Pakistan

A panel of government officials and health experts on Tuesday stressed the need for a science-based approach and comprehensive fiscal reforms in the food sector, as part of efforts to improve food safety and public health on World Food Safety Day. The panel called “Science in Action and Fiscal Governance for Safe Food” was jointly organised by the Senate, Gallup Pakistan, Impact Research International, and Islamabad Food Authority in the federal capital, according to a press release. “The event underscored the critical need for a science-led approach to food safety and called for urgent fiscal reforms, particularly in taxation policy to support the formal food sector,” the press release said. Senator Syed Masroor Ahsan, Chairman of the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research, presided over the panel. According to the release, he stressed the urgent need to design and implement evidence-based policies that ensure access to safe, traceable food in line with international standards. “Foo...

Posts from multiple users on social media platforms X and TikTok on Sunday shared an image claiming to show the Israeli city of Haifa devastated by Iranian missile strikes. However, the viral image is an old photo of an Israeli strike in Lebanon from 2024. As Israel and Iran entered the third day of intense missile exchanges, reports emerged of at least four injuries in Haifa following Iranian strikes on June 15, according to Al Jazeera. The escalation began on June 13 when Israel launched airstrikes targeting Iranian commanders, scientists, and nuclear facilities, claiming it aimed to halt Tehran’s alleged nuclear weapons development — an accusation Iran denies, asserting its programme is for civilian use. On Sunday, an X user shared an image showing a large explosion at night, with multiple fireballs and plumes of smoke rising into the sky. The blast appears to be occurring in a densely populated urban area, given the surrounding city lights and visible high-rise buildings in the foreground. The caption of ...

Nakoa-Wolf Momoa and Ida Brooke cast as Leto II and Ghanima, twin heirs of Paul Atreides, in Dune 3.

Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday discussed issues of relevant constituencies during separate meetings with Members of the National Assembly Sardar Shamsher Ali Mazari, Abdul Qadir Khosa, and Iftikhar Nazir.

MD says disposal stations must be fully operational with contingency plans for power outages

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Amid rising tensions between Iran and Israel, Pakistan has begun withdrawing non-essential staff from its diplomatic missions in the region, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Tuesday.

Balochistan Budget for financial year 2025-26 with a total outlay of 1028 billion rupees was presented on Tuesday.

Israel launched strikes against Iran on June 13, saying it targeted nuclear facilities, ballistic missile factories and military commanders during the start of a prolonged operation to prevent Tehran from building an atomic weapon. Iran, which has denied such intentions, has in the past threatened to close the Strait of Hormuz for traffic in retaliation to Western pressure. Experts have said that any closure of the strait could restrict trade and impact global oil prices. Below are details about the strait: The strait lies between Oman and Iran and links the Gulf north of it with the Gulf of Oman to the south and the Arabian Sea beyond. It is 21 miles (33 km) wide at its narrowest point, with the shipping lane just 2 miles (3 km) wide in either direction. Why does it matter? About a fifth of the world’s total oil consumption passes through the strait. Between the start of 2022 and last month, roughly 17.8 million to 20.8m barrels of crude, condensate and fuels flowed through the strait daily, according to dat...

The National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees on Finance and Revenue on Tuesday rejected the government’s proposal to impose an 18 per cent sales tax on solar panel imports. A week earlier, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb presented the proposed budget for the fiscal year 2025-26 on the floor of the NA, revealing that an 18pc tax would be applied on imported solar panels, while online businesses and digital marketplaces would also come under the tax net. During today’s meeting of the NA standing committee, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial said that there was no sales tax on photovoltaic cells or solar panels. “There is no tax on solar panels which are imported as complete products. If parts of solar panels are imported and manufactured here, there is a tax on it,” he said. “Solar panels used to be very expensive, but now they have become quite cheap,” he added. Committee chairman Syed Naveed Qamar said, “All political parties opposed the tax on solar [panels] in the Ho...

Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif, lauded the vital role of Pakistani youth particularly students in the success of Operation "Bunyan-un-Marsoos," stating their support shattered India’s strategic illusions.

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz visited Mayo Hospital in Lahore due to complaints of shoulder pain, hospital sources confirmed.

Nine of the world’s top-10 men and nine of the top-10 women have officially entered into the US Open’s revamped mixed doubles event, tournament organisers said on Tuesday, with former singles champions Carlos Alcaraz and Emma Raducanu teaming up. The competition, which will take place a week before the singles main draw during its “Fan Week”, will award $1 million in prize money to the winning team. Sixteen teams have entered and the entry window closes on July 28, after which the top eight teams with the best combined singles ranking will be in the draw via direct acceptance, with eight more wildcard entries. “In our initial discussions about reimagining and elevating the US Open mixed doubles championship, we wanted to find a way to showcase the world’s best men and women competing with and against one another,” USTA CEO Lew Sherr said. “We were confident that we would be able to get the top players in the game excited about this unique opportunity. Seeing the teams that have already put their names on the ...

India’s aviation safety watchdog has asked Air India for the training records of the pilots and dispatcher for the plane that crashed last week as part of its investigation into the incident that killed at least 271 people, government memos showed. The directorate general of civil aviation also asked all flying schools to conduct training compliance checks, according to the confidential memos, seen by Reuters. The DGCA said the requests were part of a “regulatory” review of the accident, and also sought details of action taken following the watchdog’s audits of Air India in the last few months. It asked for the details to be provided by Monday. It was not clear whether Air India had complied with the directive. The Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner bound for London with 242 people on board began losing height seconds after take-off in Ahmedabad on Thursday before crashing into nearby buildings. Everyone on board was killed, bar a single passenger, along with about 30 on the ground. Sumeet Sabharwal, who the Indian gove...

The National Assembly and Senate Standing Committees on Finance have unanimously rejected the proposed 18 percent sales tax on solar panels, calling it unacceptable in the face of soaring energy costs and growing public reliance on renewable energy.

Federal Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi has lauded the Punjab Police and Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) for successfully thwarting a terror plot by Khawarij terrorists near the Punjab–Khyber Pakhtunkhwa border.

Minister for Information and Broadcasting, Attaullah Tarar, has reiterated the government's resolve for protection of journalists and their welfare.

Italian Navy ship ITS Antonio Marceglia arrived at Karachi Port for a three-day goodwill visit, where it received a warm welcome from Pakistan Navy officials and the Italian ambassador, according to ISPR.

The gunmen attacked after dark and chased farmer Fidelis Adidi away from the central Nigerian village of Yelwata. The next morning he returned to find the charred remains of one of his two wives and four of his children. They had been living in a room he had rented in the market, in an attempt to keep them safe from a wave of clashes between cattle herders and farmers in the country’s Middle Belt region. His second wife and another child were badly wounded in the assault that began on Friday night and, according to Amnesty International, killed around 100 people in the town in Benue region. “My body is weak and my heart keeps racing,” the 37-year-old told Reuters as he stood outside the room, surveying the damage. “I lost five of my family members.” In another room in the market, bodies lay burned beyond recognition next to blackened piles of food and farm equipment. Authorities have struggled to contain the violence that has simmered for years, fuelled by competition over land as well as ethnic and religious...

Amid escalating tensions between Iran and Israel, the Pakistan-Iran border at Taftan has been completely sealed, leading to growing concerns of fuel and food shortages in the border town.