KARACHI: As assemblers have advance booking orders for the next four to five months, the State Bank of Pakistan’s recent decision of putting brakes on booming auto financing and curbing import of vehicles is unlikely to have any immediate impact on auto sales. Auto financing plays a key part in determining auto sales as it contributes around 30-40pc of the …

SRINAGAR: Clashes bet­ween fighters and Indian forces as well as street killings left six more dead in occupied Kashmir on Saturday, officials said, as the disputed Himalayan region battles a worsening wave of violence. At least 28 people, including nine civilians, have been gunned down in the past two weeks as a decades-old armed rebellion has intensified in the disputed …

ISLAMABAD: Once again, a record number of dengue fever cases were reported in the capital on Saturday. District Health Officer (DHO) Dr Zaeem Zia said in the last 24 hours 152 new cases emerged in Islamabad, taking tally to 1,801. On Oct 13, the capital had reported 125 cases, he added. The DHO said 84 cases were reported from the …

LONDON: The fatal stabbing of British lawmaker David Amess was a terrorist incident, police said on Satur­day, as MPs pressed for tougher security in the wake of the second killing of a UK politician while meeting constituents in just over five years. Veteran Conservative MP David Amess, 69, was talking to voters at a church in the small town of Leigh-on-Sea east …

FAISALABAD: President of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, Maulana Fazlur Rehman, has requested all partners in the opposition alliance to take to the streets instead of holding meetings. Announcing the movement’s next public meeting in Dera Ghazi Khan on Oct 31, Fazl asked the masses to join them. “We should not …

ISTANBUL: Chancellor Angela Merkel on Saturday vowed continuity in Germany’s relations with Turkey that included both cooperation and criticism of Ankara as she paid her final visit to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Merkel and Erdogan developed complex but close relations over the German chancellor’s 16-year term that navigated the perils of Turkey’s tumultuous ties with the West. Their personal bond …

MOSCOW: Russia on Saturday recorded 1,000 deaths over 24 hours for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, with the country’s jab drive at a standstill and few restrictions in place. An official government tally showed 1,002 deaths and 33,208 new infections, setting a high for both fatalities and cases for the third day in a row. …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday urged the nation to celebrate the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) in a befitting and unprecedented manner. In a special message in connection with Eid Miladun Nabi, he said: “As you all know that this is a special month when our Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) came into this world. This …

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government has forwarded the PC-I to acquire land for the Leh Expressway and Flood Channel project worth Rs25 billion to the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) for final approval. The Punjab Planning and Development Board has already approved the project and work on land acquisition will start after the PC-I gets clearance from the CDWP. A senior …

UPPER DARBY: A woman was raped by a stranger on a commuter train in suburban Phila­delphia in the presence of other riders who a police official said should have done something. Superintendent Timothy Bern­hardt of the Upper Darby Police Department said officers were called to the 69th Street terminal around 10pm on Wednesday after the assault on the westbound train …