Top Stories
PM Imran reaches Saudi Arabia to defuse regional tensions
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Following his visit to Iran on last Sunday, Prime Minister Imran Khan has reached Saudi Arabia as part of his initiative for peace and security in the region. According to Foreign Office, the Prime Minister will confer with the Saudi leadership in light of his recent consultations with other leaders. Bilateral ties…
One policeman martyred, 10 injured in Quetta blast
F.P. Report QUETTA: At least one policeman was martyred and 10 others including five passersby injured in an attack on a police vehicle in Quetta’s Double Road area on Tuesday, officials said. According to police and rescue officials, a loud explosion took place on Double Road in front of a famous car showroom. The law…
Risk of Pakistan’s inclusion in FATF blacklist recedes: sources
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Pakistan will not be included in the black list and India will fail in its efforts, sources privy to the Finance Ministry noted. According to sources, a Pakistani delegation led by Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar told the FATF meeting that Pakistan has made positive progress in 20 out of 27…
President, PM appreciate endeavours of British Royal couple
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William and Kate Middleton called on President Dr. Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad today (Tuesday). The President and the First Lady welcomed the Royal couple. The President commended the visiting dignitaries for their endeavors to raise awareness about mental health, climate change and poverty…
India blocks SMS services in occupied Kashmir after trucker killed
SRINAGAR (AFP): Text messaging services were blocked in Indian occupied Kashmir (IOK) just hours after being restored when a truck driver was killed and his vehicle set ablaze, authorities said Tuesday. Indian authorities had only restored call and text services for mobile phones on Monday, following a 72-day blackout in occupied Kashmir imposed after New…
Omani Army Chief hails Pakistan Army’s role in fight against terrorism
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: Oman’s Chief of Army Staff Lieutenant General Ahmed on Tuesday called on Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa in Rawalpindi, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). The meeting discussed matters of mutual interests and regional peace. The Omani general hailed Pakistan Army’s achievements in fight against terrorism and continued efforts for enduring regional…
Global
Farooq Abdullah’s sister, daughter detained for holding ‘anti-India protest’ in Srinagar
SRINAGAR (AP): Police in India-occupied Kashmir detained at least 12 women, including the sister and daughter of former occupied Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, for holding an anti-India protest, officials said on Tuesday. The women, carrying placards reading “Respect Fundamental Rights” and “Why downgrade Jammu and Kashmir,” assembled on Tuesday in a park…
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Coalition forces announce withdrawal from Manbij, Syria
ANKARA (AA): Amid Turkey’s anti-terror operation in northern Syria, the U.S.-led anti-Daesh coalition on Tuesday announced its withdrawal from Manbij, Syria, an area targeted by Turkey for clearing YPG/PKK terrorists. “Coalition forces are executing a deliberate withdrawal from northeast Syria. We are out of Manbij,” Col. Myles B. Caggins III, Operation Inherent Resolve (OIR) spokesman…
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Trump claims a victory in China trade war, but US farmers want details
NEW YORK (AFP): Saying China has promised to buy up to $50 billion in US agricultural products, President Donald Trump is encouraging American farmers to prepare for a major influx of business. But after months of losses and uncertainty amid the trade war Trump launched, many in the farm sector say they need more detail…
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Bangladeshi court sentences 5 people to death
DHAKA (AA): A Bangladeshi court on Tuesday sentenced five people to death for committing crimes against humanity during the Liberation War in 1971, local media reports said. The International Crimes Tribunal (ICT), a local court formed to hear cases related to the war that marked the country’s secession from Pakistan, convicted them of killings, abduction,…
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US defense chief to ‘press’ for NATO response to Turkey
WASHINGTON (AA): U.S. Defense Secretary Mark Esper said Tuesday he will rally NATO allies to take action against Turkey during the transatlantic alliance’s defense ministerial next week. “I will be visiting @NATO next week where I plan to press our other NATO allies to take collective & individual diplomatic & economic measures” in response to…
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UN says 85 civilians killed, 373 wounded in Afghan election violence
KABUL (AFP): Hundreds of people were killed or wounded in violence related to Afghanistan´s recent presidential election season as the Taliban sought to undermine the democratic process, a UN agency said Tuesday. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 85 people were killed and another 373 wounded in election violence during the…
Read MorePakistan
Pakistan will always stand by Kashmiris: CJCSC
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee General Zubair Mahmood Hayat says Pakistan will always standby Kashmiris in their just struggle for right to self-determination. He was addressing a seminar titled ‘Pakistan’s quest for security and stability’ in Islamabad on Tuesday. The event was organized by Centre for Aerospace and Security Studies. General…
NAB approves assets inquiry against Ahsan Iqbal
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Tuesday approved another inquiry against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s (PML-N) General Secretary Ahsan Iqbal over assets beyond known sources of income allegations. According to sources privy to the development, the anti-corruption watchdog’s Rawalpindi bureau has been directed to immediately launch investigation into the matter. It may be noted that…
Three of a family martyred, seven injured in unprovoked Indian firing across LoC
F.P. Report RAWALAKOT: Two children among three members of a family were martyred and seven others injured in unprovoked Indian shelling from across the restive Line of Control (LoC) on Tuesday. Talking to journalists, Kahuta’s superintendent of police (SP) said that Indian troops resorted to unprovoked firing in Rawalakot sector across the LoC and resultantly…
Don’t look towards govt for jobs: Fawad Chaudhry
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry on Tuesday said public should not look towards the government for jobs. Addressing the second Deans International Conference of Engineering Institutions in Islamabad, the minister said that the government could not provide jobs to the public. “Instead, I want to tell you that the…
NAB grills Nawaz Sharif in Chaudhry Sugar Mills case
F.P. Report LAHORE: A combined investigation team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday investigated former premier Nawaz Sharif in Chaudhry Sugar Mills corruption case. NAB raised 13 questions during the probe to which they did not receive satisfactory responses from the former Prime Minister. According to sources, Nawaz Sharif told the NAB team…
IHC moved again against Azadi March of JUI-F
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: After Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) announced to participate in Azadi March of Maulana Fazlur Rehmen, an application asking Islamabad High Court (IHC) to bar both parties from holding anti government protests has been filed. As per details, the application has been filed by advocate Hanif Rahi in which Secretary interior, JUI-F…
Afghanistan
UN says 85 civilians killed, 373 wounded in Afghan election violence
KABUL (AFP): Hundreds of people were killed or wounded in violence related to Afghanistan´s recent presidential election season as the Taliban sought to undermine the democratic process, a UN agency said Tuesday. The United Nations Assistance Mission in Afghanistan (UNAMA) reported that 85 people were killed and another 373 wounded in election violence during the…
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Civilians killed in an airstrike
Monitoring Desk WARDUJ: At least two civilians were killed, and six others were wounded, in an airstrike in Warduj district of Badakhshan province of Afghanistan on Sunday afternoon, local officials confirmed on Monday. The airstrike took place in Zohr village of Warduj on Sunday and targeted Attaullah, a Taliban commander in the district, according to…
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Election results ready later this month: IEC
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Afghanistan’s delayed presidential election results should be ready later this month, after technical problems with the counting, its Independent Election Commission said on Monday. Afghans voted in presidential elections earlier last month despite Taliban threats and violence. However, the polling was marred by widespread misconduct and accusations of fraud — as well…
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Washington supports IEC’s decision on biometric votes
Monitoring Desk KABUL: The US Ambassador to Afghanistan John Bass said that Washington supports the decision by the Independent Election Commission to validate only biometric votes. Bass said the election commissions should continue their work independently, with full US support. He said that the important point is to protect the transparency in the process: “We…
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Over 1,200 Afghan youth commissioned to army
Monitoring Desk KABUL: A total of 1,232 youth after completion of a 12-week military training course and receiving certificates have been commissioned to the national army, said an army spokesman Barat Ali Rezai here. “The newly graduated youths have completed the three-month military training course in Kabul Military Training Center (KMTC) here and have been…
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Afghan museum restores Buddhist history, one broken piece at a time
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Restoring Afghanistan’s Buddhist artifacts that were destroyed by the Taliban 18 years ago is like working on a 1,500-year-old jigsaw puzzle, say conservators working on the latest restoration project. The militant Islamic group in 2001 destroyed artifacts dating from the third century when many Afghans practised Buddhism, including two towering Buddha statues…
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Business
Conducive environment for real estate sector demanded
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (ICCI) Muhammad Ahmed Waheed has said that real estate sector has the potential to drive the growth of economy and stressed that government should take policy measures to create conducive environment for it so that it could play more effective role in the economic development…
Steps demanded to avert looming gas crisis
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Economy Watch on Monday said the crisis-like situation can emerge in the gas sector during winter which will be more serious than the last year’s crisis. A crisis can engulf the country in the biting winter as the production of local gas continues to fall, the LNG sector is riddled…
Services’ trade exports decrease 7.15%
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The exports of services during the first two months of the current fiscal year decreased by 7.15 percent as compared to the corresponding period of last year. The services exports from the country during July-August (2019-20) were recorded at $809.03 million compared to the exports of $871.35 million during July-August (2018-19), showing…
EFU Life bags 2 awards at ‘Dragons of Asia’
F.P. Report KARACHI: EFU Life Assurance Limited, the leading life insurance provider in the country, has been conferred two awards at the ‘Dragons of Asia’ ceremony that was held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. ‘Dragons of Asia’ is a marketing communications industry award programme that recognizes the result-driven marketing strategies of various countries in the Asia-Pacific…
Zong 4G partners with Enfrashareto expand network
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Zong 4G, Pakistan’s leading telecommunication network, has entered into a strategic partnership with Enfrashare Private Limited, a leading connectivity infrastructure provider. The partnership will support Zong 4G’s expansion of its largest 4G network of country to provide better coverage and an unrivaled subscriber experience. With more than 12,000 4G sites across Pakistan,…
SALT launches winter collection
F.P. Report KARACHI: SALT, the pioneering western wear range from Ideas Pret, has just launched their highly anticipated winter collection. SALT by Ideas Pret Winter 2019 brings a world of warmth and style to winter fashion on the high street. SALT has become highly coveted for its high-quality western separates in contemporary silhouettes at affordable…
Sports
Phil Simmons reappointed Windies coach three years after being axed
Monitoring Desk ST JOHNS: Phil Simmons has returned to take charge of the West Indies three years after being dismissed in controversial circumstances, Cricket West Indies announced on Monday. In a statement, CWI said that Simmons would be head coach for the next four years. He led the Windies to the 2016 T20 World Cup…
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Build on the World Cup legacy: Jofra Archer
LONDON (Agencies): English cricket authorities must make the most of the thrilling World Cup triumph in July to encourage youngsters to take up the sport over the long term, according to England pace bowling star Jofra Archer. The 24-year-old Barbados-born bowler — who made an immediate impact when he became eligible to play for England…
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Lyon appoint Garcia as manager
PARIS (Agencies): Former Olympique de Marseille and AS Roma coach Rudi Garcia will take charge of Olympique Lyonnais, the Ligue 1 club said on Monday. “Olympique Lyonnais confirms the appointment of Rudi Garcia as coach starting today,” OL said in a statement, adding that he had signed a contract until 2021. Garcia, 55, replaces Brazilian…
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Umar, Asif lead Northern to five-wicket win over Southern Punjab
FAISALABAD (Monitoring Desk): Batsman Umar Amin’s half-century and a quickfire 44 not-out from batsman Asif Ali helped Northern to a comfortable win over Southern Punjab in the third match of the ongoing National T20 Cup at Faisalabad’s Iqbal Stadium. Set 136 runs to win, Northern chased down the target in 19 overs at the loss…
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Inam Butt eyes another Gold medal for Pakistan at the World Beach Games
DOHA (Monitoring Desk): Pakistan’s top wrestler Inam Butt will be in action today at the ANOC World Beach Games in Doha where he is eyeing yet another gold medal. Butt — who was Pakistan’s sole gold medallist in Commonwealth Games last year — will compete in 90kg weight categories with all his bouts on Monday,…
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Ex-India skipper Ganguly poised to become cricket board chief
MUMBAI (Agencies): Former India captain Sourav Ganguly is poised to take over as the president of the country’s cricket board as nominations closed Monday for elections to the sport’s wealthiest and most powerful body. Ganguly, 47, was the only candidate to file his nomination for the top post after being unanimously chosen as the presidential…
Read MoreFashion & Movies
Female characters shouldn’t be portrayed as physically tough: Angelina Jolie
Monitoring Desk LOS ANGELES: Hollywood superstar Angelina Jolie, who stars in Maleficent: Mistress of Evil, said female characters in films should not have to be portrayed as physically tough in order to be considered strong, reported. Talking to media at the launch of film, Jolie said, “We have strong women, but the character that is…
Deepika Padukone wants to do a silent movie in the future
Monitoring Desk ISLAMABAD: Deepika Padukone is the chairperson of the MAMI trust and she opened the film festival with a Movie Mela today. A press conference was held with her where she was asked about movies, life and more. Deepika spoke of the different genres she’s already worked in and what she wishes to explore…
Vietnam pulls Dream Works’ ‘Abominable’ film over Sea map
Monitoring Desk HANOI: Vietnam has pulled DreamWorks’ animated film “Abominable” from cinemas over a scene featuring a map which shows China’s unilaterally declared “nine-dash line” in the South China Sea, state media reported on Monday. The U-shaped line is a feature used on Chinese maps to illustrate its claims over vast expanses of the resource-rich…
Gold, diamond shoes unveiled in Dubai
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: A pair of high heels that pays homage to the glamourous emirate of Dubai is vying to break the world record for the most expensive shoes in the world. Designed by Italian designer Antonio Vietri, the Moon Star Shoes were made with a solid gold heel that replicates the shape of the…
Afghan all-female orchestra performs in Australia
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Afghanistan’s first and only all-female orchestra is in Australia to play at the Sydney Opera House and the Robert Blackwood Hall at Monash University in Melbourne, to commemorate 50 years of diplomatic relations between Australia and Afghanistan. Parwiz Shamal, reporting for TOLOnews, said that 1500 tickets were issued for Saturday’s concert in…
Rich tribute paid to legend Pashto actor Badar Munir
F.P. Report MARDAN: Rich tribute paid to legend Pashto actor (late) Badar Munir for his best performances in showbiz industry which he played for revival of Pashto culture, language and custom and tradition. In this regard, a function was organized in the auditorium hall of Mardan press Club by Al Badar Munir Foundation to celebrate…
Science & Technology
NASA releases 3D map of the moon
Monitoring Desk MARYLAND: Using the data from Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter, Ernie Wright- a science visualizer who works at the Scientific Visualization Studio at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Maryland- has brought the Moon to life in unprecedented detail. He has created the online CGI Moon kit that allows making NASA’s data more accessible…
Danger of Nomophobia is growing, says expert
Monitoring Desk ANKARA: Children are spending an exorbitant amount of time glued to their electronics, increasing the danger of nomophobia. A study found that 66% of people in the Europe have nomophobia, that people cannot escape phones, said an expert. A 2019 survey published by a Media company found that European teenagers (ages 13-18) averaged…
Nokia smartphone roll out of Android 10 begins: Nokia 8.1 to receive latest Android OS upgrade
F.P. Report KARACHI: Keeping with its promise to offer a smartphone experience that keeps getting better, HMD Global, the home of Nokia phones, has announced that starting from today the rollout of Android 10 will begin with the Nokia 8.1. As the first Nokia smartphone to receive this latest OS update – and as the…
Windows 10 preview brings Android phone calls to your PC
Monitoring Desk CALIFORNIA: Windows 10’s Your Phone calling support is finally here, provided you’re willing to live life on the edge. Microsoft has released a Windows 10 Insider Preview for Fast ring testers that adds the ability to take and start calls from your PC. You’ll need a handset running at least Android 7.0 Nougat…
UBL to offer mobile contactless payments
F.P. Report KARACHI: UBL is the first bank in Pakistan who has partnered up with Gemalto, a Thales company, Visa and 1LINK to launch digital payment through tokenization on the UBL Digital App. The aim is to offer traditional payment services into convenient, secure and rewarding digital payment experiences. With this ambition in mind UBL…
Samsung takes pre-orders for foldable phone
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: Pre-orders for the Samsung Fold — the highly anticipated and equally heavily scrutinised smartphone with the folding screen — began on Sunday, the company announced. The Fold will be available at Dh7,199. The Android phone grabbed attention for its ability to open and close like a book when it was first announced…
Health
Dengue fever kills one more in Karachi
F.P. Report KARACHI: One more patient of dengue fever died, raising the death toll from the deadly disease to 15 in Karachi this year. According to reports, a resident of Pirabad Colony of Manghu Pir area of Karachi was admitted at a private hospital a few days ago after medical tests proved that dengue virus…
Inattentive polio supervisor halts anti-polio campaign
Ahmad Nabi LANDI KOTAL: Former area supervisor Loy-Shelman blamed that due to negligence of the polio unit supervisor, conducting an effective polio eradication campaign was impossible. Addressing to a press conference ex-polio area supervisor Shamsher said that it was the policy of polio campaign to hire services of local people for the drive however the…
Dengue fever claims two more lives in Punjab
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: The dengue virus has claimed another two lives and taking the death toll to 28 in Rawalpindi. According to reports, the first victim was 12-year-old Sajid, who was under treatment in the ward specified for dengue victims Benazir Bhutto Hospital. The other death was reported from Holy Family Hospital. Earlier today, another…
HIV/AIDs claim 10 lives as 837 positive cases registered
F.P. Report HYDERABAD: After an outbreak of HIV/AIDs as many as 10 people have lost their lives while 837 patients have so far been registered in Antiretroviral Therapy Clinic (ARTC) established at Liaquat Medical University hospital Hyderabad in August 2018. According to official figures, out of 837 registered positive cases 92 patients have been declared…
Scientists reveal the mechanism of real-time speech interpretation of human brain
Monitoring Desk CAMBRIDGE: Scientists have come a step closer to understanding how we’re able to understand spoken language so rapidly, and it involves a huge and complex set of computations in the brain. In a study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, researchers at the University of Cambridge developed novel…
Breast cancer awareness seminar held
F.P. Report LAHORE: SZABIST Biosciences Department in collaboration with Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital and Research Centre (SKMCH&RC) conducted a Seminar, “Breast Cancer Awareness Seminar”. The main objective of the event was to deliver a complete awareness about the early diagnosis of breast cancer (BC), which is still considered a taboo. Topics covered in seminar…
Travel
Thailand: Finance Ministry approves stimulus package to spur tourism
Monitoring Desk BANGKOK: The Finance Ministry has now approved a stimulus package for the last three months of the year to boost Thailand’s tourism sector. The aim is achieve a 3% growth rate. The Thai Tourism and Sports permanent secretary Chote Trachu says the purpose is to increase the total tourist arrivals for the second…
Tunisia: French tourist killed in stabbing
Monitoring Desk TUNIS: A French tourist was killed and a soldier injured in a knife attack in northern Tunisia, said the country’s interior ministry on Monday. A ministry statement said the attacker was known to law enforcement authorities and had a criminal record. It said a manhunt has been launched for the attacker, but gave…
These are the countries where tourists spend the most money
Monitoring Desk LONDON: A new survey reveals the cost of visiting some of the world’s top destinations. Globehunters used World Tourism Organization data to provide insight regarding how much money travelers spend in each country and where they can expect to spend the most. The results can help travelers budget properly for their next journeys,…
Dharabi Lake to be developed as tourist-spot: Buzdar
F.P. Report CHAKWAL: Punjab Chief Minister Sardar Usman Buzdar paid a surprise visit to Dharabi Lake in Chakwal on Thursday while en-route to Lahore from Islamabad on a helicopter. He inspected the activities being done to promote tourism in the area. Speaking on the occasion, UsmanBuzdar said that the Dharabi Lake will be developed as…
Chinese tourism growth slows as overseas travel loses its luster
Monitoring Desk BEIJING: The rapid growth of Chinese tourism took a bit of a breather during the latest week-long National Day holiday, government data indicate. The seven-day vacation from Oct. 1 to Oct. 7 is dubbed “Golden Week” and is one of the few major government-mandated holidays in a country where personal vacation days are…
Lonely Planet guide reveals Saudi Arabia’s tourism treasures
Monitoring Desk LONDON: Saudi Arabia has been designated “the final frontier of tourism” by Lonely Planet, one of the world’s largest travel guidebook publishers. The sixth edition of the company’s Oman, UAE & Arabian Peninsula travel guide was published this month, with an extensively updated section on Saudi Arabia, which announced its newly simplified e-visa…
Articles
Voices for Kashmir: Getting Louder and Shriller
Iqbal Khan On conclusion of Prime Minister Imran Khan’s visit, China once again reaffirmed on October 09 that the Kashmir issue was a dispute left from history that needs to be properly and peacefully resolved in line with the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions and bilateral agreements. A joint communique said that the…
Who is Ethiopian premier Abiy Ahmed, winner of 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for Eritrea Accord?
Hana Saada Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed has been crowned the winner of the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize for “his efforts to achieve peace and international cooperation” with his neighbor, Eritrea, beating 16-year-old climate activist Greta Thunberg. The prize was awarded on Friday for “his efforts for peace and international cooperation and for his decisive…
Russia’s uneasy relationship with Europe
Tarik Oguzlu Russia’s relationship with Europe contains both a strong historical legacy dating back to the modernization efforts of the Czar Peter the Great and the institutional interactions between Russia and the European Union since the end of the Cold War era. Historically speaking three alternative narratives have shaped Russia’s relations with Europe, namely pro-Europeanism,…
Western criticism of Turkey’s Syria operation is a joke
Tallha Abdulrazaq The West’s fetishisation of the YPG in northern Syria is ignorant and insulting to all Kurds – and that’s just one part of a broad narrative riddled with hypocrisy and an ignorance of history. Were it not for its effect on the lives, safety and security of real people, the Western pantomime over…
Turkey to play active role in Iraqi oil swap
Omid Shokri Kalehsar Baghdad reported its highest oil production on record last August at 4.6 million barrels per day (bpd) from the country’s southern fields and exported a large portion of it. The first Iraqi-Turkish oil pipeline, built in 1976, has been ineffective in recent years in northern Iraq. Now the governments of Turkey and…
Strategies for combating international terrorism in Central Asia
Shuaib Bahman After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Central Asia has been cast as the site of a new “great game”. Central Asia has been largely influenced by international developments and the emergence of persistent sources of instability and tension in other parts of the world, including the Middle East and North Africa. Some…
Editorial
JUI baton laden rally
As show of agitation muscle JUI (F) volunteers wearing a sort of private militia uniform took out baton laden rally on the Ring Road in Peshawar on Sunday. It was a deliberate attempt of the party leadership to reveal that this party has the means and manpower strength to challenge the writ of the state.…
World Bank report
The World Bank Report on the performance of South Asian economies titled: “South Asia Focus 2019 fall” predicts that inflation rate in Pakistan will shoot up to 13 percent, fiscal deficit will widen and public debt will mount further during the next two years. It depicts different picture when compared with the quarterly economic reviews…
Oil and gas exploration in KP
Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has approved in principle an investment programme in oil and gas exploration projects. He has directed the energy department to move formal summary for its inclusion in the annual development programme. The provincial government intends to lease out 12 blocks in the tribal districts and 19 in the settled…
Arm twisting again
In a twitter message Ms Alice Wells, assistant Secretary of the US State Department Bureau for South Asia and Central Asian affairs, appreciated Pakistan’s recent measures for militancy control but once again urged for doing more to stop militants from operating within its borders. She expressed partial satisfaction over the arrest of four leaders of…
Quarterly economic review
Highlighting the salient features of quarterly economic review, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr.Abdual Hafeez Sheikh cited improvements in all macroeconomic indicators. He said that deficit in current account has decreased by 35 percent, fiscal deficit has gone down by 36 percent, tax revenue is up by 16 percent and exchange rate stability…
Conciliatory gesture
Prime Minister Imran Khan has waved an olive branch to JUI (F) Central Amir Maulana Fazalur Rehman by saying that option of talks with him on resolving political issues will remain open. Although it is belated offer of holding unconditional talks but needs to be reciprocated who it to carry forward the journey towards the…
Arts and Literature
Lit & Luz Festival unites U.S. and Mexican cultures across borders, art genres
The day after a 7.2-magnitude earthquake hit Oaxaca in February 2018, the streets of Pilsen were quieter, more tense than usual for a winter day. That’s how photojournalist Sebastián Hidalgo remembers the day, after seeing the pouring out of family members checking in on their relatives on the other side of the border using social…
Event on translation of Perveen Shakir’s poetry held in Jeddah
F.P. Report JEDDAH: Oxford University Press organized an event for its publication, Defiance of the Rose: Selected Poems by Perveen Shakir translated from Urdu by Naima Rashid, in Jeddah. The event was held at Medd Café and Roastery, in partnership with four communities— Jeddah Reads, Jeddah Cultural Exchange Company, Joy of Urdu, and Medd Café—which…
KUAF Arts Beat: Born to Pakistani Immigrant Parents in London She Now Paints Her Culture in Arkansas
Monitoring Desk LONDON: How does a London native born to Pakistani immigrants end up moving to Fayetteville, Arkansas, to create detailed portraits adorned in elaborate duptta scarves painted in tribute to her rich cultural history? Find out, in this conversation with painter Shabana Kauser. “If you’d said to me 15 years ago, you’re going to…
Learning Mandarin in Pakistan
Monitoring Desk ISLAMABAD: Pan Yuqi, the first secretary of the culture department at the Chinese Embassy in Islamabad, talks about the rise in the number of young Pakistanis learning Mandarin. Q. Since a few years now, Chinese-language courses are being taught in Pakistan. How do you see this development? Mr. Yuqi: Such developments are bringing…
