BEIJING: China’s population has grown at its slowest pace in decades, reaching 1.41 billion, census results showed on Tuesday, highlighting fears of a looming crisis over an ageing society. The growth of 5.4 per cent over the past decade was the slowest since the 1960s, and comes alongside a sharp drop in the number of working-age people. China remains the …

Hostilities between Israel and Hamas escalated on Wednesday, with at least 35 killed in Gaza and five in Israel in the most intensive aerial exchanges for years. Israel carried out hundreds of air strikes in Gaza into Wednesday morning, as Hamas and other Palestinian militants fired multiple rocket barrages at Tel Aviv and Beersheba. One multi-story residential building in Gaza …

ISLAMABAD: Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz president Shehbaz Sharif has called upon major world powers, particularly P5 countries, to ensure that Israel is made to comply with the UN Security Council resolutions. “Failure to do so calls into question their respect for and commitment to the Charter of the United Nations,” he said, …

ISLAMABAD: As Prime Minister Imran Khan has ordered a fresh investigation into Hudaibiya Paper Mills (HPM) case against the Sharif family, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to file an appeal in the Supreme Court against the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) orders to grant bail to leader of the opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and allow him …

LAHORE: The Sharif family has blatantly plundered public resources in the past and former chief minister Shehbaz Sharif embezzled Punjab’s development funds along with his henchmen, alleged Special Assistant to the Chief Minister (SACM) on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan. Talking to the media at the Directorate General Public Relations here on Tuesday, Dr Awan claimed Prime Minister Imran Khan …

RAWALPINDI: Six officers of the district administrations of Rawalpindi and Attock have been removed from their posts in connection with changes made to the alignment of the proposed Ring Road Project. The decision was taken by the Punjab government after a fact-finding committee submitted its report to the chief secretary. Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the changes …

ISLAMABAD: Saudi rice charity for Pakistan following Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit to the kingdom set off a new controversy as the distribution started on Tuesday. King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Centre, a Saudi aid agency, had announced a couple of days back that it would provide 440 tonnes (19,032 bags) of rice under its Zakat al Fitr project …

ISLAMABAD: Environmentally hazardous practices in the Margalla Hills National Park (MNHP), including smoking, BBQ-ing and littering, have been outlawed in order to protect the diverse wildlife area. According to a fresh notification, the capital police will now assist the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) in enforcing the environmental laws. “The police will now patrol the park along with the wildlife …

ISLAMABAD: The capital police have ordered an inquiry into a scuffle that broke out between two police officials and an army man at a picket on Monday evening. A senior police officer and two sources in the police confirmed to that an assistant sub-inspector (ASI) of the capital police and an official of the traffic police have been suspended over …

ISLAMABAD: As legal experts are bewildered over the government’s move to reopen the Hudaibiya Paper Mills (HPM) corruption case which has already been settled by the country’s top judiciary, including the Supreme Court, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan insists that revisiting the case will not only be valid but also legal and constitutional. “Since former …