WASHINGTON: The Uni­ted States has closed at least 10 bases across Afghanistan since the signing of a deal with the Taliban in Feb­ruary, The Washington Post reported on Friday. Quoting US and Afghan officials, the Post reported that the base closures were part of the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan outlined in the deal. The report claimed that some bases had been …

MUMBAI: India’s economy contracted 7.5 per cent between July and September, putting it among the worst-performing major advanced and emerging economies as it entered a technical recession for the first time since independence, official data showed on Friday. Although the figures were an improvement on the record 23.9pc contraction recorded last quarter, they indicate that Asia’s third-largest economy is in …

Iran’s president on Saturday accused Israel of killing a prominent Iranian scientist long suspected by the West of masterminding a secret nuclear bomb programme, state TV reported. Iran’s clerical and military rulers have threatened revenge for Friday’s killing of Mohsen Fakhrizadeh, who Iranian media said died in hospital after assassins gunned him down in his car near Tehran. “Once again, the evil …

RAWALPINDI: The federal government on Friday appointed retired Flight Lieutenant Khaqan Murtaza as director general of the Civil Aviation Authority, a high-profile position that was vacant for quite some time. A notification on the subject issued by the Establishment Division said: “The federal government has appointed Flt Lt (Retd) Khaqan Murtaza, a BS-21 officer of Pakistan Administrative Service, presently posted …

ISLAMABAD: As the Supreme Court commences from Dec 2 hearing to decide who will head a high-powered commission to oversee disbursement of funds being deposited by Bahria Town Limited Karachi (BTLK), Attorney General Khalid Jawed Khan has requested the court to allow him to be represented by some nominee of his office in the commission. A three-judge SC bench consisting …

ISLAMABAD: An international company is still waiting to receive approval for establishment of production units in major cities of the country for construction of prefabricated houses under the Naya Pakistan Housing project. The inauguration ceremony of the first double-storey home — built by Korean company G-Songuo — was held on Nov 9, however, due to non-compliance with procurement rules of …

KARACHI: The provincial government has consumed over Rs3 billion of the Coronavirus Emergency Fund (CEF) that had been set up by the Sindh government in March this year and it is now left with no more finances to deal with the second wave of the pandemic, officials and sources said. They said that the CEF was established by the Sindh …

RAWALPINDI: Officials at Islamabad International Airport (IIA) and the Airport Security Force (ASF) have been directed to make arrangements in accordance with the standard operating procedures (SOP) for the smooth transportation of Kaavan to the airport from the Marghzar Zoo. Kaavan, the lone elephant of Islamabad, is scheduled to be airlifted to Cambodia by a chartered flight at 10am on …

GILGIT: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday nominated Khalid Khurshid as Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf’s candidate for the post of chief minister of Gilgit-Baltistan. PTI chief organiser Saifullah Khan Nyazee made this announcement through a tweet. According to sources, Mr Nyazee and federal Minister for Kashmir Affairs and Gilgit-Baltistan Ali Amin Gandapur met Mr Khan in Islamabad on Friday to finalise the …

LAHORE: Hundreds of activists and students from various educational institutes of the city participated in a ‘Student Solidarity March’ on Friday to demand free education and restoration of student unions in the country. The march organised by the Student Action Committee (SAC) turned into a rally at Charing Cross on The Mall in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic. After …