The International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) remains NATO’s top mission in Afghanistan, the alliance secretary general said, while welcoming new Supreme Allied Commander General Philip Mark Breedlove.“On your watch, Afghan forces will be taking full responsibility for the security ...

LAHORE - rPOTING TEAM - Polling on 13 national and 25 provincial assembly constituencies of Lahore by and large remained peaceful throughout the elections day on Saturday.A great deal of enthusiasm was shown by both voters and non-voters. A healthy turnout was seen at the polling stations since ...

lahore - The 9MFY13 cement sector profitability remained robust, where sector clocked up earnings growth of 125 per cent YoY led by steady volumetric growth margin expansion and dip in financial costs due to de-leveraging of balance sheets.Industry sources said that April 2013 cement offtake stood ...

karachi - Pakistan Stocks closed higher led by second and third tier stocks on strong valuations.At local equity market benchmark KSE-100 share index added 32.10 points or 0.17 percent to end the day at 18,197.71 points compared to 18,885.61 points of the day earlier. Ahsan Mehanti analyst at Arif ...

LAHORE  - The week began on a bearish note as PTCL lower than expected earnings, heightened political uncertainty and weak law & order ahead of the upcoming elections weighed down on investors’ sentiments. The KSE-100 index shed 352 points (1.9 per cent) in the first two trading days ...

MIRPURKHAS – In what has been described a thaw in relations between the Pakistan People's Party and former Sindh chief minister and one time close ally of military ruler Pervez Musharraf, Dr Arbab Ghulam Rahim, as both sides have agreed to forget ‘bitter memories of the ...

Curfew remained imposed in Gilgit on Wednesday with life paralyzed in the area a day after 14 people were killed in firing and grenade attacks.Educational institutions and business activities were also closed in Gilgit as army was called in to tackle the situation arising from sectarian violence ...

Lyari remained tense on Saturday as clashes between the police and residents were continued while the police vans were attacked with petrol bombs.The tension started after the law enforcers launch operation against criminal elements here in Lyari area.  The protestors broke the windows of ...

ISLAMABAD  - The US Embassy has said Pakistan’s border with Afghanistan remains closed to Nato despite comments by a senior Pakistani official that seemed to indicate the coalition would be allowed to transport some food items. Pakistan closed the crossings to Nato at the end of November ...

LAHORE - The local bourse remained lacklustre owing to the political uncertainty prevailing in the country. On the macro front, swelling of trade deficit also dampened the investor sentiment. On a positive note, inauguration of Kunnar-Pasakhi Gas Pipeline Project by the prime minister created some ...

KARACHI - The ruling PPP and MQM once again failed to sort out differences on Local Government System as the core committee meeting of both the parties remained inconclusive on Wednesday.The core committee comprising both the parties met at the CM House with Senior Education Minister Pir Mazharul ...

KARACHI - Stocks closed positive at KSE led by oil, banking and energy scrips on strong valuations. Investors remained bullish ahead of year end close. Trade remained thin in absence of foreign investors on account of Christmas holidays. The KSE 100-index inched up 0.36 percent or 41.21 points to ...

Pakistan’s number one tennis player Aisam-ul Haq Qureshi continued his streak at the top of the doubles tennis events on the ATP tour after an impressive showing in 2010. And he got his biggest achievement to become first Pakistani to break into the top-10 of doubles rankings and reached ...

QUETTA - University of Balochistan remained closed Wednesday to mourn the brutal murder of Danish Ali, a lecturer of Computer Science Department. Danish Ali was killed on Tuesday by unidentified assailants in the outskirts of city. The academic activities remained suspended in all departments of ...

LONDON (Reuters) - Part-nationalised bank Lloyds said on Sunday that a flotation of some 630 bank branches which it has been ordered to dispose of by regulators remained an option, along with a sale of the branches. "Lloyds has always said that an IPO (initial public offering) is an option, as part ...

GUJRANWALA - Riot-ridden Gujranwala remained a battlefield on Tuesday for the second consecutive day as scores of scuffles between the protesters and police were witnessed at different places amid a complete shutdown called by the traders against the worst electricity loadshedding. The continued ...

OUR STAFF REPORTER LAHORE - The martyrdom day (Youm-i-Shahadat) of Hazrat Ali (RA), the fourth caliph of Islam, was observed with religious and traditional zeal on Monday. Observed under strict security, the event remained peaceful against the backdrop of the last years suicide attacks near Karbala ...

PARIS (AFP) - US Treasury bonds remain a hot ticket for investors looking for a low risk investment in a volatile market despite the unprecedented downgrade of Washington's credit rating, analysts say. The decision by Standard & Poor's to strip Washington of its top triple-A rating has done little ...

NEW YORK - Huma Abedin has remained dignified amid media frenzy surrounding her scandal-hit husband Anthony Weiner, a prominent US congressman from New York. Huma, 34, who was married just a year ago, to Weiner, a man with a playboy past, is dealing with her husbands public shame over his immoral ...

The Netanyahu government is doing everything it can to interpret a recent Washington Post op-ed article by Justice Richard Goldstone as vindication of Israels conduct in the 2008-09 Gaza conflict. It is nothing of the sort. Israels reluctance to confront that reality finds a parallel in its refusal ...

Some 11,500 years ago one of America's earliest families laid the remains of a 3-year-old child to rest in their home in what is now Alaska. The discovery of that burial is shedding new light on the life and times of the early settlers who crossed from Asia to the New World, researchers report in ...

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The Green Hornet led the foreign box office for a second consecutive weekend on Sunday, earning just $15.7 million (9.9 million pounds) from 64 markets. The foreign total for the 3D superhero saga starring Seth Rogan stands at $61 million. Weekend highlights were No. 1 ...

LAHORE - The schedule of PIAs flights remained disturbed at all major airports including Lahore and the families of the Umra passengers had to face long hours of wait at Allama Iqbal Airport here on Tuesday. The airline arranged seven to eight flights from Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar and Karachi to ...

KARACHI - The Karachi stock market closed down on Thursday as investors stayed on the sidelines ahead of the long weekend because of Eid-ul-Fitr. Markets will be closed from Friday and reopen on Tuesday. Investors showed little interest due to the upcoming holidays and volume remained subdued. The ...

WASHINGTON - The seven-year bloody US combat role in Iraq is over, President Barack Obama told Americans on Tuesday night and added that it was time to focus on repairing the US economy. In a prime time address from the Oval Office, Obama claimed no victory. He balanced praise for the troops who ...

ISLAMABAD - Sixty-nine coffins having remains of the body parts of the victims of ill-fated AirBlue flight were buried here at H-11 graveyard on Friday evening amid moving scenes reminding of the plane tragedy that killed all 152 people onboard. The AirBlue flight ED202 crashed into Margalla Hills ...

PUNE (India) Indian batting maestro Sachin Tendulkar likes the Hot Spot but not the ball tracking technology, said Warren Brennan, the owner of BBG Sports which supplies the technology to ICC. Speaking to this scribe from Australia, he said, Sachin believes Hot Spot is accurate for bat-pads, ...

ISLAMABAD - Against the target of $ 10.7 billion, the countrys trade deficit remained $15.328 billion in the last fiscal year 2009-10, Federal Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. According to the latest trade figures, Pakistans trade imbalance was registered at $ 15.328 billion in the year ...

Hillary Clinton has once again come into her own true self and issued a direct threat to Pakistan of severe consequences if the 'terror attack of Times Square New York City had been successful and found to have definitively originated in Pakistan. It brings to mind an earlier moment when Hillary, ...

ISLAMABAD - The countrys trade deficit remained $9.423 billion in the first eight months (July-Feb) of the current fiscal year and registered a decline of 19.45 percent as compared to the same period of the last financial year, Federal Bureau of Statistics reported on Wednesday. According to the ...