ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin on Monday assured the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of Pakistan’s commitment to its ongoing Extended Fund Facility (EFF) programme and hoped to successfully complete the upcoming review as well as Article IV consultations. During a meeting with the outgoing and nominated resident representatives of the IMF, the finance minister said the government would formally launch …

KARACHI: The Organic Meat Company Ltd (TOMCL) has signed a $1 million contract to supply frozen boneless meat to a Middle East-based food processor, a regulatory filing said on Monday. Under a 10-month contract, TOMCL will supply 250 metric tonnes of meat to Global Developing Food Industries Company, Saudi Arabia. It’s the first Pakistani company that’s been approved by the …

Lahore-based information technology company Systems Limited has been included in the Forbes list of Asia’s Best Under A Billion for the second year in a row. The annual list recognises 200 top-performing small and mid-sized listed companies in the Asia-Pacific region with sales under $1 billion. In a statement, Systems Limited said the inclusion in the list for the second year in …

BEIJING: Widening power shortages in China have halted production at numerous factories including many supplying Apple and Tesla, while some shops in the northeast operated by candlelight and malls shut early as the economic toll of the squeeze mounted. China is in the grip of a power crunch as a shortage of coal supplies, toughening emissions standards and strong demand …

BERLIN: German Social Democrat Olaf Scholz vowed on Monday to strengthen the European Union and keep up the transatlantic partnership in a three-way coalition government he hopes to form by Christmas to take over from Angela Merkel’s conservatives. Scholz’s Social Democrats (SPD) came first in Sunday’s national election, just ahead of the conservatives, and aim to lead a government for …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has discussed the Taliban-led Afghanistan joining the multibillion-dollar China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) infrastructure project, the Pakistan’s ambassador to the country said on Monday. “Regional connectivity is an important element of our discussion with Afghan leadership and our way forward for our economic interaction with Afghanistan,” said Mansoor Ahmad Khan, Pakistan’s envoy to Kabul, in an interview with Reuters. “This …

BAGHDAD: Representatives from Iran and Saudi Arabia have held a new round of talks in Baghdad, two Iraqi officials said on Monday, in the first such meeting between the regional foes since President Raisi was sworn in in Tehran. The meeting held last week discussed pending issues between the two countries according to a previously agreed on roadmap, including diplomatic …

R. Kelly, the R&B superstar known for his anthem ‘I Believe I Can Fly,’ was convicted Monday in a sex trafficking trial after decades of avoiding criminal responsibility for numerous allegations of misconduct with young women and children. A jury of seven men and five women found Kelly, 54, guilty of all nine counts, including racketeering, on their second day …

President Joe Biden’s top military leaders are expected to face some of the most contentious hearings in memory this week over the chaotic end to the war in Afghanistan, which cost the lives of US troops and civilians and left the Taliban back in power. The senate and house committees overseeing the US military will hold hearings on Tuesday and Wednesday, …

LYON: A man pelted French President Emm­anuel Macron with an egg while he was visiting a restaurant and hotel trade fair in the south-eastern city of Lyon on Monday. The egg hit his shoulder, but bounced off without breaking. The assailant was quickly subdued and removed from the room, with Macron saying he would try to speak with him later. …