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Wall Street focuses on Vietnam tariffs, not job losses

White Nike sneakers on June 26, 2025 in Paris, France.

Edward Berthelot | Getty Images Entertainment | Getty Images

If I had to choose between having a job and paying less for Nike shoes, you'd see me run barefoot to the office. Wednesday's market moves, however, suggested that Wall Street preferred the cheaper shoes.

The U.S. economy lost private sector jobs in June, the first time hiring had contracted since March 2023, according to payrolls processing firm ADP. It's even more startling because a Dow Jones survey of economists had pegged job numbers to expand by 100,000.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump announced on his social media site Truth Social that the country had made a trade deal with Vietnam, in which the Southeast Asian nation will face a 20% duty on imports to America. That means companies that rely heavily on Vietnam for manufacturing, such as Nike, Crocs and Lululemon, will face less onerous costs and might not hike prices as much, compared with the original tariff rate of 46%.

After weighing both pieces of news, investors decided the good news was more important and lifted the S&P 500 to a new closing high. Granted, the ADP report has had a spotty track record in predicting the official job figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. But it's still worth thinking about how that's a sign financial markets could be slightly disconnected from the real economy: Who can afford to buy shoes and pump up stocks if they don't have jobs?

What you need to know today

Vietnam strikes a deal with America. Imports from the Southeast Asian nation to the U.S. will be subject to a 20% tariff, while the U.S. gets tariff-free access to Vietnam's market, Trump announced Wednesday.

The S&P 500 rises to close at a fresh record. The index also scored an intra-day high, while the Nasdaq Composite notched a record close. The pan-European Stoxx 600 index added 0.18%. U.K. bond yields jumped on turmoil in the Labour Party.

The U.S. lost private sector jobs in June. Job losses amounted to 33,000, reported ADP on Wednesday. Economists polled by Dow Jones had expected an increase of 100,000 jobs for the month.

Tesla reports a fall in second-quarter deliveries. The Elon Musk-led company delivered 384,122 vehicles in that period, a drop of 14% from a year ago. But Tesla shares still rose as the numbers were better than some investors had feared.

[PRO] A weak jobs report could trigger a sell-off. If the numbers for June's nonfarm payrolls, out Thursday, is anything like the ADP report, the JPMorgan trading desk thinks U.S. stocks could tumble.

And finally...

Employees at a coal mine in China's Shaanxi province sit in an office to use digital systems for mining work, according to a photo taken on April 26, 2023, during a media tour organized by Chinese telecoms giant Huawei.

Wang Zhao | Afp | Getty Images

A slowing economy meets a fast future

Life in China these days is a story of stark contrasts. If in one conversation, my counterparts are wringing their hands over a sluggish economy, the next reveals how quickly artificial intelligence is revamping industries.

While China's biggest cities are yet to see a return to the pre-Covid boom days, there are signs that smaller ones are experiencing rapid growth.

Augmented reality glasses startup Xreal invested in its own factory in the southeastern "tier 2" city of Wuxi and earlier this year announced a new glasses product running Google's XR operating system.

— Evelyn Cheng

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July 3, 2025
CCD Tech used on latest ESA Sentinel-4 Mission

Teledyne Space Imaging in Chelmsford, UK, has designed, tested, and manufactured two charge-coupled device (CCD) image sensors which were delivered to Airbus GmbH for the European Space Agency’s (ESA) Sentinel-4 air-quality monitoring mission. Sentinel-4, mounted on the Meteosat Third Generation Sounder (MTG-S) satellite, successfully launched on 1 July from Cape Canaveral in Florida, US, as part of the European Union’s Copernicus programme, led by the European Commission (EC) in partnership with ESA.

This marks the second launch in just one week featuring detector technology from Teledyne Space Imaging. The Japanese Global Observing SATellite for Greenhouse gases and Water cycle (GOSAT-GW) mission, which launched on 28 June 2025, included two CIS120 sensors from Teledyne.

Mission Purpose

Sentinel-4 incorporates two different types of CCD sensors within its Ultraviolet-Visible-Near-Infrared (UVN) imaging spectrometer instrument. The CCD374 sensor operates at ultraviolet and visible wavelengths, while the CCD376 sensor provides images in the near-infrared wavelength. From its geostationary orbit, the Sentinel-4 mission will deliver data on a range of trace gases, including ozone, nitrogen dioxide, and sulphur dioxide.

The Sentinel-4 mission will transmit data on tropospheric constituents over Europe every hour for use in air quality applications and monitoring projects on the ground. This data will provide valuable insights into climate, air pollutants, and ozone/surface ultraviolet (UV) applications, supporting ongoing research into protecting public health.

Project Involvement and Development

Teledyne Space Imaging first became involved in the Sentinel-4 project during its initial development phase in 2009, which included detector design, prototype manufacturing, and radiation testing. The second phase, which began in 2012, involved the design and validation of the flight detectors, as well as design updates based on the results of the first phase. The final phase, completed in 2019, was the flight model phase, during which Teledyne Space Imaging manufactured the flight deliverables for the customer. Reliability testing ensured the detectors will survive beyond the expected 10-year duration of the mission.

Ross Mackie, Principal Project Lead Engineer at Teledyne Space Imaging, said: “Our sensors were selected due to the heritage of our work on Sentinel-2 and -3, as well as internal developments that met the needs of this mission. Our detectors fulfilled all the mission’s requirements for operation in various wavelengths, giving us the edge in developing these exciting products for Sentinel-4. We were able to offer a bespoke approach to provide the best possible results for the mission.”

Tracy Phillips, Teledyne’s Principal Project Manager responsible for the execution and performance of the project, added: “Managing the CCDs for the Sentinel-4 mission was one of my first projects at Teledyne, and it was fascinating to learn about the technological capabilities of our detectors. It’s very exciting to work with such advanced sensors that will contribute to gathering vital information about our planet, ultimately better protecting Earth and helping save lives.”

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July 3, 2025
IND vs ENG 2nd Test: ‘Shubman Gill looked fantastic, very solid’ – Ravi Shastri hails gritty hundred at Edgbaston | Cricket News

NEW DELHI: Former India head coach Ravi Shastri showered high praise on Shubman Gill after the young Indian batter notched up his seventh Test century on a gripping first day of the second Test against England, describing it as a “disciplined performance” where Gill “looked fantastic and very solid.“Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Gill, coming in at No. 4, displayed remarkable poise and application to remain unbeaten on 114 off 216 balls, an innings studded with 12 boundaries. His knock, which helped India reach 310/5 at stumps, was his second century in as many matches after a match-defining 147 at Headingley last week.

EXCLUSIVE | David Gower on Shubman Gill, Jasprit Bumrah and India’s England tour

“Shubman Gill has worked hard on his defence,” said Shastri on Sky Sports. “When he last came to England, he played with hard hands, pushed at the ball — a bit like Virat Kohli. But now, the top hand is much more in control. He allows the ball to come to him, trusts in his defence, and has all the shots in the book when he goes on the attack.”

Poll

Do you think India can reach a total of 450 runs in this innings?

Highlighting the vital 99-run unbeaten partnership with Ravindra Jadeja (41*), Shastri added, “India will be pretty happy. This stand has got them out of what could’ve been a spot of bother. But tomorrow morning is crucial — they’ll need another 150 at least. They can afford to lose just one wicket in the first hour.”Former England captain Nasser Hussain echoed Shastri’s sentiments, noting the importance of capitalising on the strong foundation. “As Ravi said, they should be getting this total up to 450 and beyond tomorrow. My eyes are on India – can they make up for their mistakes last time?”Hussain also acknowledged England’s tireless bowlers, saying, “It was a flat pitch. You can’t fault the effort. But this 99-run partnership turned the game. Before it, England were ahead – unlike Headingley.”As Day 2 beckons, all eyes remain on India to consolidate and avoid another Headingley-style collapse.

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July 3, 2025
New Methods to Shield Inner Ear from Hearing Loss

In 2015, Andre Hoelz, the Mary and Charles Ferkel Professor of Chemistry and Biochemistry and a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator, learned he had a rare brain tumor that was pressing on his acoustic nerve. The chemist, who normally focuses on solving the structure of protein assemblies in the lab, set out to learn everything he could about the workings of the auditory system.

Eventually he teamed up with his surgeon, Rick Friedman , who is also a research scientist and vice chair at UC San Diego specializing in disorders of the ear. The two have taken on the search for methods of protecting the inner ear against hearing loss. Now Hoelz and Friedman have received a grant to extend their experimental agenda.

The inner ear is a remarkable but somewhat fragile vehicle for carrying sound from the outer ear to the brain. It does this by means of tiny bundles of hair-like cells that respond to incoming sound waves by releasing neurotransmitters that send sonic information to the brain along the acoustic nerve. These inner ear hair cells are crucial to our hearing. Sadly, however, they cannot be regenerated. Once lost, they are gone forever, and the hearing they enabled is gone with them.

“There are some cells in our body that are so specialized that they cannot be replaced,” Hoelz explains. “The cells that make us hear, along with other sensory cells, fall into this category. We have 37 trillion cells in our body, and only 16,000 of those are involved in hearing. When these cells die, our hearing is gone. And when it comes to inner ear hair cells, it’s not a question of whether they will die, it’s a question of when.”

Inner ear hair cells (IHCs) perish for a variety of reasons, including viral infections, exposure to excessive noise, and normal aging processes. One cause of particularly devastating hearing loss is associated with cisplatin chemotherapy, a robust and taxing regimen of cancer treatment used to treat adult-onset cancers (testicular, head and neck, ovarian, cervical, endometrial, and lung, for example) and pediatric cancers (such as neuroblastoma, osteosarcoma, medulloblastoma, retinoblastoma, and Wilms tumor).

“Especially for pediatric patients, you want to kill as many cancer cells as possible. Children have another 80 years ahead of them, we hope. So, treatments for childhood cancers are aggressive,” Hoelz explains. “Unfortunately, cisplatin chemotherapy may cause severe damage to the ear hairs we need in order to hear. A full 70% of patients that are treated with cisplatin will end up with some degree of hearing loss.”

“There exist no ideal solutions to this toxicity,” Friedman adds.

Hearing loss is particularly damaging for children who are still in the early phase of developing speech and communication. About 2,000 children are exposed to cisplatin each year in the United States. The only currently available treatment approved by the Food and Drug Administration to avoid hearing loss in patients being treated with cisplatin has a serious drawback: It inactivates cisplatin, thereby weakening the effectiveness of the chemotherapy. “This drug is basically an antidote for cisplatin,” Hoelz says.

Cisplatin therapy saves lives that would otherwise be lost to cancer. If the choice comes down to losing one’s hearing or dying, there is usually little debate.

Hoelz himself confronted a similar dilemma in 2015 when he experienced severe vertigo and temporary hearing loss. Doctors discovered that a very rare brain tumor was exerting pressure on his acoustic nerve, affecting his balance and hearing. Since Hoelz’s symptoms came and went, he and his doctors chose to regularly monitor the tumor via MRI and periodically test his hearing. During this time, Hoelz began to see Dr. Friedman. “I had a very distinct feeling that eventually I would need to have surgery, and that Rick was the person to do it,” Hoelz remembers. “But Rick told me I was not the best candidate for ear preservation, so I hesitated. I thought, ‘I may not be lucky, but if not, at least I can keep my hearing for a while.'”

As Friedman monitored Hoelz’s tumor, the two men began to talk science. “It was strange,” Hoelz says. “I was debating whether or not to have the surgery, but alongside that, I was fascinated by Rick’s data on protein complexes involved in hearing and I began to think about how the work I did in my lab could shed light on these processes.”

When Hoelz’s symptoms became markedly worse, he opted to have the surgery and lost hearing in his left ear. But at the same time, he began a collaboration with Friedman that has already shown promising results.

For his part, Friedman says, “Meeting and collaborating with Andre is the best thing that has happened in my scientific career.”

Over the last five years, Hoelz, Friedman, and other scientists in the field have identified a gene that makes people more susceptible to hearing loss-whether from noise, cisplatin, or age-and started exploring ways to strengthen the inner ear hair cells to protect hearing.

Hoelz and Friedman first identified a gene, Prkag2, that encodes part of the AMPK (5′ adenosine monophosphate-activated protein kinase) complex. AMPK is an enzyme that works throughout the body, from the liver to the brain to skeletal muscle, to regulate metabolism. IHCs are highly metabolically active. The synapses that connect IHCs to the auditory nerve rely on AMPK to deliver neurotransmitters-in this case, glutamate-when they are stimulated by sound. Without these deliveries from the AMPK complex, the IHCs cannot communicate auditory information to the brain.

Hoelz and Friedman have shown that they can in fact protect IHCs, and the hearing that relies on them, if an AMPK-activating drug is properly delivered prior to cisplatin treatment. With a grant from Curebound , a philanthropic organization based in San Diego that funds cancer research, they are now learning the correct dosage and timing required to protect the hearing of cisplatin-treated cancer patients. Efficacy is being assessed in murine models. Once an optimal therapy is designed, it will be tested in guinea pigs, whose auditory system is more similar to our own, and finally in humans.

“The hope is that it will be comparatively easy to recruit people for a study of these treatments,” Hoelz says. “If you are being treated with cisplatin, you may lose your hearing anyway, so any chance to preserve at least some hearing should be attractive.”

The possibilities for this therapy do not end there. “We hope that in the long run this will be a sort of ear vitamin that could work for everyone. The treatment would make IHCs sturdier and less susceptible to all sorts of damage, not only that from cisplatin. Just as you can put a veneer on teeth to protect them from cavities, you could use this therapy to boost the longevity of IHCs, potentially allowing them to survive for people’s entire lifespans,” Hoelz says.

“While mammals cannot regenerate IHCs, some fish and birds can,” Hoelz explains. “Somehow as we evolved we lost this ability. Scientists are studying what developmental program might make it possible for humans to regenerate IHCs,” he adds. “But in the meantime, it would be wonderful if we could develop a therapy to protect them. Working with Rick has been a thrilling dive into the world of hair cell biology, opening new scientific doors and sparking a deeply personal hope that this research might one day help preserve hearing-including my own.”

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July 3, 2025
Why is there no life on Mars? Rover finds a clue – World

PARIS: Why is Mars barren and uninhabitable, while life has always thrived here on our relatively similar planet Earth? A discovery made by a Nasa rover has offered a clue for this mystery, new research said on Wednesday, suggesting that while rivers once sporadically flowed on Mars, it was doomed to mostly be a desert planet.

Mars is thought to currently have all the necessary ingredients for life except for perhaps the most important one: liquid water. However, the red surface is carved out by ancient rivers and lakes, showing that water once flowed on our nearest neighbour.

There are currently several rovers searching Mars for signs of life that could have existed back in those more habitable times, millions of years ago.

Earlier this year, Nasa’s Curiosity rover discovered a missing piece in this puzzle: rocks that are rich in carbonate minerals. These “carbonates” — such as limestone on Earth — act as a sponge for carbon dioxide, pulling it in from the atmosphere and trapping it in rock.

A new study, published in the journal Nature, modelled exactly how the existence of these rocks could change our understanding of Mars’s past.

Brief ‘oases’

Lead study author Edwin Kite, a planetary scientist at the University of Chicago and a member of the Curiosity team, said it appeared there were “blips of habitability in some times and places” on Mars. But these “oases” were the exception rather than the rule.

On Earth, carbon dioxide in the atmosphere warms the planet. Over long timescales, the carbon becomes trapped in rocks such as carbonates. Then, volcanic eruptions spew the gas back into the atmosphere, creating a well-balanced climate cycle supportive of consistently running water.

However, Mars has a “feeble” rate of volcanic outgassing compared to Earth, Kite said. This throws off the balance, leaving Mars much colder and less hospitable.

According to the modelling research, the brief periods of liquid water on Mars were followed by 100 million years of barren desert — a long time for anything to survive.

It is still possible that there are pockets of liquid water deep underground on Mars we have not yet found, Kite said. Nasa’s Perseverance Rover, which landed on an ancient Martian delta in 2021, has also found signs of carbonates at the edge of dried-up lake, he added. Next, the scientists hope to discover more evidence of carbonates.

Kite said the best proof would be returning rock samples from the Martian surface back to Earth — both the United States and China are racing to do this in the next decade.

Are we alone?

Ultimately, scientists are searching for an answer to one of the great questions: how common are planets like Earth that can harbour life? Astronomers have discovered nearly 6,000 planets beyond our Solar System since the early 1990s. But only for Mars and Earth can scientists study rocks which allow them to understand the planet’s past, Kite said.

If we do determine that Mars never hosted even tiny micro-organisms during its watery times, that would indicate it is difficult to kick-start life across the universe.

But if we discover proof of ancient life, that would “basically be telling us the origin of life is easy on a planetary scale,” Kite said.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
Punjab Assembly opposition leader Bhachar slams speaker, vows legal battle, protests – Pakistan

LAHORE: Chiding the speaker for acting like a dictator under pressure, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said the opposition would continue fighting for the cause of the people of Punjab.

“Our patron-in-chief has appreciated PTI’s 26 MPAs for challenging the pharaohs and instructed them to hold assembly outside the [assembly] premises and continue giving tough time to the fake-mandated government,” Mr Bhachar said while speaking at a news conference at Lahore Press Club on Wednesday. He said the PTI would suggest amendments to the proposed Punjab Local Government Act.

He said the PTI would continue protesting ‘irregular’ payments of Rs10 trillion as reported by the Auditor General of Pakistan and added that this ‘Form-47’ government also got Rs509 billion supplementary budget with less than 23 members in the House.

Says PTI to suggest amendments to proposed LG law

“PML-N MPAs came in droves to listen to CM Maryam Nawaz’ speech but their number reduced to less than 25, when supplementary budget was passed,” he said.

Bhachar said the speaker suspended 26 opposition MPAs for protesting during CM’s speech but he had conveniently ignored the treasury MPAs’ protest and cheap slogans, when opposition women MPAs were speaking in the assembly. He said the speaker had neither notified the opposition parliamentary leader nor gave floor to the opposition leader despite repeated requests.

He said he had written a letter to the speaker to provide evidence explaining that the opposition members broke down microphones. He said the opposition would approach courts despite knowing that the courts were not giving justice to the opposition.

The opposition leader condemned the federal government for increasing petroleum prices and added that this increase would instantly shoot up the cost of daily-use items.

Acknowledging the negligence in death of 17 persons in Swat River, Opposition Leader in Punjab Assembly Malik Ahmad Khan Bhachar said Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz should also be punished for the death of 20 children in a Pakpattan hospital.

“Those negligent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and in Punjab should be punished,” Mr Bhachar said.

Answering a question, the opposition leader said the political parties do keep their doors open for negotiations. He said party President Chaudhry Parvez Elahi was holding meetings and issuing instructions to them.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
Promotion rights of married women in govt jobs secured – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has granted relief to government servant couples by securing their right to promotion, allowing them to change domiciles without fear of being deprived of career advancement.

Now, women will be able to get promotions and higher posts after changing their domiciles, as the Supreme Court has ruled that new domiciles will be considered and such changes will not affect the provincial quota.

The judgement, a copy of which available with Dawn, was issued by a two-judge SC bench comprising Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah and Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi.

The petition was filed by Dr Shumaila Naeem, a gold medallist, who joined government service as a medical officer based on her Khyber Pakhtunkhwa domicile. After marrying a civil servant with a Balochistan domicile, she changed her domicile to that of her husband.

SC allows domicile change without career risk for couples in govt service

Subsequently, based on her new Balochistan domicile, she applied for the advertised post of Associate Professor (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), BPS-19, at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad. She topped the written exam conducted by the Federal Public Service Commission (FPSC), but was not called for an interview due to her domicile change, with the FPSC alleging that her original domicile was from KP.

Speaking to Dawn, Shumaila Naeem said her departmental representation and subsequent review petition were dismissed by the FPSC. “However, my appeal under Section 7(3)(d) of the FPSC Ordinance 1977 was allowed by the Islamabad High Court through a judgement dated January 28, 2025 by Chief Justice Aamer Farooq. But instead of implementing the IHC order, the FPSC filed an appeal in the Supreme Court,” she said.

“The apex court held that a married woman retains the legal discretion or choice to either adopt her husband’s domicile or retain her own,” she added.

The court ruled that the respondent had voluntarily opted to adopt her husband’s domicile, which is legally permissible. It rejected the FPSC’s stance and declared that the seat of Associate Professor is still vacant. The court directed that the candidate be considered for appointment to the post on the basis of her Balochistan domicile within a fortnight.

Dr Shumaila said that in the past, many female civil servants had no choice but to work in a province different from their husbands’.

“This decision, which has now become a precedent, will allow them to change their domiciles and serve at the same station as their husbands. It will bring peace of mind to them and their families,” she said.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
PDMA warns of flash floods across KP as more rains expected – Pakistan

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Wednesday warned district administrations across the province about the possibility of flash floods, urban flooding and landslides due to a new spell of monsoon rains from July 5 to 11.

In an advisory issued to the deputy commissioners across the province, the PDMA quoted the Pakistan Meteorological Department as revealing that moist currents are penetrating into most parts of the region and likely to intensify in the next couple of days.

“A westerly wave is also expected to approach on July 5 evening and night. Under the influence of the new weather system, showers along with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds, with isolated and scattered heavy rainfalls, are expected in Haripur, Abbottabad, Mansehra, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Buner, Malakand, Battagram, Shangla, Kohistan, Kolai-Pallas, Torghar, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Charsadda, Bajaur, Mohmand, Khyber, Orakzai, Kurram, Kohat, Hangu, Bannu, Karak, Lakki Marwat, Dera Ismail Khan, Tank and North and South Waziristan from July 5 to 11 with occasional gaps,” it said.

The PDMA warned that heavy to very heavy rains could generate flash floods in nullahs and streams of Galiyat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Kolai-Palas, Abbottabad, Buner, Bajaur, Battagram, Buner, Hangu, Torghar, Haripur, Karak, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Shangla, Khyber, Kohat, Nowshera, Swabi, Mardan, Peshawar, Shangla, Kurram, Lakki Marwat, Malakand, Mansehra, Mohmand, Orakzai, Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu and Tank during the forecast period.

Urges authorities to take measures to minimise damage

It also said that urban flooding was very likely to happen in low-lying areas of Mardan, Nowshera, Peshawar, Kohat and Dera Ismail Khan, while there’s a likelihood of riverine flooding in Chitral, Swat, Panjkora and Kabul rivers.

According to the PDMA, landslides may cause roads closure in the vulnerable hilly areas of Abbottabad, Battagram, Buner, Chitral, Dir, Khyber, Kohistan, Kolai-Pallas Kohistan, Kurram, Malakand, Mansehra, Mohmand, Orakzai, Shangla, Swat, Torghar and North Waziristan districts.

Also, heavy rainfall and windstorms and lightning could damage weak structures like mud houses, electric poles, billboards, vehicles and solar panels during the period.

The PDMA urged deputy commissioners of all districts to take all precautionary measures against downpours and floods to minimise damage to public life and property and livestock.

It also asked authorities to assess and plan deployment of additional resources and exercise control over traffic leading to and in the vicinity of vulnerable and tourist areas and securing by physical means and keeping people away from loose structures such as buildings under construction, advertisement hoardings, electric poles and solar panels to prevent damages and save lives.

In the advisory, the PDMA said authorities should keep monitoring rivers, streams, local and rainfed nullahs, ensure drainage systems are clear from obstacles to facilitate the efficient flow of water and minimise the risk of urban flooding, coordinate with relevant municipal administrations to ensure mitigation and preparedness measures for landslides and urban flooding, and secure or remove billboards and hoardings in view of wind, dust, thunder and hailstorms.

It urged farmers to take all necessary measures to prevent damage to their crops.

The PDMA said cattle and sheep herders should undertake necessary mitigating and precautionary measures to protect their livestock from wind, dust, thunder and hailstorms.

It said that people travelling on provincial and national highways in at-risk and affected areas should be forewarned of adverse conditions and detoured to safe waiting areas under guidance of authorities, national highway and motorway police, law-enforcement agencies.

The PDMA asked people to seek shelter in safe areas such as sturdy buildings or underground structures during wind, dust, thunder and hailstorms and avoid objects that posed a risk of failing or being struck by lightning.

It stressed the need for the availability of emergency services personnel and equipment in areas at high risk of urban and flash flooding and landslides, immediate stocking of basic commodities like medicines in regions that are likely to be cut off from other regions during landslides.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
Peshawar police on high alert ahead of Ashura – Pakistan

PESHAWAR: As Ashura is just around the corner, the police have been put on high alert in Peshawar, with vehicles being strictly checked at the city’s all entry and exit points.

Capital City Police Officer Qasim Ali Khan examined security armaments for Muharram processions during a visit to the command and control centre here on Wednesday, according to a statement from the city police.

Officials informed him that all routes for Muharram processions in the capital city were being strictly monitored.

They said that there was a high alert across the entire district for the month of Muharram, with strict monitoring of all entry and exit routes being carried out and special security checkpoints established.

“Not only are all procession routes and places of worship being monitored through CCTV cameras but drone cameras are also used for the purpose,” the statement read.

Also, the police carried out a flag march in the city.

Led by SSP (operations) Masood Ahmad, the exercise was carried out from the Malik Saad Shaheed Flyover to the police headquarters through Khyber Road, cantonment area, Aman Chowk, Saddar Road, Stadium Road, Press Club Road and Haji Camp Road.

Armoured personnel carriers, police patrolling forces, traffic police, bomb disposal unit, Special Combat Unit and ladies police were also part of the flag march.

Meanwhile, Chief Traffic Officer Haroon Rasheed visited procession routes and the command and control centre and reviewed arrangements made by the traffic police for smooth flow of traffic during Muharram.

Separately, representatives of different religious groups, including non-Muslims, on Wednesday announced to collectively work for maintenance of durable peace and strengthening interfaith harmony in the provincial metropolis.

Addressing a joint news conference at the Peshawar Press Club, religious representatives, led by Qari Ruhullah Mandi, chairman Pakistan Council of World Religions-Faith Friends, through a resolution promised to speed up work for interfaith harmony.

Prominent among other speakers included Bishop Humphrey Sarfraz Peter, Hafiz Abdul Ghafoor, Allah Fakhrul Hassan Kararvi, Haroon Sarbdial, Akhunzada Muzaffar Ali, Maqsood Ahmad Salfi, Mufti Atteequllah, Syed Jamaat Ali Shah and others.

They emphasised the importance of maintaining peace and harmony during the holy month, calling it a national, religious, and moral duty.

The speakers stressed the need for maintaining peace and harmony during the month, and appealed to the people to promote mutual tolerance and brotherhood.

They emphasised the importance of responsible behaviour on social media, avoiding content that may hurt the sentiments of other sects or communities.

They also appealed to the media to promote peace, tolerance, and harmony, and to avoid sensationalism or provocative reporting.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025
Iran ends cooperation with UN nuclear watchdog after Israel, US strikes – Newspaper

TEHRAN: Iran on Wednesday officially suspended its cooperation with the UN nuclear watchdog, a move triggered by the unprecedented Israeli and US strikes on its nuclear facilities.

Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension on Wednesday.

Last month’s 12-day conflict between Iran and Israel has sharply escalated tensions between Tehran and the International Atomic Energy Agency.

On June 25, a day after a ceasefire took hold, Iranian lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to suspend cooperation with the Vienna-based IAEA.

The law aims to “ensure full support for the inherent rights of the Islamic Republic of Iran” under the nuclear non-proliferation treaty, with a particular focus on uranium enrichment, according to Iranian media.

Pezeshkian gives the final nod a week after Iranian lawmakers voted to suspend cooperation with IAEA; US calls move ‘unacceptable’

While IAEA inspectors have had access to Iran’s declared nuclear sites, their current status is uncertain amid the suspension. On Wednesday, US intelligence assessments indicated that strikes on Iranian nuclear sites set the country’s atomic programme back by up to two years, Pentagon spokesman Sean Parnell said on Wednesday.

On Sunday, Iran’s ambassador to the United Nations, Amir Saeid Iravani, said the inspectors’ work had been suspended but denied any threats against them or IAEA chief Rafael Grossi.

He said the “inspectors are in Iran and are safe”, but “their activities have been suspended, and they are not allowed to access our sites”.

The ISNA news agency cited lawmaker Alireza Salimi as saying the inspectors now needed approval from Iran’s Supreme National Security Council to access nuclear sites. Separately, the Mehr news agency cited lawmaker Hamid Reza Haji Babaei as saying Iran would stop allowing IAEA cameras in nuclear facilities.

After parliament passed the bill, it was approved by the Guardian Council and President Masoud Pezeshkian formally enacted the suspension on Wednesday.

US calls move ‘unacceptable’

US State Department spokeswoman Tammy Bruce said Iran’s suspension of cooperation with the IAEA is unacceptable.

“We’ll use the word unacceptable, that Iran chose to suspend cooperation with the IAEA at a time when it has a window of opportunity to reverse course and choose a path of peace and prosperity,” Bruce told a briefing in Washington.

Bruce said Iran must cooperate without delay with the IAEA, including by providing “information required to clarify and resolve long-standing questions regarding undeclared nuclear material in Iran, as well as provide unrestricted access to its newly announced enrichment facility”.

“Iran cannot and will not have a nuclear weapon,” she repeated.

Israeli reaction

In response, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar urged European signatories of the 2015 nuclear deal to trigger the “snapback” mechanism and reinstate all UN sanctions on Iran.

The snapback, set to expire in October, was part of the nuclear accord that collapsed after the United States withdrew in 2018. Iran began scaling back its commitments a year later.

Iranian officials have warned the mechanism could prompt their withdrawal from the nuclear non-proliferation treaty. Israel, widely believed to possess nuclear weapons, is not an NPT signatory.

Germany’s foreign ministry spokesman Martin Giese said Iran’s move to suspend cooperation with the IAEA was a “disastrous signal”.

Since the Israeli and US strikes on Iranian nuclear sites, Tehran has sharply criticised the IAEA for its silence and condemned a June 12 UN resolution accusing Iran of non-compliance, which Iranian officials say provided a pretext for the attacks.

On Wednesday, senior judiciary official Ali Mozaffari accused Grossi of “preparing the groundwork” for Israel’s raids and called for him to be held accountable. Iran has rejected Grossi’s requests to visit bombed sites, accusing him of “malign intent”. Iran’s Kayhan newspaper on Saturday accused Grossi of being an Israeli spy who should be executed.

On Monday, Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baqaei said the parliament vote to halt cooperation reflected the “concern and anger of the Iranian public opinion”.

The 12-day war began when Israel launched a major bombing campaign on Iran and killed Tehran’s top military commanders and nuclear scientists, with Iran responding with waves of missiles and drones launched at Israel. On June 22, the United States launched unprecedented strikes of its own on key Iranian nuclear facilities.

Published in Dawn, July 3rd, 2025

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July 3, 2025