WASHINGTON: The United States has decided to end restrictions governing official contacts with Taiwan, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Saturday, a move hailed by Taipei as ending “decades of discrimination”. Pompeo said the “complex internal restrictions” on contacts with Taipei by diplomats, service members and others had been imposed “in an attempt to appease the Communist regime in …

LONDON: Britain on Sunday raced against the clock to vaccinate as many people as possible while Germany warned of the “hardest” days yet to come with Europe battling to contain soaring coronavirus infections. January 11 marks one year since China confirmed its first death from Covid-19, a 61-year-old man who was a regular at Wuhan city’s market, where the pandemic …

Brent crude oil prices fell by $1 per barrel on Monday, hit by renewed concerns about global fuel demand amid tough coronavirus lockdowns in Europe and new curbs on movement in China, the world’s second-largest oil user, where infections jumped. Brent crude oil futures were down 78 cents, or 1.4 per cent, at $55.21 a barrel, after falling $1 to a session …

te h WASHINGTON: In a highly unusual move, American diplomats have drafted two cables condemning President Donald Trump’s incitement of the deadly assault on the Capitol on Wednesday and calling for administration officials to possibly support invoking the 25th Amendment to remove him from office. Using what is known as the State Department’s dissent channel, career foreign and civil service …

Afghan High Peace Council Chairman and leader of the Hizb-e-Wahdat-e-Islami (Afghan Unity Party), Mohammad Karim Khalili, along with a delegation, will arrive in Pakistan on Monday (today) for a three-day visit, the Foreign Office said in a statement. During the visit, Khalili will call on Prime Minister Imran Khan and hold meetings with National Assembly Speaker Asad Qaiser, Foreign Minister …

KABUL: An Afghan journalist-turned spokesman for the country’s public protection force was killed along with two colleagues on Sunday by a bomb targeting their vehicle, officials said. The murder of Zia Wadan, who previously worked for several media networks, appeared to be the latest in a series of targeted killings that have rocked Afghanis­tan, especially Kabul. Wadan and his colleagues …

ISLAMABAD: The government has established the Special Technology Zones Authority (STZA) to boost the domestic IT sector in the country, officials said. According to the STZA officials, the government believes that the new initiative will not only boost the country’s economy but would also create ample job opportunities for the youth. Giving details of the purpose of establishing the authority …

ISLAMABAD: With the government deciding to purchase 1.1 million doses and the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) having started making preparations to administer Covid-19 vaccine to frontline workers, as many as 9,000 healthcare workers in the federal capital have registered themselves for vaccination. On the other hand, Islamabad reported 150 new patients and three deaths on Sunday. According to …

PESHAWAR: The health department has been diagnosing coronavirus patients quickly with the help of antigen detection rapid diagnostic test (Ag-RDT) as 12 more people have died of Covid-19 and 276 new patients have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The new testing method, started a fortnight ago, has enabled the health department to get fast results of suspected patients at the …

in MUZAFFARABAD: A couple was injured in Bhimber district of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) due to “unprovoked” ceasefire violation by the Indian army, marking the first civilian casualties of 2021, officials said on Sunday. Mohammad Khalil, 65, and his spouse Faryad Bibi, 58, were wounded in Khaitar Baroh village on Saturday evening after the Indian army resorted to shelling …