ISLAMABAD: The government has asked the World Bank to finalise the restructuring plan for a loan of $200 million which was approved last year for the locust emergency and food security project. The project is being restructured since the spread of locust has been successfully controlled due to measures taken by the government with foreign assistance. Minister for Economic Affairs …

KARACHI: The government plans to set up a regulatory body for the rapidly growing housing finance market in the country. According to the economic plan for sustainable growth unveiled by Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Friday, the regulatory authority by the name of ‘Pakistan Housing Bank’ will be established “in due course of time”. Speaking to Dawn, Arif Habib, a member …

LAHORE: Commerce Adviser Abdul Razak Dawood on Saturday said that Taliban takeover of Afghanistan had not affected trade activities which were going on without any issue. Talking to journalists following the inaugural of Pakistan Footwear Design Hub, set up in collaboration with the Pakistan Footwear Manufacturers Association (PFMA) and the United Nations Industrial Development Organisation, he said no one should …

WASHINGTON: Tens of thousands of people were rallying on Saturday in Washington and dozens of other US cities to protest against laws in several Republican-led states that critics say will make it harder for minorities to vote. The date selected for the rallies — in cities from Seattle to Atlanta — was not picked at random: It was on August …

TEHRAN: Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday accused US President Joe Biden’s administration of making the same demands as his predecessor Donald Trump in talks to revive a nuclear accord. The multilateral deal that offers Iran relief from sanctions in return for curbs on its nuclear programme was torpedoed by Trump’s decision to withdraw the United States from …

TOKYO: Two people died after receiving Moderna Inc Covid-19 vaccine shots that were among lots later suspended following the discovery of contaminants, Japan’s health ministry said on Saturday. The men in their 30s died this month within days of receiving their second Moderna doses, the ministry said in a release. Each had a shot from one of three manufacturing lots …

BERLIN: Thousands turned out in Berlin on Saturday in protest against the government’s coronavirus measures, despite bans against several planned gatherings. Police banned nine planned demonstrations for Saturday, including one from the Stuttgart-based Querdenker movement, the most visible anti-lockdown movement in Germany. A court ruled in favour of allowing one protest, planned for 500 people, on Saturday and Sunday each. …

ISTANBUL: An Afghan wom­an on board an evacuation flight to Britain gave birth to a baby girl early on Saturday with assistance from the cabin crew, Turkish Airlines said in a statement. Soman Noori, 26, started having contractions during the Turkish Airlines flight from Dubai to Birmingham, and gave birth as the plane flew at an altitude of 10,000 metres …

RAMALLAH: A 12-year-old Palest­inian boy who was shot in the head by Israeli fire during a violent demonstration at the Gaza-Israeli border last week died of his wounds on Saturday, Gaza health officials said. Hassan Abu al-Neil was shot Aug 21 during the demonstration organised by Gaza’s Hamas rulers to protest the crippling blockade imposed by Egypt and Israel. Violence …

The United Arab Emirates has announced it will resume issuing visas to all tourists fully vaccinated against Covid-19 from Monday, a month before Dubai hosts the delayed Expo 2020 trade fair. The move comes amid a drop in coronavirus infections in the oil-rich Gulf country after it reported less than 1,000 cases per day last week for the first time …