ISLAMABAD: Total public debt stood at Rs44,366 billion at the end of March 2022, having ballooned by Rs4,500bn over the first nine months of the outgoing fiscal year, according to the Pakistan Economic Survey 2021-22, released on Thursday. Of the net Rs4,500bn increase, financing of the federal primary deficit accounted for Rs1,047bn; interest payments consumed Rs2,118bn; currency depreciation accounted for …

KARACHI: With consumers already bearing the brunt of food inflation, market observers do not expect a significant price reduction in the federal budget for fiscal year 2022-23 (FY23) to be announced today, given the strict International Monetary Fund (IMF) conditions that the government must meet in order to secure a loan. The market is already abuzz with the reports of …

ISLAMABAD: The export earnings from telecommunication, computer and information services grew 29.29 per cent to $2.19bn during July-April 2021-22 against $1.7bn in the same period last year. Despite improved performance by the IT and telecom sector in the outgoing fiscal year, the sector is less likely to achieve its export target of $3.5bn by the end of June. However, the …

US State Secretary Antony Blinken said on Thursday that Iran is risking greater isolation and heightened tensions after the country removed cameras meant to monitor its nuclear programme. Iran’s actions threatened the possible restoration of the 2015 six-party nuclear deal, Blinken said in a statement. “The only outcome of such a path will be a deepening nuclear crisis and further economic …

WASHINGTON: A mirror on the James Webb Space Telescope was struck by a micrometeoroid last month, but is expected to continue to function normally, Nasa said on Thursday. “After initial assessments, the team found the telescope is still performing at a level that exceeds all mission requirements despite a marginally detectable effect in the data,” the US space agency said. …

PARIS: A giant crocodile-faced dinosaur, discovered on the Isle of Wight by one of Britain’s best fossil hunters, was probably the largest predator ever to stalk Europe, scientists said on Thursday. Most of the bones of the two-legged spinosaurid were found by the late local collector Nick Chase, who dedicated his life to combing the beaches of the island on …

SANTIAGO: More than 100 people have sought medical treatment this week after suspected exposure to a pollutant in an area known as the “Chilean Chernobyl” for the environmental impact of heavy industry. Local authorities declared an environmental emergency in the area, suspending classes and banning physical activity, after an air quality station reported a concentration of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in …

THE Cable News Network (CNN) has said it would replace its ‘Breaking News’ banner with a new ‘Developing News’ sign and now only “truly urgent’ events would be described as breaking news. In a brief statement posted on its website, CNN clarified that “TV networks have been overusing the term ‘breaking news’ for years. So CNN is setting a higher bar for using the …

WASHINGTON: The US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) arrested Michigan Republican gubernatorial candidate Ryan Kelley on Thursday over misdemeanour charges stemming from his role in the attack on the US Capitol by throngs of then-president Donald Trump’s supporters on Jan 6 last year, the Justice Department said. Kelley, 40, of Allendale, is one of five Republicans in the state competing …

SOFIA: A two-seaer plane whizzed through half a dozen eastern European countries without permission, alerting air forces, before being abandoned in Bulgaria by a mysterious crew, the defence ministry in Sofia said on Thursday. The aircraft flew over Hungary, crossed briefly into Serbia and then Romania before entering Bulgarian airspace at 1609 GMT on Wednesday, the Bulgarian defence ministry said …