The weather report on Sunday (February 17, 2019) and the forecast for Monday (February 18, 2019).

Comparative table of returns being given banks on their Profit and Loss Sharing Investment Accounts and Term Deposits.

Following currency fluctuations took place in foreign exchange rates during the last week. (February 11 to 15, 2019).

All timings are in PST (Pakistan Standard Time).

Israel said its security cabinet on Sunday decided to withhold $138 million (122 million euros) in tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority over its payments to prisoners jailed for attacks on Israelis. A statement from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Former Fox News anchor and State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said Saturday that she has withdrawn from consideration to be the next US ambassador to the United Nations. "The past two months have been grueling for my family and therefore it is in

A Sudanese vendor died Sunday after riot police fired tear gas at an anti-government rally in the capital, medics said, as protesters pressed on with a campaign against President Omar al-Bashir's rule. Scores of protesters took to the streets in Khartoum'

Lebanon has appointed the Arab world's first female interior minister in its new government, prising open a wider foothold for women in its overwhelmingly male political scene. Raya al-Hassan is one of four women to take cabinet jobs in the new coalition,

Venezuelan opposition leader Juan Guaido set a goal Sunday of enlisting a million volunteers within a week to confront a government blockade that has kept tons of humanitarian aid, most of it from the United States, from flowing into the country. Guaido h

Dispute over possession of property on Sunday claimed four lives in Lahore city. According to details, a man named Maqsood opened fire at Ghazi road of Factory area of the city due to which his 52-year-old sister Nasreen and 12-year-old niece Bisma got ki

Iran's foreign ministry on Sunday summoned the Pakistani ambassador after Tehran accused Islamabad of harbouring a jihadist group behind a deadly suicide attack on security forces. "The Islamic Republic of Iran expects Pakistan's government and army to se

As India considers its response to the suicide car bombing of a paramilitary convoy in the occupied Kashmir that killed dozens of soldiers, a retired military commander. The retired commander, Lieutenant-General D S Hooda, told The Associated Press on Sat

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Sindh chapter General Secretary and parliamentary leader in Sindh Assembly Haleem Adil Sheikh Sunday said that the life and honor of the poor people is not safe in Sindh under the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) led Sindh G

The Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony has sought the entries for participating in the competition of books written on the topics of Seerat-un-Nabi, Na'at and Seerat Articles for year (1440 AH) 2019, by March 29, 2019. According to offic

The Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) has advised the citizens not to invest in unauthorised housing schemes declared illegal by the authority. The citizens have been advised in their own interest that they should not make any investment in any illeg

The cotton prices are projected to be strengthened. The mills are showing interest in buying because of the availability, albeit modest, of good cotton. The prices of cotton increased by Rs 100-150 because of availability of good quality cotton. The gover

Wearing only underpants, Pavel Kalina twists his body up a wooden pole before performing a handstand at the top in the first world championships of an ancient Indian sport. The 55-year-old from the Czech Republic practises Mallakhamb, a gymnastics-like di

Real Madrid's resurgent La Liga run skidded to a halt as they fell to a shock 2-1 defeat at home by struggling Girona on Sunday in which captain Sergio Ramos was sent off in added time, leaving them nine points adrift of leaders Barcelona. Real looked on

Ivan Cavaleiro's goal was enough to give Wolverhampton Wanderers a 1-0 win away to Bristol City on Sunday that saw the Premier League club end their 16-year wait for an appearance in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup. Second-tier Bristol City had their cha

Veteran West Indies batsman Chris Gayle will retire from one-day international cricket after this year's World Cup in England and Wales, Windies Cricket announced on Sunday. The big-hitting 39-year-old opener, who has scored 9,727 runs in 284 ODIs, is set

Lionel Messi scored a penalty and missed another as La Liga leaders Barcelona ground out an unconvincing 1-0 win over Real Valladolid, while Antoine Griezmann surpassed Fernando Torres with his 130th goal for Atletico Madrid. Messi's fitness was again in

Pakhtunkhwa Hockey Association has finalized names for 46 members squad for the two teams of KP to participate in the forthcoming National Under-19 Hockey Championship being played in Naseer Bunda Hockey Stadium under the aegis of Pakistan Hockey Federati

Former Pakistan Women cricket team captain Sana Mir has said that in a bid to promote culture of women cricketing in the country women's version of Pakistan Super League (PSL) was need of the hour. The PSL was a wonderful initiative of Pakistan Cricket Bo

The Solomon Islands have been thrown out of this year's FIFA under-17 World Cup for fielding an over-age player during qualifying. The Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) said in a statement Sunday that the Solomons breached regulations by fielding a pla

Naomi Osaka said she would not prioritise "success over happiness" following the surprise sacking of her coach as she heads into the Dubai Championships as top seed for the first time. The US and Australian Open champion this week split with Sascha Bajin,

Gael Monfils defeated good friend Stan Wawrinka 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 on Sunday to win his eighth career title at the Rotterdam Open. Monfils, the runner-up three years ago, held off Wawrinka's second-set surge to ease through the decider. Wawrinka, the 2015 cham

Imperious Marcel Hirscher blitzed Sunday's slalom to equal a record seven world titles in an Austrian podium sweep that handed the alpine powerhouse a first gold of the world championships in Are. Wearing bib number three, Hirscher laid down an outstandin

Mexico's Leo Santa Cruz defended his World Boxing Association featherweight title on Saturday, dominating compatriot Rafael Rivera to win by unanimous 12-round decision. All three judges gave Santa Cruz the victory by scores of 119-109 as the champion imp

New Zealand bowler Trent Boult and Bangladesh all-rounder Mahmudullah have been fined for breaching cricket's code of conduct during the second one-day international in Christchurch on Saturday. Boult was fined 15 percent of his match fee for an "audible

Aaron Finch's Melbourne Renegades clinched their first Big Bash League title Sunday after city rivals the Stars imploded during a tense run chase. Chasing 146 to win at Docklands Stadium, Glenn Maxwell's men were 93 without loss and cruising before losing

As the planet warms, governments must pay more attention to food safety, and address the issue in their action plans to tackle climate change, officials and researchers said. Food contaminated with bacteria, viruses, parasites, toxins or chemicals causes

People who eat a lot of animal protein may be more likely to have excessive fat in their livers and a higher risk of liver disease than individuals whose main source of protein is vegetables, a Dutch study suggests.

The World Health Organization warned on Thursday that efforts to halt the spread of measles were "backsliding", with case numbers worldwide surging around 50 percent last year. The UN health agency pointed to preliminary data showing that the disturbing t

Lenovo, a Fortune Global 500 company and a technology leader in Intelligent Transformation, February 12 announced Lenovo TruScale(tm) Infrastructure Services, its comprehensive as-a-Service offering. Lenovo TruScale is a subscription-based offering that a

Is it Hollywood time for Apple? The iPhone maker appeared set to launch its streaming television service next month, calling on celebrities such as Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon and "Star Wars" director J.J. Abrams to join an event at its Silicon Va

IBM Corp announced on Feb 12 that some of its Watson artificial intelligence services will now work on rival cloud computing providers as it seeks to win over customers that want greater flexibility in how they store and analyze data.

Tigo(r), pioneer of the Smart Modular Flex MLPE platform, February 12 unveiled the updates to its SMART Website, the company's next generation online monitoring platform. The SMART Website manages system-, string-, and module-level data for utility, comme

Researchers this week announced they had developed an automatic text generator using artificial intelligence which is very good - so good, it is keeping details private for now. That software developed by OpenAI could be used to generate news stories, pro

Nestle put its Herta processed meats business on the block on Thursday, accelerating the world biggest food group's revamp as it reported an uptick in sales growth in 2018 for the first time since 2011. Improvements in China, North America and in its infa

Nestle put its Herta processed meats business on the block on Thursday, accelerating the world biggest food group's revamp as it reported an uptick in sales growth in 2018 for the first time since 2011. Improvements in China, North America and in its infa

Rising bad loans and a big investment in improving anti money-laundering controls pushed fourth quarter net profit from Dutch bank ABN Amro way below analysts' expectations, prompting a sell-off in its shares. Net profit plunged 42 percent to 316 million

Credit Agricole beat fourth quarter net profit expectations and achieved its profit goals a year ahead of target, sending shares in the French bank higher. It outperformed rivals BNP Paribas and Societe Generale, both of which lowered their targets. "The

Credit Agricole beat fourth quarter net profit expectations and achieved its profit goals a year ahead of target, sending shares in the French bank higher. It outperformed rivals BNP Paribas and Societe Generale, both of which lowered their targets. "The

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd on Thursday reported a 14 percent drop in third-quarter net profit, due partly to intense competition in India and the impact of network investments by regional associates, and forecast a small decline in full-year earning

Singapore Telecommunications Ltd on Thursday reported a 14 percent drop in third-quarter net profit, due partly to intense competition in India and the impact of network investments by regional associates, and forecast a small decline in full-year earning

Barclays has spent 100 to 200 million pounds ($129-258 million) moving operations and staff out of Britain to prepare for Brexit, its UK chairman Gerry Grimstone said on Wednesday as bank bosses detailed the costs involved. International banks have been s

Allianz may slow its share buyback programme after the one announced this week to allow the German insurer to make small acquisitions, the group's finance chief said on Friday after reporting a 19 percent rise in fourth quarter profit. Allianz this week a

Abu Dhabi National Oil Company is seeking to invest in more downstream assets, mainly in refining and petrochemicals, in strategic locations like India to find a stable outlet for its oil, said its chief executive officer, Sultan Ahmed Al Jaber. "India is

Commerzbank on Thursday reported a 51 percent jump in fourth-quarter net profit, beating analysts' expectations but also scaled back profit and revenue goals. The bank's finance chief said the group was now unlikely to achieve a return on tangible equity

Commerzbank on Thursday reported a 51 percent jump in fourth-quarter net profit, beating analysts' expectations but also scaled back profit and revenue goals. The bank's finance chief said the group was now unlikely to achieve a return on tangible equity

American International Group Inc on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss as the insurer was hit with catastrophe losses and made a lower return on investments in a volatile market. Excluding realized investment gains and losses and some other items, AIG po

American International Group Inc on Wednesday reported a quarterly loss as the insurer was hit with catastrophe losses and made a lower return on investments in a volatile market. Excluding realized investment gains and losses and some other items, AIG po

Airbus Chief Executive Tom Enders urged Germany to press ahead with plans to create common European regulations on arms exports, saying the issue posed a litmus test for Berlin's ambitions to foster a European defence policy. By showing "a kind of moral s

Indonesia's two presidential candidates pledged on Sunday to achieve energy self-sufficiency by boosting the use of bioenergy, particularly fuelled by palm oil, to cut costly oil imports by Southeast Asia's biggest economy.

Hong Kong's economy stalled last year as the ongoing China-US trade dispute and retail woes dragged down local business, the city's financial chief said Sunday. Beijing and Washington have already imposed duties on more than $360 billion in two-way trade,

Qatar wants to build a $20 billion sports industry by 2022 as it seeks to develop new markets amid regional political tensions, an economic official in the emirate said Sunday. Yousuf Mohamed al-Jaida, chief executive of the Qatar Financial Centre, said h

China will seek to attract foreign investment in its larger state-owned enterprises (SOEs), which are undergoing reforms to make them more competitive, the head of the country's state asset regulator said. China began a new round of reforms in 2016 aimed

US President Donald Trump said Saturday he was briefed at his Florida resort by negotiators working to reach a trade deal with Beijing after their return from "very productive" meetings with Chinese officials. "Trade negotiators have just returned from Ch

Russian lender Gazprombank has decided to freeze the accounts of Venezuelan state oil company PDVSA and halted transactions with the firm to reduce the risk of the bank falling under US sanctions, a Gazprombank source told Reuters on Sunday.

South African defence company Paramount Group expects to sign agreements with four African governments this year to set up production facilities in their countries, its chairman said on Sunday. Paramount, Africa's largest privately owned defence firm, has

South Africa wants to talk to independent power producers (IPPs) about lowering the price Eskom pays for electricity from older renewable energy projects, a senior minister told Reuters, as the state utility struggles to emerge from a financial crisis.

Chinese conglomerate HNA has cut its stake in Deutsche Bank to 6.3 percent, according to a filing with the US Securities and Exchange Commission. That marks a reduction from 7.64 percent of voting rights reported in the most recent filing in Germany. HNA,

British regional airline Flybmi has gone into administration and has cancelled all flights with immediate effect, the company said in a statement on Saturday, blaming Brexit uncertainty as one of the reasons for its collapse.

The timing of the European Central Bank's first post-crisis rate hike hinges on whether the euro zone's current slowdown is a blip or a more protracted downturn, ECB policymaker Francois Villeroy de Galhau said in an interview published on Sunday.

Recent data point to a weakening eurozone economy, the European Central Bank's Olli Rehn told a German newspaper on Sunday, adding that interest rates would remain at the current level until monetary policy goals have been met.

The crown led gains by Central European currencies on Friday after a report showed the Czech economy had grown more than forecast, reinforcing expectations for more monetary policy tightening in Prague. Chances had already grown the Czech central bank wou

British companies with more than $130 billion of debt to refinance this year are facing rising funding costs as a no-deal Brexit looms, with yields on some bonds now akin to those in emerging markets. Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover highlighted the issues faci

British companies with more than $130 billion of debt to refinance this year are facing rising funding costs as a no-deal Brexit looms, with yields on some bonds now akin to those in emerging markets. Carmaker Jaguar Land Rover highlighted the issues faci

Credit Suisse has cut its view on global stocks to neutral from overweight, saying a number of short-term risks including possible volatility linked to the Sino-US trade talks and political tensions in Europe could put market gains at risk.

Credit Suisse has cut its view on global stocks to neutral from overweight, saying a number of short-term risks including possible volatility linked to the Sino-US trade talks and political tensions in Europe could put market gains at risk.

Russia will face higher inflation and a weaker rouble this year, but that will not prompt the central bank to raise interest rates, a Reuters monthly poll of 20 analysts and economists forecast on Thursday. After reaching the central bank's target of 4 pe

Most stock markets in the Middle East closed higher on Sunday, reflecting a rally in global stock markets on Friday, and were also boosted by better-than-expected company results, particularly in real estate. The Abu Dhabi index gained 0.7 percent and the

Russian gas giant Gazprom sold almost half of its $1.25 billion Eurobond issue to US investors, Yan Tavrovsky, head of JP Morgan in Russia and CIS, told Reuters on Monday. JP Morgan was one of the organisers of the deal.

Russian gas giant Gazprom sold almost half of its $1.25 billion Eurobond issue to US investors, Yan Tavrovsky, head of JP Morgan in Russia and CIS, told Reuters on Monday. JP Morgan was one of the organisers of the deal.

Foreign holdings of Chinese bonds reached a new record in January as hopes for a China-US trade deal and indications of a pause in the US Federal Reserve's tightening cycle helped to bolster the yuan. Offshore investors held 1.75 trillion yuan ($259.06 bi

Foreign holdings of Chinese bonds reached a new record in January as hopes for a China-US trade deal and indications of a pause in the US Federal Reserve's tightening cycle helped to bolster the yuan. Offshore investors held 1.75 trillion yuan ($259.06 bi

South Africa's rand will lose half of the 7 percent gains made against the US dollar since the start of the year over the next 12 months, pressured by fiscal constraints and weak growth, a Reuters poll found on Wednesday. The rand has topped emerging mark

J P.Morgan Chase on Thursday unveiled a prototype for a digital coin system using blockchain, a first among major banks in the fast-changing cryptocurrency world. The system, called JPM Coin and which for now is only at the prototype stage, would permit i

J P.Morgan Chase on Thursday unveiled a prototype for a digital coin system using blockchain, a first among major banks in the fast-changing cryptocurrency world. The system, called JPM Coin and which for now is only at the prototype stage, would permit i

Uzbekistan said Thursday it made a splash with a $1 billion eurobond issue in its first foray into the international debt market. The formely Soviet country became a red flag for investors under ex-president Islam Karimov who took a conservative approach

Uzbekistan said Thursday it made a splash with a $1 billion eurobond issue in its first foray into the international debt market. The formely Soviet country became a red flag for investors under ex-president Islam Karimov who took a conservative approach

Assets in US money market funds rose to the highest level in nearly nine years as investors poured more cash into low-risk investments amid uncertainties about global trade and economic growth, private data released on Wednesday showed. Money market funds

Assets in US money market funds rose to the highest level in nearly nine years as investors poured more cash into low-risk investments amid uncertainties about global trade and economic growth, private data released on Wednesday showed. Money market funds

As Wall Street braces for the first quarterly decline in earnings in nearly three years, some investors are wondering if the market is factoring in a bigger erosion in profit margins than will actually come to pass.

Germany has experienced a big increase in the number of security incidents hitting critical infrastructure such as power grids and water suppliers, the BSI cybersecurity agency said on Sunday, adding however that they were not all due to hacking. The Welt

At a flag-making workshop in northern England, orders for Union Jacks are flying off the production line while the EU's blue-and-yellow standard is proving less and less popular. Flying Colours, which makes flags for Britain's royal palaces, has seen EU f

A fire tore through a slum in southern Bangladesh on Sunday killing at least 9 people and destroying hundreds of shanty homes, police said. The blaze broke out in the port city of Chittagong at about 3.30am and raced through the district of bamboo, tin an

Iran's foreign minister on Sunday accused Israel of looking for war and warned that its actions and those of the United States were increasing the chances of a clash in the region. Addressing the Munich Security Conference, Mohammad Javad Zarif, also crit

Iran on Sunday launched a new locally-made submarine capable of firing cruise missiles, state TV said, in the country's latest show of military might at a time of heightened tensions with the US. The launch ceremony, led by President Hassan Rouhani, took

Kenya has recalled its ambassador to Somalia after the Mogadishu government's decision to auction oil and gas exploration blocks at the centre of a maritime territorial dispute in the Indian Ocean, the foreign ministry said. The International Court of Jus

President Bashar al-Assad warned Syria's Kurds Sunday that their ally the United States would not protect them against any Turkish offensive as Washington looks to withdraw it troops. The US is set to pull out its soldiers from Syria after allied Kurdish-

A US military hospital funded by the United Arab Emirates will be built in Abu Dhabi to treat Emirati soldiers and regionally based American troops, a US army official said on Sunday. Lieutenant General Charles Hooper, director of the Defence Security Coo

Saudi Arabia's state arms producer and a French government-majority firm signed an agreement Sunday on a joint venture to boost the kingdom's navy, amid calls to halt weapons sales to Riyadh over it role in Yemen.

The US is still supporting the Saudi-led military coalition in Yemen, an American army general told AFP Sunday, days after lawmakers voted to end involvement in Riyadh's war effort. The US continues to "provide support to the coalition, in particular to h

US President Donald Trump Sunday called on his European allies to take back alleged jihadists captured in Syria, as Islamic State group fighters defended the last scrap of their "caliphate". IS declared a proto-state across parts of Syria and neighbouring

Pakistan on Sunday continued briefing Islamabad-based foreign ambassadors on India's deliberate anti-Pakistan frenzy, as Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua described Modi government's aggressive rhetoric a threat to regional peace. According to Foreign Offi

The district administration has demolished more than 200 illegal infrastructures on Irrigation Department property during an operation. On the direction of Deputy Commissioner Dr Imran Hamid Sheikh, the local administration team led by Additional Deputy C

The Punjab government has sanctioned Rs. 30 million as Christmas' grant for six thousand deserving Christian families. Provincial Minister of HR&MA Ijaz Alam Augustine visited Jhang, Sialkot and T.T Singh districts and distributed cheques among the deserv

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) MNA, Shaukat Ali, while commenting on visit of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salam to Pakistan, said that his visit will open new investment opportunities in the country as well as bolster mutual economic and trade relations bet

Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar has accorded approval to upgrade Police Training Institute Multan to college. Consequently, the post of Principal of the training Institute has also been elevated to the post of commandant of the college in 20 gra