Pakistan has a growing semi-industrialised economy that relies on manufacturing, agriculture and remittances. Pakistan economic expansion for the financial year 2015, which ended on June 30, 2015, was dominated by the Service sector as compared to the ind
During the period of nationalisation in 1970s, the country saw many of the leading giants of various industries fall into the control of government. Life insurers also met the same fate and were amalgamated into State Life, sole state owned and operated e
Globally most insurers seem to be left behind by the rapid changes in customer expectations. The insurance covers have become progressively commoditized and choice over its purchase is almost determined by price, as many customers fail to recognise its va
The insurance sector in Pakistan, until end of year 2000, was under the regulatory purview of the Federal Ministry of Commerce, Government of Pakistan when a new insurance law was introduced in 2000 by repealing previous insurance act 1938. The new law, t
Access to inexpensive and expeditious justice is a fundamental right of the citizen and governments are under obligation to improve access to justice and provide the adequate resources to the judiciary.
It gives me immense pleasure to congratulate the Federal Insurance Ombudsman Secretariat and all the concerned stakeholders for celebrating successful accomplishments of decade long services being provided by the institution.
Muhammad Raeesuddin Paracha is the Federal Insurance Ombudsman, appointed in November, 2015. He has over 35 years of administrative experience at various key federal and provincial assignments. Since his appointment as FIO, he has embarked on a mission to
The sale of domestically assembled cars in the country jumped by 38 percent to 121,934 units during first eight months (July-February) of current fiscal year from the sale of 88,538 cars during same period of last year. According to data released by Pakis
The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) would hold by-election in NA-267 (Kacchi-Cum-Jhal Magsi) on April 28 and issued schedule.According to the schedule issued by the ECP, nomination papers can be filed by candidates from March 24 to 25. The scrutiny
Sindh Rangers have taken stern notice of miscreants fanning violent activities in Karachi. A Rangers spokesman said in a statement that a militant group was making attempts to promote violence in the city.
Governor Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Iqbal Zafar Jhagra Sunday stressed to curb practices of human trafficking by overcoming various social problems like poverty and illiteracy.
Amjad A Khan, Managing Director Nespak, made a detailed visit of various sections of the Orange Line Metro Train (OMT) Project here on Sunday. He took detailed briefings from the in-charges of various portions of this important project regarding the quali
Declaring human trafficking as a global challenge, Pakistan People's Party (PPP) chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari on Sunday called for multilateral efforts to eradicate the menace.
Former President General Pervez Musharraf (Retd) was shifted to a local hospital, here on Sunday. According to reports, Musharraf was shifted to PNS Shifa hospital when his blood pressure shoot up and he fainted.
Shazia Syed is the new Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Unilever Pakistan Limited. BR Research last week decided to interview her and tried to get her opinion about FMCG sector and Pakistani consumer.
Shazia Syed is the new Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of Unilever Pakistan Limited. BR Research last week decided to interview her and tried to get her opinion about FMCG sector and Pakistani consumer.
Mainstream political parties in India are refusing to acknowledge that Pakistan is sincere in offering its cooperation in the fight against terrorism, perhaps, because anti-Pakistan rhetoric still sells well. First it was the Himachal Pradesh Chief Minist
Pensioner Anna Kovalyova, 63, would struggle to make ends meet on her pension worth $250 if it was not for the subsidies from the authorities in Turkmenistan that make water, gas and electricity almost free. "In 25 years of independence our country has pr
Federal Reserve policymakers will hold their finger away from the rate-hike trigger when they meet next week, analysts say, but chances are it could move a bit closer.
This is the first of a two-part series of articles on the Indian budget and comparisons with Pakistani budgets. Part one focuses on revenue generation while part-II will focus on expenditure.
Punjab became the first province last year to put in place a modern Land Record Management Information System (LRMIS) with the admirable objective of eliminating corruption, forgery, land grabs and to increase efficiency. Service centres have been functio
Pakistan must increase its food output by 40 to 50 percent if it is to be able to feed the projected population of 221 million by 2025. This disturbing data was revealed in a day-long workshop titled "Technical Assistance: Balochistan Water Resources Deve
Donald Trump doubled down Sunday on his claim that "thugs" - not his heated rhetoric - are to blame for spiralling violence at his rallies, two days before crucial votes that could propel him to an insurmountable lead in the Republican White House race.
China plans to set up an "international maritime judicial centre" to help protect the country's sovereignty and rights at sea, its top judge said on Sunday. Giving a work report at the annual meeting of China's largely rubber-stamp parliament, chief justi
Islamic State fighters retreated from several western Iraqi towns and towards the Syrian border on Sunday as security forces worked their way up the Euphrates Valley, officers said. The jihadist organisation's leadership ordered its fighters out of Hit, K
Greece said Sunday it backs the presence of Turkish observers on its Aegean islands in a bid to speed implementation of a plan to return migrants stranded there to Turkey. "We hope they (the Turkish observers) come to the islands... Amid the chaos there n
A draft European Union plan to send back some migrants to Turkey has legal and moral flaws and could put vulnerable people at risk, the head of Amnesty International said, calling on Europe to take in more people seeking refuge instead.
Saudi security forces shot dead a woman armed with a machine gun during a raid to arrest a man suspected of involvement in attacks on Shia Muslims and on security forces, state news agency SPA reported on Sunday.
The United States is looking for a way to break the deadlock between Israel and the Palestinians, Secretary of State John Kerry said on Sunday, acknowledging that by itself it could not find a solution.
Thousands of Spaniards, including leading lights from the world of bullfighting, on Sunday joined a protest rally in favour of the traditional but controversial pastime. The protesters marched through the streets of the eastern town of Valencia to protest
Tens of thousands of Moroccans marched though the capital Rabat on Sunday to protest against UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon's position on the Western Sahara dispute and rally support for the king.
Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party, has asked the government to extend help to growers to safeguard their standing crops from any damage by the current spell of rain across the country.
Increasing number of illegal auto workshops, car dealers' shops, illegal encroachments, parking on service roads, footpaths and fruit sellers occupying one third of city's roads are causing traffic jams and creating trouble to commuters in the metropolis.
Qudratullah Khan Marwat, an officer of Police Service of Pakistan (PSP) lastly posted as additional IGP KP was given a farewell dinner here at simple yet impressive ceremony.
Rain and snowfall continued for third consecutive day in district Swat as land-sliding and snowfall rendered major of roads, including Malam Jabba Road in upper Swat.
Chairman All Pakistan Paper Merchants Association (APPMA) Muhammad Anis has proposed that the import of security paper in finished printed material should not be allowed.
Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Qaim Ali Shah, has said that three departments namely health, education and local bodies are most important and that if they improve their performance most of the public grievances would be redressed automatically. This he said
Sindh Chamber of Agriculture (SCA) has demanded the Sindh government to announce bailout package of Rs100 billion for agriculture sector because it is also facing the same financial crisis as PIA and Steel Mills. The SCA at Hyderabad Club on Sunday organi
Chief Secretary (CS) Sindh Muhammad Siddique Memon has ordered for an inquiry into 203 development schemes of Thatta and Sujawal district. He has sought comprehensive report on these schemes within a month.
New Inspector General of Police (IGP), Sindh, A D Khawaja, has vowed to take every possible step for the maintenance of law and order in Karachi and the rest of the province. He was talking informally to the senior police officers at the CPO, here on Sund
Five terrorists were killed in a shootout with Frontier Corps (FC) at Dera Bugti on Sunday. A FC spokesman said that security forces carried out a raid on a tip off. The terrorists opened fire upon the FC cops. Frontier Corps retaliated leaving 5 saboteur
Unidentified men on Sunday lobbed hand grenades targeting two Rangers' pickets located in separate areas of the metropolis. However, no loss of life was reported in both attacks. Following the incidents, heavy contingent of police and rangers, besides res
People who read from an iPad for 30 minutes before going to sleep felt less sleepy and had different electrical activity in the brain during sleep than those who read from a physical book, a recent study found.
Climate change will claim vast swathes of land needed to grow staple food crops in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly maize, bananas and beans, researchers warned on March 07. Up to 30 percent of areas growing maize and bananas may become unsuitable for the
A US government weather forecaster said on March 10 it sees a near 50 percent chance La Nina could develop by the Northern Hemisphere fall on the heels of the El Nino conditions likely to dissipate in the coming months.
The level of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere increased at a record pace last year, US government scientists reported, raising new concern about one of the top greenhouse gases and the effects of global warming. The measurement came from the National Ocea
A low-cost urine test that detects tuberculosis in people living with HIV can save thousands of lives, many of them in sub-Saharan Africa, a Cape Town University researcher said on March 09. Nearly 40 percent of adults with HIV/AIDS in Africa die of TB as
Many parents don't remember if their children were tested for hearing loss at birth, a new study found. Diagnosis and treatment of hearing loss at birth is critical to lowering the risk of impaired speech, language and literacy later in life, write the re
So-called "good" cholesterol may actually increase heart attack risks in some people, researchers said on March 10, a discovery that casts fresh doubt on drugs designed to raise it. High density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol is generally associated with r
The Zika virus, already linked to brain damage in babies, can also cause a serious brain infection in adult victims, French researchers warned on March 10.
Samsung is bringing a 360-degree camera to the market. The spherical device called Gear 360 was showcased at the recent Mobile World Congress in Barcelona. It has two wide-angle lens that take a 360-degree panorama between them which can then be viewed on
Instant messaging service WhatsApp has announced it will end support for a number of older mobile operating systems by the end of 2016. This will affect all Blackberry OS devices including Blackberry 10, Nokia's S40 and Symbian S60, Android 2.1 (?clair) a
Microsoft Corp planned on Monday to announce its move into a new business, unveiling a database software that works with a rival to its Windows operating system, a move that takes aim at a market long dominated by Oracle Corp. Microsoft's new database pro
Google on Monday opened its Project Fi mobile phone service to anyone in the United States using its latest model Nexus smartphones. The public launch of Project Fi marked the end of a 10-month, invitation-only test phase and comes as the Internet giant's
The gatekeeper of Internet addresses on Thursday approved a plan to break from US oversight, shifting those symbolic functions to the broader global online community. The plan, which now heads to the US government for approval, aims to maintain Internet g
The bane of "ransomware" used by hackers to hold data hostage was expected to begin striking a small number of Mac computers on Monday. Researchers at US computer security firm Palo Alto Networks said that they alerted Apple over the weekend to the discov
A group of former Skype technologists, backed by the co-founder of the messaging platform, has introduced a new version of its own messaging service that promises end-to-end encryption for all conversations, including by video. Wire, a 50-person start-up
One of Google's top computer programmes squared off against a human opponent for a five-round match of the boardgame Go on Wednesday, in the latest development to pit artificial intelligence against human ingenuity.
Google on Wednesday let developers have an early look at the next version of Android in a move that could get the software into a wider variety of devices.
Apple is inviting media to a March 21 event at its headquarters in Silicon Valley, where the company is widely expected to introduce a new, smaller iPhone and the iPad's next generation.
Looking for a restaurant on your holiday tour or curious enough about a billboarded sight to divert off the road? Now, iOS Google Maps users can add pit stops along their route and still remain in navigation mode.
Wishing you could swipe or pinch your screen on your laptop like you do with your smartphone? It's possible with the new Neonode Airbar, which turns PCs and laptops into touch interactive devices.
The cloud-based messaging industry is gaining another competitor as Telegram eclipses the 100-million-user mark and continues to grow. Two and a half years after launching, Telegram announced that it delivers 15 billion push notifications daily and 350,00
Cathay Pacific Airways reported on March 09 a more than 90 percent surge in net profit for 2015, beating estimates, as record low crude oil prices and a higher contribution from its affiliate Air Chinav boosted income. Cathay said annual net profit was HK
Cathay Pacific Airways reported on March 09 a more than 90 percent surge in net profit for 2015, beating estimates, as record low crude oil prices and a higher contribution from its affiliate Air Chinav boosted income. Cathay said annual net profit was HK
Insurer Prudential posted an above-forecast annual pretax operating profit of 4 billion pounds ($5.68 billion) on March 09, boosted by strong performances at its British, US and Asian life businesses.
Insurer Prudential posted an above-forecast annual pretax operating profit of 4 billion pounds ($5.68 billion) on March 09, boosted by strong performances at its British, US and Asian life businesses.
China has scrapped investment quota for all eligible foreign asset managers to enter its interbank debt market and the implementation details are expected to be finalised this month, Standard Chartered said on March 08. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) s
China has scrapped investment quota for all eligible foreign asset managers to enter its interbank debt market and the implementation details are expected to be finalised this month, Standard Chartered said on March 08. The People's Bank of China (PBOC) s
German top-of-the-range carmaker BMW said on March 09 it clocked up record sales and profits in 2015 and would increase its dividend payout to shareholders. "The BMW group achieved its sixth record-breaking year in succession in 2015, posting new highs to
Russian aluminium giant Rusal said on March 09 a plunge in the price of the metal hit revenues last year as fourth-quarter net profit dived but said it was confident demand would pick up in 2016. The cost of aluminium fell to a six-year low in late 2015,
Russian aluminium giant Rusal said on March 09 a plunge in the price of the metal hit revenues last year as fourth-quarter net profit dived but said it was confident demand would pick up in 2016. The cost of aluminium fell to a six-year low in late 2015,
Volkswagen plans to cut about 3,000 office jobs in Germany by the end of 2017 as the carmaker strives to offset the cost of its emissions test-rigging scandal, two sources at the company said on March 10. Europe's largest automaker is cutting investment b
As oil firms slash billions of dollars of investment to survive the market crash, France's Total and Italy's Eni are making some of the smallest cuts, gambling in the hope of big-ticket discoveries that will reward them when prices recover.
Saudi Aramco plans to nearly double its gas production to 23 billion standard cubic feet per day in the next decade, its chief executive said on March 08. "The kingdom has managed to increase gas production from 3.5 billion standard cubic feet (scf) per d
Carrefour, the world's second-largest retailer, said on March 10 it would step up investments to renovate and open stores this year to cement its turnaround in Europe and revive weak sales in China.
Sri Lanka and Pakistan must overcome batting inconsistency if they are to leave India with a second World Twenty20 title, with both sides coming into the tournament on the back of uninspiring performances at the Asia Cup.
Holders Arsenal were dumped out of the FA Cup by Watford on Sunday, while Anthony Martial's 83rd-minute goal earned Manchester United a 1-1 draw with West Ham United. Odion Ighalo and Adlene Guedioura ended Arsenal's two-year reign as FA Cup holders as Wa
Colourful Dera Ismail Khan Division Women Games got under way under the aegis of Director General Sports and Youth Affairs Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at different venues including Sports Complex Dera Ismail Khan amidst tight security around the venues on Sunday.
China's Lin Dan swept to his sixth All-England Championships title on Sunday and then insisted he was good enough to win a third Olympic men's singles gold medal at Rio 2016.
The combination of India's flat pitches and cricket's most trigger-happy batsmen is certain to produce some torrid moments for fast bowlers during the World Twenty20. Pacemen have rarely been the stars of the T20 show, a format which tends to have master-
Four goals from Zlatan Ibrahimovic spurred Paris St Germain to their fourth successive Ligue 1 title with a 9-0 rout of Troyes, becoming the first team to win the championship after 30 matches.
The World Twenty20 is the one major international cricketing prize to have eluded Australia but with the batting firepower in their ranks, they cannot be ruled out as contenders to grasp it at the sixth attempt. With David Warner, Shane Watson, Glenn Maxw
South Africa will believe they have a chance to finally shed their image as major tournament chokers when they head to the World Twenty20 in India as one of the form sides. The Proteas have often entered global championships in limited-overs formats among
Tamim Iqbal's maiden Twenty20 century helped Bangladesh storm into the World T20 Super 10s with a resounding 54-run win against Oman via the Duckworth/Lewis method in the last qualifier in Dharamsala Sunday.
Pakistan skipper Shahid Afridi on Sunday brushed off concerns over security for his team at the World T20, saying he was looking forward to playing in front of India's raucous crowds.
Fifty-stage frack jobs. Fifteen-foot cluster spacing. More than 2,000 pounds of proppant concentrate per foot. Top US shale producers are pushing fracking technology to new extremes to get more oil out of their wells, as they weather lower-for-longer oil
Cigarettes had disappeared from the shelves in some Saudi cities on Sunday amid speculation on social media that the government was about to raise prices on tobacco and other products that are harmful to health.
China Vanke Co Ltd, the country's largest property developer, said on Sunday its core profit rose 13.1 percent in 2015 to a new record, slightly below forecasts, helped by a resurgence in China property sales that has left some government officials concer
China Vanke Co Ltd, the country's largest property developer, said on Sunday its core profit rose 13.1 percent in 2015 to a new record, slightly below forecasts, helped by a resurgence in China property sales that has left some government officials concer
Tens of thousands of protestors poured onto the streets of major cities on Sunday to demand the removal of President Dilma Rousseff amid Brazil's worst political and economic crisis in a generation.
A consortium made up of Indonesia's state energy firm PT Pertamina and Japan's Marubeni Corp has signed a deal with General Electric for the US firm to provide gas turbines for a $2 billion power plant in Java, Pertamina said.
US investment company Blackstone Group is close to selling a portfolio of American luxury hotels to China's Anbang Insurance Group, news reports said Sunday.
British finance minister George Osborne said on Sunday he would announce further cuts to public spending this week to protect his austerity plan from a weakening of the economy, but said they would not be drastic.