COLOMBO, MAR 18 (DNA) – Sri Lanka President Maithripala Sirisena said on Sunday he had lifted a nationwide state of emergency imposed on March 6 after Buddhist-Muslim clashes.“Upon assessing the public safety situation, I instructed to revoke the State of Emergency from midnight yesterday,” Sirisena said on his Twitter feed. He declared a state of emergency to rein in the spread of communal violence after Buddhists and Muslims clashed in the Indian Ocean island’s central district of Kandy.
US to slash nicotine in cigarettes in a ‘historic move’
WASHINGTON, MAR 17 (DNA) – US regulators Thursday opened the door to slashing the amount of nicotine in cigarettes in order to make them less addictive, a move that could mean millions fewer smokers in the years to come. The US Food and Drug Administration said it is seeking public input and will begin “to explore a product standard to lower nicotine in cigarettes to minimally or non-addictive levels.”
Pakistan to boycott WTO meeting in India
ISLAMABAD, MAR 17 (DNA) – Pakistan has decided not to attend a World Trade Organisation (WTO) meeting hosted by India next week, highlighting growing tensions caused by the ongoing diplomatic standoff. An official of the Ministry of Commerce confirmed to the Express Tribune that the decision to boycott the informal meeting has been made at the highest level.
Pakistan’s external debt to climb to $103b by June 2019: IMF report
ISLAMABAD, MAR 16 (DNA) – The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has assessed Pakistan’s gross external financing needs at a record $27 billion for the next fiscal year, but warned that arranging the financing at favourable rates will now be a challenge due to risks to the country’s debt sustainability.
PSL-3 final tickets lead to long queues, website crash
LAHORE, MAR 15 (DNA) – Ticket sales of third edition of the Pakistan Super League’s (PSL) final scheduled to take place in Karachi went online on Thursday and fans flocked to the outlets to get their hands on them. Tickets are available at the 25 TCS branches in Karachi and online through Yayvo. Ticket sales on Yayvo started at 12am, soon after which the website crashed due to the amount of traffic on it.
Conference: Govt to present electricity policy to CCI next month
ISLAMABAD, MAR 15 (DNA) – Participants of an energy conference on Wednesday underlined the need for cashing in on the opportunities arising in Pakistan’s growing off-grid solar power industry in order to address critical energy shortages. The International Finance Corporation (IFC), a member of the World Bank Group, joined forces with Pakistan Microfinance Investment Company (PMIC) and the Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) to host the conference and highlight the opportunities in the off-grid solar industry to bridge the energy deficit.
Nepal chief justice sacked for faking date of birth
KATHMANDU, MAR 15 (DNA) – Nepal’s divisive Chief Justice Gopal Parajuli was sacked Wednesday for faking his date of birth in order to remain in office longer. The controversy over Parajuli’s date of birth has been brewing for months after he charged a prominent activist and Nepal’s largest newspaper with contempt of court for raising concerns about his multiple birthdays.
Private equity landscape in Pakistan – supporting financial markets with new entrants
ISLAMABAD, MAR 14 (DNA) – Private equity has always played a pivotal role in the development of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) globally by providing not only capital but also operational expertise, managerial bandwidth, leadership and vision. In Pakistan, although the regulatory framework for private equity and venture capital was first introduced by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) in 1995 and has been revised thrice in 2001, 2008 and most recently in 2015, the industry is yet to make its mark in any significant manner.
Joint Declaration: Presidents of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan pledge to work hand in hand
DUSHANBE (DNA) -On March 9-10, 2018, at the invitation of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan Emomali Rahmon, the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev paid a state visit to the Republic of Tajikistan. During the fruitful talks held in an open, friendly and constructive atmosphere, the Heads of State discussed in detail key issues of the current state of relations between the Republic of Tajikistan and the Republic of Uzbekistan, prospects for further expanding and deepening of bilateral multifaceted cooperation in the political, trade and economic, transport and communication, culture and humanitarian and other fields, as well as current regional and international issues of mutual interest.
Indian troops martyr three youth in occupied Kashmir
SRINAGAR, MAR 12 (DNA) – In occupied Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred at least three Kashmiri youth in Islamabad district of occupied Kashmir. The youth including a B-tech student Eesa Fazli and Syed Owais were killed by the Indian troops during a siege and search operation in Hakoora area of south district, police said. Meanwhile, the authorities imposed curfew and restrictions in Soura area of Srinagar and Islamabad to prevent people from protesting against the killings. Eesa Fazli belonged to Srinagar, while Syed Owais was a resident of Kokernag area of Islamabad district.
