President Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that COVID-19 vaccinations will begin in the coming weeks in Iran, the Middle East’s worst-hit country. “Foreign vaccines are a necessity until local vaccines are available,” Rouhani said in televised remarks, without giving details of what foreign vaccines would be used. His remarks came as daily COVID-19 deaths fell to a low of more …

KARACHI: About half an hour past sunrise, Shabbir Iqbal strode out to the Arabian Sea Country Club course with a share of the lead at the start of the second round of the Sindh Open Golf Championship. On a day when his grey jacket glistened in the winter sunshine, Pakistan’s top golfer shone brightly to open up a four-shot advantage …

KARACHI: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday yet again stumped experts and knowledgeable broadcasting circles when it named Messrs Blitz Advertising among the consortium that has been awarded the broadcasting right for the South Africa cricket series. It has been a well-known fact that the PCB and Blitz Advertising have been embroiled in a nasty court battle for several …

SOUTHAMPTON: Holders Arsenal bowed out of the FA Cup in the fourth round in disappointing fashion as Gabriel’s first-half own goal condemned them to a 1-0 defeat at Southampton on Saturday. The Gunners’ defence of the trophy they won by beating Chelsea last August ended with something of a whimper as Mikel Arteta’s side struggled with repeatedly sloppy defending. Southampton …

KARACHI: Considering South Africa boast of a formidable pace artillery at their disposal, Pakistan are almost certain to put the tourists trial by spin when the first match of the two-Test series starts here at the National Stadium on Tuesday. At cursory glance on the centre of the square at the iconic cricket venue amply suggests that South Africa are …

DURBAN: Pakistan women cricket team’s tour of Africa was extended after it was agreed that they will play three 50-over matches and two T20Is in Zimbabwe after their tour of South Africa. The women’s side will play their last match against South Africa in Durban on Feb 3, and will travel to Harare for five additional matches, which will be …

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to revive the CNG sector, the government has abo­lished restrictions on fresh licences, but all the stations are likely to be shifted to imported re-gasified natural gas from the natural gas in phases. The Oil and Gas Regulatory Autho­rity (Ogra) has started to implement the decision of the Economic Coor­dination Committee (ECC) of the Cabi­net and …

NEW YORK: Morgan Stanley Chief Executive James Gorman’s annual pay rose by $6 million, or 22 per cent, last year, according to a regulatory filing released on Friday. Mr Gorman will receive $33m for his work in 2020, compared with $27m the year before, the bank said. His pay had fallen by 7pc in 2019. Morgan Stanley directors based the …

KARACHI: The three-week gaining spree on the stock market was broken in the outgoing week as the KSE-100 index settled at 45,868 points, representing a minor fall of 63 points, or 0.43 per cent, after hitting the 46,000 level. Following an untiring run up for weeks, the bulls appeared to have tired out. Besides, absence of positive triggers and an …

rup KARACHI: Private sector borrowing from banks — said to be the most important macro indicator — went up sharply by over 65 per cent in December 2020, latest data issued by the State Bank (SBP) shows. Private sector borrowed Rs215.5 billion from banks since July to Jan 8, 2020-21 compared to Rs130.2bn in the same period last year amid …