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Germany takes US troop drawdown in stride but deterrence gaps remain

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US President Donald Trump has called for a reduced military presence in Germany and urged Europe to take responsibility for its defence.—Reuters • German minister says move should spur Europeans as Pentagon announces withdrawal of 5,000 troops • Two top US Republican lawmakers ​express ‘concern’ over decision • Nato says it’s working with US to understand details of plan • Transatlantic tensions simmer over Iran and tariffs BERLIN: A planned drawdown of 5,000 US troops from Germany should spur Europeans to strengthen their own defences, German Defence Minister Boris Pistorius said on Saturday, as the continent scrambles to boost deterrence against Russia. However, two top US Republican lawmakers expressed concern, saying the troops should not leave Europe. The Pentagon announced the drawdown from Germany, its largest European base, on Friday, as a rift over the Iran war and tariff tensions place further strain on relations between the US and Europe. As ...
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Naqvi pledges ‘merit over politics’ in FIA hiring

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday vowed to keep political influence out of more than 1,300 new appointments in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), two weeks after the country’s premier probe body advertised its largest hiring drive in years. During a visit to FIA headquarters, Naqvi said “merit and transparency must be ensured at all costs” in the recruitment process. His remarks came three days before the deadline for submitting online applications. The promise of a merit-based process addresses a persistent concern for the FIA, which handles immigration, cybercrime, human trafficking and financial fraud cases. The recruitment covers posts including assistant (BS-15), sub-inspector (BS-14), stenotypist (BS-14), upper division clerk (BS-13), lower division clerk (BS-11), assistant sub-inspector (BS-09), constable (BS-05), and drivers. Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2026 from Dawn - Home https://ift.tt/IOwvgZK
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Upper, central parts of country expected to see dust storms, rain from May 2-5; extreme heat grips Sindh cities

RAWALPINDI/LAHORE/KARACHI: Pakistan is confronting a stark weather dichotomy this week, as extreme heat scorches southern parts of the country while central and northern regions brace for widespread dust storms, rain, and potential landslides triggered by an incoming weather system. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said that a fresh westerly wave is expected to approach the northwestern parts of the country on Saturday evening and would persist in the upper regions until May 5. In sharp contrast, extreme heat has gripped much of Sindh. In Karachi, the maximum temperature is expected to rise to 39 degrees Celsius over the weekend, according to Chief Meteorologist Ameer Hyder. Across the large swathes of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the fresh westerly weather system is forecast to bring dust-thunderstorms and rain, with isolated heavy falls and hailstorms. Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kalam, Shangla, Buner, Kohistan, Malakand, Battagram, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Balakot, Haripur, Mardan, Nows...
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UN chief warns Hormuz closure ‘strangling’ global economy

UNITED NATIONS: The escalating crisis in the Strait of Hormuz could push tens of millions into poverty, trigger a surge in global hunger and even tip the world toward recession, United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres warned on Thursday. The closure of the vital waterway is “strangling the global economy,” the secretary general said in remarks to the press. Guterres decried the restrictions on free passage through the strait, a crucial chokepoint, which he said is impeding the delivery of oil, gas, fertiliser and other critical commodities. Even if restrictions on shipping and trade were lifted immediately, “supply chains will take months to recover, prolonging lower economic output and higher prices,” he said. Setting out three possible trajectories for a world still reeling from the shocks of a pandemic and the war in Ukraine , Guterres said the best-case scenario would see global growth fall from 3.4 per cent to 3.1pc, wi...
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Analysis: Setting a risky precedent

ON paper, the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP) meeting convened for April 28 was about a routine administrative matter: the transfer of a few high court judges under Article 200 of the Constitution. In reality, however, the proceedings evolved into a foundational clash over judicial accountability, the limits of administrative authority, and whether the Constitution permits a quiet correction of conduct without invoking formal removal mechanisms. The extraordinary pre-meeting documentation — including recorded objections by Chief Justice of Pakistan Yahya Afridi and a detailed report from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) — had already brought into the open a conversation that the superior judiciary usually handles behind closed doors: how to respond when a judge is perceived as professionally difficult, administratively overbearing or institutionally reluctant to hear certain cases. The short answer, according to the report, is that Article 200 does not require reasons for a tra...
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Oil spikes while stocks slip ahead of US Fed rate decision

Oil prices shot higher Wednesday on concerns of an extended blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, while Wall Street stocks mostly slid as investors awaited a US Fed rate decision and a slew of tech firm earnings. Both main oil contracts jumped nearly six per cent after President Donald Trump warned Tehran on Wednesday that it should “get smart soon” and capitulate to Washington’s demands for tight controls on its nuclear programme, as a US naval blockade turned the screws on Iran’s economy. Meanwhile, the United States could extend its naval blockade of Iran for months more, oil executives were told in a meeting with Trump, an administration official said. Analysts warned that such a move would prompt Iran to maintain its own blockade of the Strait of Hormuz, leaving the vital oil shipping route at a near standstill. The US Federal Reserve is widely expected to keep interest rates unchanged later in the day, with markets closely watching its guidance on inflation as energy costs soar. ...
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Firing from across Afghan border injures 5 in KP's South Waziristan: security sources

SOUTH WAZIRISTAN LOWER: Mortar shells fired from across the Pak-Afghan border injured five people — four children and a woman — in the Angoor Adda village of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district on Wednesday, according to security sources. The sources said that the shells struck the homes of two residents of the village and that the injured children were between the ages of three and 13. All the injured were take to the district headquarters hospital in Wana, they added. They said that the Afghan Taliban and affiliated elements had repeatedly targeted civilians across the border, adding that after Wednesday’s attack, the Pakistan Army promptly retaliated by targeting their firing positions along the border. As a result, the Afghan Taliban abandoned their posts and fled, the sources said. The attack came three days after the Afghan Taliban opened unprovoked firing at civilians in South Waziristan, leaving three injured. Security sources said at the time that the Afghan ...
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