MARSEILLLE: The Olympic torch relay began in Marseille on Thursday with the port city’s football legend Basile Boli taking the flame in front of the iconic basilica of Notre-Dame de la Garde before passing it on to a number of other celebrity sports stars including Ukrainian gymnast Mariia Vysochanska. France’s former NBA great Tony Parker was also among the 200 people who will carry the torch in Marseille along with skier Cyprien Sarrazin who collected the flame from Vysochanska. The 21-year-old from Lviv, whose father is fighting at the front against the Russian invasion, was ‘captain’ for the day of…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
LONDON: Global football’s governing body FIFA must publish its review of compensation for workers affected during preparations for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, Amnesty International said on Thursday, urging a rapid and positive response to the findings. Qatar came under intense pressure over its treatment of foreign workers working in extreme conditions, leading many to raise concerns, although the Middle Eastern country has denied that workers were exploited. Amnesty said FIFA should publish and act on a review “assessing its human rights responsibilities” towards workers, saying its findings were approved by FIFA’s Council in March. “Ahead of its annual congress next…
DUBLIN: Pakistan will kick off their final warm-up ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup when they take on Ireland in the first of the three-match Twenty20 International series at Castle Avenue on Friday. For the Babar Azam-led side, the series will be about finalising the team’s best combination for the T20 showpiece, which is set to be held in the United States and the Caribbean next month. Pakistan will play four T20Is against England following the Ireland series, with the team management expected to field the first-choice XI in the games against defending T20 World Cup champions. However, Pakistan may…
How do they define Pakistan cricket? Mercurial? That’s what they say, right? You may have heard the word as pundits often scramble to define Pakistan’s resurgence or capitulation or may have read it in the newspaper columns. In the lead up to this month, many teams around the world named their preliminary squads for next month’s T20 World Cup. Pakistan, on the other hand, decided against committing anything publicly and named their 18 for the seven T20Is — three against Ireland and the rest against England — in the United Kingdom, their last layover before the mega tournament. All 20 participating…
Pakistan on Friday secured a tie in their match against New Zealand in the 30th Azlan Shah Hockey Cup. Pakistan’s fifth match today, which was played in Malaysia’s Ipoh city at 1pm (PKT), saw them remain unbeaten throughout the tournament. The match ended in a draw, with both teams securing one point each, the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) said. Senior player Ammad Shakeel is leading the 18-member squad with Abu Bakr as the vice-captain. Japan lead the points table with 13 points while Pakistan rank second with 11 points. New Zealand hold the third position with seven points while Malaysia follow them…
ISLAMABAD: While hearing K-Electric’s request for up to Rs18.6 per unit additional fuel cost recovery from its consumers for the past nine months, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday directed the Karachi-based power utility to ensure that the Matric and intermediate students do not suffer because of power outages. During a public hearing presided over by Nepra’s Sindh member, Rafique A. Shaikh, major consumer groups and trade bodies pleaded that no monthly, quarterly or annual tariff increase be allowed to K-Electric until consumers get the benefit of about Rs75 billion payable to them but blocked by the utility through…
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Thursday received a message from his Qatari counterpart underscoring potential avenues for reinforcing bilateral ties. “Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman bin Jassim Al-Thani has sent a written message to Prime Minister of Pakistan Shehbaz Sharif, pertaining to bilateral relations and way to support and develop them,” Qatari newswire QNA reported. The message was delivered to PM Sharif by the visiting Qatari Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Dr Mohammed bin Abdulaziz Al-Khulaifi, who is accompanied by a delegation from the Qatar Investment Authority. PM Sharif said his government would like…
KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves reached a two-year high, crossing the $9 billion mark after inflows from the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The central bank released the latest data about the foreign exchange reserves on Thursday, showing that the reserves went up to $9.120bn at the end of the week on May 3. “During the week, the SBP reserves increased by $1.114bn to $9.120bn mainly due to receipt of $1.1bn from the IMF as the final tranche under the Stand-By Arrangement (SBA),” said a statement issued by the bank. The country’s overall forex reserves reached $14.458 billion…
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday gave orders for the formulation of trade policies to facilitate the business sector and enhance the competitiveness of exports. Chairing a high-profile meeting on the trade sector, the premier also called for steps to promote the export of non-traditional goods and ordered that exporters receive immediate payment of the certified duty drawback. He also urged consultation with the private sector on policymaking and implementing the deletion policy to uplift the auto sector. A post by the government on X outlined the directives issued in the meeting. PM Shehbaz additionally ordered a comprehensive strategy to…
Bulls continued their stampede at the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) on Friday as shares gained 427 points to reach a new milestone of 73,000 points amid expectations of inflation falling faster than the expected rate. The KSE-100 index gained 427.45 points, or 0.59 per cent, to stand at 73,085.5 points at the day’s close from the previous close of 72,658.05. Mohammed Sohail, chief executive of Topline Securities, mentioned that the 73,000 bounday was crossed due to “expectations that inflation may fall at a faster than expected rate”. “Investors have been buying shares of companies that will benefit from lower interest…
