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Dawn - 14:40 Dec 04, 2025
Australia pace bowler Mitchell Starc said Thursday he could not be compared with Wasim Akram after he surpassed the Pakistani great as the leading left-arm pace bowler in Test history. Starc’s six-wicket haul on day one of the second Ashes Test in Brisbane gave him 418 Test wickets, four more than Wasim. “Wasim’s still a far better bowler than I am,” said Starc. “So as far as I’m concerned, he’s still the pinnacle of left-armers and certainly he’s right up there with the best bowlers to ever play the game. “It’s nice to be spoken of up around that, but I’ll just try to keep churning a few out.” Starc led the Australian attack in the day-night match at the Gabba in the absence of his usual strike partners Pat Cummins and Josh Hazlewood, who are injured, and spinner Nathan Lyon, who was dropped. “I don’t think I’ve ever played in an attack without one of the three of them playing,” Starc said. “So it’s a little bit different in that regard.” The 35-year-old, who has taken 16 wickets in the series, was the only ... -
Dawn - 13:24 Dec 04, 2025
A third Afghan national has been arrested in the US, days after another Afghan national, Rahmanullah Lakanwal, shot two National Guards, for providing “material support to ISIS-K”, according to a statement issued by the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) on Wednesday. Jaan Shah Shafi, who entered the US in 2021 under former president Joe Biden’s Operation Allies Welcome, “provided support to the ISIS-K. He also provided weapons to his father, who is a commander of a militia group in Afghanistan,” the press release stated. It further stated that Shafi applied for Temporary Protected Status (TPS), but his application was terminated once DHS Secretary Kristi Noem ended TPS for Afghans. He was arrested in Waynesboro, Virginia. The Trump administration halted the Afghan refugee resettlement program on January 20 and suspended the entry of Afghan nationals, for “protection and safety of Americans”. Nearly 190,000 Afghan nationals entered the US during Biden administration, the statement read. Lakanwal, who wo... -
Dawn - 13:11 Dec 04, 2025
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi was prevented for the ninth time by prison authorities from meeting PTI founder Imran Khan at Adiala Jail on Thursday. Imran’s sister Uzma Khan met the party founder in prison on Tuesday after weeks of effort, with CM Afridi and other party leaders scheduled to meet him today. The meeting took place as rumours regarding Imran’s health began circulating in local and foreign media, despite claims by the government and PTI leaders that the former prime minister was in good health. These speculations, however, gained traction due to the government’s reluctance to let visitors, including his family members and legal team, meet Imran over the past few weeks. According to a post on X by the PTI, CM Afridi went to Adiala jail to visit Imran, but access was not granted. Afridi addressed the media outside the prison after the continued lack of access. He said he would update the media on the immediate course of action — whether he would stage a sit-in or not. The PTI also... -
Dawn - 12:52 Dec 04, 2025
The building of a garment factory in Karachi Export Processing Zone collapsed on Thursday after a fire erupted there, Rescue 1122 said, adding that efforts were under way to douse the flames. An initial statement by the rescue service said, “As soon as the Central Command and Control of the Rescue 1122 received the information, a fire and rescue team, along with an ambulance and a fire brigade truck, were dispatched to the scene.” It added that the team was trying to bring the fire under control. An update by Rescue 1122 later said the factory’s building had collapsed due to the intensity of the fire, adding that two firefighters had been injured due to the collapse. They were being provided first aid, the statement said. Separately, a statement by Sukkan police said that the fire erupted in a warehouse and no casualties had been reported thus far. Further investigation was under way, the statement added. This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media c... -
Dawn - 12:08 Dec 04, 2025
Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Thursday told the inaugural meeting of the 11th National Finance Commission (NFC) that the Centre was there to listen to the stance of the provinces. State broadcaster PTV shared images from the meeting on social media platform X, which showed Aurangzeb greeting Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Sohail Afridi. It said that the meeting was held at the Finance Division. According to a handout issued by the finance ministry, he made the comments in his opening remarks. The minister chaired the meeting as negotiations for the sharing of federal divisible resources between the Centre and the provinces formally began. The press release said that at the outset of the meeting, the minister stressed that it had provided an opportunity for mutual cooperation, upholding constitutional responsibility. He noted that the forum was established under Article 150 of the Constitution, adding that the 10th NFC Award had expired in July this year. “In... -
Dawn - 11:31 Dec 04, 2025
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Thursday that Pakistan was ready to provide landlocked Kyrgyzstan access to regional and global markets through its ports. The premier made the remarks as he addressed the media in Islamabad alongside Kyrgyzstan President Sadyr Zhaparov, following discussions between the two leaders. Zhaparov arrived in Islamabad yesterday on a two-day maiden visit to Pakistan. PM Shehbaz said in a post on X that the visit was the first by a Kyrgyz president in 20 years. Detailing the discussions held today, the prime minister said that Kyrgyzstan was a landlocked country and therefore, “Pakistan stands ready to provide Kyrgyz Republic access to regional and global markets through our ports of Karachi, Bin Qasim and Gwadar”. View this post on Instagram “During our fruitful discussions today, we had a detailed exchange on […] bilateral relations as well as important regional and international developments,” PM Shehbaz said about his meeting with Zharapov. Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal ... -
Dawn - 11:03 Dec 04, 2025
If you meet a South Korean, there‘s a 45 per cent chance that their surname is either Kim, Lee or Park. And there’s an even higher probability — some say nearly 90 per cent — that their surname originates from a bogus family tree. According to the latest census data from Statistics Korea, these three surnames account for nearly half the population, which is over 20 million people. Expand that to the top 10 surnames, and you’re looking at 64 per cent of the population. This remarkable concentration has given rise to the Korean expression, “finding Mr Kim in Seoul,” to describe an impossible task — something akin to finding a needle in a haystack. Name game Korean family names may seem simple at first glance. Most are a single syllable, with a staggering concentration of a few popular names rarely seen elsewhere. However, there are many sub-branches even within the same surname. Each surname is associated with a clan name, which indicates the name‘s regional origin or ancestral hometown. Although there are trad... -
Dawn - 10:20 Dec 04, 2025
An Islamabad district and sessions court rejected on Thursday an application submitted by lawyer and rights activist Imaan Zainab Mazari-Hazir, seeking her acquittal in a controversial social media posts case. Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka, who was presiding over the proceedings, also rejected an application moved by Mazari and her husband, co-accused Hadi Ali Chattha, challenging the appointment of a counsel by the state to represent them in the case registered with the National Cybercrime Investigation Agency (NCCIA). Both of them have been accused of attempting to incite divisions on linguistic grounds through social media posts and of creating the impression that the armed forces were engaged in terrorism within the country. At the hearing today, Mazari and Chattha, along with lawyer Sher Afzal Marwat, Islamabad Bar Association (IBA) President Naeem Ali Gujjar, Islamabad Bar Council member Raja Aleem Abbasi and other legal representatives, appeared before the court. The court’s previous orders were read out... -
Dawn - 09:41 Dec 04, 2025
When Rano was airlifted to Islamabad on November 5, 2025, the 25-year-old Himalayan brown bear left behind more than just a confined, concrete enclosure at Karachi Zoo. She left eight years of untreated injuries and the memory of her companion — an Asiatic black bear who died five years ago. Her relocation to a rehabilitation centre under the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) came by court order, pushed by animal rights activists who had watched her deteriorate for years. Rano isn’t the first animal to be relocated from a zoo in Pakistan. Last year, the elephant Madhubala was relocated, following an outcry in the wake of viral videos of the distressed and disease-addled animal, to the sprawling Safari Park in Karachi. Before that, another elephant called Kaavan, dubbed the “loneliest elephant on the planet”, was relocated from a zoo in Islamabad to a wildlife sanctuary in Cambodia. Such relocations have been hailed as symbolic victories by animal rights’ activists in Pakistan; rare moments of optimis... -
Dawn - 07:01 Dec 04, 2025
Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Tahir Andrabi said on Thursday that a man arrested by the US police last week in Delaware after he was found in possession of a handgun, ammunition and written plans for an attack was not of Pakistani origin and was an Afghan. “He is not [a] Pakistani national or [of] Pakistan origin. He is an Afghan, spent a few years as a refugee [in Pakistan] and then went to the US, where he spent most of his life,” Andrabi said in a statement shared with journalists. His clarification came after several media reports, including those from Indian and American news outlets, identified the suspect as a man of Pakistani origin. A USA Today report said the arrested man, Luqman Khan, was a Pakistan-born US citizen, who was arrested on November 24. Similarly, reports by the New York Post and India’s Hindustan Times and Times of India, among others, also identified him as a Pakistani immigrant. According to a report by The Associated Press from earlier today, which also does not identify Khan as ... -
Dawn - 06:22 Dec 04, 2025
The last supermoon of 2025 is set to light up skies across Pakistan tonight and tomorrow night, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. 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. The final supermoon of the year, known as the Cold Moon, will be visible across Pakistan tonight and tomorrow night, Radio Pakistan said, quoting the Pakistan Space and Upper Atmosphere Research Commission (Suparco). “It marks the third consecutive supermoon of the year and the last supermoon of 2025,” it said. Suparco encourages the public, astronomy enthusiasts, students, and families to observe this natural spectacle, the report said. “No special equipment is required; the supermoon will be easily visible to the naked eye, provided the skies remain clear,” it added. According to CNN, the moniker ‘Cold Moon’ indicates that it’s the full moon event closest to t... -
Dawn - 05:36 Dec 04, 2025
The Pentagon’s independent watchdog said US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth’s use of the commercial messaging app Signal to discuss strikes on Yemen could have put American troops at risk, US media reported on Wednesday. The probe by the inspector general’s office concluded that Hegseth did not, however, violate rules on classification because he has the authority to declassify information, the reports said, citing sources familiar with the results of the investigation. The watchdog’s conclusion — which has been transmitted to Congress — is nonetheless likely to reignite debate over conduct by Hegseth, who is already under fire over US strikes on alleged drug-trafficking boats that experts say amount to extrajudicial killings. The probe was sparked by the Atlantic magazine’s revelation in late March that its editor-in-chief was inadvertently included in a Signal chat in which US officials, including Hegseth and then-national security adviser Mike Waltz, discussed strikes on Yemen’s Iran-backed Huthi rebels. Th... -
Dawn - 05:29 Dec 04, 2025
The Trump administration on Wednesday announced increased vetting of applicants for H-1B visas for highly skilled workers, with an internal State Department memo saying that anyone involved in “censorship” of free speech be considered for rejection. H-1B visas, which allow US employers to hire foreign workers in speciality fields, are crucial for US tech companies which recruit heavily from countries including India and China. Many of those companies’ leaders threw their support behind Trump in the last presidential election. The cable, sent to all US missions on December 2, orders US consular officers to review resumes or LinkedIn profiles of H-1B applicants – and family members who would be travelling with them – to see if they have worked in areas that include activities such as misinformation, disinformation, content moderation, fact-checking, compliance and online safety, among others. “If you uncover evidence an applicant was responsible for, or complicit in, censorship or attempted censorship of protec... -
Dawn - 04:37 Dec 04, 2025
LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) says criminal syndicates are operating in Southeast Asia targeting Pakistanis with fake job offers and warned all those availing themselves of such “phony opportunities” should thoroughly verify to save them from trouble. “Criminal syndicates operating in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos, Vietnam, and Cambodia are targeting Pakistanis with fake job offers, especially in the IT sector – call center and relevant jobs, promising high salaries. However, upon arrival, these Pakistanis are forced into illegal activities, including cyber and financial crimes. Those who resist face severe consequences, including violence and extortion from the victim’s family,” FIA deputy director Mehmood Ali Khokhar said on Wednesday. He urged the aspirants to first verify such job offers through legitimate sources or report such suspicious activity or persons to FIA. “Beware of false promises! As your dream job offer could be a nightmare,” the FIA official said. Criminal syndicates operate in T... -
Dawn - 04:26 Dec 04, 2025
KARACHI: Hours after the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) blamed the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Red Line for the tragic death of a three-year-old boy in an open manhole, the project’s management hit back, rejecting the allegation as “a serious oversight”, igniting a rare public showdown between two government bodies already under scrutiny for Karachi’s crumbling infrastructure. First it was an inquiry report by the KMC on the incident which attributed the tragedy to the “carelessness” of officials of the Red Line project and a department store adjacent to where the incident took place. The body of the child, who died after falling into an open manhole near Nipa in Gulshan-i-Iqbal on Sunday night, was found on Monday, around 15 hours after the incident. The report by the KMC said that the department had received instructions from Mayor Murtaza Wahab and the municipal commissioner to initiate an operation for recovering the body of the child from the drain. Assistant commissioner among five officials suspend... -
Dawn - 02:56 Dec 04, 2025
WASHINGTON: The American workforce is growing older at an unprecedented pace, a new survey released on Tuesday by the US Census Bureau highlights a demographic challenge that could complicate President Donald Trump’s efforts to curb immigration. Workers aged 55 and older have been the fastest-growing group in the US labour force for more than two decades. Their share has risen from 10 per cent in 1994 to 24pc in 2022. Yet the distribution of older workers is far from uniform across industries and states. Some sectors and regions have far higher concentrations of older employees than others, according to the Census Bureau’s survey of Business Dynamics Statistics of Human Capital (BDS-HC). The utilities sector has seen the most dramatic shift. In 2006, 35pc of employment in this sector was at firms where at least a quarter of workers were over 55. By 2022, that figure had jumped to 80pc. Manufacturing and wholesale trades have also seen substantial increases: in 2000, only 14pc of employment in these sectors wa... -
Dawn - 02:40 Dec 04, 2025
• Salman Akram Raja tasked with putting together ‘smaller body’, which will also include allies • PTI founder ‘heartbroken’ over lawmakers’ attendance at NDU workshop ISLAMABAD: Amid disagreements within the opposition party, PTI founding chairman Imran Khan has dissolved the party’s political committee in his first move after weeks of being incommunicado. A tweet posted on his X account, which the ex-prime minister does not have access to while incarcerated, said a smaller committee would replace the existing body and put Salman Akram Raja in charge of the reconstitution process. “I am dissolving the political committee of the PTI today. Party’s Secretary General Salman Akram Raja has full authority to form a smaller committee to formulate a political strategy and implement it,” the tweet based on the account of the Tuesday meeting said. It may be noted that a day earlier, Uzma Khan met her brother in prison after weeks of effort. PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqqas Akram told Dawn the political committe... -
Dawn - 02:27 Dec 04, 2025
ISLAMABAD: After nearly two months of halted cross-border cargo movement, the Pakistani government has begun clearing humanitarian consignments for Afghanistan, marking the first controlled reopening of transit trade since routine trade was suspended in October. The government has completely suspended customs clearance for both exports and imports, along with Afghan Transit Trade (ATT) cargos, at major border crossings — including Torkham, Ghulam Khan, Kharlachi, and Angoor Adda — effective October 12, and at the Chaman border from October 15. An official letter was issued to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and the Directorate General of Transit Trade to initiate the movement of consignments belonging to three United Nations agencies through the border crossings at Chaman and Torkham. In the first phase, a total of 143 containers of humanitarian goods will be allowed for clearance at Chaman and Torkham. The breakdown shows that the containers include 67 containers of food assistance from the Wo... -
Dawn - 20:14 Dec 03, 2025
After a hiatus of 18 years, the Punjab government on Tuesday lifted the ban on kite flying and allowed the celebration of Basant with strict regulations. The festival was banned in 2007 because of an increasing number of deaths and serious injuries caused by sharp strings, particularly to motorcyclists and pillion riders, as well as by celebratory gunfire. Basant Panchami, with ‘panchami’ meaning the fifth day of the lunar month Magh, is a celebration of future crop prosperity, spring, and good luck. Historically, in the 19th century, Maharaja Ranjit Singh held an annual Basant fair and introduced kite flying as a regular feature. The association of kite flying with Basant soon became a tradition centred in Lahore, which remains the regional hub of the festival throughout Punjab even today. However, the festival has also traditionally been celebrated in other parts of Punjab, including Indian Punjab. Over time, the festival began to be celebrated across the country. During the festival, the city sky is filled... -
Dawn - 20:09 Dec 03, 2025
Three cops, including an assistant sub-inspector (ASI), were martyred in an improvised explosive device (IED) blast targeting a police vehicle in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday. The spokesperson for district police, Yaqoob Zulqarnain said, told Dawn that an IED was used in the blast that took place in Paniyala area, which is in the jurisdiction of the Shaheed Nawab Khan police station. ASI Gul Alam, Constable Rafiq and the driver of the mobile van, Sakhi Jan, lost their lives in the incident, the police spokesperson said, adding that another constable accompanying them, Azad Shah, remained unhurt. He said the site of the incident had been cordoned off and a search operation had been launched. “Police are searching for the attackers, and the matter is being investigated from all angles,” he said. The Paniyala deputy superintendent of police and station house officer, as well as the district police official (DPO), also reached the site of the blast after the incident, according to the police...
6698 items