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ANKARA, Turkey (AP) — Search teams on Wednesday recovered the cockpit voice and flight data recorders from the jet that crashed and killed Libya’s military chief and other senior officers, while efforts to retrieve the victim’s remains were still underway, Turkey’s interior minister said. The private jet carrying Gen. Muhammad Ali Ahmad al-Haddad, four other officers and three crew members crashed in Turkey on Tuesday after taking off from the capital, Ankara, killing everyone on board. Libyan officials said the cause of the crash was a technical malfunction on the plane.The high-level Libyan delegation was on its way back to…

KARACHI: Pakistan Petroleum Limited (PPL) has made a groundbreaking discovery at its LAL X-1 exploratory well in Kashmore, Sindh, marking a significant step into the country’s unconventional gas sector. While the well’s initial flow rate of 0.138 million standard cubic feet per day (MMscfd) may seem modest, industry analysts say the find is a major technical achievement. For the first time, hydrocarbons have been successfully extracted from the Lower Alabaster Formation, a geological layer previously considered too challenging to exploit in the region. Unlike conventional gas reservoirs, where hydrocarbons flow freely through porous rock, the LAL X-1 well tapped tight…

LAHORE: The Punjab Revenue Authority (PRA) has decided to establish an investigation and intelligence wing aimed at tightening screws on non-compliant business and tax evaders. The decision was taken at a meeting on Tuesday held under the chairmanship of the Chairman Punjab Revenue Authority, Moazzam Iqbal Sipra, to review proposals related to departmental restructuring. The meeting decided in principle to establish an “investigation and intelligence wing” to bring further improvement in performance and efficiency of the authority. Progress on establishment of a large taxpayer unit was also discussed. The chairman directed that the large taxpayer unit be made operational in…

LAHORE: The Pakistan Railways (PR) has made significant progress during 2025 in revenue generation, safety, infrastructure upgradation, digitization and administrative reforms, delivering tangible benefits for passengers and contributing positively to the national economy. According to senior railways officer Babar Raza, Pakistan Railways generated over Rs93 billion in revenue during 2025, while Rs50 billion is expected in the first half of the financial year 2025–26. He said if the current momentum continues, the organization is likely to achieve a historic milestone of Rs100 billion in revenue by the end of financial year. He said the upgradation of the safety department to…

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Engineering Council (PEC) on Tuesday formally launched three landmark national codes aimed at transforming Pakistan’s built environment and construction sector in line with global best practices here on Tuesday. The newly launched codes include the Green Building Code of Pakistan, Rainwater Harvesting Code, and Occupational Safety and Health Code for the construction sector. The launching ceremony was attended by the international development partners, diplomats, senior government officials, engineering professionals, academia, representatives of the construction industry, and other stakeholders, reflecting broad national and international support for Pakistan’s sustainability and safety agenda. Dr Sarosh Hashmat Lodhi, Senior Vice Chairman/…

KARACHI: Deputy Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Saleem Ullah has said that Islamic banking must not remain limited to nomenclature but should be clearly reflected in practice. He said Islamic banking represents a transparent financial system whose practical demonstration was set 1,400 years ago by the Holy Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) through his trade practices. He urged all banks and experts moving towards Islamic banking to become role models by upholding ethical values and ensuring that customers are fully aware that their transactions are free from hidden conditions. He was addressing the certificate distribution ceremony of Saylani School of Business…

ISLAMABAD: Public Accounts Committee Chairman Syed Naveed Qamar on Tuesday urged the government to reform and empower the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), enabling the regulatory body to recover penalties directly from companies through attachment of bank accounts instead of filing references in courts. The SECP-related issues were examined by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC), chaired by Naveed Qamar, during a session focused on the Audit Report for the Finance Division for the fiscal year 2020-21. The PAC committee Chairman stated that the time has come to amend the SECP laws. There is a need to reform the…

ISLAMABAD: Chairman of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) Maj General Hafeez Ur Rehman (retd) has said that during the current year, more than 1.5 million URLs had been blocked, including 6,042 related to defamation and impersonation and 13,780 pertaining to immoral content across various online platforms. He stated this In a meeting of the Special Committee on Gender Mainstreaming held under the chairpersonship of MNA Dr. Nafisa Shah. The PTA chairman disclosed that 5,000 unauthorized SIMs had been identified and blocked. The panel underscored the need for enhanced coordination with international digital platforms and the development of stronger policies to…

ISLAMABAD: Secretary Trade Development Authority of Pakistan (TDAP) Shahryar Khan Tuesday announced that an agricultural exhibition will be organized in Balochistan in August or September to create awareness about fruits and vegetables grown in the province. He said that value addition of Balochistan’s olives, apples, onions, tomatoes and other agricultural produce will be carried out, while required certification and food safety standards will be ensured to facilitate their access to European and Central Asian markets. He expressed these views while addressing a session with office-bearers and members of the Quetta Balochistan Chamber of Commerce and Industry on Tuesday. Shahryar Khan…

China should establish an “original” knowledge system regarding the history of its border regions to mitigate security risks from “hostile forces in the West”, according to a senior scholar at a prominent state-run think tank.Fan Enshi of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences (CASS) also warned about the threat of “de-Sinicisation” in US-led historical perspectives, calling for a shift from “fragmented research” towards systematic domestic theories that could better project Chinese influence internationally.“The world today is undergoing great changes unseen in a century, with hostile forces in the West in particular attempting to use borderland issues to contain China,” Fan,…