JOHANNESBURG: Pakistan coach Mickey Arthur said on Monday he was determined to find a solution to his team’s problems against fast, short-pitched bowling. Speaking after South Africa completed a 3-0 series clean sweep by winning the third Test by 107 runs at the Wanderers, Arthur said he wanted to build a team able to play in all conditions by the …

FROM the outset it was predictable the way this series for Pakistan would end — a clean sweep for hosts South Africa. For this no excuse should be acceptable for the mere fact that our batsmen failed to come to terms with the pitches that had lift and bounce and the conditions were exploited to the full by the home …

ISLAMABAD: The export of services edged lower by 0.23 per cent year-on-year to $416 million in November 2018, from $416.97m in corresponding period last year, Pakistan Bureau of Statistics said on Monday. However, between July-November, export proceeds went up 1.39pc to $2.17bn year-on-year. On the other hand, imports of services dipped 17.33pc to $3.6bn in 5MFY19, from $4.35bn over corresponding …

KARACHI: The State Bank has decided to expand its National Financial Lite­racy Programme (NFLP) to create awareness among the masses and in this regard a mass media campaign is being launched from January 15. Apart from reaching out to the public via print, radio and social media, a dedicated NFLP toll free helpline and website would also be launched on …

HAMBURG: A tender from the Pakistan Agricultural Storage and Services Corporation (Passco) has attracted high bids to sell 100,000 tonnes of wheat. The positive res­ponse could allow the wheat to be exported without government subsidies, European traders said on Monday. The tender, closed on Jan 11, was issued under a government export programme to reduce high wheat inventories with possible …

KARACHI: The government has borrowed Rs113 billion for budgetary support within just one week, according to latest data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). Borrowing for budgetary support has seen manifold increase during the first half of fiscal year as almost all other revenue streams have fallen short of targets. During July 31 to Jan 4, the government’s …

ISLAMABAD: The government on Monday said it was requesting Qatar for reduction in the price of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) and its supplies on delayed payments under the existing 15-year supply contract, but would abide by all the other clauses in the contract. Speaking informally to a group of media persons, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan also said Pakistan and …

The Afghan Taliban on Tuesday claimed responsibility for a powerful truck bomb attack in Kabul that ripped through surrounding neighbourhoods, killing at least four people and wounding more than 100, in the latest assault on the Afghan capital. In a grim message, the militants also vowed to carry out more attacks in the city in direct response to the recent …

Qatar’s foreign minister ruled out on Monday the possibility of re-opening an embassy in Damascus, in line with some other Gulf countries, calling Syrian President Bashar al-Assad a war criminal. “Normalisation (of relations) with the Syrian regime at this stage is the normalisation of a person involved in war crimes, and this should not be acceptable,” said Mohammed bin Abdulrahman …

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron faced a battle on Monday to convince sceptical French of his latest move to quell “yellow vest” anger as he kickstarted a two-month national debate on his policies. Struggling to end the biggest crisis of his presidency, Macron on Sunday set out over 30 questions to be debated in towns and villages across the country …