KARACHI: The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) has denied allegations that the meat of captive elephant Noor Jehan was sold after her death at Karachi Zoo. In a statement issued on Twitter, the KMC said reports regarding the sale of the elephant’s meat were baseless and untrue. “There is no truth in the news circulating on social media regarding the sale …

WASHINGTON: The U.S. Army has grounded all aircraft except those on “critical missions” after two recent fatal mid-air crashes.   The “aviation stand down” order announced on Friday comes a day after two Apache helicopters collided in Alaska, killing three US Army pilots.   Army Chief of Staff James McConville said the aviators will remain grounded until they complete extra …

TEXAS: The incident began when the gunman started shooting near the house, police say A gunman has killed five people, including an eight-year-old child, at a home in Texas.   Among the other victims were two women found lying on top of two surviving children, police told media.   The incident happened late in the town of Cleveland, about 45 …

KYIV: A drone strike has caused a massive fire at an oil depot in Russian-controlled Crimea, local officials say.   Social-media footage showed flames billowing from the site in Sevastopol, Crimea’s main city, early on Saturday.   The fire was later put out and no-one was hurt, the Moscow-appointed regional governor said.   On Friday Russia launched a wave of …

PYONGYANG: North Korean leader Kim Jong-un’s powerful sister has warned that a recent US-South Korean deal will lead to a “more serious danger”.   Kim Yo-jong said North Korea’s nuclear deterrent “should be brought to further perfection”, state media reported.   The US agreed to deploy nuclear-armed submarines to South Korea and involve Seoul in its nuclear planning to counter …

TEHRAN: Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi will pay a visit to Syria, a senior Iranian official confirmed on Saturday.   During Raisi’s visit to Syria, the Iran-led Resistance Front’s victory against the United States in West Asia following a “tense period of geopolitical change” will be celebrated, tweeted Mohammad Jamshidi, deputy chief of staff for political affairs to the Iranian president. …

WASHINGTON: The U.S. economy appears to be slowing, and could hit a recession this year, according to experts, economic indicators and major corporations.   “It is very likely that the economy will be tipped into recession by mid-year,” said Desmond Lachman, senior fellow at the American Enterprise Institute and a former official at the International Monetary Fund.   GDP, which …

HOUSTON, April 29 (Internews): The number of active drilling rigs in the United States rose to 755 this week, up by two from the previous week and 57 from a year ago, according to the weekly data released Friday by Houston-based oil field services company Baker Hughes.   These active drilling rigs included 591 oil rigs operating in the U.S. …

LOS ANGELES: Chinese military action film “Born to Fly” opened in a limited theatrical release in North America.   The film is being released by Well Go USA Entertainment in Mandarin with English subtitles in 75 selected theaters in Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, New York, Boston, Miami, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Toronto, Montreal and a few other North American …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Finance (MoF) of Pakistan has said that Pakistan’s economy is still facing significant challenges owing to high inflation and an economic slowdown. However, the recent surplus in the balance of payment (Bop) would provide a breather. In its ‘Monthly Economic Update & Outlook’, the ministry said that headline inflation (CPI) is expected to remain at elevated …

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir on Saturday said he was determined to not only defeat the attempts by Pakistan’s enemies to “drive a wedge” between the people and the armed forces but also “preserve and further solidify” their bond through “selfless performance” of constitutional duties.   Addressing the passing out parade of the Pakistan Military Academy …

LAHORE: Punjab Police on Saturday registered a case against former chief minister Parvez Elahi and others, claiming that its officials were “attacked with stones, batons and petrol” during a raid on the PTI leader’s house in Lahore to arrest him in a corruption case the previous night.   The raiding team, which included officials of Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) and police, …

ISLAMABAD: The US confiscated Iranian oil on a tanker at sea in recent days in a sanctions enforcement operation, three sources said, and days later Iran seized another oil-laden tanker in retaliation, according to a maritime security firm. As oil markets remain jittery, the cargo seizure is the latest escalation between Washington and Tehran after years of sanctions pressure by …

ISLAMABAD: Microsoft has declared that it will no longer provide updates for Windows 10, with the current version, 22H2, serving as the operating system’s final release. Although Windows 10 will be supported until 2025, users may not receive security updates after that date, leaving their systems vulnerable to potential threats. However, Microsoft has stated that those who use the long-term …

WhatsApp has started trial of a new feature that will enable users to get the transcript of a voice message. The feature is available for some beta testers using beta for iOS 23.9.0.70. It will be launched for all users after the trial. According to WABetaInfo, “Users can get the content of a voice message in situations where they can’t …

LAHORE: The National team’s captain Babar Azam have scored the fastest 12,000 international runs. The national captain crossed this milestone by scoring 49 runs on 46 balls in his 277th innings against New Zealand in Rawalpindi, becoming the 8th Pakistani batter to achieve this honour. Captain Babar Azam is currently ranked second among Asian batters in terms of scoring 12,000 …

RAWALPINDI: The second ODI of the five matches series between New Zealand and Pakistan will be played today in the Rawalpindi stadium. The day-night match between the two teams will start at 3:30 pm according to Pakistan Standard Time. The national team is currently leading the five-match series against New Zealand by 1-0, Pakistan won the first match against the …

LAHORE: Famous musician Chahat Fateh Ali Khan has once again created waves on social media with his latest rendition of Ali Zafar’s famous song “Channo”. The London-based singer has impressed fans with his unique twist on the lyrics, prompting Ali Zafar himself to respond on Twitter with a message of appreciation. “YaAllah Khair,” the 42-year-old musician wrote on Twitter while …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan cricket team has completed 500 victories in One Day International (ODI) by winning the first out of five matches ODI series against New Zealand. Pakistan cricket team became the third team in the world to achieve 500 ODI victories, as they completed 500 victories in their 949th ODI international match. Before Pakistan, Australia and India have won 500 …

RAWALPINDI: Fast bowler Naseem Shah has achieved the world record for the most wickets in the initial six one day matches. Naseem Shah has taken 20 wickets in his first 6 One Day International (ODI) matches of his career. In the first ODI against New Zealand in Rawalpindi, the Pakistani fast bowler took 2 wickets, breaking the record of New …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial said on Thursday that the Supreme Court could not force the government to hold negotiations with the opposition.   He passed these remarks as a three-member SC bench, headed by the CJP and comprising Justices Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, took up the elections delay case. However, the hearing was adjourned …

KHAIRPUR: Seven people, including four children, died after a bogie of a Karachi Express train caught fire near Tando Masti Khan in Sindh’s Khairpur district during the early hours of Thursday, officials said.   Pakistan Railways (PR) District Coordination Officer Mohsin Siyal confirmed the number of casualties.   Police surgeon Dr Abu Talib also confirmed the death toll, adding that …

BEIJING: Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Mao Ning on Thursday said China firmly rejects the indictment of Chinese law enforcement officers and other government officials by the United States, urging the U.S. side to stop the erroneous moves immediately. “Recently, the United States has maliciously concocted the so-called ‘transnational repression’ narrative, pieced together fabricated evidence and prosecuted Chinese law enforcement officers and …

TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida on Thursday set a target for women to make up at least 30 percent of executive positions at Japan’s top listed companies by 2030. It is crucial to spur innovation by promoting women to play a more active role, Kishida said at the day’s meeting of the government’s Council for Gender Equality. In a …

BEIJING: The Office of the Commissioner of the Chinese Foreign Ministry in the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region (HKSAR) on Thursday strongly disapproved and firmly rejected Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno’s irresponsible words on the National Security Law for the HKSAR, the practice of “one country, two systems”, and freedom of the press and speech in Hong Kong. A …

YEMEN: A senior commander of Yemen’s government forces was killed on Thursday in a roadside bomb blast in the country’s southern province of Abyan, said a security official. “Fawzi Shaif Bakri, who served as the commander of the 3rd battalion of the government Security Belt forces, died due to a roadside bomb that went off close to the convoy he …

BEIJING: Chinese police have launched this year’s campaign to apprehend economic fugitives who have fled overseas, according to the Ministry of Public Security. Public security organs will intensify efforts to solve key cases of fugitive repatriation and the recovering of criminal assets in the “Fox Hunt 2023” campaign, and support discipline inspection and supervision departments in this regard, the ministry …

MOSCOW: Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held a phone talk with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday ahead of the inauguration ceremony of Türkiye’s first nuclear power reactor built by Russia. Türkiye-Russia relations and regional issues were discussed during the phone talk, Erdogan’s office said in a statement. The Turkish president thanked Putin for his contributions to the Akkuyu …

ISLAMABAD: Cranberry has long been regarded as a preventive or curative treatment for urinary tract infections (UTIs). To date, though, research has produced conflicting evidence of its effectiveness. Scientists at Flinders University and The Children’s Hospital at Westmead in Australia recently published a global study showing that cranberry products may indeed reduce the risk of UTIs in some groups. This …

ISLAMABAD: The Economic Advisory Wing of the Ministry of Finance in its ‘Debt Sustainability Analysis (DSA) Report has conceded that inflation, measured as CPI, was expected to rise in FY23 to 28.5pc on average due to uncertain political and economic environment, pass-through of currency depreciation, and the rise in energy prices and stay at 21pc even in the next fiscal …

ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is awaiting clarity on petrol subsidy scheme as Pakistani authorities have not yet withdrawn the proposed cross-fuel subsidy scheme in writing to the Fund, reports a media outlet. The scheme is being regarded as one of the reasons for delay in the agreement. The lender had raised objections to the proposal, asking Islamabad to …

MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan has been spotted in the scenic region of Kashmir recently to shoot a key schedule of his upcoming film “Dunki” directed by Rajkumar Hirani. According to sources, SRK and his co-star Taapsee Pannu were in Kashmir to shoot an important underwater sequence for the film, which is not an action scene but a pivotal …

LAHORE: After a three-year hiatus, Adnan Siddiqui, a popular Pakistani actor, will be seen in a short film titled ‘Jamun Ka Darakht’, directed by Rafay Rashdi, who also directed ‘Thora Jee Le.’ Siddiqui plays the character Kareem, and the film explores the complex societal intricacies where people often hide behind multiple masks. Rashdi explained that the movie provides an independent …

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan have won the toss and decided to bowl first against New Zealand in the first of the five One-Day Internationals (ODIs) at the Pindi Cricket Stadium today (Thursday). The two sides will enter the series after an exciting five-match T20 International series that ended in a 2-2 draw on Monday. That well-fought series promises equally competitive and exciting …

ISLAMABAD: Indus Motor Company (IMC), the assembler of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan, has reported a profit-after-tax (PAT) of Rs3.216 billion for the third quarter of financial year 2022-23, a decrease of 37 per cent as compared with earnings of Rs5.118 billion in the same period of the previous year.   Earnings per share (EPS) stood at Rs40.92 compared with Rs65.11. …

RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Gen Asim Munir visited the headquarters of the People’s Liberation Army and met the PLA commander on Wednesday.   Both sides discussed regional stability and military cooperation.   The army chief, who is in China on a four-day official visit, arrived in the neighbouring country on Tuesday.   In a press release issued, the …

JEDDAH: A ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Sudan where fighting between the army and paramilitaries has killed and wounded hundreds arrived in Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah on Wednesday, the Foreign Office (FO) said.   “Evacuation plan for Pakistani nationals in Sudan continues. The ship carrying 37 Pakistani nationals from Port Sudan arrives in Jeddah,” it said in a tweet.   …

RAWALPINDI: Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director General (DG) Maj-Gen Ahmed Sharif on Tuesday said the military was focused on rooting out terrorism, clarifying that as a “national” institution it had respect for all the politicians and political parties. He expressed these views in a press conference on national security and terrorism the first such briefing by Maj-Gen Sharif since his …

ISLAMABAD: The death toll from Monday’s twin explosions in a police station in Pakistan’s Swat district of the northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province rose to 17 on Tuesday, with at least 70 others injured, health and police officials said. Confirming the casualties, KP Health Secretary Mahmood Aslam Wazir told Xinhua that the death toll increased after several injured succumbed to …

BEIJING: China has seen steady progress in exchanges and cooperation in intellectual property (IP) with countries along the routes of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), the country’s top IP regulator said Monday.   A total of 115 BRI countries filed applications for 253,000 patents over the past decade in China, with an average annual growth rate of 5.6 percent, …