Pakistan

15,593 robberies reported, police say crime dropped compared to 2024

FBR warns healthcare, other businesses of strict action over false income declarations

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Afridi orders early start of work on flagship road projects, assures priority funding

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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan witnessed the first supermoon, also known as the Wolf Moon, of 2026 on Saturday. The moon was clearly visible in most parts of the country, and as the date coincided with the 14th of Rajab in the Islamic calendar, it appeared bright and prominent in the night sky. In a statement, a SUPARCO spokesperson said the astronomical event also marked the last supermoon in a cycle that began in October 2025. Traditionally referred to as the Wolf Moon, the supermoon began rising in Pakistan at 5:51 pm, with lunar illumination reaching 99.8 per cent, a spokesperson said. Due to its closer distance from Earth, the moon appeared noticeably brighter and larger than usual. As the sky was clear of clouds on Saturday, the supermoon was easily visible. However, due to thin cloud cover on Friday night, a bright, large ring was visible around the moon because of the refraction of moonlight. At the time of the event, the distance between the Earth and the Moon was approximately 362,000 kilometres, making the Mo...

Snowfall continues across the upper areas of Astore and Hunza, deepening the dry cold in Gilgit, while clear weather in Malam Jabba has attracted a surge of tourists.

The US military attack on Caracas on Saturday — and reported capture of President Nicolas Maduro — caps years of tensions between Washington and Venezuela, which started in 2006 with US sanctions. 2006: First sanctions Relations between Washington and Venezuela plummet following the 1999 arrival in power of President Hugo Chavez, Latin America’s leftist firebrand. In 2006, the United States under President George W. Bush bans the sale of weapons and US-made military equipment to Venezuela, citing a lack of cooperation in the fight against terrorism. By 2010, the two countries no longer have ambassadors in each other’s capital. 2014: Accusations of human rights violations After Chavez dies in 2013 following a battle with cancer and his handpicked successor Nicolas Maduro takes over, the US administration of Barack Obama imposes in late 2014 and early 2015 sanctions on several top Venezuelan officials, freezing their US assets and banning visas. Washington accuses Venezuela of rights breaches in its violent cra...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday had a phone call with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan shortly after landing in Beijing, the Foreign Office (FO) said. In a post on X today, the FO stated that the pair “deliberated on the recent situation in the region” during the phone call. This is their second call this week. During the earlier call, the two exchanged views on “the current regional situation and recent developments”. “The DPM/FM welcomed the Saudi foreign ministry’s statement regarding Yemen and appreciated the efforts of all sides to resolve the regional situation amicably,” the FO stated. Both nations have a multifaceted relationship rooted in strategic military cooperation, mutual economic interests, and shared Islamic heritage. These ties have encompassed economic assistance and energy supplies, with Riyadh being a significant source of financial aid and oil for Islamabad. Pakistan and Saudi Arabia also signed a landmark mutual defence agreement in Septemb...

The first super moon of 2026 will be visible today, offering skywatchers a spectacular celestial display.

The US struck Venezuela and captured its long-serving president, Nicolás Maduro, on Saturday, President Donald Trump said, after months of pressuring him over accusations of drug-running and illegitimacy in office. Washington has not made such a direct intervention in Latin America since the invasion of Panama in 1989 to depose military leader Manuel Noriega, over similar allegations. F-22, C-130 and F-35 aircraft are seen at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base. —Reuters US Air Force F-35 Lightning II fighter jets fly over before landing at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base. —Reuters A US Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft approaches for landing at the former Roosevelt Roads naval base, —Reuters A US Coast Guard HC-130J aircraft overflies the former Roosevelt Roads naval base before landing. —Reuters Smoke rises near Fort Tiuna, after US President Donald Trump said the US has struck Venezuela. —Reuters Picture of fire at Fuerte Tiuna, Venezuela’s largest military complex, after a series of explosions in Carac...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Saturday arrived in Beijing to co-chair the seventh round of the Pakistan-China Foreign Ministers’ Strategic Dialogue, which is scheduled for January 4 (Sunday), the Foreign Office (FO) announced in a post on X. In an earlier statement, the FO said the foreign minister will be the “first foreign dignitary to visit China in 2026“, at the invitation of Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi, with whom he is co-chairing the dialogue. In the X post, the FO said that Dar was received at the airport by China’s Special Representative on Afghanistan, Ambassador Yue Xiaoyong, Pakistan’s Ambassador to China and officials from the Pakistani Embassy. “DPM/FM will also attend events marking the beginning of the 75th year of Pakistan-China diplomatic ties, with both countries planning initiatives and commemorative activities throughout 2026,” the post added. The FO has said that the dialogue “will review the full spectrum of bilateral cooperation, identify new areas of part...

Venezuelan security forces patrolled largely empty streets at dawn in the capital, Caracas, on Saturday, hours after loud explosions woke residents to the news that US commandos had bombed the country and captured President Nicolas Maduro. Streets close to the Miraflores presidential palace were deserted except for checkpoints manned by uniformed gunmen, as residents expressed their shock at a US military strike that left them guessing who was now in charge of the oil-rich nation. Smoke streaked the sky, with a dark plume still billowing from the direction of the Port of La Guaira to the north, while another was visible near an air base in the capital. Most residents stayed home, devouring the latest information on their phones, while some went to stock up on groceries in case they need to hunker down for a prolonged period. For supporters of the opposition, led by Nobel Peace Prize winner Maria Corina Machado, excitement was also in the air. People ride a motorbike on an empty street, after US President Dona...

Pakistan on Saturday strongly rejected what it described as irresponsible remarks made by Indian External Affairs Minister S.

Indian Premier League (IPL) team Kolkata Knight Riders have been told to release fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia said on Saturday, amid growing tensions between the countries. The development comes after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Sangeet Som’s criticed Bollywood star Shahrukh Khan for inducting Mustafizur in his franchise, calling Khan a traitor. Mustafizur’s selection to play for KKR had come amid allegations mostly by the Indian right-wing over attacks on Hindus. Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh’s High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district by a crowd that accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death. “Due to recent developments going on all across, the BCCI has instructed the franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to relea...

Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has successfully conducted the flight test of the indigenously developed “Taimoor” weapon system, the military’s media affairs wing said on Saturday. In a statement, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said the development marked another significant milestone in the advancement of national aerospace and defence capabilities. “Taimoor air-launched cruise missile is capable of engaging enemy land and sea targets with high precision at a range of 600 kilometres, carrying a conventional warhead,” it said. “Equipped with state-of-the-art navigation and guidance system, Taimoor is designed to fly at very low altitudes, enabling it to effectively evade hostile air and missile defence systems,” it said. “Its precision-strike capability significantly enhances the conventional deterrence and operational flexibility of PAF, further strengthening the country’s overall defence posture,” it added. “The successful flight test underscores the technical maturity, innovation and self-reliance achiev...

BAJAUR: A man was killed while three others, including two cops, were injured after unknown terrorists attacked a police post in Bajaur district’s Barang tehsil in the early hours of Saturday. Police and local residents said the attack on the police post, located in the hilly Kohi Sar area about 22 kilometres from Khar, the district headquarters, occurred at around 2am. Israr Khan, the spokesperson for the district police, told Dawn that the deceased was identified as 60-year-old Naseem Gul, a local resident. He added that the injured included two cops, 35-year-old Constable Suliman Khan and 58-year-old Constable Saz Muhammad, and 28-year-old Sahibzada, a school watchman. He said the injured were taken to the District Headquarter Hospital in Khar for treatment, where their condition was said to be stable. He said terrorists used both heavy and light weapons in the attack. The police spokesperson said that soon after the attack, a joint team comprising security forces and police reached the area and launched a...

The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday rejected the “irresponsible assertions” made by Indian External Affairs Minister Dr S Jaishankar, saying that New Delhi was again seeking to “deflect attention from its own troubling record as a neighbour that promotes terrorism and contributes to regional instability”. Although the FO statement did not make a specific mention of the remarks by the Indian minister, its rebuke came after Indian media reported Jaishankar as saying on Friday that New Delhi had a right to defend itself against terrorism while talking about “bad neighbours”. “You can also have bad neighbours … unfortunately, we do. When you have bad neighbours … if you look to the one to the West — if a country decides that they will deliberately, persistently, unrepentantly continue with terrorism, we have a right to defend our people against terrorism,” he was quoted as saying by The Hindu. He also spoke about the Indus Water Treaty (IWT), which has been a major bone of contention between the two countries fol...

WASHINGTON: A fresh round of diplomatic talks on the formation of a proposed International Stabilisation Force (ISF) in Gaza is expected to be held in a Middle Eastern capital in the coming days, diplomatic sources told Dawn as Muslim countries, including Pakistan, continue to press for clarity on the force’s mandate, operational scope, and political objectives. The ISF, a central element of a US-brokered Gaza peace plan, is envisioned to stabilise the territory following over two years of Israeli atrocities in the Gaza Strip, protect civilians and humanitarian corridors, and assist in establishing transitional governance through a proposed “Board of Peace”. However, several core issues remain unresolved, including the force’s legal authority, chain of command, funding, duration, and whether it would play a role in disarming Hamas or other Palestinian groups. Pakistan, Indonesia, Egypt, and other states have expressed willingness to participate in a stabilisation effort that genuinely restores order and facil...