Oil prices were steady on Monday as bullish sentiment about tightening supplies from OPEC+ cuts and a resumption in US buying for reserves competed with concerns about fuel demand in the top global oil consumers, the United States (US) and China. Brent crude futures fell 2 cents to $73.91 a barrel by 08:00 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate crude …

KARACHI: Pakistan’s external financing requirements have not been changed in talks with the International Monetary Fund over bailout funds, the IMF resident representative in Pakistan said, denying local media reports that the Fund was seeking fresh financing. “There is no truth to reports that the IMF is asking Pakistan to raise $8 billion in fresh financing,” Esther Prez Ruiz said …

BANGKOK: Thailand’s two major opposition parties dominated Sunday’s national elections, with voters rejecting nearly a decade of military-backed government. But in a kingdom where coups and court orders have often trumped the ballot box, fears persist the military could seek to cling on, raising the prospect of fresh instability. The election campaign played out as a clash between a young …

TEHRAN: Banned from using popular Western apps, Iranians have been left with little choice but to take up state-backed alternatives, as the authorities tighten internet restrictions for security reasons following months of protests. Iranians are accustomed to using virtual private networks, or VPNs, to evade restrictions and access prohibited websites or apps, including the US-owned Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. The …

Turkiye braced on Monday for its first election runoff after a night of high drama showed President Recep Tayyip Erdogan edging ahead of his secular rival but failing to secure a first-round win. Erdogan sounded triumphant as he emerged before a sea of supporters shortly after midnight to proclaim himself ready to lead the nation for another five years. Almost …

ISLAMABAD: Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Sunday said the recent violent protests in different parts of the country were pre-planned by Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) in case its chairman was arrested in the Rs60bn corruption case. The interior minister at a joint presser with Minister for Information Marriyum Aurangzeb said even the fighter jet of Pakistan’s national hero and …

• Interior minister says ‘final’ decision regarding venue will be taken today, promises foolproof security • PPP, ‘N’ caravans from Lahore on their way to Red Zone ISLAMABAD: A delegation of the federal government, including Finance Minister Ishaq Dar and Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah, apparently failed on Sunday to convince Maulana Fazlur Rehman, head of the ruling Pakistan Democratic Movement …

LAHORE: The opposition PTI has decided to lodge a case against the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Rangers over the “abduction” of its chairman Imran Khan from the premises of Islamabad High Court last week. The PTI will also lodge cases over the “murder of unarmed citizens at peaceful protests” across the country. “The interior minister, as well as Punjab …

PESHAWAR/BAJAUR: Jamiat Ulema-i-Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) has asked its workers to move towards Islamabad in convoys from their respective areas on Monday morning to take part in the sit-in outside Supreme Court, announced by Pakistan Democratic Movement. The workers of JUI-F will gather in their respective areas on Monday morning and will proceed towards Hakla Interchange on Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway from where they …

ISLAMABAD: With five extensions and over 246.5 million people counted across the country, the federal government on Sunday told the provinces that field operations for the seventh national census must end on Monday (today) and that the deadline would not be extended again. “The census field operations will not further be extended and the provincial governments must complete census enumeration/verification …