NEW DELHI: India’s biggest festive season is in full swing but top brands are under pressure from right-wing hardliners accusing them of hurting Hindu sentiments. Critics say an atmosphere of growing religious intolerance and fear since Hindu nationalist Prime Minister Narendra Modi came to power in 2014 is behind the rise in social media vitriol … Read more
LULEÅ, Sweden: In a gleaming new building in the northern Swedish town of Lulea, steelmaker SSAB is using a new manufacturing method that could revolutionise the highly-polluting industry by eliminating nearly all its CO2 emissions. But making the method work at scale poses major challenges and the technique may not be the ‘silver bullet’ everyone is … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Uzbekistan on Tuesday signed a protocol on the establishment of a Joint Security Commission to enhance bilateral cooperation in security-related matters. The signing ceremony, held in Islamabad, was followed by the inaugural session of the security commission formed under the protocol. Secretary of the Security Council of Uzbekistan Lt Gen Victor Makhmudov … Read more
LOS ANGELES: The growth of streaming and binge-watching during the pandemic have switched more audiences onto foreign cinema, veteran director Michael Mann said Monday at the launch of Hollywood’s French film festival. “Heat” and “The Last of the Mohicans” director Mann was speaking at the 25th anniversary opening night of COLCOA, which celebrates French movies … Read more
Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan is celebrating his 56th birthday at his farmhouse in Alibaug with his son Aryan Khan and other family members. Shah Rukh Khan and his family have gathered at his property, according to Indian media, following Aryan’s recent release on bail. The actor’s birthday will be celebrated in Alibaug by his … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The federal cabinet, with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair, is meeting in the capital on Tuesday to discuss the political and economic situation of the country. According to Bol News, during the meeting, the participants will deliberate over the situation in the country amid the outlawed Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) protest and the … Read more
PARIS: As warnings have intensified about the massive damage that climate change will have on the world in the coming decades, big business has started to make commitments to reduce carbon emissions. But are these companies making a genuine attempt to fight global warming, or simply “greenwashing” their brands to try to divert criticism while … Read more
DUBAI: China said that it would increase wind and solar power capacity to more than 1,200 gigawatts and increase non-fossil fuels to 25 per cent of the primary energy use, Arab News reported. A practical move in anticipation of COP26, where world leaders will discuss policies to fight climate change, China has begun building major wind and … Read more
DUBAI: Dubai has announced the listing of 10 government and state-owned companies on the Dubai financial market, in an effort to accelerate new listings in various sectors, including energy, logistics and retail, Arab News reported. Sheikh Maktoum bin Mohammed bin Rashid, deputy ruler of Dubai and UAE minister of finance, also announced the formation of a Dubai … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Arabia and Oman have signed two agreements to enhance cooperation in land and air transport, Arab News reported. “The memorandums of understanding aim at exchanging experiences between the two sides and enhance cooperation in these sectors,” the kingdom’s Ministry of Transport and Logistics said in a statement after the signing in the capital, Riyadh. The … Read more
RIYADH: Saudi Finance Minister Mohammed Al-Jadaan revealed that there will be no reduction in value-added tax (VAT) in the near future, but it would be considered when public finances improve in several years, Arab News reported. The goal of the VAT is to deal with the shock of the Corona pandemic, he said. There will be no … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Serious efforts and prudent policies of Prime Minister Imran Khan bore fruit, as all the major economic indicators were on an upward trajectory, resulting in sustainable growth of the national economy, an official said. In a tweet, Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib said that all the economic indicators, including exports, … Read more
KARACHI: The Sindh Engro Coal Mining Company (SECMC) board has approved the expansion of its Thar Coal Block II mine to 12.2 million tonnes/annum (Phase III), a statement said. With this expansion, coal price of SECMC mine will reduce to $27/tonne, it added. SECMC is expected to complete this expansion by June 2023. At a … Read more
LAHORE: The government was making sincere efforts to provide due rights and facilities to the labourers, an official said. Speaking at a consultative workshop on proposed amendments in the Punjab Social Security Act, provincial Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal said that there was a need to change five decades old act for the protection … Read more
SEOUL: South Korean automakers’ global car sales logged a double-digit fall in October, owing to the supply disruption of semiconductors, industry data showed on Monday. Five domestic carmakers, including Hyundai, Kia, Renault Samsung, GM Korea and Ssangyong, sold a total of 548,192 vehicles at home and abroad in October, down 22.2 per cent from the … Read more
KARACHI: Businessmen Group (BMG) chairman Zubair Motiwala and Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) president Muhammad Idrees have expressed concerns over high production cost of electricity being generated by the K-Electric (KE), and urged the power utility to shut down inefficient power generation plants, while the power generation mix must also be improved to … Read more
KARACHI: Select Technologies, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air Link Communication has partnered with Xiaomi for the manufacturing of Xiaomi mobile phones in Pakistan, a bourse filing said. “Air Link is targeting a production of initially around 2.5 to 3 million handsets annually subject to smooth supply chain, which is expected to add approximately $450 million … Read more
ISTANBUL: Turkey has raised natural gas prices by 48.4 per cent for large industrial and commercial organisation subscribers for November, while experts warned of higher inflation rates. The latest hike was announced by Turkey’s BOTAS Petroleum Pipeline Company, which also revealed that the tariff for electricity generation plants for the same month was increased by … Read more
QARA SHABAGH: Haji Mohammad Pahlawan waves his whip in the air, pulling his grey stallion away from the calf carcass he has just dumped in a goal to claim victory in a tournament of buzkashi, Afghanistan’s national sport. A cloud of dust swirls around the heaving scrum of three dozen horses competing in the final … Read more
Virat Kohli is being targeted online by extremists for supporting Muslim bowler Mohammad Shami while receiving rape threats to Anushka Sharma and his 10-month-old daughter. Kohli came out in support of Shami a week after the match. But it cost him more than he had anticipated. Some people were unable to cope with the camaraderie … Read more
LISBON: Whistleblower Frances Haugen issued a stinging rebuke of Facebook’s “Meta” rebrand on Monday, accusing the company of yet again prioritising expansion over people’s safety. The former Facebook engineer, who leaked a trove of internal documents that have sparked weeks of criticism of the social media giant, also called on its chairman and CEO Mark … Read more
BEIJING: The gratifying achievements of Pakistan’s economic recovery were attributed to the effective lockdown strategy to contain Covid-19, the sound policies of the government on the economic development, the diligence and wisdom of all Pakistani people, and the driving effect of the progressing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor. These views were expressed by Cheng Xizhong, visiting professor … Read more
A day after the banned Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) called off its rally against the government, Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry acknowledged the media for being “responsible and cautious”. The minister took to Twitter on Tuesday and thanked the media for the role it played during the crisis. “I would like to thank … Read more
Adele wowed fans by announcing the tracklist for her new album 30, which will be released on November 19. Adele’s song list includes Cry Your Heart Out, Love Is A Game, and I Drink Wine, implying that her divorce from Simon Konecki will be thoroughly discussed. The singer’s album, which features 12 tracks and three … Read more
Shahrukh Khan, the king of Bollywood, turned a year older today on November 2. This birthday is even more special for him because his son has returned from jail to celebrate with him. Shahrukh Khan fans can’t stop wishing the actor on their Twitter accounts. Fans are wishing the actor a happy birthday on social … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the relevant authorities to take necessary measures for bringing down the prices of essential commodities so that maximum relief could be provided to the common man. Chairing a meeting to review the overall economic situation in the country, the prime minister was apprised of inflationary trend in the … Read more
SHANGHAI: China’s government has urged citizens to stock up on daily necessities and for authorities to take steps to ensure adequate food supplies as the country adopts increasingly tight measures to contain its latest Covid outbreak. A notice posted on the website of the Ministry of Commerce late on Monday urged “families to store a … Read more
MUMBAI: Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan became the first Indian celebrity to join the global NFT craze by launching an auction of his digital memorabilia on Monday. Non-fungible tokens — unique digital objects such as drawings or animations — have soared in popularity in recent months. Investors and wealthy collectors have clamoured to get involved in … Read more
