News

  • Karachi: 40pc Gul Plaza fire brought under control, five dead
    The Nation - National - 05:14 Jan 18, 2026
    The Sindh government on Sunday said that around 40 per cent of the massive fire at Gul Plaza has been brought under control, while urging political groups not to politicise the tragic incident.
  • Dense fog disrupts traffic, flight operations across Punjab
    The Nation - National - 05:09 Jan 18, 2026
    Dense fog blanketed several cities of Punjab on Sunday, sharply reducing visibility and disrupting road and air travel.
  • "Критический удар": партизаны повредили ключевую подстанцию в российском Брянске (видео)
    Focus.ua - 05:05 Jan 18, 2026
    В ночь на 18 января украинские партизаны совершили успешную диверсию и вывели из строя подстанцию в Брянске, которая питала предприятия, работавшие по заказам Минобороны РФ.
  • Plotseling staan de banken weer in de rij voor afgeschreven Canary Wharf
    FD - 05:05 Jan 18, 2026
    De coronapandemie hakte er flink in op Canary Wharf, het tweede zakencentrum van Londen. De leegstand liep op, de kantoren golden als verouderd. Maar het gebied maakt een flinke comeback.
  • Deze school in Enschede Zuid blinkt, ondanks de pröttel
    FD - 05:00 Jan 18, 2026
    De leermethode is de trots van het docententeam. Maar achtstegroepers kun je beter verleiden met knutselwerkjes en chocoladepinda’s.
  • Ethereum validator exit queue falls to zero as staking demand soars
    Cointelegraph.com - 04:49 Jan 18, 2026
    Ethereum validator exit queue falls to zero as staking demand soarsThe massive staking inflows are strengthening ETH’s supply-demand dynamic, potentially setting the stage for upward price momentum this year. The Ethereum staking validator exit queue has dropped to zero — signaling a dramatic fall in selling pressure and strengthening confidence in Ether (ETH) as a yield-bearing asset. Data from Ethereum Validator Queue shows the exit queue has fallen from its September 2025 peak of 2.67 million Ether (ETH) to 0 ETH, while the entry queue has risen more than fivefold over the last month to 2.6 million ETH, the highest since July 2023. Wait times for the entry queue have now stretched out to 45 days, while exiting ETH is being processed in a matter of minutes. Read more
    Tags: Ethereum
  • Luisterverhaal: Inwoners Tuvalu moeten kiezen tussen klimaatvluchteling worden of vechten voor hun voortbestaan
    FD - 04:00 Jan 18, 2026
    In het eerste land dat dreigt te verdwijnen door klimaatverandering is de vraag of je gaat of blijft aan de orde van de dag.
  • "Хорошо их помяли": ВС РФ перебрасывают десантников под Гуляйполе и Орехов, — Волошин (видео)
    Focus.ua - 03:58 Jan 18, 2026
    Российская армия начала перебрасывать подразделения десантников на Гуляйпольское и Ореховское направления. Таким образом оккупанты пытаются поддерживать темпы наступательных действий.
  • 'We can't live like this': Residents say Israel Police continuing raids on Bedouin village Tarabin
    Haaretz - 03:58 Jan 18, 2026
    Despite announcing last week that the Israel Police operation was ending, local residents told Haaretz that officers threw stun grenades and flares and fired tear gas on Saturday evening, expressing concern that 'this won't end well'
  • Shehbaz urged to intervene over AJK ‘accord violations’
    Dawn - 03:47 Jan 18, 2026
    • JAAC accuses govt of repeatedly violating agreement signed after deadly protests • Compensation promised to families of protest victims remains incomplete; FIRs against activists, civilians ‘not withdrawn’; travel restrictions continue to affect youth seeking jobs abroad MUZAFFARABAD: The Jammu and Kashmir Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) has accused the government of violating a landmark agreement signed in October last year and has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to intervene, citing serious delays in implementation and expressing concern over the induction of a “controversial figure” into the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ahead of the upcoming elections in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK). In an open letter addressed to the prime minister on Saturday, the JAAC said the agreement was signed on October 3–4, 2025, following deadly protests in late September that claimed several lives. A high-powered delegation from Islamabad, dispatched on the premier’s directives, had visited Muzaffarabad and con...
  • SMOKERS’ CORNER: DOCTRINE DIORAMAS
    Dawn - 03:10 Jan 18, 2026
    In the theatre of global politics, a ‘doctrine’ is more than just a policy paper. It is a nation’s strategic DNA. From the 1823 Monroe Doctrine, which fenced off the western hemisphere from European monarchs, to the 1947 Truman Doctrine that looked to aggressively ‘contain’ Soviet communism, these blueprints signal a country’s core values, and the consequences for those who cross them. In 1968, the Soviet Union introduced the Brezhnev Doctrine, asserting Moscow’s right to militarily intervene in socialist countries being threatened by capitalist/pro-US forces. Fast forward to the 21st century, and the blueprints have become increasingly aggressive. We’ve seen the Bush Doctrine’s ‘strike first, ask questions later’ approach (‘preemptive strikes’), and Russia’s Gerasimov Doctrine, which treats disinformation and cyberattacks as the new artillery. We see the Xi Jinping Doctrine seeking to enhance China’s glory through the sprawling veins of the Belt and Road Initiative, while Donald Trump’s recent ‘Donroe’ Doctr...
  • Low snowfall leaves Gilgit-Baltistan mountains bare
    Dawn - 03:07 Jan 18, 2026
    GILGIT: Climate change impacts are becoming increasingly visible in Gilgit-Baltistan, where below-normal snowfall has left much of the region unusually dry this winter. Light snowfall was recorded in parts of Skardu, Kharmang, Shigar, Ghanche, Astore and Ghizer on Friday and Saturday. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast further rain and snowfall in several areas until Jan 23. Officials said Skardu received about two to three inches of snow on Saturday, while parts of Ghizer saw intermittent snowfall over the past two days. Light snow was also reported in Hunza, Nagar and other areas last week, but residents said most valleys remained dry, with mountains largely bare and rocky. Experts warn ‘snow drought’ could worsen flood risk downstream Muhammad Ali Alam, a resident of Skardu, said the region typically received heavy snowfall by mid-January. “The mountains should be snow-clad by now, but the first snow of the season in Skardu and adjoining areas only fell on Friday,” he told Dawn. He s...
  • Netanyahu's postwar decision to surrender U.S. military aid defies all logic
    Haaretz - 02:45 Jan 18, 2026
    After a war that cost Israel $79 billion, Netanyahu sides with 'America First' Republicans who would rather cut the enormous U.S. military aid fund to Israel than fund the security of a foreign nation, even if it's an old friend. But why?
  • Israelis no longer care that Ben-Gvir was once identified with Jewish terror
    Haaretz - 02:24 Jan 18, 2026
    It will be difficult for the public to deal with Ben-Gvir and his ilk, when the consensus has changed greatly since the days of slain Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin. To them, Kahane is no longer a dirty word, and Jewish terrorism is not actual terrorism
  • Basmati boom propels Pakistan past Vietnam
    Dawn - 02:14 Jan 18, 2026
    LAHORE: Pakistan’s rice exports recorded a strong rebound in December 2025, registering a 14 per cent month-on-month (MoM) increase compared to November, primarily driven by a more than 50pc surge in Basmati shipments. The impressive performance enabled Pakistan to overtake Vietnam and emerge as the world’s third-largest rice exporter, behind India and Thailand, during the month. According to trade data, Pakistan exported 489,000 tonnes of rice in December 2025, excluding shipments to Iran, compared to Vietnam’s 387,000 tonnes. This marks Pakistan’s best monthly rice export performance, underscoring renewed momentum in the sector. The UAE remained the top destination for Pakistani rice, importing 74,897 tonnes, including 16,850 tonnes of Basmati. China followed closely with 74,685 tonnes, while other major destinations included Tanzania (62,900 tonnes), Kenya (60,300 tonnes), Ivory Coast (41,700 tonnes), Guinea-Bissau (31,850 tonnes), Malaysia (23,930 tonnes), Madagascar (17,800 tonnes), Kazakhstan (17,050 to...
  • Govt borrows Rs1.19tr in 1HFY26
    Dawn - 02:12 Jan 18, 2026
    KARACHI: Despite a 10 per cent year-on-year increase in revenue collection, the government borrowed net Rs1.192 trillion from scheduled banks in the first half of the current fiscal year against retirement of Rs1.255tr in the same period last year. The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) collected Rs6.159 trillion during July-December FY26 against the target of Rs6.490tr, a shortfall of Rs331bn. However, it is 10pc higher compared to the year-ago figure of Rs5.618tr. The borrowing in 1HFY26 means the government spent much higher than the last year. This is also interesting to note that the State Bank reported a net profit of Rs2.5tr for FY25, which was transferred to the federal government. Despite this additional liquidity, the government is borrowing heavily from banks. Banks are comfortable to invest in the government papers as they get risk-free high yields which made the financial sector most stable financial sector. Last week the banks bids for the treasury bills auctions were Rs2.5tr reflecting the eagernes...
    Tags: HFY26
  • 40 samples test positive for poliovirus in December
    Dawn - 02:06 Jan 18, 2026
    ISLAMABAD: As many as 40 environmental samples from all four provinces and the federal capital were found positive during the month of December. According to an official of the polio laboratory located at the National Institute of Health (NIH), Islamabad, as many as 127 sewage samples from 87 districts were tested for the presence of poliovirus in December 2025. Of these, 87 samples tested negative, while 40 samples were found positive for poliovirus. “As many as 23 samples were collected from Balochistan, of which 21 were found negative and two were found positive. A total of 34 samples were collected from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, of which 26 were negative and eight were found positive. From Punjab, 31 samples were collected, of which 25 were negative and six were positive. In Sindh, six samples were found negative and 23 were positive. In Islamabad, one out of five samples was found positive. However, five samples collected from Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan were found negative,” the official said....
    Tags: December
  • "Одобрение невозможно": ЕС придумал как отомстить США за пошлины из-за спора за Гренландию
    Focus.ua - 01:57 Jan 18, 2026
    Европейский Союз не одобрит трансатлантическое торговое соглашение, которое предусматривало отмену тарифов на промышленные товары из США из-за того, что Дональд Трамп анонсировал введение 10% пошлин для стран, публично поддержавших Данию в споре с Америкой за Гренландию.
  • To join or not to join Trump's Board of Peace? Gaza plan moves ahead without Netanyahu
    Haaretz - 01:39 Jan 18, 2026
    Dozens of leaders must decide whether to participate in destroying the old world and subjugating the new world to Trump. Those invited can either take it or leave it. Netanyahu, still recoiling from the bitter surprise, is left to wave from afar