Tue, 21-Oct-2025

Sri Lankan merchandise exports surpass revenue target for 2021

sri lankan exports

COLOMBO: Sri Lanka’s merchandise exports were recorded at $12.48 billion in 2021, surpassing the country’s export revenue target of $12.14 billion, local media citing provisional data from the Export Development Board (EDB) reported on Saturday. Minister of Trade Bandula Gunawardena was quoted by the Daily FT as saying that Sri Lanka’s merchandise export revenue grew … Read more

Australian number one Barty enters third round

barty

Power-serving top seed Ashleigh Barty raced into the Australian Open third round Wednesday with another stellar performance, expelling little energy to swat aside Lucia Bronzetti. The Australian world number one is in commanding early-season form, and she was laser-focused on Rod Laver Arena against her second qualifier in a row, blasting through the Italian 6-1, … Read more

Italian president thanks citizens for sense of responsibility

ROME – In what was due to be his last New Year speech as the country’s president, Sergio Mattarella on December 31 thanked Italians for their “maturity and sense of responsibility” during the two years of the coronavirus pandemic. Mattarella, 80, was elected Italy’s 12th president on January 31, 2015, and his seven-year mandate will … Read more

Naval Chief discusses bilateral collaborations with Italian envoy

navy

Islamabad – Italian Ambassador to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese called on Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi in Islamabad and exchanged views on bilateral relations. According to the spokesperson of the Pakistan Navy, Ferrarese visited NHQ, Islamabad and called on chief of the naval staff. Both the dignitaries discussed matters related to mutual … Read more

Omicron crashes cruise party

cruise

PARIS, Jan 6, 2022 (AFP) – A series of coronavirus outbreaks have cropped up on cruise ships in North and South America, Europe and Asia in recent days despite strict health measures, giving new headaches to the pandemic-hit sector. Safety bubbles that include tests and vaccine requirements were set up to reassure travellers when cruise travel … Read more

Osimhen forced to sit out Africa Cup of Nations

Osimhen

ABUJA: Nigeria have been forced to make four late changes to their final Africa Cup of Nations squad with Napoli striker Victor Osimhen and Watford winger Emmanuel Dennis missing the tournament. Defender Shehu Abdullahi and Leon Balogun are the other two players who will sit out the biennial African football showpiece being hosted by Cameroon and which … Read more

TDAP to provide subsidised stalls at the Intersec 2022

TDAP

KARACHI: The Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) will participate in the Intersec 2022 with the Pakistan Pavilion, a statement said on Friday. TDAP will provide subsidised stalls to increase the exports of personal protection equipment (PPE), corporate wear and uniform protecting clothing, gloves, workwear, foot protection, hand and arm protection, it added. These subsidised stalls … Read more

Italy tightens border rules for EU arrivals

Italy tightens border rules for EU arrivals

ROME, Dec 15, 2021 (AFP) – Italy will tighten restrictions for arrivals from the rest of the EU from Thursday, requiring coronavirus tests of everyone and a five-day quarantine for those who are not vaccinated. Previously, EU arrivals had to show proof of vaccination, recent recovery or a negative test. The decree signed by Health Minister Roberto Speranza … Read more

UniCredit plans to give investors $18 billion by 2024

UniCredit

ROME: Italian bank UniCredit announced a three-year business plan on Thursday that includes distributing some 16 billion euros ($18 billion) to shareholders from 2022 to 2024, Reuters reported. The plan under CEO Andrea Orcel, who took over in April, also calls for raising net profit to 4.5 billion euros by 2024, from a targeted 3.3 billion euros … Read more

Worker victories over gig economy giants

economy

PARIS: A growing number of countries are taking on gig economy giants like Uber, Bolt and Deliveroo by giving their workers, who are routinely treated as freelancers, full employment rights. With the European Union executive tabling new proposals on Thursday to clear up the grey area, here is a snapshot of recent decisions shaking up the … Read more

Italy imposes new Covid rules on unvaccinated

Italy imposes new Covid rules on unvaccinated

ROME, Dec 6, 2021 (AFP) – People in Italy unvaccinated against Covid-19 can no longer go to the theatre, cinemas, live music venues or major sporting events under new rules that came into force Monday. Only those who have recently recovered from Covid-19 are exempt from the rules, which represent a significant tightening of restrictions in … Read more

Swiss lift Omicron 10-day quarantine

Swiss lift Omicron 10-day quarantine

BERN, Switzerland, Dec 3, 2021 (AFP) – Switzerland announced Friday it was dropping 10-day quarantine rules for people flying in from countries where the Omicron Covid-19 variant has been detected. The wealthy Alpine nation — one of Europe’s top skiing holiday destinations — said the rule no longer made sense now that the variant is also … Read more

Maradona tributes the backdrop as rattled Napoli aim to bounce back

Maradona

MILAN: Napoli will pay tribute to Diego Maradona on Sunday when they host Lazio hoping to put two painful and costly consecutive defeats behind them. The football world honoured Maradona on the anniversary of his death on Thursday but Napoli are using this weekend’s fixture to enable Neapolitans to finally say goodbye at the place where their icon was … Read more

As Portugal and Italy face play-offs, where do World Cup contenders stand?

Cristiano Ronaldo

PARIS: Holders France hope to retain their title but the 2022 World Cup in Qatar could be missing the two most recent European champions as Portugal and Italy must both battle through play-offs to qualify. That left fans with the prospect of no Cristiano Ronaldo in Qatar next winter and the Azzurri, who thrilled during … Read more

Pakistan, Italy business cooperation should be cemented: envoy

italy

ISLAMABAD: The business communities of Pakistan and Italy needed to be brought closer for enhancing bilateral trade and investment cooperation, a diplomat said. There were vast opportunities for bilateral trade and investment cooperation between Pakistan and Italy from which the businessmen and traders of both countries could reap the benefits, Ambassador of Italy to Pakistan … Read more

Italy seeks Pakistan extradition over missing teen

ROME: Italy said Thursday it had asked Pakistan to extradite the parents of a teenage girl suspected of having been murdered by her family after refusing an arranged marriage. The announcement came after news Wednesday that the uncle of 18-year-old Saman Abbas had been arrested in Paris, accused of her murder alongside her parents and … Read more

International Space Station: Astronauts eat floating pizza in space, watch video

International Space Station: Astronauts eat floating pizza in space

A video of astronauts eating pizza inside the International Space Station has gone viral, causing a frenzy on the internet. Thomas Pesquet, an astronaut, shared a video of himself and his friends eating pizza aboard the International Space Station (ISS), and it has since gone viral, leaving netizens in wonder. The images show Thomas having … Read more

‘Vital to stabilise security situation’ in Afghanistan, PM Imran Khan tells Italian FM

Prime Minister Imran Khan urged the world on Monday that it was “vital to stabilise the security situation” in Afghanistan at the country’s critical juncture. “It is vital to stabilise the security situation in Afghanistan, take steps to consolidate peace, and preclude any mass exodus of refugees,” Prime Minister Imran told Italian Foreign Minister Luigi … Read more

Italian FM Luigi Di Maio in Islamabad to discuss Afghanistan with Shah Mahmood Qureshi

Italian Foreign Minister Luigi Di Maio is in Islamabad to hold talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on the latest developments in Afghanistan, announced the Foreign Office. According to the FO, the two foreign ministers will exchange views on Afghanistan and focus on bilateral relations. “Pakistan and Italy enjoy cordial relations, bilaterally as well … Read more

Alitalia announces it’s shutting down from October 15th

Alitalia

Alitalia, the airline of Italy, will cease operations from October 15th, and will be replaced by the public corporation ITA (Italia Trasporto Aereo). After receiving approval from the Italian civil authorities this week, the latter will begin selling tickets on August 26. Meanwhile, Alitalia’s passengers are encouraged to book their flights before the October 15 … Read more

Unbelievable: Torn sweater for two and a half lakh rupees

Milan: A company that manufactures expensive outfits in Italy has recently introduced torn sweaters that start at 141,450 (approximately PKR 250,000). unbelievable

Looking at these sweaters made by a company called “Balenciaga”, it looks as if they are very old, they have been cut by rats from place to place and the wool has been torn from place to place.

Despite looking so ugly, the company claims that these sweaters are very comfortable and are made of “pure wool” that was first taken off the sheep.

These sweaters were named the “Destroyed Cronic”, as expensive, have been the subject of “rare” experiments by well-known Italian fashion design companies.

Last year, the famous Italian brand “Gucci” had introduced “sad jeans” which cost more than one and a half lakh rupees.

Social media users have also been going crazy with these torn expensive sweaters.

One user jokingly commented: “You can’t fool me. These sweaters are 500 years old (archaeological) excavated!

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Italian envoy sees huge trade, investment opportunities in Pakistan

italy

ISLAMABAD: There are vast opportunities for mutual trade and investment between Pakistan and Italy from which the businessmen and traders of both the countries can reap the benefits, a diplomat said. Speaking at a dinner, he hosted for senior business leaders and presidents of different chambers of the country at his residence, Italian Ambassador to … Read more

Binance warned by Central Bank for operating illegally in Netherlands

Binance

The Netherlands has imposed a ban on Binance. According to De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB), the company has failed to secure the necessary legal registration, making its services illegal in the country.

DNB said, “This means Binance is not in compliance with the Anti-Money Laundering and Anti-Terrorist Financing Act and is illegally offering services for the exchange between virtual and fiduciary currencies and it is illegally offering custodian wallets”.

The central bank may take action against Binance. As of now the bank has not yet any details. A representative of De Nederlandsche Bank said.

In reply, Binance said that it aims to receive licensing approval from DNB “in due course.”

Binance has recently been the subject of intense regulatory investigation in the U.K., Italy, Japan, Canada, Poland, Thailand, the Cayman Islands, Malta, and other countries.

Changpeng Zhao, the company’s CEO, has even stated that he would be willing to resign if someone with a good compliance background was willing to take his place.

Zhao stated that hiring more workers with regulatory skills was his “top priority.”

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Italy, Pakistan to negotiate pact on Labour import: envoy

italy

ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of Pakistan to Italy Jauhar Saleem has hinted towards starting negotiations on a labour and labour force import agreement with Italy for providing more opportunities to the local skilled youth to get employment in the competitive Italian job market. “The agreement is [the] need of the hour for the exchange of legal workforce … Read more

EU diplomats visit West Bank village amid growing conflicts 

RAMALLAH: A group of EU diplomats from European countries paid a visit on Thursday to the West Bank village Beita as conflicts and violence between local Palestinians and Israeli forces continued to increase in the area. “The European Union (EU) and like-minded countries visited Beita village in response to rising levels of settlers’ violence and … Read more

Pakistan, Italy see new dimensions to enhance trade: envoy

italy

ISLAMABAD: The bilateral relations between Pakistan and Italy are looking at new dimensions to enhance mutual cooperation and economic activities in different sectors, a diplomat said. Negotiations between both the sides on enhancing cooperation in the fields of trade, labour market, tourism, agriculture, energy, investment, innovation and skills and media sectors are in the final … Read more

How Countries have made COVID-19 vaccines compulsory

countries

Countries have made COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory for health professionals and other high-risk groups owing to a substantial increase in new coronavirus infections caused by the highly infectious Delta variant and a slowdown in vaccination rates. Here are some countries’ vaccine mandates: CANADA According to CBC News, Canada’s Treasury Board Secretariat is examining whether COVID-19 vaccinations … Read more