Brazil’s Congress on Thursday overturned President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s veto of a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of his arch-rival Jair Bolsonaro, the second major defeat for Lula in as many days. Former president Bolsonaro, 71, was sentenced last year to 27 years behind bars for coup plotting over his attempt to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections to Lula. The left-wing Lula had attempted to block a subsequent push by the conservative-majority Congress to reduce...

With Congress again failing to curb US President Donald Trump’s authority over Cuba, the centre of gravity in US policy towards the island is shifting decisively back to the White House – and to a narrower, more consequential question: what comes next? Tuesday’s 51-47 Senate vote to block a Democratic-led war powers resolution on Cuba does not change policy on its own. It was widely expected, reflecting a long-standing pattern in which Congress has struggled to assert its war powers authority...

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In kabuki, transformation begins with the wig, as master artisans shape identity, status and emotion strand by strand.

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The government raised on Thursday the price of petrol by Rs6.51 per litre and that of high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs19.39.

Following the increase, the price of petrol stands at Rs399.86 per litre and HSD’s at Rs399.58.

The Petroleum Division’s press release notifying the increase said the new prices would be effective from May 1.

Petrol is mostly used in private transport, small vehicles, rickshaws and two-wheelers and has a direct bearing on the budget of the middle and lower-middle class. High-speed diesel is mainly used in the heavy transport sector and for large generators.

Petrol and high-speed diesel are the major revenue spinners with their monthly sales of about 700,000 to 800,000 tonnes compared to just 10,000 tonnes of monthly demand for kerosene.

The latest price hike came after the a virtual meeting between the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistan’s representatives, during which the IMF was told that Pakistan was well placed to achieve the petroleum levy target of Rs1.468 trillion, sources told Dawn.

The sources said the two sides agreed to keep the primary balance target as sacrosanct and achieve it at all costs even if further cut in public sector development programme was required.

Payments to independent power producers would continue in line with payment schedules to ensure that no issue cropped up before the IMF executive board’s meeting on May 8 — which was being convened to approve the disbursement of more than $1.2 billion — the sources said.

‘No truth to reports of petrol stations’ closure’

Thursday’s price hike came as the Petroleum Division refuted reports claiming that petrol stations were to shut down in the country owing to a fuel shortage.

“There is no truth to reports of the closure of petrol pumps from May 1. The supply of petroleum products will continue uninterrupted,” the Petroleum Division posted on X.

It said, “Spreading panic among the people through fake propaganda should be avoided.”

The Petroleum Division pointed out that uninterrupted supply of petroleum products in the country had been ensured since the start of the war in the Middle East, adding that their availability would be ensured in the future as well.

Separately, Islamabad Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon also posted on X that there was sufficient stock of petrol at all petrol pumps in the federal capital, adding that reports of petrol stations’ closure from May 1 were rumours.

He also asked citizens to contact the district administration’s control room if they were “provided less petrol than your requirement” at any station.

The DC appealed to the public not to pay any heed to the rumours of a fuel shortage in the country.

The developments come amid a global fuel crisis caused by the closure of Strait of Hormuz — through which 20 per cent of the world’s oil and gas supply used to pass in peacetime — as a consequence of the currently paused US-Israel war on Iran.

The All Pakistan Petrol Pump Owners Association (APPPOA) also refuted reports of a strike from May 1-5 as “baseless”.

A statement by the APPPOA quoted the association’s vice chairperson, Noman Ali Butt, as saying that there was no truth to the rumours of petrol stations’ closure.

“Petrol stations across the country will remain operational as usual,” he said, adding that the fuel supply to the consumers remained uninterrupted.

He further clarified that the rumours of the strike “have nothing to do” with his association and that petrol station owners were not in favour of a strike.

“People should not pay heed to rumours. The petrol station are open,” he added.

The US Congress on Thursday approved funding for most of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), ending a record-breaking partial government shutdown that has disrupted critical agencies for more than two months. The House approved the measure, already passed by the Senate, sending it to US President Donald Trump, who quickly signed it. It will fund key DHS agencies through the end of the financial year on September 30. It does not include new money for immigration and border enforcement,...

The military’s media affairs wing said on Thursday that 13 Indian-sponsored terrorists were killed in two foiled infiltration attempts along the Pak-Afghan border in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the 13 Fitna al Khawarij terrorists were killed last night.

Fitna al Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan.

ISPR said that in KP’s Mohmand district, the movement of a group of terrorists trying to infiltrate the Pak-Afghan border was picked up by security forces.

“Own troops effectively engaged this group of khawarij. As a result of precise and skillful engagement, eight khwarij belonging to the Indian-sponsored, Fitna al Khawarij were sent to hell,” it said.

It added that troops also foiled another infiltration attempt by a group of khawarij along the Pak-Afghan border in KP’s North Waziristan district. It added that after an intense exchange of fire, five terrorists were killed.

“These engagements once again substantiate Pakistan’s repeated stance regarding the abject failure of the Afghan Taliban regime to ensure effective border management on their side,” ISPR said.

“The Afghan Taliban regime must fulfil its obligations and deny the use of Afghan soil by khawarij and the involvement of its citizens in terrorism inside Pakistan,” it said.

It added that Pakistan’s security forces remained resolute and unwavering in their commitment to defend the nation’s frontiers. ISPR said that sanitisation operations were being conducted to eliminate other terrorists in the area, adding that the counterterrorism campaign would continue at full pace to wipe out the menace of foreign-sponsored and supported terrorism from the country.

There has been a resurgence in terrorism in Pakistan since the Afghan Taliban returned to power in Kabul in 2021.

Islamabad has repeatedly urged the Taliban administration to dismantle terrorist sanctuaries on Afghan soil, particularly those linked to the banned TTP. Officials say those appeals have gone unheeded.

Following unprovoked firing by the Afghan Taliban from across the border, Pakistan launched Operation Ghazab lil-Haq on the night of February 26.

A five-day temporary pause was observed from March 18 to 23 on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, with the Foreign Office later saying the operation would continue “until its objectives are achieved”.

Last year in November, ISPR Director General Lieutenant General Ahmad Sharif Chaudhry told journalists that Afghan forces open fire at Pakistani checkposts across the border to facilitate the infiltration of terrorists into the country.

The Federal Communications ⁠Commission on Thursday voted unanimously to advance a proposal to bar all Chinese labs from testing electronic devices such as smartphones, cameras and computers for use in the United States. The agency says about 75 per cent of ‌all US electronics are tested in China and plans to adopt a streamlined approval process for devices tested in US labs or labs from countries not posing national security risks. In a separate 3-0 vote, the commission advanced a proposal to...

PESHAWAR: Following public outcry from his own constituency over drone attacks, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Thursday hinted at introducing legislation to criminalise collateral damage in such incidents.

The development comes after a meeting of lawmakers from the respective districts decided that the issue would be taken up in the provincial assembly, while vowing to put up a joint front to protect civilians.

“We held a meeting on bringing a law against drone attacks, but ‘they’ have protected themselves in the Constitution against drone attacks … However, we can legislate against collateral damage,” Afridi said on Thursday without specifying further. He made the remarks while speaking during a session of the KP Assembly summoned to discuss the issue.

CM Afridi alleged that whenever he protested against a drone strike, he received a message that “they” understood the situation and were sorry. The chief minister questioned why such incidents never targeted sensitive installations and only targeted the people of the province.

In his fiery speech, CM Afridi also questioned the results of military operations during the last 20 years. He said that not just KP but the entire country had been destroyed due to decisions taken behind closed doors.

The chief minister also termed the Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance a “draconian law”.

The Action in Aid of Civil Power Ordinance, passed in 2019, authorises the armed forces to detain an individual at any time and anywhere in the province without assigning any reason and without producing the accused before a court of law.

In his speech, Afridi said that a jirga would be summoned on Saturday against drone strikes, while the opposition was also told to ensure tribal elders’ presence for deciding the future course of action.

Earlier in the session, KP Assembly Speaker Babar Swati deferred the day’s agenda, saying he had done so due to an uptick in the number of drone strikes in the province.

“There is no end in sight to the [military] operations in our province,” he said.

Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan alleged that the drone attacks were pre-planned, and “are being done to undermine only one political party”. Jan said the jirga summoned for Saturday would decide the future course of action — whether to march towards Islamabad or protest outside the KP Assembly or the National Assembly.

He added that the government had decided not to tolerate it anymore, reiterating the chief minister’s stance of not accepting the decisions taken behind closed doors.

“Hatred takes a second to spread but years to fade away,” he said.

MPA Ajmal Khan said the only permanent solution to the problem was a dialogue with Afghanistan. “We face the direct impact of the situation in Afghanistan. Islamabad and Kabul should continue talks, but Peshawar must be included,” Khan said.

PML-N’s Rashad Khan said the province was rich in minerals, forests and hydel power, but the law and order situation had destroyed the economy.

Treasury MPA Anwar Zeb Khan said that amid fighting between Pakistan and Afghanistan, shells landed in civilian areas.

“Please give a ruling so that military camps in residential areas are relocated,” he requested the speaker.

Meanwhile, Awami National Party’s Muhammad Nisar stated that tribesmen had been suffering from drone strikes.

Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl Maulana Lutfur Rehman said the region had been facing a law and order situation for almost 30 years, adding that the economy could not improve without peace.

“Discussing our problems here in the House will never resolve issues,” he said. However, PPP’s Ahmad Karim Kundi contradicted Rehman, saying the right forum for resolving issues was the KP Assembly.

During the session, the House also passed three bills — the KP Assembly Powers, Immunities and Privileges Bill 2026; the KP Province Speaker and Deputy Speaker Immunities, Privileges, Salaries and Allowances Bill 2026; and the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province Salaries and Allowances of the members Bill 2026. The bills were tabled by Minister for Law Aftab Alam Afridi.

The sitting was later adjourned till 2pm on May 4.

The jirga organised on Tuesday by CM Afridi came following a drone strike in his native Khyber district, which claimed the life of a minor girl and injured six members of a family a day earlier. The family of the slain girl held a protest in Peshawar near the Hayatabad toll plaza, and were dispersed by violent police action.

The participants declared the civilian casualties from both terrorism and drone strikes were unacceptable, saying the people from tribal areas were paying a “double price”.

“Neither terrorism nor civilian deaths in drone strikes are acceptable,” they said, according to a statement issued by the CM’s media office. The participants also demanded an end to this cycle of violence, saying tribal districts could not be subjected to a condition in which they were simultaneously victims of militant violence and collateral damage from operations.

They also took exception to the classification of civilian casualties as “mistakes,” questioning why these so-called mistakes persistently occurred in populated areas, a participant of the meeting told Dawn on condition of anonymity.

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The man accused of attempting to assassinate President Donald Trump at a black-tie press gala in Washington agreed on Thursday to remain in custody while his case moves forward. The suspect, Cole Allen, 31, would ‌not immediately contest prosecutors’ arguments that he was a danger to the community and should remain in jail, his lawyer, Tezira Abe, said during a court hearing. Allen allegedly stormed a security checkpoint and fired a shotgun outside the White House Correspondents’ Dinner on...

ISLAMABAD: After skipping Adiala jail visits for two consecutive weeks, PTI leaders on Thursday managed to reach the prison for a meeting with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan, which was once again denied.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has allowed Imran twice-a-week meetings — on Tuesdays and Thursdays — with his family, lawyers and other associates. Despite court orders, Imran’s meetings with the family and the party leaders have been largely restricted.

While Imran’s sisters continue to show up at the jail on Tuesdays, party leaders were nowhere to be seen the past two weeks, prompting criticism of the leadership.

On Wednesday, a list of PTI leaders’ names was sent to the Adiala jail superintendent for a meeting with Imran. The initial list sent to the jail administration included the names of PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Advocate Hamid Khan and Barrister Ali Zafar.

However, PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja — who has been authorised by the IHC to share the names of leaders who intend to meet Imran with the jail administration — withdrew the list and issued a new one. In addition to Raja, the fresh list also included Humayun Mohmand, Ali Muhammad Khan, Sahibzada Sibghatullah, Mehboob Shah and Ali Bukhari.

On Thursday, all six leaders reached Adiala jail in an effort to meet with the PTI founder. But despite their endeavours, they were yet again denied a meeting with Imran.

Speaking to Dawn, Raja said all six leaders included in the list arrived at Adiala jail on Thursday and “stayed there for two-and-a-half hours, with the hope that meeting with Imran would be allowed”.

“The party has decided to approach the Supreme Court again to ensure party leaders’ meetings with Imran,” he said.

“Our appeal has been pending since October 2025. We have time and again appealed to Chief Justice Yahya Afridi to ensure that our petition would be heard,” he said.