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IHC restrains CDA over tree-cutting on Ataturk Avenue, seeks response

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has restrained the Capital Development Authority (CDA) from cutting trees along Ataturk Avenue, from Express Chowk to Aga Khan Road, while seeking responses from the civic agency and other parties. Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro passed the order while hearing a petition filed by Ayesha Muzaffar challenging the ongoing tree cutting for a road expansion project. Advocate Mudassar Latif Abbasi appeared on behalf of the petitioner and argued that the CDA was acting in clear violation of a prior court order, issued on January 15, 2026, in Writ Petition No. 153/2026, which restrained the authority from cutting trees in the federal capital. The counsel contended that the authority had adopted an “unsustainable approach” to traffic management by resorting to cutting trees and widening roads. “Opening roads by eliminating green cover is not a solution to traffic issues,” Advocate Abbasi argued, adding that the project involved the removal of more t...
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In pictures: Iranians celebrate as ceasefire with US eases tensions

The United States and Iran agreed to a two-week ceasefire, with both sides claiming victory. Pakistan on Wednesday announced that the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United States of America, along with their allies, had agreed to an immediate ceasefire, including in Lebanon, effective immediately, and invited their delegations to Islamabad on April 10 for talks aimed at reaching a lasting settlement of disputes. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced the ceasefire, welcoming the move and extending his “deepest gratitude” to the leadership of both countries. Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. —AFP Iranians burn US and Israeli flags after the ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8, 2026. —AFP Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on April 8 2026. —AFP Iranians react after a ceasefire announcement at the Enqelab square, in Tehran, on Apr...
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Soaring costs, fuel shortage fears drive Pakistan to electric motorbikes

Days after Iran effectively blocked shipping through the Strait of Hormuz following the start of US and Israeli attacks in late February, two Pakistani electric motorbike (EV) outlets 1,400 km away found themselves overwhelmed with enquiries. Haseeb Bhatti, who retrofits petrol-fuelled bikes with battery-powered motors in the northern city of Rawalpindi, said his March sales surged 70 per cent. For Ali Gohar Khan, who owns a 7-year-old electric motorbike retail franchise with branches across Pakistan, the recent surge in sales is the steepest ever. “People have this fear that maybe in the near future, they might not get petrol at all,” Khan said. The Middle East crisis has sent global fuel prices soaring, compounding pain for Pakistanis already hit by inflation and a post-pandemic economic downturn. As the nation imports nearly all its oil through the Strait of Hormuz, shortage rumours took hold despite the government’s supply assurances. Workers assemble an electric motorcycle...
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Diamer-Bhasha Dam protesters call off sit-in, reopen Karakoram Highway

Protesters called off their sit-in blocking the Karakoram Highway (KKH) in the Thore area of Diamer on Tuesday morning and reopened the highway for traffic after successful negotiations with the district administration. Police said that stranded passengers and vehicles, which had been stuck since Sunday, started moving towards their destinations from both sides after the restoration of traffic on the KKH. Maulana Hazratullah, the chief organiser of the protest, said that after negotiations with government representatives and the district administration, a time frame has been agreed for the implementation of an agreement signed in 2025 with the Diamer-Bhasha dam land-affected people. He said, hopefully, the implementation of the 2025 agreement will now be ensured. Since Sunday, people affected by the Diamer-Bhasha Dam have been staging sit-ins at Thore and other areas of Diamer, blocking the KKH and demanding the implementation of the agreement. Hundreds of passengers, including...
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Gulf war batters India’s glass heartland, testing New Delhi’s manufacturing drive

Famed as India’s “Glass City” with a four-century tradition of glassmaking, Firozabad’s furnaces are now burning low, putting thousands of day labourers out of work in what would normally be peak season. The industry has been crippled by the war in the Middle East because of its intense energy needs. Gas-fired heat chambers need to run constantly at above 1,000 degrees Celsius (1,832 degrees Fahrenheit) to keep the glass molten and prevent defects. India’s heavy reliance on gas across the economy — businesses of all sizes, households, agriculture, public transport — makes its factories among the most vulnerable in Asia. Workers pack bangles made of glass inside a factory amid fuel supply disruptions following the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, in Firozabad in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, India, March 26, 2026. —Reuters/File New Delhi stockpiles oil but not gas, and when supply dwindles, it cuts off industry first. With the war extending into a second month, Firozabad m...
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Artemis mission approaches lunar loop for first flyby since 1972

The Artemis astronauts entered the final phase of their run-up to a lunar loop on Monday, a tipping point of sorts that means the Moon’s gravity is now having a stronger pull on the spacecraft than Earth’s. The Orion capsule will now whip around the Moon, setting the crew up to travel farther from our home planet than any human before. The astronauts entered what NASA calls the lunar sphere of influence about 0442 GMT Monday and will soon record the first lunar flyby since 1972. As they entered the Moon’s gravitational influence, the crew was about 39,000 miles from the Moon and about 232,000 miles from Earth, a NASA official said on the agency’s livestream of the event. The historic occasion comes alongside a constellation of firsts for the crew of three Americans and one Canadian. Victor Glover will go down in the books as the first person of color to ever fly around the Moon, and Christina Koch will be the first woman. Canadian Jeremy Hansen, meanwhile, will become the fi...
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Renato Moicano dominates teammate Chris Duncan at UFC Fight Night

Renato Moicano and Chris Duncan have trained together frequently over the years on the mats at American Top Team in Coconut Creek, Fla., however on Saturday night in Las Vegas they served as main event opponents. The lightweights headlined a 13-bout card at the Meta Apex with Moicano dominating his younger teammate and earning a second-round submission victory. “He (expletive) me up many times in the gym when I first started going there, so I learned a lot from him,” Duncan said of Moicano three days prior to their fight. “He was kind enough to share some (wisdom and techniques). He’s a good guy and we’re just going to fight on Saturday night.” Moicano, 36, acknowledged this week he felt the atmosphere in gym while preparing for Duncan “was not great because to be seeing your opponent (constantly while training) was not good.” If knowing Duncan affected Moicano at all, he hid it well in the cage because he had his best performance in a couple years. Get the skills to pay the ...
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