Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: While over 87 million doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across the country, the National Com­mand and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday decided to approach unvaccinated people and convince them to get themselves vaccinated. Main target will be the districts which are lagging behind others in terms of percentage of vaccinated population. Meanwhile, it has been observed that …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has requested Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation’s (BMGF) co-chairman Bill Gates for financial assistance for the people of war-torn Afghanistan. “More than half of the population in Afghanistan is living below the poverty line and in dire need of financial assistance,” the prime minister told Mr Gates during phone conversation on Wednesday. According to the …

President Dr Arif Alvi is to launch a Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme for higher secondary school students in the country on Wednesday. According to a report by Radio Pakistan, the programme, which will train students in STEM subjects, will be launched by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 50 government-run higher secondary schools across the country. Students of …

The funeral prayers of legendary comedian Umer Sharif were offered at a park in Clifton with hundreds of people in attendance. He will be buried next to the grave of Shireen Jinnah, sister of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah & Fatima Jinnah, at the Abdullah Shah Ghazi graveyard. Earlier in the day, his body was brought to Karachi from Istanbul for …

ISLAMABAD: As many as 86 cases of dengue fever were reported in different parts of the federal capital on Tuesday. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said 66 of the cases were reported from the rural areas and 20 from the urban areas of the capital. He said 31 patients were admitted to the Federal General Hospital, 17 to …

ISLAMABAD: Amid Sindh’s reservations and 28 per cent water shortage, the Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Tuesday decided to distribute about 27 million acre feet (MAF) of available water among the provinces under the controversial three-tier formula during the ongoing Rabi cropping season. The decision was taken at a meeting of the water regulator’s advisory committee, presided over by …

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has sought early hearing of an appeal challenging Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Ishaq Dar’s election to the Senate and urged the Supreme Court to allow it to become a necessary party in the case, contending that the matter had acquired an altogether different legal dimension in the wake of a recently promulgated ordinance. Applications were moved …

Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged Microsoft co-founder and billionaire philanthropist Bill Gates to consider providing humanitarian assistance to poverty-stricken people in Afghanistan. In a telephonic conversation on Tuesday, the prime minister highlighted that more than half the population in the war-torn country was living below the poverty line and in dire need of financial assistance. The two leaders shared …

ISLAMABAD: Confusion prevailed in government ranks over the issue of consultation with Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif on the appointment of the next National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman as three cabinet members issued conflicting statements on the matter. Hours after Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry told mediapersons during his post-cabinet meeting press conference that it had …

Planning and Development Minister Asad Umar on Wednesday said Pakistan did not have a “China debt” problem pertaining to loan financing from the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, the planning minister acknowledged that Pakistan had a debt servicing and debt sustainability challenge but stressed that “we do not have a China debt problem.” Umar …