WASHINGTON: US Presi­dent Joe Biden will host a global climate summit on Thursday and Friday, during which he is expected to unveil a plan to cut carbon emissions by at least 50 percent by 2030, from 2005 levels. “We expect action at this meeting. We’re looking for people to make announcements to raise their ambition to indicate next steps that …

India marked a grim milestone in the Covid-19 pandemic on Thursday, reporting 314,835 new daily cases, the highest one-day tally anywhere, as its second wave and similar surges elsewhere raised new fears about the ability of health services to cope. Hospitals across northern and western India including the capital, New Delhi, have issued notices to say they have only a …

LAHORE: The Punjab government has released some 700 activists of Tehreek-i-Labbaik under the Maintenance of Public Order (MPO) in six divisions, while the release of over 1,500 activists detained in Lahore, Rawalpindi and Gujranwala divisions is under consideration. Sources say the government has decided in principle that all those nominated in the FIRs under Section 7 of the Anti-Terrorism Act …

ISLAMABAD: The Capital Development Authority (CDA) on Wednesday claimed to have restored 74pc lights on roads, parks, and commercial centers. “The civic agency has restored almost 80pc signals, and fixed lights in 60pc parks of the sectors of I, G, and F series, besides installing colorful lights in underpasses and bridges,” a press release issued by CDA said. It said …

QUETTA/GWADAR: Pakistan and Iran opened the Pishin-Mand border crossing point in Kech district on Wednesday for facilitating trade between the two countries. Minister for Defence Production Zubaida Jalal and Iranian Minister for Communication and Urban Development Mohammad Islami jointly inaugurated the third border crossing point at a ceremony held in the Mand Rag area. Inspector General of Frontier Corps South …

GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Chief Court on Wednesday directed the government and the election commission to hold local body elections in the region immediately. A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Malik Haq Nawaz and Justice Ali Baig heard a petition seeking to hold local body elections in GB. The petitioners included Afaq Ahmed, Nomanullah and Jhangir Shah, while respondents in the …

TAXILA: Since the past two years, the Dharmarajika stupa and monastery located near Taxila, had been a rather quiet spot. Apart from the footsteps of occasional visitors and rustling of leaves, the site had been closed due to the pandemic. On Wednesday, a 14-member delegation of Buddhist monks from Sri Lanka visited the site to perform their religious rituals, bringing …

ISLAMABAD: More than 40 million children under five years of age received vaccination during the second nationwide polio reduction campaign of the year. The campaign was conducted from March 29 to April 2 in Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and from April 11 to 15 in Balochistan. During the campaign, more than 285,000 Sehat Tahafuz frontline workers visited families and …

Estranged PTI leader Jahangir Tareen said on Thursday that he had been assured of a meeting between his group of supporters and Prime Minister Imran Khan “in a few days”. Speaking to the media outside a Lahore sessions court, the sugar baron said he had hosted an Iftar dinner for his allies earlier this month. “A day before, some individuals …

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Thursday granted post-arrest bail to Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in a money laundering reference by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The three-judge bench, headed by Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, gave a unanimous verdict. According to the short court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn.com, the PML-N …