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Beijing has called for de-escalation following the deadliest border clashes between Pakistan and Afghanistan since 2021, saying it is “deeply concerned” about the hostilities.Analysts suggested the conflict remained manageable but warned that flaring tensions could jeopardise regional stability.“China sincerely hopes that both countries will prioritise the bigger picture, exercise calm and restraint, and resolve their concerns through dialogue and consultation to avoid further conflict,” foreign ministry spokesman Lin Jian said on Monday.He added that China was ready to “continue playing a constructive role” in improving bilateral ties and called on both sides to ensure the safety of Chinese personnel, projects…

KARACHI: Sindh Minister for Livestock and Fisheries Muhammad Ali Malkani has announced the establishment of a Registration Authority that will issue licenses to investors in all areas of the poultry sector, allowing them to invest across Sindh. He further proposed that the authority should be able to issue licenses to investors within one month. He said that the Sindh government plans to promote the poultry sector through legislation to make the province self-sufficient in poultry production. The meeting was attended by Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Public Health Saleem Baloch, Secretary Livestock and Fisheries Kazim Hussain Jatoi, DG…

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb has welcomed successful negotiations with the US Administration leading to a tariff deal. He expressed these sentiments during a meeting Robert Kaproth, Assistant US Treasury Secretary for International Finance and Counselor Jonathan Greenstein here in Washington DC, where he has arrived to attend the annual meetings of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Bank (WB). During the meeting, the Finance Minister highlighted strong economic fundamentals of the country underpinned by the IMF programme. He briefed the Treasury officials about the legislation to regulate virtual assets in Pakistan. He…

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has introduced a fully digital platform, “National Subsistence Farmers Support Initiative” (NSFSI) to facilitate subsistence farmers to obtain collateral-free financing from banks and MFBs. In a major step to boost rural livelihoods, in August, the federal government launched a Risk Coverage Scheme for Small Farmers, a landmark initiative aimed at expanding bank financing to small, marginalized, and previously unserved farmers. The move aligns with the Prime Minister’s vision to modernize and strengthen the country’s agriculture sector, ensuring financial inclusion and protection for those at the heart of Pakistan’s food economy. The scheme has…

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Vietnam on Tuesday formally launched negotiations on a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) aimed at strengthening bilateral trade, investment and economic cooperation. The announcement and signing took place during a high-level bilateral meeting and the Pakistan–Vietnam Business Forum, held in Islamabad. The forum was co-chaired by Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Commerce Jam Kamal Khan and Vietnam’s Minister of Industry and Trade NguyHgDiên. The event was attended by a number of Pakistani federal ministers, including Khalid Hussain Magsi (Science and Technology), Abdul Aleem Khan (Communications), Junaid Anwar Chaudhry (Maritime Affairs), and Rana Tanveer Hussain (National Food Security and Industries),…

LONDON: The world oil market faces an even bigger surplus next year of as much as 4 million barrels per day as OPEC+ producers and rivals lift output and demand remains sluggish, the International Energy Agency predicted on Tuesday. The latest outlook from the IEA, which advises industrialised countries, expands its prediction of a 2026 surplus from about 3.3 million bpd last month. A surplus of 4 million bpd would be equal to almost 4% of world demand, and is much larger than other analysts’ predictions. OPEC+ is adding more crude to the market after the Organization of the Petroleum…

WASHINGTON: Global markets are getting too comfortable with risks like trade wars, geopolitical tensions and yawning government deficits, which, combined with already overpriced assets, increase the chance of a “disorderly” market correction, the International Monetary Fund said on Tuesday. Underscoring the IMF’s warning, President Donald Trump’s revived threats on Friday to hike tariffs on China stoked investor fears of a major asset price correction. The comments sparked a sell-off in US stocks and sent bitcoin tumbling. Despite this recent volatility, markets have mostly been resilient since April, when Trump unleashed his trade war, underpinned by expectations of monetary easing in…

HOUSTON: Oil prices fell on Tuesday, settling 1.5 percent lower as the International Energy Agency warned of a huge supply glut in 2026, and as trade tensions persisted between the US and China, the world’s two biggest economies. Brent crude futures fell 93 cents, or 1.5 percent, to settle at USD62.39 a barrel. US West Texas Intermediate crude was down 1.3 pc, or 79 cents, at USD58.70. Both contracts were at a five-month low. In the previous session, Brent settled 0.9 percent higher, and US WTI closed up 1 percent. The world oil market faces an even bigger surplus next…

WASHINGTON: Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue, Senator Muhammad Aurangzeb had a busy first day of his official visit to the United States with a series of high-level meetings on the sidelines of the Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group (WBG) in Washington. The minister and his delegation had a key meeting with Jihad Azour, Director of the IMF’s Middle East and Central Asia Department, and his team, a news release said. Both sides exchanged views on Pakistan’s reform agenda and reaffirmed their shared commitment to sustaining the current momentum of reforms, a news…

China will become one of the “outsize contributors” to JPMorgan Asset Management’s five-year plan to double Asia-Pacific assets under supervision to about US$600 billion, according to the firm’s top executive in the region.“Our long-term goal is to grow [operations in the region] to a US$1 trillion business,” said Dan Watkins, CEO of Asia-Pacific at JPMorgan Asset Management, in an interview on Tuesday.He said China, Australia and Japan – the three largest capital markets where the US firm operates – would support its growth plan. Assets under management across seven markets in the region already crossed the US$300 billion mark, double…