A six-member bench of the Supreme Court (SC) on Tuesday reserved its verdict on a fresh petition seeking the formation of a full court to hear pleas challenging the military trials of civilians. The bench comprised Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial, Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Yahya Afridi, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and …

At least five people, including two police personnel, were killed in clashes between Hindus and Muslims in India’s Haryana state, neighbouring capital New Delhi, on Monday, police officials said. The violence erupted when a Hindu religious procession passed through the Muslim-dominated Nuh region, located around 50 kilometres away from New Delhi. “The procession was meant to move from one temple …

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Tuesday granted pre-arrest bail to a woman the wife of a civil judge in a case pertaining to the alleged torture of an underage domestic help in the capital. Somia Asim, the suspect, was booked after she was accused of severely torturing a teenage maid, who was moved to the Lahore General …

In a recent development, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has introduced a new travel requirement for passengers traveling abroad. As per the directive, all airlines’ administrations have been instructed to mandatorily check the polio vaccination cards of passengers before departure. The directive applies to all airports and airlines, and passengers are advised to ensure their polio vaccination cards are up-to-date …

The Pakistan hockey squad crossed the Wagah border to participate in the Asian Champions Trophy, which is set to be held in Chennai, India from Aug. 3. The national side underwent its final practice session ahead of the tournament here at the National Hockey Stadium in the morning before the afternoon session was cancelled with the players running late for …

The Rawalpindi bench of Lahore High Court (LHC) granted bail to six suspects, including former PTI minister Shehryar Afridi, who were charged with allegedly attacking military installations on May 9. The LHC division bench comprising Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid and Jus­ti­­ce Anwaarul Haq Pannun granted bail to Mr Afridi and five others including the petitioner Nadia Hus­sain, Haider Mehmood Khan, …

Two policemen escorting a polio vaccination team were martyred on Tuesday when armed men opened fire on them in Quetta’s Nawa Killi area, police said. The attack comes on the first day of a week-long campaign to administer the polio vaccination to approximately 2.6 million children under five years of age in Balochistan. Zarghoonabad Station House Officer (SHO) Asif Marwat …

Meta Platforms is preparing to launch a range of artificial intelligence (AI) powered chatbots that exhibit different personalities as soon as September, the U.S. media reported on Tuesday. Meta has been designing prototypes for chatbots that can have humanlike discussions with its users, as the company attempts to boost its engagement with its social media platforms, according to the report, …

Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) important meeting will be held on Wednesday, in which key decisions would be taken regarding the future of domestic cricket in Pakistan. According to the sources, it will be also be decided that who will be in the selection committee in the future. Misbah-ul-Haq is expected to get some big post in the future set up …

Myanmar reduced ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi’s 33-year prison sentence by six years in a partial pardon on Tuesday, as the junta struggles to quell bloody resistance to its rule. The country has been ravaged by violence in the two years since Suu Kyi was deposed in a coup and hit with 19 criminal cases ranging from corruption …

Leaving both the owner and authorities baffled, seven valuable horses reared in a Gujrat camp have tragically lost their lives, while the condition of fifteen others remains critical. According to the police, initial investigations suggest that the cause of the horses’ untimely demise appears to be “their consumption of something poisonous”. However, the actual cause of their death can only …

Amidst mounting economic pressures, the masses find themselves grappling with yet another burden as the government on Tuesday decided to jack up petrol prices by a staggering Rs19.95 per litre and diesel price by Rs19.90 per litre for the next fortnight. The decision was announced by Finance Minister Ishaq Dar during a live broadcast, citing the necessity of adhering to …

BEIJING: A new edition of a study outline on Xi Jinping’s thinking on strengthening the military has been published. The Political Work Department of the Central Military Commission (CMC) organized the compilation work of the new edition based on the original version of the study outline published in 2019. This edition of the study outline expounds on the significance, scientific …

ISLAMABAD: Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng, the special representative of Chinese President Xi Jinping, called for an upgrading of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to promote a closer China-Pakistan community with a shared future in the new era. He made the remarks on Monday while attending the Decade of CPEC celebration event in the Pakistani capital, during which he read …

ISLAMABAD: The Bank of China (BOC) opened its branch in Pakistan’s federal capital Islamabad on Monday to further expand its business network in the South Asian country. Addressing the inauguration ceremony, Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar said that the opening of the branch is another milestone in the deepening financial and economic cooperation between Pakistan and China, and …

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday demanded all-out search and rescue of the people missing or trapped in floods and geological disasters in an instruction on the work regarding flood prevention and disaster relief. Xi, also general secretary of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Central Military Commission, also demanded efforts to minimize casualties. …

BEIJING: A total of 11 people have died and 27 others remain missing during rainstorms in Beijing, local authorities said Tuesday. The deceased include four in Mentougou and two in Fangshan, the worst affected districts. Other fatalities include four in Changping District and one in Haidian District, according to the city’s flood control and drought relief headquarters. The 27 people …

Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday China will work with Pakistan to aim for high-standard, sustainable and livelihood-enhancing outcomes and further build the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) into an exemplary project of high-quality Belt and Road cooperation. Xi made the remarks in a congratulatory message to the Decade of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor celebration event held in Islamabad, Pakistan. Xi pointed …

Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) has registered a significant increase in oil and gas production from four of its wells located in Sindh. The oil and gas exploration company on Monday shared the details of its production enhancement recorded in the month of July via notice to the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX). OGDCL attributed the production enhancement to …

Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik said the government would protect international investors that are interested in the country’s mining sector. Addressing a press conference on Monday, the state minister said the government has established a one-window operation to facilitate foreign investment. “In the shape of SIFC (Special Investment Facilitation Council), we have established a one-window operation, which …

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Monday that Pakistan is absolutely ready to contribute towards Chinese President Xi Jinping’s vision of shared destiny of progress and prosperity. The remarks came as Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng arrived at the Prime Minister House to hold talks with PM Shehbaz. Addressing a ceremony after both leaders witnessed the signing of several Memorandums …

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday lauded the role of China’s banking sector and its institutions for supporting Pakistan in difficult times. Addressing the opening ceremony of the second branch of Bank of China in Islamabad, Dar said institutions such as this are “great financial partners of Pakistan.” The finance minister reiterated that Pakistan has largely come out of the …

The late Benazir Bhutto has been an icon ever since she took oath as the first female prime minister of Pakistan. However, she’s been cemented in history ever since her Madame Tussauds wax statue was modelled in 1989, originally kept in London but shifted and unveiled in Dubai on Sunday. Apart from her political achievements, she was known for two …

Politicians and rulers, whether of the more democratic dispensation or otherwise, have a habit of going out of favour with the status quo. When that happens, every attempt is made to malign their character and delegitimise their narrative in the eyes of the public, whether by highlighting their misdeeds or by completely wiping them from the mainstream narrative. The act …

President Arif Alvi conferred Pakistan’s second-highest civil award, Hilal-i-Pakistan (Crescent of Pakistan), on Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng during an investiture ceremony held at Aiwan-e-Sadar in Islamabad on Monday. The award was given to the Chinese dignitary to honour his role in the promotion of bilateral ties between Pakistan and China. The ceremony was attended by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif …

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Monday kept the key policy rate unchanged at 22 percent. The central bank governor Jameel Ahmad announced it in a press conference held on Monday. At its meeting held on Monday, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to keep the policy rate unchanged at 22 percent. The Committee noted that the economic uncertainty …

Saudi Arabia has revealed the date for the yearly Holy Kaaba cleaning ceremony, a time-honored event during which the Kaaba’s floor is thoroughly washed. The event will take place on the 15 Muharram (2 August), using a mixture of Zam Zam water, rose water, and perfume. Arab news sources have confirmed that the cleaning will be conducted after the Fajr …

The definition of sales tax fraud has been proposed to be changed to check the smuggling and local trading of goods on which sales tax has not been paid during the supply chain of business. The FBR through C No 1(12) TR/IR-Ops (IR-Code)/2021-114506-R dated July 1, 2023, has issued a draft of the proposed amendment to be made in the …

Hospitals in Sindh are facing a severe shortage of nursing staff as they continue to seek better opportunities abroad, leaving patients in distress. The weakened economy has caused thousands of nurses to leave the country, while the government’s slow recruitment process and pending court cases have left 614 nursing vacancies unfilled in the province. Estimates indicate that 1.3 million nurses …

Madonna was grateful for the love of her kids and family when she was hospitalised for a bacterial infection last month. Taking to social media, the pop icon shared loved to her close ones, “Love from family and friends is the best Medicine. One month out of the hospital and I can reflect.” “As a Mother you can really get …

Hallucinating artificial intelligence can tank a court case by creating fake case citations that leave the lawyers open to sanctions or the proceeding itself vulnerable to being overturned, a former litigator said. Last month, a judge handed down a $5,000 penalty on a law firm representing Colombian airline Avianca Inc., which used ChatGPT to write its legal brief, but the …

As global temperatures rise, the United Nations has warned we are now living in an era of “global boiling”. But an oft-overlooked question is how the changing climate affects our bodies and health. We might have the answer through an interesting experiment conducted by Prof Damian Bailey from the University of South Wales, UK. According to a report on BBC, Bailey …

BEIJING: Xi Jinping, chairman of the Central Military Commission (CMC), on Monday presented certificates of order to promote the commander of the rocket force Wang Houbin and its political commissar Xu Xisheng to the rank of general. Zhang Youxia, vice chairman of the CMC, announced the order of promotion, which was signed by Xi. He Weidong, another CMC vice chairman, …

BEIJING: China firmly opposes all forms of terrorism and strongly condemns the bomb attack targeting civilians at a rally in Bajaur, a tribal district in Pakistan’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, a foreign ministry spokesperson said Monday. According to reports, at least 44 people have been killed and more than 100 injured in a bomb blast that targeted a rally held on …

BEIJING: China is willing to take the establishment of the China-Georgia strategic partnership as an opportunity to increase strategic communication and cooperation with the country in various areas, Chinese Premier Li Qiang said on Monday. Li made the remarks while meeting with visiting Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili, who attended the opening ceremony of the 31st summer edition of the …

BEIJING: Nearly 90 percent of China’s expressway service areas had installed charging piles by the end of June, data from the Ministry of Transport showed on Monday. At present, a total of 18,590 charging piles have been built in 5,931 expressway service areas across the country, covering 29,000 parking spaces for passenger cars, Guo Sheng, an official with the ministry, …

BEIJING: An article by Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, on strengthening basic research to achieve China’s high-level self-reliance and strength in science and technology will be published on Tuesday. The article by Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, will be published in this year’s 15th issue of …

ISLAMABAD: The China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has delivered infrastructure, trade and employment to Pakistan, resulting in sustainable development in the country, a Pakistani economist said. The enhancement in infrastructure through roads, railways and airport is not just going to provide connectivity within Pakistan but in the region and beyond, Badiea Shaukat, an economic consultant at the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, …

Chinese Vice Premier He Lifeng on Sunday arrived in Islamabad on a three-day visit during which he will attend a ceremony planned to mark 10 years of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Minister for Planning Ahsan Iqbal and Minister for Interior Rana Sanaullah received the visiting dignitary at the airport. A statement issued by the Foreign Office (FO) earlier …

At least 55 people were killed and over 200 others sustained injuries on Sunday after a blast ripped through a political rally in Pakistan’s Bajaur district, an official of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province told Xinhua. The official from the governor’s office in the provincial capital Peshawar said that local authorities had confirmed that 55 people lost their lives, fearing …