World News Headlines

Pakistan has strongly condemned the blasphemous remarks against Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by another official of India's ruling BJP. This is the second time in the last three months that a BJP leader has made derogatory remarks against the holy prophet (PBUH) as the first time was when Nupur Sharma committed blasphemy in June. "Pakistan condemns, in the strongest possible terms, the highly provocative and sacrilegious remarks made against the Holy Prophet [Muhammad] (PBUH), by Raja Singh, a BJP official and a member of the state legislative assembly of the Indian state of Telangana," a statement issued by the Foreign Office read. It stated that these highly derogatory remarks have gravely hurt the feelings of the people of Pakistan and billions of Muslims around the world, including India and the token and perfunctory disciplinary action taken by the BJP against the said official cannot assuage the pain and anguish caused to the Muslims. The FO berated the Indian auth

The Islamabad police Wednesday sought from a district and sessions court a seven-day extension in the remand of incarcerated PTI leader Shahbaz Gill, who is party chair Imran Khan's chief of staff. The prosecution sought an extension in the remand, which was strongly opposed by PTI's lawyers. After hearing the arguments, the court reserved the verdict. Gill was arrested on August 9 in Islamabad after a sedition case was filed against him for inciting mutiny in the Pakistan Army. He has since been back-and-forth in police custody and at the PIMS hospital. The police have demanded a seven-day remand extension in the sedition case, while they have also asked the court to grant judicial remand of the PTI leader in an arms recovery case. Gill was already facing sedition charges, but the Islamabad police — a day earlier — also registered a case against the PTI leader over possession of an illegal weapon. He was booked in the case after police raided the incarcerated PTI leader

Western leaders on Tuesday warned Russia against annexing other parts of Ukrainian territory after Crimea amid rumours Russia is planning to do so in various occupied areas, while Washington warned that Russia could attack Ukrainian government facilities in the coming days as Moscow said it would show “no mercy” over an assassination it has blamed on Ukraine. The leaders sent video addresses to the Crimea Platform conference in Kyiv which was attended in person by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and his Polish counterpart Andrzej Duda. The Crimean peninsula was seized and annexed by Russia in 2014. Since February, Moscow has been using Crimea as a staging post for att­acks on Ukraine as well as “a testing ground for the brutal methods Russia is now applying across the other occupied parts of Ukraine,” Euro­pean Commission President Ursula von der Leyen told the conference. “Putin is planning to do to parts of Ukraine, indeed, to all of Ukraine, what he’s done to Crimea,” Br

Heavy rains continue to ravage the province of Sindh, killing another 15 people in house collapse incidents in the districts of Sukkur, Shikarpur, and other areas and leaving hundreds of families stranded and homeless. Rain lashed several cities in Sindh on Tuesday, including Sukkur, Shikarpur, Dadu, and Khairpur districts. Six members of the same family died when the roof of their house collapsed in the Chak area of Shikarpur district. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari took note of the incident and directed Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to provide immediate assistance to the deceased's heirs as well as rehabilitation.   A woman named Shamaila died in district Sukkur when a wall of her house collapsed, while three children died in Rohri due to a roof collapse. Three children, Ehtesham, Bisma, and Kashyan, were killed in Gherelo when their house's roof collapsed. Meanwhile, in Hubbo Saeed Khan and Lakhi Ghulam Shah, two people were killed in a similar incident. R

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced fixed taxes have been abolished for retailers and more than 1.7 million people will now be exempt from fuel charges adjustment on electricity bills. Addressing the nation on Tuesday from Qatar where he arrived today on a two-day trip the premier said that fixed taxes were imposed on the people in the federal budget for the fiscal year 2022-23, announced on June 10, against the intention of the coalition government. The move will translate into a tax gap of Rs42 billion, but PM Shehbaz said that the coalition government "cannot add further pressure on small traders". In a press conference last week, Minister for Finance Miftah Ismail said that the coalition government aimed to collect Rs42 billion through retail taxes, however, after the tax exemption, it would no longer be able to meet the target. Ismail revealed that the revised target is now Rs27 billion. “To meet the gap, which will be created by the exemption of fixed taxes on

Minister for National Health Services, Abdul Qadir Patel on Tuesday said that the necessary medicines valuing over Rs 15 million, and other relief items including 0.6 million medicated mosquito nets were being dispatched to flood-hit areas of Sindh, Balochistan and Punjab within the next few days. Talking to media persons, he said his ministry was making extraneous efforts to help flood hit people in distress. Giving details of the relief work he said: “A 12-member team of doctors has already been sent to the worst hit Lasbela district. Some 30,000 vaccines, a truck carrying medicines worth Rs 100,000 has already been sent to flood hit areas. A contingent of 200,000 vaccines was also being sent to the affected areas. The ministry has already dispatched 36,000 medicated mosquito nets. Over 1.4 million more medicated mosquito nets would soon be dispatched to flood hit areas.” He said anti-venom serum was ready for immediate delivery to any flooded areas that might be in need. He sa

Former president Asif Ali Zardari urged on Tuesday the institutions and government to establish their writ as he took a jibe at PTI Chairman Imran Khan for criticising Pakistan's armed forces, police and judiciary. "The institutions and government will have to establish their writ or else the law, Constitution and institutions will keep falling pray to his [Imran Khan] demands," a statement issued on Twitter stated. As per media reports, in a meeting with Sindh ministers, Zardari was quoted as saying by the PPP said that the flood affectees in all four provinces are looking towards the government for help while the hunger for power is driving Imran Khan crazy day by day. "This person is criticising our army every day and the same army's officers and soldiers are fighting against terrorists and laying down their lives in two provinces. He threatens the army, police and then a female magistrate and challenges them to arrest him," he said. Zardari said th