ISLAMABAD: Under pressure to meet the Feb 15 deadline of the International Monetary Fund (IMF), the caretaker government on Wednesday allowed another up to 45 per cent increase in the natural gas tariff with effect from Feb 1 to meet revenue requirement of the gas utilities targeted for the current year. The decision was taken at a meeting of the …

ISLAMABAD: A foreign bank disclosed before the Senate Standing Committee on Finance and Revenue on Wednesday that an employee was found involved in fraudulent actions, while the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said its forensic report had established the involvement of bank staff in the embezzlement of Rs410 million from the accounts of certain overseas Pakistanis. The additional director of FIA …

KARACHI: Prominent figures from the industrial sector have raised concerns over the economic challenges brought forth by the caretaker government’s policies. In a press statement issued on Wednesday, these industry leaders said the policies of the caretaker government, whose main responsibility was to organise elections, had brought in severe economic crises, the slowdown in industrial production and an alarming declining …

JAKARTA: Former general Prabowo Subianto claimed victory in Indonesia’s presidential election on Wednesday as preliminary results put him well ahead of his two rivals to lead Southeast Asia’s biggest economy. Polls have long shown the fiery defence minister to be the favourite after he pledged to carry on the agenda of popular outgoing leader Joko Widodo, who is accused of inappropriately backing …

LONDON: She is the world’s most famous unknown artist — everyone knows her name, but no one knows what she does, John Lennon once said of the perceived disregard for his wife Yoko Ono, who turns 91 on Sunday. From Thursday, Ono’s impact on conceptual art will be on display in a retrospective exhibition at the Tate Modern in London. …

UNITED NATIONS: In a UN Security Council debate on climate and water scarcity, Pakistan has once again emphasised the need for strict adherence to the Indus Water Treaty. “Increasing water demand, coupled with climate change impacts, creates the potential for trans-boundary water disputes in several parts of the world,” warned Pakistan’s UN envoy Munir Akram while addressing the council on Tuesday. …

One person was killed and children were among the 21 injured after a mass shooting at the Kansas City Chiefs’ Super Bowl victory rally on Wednesday triggered panic among huge crowds of fans. Shots rang out moments after jubilant Chiefs players addressed a vast, cheering crowd, sending shocked fans and VIPs fleeing in a tragic end to what had been a joyous …

GAZA STRIP: Negotiations to pause the Israeli aggression against Palestinians and free the prisoners held by Hamas headed into a second day in Cairo on Wednesday, as displaced Gazans braced for an expected Israeli assault on their last refuge of Rafah. A Hamas source disclosed that a delegation was headed to the Egyptian capital to meet Egyptian and Qatari mediators, …

WASHINGTON: The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives narrowly voted on Tuesday to impeach President Joe Biden’s top border official, as immigration shapes up to be a major issue in this year’s elections. By a vote of 214-213, the House approved two articles of impeachment accusing Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas of not enforcing US immigration laws, which Republicans argue led …

India’s top court on Thursday struck down a scheme that allowed anonymous political donations in the form of electoral bonds, a critical ruling that comes ahead of national elections expected in April. Electoral bonds have become a key method of political funding, allowing donors to give anonymously through certificates purchased from a bank, but transparency rights activists say the practice …