TOKYO: The Tokyo Olympic Organising Committee said on Thursday they could suspend the upcoming torch relay should big gatherings raise coronavirus infection risks, asking spectators to support by clapping. The toned-down torch relay, which will begin on March 25 and travel through Japan, will be broadcast live to avoid gatherings on streets, Yukihiko Nunomura, senior executive at Tokyo 2020, told …

The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) has reduced the ban on cricketer Umar Akmal to 12 months and fined him Rs4.25 million for breaching the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) anti-corruption code. Akmal was suspended in February 2020 for failing to report details of corrupt approaches made to him just before the start of the fifth Pakistan Super League. The verdict from …

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday reduced the rate of return on equity (ROE) from 16 to 12 per cent for four public sector LNG-based power projects in Punjab with total generation capacity of about 4,900MW. Two of these projects of 2,453MW combined generation capacity are owned by the federal government under the umbrella of National …

KARACHI: Exchange companies on Thursday were allowed to cover their risks against exports proceeds through forward sale transaction with banks up to five working days, the State Bank said in a circular. To facilitate exchange companies in managing exchange rate risks associated with the realisation of export proceeds against export of permissible foreign currency notes, it has been decided that …

ISLAMABAD: The Ministry of Housing and Works on Thursday informed the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) that Rs650 billion worth of 1,000 housing units included in the Naya Pakistan Housing Scheme (NPHS) had been originally launched by the previous PML-N government. The new housing units to be constructed by the Naya Pakistan Housing and Development Authority (NPHDA) under the prime minister’s …

ISLAMABAD: Moody’s Investor Services on Thursday said that despite lower interest margins, higher provisioning for non-performing loans amid the pandemic, leading Pakistani banks post strong profit growth in 2020. In a statement, the Moody’s said the financial results announced by three leading banks – MCB, Allied and Habib Bank – as of Feb 22 were credit positive and reflect containment …

Make-up mogul Kylie Jenner seems excited as reality television series Keeping Up With the Kardashians is all set to unveil its last season. She reminds her fans of the series by sharing a memorable dialogue from the show. Taking to Instagram on February 24, the model shared a photo of herself dressed in high-waisted white pants and a two-toned crop top. Her …

Turkish actor Celal Al on Thursday shared several pictures with Pakistani actors who are on a visit to his country. The Pakistani delegation comprising Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Imran Abbas, Reeman Khan and other actors met the cast members and the production team of “Dirilis: Ertugrul” during their visit to Istanbul. Historical TV series “Dirilis: Ertugrul” is immensely popular in …

Amal Clooney has barred her husband George Clooney from trimming their daughter’s long hair. The actor revealed this during the latest interview for a celebrity magazine. The 59-year-old actor, who is married to Amal Clooney and shares daughter Ella and son Alexander with his lawyer wife, was talking to W Magazine in which he posed with his children’s bikes. During …

Former couple Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman’s sweet daughter Isabella has shared her latest selfie on Instagram, looking sober in winter outfit. The 28-year-old daughter of the ex-couple made the rare move of posting a selfie to her Instagram account. Isabella, who prefers to live her life out of the spotlight, showed off her serious nature in a black and …