Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The government on Wednesday rejected the objections raised by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to the electronic voting machines and expressed the resolve to go ahead with their use in the next general elections to ensure uncontroversial electoral exercise. The legislative process for machine introduction and for overseas Pakistanis’ right to vote would be completed this month and …

Hundreds of millions of children in South Asian countries including Pakistan and India are suffering as their schools have been closed because of the coronavirus but they lack online devices and connections for remote learning, the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) said on Thursday. The repeated school closures since last year had affected 434 million children in South Asia and a …

The Pakistan Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rain and thunderstorm in Karachi and other areas of Sindh on Friday night. Met Department Director General (DG) Sardar Sarfaraz told on Thursday that the current spell of rain started on Wednesday under a new low-pressure weather system, with Badin, Thatta and Umerkot and other areas of Sindh receiving showers. He said the …

Police on Thursday submitted the challan in the Noor Mukadam murder case to a sessions court in Islamabad. Additional Sessions Judge Atta Rabbani, presiding over the case after it was transferred to him from Sessions Judge Kamran Basharat Mufti, said copies of the challan would be distributed in the next hearing on September 23 once all suspects were present. Meanwhile, the court …

A C-130 aircraft of the Pakistan Air Force carrying relief goods for Afghans landed at the Kabul airport on Thursday morning. According to Radio Pakistan, Pakistan’s Ambassador to Afghanistan Mansoor Ahmad Khan, while receiving the goods at the Kabul airport, said that the process of providing relief and humanitarian assistance to the Afghan people will continue in weeks and months to …

The Pakistan Navy on Thursday promoted three rear admirals to the rank of vice admiral, according to the force’s spokesperson. In a statement, the Pakistan Navy said the promoted officers were Vice Admiral Imran Ahmad, Vice Admiral Naveed Ashraf and Vice Admiral Ovais Ahmed Bilgrami. “All three officers have extensive experience of performing at various command and staff positions in …

Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director William Burns called on Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Director General Lt Gen Faiz Hameed, according to a statement issued on Thursday by the military’s media affairs wing. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, the regional security situation and the current situation in Afghanistan were discussed, the …

ISLAMABAD: Lt Gen Azhar Abbas was on Tues­day named as army’s next Chief of General Staff (CGS). Gen Abbas would be the 35th CGS of the army. He replaces Lt Gen Sahir Shamshad Mirza, who was posted out as commander of Rawalpindi-based 10 Corps — a post previously held by Gen Abbas. The post of CGS is considered the most …

Vietnam’s health ministry will offer the coronavirus vaccine jointly developed by Pfizer and BioNTech as a second dose option for people first inoculated with the Moderna vaccine, state media reported on Wednesday. The ministry had approved the mixed regimen, which is due to low supplies of the Moderna vaccine. Both vaccines are of the Messenger RNA (mRNA) type. Q&A about …

American Olympian and reality TV star Caitlyn Jenner is opening up about her California gubernatorial run and how she is seeking no help from her famous family. During an interview on California Rebel Base podcast, the 71-year-old told co-host Steve Hilton about how she has made sure to keep her political life separate from her family life. She went on …