MELBOURNE: Glenn Maxwell’s break from cricket a year ago to deal with mental health issues proved timely in helping him build the tools to handle the stresses of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Australia batsman said on Friday. Maxwell withdrew from cricket early in the last home summer before returning in the Big Bash League in January and has played his …

KARACHI: Asad Shafiq regained top form in the best possible way just days after being axed for the New Zealand tour by scoring a superlative century as Sindh thwarted leaders Southern Punjab in their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy clash here at the National Stadium on Friday. Elsewhere, bowlers were on song as no less than 14 wickets fell in the match between …

LAHORE: Having received an assurance from the Pakistan Cricket Board for a long-term captaincy of the national team, newly appointed Test captain Babar Azam on Friday said the upcoming tour of New Zealand would be challenging but added his squad was full of confidence and would give good results. “There is no pressure of the PCB on me that I …

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Sugar Mills Association (PSMA) on Friday wrote a letter to the Ministry of Industries warning that the country’s sugar mills could face closure as they face serious shortages of raw material. In a letter titled “Non-Availability of Sugarcane aimed at High Prices Demanded by Farmers,” addressed to Minister of Industries & Production Hammad Azhar, the association said …

zz • Delhi claims to have thwarted JeM plot • FO observes Islamabad’s dossier has unnerved Indian design • Beijing says anti-CPEC attempts will fail ISLAMABAD: China on Friday rushed to shield Pakistan from Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s fresh allegations by recalling “positive contributions” made by Islamabad against global terrorism. “China appreciates the positive contribution by Pakistan to the international …

KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on Friday announced five regulatory relaxations to incentivise banks for financing low-cost and affordable housing. The central bank, which has already taken a series of measures to promote housing, has made it possible for the people having no formal income data to borrow for low-cost housing. According to SBP, the definition of low …

ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has said the recent statement of Genocide Watch founding president and chairman Dr Gregory Stanton regarding Muslims’ genocide in India is endorsement of Pakistan’s stance and viewpoint. Pakistan had expressed its concerns over the matter at several international forums, but the situation was further deteriorating in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJ&K), said FM …

ISLAMABAD: The Afghan government and the Taliban have resolved key sticking points that had stalled peace talks for weeks, several sources said on Friday, clearing the way for negotiations to move forward. Talks started on Sept 12 in the Qatari capital Doha but almost immediately faltered over disagreements about the agenda, the basic framework of discussions and religious interpretations. However, …

BERLIN: German police have arrested a 41-year-old man on suspicion of cannibalism after they found a pile of bones stripped completely of flesh in a Berlin suburb. Berlin prosecutors said on Friday they are “investigating at full speed to shed light on the sexual murder with suspicion of a cannibalistic background”. The man was arrested on Wednesday in connection with …

Here’s something to look forward to this weekend: South Korean megaband BTS have released their latest album BE and will perform the new single “Life Goes On” remotely for the 2020 American Music Awards tomorrow. The video for the new single, in signature BTS style, garnered an amazing number of views in the first 24 hours on YouTube. The seven-member boy band …