ISLAMABAD: The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has reached a Staff-Level Agreement (SLA) with Pakistan on the final review of a $3 billion bailout, where the country will receive $1.1 billion after approval from the Fund’s Executive Board, the lender said on Wednesday. The funds are the final tranche of a $3bn last-gasp rescue package Pakistan had secured last summer, which …
ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court on Wednesday granted bail to five suspects detained in a case pertaining to the May 9 riots, Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail wondered how carrying out rallies was equivalent to terrorism. Countrywide protests had erupted on May 9 last year after the paramilitary Rangers whisked away former prime minister Imran Khan from the Islamabad High Court in the £190m corruption …
ISLAMABAD: Following recent skirmishes on the Pak-Afghan frontier, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday asserted that the goverment would not tolerate any cross-border terrorism. In the early hours of Monday, Pakistan struck Afganistan’s Khost and Paktika provinces in “intelligence-based anti-terrorist operations”, which, according to the Afghan interim government, killed eight people. The Foreign Office had confirmed the strikes, saying they were aimed at the …
GAWADAR: Seven armed assailants were shot dead by police and security forces on Wednesday after they forcibly entered the Gwadar Port Authority Complex and opened firing, according to officials. Makran Commissioner Saeed Ahmed Umrani told Dawn.com that multiple blasts were also reported in the attack, adding that the clearance operation against the perpetrators was being carried out. Gwadar Senior Superintendent of Police …
Zhanjiang city in south China’s Guangdong Province has vigorously developed the marine fishery sector in recent years, cultivating a modern industrial chain of marine breeding. With a sea area of 20,500 square kilometers, Zhanjiang boasts natural advantages in turning its vast sea waters into a “blue granary.” Shrimp fingerlings bred in Zhanjiang have been sold around the country, helping people …
South China’s Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region is the leading consumer and producer of rice noodles in China, accounting for over 50 percent of the country’s rice noodle production. The tradition of rice noodle production and consumption in Guangxi dates back to the Qin Dynasty (221 B.C.-207 B.C.) and reached peak popularity during the Tang (618-907) and Song (960-1279) dynasties. Initially, …
Southwest China’s Chongqing municipality is a city built on mountains. The unique landform is an integral feature of this “mountain city” that delights both locals and tourists. However, it also means inconvenience for the 892,400 people with disabilities in the city. In recent years, Chongqing has been continuously promoting the construction of a barrier-free environment to make life more convenient …
WASHINGTON: The US State Department called on Kabul’s Taliban rulers on Monday to prevent terrorist activities originating from Afghan soil, while also urging both Afghanistan and Pakistan to prioritise the protection of civilian lives during security operations. “We have seen reports that Pakistan carried out airstrikes in Afghanistan in response to the attack in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan, on Saturday at a military …
ISLAMABAD: The cash-strapped federal government on Monday issued a travel advisory for the president, prime minister, chief justice, services chiefs, and bureaucrats among others binding them to fly in certain classes to cut costs. In a notification, the Cabinet Division said the president and the CJP will travel in ‘class-1’, whereas the PM, Senate chairman, National Assembly speaker, ministers, services …
ISLAMABAD: Counsel for PTI leaders Imran Khan and Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Monday raised questions over the conduct of former principal secretary Azam Khan in the cipher case. An Islamabad High Court (IHC) division bench, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, took up the bail pleas of the former prime minister and foreign minister who were …