Dawn
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Dawn - 13:31 Jan 03, 2026
The US struck Venezuela and captured its long-serving president, Nicolás Maduro, on Saturday, President Donald Trump said, after months of pressuring him over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in office. Washington has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega, over similar allegations. F-22, C-130 and F-35 aircraft are seen at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base. —Reuters US Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets fly over before landing at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base. —Reuters A US Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft approaches for landing at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, —Reuters A US Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft overflies the former Roosevelt Roads naval base before landing. —Reuters Smoke rises near Fort Tiuna, after US President Donald Trump said the US has struck Venezuela. —Reuters Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Carac... -
Dawn - 13:13 Jan 03, 2026
Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday arrived in Beijing to co-chair the seventh round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, which is scheduled for January 4 (Sunday), the Foreign Office (FO) announced in a post on X. In an earlier statement, the FO said the foreign minister will be the “first foreign dignitary to visit China in 2026“, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with whom he is co-chairing the dialogue. In the X post, the FO said that Dar was received at the airport by China’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Yue Xiaoyong, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China and officials from the Pakistani Embassy. “DPM/FM will also attend events marking the beginning of the 75th year of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties, with both countries planning initiatives and commemorative activities throughout 2026,” the post added. The FO has said that the dialogue “will review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, identify new areas of part... -
Dawn - 12:52 Jan 03, 2026
Venezuelan security forces patrolled largely empty streets at dawn in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday, hours after loud explosions woke residents to the news that US commandos had bombed the country and captured President Nicolas Maduro. Streets close to the Miraflores presidential palace were deserted except for checkpoints manned by uniformed gunmen, as residents expressed their shock at a US military strike that left them guessing who was now in charge of the oil-rich nation. Smoke streaked the sky, with a dark plume still billowing from the direction of the Port of La Guaira to the north, while another was visible near an air base in the capital. Most residents stayed home, devouring the latest information on their phones, while some went to stock up on groceries in case they need to hunker down for a prolonged period. For supporters of the opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, excitement was also in the air. People ride a motorbike on an empty street, after US President Dona... -
Dawn - 09:46 Jan 03, 2026
Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders have been told to release fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said on Saturday, amid growing tensions between the countries. The development comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som’s criticed Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise, calling Khan a traitor. Mustafizur’s selection to play for KKR had come amid allegations mostly by the Indian right-wing over attacks on Hindus. Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death. “Due to recent developments going on all across, the BCCI has instructed the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to relea... -
Dawn - 08:57 Jan 03, 2026
Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed “Taimoor” weapon system, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the development marked another significant milestone in the advancement of national aerospace and defence capabilities. “Taimoor air-launched cruise missile is capable of engaging enemy land and sea targets with high precision at a range of 600 kilometres, carrying a conventional warhead,” it said. “Equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and guidance system, Taimoor is designed to fly at very low altitudes, enabling it to effectively evade hostile air and missile defence systems,” it said. “Its precision-strike capability significantly enhances the conventional deterrence and operational flexibility of PAF, further strengthening the country’s overall defence posture,” it added. “The successful flight test underscores the technical maturity, innovation and self-reliance achiev... -
Dawn - 08:47 Jan 03, 2026
BAJAUR: A man was killed while three others, including two cops, were injured after unknown terrorists attacked a police post in Bajaur district’s Barang tehsil in the early hours of Saturday. Police and local residents said the attack on the police post, located in the hilly Kohi Sar area about 22 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters, occurred at around 2am. Israr Khan, the spokesperson for the district police, told Dawn that the deceased was identified as 60-year-old Naseem Gul, a local resident. He added that the injured included two cops, 35-year-old Constable Suliman Khan and 58-year-old Constable Saz Muhammad, and 28-year-old Sahibzada, a school watchman. He said the injured were taken to the District Headquarter Hospital in Khar for treatment, where their condition was said to be stable. He said terrorists used both heavy and light weapons in the attack. The police spokesperson said that soon after the attack, a joint team comprising security forces and police reached the area and launched a... -
Dawn - 08:12 Jan 03, 2026
The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected the “irresponsible assertions” made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, saying that New Delhi was again seeking to “deflect attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability”. Although the FO statement did not make a specific mention of the remarks by the Indian minister, its rebuke came after Indian media reported Jaishankar as saying on Friday that New Delhi had a right to defend itself against terrorism while talking about “bad neighbours”. “You can also have bad neighbours … unfortunately, we do. When you have bad neighbours … if you look to the one to the West — if a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have a right to defend our people against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He also spoke about the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which has been a major bone of contention between the two countries fol... -
Dawn - 08:11 Jan 03, 2026
WASHINGTON: A fresh round of diplomatic talks on the formation of a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza is expected to be held in a Middle Eastern capital in the coming days, diplomatic sources told Dawn as Muslim countries, including Pakistan, continue to press for clarity on the force’s mandate, operational scope, and political objectives. The ISF, a central element of a US-brokered Gaza peace plan, is envisioned to stabilise the territory following over two years of Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip, protect civilians and humanitarian corridors, and assist in establishing transitional governance through a proposed “Board of Peace”. However, several core issues remain unresolved, including the force’s legal authority, chain of command, funding, duration, and whether it would play a role in disarming Hamas or other Palestinian groups. Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and other states have expressed willingness to participate in a stabilisation effort that genuinely restores order and facil... -
Dawn - 07:08 Jan 03, 2026
Australian police said they would bolster staffing at the Sydney Cricket Ground for the fifth Ashes Test starting on Sunday, weeks after gunmen killed 15 people at a Jewish event in the city. The father-and-son gunmen are alleged to have carried out the attack at a Hanukkah event at the famed Bondi Beach on December 14. Australia’s worst mass shooting in almost three decades shocked the nation and stoked fears of rising antisemitism in the country. The massacre has sparked more active policing in Sydney, Australia’s most populous city and the capital of New South Wales state. Authorities on Saturday announced a “high-visibility” police presence for the marquee cricket series between Australia and England, which is held every two years. Measures at the cricket ground, some 5km from Bondi Beach, would include the riot patrol unit, officers on horseback and officers carrying rifles. “The difference will be in the visibility of long arms and a stronger presence,” New South Wales Police Commissioner Mal Lanyon sai... -
Dawn - 04:12 Jan 03, 2026
WASHINGTON: Dr Faiqa Qureshi — the daughter of PAF Air Marshal Nur Khan — passed away after a traffic accident in Dinwiddie County, Virginia. She was 75. According to the Dinwiddie County Police Department, the crash occurred on I-85 North near McKinney Highway on Dec 29. Dr Qureshi died at the scene when her car reportedly collided with an obstruction and caught fire. Dr Qureshi was a highly respected medical professional, known for her dedication to paediatric emergency medicine. Her father was among Pakistan’s most admired military figures, serving as PAF chief and later holding key roles in civil aviation, sports administration, and public service. Published in Dawn, January 3rd, 2026 -
Dawn - 02:47 Jan 03, 2026
• Party warns NYC mayor against ‘interfering’ in New Delhi’s internal affairs • Stays silent on US lawmakers’ letter pushing for bail, fair trial for incarcerated activist New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday accused New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani of “interfering” in India’s internal affairs by writing a note to jailed student leader Umar Khalid, asserting that New Delhi will not tolerate any such effort. However, the BJP remained mum on a The Hindu report, which stated that eight US lawmakers have written to Indian Ambassador Vinay Mohan Kwatra, urging India to grant bail and a free and fair trial to Mr Khalid “in accordance with international law”. Questioning Mr Mamdani’s locus standi to comment on India’s internal matters, BJP national spokesperson Gaurav Bhatia cautioned the New York City mayor against such efforts. “If India’s sovereignty is challenged, 140 crore Indians will stand united under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership,” he asserted. Mr Bhatia added that the people... -
Dawn - 02:22 Jan 03, 2026
• Becomes available free of charge for nine-year-old girls at EPI centres • Other provinces expected to follow suit KARACHI: In an effort to protect young girls from cervical cancer, the Sindh Health Department, in line with a decision by the Federal Directorate of Immunisation, has included the HPV (human papillomavirus) vaccine in the province’s routine immunisation programme. Other provinces are also expected to roll out similar initiatives in the coming months. According to a notification issued by the Sindh Health Department, the decision has become effective from Jan 1 this year. “The vaccination shall target girls aged nine years with an intended minimum coverage of 70 per cent,” the notification stated. The department has directed all district health officers to adopt a mixed delivery approach, including facility-based vaccination, community outreach, and school-based vaccination activities, to ensure optimal coverage, equitable access, and sustainability. “To ensure accurate monitoring, accountabili... -
Dawn - 02:16 Jan 03, 2026
With the political impasse continuing among the country’s main stakeholders, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had not imposed any “minus Imran” condition on political engagement. A day earlier, the premier’s adviser had proposed “confidence-building measures” between the leadership of the PML-N, the PTI, and the PPP could bring down political temperatures. “Prime Minister Shehbaz has not set any condition of minus Imran Khan [from politics]. We neither seek to minus anyone nor consider it politically viable. Similar efforts were made to sideline us in the past,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan. As the leader of the House, PM Shehbaz has offered negotiations to the opposition, saying they [PTI] should sit with him as dialogue is key to parliamentary democracy, Sanaullah added. Maintaining that the opposition PTI had to take a step forward, the senior PML-N leader said that dialogue on behalf of the p... -
Dawn - 02:16 Jan 03, 2026
ISLAMABAD: Local government elections in Islamabad are likely to be postponed once again, for the fifth time in a row, as the federal cabinet on Friday approved several amendments to the Local Government Act, 2015. The elections are scheduled to be held on February 15. However, the cabinet’s approval of fresh amendments to the Act has made it almost impossible to hold the polls next month. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), however, has yet to officially announce the postponement. The federal cabinet approved 14 amendments to the Act, including a change in the name of the Metropolitan Corporation Islamabad, replacing it with “Town Corporations”. According to the new proposal, there will be three town corporations in Islamabad and each town corporation will comprise, as far as practicable, the territorial limits of a National Assembly (NA) constituency within the capital. Islamabad has three NA seats. Cabinet approves changes to ICT Local Government Act 2015 “The cabinet endorsed the decisions made in ... -
Dawn - 00:50 Jan 03, 2026
LONDON: A Pakistan-born cardiothoracic surgeon working in the United Kingdom has been named in the New Year Honours List, receiving the Order of the British Empire (OBE) for his distinguished professional achievements and humanitarian work. Professor Syed Saeed Ashraf, a consultant cardiothoracic surgeon at Morriston Hospital in Swansea, Wales, was awarded for services to cardiac surgery, the training of overseas surgeons and his academic contributions. Swansea Bay University Health Board announced the honour on New Year’s Eve, describing Dr Ashraf as an outstanding clinician who extends life-saving expertise to developing countries. Dr Ashraf regularly uses his annual leave to perform voluntary, complex heart operations at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Karachi, Pakistan. He primarily treats young patients suffering from rheumatic valvular heart disease — a condition now rare in Western countries but prevalent in South Asia — and Afghan refugees receiving free care in Pakistan. During o... -
Dawn - 19:00 Jan 02, 2026
LAHORE: Gunmen on Friday attacked the convoy of Jhang Chamber of Commerce and Industry President Sheikh Fawad Akram — the brother of PTI Information Secretary Sheikh Waqas Akram — leaving one of his guards dead and three others injured near Jhang’s General Bus Stand (GBS), said police. Reports said the incident took place near a petrol pump near GBS, as Fawad was headed to his office. The four security guards who were injured in the attack were rushed to DHQ Hospital. However, hospital authorities referred a critically injured guard to Faisalabad, but he succumbed to his injuries. Jhang police, meanwhile, arrested four suspects, including two alleged gunmen and Fawad’s stepbrother, a statement from a police spokesperson read. Police said that Fawad and his stepbrother were travelling in separate convoys when their vehicles collided with each other. The collision triggered a scuffle between guards from both groups. The gunmen of another suspect, who was travelling with the stepbrother, allegedly opened fire on... -
Dawn - 18:39 Jan 02, 2026
With the political impasse continuing among the country’s main stakeholders, Prime Minister’s Adviser on Political Affairs Rana Sanaullah said on Friday that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had not imposed any “minus Imran” condition on political engagement. A day earlier, the premier’s adviser had proposed “confidence-building measures” between the leadership of the PML-N, the PTI, and the PPP could bring down political temperatures. “Prime Minister Shehbaz has not set any condition of minus Imran Khan [from politics]. We neither seek to minus anyone nor consider it politically viable. Similar efforts were made to sideline us in the past,” Sanaullah said while speaking on Geo News programme Naya Pakistan. As the leader of the House, PM Shehbaz has offered negotiations to the opposition, saying they [PTI] should sit with him as dialogue is key to parliamentary democracy, Sanaullah added. Maintaining that the opposition PTI had to take a step forward, the senior PML-N leader said that dialogue on behalf of the p... -
Dawn - 18:30 Jan 02, 2026
Police and rescue services recovered four decomposed bodies from a ditch on Karachi’s Mai Kolachi Road on Friday night. South Deputy Inspector General Syed Asad Raza said four bodies were found in a deep ditch covered with bushes on the “jungle side” of the road in the limits of Docks police station. Police rushed to the scene after receiving information from a scavenger about the presence of the bodies. Upon recovery, it was found that they were 10-15 days old and had decomposed. Two of the bodies were male and the other two female. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson in a statement said one of the deceased appeared to be a boy. “The bodies have been sent to a hospital for legal formalities and the police are investigating the case from all aspects,” DIG Raza added. Earlier this week, the body of an employee of the University of Karachi, stuffed in a gunny bag, was found at a desolate place in Safoora Town. The police said that it appeared that the victim was bludgeoned to death. A police officer elaborated that... -
Dawn - 16:24 Jan 02, 2026
KARACHI: Police on Friday launched an inquiry into the death of a teenage girl in Karachi’s Landhi area, who was struck and killed by a stray bullet while travelling in a rickshaw. Her relatives alleged that she was killed in the crossfire of a gunfight between police and suspected robbers. Landhi Station House Officer (SHO) Salahuddin Qazi told Dawn that a 17-year-old resident of the Lines Area had accompanied her mother to visit a relative in Landhi. She was returning home in a rickshaw when a bullet passed through the vehicle and struck her in the chest. She sustained critical wounds and was transported to Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC), where doctors pronounced her dead. The victim’s uncle told media persons at the hospital that his niece was gunned down during crossfire between police and suspects in the area. Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn that the girl was dead on arrival at the hospital and added that her family did not permit any medico-legal procedures and took the body. Inquir... -
Dawn - 15:58 Jan 02, 2026
As unmanned aerial vehicles, or drones, become ubiquitous in modern battlefields, their use by militants in the southern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has given them an apparent edge over the police, who are currently using anti-drone technology to intercept ‘swarms’ of quadcopters. For decades, Pakistan has been fighting against militants, particularly in KP, utilising all available resources to defeat an invisible enemy, which relies on guerrilla tactics for deadly and unpredictable strikes. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Police used anti-drone jamming technology during Sunday’s Ashura procession in Peshawar. — DawnNews TV After years of reliance on suicide bombers, gun-and-bomb attacks, and improvised explosive devices, the militants have now increasingly turned towards ‘drone warfare’ to evade authorities and to inflict maximum damage. Experts believe the impetus for this shift in strategy stems from the Russia-Ukraine war, where drones have played an effective role, particularly in targeting installations deep ins...
8064 items