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Chinese electric vehicle giant BYD on Saturday announced plans to open a car production plant in Pakistan, where it will also start selling three models through a partnership with Mega Motors. BYD is the first major new electric vehicle (NEV) entrant in the Pakistani market , where there is a lack of charging infrastructure. “Our entry into the Pakistani market is not just about bringing advanced vehicles to consumers,” said Liu Xueliang, BYD’s general manager for Asia Pacific. “It’s about driving a broader vision of environmental responsibility and technological innovation.” BYD also plans to open three “flagship stores and experience centres” in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad, the company said at a launch event in Lahore, adding it plans to start selling two SUV models and a sedan from the fourth quarter of 2024. Mega Motors is a unit of Pakistan’s largest private utility Hub Power Co Ltd, known as Hubco. “We will establish Pakistan’s first NEV assembly plant […] dedicate...

Pakistan’s white-ball captain Babar Azam kicked the stumps in frustration after being dismissed in the net session as the national side is gearing up for the upcoming two-match Test series against Bangladesh, starting from August 21. In a video that went viral on social media, Babar Azam can be seen visibly frustrated after being dismissed by a right-arm fast bowler. The net pacer bowled a shorter delivery wide outside off. Babar Azam tried to reach the ball but only managed to edge it behind, prompting a celebration from the bowler, who raised his hands during his follow-through. After being dismissed, Babar Azam lost his cool as he turned back and kicked the off-stump, which went for a cartwheel. The white-ball captain soon realized his mistake, picking up the stump to put it in its place.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Events and Happenings (@eventsandhappenings_sports) Earlier, Babar was seen having a hard ti...

KARACHI: Karachi police on Friday recovered a teenage abducted girl and arrested the suspect in district West of the city, ARY News reported citing police. According to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) West Hafeezur Rehman Bugti, the three suspects of the dacoit group entered the house posing as Counter Terrorism Department’s (CTD) officers. The 18-year-old girl and her brother Usman was forced to sit in a car at gunpoint and subjected them to violence earlier in the day. The SSP said that the brother was thrown from a car while the kidnappers took the girl way with them. SSP Hafeezur Rehman Bugti said that they recovered the abducted girl safely within an hour and arrested one the suspects named Zeeshan. The police also claimed to have seized a non-licensed weapon used in the abduction from possession of the arrested accused. A case has been registered under clauses pertaining to kidnapping and illegal weapons against the suspects. The SSP West said that raids are being con...

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) issued an advisory on Thursday to ensure preparedness to deal with mpox, formerly called monkeypox, as the country’s first suspected case for 2024 was reported. Mpox can spread through close contact. Usually mild, it is fatal in rare cases. It causes flu-like symptoms and pus-filled lesions on the body. The World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday declared mpox a global public health emergency for the second time in two years, following an outbreak of the viral infection in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that has spread to neighbouring countries. Health ministry spokesperson Sajid Shah told Dawn.com today that a suspected case was reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. “The suspected person has arrived from the Gulf. Samples have been collected from the suspect and sent to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for confirmation,” he said. Shah said the individual had minor symptoms of the viral infection but contact tra...

The country’s economy could lose up to $300 million due to internet disruptions caused by the imposition of a national firewall, the Pakistan Software Houses Association (P@SHA) said in a press release on Thursday. The government is implementing an internet firewall to monitor and regulate content and social media platforms. The government denies the use of the firewall for censorship. Ali Ihsan, senior vice chairman of P@SHA, said the imposition of the firewall has already caused prolonged internet disconnections and erratic performance of virtual private networks, threatening a “complete meltdown of business operations”. “These disruptions are not mere inconveniences; but, a direct, tangible and aggressive assault on the industry’s viability inflicting an estimated and devastating financial losses estimated to reach $300m, which can further increase exponentially,” he said in the statement. Minister of State for Information Technology Shaza Fatima Khawaja did not immediately ...

OKARA: A shocking incident was reported from Okara where a young man was shot dead over a dispute over the use of a ‘Baaja’ (horns) during Independence Day celebrations in Sabir Piya Town, ARY News reported on Thursday. According to the police, the victim, identified as Arshad, had an argument with his neighbor the previous day. The disagreement stemmed from a confrontation involving children playing the Baaja on the occasion of Independence Day. The situation escalated, leading to the fatal shooting, resulting in the death of Arshad. Meanwhile, the local police initiated the investigating of the incident to nab the culprit. Earlier, it was reported that despite the ban on the sale of baajas (horns) in Islamabad , the stalls selling celebration items for Independence Day openly selling horns in federal capital. The Deputy Commissioner (DC) directed all assistant commissioners to confiscate the baajas (horns) sold at the stalls in Islamabad as the district administration of the f...

BEIRUT / CAIRO: Washington on Wednesday sent an envoy to Lebanon to try and cool down tensions stemming from Iran and Hezbollah’s stated intentions to strike Israel in retaliation for the assassination of two key figures in the Middle East. All hopes for a de-escalation in the restive region hinge on the negotiation of a ceasefire deal in Gaza, which was ironically derailed by the killing of Hamas political chief Ismail Haniyeh in Tehran last month. Hamas dimmed hopes for a truce by saying it would not take part in a fresh round of talks, sparking concern that it would provide Iran the impetus to strike Tel Aviv. Senior Iranian officials have said that only a ceasefire deal in Gaza would hold Iran back from direct retaliation. Hochstein hopes truce deal will prevent wider conflict; says no one wants all-out war between Lebanon and Israel A ceasefire in Gaza could also help end 10 months of cross-border exchanges between Israel and Hezbollah, and that is what Amos Hochstein had...