WELLINGTON: New Zealand’s bowlers again ripped through West Indies’ batting lineup to push them to the brink of a comprehensive victory in the second and final Test as they reduced the tourists to 244-6 in their second innings at the end of the third day on Sunday. Bad light forced the players off the Basin Reserve about an hour before …

Pakistan’s textile exports seem to have largely recovered from the Covid-19 pandemic shocks and are still growing. The recent monthly data published by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics for the first four months of the current financial year confirms that the textile and clothing export shipments are back on growth trajectory both in terms of their quantity and dollar value. …

Most indicators of national indebtedness are worrisome. Lowering the national indebtedness markedly in the remaining two and a half years of the PTI government seems difficult in the wake of Covid-19–triggered global economic slowdown, domestic political instability and compounding geopolitical challenges. This means the economy, which is already struggling to recover from the last year’s 0.4 per cent contraction, may …

Pakistan’s branchless banking (BB) industry has been bustling with activity, thanks to aggressive efforts by the regulator. In fact, our policies and performance have often been cited as a model case. But instead of the usual self-congratulations that the stakeholders partake in, let’s see how well we have been doing on this front. The State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) latest …

ISLAMABAD: After more than two years in office, the federal cabinet would be starting on Tuesday the process for appointment of regular/fulltime chief executive officers (CEOs) of power distribution companies (Discos) and approve selection of managing directors of two gas utilities. This comes on the heels of over Rs2.3 trillion circular debt in the power sector as of Sept 30, …

The logic of choosing the current difficult year to freeze the last date for the filing of tax returns two months earlier than the last year is puzzling. More so as fewer Pakistanis have filed tax returns this year than last year. The pandemic has caused disruption and if extending the deadline was ever an option, this was the time …

ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani doctor based in Toronto has introduced an instant Covid-19 diagnostic test using a smartphone. Pakistan High Commissioner to Canada Raza Bashir Tarar has congratulated Dr Naqeeb Khalid for his extraordinary achievement. In a video conversation with Dr Naqeeb Khalid who led the development of smartphone-based diagnostic test for Covid-19 as Director of Medical Device Programme at the …

Shia LaBeouf has been accused of   physical and emotional abuse by his former girlfriend, British musician FKA twigs, Reuters reported on Friday. The civil lawsuit, filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeks unspecified damages for alleged sexual battery, assault and emotional distress. It was filed under FKA twigs birth name, Tahliah Barnett. Representatives of LaBeouf, 34, a former child star …

Reality star Kim Kardashian and her rapper husband Kanye West have given their shaky relationship another chance to thrive after recent controversies. Kim and Kanye, who are still struggling to continue their relationship, have reportedly found a way not to end their marriage. The celebrity couple have made up their mind to keep themselves away from the divorce courts even …

Eminem on Saturday thanked  former Barack Obama for praising his song “Lose Yourself” in a latest video posted on the former  US president’s Instagram account. Obama shared a video on his social media account in which he talked about the two songs he sought inspiration from during his election campaign. In the video, Obama  also mentioned the two songs in …