LAHORE: The US government’s weather forecast and climate monitoring agency on Tuesday inaugurated the country’s newest supercomputers for better forecasts and warnings to support public safety and the national economy. The new supercomputers, first announced in February 2020 by the National Ocea­nic and Atmospheric Admin­istration (NOAA), provide a significant upgrade to computing capacity, storage space and interconnect speed of America’s …

ISLAMABAD: The much-talked-about Russian oil imports intended for cost savings may not materialise at institutional level as the cons outweigh pros, coupled with Moscow’s disinterest. Informed sources told Dawn all the refineries had the technical capacity to the extent of 30 to 35 per cent to process Russian crude grades with minor adjustments. None of the Pakistani refineries can handle 100pc Russian …

WASHINGTON: About a dozen US lawmakers gathered on the rooftop of a building across Capitol Hill this week, urging the Biden administration to stay engaged with Pakistan, a country they said was too important to be ignored. And at least one lawmaker, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, however, offered to use his influence to help repair the damage done …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakis­tan Telecommunication Au­­thority (PTA) on Wednesday took up the blocking of official accounts of Pakistani missions by India with Twitter management and demanded their restoration. Also, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs condemned India for blocking the accounts of Pakistani missions within its boundaries. The PTA termed it a “biased suppression of information” and called on the management of …

ISLAMABAD: Higher levels of anonymity and reduced risks of detention have made the Internet an attractive alternate for drug trafficking and secure method of distribution of substances for illicit drug markets, reveals the ‘World Drug Report 2022’ released on Wednesday. The report released by the UN Office on Drug and Crime (UNODC) in Islamabad, however, said that despite these advantages, …

MADRID: The United States vowed on Wednesday to shore up Europe’s defences in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, as Nato declared Moscow the West’s greatest threat. Meeting in Madrid, alliance leaders said Russia “is the most significant and direct threat to allies’ security and to peace and stability in the Euro-Atlantic area”. This came as Nato welcomed Sweden …

DOHA: Iran said it was “serious” about nuclear talks with the United States but that negotiations could end after just two days on Wednesday, as they try to revive a landmark deal. The indirect negotiations in Qatar are an attempt to reboot long-running European Union-mediated talks on a return to the 2015 nuclear agreement between Tehran and world powers. Iran’s …

WASHINGTON: White House National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan said on Tuesday that consultations with India and other allied nations on how to implement a cap on buying gas from Russia have started. Talking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Mr Sullivan also indicated that US President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi may also hold direct talks on …

ISLAMABAD: High-ranking Chinese politician Yang Jiechi on Wednesday pledged to help in reinvigorating ties with longstanding ally Pakistan as he opened his two-day trip to Islamabad with a meeting with Army Chief Gen Qamar Bajwa. “He assured to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels,” the ISPR said after Mr Yang met Gen …

Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar has called for an easing of Western sanctions against Afghanistan under the Taliban government, saying the basic functioning of the Afghan economy must not be endangered. The Taliban takeover last year prompted foreign governments, led by the United States, to cut development and security aid, and the strict enforcement of sanctions has debilitated …