LAHORE: A significant portion of the Pakistan football team, comprising nine players and two officials, finds themselves in a limbo as they await their departure for Dushanbe, Tajikistan, where they are slated to engage in the FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifier against the host nation on Tuesday. The journey hit an unexpected snag when a technical glitch grounded the airline initially designated …

KARACHI: Pakistan Cricket Board chairman Mohsin Naqvi came down heavily on the team management and said the Babar Azam-led side requires “major surgery” following its six-run loss against arch-rivals India in the T20 World Cup, the Press Trust of India news agency reported on Monday. Chasing an underwhelming 120-run target, Pakistani batters consumed 59 dot balls to be restricted to 113 for 7 in New York …

LAHORE: Pakistan’s U-18 volleyball team emerged victorious in the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) men’s Volleyball Championship, defeating Iran 3-1 in the final in Uzbekistan, according to the Pakistan Volleyball Federation. The Pakistani team displayed remarkable resilience, bouncing back after losing the first set (20-25) to win the next three sets consecutively (25-18, 25-23, 27-25). Key players Mohammad Yahya, Talal …

KARACHI: The government may provide some incentives to encourage local assembly of solar panels in the budget 2024-25. Pakistan Solar Association (PSL) Senior Vice-President Mohammad Zakir Ali, who was part of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s recent delegation to China, said, “I do not think the government will impose any new taxes and duties on solar panels, which already have zero …

ISLAMABAD: In a return to previous practice, the National Economic Council (NEC) decided on Monday to continue funding constituency-based schemes and ongoing provincial projects, while approving an indicative national development plan worth Rs3.792 trillion for the next fiscal year to increase the economic growth rate to 3.6 per cent from the current 2.4pc. The expansionary public investment stance is likely to come under …

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has called a meeting of the federal cabinet today (Tue­s­day) to review the upcoming federal budget, which is expected to be tabled before the National Asse­mbly tomorrow (Wednesday). The huddle will also provide the PM an opportunity to take his aides into confidence over decisions made during his recent visit to China, a source in the Prime …

PARIS: French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday announced he was dissolving parliament and called snap legislative elections after the far-right trounced his centrist alliance in EU polls. The first round of elections for the lower house National Assembly will take place on June 30, with the second round on July 7, Macron announced in an address to the nation. The …

SEOUL: South Korea resumed loudspeaker broadcasts directed at North Korea on Sunday, its military said, following through on a warning demanding Pyongyang stop sending balloons carrying trash into the South. The decision to resume the broadcasts, as a form of psychological warfare, was made after North Korea began launching on Satu­rday about 330 balloons with trash attached, with about 80 of them …

SRINAGAR: At least nine people were killed and 33 injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge after a suspected attack in the held territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday, police said. News of the attack came as Narendra Modi took oath as prime minister for a record-equalling third term and drew criticism from the main opposition …

WASHINGTON: The Biden administration is close to finalising a treaty with Saudi Arabia that would commit the US to help defend the Gulf nation as part of a deal aimed at encouraging diplomatic ties between Riyadh and Israel, the Wall Street Journal reported on Sunday, citing US and Saudi officials. The possible deal, widely telegraphed by US and other officials for weeks, is part of …