ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s exports to the United Kingdom posted a 33 per cent growth when it reached $2.025 billion in the fiscal year 2021 (FY21) against $1.522bn over FY20, mainly led by textile products. Pakistan’s exports to the UK primarily consist of textile and leather-related products, according to data compiled by the Ministry to Commerce. Over the years, the UK has …

KARACHI: The formal footwear industry has weathered a turbulent year as its production plunged in 2020-21, mainly due to Covid-induced lockdowns and restricted timings of markets. The footwear production in the first 11 months (July-May) of the outgoing year dipped 35 per cent to 23,350,000 pairs from 36,032,000 pairs in July-May 2019-20, showed data of Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS). …

KARACHI: Bulls chased the bears out of the stock market in the outgoing week with the KSE-100 index rebounding by 435 points, or 0.9 per cent. Regardless of repeated attempts, the index did not manage to cross the 48,000 level at closing and settled at the end of the last session at 47,490. After two faltering weeks that saw a …

ISLAMABAD: The Policy Committee of the Universal Service Fund (USF) on Saturday approved 30 projects — the highest so far — for FY22, with an allocation of more than Rs18 billion for establishing IT and telecom infrastructure in the country The meeting was informed that under the present government, the USF has shown a 100 per cent increase in the …

KARACHI: The end of an amnesty scheme for investment in the construction industry on June 30 has created hurdles in the dollar inflow in the country and is likely to hurt growth of the sector, industry sources told on Saturday. Anyone investing in the construction sector was not questioned about their source of income which boosted the construction industry and …

Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri on Sunday rejected reports published by Indian media which quoted an Indian official as saying that “terrorists are waiting at launch pads to infiltrate” into occupied Kashmir from Pakistan. “We categorically reject the baseless allegations that Pakistan wanted to infiltrate so-called ‘terrorists’ via the Line of Control (LoC),” Chaudhri said in a statement. In …

RAWALPINDI: Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Saturday said Prime Minister Imran Khan’s 10 billion tree plantation programme would turn the country green and make it pollution free. He was addressing a ceremony held at Saint Mary’s High School where he inaugurated the monsoon tree plantation drive in the cantonment area. Station Commander Brig Ijaz Qamar Kiani, Commissioner Syed Gulzar …

KABUL: The Taliban seized the stronghold of a notorious Afghan warlord on Saturday, officials said, the second provincial capital to fall to the insurgents in under 24 hours. The deputy governor of Jawzjan province said he was with government forces who had abandoned Sheberghan city and retreated to the airport on its outskirts, where they were preparing to defend themselves. …

TEHRAN: Iran on Saturday rejected Western allegations its drones were used in a deadly tanker attack, while accusing Israel of concocting the “scenario” in a bid to undermine the Islamic republic. The MT Mercer Street, an oil products tanker operated by Israeli-controlled Zodiac maritime, was struck last week off Oman’s coast, killing two crew members — a Briton and a …

PEFKOFYTO: Hundreds of firefighters fought wildfires and flare-ups that have devoured record numbers of woodlands in Greece on Saturday and left hundreds of families homeless, but heavy rains brought some respite to hard-hit Turkey. More than 1,450 Greek firefighters backed by at least 15 aircraft were battling the fires, with reinforcements arriving from other countries, the fire service said. The …