Dawn
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Dawn - 14:12 Jan 02, 2026
The first supermoon of 2026, traditionally known as the Wolf moon, will be visible in Pakistan on January 3 and 4, according to a statement issued by Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco) on Friday. A supermoon occurs when the moon reaches its closest point to Earth in its elliptical orbit, causing it to appear unusually large and bright — up to 14 per cent larger and nearly 30pc brighter than a typical full moon. “In Pakistan, the supermoon will rise at 5:51pm PKT on the evening of Jan 3, with an illumination of 99.8pc, and remains visible throughout the nights of Jan 3 and 4,” read the statement. During the current event, which marks the final supermoon of the cycle that began in October 2025, the Earth–Moon distance will be approximately 362,312 kilometers, making the moon appear about 6 to 7 per cent larger and up to 10 per cent brighter than a typical full moon, it stated. Supermoons typically occur in sequences of three to four consecutive events, with the current cycle concluding wit... -
Dawn - 14:08 Jan 02, 2026
Former special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM) Mirza Shahzad Akbar has said that his house in the United Kingdom (UK) — where he has been living in self-imposed exile — was subjected to a “deliberate and targeted criminal attack with the intent to cause serious harm”. The development comes a little over a week after Akbar said he suffered a fractured nose and other facial injuries after being attacked at his home. In a post on X on Thursday, Akbar said that his home in Cambridgeshire, England came under attack on December 31, 2025, in a “deliberate and targeted criminal attack with the intent to cause serious harm”. He said that the perpetrators “criminally damaged the property and attempted to set it on fire, placing lives at immediate risk”. Akbar maintained it was the second such attack “within one week against my home, myself, and my family, each carried out with clear malicious intent”. He held that the incidents were not isolated. “I was physically assaulted in a targeted attack on Dec 24, leavin... -
Dawn - 13:36 Jan 02, 2026
Federal Minister for IT and Telecommunications Shaza Fatima Khawaja announced on Friday that Pakistan would auction the 600 megahertz (MHz) spectrum next month to provide better internet speeds and roll out 5G in the country. In a meeting last week, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) approved the process of auctioning the 600 MHz spectrum within two months. “The spectrum available for our telecom industry is extremely limited,” said the minister while addressing the media in Islamabad, and added that telcos “provide services in the country using just the 274 MHz”. “We are a spectrum-starved country,” she said. “We are a country of 240 million people with only 274 MHz of spectrum,” she stated, adding that “Bangladesh, with about two-thirds of Pakistan’s population, provides 600 MHz.” View this post on Instagram The spectrum is the range of radio frequencies that carries wireless signals for mobile phones, the internet, TV, and radio. Mobile networks like 3G, 4G, and 5G operate by sending data over speci... -
Dawn - 13:13 Jan 02, 2026
After US President Donald Trump warned Iran on Friday of intervention if authorities in the Middle Eastern country “violently kill” peaceful protesters, a top official of the Islamic Republic said any interference by Washington would mean “destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests”. “If Iran shots [sic] and violently kills peaceful protesters, which is their custom, the United States of America will come to their rescue. We are locked and loaded and ready to go,” Trump said in a Truth Social post. Reacting to his statement, Ali Larijani, the secretary of Iran’s Supreme National Security Council, posted on X: “With the statements by Israeli officials and Donald Trump, what has been going on behind the scenes is now clear. “We distinguish between the stance of the protesting shopkeepers and the actions of disruptive actors, and Trump should know that US interference in this internal matter would mean destabilising the entire region and destroying America’s interests.” He added, “The Ame... -
Dawn - 12:22 Jan 02, 2026
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Friday sent a notice to the Adviser to the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Shafiullah Jan, seeking an explanation for his statement blaming the electoral body for irregularities during the Haripur by-elections last year, sources said. During a press conference on December 19, Jan blamed the ECP for electoral irregularities, and claimed Form 47 was issued from Islamabad instead of the returning officer’s office. “This was a singular yet bizarre event in the country’s history, when a Form-47 was issued from Islamabad,” adding that “ECP didn’t upload all Form-45s from 602 polling stations in the constituency, nor could the PML-N produce all Form-45s from 602 polling stations.” Sources said the ECP, in its notice, said “baseless” allegations were made against the commission concerning the conduct of the Haripur by-elections, including the issuance of Form-47 from Islamabad, the non-uploading of Form-45 on its website, and other claims of irregularities. They... -
Dawn - 12:00 Jan 02, 2026
At least nine people have died and more than 200 have been hospitalised in the central Indian city of Indore after a diarrhoea outbreak that officials said was linked to contaminated drinking water, according to a lawmaker and local health authorities. Kailash Vijayvargiya, a lawmaker, said nine people had died in Indore. Indore’s chief medical officer, Madhav Prasad Hasani, told Reuters by phone that drinking water in the Bhagirathpur area of the city was contaminated due to a leak and a water test had confirmed the presence of bacteria in the pipeline. “I cannot say anything on the death toll, but yes, over 200 people from the same locality are undergoing treatment at different hospitals of the city. The final report of the water sample collected from the affected area is awaited,” Hasani said. Shravan Verma, the district administrative officer, said authorities had deployed teams of doctors for door-to-door screening and were distributing chlorine tablets to help purify water. “We have found one leakage po... -
Dawn - 11:25 Jan 02, 2026
Eight Muslim-majority countries, including Pakistan, on Friday expressed concern at the “deteriorating” humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip — exacerbated by severe weather conditions — and stressed the need to immediately initiate and scale up early recovery efforts. In a joint statement, the foreign ministers of Pakistan, Egypt, Qatar, Indonesia, Jordan, Turkiye, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), expressed their “deepest concern” at the humanitarian situation in Gaza. These countries had also worked with US President Donald Trump’s administration last year on a plan to end Israel’s genocide and invasion in Gaza. A fragile ceasefire has been in place in Gaza since October as a result of the effort, with Israel violating the truce multiple times by carrying out attacks in the Gaza Strip. Last month, the UN International Organisation for Migration had said that hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians were facing flooding of their tents and shelters due to heavy rains, and materials... -
Dawn - 09:50 Jan 02, 2026
KARACHI: Heavy vehicles’ reign of terror continued in the metropolis on Thursday as a female motorcyclist was killed after being hit by a trailer. In recent months, the city has witnessed a rise in traffic accidents, especially involving heavy vehicles such as dumper trucks and water tankers. Quaidabad’s Station House Officer (SHO) Mohammad Ali Shah told Dawn that the driver of a 10-wheeler hit the 20-year-old female motorcyclist on the main Mehran Highway near MN Textile in Landhi. “She suffered critical injuries and died on the spot,” Shah said. “The driver managed to escape from the spot, leaving behind the heavy vehicle that was impounded by the police,” he said. The body was moved to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) for legal formalities. Meanwhile, the spokesperson for the Edhi Foundation said that a 60-year-old man was killed when a trailer truck hit him in Defence Phase 1 near the Akhtar Colony signal on Thursday night. The statement added that since January 1, three people had been killed in... -
Dawn - 08:57 Jan 02, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Friday reiterated that Pakistan regarded Taiwan as an inalienable part of China. The statement from FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi came in response to media queries seeking Pakistan’s response to “developments in the Taiwan Strait”. “Pakistan and China are iron-clad friends and all-weather strategic cooperative partners. We reiterate our consistent support to China on all matters of its core interests, including Taiwan,“ he said. “We will continue to adhere to the One-China principle and regard Taiwan as an inalienable part of China,” he said. The FO spokesperson had made similar remarks during yesterday’s weekly press briefing in response to a question regarding the sale of arms to Taiwan by the United States. China claims Taiwan as its own territory, while Taiwan rejects China’s claims. Although the statement released by the FO on Friday did not make a specific mention of the exact developments it was referring to, it comes after China completed military drills around Taiwan that i... -
Dawn - 07:44 Jan 02, 2026
Investigators raced on Friday to identify the victims of a fire that ripped through a bar in the Swiss Alps town of Crans-Montana, turning a New Year’s celebration into one of the country’s worst tragedies. It is not yet clear what set off the blaze at Le Constellation, killing around 40 people and injuring about 115 others, many seriously. Bystanders described scenes of panic and chaos as people tried to break the windows to escape and others, covered in burns, poured into the street. Swiss police warned it could take days or even weeks to identify everyone who perished, leaving an agonising wait for family and friends. “We’ve tried to reach our friends. We took loads of photos and posted them on Instagram, Facebook, all possible social networks to try to find them,” said Eleonore, 17. “But there’s nothing. No response.” “Even the parents don’t know,” she added. The exact number of people who were at the bar when it went up in flames remains unclear, and police have not specified how many are still missing. ... -
Dawn - 07:38 Jan 02, 2026
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan on Friday expressed concern over the roughing up of YouTuber Rajab Butt during a court appearance in Karachi earlier this week. On Monday, Butt was physically assaulted at the Karachi City Court premises during the hearing of his bail plea in a case registered against him for allegedly hurting religious sentiments. Butt’s lawyer, Mian Ali Ashfaq, said on X that “a few lawyers launched a life-threatening attack on him within the court premises” and registered a case against them. A video of the incident in question had showed Butt, clad in a shirt with the neckline torn open, attempting to move through a crowd surrounding him. “The HRCP expresses grave concern over the reported physical assault on YouTuber Rajab Butt within the Karachi city court premises and the alleged involvement of members of the legal fraternity,” the HRCP said in a statement today on social media platform X. “Violence, intimidation and vigilantism — particularly inside courts — undermine the rule o... -
Dawn - 07:01 Jan 02, 2026
Usman Khawaja said on Friday he will retire from international cricket after the fifth and final Ashes clash against England, leaving a legacy as Australia’s first Muslim Test cricketer while lashing out at perceived “racial stereotyping” during his 15-year career. The 39-year-old will pad up for the last time, should he be selected, when the Test gets under way in Sydney on Sunday, ending months of speculation about his future. It would be an 88th Test for the classy left-hander, culminating a career where it began after making his debut at the Sydney Cricket Ground in 2011, also against England. “The number one emotion is contentment. I’m very lucky to have played so many games for Australia the way I have,” Khawaja said. “I hope I have inspired people along the way. “I’m a proud Muslim coloured boy from Pakistan who was told that he would never play for the Australian cricket team. Look at me now, and you can do the same.” Khawaja immigrated to Australia from Islamabad as a child, battling the odds to beco... -
Dawn - 06:27 Jan 02, 2026
Canada’s transport regulator has asked Air India to investigate an incident of a pilot reporting for duty under the influence of alcohol and failing two breathalyser tests, a person familiar with the matter said. The tests were conducted by Canadian police at Vancouver International Airport, after the pilot was asked to leave the aircraft, the person said. The incident was labelled as a “serious matter” by Transport Canada in a letter to Air India, and authorities are likely to pursue enforcement action, the person added. The person requested anonymity as he was not authorised to speak to the media. Transport Canada did not respond to an emailed request for comment outside regular working hours. In a statement, Air India confirmed the flight from Vancouver to Delhi on December 23 experienced a last-minute delay due to the incident, adding that an alternate pilot was brought in to operate the flight. “The pilot has been taken off flying duties during the process of enquiry. Air India maintains a zero-tolerance... -
Dawn - 02:58 Jan 02, 2026
• Pak Institute for Peace Studies report counts 699 terrorist attacks in outgoing year • Burden of violence fell on security personnel, constituting over 42pc of fatalities ISLAMABAD: Despite record militant deaths, Pakistan saw a sharp escalation in militant violence in 2025, with terrorist attacks rising by 34 per cent and terrorism-related fatalities increasing by 21 per cent year on year. As many as 699 terrorist attacks were recorded countrywide during the year. This violence claimed at least 1,034 lives and left 1,366 injured, underscoring a rising trajectory of militancy that has persisted since the Taliban’s takeover of Afghanistan in 2021. These are the findings of the “Pakistan Security Report 2025,” released by the Islamabad-based Pak Institute for Peace Studies (PIPS) on Thursday. Besides rising border violence and militant resurgence, evolving militant tactics from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to Balochistan fuel a widening security challenge, the report says. The burden of this violence fell disproportion... -
Dawn - 02:39 Jan 02, 2026
• FO says Islamabad advocating peace and diplomacy between allied Gulf states • Confirms Pakistan-India prisoner, nuclear list exchanges amid strained ties • Asks India to share details of Dulhasti-II project under Indus treaty ISLAMABAD: The Foreign Office said on Thursday that Pakistan was seeking a diplomatic resolution of the dispute between Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates over Yemen, underscoring Islamabad’s push for dialogue as tensions persisted between two of its closest Gulf partners. The comments, which were the most categorical since the start of the Saudi-UAE row about Pakistan’s role in defusing tensions, came during the weekly media briefing by FO spokesperson Tahir Andrabi, who said Islamabad was actively engaging both Riyadh and Abu Dhabi to encourage restraint and diplomacy. “We have been advocating peace and diplomacy to reach a solution. So, this is part of our exchanges that is taking place between our leadership and the leadership in Riyadh and Abu Dhabi,” Mr Andrabi said. Tens... -
Dawn - 01:55 Jan 02, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Mismanagement at a musical concert organised as part of New Year celebrations at a private housing society turned violent when people were allegedly denied entry despite holding valid tickets. Police sources said tickets for the musical night were sold at Rs5,000 for families and Rs2,000 for individuals. However, tickets were allegedly sold beyond the venue’s capacity and adequate arrangements for spectators were not made. As a result, the area reserved for spectators became overcrowded. A large number of ticket-holders also gathered outside the venue in an attempt to gain entry. Security guards of the housing society stopped the gathering and did not allow them to enter the concert venue, prompting protests by the ticket-holders. It has yet to be established how the protest turned violent and which side took the first step in disrupting law and order. A police contingent was deployed at the venue for security and crowd control, but it reportedly remained a silent spectator until the situation wors... -
Dawn - 20:41 Jan 01, 2026
Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah on Thursday said that “confidence-building measures” between the five major players in the country would improve the political situation. The PTI earlier said that it will not engage in negotiations with the federal government. Party Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram said the stance was taken following the instructions of party founder Imran Khan. “Two of them are my leaders, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Nawaz Sharif. The third is President Asif Ali Zardari, the fourth is [incarcerated PTI leader] Imran Khan, and everyone knows who the fifth is,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News Capital Talk on Thursday. He said the efforts at the level of leaders like him and PTI’s chief whip in the National Assembly, Malik Amir Dogar, would continue, but until confidence among the top leaders is established, the political situation would not see a breakthrough. Sanaullah added that confidence-building measures would be possible only when socia... -
Dawn - 17:39 Jan 01, 2026
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday appointed Pakistan Ulema Council (PUC) Chairman Tahir Mahmood Ashrafi as the Coordinator for Religious Harmony and for the Pakistani Diaspora in the Middle East and Muslim Countries. The PUC is a broad coalition of clerics from various Sunni schools of thought. Ashrafi, also a member of the Supreme Council of the Muslim World League and other Islamic organisations, has been given the appointment at a critical time, given the evolving situation in the Muslim world and the strategic importance of relations with the Gulf nations and other Islamic countries. Talking to Dawn, he said that under the new role, he will be responsible for strengthening coordination, enhancing mutual understanding and further improving Pakistan’s relations with Islamic and Arab states, mainly the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries. “This is because I have maintained close and longstanding ties with leading Islamic scholars and senior leaders of the Arab and Muslim world,” Ashrafi said, ad... -
Dawn - 17:26 Jan 01, 2026
PTI leaders were once again denied a meeting with incarcerated party founder and former prime minister Imran Khan on Thursday, as party leaders lamented the restrictions and said the government should have “shown a big heart”. A court order issued by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on March 24 mandated that meetings with Imran will be permitted twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. However, the PTI maintains that the order is not being honoured. The party has staged sit-ins near the prison to demand a meeting with the party founder, with one earlier this week dispersed with water cannons. “I was hoping that, considering the offer of talks by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and the first day of the new year, the government would allow us to meet PTI’s founding chairman,“ said Muhammad Jamal Khan, a member of the National Assembly (MNA) while talking to Dawn. “It could have been the first step towards creating national harmony and ending the tense political environment, but the government lost that chance.” On ... -
Dawn - 16:52 Jan 01, 2026
Dozens of people were killed and around 100 injured, most of them seriously, after fire tore through a crowded bar during a New Year’s Eve party in the upscale Swiss ski resort of Crans-Montana, officials said on Thursday. Fire broke out at 1.30am in a bar called “Le Constellation” in the resort in southwestern Switzerland, which locals said was popular with teenagers. The cause of the blaze, which was initially reported as an explosion, remains unclear but authorities said it appeared to be an accident rather than an attack. Swiss police said “tens” of people were presumed dead, with around 100 injured, and the Italian foreign ministry said information from Swiss police indicated about 40 deaths. Swiss officials declined to give a specific figure. View this post on Instagram “There were people screaming, and then people lying on the ground, probably dead,” said 21-year-old local Samuel Rapp, who saw the aftermath of the fire. “They had jackets over their faces, thats what I saw, nothing more.” Ceiling caught...
6698 items