Republican US President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden battled fiercely over Trump’s leadership on the coronavirus pandemic, the economy and the integrity of November’s election in a chaotic first debate on Tuesday marked by personal insults, name calling and Trump’s repeated interruptions. Moderator Chris Wallace never established control of the debate. The two White House contenders talked over …

BEIJING: China on Tuesday called India’s designation of the region along their disputed border as a federal territory an illegal move, and voiced new objections to infrastructure construction that seems to strengthen India’s position in the area. Foreign ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin also said reports of new Chinese military bases and other facilities being built on its side were totally …

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday said peace talks with Azerbaijan under Russian mediation would be inappropriate, as fighting over the breakaway Nagorny Karabakh region entered a fourth day. Armenia and Azerbaijan have defied international calls for a ceasefire over Karabakh — an ethnic-Armenian region that broke away from Azerbaijan in the 1990s — and are both claiming to …

LAHORE: Flour millers paint a gloomy picture of the sector after a couple of months, fearing the masses will turn violent over not finding wheat flour in the market. “The federal government should immediately import wheat to ensure availability of flour in the market. Otherwise, people will come out on the roads and pelt stones at government offices as well …

An Indian court on Wednesday acquitted Hindu nationalist leaders, including former deputy prime minister Lal Krishna Advani, in a case over the demolition of a mosque at a disputed site 28 years ago, citing a lack of evidence. The demolition sparked nationwide riots that killed more than 3,000 people in a decades-long dispute that has fueled Hindu-Muslim tension, as the …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will this week begin the process of selling unused telecom spectrum in an auction it hopes will raise around $1 billion and enhance network capacity, said three senior government officials familiar with the matter. The spectrum is in the 1800 and 2100 MHz bands typically used by operators for 4G LTE (long-term evolution) networks that offer faster video …

RAWALPINDI: After the end of monsoon season, the dengue mosquito is coming out from safer places as larvae was found in 963 places in the city and cantonment areas from Sept 19 and Sept 28. According to data available with, the dengue larvae was found in Dhoke Babu Irfan, Dhoke Hassu, Dhoke Mangtal, Gharibabad, Shakrial, New Afzal Town, Railway Scheme …

LAHORE: Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Umar Sheikh has opened a ‘Pandora box’ as he ‘challenged’ the powers of incumbent provincial police chief Inam Ghani in the transfer/posting of deputy superintendents of police (DSPs). Mr Sheikh is of the view that the appointment of DSPs in Lahore should be the jurisdiction of the CCPO rather than the IGP. While writing …

ISLAMABAD: Hafiz Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi was appointed as special representative to the prime minister on religious harmony. A notification issued by the PM Secretariat said: “The prime minister has been pleased to appoint Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi as Special Representative of the Prime Minister on Religious Harmony, with immediate effect. The appointment of Maulana Tahir Mehmood Ashrafi shall be in …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday upheld the promotions of bureaucrats in BS-20 and 21 and dismissed the petitions filed against them, declaring that the government has the right to enhance the qualifications and standards for recruitment and promotion in order to maintain efficiency in service. The petitioners in the matter included incumbent Lahore Capital City Police Officer …