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Dawn - 13:16 Jan 22, 2026
Ran Barzilay, a psychiatrist and researcher at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, won’t be letting his nine-year-old son get a smartphone before age 13. He made the decision based on data from his recent study, published in the medical journal Pediatrics, which linked getting a smartphone at a young age to worse health consequences. Kids who owned a smartphone by age 12 had a greater risk of depression, obesity, and insufficient sleep compared to those who didn’t, a research team led by Barzilay found. That was based on observational data collected between 2016 and 2022 in an ongoing study of more than 10,000 children across the United States. Designed to assess brain development and child health, the nationwide Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study has been following children for the last decade, starting from ages nine to 10 into early adulthood. The age at which kids got a phone in this cohort ranged from four to 13, with a median age of 11. “We’re not advocating for people to go back to the Stone... -
Dawn - 12:49 Jan 22, 2026
Bangladesh will not travel to India to play in next month’s T20 World Cup, its cricket board said on Thursday, effectively ruling the country out of the tournament. According to ESPN Cricinfo, the decision was announced after a meeting in Dhaka between Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul, CEO Nizamuddin, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul and several national team players. “Our only demand is to play the World Cup – but not in India,” the BCB president told reporters. The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that it would not be making any changes to the World Cup schedule or groups, days after Bangladesh requested that its matches be moved to Sri Lanka after refusing to play in India. “We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka,” the BCB president said. “They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum but a global body can’t really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup (if Bangladesh is axed). It will be their loss…” “Bangladesh is a cricket... -
Dawn - 12:16 Jan 22, 2026
Nestle on Thursday announced that it would invest an additional $60 million in Pakistan and would also “undertake a robust expansion of its operations in the country”. The development came as Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb met Remy Ejel, the executive vice president and chief executive officer for Asia, Oceania, and Africa at Nestle, on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, according to a statement issued by the finance ministry. The ministry said Aurangzeb chaired a high-level business roundtable on the sidelines of the WEF, bringing together chief executive officers and senior leaders of leading global corporations to discuss Pakistan’s reform trajectory, investment climate, and long-term growth potential. “The roundtable formed part of the government of Pakistan’s ongoing engagement with multinational investors to promote policy predictability, economic formalisation, and sustainable, export-oriented growth,” it said. “A major highlight of the discussion was the announcement by Eje... -
Dawn - 11:03 Jan 22, 2026
KARACHI: Over 288,000 e-tickets have been issued under the Traffic Regulation and Citation System (TRACS) since its launch in October last year, it emerged on Thursday. Last year, the Sindh government had decided that e-challans for traffic violations would be delivered to vehicle owners’ registered home addresses. The system was officially inaugurated in October and drew a mix of praise and criticism from the public. According to a press release issued from the office of Sindh Inspector General of Police (IG) Javed Akhtar Odho, in a meeting held at the Central Police Office Karachi today, the newly appointed IG reviewed the performance of the new traffic system. During the meeting, the deputy inspector general of traffic police briefed Odho that “so far, over 288,000 e-tickets have been generated under TRACS,” out of which 52 per cent of the tickets had been delivered, while 48pc were still under process. The IGP was informed that the “reason for the delay in delivery was due to refusal to accept tickets, ch... -
Dawn - 09:55 Jan 22, 2026
The US is due to officially exit the World Health Organisation on Thursday, in the face of warnings it will hit both US health and global health and also in violation of a US law that requires Washington to pay the UN health agency $260 million in fees that it owes. President Donald Trump gave notice that the US would quit the organisation on the first day of his presidency in 2025, via an executive order. Under US law, it has to give one-year notice and pay all outstanding fees before departure. On Thursday, a US State Department spokesperson said the WHO’s failure to contain, manage and share information had cost the US trillions of dollars and the president had exercised his authority to pause the future transfer of any US government funds, support, or resources to the WHO. “The American people have paid more than enough to this organisation and this economic hit is beyond a down payment on any financial obligations to the organisation,” the spokesperson said by email. Quick return unlikely Over the last y... -
Dawn - 08:03 Jan 22, 2026
President Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday approved the confirmation of a total of 27 additional judges of the Sindh, Lahore, and Peshawar high courts. According to a statement issued on Thursday by the president’s secretariat, the approval was given in accordance with the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Pakistan (JCP). For the Sindh High Court (SHC), the statement said the president had approved the confirmation of all 10 additional judges recommended by the JCP: Justices Miran Muhammad Shah, Tasneem Sultana, Riazat Ali Sahar, Muhammad Hasan, Abdul Hamid Bhurgi, Jan Ali Junejo, Nisar Ahmed Bhanbhro, Ali Haider ‘Ada’, Muhammad Osman Ali Hadi and Muhammad Jaffer Raza. President Zardari also approved a six-month extension in the tenures of Justices Khalid Hussain Shahani and Syed Faizul Hassan Shah of the SHC, the statement added. For the Lahore High Court (LHC), President Zardari confirmed all 11 additional judges recommended by the JCP as permanent judges, namely Justices Hassan Nawaz Makhdoom, Mali... -
Dawn - 07:07 Jan 22, 2026
Over the past 3.5 years, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has written to X three times seeking closure of an account in PTI founder Imran Khan’s name, but received no response, it emerged on Thursday. The information came to light in a PTA report, seen by Dawn and submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) today in relation to a petition against the incarcerated former premier regarding “inflammatory posts” made from an X account operated in his name. The report stated that the first request was sent on August 21, 2022, to X, and the body received no response from the social media platform. On April 18, 2024, PTA submitted another request for the blocking of Imran’s account via email. The report said that the email included “citation of relevant court orders against Imran and details of his conviction and sentence to 14, 10, and seven years in Toshakhana, cypher, and unlawful marriage cases”. However, it added that once again, no response was received from X. The report added that on November 2... -
Dawn - 06:31 Jan 22, 2026
US President Donald Trump repeatedly made an apparent gaffe in a speech Wednesday to world leaders assembled in Switzerland by referring to “Iceland” several times instead of his much coveted “Greenland”, with the White House furiously denying any confusion on his part. The 79-year-old Republican has been clamoring for the United States to acquire Greenland, a large island territory of Denmark, citing what he called security threats from Russia and China in the Arctic Circle. On Wednesday he announced a “framework” for a future deal on Greenland and the cancellation of planned tariffs on European countries that had opposed his moves to control the island — but not before ruffling Nato allies and straining transatlantic relations. “I’m helping Nato, and until the last few days, when I told them about Iceland, they loved me,” Trump said during his remarks to the World Economic Forum meeting in Davos. “They’re not there for us on Iceland — that I can tell you. I mean, our stock market took the first dip yesterda... -
Dawn - 04:14 Jan 22, 2026
KARACHI: Only after a devastating fire at Gul Plaza caused massive human and financial losses, enraging the public over the lack of firefighting mechanisms and emergency exits, has the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) decided to enforce fire safety rules in buildings in the metropolis. The delayed action has triggered backlash from builders, developers and civil society, who say that the building regulator has been sitting on a KMC fire safety audit report for over two years despite being formally notified. They termed the SBCA’s sudden directives to building owners “too little, too late”, accusing the authority of criminal negligence and questioning how many lives could have been saved if the warnings had been acted upon earlier. “Since the SBCA will not be able to achieve the desired objectives without the cooperation of your members in this matter, you are therefore requested to direct your members to immediately comply with the fire safety deficiencies highlighted in the audit reports within three ... -
Dawn - 04:00 Jan 22, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Fitch Ratings, one of the world’s top three agencies, on Wednesday affirmed Pakistan’s long-term debt ratings at ‘B-’ (B-negative), which it had upgraded in April last year, and assigned a Recovery Rating of ‘RR4’ following the removal of the ratings from Under Criteria Observation (UCO). In a statement issued from its regional office in Hong Kong, the agency said the rating actions reflect the application of Fitch’s new Sovereign Rating Criteria, effective September 2025, and the inclusion of recovery assumptions into sovereign debt ratings for the first time. The recovery rating RR4 denotes ‘average’ recovery expectation from default in a scale of six categories, starting from RR1 for outstanding, RR2 for superior, RR3 for good and RR4 for average. This is followed by RR5 for below average and RR6 for poor. The senior unsecured long-term debt ratings of Pakistan and The Pakistan Global Sukuk Programme Company Ltd are equalised with Pakistan’s Long-Term Foreign-Currency Issuer Default Rating (IDR)... -
Dawn - 18:45 Jan 21, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday said that export-led growth was the only way forward for Pakistan. The premier made the remarks while addressing a breakfast event at the Pakistan Pavilion on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos. In his remarks, the premier said Pakistan “is moving forward with a sense of achievement and a sense of purpose”, noting a drop in the inflation rate and a reduction in the policy rate. However, he noted that exports were facing challenges and that social indicators “need to be improved through continuous joint efforts”. “Our exports, collectively, do face different kinds of challenges,” the premier noted. “But the way forward is very clear: Pakistan has to have export-led growth,” he asserted. PM Shehbaz said that the government brought in “fundamental structural changes” to the system, such as digitalising revenue collection. He stated that the tax collection-to-GDP ratio stood at 10.5pc, compared to 9pc two years ago, hailing it as a “significant achi... -
Dawn - 18:44 Jan 21, 2026
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Wednesday reiterated his argument in favour of an empowered local government system, saying that the “dispersal of power actually multiplies power” and “concentration of power diminishes it”. His fresh remarks come a day after he called for a “meaningful” constitutional amendment to introduce an empowered local government system in the country. During a speech in the National Assembly on Tuesday, he had also remarked that the 18th Amendment had proven to be a “farce” and had “concentrated all powers in provincial capitals”. The debate in the lower House of Parliament was sparked during a discussion on the Gul Plaza inferno, with Muttahida Qaumi Movement’s Farooq Sattar calling for the creation of more administrative units for better governance in Karachi and strengthening local government systems. Asif had endorsed Sattar’s views during the NA session. On Wednesday, he said on X that “empowering local governments means taking the government to the common man’s doorstep”. In su... -
Dawn - 18:43 Jan 21, 2026
KARACHI: In a harrowing development, at least 30 bodies were recovered from a gutted shop as rescuers combed through the wreckage of Karachi’s Gul Plaza on Wednesday. Karachi South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that the remains of 30 humans had been recovered from a shop called “Dubai Crockery” located on the mezzanine floor. He said that earlier in the day, rescue workers had recovered three more bodies, which had taken the toll from 28 to 31. He added that with the discovery of the bodies from the gutted shop, the death toll was estimated to have risen to 61. However, he cautioned that a final conclusion about the death toll could only be reached after receiving the DNA reports. He said that the relatives of those missing as well as the shopkeepers had previously indicated the possibility of there being a large number of people at the shop. Raza said that as per the last contact with the victims, they had believed they would be safe and the fire would be controlled but had suffocated to ... -
Dawn - 18:42 Jan 21, 2026
Pakistan and seven other Muslim-majority countries on Wednesday released a statement announcing their decision to join US President Donald Trump’s so-called ‘Board of Peace’. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia and Qatar welcomed the invitation “extended to their leaders” by Trump. “The ministers announce their countries’ shared decision to join the Board of Peace. Each country will sign the joining documents according to its respective relevant legal and other necessary procedures, including Egypt, Pakistan, and the UAE, that have already announced to join,” the joint statement said. It should be noted that all eight countries had worked with Trump in October last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza. The UAE had announced its decision to join the board on Tuesday while Pakistan and Egypt had separately announced it on Wednesday. “The ministers reiterate their countries’ support for the peace efforts l... -
Dawn - 18:21 Jan 21, 2026
An Israeli air strike killed an AFP freelancer and two other journalists in Gaza on Wednesday, the territory’s civil defence agency said, while the military said it struck “suspects” operating a drone. Since October 10, a fragile US-sponsored ceasefire in Gaza has largely halted the fighting between Israeli forces and Hamas, but both sides have alleged frequent violations. In a statement, the civil defence said “the bodies of the three journalists killed in an Israeli air strike in the Al-Zahra area southwest of Gaza City were transported to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Hospital in Deir al-Balah”. It named the dead as Mohammed Salah Qashta, Abdul Raouf Shaat and Anas Ghneim. Shaat had contributed regularly to AFP as a photo and video journalist, but at the time of the strike, he was not on assignment for the agency. In a statement, the Israeli military said troops had “identified several suspects who operated a drone affiliated with Hamas in the central Gaza Strip”. The military did not elaborate on what it meant by a “dr... -
Dawn - 17:47 Jan 21, 2026
US President Donald Trump ruled out the use of force in his bid to control Greenland on Wednesday, but said in a speech in Davos that no other country can secure the Danish territory. “People thought I would use force, but I don’t have to use force,” Trump said at the World Economic Forum annual meeting in Switzerland. “I don’t want to use force. I won’t use force.” Trump took a hectoring tone, chastising the United States’ European allies for their insolence, disloyalty and policy missteps in areas ranging from wind power and the environment to immigration and geopolitics. Trump’s increasing threats to Europe over Greenland have frayed transatlantic ties and worried Europeans, overshadowing a speech that was intended to focus primarily on the US economy. Calling Denmark “ungrateful,” the Republican US president played down the issue as a “small ask” over a “piece of ice” and that an acquisition would be no threat to the Nato alliance, which includes Denmark and the United States. “No nation or group of natio... -
Dawn - 17:30 Jan 21, 2026
ISLAMABAD: PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan on Wednesday urged the government to hold “unconditional” talks with the opposition, saying that there should be no conditions in dialogue between political parties. Speaking to the media, Gohar said that it was wrong to say that negotiations would only be held on specific topics. “It is wrong to say that negotiations will be held on this topic but this topic cannot be included in negotiations,” he said. “If you want to hold dialogue, you should speak on all topics,” he said. At the same time, the PTI chairman said that he did not have the authority to negotiate with the government. He said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai and Allama Raja Nasir Abbas — who were recently appointed opposition leaders in the National Assembly and the Senate, respectively — had been given the authority to hold talks with the government. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi has stated that PTI founder Imran Khan has given Achakzai and Abbas the responsibility of making decision... -
Dawn - 15:54 Jan 21, 2026
Senior PTI leaders incarcerated in Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat jail oppose any attempt to change voting age
Five senior PTI leaders incarcerated at Lahore’s Kot Lakhpat on Wednesday opposed any change in the voting age, asking whether those “operating in the dark” were afraid of the youth’s power. Shah Mahmood Qureshi, Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry, Mian Mahmoodur Rasheed and Omar Sarfraz Cheema made the remarks in a letter sent through their advocate. The development comes as debate has been raging in the country on raising the voting age from 18 to 25, with the topic also being discussed on TV shows. It is worth mentioning that no formal bill has been tabled in parliament for raising the voting age in Pakistan. A column published in Dawn on Wednesday also stated that “well-connected people” were floating the idea of raising the voting age to 25 as a possible reform. In the letter, seen by Dawn, the PTI leaders said Pakistan had witnessed its first general elections in 1970, when the voting age was 21 years. However, with the advent of the 21st century, the world transformed into a global village because of whic... -
Dawn - 15:23 Jan 21, 2026
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday announced that it would not be making any changes to the Men’s T20 World Cup schedule or groups, days after Bangladesh requested that its matches be moved to Sri Lanka after refusing to play in India. Bangladesh announced on Jan 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh had “formally requested” the ICC to shift their games to Sri Lanka. The T20 World Cup begins on February 7 with Bangladesh in England’s Group C. The team is scheduled to play all of their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. In a statement issued on Wednesday, the ICC said the decision was reached after “considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any tournament venues in the cou... -
Dawn - 15:14 Jan 21, 2026
As Karachi reels from the devastating Gul Plaza fire that has claimed the lives of at least 20 people as of Wednesday, civil society has once again come together to help those affected by the inferno. The fire had erupted at the iconic mall, located on MA Jinnah Road, on Saturday night, but it was said to be doused after more than 24 hours on Sunday. Firefighting efforts had to resume on Monday as flames reignited from the smouldering debris. The plaza, parts of which collapsed due to the blaze, was a ground-plus-three-storey building with 1,200 shops spread over 8,000 square yards. BVS, Mama Parsi schools offer 100pc fee concession The Bai Virbaijee Soparivala (BVS) Parsi High School offered 100 per cent concession in school fees to students whose parents or guardians suffered financial losses in the Gul Plaza blaze. “This measure has been introduced to provide temporary relief to families facing hardship as a result of this unforeseen incident,” read a statement from BVS dated January 20. “The school stands...
10444 items