Day: July 20, 2025

Akhtar Mengal barred from leaving country

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Balochistan National Party-Mengal (BNP-M) head Akhtar Mengal was prevented from travelling abroad after being offloaded from a Dubai-bound private airline’s flight, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said on Sunday. Taking to X, Mengal said he was offloaded from plane while travelling to Dubai from Quetta and was told by Immigration staff that his name was placed in the Provisional National Identification List (PNIL). The politician also went on to share a screenshot of the immigration data where his name was included “with the approval of the competent authority,” with explicit directions to…

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New research uncovers possible sound-based link between plants, insects

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Plants and insects may communicate through sound, say Tel Aviv researchers, marking a breakthrough in understanding nature’s acoustic signals. The study, published in the journal eLife, suggests that female moths detect ultrasonic distress signals emitted by dehydrated tomato plants and use this information to decide where to lay their eggs. Moths usually lay their eggs on tomato plants to provide food for their larvae after they hatch. The research was led by Rya Seltzer and Guy Zer Eshel in the laboratories of Yossi Yovel and Lilach Hadany, both professors at…

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Public to get e-bikes, loaders on easy loans

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ISLAMABAD: The federal government plans to offer over 100,000 electric bikes and more than 300,000 electric loaders to the public through subsidised financing and easy loan schemes, it was revealed on Friday. Presiding over a high-level meeting today, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said that promoting the use of electric vehicles (EVs) would reduce Pakistan’s dependency on imported fuel, conserve billions in foreign exchange, help protect the environment, and support local industry. He directed the preparation of a comprehensive action plan to make electric vehicles affordable and accessible to ordinary citizens…

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Pakistan posts $2.1bn current account surplus — first in 14 years

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Pakistan recorded a full-year current account surplus of $2.1 billion in fiscal year 2024–25, reversing a $2.07 billion deficit from FY24, marking its first annual surplus in 14 years, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed on Friday In a statement on X, the central bank said: “Current account balance recorded a surplus of $2.1 billion during FY25 compared to a deficit of $2.1 billion during FY24.” Meanwhile, the country’s current account registered a surplus of $328 million in June 2025, against a deficit of $84 million last month and a deficit…

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FM Aurangzeb pushes to finalise US trade deal: Bloomberg

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ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb is making proactive efforts to secure a trade agreement with the United States ahead of the August deadline, Bloomberg reported on Saturday. Aurangzeb is engaged in negotiations in Washington, seeking discussions on several American demands laid out in a detailed list previously provided to a Pakistani delegation, according to the report. These demands include fulfilling preconditions for a trade deal, and reducing both tariff and non-tariff trade barriers. The Ministry of Finance had last week said that the trade negotiations have made encouraging progress. Pakistan…

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Trump signs GENIUS Act into law, legitimising stablecoins

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WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Friday signed into law a bill establishing a regulatory framework for dollar-pegged cryptocurrencies, or stablecoins — a major step towards integrating digital assets into everyday financial transactions. Known as the GENIUS Act, the legislation had already cleared the Senate and was passed in the House of Representatives by a 308-122 vote, gaining support from most Republicans and nearly half of Democratic lawmakers. The new law marks a significant victory for cryptocurrency advocates, who have long pushed for clear regulations to help legitimise an industry…

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Govt eyes Rs3bn aquaculture zone to power blue economy, fish exports

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ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Muhammad Junaid Anwar Chaudhry on Saturday announced plans to set up a modern Aquaculture Park at Karachi’s Korangi Fish Harbour, with an estimated cost of Rs3 billion. The minister announced while chairing a high-level meeting on the development of the blue economy, attended by Chairman Gwadar Port Authority (GPA) Noorul Haq Baloch, representatives from Korangi Fish Harbour Authority (KoFHAH), the Marine Fisheries Department (MFD), and the Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, said a press release. The estimated annual production of the 120-acre aquaculture…

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