RIYADH: The Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region’s economic losses will amount to almost $200 billion by the end of 2021 as a result of the pandemic, Arab News quoted the World Bank, as saying. The region’s GDP contracted by 3.8 per cent in 2020 and is forecast to grow by 2.8 per cent … Read more
RIYADH: The UAE has announced the UAE Net Zero by 2050 Strategic Initiative, a national drive to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050, making the Emirates the first to do so in the MENA region, WAM reported. The initiative, announced at Expo 2020 Dubai, aims to underpin dynamic economic growth alongside positive environmental impact. The UAE … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Ports Authority (Mawani) and Dubai Ports World launched the construction works for the first phase of the Southern Container Terminal development project at Jeddah Islamic Port, SPA reported. The development work will be carried out in four phases, with the project scheduled to be completed by 2024. It includes improvements that will enable … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi oil giant Aramco is considering selling a stake in its retail fuels and lubricants business, and could list shares on the Riyadh Stock Exchange, Bloomberg reported, citing people with the knowledge of the situation. Talks about an initial public offering (IPO) are at an early stage, the people said, asking not to be … Read more
LONDON: Britain will take its first step towards trade negotiations with the six-country Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), asking British businesses what they want an agreement to cover, Reuters reported. Trade Minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan is targeting a deal with the GCC, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait and Bahrain, as she looks to … Read more
MANILA: Veteran Philippine journalist Maria Ressa on Saturday said her Nobel Peace Prize was for “all journalists around the world”, as she vowed to continue her battle for press freedom. Ressa, co-founder of news website Rappler, and Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov were awarded the prize on Friday for their efforts to “safeguard freedom of expression”. … Read more
BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Saturday that the Taiwan question arose out of the weakness and chaos of the Chinese nation, and it will be resolved as national rejuvenation becomes a reality. “This is determined by the general trend of Chinese history, but more importantly, it is the common will of all Chinese … Read more
BEIJING: A delegation from the China Petroleum Pipeline Engineering Company (CPP) and China Zhenhua Import and Export Company called on Pakistan’s Ambassador to China Moin ul Haque at the embassy. Led by Qi Huang, general manager of CPP, and comprising senior executives from China Zhenhua, the delegation discussed their plan to invest in the development … Read more
LAHORE: The Pakistan Flour Mills Association (PFMA) Punjab Chapter has announced to go on a strike from Tuesday, October 12, 2021, if the ambiguities in the official wheat release policy were not removed till Monday. Addressing a press conference, PFMA Punjab chairman Tahir Hanif Malik and group leader Asim Raza Ahmad said that the flour … Read more
ISLAMABAD: After more than three months, Pakistan’s daily Covid-19 cases dropped below 1,000, showed the data issued from the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) on Friday. The NCOC, the department leading Pakistan’s campaign against the pandemic, said that 912 new Covid-19 cases were reported on Thursday. Earlier on July 5, Pakistan reported 830 confirmed … Read more
OSLO: The Nobel Peace Prize was on Friday awarded to journalists Maria Ressa of the Philippines and Dmitry Muratov of Russia for their fight for freedom of expression in their countries. The pair were honoured “for their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace,” said the chairwoman … Read more
WASHINGTON: US special operations forces have been quietly training Taiwanese troops for months, a move which China warned Friday could cause “serious harm” to relations between Washington and Beijing. A contingent of around 20 special operations and conventional forces has been conducting the training for less than a year, the Pentagon official, who declined to … Read more
SYDNEY: The basaltic volcanic rocks, collected as part of China’s Chang’e-5 probe from the Moon, were about 2 billion years old, marking the youngest volcanic rocks identified on the Moon so far, according to an international research published in the journal Science on Friday. Professor Alexander Nemchin from Space Science and Technology Center of Australia’s … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The government is committed to protect and encourage foreign investments and the Board of Investment (BoI) has assured to facilitate the investors and help them execute their investments. The BoI organised an investment promotion seminar to apprise the potential foreign investors on investment policies and opportunities in Pakistan. Board of Investment secretary Fareena Mazhar … Read more
KARACHI: As part of its continued efforts to adhere to the directives of PMDU for organising Khuli Kachehris (both online and in person), focused to eliminate the causes of concerns of its valued customers, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) organised 17 e-Kachehri sessions in Sindh and Balochistan, a statement said. The main session was chaired … Read more
KARACHI: Pakistan’s telecom operator, Ufone and MicroEnsure, a subsidiary of the Micro Insurance Company Group, have collaborated to introduce a convenient and affordable health insurance product “U-Sehat Family” in Pakistan, a statement said. The insurance product brings every Pakistani Ufone user within a virtual health safety net through its affordable, easy to understand and hassle-free … Read more
KARACHI: The leadership of Businessmen Group (BMG) and office-bearers of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) have expressed deep grief and sorrow over the loss of lives caused by a horrifying earthquake of 5.9 magnitude, which struck Balochistan on Wednesday night. In a joint statement, Businessmen Group chairman and former president of the … Read more
KARACHI: North Karachi Association of Trade and Industry (NKATI) president Faisal Moiz Khan has expressed concern over the artificial scarcity created by the local producers of industrial raw materials and the skyrocketing prices, and appealed Adviser to the Prime Minister Imran Khan on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood to take action against stock-pilers of … Read more
