WASHINGTON: US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken has spoken to the family of the slain American journalist Daniel Pearl, assuring them that the Biden administration will continue seeking justice for his murder. “Secretary Blinken spoke to members of the family of Daniel Pearl and their representatives on Friday (afternoon) to assure them that the US government remains committed to pursuing …

KARACHI: As the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic goes on the rampage in many parts of the country, authorities in Sindh are preparing themselves for the upcoming challenge in case of a rise in the number of Covid-19 patients in the province by recruiting some 900 health workers and putting isolation centres at standby, officials said on Saturday. They …

The Christian community on Sunday celebrated the Easter holiday with traditional zeal and religious fervour across the country. The festival commemorates the day followers believe Jesus was resurrected in Jerusalem 2,000 years ago. Special services were hosted at different places where the Christian community attended prayers for salvation, and for the progress and prosperity of Pakistan. ![ https://i.dawn.com/medium/2021/04/60698dd756219.jpg ](Christian devotees …

PESHAWAR: The Lady Reading Hospital, Peshawar, has stopped attending to the people with general medical conditions to handle the growing number of coronavirus patients. The development came after the health department formally asked the hospital, the largest government one in the provincial capital, to immediately halt elective services and refer non-Covid patients to Khyber Teaching Hospital for management. The LRH …

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation Dr Sania Nishtar has approved the Ehsaas Secondary Education Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) programme for deserving households to send their children to schools. The first-of-its-kind initiative, which was discussed during a meeting held at the Pakistan Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division on Saturday, will come into effect in all …

• PML-N insists Friday’s meeting was not PDM’s event • Says affected senators not ready to accept Senate chairman, deputy chairman, opposition leader ‘from BAP’ • PPP postpones its CEC meeting on resignations issue ISLAMABAD: Diffe­rences within the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on Saturday almost reached a point of no return when two major parties — the Pakistan Peoples Party …

LAHORE: Chief Election Commissioner Sikandar Sultan has ordered that the presiding officers cannot leave the polling stations without preparing and signing Form-45 (result) and handing it to all stakeholders in the upcoming by-election in NA-75, Daska. The CEC issued the direction on Saturday in the wake of the disappearance of 20 presiding officers in NA-75 by-poll held in February last. …

LAHORE: The work for the construction of a convertor station of Central Asia-South Asia power project — commonly known as CASA-1000 — was formally launched at Azakhel Bala, Nowshera. The convertor station is one of the major parts of the 1,270km High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission line originating in Kyrgyzstan and ending in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa via Tajikistan and Afghanistan …

ISLAMABAD: A tweet by Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Saturday that the Ramazan moon would be sighted in all major cities on April 13 has once again stirred a controversy as religious circles, including the newly-appointed chairman of Central Ruet-i-Hilal Committee, expressed their annoyance over his statement. The ministry of religious affairs and the Ruet-i-Hilal Committee had …

• Unlike past when EAC was headed by finance minister, PM will now lead council • Shaukat Tarin among 13 private members ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has reconstituted a 25-member Economic Advisory Council (EAC) with the induction of prominent businessmen, including former finance minister Shaukat Tarin, to ensure availability of best possible professional advice to the government on its …