UNITED NATIONS: As Karachi prepared for an unusual, early winter heatwave, UN experts warned on Monday that a 1.1-degree Celsius increase in the global temperature would continue to cause such calamities. “Between 2000 and 2019, extreme temperatures caused 13 per cent of all disaster deaths worldwide, with the majority (91pc) being the result of heatwave waves,” warned a report of the UN Office …

WASHINGTON: Judge Amy Coney Barrett, President Donald Trump’s pick to fill a key vacancy on the Supreme Court bench, faced the Senate’s scrutiny on Monday as confirmation hearings kicked off for the lifetime appointment — which Democrats appear largely powerless to block. Dueling crowds of protesters rallied outside the Senate building brandishing signs for and against the conservative law professor’s …

BRISBANE: The coronavirus that causes Covid-19 can survive on items such as banknotes and phones for up to 28 days in cool, dark conditions, according to a study by Australia’s national science agency. Researchers at CSIRO’s disease preparedness centre tested the longevity of SARS-CoV-2 in the dark at three temperatures, showing survival rates decreased as conditions became hotter, the agency …

LASHKAR GAH: The United States launched air strikes against Taliban in Afghanistan’s Helmand province, US officials said on Monday, after a large-scale offensive saw insurgents take over military bases in the region and close in on a key provincial capital. The strikes, carried out over the last two days, mark a rare military intervention by the United States since it …

A late-stage study of Johnson & Johnson’s Covid-19 vaccine candidate has been paused while the company investigates whether a study participant’s “unexplained illness” is related to the shot. The company said in a statement on Monday evening that illnesses, accidents and other so-called adverse events “are an expected part of any clinical study, especially large studies”, but that its physicians …

ISLAMABAD: Lashing out at Prime Minister Imran Khan over his announcement to use controversial one million-strong Corona Relief Tiger Force (CRTF) of volunteers for checking prices of food items in the country, the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) said the Tiger Force had no legal sanction to act on behalf of the state. PPP Senator Raza Rabbani in a statement issued …

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader retired Captain Mohammad Safdar on Monday moved the Peshawar High Court seeking pre-arrest bail over an ongoing inquiry of the National Accountability Bureau, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, against him for allegedly holding assets beyond means. Mr Safdar, who is a son-in-law of former prime minister and PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif, filed the bail petition with the court …

Deprived of his beloved campaign trail for 10 days by Covid-19, US President Donald Trump took centre stage again on Monday in Florida, vowing that he is in “great shape” with 22 days to go until he faces Joe Biden in the election. “I went through it and now they say I’m immune,” Trump told a cheering crowd in Sanford, …

KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) on Monday issued notices to the Sindh prosecutor general and complainant on appeals of two former workers of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and three others against their conviction in the Baldia factory arson case. Former MQM sector in-charge Abdul Rehman aka Bhola and Zubair aka Chariya, who have been sentenced to death by …

ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has accepted most of the demands of university teachers serving under the tenure track system. A large number of teachers protested outside the HEC on Monday. They said around 6,000 university teachers are serving under this system across the country and have been facing several issues that have not been addressed by the HEC …