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Israel approves plan to buy F-35 and F-15IA fighter jets from Lockheed, Boeing

Israel gave final approval for a plan to purchase two new combat squadrons of F-35 and F-15IA advanced fighter aircraft from Lockheed Martin and Boeing in a deal worth tens of billions of dollars, the defence ministry said on Sunday. The deal, approved by Israel’s Ministerial Committee on Procurement, is a first step in a 350 billion shekel ($119 billion) plan to bolster Israel’s military and “strengthen readiness ahead of a demanding decade for Israeli security,” it said. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said much of this expanded defence budget will be to produce munitions in Israel and not be dependent on foreign countries. Israel, he noted, will also develop “groundbreaking” aircraft. The ministry added that the new squadrons will serve as a cornerstone of the military’s long-term force development, addressing regional threats and preserving Israel’s strategic air superiority. “Alongside immediate wartime procurement needs, we have a responsibility to act now to secure the Isr...
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PM Shehbaz calls on Nawaz, discusses political situation in country, steps taken for peace in Middle East

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif called on PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif at their Jati Umra residence in Lahore on Sunday, a statement issued by the PM’s Office (PMO) said, adding that the Middle East conflict and the political situation in the country were discussed during the meeting. Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz was also present on the occasion. The PMO statement said the premier briefed Nawaz on the “situation in the country” and exchanged views on the political situation. He further informed him about the situation in the Middle East and Pakistan’s efforts for the restoration of peace in the region, the statement added. The conflict in the Middle East, which is now more than two months old, began with US-Israeli strikes on Iran on February 28. And while hostilities have paused following a Pakistan-brokered two-week ceasefire on April 8 — which has been extended indefinitely by US President Donald Trump — the world continues to face its consequences. Pakistan’s civil and milit...
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Opec+ agrees third oil output quota hike since Hormuz closure

Opec+ agreed on Sunday on a modest oil output hike for June, an increase that will remain largely on paper as long as the US-Israeli war on Iran continues to disrupt Gulf oil supplies through the Strait of Hormuz. Seven Opec+ countries will raise oil output targets by 188,000 barrels per day in June, the third consecutive monthly increase, Opec+ said in a statement after an online meeting. The increase is the same as that agreed for May minus the share of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which left the group on May 1. The move is designed to show the group is ready to raise supplies once the war stops and signals that Opec+ is pressing on with a business-as-usual approach despite the departure of the UAE from Opec+, sources associated with the alliance and analysts said. Opec+ is sending a two-layer message to the market: continuity despite the UAE’s exit, and control despite limited physical impact, said Jorge Leon, an analyst at Rystad and former O...
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Sharjeel Memon says BRT Red Line 'very tough' project, asserts no delay from govt

Sindh Senior Minister Sharjeel Inam Memon on Sunday acknowledged that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line had proven to be a “very tough” project for the provincial government, but asserted that there had been no delay on its end. Speaking to reporters in Karachi, Memon said the Sindh government had to make some difficult decisions on the BRT Red Line after “all other options were exhausted”. The senior minister asserted that there had been “no mistake, mal-intent or delay” from the Sindh government on the BRT Red Line. He noted that work on the project’s Lot-1 was “underway with great speed”, while work on Lot-2 had been restarted. The Sindh government recently cancelled the construction contract for the BRT Red Line project. Subsequently, it chose the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO) to resume construction on a section of the BRT Red Line along University Road, where commuters have been facing inconvenience. Designed to cover ...
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FCC rejects Balochistan govt plea for lifetime facilities to retired chief secretaries, widows

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Saturday rejected a plea by the Balochistan government to grant lifetime facilities to retired chief secretaries and their widows. Justice Aamer Farooq, who headed the FCC two-judge bench, observed that the Balochistan government notification was over and above the pensionary benefits granted to chief secretaries. The judgment explained that the Rules of Business do not empower the provincial government to issue such directions by way of notification, especially when there was no legal backing. The FCC ruling came on an appeal filed by Balochistan’s chief secretary against the May 29, 2023, Balochistan High Court (BHC) judgment, which had also struck down Notification No. 13-25(5)/2019/SO-1(S&GAD) extending lifetime facilities to retired chief secretaries and their widows. The controversy arose from a notification challenged before the BHC by Bayazid Khan Kharooti, which the court accepted. The high court held that such benef...
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Police in Punjab's Hafizabad arrest man for alleged rape, kidnapping of teenage girl

MANDI BAHAUDDIN: Police in Punjab’s Hafizabad district said on Saturday they have arrested one of the suspects for the alleged rape and kidnapping of a 13-year-old girl. The arrested suspect was named in a first information report (FIR) registered by the Jalalpur Bhattian police on April 30 on the complaint of the victim’s mother. The FIR also nominated two unidentified suspects. Constable Waqar Yousuf, a spokesperson for Hafizabad Police, told Dawn that the prime suspect was arrested last night in the district’s Tahli Goraya village. Yousuf further said that the girl’s medical examination had been conducted, which provided evidence of sexual assault. The policeman added that the detained man was being interrogated in order to arrest the other two suspects. The FIR, a copy of which is available with Dawn , invoked sections 375-A (rape) and 365-B (kidnapping, abducting or inducing a woman to compel for marriage etc) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). In her complaint, the mother sa...
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Power minister declares end of month-long loadshedding following arrival of LNG shipment

ISLAMABAD: Power Minister Awais Leghari on Friday declared the end of a month-long loadshedding period after a shipment of liquefied natural gas (LNG) arrived in Pakistan a day earlier. The power minister made the announcement in a recorded televised message, saying that the recent power outages were caused by a gas shortage linked to the war between the US and Iran, and were not the result of “incompetence or system failure”. He recalled that on “April 13 and 14, consumers faced power outages of up to five hours, while on April 15–16, they lasted around seven hours”. Leghari added that in the following days, outages were “brought down to zero,” and until April 29, the loadshedding duration was reduced to 2–2.5 hours. He also recalled that the ministry held a press conference to clarify the government’s stance on the matter. “Loadshedding had not been experienced for six to seven years, having been eliminated during the tenure of N...
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