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Punjab’s planned PIVOT

Every Punjab budget in recent years has followed the same script: bigger numbers and the same line items inflated to keep pace with political optics. Education gets more, health gets more, the development programme gets a headline figure, and a finance minister stands up in the assembly to call it historic. This year’s Rs5.9 trillion budget does more or less the same. But buried in it is something the province’s budgets have not really attempted before: an actual strategy for what Punjab’s economy is supposed to become. The strategy called PIVOT — or Punjab Innovation for Value, Opportunity and Transformation — is the one part that makes this budget more than a routine fiscal housekeeping exercise. PIVOT is structured as a three-year plan through FY29 worth close to Rs2tr, split between roughly Rs1.1tr in public investment and upward of Rs905 billion the government expects to leverage from the private sector. Within that, Rs193bn has been set aside as subsidised financing for specif...
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Iran frustrate star-studded Belgium to steal another World Cup point

Belgium were held to a scoreless draw by Iran in a frustrating encounter Sunday that saw the Red Devils reduced to 10 men and facing the possibility of group-stage elimination for a second straight World Cup. A star-studded though ageing lineup including Kevin De Bruyne and Romelu Lukaku was if anything fortunate to leave Los Angeles with a point, controlling possession yet ceding the game’s best chances to a resolute Iran team. Iran’s Mehdi Taremi had the ball in the net from a well-worked first-half free kick that was overturned for offside by VAR, while Nathan Ngoy was sent off after the break for hauling down the striker after a badly mis-hit backpass. The result means all three games so far in Group G have ended in draws. Stuck on two points, Belgium at least have the comfort of playing the tournament’s lowest-ranked team, New Zealand, in their final group game. Iran will also need at least a point against Egypt next Friday. Having been frustrated by visa issues as they trav...
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Several reported injured after 'technical accident' causes explosion at Qatar factory

Qatar’s interior ministry said an explosion resulting from a “technical accident” occurred on Sunday at a factory in Ras Laffan, an industrial city north of the capital Doha and site of the country’s core LNG processing operations. It said several injuries were reported but no leak that “threatens safety”. The ministry did not give the exact location of the explosion. But, QatarEnergy confirmed that the operational incident during the start-up of operations at Ras Laffan Industrial City, saying it resulted in an explosion at its Barzan gas supply facility. QatarEnergy said fire at the factory was under control after the deployment of emergency response teams to contain the blaze. From 20 kilometres south of Ras Laffan on Qatar’s north coast, an AFP journalist saw flames illuminating the night sky and a plume of smoke rising from the area, home to the world’s largest liquefied natural g...
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TTAP demands removal of IT Minister over 'anti-people' telecommunication bill

ISLAMABAD: The opposition alliance Tehreek-i-Tahafuz-i-Ayin-i-Pakistan (TTAP) on Sunday demanded the removal of Minister of IT and Telecom Shaza Fatima Khawaja over a controversial telecommunication bill and sought representation in an inquiry committee investigating the matter “to ensure impartiality”. The Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organisation) (Amendment) Bill 2026 , which seeks changes to a 1996 act and was tabled by the IT minister, was approved by the National Assembly (NA) on June 11 by a majority vote. It is currently pending before the Senate Standing Committee on IT and Telecommunication, where it was referred on June 15. The proposed changes have been the subject of discussion on social media, with some users voicing concerns over provisions relating to the use of private property for infrastructure such as telecom towers. TTAP spokesperson Akhunzada Hussain Ahmad Yousufzai said the bill — presented in Senate for final approval after passage through the cabinet an...
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Unquiet Lebanon

THE fate of Lebanon could determine whether the recently signed MoU between the US and Iran survives. True to form, Israel is doing all possible to ensure the nascent peace deal is destroyed before the proverbial ink dries, as it continues to mercilessly pound Lebanon . While a supposed ceasefire was announced on Friday, Israeli attacks in Lebanon continued yesterday, with a large number of casualties reported, as the Zionist state hit both the southern and eastern parts of the Arab state in apparent pursuit of its arch-foe Hezbollah. Tragically, a large number of non-combatants have also been killed in Tel Aviv’s murderous forays, with even steadfast supporters like US President Donald Trump expressing displeasure over its bloodstained tactics. But the Israeli leadership seems very clear on what it wants to do. For example, the Israeli prime minister has refused to end the occupation of southern Lebanon, while the extremist national security minister...
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Climate action takes a backseat in federal budget FY27

• Allocations in all climate heads face cuts, except for disaster management • Experts call for transparency in climate spending, structural reforms ISLAMABAD: Climate allocations in the next fiscal year’s federal budget again fall short of putting Pakistan on a path towards a climate-smart future and inclusive growth despite the immediate risks it poses to the country. Except for disaster management finance, allocations in almost all climate categories have decreased compared to the outgoing financial year. The mitigation funds have been reduced from Rs603 billion to Rs124 billion, while adaptation money has been slashed from Rs85bn to Rs70bn. The “green component” of subsidies also experienced budget cuts, with the energy sector’s allocation declining to Rs423 billion from Rs529 billion. Similarly, the food, industry, transport, and agriculture sectors also faced cuts in the proposed budget presented by the government on June 12. Giovanni Maurice Pradipta, who is a policy advis...
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Europe swelters under heatwave, France restricts alcohol consumption

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A punishing heatwave sweeping across much of Europe prompted a partial alcohol ban in France, nationwide warnings in Germany and the closure of a soccer fan zone in Spain, as temperatures climbed towards record levels. France was expecting 35 of its 96 departments or regions to declare red heatwave alerts on Sunday, with temperatures of 39 to 40 degrees Celsius expected from the southwest through the Paris region into Burgundy, with some areas possibly reaching 41°C. After a crisis meeting, Prime Minister Sebastien Lecornu pre-emptively banned alcohol consumption on Sunday at the annual Fete de la Musique festivals and other public events to be held in those 35 regions on Sunday. Authorities in Paris ordered parks to remain open around the clock, however. A woman protects herself from the sun under an umbrella on the Trocadero square near the Eiffel Tower as temperatures rise in Paris during a second heatwave affecting a large part of France, June 20, 2026. — R...
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