30 stories
Vote counting began in India on Monday for state assembly elections widely regarded as a significant political barometer for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of future national contests. The results are being closely monitored both domestically and by regional observers as they carry implications for India's political trajectory.
A jirga convened by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has resolved to initiate formal talks with the federal government and other stakeholders over the contentious issue of drone attacks in the province. The decision marks a significant political escalation, as tribal and provincial leadership collectively demand structured engagement rather than unilateral military action in their territories.
A train collision near Jakarta, Indonesia, killed at least 14 people and injured dozens more on Tuesday, in one of the deadliest rail accidents to strike the region in recent years. Emergency services were deployed rapidly to the scene as rescue teams worked to extract survivors from the wreckage.
A 5.7-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad and several parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Monday afternoon, according to Pakistan Meteorological Department. The tremors were felt across a wide area, prompting residents to evacuate buildings as a precautionary measure.
The Punjab Assembly on Monday passed landmark legislation setting the minimum legal age for marriage at 18 years for both males and females, marking a significant shift in the province's family law framework. The bill, if enacted into law, would bring Punjab in line with international child rights standards and effectively close longstanding legal loopholes that permitted marriages of minors under the Child Marriage Restraint Act.
Palestinians went to the polls on Saturday in the first elections held since the outbreak of the Gaza war, a development of profound political significance for the Palestinian people and for the broader Middle East peace process. The vote represents a rare moment of democratic exercise under circumstances defined by destruction, displacement, and international scrutiny.
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has announced a province-wide pen-down strike by government employees to protest what it describes as unresolved federal grievances, marking one of the most significant institutional expressions of provincial discontent with the centre in recent months. The strike directive, which instructs civil servants across all provincial departments to halt work, reflects deepening tensions between the KP administration and the federal government over resource allocation, NFC award disbursements, and other fiscal and administrative disputes.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Tuesday announced a pen-down strike for May 6, directing provincial government employees to halt administrative work in protest against what he described as systematic financial and institutional discrimination by the federal government against the province. CM Afridi accused the Centre of withholding funds owed to KP under the National Finance Commission award and failing to address long-standing grievances related to the province's development budget.
Pakistan's passport services have been restored globally following a four-day suspension that disrupted documentation and travel processes for citizens both within the country and abroad, authorities confirmed on Tuesday. The outage, which lasted approximately four days, affected passport issuance, renewal, and verification services at missions and offices worldwide.
An explosion at a fireworks manufacturing facility in China's Hunan province killed at least 21 people on Tuesday, prompting President Xi Jinping to call for an immediate investigation into the cause of the deadly blast, state media reported. The incident is among the most deadly industrial accidents in China this year.
A 5.2-magnitude earthquake jolted Islamabad and the twin city of Rawalpindi on Monday, sending tremors through densely populated residential and commercial areas. The quake was felt across a wide area, prompting residents to evacuate buildings as a precautionary measure.
Peshawar Zalmi claimed the Pakistan Super League Season 11 title on Sunday night after a thrilling victory over Hyderabad Kingsmen in the final, securing the franchise's place among the most successful teams in the tournament's history. The match delivered the high-intensity drama that PSL finals are renowned for, with Zalmi holding their nerve in what reports describe as a closely contested encounter against Hyderabad Kingsmen, a side making its presence felt in the competition's later stages this season.
Saudi Arabia has formally instituted a minimum age requirement of 15 years for all Haj pilgrims, a policy shift that carries significant implications for Muslim-majority countries whose citizens perform the annual pilgrimage in large numbers. The directive, issued by Saudi religious and administrative authorities, marks one of the most consequential regulatory changes to Haj eligibility in recent years.
President Donald Trump has directed that his official photograph be printed inside United States passports, a move that has drawn immediate attention for its departure from established norms of the travel document's design. The decision marks an unprecedented personalisation of a sovereign identification instrument, which traditionally carries no imagery of sitting heads of state.
The Punjab Provincial Assembly has passed the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act 2026, enacting legislation that strengthens legal protections against the practice of child marriage in Pakistan's most populous province, in a move hailed by child rights advocates as a significant step forward in safeguarding the rights of minors. The legislation imposes stricter age thresholds, enhanced penalties for those who facilitate or solemnise child marriages, and creates clearer accountability mechanisms for local officials who fail to enforce the law.
Two former Israeli Prime Ministers have formed a political alliance to mount a joint challenge against incumbent Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in forthcoming elections, in a development that signals a significant realignment of the Israeli political opposition. The combined weight of two former heads of government entering the race against Netanyahu marks a material escalation in electoral competition.
The formation of a new internal coordination body within Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has triggered fresh discord among party ranks, exposing deepening fault lines within the opposition movement. Senior party members have raised objections to the structure and composition of the body, with critics alleging that the move consolidates influence in the hands of a select faction.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan has published its annual report for 2025, documenting what it describes as a severe contraction of civic space and a significant erosion of judicial independence across the country during the year under review. The HRCP report catalogues a pattern of restrictions on press freedom, political dissent, civil society activity, and public assembly, asserting that democratic norms came under sustained pressure throughout 2025.
Peshawar Zalmi clinched the Pakistan Super League title for the second time in the franchise's history, defeating Hyderabad Kingsmen by five wickets in the PSL 11 final held in Lahore on Sunday night. The victory capped a dominant campaign by Zalmi, who successfully chased down a modest target to seal the championship in front of a packed stadium audience.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a meeting with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif on Sunday to discuss the country's prevailing political and economic situation, according to reports. The consultation between the two senior party leaders reflects ongoing coordination within the ruling coalition at a time when Pakistan continues to navigate a challenging economic transition under an IMF-supported programme.
Concerns over the state of press freedom in Pakistan are intensifying as journalists, editors, and media advocacy groups report a pattern of escalating restrictions, harassment, and institutional pressure on independent reporting. The situation is drawing renewed scrutiny on World Press Freedom Day, with Pakistan's ranking in global media freedom indices reflecting a deteriorating environment for journalism.
The Saudi Arabian government has lifted its travel ban on pilgrims under the age of 15, permitting younger worshippers to perform Hajj for the first time since the restriction was imposed. The decision, announced ahead of the current Hajj season, is expected to significantly widen access to the pilgrimage for families across the Muslim world.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has constituted a high-level committee to review the One Constitution Avenue case and has simultaneously directed all relevant authorities to suspend any enforcement action pending the committee's findings. The move signals executive intervention in a matter that has drawn significant attention regarding legal, administrative, and property-related considerations at one of Islamabad's prominent commercial addresses.
Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz has announced a Rs23 billion development package targeted at katcha areas of the province, marking one of the largest dedicated allocations for these historically underserved riverine communities. The package is expected to address chronic deficits in infrastructure, connectivity, and basic services in flood-prone rural belts along major rivers.
The All Pakistan Newspaper Employees Confederation (APNEC) has called for the immediate restoration of government advertisements to Dawn, Pakistan's leading English-language daily, raising alarm over what it characterises as a deliberate withholding of state advertising that threatens press freedom and media workers' livelihoods. The confederation's demand reflects broader concerns about the use of government advertising as a tool of economic coercion against independent media outlets in Pakistan.
The United Nations has issued a stark warning that online attacks targeting women journalists have doubled, highlighting an accelerating trend of digital harassment, coordinated abuse, and targeted threats that is driving female media professionals out of the profession globally. The UN report documents a significant escalation in the scale, sophistication, and coordinated nature of online violence against women in journalism, encompassing death threats, sexual harassment, doxxing, and disinformation campaigns designed to discredit and silence women who report on sensitive subjects including conflict, politics, and governance.
A Senate committee was told on Thursday that Pakistan Bait ul Mal, the federal social protection agency, is responsible for financial irregularities amounting to Rs335 million, with no recovery plan in place to address the losses. The disclosure was made during a session examining the agency's financial management and accountability framework.
Pakistani journalists are increasingly resorting to self-censorship to avoid legal action, according to accounts gathered by press freedom advocates and media professionals speaking on the record. The pattern points to a systemic chilling effect on editorial independence, with legal instruments being cited as tools of intimidation rather than accountability.
The federal government has announced a significant overhaul of passport issuance procedures, reducing the standard delivery period to 14 days and ordering all passport offices across the country to adopt cashless payment systems. The directive represents the most substantive administrative reform to the Directorate General of Immigration and Passports in recent years.
Dawn Media Group CEO Hameed Haroon has issued a stark warning that independent journalism in Pakistan is being systematically suppressed, adding a senior media industry voice to growing national and international concern about press freedom in the country. Haroon's remarks, made publicly on Thursday, pointed to a pattern of pressure on independent outlets that he described as a deliberate effort to curtail editorial autonomy.