Pakistan

Speakers at an international workshop jointly organized by COMSTECH and the Institute of Botany, Azerbaijan, stressed the need to integrate traditional knowledge with modern science to unlock new opportunities in drug discovery, nutraceuticals, and cosmetic industries.

Another 28 members of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have tendered their resignations from parliamentary committees, bringing the overall number of PTI withdrawals from these bodies to 47.

Subhan Ali, a young fisherman, couldn’t catch a single fish from the Indus river on Monday. For hours, he waited at the riverbank that touches the Hussainabad neighbourhood in Latifabad — a town situated in the suburbs of Hyderabad — but his makeshift fishing rod came out empty after every attempt. “We call it chambi,” he explained to Dawn.com, referring to the makeshift fishing rod — a wooden frame glued together from multiple pieces of wood and a net tied at one end — as we caught up with him at the downstream Hyderabad-Kotri railway bridge on the left bank of the Indus. Ali had tied a piece of foam around his waist with a rope. “This [foam] helps me float in the river as long as I am in there,” he remarked. A group of young fishermen holding one end of the net while their colleagues venture into the Indus river. Most days, he swims in the river on both sides as well as in the rivercourse, wherefrom the main current of the Indus flows. While entering the river, Ali holds the chambi tight. “As soon as a fish...

Taiwanese Olympic boxing gold medallist Lin Yu-ting will not compete at the world championships starting this week, Taiwan’s association told AFP on Tuesday, despite reportedly submitting her gender test results. Lin and Algerian boxer Imane Khelif were at the centre of a major gender row at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where they won titles in separate weight classes. World Boxing said last month that women wanting to compete at the championships in Liverpool on September 4-14 would have to undergo mandatory gender testing under its new policy. The 29-year-old Lin had agreed to undergo the testing, her coach Tseng Tzu-chiang told AFP at the time. Taiwan’s boxing association said it submitted the results to World Boxing and had not received a response, the semi-official Central News Agency reported late Monday. “We cannot allow the athlete to travel to the UK without any guarantee,” the association was quoted as saying. The association told AFP in a message on Tuesday that Lin “will not attend the world champions...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif met President Emomali Rahmon of Tajikistan in Beijing, where the two leaders reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening bilateral relations.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping, in a high-level meeting on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit on Tuesday, reaffirmed their strong resolve to further strengthen the all-weather strategic cooperative partnership between Pakistan and China.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has said that issues between former prime minister Imran Khan and the establishment can only be resolved by Khan himself.

The Sindh Information Commission (SIC) has issued notices to five divisional commissioners and 27 deputy commissioners of Sindh for failing to provide details sought under the Right to Information (RTI) law.

More than one in every 100 deaths globally is due to suicide, the World Health Organisation said Tuesday, calling for urgent action to stem a mounting mental health crisis among young people, especially. The WHO said that, while global suicide rates had fallen somewhat in recent years, progress in combating the issue was far too slow. In 2021— the last year for which data was available — there were an estimated 727,000 suicides worldwide, the United Nations’ health agency said. “Globally, suicide accounts for more than one in every 100 deaths, and for each death, there are 20 suicide attempts,” said Devora Kestel, the interim head of the WHO’s non-communicable disease and mental health department. Those suicides “affected countless more lives and livelihoods, as friends, carers and loved ones were forced to grapple with unimaginable hardship”, she told reporters. The WHO’s World Mental Health Today report highlighted that suicide remains a leading cause of death among young people across geographies and socio...

Nestle investors were pitched back into choppy waters on Tuesday after the Swiss food giant changed its chief executive officer for the second time in a year, ousting boss Laurent Freixe over an affair he had with a subordinate. The company’s shares were indicated 1.9 per cent lower in premarket activity in Zurich following Freixe’s sudden dismissal on Monday following a board meeting to discuss the findings of an investigation into the relationship. The downturn is another blow for Nestle investors who have been frustrated with three years of share price declines between 2022 and 2024 and no signs of a recovery this year. Freixe will be replaced by Philipp Navratil, a rising star at the maker of Nescafe coffee and KitKat chocolate bars, which has been struggling with sales volumes since the pandemic. The dismissal of Freixe follows an investigation into an undisclosed romantic relationship with a direct subordinate, which breached Nestle’s code of business conduct, Nestle said late on Monday. Freixe, who spe...

Authorities have declared a high flood emergency across nine districts of Punjab after heavy inflows from India swelled the Sutlej River, triggering widespread devastation across the province.

The Head Muhammad Wala Bridge was closed for all types of traffic on Tuesday after exceptionally high flood levels were recorded in the River Chenab.

Pakistan and China on Tuesday reaffirmed their commitment to strengthening their “iron-clad and all-weather strategic cooperative partnership” through enhanced cooperation, reflecting their unique bilateral relationship. Pakistan and China share a longstanding strategic partnership with ties ranging across different sectors — including trade, energy, defence, and infrastructure. The bilateral ties and cooperation were discussed in a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Council of Heads of State (CHS) summit, held from August 31 to September 1. “During the meeting, the two leaders agreed that the relationship between their countries was unique and unparalleled, which should be reflected in their enhanced bilateral cooperation,” the state-run Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) said. “Both leaders also discussed important regional and global developments and agreed to continue...

Federal Minister for Planning, Ahsan Iqbal, has said that the second phase of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) will take bilateral cooperation to new heights, opening avenues in renewable energy, ports, and the livestock sector.

ISLAMABAD: A Senate committee on Monday invalidated the bids for the Central Asia Regional Economic Cooperation (CAREC) Tranche-III project and called on the National Highway Authority (NHA) to cancel the bids and inform the project financier of its findings regarding the use of “forged” documents to secure all four contracts associated with the Rs170 billion project. The Senate Standing Committee on Economic Affairs Division also called for the blacklisting of a joint venture (JV) of three firms — M/s Ningxia Communications Construction Co., Ltd NXCC, M/s Dynamic Constructors, and M/s Rustam Associates. The committee called on the NHA to write to the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the project financier, within two days regarding the firms’ non-compliance and the fraudulent nature of the bids. It further recommended that the Economic Affairs Division officially notify the ADB that the bids were “technically invalid and were manipulated due to the malafide intentions of NHA officials and the contractors.” Commi...

Flight operations at Sialkot International Airport were restored on Tuesday after a temporary suspension caused by heavy flooding in the region.

The Government of Punjab has officially launched the Punjab Laptop Scheme 2025, a major initiative aimed at fostering digital literacy, promoting academic excellence, and ensuring equal access to technology for students across the province.

Heavy torrential rains have unleashed flash floods in local streams and water channels across Buner, causing a dangerous surge in water flow and creating panic among residents.

Australia’s white-ball pace spearhead Mitchell Starc has retired from Twenty20 internationals six months out from the World Cup in India and Sri Lanka to focus on extending his career in test and one-day cricket. The 35-year-old left-armer retires as the nation’s most prolific fast bowler in the format, with 79 wickets from 65 T20Is, second on the all-time Australia list to spin bowling teammate Adam Zampa. Test cricket is and has always been my highest priority,” he said in a Cricket Australia statement on Tuesday. “I have loved every minute of every T20 game I have played for Australia, particularly the 2021 World Cup, not just because we won but the incredible group and the fun along the way. “Looking ahead to an away Indian test tour, the Ashes and an ODI World Cup in 2027, I feel this is my best way forward to remain fresh, fit and at my best for those campaigns. “It also gives the bowling group time to prepare for the T20 World Cup in the matches leading into that tournament.” Starc was not included in ...

ISLAMABAD: Despite strong reservations from the ministries of finance and power, the government has approved a dollar-based guaranteed return on the transportation of petroleum products through the 477-kilometre Machike-Thallian-Tarujabba White Oil Pipeline, estimated to cost $300 million. The project will be executed on a government-to-government basis by a joint venture comprising Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company SOCAR, Pakistan State Oil (PSO), and the Frontier Works Organisation (FWO). Positioned as a strategic investment from Azerbaijan, the project had long been advocated by the FWO using local resources. At a recent meeting, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the terms and conditions proposed by the Petroleum Division to launch the project, citing its potential to enhance bilateral ties with Azerbaijan and attract future investment. However, official documents reviewed by Dawn reveal that Power Minister Sardar Awais Leghari cautioned against offering guaranteed dollar...