ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary committee on Thursday noted that the gas supply disruption to fertiliser plants during the June-September period had caused a shortage of 200,000 tonnes of urea. Discussing the urea shortage, the Senate Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research also observed that the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet had decided that urea plants would remain …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and China resolved on Thursday to redouble efforts to tap full potential of the Gwadar port and free zone and to ensure that the local population fully benefits from the projects launched in various sectors. Pakistani and Chinese officials held meetings of the two Joint Working Groups on Gwadar and Socio-Economic Development through video conferencing equipment, said a …

LAHORE: Year 2021 saw an increase in involvement of suspects operating from outside the country in cybercrimes, making it difficult for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime wing to lay its hands on them. In 23 per cent of the complaints, social media networking site — Facebook — was used as a medium. Of over 100,000 complaints filed with the …

TEHRAN: Iran announced on Thursday it has carried out a new space launch, in a move likely to irk Western powers amid tough talks on reviving a 2015 nuclear deal. Tehran successfully put its first military satellite into orbit in April 2020, drawing a sharp rebuke from Washington. Western governments worry that satellite launch systems incorporate technologies interchangeable with those …

KABUL: The Taliban’s supreme leader has ordered fighters not to punish members of Afghanistan’s former regime for past “crimes”, days after a video of an army commander being beaten went viral on social media. The order, tweeted on Thursday by group spokesman Mohammad Naeem, also urged Taliban authorities to discourage Afghans from leaving the country as they would not be …

SYDNEY: Australia’s former parliament building caught fire during a rights protest on Thursday, officials said, with the flames causing limited damage. The blaze occurred when police broke up a traditional Aboriginal smoking ceremony by a small number of activists at the building’s entrance. The Canberra building was home to the country’s federal parliament from 1927 to 1988 and now houses …

KARACHI: A total of 45 journalists were killed in connection with their work in the year 2021, research done by the International Press Institute (IPI) revealed on Thursday. Seven of the killings took place in Mexico, six each in Afghanistan and India and three in Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). The sombre tally reflects the continued risks of doing …

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia on Thursday reimposed social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, after recording the highest number of infections in months. Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque. Saudi authorities said they will reimpose “social distancing requirements between worshippers and pilgrims” at the …

occupied Kashmir overnight, police said on Thursday, rounding off another bloody year in the disputed territory. Police said the six fighters killed in two villages belonged to Jaish-e-Mohammad. A police statement issued on Thursday said one of the four Indian security personnel wounded in the clashes died of bullet injuries in a hospital. Officials say that at least 380 fighters, …

ISLAMABAD: Afghanistan’s former president said he had no choice but to abruptly leave Kabul as the Taliban closed in and denied an agreement was in the works for a peaceful takeover, disputing the accounts of former Afghan and US officials. Former president Ashraf Ghani said in a BBC interview that aired on Thursday that an adviser gave him just minutes to decide to …