India has test-fired a nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missile with a range of 5,000 kilometres from an island off its east coast amid rising border tensions with China. The successful launch on Wednesday was in line with “India’s policy to have credible minimum deterrence that underpins the commitment to no first use”, said a government statement. The Agni-5 missile splashed down in the …

WASHINGTON: The Pentagon’s top general said on Wednesday that China’s recent test of an earth-circling hypersonic missile was akin to the Soviet Union’s stunning launch of the world’s first satellite, Sputnik, in 1957, which sparked the superpowers’ space race. Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, confirmed for the first time the Chinese test of a nuclear-capable missile …

ISLAMABAD: The Election Comm­ission of Pakistan (ECP) on Wednesday issued show-cause notices to two federal ministers for their tirade against it and the chief election commissioner (CEC). The notices to Information Minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry and Railways Minister Azam Swati were issued during hearing of the case involving serious allegations against the ECP and the CEC. A two-member bench comprising ECP members …

ISLAMABAD: Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA), during a fortnight, suspended services of 11 healthcare establishments (HCEs) due to different reasons including keeping expired lab reagents, absence of qualified staff and lack of proper waste management system As many as three labs were found involved in preparing fake Covid-19 reports. Moreover, 37 HCEs were served notices and directed to apply for …

RAWALPINDI: As the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) rally heads for Islamabad, the local administration closed Murree Road on Wednesday by placing containers and barbed wires. The local administration has prepared a contingency plan to avoid violence. On Wednesday, the containers were placed on the main roads of Raja Bazaar and adjoining areas. The areas that have been blocked are Mareer Hassan, …

ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet was informed on Wednesday that prices of essential items in Pakistan were lowest in South Asia. “Except vegetable ghee, prices of all essential items are lower in Pakistan as compared to the prices in the whole region,” said Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry at a press conference after attending a meeting of the federal cabinet presided over …

ISLAMABAD: The Fede­ral Shariat Court (FSC) on Wednesday sought assistance of Attorney General for Pakistan (AGP) Khalid Jawed Khan on a set of petitions challenging the Trans­gender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2018, for being repugnant to Islamic injunctions. A full bench of the FSC, comprising Chief Justice Mohammad Noor Meskan­zai, Justice Dr Syed Mohammad Anwar and Justice Khadim Hussain …

ISLAMABAD: About 50,000 children in Gilgit-Baltistan were involved in child labour, said a report launched on Wednesday. The new report estimates prevalence of 13.1 per cent child labour in GB, with one in seven children is working. Many children work in hazardous conditions and are almost twice as likely to report mental health problems, according to ‘Gilgit-Baltistan Child Labour Survey …

Three squad members of the national women’s team participating in the pre-West Indies series camp at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi have tested positive for Covid-19, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) said in a statement. According to the PCB, the players tested positive during the routine Covid-19 testing carried out on Wednesday and now they had started …

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister for Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill on Thursday filed a plea in a Lahore sessions court, seeking withdrawal of the bailable arrest warrant issued by the court a day ago in a defamation suit. Gill, during a TV show in September last year, had accused a Turkish company M/s Platform Turizm Tasimacilik — a …