PARIS: Organisers of the Paris Olympics, who are praying for fine weather during this year’s Games, said Wednesday they had delayed plans for a rehearsal of the opening ceremony on the Seine for the second time because of the river’s high levels. Following a stormy month of May that has seen regular downpours in the French capital, a rehearsal scheduled for May 27 has been cancelled — as was a previous one on April 8. “It will take place when the weather conditions allow for it,” officials in the Olympics ministry and the local organising committee said. The Paris Games…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LONDON: England great James Anderson has said there are moments when he questions his upcoming retirement from Test cricket, although he is happy with his decision “90 per cent” of the time. The most successful fast bowler in the format’s history, with 700 wickets, Anderson announced earlier this month that the first Test against the West Indies at Lord’s in July would mark his farewell to England duty. Anderson, who will turn 42 next month, said on Wednesday he had thoughts about playing on, having reached an age where most pace bowlers are long since retired. “In my head I feel like…
COLOMBO: The foreign owner of a T20 cricket team in Sri Lanka’s Premier League (LPL) was arrested on Wednesday on suspicion of corruption, police said, a day after a highly publicised player auction. Tamim Rahman, owner of Dambulla Thunders and a British national, was stopped at the airport in Colombo before he boarded a flight to Dubai, police said. He was arrested following a court order to detain him on suspicion of match-fixing, police and immigration officials told AFP. Rahman was remanded in custody until May 31 pending further investigations. He was being investigated under two provisions of the sports Act…
DERBY: Pakistan women will take on England women in a three-match One-day International series, commencing tomorrow at the County Ground in Derby. The second ODI will be played in Taunton on May 26, followed by the third ODI in Chelmsford on May 29. The series, which is part of the ICC Women’s Championship’s 2022-25, will be Pakistan’s eighth and final series in the cycle. Pakistan are currently positioned on fifth spot with 16 points in the 10-team Women’s Championship. The top five teams from this championship, along with hosts India, will directly qualify for the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup…
LEEDS: Persistent rain saw the first Twenty20 international between England and Pakistan at Headingley on Wednesday abandoned without a ball being bowled. The match was meant to be the launchpad for reigning champions England’s defence next month of their T20 World Cup title in the Caribbean and the United States. But a heavy and lengthy downpour in Leeds led the umpires to call the game off approximately an hour before the scheduled 1730 GMT start. The four-match series against Pakistan, the team England beat to win the 2022 T20 World Cup final in Melbourne, will now continue at Birmingham’s…
KARACHI: After posting modest gains overnight, Pakistani shares on Wednesday faltered below the 75,000 level on late selling as investors reacted to a downturn in dollar inflows, which depicted a weak economic outlook. Ahsan Mehanti of Arif Habib Corporation said the National Accounts Committee’s projection of a subdued economic growth of 2.38pc amid average 26pc inflation for outgoing FY24, a 6pc decline in inflows via Roshan Digital Account (RDA) in April, weak rupee and uncertainty over the outcome of negotiations over CPEC dues to China were the factors that triggered profit-taking. Topline Securities Ltd said Pakistan equities began trading positively…
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s gross domestic product (GDP) and per capita income increased in dollar terms during 2023-24, indicating a revival in the country’s overall output compared to the previous year. However, the economy’s size remains lower than $375.449 billion recorded in FY22, indicating that GDP growth has slowed under the PMLN-led coalition government. On Wednesday, the National Accounts Committee (NAC) approved these figures in a meeting chaired by Planning Commission Secretary Awais Manzur Sumra. The size of the economy went up to $374.903bn in FY24 from $338.150bn in FY23. The increase indicates that growth is mostly driven by the country’s unprecedented…
ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CDWP) on Wednesday approved seven development projects worth Rs23 billion and recommended four projects to the Executive Committee of the National Economic Council (Ecnec) for consideration. Among these, three projects are worth Rs82.24bn, while the fourth project, Main Line (ML-1), costing $6.7bn, has been recommended to Ecnec for further consideration. A meeting of the CDWP, presided over Deputy Chairman of Planning Commission Mohammad Jehanzeb Khan, discussed the projects of transport and communication, agriculture and food, education, energy, health, higher education, information technology and physical planning and housing sectors. The first project — upgrade of…
KARACHI: Unprecedented onion exports fetched $210 million during July-April FY24 at the cost of inflation-hit consumers who paid record prices for the vegetable. “Onion exports may soar to $250m by the end of the current fiscal year,” claimed All Pakistan Fruit and Vegetable Exporters Association Patron-in-Chief Waheed Ahmed, dispelling market impression that higher exports have caused a price flare-up in the country’s main staple food item. Pakistani consumers paid Rs300-350 per kg for onion following the Indian export ban from Dec 8, 2023 to April this year. New Delhi lifted the ban in the first week of May, bringing down the national…
Greenfield (Iowa): A powerful tornado ripped through a small Iowa town on Tuesday, killing multiple people and leaving at least a dozen injured, authorities said. Images from the town of Greenfield show a path of utter destruction, with homes reduced to splinters, debris strewn everywhere and several large wind turbines toppled. “This tornado has devastated a good portion of this town,” said Sgt. Alex Dinkla, a spokesperson with the Iowa State Patrol, during an evening press conference in Greenfield. “We can confirm there have been multiple fatalities with this tornado.” Dinkla did not provide a death toll, but said it…
