Pakistan embarked on the second phase of repatriating Afghan refugees on Thursday. The new expulsion drive comes after the expiry of the March 31 deadline for Afghan Citizen Card (ACC) holders to leave the country voluntarily. But a senior official of the Afghan Commissionerate in Peshawar told Dawn the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had extended the More
US President Donald Trump has announced new tariffs ranging from 10 to 50 percent on imports from other countries, including on the European Union. The BBC quoted Trump as saying that a 25 percent tariff would be imposed on all cars imported into the US, with a minimum levy of 10 percent applied to all More
At least 21 workers, including seven children, have been killed and six others wounded in a blast in a firecracker warehouse in Deesa town in Gujarat state of India, a media report said on Wednesday. The blast , involving a massive blaze, destroyed the warehouse, owned by Deepak Traders, and it took place on Tuesday More
US President Donald Trump’s administration has initiated mass layoffs of 10,000 staffers at health agencies, a media report said on Wednesday. The large-scale layoffs of health workers began on Tuesday, Reuters reported, saying ssome employees were barred from entering workplaces hours after receiving termination notices. The job cuts, which affect several high-profile agencies under the More
The US peace plan for Ukraine in its current form is unacceptable to the Kremlin, Russia’s deputy foreign minister said on Tuesday. The Guardian quoted Russian Sergey Ryabkov as saying Russia took America’s proposals and plans seriously, but they all were unacceptable to Moscow in the current form. Ryabkov said: “We take the models and More
Pakistan has postponed the arrests and deportations of Afghan refugees, originally set to begin on April 1, pushing the deadline to April 10 due to the Eid al-Fitr holidays, according to a media report. The crackdown was delayed based on government documents obtained by The Associated Press. Meanwhile, the Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that the police chief of More
The Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) has witnessed a sharp decline of 66 percent in the first eight months of the current fiscal year compared to the same period in FY2023-24. This downturn is largely attributed to Pakistan’s anti-smuggling measures and import restrictions, The Nationreported. Between July and February of FY2024-25, Afghan Transit Trade fell by $1.489 More
China, Japan, and South Korea have reportedly agreed to coordinate their response to US tariffs, Reuters reported. According to Yuyuan Tantian, a Weibo account linked to China Central Television, Japan and South Korea are looking to import semiconductor raw materials from China, while China is interested in purchasing chip products from Japan and South Korea. More
Bhutan will host the 15th edition of the South Asian Bodybuilding and Fitness Championship, the Afghanistan Bodybuilding and Fitness Federation (ABFF) said on Tuesday. In a statement on its Facebook page, the ABFF noted that Afghan athletes have yet to confirm their participation due to a lack of financial sponsorship. Afghanistan’s presence in the competition More
The death toll from Myanmar’s devastating earthquake has risen to 1,700 as foreign rescue teams and aid rush into the country, according to media reports. The 7.7-magnitude quake, one of the strongest to hit Myanmar in a century, struck the war-torn country on Friday, Reuters reported. As of Sunday, the military government confirmed 1,700 deaths, More
