Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, Jul 30 (NNN-APP) – Pakistani Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, held a telephone conversation with Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, discussing public health issues, especially the increase of polio cases in Pakistan, the Prime Minister’s Office said.

Sharif expressed concern about the increase in the number of confirmed poliovirus cases this year, in Pakistan and stressed that, the government remained committed to eradicating polio cases, the office said in a statement, last night.

ISLAMABAD, July 30 (Xinhua) -- A soldier and six terrorists were killed in a military operation in Kech district of Pakistan's southwest Balochistan province, the military has said.

The operation was conducted by the security forces in Hoshab area of the district, the military's media wing Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement Friday night.

Security forces cordoned the area on a tip-off and started a search operation to apprehend the terrorists, the ISPR said, adding that once surrounded, the terrorists opened fire on the troops.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The Taliban on Saturday raised the casualty toll from a hand grenade explosion during a cricket game in the capital of Kabul the previous day, saying two civilians at the stadium died from the blast.

No one has so far claimed responsibility for the explosion but the blame is likely to fall on militants from the Islamic State group — the Taliban’s chief rivals since they took over the country a year ago as U.S. and NATO forces pulled out of Afghanistan after 20 years of war.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 29 (NNN-APP) – The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), said that, its foreign exchange reserves have decreased by 754 million U.S. dollars.

During the week ending on Jul 22, the total foreign exchange reserves of the SBP fell to around 8.58 billion dollars, the SBP said in a statement, last night.

The net foreign reserves held by the commercial banks came at 5.84 billion dollars, the central bank said.

The depletion in the reserves over the past few months has significantly impacted the local currency, resulting in its constant depreciation.

ISLAMABAD, July 28 (Xinhua) -- At least 357 people were killed and over 400 were injured as heavy monsoon rains continued to batter Pakistan for more than five weeks, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said Thursday.

Besides human loss, infrastructure, road networks and houses have also been damaged due to the heavy monsoon rains and flash flooding across Pakistan since June 14, official sources from the NDMA told Xinhua.

ISLAMABAD (AP) — The lives of Afghan women and girls are being destroyed by a “suffocating” crackdown by the Taliban since they took power nearly a year ago, Amnesty International said in a report released Wednesday.

After they captured the capital, Kabul, in August 2021 and ousted the internationally backed government, the Taliban presented themselves as having moderated since their first time in power, in the 1990s. Initially, Taliban officials spoke of allowing women to continue to work and girls to continue their education.

ISLAMABAD, July 25 (Xinhua) -- Around 310 people have been killed and 295 others injured in separate rain-related incidents in Pakistan since June 14 as heavy downpours continued to lash the country, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said.

A total of 175 women and children are among the dead, the NDMA said in a situation report released Sunday, adding that the rains have partially or fully damaged nearly 8,979 houses along with 48 bridges and several shops across the country.

ISLAMABAD, July 24 (Xinhua) -- The Border and Health Services Pakistan has been strictly monitoring the entry routes to the country after the World Health Organization (WHO) officially declared the monkeypox outbreak an international public health emergency, the Pakistani Health Ministry said.

Minister for National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination Abdul Qadir Patel instructed the relevant federal and provincial authorities to take necessary steps to barricade the outbreak of the disease in the country, the ministry said in a statement on Sunday.

ISLAMABAD, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Hamza Shahbaz from the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday won the election in the provincial assembly to retain his position as the chief minister of Pakistan's eastern Punjab province, the deputy speaker of the assembly announced.

Shahbaz, son of Pakistani Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif, secured 179 votes against 176 votes received by Pervaiz Elahi, a joint candidate of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) of former prime minister Imran Khan and the Pakistan Muslim League (PML), said deputy speaker Dost Mazari.

ISLAMABAD, Jul 21 (APP): Japan has removed Pakistan from the category of red-listed countries in relation to  COVID-19. 

“As a result of the efforts of the embassy of Pakistan, Tokyo, the government of Japan has removed Pakistan from the category of red-listed countries in relation to COVID-19,” a statement of the Pakistan embassy in Tokyo said. 

The new categorization will come into effect from July 27 onwards.

The precautionary measures against COVID-19 will remain in place.