The World Health Organization on Wednesday launched a new foundation for private donations, as US President Donald Trump threatens to pull the plug over its handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After weeks of economic shutdowns, the outlook for a rebound remains "highly uncertain" and businesses nationwide are gloomy about how quickly things can return to normal, the Federal Reserve said Wednesday.
Pakistan on Wednesday strongly condemned the commencement of the construction of temple at the site of the historic Babri Masjid in Ayodhya, terming it the a sequel to the controversial decision given by the Indian Supreme Court on the issue.
Russia on Wednesday seized 40 tonnes of European cheeses smuggled into the country in breach of an embargo on EU food imports, the customs service said. The cheese was found at a port near the northwestern city of Saint Petersburg in four containers label
The Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability, Shahzad Akbar, on Wednesday said that most of the sugar subsidies over the last five years were given during previous government of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) with the lion's sha
The pandemic has brought all sorts of strange troubles for individual citizens and businesses alike. One such unique difficulty stems from cancelled flights leading to delays in airline refunds, which has hurt the liquidity of those who had purchased tick
The futures spread increased by 529bps to 12.40 percent on the last day of the trading session Thursday (May 21). Trading activity on the futures counter remained low as average daily volumes decreased by 5.5 percent to 40.76 million shares as compared to
Pakistan Stock Exchange remained under selling pressure during the outgoing week ended May 21, 2020 as investors opted to book profits on available margins before long Eid holidays.
The government is likely to remove 2 percent Additional Custom Duty on 1,630 tariff lines, in addition to substantial reduction in duties on 350 tariff lines in federal budget 2020-21, as all the stakeholders have reached a consensus on this plan, sources
The cockpit voice recorder (CVR) of the ill-fated A320 (PK-8303) of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which is one of the vital parts in air crash investigation, is yet to be found. This development is said to have necessitated extension in stay of t
The United States on Wednesday revoked Hong Kong's special status under US law, paving the way to strip trading privileges for the financial hub as Washington accused China of trampling on the territory's autonomy.
The Covid-19 pandemic has caused surging unemployment worldwide, but has hit young workers especially hard, forcing more than one in six people aged under 29 to stop working, the UN said Wednesday. In a fresh study, the International Labour Organization w
National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday operationalised a hotline 051 111 222 999 for registering and resolving locust related complaints.
Pakistan Business Council (PBC) has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to use stock market/property data and the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) information for documenting the economy and providing a level-playing field to the
US President Donald Trump threatened Wednesday to shutter social media platforms after Twitter for the first time acted against his false tweets, prompting the enraged Republican to double down on unsubstantiated claims and conspiracy theories.
A batch of 176 Pakistani citizens stranded in different parts of India owing to novel coronavirus lockdown returning Pakistan on Wednesday. These Pakistanis were stranded in different Indian States including Chhattisgarh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharash
Foreign investors opted to pull out their investment from Pakistan equity market due to their concerns over deadly coronavirus and slowing economic activities.
After a standoff between PAMA and PAAPAM on auto sector-related SROs, infighting has been reported within the auto-part manufactures, after removal of the PAAPAM's Secretary General (SG) Muhammad Arshad.
A beaming minister of science and technology has won the moon-sighting battle in a highly impressive manner. That he was cent percent confident about his 'prediction' is a fact that has found its best expression from his press conference that he addressed
Accepting food handouts for the first time has become reality for thousands in Spain where poverty has soared during the epidemic, echoing the 2008 crisis from which many have barely recovered.
Lock down or die. Lockdown or economy. Lockdown or jobs. Lockdown or lives. These were the debates prevalent. World over and in Pakistan, from experts to individuals, the over whelming discussion was on the necessity of lockdown to defeat a virus that was
The Islamabad High Court has stayed the suspension of the first-ever elected mayor of Islamabad, Sheikh Anser Aziz, for a period of 90 days by the federal government. No prizes for guessing right the name of the party he belongs to: the PML-(N). According
Two hundred billion rupees were raised through Sukuk-II at competitive book building at Pakistan Stock Exchange at a rate below Kibor. Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr Hafeez Sheikh tweeted that this would save the government 18 billion rupees
The Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry's Businessmen Panel says Pakistan-United States bilateral trade should hit the $10 billion mark with a revised GSP package.
Pakistan Kissan Itehad (PKI) has appealed Prime Minister Imran Khan to order assessment of crop losses and compensate farmers so that they could be in a position to plant substitute crops or continue their economic cycle.
What is common between the disinfected mummy of Ramses II, and a well acclimatized shiny spike silver boll of cotton? Nothing much, apparently. But if one scraps the surface a little, one can find both benefitting from radiations in some way.
Sapphire Fibres Limited (PSX: SFL) was established in 1979 as a public limited company under the Companies Act, 1913 (now the Companies Act, 2017). It is a part of the larger Sapphire Group. The company deals with manufacturing and sale of yarn, fabric an
E-commerce in Pakistan is developing rapidly, but mobile communication and logistics business may be a little behind as some people in rural areas may not have mobile phones.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz on Wednesday said the statement of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on countering anti-Muslim hatred being his top priority was victory of Pakistan's stance.
Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting General Asim Saleem Bajwa (retd) Wednesday said work on the Suki Kinari hydal power project was in full swing as progress on the project remained unaffected due to Covid-19.
A delegation of Nishat Group met Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance and Revenue Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh to apprise him of the damage done by Covid-related economic downturn to large-scale manufacturers, said a press release issued on Wednesday.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) will take up Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz MNA Engineer Khurram Dastgir Khan's petition, challenging the notification for constitution of the National Finance Commission (NFC), on Thursday (today).
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has expressed a deep sense of sorrow and grief over the loss of precious human lives in a traffic accident on motorway near Rajhana Interchange. He also expressed heartfelt sympathies and condolence with the heir
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Wednesday called upon the international community to take notice of India's nefarious designs that posed a great threat to regional peace and security.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday said that India's expansionist policies in the region, led by the ruling right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of Narendra Modi, were becoming a threat to New Delhi's neighbours.
The Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) sent letters to oil marketing companies (OMCs) three times to ensure adequate supply of high speed diesel (HSD) and petrol in interior Sindh and Southern Punjab, in line with the directives of the federal govern
The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Spokesperson, Marriyum Aurangzeb, has claimed that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government gave subsidy and allowed the export of sugar at a time when there was a shortage of sugar in the country.
Former President Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI) and Chairman Businessmen Group (BMG) Siraj Kassam Teli has advised the government to deploy troops from the Army whose presence and patrolling at various commercial markets would ensure strict
Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing & Town Planning, Religious Affairs, Forest and Wildlife Syed Nasir Hussain Shah has said that no new decision has been taken so far to tighten or relax the lockdown in the province.
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah has urged the federal government to provide six aircraft to counter the locust attack on the standing crops in the province.
Government of Sindh has decided to reopen shrine of Lal Shahbaz Qalander for visitors under Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The decision was taken by Sindh government after consultation with Auqaf department. Chief Administrator of Sindh Auqaf Depar
Chairman Pakistan Peoples Party Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that federal government failed to take adequate and required steps to check the imminent attack of locust swarms in Sindh and other provinces as clouds of locusts have landed in different par
Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah presiding over a Covid-19 response meeting here on Wednesday at the CM House directed the health department to make at least 500 monitors and 200 ventilators available in Sindh apart from completing a 50-bed hospit
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has issued guidelines on "Transfer and Assignment of Non-Performing Assets to Corporate Restructuring Companies (CRCs)."
A group of Chinese surveyors on Wednesday became the first team this year to summit Mount Everest, where they will try to pinpoint the height of the world's tallest peak using satellite technology.
Vietnam should immediately release journalists Nguyen Tuong Thuy and Pham Chi Thanh, and drop all charges against them, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today.
The British government said Wednesday it will launch its coronavirus "test and trace" service across England on Thursday, a key pillar in its strategy to ease a nationwide lockdown introduced in late March.
Cyprus hopes to attract tourists after its coronavirus lockdown by paying the medical costs of anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 while holidaying on the island, officials said Wednesday.
Poles will no longer have to wear masks outside starting this weekend as long as they abide by social distancing rules, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Wednesday. The move came as the government further eased the EU member's anti-virus measures.
Danish researchers have developed a robot capable of carrying out COVID-19 screening tests, the University of Southern Denmark announced on Wednesday. Using a 3D-printed disposable arm that is automatically swapped after every patient, the robot takes a t
The US capital is relaxing lockdown restrictions following a sustained period of decreased coronavirus infections, Washington's mayor said Wednesday, announcing that restaurants and other businesses can reopen under social distancing guidelines.
A South African HIV researcher who found that a topical gel could stop many women catching the virus has been awarded one of France's top science prizes.
A French court on Wednesday turned down Rwandan genocide suspect Felicien Kabuga's request to be released on bail pending a decision on where he will be tried after a quarter century on the run.
SpaceX's historic first crewed launch was set to proceed as scheduled Wednesday, NASA announced at midday, but some uncertainty remained over weather conditions just over four hours before takeoff.
Imagine the body's instruction manual, the genome: here words are genes, letters are DNA, and the equivalent of typos can have disastrous consequences.
Emmanuel Kasarherou will make history Wednesday as the first indigenous person ever to head a major French national museum when he is named director of the Quai Branly-Jacques Chirac museum in Paris. Kasarherou, 60 - who has co-curated two major exhibitio
Famed French photographer Roland Michaud, who was best known for his timeless images of Afghanistan before the Soviet invasion, has died aged 89, his publishers told AFP Wednesday.
The US military withdrawal from Afghanistan is considerably ahead of schedule, an official told AFP on Wednesday, as President Donald Trump reiterated calls for the Pentagon to bring troops home.
Japan's stock benchmark Nikkei rose to a three-month high on Wednesday, with financial stocks leading gains, as speculative short-covering during afternoon trade helped the index recoup losses seen earlier in the day.
Eurozone stocks were buoyed on Wednesday by a 750-billion-euro ($824 billion) plan to prop up EU economies hammered by the coronavirus crisis, but falls for healthcare and technology stocks weighed on broader European markets.
A selloff in technology stocks dragged on the S&P 500 and Nasdaq on Wednesday, with investors also cautious about brewing US-China tensions at a time when policymakers are attempting to revive the global economy from a coronavirus-driven slump.
US stocks closed higher on Tuesday on optimism about the development of coronavirus vaccines and a revival of business activity, but the S&P 500 failed to hold above the key psychological level of 3,000 points.
Stock markets in the United Arab Emirates closed higher on Wednesday, with Dubai leading the gains. On Monday, Crown Prince Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed said that Dubai will begin allowing free movement and business activity to restart from Wednesday. Howev
Most Southeast Asian stock markets ended higher on Wednesday, led by Malaysia, on hopes of government stimulus measures to boost coronavirus-hit economies, while a drop in shares of the Singapore bourse operator dragged down its benchmark index.
London-listed stocks notched up their strongest close since early March on Wednesday amid sustained hopes of an economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic, even as unrest in Hong Kong cast some doubt over Sino-US relations.
The Australian and New Zealand dollars held near multi-week peaks on Wednesday amid hopes the world economy was past the worst of the coronavirus shock, even if it might take many more months to fully recover.
Sterling fell 1% on Wednesday as investors' focus shifted back to the possibility of negative interest rates in Britain and on comments from government officials that not much progress had been made in Brexit negotiations.
Most Asian currencies traded flat to lower on Wednesday as rising Sino-US tensions over proposed security laws for Hong Kong prompted investors to latch on to the safety of the dollar.
The dollar steadied against the euro on Wednesday even as the common currency remained supported by news of a proposal for an economic recovery package to help the euro zone region recover from the coronavirus pandemic.
The euro headed towards a two-month high on Wednesday after the European Commission proposed a coronavirus economic recovery package worth in total 1.85 trillion euros ($2.04 trillion).
Chief Executive Officer of North Karachi Industrial Development & Management Company (NKIDMC), Sadiq Muhammad, expressed deep concern over non-compliance of social distance and violation of SOPs by the public in the presence of deadly disease of coronavir
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has been grossly misled by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP)-based local manufacturers of cigarettes that a "local-price new tier" of the Federal Excise Duty (FED) for local brands be introduced in budget 2020-2021, negating t
Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar said on Wednesday that "corona politics" of opposition leaders will not work now and Pakistani nation will not forgive those who are politicizing this pandemic.
Over 2,000 burials were made in around 900 graveyards of the provincial metropolis during the months of April and May this year as against about 5,000 burials made during the same period last year.
The Regional President of International Apparel Federation (IAF) and Chief Coordinator Pakistan Readymade Garments Manufacturers and Exporters Association (PRGMEA) Ijaz A Khokhar has said that the lifestyle and economic scenario has totally been changed d
Chief of Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Sirajul Haq has called upon the government to immediately convene a meeting of the national leadership on the Kashmir issue.
Governor Punjab Mohammad Sarwar has said that Narendara Modi has emerged as biggest enemy of peace and Indian federation, as RSS inspired Modi has pursued jingoism which has put peace of whole region on stake. Defence of Pakistan is in strong, responsible
Companies working in the information technology (IT) and information technology enabled services (ITES) sectors are feeling the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic; these companies fear that they will have to lay off staff in order to survive the impact.
The Pakistan Poultry Association (PPA) North Zone has appealed to Punjab government to avoid interfering in prices of poultry products so that its balance of demand and production could improve and people can get quality and cheaper protein.
Minimum area of shops for the tier-1 retailers should be increased to 3000 square feet from existing 1000 square feet to make the point of sale (POS) integration drive viable. Also the minimum limit of electricity bills should be enhanced to Rs 2.4 millio
As many as 16 cases were registered against profiteers during the Eid holidays after inspecting the prices of fruits, vegetables, chicken and other grocery items in markets and bazaars by price control magistrates.
Google's popular map service on Wednesday added more ways for people to engage with local businesses struggling to survive the economic hit of the coronavirus pandemic. The Google Maps enhancements were touted as part of an effort to help small shops and
Struggling automakers Renault, Nissan and Mitsubishi unveiled Wednesday a plan to deepen their alliance, a top global producer of cars, that only months ago seemed on the verge of breakup.
Latin America's largest airline LATAM filed for bankruptcy in the US on Tuesday, the company said in a statement, following a drastic slump in business caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Brazil lost over 1 million jobs in March and April, figures on Wednesday showed, wiping out job growth in the first two months of the year and a clear indication of the economic and social damage likely to be unleashed by the coronavirus crisis.
European Union chief Ursula von der Leyen on Wednesday proposed a 750-billion-euro post-virus recovery fund for Europe and urged sceptical member states to back it.
Profits at China's industrial firms fell at a slower pace in April, helped by improvements in automobiles and electronics, but the damage wrought by the coronavirus crisis is set to keep the economy and businesses under pressure for most of this year.
Air France-KLM will slash 40 percent of its French domestic flights by next year in exchange for receiving seven billion euros ($7.7 billion) in emergency coronavirus funding backed by the French state, the company's chief executive said Wednesday.