remains in ruins from two years ​of relentless Israeli bombing triggered by the Hamas-led attacks on Israel on Oct 7, 2023. After a ceas...
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Suspect in Berlin attack near Pride gathering shot dead by police

A known suspect in the driving of a minivan into a crowd near a major LGBTQ Pride gathering in Berlin was shot dead by law enforcement officers in the city’s Spandau district, police said on Sunday. The ramming attack happened in the Tiergarten park near the Brandenburg Gate at about 10pm (2000 GMT) on Saturday, not far from one of Europe’s biggest annual LGBTQ celebrations, Christopher Street Day. One person was killed, and 29 were injured, authorities said. “Around 6pm (1600 GMT), the suspect involved in yesterday’s attack in Tiergarten was located at an allotment garden complex in Spandau,” Berlin police wrote on X. “According to initial findings, he ran towards officers while armed with a bladed weapon; police… subsequently opened fire. Despite immediate resuscitation efforts by the Berlin Fire Department, he died at the scene.” A federal prosecutor’s spokesperson confirmed one person had been shot and declared dead. Berlin police had identified the suspect as Abdul B, 21, and...
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On first visit to Syria in 17 years, UN chief meets Sharaa

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Syria’s President Ahmed al-Sharaa receives UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres at presidential palace.—AFP • Guterres pledges support for Syria’s reconstruction; backs Syria’s request for EU support; calls situation in Golan Heights ‘totally unacceptable’ • Damascus demands Israeli withdrawal from ‘buffer zone’ DAMASCUS: UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres pledged help for Syrian reconstruction on Saturday during the first visit to Damascus by a serving United Nations chief since 2009, before the start of a civil war that killed hundreds of thousands and displaced millions. Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received Guterres at the presidential palace in Damascus, state news agency SANA said, without providing further details. “No country emerges from a very severe conflict and rebuilds itself on its own,” Guterres said after the talks with Sharaa at a joint press conference with Foreign Minister Asaad al-Shaibani. “We must help Syria in its determin...
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Govt keeps petrol, diesel prices unchanged for two days

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The government on Saturday kept the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel unchanged for July 26 and 27 due to the non-publication of “Platts prices on weekends”. A day earlier, the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) were increased by Rs3.66 and Rs4.80 per litre, respectively. The current price of petrol stands at Rs335.18 per litre, while HSD is priced at Rs383.46 per litre. The government is charging a total of Rs110 per litre in taxes and duties on petrol and Rs96 on diesel. The Petroleum Division’s notification said the price increase announced for July 25 would also remain applicable on July 26 and 27. The diesel price has come down from a peak of Rs520.35 recorded on April 3. Its price had started rising from Rs281 per litre after the US-Iran war broke out on February 28. The petrol price had peaked at Rs458.41 on April 3 after beginning its upward trajectory from Rs266 in the first week of March. Earlier, Petroleum Minister Ali P...
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Pakistanis captured by Somali pirates victims of ‘ownership crisis’

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“I am the captain of the MT Honour 25, requesting immediate assistance for our vessel. Our condition is extremely critical. Several members of my crew have fallen seriously ill, suffering from diabetes and infections. They are no longer able to hold on,” said Indonesian Captain Ashari Samadikun through a recorded video message dated June 16, 2026. “We are surviving solely on plain white rice and contaminated water. The company has not sent any form of assistance to us. The hijackers refuse to negotiate with any third parties; they only want to negotiate directly with the company listed on our ship’s documents.” The Honour 25 — a Palau-flagged oil tanker carrying 17 to 19 crew members, including 10 Pakistanis — was hijacked by armed pirates off the coast of Puntland, Somalia on April 21, 2026. Three months have gone by and there has been no progress either in negotiations or the payment of the ransom, said to be around $3 million, for the recovery of the hostages. Since its hijack,...
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Another bid to mend US-Iran fences ‘with China’s blessing’

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TEHRAN: Iranian-made ‘Zulfiqar’ missiles are displayed at Azadi Square. As the US kept up its missile strikes on Iranian targets, the IRGC vowed to ‘kill a member of the US forces for every Iranian killed’.—AFP • Exploratory talks held during Iranian interior minister’s recent Islamabad visit • Dar meets Araghchi at SCO summit; Qatar calls for implementing Islamabad MoU • Beijing concerned as Red Sea closure would compound Hormuz woes • Trump says Iran getting serious about talks; warns China, Russia against ‘getting involved’ in conflict • Says US will punish Iran for attacks on ships by Houthi rebels • Four die as US continues strikes on Iran ISLAMABAD / DUBAI: Pakistan is said to be exploring a path towards a resumption of stalled US-Iran talks to end their nearly five-month-old war, following a push initiated by China. The development came as US missiles struck targets across Iran on Friday after President Donald Trump vowed “major military punishment”...
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