The Express Tribune Newsletter: June 12, 2012 ~ Mera Pak Watan

The Express Tribune Newsletter: June 12, 2012

Today's Headlines

'Evidence' arrives: Malik Riaz to appear before court today

Irfan Ghauri

The alleged repository of all 'evidence' in the case involving the chief justice's son and a real-estate tycoon has arrived in Pakistan, and will appear before the Supreme Court on Tuesday (today).

NATO supply routes: US negotiators leave empty-handed

Huma Imtiaz / Kamran Yousaf

Amid fresh signs of plummeting relations between Washington and Islamabad, the United States pulled out negotiators from Pakistan on Monday after talks failed to produce an agreement on reopening vital Nato supply routes into Afghanistan.

Budget: With election on horizon, Sindh unveils populist budget

Kazim Alam

Prepared with a strong tinge of election-year populism, Sindh Minister for Finance Murad Ali Shah presented provincial budget estimates for 2012-13 on Monday with the total outlay of Rs577.98 billion.

Balochistan unrest: Court can summon army chief, warns CJ

Azam Khan

Unhappy with a 'defiant' news conference of the chief of paramilitary Frontier Corps (FC), the Supreme Court warned on Monday that it could summon army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Business

Budget: Govt announces minor allocation for Thar coalfields

Farooq Tirmizi

Despite having touted the Thar coalfields as the solution to Pakistan's energy crisis, the Sindh government will allocate less than $145 million for developing the coalfields during fiscal year 2013.

Untamed ambitions: Sales tax target revised upwards

Farhan Zaheer

In his budget speech on Monday, Sindh Finance Minister Murad Ali Shah reiterated his trust in the Sindh Revenue Board's (SRB) abilities, and insisted that the SRB will successfully achieve the collection target for General Sales Tax (GST) on Services set at Rs25 billion for fiscal 2011-12. He simultaneously announced that the provincial government had decided to revise its 2012-13 GST target to Rs32 billion.

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Sports

ODI series: Pakistan aim to 'overcome mistakes'

Fawad Hussain

Pakistan are eyeing a quick turnaround in the One-Day International (ODI) series after being stunned by an all-round Thisara Perera and an aggressive Tillakaratne Dilshan in the second match of the series, according to team manager Naveed Akram Cheema.

French Open: Nadal wins seventh Roland Garros title

Our Correspondents

Rafael Nadal clinched a record seventh French Open title yesterday, defeating world number one Novak Djokovic 6-4, 6-3, 2-6, 7-5 and shattering the Serb's dream of Grand Slam history.

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Life & Style

Magnum: Black ties and chocolate extravagance

Our Correspondents

It was a night of Belgian chocolate indulgence. Held at the spacious Convention Center at the DHA Golf Club in Karachi on Sunday, Magnum's much talked about chocolate party was attended by "entertainment and media royalty", as described by Fareshteh Aslam, Brands and External Communications Manager at Unilever Pakistan. "We want to give people royal treatment and some Magnum indulgence," she added.

Budget 2012-13: A bleak picture for Lollywood

Sher Khan

Following the announcement of the Federal and Punjab budgets, thick clouds of confusion have set in amongst leading members of the film industry. A lack of priority and importance are seen as the main hurdles in revamping and improving the industry in the long-term.

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Opinion