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Pakistan pushes for global action against hepatitis amid alarming WHO findings

Pakistan used a high-level diplomatic gathering at the United Nations on Wednesday to build international support for stronger global action against viral hepatitis, while new World Health Organisation (WHO) data underscored the scale of the challenge facing the country. The Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the UN and the Secretariat of the UN Group of Friends to Eliminate Hepatitis co-hosted a strategic briefing on the sidelines of the UN High-Level Meeting on HIV/AIDS under the theme, “Advancing Hepatitis Elimination: Building Momentum toward High-Level Political Action”. The meeting brought together health ministry officials, diplomats and global health experts to discuss viral hepatitis, a disease that claims approximately 1.3 million lives annually worldwide. Participants also explored pathways toward securing a standalone UN High-Level Meeting on Viral Hepatitis by 2028. Opening the event, Pakistan’s Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Usman Jadoon highlighted...
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NA approves over Rs500bn in supplementary budget for FY25, Rs475bn for FY26

The National Assembly on Wednesday approved a supplementary budget of Rs593.64 billion for the fiscal year 2024-2025 (FY24-25) and a sum of Rs475.05bn for the outgoing fiscal year (FY25-26). Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb moved a series of papers for approval during Wednesday’s session. Under the Constitution, the government must secure parliamentary approval for the federal budget before any spending. This approval allows the government to spend specified funds for different heads. However, the government often seeks retrospective approval for additional amounts already spent, leaving the parliament with no choice but to regularise these expenditures. The NA’s X account said Aurangzeb laid the Supplementary Authorised Expenditure 2024-2025 and 2025- 2026, along with other papers, before the house under Article 83 of the Constitution. Dawn provides a breakdown of the additional amounts approved for spending during FY24-25 and FY...
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Karachi police issue traffic plan for Muharram 8-10 processions

Karachi Traffic Police (KTP) have provided alternative routes for commuters to use as some roads will remain closed for the 8th, 9th and 10th Muharram processions. In a statement issued on X, the KTP said on Tuesday, “Special arrangements have been made to ensure the traffic flow and facilitate the citizens during the 8th, 9th, and 10th Muharram processions.” According to a press release issued by the Karachi deputy inspector general’s (DIG) office, attached to the post, “On 8/9/10 Muharram (June 24/25/26, 2026), the central procession will depart from Nishtar Park and conclude at Imambargah Hussainia Iranian via its traditional routes. “Due to security reasons, M.A. Jinnah Road will be closed to traffic from Gurumandir to Tower,” it added. The press release also shared the alternative routes for the commuters to reach their destinations. District Central: Commuters coming from Nazimabad can reach their destination from Lasbela Cho...
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NAB to launch AI-based investigation system to probe financial crimes, white-collar offences

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has established an artificial intelligence-based investigation system, National Centre of Artificial Intelligence ( NCAI ) Chairman Dr Yasar Ayaz said in a statement on Tuesday. “It is a landmark advancement towards digital transformation and institutional modernisation,” he said, terming it as Pakistan’s first sovereign generative AI-powered investigation system. He described the system as a state-of-the-art platform designed to support the investigation of white-collar crime through advanced artificial intelligence. He highlighted that the initiative reflected Pakistan’s growing capability to develop indigenous AI solutions tailored to national requirements while maintaining data sovereignty and institutional ownership. The NCAI chairman said NAB’s AI-powered investigation system sets a national benchmark for the responsible adoption of artificial intelligence in public-sector institutions. The platform was...
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Vcitims of 2024 Kenya police violence say compensation promise a 'smokescreen'

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Two years ago, Gen-Z protests marked a new era for Kenyan politics, but led to dozens of deaths, and devastated families are unimpressed with government promises of compensation. Memorial protests are planned on Thursday to mark two years since the country’s biggest show of dissent, when Kenyans stormed parliament to protest new taxes amid wider anger over corruption. It was seen as a watershed moment, as young Kenyans joined together to demand accountability without regard for traditional ethnic dividing lines. People attend a demonstration against Kenya’s proposed finance bill in Nairobi, Kenya on June 25, 2024. — Reuters But it came at a price: 62 people died during weeks of protests in June and July 2024, and another 65 died during anniversary protests in the same period the following year, according to the Independent Police Oversight Authority (IPOA). Rights groups put the toll higher, and say the overwhelming majority were shot dead by police an...
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PTI bigwigs Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja eye meeting with Imran

• Adiala superintendent claims counsel deliberately avoided collecting signed ‘power of attorney’ document, accuses them of ‘misleading’ court • Daughter seeks action against jail staff for ‘mistreating’ Bushra Bibi ISLAMABAD: As political tensions deescalate in parliament, PTI interim chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan and Secretary General Salman Akram were among lawyers whose names had been shared with the Adiala jail administration for a meeting with former prime minister Imran Khan, who has been in jail on multiple charges since 2023. The list submitted by Awais Younas Chaudhry Advocate included the names of Barrister Gohar, Salman Akram Raja, Ali Zaman, Haider Majeed, Imran Khan Orakzai and Shamsa Kiyani. The jail administration was requested to allow them to meet the incarcerated party chief on Tuesday in line with the court orders. The list containing the names of Barrister Gohar and Salman Raja came after the PTI interim chairman said in parliament that he hoped that the rec...
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Kashmir parliamentary committee chairman requests meeting with Achakzai to discuss AJK situation

ISLAMABAD: The chairman of the National Assembly’s (NA) Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir, Rana Muhammad Qasim Noon, has requested NA Opposition Leader Mahmood Khan Achakzai to spare the time for a meeting discussing the situation in Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), it emerged on Monday. The regional administration and the Joint Awami Action Committee (JAAC) remain at odds over various issues, most notably the committee’s demand to abolish the 12 seats in the region’s Legislative Assembly that are reserved for refugees from Indian-occupied Jammu and Kashmir who settled in mainland Pakistan after 1947. In a letter addressed to Achakzai, Qasim wished to meet him at the earliest, citing the Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) leader’s role in Pakistan’s political landscape and his continued engagement on matters of national importance. He stated that the proposed meeting would focus on the Kashmir dispute, the prevailing volatile situation in the region, and ways to strengthen Pakista...
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