[ ISLAMABAD: In a move to strengthen Pakistan’s engineering workforce, the Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Thar Coal Block-1 Power Generation Company, Sino Sindh Resources, and Shanghai Electric Engineering Consulting Company. The agreement, part of the Thar Block-1 project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), sets out a … Read more

In 'The Fence', a haunting new film from Claire Denis, the celebrated French director returns to a theme she has explored throughout her career — the shadow of colonialism in West Africa. Denis, who spent her early childhood moving around Africa, where her father was a colonial administrator, sets 'The Fence' on the grim compound … Read more

[ BRUSSELS: The European Union could phase out Russian gas within six to 12 months by replacing it with US liquefied natural gas, and the United States communicated this position to EU officials this week, US energy secretary Chris Wright told Reuters on Friday. Wright was speaking in Brussels, where he met EU energy commissioner … Read more

Moscow said Friday that peace talks with Kyiv were on “pause” as Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky warned that his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin still had plans to try to capture the whole of Ukraine. US President Donald Trump warned meanwhile that he was fast running out of patience with Putin, who has shown no intention … Read more

[ ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Industries and Production Haroon Akhtar Khan has highlighted that under the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, the Small and Medium Enterprises Development Authority’s (Smeda) new structure has been finalised, with a strong focus on an outsourcing model as well as policy and programme design. He … Read more

KATHMANDU: Nepal’s parliament was dissolved late Friday and the country will hold elections in March, the president’s office said, after a new interim prime minister was appointed in the wake of deadly anti-government protests. “On the recommendation of the prime minister, the parliament has been dissolved. The election date is March 5, 2026,” Kiran Pokharel, … Read more

[ LAHORE: Punjab Minister for Industries and Commerce Chaudhry Shafay Hussain has emphasised that Pakistan-Hunan Chamber of Commerce should facilitate the relocation of China’s textile industry to Punjab and the government will provide land in Special Economic Zones as well as offer every possible facility to Chinese companies. A delegation of Pakistan-Hunan Chamber of Commerce … Read more

Ireland has become the latest country to threaten a boycott of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel is allowed to participate, deepening the crisis facing organisers of one of the world’s biggest televised events. The Irish national broadcaster, RTE, announced on Thursday that it would not take part in the 2026 contest should Israel … Read more