PM Shehbaz directs easier SME financing to boost exports
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday directed the relevant authorities to improve small and medium-sized enterprises’ (SMEs) access to financing, saying the sector was vital for increasing Pakistan’s exports and strengthening economic growth. Chairing a review meeting on the performance of the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority (SMEDA), the prime minister instructed officials […]
Oil prices gain as focus shifts to supply recovery and demand
Oil prices edged higher on Tuesday, though gains were capped as traders looked beyond easing geopolitical tensions in the Middle East and turned their attention to supply increases and demand prospects. Brent crude futures gained 38 cents, or 0.5%, to $72.37 a barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate crude rose 30 cents, or 0.4%, to […]
NAB may prevent closure of many graft cases
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) is considering an innovative legal interpretation aimed at preventing the closure of a large number of corruption cases that may otherwise fall outside its jurisdiction because of the inflation-linked increase in the bureau’s financial threshold. Well-placed sources told The News that a proposal is under consideration within NAB and is expected […]
Govt keeps gas prices unchanged despite Ogra reduction
ISLAMABAD: Consumers will not receive lower gas tariffs in FY2026-27 after the federal government decided to retain existing rates despite the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) reducing prescribed prices for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), The News reported, citing senior officials. The government has formally informed the International Monetary […]
Iran fires missiles at commercial ships in Strait of Hormuz: report
Iran’s Revolutionary Guards fired at least two missiles at commercial ships transiting through the Strait of Hormuz on Monday night, Axios reported, citing two US officials. Two commercial ships suffered significant damage but had no casualties, the report said, citing a US official. Separately, Britain’s maritime security agency said a tanker caught fire after being hit by […]
Trump to meet Zelenskiy and al-Sharaa at NATO summit in Turkey
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump is set to hold bilateral meetings with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on the sidelines of the NATO summit in Turkey. A senior US official confirmed the engagements on Sunday. The high-level summit begins on Tuesday as the United States steps up efforts to help end […]
MQM-P threatens to quit govt over unmet demands
KARACHI: The Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) has threatened to quit the federal government over what a senior party leader described as unmet demands. Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Sunday, MQM-P senior leader Dr Farooq Sattar issued a “final warning” to the federal government, stating that the party will opt to move to the […]
Gul Plaza fire: police file charge sheet against 11-year-old boy, five others
KARACHI: Karachi police have filed a charge-sheet in the Gul Plaza fire case, naming an 11-year-old boy, his father and four office-bearers of the market’s management committee as accused over the blaze that killed 72 people. The charge sheet, submitted to a court through the prosecution department, said that the January 17 fire was originated from an […]
Millions join Ayatollah Ali Khamenei’s funeral procession as Iran mourns slain supreme leader
Islamabad : Millions of mourners poured onto the streets of Tehran on Monday for the funeral procession of Iran’s slain Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with state media describing the event as the largest public gathering in the country’s modern history. Iranian state broadcaster Press TV and the Tasnim news agency reported that vast crowds […]
Indian PM Modi under fire over ‘engineered’ honours on overseas tours
New Dehli :Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has come under fire following a report claiming that multiple awards and honours he received during overseas visits were created shortly before his arrival in the respective host countries. The controversy came to light after Modi received one of Seychelles’s “highest” honours during his recent visit to the […]