KARACHI: Already hard-pressed amid surging prices of almost all essentials, the government on Wednesday added fuel to consumers’ misery by increasing the General Sales Tax (GST) to 18 per cent from 17pc along with federal excise duty. However, the manufacturers have yet to give any respite in prices despite over Rs11 recovery in the rupee’s value, which makes the import …

Wicketkeeper-batter Muneeba Ali set up an impressive win for Pakistan in the Women’s T20 World Cup with a match-changing century against Ireland in Cape Town on Wednesday. The 70-run triumph put Pakistan in the third spot in the group with two points after England and India secured first and second positions, respectively, with their back-to-back victories in the first two …

Oil prices rose on Thursday as hopes of a robust fuel demand recovery in top oil consumer China offset losses arising from strength in the greenback and a large build in US crude inventory. Brent crude futures rose 42 cents, or 0.5 per cent, to $85.80 per barrel by 0352 GMT, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures gained …

NEW DELHI: India will raise seven new battalions of the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) in the next few years, a minister said on Wednesday, amid tensions with neighbour China that led to deadly border clashes in 2020 and scuffles late last year. The undemarcated 3,800-km frontier between the nuclear-armed countries stayed largely peaceful since a war in 1962, before …

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday approved PTI ally Sheikh Rashid’s post-arrest bail application in a case pertaining to claims he made on television that former president Asif Ali Zardari was involved in a fresh assassination plot against PTI chief Imran Khan. The Islamabad police had arrested the former interior minister on Feb 2 after which the court had granted the police his …

ISLAMABAD: Amid a deadlock on the issue of elections in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to seek the intervention of the judiciary in a bid to conduct polls in two provinces within the stipulated timescale. The decision was taken after a meeting of the election watchdog chaired by its chief Sikandar Sultan Raja on …

ISLAMABAD: Poli­ti­cal economist Dr Per­vez Tahir on Wednesday called for revival of trade with India to decrease people’s woes. He said the federal cabinet’s size should be cut down in conformity with the requirement of the 18th Amendment. Since the federal development spending is financed by borrowing, it ought to be reduced to zero until the budget is balanced, he …

KARACHI: Jazz Ltd CEO Aamir Ibrahim said on Wednesday the rollout of 5G, which is the fifth-generation technology standard for broadband cellular networks, should be put on hold. Speaking at a business conference organised by Nutshell Group, the CEO of the largest telecom firm with a market share of over 38 per cent said the stakeholders should strive to do …

At least one person was killed and nine others were wounded in a blast inside the Jaffar Express train near Punjab’s Chichawatni on Thursday morning, police said. According to Sahiwal District Police Officer (DPO) Faisal Shahzad, the injured persons have been moved to the Tehsil Headquarters Hospital (THQ). The police official said the passenger train had left from Balochistan’s Machh …

Indian tax officials examined mobile phones and laptops used by some BBC editorial and administrative employees, two sources told Reuters, as an inspection at the British broadcaster’s offices in New Delhi and Mumbai entered a third day on Thursday. Tax officials had remained at the BBC’s offices, some sleeping there, since the surprise inspection was launched on Tuesday, according to witnesses. Others said some …