THE HAGUE: It took Ajax 34 penalties to beat Panathinaikos 13-12 in a marathon shootout on Thursday, setting a UEFA competition record after their Europa League third qualifying round tie ended 1-1 over two legs and extra time. Ajax, who won 1-0 at Panathinaikos last week, conceded in the 89th minute in Amsterdam, leading to the shootout that broke the previous record of 32 attempts at the European U-21 Championship semi-final in 2007 where Netherlands beat England 13-12. “So many penalties and every time someone missed, the other team missed. This was crazy,” said Ajax coach Francesco Farioli. “But it…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
DARWIN: Pakistan Shaheens clinched their fourth win in the Top End T20 series when they defeated Bangladesh ‘A’ by three wickets at the TIO Stadium in Darwin on Friday evening. This was Shaheens’ third successive win after they had beaten Tasmania and Melbourne Renegades by five and four wickets, respectively. Chasing 142 to win, Shaheens’ opening pair of Mohammad Haris and Sahibzada Farhan provided a brisk start as they stitched a 47-run partnership for the first wicket of just 34 balls. Right-handed batter Haris was the first to return to the pavilion after scoring 32 off 18 balls, smashing two fours…
BUCHAREST: Romanian gymnast Ana Barbosu received Olympic bronze at a ceremony in Bucharest on Friday after the International Gymnastics Federation awarded it to her instead of US gymnast Jordan Chiles following a bitter row. A score revision over degree of difficulty lifted Chiles to third in the floor exercise at the Paris Olympics on August 5, causing heartbreak for Barbosu who thought she had won bronze. Romania appealed the decision, and the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) ruled the US appeal for the score revision came too late. Chiles, 23, said on Thursday that being stripped of a bronze medal…
ISLAMABAD: The first four-day match between Bangladesh ‘A’ and hosts Pakistan Shaheens ended in a draw at the Islamabad Club on Friday. The match which was largely affected by rain, saw 39.2 overs bowled on the fourth day, as play resumed at 2:00pm (PST). The third day’s play on Thursday was completely washed out due to rain. Earlier, Pakistan Shaheens declared their first innings at the overnight score of 367-4 with a lead of 245 runs. In their second innings, Bangladesh ‘A’ managed to score 153-5 when play was stopped due to bad light and ultimately resulting in a draw. For Shaheens,…
ISLAMABAD: For a change, government-owned power distribution companies (Discos) have sought a negative fuel cost adjustment (FCA) of 31 paise per unit to refund about Rs4.5 billion, overcharged to consumers in July through a 20 per cent increase in base tariff for the current fiscal year. The Central Power Purchasing Agency (CPPA), a subsidiary of the power division, has filed a formal petition before the regulator for a 31 paise per unit (kilowatt-hour) cut over the reference tariff of Rs9.352 per unit already charged to consumers in July. It said the actual fuel cost turned out to be Rs9.038 per unit, hence…
ISLAMABAD: Expressing grave concern over rising overbilling complaints and the performance of all the electricity distribution companies, including K-Electric and independent power producers (IPPs), the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy (Power Division) on Friday sought a detailed report on capacity payments to the IPPs. A meeting of the committee, chaired by MNA Muhammad Idrees, was informed by Power Secretary Dr Fakhre Alam that loadshedding duration depended on losses and recovery ratios of any particular area and all Discos followed the same revenue-based load management criteria. The Power Division’s joint secretary briefed the committee about overbilling and unannounced loadshedding in Karachi. He informed the…
ISLAMABAD: Short-term inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Index (SPI), continued to fall for the third week, slowing to 16.86 per cent in the period ending August 8, official data showed on Friday. The downward trend is mainly in the year-on-year rate due to last year’s high base. However, the SPI saw a decline of 0.16pc on a week-on-week basis. The weekly inflation hit a record 48.35pc year-on-year in early May 2023, but then decelerated as low as 24.4pc in late August 2023 before surging past 40pc in mid-November. The last reading above 40pc was witnessed in late January. During…
ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on National Food Security and Research has called for a comprehensive approach to cotton policy, including targeted strategies to increase yields, improve seed quality, and secure better market access for growers. A meeting of the committee, chaired by Syed Tariq Hussain, on Friday was briefed on the cotton policy for 2024-25 and its strategic aims, which are designed to rejuvenate and enhance cotton production in cotton-growing areas of the country. The committee recommended the adoption of advanced agricultural technologies, offering financial incentives for research and development, and establishing efficient channels for domestic and international…
KARACHI: After staging an overnight rally, Pakistani stocks faltered on Friday as economic and political uncertainty took its toll on the benchmark index on profit-taking towards the final hours of the trading despite aggressive foreign buying. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said stocks closed lower amid mounting political uncertainty. “Uncertainty over IMF approval for the proposed closure of some independent power producers, tax collection shortfalls and cut in PSDP, the surge in federal government’s debt to over Rs85 trillion in FY24 and reports of a drop in textile exports by 3.1pc in July played a catalyst role in bearish…
BEIRUT: Lebanese group Hezbollah published footage on Friday that appeared to show its fighters driving trucks with rocket launchers through a maze of tunnels to an apparent underground launch site. The footage, four minutes and 35 seconds long, is the latest in a series of videos by the group showing its purported military capabilities. The newest video depicts fighters riding motorcycles, working on laptops and driving around a dozen trucks through the rocky tunnels. This agency was unable to independently confirm when or where it was filmed. At the end of the video, two large metal doors open to reveal…
