LONDON: The United Kingdom began the New Year outside the European Union’s orbit on Friday after ending a tempestuous 48-year liaison with the European project, its most significant geopolitical shift since the loss of empire. Brexit took effect in substance on Thursday at the strike of midnight in Brussels, or 2300 London time (GMT), at the end of a transition …

UNITED NATIONS: The World Health Organisation (WHO) has approved the Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine for emergency use, paving the way for it to be distributed to countries in need. It is the first vaccine to be added to the UN organisations’ Emergency Use Listing (EUL). Regulatory experts convened by WHO from around the world and its own teams reviewed the data on …

ihc ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad district administration on Friday produced 10 ‘detained’ juvenile bonded labourers and before the Islamabad High Court (IHC). According to the police, the children were recovered from the jurisdiction of Noon police station. A day earlier, IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah had asked the chief commissioner to appear in person if the juvenile were not recovered in …

WASHINGTON: Pakistan urged UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Friday to prevent the “judicial murder” of a Kashmiri leader and human rights activist and to persuade India to drop all “fabricated charges” against her. Aasiya Andrabi, who risks conviction by a sham court on Jan 18, is the founder of a Kashmiri rights group called the Dukhtaran-i-Millat, or Daughters of the …

ISLAMABAD: Employees of Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (Pims) continued their protest on Friday against the Medical Teaching Institution (MTI) Ordinance, which states that the hospital will be run by a board of governors (BoG). Protesters said they will continue struggling until the ordinance is withdrawn. Spokesperson of Grad Health Alliance Dr Hyder Abbasi said front line health workers are …

PESHAWAR/KOHAT/KARAK: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan on Friday said his government would reconstruct a Hindu shrine damaged and torched by a mob in Teri area of Karak district last Wednesday. He also issued necessary instructions to the relevant authorities for the purpose, said an official statement issued here. A mob consisting of young and old people and children had …

RAWALPINDI: The first rain and snowfall of 2021 is expected from Sunday evening and the wet spell will continue till Tuesday, further intensifying the cold wave. The minimum temperature in twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad remained -1 degree Celsius on Friday. According to the Meteorological Office, a strong westerly wave is likely to enter Pakistan on Sunday and likely …

KARACHI: The health department on Friday notified the Provincial Vaccine Administration Coordination Cell (PVACC) after getting a commitment from the National Vaccine Task Force and the National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) for supply of the Covid-19 vaccine by Jan 15. Chairing a meeting on the subject, Health Minister Dr Azra Fazal Pechuho stated that the NCOC and the National Vaccine …

ISLAMABAD: The board of Pakistan Television (PTV) Corporation on Friday suspended its managing director Aamer Manzoor for 10 days allegedly for “exercising powers beyond prescribed limits”. According to media reports, PTV’s board of directors took the decision at an emergency meeting on Friday evening that was presided over by its chairman Syed Naeem Bokhari. When contacted, PTV spokesman neither confirmed nor denied the suspension of the …

KHYBER/PESHAWAR: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed paid his first visit to the Torkham border on Friday after assuming his new responsibilities. Upon arrival at the border, he was received by Khyber Rifles commandant Col Rizwan Nazir and security and district administration officials. The minister was briefed on border security and bilateral trade with Afghanistan. He was told that the government …