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Dawn - 05:35 Jan 10, 2026
Venezuela said on Friday it had launched talks with the United States on restoring diplomatic ties, days after US forces deposed Nicolas Maduro as its president. It was the latest sign of cooperation following the leftist leader’s capture and US President Donald Trump’s claim to be “in charge” of the South American country. Officials said US diplomats were in Caracas to discuss reopening the country’s embassy, while in Washington, Trump met with oil companies over his plans to access Venezuela’s huge crude reserves. The government of interim President Delcy Rodriguez “has decided to initiate an exploratory diplomatic process with the government of the United States of America, aimed at re-establishing diplomatic missions in both countries,” Foreign Minister Yvan Gil said in a statement. John McNamara, the top US diplomat in neighbouring Colombia, and other personnel “travelled to Caracas to conduct an initial assessment for a potential phased resumption of operations,” a US official said on customary conditio... -
Dawn - 03:31 Jan 10, 2026
KARACHI: Terming the country’s ‘Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan’ — now in its third and final phase — “unlawful… given it violates… the right to non-refoulement”, Amnesty International has called on Pakistan to halt the deportation of Afghan refugees. In an open letter to PM Shehbaz Sharif, Agnes Callamard — secretary general of the global rights watchdog — noted that Pakistan has been a generous host to refugees for over 40 years, but noted that its policy changed significantly once the repatriation plan was announced in Sept 2023. “Since then, Amnesty International has documented a complete lack of transparency, due process and accountability in the unlawful arrests, detentions and deportations of Afghan nationals in Pakistan,” it said. It also called on the country to create well-resourced and accessible pathways for the registration of refugees, taking proactive measures to expedite the registration of refugees particularly at risk, including but not limited to women and girls, journalists, and tho... -
Dawn - 02:48 Jan 10, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Despite the government’s proclamations of reforms and economic stabilisation, the overall financial performance of state-owned entities (SOEs) deteriorated further in 2024-25, with their consolidated losses surging by 302 per cent, mainly led by the power sector, according to the Ministry of Finance (MoF). The ministry confirmed that not only did overall revenues decline, but consolidated profits also fell, and financial losses and budget injections increased in 2024-25 compared to the previous year. The consolidated financial results of the SOEs firmed up by Central Monitoring Unit (CMU) of the MoF came up for review before a meeting of the Cabinet Committee on SOE (CCoSOEs) presided over by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Friday. The committee was informed that “during 2024-25, aggregate revenues of SOEs stood at approximately Rs12.4 trillion, reflecting a decline largely attributable to reduced profitability in the oil sector following lower international oil prices,” the MoF said. Aggreg... -
Dawn - 00:18 Jan 10, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has begun soft global marketing of the 2nd Pakistan Minerals Investment Forum, 2026 (PMIF26), scheduled to be held here on April 8 and 9, according to an official announcement on Friday. Petroleum Minister Ali Pervaiz Malik held a briefing session with Pakistan’s ambassadors and high commissioners posted in key foreign capitals to advance preparations and mobilise international participation for the event. The meeting was conducted virtually with Pakistan’s missions abroad, while senior officials from the petroleum division and representatives of key public sector entities attended in person. The session focused on aligning diplomatic outreach with national economic priorities and positioning PMIF26 as a premier global platform for investment in Pakistan’s mineral and mining sector, the petroleum division said. PM approves national policy framework to reform gemstones sector During the briefing, the minister explained the aims, scale, and strategic importance of PMIF26 as a forum represent... -
Dawn - 19:24 Jan 09, 2026
Turkiye is reportedly seeking entry into a mutual defence agreement between Pakistan and Saudi Arabia, potentially paving the way for a new security alignment that could shift the balance of power in the Middle East and beyond, Bloomberg reported Friday. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman signed a “Strategic Mutual Defence Agreement” in Riyadh last September, pledging that any attack on either nation would be treated as an act of aggression against both. Citing people familiar with the matter, who spoke anonymously, Bloomberg reported that the talks are at an advanced stage and “a deal is very likely”. “The expanded alliance would make sense because Turkiye’s interests increasingly overlap with those of Saudi Arabia and Pakistan in South Asia, the Middle East and even Africa,” the report read. “Turkiye also sees the pact as a way of strengthening security and deterrents when there are questions over the reliability of the US, which has strong military ties with all three ... -
Dawn - 19:04 Jan 09, 2026
India’s trade pact with the United States was delayed because Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not make a telephone call to US President Donald Trump to close a deal they were negotiating, Commerce Secretary Howard Lutnick said on Friday. The trade talks fell apart last year and Trump doubled tariffs on Indian goods in August to 50 per cent, the world’s highest rate, including a levy of 25pc in retaliation for India’s purchases of Russian oil. “It’s all set up and you have got to have Modi call the president. And they were uncomfortable doing it,” Lutnick said in an interview on the All-In podcast, a US show by four venture capitalists that focuses on business and technology. “So Modi didn’t call.” The comments came after Trump stepped up the pressure for talks with a warning this week that tariffs could rise further unless India curbs its Russian oil imports. That step pushed the Indian rupee to a record low and spooked investors waiting for progress in two-way negotiations for a trade deal that remains elus... -
Dawn - 18:50 Jan 09, 2026
Prime Minister‘s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Friday said that Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi is engaging in “illegal activity and travel” by trying to mobilise the party’s support base for a nationwide street movement. The KP chief executive is currently in Karachi as part of the PTI’s plans to launch a street movement, as per the directions of party founder Imran Khan. Speaking on the Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada ke Saath’, the PM’s aide said that the PTI was in no position to launch a street movement and described their upcoming nationwide wheel-jam strike on February 8 as “violence”. “They cannot mobilise because it isn’t in accordance with the law. The KP CM is involved in illegal activity and his travel is illegal,” Sanaullah said. When asked what part of CM Afridi’s visit was illegal, Sanaullah replied: “How is a wheel-jam strike a political activity permitted by the law and Constitution? Holding a wheel-jam strike in and of itself is illegal.” Sanaullah a... -
Dawn - 18:46 Jan 09, 2026
KARACHI: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi on Friday evening continued his efforts to rally PTI’s support base in Karachi to support the party’s upcoming nationwide street movement. After his visit to the Karachi Press Club (KPC), the provincial chief executive was scheduled to visit Insaf House and hold public meetings in the city’s district South and Malir. Earlier in the evening, Afridi reached the KPC and met with the city’s journalist fraternity while appreciating the welcome extended to him by the Sindh government. From the airport, the KP CM’s convoy took six hours to reach the press club, accompanied by a large crowd of party supporters. During his interaction with the media, Afridi compared his arrival in the metropolis with his recent visit to Lahore and said, “Karachi has been more welcoming than Lahore”. “The democratic traditions of Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto and Benazir Bhutto are still alive in Sindh,” said the KP CM during his interaction with journalists at the press club. The KP chief... -
Dawn - 18:30 Jan 09, 2026
Punjab Education Minister Rana Sikandar Hayat on Friday clarified that all schools and colleges across the province will reopen on January 12. The clarification comes after a reportedly fake notification circulated on social media claiming that winter vacations in Punjab had been extended from January 10 to 17. However, the education minister rebuffed claims of extending winter holidays, urging the public to “avoid fake news.” Earlier this week, he had also denied any extension of the winter holidays. Later in the evening, the education minister posted a poll on his X account, asking people about when schools and colleges in Punjab should reopen. The two options were January 12 and 19. Around 11:30pm on January 9, 82.5 per cent of users were in favour of January 19, while 17.5pc for January 12. Commenters seemed in favour of reopening institutions on the later date, due to the increasing cold in the province, while others noted that January 19 would be peak cold in Punjab. Another user questioned why the mini... -
Dawn - 18:10 Jan 09, 2026
Iran was largely cut off from the outside world on Friday after authorities blacked out the internet to curb expanding protests, with phone calls not reaching the country, flights cancelled and online Iranian news sites only intermittently updating. Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei accused protesters of acting on behalf of US President Donald Trump, saying rioters were attacking public properties and warning that Tehran would not tolerate people acting as “mercenaries for foreigners”. He also told Trump to focus on the problems in his own country. The protests, which began on December 28 over an inflationary spiral, have not approached the scale of unrest three years ago but have spread across Iran with dozens reported dead and the authorities looking more vulnerable because of a dire economy and the aftermath of last year’s war with Israel and the United States. The US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency has reported at least 34 protesters and four security personnel killed, and 2,200 arrested duri... -
Dawn - 18:01 Jan 09, 2026
Israel’s military said it struck Hezbollah targets in several areas of Lebanon on Friday, a day after the Lebanese army said it had completed the first phase of its plan to disarm the group. Under US pressure and amid fears of expanded Israeli strikes, Lebanon has committed to disarming the resistance group, which was weakened by more than a year of hostilities with Israel, including two months of all-out war that ended with a November 2024 ceasefire. Despite the truce, Israel has kept up regular strikes in Lebanon, usually claiming it is targeting Hezbollah sites and operatives, and has maintained troops in five south Lebanon areas it deems strategic, accusing the group of rearming. In a statement on Friday, the Israeli military said it struck “several areas in Lebanon”, targeting “weapons storage facilities and a weapons production site that were used for the rehabilitation and military build-up of the Hezbollah terrorist organisation”. “Additionally, several launch sites and rocket launchers, along with mi... -
Dawn - 17:57 Jan 09, 2026
LAHORE: Acting on public complaints about hospitals, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz on Friday made it mandatory for hospital staff to wear body cameras. Body cameras, or body cams, are wearable audio and video recording devices used to capture footage of official action for evidence. Last month, following corruption complaints against the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority (Pera), CM Maryam made it mandatory for field officials to wear body cams in a bid to ensure transparency and accountability. However, this order has yet to be implemented. Presiding over a meeting on provincial health projects today, the CM said that wearing body cams would be mandatory for nurses, ward boys, security guards, and pharmacy staff. The CM further said that public hospital administration must ensure the comprehensive daily steam cleaning of facilities by 9am. “There must be a ban on the use of mobile phones by doctors and nurses during duty hours, stressing that patient care must remain the foremost priority,” she... -
Dawn - 17:55 Jan 09, 2026
ISLAMABAD: While chairing a meeting to review the performance of the Immigration Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday issued orders for strict screening of travel documents at airports. The ongoing campaign to prevent illegal immigration and human smuggling, as well as actions against the professional beggar mafia, came under detailed discussion during the meeting. The interior minister’s order came amid complaints of arbitrary offloading at airports despite travelers carrying valid documents. In the first week of December, Naqvi had said that 50–70 passengers were being offloaded daily from flights to protect the country’s passport reputation, which, at an average of 60 per day, comes to fewer than 22,000 in a year. However, official figures showed that the actual number of offloaded passengers in 2025 was three times higher, at 66,000. During the meeting today, the interior minister ordered the continuation of relentless and strict action against the mafia... -
Dawn - 16:35 Jan 09, 2026
PTI leader Barrister Ali Zafar on Friday said that no dialogue could be held with the government until it allowed meetings with incarcerated party founder Imran Khan. He made the remarks while speaking alongside a delegation of the opposition alliance Tehreek Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) in Lahore, which is on a three-day visit to the city as part of the opposition’s “street movement” to hold political and social gatherings. The alliance posted on X that TTAP chief Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas arrived on Friday at a gathering held at the residence of Advocate Chaudhry Ghulam Abbas, where a large number of journalists, political leaders and PTI workers were present. Speaking during the gathering, PTI leader Barrister Ali Zafar welcomed the TTAP delegation to Lahore. He urged the TTAP to use its platform to push for a meeting with Imran, who has not been allowed visitors in recent weeks. “No talks or dialogue can start until meetings are allowed with Imran,” he said. Zafar assured the TT... -
Dawn - 16:22 Jan 09, 2026
KARACHI: A woman was allegedly shot dead by her husband, a serving police official, over ‘honour’ in Karachi’s Shadman Town on Friday, according to police. A police spokesperson said in a statement that the 40-year-old woman was shot and injured by her husband in their home. During the initial probe, it transpired that the incident occurred over a “domestic dispute”. “After receiving information [about the incident], the police rushed to the spot and shifted the injured woman to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, where she expired,” Senior Superintendent of Police (Central) Zeeshan Shafiq Siddiqi said. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the body bore “two gunshot injuries to [the] torso, through and through”. The SSP, meanwhile, added that the suspect — who fled the scene — is a serving police inspector posted with the Special Investigation Unit (SIU). SSP Siddiqi said it was the victim’s second marriage. “The suspect had doubts that his wife was still in ‘contact’ with her former husband,” he said. “CCTV f... -
Dawn - 16:01 Jan 09, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar will leave on Friday night for Saudi Arabia to attend an extraordinary meeting of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Council of Foreign Ministers, scheduled for Saturday. The meeting will discuss the implications of Israel’s recognition of Somaliland. “The session will address the implications of Israel’s recognition of the so-called Somaliland region of the Federal Republic of Somalia,” read a statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) on Friday. It said the deputy prime minister will share Pakistan’s position on the issue of Somaliland. On the sidelines, Dar will also hold bilateral meetings with his counterparts from OIC member states to discuss further cooperation on regional and international issues, added the FO. Somaliland enjoys a strategic position on the Gulf of Aden and has its own currency, passport and army, but has struggled to win international recognition, amid fears of provoking Somalia and encouraging other separatist movements... -
Dawn - 15:39 Jan 09, 2026
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar on Friday slammed the PTI for its stance towards the banned TTP and claimed the party has extended an “olive branch” towards the group. “The spokespersons of the political party are afraid of talking about the terrorist group, as they have taken exemption from it by extending an ‘olive branch’ to them,” said Tarar while addressing a press conference alongside former ANP senator Zahid Khan. The information minister also accused the PTI of initiating “confidence-building measures with the TTP” and added that they were afraid of being attacked by the TTP, so they didn’t call them terrorists. Tarar made this statement after playing a clip from a Hum News program in which the host openly called the TTP a terrorist group. However, Shafiullah Jan, an adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister, insisted that there are “groups within the TTP,” adding that those who are “against the state are terrorists.” “They are afraid of saying anything regarding the TTP,” said Tarar, citi... -
Dawn - 14:00 Jan 09, 2026
Pakistan’s squash sensation Noor Zaman gave former world champion Mohamed Elshorbagy a run for his money as he took the Englishman to five intense games at the Karachi Open quarterfinals before being defeated and ending Pakistan’s streak at the international tournament. Noor had a shaky start in the first game against the former world number one, who wowed the crowd with exceptional shots that the 21-year-old Pakistani couldn’t keep up with, winning 11-2. But Noor had the advantage of a home crowd that was cheering him on for every handful of points he won, finding his footing in the second game that Elshorbagy took 11-8. It was in the third game that Noor finally found his momentum and defeated Elshorbagy 11-6 to stay in the running for a spot in the semifinals. He exited the court to “shabash Noor!” from the crowd of sports enthusiasts and former athletes in Creek Club’s glass court. Noor had begun loosening Elshorbagy’s grip on what otherwise seemed like a sure-shot, three-game victory for the current worl... -
Dawn - 12:46 Jan 09, 2026
Elon Musk’s AI chatbot Grok on Friday turned off its image creation feature for non-paying users of X following backlash over its use in creating sexualised deepfakes of women and children. Owned by Elon Musk and developed by xAI, Grok’s image-generation and editing tools have faced backlash on the social media platform X after netizens raised concerns about the chatbot generating nude images of women and children. Musk has also been threatened with fines, and several countries have recently pushed back publicly against the tool over its creation of sexually explicit imagery. Replying to users on Musk’s social media platform X, Grok posted: “Image generation and editing are currently limited to paying subscribers. You can subscribe to unlock these features.” The change means many users of the tool can no longer generate or edit images using the AI. Paying customers must provide the platform with their credit card information and personal details. The European Commission this week said the photos of undressed ... -
Dawn - 12:37 Jan 09, 2026
Russia fired a powerful hypersonic missile at Ukraine near the EU border overnight, in what Kyiv called a new threat to European security that demanded a global response. Moscow said it had fired the Oreshnik missile in response to what it has described as an attempted drone attack on one of President Vladimir Putin’s residences last month, which Ukraine has denied and the United States has said did not happen. It was only the second time Russia has fired the Oreshnik at Ukraine, and came amid a night of air attacks that Ukrainian authorities said also killed four people in Kyiv, knocked out power in the capital and damaged the Qatari embassy there. The Oreshnik, designed to project power across Europe and which Moscow says is impossible to intercept, is capable of carrying nuclear warheads, although there was no suggestion it had done so. Rescuers work at the site of the apartment building hit by a Russian drone strike in Kyiv, Ukraine on January 9. — Reuters “Such a strike close to [the] EU and Nato border ...
6698 items