KARACHI, Pakistan – Longtime allies Pakistan and China have vowed to enhance economic cooperation, expand trade, and encourage greater investments from Beijing. In a phone call, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and his Chinese counterpart Li Keqiang agreed that an “All-Weather Strategic Cooperative Partnership”...
LAHORE, Pakistan – With alarm bells ringing all over the world over global warming, new farming technologies are helping the young generation reduce waste and keep the earth healthy. A survey by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics in 2018 found that some 39% of the country’s labor force was engaged in agriculture, with the sector [&h...
ANKARA – Inter RAO, Russia’s largest electricity company, has suspended electricity supply to Finland, according to news reports. Inter RAO’s Finnish subsidiary, RAO Nordic Oy, said in a statement that it is “forced to suspend the electricity import” starting May 14. “Unfortunately, we are forced to note that for ...
ANKARA – Protests continue in Iran over hike in food prices and a shortage of commodities in the country. Protests were reported in the cities of Borujerd and Dorud in the western Lorestan province, in Gunkan and Farsan in Chaharmahal Bakhtiari province and the city of Dehdasht in Kohgiluyeh and Boyer-Ahmad province in southwestern Iran. [&hel...
ANKARA – Iran blocked more than 9,000 bank accounts on Saturday over ‘suspicious and illegal foreign currency and cryptocurrency activities.’ A total of 9,219 bank accounts belonging to 545 individuals were blocked, according to a statement by the Ministry of Intelligence. The volume of the accounts was approximately 60 trillion Ir...
WASHINGTON (AA) – The US has issued a general license to exempt northern Syrian territories, including those controlled by the PKK’s regional branch, from American sanctions. The Treasury Department’s action lifts prohibitions on business activities in 12 different economic sectors in northern Syria, including agriculture, te...
ANKARA – Turkiye has rejected claims made in the Iranian media outlets that Turkish dams were the cause of severe air pollution and sand storms in Iran. “Claims that dams in Turkiye caused sand and dust storms in our region are far from being scientific,” Foreign Ministry spokesman Tanju Bilgic said. Asserting that sand and [...
ISTANBUL – An official of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) urged rapid actions to end or minimize the usage of fossil fuels by the end of the decade. IPCC is a UN body responsible for advancing knowledge on human-induced climate change. Joyashree Roy, one of the authors of the IPCC’s Sixth Assessment Report […]
OVIEDO, Spain (AA) – Spain is increasingly turning towards the US and away from Algeria for its natural gas supplies, according to data released this week. In April, Algerian gas provided Spain with around 9.5 gigawatt-hours’ worth of electricity — around 37.5% less than during the same time last year, according to Enagas, th...
ANKARA (AA) – Saudi banks will benefit from the current atmosphere of high oil prices, rising interest rates, and strong credit growth in 2022-2023, Fitch Ratings said on Wednesday. “The banks have largely absorbed the pandemic shock, helped by a strong economic rebound, while the operating environment should remain favourable, sup...