LONDON: The world faces around 4,000 variants of the virus that causes Covid-19, prompting a race to improve vaccines, Britain said on Thursday, as researchers began to explore mixing doses of the Pfizer and AstraZeneca shots in a world first. Thousands of variants have been documented as the virus mutates, including the so-called British, South African and Brazilian variants, which …

KARACHI: Despite some hiccups, including reluctance among healthcare providers, the Covid-19 vaccination drive is slowly picking up pace in the city, sources. They also pointed to the lack of clarity in the registration process, lack of consultation with stakeholders as well as apprehensions about the government policy towards the private sector as factors affecting the drive. According to the health …

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed on Thursday emphasised the need for bringing democratic values in political parties, instead of party head behaving like a dictator. “The political party heads should not act like dictators and convert the political party into one-man party,” observed the chief justice while heading a five-judge SC bench that had taken up a reference …

ISLAMABAD: Senate Deputy Chairman Saleem Mandviwalla appeared before the accountability court of Islamabad on Thursday in connection with a plot allotment reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against him. Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir asked the prosecution of NAB to distribute copies of the reference among the accused persons and adjourned proceeding till Feb 18. Talking to the media, …

DERA ISMAIL KHAN: Former provincial finance minister Makhdoom Mureed Kazim Shah died at a hospital in Rawalpindi after a brief illness. He was 71. His funeral prayers were offered in Blot Sharif on Thursday in which besides religious and political figures a large number of local people participated. He was buried in his ancestral graveyard of Hazrat Shah Issa. Mureed …

LAHORE: The health problems of PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif (also the opposition leader in the National Assembly) took a turn for worse on Thursday morning in Kot Lakhpat jail, where he is incarcerated and was taken to hospital, where doctors performed a PET scan. A cancer survivor for many years, Mr Sharif had complained about his poor health condition on …

LAHORE: An accountability court was told on Thursday an inquiry of assets beyond means against former defence minister Khwaja Muhammad Asif had been upgraded into an investigation. A prosecutor of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) stated this before the court while the jail officials produced Mr Asif for the hearing of the case against him. Presiding Judge Jawadul Hassan adjourned …

At least 16 people have been injured in a blast in Balochistan’s Sibi, officials said. Sibi Station House Officer Wazir Khan Marri said miscreants on a motorcycle lobbed a hand grenade at Luni Chowk, which resulted in injuries to 16 people. The injured, which included two children, were rushed to Sibi Civil Hosptial, he said, adding that the condition of …

ISLAMABAD: Six PTI leaders on Thursday moved a court seeking acquittal in the 2014 PTV-Parliament House attack case. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Defence Minister Pervaiz Khattak, Minister for Education and Professional Training Shafqat Mehmood, Planning Minister Asad Umar, MPA Aleem Khan and sidelined PTI leader Jahangir Khan Tareen filed the petitions. An anti-terrorism court (ATC) of Islamabad already acquitted …

MUZAFFARABAD: For the first time in several decades, almost entire political leadership of Pakistan, including the president and the prime minister, will visit Azad Jammu and Kash­mir (AJK) on Friday (today) to attend and address events planned to mark Kashmir Solidarity Day. Traditionally, the main event of the day has always been a special session of the AJK Legislative Assembly …