KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has asked the local government ministry to expedite the process for procurement of snorkels, fire tenders and tractor trolleys for local councils across the province. He issued these directives while presiding over a meeting here on Saturday. The meeting was attended by the ministers for local government and excise and taxation, Nasir …

GILGIT: Two teams of winter climbers attempting to summit Karakoram Range peaks this year have entered the decisive phase of their expeditions as bad weather conditions are hampering their efforts to scale Broad Peak, also known as K3, and K2, the second highest peak in the world. In a bid to set a world record by successfully summiting the giant …

KARACHI: Trials in various terrorism-related cases suffer delays as witnesses for the prosecution remain reluctant to testify due to the authorities’ failure to implement the witness protection law enacted in 2017, it emerged on Saturday. An antiterrorism court is legally bound to decide a case within seven days after indictment under the concept of swift trials envisaged in the Anti-Terrorism …

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly speaker has urged the British High Commissioner to insist upon his government to relax its visa requirements for Pakist­ani nationals following its announcement of updated travel advisory for the country. National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser articulated his thoughts when British High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner called on him, according to an official statement released …

KARACHI: Amid an alarming rise in dog-bite deaths across Sindh, the provincial government is finalising an over Rs1 billion programme that mainly focuses on vaccination of stray dogs to control their population, an official document said. A report prepared by the Sindh local government department suggested that the authorities were waiting for the formal approval of the chief minister for …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s external environment will remain challenging throughout 2020 which will have serious implications for its economy, security and internal stability, says a report published by a local think tank. The think tank, Islamabad Policy Institute, believes that tense relations with India would continue to consume much of Pakistan’s strategic and diplomatic bandwidth. It, moreover, forecast that peace process in …

LONDON: Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) leader Abid Sher Ali surfaced here this week when he was seen exiting the office of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) after “giving evidence” against what he claims are illegal properties belonging to federal Minister for Water Faisal Vawda. Speaking to Dawn, Mr Sher Ali alleged that Mr Vawda owned 11 properties under …

LAHORE: Adviser to PM on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said on Friday that introduction of electric vehicle (EV) Policy will help promote country’s transport sector in the coming years. Addressing a launch ceremony of the country’s first fully electric three-wheeler vehicles, he said the EV policy had been framed after incorporating consultations from all stakeholders. Read more: Two cheers for …

PARIS: Three cases of the coronavirus have been “confirmed” in France, the first in Europe, French Health Minister Agnes Buzyn said on Friday. The first case involved a patient in hospital in the southwestern city of Bordeaux while the other was in Paris, the minister told reporters. Both had recently travelled to China and had now been placed in isolation. “We …

The Pakistan Council of Research in Water Resources (PCRWR) has found that only three out of 11 locations at the Parliament House and Lodges have safe drinking water, Geo News reported on Friday. The PCRWR report shows that Parliament house and lodges have unsafe drinking water. A technical team of the PCRWR, which  regularly monitors the drinking water quality of Parliament House …