Author: i2wtc
LAHORE: Wicket-keeper/batter Jamie Smith and paceman Jofra Archer were included in the England playing XI on Thursday for their crucial Champions Trophy opening match against arch-rivals Australia. The high-profile Group ‘B’ match on Saturday, will be the first of the Champions Trophy to be staged at the Gaddafi Stadium. The 24-year-old Smith last played an ODI in September against Australia at Bristol while right-armer Archer represented England in the first ODI against India earlier this month. Meanwhile, the Australian team could not practise in the afternoon at the LCCA ground due to intermittent rain in Lahore. On the other hand,…
CHIBI, Feb. 21 (Xinhua) — Tian Shuxian, a deputy to the National People’s Congress (NPC), is the director of an ecological planting and breeding cooperative in Chibi City, central China’s Hubei Province.With a master’s degree in agriculture, Tian has devoted herself to helping villagers reap more gains with science and technology.Tian proposed rice-shrimp-duck farming and went door to door to provide guidance to villagers. She set up an ecological agriculture laboratory, a microbial culture room, and a water quality testing room in the fields, and built an ecological aquaculture demonstration base.Tian Shuxian is pictured in a greenhouse in Anfeng Village,…
Listen to article An International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will arrive in Islamabad next week to discuss around $1 billion in climate financing for Pakistan, an adviser to the Pakistan finance minister said on Thursday. Advisor to Finance Minister Khurram Schehzad told Reuters that the mission would visit from February 24 to 28 for a “review and discussion” of climate resilience funding. The disbursement will take place under the Fund’s Resilience and Sustainability Trust, created in 2022 to provide long-term concessional cash for climate-related spending, such as adaptation and transitioning to cleaner energy. Pakistan made a formal request in October last year for around $1…
KARACHI: Hashmatullah Shahidi stifled a smile, but the corners of his mouth betrayed his excitement every time Afghanistan’s fan following in Karachi was mentioned during his press conference here on Wednesday. Shahidi’s side will become the first Afghanistan team to play here at the National Bank Stadium when they take on South Africa in their ICC Champions Trophy opener on Friday, with the team’s fans expected to show up at the venue in numbers. The metropolis is home to a massive population of Afghan diaspora and Shahidi couldn’t deny that a lot of them would be their 12th man against…
Here are the key developments on the 1,093rd day of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.Here is the situation on Friday, February 21: Fighting Ukraine’s air force shot down 87 drones, with 70 more probably lost to electronic countermeasures, the country’s military said, as it responded to an overnight attack in which Russia launched 160 drones. Two ballistic missiles also targeted Odesa. Russian forces took back more than 800 square kilometres (309 square miles) from Ukrainian troops in western Russia’s Kursk region, a Russian general told the Krasnaya Zvezda newspaper. The area is about 64 percent of the land initially seized…
Listen to article A group of nearly 100 migrants deported from the US to Panama last week has been moved from a hotel in the capital to the Darien jungle region in the south of the country, Panama’s government said on Wednesday. The migrants include people from Afghanistan, China, India, Iran, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Turkey, Uzbekistan and Vietnam, according to Panama’s president, Jose Raul Mulino, who has agreed with the US to receive non-Panamanian deportees. In a statement, Panama’s security ministry said of the 299 migrants deported from the US in recent days, 13 had been repatriated to their countries of origin while another…
PodcastPodcast, The TakePolling at 21% before Sunday’s election, AfD remains a pariah among major parties in Germany. For the first time since the Nazis, Germany’s far right nears power. With the AfD in second place ahead of a crucial election, the once-fringe party is now centre stage. How did they rise, and what impact will their growing influence have on Germany? In this episode: Ozan Demircan (@ozmuhabir), reporter at The Pioneer Episode credits: This episode was produced by Melanie Marich, Sonia Bhagat, and Tamara Khandaker with Sarí el-Khalili, Phillip Lanos, Spencer Cline, Hanah Shokeir, Amy Walters, and our guest host,…
Listen to article The Chairman of the Islamic Ideological Council, Dr. Raghib Hussain Naeemi, has announced the guidelines for paying Fitrana (almsgiving) and Roza Fidya (compensation for missed fasting) for the current year. According to the council’s recommendations, a minimum of Rs220 per person should be paid as Fitrana based on wheat, while those opting for other forms of food products like dates, raisins, or dried apricots will be required to pay varying amounts. Specifically, Fitrana for dates is calculated at Rs1,650 for raisins at Rs2,500 and for dried apricots at Rs5,000. Dr. Naeemi emphasised that Fitrana and Fidya should be paid in accordance with…
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to rename the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium—the lone international cricketing venue in the province—as the Imran Khan Cricket Stadium to honour the former prime minister’s pivotal role in shaping the nation’s sports landscape. Chief Minister Ali Amin Khan Gandapur on Thursday signed a summary of the sports department, proposing the renaming of the Arbab Niaz Cricket Stadium. The matter will now be placed before the provincial cabinet for its approval. Sports minister Syed Fakhar Jahan told Dawn that the renaming of the stadium was beyond politics as Imran Khan was the biggest name…
Listen to article Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur has announced a free laptop scheme for students in the province, pledging to match the percentage of laptop recipients in Punjab. “If Punjab provides laptops to a certain percentage of students, we will do the same,” Gandapur said. He urged Punjab’s government to reciprocate by offering free health insurance cards similar to those provided in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. He highlighted the province’s healthcare initiatives, stating, “We have given our entire population the Sehat Card Plus and are now offering life insurance.” He challenged the Punjab administration to extend similar benefits to its residents.…