A record 129 journalists and media workers were killed worldwide in 2025, the Committee to Protect Journalists said on Wednesday, blaming Israel for two-thirds of the deaths. It was the second consecutive annual record for press deaths and the deadliest year since the CPJ began collecting data more than three decades ago. “Journalists are being killed in record numbers at a time when access to information is more important than ever,” CEO Jodie Ginsberg said in a statement. “We are all at risk when journalists are killed for reporting the news.” Over three-quarters of all the fatalities in 2025 were in conflict settings, the CPJ said in its report. More than 60 per cent of the 86 members of the press killed by Israeli fire in 2025 were Palestinians reporting from Gaza, it added. The Israeli military claims that it never “deliberately targets” journalists. The number of journalists killed in Ukraine and Sudan also increased in 2025 compared to the year before. The CPJ highl...
PESHAWAR: The main highway linking Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with Punjab remained closed on Wednesday following a suicide attack at the Dajil checkpost near the Dera Darya Khan bridge in Punjab’s Bhakkar district, causing hardship for commuters and traders on both sides of the inter-provincial border. The attack occurred on Tuesday at around 7pm when a suicide bomber detonated explosives near the checkpost, located a short distance from the bridge connecting Dera Ismail Khan with Punjab. CCTV footage reportedly showed the attacker approaching the post before carrying out the blast. Two police personnel were martyred in the explosion, while four others sustained injuries. All injured personnel were shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, where their treatment is ongoing. Following the attack, security was placed on high alert in both DI Khan and Bhakkar districts. Punjab police sealed the road near the Dera Darya Khan bridge and suspended all traffic as a precautionary measure, whil...