Pakistan

They welcomed 2026 together and shared a photo from a New Year's Eve outing in the bustling city

She pays tribute to longtime friend and shares messages of grief and remembrance

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...

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...

Last year was Britain’s hottest and sunniest on record, the national weather service confirmed on Friday, calling it a “clear demonstration” of the impacts of climate change. “2025 now joins 2022 and 2023 in the top three warmest years since 1884,” the Met Office said in a statement, noting the United Kingdom’s mean temperature through last year was 10.09C. “This is an increasingly clear demonstration of the impacts of climate change on UK temperatures,” it added. “It is also only the second year in this series where the UK’s annual mean temperature has exceeded 10.0C.” The previous record of 10.03C was set in 2022. It means four of the UK’s last five years now appear in the top five warmest years since 1884, and all of the top ten hottest years will now have occurred in the last two decades. The Met Office had already announced last month that 2025 was the country’s sunniest year since that record series began in 1910. The UK — which comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland — saw 1648.5 hours ...

Yemen’s Saudi-backed government launched an operation to take back military positions from southern separatists on Friday and said it had reclaimed one of the largest military camps in Hadramout province. The operation in Hadramout marks the latest escalation in Yemen. Hadramout’s governor, Salem Ahmed Saeed al-Khunbashi, said in a statement on Friday that his forces had taken control of a military camp in al-Khasha’a, the largest and most important base in the province. The governor had earlier said his forces were launching what he called a “peaceful” operation. A senior official of the Southern Transitional Council told Reuters the operation had not been peaceful. Yemen’s government said it had appointed Hadramout’s governor to take overall command of the “Homeland Shield” forces in the eastern province, granting him full military, security and administrative authority in what it said was a move to restore security and order. This is not a declaration of war, the governor said in a speech on Yemen TV, addi...

Multiple injuries reported due to kite string cutting into necks and bodies of victims

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Framework will ensure transparency in assessments

Second female biker to die in recent months

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CM orders immediate action over the incident

Police say children were slain after accused planned to escape and remarry

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PESHAWAR: The Utmanzai tribe of North Waziristan staged a peace rally in Mir Ali on Friday and warned of launching a civil disobedience movement if its demands, including restoring peace, lifting the curfew, and reopening the Ghulam Khan border crossing, were not fulfilled by Jan 20. Thousands of people from the tribe, along with other political and local leaders, gathered at Noor Islam Shaheed Chowk in Mir Ali, where Friday prayers were also offered, led by Member of the National Assembly Mufti Misbahuddin. Speakers stressed that peace was a fundamental right of citizens and demanded that residents of North Waziristan be allowed to live peacefully like people in other parts of the country. Misbahuddin told the rally that Waziristan could no longer withstand further military operations. “Peace is the greatest blessing, and tribal elders have always cooperated with the state, but the authorities never appear serious about restoring lasting stability,” he lamented. Chief of Waziristan Jirga Malik Nasrullah said...

Heart disease remains one of the leading causes of death among men globally, and South Asian countries are no exception. As men continue to balance careers, family, and daily pressures, their hearts often bear the silent strain. Experts remind us that understanding and protecting men’s cardiac health is not just a medical need but a matter of self-care and longevity. Dr Ashraf Ur Rahman is a Medicine Specialist and a Cardiologist at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD). He notes that the majority of cardiac cases he encounters involve men above the age of forty. Image showing a person holding a cardboard heart. — Ryan’O Niel / Unsplash Dr Rahman explains that the difference between men’s and women’s heart health begins with hormones. Women benefit from the protective effects of oestrogen, which usually helps maintain healthy blood vessels and cholesterol levels. Men, however, lack this hormonal shield. As a result, they are naturally more susceptible to ischemic heart disease (IHD) from a...

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad anti-terrorism court (ATC) handed out two life sentences each to YouTuber Adil Raja, journalists Wajahat Saeed Khan, Sabir Shakir and Shaheen Sehbai, anchorperson Haider Raza Mehdi, analyst Moeed Pirzada and former army official Akbar Hussain in cases related to riots in the country on May 9, 2023. The riots — during which government and military installations were also vandalised — had erupted following the arrest of former prime minister Imran Khan. The prosecution had accused the convicted individuals of “digital terrorism against state institutions” in relation to the events of May 9, 2023. The cases stemmed from allegations that the accused used digital platforms to incite, facilitate and amplify attacks against state institutions during the May 9 unrest. Reserved verdicts in the cases were announced by ATC Judge Tahir Abbas Sipra on Friday after the completion of trials in absentia. The trials were conducted in absentia at the prosecution’s request and by means of invoking the re...

Ambreen Jan, former information secretary, was selected on Friday as the new chairperson of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra), which will make her the first female head of the electronic media regulator once her appointment is confirmed. The previous head of the regulator, Mohammad Saleem Baig, was appointed in 2018 and retired last year, leaving the post vacant. A meeting of a parliamentary committee, chaired by Shehbaz Babar, selected Jan after it was convened to appoint the next head of the influential media regulatory authority. Following the committee’s unanimous approval, Jan’s name was forwarded to President Asif Ali Zardari for final confirmation. A former Grade 22 officer, Jan has also previously served as the managing director of the state broadcaster PTV, the director general of Radio Pakistan and press counsellor to Bangladesh while relations were strained from 2011 to 2018. She was among five shortlisted candidates considered for the post, including Brigadier (retd.) Anwa...