Pakistan on Thursday received first tranche of $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) under the SBA programme. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Wednesday night approved a $3 billion loan for Pakistan after signing the staff-level agreement last month. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) had transferred an amount of $1.2 billion to the State Bank of Pakistan, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed in a televised statement here in Islamabad. Noting that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif played a pivotal role in the reaching the deal with the IMF, Ishaq Dar said the economic team had extended full support to him during the complicated process. The country was gain on the move towards development, said the finance minister who stressed that everyone would have to contribute for continuing the journey.

Explaining about the Paki­stan Endowment Fund for Ed­ucation, the PM said that fund­ing for this programme should be enhanced up to Rs140 bil­lion for next 10 years. He recalled that he, as Chief Minister Punjab, had launched the Punjab Education Endow­ment Fund (PEEF) in 2008 with an annual allocation of Rs 2 billion. The prime minis­ter said over 400,000 students benefited from this Fund who were now serving the country in different professions. The event, organized by Pa­kistan Pharmaceutical Manu­facturers’ Association (PPMA), gathered corporate heads of national and multinational pharmaceutical companies and pharma experts. The prime minister said the country’s pharmaceutical in­dustry was playing an import­ant role in meeting the de­mands of medicine.

Baitullah Mehsud, Hakimullah Mehsud, and Maulvi Nazir have their own interpretations of what the larger vision is. After Pakistan’s military operations, a majority of the TTP militants fled to Afghanistan where some of them joined the Islamic State, while others remained part of the TTP. The TTP also wanted Pakistan’s laws and courts to be replaced by Sharia laws enforced by Sharia courts in Malakand, followed by other tribal areas, and allowing the TTP group to keep their arms. The TTP on November 28 last year ended the ceasefire and ordered its militants to stage attacks across Pakistan. Therefore, Islamabad warned the Afghan Taliban administration that if TTP involved in cross-border attacks are not eliminated, Islamabad would take action against them within Afghanistan.

New Zealand’ players celebrate their first goal during the New Zealand and Vietnam warm up match ahead of the women’s World Cup in Napier, New Zealand, Monday, July 10, 2023. (AP Photo/John Cowpland)A sponsor is giving away 20,000 tickets to Women’s World Cup matches in New Zealand as ticket sales remain sluggish in a country in which rugby dominates as the national sport. According to FIFA, 1.25 million tickets have been sold for matches across co-hosts Australia and New Zealand. AdvertisementWomen’s World Cup chief executive Dave Beeche told the New Zealand Herald that FIFA is “comfortable” with the current rate of ticket sales in New Zealand. ___More AP Women’s World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/fifa-womens-world-cup

Grammy wining vocalist Arooj Aftab has called out an American magazine and a music critic for publishing a racist review of her latest album. Music magazine PitchFork praised the album by noting how Aftab and her collaborators crafted emotional depth through the repetition of couplets. However, a review in jazz and blues magazine DownBeat by contributing editor and music critic John McDonough took a different stance. Aftab, rightfully disappointed, took to social media to call out the writer and magazine for “racism and Islamophobia”. — DownBeat Magazine (@DownBeatMag) July 12, 2023In response, Aftab maintained, “Frank, we appreciate all the love for this record, but these lines you printed are racist.

He added an insurance goal in the 84th minute after a second yellow card on Lovitz — forcing Nashville (11-7-5) to play a man down. Nashville’s Shaq Moore and Philadelphia’s Julián Carranza both received red cards in the fifth minute of stoppage time for violent conduct. AdvertisementJoe Bendik did not have to make a save to earn the clean sheet for the Union. The Union snap a two-match losing streak with their first shutout since a 3-0 victory over CF Montreal to begin June. The Union pulled to within a point of third-place Nashville in the Eastern Conference with the win.

ISLAMABAD - Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Murtaza Javed Abbasi has said that the government has planned to summon the farewell session of the current Na­tional Assembly in a week. “The last session of 15th national assembly will be summoned in a week to pass some pending legislation,” said Abbasi while talking to The Na­tion here yesterday. He said that this last session of the National As­sembly will be in two parts. In the first part, he said, the treasury benches will pass pending leg­islation and the second session will be specified as farewell sittings, said the minister. Abbasi said that the government would also dis­cuss the matter related to the electoral reforms in the upcoming session.

North Andover, MA (01845)TodayOvercast. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph..TonightA few clouds with an isolated thunderstorm possible after midnight. Winds S at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 30%.

In it, he mentioned the pressure to pay the interest and loan amount as he was being threatened and blackmailed by personnel of the online loan app. The three-member FIA team also took the mobile phone of the victim and also reviewed his emails, including the correspondence with the digital lender. Read more: Man driven to suicide by predatory lending app, says familyThe team also obtained details of the representatives of the online loan apps. They also took details of payments received from and delivered to the digital lender. Masood had initially taken a loan from an online app, which was offered without a markup.

Fulghum reported that firefighters rescued a man from a burning bed. The new pastor learned that the previous split happened after a business meeting. Someone in “new business” claimed that a family had stolen one of the church’s Christmas trees. It all made sense when the church secretary told the new pastor he best not mention Christmas trees or copy machines. -30-“Reflections” is a weekly faith column written by Michael J. Brooks, pastor of the Siluria Baptist Church, Alabaster, Alabama.

The schedule for the Asia Cup has been finalised, said Arun Dhumal, a member of the Board of Cricket Control in India (BCCI) and the current chairman of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Asia Cup will be played from August 31 to September 17, a major event, before the ICC Men’s World Cup, later this year. The decision was taken after BCCI secretary Jay Shah met Pakistan Cricket Board’s representative head Zaka Ashraf. According to Dhumal, four matches of the Asia Cup will take place in Pakistan with the rest being scheduled in Sri Lanka. “Our secretary met PCB head Zaka Ashraf and the Asia Cup schedule was finalised and it is on course as it was discussed earlier.

Modi has been invited as the guest of honour at the Bastille Day celebrations by French President Emmanuel Macron. Units from India's army, navy and air force will also participate in the parade, including two of the 36 Rafale fighter jets India bought in 2015 for nearly $9 billion. Much before buying Dassault Aviation's (AM.PA) Rafale in 2015, India bought Mirage jets in 1980s, which still comprise two squadrons of the air force. India is also expected to agree to buy 26 Rafale jets, the sources said, without giving the deal's expected value. Modi will also meet other political leaders, selected French personalities and business leaders, and interact with the Indian diaspora.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif addressing a ceremony regarding "Pakistan Education Endowment Fund and reforms in National Curriculum" in Islamabad on July 12, 2023. SCREENGRABThe tenure of the present government is ending on August 14 said Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, adding that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) will then announce the dates for the next general election. Whoever forms the next government should make education the top priority to make this nation great, he said, addressing the launch event of Rs14 billion Pakistan Education Endowment Fund (PEEF) in Islamabad. Read Education ministry seeks Rs62b in upcoming budgetShehbaz recalled that the Punjab Education Endowment Fund was established back in 2008 and has provided scholarships to 450,000 students. Meanwhile, Federal Education Minister Rana Tanveer said that scholarships under PEEF will be given in various disciplines, including nursing, engineering and social sciences.

The Andhra Pradesh government has rebutted the allegation of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan that large numbers of girls and women from AP were missing. (Image By Arrangement)Vijayawada: The Andhra Pradesh government has rebutted the allegation of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan that large numbers of girls and women from AP were missing. The government clarified that out of 2,705 missing persons in AP from 2019 to 2023, nearly 500 women were later located within the state. It said out of 26,099 persons missing since 2019, as many as 23,394 were traced while 2,705 remained untraced until Dec. 31, 2021. However, in 2022-23, out of 2,705 persons missing, 500 were found, which meant the missing persons were only 2,205 so far, the government claimed.

Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next twelve hours. However, rain-thundershower is expected in Pothohar region, northeast Punjab, upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan. Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning:Islamabad twenty-seven degree centigrade, Lahore and Peshawar twenty-eight, Karachi thirty, Quetta twenty-two, Gilgit and murree sixteen and Muzaffarabad twenty-two degree centigrade. According to weather forecast of Met Office for Indian Illegally Occupied Srinagar, Leh, Pulwama and Shopian, partly cloudy weather with chances of rain wind while partly cloudly and dry in Anantnag and Baramula and hot and dry in Jammu. Temperature recorded this morning:Srinagar, Pulwama and Anantnag seventeen degree centigrade,Jammu twenty-eight,Leh ten, Shopian sixteen and Baramula eighteen degree centigrade.