KHYBER: Afghan Taliban suspended the return of Afghan nationals to their country through the Torkham border on Monday. Security officials on Pakistani side of the crossing point, however, said vehicular traffic continued as loaded vehicles from both the sides crossed the border. Though the exact reason for restricting movement of Afghans returning to their country could not be ascertained, local …

KARACHI: While the Sept 12 election in Karachi’s six cantonment boards did not directly concern the vast majority of the people of the metropolis, the results of the polls have left a deep impact on the morale of contesting parties, as many suffered a setback and a few staged a strong comeback to eye their next target in the electoral …

LAHORE: As the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has lost the cantonment boards election in Punjab to its main rival — the opposition PML-N — the ruling party is banking on independent winners to become the largest party in the province. The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has yet to formally announce the results of the cantonment boards’ wards in Punjab. However, …

LAHORE: Former federal secretary, historian and columnist Dr Safdar Mahmood was laid to rest in the provincial capital on Monday. He passed away after remaining hospitalised for several days. His funeral prayers were offered at the Jamia Masjid Allah Akbar, Defence Road. Dr Mahmood hailed from a village near Dinga town of Gujrat and graduated from the Government College University …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that the government is focusing on the ‘ease of doing business’ policy and extending facilities to investors. During a meeting with heads of Chinese companies on Monday, he expressed the confidence that Chinese investment in Pakistan would open up immense employment opportunities. The prime minister said Pakistan could learn a lot from China …

ISLAMABAD: While reacting to the lawyers’ Sept 9 convention which accused the judiciary of favouritism in the appointment of superior court judges, Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed on Monday regretted that the agitation by the legal fraternity was “totally uncalled for”. “There had been 41 judges in the judicial history of Pakistan who were elevated to the Supreme …

The rescue operation to retrieve a trio of climbers stranded in Camp III of 7,788-metre-high Rakaposhi continued for a third day on Tuesday, with food and other supplies helicoptered to them, according to Nagar’s deputy commissioner (DC). “Rope, food, medicine and wireless [communication] sets have been delivered via a helicopter,” said Nagar DC Zulqarnain Haider. He said a team of expert climbers …

The value of the dollar reached an all-time high against the rupee on Tuesday, reaching Rs168.9 in the interbank market. According to an update posted at 11:39am on Mettis Global, a web-based financial data and analytics portal, the rupee slipped by 80 paisa against the dollar on Tuesday morning, continuing its losing streak against the greenback. The update said the …

Federal Minister for Development, Planning and Special Initiatives Asad Umar announced on Tuesday the lifting of additional non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) in 18 of 24 districts where the restrictions were enforced earlier this month in the wake of high coronavirus prevalence. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Umar, who also heads the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) — the nerve centre of …

The big story right now is Tropical Storm Nicholas approaching the South Texas coast. It’s expected to move onshore near Port Lavaca or Port Aransas. Heavy rain of 10 to 15 inches (isolated 20″ totals) will bring a flooding threat to much of southeast Texas tonight and Tuesday. This includes the Houston area. If you are planning to travel into …