Pakistan

Punjab Minister for Information and Culture Azma Bokhari said on Monday that India has issued another flood warning to Pakistan after releasing more water into the Sutlej River, intensifying the crisis across Punjab.

The National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) on Monday announced the launch of a phased polio eradication campaign across 99 districts of Pakistan, aiming to vaccinate more than 28 million children against the crippling disease.

Across the fertile plains of Punjab, Pakistan’s farming heartland, families are struggling to rebuild their lives after the worst flooding in decades swept away homes, crops, and livestock, threatening the country’s food security and exports.

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has directed authorities to expedite compensation payments to flood victims and accelerate rehabilitation efforts across affected districts.

A crew of five died on Monday after an army helicopter crashed in Diamer District’s Chilas town in Gilgit-Baltistan after developing a “technical fault”, the military’s media wing said in a statement. “On 1 Sep 25, at around 1000 hours, an MI-17 helicopter crash landed near Hudor village, approximately 12 kilometres away from Thakdas Cantonment,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in the statement. “The helicopter was on routine training flying when it developed a technical fault and crashed.” It added that all crew members on board were martyred as a result of the crash. The crew members were identified as Major Atif, who was the pilot in command, Major Faisal, the co-pilot, flight engineer Naib Subedar Maqbool, and crew chiefs Havaldar Jahangir and Naik Amir, according to the ISPR. Earlier, Diamer Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Abdul Hameed, in a statement, had confirmed the incident, saying that the helicopter was conducting a test landing on a newly proposed helipad when it crashed. He...

At least 622 people were killed and more than 1,500 injured after a powerful earthquake struck eastern Afghanistan late Sunday night, Afghan authorities confirmed on Monday.

LAHORE: The area declared as “prone to floods” by the Punjab irrigation department is rife with violation of rules and regulations, absence of requisite infrastructure as well as weak enforcement led to the massive devastation in private housing schemes along a long stretch of River Ravi in Lahore. The rules defined for the approval of private housing schemes by various authorities are either not being implemented or enforced when it comes to the area prone to floods. In recent days, billions of rupees of residents have been lost in various housing schemes and katchi abadis after floodwater entered their houses and business premises. This area comes under the Ravi Riverfront Urban Development Project being executed along a 46km long stretch of Ravi by the Ravi Urban Development Authority (Ruda). There is also a disparity in the approval mechanism between different authorities, especially Ruda. The Lahore Development Authority (LDA) follows the Private Housing Scheme Rules 2014 (updated), under which (rule-7) ...

The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted cloudy weather in Karachi on Monday, with chances of light drizzle in the evening and night.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reiterated Pakistan’s commitment to peace, stability, and regional cooperation, stressing that extremism and terrorism remain a grave threat to peace in the region.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Monday announced a staggering increase in the prize money for the tournament set to be staged in India and Sri Lanka. The 13th edition of the women’s showpiece 50-over tournament will begin on Sept 30. Pakistan is set to play its matches in Sri Lanka following India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy earlier this year, which resulted in a “hybrid model” being decided upon. The overall prize money at the eight-team marquee tournament totals $13.88 million — a monumental rise of 297 per cent from $3.5m at the last edition held in New Zealand in 2022, ICC said in a statement. The total prize pot eclipses that at the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup from two years ago in India, which had total prize money of $10 million. “The announcement aligns with ICC’s strategy to amplify the growth of women’s cricket and a decision to introduce pay parity was announced ahead of the ICC Women’s T20 World Cup 2024,” ICC said. The winners of the 13th edition of the Wom...

As floodwaters continue to affect several parts of the country, the Pakistan Army has intensified its rescue and relief operations in Jhang, Chiniot, and adjoining areas, providing critical support to stranded citizens.

A government helicopter belonging to Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) crashed near Chilas on Monday, killing all five people on board.

LAHORE: While announcing the reopening of all other schools in Lahore on Monday (today) after the summer vacations, the District Education Authority (DEA) Lahore said that 45 schools will remain closed due to flooding or their current use as flood relief camps. The schools that will remain closed are primarily located in severely flood-impacted areas, including Shahdara, Saggian, Maraka, Chung, Manga, and Bund Road. The affected institutions include 33 government schools, three schools managed by the Punjab Education Foundation (PEF), one school under the Punjab Education Initiative Management Authority (PEIMA-PSSP), and eight private schools, according to an order issued by the deputy commissioner. Temporary closure also affects specific institutions, including Government Higher Secondary School Maraka Quarter, Government High School Shahdara Mor Farakh Abad, Government Higher Secondary School Niaz Baig, and Government Central Model School No. 2 Rattigan Road. Private institutions in the Tehsil Raiwind area,...

Salal Dam gates opened without any official warning notice to Pakistan PDMA, NDMA warn 800,000 cusecs of water to reach Chenab River in next 36 hours putting more Punjab cities at flood risk n Mass evacuations from affected areas continue with relief and rescue operations by Army, rescue authorities, local govts 23 more die in.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and China are aiming to ‘dou­ble’ cooperation in all major sectors as Beijing contin­ues to support the long time ally with in­vest­ments, technical aid and defence assistance.

ISLAMABAD - Federal Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary Sunday announced the closure of the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) across the country.

SHARJAH: Pakistan’s emerging batter Hasan Nawaz believes he is a part of the country’s “best T20 team” following back-to-back wins in the opening two matches of the ongoing tri-series in the United Arab Emirates. In the tournament being played as warm-up ahead of the Asia Cup — which starts Sept. 9 — Pakistan have started with thrashings of Afghanistan and UAE thanks to a number of players chipping in with impactful contributions. After seasoned pacer Haris Rauf and skipper Salman Ali Agha led Pakistan to a 39-run win over Afghanistan in the opener, Saim Ayub and Hasan Nawaz himself scored half centuries each to see the side down UAE by 31 runs. The UAE fixture saw Pakistan cross the 200-mark as Hasan Nawaz launched a late onslaught after opener Saim Ayub had set the stage. Experienced fast bowler Hasan Ali then wrapped up the proceedings with 3-47 as UAE’s Asif Khan’s blistering 77 off 35 went in vain. Under white-ball head coach Mike Hesson, Pakistan are building up to next year’s T20 World Cup without now ...

The Punjab government has announced revised school timings across the province following the end of summer vacations, while authorities remain on high alert due to devastating floods and rising river levels.

An Australian government-commissioned report said selfie-based age-guessing software could enforce a teen social media ban, but noted that some groups experienced “unacceptable” levels of inaccuracy, raising concerns about the December rollout. The report, published by the government on Monday, said photo-based age estimation products were broadly accurate, fast and privacy-respecting but noted worsening results for people near the age minimum of 16. The findings foreshadow a mixed experience once the ban takes effect in December: Caucasians three years over the age cut-off can expect minimal disruption, but non-Caucasians and teenage girls face challenges. The experience may also be more complicated for social media platforms from Meta’s META.O Instagram to Alphabet’s GOOGL.O YouTube, which, under the law, must show they are taking reasonable steps to block users under 16 or face a fine of up to A$49.5 million ($32 million). The trial found high accuracy for people over 19, but those up to three years on eit...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian on Monday expressed satisfaction over the positive momentum in Pakistan-Iran relations, vowing to further strengthen political and economic ties.