Pakistan

LAHORE: The Punjab health authorities have generated another threat alert after five cases of California “Epsilon” strain of Covid-19 virus have been detected in Lahore. The health department confirmed the presence of the new strain saying 23 samples were processed in a reference lab of the Punjab government. Of them, it said, five were confirmed to be positive for California …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday sought a report from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on the implementation of standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stop misuse of the cybercrimes law and directed the agency to consult representative organisations of journalists on the matter. The directive came as IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah resumed the hearing of a case …

in ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday said the government was responsible for judicious utilisation of taxpayers’ money, especially on development projects, and stressed the need for digitising departments to curb the menace of corruption. “It is the government’s prime responsibility to ensure correct utilisation of taxpayers’ money and implementation of electronic systems to help eliminate corruption,” the prime minister …

ISLAMABAD: A day after being issued a show-cause notice over ‘failure to conduct intra-party elections within the stipulated period’, the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI) on Friday said it had not missed the legal deadline. PTI’s information secretary Ahmad Jawad said the last intra-party elections of the party took place in June 2017 and the five-year term of the elected …

ISLAMABAD: The Judicial Com­mission of Pakistan (JCP) could have deferred its deliberations on the elevation of Justice Mohammad Ali Mazhar to the Supreme Court for a second time on July 28 had the premier bars avoided a threatening posture, said an informed source while talking to Dawn on Friday. The JCP had put on hold deliberations over the matter during …

ISLAMABAD: Zahir Jaffer, the alleged killer of former diplomat’s daughter Noor Mukadam, underwent a couple of tests, including polygraph, at the Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA), Lahore, on Friday to verify his statements and evidence collected in connection with the murder. Besides, samples taken from the victim’s body during the autopsy were also submitted to the agency for tests. Earlier, …

Pakistan has “welcomed” a letter written by a group of European parliamentarians to the European Commission on the “humanitarian situation” in Indian-occupied Kashmir (IoK), calling it “yet another demonstration of the global censure” of India’s human rights violations in the valley. Sixteen European lawmakers had addressed a letter on Friday to European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and Vice President Josep …

A district court in Lahore on Saturday rejected the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) request for another extension in the physical remand of PTI MPA Nazir Chohan, who was arrested earlier this week in connection with a complaint registered by Adviser to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior Shahzad Akbar. Chohan was presented in the district court of Judicial Magistrate Yousuf Abdul …

o ISLAMABAD: The Sub-National Immunisation Days (SNIDs) campaign will kick off on Aug 2 during which more than 23.6 million children in 68 districts of all four provinces as well as Islamabad will be administered anti-polio drops. Approximately, 179,000 frontline polio workers will go house to house, observing the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for Covid-19, to ensure children’s protection from …

KARACHI: There was a lot of activity seen around MV Heng Tong 77, the container ship that ended up at Seaview beach after having run aground on July 21 as it was successfully defueled during a careful and strategic two-day de-bunkering operation on Thursday. There were fire tenders, ambulances and visits by Navy personnel as more barriers were put in …