Saturday, February 8th, 2020
Air Chief Mujahid Khan calls on Sri Lankan defence minister and naval chief
ISLAMABAD, FEB 08 (DNA) : Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force called on Chamal Rajapaksa, State Minister of Defence Sri Lanka. The Air Chief reiterated to offer all-out support and cooperation to Sri Lanka in defence related fields, said a press release issued by the PAF on Saturday. Both the dignitaries agreed to further enhance the existing bilateral cooperation between both the countries. Later in the day, the Air Chief had a meeting with Vice Admiral Piyal De Silva, Commander Sri Lanka NavyRead More
PM approves ban on export of sugar in bid to curtail runaway prices
ISLAMABAD, FEB 08 (DNA) – Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday approved a summary seeking to halt the export of 350,000 tons of sugar and allow the import of 300,000 tons of sugar through the private sector. The decision will be implemented after approval by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC). According to sources privy to meetings of the Sugar Advisory Board, a stock of 1.72 million tons of sugar is available in the country. Traditionally, a strategic reserve of two months is maintained by the state, with aRead More
American dies of coronavirus in China as toll set to surpass SARS
BEIJING, FEB 08 (DNA) : An American became the first confirmed non-Chinese victim of the new coronavirus on Saturday while a Japanese man also died with symptoms consistent with the disease, as the epidemic looked set to pass the death toll from the SARS pandemic. The 60-year old U.S. citizen diagnosed with coronavirus died at Jinyintan Hospital in China’s Wuhan, the epicenter of the virus outbreak, on Feb. 6, a U.S. embassy spokesman in Beijing said. “We offer our sincerest condolences to the family on their loss. “Out of theRead More
Scientists question work suggesting pangolin coronavirus link
LONDON/BEIJING, FEB 08 (DNA) : Independent scientists questioned research on Friday that suggested that the outbreak of coronavirus disease spreading from China might have passed from bats to humans through the illegal traffic of pangolins. South China Agricultural University, which said it had led the research, said on its website that the “discovery will be of great significance for the prevention and control of the origin (of the new virus)”. China’s official Xinhua news agency reported that the genome sequence of the novel coronavirus strain separated from pangolins in theRead More
Pakistan stocks take a battering as IMF shadow looms large over revenue shortfall
Pakistani stocks took a battering on Friday as fears of harsh measures to curtail a revenue shortfall and a possible reduction in subsidies extended to the power sector loomed large on investors’ minds. With the International Monetary Fund (IMF) turning up the heat on Islamabad to arrest slippages and close an expanding shortfall, the Pakistan Stock Exchange’s (PSX) benchmark KSE-100 index was down 1.43% or 580.77 points to close at 40,143.63 points. Similarly, the KSE-30 fell 1.38% or 258.94 points to end at 18,454.51 points. “Stocks closed sharply lower […]Read More
Oil falls 1pc as Russia needs time to mull more OPEC+ supply cuts
NEW YORK : Oil prices fell 1% on Friday as Russia said it needed more time before committing to output cuts sought by other large producers while the coronavirus outbreak fanned worries about global crude demand. Oil prices posted their fifth straight weekly decline, as speculators have backed away due to weaker consumption figures and expectations that the coronavirus, which has killed more than 600 people, will remain a drag on demand. Brent crude LCOc1 futures lost 46 cents, or 0.8%, to settle at $54.47 a barrel. BrentRead More