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NEW YORK: Donald Trump said on Friday he would appeal the guilty verdict that made him the first US president convicted of a crime , though he will have to wait until after his sentencing on July 11 before taking that step. In rambling remarks at the Trump Tower lobby in Manhattan, he repeated complaints that the trial was a “rigged” attempt to hobble his comeback White House bid. “If they can do this to me, they can do this to anyone,” Trump, 77, said in an unscripted 33-minute speech. Applauded by supporters, he took no questions from reporters. “We’re going to be appealing this scam,” he said. Trump will have 30 days from the date of his July 11 sentencing to file a notice of appeal. Biden slams accusations of ‘rigged trial’; ex-president still faces far more serious charges, but trials may not take place before election President Joe Biden, who will face Trump in the Nov. 5 election, said Trump had been given an opportunity to defend himself in the same justice system that ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday directed the finance ministry to slash the petrol price by Rs15.4 per litre for the next fortnight. A statement issued by state-run broadcaster PTV said the “people-friendly policies” of the government had brought economic stability and achieved a clear reduction in inflation . The statement also mentioned a cut of Rs7.9 per litre in the price of diesel, although it did not specify if it meant high-speed diesel or light diesel oil. Petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD) prices were expected to decrease by approximately Rs6.5 to Rs7.5 per litre on May 31, despite a slight exchange rate loss due to a bearish trend in the international market. Informed sources had said the prices of petrol and HSD had declined in the international market by about $3.25 and $2.1 per barrel, respectively, in the last fortnight. This is on top of the $8.7 and $4.3 per barrel drop in petrol and HSD rates, respectively, in the previous fortnight. The import premi...

• Intense fighting knocks out communications in Rafah • Slovenia also moves to recognise Palestinian state RAFAH: Intense shelling and gunfire rocked Rafah on Thursday after Israel declared it had seized a strategic corridor along the Palestinian territory’s border with Egypt. Israel said its forces had taken over the 14-kilometre Philadelphi corridor, which it claims was used for weapons smuggling via tunnels. Egypt, a longtime mediator in the conflict, has rejected claims of smuggling tunnels running beneath the buffer zone. “Israel is using these allegations to justify continuing the operation on the Palestinian city of Rafah and prolonging the war for political purposes,” a high-level Egyptian source was quoted as saying by state-linked Al-Qahera News. Egyptian officials have said a potential Israeli takeover of Philadelphi could violate the two countries’ 1979 peace deal, though there has been no official comment from Cairo since the military’s announcement. In Gaza, commun...

At least 50 people, mostly children, received burn injuries in a major blast at a liquid petroleum gas cylinder filling shop in Hyderabad’s Preetabad area on Thursday, health officials said. According to Liaquat University Hospital’s (LUH) burn ward registrar, Dr Shahzad Memon, the blast occurred in the jurisdiction of the Pinyari police station, injuring at least 50 people. The blast took place in a ground-floor shop located in Zacha Bacha hospital area on Mir Nabi Bux Town road in UC-8 of Neerunkot town. Rescue 1122 teams and firefighters arrived in the area along with ambulances and began moving patients. Firefighters brought the fire under control in the shop that had begun to spread to the building’s upper floors where the property owner’s family resided. Residents on the upper floor of a building owned by one Babuddin Qureshi were moved to other areas. “The shop is owned by Akram Arain and he himself is injured. Arain is a tenant of Babuddin Qureshi, who is also seriously in...

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has drawn the attention of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to the destruction of girls’ schools by terrorists in the newly merged districts and demanded a prompt action against the menace of terrorism. In a letter written to the KP chief secretary, the federal education secretary has expressed grave concern over the recent incidents of torching of schools in the merged districts. “It is particularly disheartening to note that these heinous acts of terrorism are disproportionately targeting institutions dedicated to girls’ education,” the letter said. “The federal government is deeply alarmed by these developments, which not only endanger the lives of our children but also threaten the progress we have made in promoting education and gender equality in these regions,” it said, adding that education of girls is a cornerstone of the national development strategy, and any attack on this front is an attack on the futur...

PARIS: The world experienced an average of 26 more days of extreme heat over the last 12 months that would probably not have occurred without climate change, a report said on Tuesday. Heat is the leading cause of climate-related death and the report further points to the role of global warming in increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather around the world. For this study, scientists used the years 1991 to 2020 to determine what temperatures counted as within the top 10 per cent for each country over that period. Next, they looked at the 12 months to May 15, 2024, to establish how many days over that period experienced temperatures within — or beyond — the previous range. Then, using peer-reviewed methods, they examined the influence of climate change on each of these excessively hot days. They concluded that “human-caused climate change added — on average, across all places in the world — 26 more days of extreme heat than there would have been without it”. The repo...

• Ex-president says ‘Form 47’ govt has nothing to offer, stresses need to ‘act quickly’ • Gohar claims tweet about 1971 was ‘political’, no criticism of military intended KARACHI: In yet another overture to the powers that be from the embattled party, PTI leader Arif Alvi said on Tuesday that Imran Khan is willing to talk, but only to quarters “who could offer something”, as dialogue with those who had come into power through ‘Form 47s’ would be a fruitless exercise. In a quick interaction with reporters during an appearance at a PTI protest camp outside the Karachi Press Club, the former president also downplayed comparisons of the current political situation with the events preceding the fall of Dhaka, saying that “it’s never about the whole institution but a few individuals”. In the same breath, however, he stressed the need to move quickly, saying that the prevailing situation was “pushing everyone towards a dead-end”, which could encourage someone to take the wrong decision th...

The PTI on Tuesday distanced party founder Imran Khan from a controversial social media post on the 1971 civil war and the Hamoodur Rahman Com­mission Report, saying that the post was not aimed towards the military and should be seen in a “political context”. “The context and comparison that we drew with 1971 was in a political context and not otherwise — nothing about the army,” PTI leader and MNA Barrister Gohar Ali Khan categorically said today in an interview with digital news outlet Azaad Urdu . In a post on social media platform X dated May 26, Imran’s account, which is managed by his social media team due to him being incarcerated in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail serving sentences in multiple cases, shared a video along with a quote attributed to him: “Every Pakistani should study the Hamoodur Rahman Commission Report and get to know who was the true traitor, General Yahya Khan or Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.” The video argued that the former military dictator was the one actually resp...

LAHORE: The families of PTI activists facing military court proceedings in cases regarding the May 9 violence demanded a fair trial for their dear ones. Over a dozen family me­­mbers of PTI activists who are currently facing trial before military cou­rts, and their lawyers Rab­biya Bajwa and Abuzar Salman Niazi, addressed a press conference at the Lahore Press Club on Sunday. Ms Bajwa said that there was a criminal silence over the violation of the basic human rights in Pakistan, adding that they would launch a campaign to wake the people to stand against the violation of human rights and Constitution of Pakistan. She claimed that the fa­­m­­ily members of those fa­­cing trials in military cou­rts were not allowed to meet the incarcerated persons. Despite the passage of one month, the Supreme Court has also not constituted a bench to hear petitions regarding civilian trials in military courts. She said the government had submitted a report to the court, saying that 20 citizens w...

A major fire that broke out early on Monday near the Saidpur village range on Margalla Hills was extinguished by Islamabad’s Capital Development Authority (CDA) and other departments after hours-long efforts. Spread over 12,605 hectares, the Margalla Hills National Park witnesses many fire incidents during summer every year. The hills also caught fire earlier this month after a blaze near Loi Dandi erupted . CDA spokesperson Kamran Aslam told Dawn.com that three helicopters were used to bring the fire under control which was raging at four different sites. Earlier today, the CDA said the exact cause of the wildfire could not be ascertained, adding that “sizzling heat” with strong winds spread the fire to an area of three square kilometres. Aslam said over 75 firefighters reached the spot to extinguish the blaze, adding that there was difficulty in controlling the fire due to the strong winds. Later on, around 200 more firefighters arrived, he said. Coordinator to the Pr...

KARACHI: An acute shortage of tetanus injection has been prevailing in the city for almost a month, forcing many hospitals to refuse the medication to injured patients, it emerged on Sunday. Doctors associated with different private and public sector hospitals in the city told Dawn that the shortage of the medication had been prevailing for almost a month and that the injection was available on the black market at a very high price. “Yes, there’s been an acute shortage of the medication for a month. But, we are managing this problem internally through our own resources,” an official of the Indus Hospital shared. “Several people suffer injuries daily in Karachi who are now at a grave risk of suffering health complications, if they are not administered with anti-tetanus medication,” Pakistan Medical Association-Centre secretary general Dr Abdul Ghafoor Shoro said, adding that severe complications of tetanus could be “life-threatening”. Injection available on the black market at ver...

CAIRO: Hamas said it launched a “large rocket barrage” at Tel Aviv on Sunday, prompting sirens to sound in the Israeli city for the first time in four months as the Palestinian group sought to show military strength despite Israel’s Gaza offensive. On the other hand, Israeli strikes killed at least five Palestinians in Rafah, as tanks probed around the edges of the city, close to the main southern crossing point into Egypt. The Israeli military claimed eight projectiles were identified crossing from the area of Rafah , about 100km south of Tel Aviv, where Israel kept up operations des­pite a ruling by the top UN court ordering it to immediately stop the offensive. Nearly 36,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, have been killed in Israel’s offensive, Gaza’s health ministry says. Palestinian death toll nears 36,000; Tel Aviv signals renewed efforts for truce In the latest fighting, Gaza’s civil defe­nce agency said it had retrieved six bodies after a house was targe...

• Wants to ‘accommodate its supporters’ as chairmen • PM urged to allocate funds for flood-hit Sindh • Qatar, Kuwait emirs accept invitations to visit Pakistan ISLAM­ABAD/KARA­CHI: The PPP, a key ally of the PML-N-led coalition government in Centre, has demanded a bigger share of the pie of parliamentary committees and more federal money for Sindh, a party source told Dawn . The party — which agreed to support the federal government in the National Assembly and Senate without seeking any ministries — insisted on chairing more committees in the two houses than its due share as per its seats. The fresh demands were made by senior PPP leadership during a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Sunday. The PM “has assured us to look into all proposals”, claimed the PPP source privy to the discussions. The source added that as per the number of its seats, PPP would get to chair 11 standing committees, “but it wants 12”. Currently, the party has 24 seats in the upper house of ...

PESHAWAR: The Pesh­a­war Electric Supply Com­pany (Pesco) on Saturday filed a police complaint against PTI lawmaker Fazl Elahi for allegedly interfering in its work and forcefully resuming the electricity supply. The complaint, a copy of which is available with Dawn , was signed by Pesco’s Peshawar executive engineer. The request was made against Mr Elahi after he allegedly led a mob into the 132-KV Rehman Baba grid station and forcefully restored power supply to his constituency. Announcements about the protest were made through mosque loudspeakers, and locals were asked to gather outside the grid station. Dozens of area residents reached the grid station and chanted slogans agai­nst the federal government. While talking to the media during the demonstration, Mr Elahi claimed that despite repeated requests, the power supply remained suspended during hot weather. He vowed not to tolerate “power outages for 18 hours a day”. Mr Elahi even reques­ted public representatives of ot...

ISLAMABAD: Supporters of the Palestinian cause on Friday hailed the ICJ verdict ordering Israel to halt its military operation in Rafah, as Pakistan called on the international community to immediately implement the world court’s decision to stop Israeli aggression in Gaza. In a statement issued after the ruling, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tribute to the courage of the 13 judges who made the decision and thanked South Africa for filing the petition against Israel’s genocidal campaign against Palestinians. He also urged the international community to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid and relief to the people of Palestine besides providing immediate access to the UN investigation commission to Gaza and Rafah. Pakistan will continue to play its role in protecting the basic human and legal rights of the Palestinian people, he assured. Later, PM Shehbaz telephoned his Irish counterpart Simon Harris and felicitated him on assuming office . On the issue of Palestine, the...

The Punjab cabinet on Tuesday approved undertaking legal action against incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan and other party leaders for building a “hateful narrative against the state institutions”. A statement from the Punjab government said the decision was taken in a provincial cabinet meeting presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. Elaborating on the development during a press conference in Lahore, Punjab Information Minister Azma Bokhari said the home department had submitted an inquiry report which allegedly revealed that PTI members were “spreading mischief inside and outside the [Adiala] jail”. She alleged that the PTI spread propaganda that Imran was not allowed to meet anyone, adding that the party was “spreading hate as part of organised propaganda”. Bokhari said it was decided to file a complaint according to the report submitted by the home ministry. “To spread incitement in the country, to destabilise the country, to spread hatred against the instit...

WASHINGTON: A proposal to invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint session of the US Congress has raised hackles among Democrats, with some key Democratic leaders urging Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to abstain from endorsing the invitation. Democrats hold the Senate majority while Republicans dominate the House of Representatives. Most liberal Democrats and progressives have already announced they will boycott the session if it’s held. This further complicates the situation for the Biden administration and other Democratic leaders who are trying to balance their support for Israel with criticism of Netanyahu’s military tactics, which have led to over 35,000 civilian deaths in Gaza. House Intelligence Committee member Jim Himes stated, “Netanyahu should be focused on freeing hostages, not on charming legislators.” Rep. Dan Kildee, a member of Democratic leadership, told Axios , “I don’t think it’s a good time … let’s not complicate an already compl...

Punjab Governor Sardar Saleem Haider on Thursday raised the possibility of sending the Punjab Defamation Bill, 2024, back to the assembly for further consultation and review amid uproar over its passing. The Punjab Assembly had passed the defamation bill on Monday, rejecting all amendments proposed by the opposition amid protests by the PTI-backed Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) and journalists covering parliamentary proceedings. The SIC members tore apart copies of the bill after the House passed it through a voice vote. Subsequently, more than 80 civil society organisations registered their protest on Tuesday, outrightly rejecting the bill which was a “gross infringement on the fundamental rights of freedom of expression and press freedom”. The Judicial Activism Panel (JAP) — a self-styled public interest forum based in Lahore — had also urged the Punjab government to reconsider the bill, calling it “draconian”, “illogical” and a “violation of the judgments of the superior courts.”...

TORONTO: A university in Ontario has become the first major Canadian educational institution to reach an agreement with on-campus pro-Palestine protesters, pledging not to invest in companies benefitting from the war in Gaza. Administrators and protest organisers at the Ontario Tech University in Oshawa say they have reached an agreement, bringing campus encampments and demonstrations against investments connected to Israel’s military to an end. A copy of the agreement circulated to students shows it was signed on Monday and includes a number of commitments from the university if the encampment was taken down within 24 hours. Among the commitments listed in the agreement is the university’s affirmation that it is engaged in “responsible investment practices”, adding that it is not “aware of investments in any companies that are benefitting from the current Palestinian Humanitarian Crisis”. Under the agreement, the university will establish ‘a responsible investment working group ...

A member of Bangladesh’s ruling party was found murdered in the Indian city of Kolkata on Wednesday morning, more than a week after he went missing, Bangladeshi Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan said. Anwarul Azim Anar, 56, who won his third consecutive term in a constituency in the border district of Jhenaidah from the Awami League party, went missing on May 13, a day after going to India for medical treatment, according to his relatives. Khan told reporters that three Bangladeshis were arrested over the lawmaker’s death. Bangladesh police and Kolkata police were conducting a joint probe and could not “disclose all information at the moment for the sake of the investigation”, he said. Indian police told Reuters on Wednesday that a murder case had been registered in the matter and the lawmaker’s body was yet to be recovered. “We have secured video footage from the housing complex where he was staying during the visit … some blood stains were also seen during the investigation,” said...

ISLAMABAD: Despite the issuance of contempt notices to pliable politicians who had criticised the judiciary for its supposed failings, a couple of lawmakers used their privilege as parliamentarians to assail the conduct of judges on Tuesday, with Senator Faisal Vawda moving a motion against a sitting Supreme Court judge. During a hearing last week, Justice Athar Minallah of the Supreme Court had taken exception to Mr Vawda’s remarks against the judiciary, regretting that judges were being threatened through “proxies”. In response, the independently elected senator, who is under contempt notice from the SC, said the judge’s remarks “damaged not only his integrity but that of the house too”. “I am moving a privilege motion seeking action against Judge Athar Minallah. It is up to the house or the chair or the committee to take action against him,” he said, during the session chaired by PPP’s Sherry Rehman. Mr Vawda claimed the judge called him a proxy without any evidence, adding t...

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar arrived in Bishkek on Tuesday to meet with Pakistani nationals, including students who were under treatment for injuries sustained as a result of the recent developments in the Kyrgyz Republic. According to the Foreign Office, immediately after arrival in Kyrgyzstan, Mr Dar visited the National Hospital, Bishkek to meet Shahzaib, a Pakistani textile worker who was injured during the recent mob violence in Bishkek. Mr Dar inquired after Shahzaib, who expressed a desire to return to Pakistan. At his request, the Kyrgyz authorities have decided to discharge him and to let him undertake further treatment in Pakistan. He is expected to travel to Pakistan with the deputy prime minister on a special aircraft. Meanwhile, Pakistan repatriated 347 more students from violence-hit Bishkek, as two separate flights landed at Islamabad International Airport on Tuesday. PIA has scheduled two more flights to bring back Pakistani students from Kyrgyzstan —...

Palestinians evacuate Kamal Adwan hospital following an Israeli strike in Beit Lahia, the northern Gaza Strip, on Tuesday.—Reuters GAZA: Israeli forces thrust deeper into the Jabalia refugee camp in northern Gaza on Tuesday, laying waste to residential districts with tank and air bombardments, residents said, while airstrikes killed at least five people in the southern city of Rafah . The Israeli army used bulldozers to clear shops and property near the local market in Jabalia refugee camp, residents said, in a military operation that began almost two weeks ago. Israel said it has returned to the camp, where it had asserted to have dismantled Hamas months ago, to prevent the group from regrouping. Health authorities and Gaza Civil Emergency Service said dozens of bodies were trapped under rubble of houses and on the roads in Jabalia, but were out of reach of rescue teams. US says forging formal Israeli-Saudi ties will require calming of Gaza war “Israel is destroying the cam...

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) MNA Noor Alam Khan submitted a bill on Tuesday to repeal the Contempt of Court Ordinance, 2003, calling the ordinance inconsistent with the Constitution according to clause 2 of Article 204. The ordinance had repealed the Contempt of Court Act 1976. Last week, the Supreme Court restrained TV channels and other media outlets from broadcasting, rebroadcasting or publishing the “contemptuous” pressers of lawmakers Faisal Vawda and Syed Mustafa Kamal, warning that failing to do so would attract contempt proceedings against them. A three-page order issued by the SC in a contempt case against Senator Vawda and MNA Kamal for their recent outburst against judges explained that all those who broadcast, rebroadcast or publish material constituting contempt may also be committing contempt of court. Media outlets should desist from doing so, failing which they may also be proceeded against, for contempt of court, the SC order had stated. The MNA’s bill, a co...

A HINDU holy man arrives to vote at a polling station in Ayodhya, on Monday.—AFP NEW DELHI: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi faces voter fatigue and some resistance from a resurgent opposition in India’s mammoth general election, foot soldiers of his party’s Hindu nationalist parent have stepped in to help regain momentum, insiders said. With less than two weeks left of a six-week voting schedule, voter turnout has been lower than previous elections, raising concern within the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that some of its core supporters were staying away. Modi’s party, chasing a rare third term in office, has also faced stronger opposition than anticipated in a handful of states, leading election experts and Indian financial markets to adjust forecasts of a landslide win. With no exit polls allowed until all the voting is completed on June 1, it’s difficult to judge how well or poorly candidates are faring. But most analysts say Modi should be able to retain a majority in the ...

Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar on Monday said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has set up a special committee to forge political consensus on the bill for the establishment of a Digital Media Authority in the country. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, he said Adviser to the Prime Minister on Political and Public Affairs Rana Sanaullah would be the convener of the forum, while other members include himself, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Minister of State for Information Technology Shazza Fatima Khawaja. The law minister also said that parliamentary party leaders of the PPP, Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan and other coalition parties would also nominate their representatives. Meanwhile, the information minister assured that the government had no intention of implementing unilateral legislation to establish the Digital Media Authority. “All journalist organisations and press clubs will be taken into confidence on the matter,” Tarar s...

• Municipal commissioner transferred on town chairman’s request • Tussle emerged after private persons given authority over municipal affairs KARACHI: While a tussle going on between the municipal bureaucracy of one of the towns of the metropolis that levelled serious allegations against its elected administration, ranging from “financial corruption” to interference of “outsiders” in official affairs, the Sindh government after transferring one of the most senior officials involved in the dispute has come up with a clear message that it will always stand with the elected representatives whenever a dispute arises between bureaucracy and political leaders. Months-long stand-off between chairman of town municipal corporation (TMC) of Safoora Town Rashid Khaskheli and its municipal commissioner Munawar Hussain Mallah finally came to an end when the Sindh local government department a couple of days ago transferred the officer “with immediate effect” asking him to report to the departmen...