PARIS: Astronomers said on Wednesday they have found the strongest evidence yet of a medium-sized black hole, the strange absence of which has been one of the enduring mysteries of the cosmos. The universe is riddled with black holes, from supermassive ones at the heart of galaxies to smaller ones around 100 times the mass of the Sun. But scientists have struggled to find black holes between these two extremes, considered the “missing link” in their evolution. To find out more, an international team of researchers analysed Omega Centauri, the biggest cluster of stars in the Milky Way around 18,000…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LONDON: Novak Djokovic progressed to a record-equalling 13th Wimbledon semi-final without hitting a ball on Wednesday after Alex de Minaur pulled out injured as former champion Elena Rybakina eased through. Australian ninth seed De Minaur, 25, announced shortly after midday at the All England Club that he was “devastated to pull out due to a hip injury”. It means Djokovic has now equalled Roger Federer’s men’s record of 13 semi-final appearances at Wimbledon as he closes on the Swiss great’s mark of eight singles titles. The 37-year-old Serbian is also through to a record-extending 49th men’s Grand Slam semi-final where…
LOS ANGELES: The United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee (USOPC) on Wednesday formally named a star-studded 592-member team for this month’s Olympic Games in Paris. The US squad, which comprises 314 female athletes and 278 male athletes, will be aiming to top the Olympic medals table for a fourth straight games. The team includes Olympic stars such as gymnast Simone Biles, swimmer Katie Ledecky and NBA icon LeBron James. “It is with immense pride and excitement that we announce the 2024 US Olympic Team and the exceptional athletes that embody the spirit of dedication, resilience, and excellence, continuing the proud…
HARARE: Indian captain Shubman Gill led his team to what he described as a “crucial” 23-run win in the third T20 International against Zimbabwe at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday. India took a 2-1 lead in the five-match series. Gill hit 66 off 49 balls in an Indian total of 182 for four after he won the toss and decided to bat. Zimbabwe replied with 159 for six. “It was a crucial win for us,” Gill said at the post-match presentation. He added he was delighted with the way India started with both bat and ball. The win continued…
DORTMUND: Substitute Ollie Watkins scored a late winner as England reached a second consecutive European Championships final with a come-from-behind 2-1 victory over the Netherlands on Wednesday. England, who lost to Italy in the final of the last edition, will face Spain in Sunday’s final after Watkins, who had replaced captain Harry Kane slotted in from inside the penalty area in the 90th minute. In a lively start in Dortmund, Xavi Simons caught Declan Rice in possession and unleashed a rocket from outside the box to give the Netherlands a seventh-minute lead. But England were back in it 12 minutes…
MUNICH: Spain’s jubilant celebrations in reaching the Euro 2024 final were understandable after taking the hardest road to get there and handling the hairpin bends with panache. Luis de la Fuente’s side having emerged from what was dubbed the “group of death”, beat tournament sensations Georgia, hosts Germany and pre-Euros favourites France to make it to Berlin. La Roja are aiming for a record fourth European title on Sunday at the Olympiastadion and successfully navigating their dangerous run gives them the belief they will triumph, regardless of whether they face England or the Netherlands. “I feel proud of these players and of the path…
ISLAMABAD: The four provincial governments have agreed to comply with the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) demand to align the taxation of agricultural incomes with the federal income tax system starting from January 1 2025. The provinces have also indicated their agreement to have the legislation prepared by the end of October. However, there is still uncertainty regarding the maximum rate of tax collection on agriculture income, with options ranging from 29 per cent, 35pc and 45pc. One prerequisite for the new IMF programme is a shift in the tax policy on agricultural income. Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb stated that the deal would…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif directed tax authorities on Tuesday to eliminate corruption in customs operations and remove unnecessary hurdles in using artificial intelligence (AI) and hi-tech equipment to ensure full enforcement of customs duties. Chairing a meeting to discuss matters related to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and Pakistan Customs, the premier also called for digitisation of the taxation system to prevent the evasion of billions of rupees. He also instructed the authorities to conduct a third-party audit of a Web-based One-Customs (WeBOC) system and bring all such projects under one umbrella. He stressed the need to eliminate the menace…
ISLAMABAD: Claiming completion of almost all prior action before time and reaching an agreement, in principle, with all provinces over agricultural income tax, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb sounded hopeful on Thursday that talks with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) would yield a deal on a $6bn Extended Fund Facility (EFF) this month. The government will subsequently request the lender to augment the package with a climate resilience facility (CRF). Talking to journalists after briefing an in-camera meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Finance & Revenue about the IMF negotiations, the finance minister said Pakistan wanted to secure more than $6bn…
The Supreme Court’s (SC) highly anticipated verdict in the matter related to reserved seats for women and non-Muslims has been put off till tomorrow (Friday). A 13-member full court will announce the verdict at 12pm. An earlier cause list had said that a three-member bench would announce the verdict at 9am. The Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) held a large protest outside the apex court today as the verdict was awaited. The court had reserved its verdict on Tuesday after closing the hearing on a set of appeals moved by the SIC. The SIC had earlier been joined by PTI-backed independent candidates after…
