ISLAMABAD: Continu­ing with a rare exercise of its authority to meet constitutional obligations, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has issued a final deadline of two weeks to the Sindh government to provide prerequisites for holding local government elections in the province. “Alternatively, the Commission shall initiate the delimitation process in the province with effect from December 1, 2021 under …

LAHORE: Pakistan’s participation in the Junior Hockey World Cup was confirmed on Monday after the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said it received 80 per cent visas of its squad issued by the Indian High Commission. PHF secretary Asif Bajwa confirmed that 80 per cent visas of the Pakistan squad had been received on Monday, adding the remaining visas would be …

DHAKA: Pakistan wicket-keeper/batsman Mohammad Rizwan said on Monday he was feeling well after a spell in intensive care for a chest infection and would begin training for a series in Bangladesh. Rizwan made a miraculous recovery last week after two days in hospital to turn in a headline-grabbing performance in the ICC Twenty20 World Cup in the UAE where he …

COPENHAGEN: Prem­ature deaths caused by fine particle air pollution have fallen 10 percent annually across Europe, but the invisible killer still accounts for 307,000 premature deaths a year, the European Environment Agency said on Monday. If the latest air quality guidelines from the World Health Organisation were followed by EU members, the latest number of fatalities recorded in 2019 could …

PARIS: France told Britain on Monday to stop “giving lessons” on migrants ahead of talks seeking to ease an increasingly acrimonious row between London and Paris over the numbers crossing the Channel. French Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin is due to speak with British counterpart Priti Patel after London was angered by what it deems “unacceptable” numbers crossing the Channel. “Britain is …

ISLAMABAD: There will be no hurdles for the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) in holding a rally in the federal capital if it does not take law into its hands, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed said on Monday. Speaking at a ceremony held to distribute cheques among families of martyred police officials, the minister said the capital police would handle the …

Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz on Tuesday held a meeting with Punjab Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Pervaiz Elahi while paying a visit to Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid’s (PML-Q) ailing leader Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain at a hospital in Lahore to inquire about his health. Hamza visited Shujaat at the Doctors Hospital and Medical Center where the latter is …

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Tuesday arrested a four-member gang, including two personnel of the Punjab Police, involved in sexually harassing two teenage girls and filming their videos in Rawalpindi. The action was taken by the FIA’s cybercrime wing following a complaint by the victims. The law enforcers raided various places in the city and apprehended the suspects. One …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday issued show-cause notices to senior journalist Ansar Abbasi, former chief judge of Gilgit-Baltistan Rana Mohammad Shamim Ahmed Khan and two others over an investigative report published in The News that highlighted an accusation against former chief justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar of colluding to deny bails to top PML-N leadership before general elections 2018. The court …