DALLAS: “Cricket? Erm, is it a team game?” asked the slightly puzzled Uber driver taking his passenger towards the Grand Prairie Cricket Stadium in Texas on Saturday. Had the driver been one of the curious American-born spectators who ventured inside the venue and witnessed the USA’s first ever T20 World Cup game — a pulsating seven-wicket victory over Canada — he would have had the answer. Yes, team game it is, but in the shortest form it is also one that can be largely won by the brilliance of an individual. For the USA’s maiden victory, in front of a…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
Hang on a minute. Don’t tell me you did not know it would be this way at this time of the year. Of course, the corresponding period was going to be utterly chaotic. But, you knew from the beginning it would be this way at this time of the year. For the past six months, Pakistan have remained obsessed with the concept of experimentation. They tried all different shapes and forms of it. An apparent lack of tactical astuteness? Change the captain. Poor scoring rate in the powerplay? Change the top order. Fast bowlers and spinners struggling for form? Get some…
ISLAMABAD: The economy is expected to be high on the agenda when Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif makes a five-day trip to China next week, but the outcomes of the visit are not expected to have any major impact on budget preparations. Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning confirmed on Friday that Mr Sharif’s trip, which starts tomorrow, will include talks with President Xi Jinping and Premier Li Qiang. PM Shehbaz will also visit Guangdong province, China’s economic hub, and the northwestern province of Shaanxi. “Under the guidance of the leaders of the two countries, China and Pakistan have in recent…
ISLAMABAD: Reiterating the government’s resolve to increasing exports, Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain on Sunday said that the registration system for pesticides would be digitalised to streamline the processes. During a meeting with the director general of plant protection, Dr Tariq Khan, the minister said, “An effective system for the inspection of rice and mango plants must be established.” Inspections, he added, would be conducted in a timely manner to ensure quality. Agricultural pesticides play a vital role in protecting crops from pests and diseases, ensuring food security and economic stability. However, a wrong use…
Pakistan’s consumer price index (CPI) in May rose 11.8pc from a year earlier, data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Monday, the lowest reading in 30 months and below the finance ministry’s projections. The lowest reading comes a week before the central bank meets to review the key rate which has remained at a historic high of 22pc for seven straight policy meetings. Pakistan has been beset by inflation above 20pc since May 2022. Last year in May, inflation jumped as high as 38pc as the country navigated reforms as part of an International Monetary Fund (IMF) bailout programme. However, inflation has…
ISLAMABAD: The country’s development programme seems to be in tatters, incapable of meeting even a fraction of its infrastructure and growth potential, while budgetary allocations are flowing to constituency politics and deficit financing, in what is deemed a blatant violation of the decisions of the National Economic Council (NEC), the apex economic decision-making body. This is the crux of a formal summary, presented by the Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives to the Annual Plan Coordination Committee (APCC) and the NEC, for course correction as part of the next year’s budget, with instructions to the Ministry of Finance to…
RAWALPINDI: The European Union has opted to continue with its restrictions on Pakistani airlines, including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), after recent evaluations raised ongoing safety concerns. The decision, underscored by the possibility of future reviews, follows an exhaustive assessment by the EU Air Safety Committee. During its latest meetings, the committee determined that there were insufficient grounds to amend the current list of air carriers prohibited from operating within the EU. The decision is particularly pertinent to air carriers certified by the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA). An on-site review conducted from Nov 27 to 30, 2023, critically examined the PCAA’s role in safety…
DUBAI: Iran’s hardliner former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday registered his candidacy for the presidential election this month, state media reported. The Islamic republic goes to the polls on June 28 to replace former president Ebrahim Raisi, who died in a helicopter crash on May 19. “I am confident that all the country’s problems can be solved by making maximum use of national capacities,” he said after submitting his bid at the interior ministry. However, he could be barred from the race: the country’s cleric-led Guardian Council — a body of 12 jurists — will vet candidates and publish the list of qualified…
PRAGUE: A lightning bolt that hit a tree in a castle park in the northern Czech Republic on Sunday injured eighteen people who were sheltering underneath it, rescuers said. The strike occurred in the Liberec-Vratislavice castle park about 90 kilometres northeast of the capital Prague on Sunday afternoon. “There were 18 injured people on the site, including seven serious injuries,” local emergency spokesman Michal Georgiev said, adding that the injured had been taken to hospitals. Liberec regional hospital spokesman Vaclav Ricar said that five adult patients had to undergo resuscitation and that one child was transported to a Prague hospital…
WASHINGTON: Former US president and current White House hopeful Donald Trump has joined TikTok, posting his first video on the wildly popular social media app he once tried to ban while in office. Reaching out to younger voters as he seeks reelection in November, Trump posted a 13-second clip on Saturday night that shows him in his usual blue suit and red tie attending an Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) bout in Newark, New Jersey. In the video, which features raucous music, Trump is introduced by UFC CEO Dana White and leans into the camera saying, “It’s my honour.” Trump greets people at the…
