LONDON: A UK judge on Tuesday blocked asylum seekers from being housed at a hotel in a town which has witnessed violent protests, dealing a blow to the government. The high court judge approved a request by the local authority in Epping, northeast of London, for a temporary injunction to stop migrants from being housed … Read more

[ KARACHI: Moody’s Ratings has upgraded to Caa1 from Caa2 the local and foreign-currency long-term deposit ratings of five Pakistani banks namely Allied Bank Limited (ABL), Habib Bank Limited (HBL), MCB Bank, National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) and United Bank Limited (UBL). “We have also upgraded the baseline credit assessments (BCAs) and adjusted BCAs for … Read more

MONTREAL: Air Canada flight attendants ended their strike Tuesday after reaching a tentative deal with the carrier, which said it will work to restore full service for its 130,000 daily passengers. Roughly 10,000 flight attendants walked off the job after midnight Saturday, insisting Air Canada had failed to address their demands for higher pay and … Read more

LONDON: One of the most valuable violins in the world, crafted three centuries ago and once owned by composer Niccolo Paganini, is to be played at a top UK classical music festival. The violin, known as the Carrodus, is one of only around 150 made by Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu known to have survived down … Read more

[ ISLAMABAD: A high-level committee has finalised recommendations to cut container dwell time at Karachi Port and Port Qasim, aiming to improve cargo clearance and reduce congestion at Pakistan’s two key seaports. According to an official statement, the proposals were presented on Tuesday to Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry, who directed … Read more

JERUSALEM: A senior Israeli official on Tuesday said the government stood firm on its call for the release of all hostages in any future Gaza ceasefire deal, after Hamas accepted a new truce proposal. Mediators are awaiting an official Israeli response to the plan, a day after Hamas signalled its readiness for a fresh round … Read more

[ ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Planning, Development & Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal, chaired a high-level meeting to review preparations for the forthcoming session of the Joint Cooperation Committee (JCC) of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) ahead of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s scheduled visit to Beijing. Iqbal noted that the PM’s upcoming visit will mark the … Read more

[ KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) soared past another record on Tuesday, breaking the 150,000 mark for the first time ever during intra-day trading. Analysts remarked that bullish momentum from previous sessions continued, driven by strong institutional inflows, particularly in banking and cement sectors. Additionally, investor sentiment was bolstered by a positive economic outlook … Read more