Category: English

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has urged Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to restore the confidence of coalition partners instead of opening a new front against the opposition, saying his party will support the government in addressing the economic crisis. “Until all Pakistanis stand united, we will not be able to protect the people from this difficult situation,” Bilawal said while addressing a ceremony in Karachi on Tuesday to mark the completion of one million homes for flood victims under the Sindh Peoples Housing Scheme. Bilawal described the…

Read More

Debutant pace bowler Saqib Khan grabbed two wickets as Sri Lanka struggled to 114-3 by the end of day two of the opening Test after Pakistan declared at 434-9 in Rawalpindi on Tuesday. Saqib dismissed Dinesh Chandimal for one in his second over and then removed a well-set Lahiru Udara for 42 to leave Sri Lanka on 65-3. His experienced pace partner Mohammad Abbas took the first wicket, having opener Pasindu Sooriyabandara caught behind for a duck in the third over. Kamindu Mendis (40) and Dhananjaya de Silva (22) were…

Read More

Israel’s new parliament is prepared to be sworn in Tuesday with a mission to take aim immediately at caretaker Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as rival Gadi Eisenkot vowed quickly to cobble together a new government. President Isaac Herzog will deliver a speech at 4:00 pm (1400 GMT) for the swearing-in of the 120-seat parliament, in which neither Netanyahu’s right-wing coalition nor Eisenkot’s broad left-to-right anti-Netanyahu bloc will hold a majority. “I am committed in this complex situation to form a national-emergency government as quickly as possible,” Eisenkot, a 66-year-old former…

Read More

Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said on Tuesday that two oil tankers were on fire in the Strait of Hormuz, where the country regularly targets ships that transit without its authorisation. Since the outbreak of the Middle East war in late February, Tehran has heavily restricted traffic through the strategic waterway, insisting vessels use routes authorised by the Islamic Republic. The United States has, in response, imposed a naval blockade on Iranian ports and helped tankers travel the strait, which normally carries about one-fifth of global oil. “Two violating oil tankers, travelling…

Read More

Iran on Tuesday urged the United States to meet its demands for reopening the Strait of Hormuz after President Donald Trump spoke of “positive momentum” towards ending their eight-month war. Qatar and Pakistan are leading diplomatic efforts to resolve the Middle East war, which broke out with US-Israeli strikes that killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in late February. Tehran has said it could reopen Hormuz, the vital global energy conduit that it has blockaded since the start of the conflict, within two days if Washington meets a raft…

Read More

Russian and Ukrainian officials met in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday for their first US-brokered talks since February, after President Donald Trump suggested last week that a ​broad deal was possible on ending the war in Ukraine and guaranteeing security in Europe. US envoy Jared Kushner told delegates that recent contacts with both sides had “really ‌identified, narrowed the gaps”, and the US side had “some good ideas” on how to bridge their differences. Trump, he said, was committed to achieving peace. “He really has asked us to put extra effort…

Read More

President Volodymyr Zelensky on Monday spoke ‌to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi ahead of trilateral talks with Russia and the US ​in Abu Dhabi. The negotiators are expected ​to hold the first meetings in months ⁠on Tuesday and Wednesday, just as ​Russia is targeting Ukraine’s energy and logistics ​hard ahead of winter. Kyiv said it would separately hold consultations with European and NATO representatives also present ​on site. “The Prime Minister has said ​more than once, including directly to the Russian ‌leader, ⁠that now is the time to end the…

Read More

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday directed authorities to arrange meetings between Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and their lawyers after concerns were raised over their health in jail. During a hearing on Tuesday, Imran Khan’s lawyer, Barrister Salman Safdar, informed the court that his client was experiencing high blood pressure in prison and warned of the risk of a brain haemorrhage. A two-member bench, comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, was hearing appeals filed by Imran Khan and…

Read More

US President Donald Trump has nominated Natalie Baker, the current Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Islamabad, as the next US ambassador to Pakistan, with her appointment subject to Senate approval. According to a White House statement, Baker’s nomination has been sent to the US Senate, where it will be reviewed by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations. If approved by the committee, the nomination will be presented to the full Senate for a vote. Baker will formally assume the position if confirmed by the Senate. According to the…

Read More

Massive buying was observed at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) after US President Donald Trump said US military action against Iran ​is not necessary “at this point”, with the benchmark KSE-100 gaining nearly 3% during the trading session on Tuesday. At 3:15 pm, the benchmark index was hovering at 179,057.25, up 5,170.57 points or 2.97%. “Today’s rally reflects a clear repricing of risk on the PSX,” Saad Hanif of Ismail Iqbal Securities told Business Recorder. “Easing geopolitical tensions have lowered the risk premium on Pakistani equities, while softer oil prices…

Read More