RIYADH: The value of contracts awarded in the second quarter of the year more than doubled to SR25.8 billion ($6.9 billion) in Saudi Arabia, as the kingdom continued to bounce back from the global pandemic, Arab News reported. This figure marks the third consecutive quarter of growth after the slowdown caused by the health crisis was at … Read more
RIYADH: The chief executive of ENGIE in Saudi Arabia says that the number of renewable energy projects in the kingdom means that the power giant will need several thousand recruits over the coming years to cope with demand. In an interview with Arab News he says: “Our growth expectations are continuing to meet our customers’ needs. We … Read more
RIYADH/JEDDAH: Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has said that the Saudi economy is expected to get SR27 trillion in government spending and investments by 2030, as the kingdom plans to be among the top 15 global economies, Arab News reported. The kingdom will invest more than SR12 trillion ($3.2 trillion) by 2030 to spur local … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The members of the Iran-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group discussed the strengthening of bilateral relations and the enhancing of parliamentary cooperation between the two countries at a meeting held on Monday. The Islamic Republic of Iran and Pakistan, as two neighbouring countries, enjoy good relations and cooperation, and active parliamentary diplomacy prevails between the two … Read more
LAHORE: Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry president Mian Nouman Kabir, senior vice president Rahman Aziz Chan and vice president Harris Attique called on Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar and discussed problems being faced by the business community. The chief minister assured them of resolving the issues of industrialists and reiterated that the government … Read more
KARACHI: The entire business, industry and trade community of Pakistan is mourning the demise of the legendary and celebrated scientist and father of Pakistan’s nuclear programme Dr Abdul Qadeer Khan, an official said. Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) president Mian Nasser Hyatt Maggo said that Dr A Q Khan lived an … Read more
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the relevant authorities to take all possible measures to provide land; electricity and gas connections; and tax incentives to attract more and more Chinese companies invest in Pakistan and populate the Special Economic Zones. “Pakistan needs investment to accelerate industrialisation,” the prime minister said, while chairing a meeting … Read more
KARACHI: The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has achieved the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) new distribution capability (NDC) level 4 certification, a statement said. The national flag carrier has recently embarked upon a digital transformation programme, under which PIA is focused on modernising its business practices, resource competence, technology upgrade and partner collaborations in line … Read more
ISTANBUL: Law Minister Farogh Naseem has termed Pakistan a test case for the fairness of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) as, he added, it has done “everything” to get off the grey list. In an exclusive interview with the Anadolu Agency on the sidelines of an event in Istanbul, Naseem said the Global money-laundering … Read more
Prime Minister Imran Khan said the United States (US) has to “pull itself together” and deliver an aid package to Afghanistan or face its collapse which would become a haven for Islamic State militants. In an interview with the Middle East Eye (MEE) in Islamabad, the premier said it was important to Pakistan that Washington … Read more
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has asked the federal government to complete the new census by December 2022, sources told Bol News on Monday. Officials shared that the ECP, in a letter, informed the government that the census needs to be completed by December 2022 as new delimitations are required after the count. The … Read more
DUBAI: Confidence among Dubai businesses reached its highest level in 10 years, fuelled by improved business activity with the beginning of the world’s largest event Expo 2020, Khaleej Times quoted a survey released by the Dubai Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The survey results revealed that 76 per cent of the companies noted improved business confidence in … Read more
India’s foreign exchange reserves fell $1.169 billion during the week ended October 1, Khaleej Times reported. The Reserve Bank of India’s (RBI) forex reserves declined to $637.477 billion from $638.646 billion reported for the week ended September 24. India’s forex reserves comprise foreign currency assets (FCAs), gold reserves, SDRs and the country’s reserve position with the International Monetary Fund. … Read more
WASHINGTON: Delays and price hikes are anticipated in the United States for holiday merchandise, a Federal Reserve official has warned, calling for more to be done to boost the workforce. “Right now, we see consumers trying to get out early and spend their money to get their goods before they run out,” Mary Daly, head of … Read more
Pakistan has reiterated that the United States withdrawal from Afghanistan after 20 years of war was a ‘hasty call. In an exclusive interview with Khaleej Times, President Arif Alvi said that peace in Afghanistan would bring prosperity to the region and open a window of business opportunities for the world to connect with Central Asian … Read more
KABUL: The United Nations children’s fund (UNICEF) has urged the Taliban’s caretaker government to resume children’s vaccination amid fear of spreading polio and measles in war-affected Afghanistan. “The health system is about to collapse, we have weeks, not months or years. We will have humanitarian catastrophe,” UNICEF Deputy Executive Director Omar Abdi was quoted as … Read more
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
KABUL: The United States and Britain warned their citizens on Monday to avoid hotels in Afghanistan, days after dozens were killed at a mosque in an attack claimed by the Islamic State group. The Taliban, which seized power in August and declared an emirate, are seeking international recognition and assistance to avoid a humanitarian disaster … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The two state-owned companies, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) would lay around 18,731km of pipelines in their respective areas to strengthen their network transmission and distribution networks during the current fiscal year. Last year, the companies laid around 3,540km pipelines against the target of 7,497km, according to … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The government was striving to include the maximum number of young people into the national job market by creating massive employment opportunities under the Kamyab Jawan Programme (KJP), an official said. In a statement, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs Muhammad Usman Dar said that so far over 33,000 youth got … Read more
LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to increase the number of price control magistrates for checking overcharging and hoarding of commodities in the province, a statement said. The decision was taken at a meeting chaired by provincial Minister for Industries Mian Aslam Iqbal and Punjab chief secretary Kamran Ali Afzal at the Civil Secretariat. The … Read more
BEIJING: The 330MW Thar Energy Limited (TEL) power project in Thar Block-II being completed under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) in Sindh was making steady progress, a senior Chinese official said. The TEL power plant was a 330MW mine-mouth lignite-fired power project being built by the Thar Energy, which was owned by Hub Power Company … Read more
LAHORE: The present government was working out short-, medium- and long-term projects to revive the dwindled economy of the country, a senior government official said. Addressing as the chief guest at an alumni dinner organised by the Punjab University’s Institute of Business Administration (PU-IBA), Federal Finance and Revenue Minister Shaukat Tarin said that all the … Read more
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday gave New Delhi more time to appoint a lawyer for Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav to ensure a fair trial. It will now take up the case on December 9. A larger IHC bench comprising three members, including IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah, Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice … Read more
TEHRAN: Iran’s first president after the 1979 Islamic revolution, Abolhassan Banisadr, died in a Paris hospital on Saturday aged 88, the official news agency IRNA said. “After a long illness, Abolhassan Banisadr died on Saturday at the (Pitie-)Salpetriere hospital” in southeast Paris, IRNA reported, citing a source close to the former president. Banisadr was elected … 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
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
