Kamran Danish

‘Peshawar is like a family’ foreign players hail Pakistan security HONG KONG: Foreign players have tentatively endorsed the return of international cricket to Pakistan after their whirlwind trip to Lahore for Sunday´s heavily guarded Pakistan Super League final. Players including winning captain Darren Sammy detailed a journey involving bullet-proof buses and closed roads, before they were rushed straight back to the airport with no time for celebrations. The blanket security, deploying thousands of troops, military helicopters and armed guards on horseback, came after a deadly militant attack in 2009 on Sri Lanka´s team halted visits by top-level cricket teams. The rest of the Pakistan Super League was played in the United Arab Emirates, but Sunday´s incident-free final has opened the door to more international cricket with a World XI now scheduled to visit in September. Several foreign players, including England´s Kevin Pietersen and Luke Wright, skipped the final o...

Natalie Portman becomes mother for the 2nd time. Hollywood star Natalie Portman has given birth to a girl, her representative said on Friday. It is the second child for the 35-year-old Oscar-winning actress and her husband, French choreographer Benjamin Millepied, six years after the birth of their son Aleph. “Natalie Portman and her husband Benjamin Millepied welcomed a baby girl, Amalia Millepied, on February 22. Mother and baby are happy and healthy,” her representative said in a statement circulated to US media. Portman attended the Golden Globes and Screen Actors Guild Awards in January but skipped Sunday’s Oscars, where she was nominated for best actress for her performance in “Jackie,” about the late US First Lady Jackie Kennedy. Critics raved about how accurately Portman managed to capture Kennedy’s voice and personality. Portman won a best actress Oscar for 2010’s psychological ballet thriller “Black Swan,” and it was on the set of the movie that she...

Dreaming big! A fast food restaurant run by robots in Multan MULTAN: The excited kids and youth throng to a fast food restaurant where Pakistan’s premier smart robot waitress serves foods at a Pizza outlet in Cantonment area. These innovative types of robots have earlier been introduced in United States and China. The face behind the innovation is an electrical engineer Syed Usama Aziz. Usama, 23, developed the innovative idea of making robot when he was leaving for the United States for higher education and his father Syed Aziz Ahmed Jaffery compelled him to do something in Pakistan before going abroad for higher education. “I am thankful to Allah Almighty on awarding me a pride and my son not only introduced Multan around the world but also shined Pakistan. I am proud of my son and I appeal the government to facilitate him for more innovation in the world of robotic technology”, Syed Aziz Jaffery said. The young engineer is now working to upgrade its capability ...

Misbah decides to stay on Veteran batsman will lead Pakistan in their Test series in West Indies LAHORE: Pakistan’s ageing Test captain Misbah-ul-Haq on Monday made himself available for next month’s series in the West Indies, ignoring entreaties from ex-players to call time on his illustrious career following a slew of poor results. Misbah, who will turn 43 in May, had asked the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) for time to decide on his future following series defeats in his last two series against Australia and New Zealand, respectively. Shaharyar Khan, the board’s chairman, said: “Misbah has told me that he is available for the Test series in the West Indies and that will be conveyed to the selection committee that he will be the captain.” Misbah added: “I am committed to the Pakistan Test team and that’s why I’ve made myself available.“We as a team will do our best to lift ourselves from the slump which we’ve had by losing six Tests on the trot,” referring to a slid...

Pakistan to open border with Afghanistan for two days. Stranded Pakistanis will also be facilitated to return ISLAMABAD: Authorities have decided to open the sealed Pak-Afghan border crossings for two days in order to facilitate nationals of both the countries. “In order to provide an opportunity to those nationals of Afghanistan who had come to Pakistan on valid visas and wish to return to their country, the Government of Pakistan has decided to open the border crossings at Torkham and Chaman on March 7 and 8,” the Foreign Office said in a statement on Monday. The crossing points, the Foreign Office added, will also be opened for those Pakistani nationals who went to Afghanistan on valid visas and wish to return to Pakistan. The announcement came following numerous requests by the Afghan authorities to reopen the border saying it was creating a humanitarian crisis. The crossing points were sealed after a series of bomb blasts and suicide attacks rocked the country kill...

China to become No1 economy by 2050: PwC. Report says US to fall behind India, Russia Over the next three decades, the global economy will be dominated by China, and the US economy will lose steam and fall behind India, says consulting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), according to a report published in the world media. Russia will become the leading European economy ahead of Germany, UK, and Italy with GDP of $7 trillion, according to a PwC report. The report, called "The long view: how will the global economic order change by 2050?," ranked 32 countries, based on their projected Gross Domestic Product by Purchasing Power Parity (PPP). PwC concluded that by 2050, China’s GDP would reach $58.5 trillion, India, over $44 trillion, while the US will have a $34.1 trillion economy. “We expect this growth to be driven largely by emerging market and developing countries, with the E7 economies of Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Russia and Turkey growing at a...

Etihad tells travellers to check with U.S. missions after new Trump order DUBAI: Etihad Airways is advising some passengers to run travel plans by United States diplomatic missions after President Donald Trump signed a revised executive order banning visits by nationals of six Muslim-majority nations. Monday's order, which takes effect on March 16, keeps a 90-day ban on travel to the United States. by citizens of Iran, Libya, Syria, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. It applies only to new visa applicants, meaning about 60,000 people whose visas were revoked by the previous order will now be permitted to enter. "We strongly encourage all guests who are nationals of these countries to consult with their nearest United States embassy or consulate to ensure they are legally entitled to enter the United States," an Etihad spokeswoman told Reuters. "The United States entry requirements are subject to change and may be subject to further interpretation by United S...