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By Farzana Chaudhry | LahoreLahore: Women’s economic empowerment has been declared a central pillar of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s SME development vision, as Pakistan moves closer to approving its first-ever Women Entrepreneurship Policy.This was highlighted by SMEDA Board Member and Head of the Women Entrepreneurship Sub-Committee, Aasia Sail, while addressing a delegation from the National…

Islamabad —The OIC Ministerial Standing Committee on Scientific and Technological Cooperation (OIC-COMSTECH) and Huawei Technologies Pakistan have signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to establish the COMSTECH-Huawei ICT Academy, marking a major milestone in digital capacity building across the 57 OIC member and 5 observer states.The MoU signing and inauguration ceremony was held at…

Washington, D.C. Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb, reaffirmed the government’s unwavering commitment to the Roshan Digital Account (RDA) scheme at a diaspora leaders’ evening held at the Embassy of Pakistan in Washington, D.C. The event was organised in collaboration with the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the Pakistan Banks’ Association…

Karachi —Gold prices in Pakistan continued their upward trajectory on Wednesday as the per tola rate climbed by Rs3,500, reaching Rs503,462, according to the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Association.The price of 10 grams of gold also surged by Rs3,001, settling at Rs431,637. The back-to-back increases have placed further pressure on consumers and the jewellery…

Lahore —The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has decided to retain Shan Masood as Test captain while appointing former skipper Sarfaraz Ahmed as the new Head Coach, replacing Azhar Mahmood in the role. It will be Sarfaraz’s first stint as a head coach at the international level.According to sources, the PCB will make the formal announcements…

Karachi — Pakistan has launched its first-ever livestock insurance scheme, marking a significant step towards reducing human-wildlife conflict in the country. The initiative, introduced by WWF-Pakistan in collaboration with an insurance company, has been rolled out beginning in the Galiyat region.According to a WWF-Pakistan spokesperson, the scheme will begin with the tagging of livestock to…

Tehran —Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian has reaffirmed that Iran does not seek war and remains open to diplomacy, but issued a firm warning that any attempt to impose the enemy’s will or compel a surrender would be destined to fail.In a strongly-worded statement, President Pezeshkian said Iran has always been willing to engage in negotiations,…

Washington —Federal Finance Minister Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb announced on Wednesday that Saudi Arabia will transfer $3 billion in financial support to Pakistan by next week, providing a much-needed boost to the country’s foreign exchange reserves.Speaking to media at the Pakistani Embassy in Washington, the Finance Minister said he held detailed discussions with his Saudi counterpart…

Riyadh — Saudi Arabia’s Ministry of Interior has announced stringent penalties for pilgrims attempting to perform Hajj without an official permit, as the Kingdom intensifies efforts to regulate access to the holy sites during the pilgrimage season.According to the ministry, anyone performing or attempting to perform Hajj without authorisation will face a fine of up…

New York / New Delhi — A fresh report by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has warned that the ongoing conflict in the Middle East is placing severe strain on India’s already fragile economy. According to the report, the Gulf region tensions could push an additional 2.5 million Indians into poverty, bringing the total…