Lahore, Sep 24; PTI: The Lahore High Court Monday summoned Nawaz Sharif on October 8 during the hearing of a petition seeking action against the deposed prime minister for claiming that those involved in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack belonged to Pakistan.

Sharif, for the first time in May, publicly acknowledged in an interview to Dawn that militant organisations are active in Pakistan and questioned the policy to allow the "non-state actors" to cross the border and "kill" people in Mumbai.

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Sep 24 (PTI) Pakistan on Monday launched a massive nationwide anti-polio vaccination drive touted as the final push against the crippling disease to cover 38.6 million children under five years of age.

The drive will last for three days but a 2-5 day catchup campaign will be launched following the initial drive so that no one was left out.

Dr Rana Safdar, chief of anti-polio campaign, said that the campaign has started in all parts of Pakistan.

WASHINGTON; 24 Sep 2018; (AP) — Congress is set to pass a crucial spending bill that averts a government shutdown, but there’s one potential obstacle: President Donald Trump.

Neither party wants the government to close ahead of the midterm elections that will determine control of Congress, but Trump has made clear his frustration at the lack of money for his long-promised wall along the U.S.-Mexico border. He says it is “ridiculous” the wall has yet to be fully funded.

WELLINGTON, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- The New Zealand government on Monday introduced a bill to give effect to its decision to halt the offering of new offshore oil and gas exploration permits, and has kept its commitment to protect existing permits.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern in April announced that the government would not be granting any new offshore oil and gas exploration permits, but that the government would be protecting existing permits and the rights associated with them.

RUSSIA LAUNCHES BIGGEST EVER WAR GAMES WITH CHINA. Military vehicles in entering in eastern Siberia take part in "Vostok-2018", on September 11, 2018. Russia has launched its biggest military exercise since the Cold War, involving about 300,000 service personnel, in eastern Siberia. China is sending 3,200 troops to take part in "Vostok-2018", with many Chinese armoured vehicles and aircraft. Mongolia is also sending some units. The week-long manoeuvres come at a time of heightened Nato-Russia tensions. Photo courtesy Agencies 

MUZAFFARNAGAR, Uttar Pradesh state, Indiar, Sept 23 (NNN-PTI) -- Two men have been arrested for allegedly murdering their brother-in-law, a government official, in a case of honour killing, police said Sunday.  

The brothers-in-law, Adesh and Vishal, were arrested for killing Manoj Sharma who worked as a data entry operator in the office of the Comptroller Auditor General, SSP Sudhir Kumar said.  

Three accused in the case were on the run, the official said.  

NEW YORK, Sept 23 (NNN-PTI) -- External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj has arrived here to represent India at the 73rd session of the UN General Assembly and hold several bilateral and multilateral meetings with her global counterparts.  

She will address the General Debate in the morning of September 29.  

New Delhi, Sep 22 (PTI) Upping the ante over the Rafale issue, Congress president Rahul Gandhi Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Anil Ambani jointly carried out a Rs 130,000 crore "surgical strike" on the defence forces.

His renewed attack on Modi came a day after a French media report quoted former French president Francois Hollande as purportedly saying that the Indian government proposed Ambani's Reliance Defence as the partner for Dassault Aviation in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale jet fighter deal and France did not have a choice.

Islamabad, Sep 22 (PTI) India's decision to cancel the foreign minister-level meeting in New York was "arrogant", Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan said Saturday, asserting that he was "disappointed" by the New Delhi's "negative" response.

VIENNA, Sept. 17 (Xinhua) -- U.S. withdrawal from the Iranian nuclear deal will have serious repercussions for the international and regional peace and security, Iranian Vice President Ali Akbar Salehi said in a statement to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) general conference on Monday.

"This ominous move is doomed to have serious repercussions for the international and regional peace and security," said Salehi, who is also the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran.

BEIJING, Sept. 22 (Xinhua) -- China's military has voiced its "strong indignation and resolute opposition" against recent "sanctions" by the U.S. on Chinese military authority and personnel, according to China's Ministry of National Defense.

Wu Qian, a spokesperson for the ministry, said Saturday that Chinese military has made solemn representations and protests to the U.S. side.

MOSCOW, Sept. 16 (Xinhua) -- Russian President Vladimir Putin will discuss Syrian issues with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Russia's Sochi on Monday, the Kremlin said in a statement Sunday.

The meeting will take place at a time when the Syrian government forces backed by Russia and Iran are preparing an offensive against rebels' last major stronghold in Idlib province, although Turkey and the United States have repeatedly warned against any operation.