BEIJING—China’s leaders made clear they are emphasizing growth over restructuring this year, but suggested they are trying to avoid inflating debt or asset bubbles as they send massive amounts of money coursing through the economy. The government’s announcement of a 6.5% to 7% growth target for 2016 at the start of the National People’s Congress over the weekend came with subtle acknowledgment that some of its efforts to jump-start a persistently decelerating economy have misfired,…
Posts published in “Day: March 7, 2016”
RIYADH: Two Saudi boys, one Sunni, another Shia, push their desks together and sit side-by-side smiling in a classroom. Then teachers tell the boys their opposing sects are “evil” and they pull their desks apart, before their parents insist it is okay to be friends, and they walk off hand-in-hand. These scenes were featured in a YouTube video posted online in November for a Saudi centre, funded under an endowment from the late king Abdullah,…
Karachi: Terrorist outfits al-Qaeda in the Indian Subcontinent (AQIS) and the Lashkar-e-Jhangvi are hiring militants of the defunct Harkat-ul-Mujahideen al-Alami (HuMA) – who are mostly Karachi-based – and planning attacks on major important installations in the city, The News learnt on Sunday. The home department issued a letter to police and Rangers a few days informing them that “during the interrogation of some recently apprehended high-value terrorists, it was learnt that on the directives of…
LAHORE: There is high demand for meat, dairy, livestock and textile in Iran and Pakistanis dealing in these areas must avail this opportunity, said Almas Hyder, senior vice president of the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI). After returning from Iran where he headed a 26-member delegation, Hyder said both countries needed to find ways to increase the volume of two-way trade. “We are already exporting meat to Iran. Dairy can be another area…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is scheduled to pay a three-day visit to Saudi Arabia from March 9 for underscoring the importance of the kingdom for Pakistan. The visit has not been officially announced yet, but multiple government sources confirmed that Mr Sharif planned to visit Saudi Arabia from March 9 to 11. During the visit, the prime minister is likely to meet Saudi King Salman. Separately, there are reports that he might also attend…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Muhammad Nawaz Sharif will be undertaking a three-day official visit to Saudi Arabia from Wednesday on the invitation of the Custodian of Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdul Aziz. The prime minister will witness the ongoing military exercises “Thunder of the North” described as the world’s biggest exercise. Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Raheel Sharif and Chief of the Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Sohail Aman are likely…