KARACHI: A joint committee of media organisations in the country has unanimously rejected the government’s attempt to establish the Pakistan Media Development Authority (PMDA). The committee comprises the Council of Pakistan News­paper Editors (CPNE), All Pakistan Newspapers Socie­­ty, Pakistan Broadcasters Association, Pakistan Fed­eral Union of Journalists and Association of Electronic Media Editors and News Directors. In a statement issued by …

YOGYAKARTA: Indonesia’s most active volcano erupted on Monday with its biggest lava flow in months, sending a river of lava and searing gas clouds flowing 3.5 kilometres down its slopes on the densely populated island of Java. The rumbling sound could be heard several kilometres away as Mount Merapi erupted, sending hot ash 600 metres (nearly 2,000 feet) into the …

PESHAWAR: Four persons were killed and three others injured when a group of people barged into a house and opened fire on Monday. The incident occurred near the Shahpur police station. According to the police, a group of people barged into a house and opened fire on a rival party to settle an old dispute. As a result of firing, …

KABUL: Thousands of Afghans rushed onto the tarmac of Kabul’s international airport on Monday, some so desperate to escape the Taliban capture of their country that they held onto an American military jet as it took off and plunged to death in chaos that killed seven people. The crowds rushing to the airport came as the Taliban enforced their rule …

WARSAW: Poland’s government said on Monday that its ambassador to Israel will remain in Poland until further notice after Israel downgraded diplomatic ties with Warsaw and strongly criticised a new Polish law that restricts the rights of Holocaust survivors to reclaim property seized by the country’s former communist regime. Meanwhile, Poland’s Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki defended the new legislation, saying …

ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan on Monday assured a parliamentary committee that the health-risk allowance will be paid to 12,000 government employees in the federal capital next week. He stated this while briefing the National Assembly Standing Committee on National Health Services (NHS) at a meeting chaired by MNA Khalid Hussain Magsi. Dr …

LAHORE: A special court (bank offences) on Monday extended the interim pre-arrest bail of Leader of Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shehbaz in an inquiry into sugar scam and money laundering charges. Shehbaz and Hamza appeared before the court while a proxy counsel sought a long adjournment of the proceedings. He said the lead counsel, …

ISLAMABAD: Though the National Assembly performed better in terms of legislation during the recently-concluded third parliamentary year, it failed to see any improvement in the attendance of members, including Prime Minister Imran Khan, as 24 out of the 79 total sittings were adjourned due to lack of quorum. According to a report titled, “Three Years of the 15th National Assembly: …

Understanding the twists and turns of Texas’ and Dallas County’s legal battle over masks can make anyone’s head spin, especially as parents begin to send their children to school and business owners try to respond to the latest orders, or lack thereof. Here’s the bottom line: The Texas Supreme Court decided Sunday to wait to hear evidence on the various …

As court battles on mask mandates roar on, three rural Texas school districts have shut their doors for at least a week because of COVID-19 outbreaks. On Monday, Iraan-Sheffield ISD, a district about 80 miles south of Midland, announced it would shut down its three campuses starting Tuesday, keeping its 338 students home until Aug. 30. Iraan started school on Aug. …