ISLAMABAD: The World Bank has approved $442 million to help improve access to water and sanitation services for the most vulnerable rural communities in Punjab. The ‘Punjab Rural Sustainable Water Supply and Sanitation Project’ will help upgrade water supply and sanitation infrastructure and services that ensure equitable and sustainable access to drinking water and safe wastewater management. The project prioritises …

Pop icon Selena Gomez is looking back at her past ‘cursed’ relationships and how they made her feel like she wasn’t ‘equal.’ While in conversation with Vogue Australia, the Rare hit maker spoke about the ink on her neck and how it keeps reminding her of how she wants to live her life. “I think most of my experiences in relationships have been …

KABUL: The Taliban said on Sunday they remain committed to peace talks but insisted a “genuine Islamic system” in Afghanistan was the only way to end the war and ensure rights — including for women. Talks between the militants and the Afghan government have been deadlocked for months and violence has surged across the country since May when the US …

BEIJING: China on Sunday announced it had administered its one-billionth shot in the world’s biggest coronavirus inoculation drive. The global death toll from Covid-19 is now more than 3.8 million and many nations are still battling outbreaks, but vaccine drives in some countries are allowing activities that were unthinkable a few months ago. China’s vaccine milestone comes after the number …

LONDON: The colourful former speaker of Britain’s House of Commons John Bercow said he has left the Conservatives to join the opposition Labour Party, saying the country is “sick of lies” under Prime Minister Boris Johnson. In an interview with the Observer newspaper published on Sunday, the former MP said the Conservative Party under Johnson was “reactionary, populist, nationalistic and sometimes even …

RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil on Saturday became the second country after the United States to surpass 500,000 Covid-19 deaths as the South American giant grapples with a third wave of the pandemic. “500,000 lives lost due to the pandemic that affects our Brazil and the world,” Health Minister Marcelo Queiroga tweeted. The Health Ministry reported 500,800 deaths, including 2,301 in …

Israel’s Foreign Minister Yair Lapid will visit the United Arab Emirates, in the first official ministerial visit since the two nations agreed to normalise ties, his office said on Monday. Israel and the UAE, along with Bahrain, normalised ties in September, and the Jewish state also last year agreed to normalise relations with two other Arab nations, Morocco and Sudan. “Foreign …

WASHINGTON: US President Joe Biden looks forward to welcoming Afghan President Ashraf Ghani and Dr Abdullah Abdullah, Chairman of the High Council for National Reconciliation, to the White House on June 25, the White House announced on Sunday. “The visit will highlight the enduring partnership between the United States and Afghanistan as the military drawdown continues,” the White House said. …

Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that once the Kashmir issue is resolved, there will no longer be any need for nuclear deterrents. He said this while speaking to journalist Jonathan Swan on Axios on HBO. “Intelligence analysts say Pakistan has the fastest growing nuclear arsenal anywhere in the world. Why?” the interviewer questioned. “I don’t know where they’ve come up with this. …

KARACHI: The much-awaited Green Line service seems to be surrounded by a financial controversy even before its launch. A European giant, which has offered its technological support and services for the project, is knocking at the doors of the country’s anti-graft and investigation institutions and has even attempted for success through diplomatic corridors with a complaint that one of the …