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Dawn - 06:47 Jan 07, 2026
CHAKWAL: Five people were killed while 24 others were injured as a passenger bus carrying them fell into a ravine near Talagang, Rescue 1122 said on Wednesday. According to rescue officials, the incident occurred at around 2:15am early on Wednesday. Chakwal Rescue 1122 spokesperson Qazi Muhammad Akram said the passenger bus was on its way from Rawalpindi to Bahawalpur. As the motorway was closed due to fog, the driver opted for an alternative route and used the Talagang-Fatehjang Road, he said. When the bus was passing by Dhoke Pathan village located on the bank of the Sowaan River, the driver lost control on a winding patch of road, the Rescue 1122 spokesperson said. As a result, the bus plunged into a 100-foot-deep ravine, he said. Five passengers, including the bus driver, died at the spot while 24 others sustained injuries, he said. He said that Rescue 1122 officials rushed to the scene after the incident was reported. He added that 15 officials and five emergency vehicles took part in the rescue operatio... -
Dawn - 06:23 Jan 07, 2026
US President Donald Trump said on Tuesday that Venezuela’s interim government will deliver up to 50 million barrels of oil to the United States, and that the proceeds “will be controlled by me” as president. The development is a strong sign that the Venezuelan government is responding to Trump’s demand that they open up to US oil companies or risk more military intervention. Trump has said he wants interim President Delcy Rodriguez to give the US and private companies “total access” to Venezuela’s oil industry. Venezuela has millions of barrels of oil loaded on tankers and in storage tanks that it has been unable to ship due to a blockade on exports imposed by Trump since mid-December. The blockade was part of rising US pressure on the government of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro that culminated in US forces launching a “large-scale strike” in the country and kidnapping him this weekend. Top Venezuelan officials have accused the US of trying to steal the country’s vast oil reserves. Venezuela will be “tu... -
Dawn - 05:30 Jan 07, 2026
The White House said on Tuesday that US President Donald Trump is discussing options for acquiring Greenland, including potential use of the military, in a revival of his ambition to control the strategic island despite European objections. Trump sees acquiring Greenland as a US national security priority necessary to “deter our adversaries in the Arctic region”, the White House said in a statement. “The president and his team are discussing a range of options to pursue this important foreign policy goal, and of course, utilising the US military is always an option at the commander-in-chief’s disposal,” the White House said. Greenland has repeatedly said it does not want to be part of the United States. Leaders from major European powers and Canada rallied behind the Arctic territory on Tuesday, saying it belongs to its people. A US military seizure of Greenland from a longtime ally, Denmark, would send shock waves through the Nato alliance and deepen the divide between Trump and European leaders. The strong ... -
Dawn - 03:46 Jan 07, 2026
The sisters of incarcerated PTI leader Imran Khan and party supporters ended their sit-in near Adiala jail late on Tuesday after being given assurances of a meeting with the ex-premier being arranged next week. In a video posted by Tehreek-i-Tahafuz Ayeen-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on the social media platform X, Imran’s sister Aleema said that Mahmood Khan Achakzai had informed them that a meeting would be arranged next week. Achakzai is the head of the TTAP opposition alliance and chairman of the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party. “This is what he reassured us about, that a meeting will be arranged next week,” Aleema said, as she looked at Achakzai, who was standing next to her along with Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) leader Allama Raja Nasir. Achakzai and Nasir had arrived at the site of the protest earlier on Tuesday. “Achakzai sahib has said that because they are saying a meeting will be arranged next week, today we should disperse ourselves before the water cannons show up. That is his advice,” she said. Recently,... -
Dawn - 19:00 Jan 06, 2026
Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said on Tuesday that Pakistan was “ready” to confront aggression simultaneously on its eastern and western borders — a reference to India and Afghanistan. Pakistan’s recent relations with both India and Afghanistan have been characterised by significant strain and tension. Pakistan fought a four-day war with India in May 2025 and had a border skirmish with the Afghan Taliban regime in October of the same year. “Absolutely, we are ready, by the grace of God,“ said Asif on Geo News programme Capital Talk when asked if the country was prepared and capable of handling a war of aggression on its eastern and western borders. Asif said the country and its armed forces had demonstrated proof of this preparedness during the May 2025 conflict with India. “The way we gave them a crushing response is the strongest evidence that we were prepared and responded in time,” said the defence minister. He maintained that the world witnessed how “Modi was thrashed” and how, following the conflict, he... -
Dawn - 17:57 Jan 06, 2026
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said on Tuesday that Afghans were involved in major “high-impact” terror incidents in Pakistan in 2025. At the outset of the press conference, the military’s spokesperson said that the purpose of the briefing was to give a comprehensive overview of counter-terrorism measures taken in the past year. This “is the only purpose of this press conference, and I would request that we remain focused on counter-terrorism as terrorism is the biggest threat that is being faced by the state of Pakistan,” he added. The DG ISPR said 2025 was a “landmark and consequential year in our fight against terrorism”, adding there were four reasons behind this conclusion. He maintained that the fight against terrorism concerned the entire nation and had been ongoing for more than two decades. The DG ISPR further stated that the past year witnessed “unprecedented intensity in counter-terrorism efforts.” In 2025, he continued, the sta... -
Dawn - 17:52 Jan 06, 2026
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman has registered for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) draft following his release from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL). The 30-year-old left-arm pacer, known for his variations and death-over bowling, was acquired by Kolkata for INR 9.20 crore in the IPL mini-auction held in December. He was the only Bangladesh player signed for the season. On Saturday, Kolkata announced his release after receiving instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cited “recent developments” as the reason, without providing further details. The decision comes amid strained relations between India and Bangladesh, linked to reports of attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh. In response, Bangladesh has banned IPL broadcasts in the country and the Bangladesh Cricket Board has requested the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka. Mustafizur, who has played in multiple IPL se... -
Dawn - 17:32 Jan 06, 2026
Icy temperatures plunged swathes of Europe into a second day of travel chaos on Tuesday, with weather-related accidents causing six deaths from the continent’s bitterest cold snap this winter so far. Five of those deaths since the mercury dropped on Monday were in France alone, while a woman died in Bosnia as heavy snow and rain sparked floods and power outages across the Balkans. Paris’s two airports, Roissy-Charles de Gaulle and Orly, were to cancel many flights early Wednesday to allow ground crews to clear snow from runways and de-ice planes. Forty percent of flights at Charles de Gaulle were to be scrapped, and 25 per cent at Orly. A person gathers snow following a short snow shower in Parliament Square, in London, Britain on January 6, 2026. —Reuters In Britain, the mercury plunged to -12.5C overnight Monday-Tuesday in Norfolk, eastern England, while temperatures below -10C across the Netherlands brought trains to a standstill on Tuesday morning. “Last night was the coldest night of the winter so far,” ... -
Dawn - 16:39 Jan 06, 2026
The Israeli foreign minister arrived in Somaliland on Tuesday in a high-profile visit, condemned by Somalia as an “unauthorised incursion”, after Israel recognised the breakaway region in the Horn of Africa. Israel announced last month it was officially recognising Somaliland, a first for the self-proclaimed republic since it declared independence from Somalia in 1991. 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 in Africa. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, whose delegation was welcomed at the airport by senior government officials, said recognising Somaliland had been “the moral thing to do”. Somaliland President Abdirahman Abdullahi Mohamed praised Israel’s “courageous” decision, and said it would open up great economic and development opportunities. “It promotes the strategic interest partnership of the two countries,” ... -
Dawn - 16:35 Jan 06, 2026
QUETTA: Balochistan’s Home Ministry has merged the Levies Force into the police and abolished all ‘B’ areas across the province, converting them into ‘A’ areas. The two areas defined the territorial jurisdiction of law enforcement agencies within the province. The Balochistan Police acted as the law enforcement agency in ‘A’ areas, while the Levies Force operated in ‘B’ areas, functioning under the command of division and district officials. The government of Balochistan declared Sibi and Loralai divisions as ‘A-Areas’ for the territorial jurisdiction of the Balochistan Police, according to a notification issued on Monday. The decision was taken in a meeting of the Balochistan cabinet. All members of the Levies Force, including provincial and ex-Federal Levies serving in the converted areas, as well as members of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Wing, have been merged into the Balochistan Police in their existing nomenclature, ranks, pay scales, and benefits, corresponding to those applicable to me... -
Dawn - 16:17 Jan 06, 2026
In late December 2025, a controversy erupted on X after users were found exploiting the platform’s artificial intelligence tool, Grok, to edit and manipulate photographs, including digitally undressing people — among them children — or portraying them in minimal clothing such as bikinis. Last week, Reuters and other news outlets documented numerous cases where Grok had generated sexualised images of women and minors. Per Reuters, X initially did not respond to a message seeking comment on its findings. In an earlier statement to the news agency about reports that sexualised images of children were circulating on the platform, X’s owner xAI said: “Legacy Media Lies.” Reuters, however, said it could not determine the full scale of the surge. Recently, the tool was also used to manipulate an image of 14-year-old British-Kiwi actress, Nell Fisher (the one who played Holly Wheeler in Season 5 of Netflix hit, Stranger Things), depicting her in a bikini, prompting widespread outrage and government scrutiny. ‘Full co... -
Dawn - 16:06 Jan 06, 2026
Squash ace Noor Zaman clawed his way back to a thrilling 3-2 victory over his French competitor to advance to the next round and round out Pakistan’s performance at the Rich Venus Karachi Open on Tuesday. Zaman took the first game 11-9, every point greeted by applause from the home crowd packed in the corridor between the courts at the Creek Club in the port city. France’s Melvil Scianimanico got his revenge in the second set with a 12-10 win. He then gave an 11-3 thrashing to Zaman, who looked visibly tired in the third set as the crowd of adolescent squash players and global icons like Jahangir Khan watched on, mumbling their own predictions in between shouting praise for the home favourite. Zaman is no stranger to comebacks, having been crowned the U23 world champion at the same venue in April. He won the fourth set 11-6 and proceeded to demolish the Frenchman 11-6 to win the fifth set and game to cheers from the crowd. Eleventh seed Zaman will play Egypt’s Fares Dessouky on Wednesday in the Round of 16. D... -
Dawn - 15:43 Jan 06, 2026
London Zoo on Tuesday arranged a photocall for its annual stocktake in central London, where a pair of newcomer capybaras, a huddle of penguins and a pride of lions were among the animals counted by zoo staff. The photocall is a media-friendly photo opportunity that the zoo organises for journalists and photographers at the start of its yearly animal count. During this event, keepers pose with animals, so that news agencies can capture images illustrating the zoo’s annual stocktake — the formal process of counting every animal on site as part of its licensing and conservation reporting obligations. The annual stocktake itself is a complete headcount of the zoo’s animals — from mammals and birds to reptiles and invertebrates — required under the zoo’s zoological licence and used to update global conservation databases that help manage breeding programmes worldwide. Here are a few glimpses from the 2026 stocktake for all animal lovers, featuring lions, penguins, capybaras, and other species. A lion is pictured ... -
Dawn - 13:39 Jan 06, 2026
LAHORE: Punjab’s potato farmers and independent researchers called for urgent government intervention through subsidised exports as a massive production surplus collided with stagnant domestic demand and shrinking export prospects. Due to the closure of the Afghanistan border over recent months, potato prices in Pakistan have plunged to rock-bottom levels. Independent researchers and farmers across Sahiwal, Okara, Pakpattan, Kasur, and adjoining districts feared the market had already begun to collapse, and in some places, it had collapsed even before the full arrival of the new crop. Wholesale prices had fallen below production costs, forcing some growers to plough standing crops back into the soil to avoid further losses. Potatoes were being sold in the market at Rs 20–25 per kg in the three districts of the Sahiwal division. President of the Pakistan Kisan Ittehad, Khalid Mahmood Khokhar, while highlighting the miseries of potato farmers in the districts of Okara, Pakpattan, Sahiwal, Kasur, Khanewal, and V... -
Dawn - 13:05 Jan 06, 2026
A group of European leaders on Tuesday underlined their support for Denmark after US President Donald Trump again voiced designs on its autonomous Arctic territory of Greenland. The leaders of France, Britain, Germany, Italy, Poland and Spain as well as Denmark said that sovereignty, territorial integrity and the inviolability of borders were “universal principles, and we will not stop defending them”. Washington’s military intervention in Venezuela has reignited fears about Trump’s designs on Greenland, which has untapped rare earth deposits and could be a vital player as polar ice melts, opening up new shipping routes. Greenland is on the shortest route for missiles between Russia and the United States, and Washington already has a military base there. With the situation in Venezuela more pressing, Trump quipped on Sunday that “we’ll worry about Greenland in about two months”. The European leaders’ joint statement said: “Arctic security remains a key priority for Europe and it is critical for international ... -
Dawn - 11:27 Jan 06, 2026
A high-level Senate delegation, led by Deputy Chairman Senator Syedaal Khan, will undertake an official visit to the United States from January 20 to 25, 2026, the Senate Secretariat said on Tuesday. The development comes after Pakistan-US relations saw a notable thaw in 2025, a year marked by high-level engagement, strategic recalibrations, and complex regional developments. The Secretariat termed the visit a “historic milestone” in Pak–US parliamentary relations, signifying the “beginning of a new institutional chapter in bilateral engagement”. According to the statement, the visit was organised under the auspices of the Pakistan Policy Institute USA. It will also include the United States–Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Group for the first time. “This development represents a major achievement of strategic and non-traditional parliamentary diplomacy,” the statement said, adding that the visit “reflects a shared commitment to strengthening democratic institutions through direct engagement between elected legis... -
Dawn - 11:01 Jan 06, 2026
Run-machine Travis Head hit a swashbuckling 163 and Steve Smith a composed unbeaten 129 as Australia built a 134-run lead over England to seize control on day three of the fifth and final Ashes Test on Tuesday. It was destructive opener Head’s third ton of the series, to go with the phenomenal match-winning 123 he made in Perth and 170 at Adelaide. Smith was equally impressive, with his first hundred of the series driving the hosts to 518-7 by stumps at a packed Sydney Cricket Ground in reply to England’s 384. Beau Webster was alongside him on 42 at the close. Australia lead the series 3-1 and have already retained the Ashes, with England desperate for another morale-boosting win after victory at the previous Test in Melbourne. “Nice batting wicket out there. Nice to start my innings on the back of a great innings from Travis Head,” Smith told Fox Sports. “When you’re out there with him they forget about you and I was able to get into my work. Worked out well today.” Head brought up three figures off just 105... -
Dawn - 09:02 Jan 06, 2026
LAHORE: A local sessions court on Tuesday extended the pre-arrest bail of content creators Rajab Butt and Nadeem Mubarak alias Nani Wala in a case pertaining to the promotion of gambling apps on social media. Strict security arrangements were made by the police when the two reached the court along with their lawyers. Additional District and Sessions Judge Mansoor Ahmed presided over the hearing, during which the counsel for the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) stated that the investigating officer was busy with proceedings before the Lahore High Court (LHC). Therefore, the NCCIA counsel asked the court to allow time for producing the record. Subsequently, Judge Qureshi extended the bail of both TikTokers till January 26 and directed the NCCIA to present the record at the next hearing. The judge had earlier allowed Butt and Mubarak to leave the courtroom after marking their attendance. The content creators are no strangers to legal trouble. In September 2025, Butt was booked by the NCCIA for a... -
Dawn - 09:02 Jan 06, 2026
Pakistan and Bangladesh’s air chiefs held detailed discussions on the “potential procurement” of JF-17 Thunder aircraft, Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) said on Tuesday. The JF-17 Thunder multi-role fighter was jointly developed by China and Pakistan. The fighter has proved its combat capabilities during two military conflicts with India in 2019 and 2025. The press release issued by ISPR said Bangladesh Air Force Air Chief Marshal Hasan Mahmood Khan called on Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu in Islamabad. The Bangladeshi air chief led a high-level defence delegation during the visit, it said. “The meeting focused on strengthening operational cooperation and institutional synergy, with emphasis on training, capacity building, and collaboration in aerospace advancements,” it said. According to the press release, the visiting air chief was accorded a guard of honour. Air Chief Marshal Sidhu briefed his Bangladeshi counterpart on PAF’s recent advancements and reaffirmed P... -
Dawn - 08:53 Jan 06, 2026
Azerbaijan has no intention of sending a contingent of its troops to take part in peacekeeping operations outside its borders, including in Gaza, President Ilham Aliyev said late on Monday. Aliyev, interviewed by Azeri television channels, said Azerbaijan had been in contact with Donald Trump’s US administration with a list of questions about the operation of a peacekeeping force in Gaza, the proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF). “We prepared a questionnaire of more than 20 questions and provided it to the American side. No participation in peacekeeping forces is envisaged,” Aliyev said. “I am not considering participation in hostilities outside Azerbaijan at all.” An Azeri government source had said last November that Azerbaijan would provide no troops for such an operation unless there was a complete halt to fighting between Israel and Hamas. Meanwhile, diplomats involved in the discussions told Dawn on Monday that despite deep reservations and fears of domestic backlash, most Muslim-majority co...
8064 items