UNITED NATIONS: Pak­is­tan has alerted the international community that Afghanistan was on the verge of a complete economic collapse while a senior UN official said that Kabul’s Taliban rulers had started taking ‘halting steps’ to gain legitimacy. “The larger crisis that is looming is the danger of a complete economic collapse,” said Pakistan’s UN ambassador Munir Akram while participating in …

WASHINGTON: China has drastically increased its influence in major global institutions over the past decade, and a Washington-based think tank on Thursday said this trend could call for scrutiny. Chinese firms have come to dominate contracts offered by development banks, and Beijing has raised its contributions to those institutions to $66 billion, surpassing Japan as the second largest contributor behind …

WASHINGTON: Pfizer Inc said on Thursday the US government would pay $5.29 billion for 10 million courses of its experimental Covid anti-viral drug. The deal is for around twice as many treatment courses as Merck & Co Inc has agreed to supply the United States under its contract. The price for the Pfizer pill is nearly 25 percent lower at …

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Friday he would repeal controversial farm laws that farmers have protested for more than a year, a significant climbdown for the combative leader. The sudden concession on the three laws comes ahead of elections early next year in Uttar Pradesh, India’s most populous state, and two other northern states with large rural populations. “Today …

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LONDON: The “drinking culture” in county teams was partly responsible for Asian and Black players not getting enough opportunities in English cricket, former West Indies international Tino Best has said. Former Yorkshire cricketer Azeem Rafiq’s testimony to a British parliamentary committee on Tuesday has thrown a spotlight on racism in the sport in England, as well as its drinking culture. Rafiq, a …

MELBOURNE: The Australian Open tennis Grand Slam and Australia’s Boxing Day cricket Test against arch-rivals England in Melbourne will be able to welcome capacity crowds as COVID-19 restrictions ease in Victoria state, officials said on Thursday. Victoria Premier Dan Andrews said that the state was about to hit 90 percent vaccination, allowing long-standing restrictions to be swept aside, including capacity …

LAHORE: The Pakistan Super League has received a major boost from Habib Bank Limited which has reacquired the title sponsorship of Pakistan Cricket Board’s pinnacle tournament for another four-year cycle (2022-2025). The bank has been title sponsors of the PSL since its start in 2016. “HBL not only exceeded the reserve price in reacquiring the rights but sealed it with …

DHAKA: Pakistan aim to keep up momentum from their strong T20 World Cup showing with a largely unchanged squad for this week’s tour of Bangladesh, skipper Babar Azam said on Thursday. Babar’s side stormed through the Super-12 phase of the Dubai tournament with five straight victories before a shock five-wicket loss to eventual winners Australia in the semi-final. Pakistan fielded the same …

Less than 10 days after their World Cup 2021 campaign came to an end, Pakistan are in Dhaka to take on Bangladesh in the 1st T20I. Traditionally, no one has quaked when facing Bangladesh, but here are five reasons why the current crop of the Tigers, in their own den, should not be taken lightly. 1- Wounded Tigers While Pakistan’s World …