an BEIJING: China’s foreign minister Wang Yi has called for a new forum to defuse tensions in the Middle East after a meeting with his Iranian counterpart where he reiterated Beijing’s support for Tehran. Wang and Javid Zarif also reaffirmed their commitment to Iran’s 2015 nuclear deal with world powers, according to the Chinese foreign ministry, an implicit rebuke of …

Senior Indian and Chinese military commanders were holding fresh talks on Monday aimed at ending a months-long stand-off along their disputed border in the remote Ladakh region. The talks were being held on the Indian side of the frontier in the Chushul area. No details were immediately made available. The negotiations come as tens of thousands of rival soldiers on …

A major grid failure caused a widespread power outage in India’s financial capital Mumbai and surrounding areas on Monday, the first such blackout in more than two years that stranded thousands of train passengers and delayed college exams. The failure was caused by “technical problems” during maintenance work, the energy minister of Mumbai’s home state of Maharashtra said in a …

ISLAMABAD: While this year’s monsoon rains bring hope for migratory bird species in Pakistan, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) on Saturday urged for efforts to curb their illegal trade and hunting, warning they may cause irreparable damage to the environment. On this year’s World Migratory Bird Day, marked on Oct 10, WWF-Pakistan has asked the federal government to resume the …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commis­sion of Pakis-tan (ECP) has asked all members of parliament and provincial assemblies to submit by Dec 31 statements of their assets and liabilities, including those of their spouses and dependant children, as on June 30 on Form B. According to the ECP, all parliamentarians have to submit to the commission by Dec 31 each year, yearly …

GILGIT: Veteran politician and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf, Gilgit-Baltistan chapter president Syed Jaffar Shah, 75, passed away in an Islamabad hospital on Sunday. He was infected with Covid-19 last month and was admitted to a private hospital in the federal capital. Family sources said from last two days, his health had started deteriorating as coronavirus had affected his lungs and heart. They …

KARACHI: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that the “incompetent and selected government of Imran Ahmed Niazi” has become a burden on the country, the people and the economy. It should step down before the public ire kicks this dispensation into the dustbin of the history. Presiding over a meeting of the party’s Karachi coordination committee at Bilawal …

KARACHI: Police on Sunday launched an investigation into the assassination of Maulana Dr Adil Khan, the head of Jamia Farooqia, who was gunned down along with his driver in a targeted attack apparently on sectarian grounds a day before. Maulana Adil’s funeral prayer was held at Jamia Farooqia Phase-II on Hub River Road. It was attended by a large number of people …

RAWALPINDI: A man in Rawalpindi was threatened with the abduction of his children if he did not pay Rs1.5 million in a letter delivered to his home. The victim, who lives near Chakri Road, lodged an FIR with the Saddar Barooni police stating that he found an envelope on his porch Friday evening that contained a threat. He said the …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Medical Commission’s (PMC) decision to hold a single medical and dental colleges admissions test (MDCAT) across the country has put students in limbo, as the PMC Act states that the commission will hold the national MDCAT in 2021. Students have asked why the PMC is planning to hold the MDCAT in violation of its act, which also …