Significant setback as the inflow of workers’ remittances from overseas Pakistanis through official channels dropped to a five-month low of $2 billion in July. This notable decline in remittances could potentially reverse the favourable current account balance achieved over the last four consecutive months, tipping it into deficit in July. This explains the relatively better remittance inflows from Western countries compared to the Middle East, where inflation hasn’t been a significant concern recently. Remittances from the US experienced a 4% drop as well, falling to $238 million from $248 million. Furthermore, remittances from other countries saw a substantial 25% decrease, settling at $398 million for July, compared to $527 million during the same month last year.

The police put up barricades from noon onwards though the Jana Sena chief was visiting Rushikonda in the evening. (Representational Image)VISAKHAPATNAM: The police barricades put up at several places on the Visakhapatnam Bheemili Beach Road in connection with the visit of Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan to Rushikonda angered the people of Sagarnagar, Yendada, and Rushikonda in Vizag on Friday afternoon. The police put up barricades from noon onwards though the Jana Sena chief was visiting Rushikonda in the evening. The police put up barricades at Jodugullapalem, 6 km away from Rushikonda, near Sagarnagar, and at Peda Rushikonda junction to prevent people from entering the Beach Road. "Every day, I bring my two children from MVP School and take the Beach Road to reach my home at Sagarnagar.

France coach Herve Renard is confident playing against "an entire nation" will bring out the best in his team when they face Australia in the quarter-finals of the Women's World Cup in Brisbane on Saturday. "We know we are not just playing against one team but against an entire nation. France lost 1-0 to the Matildas in a friendly in Melbourne a week before the World Cup began, in front of a crowd of just over 50,000. Days later, Australia lost skipper Sam Kerr to a calf injury that led to her missing the entire group stage. Knowing if she is going to play or not is not my worry," Renard said, playing down the significance of Kerr's return.

Leader of the Opposition Raja Riaz Ahmed calls on Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif as part of the consultation process for selection of the caretaker prime minister in Islamabad on August 10, 2023. “We’ve yet to reach a consensus,” the opposition leader told reporters after leaving the PM House. Speculations have been making rounds about different contenders for the post of the caretaker premier for weeks now but there is no official word yet. Even though no name has yet been finalised, PM Shehbaz will continue to act as the prime minister until a caretaker premier takes his place. According to Article 94 of the Constitution, the president might ask the prime minister to continue holding the office until their successor takes over the position.

In total, the planning ministry authorised Rs129 billion worth of spending, including Rs61.3 billion for the parliamentarians’ schemes. The money for the parliamentarians’ schemes was given at the cost of other critical projects. The Planning Ministry sanctioned Rs1.5 billion for spending but actual spending against the Railways projects was nil. Important ministries also could not get money for spending, although the planning ministry had issued authorization orders. As against the Higher Education Commission’s annual budget of Rs59.7 billion, the Planning Ministry issued authorization for Rs5 billion.

Preparations to celebrate the 77th Independence Day of the country in a befitting manner are in full swing and have entered in final phase. Independence Day will be celebrated on Monday with a renewed pledge to work with the spirit of Pakistan Movement to make the country a true Islamic welfare state. The main feature of the celebrations will be the national flag hoisting ceremony in Islamabad. People are purchasing national flags, buntings, portraits of founding fathers, posters and banners as part of the celebration of Independence Day. Radio Pakistan and Pakistan Television are broadcasting special transmission to highlight the services and sacrifices of heroes of Pakistan Movement and to pay tributes to their extra ordinary contributions for making Pakistan a reality.

ISLAMABAD: The nation will celebrate the 76th Independence Day on August 14 (Monday) with traditional zeal and enthusiasm through a number of activities to highlight the struggle of forefathers and national heroes for acquiring a separate homeland. Overseas Pakistanis living around the world will also celebrate the Independence Day with equal fervour and passion. The significance of Independence Day goes beyond the celebration of national pride and patriotism. It is a day to remember the struggles and sacrifices of forefathers who fought for our independence. The Independence Day of Pakistan is a day of great historical significance and national pride.

Islamabad established this summer the Special Investment Facilitation Council, which includes the army chief, to smooth the bureaucratic path for Gulf investment. “For the Gulf, Pakistan and Egypt are a regional security priority,” said Karen E. Young, a researcher at Columbia University’s Center on Global Energy Policy. Pakistan will also have to manage competition between Gulf nations for assets, already being felt, especially between Saudi Arabia and UAE, which have strained relations. In July, Saudi Arabia said it would buy a $2.5 billion stake in Brazilian mining company Vale, also through the same fund and Ma’aden. For Islamabad, there are strategic advantages to tying Saudi Arabia in, while Barrick has joined with Saudi Arabia elsewhere too.

Alluding to the austerity measures taken during the past 16 months of his stint, Shehbaz Sharif said given the difficult economic situation, several cabinet members decided to forgo their perks and privileges. The Prime Minister noted that by saving our resources, we could spend them in eradicating poverty, unemployment and illiteracy. Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif addressing a farewell meeting held in the honor of Federal Secretaries in Islamabad today. Mentioning the systemic delays in the execution of 10,000MW solar energy project, Prime Minister Shehbaz called for establishing robust systems to ensure the smooth execution of projects. Recounting the achievements of his government, the prime minister said the signing of the IMF agreement was a great success otherwise the situation could have been disastrous for the country.

By Chase Holmes, News ReporterPINSON — A Pinson Valley High School senior has died after a medical incident on August 10. His grandfather, George Varnadoe Jr., released a statement on Facebook that Caleb collapsed while working out with the team. “Caleb was an honor student, very respectful, high intellect, excellent role model, phenomenal basketball player ranked 25 in the nation,” Varnadoe said. Love you man.”Pinson Valley High School Principal Michael Turner released a statement to parents regarding the incident. Please keep the student’s family and our school in your prayers.”Center Point Fire and Rescue responded to the high school and administered aid.

"Cybersecurity is a race between offense and defense," said Anne Neuberger, the US government's deputy national security advisor for cyber and emerging technology. "We know malicious actors are already using AI to accelerate identifying vulnerabilities or build malicious software," she added in a statement to Reuters. He said his agency had seen AI being used for everything from creating phishing emails and writing malicious computer code to spreading disinformation. "Our goal with the DARPA AI challenge is to catalyze a larger community of cyber defenders who use the participating AI models to race faster – using generative AI to bolster our cyber defenses," Neuberger said. The Open Source Security Foundation (OpenSSF), a US group of experts trying to improve open source software security, will be in charge of ensuring the "winning software code is put to use right away," the US government said.

In the wake of the news that Bollywood superstar Ranveer Singh will be playing the iconic character of Don in the upcoming Don 3 film, many movie-goers and fans have taken to social media to express their disappointment and delight. Farhan has destroyed #Don franchise by casting double Dholki Ranveer Singh to play Don! pic.twitter.com/4ytwzEY3HA — KRK (@kamaalrkhan) August 9, 2023Before trolling Ranveer Singh for Don 3, remember he played such roles with perfection, and he will do it again in Don 3. Ranveer Singh is a great actor. Ranveer Singh surprisingly did good in RRKPK too.

The situation in Haryana is worsening by the day as reports now reveal that diktats are now being issued against Muslims so that they are boycotted as members of the community and their entry into the villages is barred. Communal tensions have been brewing in multiple parts of the country for a while, but Haryana in particular has been at the center of this issue for the past few weeks. The results of the BJP project are now coming to the fore, making it an untenable situation that cannot be swept under the carpet anymore. Over the past few weeks, lives have been lost and a lot of property has been damaged as a result of the communal violence that has gripped the state of Haryana. It must be pointed out that hundreds of homes, shops, and shanties have been demolished by the ruling BJP government in Nuh, Haryana, which is the state’s only Muslim-majority district.

People belonging to every walk of life especially youngsters are busy decorating their houses and vehicles with national flags as the nation starts preparations to celebrate independence day, said a motorist. Stalls of different relevant accessories are surrounded by youngsters who are eagerly waiting for the independence day celebrations, said a vendor. The public also raises the national flags atop of their homes and exhibits it prominently on their vehicles and attire, said a working woman. Every year, famous brands offer good sales and discount offers on the occasion of independence day giving an opportunity to the people to buy good stocks for the next whole season. It has been observed during the last few years that many eateries and even cab-hailing services also offer special discounts during the independence day celebrations which are a healthy trend.

Johnson, who played collegiately at Auburn, Tennessee Tech, and Alabama, is currently playing for the Florence (KY) Y’alls of the Frontier League. Johnson’s baseball journey has seen the highs and lows of the sport. It is fitting that he finds himself in the Frontier League as he continues on that journey. The Frontier League is a 16-team independent baseball league that is an MLB Partner League. That’s where I grew as a man.”After two years in Cookeville, Tennessee, Johnson got the opportunity to get back to the SEC.