ISLAMABAD: A recently released report by the Auditor General of Pakistan (AGP) has identified irregularities worth Rs3.41 billion in various ancillary departments of the Ministry of National Health Services (NHS), it emerged on Thursday.
The report, available with Dawn, found fraud, embezzlement and misappropriation amounting to Rs28.41 million, procurement-related irregularities worth Rs1.779bn, and irregularities in the management of accounts maintained with commercial banks involving about Rs1.484bn. However, Rs127.27m was recovered following the intervention of the audit department.
According to the report, the Pakistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (PNMC) refused to have its accounts audited, in violation of orders issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) in its July 8, 2013 judgment.
In response to the audit intimations, the PNMC, referring to letters dated March 31, 2023, May 15, 2024, and May 21, 2025, stated that it was an autonomous body that generated its own revenue through various activities and services and did not receive financial grants from the government.
The matter was reported to the secretary of the Ministry of NHS, who directed the PNMC to provide all auditable records. However, according to the report, the records were not provided by the management
The audit took the view that “the stance taken by the management is in violation of the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan and attracts Section 14(3) of the AGP Ordinance, 2001”. It added that, as the PNMC was established and controlled by the federal government, it fell within the audit jurisdiction of the AGP.
The audit recommended that disciplinary action be taken against the officers involved in obstructing the AGP’s audit functions and defying the SC’s order, and that the auditable record be provided.
The audit also identified the procurement of vaccines at higher rates due to non-compliance with the federal cabinet’s decision, which had an impact of Rs1.109bn.
Under Section 21 of the PPRA Ordinance, 2002, the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) granted an exemption for the procurement of EPI vaccines from the applicability of the Public Procurement Rules, 2004, in line with a federal cabinet decision dated November 23, 2016, according to the report.
“Rule 38 B(2) of the Public Procurement Rules, 2004, states that the procuring agency shall make a decision with due diligence and in compliance with general principles of procurement such as economy, efficiency and value for money,” the audit said.
It noted that the management of Islamabad’s Federal Directorate of Immunisation (FDI) purchased Pentavalent and Tetanus Diphtheria (TD) vaccines through open competition and incurred expenditure of Rs3.233m during the financial years 2022-23 and 2023-24.
The audit further revealed that Islamabad’s Human Organ Transplant Authority (HOTA) had kept Rs38.782m in public funds in a current bank account after the close of the financial year.
The report cited Clause 37 (1) of the Public Financial Management Act, 2019, stating that the “revenues collected by an autonomous entity, which arise from any Act or statutory instruments of the Federal Government, shall be deposited in the treasury single account (TSA)”.
It also highlighted Clause 4(3) of the Cash Management and Treasury Single Account (TSA) Rules, 2024 as saying that bank accounts opened before the rules took effect were to be jointly reviewed by the finance division and division concerned, with accounts found non-essential for functioning to be closed. The balance in those accounts was to be transferred to the Federal Consolidated Fund or the Public Account as prescribed in the Federal Treasury Rules, it stated.
The audit observed that the HOTA retained an amount of money in a current account at the National Bank of Pakistan as of June 30, 2024.
“The account has not been reviewed or closed in accordance with Clause 4(3) of the Cash Management and TSA Rules, 2024, nor has the balance been surrendered to the Federal Consolidated Fund,” it pointed out.
It stated that the unauthorised retention of public funds outside the TSA “undermines the principles of centralised cash management and fiscal transparency … and violates statutory requirements, and increases the risk of mismanagement or misuse of public money”.
According to the report, HOTA replied that the account had been maintained with the approval of the Finance Division since 2013. The audit, however, termed the reply “not tenable”, stating that with the promulgation of the Public Financial Management Act and the Cash Management and TSA Rules, earlier administrative practices had been superseded.
The audit recommended that HOTA immediately initiate a joint review of the current account with the Finance Division in line with the TSA Rules, and take prompt action to transfer the retained balance to the Federal Consolidated Fund or the Public Account.
Irregularities worth Rs508.4m were also found in the procurement of drugs and medicines by Polyclinic Hospital.
“Para 11 of GFR, Vol-I states that each head of a department is responsible for enforcing financial order and strict economy at every step. He is responsible for observance of all the relevant financial rules and regulations both by his own office and by subordinate disbursing officers,” it stated.
The management of Polyclinic Hospital incurred expenditure on the procurement of drugs and medicines (including tablets, syrups, injections and surgical consumable items) on a “local purchase” basis from an Islamabad pharmacy during FY24–25. The audit observed that there was no government-approved policy for the procurement of drugs, medicines and surgical items on a local purchase basis.
The report said that records of requisition and demand slips from different hospital wards for the procurement of these items were not maintained by the FGPC, and that patient-wise records of receipt and issuance of drugs, medicines and surgical consumables procured on a local purchase basis were not available with the hospital management.
The report also identified irregularities worth Rs15.174m and the unauthorised procurement of MRI software worth $0.35m at the National Institute of Rehabilitation Medicines.
At Lahore’s Sheikh Zayed Medical Complex, it identified “fraudulent” payment of the consultant’s share amounting to Rs28.41m and the irregular transfer of Rs1.445bn from the assignment account to commercial bank accounts.
Health Ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah, while talking to Dawn, said that it was routine for a number of objections to be raised during every audit.
“However, the ministry responds to them and most of the paras are settled. The ministry and its ancillary departments will submit replies at appropriate forums,” he said.
The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a supplementary budget of Rs593.64 billion for the fiscal year 2024-2025 (FY24-25) and a sum of Rs475.05bn for the outgoing fiscal year (FY25-26).
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb moved a series of papers for approval during Wednesday’s session.
Under the Constitution, the government must secure parliamentary approval for the federal budget before any spending. This approval allows the government to spend specified funds for different heads. However, the government often seeks retrospective approval for additional amounts already spent, leaving the parliament with no choice but to regularise these expenditures.
The NA’s X account said Aurangzeb laid the Supplementary Authorised Expenditure 2024-2025 and 2025- 2026, along with other papers, before the house under Article 83 of the Constitution.
Dawn provides a breakdown of the additional amounts approved for spending during FY24-25 and FY25-26, which will conclude on June 30.
The following supplementary grants were approved for FY24-25 (July 2024- June 2025):
The following grants were approved in “excess authorised expenditure” during FY24-25
These amounted to a total of Rs593.64bn in supplementary grants and excess expenditure for FY24-25.
Charged expenditure for FY24-25
These totalled to Rs2,644.48bn.
Excess expenditures for FY24-25
These totalled to Rs2,087.57bn.
For FY25-26 (July 2025-June 2026), the following supplementary grants were approved:
These amounted to a total of Rs475.05bn in supplementary grants for FY25-26.
India, once the world’s second-largest sugar exporter, is expected to have little surplus for export for at least three more seasons as El Niño weather conditions threaten cane production and rising ethanol demand squeezes supply.
The twin pressures are poised to keep millions of tonnes of sugar off the world market, tightening supplies for importers across Asia, Africa and the Middle East and supporting benchmark prices in London and New York.
A prolonged absence by India from export markets would remove a key balancing supplier as weather risks and biofuel policies reshape global sugar trade flows.
Interviews with over a dozen trade and industry executives, government sources and farmers show that lower cane availability and rising ethanol demand will leave little for exports for several years, prompting dealers at global houses to warn head offices of shrinking opportunities in India, trade sources said.
Sugar is politically sensitive in global top consumer India, where sweets are highly popular and many poorer households rely on it as a cheap source of calories.
“Supplies are already tight in India, and now El Niño is emerging as a major risk,” said Rahil Shaikh, managing director of MEIR Commodities India, a Mumbai-based trader.
“If rains disappoint as forecast, cane planting will suffer and this will keep India out of the sugar export market for at least three years, while Brazil and Thailand could also see their crops affected by El Niño.”
Top exporter Brazil is also diverting more cane for ethanol. Thailand, another major exporter, could also have its output hit by El Niño-curtailed rains.
India exported 6.8 million metric tonnes of sugar annually on average in the five seasons through 2022-23 — about 10 per cent of global shipments. This year, after exporting around 800,000 tonnes, India banned shipments until September 30, the end of the season.
Mills need government approval to export sugar, and New Delhi is likely to withhold export permissions each season rather than announce a multiyear ban, government and industry sources with knowledge of the matter said.
Last month, a top minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government told mills to prioritise domestic availability and not lobby for exports, the sources said on condition of anonymity because the discussions were confidential.
India’s Department of Food, Civil Supplies and Consumer Affairs did not respond to a request for comment on the prospects for exports or its restrictions on exports.
El Niño conditions are forecast to weaken India’s monsoon rains this year to their lowest in 11 years.
Below-average rains, coupled with June precipitation running more than 40pc below average, have prompted farmers to delay planting.
“I had planned to plant long-duration cane varieties in June, but since everyone is talking about lower rains, I decided to put that plan on hold,” said Sambhaji Patil, who decided to grow soybeans instead on 2 acres (0.8 hectares) in Sangli district of the western state of Maharashtra.
Nursery owner Suraj Chavan said demand for cane seedlings had fallen sharply in recent weeks.
Farmers are likely to switch to less water-intensive crops, which could drag down cane acreage and availability in the 2027-28 season, said Prakash Naiknavare, managing director of the National Federation of Cooperative Sugar Factories.
Local authorities have started promoting alternative crops such as soybeans, pigeon peas and other pulse varieties in most sugar-growing regions and have restricted water supplies for irrigation.
India was expected to produce 30.95m tonnes of sugar this season, but output is now forecast at 27.9m tonnes, below annual consumption of about 28.5m tonnes, according to industry estimates.
As a result, inventories with mills at the start of the season on October 1 are likely to fall to about 3.5m tonnes, the lowest in more than three decades, said MEIR’s Shaikh.
At the same time, India is pushing for higher ethanol blending with petrol and wider adoption of flex-fuel vehicles to cut dependence on expensive imported crude.
Ethanol demand could more than double to some 30bn litres (8bn gallons) by 2039-40 from the current 12bn to 13bn litres as higher ethanol blending in petrol and adoption of flex-fuel vehicles gather pace, industry estimates suggest.
“The trajectory for ethanol demand is incredibly strong,” said Samir Somaiya, chairman and managing director of Godavari Biorefineries. “The next phase of demand evolution will be driven by the commercial rollout of flex-fuel vehicles.”
Top Indian carmaker Maruti Suzuki this month launched the nation’s first flex-fuel passenger vehicle, while Hero MotoCorp launched a flex-fuel motorcycle.
India this month eliminated the production tax on petrol blended with higher levels of ethanol and launched fuel with up to 85pc ethanol to support the adoption of flex-fuel vehicles.
Future government policies will likely support ethanol production over sugar exports, said BB Thombare, managing director of Natural Sugar in Maharashtra state.
India could eventually be forced to import sugar if El Niño-related weather disruptions sharply cut cane cultivation area and output, the government sources and industry officials said, with traders warning that supplies could tighten further in the 2027-28 season.
India last imported sugar in 2016-17 and 2017-18 after an El Niño-induced drought in 2015 cut cane planting. In 2009 and 2010, India’s heavy purchases helped push global prices to nearly three times their previous levels.
“Because of a severe El Niño and rising demand for ethanol, not only would exports from India be wiped out, but imports into India in the coming years could also become necessary,” said Mohan Narang, director of KS Commodities, a trading house in New Delhi.
The leader of the transnational gang Tren de Aragua has been killed in southern Venezuela as part of a joint operation with the United States, in what a top Pentagon official on Saturday described as a warning to “narco-terrorists” in Latin America.
Hector Rusthenford Guerrero Flores, alias Nino Guerrero, was “neutralised” in southeastern Bolivar state, Venezuela’s Ministry of Communications said in a statement on Friday.
US President Donald Trump said Guerrero was killed in “a swift and lethal kinetic strike” by US forces, in an attack “coordinated closely with our friends in Venezuela”.
“As a result, Tren de Aragua terrorists no longer have safe haven in Venezuela or anywhere else,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform Friday night.
On Saturday, a senior aide to Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth said the killing was meant to serve as a stark warning.
“The death of Nino Guerrero sends a clear message to Latin America. There is no refuge for narco-terrorists in our hemisphere,” Patrick Weaver, Hegseth’s deputy chief of staff, said in a post on X on Saturday morning.
Trump’s social post confirming Guerrero’s killing was accompanied by a 10-second video, showing an overhead view of a building surrounded by greenery before an explosion erupts, sending up a cloud of smoke. No people are clearly visible in the footage.
Founded in Venezuela, Tren de Aragua has been designated a terrorist organisation by the United States and is also active in Colombia, Peru and Chile.
Federal prosecutors in New York filed racketeering, drug and firearms charges against the gang leader in December.
“Guerrero Flores has been the mastermind of Tren de Aragua’s evolution from a Venezuelan prison gang into a transnational terrorist organisation,” US Attorney Jay Clayton said in a statement when the indictment was announced.
Tren de Aragua, under Guerrero Flores’s leadership, has “committed countless acts of violence, extortion, and drug trafficking all over North America, South America, and Europe”, he said.
The US State Department had offered a $5 million reward for information leading to his arrest or conviction.
According to a report by the InSight Crime think tank, Guerrero made Tren de Aragua “what it is today during his incarceration at Tocoron”.
Under his leadership, Tocoron “became one of the country’s most notorious prisons, largely because of the unofficial policy of the Venezuelan government of handing control of certain prisons … over to criminal leaders known as pranes”.
“This freedom and the gang’s criminal revenues allowed for the construction of a zoo, a swimming pool, a playground, a restaurant, and a nightclub inside the prison,” the report added.
The joint operation is the latest sign of improving ties between Caracas and Washington since the capture of former president Nicolas Maduro by US forces in January. The two countries restored diplomatic relations in March, which had been severed in 2019.
The United States is in the process of reactivating its embassy in Caracas.
Hours before the World Cup kickoff, the boost to travel and tourism expected from this year’s biggest sporting event has yet to materialise.
For years, the tournament was expected to deliver a windfall for America’s travel industry, now grappling with declining international visitors amid what rights groups describe as a climate of fear.
The swarms of fans that hotels had counted on have yet to arrive, forcing many to cut rates. Flight bookings have slumped as ticket prices have skyrocketed. Expensive match tickets have further stymied demand, and industry analysts say excitement has been muted compared with past World Cups.
The weak start suggests the traditional World Cup travel playbook — typically dependent on international fans willing to travel long distances and spend heavily to follow their teams — is faltering. Instead, the costs, visa hurdles and the logistics of attending matches across 16 host cities in three countries have proved a deterrent.
US travellers, in a country where football is less popular than in Europe, are not filling the gap.
It is “overall a disappointment. There’s no other word that I can say,” said Vijay Dandapani, CEO of the Hotel Association of New York City. The association has cut its forecast for hotel room revenue tied to the World Cup by 60 per cent to roughly $60 million, he said.
The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Flight bookings from Europe into most host cities for June and July are down 3.8pc on average year-over-year, according to Cirium, even after Europeans had already pulled back from travel to the US last year. Bookings from Europe into New York, host of the July 19 final, have plunged 15.8pc, Cirium said.
FIFA had projected 1.2 million fans would descend on the city, but Dandapani said the New York hotel association is only expecting half a million.
Dandapani said there has been a small uptick in bookings from UK and Norway fans recently, which he called a “positive sign.”
Hotels are hoping for a last-minute surge after the group stage concludes, despite discouraging early data. Average bookings across host cities are up just 0.5pc from a year earlier, according to analytics firm CoStar. Several New York hotels are discounting hotel rooms, said Dandapani, including the New York Hilton Midtown, the city’s largest hotel, which has slashed rates for the tournament in half to $415 per night, compared to advertised rates in December, he said.
Hilton in April said it was seeing strong bookings, driven by New York. The following month, Marriott said, “There obviously is still a lot left to book given that the exact matchups for the latter half of the competition have not yet been decided.”
Hilton declined to comment, while Marriott did not immediately respond to a comment request.
“Some fans are skipping the World Cup altogether,” said Andy Milne, England superfan and author of the book That World Cup Guy.
“Friends of mine are heading to Ibiza to watch every match on TV for a fraction of the price. Others are going to Vegas. It’ll still cost money, but far less than tickets, travel, hotels and transport to the stadiums.”
Even affluent fans, who have buoyed the performance of US travel companies, are waiting for matchups to crystallise or for their teams to advance before committing to travel, luxury sports travel company Roadtrips said.
Fans from more than half the qualified countries need visas to enter the United States, adding cost and uncertainty for travellers already wary of stricter border enforcement.
The Trump administration denied a Somali referee entry over alleged links to “suspected members of terror organisations.”
FIFA’s ticketing practices have also soured some fans. Organisers introduced record-high base prices and, for the first time, dynamic pricing that raised costs as the tournament neared.
FIFA’s decision to allow uncapped resale pricing inflated costs further and drew regulatory scrutiny. The cheapest ticket in host cities like New York and Miami now approaches $1,000, according to TicketData.
Even if ticket prices halve closer to key matches, last-minute demand may remain muted, as overseas fans still face the cost and complexity of booking travel and securing visas on short notice, said Dana Lattouf, CEO of Tickitto, a UK ticket distributor.
Vacation rentals, which allow groups to split costs, are a rare bright spot.
Airbnb told investors in May that the World Cup was on track to be its largest event ever. Data from short-term rental analytics firm AirDNA shows bookings, particularly for budget and economy rentals, are tracking higher in host cities, including Boston and Los Angeles.
Booked average daily rates for rentals across host cities were $218, while travellers looking now would pay about $335 as of June 8, AirDNA said, as hosts raise prices to capture last-minute demand.
There is way more leisure demand in all these cities because of the World Cup. That is unmistakable, said Jamie Lane, chief economist at AirDNA.
A controversial proposal to expand military technology cooperation between the United States and Israel is headed for a vote in the House of Representatives after surviving its first major congressional challenge, setting the stage for a broader debate over the future of one of Washington’s closest strategic relationships.
The measure, known as the United States-Israel Defence Technology Cooperation Initiative, advanced out of the House Armed Services Committee on Friday after lawmakers rejected an amendment seeking to remove it from the annual defence policy bill.
Opponents are expected to renew their challenge when the legislation reaches the House floor, likely in July.
The initiative is part of the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA), the annual legislation through which Congress sets policy and priorities for the US military.
If enacted, it would establish a formal framework for expanding cooperation between American and Israeli defence industries and research institutions. The proposal would require the Pentagon to designate a senior official to coordinate joint projects and identify areas for cooperation ranging from artificial intelligence and cyber security to autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing and counter-drone technologies.
Supporters describe the measure as a logical extension of a decades-old partnership that already includes intelligence sharing, missile defence programmes and joint weapons development. They argue that closer cooperation in emerging technologies would help both countries maintain military advantages in a rapidly changing security environment.
Critics contend that the proposal goes much further than existing arrangements and could create an unprecedented level of integration between the American and Israeli defence sectors.
The strongest challenge so far has come from Representative Ro Khanna, a California Democrat, who sought to remove the provision during the committee’s consideration of the defence bill.
“We need to tell Netanyahu that America calls the shots, not the prime minister of any other country,” Khanna told the committee. He also argued that Americans wanted “less cooperation and blank checks to Israel, not more.”
Khanna’s effort received support from Representative Thomas Massie, a Kentucky Republican who has also questioned deeper military commitments abroad. But the amendment was defeated after lawmakers from both parties rallied to defend the proposal.
House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mike Rogers dismissed concerns that the measure would undermine US sovereignty.
“Claims that this provision somehow cedes authority to a foreign government are ridiculous,” Rogers said.
Representative Adam Smith, the committee’s senior Democrat, argued that the initiative largely formalises cooperation that already exists between the two countries.
The debate reflects broader political changes in Washington. While support for Israel remains strong in Congress, divisions have become more visible in recent years, particularly following the Gaza war and growing criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government.
Progressive Democrats have increasingly questioned military aid and diplomatic support for Israel, while most Republicans and many mainstream Democrats continue to back close strategic ties.
Even after clearing the committee, the proposal faces several hurdles before becoming law. The House must approve the defence bill, the Senate must pass its own version, and the two chambers must reconcile any differences before sending final legislation to the president.
For now, however, supporters have won the first round of what is likely to be a longer battle over the future scope of US-Israel military cooperation.
ISLAMABAD: A PPP delegation, led by party Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, expressed its reservations related to taxes during a pre-budget meeting with Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Sunday, sources told Dawn.
The meeting was held at the Zardari House in Islamabad, an official statement by the PPP said, adding that apart from Bilawal, Sherry Rehman, Naveed Qamar, Murad Ali Shah and Jam Khan Shoro were also present.
“Matters related to the budget were discussed during the meeting,” it said.
The discussion also covered expenditure, development spending priorities, including the Public Sector Development Programme, as well as broader economic priorities such as fiscal sustainability, public welfare, development initiatives, and inclusive growth.
With the budget for FY2026-27 set to be announced on June 10 (Wednesday), this was the second round of pre-budget talks between the two major ruling partners, the PML-N and the PPP, and the third and final round is expected to be held on Monday.
Sources told Dawn that Dar assured the PPP that their proposal would be incorporated in the budget.
A source told Dawn that during the previous meeting, the PPP pointed out that provinces had been asked to raise their revenue targets in order to meet the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) requirements.
The IMF has asked the Centre to introduce at least Rs430bn worth of additional budgetary measures in the upcoming budget, alongside a nearly matching amount of Rs430bn to be generated by the four provinces.
In this connection, the PPP asked Dar for ways for the provinces to increase their tax revenues during the Sunday meeting, the source said.
Separately, a PPP leader said his party was trying to reach an agreement with the ruling PML-N on fiscal measures in light of the new IMF demands, adding that they were “unhappy with the budget in its current form”.
“The government wants to tax the same classes instead of expanding the tax base,” the PPP leader pointed out.
An insider pointed out to Dawn that IMF had set macroeconomic conditions, such as those relating to primary surplus and revenue targets, for the federal budget.
“The IMF has also set targets for the provinces in an unprecedented move,” the source added.
PPP leaders told Dawn they opposed new taxes and hoped the government would change its approach to taxation to provide relief to the inflation-hit masses.
One of the sources said the PPP team asserted during the meeting that the government should prefer a broader tax base instead of exerting pressure on the same tax class.
“The discussion revolved mostly around revenue and expenditures,” the source added.
Workers at SoFi Stadium in Los Angeles have overwhelmingly voted to authorise a potential strike during the World Cup, just days before football’s global showpiece begins.
The Unite Here Local 11 union, which represents about 2,000 stadium food and beverage workers, is demanding better pay along with assurances that federal immigration agents will not be allowed to enter the venue.
A whopping 96 per cent of voters approved the strike call, meaning they have the green light to walk off the job at any time, with the World Cup due to open on Thursday.
“Contract negotiations with stadium food service operator Legends Global and FIFA have not had significant progress on key economic and workplace safety issues,” the union said in a statement.
New talks are scheduled for Monday, ahead of the first World Cup match on US soil on June 12 at SoFi.
Cooks, dishwashers, bartenders, and others are represented by Unite Here.
SoFi Stadium — the world’s most expensive sports venue, which opened in 2020 at a cost exceeding $5 billion — will host eight World Cup matches.
“If we’re forced to strike, those $100,000 FIFA suites will have nothing but bottled water and Doritos,” said union co-president Kurt Petersen.
The union has demanded that workers be allowed to walk out if Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) personnel come to SoFi during World Cup matches and create “a reasonable fear for their safety.”
ICE has faced sharp criticism from human rights organizations for their sometimes brutal raids in various US cities, including Los Angeles.
Stadium workers have also expressed concerns about being forced to share their personal information with FIFA, football’s world governing body, to get World Cup accreditation — amid fears that data will be shared with ICE.
“The FIFA World Cup will generate enormous profits, but we are still fighting for basic respect and security,” stadium bartender Cesar Zamora said in a statement provided by the union.
“We deserve better, and if that means going on strike, I’m ready. “
WASHINGTON: The US Congress is moving to tighten oversight of Pentagon leadership decisions and limit unilateral military action against Iran, in a rare bipartisan effort that underscores renewed tensions over presidential war powers and civilian control of the military.
On Thursday, the House Armed Services Committee adopted a bipartisan provision that would require the Pentagon to notify Congress within five days whenever a senior military officer is dismissed, along with a written explanation for the decision.
Lawmakers say the measure is intended to improve transparency over personnel changes at the top levels of the armed forces, where congressional visibility has traditionally been limited.
The move comes amid broader scrutiny on Capitol Hill of the Trump administration’s handling of military operations against Iran and recent changes in senior defence leadership.
While Congress frequently debates executive war powers, bipartisan agreement on measures that directly constrain presidential military authority is uncommon in a sharply divided Washington.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives also adopted a War Powers resolution aimed at limiting the president’s ability to continue military operations against Iran without congressional authorisation.
The measure reflects growing interest among lawmakers in reasserting legislative authority over sustained military action under the 1973 War Powers framework, which requires congressional consultation when operations extend beyond defined time limits.
The latest resolution, introduced by Democratic Representative Pat Ryan, passed on Thursday by voice vote without objection, signalling unusual bipartisan consensus on an issue that has historically divided Congress along party lines.
The push for greater oversight has been fuelled in part by reports that US War Secretary Pete Hegseth has dismissed roughly two dozen senior military officers since taking office.
Some lawmakers in both parties have questioned both the scale of the removals and the absence of public explanations for the decisions.
Scrutiny intensified further after the removal of Army Chief of Staff General Randy George, a highly regarded officer with more than four decades of service.
Republican Congressman Steve Womack described Gen George as a “patriotic American,” reflecting unease within parts of the Republican caucus over the decision.
While civilian control of the military is a core principle of US governance, lawmakers have raised concerns in hearings about whether recent personnel changes have been accompanied by sufficient transparency to Congress, particularly at a time of heightened military activity in the Middle East.
The new reporting requirement still faces a long legislative path, needing approval by both chambers of Congress and the president’s signature. But its advancement at the committee level, alongside the War Powers resolution, signals a cautious but notable shift in congressional willingness to assert oversight over both military operations and senior Pentagon personnel decisions.
Even so, Republican lawmakers remain broadly supportive of the administration’s defence posture, suggesting that the emerging push for oversight is more focused on process and transparency than on a fundamental break with the White House’s military policy.
WASHINGTON: Three senior Democratic leaders urged their colleagues in the US Senate on Thursday to support the move to prevent President Donald Trump from continuing the war against Iran without congressional approval.
Democratic Whip Katherine Clark, Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, and Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar said in a joint statement that the House of Representatives on Wednesday “successfully passed a War Powers Resolution” and that it is “now time for Senate Republicans to do the right thing.”
They reminded Republican lawmakers that the Iran war has now lasted more than 90 days.
The 90-day period is significant because a US law designed to limit a president’s ability to wage war requires the “president to seek authorisation from Congress if military operations continue beyond that timeframe”.
The statement comes as the legislation moves into the Senate, where lawmakers are expected to decide whether to take up and pass a companion measure or adopt the House-passed version directly.
The resolution is part of a broader congressional effort under the War Powers Resolution framework, which allows Congress to challenge or limit sustained military operations initiated without explicit authorisation.
The immediate next step is a Senate floor process. The chamber will likely debate and vote on a version of the resolution, following earlier procedural votes that allowed similar measures to advance.
Several senators from both parties have previously supported moving the legislation forward, increasing the likelihood of formal consideration.
However, significant uncertainty remains over final passage. Republican leadership has generally opposed restricting the president’s wartime authority, arguing that such measures could interfere with ongoing military and diplomatic operations.
At the same time, Democrats are unified in pushing for congressional oversight of any continued military engagement with Iran.
Even if the Senate approves the resolution, it is expected to face a presidential veto from President Donald Trump. The administration has argued that congressional restrictions would undermine national security decision-making and limit executive flexibility during an active conflict.
Overriding a veto would require a two-thirds majority in both the House and Senate, a threshold that current political alignments make highly unlikely.
Although the measure faces steep procedural and political hurdles, its advancement reflects renewed tensions between Congress and the White House over war-making authority.
Regardless of its final fate, the debate underscores ongoing disputes about the limits of presidential power in authorising and sustaining military operations abroad.
The Ebola outbreak raging in central Africa had a “big head-start”, the World Health Organisation (WHO) chief acknowledged Wednesday, but insisted efforts to rein in the deadly virus were making progress.
The outbreak, which was declared on May 15 in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), has so far been confirmed to have infected 359 people, including 61 who have died.
But the actual numbers could be far higher, with the virus believed to have been spreading under the radar for some time before it was detected.
“The outbreak had a big head-start and we’re still behind,” WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told reporters at the UN health agency’s headquarters in Geneva, but insisted that “we’re catching up”.
Tedros, who had just returned from a trip to DRC, where he travelled to the outbreak’s epicentre in Ituri province, said he had been “very encouraged by the level of commitment I saw everywhere I went”.
But challenges remain, he said, warning that “the virus is ahead of us… we need to move faster”.
It has been clear from the start that the difficulties would be daunting, with the outbreak concentrated in Ituri, where decades of armed conflicts have forced millions of people from their homes and into crowded camps.
The region’s insecurity, limited testing capacity, lagging contact tracing and mistrust among some of the population are among the challenges facing the response, Tedros said.
On top of that, no vaccine or approved treatment exists for Bundibugyo, the rare strain of Ebola behind the current outbreak.
Ebola, which is passed on through close contact and bodily fluids, has killed more than 15,000 people in Africa over the past 50 years.
The current outbreak — the 17th to hit the DRC — has to date seen 344 confirmed Ebola cases across three of the country’s provinces, including 60 deaths, said the WHO.
The UN health agency also tallied 116 suspected cases of the disease.
Fifteen cases, including one death, have also been reported in neighbouring Uganda, including a Congolese resident who had arrived there after first travelling to the United Arab Emirates, Tedros said.
“WHO is working with public health authorities in Uganda and the UAE to gather additional information, assess the risk of exposure during travel, and to facilitate contact tracing,” he said.
The agency has said the risk from the outbreak is “very high” at the national level, “high” at the regional level, and “low” at the global level.
Tedros stressed on Wednesday that while the WHO recommends exit screening at airports, ports and border crossings in affected countries to prevent the spread of the virus, broader limits were unhelpful.
“Blanket travel restrictions imposed by some countries are disrupting supply chains and hindering the response,” he warned.
“We ask countries that have imposed blanket travel restrictions to lift them.” Reining in the outbreak would instead centre on significantly bolstering and speeding up the response on the ground, including by decentralising laboratory testing in Ebola hotspots, Tedros said.
At present, only around 45 per cent of known contacts of Ebola cases have been followed up, the WHO chief said.
“To get ahead of the outbreak, we need to get that number up to above 90pc.” Abdi Rahman Mahamud, the WHO’s emergency alert and response director, told reporters that so far, more than 1,400 tests had been conducted.
But decentralisation across five priority locations – Mongbwalu, Beni, Aru, Nyakunde and Tchomia – should soon make it possible “to do 1,000 tests a day”.
ISLAMABAD: Four PTI leaders, including the party’s general secretary, were expelled from Gilgit-Baltistan while local leaders were detained on Tuesday.
General elections in GB are scheduled for Sunday (June 7), after a four-month delay attributed to harsh winter weather.
According to the PTI leadership, the party is not being allowed to campaign in the upcoming elections.
“Today, upon entering Gilgit-Baltistan, I, along with Shaukat Basra, Naeem Panjutha, and Zaheer Babar, was stopped by the police within the jurisdiction of Jal Police Station and prevented from proceeding further,” PTI Secretary General Salman Akram Raja claimed in a post on X.
“The DSP informed us that my name had been specifically listed in their records. We and our colleagues from the Insaf Student Federation (ISF) were subsequently surrounded by police vehicles and forcibly escorted out of the province,” claimed the PTI general secretary.
Raja said that these actions “represent an attempt to restrict our constitutional right to free movement and political activity”.
“Such measures cannot suppress the voice of the people or their democratic aspirations. The nation has already made its decision: it stands with Imran Khan and the cause of freedom,” he added.
Talking to Dawn, Raja said that party leaders were travelling to GB by road, as PTI stalwart and former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser had earlier not been allowed to travel by air. Similarly, PTI lawmaker Junaid Akbar was also expelled from the region.
“When we reached the area of Jal police station in Diamer District, we were stopped by the police,” he alleged.
“The police officer was already aware that I was going to Gilgit-Baltistan. They told us that they had orders not to allow us to go there. I asked them who had given the orders, but they said, ‘You can understand who has given us the orders,’” he added.
Raja added that the police travelled with the PTI leaders until they reached Babusar Top, at which point they returned.
Shaukat Basra, while talking to Dawn, said that the people of GB were supporting PTI, and that was why the government was scared of the party’s election campaign.
“They are not giving us a level playing field for the elections, but I believe that the strategy of the government will backfire. While we were expelled, the local leaders and workers of the ISF, who had come to receive us, were arrested by the police,” he added.
Meanwhile, PTI Secretary Information Sheikh Waqas Akram strongly condemned the incident, comparing it with the general elections held on February 8, 2024.
According to Akram, Raja and other party leaders were barred from entering GB and sent back, a “repeat of the suppression tactics used against PTI leadership ahead of and during the 2024 general elections”.
He claimed that police were being provided lists and were identifying and stopping PTI-affiliated individuals from entering the region. Akram said the alleged action “constitutes a clear violation of the Constitution and democratic principles”.
Furthermore, he said a systematic campaign was being carried out in the name of issuing no-objection certificates (NOCs), mirroring the administrative hurdles and restrictions imposed on PTI candidates and workers across Pakistan in February 2024.
He said ruling parties, particularly the PML-N and PPP, were enjoying full state patronage.
“The administration is providing them with facilities and protocol for their public meetings, while every door is being shut on PTI, a clear replication of the one-sided state support extended to these parties in February 2024”, he said.
Earlier today, political bigwigs sought to garner public support in GB as PML-N President Nawaz Sharif and PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari addressed rallies.
Bilawal said the region should be afforded the same rights and protections that other provinces enjoy under the 18th Amendment.
Meanwhile, the PML-N supremo lamented the lack of development in the region.
“I am speaking to you after many years. Isn’t that the case? Perhaps you have forgotten me,” Nawaz said while addressing the public in Gilgit, prompting roaring chants in his support.
The PML-N president then assured the GB residents that he would hold a meeting with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and ask him to expand the airport so that commercial jets could operate there.
European Union (EU) top diplomat Kaja Kallas on Monday said the bloc sought stability in the region, adding that it was in everyone’s interest for the ongoing war in the Middle East to end and for the Strait of Hormuz to remain open.
Kallas, who serves as vice-president of the European Commission and the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy, is visiting Pakistan at the invitation of Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar to participate in the 8th round of the EU-Pakistan Strategic Dialogue, which was held earlier today.
In an interview on the Geo News programme ‘Capital Talk’, Kallas said, “This is in everybody’s interest that this war is stopped and the Strait of Hormuz is opened. We are paying a very high price. There are a lot of things dependent on the Strait of Hormuz.”
During the appearance on the show, she commended Pakistan for being a mediator between the United States and Iran, bringing all the parties together, adding that, “Eventually, the [warring] parties have to decide.”
“Everybody is hoping that the first phase of this agreement is signed, so the talks on the difficult topics like nuclear can be started,” she said.
Kallas added that the EU seeks stability in the region. “The problems of our neighbour today could be the problems for us tomorrow. We are all very interlinked.”
She called the Strait of Hormuz a “chokepoint”, mentioning that the EU was also looking forward to diversifying its trade routes and supply chain. “You cannot remain dependent on a single route.”
When asked if she sees any parallels between Russia’s war against Ukraine and Israeli actions in Gaza and Lebanon, she replied: “I see parallels in all these crises undermining international law. We have the UN Charter, which is very clear: you can’t attack another country; you have to respect another country’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. No one should be above the law.”
Talking about the renewal of Pakistan’s GSP+ status, Kallas said, “We discussed it with our counterparts today. The preferential access to our markets is also conditional.”
“It is true that we have a report coming up in July, and then the question of renewing this preference,” she added.
“However, the conventions have to be adopted, particularly on human rights issues, where we need to see improvements.”
She elaborated that the renewal process goes through the EU Parliament.
“The EU Parliament is always scrutinising, and we have been raising these issues on what more can be done to improve the situation,” she said.
When asked whether the EU was satisfied with Pakistan’s legislation to meet the conditions, she said: “Our counterparts are mentioning what they are doing in various files, but this is something where we clearly need to see improvements.”
“We are putting forward some very concrete questions. Hopefully, there is time for improvement in those areas, and then we can renew this scheme easily,” she concluded.
