The federal government is all set to fulfill another big condition of the International Monitory Fund (IMF) as the power division has sought affidavits from the distribution companies about no electricity theft. Power Division issued new orders to all electricity distribution companies (Discos) concerned officers and staff of the area to submit affidavits immediately. “Disco officials, staff can be dismissed …

Amid the increase in intensity of heat in the port city of Karachi, the Meteorological Department warned people not to go out unnecessarily during the daytime. Weather will remain hot and humid in the metropolis of Karachi. In other districts of Sindh, the weather is predicted to remain extremely hot from today till April 10. In the upper and central …

President Asif Ali Zardari and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan spoke over the phone about the common interests in the two countries’ relationship. President Zardari has also invited Turkey’s President for Pakistan’s state visit. During the conversation, both leaders discuss bilateral ties between the two nations across domains. The president of Turkey stressed the need to maintain model ties and …

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-backed lawmakers received their first salary on Sunday. According to details, Rs193,000 was transferred to the accounts of each member of the PTI in the form of salary. Each member will get around nearly Rs300,000 monthly, which includes salary and other benefits. PTI founder faces political vendetta, avers Barrister Gohar Ali Khan. Few days back, PTI leader Barrister …

The Walton Tobacco Company has raised its voice against what it deems as an unjust sealing of its offices by the Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) government, leading to the abrupt termination of employment for more than 400 workers just before Eid. During a press conference held on Sunday, Arif Zia, the spokesperson for Walton Tobacco Company, alongside Muhammad Ali …

In the wake of escalating street crimes in Karachi, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement Pakistan (MQM-P) has urged the federal government to intervene and address the deteriorating law and order situation in Sindh. MQM leaders Khawaja Izharul Hassan and Faisal Sabzwari, in a press conference held in Karachi, emphasised the necessity of granting full powers to the Rangers in both Karachi …

The masses were facing difficulties in withdrawing amounts via ATM in Quetta ahead of the auspicious occasion of Eidul Fitr. According to details, the shoppers were facing difficulties in shopping as the ATM machines were not active. The citizens said: “Most of the ATM machines are not working. Where the machines are working, it’s become difficult to withdraw cash due …

ISLAMABAD: A policeman was killed and another injured when a bomb went off in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Saturday, rescue officials said. The incident happened in the tribal district of Bajaur where the police party was targeted by a roadside improvised explosive device, Saad Khan, media coordinator of the state-owned Rescue organization 1122 in Bajaur, told Xinhua. The …

KUNMING: Southwest China’s Yunnan Province saw nearly 12.47 million tourist trips during the three-day Qingming Festival holiday that ended on Saturday, data showed. This figure was up 59.5 percent from the same holiday in 2019, according to the China Tourism Academy. Tourism revenue totaled 11.32 billion yuan (about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars), up 85.7 percent from the same period in …

A meeting in the EU-USA-Armenia format convened in Brussels, and as anticipated by the Azerbaijani government, it emerged as a significant setback to peace in the South Caucasus from its onset. On April 5, between 15:10 and 17:35, Armenian armed forces initiated fire on Azerbaijani Army positions situated towards various residential areas in the Tovuz region. Essentially, revanchist separatists laid …

ISLAMABAD: Two policemen were killed by unknown gunmen in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in the wee hours of Saturday morning, police said. The incident happened in Lakki Marwat district of the province, where about seven terrorists stormed a local businessman’s office and police reached the site, police sources told Xinhua. Observing the arrival of police, the culprits opened fire …

Kirsten is slated to take charge of the white-ball cricket, including One Day Internationals (ODIs) and Twenty20 Internationals (T20Is), while Gillespie is expected to guide the team in red-ball cricket In the upcoming five-match T20I series against New Zealand, it has been decided to assign coaching roles exclusively to coaches available domestically. Mohammad Yousuf is expected to take on the …

ISLAMABAD: Eight terrorists were killed during an intelligence-based operation in Pakistan’s northwest Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, the military said on Saturday. Security forces conducted the operation in Dera Ismail Khan district of the province on reported presence of terrorists, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the media wing of the Pakistani military, said in a statement. “During the conduct of the operation, …

Pakistan strongly condemned on Saturday the “provocative” remarks by Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh in a televised interview and said it was an “admission of guilt”. Singh, in an interview with Media, said India will enter Pakistan to kill anyone who escapes over the border after trying to carry out terrorist activities in the country. “If they run away to …

Zainab Qayoom, affectionately known as ZQ, stirred conversation during a recent appearance on a Ramazan transmission, where she dove into the topic of marriage and personal contentment. The former Pakistani model and host shared candid insights into her perspective on relationships, emphasising a reliance on faith and acceptance of fate. In a conversation with fellow host Nadia Khan and actor …

With Eidul Fitr just days away, outsiders in Lahore and Karachi are once again raising concerns over the increase in transportation fares, a recurring issue that plagues travellers annually during the holiday season. The influx of outsiders returning from Lahore and Karachi to their hometowns has initiated, with many experiencing the rush at bus stands as they attempt to catch …

Fardeen Khan will return to acting in the upcoming web series Heeramandi, The Diamond Bazaar, directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Fardeen, who plays Wali Mohammed in the historical drama series, debuted a first-look poster on Netflix on Saturday. Fardeen returns almost after a 14-years of absence. His last big-screen appearance was in Dulha Mil Gaya. The actor then had taken …

PTI leader Senator Ali Zafar has dismissed the possibility of boycotting the upcoming election for the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate. In an exclusive conversation with Internews, the senior lawyer confirmed that while some party leaders had contemplated boycotting the Senate chairman election, the majority view within PTI does not support such a move. Zafar clarified that the …

The Sunni Ittehad Council has submitted an application to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) urging the halt of the upcoming election for the chairman and deputy chairman of the Senate. The application, submitted by SIC head Sahibzada Hamid Raza, cites the incomplete electoral college of the Senate due to the absence of Upper House elections in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) …

ISLAMABAD: China Cultural Center in Pakistan and Cultural Office of the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Pakistan have rolled out series of online activities to promote tourism image of Grand Canal to Pakistani as well as world audiences. According to a statement released by China Cultural Center in Pakistan on Friday, the season will feature nearly 100 …

TOKYO: In the wake of recent contaminated water leakage at Japan’s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant, the plant’s operator Tokyo Electric Power Company (TEPCO) has announced its plan for new installations as a preventive measure, local media reported. TEPCO is expected to install new piping and ventilation ports designed to guide any spewing liquid to fall within the building, thereby …

CHANGSHA: Four people were killed in a coal mine accident in Lengshuijiang City, central China’s Hunan Province, on Friday, local authorities said Saturday. The accident took place at around 8:30 p.m. Friday and the rescue operation ended at around 2 a.m. Saturday. An investigation into the cause of the accident is underway.

GUANGZHOU: He Lifeng, Chinese vice premier and Chinese lead person for China-U.S. economic and trade affairs, held several rounds of talks with U.S. Secretary of Treasury Janet Yellen, also U.S. lead representative, on Friday and Saturday in the city of Guangzhou in south China. Focusing on the implementation of the important consensus between the two countries’ heads of state, the …

BEIJING: Foreign-invested firms as well as those with investors from China’s Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan regions reported profit growth of 31.2 percent year on year in the first two months of 2024, according to data released by the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS). The recently released NBS data showed general growth in China’s industrial economy. According to the data, …

SHANGHAI: Shanghai’s two airports witnessed over 1.18 million visits by inbound foreign travelers in the first quarter of this year, up 6.9 times year on year, according to Shanghai Customs. With visitor numbers boosted by a visa-free travel agreement between China and countries such as Thailand and Singapore, Shanghai’s two airports handled 649,000 visits by travelers from those countries in …

BEIJING: China’s inter-regional passenger traffic surged to around 262.14 million on Thursday, the first day of the three-day Qingming Festival holiday, data from the Ministry of Transport showed Friday. The figure represents a 70.34-percent increase compared with the same day of 2023, according to the ministry. In detail, road and waterway trips experienced year-on-year growth of 68.5 percent and 53.36 …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is expected to embark on a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia on Saturday to discuss issues of mutual interest, the Prime Minister’s Office said on Friday. Sharif’s visit is at the invitation of Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman Al Saud. He will be accompanied by a high-level delegation, including …

In the first nine months of the financial year 2023-24, Pakistan Railway has achieved a historic increase in its revenue as the earnings surged to Rs66 billion. According to CEO of Pakistan Railways Aamer Ali Baloch, Pakistan Railway witnessed an earning of Rs66 billion in the first 9 months of the financial year 2023-24. Baloch hoped that earnings likely to …

The seasoned right-hand batter Rohit Sharma is set to leave Mumbai Indians (MI) franchise after the ongoing Indian Premier League (IPL) 2024, as the former skipper of the franchise is unhappy with the way things are panning out this season. The reports from the Indian media claimed that Rohit Sharma is disappointed with the way Hardik Pandya is leading the …

Nine years ago, farmer Sultan Ahmed Bhatti gave up tilling the soil and using most fertilizers and pesticides on his farm in Doober Bhattian, Pakistan. His brothers at first derided him. But soon, his first experiment with growing wheat on raised beds was a runaway success. “We produced more wheat than what we grew on ploughed, flat land,” he said. …

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has called upon international community to pressurize Israel to stop its oppression against Palestinians. In his message on the International Day of Al-Quds and Juma tul Wida, he strongly denounced the Israeli atrocities in Gaza. He said since October last year, thirty two thousand Palestinians including seventeen thousand children have been martyred and seventy thousand …

The Lahore Zoo has announced its closure during Eidul Fitr due to the ongoing construction work. While children won’t be able to visit the zoo, Safari and Jallo Park will remain open to offer alternative options for entertainment during the holiday. The closure of Lahore Zoo is attributed to necessary construction work that is still underway. According to authorities, another month …

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Media Director Aalia Rasheed has resigned from her post in an announcement made on X, formerly Twitter. Aliya Rasheed was appointed during the tenure of PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf. Sources claimed there was a lot of pressure on Alia Rashid after she released the statement about captaincy without asking Shaheen Shah Afridi. Sami Ul Hasan …

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is under scrutiny for its alleged practice of “washing machine” politics, where joining the party supposedly cleanses politicians of corruption allegations. Critics accuse the Modi govt of employing this strategy to consolidate power, narrowing the circle around political opponents and resorting to negative campaigning as elections loom closer. A Maharashtra Union Minister, Rao Sahab Danve, …

ISIS-K, an offshoot of the Islamic State, has consolidated its presence in Afghanistan following the withdrawal of US forces in 2021, as reported by USA Today. The group, notorious for its brutality, claimed responsibility for the devastating attack on a rock concert in Moscow, which resulted in the tragic loss of over 140 lives. Former Afghan National Directorate of Security …

SYDNEY: Over 100 flights were canceled at Sydney Airport as heavy rain continued to lash the Australian state of New South Wales (NSW). As of 2:30 p.m. local time, six international flights and 109 domestic flights have already been canceled. The numbers are expected to rise in the next few hours as the deluge barely showed any signs of slowing …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif paid tributes to the country’s former Prime Minister Zulfikar Ali Bhutto on his 45th death anniversary being observed on Thursday. According to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office, Sharif said that Bhutto played an important role in promoting democracy and democratic traditions in Pakistan. “Bhutto led from the front to form the …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Minister for Industries and Production Rana Tanveer Hussain said that the country would focus more on boosting agricultural productivity and growth considering the challenges posed by climate change. Agriculture is the backbone of the country’s economy and all resources will be utilized for its development while introducing climate-smart agricultural strategies to improve the agricultural sector, the minister said …

The Supreme Court, though yet to issue a written decree, appears keen on laying down guidelines for the superior court judges encountering interference or intimidation from agencies during their judicial duties. Senior puisne judge Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah stressed the importance of establishing a code of conduct for superior court judges, a view endorsed by Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail …

Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday said the federal government will investigate the issue of ‘suspicious letters’ received by judges. According to sources, four SC judges including CJP Justice Qazi Faez Isa, eight judges of Islamabad High Court and four judges of Lahore High Court have received ‘threatening letters with suspicious powder’. Chairing a federal cabinet meeting in Islamabad …