ISLAMABAD: The oil companies have asked the government to address on an urgent basis logistic constraints resulting in underutilisation of infrastructure at the ports and causing long wait for ships and economic losses to the oil companies and the country. In separate letters to the ministers of petroleum, energy and maritime affairs, the Oil Marketing Association of Pakistan (OMAP) said …

ISLAMABAD: The government has decided to allow redemption in cash of reward points earned by overseas Pakistanis for sending remittances back home through official channels under the National Remittance Loyalty Programme (NRLP) to be launched on Oct 1. The decision was taken at a recent meeting of the federal cabinet presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan. During a discussion …

DOVER BASE: US President Joe Biden shut his eyes and tilted his head back as the flag-draped cases carrying the remains of 11 American service members killed in a suicide bomb attack in Afghanistan emerged on Sunday from a military plane at a base in Delaware. Biden, his wife, Jill, Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin and senior military officials stood somberly …

LONDON: The UK government on Sunday faced a torrent of criticism after its hurried withdrawal from Afghanistan ended, leaving hundreds eligible for relocation behind. Prime Minister Boris Johnson hailed a mission “unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes” after the UK airlifted over 15,000 people in the last two weeks. Troops landed back at Brize Norton airbase in southern …

KABUL: The Taliban’s supreme leader Hibatullah Akhundzada — who has never made a public appearance and whose whereabouts have largely remained unknown — is in Afghanistan, the hardline Islamist group confirmed on Sunday. “He is present in Kandahar. He has been living there from the very beginning,” said Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid. “He will soon appear in public,” added deputy …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Sunday categorically rejected Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s terrorism-related allegations against Pakistan as completely baseless. The Foreign Office spokesperson said in a statement that Pakistan had shared incontrovertible evidence with the international community of India’s state sponsorship of terrorism and subversion against Pakistan. “India uses terrorism as an instrument of state policy. This year alone, India has …

North Korea appears to have restarted a nuclear reactor that is widely believed to have produced plutonium for nuclear weapons, the UN atomic watchdog said in an annual report, highlighting the isolated nation’s efforts to expand its arsenal. The signs of operation at the 5-megawatt (MW) reactor, which is seen as capable of producing weapons-grade plutonium, were the first to …

Hurricane Ida ploughed into the US state of Louisiana from the Gulf of Mexico as a fierce Category 4 storm on Sunday, lashing the coast with 150 mile-per-hour winds, torrential downpours and pounding surf that submerged much of the shoreline under several feet of water. Power was knocked out on Sunday night to the entire New Orleans metropolitan area with the …

Envoys of the five permanent members of the UN Security Council (UNSC) will hold an emergency meeting today (Monday) to discuss the rapidly evolving situation in Afghanistan following the US drawdown and Taliban takeover of the war-ravished country, according to Radio Pakistan. The state broadcaster reported that France and Britain are expected to submit a resolution in the meeting, proposing the establishment of a safe zone in …

RAWALPINDI: The Punjab government is planning to establish the Leh Nullah Development Authority (LNDA) to tackle the issue of flooding in the monsoon season and to improve the catchment areas. On the directives of the provincial government, the Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has prepared the draft of the LNDA Act and sent it to Lahore for approval. A senior official …