Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has issued guidelines for the public on password security to protect their financial and social media accounts. “Your password is your first line of defense in the digital world. A strong password not only safeguards your personal data but also keeps cyber threats at bay,” the PTA said in […]

A documentary about the life of late Black Sabbath frontman Ozzy Osbourne was pulled just hours before its scheduled release on Monday. Click here to read more Lifestyle stories According to UK media outlets, BBC was set to air ‘Ozzy Osbourne: Coming Home’ today, August 18, however, it was removed from the schedule without any […]

PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government launched a mobile app–based digital payment system to ensure transparent and timely compensation for flood victims. Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur formally inaugurated the app, Digital Disaster Compensation Management, developed by the KP Information Technology Board and integrated with the government’s central service delivery platform “Dastak.” Through the system, […]

The provincial government on Monday released Rs800 million in relief funds for all affected districts, with an additional Rs 500m specifically for worst-hit Buner, as flash floods continue to ravage Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with the death toll at 341. The recent catastrophic floods in KP have claimed at least 341 lives as of data from the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) Monday at 7pm and injured 178 people. Meanwhile, data from the National Disaster Management Authority showed the nationwide toll from rain-related incidents since late-June rose to 660 deaths and 935 injured. The KP Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) on Monday announced Rs800m in relief funds to the administrations of affected districts on the instructions of the provincial government. A separate relief fund of Rs500m has been earmarked for Buner district, which accounts for the majority of casualties with 222 deaths and 120 injuries, according to a PDMA report released today. Buner was followed by Shangla, with 36 death...

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony on Monday announced that over 114,500 applications have been received so far under the Government Hajj Scheme 2026, with only around 3,500 seats still available. According to Ministry Spokesperson Muhammad Umar Butt, designated banks have been directed to continue accepting applications until the remaining quota is […]

ISLAMABAD: Private Hajj tour operators on Monday wrote to Federal Minister for Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony, Sardar Muhammad Yousaf, assuring their readiness to refund the full amount to pilgrims who were unable to perform Hajj this year. According to the operators, around 67,000 Pakistani pilgrims missed Hajj 2025 due to delays in agreements and […]

LAHORE: The Boards of Secondary Education (BISE) Bahawalpur will officially announce 9th Class annual examination results on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Along with BISE Bahawalpur class 9 results, BISE Dera Ghazi Khan, Sahiwal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Sargodha will also announce their results soon. Students who appeared in BISE Bahawalpur […]

LAHORE: The Boards Secondary Education (BISE) D.G Khan will officially announce the Class 9 annual examinations results on Wednesday, August 20, 2025, at 10:00 AM. Along with BISE DG Khan class 9 results, BISE Bahawalpur, Sahiwal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Multan, and Sargodha will also announce their results soon. Students who appeared in BISE DG […]

Microsoft is finally addressing the discrepancies in dark mode of Windows, almost after a decade of its initial rollout in Windows 10. The leading tech company has launched a preview build of upcoming Windows 11 dark mode containing expanded theme support, suggesting at a broader visual overhaul predictable in the upcoming 25H2 update. The recent […]

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) will officially launch its latest payment and settlement system, named Prism Plus, on Tuesday. A statement issued on Monday by the central bank said Prism Plus is built on the ISO 20022 financial messaging standard, which supports structured and data-rich financial communication, enabling enhanced transparency, interoperability, and automation across the payment and settlement ecosystem. The system includes new features for liquidity management, transaction queuing and prioritisation, and scheduling of future-dated payments. Prism Plus will make Pakistan’s financial system faster, safer and more modern, according to the SBP. It said efficient money transfer, better liquidity management of securities transactions and minimal risks in the system would be achieved with the introduction of Prism Plus. The statement added that the launch event will be chaired by State Bank Governor Jameel Ahmed and will be attended by senior SBP officials, representatives of financial institutions ...

The 28-year-old son of Norway’s crown princess has been charged with raping four women and several acts of violence, and risks up to 10 years in prison, a prosecutor said on Monday. Marius Borg Hoiby, who was born out of a relationship before Crown Princess Mette-Marit married Crown Prince Haakon, has been under investigation since his arrest on August 4 last year on suspicion of assaulting a girlfriend. He is accused of raping four women while they were sleeping. In at least three of the cases, he met the women the same day and had consensual sex before the alleged rapes, public prosecutor Sturla Henriksbo told reporters. Hoiby is also charged with filming their genitals without their knowledge. State Attorney Sturla Henriksbo addresses the press to report on the decision on the indictment of Marius Borg Hoiby, son of Norwegian Crown Princess Mette-Marit, in Oslo, Norway, August 18. — AFP Henriksbo said investigators had video clips and photographs as evidence. The four rapes allegedly took place in 2018, 20...

United States President Donald Trump said on Monday that if his meeting with Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky went well, he expected to hold a trilateral meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin with the goal of ending the Ukraine-Russia war. Trump is pushing Ukraine to make major concessions following his summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Alaska last week, saying Kyiv must give up Crimea and abandon its Nato ambitions. Those are two of Moscow’s top demands. But Zelensky, who huddled with the Europeans before they all went to the White House to meet Trump, urged Trump to bring “peace through strength” against Russia and stressed the need for United States security guarantees. “We’re going to have a meeting. I think if everything works out well today, we’ll have a trilat (trilateral summit) and I think there will be a reasonable chance of ending the war when we do that,” said Trump, sitting alongside Zelensky at the White House. “I just spoke to President Putin indirectly and we’re goin...

Hamas has accepted a new ceasefire proposal for Gaza, a senior member of the group said on Monday, after a fresh diplomatic push to end more than 22 months of fighting. Israel has been facing growing international criticism over the humanitarian crisis in Gaza caused by its offensive since October 2023, with Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and experts already declaring its actions in Gaza as a “genocide”, which Tel Aviv rejects. Mediators Egypt and Qatar, backed by the United States, have struggled to secure a lasting truce in the conflict, which has triggered a dire humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip. But after receiving a new proposal from mediators, Hamas said it was ready for talks. “The movement has submitted its response, agreeing to the mediators’ new proposal. We pray to God to extinguish the fire of this war on our people,” senior Hamas official Bassem Naim said on Facebook. A general view shows the destroyed Rashad al-Shawa cultural centre in Gaza City on August 18. — AFP Earlier, a Ham...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Monday said that the country was “running well” and experiencing stability and economic improvement, adding that there was no need for a 27th Constitutional Amendment. Even though the 26th Amendment remains mired in controversy, the power corridors in Islamabad had been abuzz with talk of a possible 27th Constitutional Amendment, which, according to insiders, would further ‘fine-tune’ the structure and the functioning of the superior judiciary. Speaking to reporters in London during a visit to the United Kingdom, the deputy PM said: “We are still digesting the 26th Constitutional Amendment, so there is no need for a 27th right now. The country is running well. There is stability and economic improvement. “We are putting our full attention towards GDP growth and development. Under [Prime Minister] Shehbaz Sharif’s leadership, all efforts are being made.” Dar added that under the leadership of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in 2017, Pakistan was “the 2...

A three-day international symposium on “Radiation Techniques in Health and Environment” began at the Pakistan Academy of Sciences (PAS) on Monday.

Chairman Senate Syed Yousaf Raza Gillani has called for practical collaboration through joint task forces, parliamentary exchanges, and research partnerships to mitigate the hazardous impacts of climate change.

Deputy Prime Minister/Foreign Minister Senator Muhammad Ishaq Dar Monday, received a call from Malaysian Foreign Minister, Dato Seri Utama Haji Mohamad Bin Haji Hasan, who expressed condolences over the tragic loss of lives in northern Pakistan due to flash floods.

K-P monsoon death toll climbs to 341 Govt releases Rs3 billion for relief PDMA warns of more rains until 21st

Dy PM says 'we are still digesting the 26th Amendment'

Security forces thwart August 14 plan; CM Bugti links academic to deadly Quetta bombing