The return of England’s cricket team to Pakistan next year, their first visit since 2005, is a vote of confidence in the country’s improved security — but challenges remain, analysts say. Cricket-obsessed Pakistan spent a decade in international sporting isolation after gunmen targeted the Sri Lankan team bus in 2009 in Lahore during a Test series, killing eight people and wounding several …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Information Technology on Wednesday notified social media rules that all other stakeholders, including internet service providers as well as digital rights activists, have rejected, terming them draconian and violation of cyber laws of the country. The rules titled, “Removal and Blocking of Unlawful Online Content (Procedure, Oversight and Safeguards) Rules 2020,” have been framed under the …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s textile and clothing exports posted a paltry growth of 3.78 per cent year-on-year to $4.76 billion in July to October FY21 compared to $4.58bn, data released by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) showed on Wednesday. In October, export proceeds were up by 6.18pc from a year ago. In September, they grew by 11.03pc while a decline of …

ISLAMABAD: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has raised Rs1.83 billion ($11.4 million) local currency ‘Karakoram bonds’ and promised its continued support for Pakistan’s development efforts and Covid-19 pandemic response. This is a first issue of local currency ‘Karakoram bonds’ by a multilateral development bank of which Pakistan is a member, said the ADB in a statement. A Karakoram is an …

t KARACHI: The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) expects GDP growth to stay within the range of 1.5–2.5 per cent in FY21 against the target of 2.1pc set by the government, said the annual State of the Economy report for 2019-20 issued on Wednesday. This year-on-year improvement is expected to come from a steady performance of agriculture and a recovery in the …

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has granted approval for the launch of a peer-to-peer lending platform under the first cohort of its technology-driven initiative ‘Regulatory Sandbox’. The move is aimed at supporting and encouraging a financial technology revolution in the country, a press release said on Wednesday. “Peer-to-peer lending is an innovative, alternative digital platform that connects borrowers with …

The country’s current account witnessed a surplus for the fourth consecutive month in October, rising to $382 million or 1.6 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP), data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) showed on Thursday. Compared to the same month last year, the surplus witnessed an increase of 423pc from $73m, while on a month-on-month basis it …

Schitt’s Creek became an instant hit after getting dropped on Netflix and sweeping all the Emmy categories. Now, fans of the comedy show are awaiting the probability of a movie based on the Rose family to arise, while others have been suggesting the markers to create a spinoff based on Alexis Rose’s life, titled A Little Bit Alexis. With speculation rippling heavy …

Hollywood star Gal Gadot’s much-awaited Wonder Woman 1984 is here to save Christmas for fans after a year filled with gloominess and uncertainty. The film by Patty Jenkins is making its way to streaming platform HBO Max in December, featuring Gal Gadot and Chris Pine in pivotal roles. The highly-anticipated superhero film will be released in international markets on December 16 and …

Lana Del Rey recently opened up about her mesh mask controversy over on social media and explained how the mask was ‘fully covering her face’ the whole time. Rey officially broke her silence over on social media and touched on the heated mask debate with a short little retweet of a Michigan Daily article. The singer wrote, “Great article. The mask had …