LAHORE: The Punjab Food Department will begin releasing wheat to flour mills only if the grain beco­mes costlier in the open market. A senior food official tells Dawn that the grain rates in the open market in the province are stable so far, while flour millers are also holding sufficient stock of their own. Therefore, a decision on the release of the …

ISLAMABAD: The Alternate Energy Development Board (AEDB) has simplified certification regulations for installers of solar and wind projects in the country to facilitate promotion and expansion of renewable energy sources. The board of directors of AEDB has now enacted new Alternative Energy Development Board (Certification) Regulations, 2021, effective from Aug 30, 2021, as part of “Ease of Doing Business” and …

ISLAMABAD: The country’s trade deficit widened by 119.94 per cent in the first two months of this fiscal year (FY22) to $7.491 billion against $3.406bn last year, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) reported on Friday. The trade deficit is driven largely by an almost double increase in imports compared to exports from the country. Trade gap has been widening …

ISLAMABAD: Owing to serious legal risks, the board of directors of the state-run Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on Friday rejected Engro Elengy Terminal (EET) upgr­ade to a bigger floating storage and regas­ification unit (FSRU) and instead recalled original unit — Exquisite — back to work. The Exquisite FSRU operated by Excelerate Energy of USA had been on dry docking …

ISLAMABAD: Encouraged by higher electricity consumption by industry and emerging gas shortages, the government is planning to offer a cheaper electricity tariff for domestic and commercial consumers in coming winters to shift space heating to power instead of gas. “Ministry of Energy is moving a proposal for seasonal emerging pricing for domestic & commercial consumers to encourage power consumption during …

BANGKOK: Several thousand people gathered in Bangkok to call for the resignation of Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha on Friday, one day before lawmakers hold a no-confidence vote over his government’s handling of the Covid-19 pandemic. Protests against Prayuth have gathered steam since late June as university students who sought his removal last year return with broader support from other political …

GAZA CITY: The bodies of three Palestinians were discovered on Friday after an underground tunnel from the southern Gaza Strip to Egypt collapsed, authorities in the Hamas-controlled enclave said. “Civil defence teams found three bodies under the ground near the border, south of Rafah” city after part of the tunnel collapsed on Thursday, interior ministry spokesman Iyad al Bozom said …

KABUL: Taliban forces have taken full control of Afghanistan, including the Panjshir valley where opposition forces had been holding out, three Taliban sources said on Friday as heavy celebratory gunfire was heard in the Afghan capital Kabul. “By the grace of Allah Almighty, we are in control of the entire Afghanistan. The troublemakers have been defeated and Panjshir is now …

SRINAGAR: Thousands of Indian security personnel maintained a lockdown across occupied Kashmir on Friday after the death of a veteran leader sparked clashes with protesters. The passing of Syed Ali Geelani at the age of 92 heightened tensions in the disputed Himalayan territory after authorities refused to let him have a public funeral. An internet and mobile phone shutdown ordered …

PHILADELPHIA: The cleanup and mourning continued on Friday as the north-east US recovered from record-breaking rainfall from the remnants of Hurricane Ida. At least 48 people in five states died as storm water cascaded into people’s homes and engulfed automobiles, overwhelming urban drainage systems never meant to handle so much rain in such a short time. The toll was highest …