Renowned American intellectual Noam Chomsky has been discharged from a hospital in Sao Paulo, Brazil, where he had been receiving treatment for some time. In a statement, the Beneficencia Portuguesa Hospital in Sao Paulo announced that Chomsky had been discharged and his treatment would continue at home. The report came as the 95-year-old’s wife, Valeria Wasserman, dismissed media reports that …

At least four people were killed and 120 injured on Tuesday in a 4.9 magnitude earthquake that hit Iran’s northeastern city of Kashmar, state media reported. The quake struck at 1:24pm (9:54am GMT), Kashmar’s governor, Hajatollah Shariatmadari, who gave the casualty toll, said on state television. Thirty-five people were hospitalised, he said, adding the quake damaged mostly dilapidated buildings in …

India was battling on Wednesday extreme weather that caused severe heatwaves, landslides and floods, killing at least 11 people this week, among them a woman and her three daughters buried alive in a northeastern state, officials and media said. The capital, New Delhi, sweltered through its hottest June night in six years on Tuesday, with hospitals in the city of …

KARACHI: Highlighting the hazards of genetically modified (GM) crops, the Pakistan Kissan Mazdoor Tehreek (PKMT) has urged the National Biosafety Commission (NBC) to reject the proposal for commercialisation of two GM sugar cane crops. In a press release, the PKMT stated that it strongly opposed the recent move of the Technical Advisory Committee, operating under the Environment Protection Agency (EPA), …

LAHORE: Lahore’s traffic situation has reached a boiling point, with citizens facing severe congestion and gridlocks, particularly during the past few days. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz has expressed her displeasure over the worsening traffic situation and has questioned the eligibility criteria for the posting of the Lahore city traffic officer (CTO). According to an official, the chief minister conveyed her …

RAWALPINDI: As the mercury soared above 45 Celsius in Rawalpindi over the past month, wardens of the Rawalpindi traffic police stood under the scorching sun regulating traffic at major intersections, including The Mall. A warden, whose primary responsibilities include traffic regulation and enforcing rules and regulations besides frequent protocol duties, remains in the field for almost eight hours a day …

SWABI/PESHAWAR: The workers of Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) accompanied by police clashed with consumers and were forced to leave the area when they tried to removed power meters in Maneri Bala village of Swabi on Sunday. Stick-wielding consumers staged a protest and vowed that none of the Pesco staffers and police would be allowed to remove any power meter. …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan is facing expanding desertification and recurring but intense droughts, Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change Romina Khurshid Alam highlighted on Sunday, stressing that the country stands at a critical juncture in its fight against desertification and land degradation. However, through “targeted policies, investments in research and technology and fostering international cooperation, Pakistan remains steadfast in its …

ISLAMABAD: A government spokesperson on Sunday warned overseas Pakistanis that the government would clamp down against them if they promoted “anti-state agenda”. Addressing a media briefing, Barrister Aqeel Malik, who is also the federal government’s spokesperson on legal affairs, claimed that PTI was “misusing” the Pakistani diaspora, who have a strong affiliation with the party, for its “clandestine motives”. He …

Two children died and seven people were injured early on Wednesday when a fire erupted due to a laptop explosion at a home in Faisalabad’s Sharifpur area, a doctor said. According to Allied Hospital’s emergency duty doctor Hammad Ahmed, nine injured people, including two women and five children aged three to nine, were brought to the hospital by rescue services …