MULTAN: As the entire country, especially Punjab, grapples with pollution and smog, signifying the importance of more green areas in and around the big cities, the monster of private housing schemes continues to devour agricultural land having orchards. A few days back, pictures and videos of felled mango trees, some of them showing truckloads of logs, for developing a private …

LAHORE: As market reports suggest a sugar crisis likely to grip at least the Punjab capital within a couple of days, the government has notified an ordinance giving vast powers to the cane commissioner and district administration to regulate the sweetener business. The notification came hours after the Punjab cabinet approved the Punjab Sugar Supply Chain Management Order 2021 on Thursday. The …

AUSTIN — A Texas Senate committee Friday took up several hotly contested voting bills as state Republicans continue their push to restrict voting and election procedures. The hearing came one day after a hearing for another highly debated voting bill came to an abrupt halt due to a parliamentary slip-up by Rep. Briscoe Cain in a Texas House committee. The …

AUSTIN — Republicans in control of the Legislature are pushing to relax gun restrictions in Texas, just as President Joe Biden seeks to tighten them after mass shootings in Georgia and Colorado that cost 18 people their lives. Several bills that would let people carry handguns in Texas without a license received a hearing Thursday, drawing hours of testimony early into Friday …

A woman was hospitalized after being attacked by several loose dogs she was feeding Friday afternoon, Dallas police say. Officers responded just after 12:30 p.m. to FM1382 and Eagle Ford Drive, near Cedar Ridge Preserve in the Mountain Creek neighborhood, where the woman had called for help. Police said the pit bulls “rushed toward the officers,” and one officer fired …

The grief has only gotten worse over time for Allison Jean. Standing Friday south of downtown in front of a wall-sized mural of her oldest son, Botham, who was murdered in his Cedars apartment by a Dallas police officer in September 2018, she said she becomes “more hurt than before with every day that goes by.” “Standing along South Lamar …

Police in Richland Hills say one of their vehicles was shot late Thursday while officers were inside it. No arrests have been made in connection with the incident, which took place about 10 p.m. in the 7000 block of Baker Boulevard, where police headquarters is temporarily located during a remodel of the main police building. According to police, a sergeant …

A registered sex offender who drove from East Texas to Garland in an attempt to meet a 10-year-old girl for sex has been sentenced to more than 30 years in federal prison. Keith Lee Merchant, 41, of Longview had pleaded in guilty in October to one count of attempted enticement of a child. A judge sentenced him Thursday to 365 …

Dallas police are asking for the public’s help finding a missing elderly man last seen in southeast Oak Cliff. Maurice Collins, 85, was last seen walking about 3 p.m. Thursday in the 1200 block of East Red Bird Lane, near University Hills Boulevard. He may be confused and need assistance, police said. Man faces federal charge after armed holdup of …

A man was arrested early Friday after police say he broke into a Wylie home and stabbed a resident and a dog. Officers were called about 12:45 a.m. to a house in the 1500 block of Canyon Creek Road, where they found a 38-year-old man and a black Labrador retriever with multiple stab wounds. The residents said they were awoken …