Rain disrupts power supply on 84 PESCO feeders across KP


Peshawar: Heavy overnight rain temporarily disrupted electricity supply on 84 feeders across the Peshawar Electric Supply Company (PESCO) region, affecting parts of the Peshawar, Khyber, Mardan, Swabi and Swat circles, according to a PESCO spokesperson.



The PESCO spokesperson said that 41 feeders were affected in the Peshawar Circle, followed by 22 in Khyber, 12 in Mardan, five in Swabi and four in the Swat Circle.



PESCO immediately launched repair work to restore power supply at the earliest.



On the directives of the PESCO Chief, the General Manager (Operations) is personally supervising the restoration and repair operations to ensure the earliest possible resumption of electricity supply.



Pakistan climb to 12th in latest FIH world rankings


Islamabad: Pakistan have moved up one place to 12th in the latest International Hockey Federation (FIH) world rankings, earning 2,544.54 ranking points.



According to a spokesman for the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF), the improvement reflects the national team’s impressive performances and consistent efforts in recent international tournaments. As a result of Pakistan’s rise, South Africa have slipped to 13th place, while Malaysia are now ranked 14th.



The PHF spokesman said the national team’s immediate target is to break back into the world’s top 10. “With the FIH Hockey World Cup 2026 approaching, where Pakistan have been placed in Pool D alongside India, England and Wales, the nation expects strong performances from the team.



The players are working tirelessly, and this improvement in the world rankings will further boost their confidence ahead of the World Cup,” the spokesman added.



Ayaz mourns loss of lives in Soranj coal mine tragedy


Islamabad: Speaker National Assembly, Sardar Ayaz Sadiq on Friday expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives in the coal mine accident in the Soranj area on the outskirts of Quetta.



In a statement, the Speaker termed the incident as a tragic and deeply unfortunate accident, saying that hardworking labourers were a valuable asset to the country.



He extended his heartfelt condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families and said that he shared their grief in this difficult time.



Ayaz Sadiq directed the relevant authorities to ensure the provision of the best possible medical treatment to those injured in the incident.



He also prayed for the eternal peace of the departed souls, patience and fortitude for the bereaved families, and the speedy recovery of the injured.



Fully functional blood bank at MGQBMH a milestone for public: CM Sarfraz


Quetta: Balochistan Chief Minister, Mir Sarfraz Bugti on Friday announced the full functioning of the blood bank at Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti Memorial Hospital (MGQBMH) in Dera Bugti, calling it an important milestone in the health sector for the people of the district.



He said that the activation of the blood bank would enable timely, safe and quality blood supply to patients, which would help save precious human lives and effectively deal with emergency medical situations. The Balochistan Chief Minister said in his message on the social networking site, “Alhamdulillah! another important milestone has been crossed for the people of Dera Bugti, I am very happy to announce that the blood bank at Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti Memorial Hospital is now fully functional.”



The CM said this was not just a new medical facility but a vital step towards serving humanity, which would ensure timely and safe blood supply to needy patients and would help in saving countless precious lives. Mir Sarfraz Bugti said that this moment was of special importance for him because another basic facility has been added to this hospital established in the memory of his late father Mir Ghulam Qadir Bugti for public service.



He said that it has always been his effort to provide health, education and other basic facilities to the people of Dera Bugti at their doorsteps and the establishment of the blood bank was a practical embodiment of this vision.



The Chief Minister of Balochistan appreciated the services of the doctors, medical staff, health department, related institutions and all the supporting persons who played a role in the completion of this project and expressed his heartfelt gratitude to them.



He said that such projects for the welfare of the people were among the top priorities of the Balochistan government and practical steps would be taken to improve the health sector.



Chief Minister prayed that Allah Almighty might accept these efforts, make this institution always a source of service to humanity and grant the government the ability to serve the people further.



Three new applications of Food Safety, PFA introduced


Lahore: Food governance in Punjab has been established on modern lines, according to the vision of Chief Minister Punjab Maryam Nawaz Sharif, digitalized applications for food checking have been launched.



In this connection, Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department and Punjab Food Authority have introduced three new applications.



According to the details, Special Assistant Chief Minister Punjab Salma Butt along with Secretary Food Safety and Consumer Protection Department Dr. Karan Khurshid and DGPFA inaugurated the applications, star rating application, automatic inspection scheduling application and consumer protection were formally launched.



Special Assistant Chief Minister Punjab Salmi Butt says that healthy competition will be promoted in the food industry through star rating program, automatic scoring will be done under food safety management system through transparent and merit-based classification of food businesses through digital star rating.



She said that digitization has been promoted by reducing human intervention, checking system will be completely digital through automated inspection scheduling, adding there will be healthy competition in the food industry through star rating program



SC delegation concludes working visit to China


Islamabad: A technical delegation of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, led by Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Judge, Supreme Court of Pakistan, and Chairman of the National Judicial Automation Committee concluded official visit to the Supreme People’s Court of the People’s Republic of China from 26 to 30 July 2026.



The delegation comprised officers of the Court’s Information Technology Section.



The visit formed part of the continuing institutional engagement between the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Supreme People’s Court of China under the judicial cooperation framework between the two institutions.



It was undertaken in furtherance of the Chief Justice of Pakistan’s digital reform vision for an efficient, technology-enabled, and citizen-centric justice system.



During the visit, the delegation held meetings with senior officials of the Supreme People’s Court of China, including Mr. Liu Guixiang, Justice and Standing Member of the Adjudication Committee, and Mr. Duan Nonggen, Director of the International Cooperation Department.



The delegation also held detailed discussions with Mr. He Fan, Director General of the Adjudication Management Office, and Mr. Chen Qiwei, Deputy Director General of the Information Technology Service Center, and received practical demonstrations of technology-enabled adjudication, case management, and court administration systems.



Further engagements were held with Mr. Yu Maoyu, President of the Publishing House; Mr. Zhang Chengbing, Assistant Editor-in-Chief of the Publishing House and General Manager of Faxin Digital Technology Co. Ltd.; Mr. Yuan Dingho, Head of the Publishing House Office and Legal Department; and officers of Faxin Technology.



As part of the technical exchange, the delegation visited the Legal Information Intelligent Achievement Presentation Hall, Digital Court Laboratory of the Supreme People’s Court of China, Beijing Internet Court, and Litigation Service Hall at the Xicheng District Court.



Practical demonstrations were provided on artificial intelligence applications, e-filing systems, digital judicial infrastructure, intelligent case management, data-driven court administration, and technology-enabled public service delivery.



The engagements provided valuable insight into the responsible use of artificial intelligence and digital technologies in judicial and administrative processes and enabled the delegation to identify suitable practices that may be adapted to Pakistan’s institutional and legal requirements.



The visit strengthened judicial cooperation, technical capacity building, knowledge-sharing, and mutual learning between the two apex courts.



It also reaffirmed the Supreme Court of Pakistan’s commitment to leveraging technology to improve accessibility, efficiency, transparency, and responsiveness in the administration of justice.