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Cleanliness week drive in full swing in Paharpur Tehsil

By
Samina Ch
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DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Dec 12 (APP):A cleanliness week campaign has formally begun in Paharpur Tehsil.
At the inauguration, the Assistant Commissioner of Paharpur Dr Hamid issued special instructions to the sanitation staff, emphasizing that cleanliness activities should be carried out in an organized manner to ensure improved results across all areas of the tehsil.
He directed the staff to follow the designated schedule and make the cleaning operations in various neighborhoods and markets more effective. Meanwhile, sanitation teams also began removing waste and cleaning streets in several localities.
The Assistant Commissioner appealed to the public to consider cleanliness their civic and social duty and to actively participate in the campaign to help maintain a clean and healthy environment.
He added that cleanliness is half of faith, and public cooperation is essential for the success of this initiative.

Weekly inflation falls slightly

By
Samina Ch
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ISLAMABAD, Dec 12 (APP):The weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), recorded a slight decrease of 0.03 percent for the combined consumption group during the week ended on December 11, 2025, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday.
According to the PBS data, the SPI for the week under review was recorded at 335.73 points, down from 335.84 points last week. On a year-on-year basis, the SPI increased by 3.90 percent.
The weekly SPI with base year 2015-16 = 100 covers 17 urban centres and 51 essential items for all expenditure groups.
The SPI for the lowest consumption group (up to Rs17,732) decreased by 0.26 percent, to 326.84 points from 327.70 points.
The SPI for consumption groups of Rs17,733–22,888; Rs22,889–29,517 and Rs29,518–44,175; decreased by 0.17 percent, 0.09 percent, 0.04 percent respectively, while it increased by 0.02 percent for and above Rs44,175.
During the week, out of 51 items, prices of 12 (23.53%) items increased, 10 (19.61%) items decreased, and 29 (56.86%) items remained stable.
Major commodities registering a week-on-week decrease included tomatoes (16.18%), sugar (4.91%), onions (4.08%), potatoes (1.71%), bananas (1.01%), pulse gram (0.36%), pulse masoor (0.10%), gur (0.08%) and LPG (0.08%).
Items showing an increase in prices included chicken (6.19%), wheat flour (2.88%), eggs (0.93%), cooking oil 5 litre (0.72%), vegetable ghee 2.5 kg (0.70%), tea prepared (0.56%), powdered milk (0.39%), pulse moong (0.37%), washing soap (0.20%) and firewood (0.08%).
On a year-on-year basis, major increases were observed in the prices of sugar (30.28%), gas charges for q1 (29.85%), wheat flour (21.59%), gur (14.96%), beef (13.42%), firewood (12.86%), powdered milk (9.46%), chicken (8.62%), diesel (8.42%), lawn printed (8.29%) and cooking oil 5 litre (7.92%) an bananas (7.79%).
Commodities witnessing year-on-year decline included potatoes (42.59%), tomatoes (40.75%), garlic (37.46%), onions (30.23%), pulse gram (28.95%), tea packet (17.79%), pulse mash (13.33%), electricity charges for Q1 (8.40%) and salt powder (5.08%).

One  Day Workshop on Pakistan Citizen Portal Held at Shah Abdul Latif University

By
Samina Ch
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0
SUKKUR, Dec 12 (APP):A one day training workshop for focal persons of the Pakistan Citizen Portal (PCP) was held at Shah Abdul Latif University, Khairpur, organized by the Research and Analysis Activities Section, Higher Education Commission (HEC) Islamabad on Friday.
The workshop aimed to strengthen the capacity of focal persons in handling public grievances through the PCP.
Resource persons from the Prime Minister’s Office provided technical training and insights into the portal’s functionality.
Certificates were distributed among participants, and the event concluded with a vote of thanks to the university administration and HEC Islamabad for their support.

DC inaugurates 4-day anti-polio campaign

By
Samina Ch
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BHAKKAR, Dec 12 (APP):Deputy Commissioner, Ahsaan Ali Jamali on Friday inaugurated four days anti-polio campaign by administrating polio vaccine to a child in District Headquarter Hospital (DHQ).
Chief  Executive  Officer (CEO), Health , Dr Mazhar Abbas Baloch and other concerned officials were present on the occasion.
The DC urged the parents to cooperate with health workers to immunize anti-polio vaccine to their children  in order to save them from a permanent disability.
The deputy commissioner  also visited various wards of the hospital and directed the concerned authority to improve cleanliness.

PM reaffirms resolve to further strengthen ties with Turkiye

By
Najam ul Hassan
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ASHGABAT, Dec 12 (APP): Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reaffirmed his firm resolve to further strengthen bilateral cooperation with Turkiye in all areas of mutual interest including political, energy, economic, defence and investment.

During a meeting with President of the Republic of Türkiye, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on the sidelines of the International Forum dedicated to the International Year of Peace and Trust in Ashgabat, the prime minister expressed his satisfaction at the frequent leadership level engagements between the two countries this year.

During the meeting, the two leaders reaffirmed the significance of the historic and deep fraternal bonds between the two nations, that were rooted in shared values and a common aspiration for peace and prosperity.

The prime minister expressed his satisfaction at the convening of the 16th session of the Pak-Turkiye JMC that would ensure implementation of the decisions of the 7th HLSCC, a press release issued by the PM House said.

While identifying energy, petroleum and minerals as priority sectors, the prime minister welcomed Turkish interest and investments in these areas.

He urged the two sides to ensure the timely implementation of the recently signed MOUs/agreements in these critical sectors. He said that Pakistan sought to benefit from Turkish expertise in the privatization of distribution companies. In this regard, it was decided that Ministerial level exchanges between the two countries would take place very soon.

The prime minister underscored the importance of regional connectivity as manifested by the revival of the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul rail network.

Both leaders also exchanged views on regional as well as global developments. The prime minister appreciated
President Erdogan’s bold leadership and strong commitment to peace efforts in Gaza.

He also thanked Turkiye for its constructive role in facilitating talks between Pakistan and the Afghan Taliban regime but stressed that peace would only be possible if Pakistan’s security concerns were fully addressed.

President Erdogan thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for his views , particularly his kind words and expressed his desire to work together with a view to build stronger ties between the two countries.

Man dies in tractor-trolley accident

By
Samina Ch
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0
MULTAN, Dec 12 (APP):A man tragically lost his life in an accident near the Shell Pump underpass on Friday.
According to rescue officials,Muhammad Ajmal(35) was reportedly slipped from the mudguard of a tractor-trolley, caught under the vehicle and died on the spot.
Rescue teams reached the scene,shifted him to the hospital.
The body was handed over to the family.

Magnitude 6.7 earthquake hits Japan’s northeast region, tsunami advisory issued

By
NNPS Desk
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TOKYO, Dec 12 (WAM/APP): An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.7 hit Japan’s northeastern region on Friday, prompting a tsunami advisory for waves up to 1 metre (39 inches) high from the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA).

The quake struck at 11:44 am (0244 GMT) off the coast of Aomori prefecture with a depth of 20 km (12 miles), after a bigger, 7.5-magnitude earthquake hit the same region late on Monday.

After Monday’s earthquake, the government issued a special advisory warning residents across a wide area, from Hokkaido in the north to Chiba, east of Tokyo, to be on alert for an increased possibility of a powerful earthquake hitting again within a week.

The tremor on Friday measured 4 on Japan’s 1-7 seismic intensity scale.

Severe floods force mass evacuations in US state of Washington

By
NNPS Desk
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WASHINGTON, Dec 12 (WAM/APP): Severe rainfall has triggered major flooding in the US state of Washington, prompting evacuation orders for tens of thousands of residents.

Governor Bob Ferguson has urged people in threatened areas to leave and follow instructions from local authorities. Up to 100,000 residents are believed to be affected by evacuation orders.

“We’re looking at a historic situation, expecting 2 feet [61 centimetres] higher than the record flood level,” Ferguson said in a post on X.

Ferguson said more than 30 major highways had been closed to traffic. The governor also declared a statewide emergency to rapidly mobilise funds and additional personnel.

The National Guard has been deployed to assist with rescue operations in the flooded regions. Helicopters and boats have been used to bring people to safety. Dozens of rivers have overflowed their banks, inundating towns and farmland.

The heavy rainfall in the north-west of the United States is being driven by a weather phenomenon known as an atmospheric river, a band of extremely moist air that can deliver intense rainfall for days.

Dubai hosts Sustainable Bio International Forum

By
NNPS Desk
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DUBAI, Dec 12 (WAM/APP): The Sustainable Bio International Forum, hosted by Dubai on Friday under the theme “From the UAE to a Greener World”, discussed the future of sustainable bioenergy and its role in supporting a low-carbon circular economy.

The forum brought together decision-makers, experts, academics, and industry leaders from around the world to explore innovative biofuel solutions, including sustainable aviation fuel (SAF), marine fuel, and renewable transport fuels, while encouraging young scientists to advance scientific research in this field.

The forum was held under the patronage of the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure (MoEI), and jointly organised by the Association of Arab Universities and the Yousuf Award for Young Scientists.

Eng. Saif Ghubash, Assistant Undersecretary for the Petroleum, Gas, and Mineral Resources Sector at the MoEI, affirmed that the UAE has made sustainability a key pillar of its national agenda, setting an ambitious goal to achieve climate neutrality by 2050 through advanced initiatives to reduce emissions, expand clean energy projects, and reduce reliance on fossil fuels.

He explained that bioenergy represents an important pathway in the future energy mix, particularly sustainable aviation fuel and low-carbon fuels, noting that the UAE was among the first in the region to test flights powered by SAF in collaboration with national companies.

Ghubash added that the UAE Energy Strategy 2050, circular economy programmes, and decarbonisation projects are accelerating this transition. He also emphasised the importance of partnerships between universities and the private sector to strengthen innovation and develop technologies supporting a low-carbon economy.

Prof. Dr. Amr Ezzat Salama, Secretary-General of the Association of Arab Universities, said that this initiative enhances investment in Arab talent and competencies, encourages young scientists to innovate and create, and elevates the role of scientific research in supporting sustainable development in the UAE and the Arab world.

Yousuf bin Saeed Lootah, Founder of the Yousuf Award for Young Scientists, stated, “The Young Scientists Award aims to strengthen integration between academic and industrial institutions across the Arab world, and to support sustainable solutions in green chemistry, renewable energy, and the circular economy.”

The forum featured two sessions with the participation of a group of international experts. The first session included Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, CEO, LanzaTech, USA; Prof. Robert Spisak, Chairman, Envien Group, Slovakia; and Eng. Maryam Al Matroushi, Chair, Committee on Environmental Protection, International Civil Aviation Organisation. The session was moderated by Dr. Hanifa Al Blooshi, Khalifa University.

The second session included Julian Thiel, CEO, Desyl, Switzerland; Shige Wang, General Manager, Benayu Group, China; Shin Ito, JGC Corporation, Japan. It was moderated by Prof. Maria Lourdes Fernandez, RICH Centre, Khalifa University.

At the conclusion of the forum, winners of the Yousuf bin Saeed Lootah Award for Young Scientists were honoured across three categories: Green Chemistry Category, Renewable Energy Category, and Circular Economy Category.

The participants reaffirmed their commitment to advancing scientific innovation and sustainable bioenergy, and to opening new horizons toward a greener, brighter future.

28,000 wallet accounts under BISP opened

By
Samina Ch
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0
SARGODHGA, Dec 12 (APP):The Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP) on Friday launched the third phase of its mobile wallet initiative in Sargodha,aiming to provide 200,000 women beneficiaries with digital accounts for easy access to their stipends.
According to a spokesperson,Deputy Director(DD) Malik Safdar Awan said that the program carried out in partnership with Ufone,Telenor and Zong enables women to withdraw funds from any telecom agent,pay bills and transfer money,aligning with the Prime Minister’s push for a cashless economy.
Over 6,000 accounts have already been opened,with the drive set to continue for a month to reach all registered beneficiaries.So far,28,000 women have received Sims under the initiative,enhancing financial inclusion and empowering female participants.
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