[ KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) injected a combined liquidity of Rs2.17 trillion into the money market on Friday through conventional and Shariah-compliant open market operations (OMOs), indicating continued efforts to maintain system liquidity. According to the central bank data, the conventional OMO injection amounted to Rs1.97 trillion, offered and fully accepted across … Read more

KYIV: President Volodymyr Zelenskiy warned on Friday that Ukraine risked losing its dignity and freedom — or Washington’s backing — over a US peace plan that endorses key Russian demands, a proposal Donald Trump said Kyiv should accept within a week. The US president told Fox News Radio he believed Thursday was an appropriate deadline … Read more

[ KARACHI: The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) ended Friday’s session on a weak note as the KSE-100 index dropped 834 points, or 0.51%, to close at 162,103 amid dull, range-bound trading and low volumes. Market reviewers noted the absence of fresh triggers, with the index oscillating between gains and losses before coming under pressure near … Read more

. Nooruddin Azizi, acting Afghan Minster of Commerce and Industry, speaks during an interview with Reuters in Kabul, Afghanistan, February 22, 2023. PHOTO: REUTERS NEW DELHI: Air cargo services between India and Afghanistan will be launched soon, an Indian foreign ministry official said on Friday, as the two countries seek to reset ties amid soured … Read more

[ ISLAMABAD: A meeting of the Prime Minister’s Committee on Gemstone Policy on Friday flagged major structural gaps in Pakistan’s gemstone sector, including massive losses during extraction, undocumented trade, and negligible value addition. During the briefing, chaired by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) Haroon Akhtar Khan, officials revealed that Pakistan’s actual gemstone exports … Read more

‘Peace & Pieces’ exhibition brings world, local artists together, transforming city into a vibrant cultural hub KARACHI: The fourth edition of the international art exhibition ‘Peace & Pieces’ was inaugurated on Thursday by Karachi Mayor Barrister Murtaza Wahab, as part of the ongoing 39-day World Culture Festival 2025. The event was held at the Ahmed … Read more

France’s President Emmanuel Macron looks at a lit wall with names of French individuals who fought against apartheid during a commemoration ceremony attended by South Africa’s Deputy President Paul Mashatile in Pretoria. Photo: AFP JOHANNESBURG: G20 envoys have agreed on a draft leaders’ declaration ahead of this weekend’s summit in Johannesburg without US input, four … Read more

[ Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines drive fastest import growth as Islamabad pushes for FTAs to rebalance trade ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s trade volume with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) stood at $11.5 billion in 2024, a figure officials say remains below potential and requires rationalisation. Despite steady engagement, the trade deficit in 2025 continues … Read more

. Mourners carry the body of 16-year-old Palestinian Sami Mashayekh during his funeral. Photo: AFP KUFR AQAB: The Palestinian health ministry said Friday that Israeli forces fatally shot two teenagers overnight in the town of Kufr Aqab in the occupied West Bank. “The young man Amr Khaled Ahmed Al-Marbou (18) and the boy Sami Ibrahim … Read more