Pakistan

Number of polio drop recipients up 19% from December

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Court approves bail of five suspects after complainant's statement

Sale, transport and use of kites to be treated as cognisable offences

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Renovation of Clock Tower, Zail Ghar launched to preserve historic landmarks

Gunfire erupts over personal grudge, three others hurt

Speeding trailer hits rickshaw at Latsaka Super Chowk

USA leg-spinner Mohammad Mohsin said on Monday that “the pressure will be on Pakistan” when the teams lock horns in the T20 World Cup again, two years after the Americans inflicted a shock defeat on the former champions. But Pakistan quick bowler Salman Mirza insisted the stunning super over defeat in Dallas in the 2024 T20 World Cup would be firmly “in the past” when the two clash in Colombo on Tuesday. The USA team gave tournament favourites India a big scare in their opening match in Mumbai, reducing them to 77-6 at one point, with Mohsin taking a wicket on his T20 World Cup debut, before losing by 29 runs. They are confident they can repeat their stunning upset of two years ago in the Group A encounter. “The pressure of losing the last game will be on Pakistan,” said Mohsin. Born and brought up playing cricket in Pakistan, Mohsin migrated to the US five years ago and warned that the USA was a better team now than two years ago. “I have played with most of the players in this Pakistan team, so I have given...

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Platforms must record vehicle, driver & passenger details on district-level system

Britain’s Prince William and his wife Kate said on Monday they were deeply concerned by the revelations in the Jeffrey Epstein files amid further damning disclosures about the heir-to-the-throne’s uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor. Mountbatten-Windsor, the younger brother of King Charles who had already been cast out of the royal inner circle over his close relationship with Epstein, has faced fresh scrutiny since the recent publication of millions of new documents relating to the late convicted US sex offender. While Charles and his wife Camilla said in October that their thoughts and sympathies were with the victims and survivors of abuse, Monday’s comment by the Prince and Princess of Wales is the most pointed message so far delivered by the royal family on the Epstein scandal. “I can confirm the prince and princess have been deeply concerned by the continuing revelations,” a spokesperson for William and Kate told reporters ahead of the prince’s arrival in Riyadh for a high-profile trip. “Their thoughts rem...

India plans to maintain multiple sources of energy supply and diversify them when needed as New Delhi looks to ensure consumers receive “adequate energy at the right price through reliable and secure supplies”, Indian Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said on Monday. Misri was responding to a question at a media briefing seeking clarity on India’s position on the purchase of Russian oil after US President Donald Trump said last week that New Delhi had “committed to stop directly or indirectly” importing it. “India’s priority is to safeguard the interests of its consumers through an energy policy driven by adequate availability, fair pricing, and reliability of supply,” Misri said. He added that India was neither dependent on any single source for crude oil nor did it “intend to be”, importing from a “mix of sources” depending on “objective market conditions”, adding that “national interests” guide both the government and Indian energy companies. Last week, Trump signed an executive order lifting the punitive 25%...

China on Monday denied the United States’ allegations that it had conducted secret nuclear explosive tests, calling them “outright lies” and accusing Washington of making excuses to start up its own trials. At the UN Conference on Disarmament in Geneva on Friday, Thomas DiNanno, the US under secretary of state for arms control, accused China of conducting the tests, including one on 22 June, 2020, and of preparing for more tests with massive yields. “The US allegations are completely groundless and are outright lies. China firmly opposes the US attempt to fabricate excuses for its own restarting of nuclear tests,” China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement to AFP on Monday. It also urged the US to “immediately stop its irresponsible actions”. US President Donald Trump said in October that Washington would start testing nuclear weapons “on an equal basis” with Moscow and Beijing, but without elaborating or explaining what kind of nuclear testing he wanted to resume. DiNanno’s comments came as he w...

ISLAMABAD: A judicial magistrate on Monday declared two PTI leaders — former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister Ali Amin Gandapur and ex-National Assembly opposition leader Omar Ayub — absconders in two case pertaining to the party’s 2022 ‘Haqeeqi Azadi March’. The march is one of several protests that the party has carried out following the ouster of PTI founder Imran Khan as the prime minister through a no-confidence vote in 2022. Judicial Magistrate Mubashir Hassan Chishti heard the two cases related to the protest, registered at Islamabad’s Bara Kahu police station, declaring Ayub and Gandapur absconders and issuing their perpetual arrest warrants over their persistent absence from hearings. Judge Chishti observed that the two had failed to appear before the court despite the issuance of summons multiple times. They also did not furnish any plausible justification for their absence, the judge noted. They were summoned several times, but they continued to evade the proceedings, the judge remarked. Making th...

Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Monday praised authorities for organising a “safe Basant” festival over the weekend in Lahore. In televised remarks, she expressed gratitude to various authorities for their arrangements and work during the three-day festival to make sure it was a success. “I wish to praise all 15 departments of the Punjab government for arranging a safe Basant with a whole-of-government approach,” she said. She made special mention of Punjab Inspector General Rao Abdul Kareem, Lahore Capital City Police Officer Bilal Kamyana, Lahore Deputy Inspector General Operations Faisal Kamran and their teams. CM Maryam also expressed happiness that citizens followed standard operating procedures and installed “safety rods” on their bikes, aimed at preventing motorcyclists from suffering injuries caused by kite strings. “It was a positive change for lots of people, where people saw that citizens in Lahore were abiding by the law and following safety protocols,” she added. “It gave me hope tha...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday announced the government’s plan to invest $1 billion in artificial intelligence (AI) by 2030. The Indus AI Week 2026 is being held from February 9 to 15 (Sunday). The event’s website describes it as “Pakistan’s official national platform for artificial intelligence — where policy, innovation, talent and investment converge”. “The government of Pakistan is committed to investing $1 billion in AI by 2030, which will go a long way in building an AI ecosystem in our country,” the premier said while addressing the event’s inauguration ceremony in Islamabad. Announcing further steps the country aims to take to keep up with modern technologies, PM Shehbaz said an AI curriculum would be introduced “not only in all federally-controlled or -run schools but all schools” of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). He emphasised that the plan would be implemented in remote parts of Balochistan as well to “pair our youth for leadership and digital economy”. The prime m...