South African wicketkeeper Quinton de Kock has become the first to dismiss 100 players behind the stumps in T20 Internationals.
De Kock crossed this milestone by catching Rovman Powell on a Keshav Maharaj ball in the match against West Indies.
De Kock’s 100 dismissals in T20 Internationals include 82 catches and 18 stumpings.
The second name on this list is former India wicketkeeper MS Dhoni, who has a total of 91 catches in T20 Internationals.
In the virtual knock out match of the Super 8 stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, South Africa managed to reach the semi-finals by defeating the West Indies by three wickets under the Duckworth-Lewis (DLS) method.
South Africa won the toss and invited West Indies to bat first.
First Inning:
West Indies scored 135 runs for the loss of 8 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Ruston Chase scored 52 runs for West Indies, besides Kyle Mears scored 35 runs, Andre Russell scored 15 runs.
Shai Hope Safar, Nicholas Pooran and captain Powell one each, Aqeel Hussain was out by scoring 6 runs while Alzari Joseph was not out by scoring 11 runs.
On behalf of South Africa, Tabriz Shamsi took 3 wickets, Janson, Markram, Maharaj and Rabada dismissed one player each.
Second inning:
The match was stopped due to rain, after which South Africa’s target fell from 136 to 123, which was to be completed in 17 overs. South Africa achieved this target in 16.1 overs.
For South Africa Tristan Stubbs scored 29 runs, Heinrich Klassen scored 22 while Marco Janson scored 21 runs.
Ruston Chase took three while Andre Russel and Alzari Joseph took two wickets for West Indies.
From Group 2, England has qualified for the semi-finals by defeating America.
In the T20 World Cup match played in Bridgetown, England defeated America by 10 wickets and reached the semi-finals.
England won the toss and decided to field first. American team batted first and scored 115 runs in 19 overs.
Chris Jordan scored a hat-trick for England, which was the third hat-trick of the T20 World Cup.
England completed the target of 116 runs given by the USA in 9.4 overs, Jos Buttler remained unbeaten by scoring 83 runs off 38 balls while Phil Salt played an unbeaten innings of 25 runs off 21 balls.
Pakistan’s cement exports have experienced a significant increase of 40.46 per cent during the first eleven months of the financial year 2023-24, compared to the same period last year.
According to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS), cement exports reached US $236.797 million from July to May 2023-24, up from US $168.583 million during the corresponding period of 2022-23.
The volume of cement exports also saw a substantial rise, surging by 66.78 per cent. The exported quantity increased from 3,707,427 metric tonnes to 6,183,117 metric tonnes over the same period.
In a year-on-year comparison, cement exports for May 2024 showed a remarkable increase of 78.23 per cent, totalling US $32.251 million, compared to US $18.095 million in May 2023.
Additionally, on a month-on-month basis, cement exports grew by 28.62 per cent in May 2024, rising from US $25.074 million in April 2024, as reported by the PBS.
These figures highlight a robust growth trajectory for Pakistan’s cement industry, indicating strong demand and a positive outlook for the sector.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported that the import bill for the petroleum group increased to $1.36 billion in May 2024, reflecting a 1.52 per cent year-on-year (YoY) rise from $1.34 billion in May 2023.
Month-on-month (MoM) figures also showed an 8 per cent increase from April 2024, when the bill stood at $1.26 billion. The share of petroleum products in the total import bill for May 2024 was 26.99 per cent.
In the first eleven months of the fiscal year 2023-24 (11MFY24), the petroleum import bill saw a significant decrease of 23.2 per cent YoY, amounting to $13.7 billion compared to $17.84 billion in the same period last year.
The overall import bill for May 2024 rose by 34.52 per cent YoY to $5.05 billion. On a MoM basis, imports grew by 13.44 per cent from $4.45 billion recorded in April 2024. However, cumulative imports for 11MFY24 dropped by 2.25 per cent YoY to $48.4 billion from $49.52 billion in 11MFY23.
The transport sector’s import bill soared by 81.78 per cent YoY to $166.45 million in May 2024, up from $91.56 million in May 2023. This increase is largely due to a significant rise in the import of road motor vehicles, which reached $157.87 million, marking a 120.63 per cent YoY increase from $71.55 million in May 2023.
On a MoM basis, transport imports rose by 41.67 per cent from $117.49 million in the previous month. Cumulatively, transport sector imports for 11MFY24 grew by 19.03 per cent YoY to $1.43 billion compared to $1.2 billion in 11MFY23.
The data underscores significant variations in Pakistan’s import patterns, reflecting both economic challenges and shifts in trade dynamics across various sectors.
Australia cricket team’s fast bowler Pat Cummins has become the first bowler in the world to take 2 consecutive hat-tricks in T20 World Cup.
In the match played against Australia and Afghanistan in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024, Australian fast bowler Pat Cummins took 3 wickets for 28 runs in 4 overs.
Pat Cummins dismissed 3 players in 3 balls and took the honor of second consecutive hat-trick in the current T20 World Cup.
Earlier, Pat Cummins achieved this feat in the match against Bangladesh in the Super Eight stage of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2024.
The World Bank and Asian Development Bank (ADB) have approved big loans for Pakistan.
Asian Development Bank
Pakistan and the Asian Development Bank signed a $250 million policy-based loan agreement to promote sustainable infrastructure and services through Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).
The agreement also aims to develop post-flood infrastructure, emphasizing climate resilience and gender considerations in project planning.
A technical assistance grant of $700,000 was allocated for program implementation, with an additional $950,000 approved for PPP pipeline development and capacity building.
World Bank
The World Bank has approved loans of $535 million for Pakistan, focused on two key areas: the Crisis Resilient Social Protection (CRISP) Programme and the Sindh Livestock and Aquaculture Sectors Transformation Project.
The CRISP Programme includes a $400 million loan to improve security schemes, particularly through the Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP), to build resilience among vulnerable households against economic and climate shocks.
The World Bank defends criticism against BISP by stressing the need to strengthen social protection despite increasing poverty rates exacerbated by recent economic challenges and climate shocks.
Additionally, the World Bank approved $135 million for the Sindh Livestock and Aquaculture Sectors Transformation Project, which targets climate-smart practices and enhances competitiveness among small and medium producers in Sindh. This initiative aims to benefit over 940,000 farm families, strongly emphasising gender inclusivity and provincial capacity building.
India has defeated Bangladesh by 50 runs in the Super 8 stage match of the ICC T20 World Cup.
In this match, the Bangladesh captain won the toss and invited India to bat.
Indian inning:
Rohit Sharma and Virat Kohli opened the innings for India, but the first wicket fell on a total score of 39 and captain Rohit was dismissed for 23 runs. After that, Virat Kohli scored 37 and Surya Kumar Yadav returned to the pavilion after scoring 6 runs.
Thanks to Hardik Pandya’s aggressive innings, India scored 196 runs for the loss of 5 wickets in the allotted 20 overs. Hardik Pandya played an unbeaten innings of 50 runs off 27 balls. Rishabh Pant scored 36 runs and Shivam Dubey scored 34 runs.
Hassan and Rashad dismissed two players each from Bangladesh.
Bangladesh inning:
In pursuit of the target of 197 runs, the batsmen of the Bangladesh team did not play well and wickets kept falling at intervals.
Captain Najamul Hussain Shinto played a responsible innings, but in the allotted 20 overs, the Bangladesh team scored 146 runs for the loss of 8 wickets and was defeated by 50 runs. On behalf of India, Kuldeep Yadav got 3, Arsdeep Singh and Bumrah 2, while Hardik Pandya was declared the player of the match for the best performance.
It is India’s second consecutive win in the Super 8 stage and they are top of the group, having earlier defeated Afghanistan.
Among the many people in Pakistan who choose to blame women for rising divorce rates, and not men for being men, is actress Sadia Faisal.
In a recent appearance she went off on a rant, blaming independent women for changing marriage and relationships in the industry.
The daughter of veteran actress Saba Faisal sat down on ‘FHM Podcast’ to slam women for being “impatient and independent” compared to the past, saying that it has led to an increasing divorce rate.
“I think the reason we’re seeing more divorces in the industry is that when women become independent, their tolerance level decreases, and they refuse to compromise. This lack of tolerance is a major reason for the increasing number of divorces we see today. When women earn more, their expectations skyrocket, and their brains are in the sky, making it challenging for marriages to succeed.”
Yes, she did not bring in men behaving the way they do in a very patriarchal society. Its all the women’s fault, yo!
But she did not end her tirade against women there. “We are not foreigners, and our traditions are eternal. Marriages are not just between two individuals, but between two families. Any woman who thinks she is only marrying the man is misguided and will face problems in her marriage.”
Yes Saadia, everything that goes wrong is indeed the woman’s fault. No matter that we know if instances where strong successful women in the industry were subjected to domestic violence, no matter that we know of instances where men cheated on their successful spouses, no matter that many older celebs now say that they were in unhappy marriages, their husbands took their money, and they regret staying. A marriage failing must be the woman’s fault, right?
Maybe its time Sadia came out of whatever era she is stuck in and smelled what the new age is cooking.
Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Muhammad Aurangzeb has stated that the government will review measures to protect the salaried class following the increased tax burden introduced in the Budget 2024-25.
Aurangzeb said that the government tried to “ring-fence the salaried class as much as it could.” He acknowledged the impact of the new tax measures on this group, highlighting his six years of experience in understanding the nuances of tax brackets, super tax, and capital value tax (CVT).
“We made significant efforts to protect them,” Aurangzeb said, emphasising that individuals earning less than Rs600,000 annually remain exempt from income tax.
He added that the highest tax bracket of 35 per cent was also shielded from additional taxes to prevent talent from leaving the country.
Aurangzeb mentioned ongoing reviews to assess potential relief for the tax slabs, aiming to balance the need to increase tax revenue from Rs9.4 trillion to Rs12.9 trillion with the burden on the salaried class.
“We will generate Rs1.5 trillion through additional revenue measures by removing exemptions and imposing more taxes,” he noted, revealing that the overall impact of these measures on the salaried class is approximately Rs70 billion out of the Rs1.5-1.6 trillion in new taxes.
The Finance Minister’s comments come after the government’s decision to increase tax liability for individuals earning more than Rs50,000 monthly in the Budget 2024-25.
The Finance Bill 2024 indicates that the highest impact will be on those earning Rs6 million annually (Rs500,000 monthly), with a tax liability increase of Rs22,500. Interestingly, those earning Rs12 million annually (Rs1 million monthly) will face the same increase.
On Friday, lawmakers, including those from allied political parties, criticised the government for imposing additional taxes on the salaried class while providing subsidies and exemptions to the real estate and agriculture sectors.
During the budget debate in the National Assembly, they argued that the heavy taxation on the salaried class is irrational and could exacerbate brain drain. They called for substantial revisions to the federal budget to offer more relief to the masses and extend the tax net to previously exempt sectors.
The salaried class in Pakistan has seen a significant increase in tax burden over recent years as the government targets what many consider “soft targets” in its efforts to boost the tax-to-GDP ratio.
The government has faced criticism for focusing on formal sectors and not adequately addressing the informal economy.