ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said on Tuesday that an independent judiciary was a main component of the Constitution.   He made the remarks as an eight-member larger bench of the Supreme Court heard a set of plea challenging a bill, which has since become an act of Parliament, seeking to curtail the powers of the …

KABUL: The Afghan Foreign Ministry announced on Tuesday that the Taliban administration’s Foreign Minister Amir Khan Mutaqqi was scheduled to visit Pakistan by the end of this week.   The date of the visit was not specified in the statement, but sources in the diplomatic circles confirmed that the foreign minister will reach Pakistan on May 5.   “The foreign …

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected on Tuesday former Punjab chief minister and current PTI president Parvez Elahi’s request to stop the police from arresting him.   The orders come after the police conducted a raid at his home in Gujrat, as per a tweet by Parvez’s son Moonis. The first raid had taken place on Friday night at …

ISLAMABAD: India and Ukraine have come to head-on with severe verbal attacks on each other after Ukraine’s Ministry of Defense published a derogatory post on its Twitter page insulting the Hindu goddess “Kali Maata”. Following the post, people from the Hindu religion and from others thronged to social media and other platforms to criticize the act by the Ukraine Ministry …

KARACHI: Zubair Tufail, President of United Business Group (UBG) and Hanif Gohar Secretary General of UBG Sindh Zone have said that the continuous increase in inflation has crippled the industry. Due to the end of subsidies and the lack of new investment in the country, many factories have come to a halt. They said that the rate of inflation increased …

PHNOM PENH: Cambodia has recorded last year that about 1,400 Cambodians were newly infected with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), which causes AIDS, according to a National AIDS Authority’s report on Monday. “About four people become infected with HIV every day,” the report said. It said new HIV infections had dropped by 91 percent since the peak of the HIV epidemic …

TIRIN KOT, Afghanistan: Afghan counter-narcotics police have discovered and seized 2,850 kg of hashish in the southern Uruzgan province, provincial police spokesman Mawlawi Zahid said on Monday. The smuggled goods were hidden in the cavities of two vehicles, and were discovered by police during a vehicle check outside the provincial capital on Sunday, the official added. The drivers escaped, he …

LANZHOU: Muhammad Ali Raza, a Pakistani doctor, has recently been working on an experiment on the utilization of plastic mulch and drip irrigation in cereal-legume intercropping systems at a water-saving agricultural research station located in the city of Zhangye in northwest China’s Gansu Province. “The crop straws are processed into mulch and used in soybean-corn compound planting fields,” Raza explained, …

HANGZHOU: China’s rising star Pan Zhanle broke the men’s 100m freestyle Asian record at the swimming national championships in Hangzhou here on Monday. Pan, 18, led all the way to win the 100m free in 47.22 seconds, 0.34 seconds faster than the old Asian record. Wang Haoyu was second in 48.15, while Chen Juner came third in 48.94. “It is …

TIANJIN: After a thrilling go-kart experience at a racetrack with roaring engines as in the scenes of “The Fast and the Furious” movies, Jack Chan enjoyed his “Roman Holiday” in an Italian-style business district in north China’s Tianjin Municipality. Chan, who hails from Singapore, has been living in China for 20 years. His work entails perennial travels between Beijing and …

ANKARA: Hit by devastating earthquakes in early February, Türkiye now faces environmental challenges on the disposal of the waste and rubbles left over from the destroyed buildings and roads. Two massive earthquakes destroyed cities on large swaths of land in southern Türkiye on Feb. 6, killing nearly 51,000 people. Referred to as “the disaster of the century” by the Turkish …

BEIJING: China’s revised Law on the Protection of Wildlife, adopted by the top legislature in December last year, went into effect Monday, as part of the country’s effort to better protect wildlife and their habitats. The revised law has refined measures for the regulation of wildlife populations in detail. In view of the situation in which wild animals overflow and …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has started preparations for the budget 2023-24 in which conditions forwarded by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) are likely to be implemented.   Sources privy to the development said the budget for Fiscal Year 2023-24 will be the ‘toughest’ budget in the country’s history. The mini-budget might be merged with the budget 2023-24.   With the …

LAHORE: Beaconhouse Ring Road Campus, Lahore, has achieved a remarkable feat by becoming Pakistan’s first and only school to be approved by Cambridge Assessment International Education (CIE) to host and administer Cambridge examinations as a Cambridge International Direct School.   Through this initiative, Beaconhouse Ring Road Campus will be able to administer Cambridge examinations without third-party involvement, further strengthening Beacon-house’s …

ISLAMABAD: A PIA flight carrying 93 Pakistanis reached Islamabad on Monday from Sudan, where fighting continued for a third week despite a ceasefire between the country’s rival military forces.   “93 stranded Pakistani nationals in Sudan arrived at Islamabad International Airport via PK754 today,” the Foreign Office (FO) said in a tweet today.   They were received by Minister for …

LAHORE: PML-N leader Javed Latif on Monday expressed his disapproval towards the ongoing negotiations between the coalition government and the PTI, saying that talks should never be held with “terrorists” and those who “want to destroy national institutions”.   The statement from the ruling party’s legislator comes at a crucial time when the federal coalition and the opposition are holding …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan’s aggressive batsman Fakhar Zaman has become the fastest Asian batter to complete 3,000 ODI runs in lowest number of innings. National team’s batter Fakhar Zaman completed 3,000 runs in 67 innings, previously West Indies player Shai Hope had also completed 3,000 runs in 67 innings. Meanwhile South Africa’s Hashim Amla tops the list by completing 3,000 runs in …

LAHORE:  Actors Zhalay Sarhadi advocated for the importance of discussing women’s health openly to break the negativity that comes with society’s constant criticism of their bodies. Rallying for how a woman’s body serves a greater purpose than reproduction, the 41-year-old actor opened up about her miscarriages, the health problems that followed and the intrusive questions that people (even close friends) …

WAZIRABAD: A man, recently returned from Dubai, killed his wife over petty domestic issues in Ahmad Nagar area of Wazirabad city in Punjab province on Sunday evening. According to the sources, a husband killed his wife by domestic violence. The deceased victim was identified as Sadaf from Lambanwali area. The woman was married to the suspects approximately eight years ago. …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination announced that the country’s first and only Monkeypox patient has fully recovered and been discharged from the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital. According to the spokesperson of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations, and Coordination, the reports of the patient were negative, who was admitted to PIMS …

ISLAMABAD: President Arif Alvi on Sunday returned the National Accountability (Amendment) Bill, 2023 to Parliament, stating that previous amendments to the accountability laws were sub judice before the Supreme Court (SC).   Earlier this month, the bill, dubbed “part two of NRO-2” by the opposition, had sailed through the Senate without being referred to the standing committee concerned.   The …

LAHORE: Dubai Economy and Tourism (DET) have launched a new campaign that targets Pakistani travellers with a YouTube series.   The episodes, featuring Faisal Kapadia and Bilal Maqsood, former members of the popular band Strings, take viewers on a thrilling journey through the vibrant city of Dubai, showcasing its unique experiences and attractions suitable for visitors of all ages.   …

LAHORE: PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry said on Sunday that his party wanted negotiations with the government – on the impasse on elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa – to be successful but at the same time contended that it had a “strategy” in place if the talks failed.   “PTI wants the success of negotiations [with the government], but it …

KARACHI: Pakistani Minister of State and Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Public Communication and Digital Platforms, Fahd Haroon, met with H E Bakheet Al Romaithi, United Arab Emirates Consul General in Karachi.   They both discussed the importance of public communication in raising awareness about food security and the impacts of climate change.   The meeting centred around the …

LAHORE, April 30 (Internews): Former prime minister and PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi said that all the political parties in the current government have failed to give a better and competent cabinet.   “We could not form a 10-member competent people’s cabinet to run the affairs of the country smoothly,” he lamented and added that the people who did not …

ISLAMABAD: UN chief Antonio Guterres will gather international envoys at a secret location in Doha on Monday in an increasingly desperate bid to find ways to influence Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers.   Considered the world’s biggest humanitarian crisis by the United Nations, Guterres’ quandary has been deepened by the Taliban administration’s move to stop girls from going to school and most …

LAHORE: The Punjab caretaker government on Sunday termed corruption allegations made by PML-N’s Shahid Khaqan Abbasi regarding the free flour distribution programme “false and fabricated”.   A day earlier, the PML-N leader who is part of a group of political mavericks holding a series of nationwide seminars on the current challenges being faced by the country in an effort to …

KABUL: Afghan police have rescued a child from kidnappers’ clutch in Afghanistan’s capital city Kabul and arrested three kidnappers, Kabul police spokesman Khalid Zadran said on Sunday. Without providing more details, the officer said that the child was rescued in Police District 10 very recently and an investigation had been initiated into the case. In a crackdown on criminal elements, …

COLOMBO: Sri Lankan President Ranil Wickremesinghe has instructed officials from the Ministry of Technology to form a presidential task force of experts and prepare a concept paper to promote usage of artificial intelligence in the country, the President’s Media Division (PMD) said on Sunday. During a recent discussion, the president highlighted the potential of artificial intelligence in various fields, including …

TOKYO: A total of 94.5 percent of people in Japan felt that prices had risen compared to one year ago, including 62.8 percent who said they had “risen considerably,” according to a recent survey by the Bank of Japan. The nationwide survey was conducted from Feb. 3 to March 1, with 1,981 respondents aged 20 or over. Regarding people’s current …

BEIJING: Railway trips in China hit a record high on Saturday, the first day of the five-day May Day holiday, data from the national railway operator shows. A total of 12,064 trains were in operation on Saturday, handling 19.66 million passenger trips, according to the China State Railway Group Co., Ltd. (China Railway). Sunday is expected to see about 18 …

NEW DELHI: At least nine people died and more than 10 fell sick after a poisonous gas leaked from a factory in Ludhiana city of Indian Punjab on Sunday, said police. The gas leak incident was reported from the factory situated on Sua Road near Sherpur Chowk in the Sahnewal area, he said, adding that the entire area has been …

SANAA: Yemen’s Houthi militant group on Sunday released a government military commander who had been detained for eight years, a Houthi official announced in a statement. Faisal Rajab, a commander in the Yemeni government army, was released after a request was made by a tribal delegation from his hometown in the southern province of Abyan. Abdulkadir al-Murtada, head of the …

MIANWALI: Some unidentified suspects have killed a father and his young son in Kundian city of Mianwali district in Punjab. According to Kundian police, a tragic incident occurred in the Wan Bachran area when the unknown suspects shot-dead a man and his young son who were sleeping in their house. Police said, the victim was identified as Zafar Iqbal who …

GHOTKI: Robbers kidnapped two people while two others managed to escape after being injured in firing by the suspects in Ghotki on Sunday. Police said the bandits captured four people from a milk supply vehicle on Gudulink Road. The suspects opened fire as victims resisted, in which two persons were injured, who managed to escape, while the two others were …

ISLAMABAD: In a good news for already inflation-hit people, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has sent a summary to the government for lowering prices of petroleum products for the next fortnight. According to sources, the price of petrol can be reduced by five to seven rupees and the price of diesel has been proposed to be reduced by …

MUMBAI: Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor is set to reportedly star alongside Ajay Devgn in the upcoming sequel to Rohit Shetty’s Singham. Rohit had previously announced that Deepika Padukone would be playing Lady Singham in the film, but it seems that Kareena is now the latest addition to the cop universe. This is not the first time that Kareena has starred …

ISLAMABAD: Hard-hitting T20 batter Iftikhar Ahmed will replace Haris Sohail in the Pakistan squad for the last three matches of the ongoing ODI home series against New Zealand in Karachi. Right-handed Iftikhar will join the national ODI side in Karachi, the PCB said in a statement. The replacement comes in the wake of a shoulder injury to left-handed Haris that …

LAHORE: Sharing a throwback photo on Instagram when he was a young boy, Pakistani speedster Shaheen Shah Afridi recalled the moment when he stepped into the field of cricket. Taking to the photo and video-sharing app, the pacer wrote: “There comes a moment in life that shapes your life. “Cricket is my life and this is the moment, the day …

QUETTA: At least five people were killed due to torrential rains in different parts of the Balochistan province, said the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Sunday. Two people were killed in Khuzdar, two in Machh and Lasbela and one was killed in Ketch in rain-related incidents. According to PDMA officials, under the influence of a powerful weather system, several …