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Holders of invalid, expired NICOPs barred from boarding flights to Pakistan: official

ISLAMABAD: Pakistanis residing abroad who hold an invalid, expired or cancelled National Identity Card for Overseas Pakistanis (NICOP) will no longer be allowed to board flights to Pakistan, official sources said on Wednesday. According to official sources, the government has issued immediate directives to all zonal directors of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to convey the decision to every airline operating inbound flights to Pakistan. A government official told Dawn that the practice of allowing travel on invalid NICOPs had been going on for a long time and that it had been decided to stop it with immediate effect. “Airlines should be instructed to verify the validity of NICOPs prior to boarding and refuse carriage to any passenger presenting an invalid, expired or cancelled NICOP,” the official said. He added that passengers travelling on a foreign passport with an expired or otherwise invalid NICOP would not be allowed to board flights to Pakistan unless they held a va...
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Majestic Spain stun France to reach FIFA World Cup final

Spain stunned tournament favourites France 2-0 to reach the World Cup final on Tuesday, producing a tactical masterpiece to shatter Les Bleus’ dreams of winning the title for the third time. A first-half penalty from Mikel Oyarzabal and a 58th-minute Pedro Porro goal sealed an utterly clinical victory for the European champions at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Spain, World Cup winners in 2010, will now face either Argentina or England in Sunday’s final in New Jersey. France had entered the showdown as the overwhelming favourites for the tournament after a dazzling, goal-laden run to the semi-finals. But France’s vaunted front four of captain Kylian Mbappe, Ballon D’Or winner Ousmane Dembele, Bradley Barcola and Michael Olise were snuffed out by a combination of Spanish poise and power. Spain, who had beaten France in their previous two competitive meetings, had vowed to go on the front foot in the pre-match build-up and they proved as good as their word. A commanding ...
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What to know about the US outbreak of cyclospora parasite intestinal illness

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US cases of an intestinal infection from the cyclospora parasite that causes diarrhoea, nausea and other gastrointestinal symptoms have surged in recent days, with 34 states reporting infections, according to the U.S. Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Michigan, which reported its outbreak in May, recorded 3,309 cases on Tuesday. What is it? Cyclosporiasis is an intestinal infection that can be contracted by consuming food, typically raw fruits and vegetables, or water contaminated with faeces, that transmit the cyclospora parasite, according to the CDC. Symptoms can range from mild to severe, with children, older adults and people with weakened immune systems facing a higher risk of serious illness. A crate of iceberg lettuce. — Reuters/File While cyclosporiasis is rarely life-threatening, untreated infections can persist for weeks and may lead to hospitalisation, particularly because of dehydration. The US has had previous outbreaks of...
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GB unveils Rs20.48bn first quarter budget

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) government on Monday presented a Rs20.478 billion interim budget for the first quarter of the 2026-27 fiscal year, while urging the federal government to allocate Rs258.95 billion for the full fiscal year to address the region’s growing development and infrastructure needs. The three-month budget was presented in the Gilgit-Baltistan Assembly by Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) lawmaker Mohammad Ali Akhtar during a session chaired by Speaker Imran Nadeem Shigri. Presenting the interim budget, Mr Akhtar said the federal government had earmarked Rs158.54 billion for Gilgit-Baltistan in the current fiscal year, an amount he described as insufficient to meet the region’s pressing requirements. He explained that the interim budget had been prepared to ensure the continuity of government operations until the presentation of the full annual budget for 2026-27. According to the budget proposals, Rs88bn has been allocated for non-development expenditures, whi...
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Pakistan allows 26 World Food Programme containers to enter Afghanistan via Torkham

KHYBER: Pakistani customs authorities on Monday issued gate passes to as many as 26 World Food Programme (WFP) containers carrying food and essential supplies at the Torkham border to cross into Afghanistan. Since October 2025, the Torkham border — a key trade route between Pakistan and Afghanistan — has been closed due to the “escalating security situation” along the border. Customs clearing agents, who had earlier in the day submitted Goods Declaration (GD) documents to the customs authorities, told Dawn that the containers were issued gate passes for crossing into Afghanistan late in the evening, despite the fact that the gates had officially been closed for any cross-border movement. The agents said that the containers were made to wait throughout the day as officials awaited a final “nod” from the higher authorities after the containers arrived at the Torkham import terminal early on Monday morning. They said that the authorities had informed them that all cleared vehicles w...
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Financing consumption through SMEs

Pakistan counts 7.14 million business establishments in its Economic Census, and only 9.8 per cent of them sit in manufacturing. Wholesale and retail trade accounts for 45.1pc, nearly five times as many. Twenty-seven years of measuring small and medium enterprises (SME) policy success by headcount and GDP share, never by whether small firms are actually financed for production, has led the government to finance consumption. Trade and consumption-facing services recycle domestic demand; they do not build export earnings, productivity growth, or foreign exchange. An SME policy that channels financing toward that segment by default, because it is sector-blind, not because it is deliberate, is financing consumption growth and calling it SME development. This is in a scenario where consumption as a percentage of GDP has consistently exceeded 97 per cent, while investment as a percentage of GDP has lagged at an average of 12pc over the last five decades. There does not exist a single exa...
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Sinner fends off Zverev in power battle to retain Wimbledon crown

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Italian top seed Jannik Sinner resisted an all-out onslaught by an inspired Alexander Zverev to retain his Wimbledon crown in a thunderous final and claim a fifth Grand Slam title on Sunday. Zverev, in his first Wimbledon final hot on the heels of winning the French Open, threatened an upset after taking an intense opening set, but eventually ran out of firepower as Sinner found another gear to win 6-7(7) 7-6(2) 6-3 ‌6-4. The destiny of the title was still on a knife edge nearly three hours into an absorbing contest but second seed Zverev’s resistance finally cracked after a nasty tumble in the third set and Sinner surged on to the title. Sinner, 24, became the first Italian to win a Wimbledon singles title last year by beating Carlos Alcaraz , and now joins an elite list of 10 men to successfully defend it in the professional era. It was a 10th successive victory for Sinner over Zverev but this time he was pushed to the limit by the 29-year-old who had been bidding to become the f...
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