Islamabad: The caretaker federal government appointed Lt Gen Muhammad Munir Afsar as National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA ) Chairman on Monday.

The appointment was approved by the caretaker cabinet.

Lt Gen Munir was the Inspector General for Communication and Information Technology (IG C&IT) prior to his appointment as NADRA chairman. He is a member of the 81 PMA Long Course and the 16 Punjab Regiment.

Lt Gen Afsar, who is also recipient of Hilal-e-Imtiaz (Military), was promoted to the three-star rank, in October 2022.

Earlier, Asad Rehman had assumed the role of acting chairman of the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) following the resignation of Tariq Malik on June 13.

Tariq Malik was prohibited from traveling internationally after the FIA added his name to the no-fly list.

The FIA and the NAB have both opened proceedings against him, according to the sources. Malik was first appointed Nadra chief in July 2013.

However, he resigned in January 2014. He was once again appointed to lead the authority in June 2021.

Karachi: Pakistan won the Over40s Global Cricket Cup after defeating the West Indies by a commanding 152 runs in a thrilling final match.

Pakistan set the stage for their victory by posting a formidable total of 329 runs on the board. Their innings was powered by stellar contributions from several key players.

Misbah-ul-Haq, the former Pakistan national team captain, showcased his class with an exceptional century. He played a scintillating innings, amassing 106 runs off just 93 balls, featuring six boundaries and an impressive seven sixes.

Hasan Raza greatly boosted Pakistan's score by scoring 68 runs, and veteran all-rounder Abdul Razzaq added 38 runs to the total.

Pakistan was able to set the West Indies a lofty goal thanks to their combined efforts.

However, the West Indies faced a formidable challenge in Pakistan's bowling attack, particularly the spin wizard Abdul Qadir. Qadir displayed his magic on the field, dismissing six West Indies players and causing significant disruptions in their batting lineup. His remarkable spell of bowling played a crucial role in Pakistan's victory.

The Pakistani bowling attack, especially the master of spin Abdul Qadir, presented the West Indies with a considerable challenge, nevertheless. Due to Qadir's on-field sorcery, six West Indies players were removed, which significantly messed up their batting order. Pakistan's victory was largely due to his superb bowling performance.

Gold extended its decline for the sixth straight session on Monday to hit a near seven-month trough, as a robust dollar and prospects of higher U.S. interest rates took the shine off bullion.

Spot gold was down 0.8% by 9:54 a.m. EDT (1354 GMT) at $1,835.40 per ounce, its lowest since March 10. U.S. gold futures slipped 0.7% to $1,853.00.

“There is a reckoning that interest rates are going to be higher for much longer, which has been the bearish element in the precious market. Gold prices could go below $1,800 in the near-term,” said Jim Wyckoff, senior analyst at Kitco Metals.

“Trends in the currency markets tend to be stronger and longer lasting. The appreciation of the U.S. dollar may not end anytime soon, pressuring the gold market.”

The U.S. dollar (.DXY) rose 0.4%, making bullion less attractive to other currency holders.

Traders are pricing in a 55% chance that the Federal Reserve will leave interest rates at the current range of 5.25%-5.50% this year, according to CME’s FedWatch tool.

Since powering above the key $2,000-per-ounce level in early May, gold prices have fallen more than 11%, or $230, pressured by a sharp rise in benchmark U.S. Treasury yields, which makes the non-yielding gold less attractive.

The market focus now shifts to Fed Chair Jerome Powell’s speech later in the day as well as on job openings data, private hiring numbers and U.S. non-farm payrolls over the course of the week.

Spot silver slid 3.4% to a more-than-six-month low of $21.40 per ounce.

“Strength in solar PV installations and rising EV penetration globally should underpin healthy growth in silver’s industrial demand for 2023-25 and remain a tailwind for prices,” Citi analysts wrote in a note.

Platinum fell 1.3% to $893.12 and palladium dipped 2.8% to $1,210.54.