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[ LAHORE: Punjab has not introduced any new tax in its budget for fiscal year 2026-27, offering some relief to the province’s cash-strapped residents. However, the government plans to raise the rates of several existing taxes to meet its revenue targets. The proposed Finance Bill 2026 seeks higher rates for token tax, Abyana (water tax) … Read more
A $300 billion private fund designed to trigger investment into Iran is outlined in the US-Iran framework agreement, and more than half that sum has already been committed, a source with direct knowledge of the deal told Reuters. The fund is designed to give both sides an economic incentive to conclude a final deal to end the war, … Read more
[ LAHORE: The Punjab government has allocated Rs91.9 billion for agriculture in its budget for fiscal year 2026-27, as part of a combined Rs132.54 billion set aside for development and non-development spending on the agriculture, livestock, and fisheries sectors. Government officials describe these sectors as the backbone of the province’s economy, food security and export … Read more
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Photo: X ISLAMABAD: The federal government would bear the cost of a 100-megawatt solar power project for Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B), Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Tuesday while chairing a review meeting in Islamabad on the initiative, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO). The prime minister directed … Read more
The tournament brings unique challenges and upsides for Kansas City, the smallest U.S. metro area to host matches.
BEIJING: China’s top diplomat told his Pakistani counterpart on Tuesday that the next phase of negotiations between the United States and Iranwhich Pakistan has helped mediatewill be “more difficult”. In a phone conversation ahead of the planned signing on Friday of a US-Iran memorandum of understanding to end their war, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi … Read more
TEHRAN: Tehran announced on Tuesday that a two-month US naval blockade of Iranian ports had been lifted ahead of the formal signing of an agreement in Switzerland this Friday aimed at ending the recent Middle East conflict, as the two countries are set to begin two months of negotiations on a final settlement. Iranian Deputy … Read more
Rs5.9tr surplus budget unveiled Current spending reduced by 3.1% under fiscal consolidation push Salaries up LAHORE: The Punjab government unveiled on Tuesday Rs5.903 trillion surplus budget for coming fiscal year, showing reduced current expenditures, despite a 7% increase in salaries and 3.5% hike in pension, while a substantial amount of Rs803.88 billion … Read more
The Paris Opera production of “Ercole Amante” (“Hercules in Love”), a rediscovered 1707 work by the female composer Antonia Bembo, leans into contemporary themes of coercion and consent.
Stockpile development comes as US keen to leverage Australia’s location to counter China’s military build-up: analysts Pentagon aims to fund the military campaign against Iran. PHOTO: ANADOLU The US military is planning a permanent war-ready weapons stockpile for its Marine Corps on Australia’s southeast coast beyond the range of most Chinese missiles, tender documents show, … Read more