IKEA might not be coming to Pakistan after all
Ambassador deletes tweet after sharing news; BoI, MoC, SECP unaware of development
Pakistan highlights massive HR abuses in IOK at UN: Akram
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram on Thursday said that during the year 2020, Pakistan’s key objective at the UN remained highlighting the continued military siege and massive human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
In a video message, Munir said that the legal, political and moral case for Kashmiris freedom struggle was laid out, citing...
3 more extrajudicial killings in IOK; Pakistan renews call for independent probe
ISLAMABAD: sPakistan has strongly condemned the extrajudicial killing of three more innocent Kashmiris in yet another fake encounter by Indian occupation forces in Indian Occupied Kashmir (IOK).
Foreign Office (FO) Spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri, in a statement on Thursday, reiterated Pakistan's call for independent inquiry under international scrutiny to investigate the unabated extrajudicial killings of Kashmiris by Indian occupation forces...
New master plans of all big cities to be prepared: PM
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that new master plans of all the major cities of Pakistan will be prepared to prevent the unplanned spread of urbanisation and to protect nature.
In a televised briefing on Thursday, he said that the unplanned spread of cities can create food security problems for Pakistan in future if this practice is continued...
Study finds news coverage helped curb Covid misinformation
A new study conducted has suggested that media outlets should continue to provide practical information to the public as the efforts of journalists and media organisations has helped keep the general public informed and safe during the pandemic.
The research titled “Public Trust in the Media during the Coronavirus Pandemic” was published by Media Matters for Democracy (MMfD) as...
Covid-19 vaccine will be available in March 2021, says P&SHC secretary
LAHORE: Following the federal cabinet's decision to purchase the Covid-19 vaccine from a Chinese company and regarding its purchase and availability, Punjab Primary and Secondary Healthcare (P&SHC) Secretary Captain (r) Muhammad Usman on Thursday said that work is underway on the purchase and it will be available by March 2021.
According to sources, the federal government has started preliminary preparations for...
PM announces extension of fixed tax regime for construction sector till end 2021
Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Thursday announced that the fixed tax regime for the construction sector that was introduced earlier this year had been extended to Dec 31, 2021.
"I want to give good news for the new year. We have extended the fixed tax regime to Dec 31, 2021," the PM said during a live address to...
Bitcoin rises above $29,000 after climbing 50pc in December
NEW YORK: Bitcoin vaulted above $29,000 to reach yet another record level on the last day of 2020, showing no signs of slowing down its huge December rally.
The largest cryptocurrency by market cap climbed to as high as $29,292 before pulling back slightly to trade at $29,150.49 as of 10:18am Pakistan standard time on Thursday. It has advanced almost...
Karachi to close restaurants early, celebrate NYE responsibly
All businesses and restaurants in the port city are closed down by 8 pm on New Year's Eve, directed Karachi Commissioner Navid Ahmed Shaikh on Thursday.
This decision, which was taken during a meeting to outline the security plans, was made to prevent traffic jams. The official notification said that "owing to security reasons and on the request of the police...
Engro Polymer & Chemicals Ltd. initiates IPO listing
LAHORE: Engro Polymer & Chemicals Limited has successfully undertaken the Initial Public Offering of its Preference Shares. The public subscription was held successfully on December 17 and 18.
The listing of the said shares will take place on December 31, 2020.
The prospectus of the company was published and made available to the public on December 10, 2020. Arif Habib Limited...
Pakistan LNG seeks two cargoes for April delivery
SINGAPORE: Pakistan LNG is seeking two liquefied natural gas (LNG) cargoes for delivery in April, a tender document posted on the company website showed.
The state-run procurement agency is seeking the cargoes on a delivered ex-ship (DES) basis at Port Qasim, Karachi, for delivery over April 5 to 6 and April 19 to 20, according to the document.
The tender closes...
Pakistan to purchase 1.2m Covid-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will purchase 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccine doses from China’s Sinopharm, a minister said on Thursday, the first official confirmation of a vaccine purchase by the South Asian country as it battles the second wave of infections.
China approved a Covid-19 vaccine developed by an affiliate of state-backed pharmaceutical giant Sinopharm on Thursday, its first approved shot for general...
China approves first homegrown vaccine said to be 79.3pc effective
Chinese health regulators said on Thursday that they have given conditional approval to a coronavirus vaccine developed by state-owned Sinopharm.
The two-dose vaccine is the first approved for general use in China. The go-ahead comes as the country has begun to vaccinate 50 million people before the Lunar New Year holiday in February.
"Conditional approval means that research is still ongoing,...
US slaps tariffs on French and German wines, aircraft parts amid EU dispute
WASHINGTON: The US government on Wednesday said it would raise tariffs on certain European Union products, including aircraft components and wines from France and Germany, the latest twist in a 16-year battle over aircraft subsidies between Washington and Brussels.
In a statement, the Office of the US Trade Representative (USTR) said it was adding tariffs on aircraft manufacturing parts and...
Families claim Kashmiri youths killed in encounter were not militants
In a rare protest, the families of three people killed in a gunfight in Kashmir have said that they were not militants, adding that two of them had only left their home for some work.
Two teenagers and a young man were killed after a firefight with a joint team of police and government forces at Hokersar on the city outskirts...