Author: Horshid Shirazi

A desperate Pakistan will be wary of a competent group of Afghanistan spinners’ ability to strike hard on an often-gripping Chepauk pitch when the teams meet in the World Cup match in Chennai on Monday. A win is mandatory for Babar Azam’s side after two successive defeats against India and Australia, as another slip up will severely hamper their ambitions to reach the semi-finals of the tournament. Currently, they are in the fifth position with four points from as many matches but their net run rate of -0.456 is a worry, and it needs improvement. Pakistan’s big headache will be…

China’s next lunar mission scheduled for 2024 will also carry a payload from Pakistan, the country’s space agency has said, as the two all-weather friends step up their cooperation in the space sector. The Chang’e-6 lunar mission is currently undergoing research and development work as planned, state-run news agency Xinhua reported on Friday quoting China National Space Administration (CNSA). The Chang’e-6 mission, with the launch scheduled for around 2024, is tasked with bringing back samples from the far side of the moon. To date, all 10 lunar sampling missions conducted by humans have taken place on the near side of…

Bangladesh ranks first in South Asia in terms of gas expansion, with approximately 41 gigawatts (GW) in development, more than double its current operating capacity, according to a new Global Energy Monitor (GEM) report. However, the majority of the planned gas buildout will rely on imported LNG as the country’s gas reserves are drying up, said the report, titled “Gas Glut 2023: Global Gas Power Continues to Thwart Energy Transition”, published on Thursday. “The country is struggling with power outages due to fuel shortages, which could result in rolling blackouts until 2026,” it said, mentioning that gas currently accounts for…

KARACHI, Pakistan — Authorities in one Pakistan province are turning to a controversial new tactic in the decades-long initiative to wipe out polio: prison. Last month, the government in Sindh introduced a bill that would imprison parents for up to one month if they fail to get their children immunized against polio or eight other common diseases. Experts at the World Health Organization and elsewhere worry the unusual strategy could further undermine trust in the polio vaccines, particularly in a country where many believe false conspiracies about them and where dozens of vaccinators have been shot and killed. Adding to the…

Asian stocks rose strongly on Friday, extending a global equity rally, after better-than-expected Chinese economic data added to the good vibes from expectations that tightening campaigns by the world’s biggest central banks were close to over. The dollar stuck close to a six-month peak from overnight against major peers, buoyed by robust U.S. economic data, while the euro sagged following the European Central Bank’s signal that Thursday’s rate hike was probably the last this cycle. Crude oil hit a fresh 10-month top. MSCI’s broadest index of Asia-Pacific shares rallied 0.84%. Japan’s Nikkei jumped 1.33% to a two-month high. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng added…

Pakistan have not played a one-day international in India since 2012-13, but have already beaten New Zealand and Afghanistan comfortably this calendar year in the format. While cricket is not officially the national sport in Pakistan, that has been hockey, it is hard to walk through a park on a day off without seeing hundreds of people of all ages, bat and ball in hand emulating their heroes. For the national side, they will want to impress not only in India but on cricket’s biggest stage, after unconvincing performances during the recent Asia Cup. In the last 50-over World Cup back…

Raipur:  Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday dedicated to the nation South Eastern Coalfields Limited’s (SECL) East Rail Corridor Phase-1, built at a cost of approximately ₹ 3,055 crore, at Raigarh, Chhattisgarh, said SECL Bilaspur in an official statement. This 124 km long line between Kharsia and Dharamjaygarh will help in transporting coal and other raw materials to various end-use projects including power generation projects from coal mines of SECL and other coal mines of Mand-Raigad Coalfield spread in Raigarh district, added the statement from PRO. The annual capacity of the project is 62 million tonnes per year. In future, with the…

NASA and its Indian counterpart ‘are continuing efforts to finalize a strategic framework for human spaceflight cooperation by the end of 2023.’ India plans to build off its recent space successes and become an even bigger player in the final frontier. The nation recently landed on the moon for the first time, acing the first-ever touchdown near the lunar south pole with its Chandrayaan-3 mission. And India now has a solar probe aloft — Aditya-L1, which launched on Sept. 2 to investigate some of the sun’s biggest mysteries. U.S. President Joe Biden congratulated Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and the scientists at the engineers…

On 12 September 2023, Damen Shipyards Galati in Romania held a launching ceremony for the PNS Hunain, one of a series of Offshore Patrol Vessels (OPV) 2600 that Damen is constructing for the Pakistan Navy. Damen was awarded the contract to build the vessel, following its successful delivery of the first two vessels, PNS Yarmook and PNS Tabuk in 2020. Attending the event as Chief Guest was Chief of the Naval Staff of the Pakistan Navy, Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi NI (M) S BT. Also in attendance were other representatives of the Pakistan Navy, as well as representatives of the Romanian Government and Navy, members of…

Six months back many thought this would not be possible but Sri Lanka has reported that its inflation has dropped to single digit this July to 6.3 per cent. This has happened for the first time in two years. It’s not just about the desperately needed economic relief to the people who have experienced the worst economic crisis in their history. It’s also about the huge international pressures that Sri Lanka has been exposed to now. The Census and Statistics Office of Sri Lanka said, “The overall rate of inflation as measured by the Colombo Consumer Price Index on a…