ROME: Italy’s northern region of Piedmont said on Sunday it would stop using a batch of AstraZeneca coronavirus shots after a teacher died following his vaccination on Saturday. The region, around the northern city of Turin, had initially suspended all AstraZeneca vaccines in order to identify and isolate the batch from which the jab administered to the teacher, from the …

GAUHATI: More than 100 people fleeing Myanmar have entered a small village in India’s northeast, adding to scores who had already arrived since last month’s military coup in the neighbouring Southeast Asian country, a village leader said on Sunday. A total of 116 Myanmar nationals crossed the Tiau River and reached Farkawn Village through a stretch where India’s paramilitary Assam …

WASHINGTON: The United States currently has 3,500 troops in Afghanistan, 1,000 more than the declared total of 2,500, The New York Times reported on Sunday. The additional number “adds another layer of complexity to the swirling debate at the White House over whether to stick with the deadline” set in the US-Taliban peace deal, the newspaper noted. The deal, negotiated by the …

Top US diplomat Antony Blinken and Pentagon chief Lloyd Austin arrive in Tokyo on Monday on their first overseas trip, looking to rally key Asian allies as a bulwark to China. The pair, travelling separately, will meet in Japan for the first leg of their trip, holding talks with their counterparts as well as Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. They will …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday said that his government’s environment-friendly policies had been recognised and praised at the international level. On Twitter, the prime minister posted a video of the World Economic Forum which showed three ways that Pakistan had adopted for building a greener future. “Globally PTI’s (Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf) environment policies are being recognised especially our green …

Pakistan was among the biggest importers of major arms in Asia and Oceania from 2016-2020 while globally it ranked 10th, accounting for 2.7 per cent of major arms imports, a report published by the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (Sipri) said on Monday. The five largest major arms importers in the time period under consideration were Saudi Arabia, India, Egypt, Australia, and …

KARACHI: The government decision to replace life certificates with biometric verification of pensioners twice a year has been put on hold after the authorities decided to go for more awareness and communication among the people before implementing the major decision, sources privy to the process said on Sunday. The State Bank of Pakistan, they said, had last month issued a …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) fears government may destroy evidence of the spy camera scandal on the pretext of disinfection of the Parliament House building. Speaking at a news conference at the party’s Media Office here on Sunday, PPP leaders Faisal Karim Kundi, Senator Palwasha Khan and Senator Rubina Khalid also expressed their concerns over “a potential risk of a …

ISLAMABAD: An Islamabad-based technology startup has raised $1.4 million from Silicon Valley investors, reflecting the growing tech ecosystem of Pakistan. The round was led by Indus Valley Capital and also saw participation from several renowned global investors such as billionaire investor Tim Draper, Hustle Fund Ventures and other well-known angel investors from Silicon Valley. RemoteBase capitalised on the pandemic and …

PESHAWAR: A seventh grade student died in mysterious circumstances in police custody here on Sunday which triggered a protest demonstration by the relatives and local people outside the Gharbi (western) police station. Taking prompt notice, Chief Minister Mahmood Khan suspended the entire staff of the Gharbi police station and ordered a judicial inquiry into the incident. According to police, the …