Businesses demand 500bps cut in policy rate – Business
KARACHI: Amid sharp deceleration in inflation, business leaders have urged the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to cut its policy rate by 300-500 basis points to revive trade and industrial activities. The SBP’s Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) will meet on Monday. In a statement, Federation of Pakistan Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FPCCI) President Atif […]
Film, stage actor Nargis allegedly tortured by her husband – Culture
Film and stage actor Nargis was allegedly subjected to brutal torture by her husband, a police inspector, in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) on Friday. A video clip shared on social media showed the actor with multiple bruises on her face, eyes, and other parts of her body. Born Ghazala Idrees, Nargis had been a highly-paid […]
Documenting Gaza to #EndImpunity – World
On the 10th International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists, Israel appears on the Global Impunity Index for the first time, with zero official investigations underway, and no accountability for even documented, and apparently targeted, killings. THE Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has been documenting the killing of journalists since 1992: overall, 1,625 […]
High-stakes reserved seats – Pakistan
RESERVED seats for women and non-Muslims in our legislatures have been a long-standing feature of Pakistan’s political system, but they had never brought the state close to constitutional breakdown — until now. Not only are the three branches of the state bitterly poised against one another, there are visible fissures within each branch as well, […]
Poliovirus found in two ‘unaffected’ areas – Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: The poliovirus has reached two new districts as 26 more environmental samples have tested positive for the presence of the crippling disease. The samples were collected from 20 districts, including Noshki, Balochistan, and Mianwali, Punjab, which had so far remained unaffected by the virus. The presence of poliovirus has been detected amidst the ongoing […]
Ceasefire prospects dwindle as Israel intensifies attacks – World
• Strikes kill 64 people in Gaza Strip, 10 in Lebanon• Lebanese PM accuses Tel Aviv of ‘rejecting truce’ CAIRO: Prospects of a ceasefire between Israel and its foes Hamas and Hezbollah ran aground on Friday as Israeli air strikes killed at least 64 people in the Gaza Strip and battered Beirut’s southern suburbs. US […]
Qatar to invest $3bn in Pakistan: Attaullah Tarar – Business
• Reveals Qatari delegation will arrive soon, sees economy on path to stabilisation• Terms KP govt ‘non-serious’, accuses it of ignoring law and order issues ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Information, Broadcasting, National Heritage and Culture Attaullah Tarar said on Friday Qatar would invest $3 billion in diverse sectors, adding that the financing would have a […]
Children among eight dead In Mastung bombing – Pakistan
QUETTA: At least eight people, including five schoolchildren and a policeman, were martyred and over 30 injured in a bomb blast near a girl’s school and a hospital in Mastung town, some 50km south-east of Quetta, on Friday. Officials said the target of the remote-controlled blast was a police vehicle heading to Mastung district hospital […]
Murdered girl endured years of abuse from father, trial told – World
LONDON: The ongoing trial surrounding the death of 10-year-old Sara Sharif has thrown up disturbing evidence about a pattern of abuse, allegedly inflicted upon the child by her father, stepmother, and uncle. Prosecutors contend that Sara’s death in Woking, Surrey, on Aug 8 last year was the tragic culmination of a campaign of abuse and […]
New payment model for IPPs without ‘profit bonanza’ – Business
• Govt wants to cut capacity costs, hold power producers accountable for ‘excess profiteering’• ‘Unhappy’ companies blame heavy taxes for costly electricity tariffs• Independent generators say ‘forced’ renegotiations will damage investors’ confidence A NEW financial model proposed by the government to 18 independent power producers (IPPs) will significantly reduce their capacity payments and also recover […]
