Dawn
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Dawn - 05:05 Dec 21, 2025
In Wake Up Dead Man: A Knives Out Mystery, the sequel to Glass Onion (2022), Jud Duplenticy (Josh O’Connor), a former boxer-turned-Catholic priest in upstate New York, is reprimanded for punching a deacon. His punishment feels more like a timeout: he’s reassigned as assistant pastor to a dwindling rural parish, Our Lady of Perpetual Fortitude. The pastor in charge is Monsignor Jefferson Wicks (Josh Brolin) — a foul-tempered, irksome man of God more interested in drinking and driving his few followers towards an early grave, albeit not literally. The regulars include Martha Delacroix (Glenn Close), a devout church fanatic (in the worst way possible) and Wicks’ diligent secretary; Dr Nat Sharp (Jeremy Renner), a local physician driven into alcoholism due to being a widower; Vera Draven (Kerry Washington), a lawyer quietly seething towards a reckoning; Cy Draven (Daryl McCormack), her adoptive son, a failed, aspiring politician who now vlogs; Lee Ross (Andrew Scott), a best-selling sci-fi novelist who has lost h... -
Dawn - 04:12 Dec 21, 2025
Kinno grading in process at a plant in Sargodha.—Photo by the writer LAHORE: Despite being among the world’s largest producers of citrua, Pakistan is set to export only 400,000-450,000 tonnes of kinno during the 2025-26 season, well below its estimated potential of 700,000-800,000 tonnes, as growers and exporters struggle with high freight costs, border restrictions and the absence of effective government facilitation. During the 2024-25 season, kinno exports stood at around 350,000-400,000 tonnes, with Russia, Indonesia, the UAE, Afghanistan, Saudi Arabia and Central Asian states as major destinations. For the current season, a slight improvement is expected due to better fruit size and quality in Sargodha and adjoining areas, but structural issues continue to cap growth. Former MPA and large kinno orchard owner Faisal Cheema said the crisis has deepened despite an excellent crop. “By the grace of God, this year’s kinno crop is outstanding in both quantity and quality, but it has become a pattern that whenev... -
Dawn - 03:58 Dec 21, 2025
KARACHI: Despite authorities’ best efforts, there is a dire shortage of dollars in the open market, and many currency exchanges are “only selling what they buy”, causing consternation among those planning to travel abroad for the holidays, or in the new year. Visits to multiple exchange outlets across different parts of the metropolis revealed that currency dealers are facing a dearth of greenbacks in their accounts. Some have stopped selling dollars altogether, while others are rationing their supply, only allowing customers to purchase up to $100 at a time. In addition, a small number of exchanges only have old-design dollar notes in stock. These are not of much use to travellers who wish to exchange greenbacks for the local currency of their destination. As a result, a number of passengers have been forced to purchase exotic foreign currencies in Pakistan, leading to them getting a ‘bad deal’ in terms of the exchange rate. One such passenger, who was travelling to Malaysia at the end of November, told Dawn... -
Dawn - 03:45 Dec 21, 2025
RAWALPINDI: As the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) predicted rain in Rawalpindi and Islamabad and snowfall over the hills till December 22, the district administration of Murree said it had completed all arrangements to handle the situation. According to Met Office, landslides and snowfall may cause road closures/slippery conditions in Naran, Kaghan, Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Mansehra, Abbottabad, Shangla, Gilgit, Astore, Hunza, Skardu, Murree, Galliyat, Neelum valley, Bagh, Poonch and Haveli on December 21. It stated that a westerly wave was affecting western and upper parts of the country. Rain (snowfall over mountains) is expected in north/west Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan, Kashmir, Islamabad and Potohar region. Cold and partly cloudy weather is likely in other parts of the country. Fog/smog is likely to persist over districts of eastern Punjab and upper Sindh. Talking to Dawn, Murree Deputy Commissioner Agha Zaheer Shirazi said the administration was on its toes to deal w... -
Dawn - 03:33 Dec 21, 2025
QUETTA: The Quetta valley and several towns and cities across Balochistan received the first winter rainfall on Saturday, ending a prolonged dry spell and bringing much-needed relief to growers facing drought-like conditions. However, the rains also disrupted normal life, suspending power supply and mobile networks, flooding roads and houses, and triggering road accidents that left two women dead and several others injured. Clouds had been hovering over Quetta and adjoining areas for the past two days, though weather experts initially ruled out significant rainfall, describing the system over Balochistan as weak and unlikely to cause torrential rain. Contrary to these forecasts, rain began around noon in parts of the Quetta valley and soon intensified, spreading across the provincial capital. As the rainfall strengthened, roads in urban areas were inundated with rainwater, leading to widespread traffic congestion. Power supply to Quetta was suspended shortly after the rain began, plunging large parts of the c... -
Dawn - 03:32 Dec 21, 2025
• PTI to challenge guilty ruling in high court, as ex-PM says ‘not surprised’ • Asad says left with no option but ‘resistance’; Raja insists verdict not based on evidence ISLAMABAD: As a court sentenced him to jail in the Toshakhana-II case, former prime minister Imran Khan on Saturday issued a call for a nationwide protest besides announcing his intention to challenge the verdict in the Islamabad High Court. The PTI chief does not have access to his social media handles in jail. “I have sent a message to [Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister] Sohail Afridi to prepare for the street movement. The entire nation will have to rise for its rights,” he said as per the account of the conversation between the PTI leader and his lawyer posted on X. He said his sentence in this case did not come as a surprise, but he had asked his legal team to move the high court against the decision. “Like the baseless decisions and sentences of the last three years, the Toshakhana-II decision is also nothing new to me. This decision w... -
Dawn - 03:09 Dec 21, 2025
BANNU: Security forces reportedly killed five militants, including a so-called commander, during an intelligence-based operation in the Ping area under the jurisdiction of Ahmadzai police station in Bannu on Saturday. Police officials said the operation was launched after security agencies received information about militants hiding in the area. Acting on the tip-off, security forces cordoned off the locality and engaged the suspects, resulting in the killing of five militants. The officials said the group was involved in sabotage activities and had been using the area as a base to plan attacks. Following the encounter, security forces carried out a search and clearance operation in the surrounding areas to trace any possible accomplices. Law enforcement agencies were placed on high alert, while security checkpoints in and around Bannu were strengthened as a precautionary measure. Police sources said security operations had been intensified across the district in view of recent security threats. They s... -
Dawn - 02:54 Dec 21, 2025
ISLAMABAD: In a move billed by its sponsors as reaffirming parliament’s supremacy, a process has been initiated to amend a Senate rule to limit the scope for high courts to intervene in parliamentary affairs. Amid opposition from the Ministry of Parliamentary Affairs, the Senate Standing Committee on Rules of Procedure and Privileges has approved an amendment to Rule 166(5) of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Senate. Backers say the change will leave no legal room for the judiciary to interfere in parliamentary matters by relying on the rule in its present form. The proposed amendment, spearheaded by former deputy chairman Saleem Mandviwalla and signed by around three dozen lawmakers, expands the definition of public petitions that can be taken up by Senate committees. It states that a public petition, submitted by a citizen or a group of citizens in the prescribed form under Rule 277, may be presented on “any matter of public importance”, including grievances arising from disputes wher... -
Dawn - 02:14 Dec 21, 2025
In a mystery, the sleuth must be believably involved and emotionally invested in solving the crime. — Diane Mott Davidson On Tuesday, 16 October, 1951, around 4 pm, the first prime minister of Pakistan, Liaquat Ali Khan, was going to address a public meeting in Company Garden in Rawalpindi. As he walked to the microphone and uttered the words“Baraadaraan-i-Millat” [Brothers of the Nation], a man named Said Akbar, sitting on the ground near the dais, fired two bullets at him in rapid succession with a 9mm semi-automatic pistol. Chaos and mayhem suddenly erupted in the meeting. Khan Najaf Khan, the Deputy Superintendent of Police who had personally supervised the security arrangements, yelled in Pashto, “Who fired the shots? Shoot [him]!”. Within seconds, a police inspector, Mohammad Shah, came running with his service revolver drawn and shot Said Akbar five times at close range, in such a haphazard manner that he missed one shot altogether. As Said Akbar was lying on the ground dying, he was also stabbed more ... -
Dawn - 02:01 Dec 21, 2025
HYDERABAD: Political conditions and governance in the country was the topic of a session held on Saturday -- the second day of the 11th edition of Ayaz Melo, at the Sindh Museum. Journalist Wusatullah Khan moderated the session titled Saang siyasat ja (Deceptive moves of politics). “Our country is run like a laboratory,” he remarked, observing that powerful elites have captured it. “We will see progress [of the country] only when we are able to rid the country of these people,” he believed. In the past, ‘One Unit’ was introduced by doing away with provinces’ status. It was claimed that this would offer a solution to all ills. Now, once again, there is talk of new provinces, he wondered. Munizae Jahangir pointed out that no dictator could be a ‘progressive’ individual; people have fought a long flight here for democratic values. She said that her mother, Asma Jahangir, led this fight as well. Unfortunately, politicians, as well as the judiciary and other institutions, did not deliver to the masses despite this... -
Dawn - 01:38 Dec 21, 2025
Tariq 180 (left) and Saqib Sanki during a race on the Super Highway in 2024 | Screengrab It’s a situation most drivers on Karachi’s major thoroughfares have experienced, especially on weekend nights and public holidays: a ghost motorcycle closing in at breakneck speed. At first, it is little more than a blur in the rear-view mirror. Then, as it bears down, the driver finally registers the young man lying flat along the length of the motorcycle, his eyes peering forward just above the handlebar. The speedometer is missing. The rider’s arms are tucked tight to the side — either holding the handle or, in some cases, clutching the suspension on the sides and using shoulders to steer the handlebar. His legs lie flat or are scissored tightly at the ankle, his body locked in an aerodynamic pose. Most drivers know what to do when faced with such a motorcycle: hold your line without moving in either direction. Do not brake suddenly. Do not swerve. Almost without fail, the rider veers away at the very last second, zigz... -
Dawn - 01:38 Dec 21, 2025
Zunaira with Unicef's Deputy Executive Director Kitty van der Heijden at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, in November 2024 Zunaira Qayyum, who will turn 15 in July next year, is currently reading Crime and Punishment, arguably the most well-known work of Russian master Fyodor Dostoyevsky. A voracious reader, the ninth-grade student races and, at times, slogs through the daunting tome, balancing it with her studies and extracurricular activities. “I should be able to finish the book in the next few days,” she tells Eos in a phone interview. Finishing Dostoyesky’s psychological masterpiece is just a stepping stone for the young woman from Balochistan’s impoverished Hub district. Zunaira aspires to become the secretary-general of the United Nations (UN). “There is yet to be a female secretary-general of the UN and I want to change that,” she says with confidence. PUTTING IN THE HARD HOURS Zunaira has already racked up a string of achievements that belie her age. Her research on the impacts of climate change-induced fl... -
Dawn - 19:21 Dec 20, 2025
The sons of incarcerated PTI founder Imran Khan, Kasim and Sulaiman, have stated that their father is being kept in isolation in jail, stating that these were “clear torture tactics”. The two made the remarks in an interview with British journalist Mehdi Hasan, a four-minute preview of which is available to the public on Zeteo’s website. The full interview is behind a pay wall. As court-ordered prison visits stay blocked, Imran’s family and party have expressed concerns about the conditions in which he is being kept inside the prison. A United Nations’ special rapporteur has also warned that Imran is being held in conditions that could amount to inhuman or degrading treatment. In the interview with Hasan, Kasim and Sulaiman, were asked about the government’s claims of treating Imran like a “prince” during his incarceration. “Couldn’t be less true,” replied Kasim. He said that Imran was being held in a cell that was six by eight, “barely enough to stand”. “The conditions are awful. He is washing himself in bro... -
Dawn - 18:07 Dec 20, 2025
KARACHI: Reckless and negligent driving claimed the lives of three people in as many fatal accidents on Saturday, according to police and rescue services officials. According to a statement from the Karachi Traffic Police, a trailer driver was involved in “negligent and careless driving” when he hit a motorcycle on Mauripur Road, injuring its two passengers. An Edhi Foundation spokesperson said they were taken to Civil Hospital Karachi, where one of them died. South Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Syed Asad Raza told Dawn that, according to the initial probe, the fatal accident was caused by over-speeding, which led the motorcycle to slip and the trailer’s rear wheels to crush the teenage rider. He said the driver was arrested and the trailer seized by Mauripur police. In another incident, a motorcyclist was killed when a trailer hit him on the main Super Highway near the Toll Plaza, according to a statement from an Edhi Foundation spokesperson. Gadap City Station House Officer Sarfraz Jatoi confirme... -
Dawn - 17:29 Dec 20, 2025
Russia is trying to sever Ukraine’s access to the Black Sea, President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Saturday, following days of ramped-up airstrikes on ports and energy facilities in the Odesa region and a critical route to the Moldova border. Russia has unleashed an almost continuous drone and missile campaign against a region where ports key to Ukraine’s foreign trade and fuel supplies operate, after Moscow threatened to cut “Ukraine off from the sea”. Strikes have escalated even as the United States pursues an uphill diplomatic drive to coax a deal to end the war. Ukraine held talks with the US team on Friday, and American negotiators were set to meet Russian officials in Florida today. “The situation in the Odesa region is harsh due to Russian strikes on port infrastructure and logistics. Russia is once again trying to restrict Ukraine’s access to the sea and block our coastal regions,” Zelensky told reporters in Kyiv. Russia’s aim is “to sow chaos, to exert moral pressure during winter … so that there is n... -
Dawn - 17:04 Dec 20, 2025
ISLAMABAD: A special court on Saturday sentenced PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years imprisonment in the Toshakhana-2 case. The case pertains to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set, gifted to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, at a throwaway price. During the proceedings, the prosecution contended that the PTI founder retained the jewellery set, valued at approximately Rs80 million, after paying only Rs2.9m. The verdict was delivered by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand during a hearing held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where Imran is incarcerated. Imran was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison; he was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment under sections 34 (common intention) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and seven years under Section 5(2) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the Prevention of Corruption Act. Bushra Bibi was also sentenced to a total of 17 years’ imprisonment under the... -
Dawn - 17:02 Dec 20, 2025
LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Saturday sentenced PTI leaders Dr Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudry, Omar Sarfraz Cheema and Mian Mehmoodur Rasheed to 10 years in prison terms in two more May 9 cases. The latest court verdict comes a day after a Lahore ATC acquitted PTI leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while sentencing four other leaders, including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema, Mian Mehmoodur Rashid, and Ejaz Chaudhry, to 10 years in prison in another case related to the May 9 riots. Rana Mudassar, the counsel for the PTI leaders, confirmed the development to Dawn, saying the cases are related to the burning of police vehicles in Lahore’s Gulberg and the burning of a container near Kalma Chowk during the nationwide riots on May 9, 2023 following the arrest of PTI founder Imran Khan. On that day, supporters and workers of the party, reacting to founder Imran Khan’s arrest, vandalised and torched military installations and government properties. The state subsequently launched a crackdown against Imran... -
Dawn - 15:45 Dec 20, 2025
PESHAWAR: After weeks of protracted deliberations with security and administration officials, tribal elders from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s restive Tirah valley finally agreed to start vacating their homes from January 10, ahead of an operation against militants, after reaching a written agreement with the district administration. The deadlock had persisted between the valley’s tribal elders and government officials over the launch of a military operation in the valley as well as the relocation of families to prevent collateral damage. Sources among the 24-member jirga, who negotiated the written agreement on the displacement process with the district administration, said that the entire Tirah valley would be vacated by January 25, 2026, thus paving the way for the long-anticipated military operation against all proscribed militant groups currently holed up in the valley. Spelling out the terms and conditions of the written agreement, the jirga said that the district administration agreed to pay Rs3 million to thos... -
Dawn - 15:32 Dec 20, 2025
Jeffery Epstein, a convicted sex offender, died by suicide in 2019 while awaiting trial on charges of sex trafficking of underage girls. He held close associations with several influential people, including business tycoons and celebrities. The US Department of Justice on Friday released a new cache of documents from its investigations into the late convicted sex offender. The Epstein files have been a significant political problem for President Donald Trump, with many of his supporters and Republicans in Congress demanding their release. It remains to be seen if this partial release will satisfy Trump’s critics on the issue. Former US President Bill Clinton, Michael Jackson and Diana Ross are seen in this image released by the Department of Justice in Washington, DC, US, on December 19, 2025 as part of a new trove of documents from its investigations into the late financier and convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. —Reuters Sarah Ferguson, at the time Britain’s Duchess of York, is seen in this image releas... -
Dawn - 15:01 Dec 20, 2025
QUETTA: Baloch rights activist Abdul Qadeer Baloch passed away on Saturday in a Quetta hospital after a prolonged illness. He served as the vice chairman of the Voice for Baloch Missing Persons (VBMP), which set up a camp years ago on Quetta’s Adalat Road, a site that has long stood as a symbol of protest against enforced disappearances in Balochistan. VBMP Chairman Nasrullah Baloch confirmed the rights activist’s passing to Dawn, saying: “He had been ill for a long time and was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Quetta for the past two months.” The group’s chairman added that the funeral prayers and burial would be performed on Sunday in Shaheed Sikanderabad district. Baloch said the deceased’s struggle had remained prominent in human rights circles across the country. In November 2011, Qadeer received the mutilated body of his son, Jalil Reiki, who was the information secretary of the Baloch Republican Party. The kidnapping and subsequent death of his son further galvanised the advocacy group, st...
7393 items