ISLAMABAD: The head of Pakistan’s polio eradication programme resigned from his post on Friday, citing “personal reasons”. The resignation of Dr Shahzad Asif Baig came at a time when the virus was seeing a resurgence, with three cases of the crippling disease already reported in 2024. Even though the coordinator of the National Emer­gency Operations Centre for Polio Eradication said he was …

TAXILA: A Control of Narcotics Substance Court (CNS) in Taxila on Friday sentenced a man involved in drug peddling to nine years imprisonment and also imposed a fine on him. Jaffar Hussain was arrested by local police in the case registered under section 9-C of Control of Narcotics Substance Act 1997 after recovering 1.6kg hashish from his custody. The judge, …

ISLAMABAD: After causing massive confusion, the government on Friday ended up reducing the prices of petrol and high speed diesel by Rs4.74 and Rs3.86 per litre, respectively, a far cry from the figures released just hours earlier by the Prime Minister’s Office. In an earlier statement, the PMO notified a Rs15.39 and Rs7.88 per litre reduction in the prices of …

ISLAMABAD: The capital administration on Friday allowed the PTI to hold a public gathering on June 8 at an open space near Rawat, instead of F-9 Park as requested, subject to terms and conditions to be followed by the party. Officials of the capital administration said the PTI had filed an application seeking permission for the gathering in the park. …

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Friday made it clear that the questions framed regarding spy agencies’ role in enforced disappearance cases would not remain unanswered despite the “recovery” of missing poet, Ahmed Farhad, and rejected the government’s request to dispose of the petition seeking his recovery until he is produced in court. Justice Mohsin Akhtar Kayani was earlier …

THE mother of Saman Abbas, a teenager killed by her family in Italy in 2021, has been arrested in Azad Kashmir after being on the run for three years, Italian news agency Ansa reported on Friday. The 18-year-old Italian-Pakistani woman went missing from the Italian city of Reggio Emilia on April 30, 2021, and her body was found in November 2022. Nazia Shaheen, 51, …

ISLAMABAD: Days before Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is scheduled to arrive in Beijing for a key visit, a Chinese company has demanded the revival of a hydropower project that has been delayed for around three years. The Chinese sponsors of the $2.5bn Kohala Hydro­power Project (KHPP) have raised a series of demands regarding the 1,124MW project planned to be built on River Jhelum …

Eminem has revived his iconic alter ego Slim Shady with the release of his latest single Houdini on May 23. The song is the first offering from his forthcoming album, The Death of Slim Shady (Coup de Grâce). Houdini pays homage to his 2002 hit Without Me and features Eminem’s signature provocative style, complete with notable diss tracks aimed at various targets. Slim Shady, 51, references …

Prince Harry has reportedly expressed his desire to see Meghan Markle as a successful actress in Hollywood. As reported by In Touch Weekly, the Duke of Sussex’s inner friend circle knows that he would “love for her to get back into acting.” The former working royal thinks “it’s a shame she’s not a superstar like A-listers Jennifer Aniston and Julia Roberts, …

Paul Mescal has taken on an ambitious project, starring as Franklin Shepherd in the film adaptation of the stage musical Merrily We Roll Along. The movie, directed by Richard Linklater, will follow the complex relationship between three friends over two decades, from their college days to middle age. Ben Platt and Beanie Feldstein co-star in this epic tale, which is based …