Islamabad, Sep 19: The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) will release the schedule for the much anticipated three-match Test series against England. A cloud hangs over the forthcoming matches as questions about England’s captain, Ben Stokes, remain as excitement for this high-stakes series grows. Ben Stokes has been included in England’s 17-man squad for the tour of Pakistan, despite suffering a hamstring strain in early August. Stokes is not totally fit despite being included, and he will have a scan next week to see if he can play in the opening Test, which is set to start on October 7. The…
Author: Iqra Khan
Islamabad, Sep 19: Significant anomalies in the Contributory Provident Fund (CPF) of the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) were discovered in a recent audit report, raising questions about how employee benefits are managed. The purpose of the CPF is to give PTA personnel financial stability upon retirement. The Auditor General of Pakistan’s audit revealed irregularities in the CPF’s management. The PTA Employees Service Regulations (ESR) 2004 state that employees must match the CPF’s five percent basic pay contribution with an equal contribution from the PTA. Nevertheless, the audit discovered that the PTA neglected to turn over to the Public Account or…
Islamabad, Sep 19: An earlier decision against Qualcomm, which found the tech giant guilty of exploitative pricing practices, was affirmed by the General Court of the European Union. The original fine of €242 million was, however, somewhat lowered by the court to €238.7 million. The contract between Qualcomm and British software company Icera, which is currently an Nvidia subsidiary, lies at the heart of this dispute. Qualcomm is accused of selling chips below cost between 2009 and 2011, a tactic frequently used to keep other companies out of possible agreements. Qualcomm has filed many challenges challenging the ruling. One of…
Islamabad, Sep 19: The Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi’s instructions have resulted in the clearance of the backlog of passport issue throughout Pakistan, according to the Passport and Immigration Directorate. Major cities have caught up with the delayed applications, according to officials. While 83,000 petitions were completed in Karachi, over 14,600 pending cases in Islamabad were resolved.30,800 passports were processed at the Garden Town office in Lahore; 4,800 of those cases were cleared in Raiwind, and another 11,400 in Shadman. Significant advancements were also made in other cities, including as Quetta, Rawalpindi, and Peshawar, which cleared 7,200, 18,400, and 23,100 cases,…
Islamabad, Sep 19: A further Rs. 196 billion ($664 million) has been asked by the Economic Affairs Division in order to address rupee cover for the effective use of projects funded by foreign governments. The Division reported to the National Assembly Standing Committee on Economic Affairs in a written briefing on the rupee cover issue that the Division shared at the Public Sector Development Program (PSDP) annual review meeting on September 11, 2024, along with its additional requirements of Rs. 196 billion ($664 million). Secretary EAD Kazim Niaz briefed the committee, stating that the government has set aside Rs. 350…
Islamabad, Sep 19: The Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad will host the 3rd Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Youth Games in 2024 from December 13 to December 18. Participants in the games will be athletes from Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Punjab, and Islamabad Capital Territory. Participants must be 22 years of age or younger to compete. About 3,500 athletes, team officials, and technical officials are anticipated to attend. 16 different disciplines will have competitions throughout the games, including: Athletics for both sexes Men’s and women’s badminton Baseball for both sexes Men’s and women’s football Men’s &…
Islamabad, Sep 18: The long standing matter regarding handing over of 729 plots by the Defense Housing Authority (DHA) to the Capital Development Authority (CDA) has amicably been resolved. The DHA has already issued allotment letters of 729 plots in favour of CDA. Capital Development Authority has now decided to offer 729 residential plots to general public and overseas Pakistanis. This was decided in a meeting held at CDA headquarters chaired by the Chairman CDA Muhammad Ali Randhawa. The meeting was attended by all board members and senior officers of the authority. The meeting discussed the successful resolution of a…
Islamabad, Sep 18: The Margalla Hills National Park’s Monal and La Montana restaurants have been taken over by the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB) in order to demolish the buildings and return the impacted region to its natural state, per the Supreme Court’s directives. The Capital Development Authority (CDA) has been asked by the wildlife board to supply personnel and heavy machinery needed to demolish these eateries. According to sources, the IWMB looked for equipment to remove the debris and structure. “Now that IWMB has effectively regained control, we are getting ready to start demolishing the buildings in accordance with…
Islamabad, Sep 18: Several important projects and policies were authorized during a provincial cabinet meeting presided over by Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz. The “Apna Ghar Apni Chhat” program is a significant undertaking that seeks to construct 500,000 homes throughout Punjab over the course of the next five years. Additionally approved were the “Children Heart Surgery Program” and the “Chief Minister Green Tractor Program.” The cabinet also resolved to enhance the punishment for unlawful gun ownership, increasing the fee from Rs. 500,000 to Rs. 700,000 and imposing a strict three-year jail sentence. The MDCAT policy was approved for both public…
Islamabad, Sep 18: The governments of Pakistan and Nepal have been urged to collaborate in order to effectively advocate for effective climate action in international climate forums, according to Anil Pokhrel, Chief Executive of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority (NDRRMA). Pokhrel emphasized that Pakistan and Nepal’s combined efforts at international fora should concentrate on pressuring the international community to guarantee climate finance tools that are accessible to developing nations suffering from the negative effects of climate change. Anil Pokhrel, the chief executive of NDRRMA, told the media in an exclusive interview held on the fringes of the…
