Pakistan

The World Health Organisation (WHO) insisted on Friday that there is a minimal risk from the hantavirus to the general public, as countries prepared to repatriate passengers stuck on a cruise ship hit by a deadly outbreak. Three passengers from the MV Hondius — a Dutch husband and wife and a German woman — have died while others have fallen sick with the rare disease, which usually spreads among rodents. The only hantavirus species that can transmit from person to person — Andes virus — has been confirmed among those who have tested positive, fuelling international concern. The Dutch-flagged vessel, which has around 150 people on board, is expected to arrive in the Spanish Canary Island of Tenerife on Sunday. Special flights will take passengers to their home countries. “This is a dangerous virus, but only to the person who’s really infected, and the risk to the general population remains absolutely low,” WHO spokesman Christian Lindmeier told reporters. He said a picture was emerging from MV Hondius where “e...

Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar on Friday said that he had spoken with Singaporean Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan and requested the country’s support in facilitating the “welfare and repatriation” of 11 Pakistanis and 20 Iranians aboard vessels seized by the United States. In a post on the social media platform X, he said that the vessels were currently near Singaporean waters. He said that he also spoke with Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi “as we remain in close coordination on the matter”. “Pakistan also stands ready to facilitate the safe repatriation of Iranian nationals to Iran via Pakistan,” he said. “We appreciate the cooperation and support being extended by Singapore. Pakistan, through its Foreign Office and relevant authorities, is closely coordinating with US authorities and others to ensure the safety, welfare, and earliest possible return of our nationals,” he said. Meanwhile, regarding the phone call between Dar and the Singaporean foreign minister, the Foreign...

ISLAMABAD: Flight operations at the Islamabad airport may be affected due to “operational reasons” from May 8-10, the Pakistan Airports Authority (PAA) notified in a notice to airmen (Notam) on Friday. The Notam said flight arrivals and departures could be delayed because of “operational” reasons from 10:45am to 12:15pm on May 8 and between 8pm and 9:15pm on May 9 and 10. It further stated that flights arriving at the Islamabad airport had been asked to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater to the delay”. The PAA had issued a similar Notam for the airport in the federal capital in March as well. It said flight operations at Islamabad airport would be suspended for two hours on March 17 due to “operational reasons”. The arriving aircraft were advised to “bring sufficient holding fuel to cater for delay” back then as well. PIA reinstates weekly flights from Muscat Separately, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) announced on Friday that it would reinstate flights from Oman to Islamabad, Lahore, and Multan, s...

BAJAUR: A policeman was killed after being abducted by unidentified assailants in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bajaur district on Friday, officials said. The officials told Dawn that the police constable was abducted by unidentified armed men on Thursday in the Asil Targaoo area of Barang tehsil while he was on the way to his post in Sindh Gara. According to a report from the Barang police station, his body was found on a mountain in Asil Targaoo along the Bajaur-Mohmand border on Friday morning. The police report, a copy of which is available with Dawn, stated that after receiving information from local residents about the abducted policeman’s body, a police team rushed to the area along with a group of locals. The body was shifted to a local hospital for a postmortem examination. The report added that the 50-year-old constable was also brutally tortured, with several signs of physical abuse visible on different parts of his body. The district police spokesperson, Israr Khan, confirmed the incident and told Dawn tha...

A Vatican statement after Pope Leo’s meeting with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, which said the two had pledged to improve bilateral relations, was a recognition of unprecedented tensions, insiders and analysts said. Rubio’s meeting on Thursday with Pope Leo, the first US pope, garnered wide public attention as President Donald Trump has repeatedly attacked the pontiff over the US-Israeli war on Iran. The Vatican statement after the 45-minute encounter, the first between the pope and a Trump cabinet official in nearly a year, said the two leaders had “renewed the shared commitment to fostering good bilateral relations”. “[The] statement makes it clear that, at present, there is work to do,” Peter Martin, a former diplomat at the US embassy to the Holy See who served during Democratic and Republican administrations, told Reuters. Break with tradition of saying all is well Austen Ivereigh, a Vatican specialist who co-wrote a book with the late Pope Francis, said the statement’s focus on the need to build bi...

Three hikers, including two foreigners, died and 10 were missing after Mount Dukono on Indonesia’s eastern Halmahera island erupted on Friday, spewing an ash cloud about 10 kilometres into the air, a local police chief said. “There are three dead, two foreigners and one resident of Ternate” island in eastern Indonesia, police chief Erlichson Pasaribu of North Halmahera district told Kompas TV. Seven people had come down safely, Erlichson said, but 10 more were missing in an area declared off-limits to visitors last month after scientists observed an increase in volcanic activity. According to Indonesia’s BNPB disaster mitigation agency, five climbers were injured in the eruption. “The joint teams from the Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) continue to conduct sweeps and evacuations of climbers in the mountain area as volcanic activity increases,” spokesman Abdul Muhari said in a statement. Erlichson said the rescue operation was taking place in roug...

The US President Donald Trump praised Pakistan’s political and military leadership during a media interaction, calling the country’s prime minister and field marshal “outstanding personalities.

As the nation marks one year of Marka-e-Haq, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) patriotic anthem “Allah hu Akbar, Tayyar Hain Hum” is once again receiving widespread appreciation from the public.

IMRAN MUKHTARISLAMABAD - The opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party on Thursday sought a parliamentary probe into a ‘secret’ hospital visit by incarcerated Bushra Bibi, former first lady and wife of ex-prime minister Imran Khan, calling it a serious human rights violation.

LAHORE - Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif on Thursday ordered a strict crackdown on officials involved in corruption and misconduct within the Punjab Enforcement and Regulatory Authority, warning that those bringing disrepute to the force could face imprisonment rather than brief detention.

ISLAMABAD - Pakistan and Sri Lanka on Thursday concluded a two-week joint counterterrorism exercise in northwestern Pakistan, aimed at strengthening operational coordination and refining combat tactics between the armed forces of the two countries, the military said.

ISLAMABAD - The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday deferred hearing of the main appeal of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushara Bibi against their conviction in the £190 million corruption.

Islamabad - Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif received a telephone call from Prime Minister and Foreign Minister of Qatar Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al Thani on Thursday.

ISLAMABAD - The Center of Pakistan and International Relations (COPAIR) organized a seminar titled “Marka-e-Haq” at a local hotel to commemorate one year of the historic event.

RAWALPINDI - Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Investigation Nasir Ali Khan on Thursday held an open court at Police Lines Headquarters to address public complaints and issued directions to concerned officers for their resolution.

Rawalpindi - Ganjmandi police have booked two officers of Water and Sanitation Agency (WASA) for showing negligence in construction of an underground drain on Hamilton Road, posing risk for general public in the area.

rawalpindi - An accountability court has denied post arrest bail to brother of late Junaid Taj Bhatti, who was deputy director finance Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA), for laundering nearly Rs400 million in the case of embezzlement of RDA funds worth Rs2.

ISLAMABAD - Vice President Pakistan Peoples Party, Senator Sherry Rehman, submitted a calling attention notice in the Senate session against the anti-encroachment operation in Bari Imam.

ISLAMABAD - Islamabad police have claimed an overall 30 percent reduction in crime in the federal capital during the first four months of the ongoing year.

ISLAMABAD - The Institute of Regional Studies (IRS) Islamabad, Pakistan and the Institute of International Studies (IIS), Shandong University, China, held a joint session, marking the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) aimed at strengthening academic cooperation, policy dialogue, and collaborative research between Pakistan and China.