PARIS: Telegram founder and chief executive Pavel Durov on Friday announced a range of new features aimed at combating illicit content, bots and scammers, a week after he was arrested and charged by French authorities over violations on the messaging app. Durov on Thursday had broken his silence with his first public comments following his arrest, which he slammed as “misguided” and “surprising”. But he had also acknowledged that Telegram was “not perfect” and would take more action against illegal content which he argues comes from a tiny proportion of its 950 million users. “While 99.999 per cent of Telegram users have…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LONDON: England captain Ollie Pope returned to form with a classy unbeaten 103 to guide his team to 221-3 on a weather-affected first day of the third and final Test against Sri Lanka at The Oval on Friday. Pope, under pressure after a run of low scores, silenced his critics with his seventh Test century after Ben Duckett compiled a fluent 86 in overcast conditions to make Sri Lanka regret their decision to bowl first. England, who clinched the series with a comprehensive victory at Lord’s last week, were put into bat under gloomy skies and lost the early wicket…
BUENOS AIRES: Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez and Paulo Dybala were on target as Argentina tightened their grip on South America’s 2026 World Cup qualifying tournament with a 3-0 win over Chile on Thursday. Liverpool midfielder Mac Allister swept in a low finish three minutes after half-time to break the deadlock at the Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires against a defensive Chile side. Former Manchester City striker Alvarez doubled the lead in the 84th minute with a thumping shot from outside the area before substitute Dybala put the seal on the victory with a late strike in stoppage time. It…
NEW YORK: The cheers of home fans cheers echoed through Arthur Ashe Stadium on Thursday as Jessica Pegula staged an astonishing comeback to beat Karolina Muchova 1-6, 6-4, 6-2 and set up a meeting with Aryna Sabalenka in her first Grand Slam final. The prospect of an all-American final had already been scotched when Belarusian Sabalenka earlier downed Emma Navarro 6-3, 7-6 (7/2) and for a while in the later match, it looked like the host nation would be unrepresented in the title-decider. Playing in her first major semi-final, Pegula was made to look like a novice by Muchova in…
KABUL: Afghanistan bowler Naveed Zadran will miss next week’s Test match against New Zealand with a side strain injury, the Afghan cricket board said on Friday. The 19-year-old, who has taken nine wickets in his two Tests, has been told to rest for three to four weeks in the hope of recovering before this month’s One-day International series against South Africa, the board posted on X. All-rounder Rashid Khan has also been ruled out with a back injury. Afghanistan, who play their home matches outside the country, will host New Zealand in a one-off Test in India from Monday, before…
Mohsin Naqvi is facing criticism from all quarters. Pakistan’s cricket board chief, who is also the country’s interior minister, is facing the wrath of not just the cricketing fraternity but is also under fire from lawmakers. In the wake of Pakistan’s home humiliation at the hands of Bangladesh — the hosts being swept 2-0 in the recently-concluded Test series — there were calls from both houses of parliament for Mr Naqvi to step aside as PCB chief. The loss to Bangladesh was the latest setback for the Pakistan cricket team, which has looked woefully out of depth across all formats since Mr Naqvi was…
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has announced a 15-day extension for facilitating sugar exports, following approval from the federal cabinet. In a circular issued on Friday, the SBP confirmed that the extension is added to the existing 45-day shipment period. This extension is applicable starting from the quota allocation date by the Provincial Cane Commissioner for provinces other than Punjab. For Punjab’s sugar mills with unutilized export quotas, the extension begins from the date of the cabinet’s decision. However, the extension will not apply to sugar mills that have not utilized export proceeds to settle outstanding payments to…
LAHORE: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday announced the provisional squads of the five teams that are set to participate in the upcoming Champions One-day Cup, which is to be held in Faisalabad on Sept. 12 The teams, namely Dolphins, Lions, Stallions, Wolves and Panthers will be led by Pakistan internationals Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Mohammad Haris, Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan and have rosters of 30 players each. The PCB had earlier named former Pakistan stars as mentors for each side; Sarfraz Ahmed (Dolphins), Waqar Younis (Lions), Shoaib Malik (Stallions), Misbah-ul-Haq (Wolves) and Saqlain Mushtaq (Panthers), who…
KARACHI: A significant deposit of petroleum and natural gas has been found in Pakistan’s territorial waters, with the potential to transform the country’s economic landscape, according to a senior security official quoted by DawnNewsTV on Friday. The official revealed that a three-year survey, conducted in collaboration with a partner country, confirmed the presence of these substantial oil and gas reserves. The geographical survey has pinpointed the deposit’s location, and relevant departments have informed the government about the new resources. The discovery is being hailed as a crucial step towards harnessing the ‘blue water economy,’ with ongoing studies on bidding and…
KARACHI: Foreign investment inflows into domestic bonds have reversed significantly, with a notable disinvestment of $78 million occurring within the first 15 days of August. The sudden withdrawal of funds may stem from various factors, with declining returns on treasury bills being a primary concern for investors. In July, the first month of the fiscal year, there were record inflows into treasury bills totaling $258.3 million. Data released by the State Bank on Friday shows a sharp decline in investment inflows for August, suggesting a shift in investment strategy. Financial experts anticipate a further decrease in T-bill inflows due to…
