World News Headlines

Nato has started the withdrawal of its mission from Afghanistan following a decision by President Joe Biden to bring US forces home, an alliance official said on Thursday. “Nato Allies decided in mid-April to start the withdrawal of Resolute Support Mission forces by May 1 and this withdrawal has begun. This will be an orderly, coordinated, and deliberate process,” a Nato official said. Members of the US-backed alliance agreed this month to wrap up their 9,600-strong mission in Afghanistan after Biden made the call to end Washington’s longest war. The decision — which delayed by several months a deadline agreed by former US leader Donald Trump — came despite fears it could allow the Taliban to regain power in the country. The Nato official said the safety of the alliance’s troops “will be a top priority every step of the way, and we are taking all necessary measures to keep our personnel from harm”. “Any Taliban attacks during the withdrawal will be met with a forceful response....

Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar said on Friday that Pakistan has so far managed to cope with the increase in critical care Covid-19 patients by proactively building the capacity of the entire system. In a series of tweets, the federal minister said that the total number of critical care patients who were being provided oxygen had reached 5,360 on Thursday. "This is a 57 per cent more than the peak in June 2020," he said, adding that so far this increase had been handled due to "proactively building capacity of the entire system from oxygen production to beds". "Total oxygen production operational capacity in Pakistan last year was 487 tonnes per day. It has been increased to 798 tonnes," said Umar, adding that actual production had increased from 465 tonnes last June to 725 tonnes currently. "We also imported 19,200 oxygen cylinders last year to ensure distribution." He stated that because of th...

The Interior Ministry has decided to form a three-member committee to review the ban placed on the Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). A high-level meeting was held by the Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed to review the TLP ban. During the meeting, the appeal filed by the banned outfit was also discussed. Rasheed decided to form a three-member committee which would comprise two joint secretaries as well, to review the ban. Earlier this month, the government decided to impose a ban on the the banned organisation under the anti-terrorism law. The interior minister had said the decision was taken at the Punjab government's request. "We are forwarding a summary to the federal cabinet to impose a ban on the TLP," Rasheed had said in Islamabad, as protests were held across various cities of the country. Protests by the proscribed organisation caused problems for the masses earlier this month in many cities of the country and have claimed the lives of three people, includin...

The PPP has secured victory in the NA-249 by-election held on Thursday in the city's District West, with unofficial, provisional results showing a close contest between the PML-N and PPP in the final count. PPP's Abdul Qadir Mandokhel bagged 16,156 votes to win the seat, followed by PML-N's Miftah Ismail who secured 15,473, unofficial results from polling stations showed. While Nazir Ahmed of outlawed TLP trailed on the third position by receiving 11,125 votes. PSP's Mustafa Kamal could acquire only 9,227 votes, followed by PTI's Amjad Afridi with 8,922 votes and MQM-P's Muhammed Mursaleen with 7,511 votes. Both parties had claimed victory for their candidates mid-way into counting, capturing the attention of audiences awaiting results. The PML-N pulled no punches in blaming the PPP for attempting to rig the result, saying they would not accept the result without challenging the Election Commission. After the final count was announced, the PML-N's Mar...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday announced a five-year mega development package of Rs 370 billion for Gilgit-Baltistan during his day-long visit to the region. Announcing the main features of the development package at a ceremony in Gilgit on Friday, the prime minister said it is the first time that such a huge amount will be used for the development of this picturesque and strategically located region. The uplift package consisted of hydel projects, new roads and Babusar Tunnel, scholarships and skills training for the youth of the region, upgradation of health and education facilities, water and sanitation schemes, promotion of SMEs and expansion of airports, particularly the Skardu Airport, to cater to international flights. He said the PTI-led government will also support the development of small and medium enterprises in the area besides focusing on the expansion of its infrastructure. He said efforts will also be made to enable Gilgit Airport to host international flight...

Pakistan has registered 131 more COVID deaths in the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide tally of fatalities to 17,811,reported on Friday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,112 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 820,823. Pakistan has conducted 49,099 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5,112 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall 11,788,126 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 10.41 percent during the last 24 hours. The recovery of the COVID patients is on the rise as many as 711,465have regained their health from a pandemic, with 3,272 people in the past 24 hours, while 5,360 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals. On Wednesday, Pakistan-made ventilators were approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the fe...

Pakistan dominated the opening day of the first Test against Zimbabwe on the back of some destructive pace bowling by Hasan Ali and Shaheen Shah Afridi in Harare on Thursday. Hasan finished with 4-53 while Shaheen grabbed 4-43 as Zimbabwe — who won the toss and batted — were dismissed for a paltry 176 on a slow pitch at Harare Sports Club. Abid Ali then replied with a solid unbeaten 56 while fellow opener Imran Butt made 43 not out as Pakistan closed the day on 103 without loss. Both Abid and Imran were cautious at the start, having failed miserably in Pakistan's 2-0 home series win over South Africa in February. Abid took 13 deliveries to open his account but once he got underway with a pull for four off Richard Ngarava, he eased into his work striking nine further boundaries. Imran, who had managed just 36 in his first four Test innings, was more circumspect as the pair offered no chances to Zimbabwe's inexperienced bowling attack. Zimbabwe were struggling at 59-4 at ...

As US President Joie Biden shared his ambitious agenda to Congress, his real test begins now of convincing Republicans, in a polarised political arena, to support his plan of remaking America. The 78-year-old had been seeking the highest office in the land for nearly four decades. Now that he has it, Biden has unveiled a series of massive spending programs — on jobs creation, infrastructure, and family-centered programs like child care and student aid — that would make even the most passionate progressive blush. "Trickle down economics has never worked, and it's time to grow the economy from the bottom and the middle out," he told a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, drawing an ovation from his fellow Democrats. And while he presented an outstretched hand of bipartisanship to Republicans — "Let's get to work" together, he invited them — his vision of broad cooperation between the two parties seems far removed from today's reality of a sh...

The men’s finals of the Belgrade Winner Tournament 58th edition were also concluded in the capital city of Serbia. The Belgrade Winner Tournament returned to the boxing map after a two years break, and the host nation’s new pride European U22 Champion Vakhid Abasov, won the title of the welterweight (69kg) and the Best Men’s Boxer Award.  Belgrade will be hosting the AIBA Men’s Elite World Boxing Championships at the end of this year. Therefore, there was a significant interest for the National Federations to attend the Belgrade Winner Tournament. Altogether 35 nations, from 4 Confederations sent 208 boxers to the Belgrade Winner Tournament which is traditionally held in April every year. The competition was also hosted with the same COVID-19 protocols and safety measures as the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships in Kielce. European U22 Champion Vakhid Abasov claimed the gold medal for Serbia Vakhid Abasov obtained the gold medal at the 2019 EUBC European U22 Boxing C...

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced that it will not be issuing new notes on Edi ul Fitr this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Like last year, we will not be issuing new banknotes on Eid ul Fitr due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the SBP in a statement. The central bank issues new notes Eid every year as people want to give Eidi to kids using new banknotes. However, this year the government is urging people not to celebrate Eid with the usual grandeur due to a dangerous third wave of COVID-19. The SBP's statement also came as Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio jumped to 9.6% on Thursday after the country reported over 5,000 new infections. According to the official data provided by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 5,480 people tested positive for the coronavirus, after 57,013 tests were conducted across the country. The total tally of COVID-19 cases now stands at 815,711, with most cases reported in Punjab. The n...

Eid-ul-Fitr holidays in Pakistan would be observed from May 10-15, the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) said Thursday. "Announcement of Eid Holidays from 10-15 May 2021 — clearly stating intention of reducing national mobility," the statement from the NCOC said. NCOC, in a bid to curb the spread of the virus, also announced comprehensive guidelines by the name of "STAY HOME-STAY SAFE — Eid-ul-Fitr-2021 from 8-16 May 2021". The NCOC has also imposed a ban on chand raat bazaars, including mehendi, jewelry, and clothing stalls — from 8-16 May. Earlier, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) had announced that it will not be issuing new notes on Edi ul Fitr this year due to the coronavirus pandemic. “Like last year, we will not be issuing new banknotes on Eid ul Fitr due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic,” said the SBP in a statement. Pakistan's coronavirus positivity ratio jumped to 9.6% today after the country reported over 5,000 new infecti...

Polling for the by-election for National Assembly constituency NA-249- Karachi West-II concluded on Thursday as results have started to pour in. The polling started at 8 am and continued till 5 pm without any break. Sindh government has announced a public holiday, today (Thursday) in NA-249 Karachi constituency due to a by-election. Amjad Afridi of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Miftah Ismail of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Qadir Khan Madokhel of Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Mustafa Kamal of Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP), and Mohammad Mursaleen of Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) are among the 30 candidates taking part in the election in the constituency. The number of registered voters in the constituency is 339,591 out of which 201,656 are male and 137,935 are female voters who will exercise their right of the vote today. The NA-249 seat had fallen vacant after Faisal Vawda of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) resigned from the National Assembly for his ...

Pakistan has reported 151 more COVID deaths in a single day, pushing the nationwide tally of fatalities to 17,680,reported on Thursday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,480 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 815,711. Pakistan has conducted 57,013 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5, 480 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall 11,739,027 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 9.61 percent during the last 24 hours. The recovery of the COVID patients is on the rise as many as 708,193 have regained their health from a pandemic, with 3,699 people in the past 24 hours, while 5,263 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals. On Wednesday, Pakistan-made ventilators were approved by the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP), the federa...

The space race between the world’s two richest men went into hyperdrive on Tuesday after Tesla chief Elon Musk took a swipe at Jeff Bezos’ attempt to challenge a major NASA contract. The two billionaires, who have been trying to launch long-range orbital rockets, were competing for a coveted contract from the government to build a spaceship to deliver astronauts to the moon as early as 2024. Bezos’ Blue Origin on Monday filed a protest with the Government Accountability Office (GAO), accusing the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) of moving the goalposts for contract bidders at the last minute. Musk, who also leads SpaceX, fired back with a tweet that said: “Can’t get it up (to orbit) lol.” He did not elaborate on the tweet, but pasted a screenshot of a 2019 report about Bezos unveiling Blue Origin’s moon lander on the same Twitter thread. Blue Origin has fallen far behind SpaceX and United Launch Alliance (ULA) on orbital transportation, losing out on billions...

President Joe Biden’s first address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday will take place in a U.S. Capitol on high alert, with memories fresh of the deadly Jan. 6 attack on the building by supporters of his predecessor, Donald Trump. The crowd inside the Capitol will be a fraction of the hundreds of members of Congress, Supreme Court justices, top government officials and guests who typically attend, to allow for more social distancing in a COVID-19 pandemic that has killed more than 572,000 Americans. But security will be higher than usual, even for what is officially designated a “National Special Security Event,” with the Secret Service in charge of security. “The Secret Service and all law enforcement and public safety partners have worked hard collectively in preparation to secure this significant event,” said a Secret Service representative, adding that “every security contingency is accounted for.” U.S. House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi on Tuesday said s...

Prime Minister Imran Khan has underscored the importance of equitable, timely, and scaled delivery of COVID-19 vaccines to low-income countries. In a telephonic conversation with co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Bill Gates, he commended the Gates Foundation's strong advocacy to promote equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines. The Prime Minister and Bill Gates exchanged views on the latest status of the COVID-19 pandemic, polio eradication campaign, health and development issues, and climate change. They agreed on the importance of urgently stopping the spread of COVID-19, polio and other vaccine-preventable diseases in Pakistan. PM Khan reaffirmed that eradication of polio remained a key priority of the government and efforts were underway to intensify the anti-polio campaign across the country despite COVID-19 related challenges. He affirmed his commitment to strengthening efforts nationwide to achieve a polio-free Pakistan. The premier expressed appreciati...

The Sindh cabinet in its around five-hour-long sitting on Tuesday approved the Water Act, devolution of the Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) to divisional level, ratified Pak Army requirement in support of civil administration, upgraded posts of town officers from BS-11 to BS-16 and approved Rs1 million compensation to the heirs of the government employees who had died of Covid-19. The cabinet meeting was held under the chairmanship of Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah here at CM House. The meeting was attended by provincial ministers, advisers, Chief Secretary Mumtaz Shah and other secretaries. The local government department presented the Sindh Water Act to establish the Sindh Water Resource Commission to be headed by the chief minister while the chief secretary would be its vice chairman. Other members would include ministers for finance, irrigation, environment, public health engineering, agriculture, industries, LG, forest, health; planning and development secretary an...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that no other government had spent as much money on Balochistan's development as the PTI did, sharing that road projects of 3,300 kilometres were initiated during his tenure. He made the comments while addressing a ceremony in Quetta on a one-day visit to the city. The prime minister also performed the groundbreaking for various projects in Quetta, including 22-km dualisation of Quetta Western Bypass (N-25) and the construction of an 11-km Dera Murad Jamali Bypass (N-65), according to a report by Radio Pakistan. He also distributed cheques under the Kamyab Jawan Programme. "I want to say with happiness that we have initiated several projects," Prime Minister Imran said. "In 15 years, [past governments] started projects on 1,100 kilometres, in our tenure we have [covered] 3,300 km." He said that political parties did not need Balochistan to win the elections which was why the province was neglected. "This was...

Pakistan has reported 201 more COVID deaths, the highest number in a single day since the pandemic break out in the country, in the last 24 hours,reported on Wednesday. With the inclusion of 201 more deaths, the nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 17,530. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 5,292 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 for the same period, pushing the number of positive cases to 810,231.  Pakistan has conducted 49,101 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 5,292 persons were tested positive for the disease. Overall  11,682,014 tests have been conducted so far to detect the deadly virus. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 10.77 percent during the last 24 hours. As many as  704,494 have regained their health from the COVID-19, while  5,214 patients are still battling for their lives at the country’s various hospitals.  On Tuesday, Federal Minister for Education Sha...

The Ministry of Interior announced fresh restrictions across the country on Tuesday, which includes a complete ban on tourism from May 8-16. A meeting of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was held today (Tuesday) where important decisions were taken by the body. A press release issued by the ministry announced that the NCOC had decided to ban tourism from May 8-16. "Closure of tourist resorts, public parks and hotels in / around tourist spots to remain closed," read the press release. The NCOC announced a ban on inter-provincial and inter-city transport will also remain during the Eid holidays however, the people of Gilgit-Baltistan will be allowed to travel back to their areas during the holidays. The interior ministry said all tourist resorts, public parks, hotels, restaurants, shopping malls and transport will also remain closed for the public. "Travel nodes leading to tourist spots [will also remain] closed; focus on [the areas of] Murree, Galiy...

A group of PTI members that has extended its support to party stalwart Jahangir Tareen on Tuesday met with Prime Minister Imran Khan and expressed their reservations against aide on accountability Shahzad Akbar. Speaking to the media after the meeting with the prime minister, PTI MNA from Faisalabad Raja Riaz said that the prime minister has assured the group that he is "personally monitoring" the inquiry against Tareen and will see to it that justice is served. "We met the prime minister in a very cordial atmosphere. He has assured us that justice will be served after we expressed reservations over being singled out. The prime minister said there is no question of such treatment being meted out to anyone," Riaz said. "The prime minister has asked for some time and InshaAllah justice will be served," the PTI leader added. When asked what was discussed regarding Akbar, Riaz said that the group shared their reservations, after which "the prime min...

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan said on Tuesday that a special committee of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) was monitoring the oxygen situation in the country and trying to improve it. He made the comments during a press conference in Islamabad to apprise the public about the government's steps to deal with the coronavirus pandemic. Asking the public to "trust" decisions taken by NCOC, he said the forum was working to increase the capacity of hospitals. "Existing oxygen plants are being monitored and we are looking at additional plants. The [Pakistan] Steel Mills plant was also talked about so it is being looked at. We have also diverted [oxygen supply] from non-essential industries." Besides this, the NCOC was also monitoring the logistics of supplying oxygen from the plants to the hospitals, he said, adding that the forum would issue guidelines regarding oxygen usage to prevent losses. SAPM Sult...

Federal education minister Shafqat Mahmood on Tuesday announced that no examinations will take place in the country until June 15, amid a surge in coronavirus cases and deaths. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad after a special National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) meeting, he said O and A level exams had been cancelled and would now take place in the October-November cycle. However, A2 exams will keep running for those students who want to appear for the purpose of applying to foreign universities. "It has been directed strictly that after Monday, more than 50 people will not be in one centre. For that we have requested that schools be made venues," the minister said, adding that law enforcement personnel will be deployed to maintain discipline. In a tweet, Mahmood said the decision had been taken to address the "health concerns of students and parents". "All exams cancelled till June 15 and depending on the spread of the disease may even ...

Pakistan has witnessed 142 more coronavirus deaths during the past 24 hours, taking the total tally to 17,329 reported on Tuesday. According to the government’s database for tracking the spread of coronavirus, 142 people died of Covid-19 in a single day. As many as 4,487 new infections surfaced during the past day. The national tally of confirmed cases currently stands at 804,939. The country’s overall positivity ratio of new cases was recorded at 10.20%, according to the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC). Pakistan has overall conducted 11,632,913 tests to diagnose coronavirus with 43,981 in the past 24 hours. 699,816 people have recovered their health back, while 5,075 patients are still critical at the country’s various hospitals. On Sunday, three planes of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying a consignment of one million COVID-19 vaccine doses had arrived in Islamabad. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/2QZ19Mr

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to cover liver and bone marrow transplants for patients under the Sehat Card Plus Scheme, said Chief Minister Mahmood Khan. The decision was taken to provide free treatment facilities to the people and to make the Sehat Card Plus Scheme a comprehensive package of social health protection. The chief minister was chairing a meeting to discuss various matters to improve the health coverage under the Sehat Card Plus Scheme. The minister decided to enhance the annual health coverage for the residents of the tribal districts from Rs0.6 million to Rs1 million per family under the Sehat Card Plus Scheme. The meeting was also attended by the provincial minister for Health Taimur Saleem Jhagra, Chairman State Life Insurance Corporation Shoaib Hussain, Secretary Health Imtiaz Hussain, among others. It was also decided to launch a top-up programme under the scheme with the aim to offer special packages of medical treatment to government employees and the gener...

All 53 crew aboard an Indonesian submarine that disappeared last week were killed, the military said Sunday as it confirmed the vessel had been found in pieces on the seafloor. Authorities said that they picked up signals early Sunday from a location more than 800 metres (2,600 feet) deep — far below what the KRI Nanggala 402’s steel hull was built to withstand. They had used an underwater submarine rescue vehicle supplied by neighbouring Singapore to get visual confirmation of the stricken vessel. “It was broken into three pieces,” said Navy Chief of Staff Yudo Margono. More parts from the doomed submarine were also retrieved, including an anchor and fluorescent orange safety suits for emergencies, authorities said. The discovery comes a day after the navy had first confirmed the retrieval of fragments from the submarine and declared that it had sunk, effectively ending any chance of finding survivors. Among the earlier items recovered were a piece of the torpedo system and a ...

Coronavirus outrage in India has started creating panic among the minds of international players as they start to leave the ongoing edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Adam Zampa and Kane Richardson have joined fellow Australian Andrew Tye to leave IPL and returned back to Australia. India’s Ravi Ashwin also took a break from IPL to support his family. Tye, who was with Rajasthan Royals, flew to Sydney on Sunday, citing the ‘stress of bubble life’ and concerns about borders closing in Australia. Earlier today, Royal Challengers Bangalore announced that leg-spinner Zampa and pacer Richardson will be unavailable for the rest of the IPL season and were returning to Australia. Last week, England’s Liam Livingstone was the first one to leave IPL citing the ‘fatigue of bio-bubble’. On the other hand, tournament’s organizers are facing severe criticism for continuing the IPL during this situation. Media reports say that the chances of the league being postponed have increased. ...