UNITED NATIONS: Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas on Tuesday urged the UN Security Council to reject President Donald Trump’s Middle East plan, saying it would splinter Palestinian lands and never bring lasting peace. Brandishing a large map of a future Palestine as laid out by Trump, Abbas denounced it as a “Swiss cheese” deal that would give the Palestinians only a …

WASHINGTON: The US State Department is seeking funds from Congress to resume its military education and training facilities for Pakistan, says a document released on Tuesday. In its budget requests for the fiscal year 2021, the department sought a total of $104.9 million for its International Military Education and Training (IMET) programme, informing Congress that IMET “serves as an effective …

  The death toll from China’s new coronavirus epidemic climbed past 1,100 on Wednesday but the number of new cases fell for a second straight day, as the World Health Organisation urged global unity to combat the “grave threat”. As Beijing scrambles to contain the virus, the number of people infected on a cruise ship off Japan’s coast rose to …

Bernie Sanders won New Hampshire’s high-stakes Democratic primary on Tuesday, according to US network projections, leaving rivals including party stalwart Joe Biden in his wake as he staked his claim to challenge US President Donald Trump in November. Sanders, the flag-bearer for the party’s progressive wing, had 26 percent of votes with most of the count complete in the northeastern …

Biryani sales in India’s capital New Delhi soared after Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) suffered a devastating loss in a key state election to the Aam Admi Party (AAP), reported The Economic Times on Tuesday. The report credited the surge in sales to previous comments made by senior BJP leaders, including Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, about the …

The US and the Taliban appeared closer on Wednesday to a breakthrough in talks over an American troop withdrawal from Afghanistan, after Afghan President Ashraf Ghani said there had been “notable progress” in negotiations. Washington and the militants have been locked in gruelling discussions that have stretched over more than a year for a deal that would see the US …

LAHORE: The city police will issue special cards to residents living in the vicinity of Gaddafi Stadium to ensure their uninterrupted mobility during the matches of the upcoming PSL cricket tournament. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by CCPO Zulfiqar Hameed to review the security plan for the PSL matches on Tuesday. DIG Operations Rai Babar Saeed, CTO …

QUETTA: Balochistan Forest Secretary Mir Saeed Ahmed Jamali has said that 3.2 million saplings will be planted in the province this year. He said the standing committee of the forest department had approved the 10 billion tsunami tree project. Mr Jamali said tenders had been issued in 33 districts. On the occasion of World Forest Day, 1m trees will be …

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court was told on Tuesday that the government had tried before the court to cover the GIDC up by describing it as a fee contrary to the position it took in the annual budget statements submitted each year before the parliament from 2015 till date. Senior lawyer Makhdoom Ali Khan, who represented a number of LNG stations …

KARACHI: Mayor Wasim Akhtar said on Tuesday that the prime minister was violating the Constitution and negating his own words by releasing funds to the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf members of the National Assembly for Karachi’s development. “No money could be spent on uplift works in the city without obtaining approval of the elected council of Karachi Metropolitan Corporation under the rules,” …