ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme will be restored this week, as all the outstanding issues have been resolved, a senior official said on Monday. Addressing the newsmen after the launching ceremony of Pakistan Single Window, Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said that the revival of the IMF … Read more
NEW YORK: Coca Cola announced on Monday that it will acquire full ownership of sports drinks company BodyArmor for $5.6 billion. The beverage giant bought 15 per cent of BodyArmor in 2018, and will continue to operate the firm as a separate business in North America, according to a statement. The company was partly owned … Read more
BEIJING: A Chinese court has given the green light for the $172 billion restructuring of debt-laden conglomerate HNA Group, in a process that could suggest how the authorities will deal with the embattled property giant Evergrande. The group, China’s largest private aviation conglomerate and owner of one of the country’s biggest carriers Hainan Airlines, filed … Read more
DUBAI: Emirates Airline will hold talks with the US aviation giant Boeing over the delayed 777X “before and during” this month’s Dubai Air Show, the company’s chief executive said on Monday. The airline has repeatedly complained about the delivery of the long-haul jet, whose launch has been set back by a series of safety and … Read more
KARACHI: As part of preparations for the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, a film series ‘Voices from the Roof of the World’ (VRW) has been launched on TV and online, says a press release. A joint initiative by the Aga Khan Development Network agencies — Aga Khan University, Aga … Read more
KARACHI: The Institute of Business Administration (IBA) Karachi conferred degrees upon 849 graduates at its Convocation 2020 held at the Main Campus recently. The graduating batch included 585 undergraduate students from six programmes, 263 postgraduate students from eight programmes, and one PhD scholar. Convocation 2020 was postponed last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic, says … Read more
KARACHI: Waqar Siddiqui has been appointed as the chief executive and managing director of Shell Pakistan Limited (SPL) with effect from November 1, 2021, a statement said. Waqar joined Shell Pakistan in 2001 and has since held several roles locally and internationally at senior leadership positions. In his 24 years of oil downstream experience, he … Read more
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: A top US official lashed out on Monday at China’s ‘confounding’ failure to ‘step up’ on global action to manage the climate crisis. President Joe Biden’s national security adviser Jake Sullivan said that most of the world would mark progress at the COP26 climate summit in Glasgow, thanks to a “real … Read more
ABOARD AIR FORCE ONE: US President Joe Biden has tested negative for Covid-19 in the wake of his chief spokeswoman testing positive, the White House said Monday. The “president was tested as well, a PCR test yesterday, and he tested negative,” Principal Deputy Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre told reporters aboard Air Force One, on the way … Read more
ROME: Finance ministers from the Group of 20 (G20) major economies endorsed on Sunday an agreement to revamp international corporate taxation, raising concerns of developing countries. The approval by G20 world leaders came after the Paris-based Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) announced earlier in October that a major reform of the international tax … Read more
LONDON: Britain on Monday warned France it will take action if Paris does not withdraw ‘unreasonable’ threats to impose trade measures in an increasingly acrimonious row over post-Brexit fishing rights. President Emmanuel Macron said that Britain must give ground in the dispute or France will trigger trade reprisals on Tuesday, saying: “The ball is in … Read more
TERMEZ, Uzbekistan: As lorries’ arrive in bursts of dust at a logistics hub in Uzbekistan’s southern city of Termez, squatting drivers share complaints about how trade has suffered since the Taliban seized power next-door. “Before, our journey there and back took three days, now we are there for a week,” said Rafik Khujakov, an Uzbek … Read more
KARACHI: The rupee continued to make recovery against the dollar for the fourth straight day on Monday after the pledge of the Saudi government to support Pakistan’s balance of payments position, dealers said. The exchange rate ended with a gain of 36 paisas to close at Rs171.29 against the dollar from last Friday’s closing of … Read more
There are many ways to improve your skills but the one that is practical, easy and doable is to listen to the maestros who have ‘been there, done that’, in every possible way. Through Never Sleep With The Director and 50 other Ridiculous Film Rules, you get to know at least 51 new things about … Read more
PHUKET: Overseas tourists began pouring into Bangkok and the holiday island of Phuket on Monday as Thailand kickstarted its tourism industry after 18 months of Covid curbs. The coronavirus pandemic hammered the kingdom’s tourism-reliant economy, which last year saw its worst performance since the 1997 Asian financial crisis as arrivals dwindled more than 80 per … Read more
HONG KONG: Three Hong Kong activists, including media tycoon Jimmy Lai, pleaded not guilty on Monday to charges over last year’s banned Tiananmen vigil. The trio, Lai, Chow Hang-tung and Gwyneth Ho will be the only defendants to stand a full trial among more than two dozen pro-democracy politicians and activists charged over the annual … Read more
MOSCOW: Some call it “experimental”, some don’t trust the government, some even buy fake certificates — as their country sees a record coronavirus surge, Russians are proving stubbornly resistant to the country’s Sputnik V vaccine. Russia is among the countries worst-hit by the Covid pandemic and a devastating wave this autumn has seen infections and … Read more
JOHANNESBURG: South Africans cast ballots Monday in local elections expected to reflect growing discontent with the African National Congress, whose popularity has been waning even before deadly riots in July. Polls suggest a majority of voters could for the first time turn against the ANC, which has governed nationally since Nelson Mandela’s election ended white … Read more
KARACHI: A memorandum of understanding was signed between the Jinnah Sindh Medical University’s (JSMU) Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and PharmEvo, DVAGO, National Institute of Child Health (NICH), and Ehad Healthcare on Saturday to bridge the gap between academia and professional practices, says a press release. The MoU was signed on the commemorative event of ‘2nd … Read more
LAHORE: Pakistan’s export diversification has improved considerably during the last three years, which would help enhance exports, a senior official said on Saturday. Speaking at a meeting at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that the market and product diversification … Read more
All over the world, actors who make their debut as youngsters hardly make it big as adults. Our very own Faysal Quraishi is an exception for he delivered memorable performances as a child actor in Mirza & Sons and Duar-e-Junoon in the 1980s and now rules the ratings both as an actor and a host. Besides that, he keeps himself busy … Read more
ISLAMABAD: A national conference on identification and actualisation of the national narrative of Pakistan was held under the auspices of the Islamabad Policy Research Institute, a statement said. The conference was an attempt to initiate a dialogue between various stakeholders in identifying a narrative that reflects the cultural and sociological ethos of Pakistan. IPRI acting … Read more
JERUSALEM: Hackers believed to be linked to Iran have breached an Israeli internet hosting company, taking down several of its sites, local media reported. The cyberattack hit websites including of Israeli public transport companies Dan and Kavim, a children’s museum and public radio’s online blog, with none of the sites available to users by midday … Read more
HOHHOT: The first China-developed hydrogen fuel cell hybrid locomotive started a trial run on Friday on a railway line for coal transport in north China’s Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region. The hydrogen energy locomotive project was jointly launched by the Inner Mongolia subsidiary of the State Power Investment Corporation Limited (SPIC), CRRC Datong Company Limited, and … Read more
PARIS: As nearly 200 nations gather in Glasgow for the UN climate talks starting on Sunday all eyes are on Rome, where a G20 summit ending the same day will signal how committed the world’s major economies are to curbing global warming. Never has climate change figured so prominently on the G20 agenda, and never … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday congratulated the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) for achieving the tax collection of Rs1.840 trillion from July to October this year. In a tweet, the prime minister said the tax collection during the period was 37 per cent higher than the last year. “I want to congratulate [the] … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday turned down a proposal presented by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) and the Finance Ministry for increasing the petrol price by Rs11.53/litre. The prime minister took the decision, keeping in view the public interest and providing relief to them. Keeping in view the price hike in … Read more
Mir Jan Muhammad Jamali of Balochistan Awami Party was elected new speaker of the provincial assembly, reported Radio Pakistan on Saturday. The state media said that Jamali was elected unopposed after as no other candidate filed nomination papers against him. The office of speaker had fallen vacant after of Abdul Quddus Bizanjo resigned to contest … Read more
