Google began removing the apps of 10 companies in India on Friday, including some popular matrimony apps such as Bharat Matrimony, in a dispute over service fee payments, potentially sparking a showdown with startup firms. The dispute centres on efforts by some Indian startups to stop Google from imposing a fee of 11% to 26% on in-app payments, after the …

WASHINGTON: The Republican-controlled US House of Representatives on Thursday approved a bill to avert a partial government shutdown, sending the measure to the Democratic-majority Senate less than two days before funding for some federal agencies runs out. Two-hundred and seven Democrats joined 113 Republicans in a 320-99 vote to approve the short-term stopgap measure, which would extend by one week …

KARACHI: Extending a yet another major relief to cash-strapped Islamabad, the Chinese government has rolled over its $2 billion loan, which was due in March, for one year. The finance ministry on Thursday confirmed that China has accepted Pakistan’s request for the rollover, considering the country’s current inability to repay the loan. Most of the foreign exchange reserves of the State Bank …

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) continued its upward journey on Friday as shares gained over 700 points, with analysts attributing the positive momentum to an anticipated decline in inflation and clarity on the political front. The KSE-100 index made decent gains throughout the day and closed at 65,325.68 points, up by 747.16 or 1.16 per cent from the previous close …

NAIROBI: UN delegates on Thursday withdrew a motion calling for more research into technologies that aim to fight climate change by reflecting the sun’s rays back into space, amid concerns about health and environmental risks. Some who opposed the draft resolution at the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) were also worried that the use of solar radiation modification (SRM) might let …

KARACHI: Defence Housing Authority resident community groups were abuzz with rain alert news since early on Thursday. Many residents were saying that their circumstances, due to dug up roads here and there, were such that they were afraid of normal rains and here the forecast was for heavy rain with thunder, which was extremely worrisome for them. The president of …

Global condemnation flowed on Friday after Israeli forces in war-ravaged Gaza opened fire as Palestinian civilians scrambled for food aid during a chaotic incident which the Hamas-run territory’s health ministry said killed more than 100 people. The Israeli military said a “stampede” occurred when thousands of desperate Gazans surrounded a convoy of 38 aid trucks, leading to dozens of deaths and injuries, …

At least eight people were injured when a suspected homemade bomb exploded during lunch hour at a cafe in India’s technology hub of Bengaluru on Friday, authorities said. The blast at Rameshwaram Cafe in the east of the city occurred just after 1pm when crowds from nearby offices were lined up for a quick meal. “It seems someone kept a …

A massive fire in Bangladesh that raged through a six-storey building home to restaurants where many families with children were dining has killed at least 46 people and injured dozens, the health minister said on Friday. Fire authorities said a gas leak or a stove could have caused Thursday’s blaze in the capital, which spread quickly after breaking out in …

WASHINGTON: US lawmakers are urging President Joe Biden and Secretary of State Antony Blinken to refrain from recognising a new government in Pakistan until allegations of election rigging are thoroughly investigated. The lawmakers, all Democrats like President Biden, in their joint letter, expressed concerns about pre- and post-poll rigging in Pakistan’s recent parliamentary elections. They have called for a transparent …