Pakistan

The current El Nino weather phenomenon is expected to break records for its overall strength, a top expert said Tuesday, as regions face the risk of droughts, floods and other extremes linked to the event. El Nino warms surface temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, bringing worldwide changes in winds, pressure and rainfall patterns. It typically takes place every two to seven years and lasts around nine to 12 months, and it can lead to droughts in some parts of the world and flooding in others. This year’s El Nino is unlike anything seen in more than three decades of tracking the phenomenon, with forecast models pointing to an “extreme” event, said Tim Stockdale, an El Nino expert at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), an intergovernmental organisation. “I think it’s absolutely true to say we’ve never had a forecast of an El Nino that was so strong and so consistent across (forecast) models,” he said in a media briefing. Stockdale said it would be “a ver...

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) snapped a five-day bullish streak on Tuesday, falling by over 1,100 points to settle below the 187,000-point mark as investors resorted to profit-taking following the market’s recent record-breaking rally. The reversal came after economic optimism — driven by falling energy prices and a likely cut in the interest rate — propelled the KSE-100 index above 187,000 points on Monday, leading analysts to believe it might surpass its all-time high of 189,167 in January. Despite hitting a high of 188,126.67 points early in today’s session, the index then plunged by nearly 1,500 points before 10am, and remained volatile before declining further later in the session. It hit a low of 186,189.21 points at 3:12pm before closing at 186,255.55 points, down by 1,199.14 (0.64 per cent) from its previous close of 187,454.69. According to Topline Securities Ltd, the decline was driven by selling pressure emerging across key sectors during the latter half of the session. It noted that investor s...

The water level at Tarbela Dam has risen 82 feet above its dead level following monsoon rains, while inflows into the reservoir continue to increase.

LAHORE: Jamaat-i-Islami Pakistan (JI) Emir Hafiz Naeemur Rehman on Tuesday announced nationwide protests and sit-ins on Friday, July 10, against what he described as the government’s “extortionary” petroleum levy. Addressing a press conference in Lahore, Rehman said the petroleum levy had become an “unbearable burden” on ordinary Pakistanis, claiming that the government was collecting Rs118 per litre in taxes and levies on petrol. “Nearly Rs8.5 trillion has been collected through the levy to meet revenue targets rather than improving petroleum infrastructure,” he alleged. He also criticised the collection of around Rs60 billion under the Climate Support Levy, alleging that the funds were not being spent on environmental protection or climate-related projects. Under IMF conditions, the government doubled the climate support levy to Rs5 per litre with effect from July 1, while correspondingly reducing the petroleum levy. As a result, the petroleum levy on diesel currently stands at about Rs80 per litre. Petrole...

President Asif Ali Zardari, accompanied by a high-level delegation, met with President of the Kyrgyz Republic Sadyr Zhaparov Nurgozhoevich in Bishkek on Tuesday during an official visit to Kyrgyzstan.

Information Commission orders disclosure after party alleges cover-up in deadly blaze investigation

Departmental action begins after 78 children test HIV-positive; show-cause notices issued to 37 doctors

A trust that runs India’s grand Ram temple, built on the site of the demolished Babri Masjid and consecrated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in 2024 after decades of controversy, has overhauled its leadership after people involved in counting donations were accused of stealing millions of rupees in offerings. The construction of the temple dedicated fulfilled one of the biggest promises of Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which derives its support mainly from the Hindu majority. The alleged theft at the temple has provided the opposition with ammunition ahead of an election due early next year in bellwether Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, where the temple is located in the city of Ayodhya. The temple site was bitterly contested for decades, sparking nationwide riots in 1992 that killed 2,000 people, mainly Muslims, after a Hindu mob destroyed the 16th-century mosque there. ‘Shameful incident’ Trustees of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra, set up by Modi’s government to build the temple, ...

ISLAMABAD: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Tuesday again warned the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government and the federal authorities against delaying local government (LG) elections, directing them to submit all pending delimitation notifications ahead of the next hearing on July 28. The tenure of LGs in KP ended on March 15 this year. According to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Local Government Act, 2013, local representatives are elected for a four-year term. The term of the last local government in Islamabad expired in February 2021, and since then, elections have been delayed under various pretexts. As a result, around 2.5 million residents of Islamabad continue to face issues ranging from water shortages to unpaved streets. The ECP took up separate cases regarding the conduct of LG polls in KP and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT). In the KP case, the KP chief secretary and LG secretary appeared before a four-member bench headed by Member Sindh Nisar Ahmed Durrani. In the Islamabad case, the Islamabad ...

Also approves the introduction of a Shariah-compliant Haj savings scheme to help citizens bear the cost of the ritual

ISLAMABAD: The main runway at Islamabad International Airport will remain closed for five hours daily from July 7 to July 17 to facilitate scheduled maintenance aimed at ensuring flight safety, airport authorities said.

KARACHI: Police, in a joint operation with federal civil agencies, arrested an alleged inter-provincial smuggler accused of trafficking precious historical artefacts and plotting to steal antiquities from the ancient city of Mohenjo-daro, officials said on Tuesday.

He insists that the champions should be given more rest in the final stages

Charles De Ketelaere scored a brace in 4-1 victory

AI checks found a distorted shadow on the guard's uniform and blurry name tags, signs of possible AI-generated visuals

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering commitment to eradicating polio, describing the elimination of the disease as a top national priority during a meeting with a seven-member delegation of the Polio Oversight Board (POB).

He clinched the game with a 7-5, 3-6, 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (10/7) win

Meheq and Asfa clinch the title in women’s category

Cristiano Ronaldo bids farewell to the FIFA World Cup for the final time

Believes that foreign exchange reserves will close at about $18.4b for this fiscal year