Protesters and security forces clashed in three Iranian cities on Thursday, with six people reported killed, the first deaths since the cost-of-living demonstrations broke out. The protests began on Sunday in Tehran, where shopkeepers went on strike over high prices and economic stagnation, and have since spread to other parts of the country. On Thursday, […]
Pakistan and India on Thursday continued key confidence-building measures by exchanging lists of their respective nuclear installations and prisoners, even as broader bilateral relations remain strained and concerns persist over New Delhi’s actions on shared water resources. According to the Foreign Office, the two countries exchanged lists of nuclear installations and facilities on January 1 […]
Syria said Thursday a suicide bomber who killed a security forces member in Aleppo on New Year’s Eve was in the Islamic State group, which planned attacks on churches and gatherings. IS recently increased its attacks in areas of Syria controlled by the Damascus authorities, and was blamed for an attack last month in Palmyra […]
A once-banned Bangladeshi Islamist party, poised for its strongest electoral showing in February’s parliamentary vote, is open to joining a unity government and has held talks with several parties, its chief told Reuters on Wednesday. Opinion polls suggest that Jamaat-e-Islami will finish a close second to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) in the first election […]
Over six months have passed since show-cause notices were issued to Spud Energy Limited (SEPL) and Frontier Holdings Limited (FHL) over alleged changes in ownership and effective control without prior government approval, yet no visible enforcement action has followed. The Petroleum Division’s inaction has raised serious questions about regulatory oversight in Pakistan’s upstream energy sector, […]
Pakistan’s equity market kicked off 2026 on a powerful note, with the benchmark KSE-100 index surging to a fresh all-time high amid broad-based buying and strong liquidity. The index closed Thursday’s session above 176,350, marking a robust gain of slightly over 2,300 points, as investor sentiment was buoyed by easing inflation, expectations of accommodative monetary […]
The federal minister for Pakistan Railways (PR) has claimed that by the end of 2026, all passenger trains operating across the railway network will be upgraded to offer a better travel experience, a move that, if materialised, would add comfort for passengers across all categories. Muhammad Hanif Abbasi said the initiative aims to significantly improve […]
Pakistan’s liquid foreign exchange reserves saw a modest increase in the final week of 2025, with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reporting a $13 million rise in its holdings. As of December 26, 2025, the SBP’s foreign currency reserves stood at $15.915 billion, up from $15.902 billion in the previous week. Net reserves held […]
The year 2025 brought both pain and gain in the energy sector during which the Shehbaz Sharif-led government made efforts to address the emerging and longstanding challenges. A major problem plaguing the energy sector for decades has been the chronic circular debt, which has impacted the entire chain. The current government inked a Rs1.225 trillion […]
In a Middle East often defined by spectacle, Qatar has chosen a different path – one built less on flash and more on function. I recently spent time in Doha, and what stood out was not the skyline, impressive as it is, but the coherence of the national project underway. Qatar is not trying to […]