LAHORE: Pakistani rice exporters have formally challenged India’s claim on Geographical Indicator (GI) of Basmati rice in the European Union in a bid to prevent financial loss worth billions of rupees to the exchequer and local farming community. The Rice Exporters Association of Pakistan (Reap) formally filed a Notice of Opposition on Monday (Dec 7) in the EU against Indian …

SYDNEY: Virat Kohli blasted 85 but it wasn’t enough to prevent Australia from fighting off a Twenty20 International series sweep with a thrilling 12-run victory in the final match in Sydney on Tuesday. While Kohli was at the crease in his imperious 61-ball knock, India had hopes of pulling off victory, but when he fell to a sensational diving outfield …

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has succeeded in cancelling the illegal registration of ‘Kernal’ for trademark by an overseas rice company, Commerce Adviser Razak Dawood disclosed on Tuesday. The adviser did not mention the name of the country or the company which had sought trademark registration in his tweets, but interactions with senior officials in various ministries confirmed that the registration had happened in Saudi …

ISLAMABAD: Alerted by the Accountant General of Pakistan Revenue (AGPR), the Ministry of Finance has warned all ministries, divisions and heads of all government institutions that salaries of their employees could be delayed and blocked in case of insufficient funds in their accounts. The AGPR had alerted authorities concerned that “some government departments and offices have kept insufficient budget in …

ISLAMABAD: The Indus River System Authority (Irsa) on Tuesday formally took over the Water Accord Apportionment Tool (WAA-Tool) to ensure a precise and trustworthy mechanism for seasonal planning and water sharing among the provinces. The software tool was developed over a period of two years by the Comm­on­wealth Scientific and Ind­ustrial Research Organi­sation (CSIRO) at the joint request of the …

LAHORE: Punjab on Tuesday approved setting up five cement plants in the province, with a potential investment of around Rs200 billion, and also initiated action on 11 other applications for such plants. The approval formed one of the 28-point agenda of the cabinet meeting. The cabinet was informed that five departments had issued No-Objection Certificate (NOC) within 90 days of …

Ertugrul star Ozman Sirgood mesmerised fans as he shared never-before-seen picture with his co-star   Esra Bilgic aka Halime Sultan. Esra, who rose to fame with her role as Halime Sultan in historical series Dirilis: Ertugrul, looked stunning in a black gown with her co-star. Ozman Sirgood, known for his iconic role as “Ibni Arabi” in the hit series ‘Resurrection: Ertugrul’, …

Olivia Jade came forth speaking up for the first time on her involvement in the college admissions scam. The star kid sat down for a candid, heart-to-heart conversation with Jada Pinkett Smith, and Willow Smith and Adrienne Banfield Norris at the Red Table Talk. Talking about how her parents were arrested, Jade admitted she “didn’t really 100 percent understand what just …

Christina Perri is taking time off social media after she went through a devastating miscarriage last month. The Jar of Hearts singer took to Instagram and shared her decision to quit social media to heal from the tragedy that struck her family. Posting a picture of her two-year-old daughter Camella and her dog, Perri wrote, “hi friends. i couldn’t think of one …

Priyanka Chopra and Nick Jonas’s fans are elated as the power-couple is all set to make a surprise appearance at the ‘Global Citizen Prize Awards 2020.’ The awards ceremony will be organised to recognise the untiring efforts of the people working to end global poverty. At the mega-event, Priyanka and Nick will be making a special appearance, along with an …