Pakistan

A fire broke out in the basement of a hotel in Lahore’s Gulberg area on Saturday, injuring three people and prompting immediate rescue operations.

Iran will treat any attack “as an all-out war against us,” a senior Iranian official said on Friday, ahead of the arrival of a US military aircraft carrier strike group and other assets in the Middle East in the coming days. “This military buildup — we hope it is not intended for real confrontation — but our military is ready for the worst-case scenario. This is why everything is on high alert in Iran,” said the senior Iranian official, speaking on condition of anonymity. “This time we will treat any attack — limited, unlimited, surgical, kinetic, whatever they call it — as an all-out war against us, and we will respond in the hardest way possible to settle this,” the official said. US President Donald Trump said on Thursday that the United States had an “armada” heading toward Iran but hoped he would not have to use it, as he renewed warnings to Tehran against killing protesters or restarting its nuclear program. “If the Americans violate Iran’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, we will respond,” said t...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) on Saturday said temperatures in Karachi could fall to single digits over the weekend, adding that the city’s weather was likely to remain cold and dry with occasional winds. The city saw its second spell of winter showers on Thursday afternoon under the influence of a westerly wave that brought about light to moderate rainfall in several areas. Strong winds blew through the city after the rains, making the weather chillier. In a weather forecast, the PMD predicted a minimum temperature of 8.5 degrees Celsius on Saturday, while it is expected to drop further between 7°C and 9°C on Sunday. On Monday night, the minimum temperature is forecasted to rise slightly to 8-10°C. Meanwhile, the maximum temperature is expected to remain between 19-21°C on Saturday and Sunday, rising further to between 20°C and 22°C on Monday. Partial screengrab of the PMD weather forecast issued on Jan 24, 2026. According to the Met Office, the humidity levels are predicted to remain between ...

Negotiators from Russia, Ukraine and the United States will meet in Abu Dhabi on Saturday for the second day of negotiations on a plan being pushed by US President Donald Trump to end the almost four-year-long war. The first known direct contact between Ukrainian and Russian officials on the proposal began Friday. Ukraine’s chief negotiator Rustem Umerov said the discussions focused “on the parameters for ending Russia’s war and the further logic of the negotiation process”. An initial US draft drew heavy criticism in Kyiv and western Europe for hewing too closely to Moscow’s line, while later iterations prompted pushback from Russia for floating the idea of European peacekeepers. Both sides say the fate of territory in the eastern Donbas region is one of the main outstanding issues in the search for a settlement to a war that has killed tens of thousands, displaced millions and decimated parts of Ukraine. The UAE foreign ministry said in a statement that the talks were scheduled to last two days and were “pa...

India and Europe hope to strike the “mother of all deals” when European Union (EU) chiefs meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi next week, as the two economic behemoths seek to forge closer ties. Facing challenges from China and the United States, India and the European Union have been negotiating a massive free trade pact — and talks, first launched about two decades ago, are nearing the finishing line. “We are on the cusp of a historic trade agreement,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said this week. Von der Leyen and European Council president Antonio Costa will attend Republic Day celebrations on Monday before an EU-India summit on Tuesday, where they hope to shake hands on the accord. Securing a pact, described by India’s Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal as “the mother of all deals”, would be a major win for Brussels and New Delhi as both seek to open up new markets in the face of US tariffs and Chinese export controls. But officials have been eager to stress there is more to it...

Senior Provincial Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb met a high-level Asian Development Bank (ADB) delegation to review ongoing and proposed projects in health, education, agriculture, flood management, climate resilience, and other sectors.

Pakistan is observing the International Day of Education on Saturday to raise awareness about the role of education in promoting peace and development.

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Senator Ishaq Dar and Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi discussed current regional and international developments on Saturday.

An anti-terrorism court in the federal capital on Saturday ordered a 14-day judicial remand of advocate Imaan Mazari and her husband, Hadi Ali Chatha, in a case related to an altercation outside the Islamabad High Court.

The Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) has launched an emergency survey of buildings across Karachi and issued notices to more than 100 structures following the deadly fire at Gul Plaza shopping mall that left several people dead and many still untraced.

Pakistan and Kazakhstan have agreed to deepen cooperation on a proposed railway corridor linking Pakistan with Central Asia, aimed at boosting regional connectivity and trade.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has initiated practical measures to protect the province from accidents caused by hanging and disorganized electricity wires, which often lead to short circuits, electrocution and fires.

A westerly wave is expected to enter western parts of the country on January 25 and is likely to affect upper regions on January 26, bringing widespread rain, wind and snowfall, the Met Office said.

Heart-wrenching details have emerged from an eyewitness who narrowly escaped the deadly Gul Plaza fire, as rescue teams continue operations at the site.

• UNEP report says total nature-negative finance flows reached $7.3tr in 2023 • Private sources accounted for $4.9tr ISLAMABAD: For every $1 the world invests in protecting nature, it spends $30 on destroying it. This stark imbalance is the central finding of a new report released by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). The ‘State of Finance for Nature 2026’ report finds that total nature-negative finance flows stand at $7.3 trillion. Of this, $4.9tr comes from private sources, highly concentrated in a few sectors including utilities, industrials, energy, and basic materials. Public environmentally harmful subsidies — mainly for fossil fuels, agriculture, water, transport and construction — amounted to $2.4tr in 2023. Released on Thursday, the rep­ort called for a major shift in global financing towards nature-based solutions (NbS) and the phasing out of harmful investments to deliver high returns, reduce risk exposure, and enhance resilience. The report further finds that finance flows for NbS to...

LAHORE: Iranian-American academic and political scientist Vali Nasr suggested on Friday that the war on Palestine had politically weakened Arab states and emboldened Israeli leaders, to the point that the latter had abandoned the two-state framework entirely. Speaking at a session titled ‘The Gaza War and the Remaking of the Middle East’, moderated by journalist Najam Sethi, Mr Nasr implied that the situation has proven detrimental to the Palestinian cause. He said Israel now believes it can pursue its objectives primarily through force. “With Arab states politically neutralised, Israeli leaders see little incentive to return to negotiations,” he added. According to him, Israeli leadership now views political compromise with the Palestinians as a security liability rather than a pathway to stability, effectively abandoning the two-state framework. Following the Gaza war, Israel moved against Hezbollah in Lebanon, significantly weakening the group’s operational capacity. The collapse of the Assad regime in Syr...

ISLAMABAD: Nearly 200 Pakistani students stranded in Afghanistan for months due to the closure of the border have demanded permission to cross the Torkham border, according to their representatives. Taliban authorities have told them that Pakistani diplomatic missions should officially approach them and verify the list with an official stamp. However, Pakistani officials are reluctant to do so, the affected students told Dawn from Kabul and Jalalabad. The Taliban allowed the first group of 26 students to cross Torkham on Jan 12, and Pakistani authorities also opened the border specifically for them. However, the students who arrived at Torkham on Jan 13 have not yet been allowed to cross, as Taliban authorities insist that the Pakistani embassy or the consulate in Jalalabad, the capital of Nangarhar province, should officially verify the list. Dr Riazullah Wazir and Amanullah Wazir, representatives of the students in Kabul, said students had met the Nangarhar governor and officials at the Pakistani embassy an...

ABBOTTABAD: Rescue officials remove snow from their vehicle after heavy snowfall blanketed the Galiyat with a coat of white. According to the Met Office, more rain and snowfall is expected in various parts of the country from Sunday.—Dawn • KKH, other major roads blocked • Murree sees 15 inches of snow • Quetta records coldest night at -13°C • More rain, snow expected from Sunday CHITRAL/GILGIT/RAWALPINDI/QUETTA: At least nine members of a family were killed when a snow avalanche buried their house in Chitral on Friday, as heavy snowfall, avalanches and landslides brought life to a standstill across Khyber Pakhtun­khwa, Balochistan, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Kashmir, blocking roads, stranding travellers and disrupting electricity and relief operations amid freezing temperatures. The avalanche struck a house in Serigal village of the Damil area in the extreme south of the district on Friday afternoon. Lower Chitral Deputy Comm­issioner Hashim Azim said the bodies were recovered from the debris, while a nine-ye...

KARACHI: Amid a continuous rally in world prices, the local 10-gram and one-tola gold rates (24kt) hit a new peak of Rs441,239 and Rs514,662, respectively, showing a jump of Rs7,802 and Rs9,100. International gold price further swelled by $91 per ounce to $4,923 per ounce, rates issued by All Pakistan Sarafa Gems and Jewellers Association (APSGJA) based on interbank exchange rates, revealed. Rising global rates are under pressure as investors pile into the yellow metal as a safe-haven amid ongoing geopolitical tensions and expectations of further US interest rate cuts. A steep rise in domestic rates further fades the hopes of genuine gold jewellery buyers during the ongoing wedding season, as many families are unable to afford gold at Rs514,662 per tola. Jewellers complain about the thin presence of buyers in the markets while investors continue to hunt for the precious metal. Investors must be upbeat as 10-gram and one-tola gold rates have surged by Rs206,671 and Rs241,062, respectively, if compared with the...

ISLAMABAD: Pakis­tan and Somalia agreed on Friday to strengthen collaboration in training, border management, disaster management and the adoption of a joint strategy against terrorism to deepen cooperation in internal security. The agreement was reac­hed as Pakistan’s Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi met a high-level Somali delegation led by Somalia’s Interior Minister Ali Yusuf at the Ministry of Interior. During the meeting, Mr Naqvi announced visa facilitation for Somali citizens tra­velling to Pakistan for medical treatment and education. Mr Naqvi assured his cou­nterpart of Pakistan’s full su­­pport to Somalia in policing and counterterrorism. He said Pakistan would extend complete cooperation to So­­m­­alia across multiple sectors. Mr Yusuf said his country was “facing a difficult situation and was actively fighting terrorists”. He expressed hope that the visit would expand bilateral relations between the two countries. Mr Yusuf expressed a str­ong desire to benefit from Pa­­kistan’s experience, noting t...