PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has planned to spend over Rs300 billion for the development of merged tribal districts in the next three years. The plan, which is part of the three years Accelerated Implementation Programme, was unveiled during a special ceremony at a policy dialogue organised by the provincial government with development partners in Islamabad on Friday. The dialogue …

LAHORE: Up to 18 people, including 10 security guards, were injured when two student groups clashed with each other outside the Sociology Department at the Punjab University (PU) on Friday. The clash prompted the PU administration to launch an operation in the hostels. Iqbal Town Division Superintend of Police retired Capt Mohammad Ajmal told Dawn the police launched crackdown and …

LAHORE: Expressing concern over, what he calls, lack of official strategy to counter the threat of coronavirus spread, Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shahbaz Sharif has demanded convening of a meeting of the Council of Common Interests (CCI). “It’s a matter of concern that the government has not yet framed any strategy for countering Corona threats while it’s need …

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court on Friday issued notices to the health secretary and Karachi commissioner on a petition against alleged shortage of surgical masks and their sale at inflated prices in the province following confirmation of two coronavirus cases in the country. A two-judge bench comprising Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar and Justice Yousuf Ali Sayeed directed the respondents to …

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Friday instructed the foreign ministry to submit an updated list of Pakistani prisoners repatriated from jails in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Justice Ayesha A. Malik sought a report on the efforts made to ensure repatriation of the prisoners since Feb 18, 2019, when the Saudi crown prince had announced immediate release of …

• Govt to allow citizens to return in batches after screening for coronavirus • PM’s aide says condition of both patients ‘stable’, others test negative CHAGAI/QUETTA/KARACHI: Pakistani authorities on Friday evening decided to open the Taftan border entry point temporarily to facilitate return of around 340 Pakistanis, including 184 pilgrims, stranded in the Iranian border town of Mirjaveh, for unilateral immigration …

GWADAR: An around four-year-old ban on issuance of no-objection certificates (NOCs) for any kind of construction and development activities in Gwadar was on Friday lifted with immediate effect. The director general of the Gwadar Development Authority (GDA) lifted the ban that was imposed during the previous Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz government at the centre. A notification issued in this regard reads: …

  COLLEGE STATION – A decade ago, Pete Sessions led House Republicans out of the wilderness as their chief campaign strategist. Democrats lost 63 seats, and Nancy Pelosi lost her job as speaker. But after 22 years in Congress, Dallas voters kicked Sessions himself to the curb in 2018, replacing him with a little-known former NFL player and civil rights …

AUSTIN — The state is preparing to deal with the spread of the novel coronavirus whether the situation changes from “status quo to extreme pandemic,” Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said Thursday. “We are preparing for all possible contingencies,” Abbott said. The Texas Department of State Health Services (DSHS) and local providers are contacting and monitoring travelers who return from China, …

ORANGEBURG, S.C. – What happens when a billionaire presidential candidate unloads millions of his own dollars into TV advertisements and other voter contact — largely unmatched by the competition — in a diverse, southern state early on the primary calendar? Tom Steyer is about to find out in South Carolina, where he’s emerged as one of the top contenders leading …