ISLAMABAD: Health officials in Pakistan reported on Saturday that poliovirus had been detected in 40 environmental samples collected from sewage sites across all four provinces and the federal capital during December, signalling persistent challenges in eradicating the disease despite intensive vaccination efforts.
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Sharif to seek IMF backing for massive tax relief at Davos meeting – report
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif plans to meet with International Monetary Fund Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva next week at the World Economic Forum in Davos, pressing for support on a sweeping relief package aimed at easing crushing taxes and energy costs that have hammered industries and households, Express Tribune newspaper reported on Sunday.
Karachi police arrest man accused of sexually abusing scores of children over years
KARACHI: Police have arrested a man accused of sexually assaulting more than 100 boys over several years, in what authorities described as a major breakthrough in one of the city’s most extensive child abuse investigations.
Winter fog and unsafe driving kill 24 on Pakistan’s highways
ISLAMABAD: At least 24 people were killed and more than two dozen others injured on Saturday in two separate road accidents in Pakistan’s Punjab and Balochistan provinces, as heavy winter fog and reckless driving again proved deadly on the country’s highways, officials said.
Pakistan slams India over ‘intrusive’ profiling of mosques in occupied Kashmir
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Saturday sharply criticised India for what it described as the intrusive profiling of mosques and their management committees in the disputed territory of Kashmir, calling the move a blatant violation of religious freedom and part of a wider campaign of discrimination against Muslims.
At least five killed as fire engulfs shopping mall in Karachi
KARACHI: A massive fire tore through the Gul Plaza shopping mall on Karachi’s bustling MA Jinnah Road late Saturday night, killing at least five people and injuring more than 20 others, as flames engulfed the multistory building and trapped dozens inside, officials said.
Opposition leaders in Pakistan demand new vote and restoration of parliamentary power
HYDERABAD: Leaders of Pakistan’s fractured opposition alliance gathered on Saturday to demand fresh elections, constitutional reforms and an end to what they described as systemic injustices, warning that the nation’s stability hinges on restoring parliamentary supremacy and equal rights for all provinces and ethnic groups.
Trump Hits India Where It Hurts
Donald Trump’s tariff barrage is hitting India where it hurts, and it might just jolt New Delhi into fixing its creaky economy—though don’t hold your breath for anything revolutionary. Since last August, a slew of Indian exports to the US have been hammered with 50% duties, some of the stiffest penalties slapped on any big trading partner. With America as India’s top market for goods and services, this spat has prodded Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government to roll out a fresh batch of economic tweaks. Sure, any effort to unclog India’s bloated, inefficient system deserves a nod. But let’s be clear: most of these so-called reforms are just patching up messes that Modi’s own policies created. If he wants credit as a real economic trailblazer after almost 12 years at the helm, Modi must push free markets with real guts and consistency, not this half-hearted nibbling.
A medical school shutdown in occupied Kashmir exposes the broken state of merit and secularism in Modi’s India
Saniya Jan had every reason to believe her hard work had paid off. The 18-year-old from Baramulla district in occupied Kashmir had aced one of India’s toughest exams, the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET), securing a spot in the inaugural class at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Medical Institute. “It was a dream come true — to be a doctor,” she told Al Jazeera, remembering her excitement. Her father, Gazanfar Ahmad, drove her 196 miles through the rugged terrain to drop her off, beaming with pride over his “brightest” daughter, a lifelong topper who had earned this through sheer grit.
Industry sees sharp November rebound, led by cars and refining
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s large-scale manufacturing sector posted its strongest monthly growth in years during November, expanding 10.37% from a year earlier amid a rebound in automobiles, petroleum products and other key industries, even as exports continued to slide and some segments lagged.