JERUSALEM: The United Arab Emirates has begun construction on a major pipeline to carry desalinated water from Egypt to southern Gaza, according to multiple sources. Technical teams sent by the UAE have started transporting equipment needed for the project, the Emirati state news agency WAM reported on Wednesday. The nearly seven-kilometre (4.5-mile) pipeline aims to … Read more

DUBAI: All-rounders Ben Stokes and Ravindra Jadeja have made substantial gains in the ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after their fine performances with both bat and ball in the drawn fourth Test of the ICC World Test Championship series between England and India. England captain Stokes has progressed three places to third position among all-rounders, … Read more

[ Listen to article KARACHI: The trade and industrial community has strongly reacted to the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) decision to leave its policy rate unchanged at 11%, which came in contrary to widespread expectations of a 50-basis-point reduction and calls for a massive cut to around 6%. In the run-up to monetary policy announcement on … Read more

LONDON: UK flights were disrupted on Wednesday by a technical glitch that was quickly resolved, according to the air traffic control service. The number of aircraft in London’s air space was limited by the service, known as NATS, as a result of a technical issue, causing airports including Gatwick and Edinburgh to stop departures. NATS … Read more

PARIS/BERLIN: Boris Rehlinger may not turn heads on the streets of Paris, but his voice is instantly recognisable to millions of French filmgoers. As the French voice of Ben Affleck, Joaquin Phoenix, and even Puss in Boots, Rehlinger is a star behind the scenes — and now he is fighting to keep his craft alive in … Read more

Listen to article KARACHI: Despite apparent economic recovery and stable headline inflation, the Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) decided to maintain the policy rate at 11%, which reflects persistent and emerging vulnerabilities across Pakistan’s macroeconomic landscape. SBP Governor Jameel Ahmad, conducting a press conference, admitted that the inflation outlook has deteriorated due to steep gas tariff hikes and … Read more

[ Listen to article NEW YORK: US stocks closed well off earlier highs after a choppy session on Wednesday, as Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell chilled expectations the central bank might be poised to cut rates at its September meeting. In keeping rates unchanged, as was widely expected, the central bank said “the unemployment rate remains low, … Read more

WASHINGTON: Scientists diving to astounding depths in two oceanic trenches in the northwest Pacific have discovered thriving communities of marine creatures that get their sustenance not by eating organic matter like most animals but by turning chemicals into energy. They found these chemosynthesis-based animal communities – dominated by tube worms and clams – during a … Read more

MELBOURNE: Cricket Australia announced its T20I and ODI squads for the upcoming home series against South Africa on Wednesday. The series will begin with a three-match T20I series on August 10, followed by three ODIs in northern Australia. Young all-rounder Mitchell Owen has received his maiden ODI call-up after a strong start in the T20 … Read more

CHIBA: One of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded struck Russia’s sparsely populated Far East on Wednesday, causing tsunamis up to four metres (12 feet) high across the Pacific and sparking evacuations from Hawaii to Japan. The magnitude 8.8 quake struck off Petropavlovsk on Russia’s Kamchatka peninsula and was the largest since 2011 when one of … Read more