ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday expressed serious concern over the recent escalation of tension between Saudi Arabia and Iran over the former's execution of a Shia cleric on terror charges, calling for......
KARACHI: Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Monday raided two offices of Aqeel Karim Dhedi (AKD) Securities here and arrested the firm's Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Fareed Alam and two directors......
At least seven Indian Air Force personnel have been killed as a siege of the Pathankot airbase in Indian Punjab continues for a third consecutive day. At least five attackers have also been......
KABUL: A large explosion hit Kabul on Monday, hours after a suicide bomber blew himself up near a police checkpoint in the Afghan capital, Reuters reporters heard.A police official said the blast......
KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday removed Karachi Commissioner Shoaib Ahmed Siddiqui from his post and ordered Hyderabad Division Commissioner Asif Hyder Shah to take the additional charge of......
MUZAFFARABAD: An alliance of Kashmiri militant groups on Monday claimed the deadly attack on the Indian Air Force’s Pathankot airbase.The United Jihad Council (UJC) said in a statement released that......
KOLKATA: Waqar Younis feels it is easier to give lessons in etiquette to aspiring Pakistanis cricketers than expect seniors to change. After all, he said, the established players are “stars”.It is......
QUETTA: Suspected militants killed two policemen in Quetta's Sariab road area on Monday."Armed assailants opened fire at a police check post in Bibi Nanai area of Sariab road," said a police......
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Monday decided against requesting for a ‘B’ sample of Yasir Shah's dope test and will instead appeal against the bowler's suspension by the International Cricket......
There is no sight more comforting for a Kashmiri than the top leadership of India and Pakistan sitting together with the intention of creating an amicable political environment.Notwithstanding some......
LAHORE: Officials arrested 42 suspected militants with alleged links to the militant Islamic State (IS) group."The arrests were the result of raids in four Punjab cities over the weekend," said......
NEW DELHI: A court-appointed committee has urged a shake-up to the administration of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in the wake of a spot-fixing scam and alleged conflicts of......
HILLA: Blasts rocked two mosques in central Iraq on Monday, amid fears of renewed sectarian strife following Saudi Arabia's execution of a prominent Shia cleric, police and medics said.In Hilla,......
The health ministry recently announced a plan to issue health cards to underprivileged Pakistanis with hopes of ameliorating healthcare within the country.The prime minister's card, which will be......
KARACHI: A district magistrate on Monday sent Ghulam Azad, one of the suspects in the Gizri ‘encounter’ case, on a 10-day remand in a robbery case after he was presented in court by the......
Cricket Australia (CA) chief James Sutherland is confident Pakistan will pull in large crowds when it features in the Boxing Day and New Year's Test Down Under.Australia were hoping to take on world......
TEHRAN: Saudi officials say gunfire directed toward security forces has killed a man in a village in eastern Saudi Arabia where mourning ceremonies are underway for the executed Shia cleric Sheikh......
KABUL: A suicide bomber on foot Monday struck a street leading to Kabul's international airport, officials said, the latest in a wave of attacks on the Afghan capital."The bomber detonated his......
PESHAWAR: A special unit of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa police claimed to have foiled a terror plan in an intelligence-based operation in Bannu on Monday.At least six suspected militants were arrested in the......
MAZAR-I-SHARIF: A 25-hour gun and bomb siege near the Indian consulate in the Afghan city of Mazar-i-Sharif ended late Monday after all the attackers were killed, officials said.“The clearance......
VALENCIA: Under fire Real Madrid boss Rafael Benitez claimed his side deserved more credit after holding on for a 2-2 draw with 10 men away to Valencia on Sunday.Benitez was badly in need of a win on......
TEHRAN: Saudi Arabia's decision to cut ties with Iran after attacks on the kingdom's diplomatic missions in the Islamic Republic will not distract from Riyadh's "big mistake" of executing top Shia......
PATHANKOT: After saying all the gunmen who attacked the Pathankot Indian Air Force (IAF) base were dead, Indian officials said at least two attackers remained, and vowed to kill them Monday to end a......
PARIS: France this week solemnly marks the anniversary of the militant assault on the Paris offices of the satirical weekly Charlie Hebdo, the first of two such deadly attacks which bookended a......
AS the year came to a close, the battle for North Waziristan entered the final stages with the security forces trying to clear Shawal valley the last haven of the militants. It has been over a year......
PATHANKOT: A 6.7 magnitude earthquake hit India's remote northeast region before dawn on Monday, killing at least four people, injuring 100 others and causing damage to several buildings.The death......
KARACHI: The very existence of the Pakistan Real Estate Investment and Management Company (Primaco), a subsidiary of the Employees Old Age Benefits Institution (EOBI), has been found to be 'illegal'......
IN a gradual policy shift from relative stability to growth, can possible disagreements between Islamabad and the IMF lead to an early termination of the fund’s current stabilisation......
THE Islamic finance industry is confronted with multiple challenges in an accelerated growth scenario. Demand-driven with limited supply of human resource — capacity building, lack of......
THE rupee/dollar parity showed a stable trend in the local currency market towards year-end. The dollar traded range-bound against the rupee amid dull trading the whole of last week.The market lacked......
THE government raised Rs25.206 billion from the auction of treasury bills (T-bills) of various tenors on Dec 23, 2015 much lower than its target of Rs125bn.The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) received......
BANKS are making big profits but some of them have started realising that government debt papers may hardly sustain their high profitability in a few years from now.“This realisation is growing,......
WHEN the chairman Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) thundered at an ‘investors awareness conference’ in Islamabad last week that he had the powers to force any profit-making......
PAKISTAN’S IT exports were documented at $500m in 2014-15, but unofficial estimates go up to $2bn per annum.Industry experts say much of the extra $1.5bn income from IT exports is routed as......
CONTRARY to what diehard exponents of economic liberalism or socialism would like others to believe, the privatisation of state-owned enterprises is neither inherently a virtue nor essentially a......
Mian Mohammad Mansha, one of Pakistan’s savviest businessmen, can feel the pulse of the economy like only a few others can feel. So when he tells the government to move away from its stabilisation......
THE text of the global climate agreement adopted mid-December in Paris was conspicuous by lack of mention of two words: agriculture and trade.IT became possible as the corporate giants having big......
THE sowing of wheat is in full swing, and initial field information indicates that the crop’s sowing target is likely to be surpassed this season. The Sindh agriculture department has the fixed......
AS the early harvesting of potato begins in Punjab, with the provincial government and farmers hoping for a better crop, it may be time for the federation to start planning about its export.While......
THE country is overproducing university graduates in the sense that as many as 50pc of the local university graduates are either unemployed or not part of the labour force.This was stated by Dr.......
AFTER Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched his flagship ‘Make in India’ initiative in September 2014, it has become a buzzword for politicians across the spectrum. State after state,......
AzerbaijanAZERBAIJAN, which gained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991, has emerged as a major regional energy player. Though the economy has been diversified, it still relies on oil for a......
Will Hillary Clinton win the US presidential election?Mrs Clinton will win the electoral college by a landslide. Democrats will take back the Senate. But she will start her term in a very polarised......
WHEN Glencore chief executive Ivan Glasenberg spoke to analysts and investors in August after the publication of annual results, he made a surprising admission.The man regarded by many as the......
DHAKA: Bangladesh’s foreign exchange reserves hit a record $27.49 billion at the end of December, the central bank said on Sunday, fuelled by steady exports and remittances.The slower pace of import......
PESHAWAR/MARDAN: An army soldier and two policemen were injured in two separate blasts in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Sunday.The soldier sustained injuries when a remote controlled bomb targeted an army......
PESHAWAR: The elementary and secondary education department has finalised arrangements for holding centralised examinations of grade-V for the first time in the province with computerised checking of......
ISLAMABAD: With the petroleum ministry’s support, three state-run oil and gas companies have sought a cumulative 32.3 per cent increase in the price of regasified liquefied natural gas (RLNG) to......
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has recorded only 15 polio cases in 2015 against 68 in 2014 owing to the government’s focus on quality of immunisation and the all-out support from the district......
ABBOTTABAD: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor Sardar Mahtab Ahmad Khan has said that the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor project will generate greater economic activity in the country, particularly in......
ISLAMABAD: The fifth death anniversary of former Punjab governor Salman Taseer will be observed on Monday.The former governor was shot dead by his body guard, Mumtaz Qadri, on January 4, 2011,......
ISLAMABAD: Capital Development Authority (CDA) Member Environment Syed Mustafain Kazmi has retired from service after attaining the age of superannuation on Saturday.Following his retirement, the CDA......
CHAKWAL: “Had this road been located in Lahore, or had there been a by-election in Chakwal, it would have been completed in the due period,” says Javed Ahmed. Mr Ahmed is a driver who runs a public......
ISLAMABAD: Falafel is a traditional Middle Eastern food, and is one of the earliest fast foods. The golden fried fritters are one of the world’s most favoured street foods, and are commonly used as a......
Nomad Gallery film screenedOver the Christmas and New Year holidays, the Nomad Gallery exhibited a film on conservation and everyday life in Lahore.The film, titled ‘An Ode to the Mystic City –......
RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government formed a committee to look into the reasons why dengue is spreading in the cold weather.The committee, led by Dr Jamal Nasir, with experts from Pir Meher Ali......
LAHORE: Employees of a category of Pakistan Railways have been elevated to a post that neither exists in books nor in promotional channel of the organisation.“Some 22 guards in BS-14 have been made......
LAHORE: Dr Tahirul Qadri has indirectly threatened to re-launch the Islamabad sit-in if the government does not administer justice in the Model Town killings case.“Do the rulers obstructing delivery......
LAHORE: Evacuee Trust Property Board Chairman Siddiqul Farooq alleges that some local politicians of his own party (the PML-N) had tried to disrupt celebrations of the Baba Guru Nanak’s birth......
KASUR: An ailing infant died soon after administration of an injection allegedly by a quack at Chunian’s Allahabad area on Sunday.Sakina Bibi brought her one-year-old son Hussain to Muhammad Arshad,......
KARACHI: While the family of a young man killed in the Friday night encounter in Gizri is considering approaching the Sindh High Court to get justice, police on Sunday registered two FIRs against the......
KARACHI: A large number of people took part in a protest rally in the city on Sunday to condemn the recent execution of a prominent Shia cleric, Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr, in Saudi Arabia.The rally was......
WHAT makes a great verse? Is it theme, philosophy, imagery, precision, words or emotions? All of them, it seems. But there can hardly be any consensus about the ingredients of a great poem and......
KARACHI: The federal government has issued special permits to two members of the ruling family of Qatar to import and export 80 falcons of endangered species for moulting purpose, it emerged here on......
BEIRUT: The militant Islamic State (IS) group threatened Britain in an Internet video on Sunday showing the killing of five “spies” it said worked with the international coalition fighting IS in Iraq......
HONG KONG: Large crowds protested in Hong Kong on Sunday after a pro-Beijing official was appointed to a senior role at the main university, as fears grow over what critics see as political......
WASHINGTON: Republican presidential frontrunner Donald Trump refused on Sunday to tone down his anti-Muslim rhetoric when reminded that an Al Qaeda affiliate was using his statements to recruit......
PALM SPRINGS: Matt Damon launched a bold new phase of Oscar campaigning for his “The Martian” director on Saturday, telling a crowd that Ridley Scott has “given more than enough to cinema” over his......
STOCKHOLM: Since it opened in 2000, the Oresund bridge between Sweden and Denmark has been a towering symbol of European integration and hassle-free travel across borders that people didn’t even......
It's not often that I agree with the militant Islamic State group, but when that vicious group labelled the recently announced alliance of Muslim states a collection of ‘buffoons and idiots’, there......
THE stethoscope is having a crossroads moment. Perhaps more than at any time in its two-century history, this ubiquitous tool of the medical profession is at the centre of debate over how medicine......
MEXICO CITY: Three people, including a minor, were being held on Sunday in the slaying of a newly inaugurated mayor in a gang-troubled central Mexican city.Morelos Gov. Graco Ramirez ordered flags on......
MADRID: Catalan separatists on Sunday appeared incapable of forming a government following intractable divisions over the identity of the region’s future president in a move likely to trigger fresh......
SAN FRANCISCO: From drones, cars and robots to jewellery, appliances and TVs, the new technology on display at the 2016 Consumer Electronics Show promises to be smarter and friendlier than ever.The......
WASHINGTON: The United States has urged Saudi Arabia and Iran to avoid escalating regional and sectarian tensions, which flared up after the Saudis executed a Shia cleric and 46 others on Saturday.US......
CAPE TOWN: England all-rounder Ben Stokes hit a thrilling double century as he and Jonny Bairstow battered South African bowlers into submission on the second day of the second Test here at Newlands......
LONDON: England great Ian Botham hailed a “magnificent” display by Ben Stokes after the Durham all-rounder smashed his record for the fastest England double century against South Africa.Analysing the......
SYDNEY: Nathan Lyon claimed his 100th Test wicket in Australia with the dismissal of top-scoring opener Kraigg Brathwaite late on the opening day of the rain-hit third Test against the West Indies......
MADRID: World Player of the Year Cristiano Ronaldo has claimed he will “live like a king” once his playing career comes to an end, but has ruled out a move into coaching when he hangs up his......
LONDON: Chelsea began the new year offering signs of a revival as the Premier League champions comfortably beat Crystal Palace 3-0 on Sunday with goals from Oscar, Willian and Diego Costa.Guus......
BRISBANE: Russia’s Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova caused the only upset on the first day of the season-opening Brisbane International when she swept aside fifth-seeded Swiss Timea Bacsinszky 6-2, 6-1 on......
MADRID: Barcelona dropped points for the third time in four league games as they were held 0-0 by local rivals Espanyol in a heated Catalan derby on Saturday.Atletico Madrid moved two points clear of......
KARACHI: Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) hit back strongly to dominate the opening day of the Quad-i-Azam Trophy National Cricket Championship day-night final after Sharjeel Khan had......
KARACHI: In a late burst, four-year-old chestnut colt Kick edged mare Dancing Queen by half-a-length to lift The New Year Cup in the Gymkhana race meeting at the Karachi Racecourse on Sunday.On......
KARACHI: Experienced rider Zaki Zakir clinched his maiden Champion Rider of the Year award at the Karachi Racecourse on Sunday.He galloped home 26 winners in the races held last year. Besides, he......
KARACHI: Navy mauled Pakistan Air Force (PAF) 7-0 to join National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) in the last eight from pool ‘D’ of the 62nd National Hockey Championship at the Hockey Club of Pakistan......
ISLAMABAD: Special committees of the National Assembly and Senate on issues related to PIA are holding separate meeting here on Monday.The meetings are taking place three days after the repeal of the......
WASHINGTON: The United States has strongly condemned the terrorist attack on an Indian Air Force base in Pathankot, but urged all countries in the region to work together to defeat terrorists.In a......
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Riaz Hussain Pirzada has said that China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is crucial for the country’s economic stability and security and......
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif will visit Sri Lanka from Jan 4 to 6 on the invitation of the president of Sri Lanka.During his stay in Colombo, he will meet Sri Lankan President......
PESHAWAR: Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of his own faction of Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam, has called upon Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to take parliament into confidence about the army chief’s visit to......
QUETTA: More than a week has passed since the election of Nawab Sanaullah Zehri as chief minister of Balochistan but he is yet to form his cabinet and is ‘running the government’ without ministers......
ISLAMABAD: Environ-mental and beekeeping experts have termed rising temperature and unseasonal rains as the major causes of destruction of honeybees and reduction in honey production.The Pallas......
ISLAMABAD: The Chairman of the Senate standing committee on defence production, retired Lt Gen Abdul Qayyum, has said that India’s arms deal with the United States can create a big hurdle in the way......
PUNE: More than 150,000 Hindu hardliners, all dressed in khaki shorts, white shirts and black hats, put on a massive show of strength at an elaborate rally in western India on Sunday.It was the......
BAGHDAD: Attacks by five suicide bombers on an Iraqi military base north of Baghdad on Sunday killed at least 15 members of the security forces and wounded 22 others, security sources said.Two of the......
JERUSALEM: Israeli prosecutors filed murder charges on Sunday against a man and a minor for an arson attack in the occupied West Bank that killed three members of a Palestinian family and helped fuel......
DUBAI: Iranian protesters stormed the Saudi embassy in Tehran early on Sunday and Iran’s top leader predicted “divine vengeance” for Saudi Arabia’s execution of a Shia cleric.Strong rhetoric from......
KARAK: Fourteen wedding guests travelling in a Hiace van were burnt alive on Sunday after the vehicle caught fire on the Indus Highway following a head-on collision with a Land Cruiser.The van......
ISLAMABAD: Two of the four highway projects in Balochistan recently inaugurated by Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif as part of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) have been awarded to the second......
NEW DELHI: An undetermined number of suspected Jaish-i-Mohammad militants were holding out late into Sunday night inside India’s sensitive Pathankot air force base, as the government scrambled to......
DUBAI: Iran accused Saudi Arabia on Monday of using an attack on its embassy as a pretext to sever ties in a diplomatic crisis deepening their often violent struggle for influence across the Middle......
NEWS reports have recently surfaced that the Pentagon is preventing President Obama’s most recent attempt to shut down the detention centre at Guantanamo Bay. Shutting down the infamous military......
The year began with heady rhetoric from Gen Raheel Sharif. Speaking in Quetta on New Year’s Day he stated that this would be the year that terrorism would be eradicated from Pakistan. At roughly the......
FOR some observers, 2015 marked the consolidation of power by the sitting government, and the entrenchment of the prime minister’s political position after what had been a tumultuous preceding year.......
Modi's ‘surprise’ Dec 25 stopover in Lahore has led to numerous questions, explanations and speculations. The significance of the stopover is already being tested by Pathankot. Nevertheless, it was......
WHILE Pakistan-India ties are necessarily about a great deal more than terrorism, the latter is perhaps the one threat that can derail the relationship yet again.It is too early to know the facts......
THE amnesty scheme tabled by the government before parliament deserves serious consideration. This is not the same as many other amnesty schemes attempted in the past.It is very specific in its......
ONLY 2,350. This is the number of foreigners who visited Lahore in 2015, the city that is said to be without parallel and that has drawn the proudest and most boastful songs out of a long line of......
