Pakistan

In a significant move to combat child labour, the Punjab government has announced a plan to provide monthly financial assistance to parents of underage children, encouraging families to withdraw their children from work and send them back to school.

A crane at a China-backed high-speed rail project in Thailand collapsed onto a passenger train on Wednesday and caused it to derail, killing at least 32 people, authorities said. The massive crane’s broken structure was left resting on giant concrete pillars, while smoke rose from the wreckage of the train below, footage from the scene verified by AFP showed. The company contracted to build the section of the high-speed rail where the crane fell, Italian-Thai Development — one of Thailand’s biggest construction firms — has seen a series of deadly accidents at its sites in recent years. The firm expressed condolences for those killed and the dozens injured, saying in a statement it would “take responsibility for compensating the victims’ families and covering medical expenses for those injured”. The Thai health ministry said 32 people were killed, three were missing and 64 were hospitalised, including seven in serious condition. Dozens of rescuers worked into the evening, using other cranes to remove wreckage ...

Danish badminton player and world number three Anders Antonsen has announced his withdrawal from the India Open due to “extreme pollution” in New Delhi. “Many is [sic] curious as to why I have pulled out of the India Open for the third consecutive year,” the 28-year-old said on his Instagram stories early on Wednesday morning. “Due to the extreme pollution in Delhi at the moment, I don‘t think it’s a place to host a badminton tournament. “Crossing my fingers that it will be better in the summer when the World Championships will take place in Delhi,” Antonsen, who was seeded sixth in the tournament, added. He added that the Badminton World Federation had “once again” fined him $5,000 as a result of his withdrawal from the tournament. In another Instagram story, Antonsen posted a screenshot of air quality monitor IQAir, which showed Delhi’s AQI at 348, falling in the “hazardous” category, at 3:30am local time. Delhi and its neighbouring districts are prone to a thick smog every winter as cold, heavy air traps c...

Karachi Mayor Murtaza Wahab on Wednesday announced that the city administration would soon end the supply of water through hydrants, saying he had directed the Karachi Water and Sewerage Corporation (KWSC) to develop an alternative water distribution strategy. Karachi faces an acute water shortage as the metropolis requires over 1,200 million gallons of water daily (MGD), but gets only 650MGD. Many parts of the city are supplied via water tankers from hydrants. Speaking to the media after the inauguration of the Jehangir Road Rehabilitation project, Mayor Wahab outlined plans to “abolish” the hydrant system and directed KWSC officials to develop a strategy for fair distribution of water across the metropolis. “The contract period for each hydrant is two years, and that period for the city’s seven hydrants has expired,” the mayor said, adding that when deciding if the contracts should be renewed, he recommended that the hydrants should be closed instead. “There should be fair distribution of water in the city,...

Journalist Aslam Shah was granted bail on Wednesday, a week after his arrest on the charges of “defamation through social media” under the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (Peca). In a hearing held today on his bail application, Judicial Magistrate (South) granted Shah bail and directed him to submit surety bonds of Rs30,000. A large number of journalists were present at the hearing, while the lawyer representing the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA), Shiraz Rajper, appeared as well. On January 7, the NCCIA arrested Shah on charges of “defamation through social media”. Shah had moved an application through his counsel, Nasir Ahmed, before the Judicial Magistrate (South), seeking post-arrest bail in the case. On January 12, the magistrate took up the bail plea, but an NCCIA official appeared and informed the court that the investigating officer was on leave and that the case file was not available with the prosecution. He requested that the matter be adjourned to Jan 14. In the application, ...

The Pakistan Airport Authority has announced temporary closures of air routes within the Lahore and Karachi Flight Information Regions (FIRs) due to regional security concerns.

Emir Jamaat-i-Islami (JI) Hafiz Naeemur Rehman demanded that local body polls in the federal capital be held as per the earlier announced schedule. President Asif Ali Zardari approved an ordinance that introduces several amendments to the Local Government Act 2015. The new ordinance was introduced at a time when the local governments in Islamabad were scheduled to be held on February 15. Chances are now slim that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will assert holding the elections as scheduled. “The elections should be held on time and on the basis of nominations that have been done, while the ordinance needs to be abolished and undemocratic practices need to end,” he said, while speaking to the media in Islamabad. The JI chief claimed the officials did not intend to hold elections as they had also removed a clause in the ordinance that specified its duration of six months. “Usually, it is considered that the administration of Islamabad is well-established, but the federal capital is facing a severe cr...

A delegation of World Liberty Financial USA, led by Chief Executive Officer Zachary Witkoff, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif in Islamabad on Wednesday and signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pakistan to promote innovation in digital payments and cross-border financial transactions.

The PPP on Wednesday continued questioning the government on the recent deforestation in Islamabad, expressing dissatisfaction with the answers given by the government in a session of the National Assembly (NA) a day earlier. In the past few days, there has been widespread criticism over the cutting of thousands of mature trees in various locations of the federal capital, including the levelling of acres of tree cover around Shakarparian. On Tuesday, Minister of State for Interior Tallal Chaudhry had informed lawmakers that 29,115 trees had been removed from the Islamabad Capital Territory region (ICT), but that more than this number would be planted in the coming months. PPP lawmaker Shazia Marri, addressing a press conference, said that the issue had been raised in the NA as “all parliamentarians were concerned”, hoping that they would receive answers to the “questions that have been flying about”. However, she said, the response by the state minister for interior during Tuesday’s NA session had only raised...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Wednesday announced the dates for Australia’s T20I tour of Pakistan later this month ahead of the ICC Men’s T20I World Cup in February. All three matches are scheduled to take place at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on January 29, 31 and February 1, PCB said in a statement. The toss will take place at 5:30pm and matches will begin at 6pm. Australia’s T20I squad will arrive in Lahore on Jan 28. “The series serves as crucial game time for both the sides ahead of the all-important ICC Men’s T20I World Cup 2026, where Pakistan are placed in Group A and Australia in Group B,” PCB said. This is the third time Australia are touring Pakistan; they played a three-match Test and ODI series in March-April 2022, followed by a solitary T20I where they bagged a close three-wicket win at Gaddafi Stadium. Australia also played three of their 2025 Champions Trophy matches in Pakistan. “We are excited and look forward to hosting Australia for the three-match T20I series here in Lahore,“ PCB Chief ...

An important bridge over the Kurram River in North Waziristan’s Shewa tehsil was blown up by unknown attackers using explosives on Wednesday. The structure was completely destroyed, severing land links between the area and Miranshah, Bannu and other adjoining regions. The incident has once again raised serious questions about the law and order situation in the volatile district. According to local sources, unidentified attackers planted a large quantity of explosives beneath the bridge during the early morning hours. The explosion was heard from many miles away, spreading fear and panic among the area’s residents. Following the incident, police and security forces reached the incident site and cordoned off the area. An investigation was launched into the incident. The destruction of the bridge — a vital line of communication in the region — is likely to cause severe hardships for the people as it served as an important route for the daily movement of civilians, patients, students, traders and government emplo...

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on Wednesday released Rs4 billion to support the temporary displacement of residents of the Tirah Valley in Khyber district ahead of a planned targeted security operation against militants.

A rain-bearing weather system is expected to enter the country from the west on Thursday, bringing precipitation to the upper parts of Punjab, while the plains, including Lahore, are likely to remain dry, the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) said on Wednesday.

Acting President Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani has underscored the need for sustained academic partnerships to address deep-rooted challenges in Pakistan’s education sector and prepare youth for a rapidly changing world.

Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb on Wednesday acknowledged that some multinational companies have left Pakistan due to “high taxes and energy costs”, but called on them to revise their business models, aligning them with the “modern world”. During the past few years, multiple MNCs have shut down their operations in Pakistan, including Procter & Gamble, Eli Lilly, Shell, Microsoft, Uber and Yamaha. He made the remarks while addressing the Pakistan Policy Dialogue, hosted by Policy Research & Advisory Council (PRAC), in Islamabad. The minister, in his address, talked about the exodus of multinational companies from the country, stating, “There are firms that are leaving Pakistan, which is true, and we must acknowledge if the taxation is high, energy cost is high, or financing cost, those have been real issues”. However, the minister continued: “But it takes two to tango [..] if you are wedged into your business models from the last 50 years, it is not going to work in the modern world”. Citing Nestle and Uni...

Several motorways and major highways across Punjab remained closed to traffic on Wednesday amid dense fog, which has severely reduced visibility in many areas.

The Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) on Wednesday carried out a successful intelligence-based operation in Dera Ismail Khan, killing three most-wanted terrorists, officials said.

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has expressed displeasure with the federal government over what it says is a lack of consultation in the law-making process and has decided to condition its support for government-sponsored legislation on prior engagement and formal briefings.

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) killed three terrorists belonging to Fitna-al-Khawarij in a successful intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Dera Ismail Khan on Wednesday, said a statement by the department. Fitna-al-Khawarij is a term the state uses for terrorists belonging to the banned Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). “On the special instructions of the inspector general of Police Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, targeted operations against Fitna-al-Khawarij have been intensified in response to the attacks on the police,” the CTD said. It added that this morning, DI Khan’s CTD successfully carried out an operation on a confirmed intelligence report. “CTD teams reached the spot and surrounded the terrorists, who opened fire to avoid arrest. CTD teams also retaliated in self-defence, as a result of which the khawariji terrorists were killed,” said the statement. During the search operation, it said, the bodies of three terrorists were recovered and identified. According to the CTD, the slain te...

The planet logged its third hottest year on record in 2025, extending a run of unprecedented heat, with no relief expected in 2026, US researchers and EU climate monitors said Wednesday. The last 11 years have now been the warmest ever recorded, with 2024 topping the podium and 2023 in second place, according to the EU’s Copernicus Climate Change Service and Berkeley Earth, a California-based non-profit research organisation. For the first time, global temperatures exceeded 1.5C relative to pre-industrial times on average over the last three years, Copernicus said in its annual report. “The warming spike observed from 2023-2025 has been extreme, and suggests an acceleration in the rate of the Earth’s warming,” Berkeley Earth said in a separate report. The landmark 2015 Paris Agreement commits the world to limiting warming to well below 2C and pursuing efforts to hold it at 1.5C – a long-term target scientists say would help avoid the worst consequences of climate change. UN chief Antonio Guterres warned in Oc...