Top Stories
FATF acknowledges steps by Pakistan towards AML, CFT
Monitoring Desk PARIS: The Financial Action Task Force has acknowledged the steps taken by Pakistan towards improving its anti-money laundering and countering financing of terrorism regime. In its appraisal issued today (Friday) about Pakistan’s progress, the FATF said the steps taken by Pakistan also include operationalizing the integrated database for its currency declaration regime. FATF, […]
Accountability process to continue: NA told
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: National Assembly resumed its session at the parliament house in Islamabad on Friday with Deputy Speaker Qasim Khan Suri in the chair. Minister for Inter provincial Coordination Fehmida Mirza said the opposition members have infringed the sanctity of the house by surrounding the dais of the speaker. She said those claiming themselves […]
India should be ready for surprise if starts war: DG ISPR
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: Director General (DG) of Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) Maj General Asif Ghafoor responded to Indian propaganda and threats after Pulwama incident in a press conference at General Headquarters in Rawalpndi Friday. “You wish to go into war but please be rest assured, should you initiate any agrression – first you shall […]
Punjab govt takes control of Jaish-e-Muhammad headquarters
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Punjab government has taken over the control of all Islamic seminaries run by Jaish-e-Muhammad (JeM), a militant group which has purportedly claimed responsibility for a deadly attack on Indian security forces in the Indian-occupied Kashmir earlier this month. The move came a day after a crucial huddle of the National Security […]
Any aggression or misadventure shall be paid back in same coin: COAS
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Friday visited the Line of Control (LoC) and reviewed state of preparedness of the troops deployed there. In a statement issued by the Inter-Serives Public Relations (ISPR), the Army Chief lauded high morale of troops. He said that Pakistan is a peace […]
Turkey rejects Indian accusations against Pakistan about Pulwama attack
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday called his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu to thank him for Turkey’s ‘steadfast support’ to Pakistan on a range of issues and said this support reflected the commitment of Pakistan and Turkey to stand by each other. Briefing the Turkish foreign minister on the emerging situation […]
Global
If US deploys missiles in Europe Belarus, Russia will have to take measures – Belarus President
MINSK (Sputnik): Russian President Vladimir Putin earlier warned that Moscow would be “forced” to answer in kind if the US deployed new medium- and short-range missiles in Europe amid its recent withdrawal from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty. Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko has stated that Minsk together with Moscow will have to think […]
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Repatriation instead of integration: Denmark passes ‘paradigm shift’ asylum bill
COPENHAGEN (Sputnik): Denmark’s new legislation is aimed at drastically reducing the number of refugees who stay in Denmark indefinitely by shifting the focus from integration of refugees to sending them back to their respective home countries. A new bill described by its proponents as a “paradigm shift” in Denmark’s refugee and asylum policy has been […]
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At Pope’s abuse summit, Church seeks to fix ‘systematic failures’
VATICAN CITY (Reuters): The Roman Catholic Church must repair the “systematic failures” that enabled sexual abuse to take root around the world, and bishops should start policing each other’s behaviour, leading cardinals said on Friday. Cardinals Blase Cupich of Chicago and Oswald Gracias of Mumbai spoke on the second day of a conference of some […]
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After 16 yrs, Palestinians pray at Jerusalem’s Rahma Mosque
JERUSALEM (AA): For the first time in 16 years, Palestinians on Friday prayed at the Bab al-Rahma Mosque, located inside East Jerusalem’s Al-Aqsa Mosque complex. The Israeli authorities closed the mosque in 2003. In 2017, an Israeli court upheld the closure order. But on Friday, the Religious Endowments Authority, a Jordan-run agency mandated with overseeing […]
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Iran to test news missiles in naval drills
TEHRAN (Reuters): Iran on Friday began large-scale naval drills in the Persian Gulf, which will feature its first submarine cruise missile launches, the state news agency IRNA reported. More than 100 vessels were taking part in the three-day war games in a vast area stretching from the Strait of Hormuz to the Indian Ocean, according […]
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Boko Haram violence disenfranchises voters
YOLA (AP): Mariam Musa gestured with her hand toward her mouth, twisting her face as she told of her main problem: not enough to eat or drink. In the makeshift camp for Nigerians who have fled Boko Haram violence, the 32-year-old widow says that the upcoming presidential vote isn’t a topic of conversation. That’s because […]
Read MorePakistan
Plan envisages an average growth of GDP at 5.4%: Khusro
F.P. Report Islamabad: Federal Minister for Planning Development and Reform Makhdum Khusro Bakhtyar has said that 12th Five Year Plan has extensively covered growth, macro stability, expand agriculture production, galvanize agro-business potential, industry and export competitiveness, human resource development, integrated energy planning, infrastructure development, social safety nets, poverty reduction, achieving SDGs and administrative reforms along-with […]
Asad says wants to work for welfare of orphans
F.P. Report Islamabad: Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaiser has said that I feel pain and sorrow in my hurt to see orphans and destitute children roaming on the roads and wanted to do something for their welfare. He said that it is necessary to serve humanity in order to enjoy the blessings of Almighty Allah. […]
Nawaz name coming out as traitor: Murad Saeed
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Communication Murad Saeed on Friday said Nawaz Sharif’s statement was used against Pakistan in International Court of Justice and the former prime minister’ s name is now coming out as a traitor. Speaking in the National Assembly, he said: “It is a shame that Nawaz Sharif’s statement was used […]
CM formally inaugurates night flights from Peshawar Airport
F.P. Report The Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Mahmood Khan formally inaugurated the night flights from Peshawar Airport today. He welcomed the restart of the flights adding that the night flights had been suspended from Peshawar Airport after a terror attack sometime back. He said the restoration of night flights would boost trade and commercial activities […]
Madhubala: Anarkali of Qissa Khawani
Syed Saqib Hussain A walk in the narrow alleys behind Qissa Khawani Bazaar is indeed a walk through history, where in every street you breathe not only air but an era. Among its various periods, a memorable one is the pre partition migration of future’s celebrated artists to Bombay and Delhi through legendary Frontier Mail; […]
Govt committed to ensure excellency: Jhagra
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister Finance Taimur Saleem Khan Jhagra has reaffirmed his government’s commitment to ensure excellency in every sphere of public service delivery and reforms agenda pursued in various sectors to have visible footprints of change. Speaking at Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) inking ceremony for launching diploma in procurement sector between Khyber […]
Afghanistan
Drug addicts’ population more than doubles in Daikundi
Monitoring Desk NEILI: Public health officials say the population of drug addicts more than doubled from 35,000 to 77,000 during the past four years in central Daikundi province, with females making 30 percent of the addicts. Ishaq Ali Darman, Daikundi public health director, told Pajhwok Afghan News that last year’s investigations showed 15,000 or 20 […]
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IEC officials also complicit in fraud, says candidates
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Unsuccessful Wolesi Jirga candidates from Kabul renewed their call for invalidating all votes cast in the central province and asked the government to dismiss the election commission’s secretariat officials as well. Numbering around 30, the disgruntled candidates told a press conference in Kabul that they would wage a protest movement “the nation’s […]
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Afghanistan to get $157m for out of school children
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Afghanistan will receive $ 157 million in aid under an agreement signed for providing education to 3.7 million out of school children. The agreement was signed between representatives of the Swedish Committee and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) in Kabul. Education Minister Mirwais Balkhi on the occasion said 3.7 million children […]
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Heratis uneasy with no telecom services at night
Monitoring Desk HERAT CITY: Some residents of western Herat province complained telecom services are suspended every night in many districts, urging an early solution to the inconvenience. Mohammad, a resident of Shindad district, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the suspension of telecom services at night had created serious problems for residents. He said due to […]
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23 militants killed, says MoD
Monitoring Desk KABUL: Nearly two dozens insurgents have been killed and four others wounded during operations over the past 24 hours, the Ministry of Defense said on Friday. The military operations were carried out in five provinces — Nangarhar, Ghazni, Kandahar, Uruzgan and Helmand — a statement from the ministry said. It said a landmine […]
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Salang highway reopens for passenger vehicles
Monitoring Desk CHARIKAR: The strategic Salang highway has been reopened for passenger vehicles after two days of closure following snowstorms, an official said on Friday. Abdul Basir Habibi, who is responsible for protection and maintenance of the Salang highway, told Pajhwok Afghan News that the snowstorm at the southern part of the pass ended last […]
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Business
Oil prices at three-month high with weaker dollar
ANKARA (AA): Brent crude price reached a three-month high for week ending Feb. 22 supported by the U.S. Federal Reserve’s decision to pause rate hikes this year while pushing the American dollar lower. International benchmark Brent crude was trading at $67.40 per barrel at 1230 GMT on Friday, after opening Monday at $66.39 a barrel […]
Bank Alfalah records over Rs.10 billion
F.P. Report KARACHI: The Board of Directors of Bank Alfalah in their meeting held in Abu Dhabi on 21st February 2019, approved the Bank’s audited financial statements for the year ended December 31st 2018. The Bank recorded profit after taxation of Rs.10.625 billion, for the year ended December 31st 2018, higher by 27% in comparison […]
SBP issues three Shariah Compliant Refinance Schemes
F.P. Report KARACHI: State Bank of Pakistan has issued three Shariah Compliant Refinance Schemes that are expected to provide level playing field to the Islamic banking industry. Currently, SBP offers various subsidized refinance facilities to the banks / DFIs to channelise the funds into priority sectors. It is worth mentioning here that Shariah compliant Islamic […]
BankIslami enters into an agreement with K-Electric
F.P. Report KARACHI: BankIslami Pakistan Ltd (BankIslami) has entered into an agreement with K-Electric Limited (KE) to enrol in their Centralized Billing Mechanism (CBM). By signing the agreement, BankIslami becomes the first Islamic bank to enter this program. The signing ceremony was held at BankIslami head office, attended by Mr. Farooq Anwar, Head of Operations, […]
Huawei is expanding in Canada, despite U.S. pressure
Kate Conger and Lindsey Wiebe SAN FRANCISCO: Huawei, the Chinese technology company accused by the authorities in the United States of posing a security risk, is expanding its operations in Canada. Huawei said on Thursday that it would hire 200 new employees in Canada — an increase of about 20 percent to the company’s work […]
Asian shares mostly lower as investors watch trade talks
TOKYO (Agencies): Asian shares were mostly lower Friday after a slide on Wall Street as investors nervously watched the U.S.-China trade talks in Washington. Japan’s benchmark Nikkei 225 slipped 0.5 percent to 21,368.54 in morning trading. Australia’s S&P/ASX 200 gained 0.5 percent to 6,170.30. South Korea’s Kospi fell 0.4 percent to 2,220.12. Hong Kong’s Hang […]
Sports
Del Potro cuts Opelka down to size with Delray Beach win
Florida (Reuters): Top seed Juan Martin del Potro cut towering American Reilly Opelka down to size on Thursday with a 6-4 6-4 victory in the second round of the Delray Beach Open in Florida. In his first event back after being sidelined for four months with a knee injury, Del Potro’s consistency was key in […]
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Miandad slams BCCI, says ICC is not ‘Indian Cricket Council’
F.P. Report KARACHI: Former Pakistan cricketer Javed Miandad has slammed Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) for attempting to isolate Pakistan from this year’s World Cup and added ICC does not stand for “Indian Cricket Council” and that it represents all cricket playing nations. His comments come after, reports of BCCI drafting a […]
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De Villiers steers Lahore to victory against Multan in PSL
F.P. Report SHARJAH: Master blaster AB de Villiers announced his arrival as he in company of former South African teammate David Wiese annihilated Multan Sultans in the final five overs for Lahore Qalandars to clinch an action-packed PSL match in Sharjah by six wickets on Friday. While De Villiers brought Lahore within nine runs of […]
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Hamza Niaz clinches National Junior U-15 Squash Championship title
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: International Hamza Niaz of PAF clinched the trophy after defeating Huzaifa Zahid, also from PAF in the final of the National Junior Under-15 Squash Championship played here at PAF Hashim Khan Squash Complex on Friday. Member Provincial Assembly from Chitral Wazirzada was the chief guest on this occasion. Director General Sports Junaid […]
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‘Changed man’ Salman Butt has ‘learnt his lesson’, says Aqib
DUBAI (Monitoring Desk): New Lahore Qalandars recruit Salman Butt “has learnt his lesson” and is a “changed man”, believes the franchise coach Aqib Javed. Butt’s years-long wait for a return to mainstream cricket finally ended this week when the Qalandars picked him to replace their injured captain Mohammad Hafeez. The left-handed batsman was the captain […]
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Chelsea banned from signing new players for next two transfer windows
LONDON (Agencies): Premier League club Chelsea have been banned from signing new players in the next two transfer windows as punishment for breaking rules on registering under-age players, FIFA said on Friday. It means the club — who immediately said they would appeal the decision — will be unable to make signings until the end […]
Read MoreFashion & Movies
Gully Boy becomes the third film of 2019 to enter the 100 crore club
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Gully Boy starring Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt hit the theatres on Valentine’s Day i.e 14th February this year and within a week of its release, the film has crossed a benchmark at the box-office. Directed by Zoya Akhtar, the film revolves around the life of the street rappers of Mumbai. A […]
Saif Ali Khan and Fatima Sana Shaikh’s to be seen together in upcoming horror comedy film
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: It was earlier when Saif Ali Khan had revealed that the title of his next horror comedy will be Tantrik. The film that stars Fatima Sana Shaikh as the female lead now has a new quirky title which will leave you excited for the film. According to the latest report, Fox Star […]
Madhubala: Anarkali of Qissa Khawani
Syed Saqib Hussain A walk in the narrow alleys behind Qissa Khawani Bazaar is indeed a walk through history, where in every street you breathe not only air but an era. Among its various periods, a memorable one is the pre partition migration of future’s celebrated artists to Bombay and Delhi through legendary Frontier Mail; […]
Pashto actress Gulalai torture to death in Mardan
F.P. Report MARDAN: Renowned stage actress Lubna Gulalai was allegedly tortured to death in Mardan on later Thursday night. According to details, a dead body recovered from Chora police jurisdiction in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. It was identified as Pashto stage actress Gulalai. According to police, unidentified people have killed Gulalai after torturing. The actress was living […]
Aamir Khan visits ailing Rishi Kapoor in New York
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Bollywood veteran Rishi Kapoor who is undergoing medical treatment in New York was recently joined by Aamir Khan. Sharing a picture from the day, Neetu Kapoor wrote, “It’s not how many hours one spends with a person it’s how much u give in that time !!! Aamir gave so much n more […]
Varun Dhawan and Shraddha Kapoor shoot for ‘Street Dancer’ in London
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Soon after wrapping the Punjab schedule of Street Dancer 3D, Varun Dhawan headed to London with co-star Shraddha Kapoor for film’s 40-day schedule. Varun and Shraddha kicked off the shoot on February 10 and the latest we hear that the actors have shot a special song on top of London’s O2 arena, […]
Science & Technology
The US threatens to stop sharing intelligence with allies if they use Huawei
Monitoring Desk The US will stop sharing intelligence with countries that use Huawei hardware in their core communication systems, US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said. The threat: “If a country adopts this [Huawei equipment] and puts it in some of their critical information systems, we won’t be able to share information with them, […]
OneWeb satellite launch could be postponed after Soyuz emergency
Moscow (Sputnik): The launch of the first test satellites of the UK’s OneWeb constellation into orbit from the Kourou spaceport using the Soyuz-ST carrier rocket may be postponed due to an emergency situation during the launch of Egyptian Egyptsat-A satellite on board a Soyuz-2.1b rocket on Thursday, a Russian space industry source told Sputnik. The […]
Space crew unfazed ahead of first launch since rocket failure
MOSCOW (Reuters): Two astronauts who survived a midair rocket failure in October said on Thursday they had received counselling following their brush with death and felt ready to fly again next month. Russian cosmonaut Alexei Ovchinin and U.S. astronaut Nick Hague appeared relaxed in Russia’s Star City as they discussed preparations for their first space […]
Super Snow Moon of Feb 19 is the biggest full moon of 2019
Meghan Bartels The second installment of this winter’s trio of supermoons, sometimes nicknamed the Super Snow Moon, will peak today (Feb. 19), so don’t forget to step outside and look up tonight. The full moon technically occurs on at 10:53 a.m. EST (1553 GMT), but don’t despair if the morning light washes out the moon […]
Mountains bigger than Everest deep inside earth revealed by scientists
HIMALYA (Sputnik): The second largest earthquake on record allowed scientists to glimpse into the terrain under the planet’s surface, revealing peaks higher than the Himalayas. Scientists were able to find the giant structures in seismic wave data captured during the 1994 Bolivia earthquake, a study published on Thursday in Science magazine revealed. Earth’s mantle is […]
SpaceX to lift Indonesia satellite on Feb 21
Monitoring Desk CALIFORNIA: A SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket will launch Indonesia’s PSN 6 communications satellite into orbit on February 21st from Cape Canaveral. PSN 6 (for PT Pasifik Satelit Nusantara) was built by Space Systems/Loral (now part of Maxar technology) and will be placed at 146 degrees East. The satellite carries 38 C-band and 18 […]
Health
Gene therapy layoff common cause of AMD blindness
Monitoring Desk LONDON: Scientists at the University of Oxford have performed the first gene therapy operation in order to stop expansion of the most common cause of vision loss known as age-related macular degeneration (AMD), with just a single injection. The team carried out the first trial on an 80-year-old patient Janet Osborne. The operation […]
Some immune cells can fight all three strains of Influenza virus: Research
Monitoring Desk TEHRAN: A new discovery indicated that certain immune cells can fight off all three strains of influenza – perhaps permanently, or at least for several years. At the moment, the various types of influenza – strains A, B, and C – are put into the annual vaccine at different rates every year to […]
Mom who had heart attack at 44 is part of an alarming trend
Linda Carroll FLORIDA: Shawn Sherlock was a healthy 44-year-old mom who ate right and ran regularly. But on a January morning in 2017 as Sherlock was making breakfast for her two boys, her jaw started to ache and then an excruciating pain shot down her left arm. “I thought, this could not be a heart […]
Govt will take all possible measures for ending TB in Pakistan: Nausheen
F.P. Report Islamabad: The Government of Pakistan will take all possible measures to implement the declaration in the United Nations’ High Level Meeting on Tuberculosis Control through all resources at its disposal and work towards ending TB in Pakistan by 2030. This was stated by Dr. Nausheen Hamid, Parliamentary Secretary for National Health Services, Regulations […]
Depression: Gene-activating drug reverses symptoms in mice
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: New research shows that activating a gene that, in turn, boosts the activity of certain neurons involved in depression can reverse symptoms of the condition in male mice. Depression is “the leading cause of disability worldwide,” as more than 300 million people across the globe are living with the condition. In the […]
Female brain is a few years younger than a male: Study
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: Scientists revealed that healthy women have a metabolic brain age that is persistently four years younger than men’s of the same age. “Brain metabolism changes with age but what we noticed is that a good deal of the variation we see is down to sex differences,” said Marcus Raichle, a neurobiologist at […]
Travel
Strong destination presence noted on Germanic front as Seychelles Tourism participates in travel fairs
Monitoring Desk BERLIN: The Seychelles Tourism Board (STB) office in Frankfurt started the year on a high note as the team attended various trade fairs in Germany and two German-speaking bordering countries including Switzerland and Austria. The office took part in the Ferien-Messe Wien- Austria’s largest holiday and STB Senior Executive, Ms. Natacha Servina, represented, […]
Five insights that could move tourism closer towards sustainability
Monitoring Desk Tourism is New Zealand’s biggest export earner, contributing 21% of foreign exchange earnings. The latest data show tourists added NZ$39.1 billion to the economy and the industry has seen a 44% increase over the past five years. But tourism also brings unwanted pressures on infrastructure and natural resources. Recently, a conference focused on […]
Oman asks tourists to apply for visas in advance
Monitoring Desk MUSCAT: After revising its visa policies last year, Oman is now specifying that visitors to the country will need to apply for visas a week in advance of travel. “It is recommended to have the application sent at least one week before you travel,” the Royal Oman Police said in a statement reproduced […]
Sabah hits record-breaking tourism numbers
Monitoring Desk KOTA KINABALU: Sabah’s tourism industry registered its highest-ever tourism receipts last year, booking RM8.342 billion from a record-high 3.879 million arrivals. Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Christina Liew said figures represented a 5.3 per cent increase in tourists and 6.6 per cent in income compared to 2017’s RM7.83 billion. “Overall international arrivals recorded an […]
Chinese tourists visit museum, historic sites in Peshawar
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: A 15-member delegation of tourists from China on Tuesday visited the Peshawar Museum and other historic places in the city. The tourist delegation comprising men and women evinced a keen interest in the findings and discoveries of Buddhism and Buddhist heritage. Upon their arrival, the officials of the Tourism Corporation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa […]
Turkish tourism sector eyes international congresses
ANKARA (AA): Timur Bayındır, head of the Hotel Association of Turkey (TÜROB) told Anadolu Agency in an exclusive interview that the country and its most popular touristic destination Istanbul will reenter the routes to international events this year. “Congress tourism requires long-term planning, as the proposals for the organizations to be held in 2021 and […]
Articles
What Shamima Begum’s case ays about future of Muslims in UK
Elis Gjevori In stripping Shamima Begum of her citizenship is the UK government manufacturing a citizenship test that only applies to Muslims? Born and raised in the UK, Shamima Begum was 15 when she travelled to Syria to become the wife of a Daesh member. Four years later at 19 years of age, and with […]
Kuwait refuses to budge as other Gulf nations abandon the Palestinian cause
Giorgio Cafiero The most prominent Gulf nations are normalising ties with Israel without gaining any concessions from the Israelis. Why has Kuwait not followed its closest allies? The Ministerial to Promote a Future of Peace and Security in the Middle East (the Warsaw Conference), held on February 14, made the Middle East’s existing geopolitical realities […]
Russia may be forced to aim weapons at Washington, suggests Putin
Andrew Roth Vladimir Putin has said that Russia will develop new weapons and aim them at western “centres of decision-making” if the west deploys new short and medium-range missiles in Europe. The threat, which appears to describe Washington and other western capitals, came after the United States and then Russia suspended compliance with the 1987 […]
What should Europe do about its returning militants from Syria?
Tallha Abdulrazaq Returning militants are a security concern but also an opportunity for European states to heal. The case of Shamima Begum, who was married to a Daesh fighter, and her wish to return to the United Kingdom has taken up much of the coverage in the British media over the past week, as the […]
Chinese aim for Somalia’s shores
Abdiqadar Abdigani Fishing is one of the most highly profitable sectors across the globe and, the tuna industry alone is worth about $10 billion globally. Surveys of Somali waters indicate that there are extensive fish stocks off Somalia’s coast – this coast is, in fact, considered to be one of the richest fishing grounds in […]
Turkey risks angering China by criticising treatment of Uighur Muslims
Borzou Daragahi Abduweli Ayup was out for dinner at an Istanbul restaurant with his wife and friends last weekend when news came on the television that they could hardly believe. Overcoming worries about future Chinese investment and Beijing’s emerging status as the premier world power, the government of Turkey had spoken out about the treatment […]
Editorial
Poverty alleviation
Talking to member of Provincial Assembly, Khyber Pukhtunkhwa Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has expressed the desire that government will focus more on poverty alleviation and the elected representatives should identify the basic problems confronting the people so that timely action can be taken for their resolution. The only commendable step that previous PTI government took […]
PPP leadership aggressive stance
In a sharp reaction to the arrest of Sindh Assembly Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani by NAB on the charges of possessing assets beyond means, PPP Co-chairperson and former President Asif Zardari has threatened to bring down the government and hinted for agitation with the support of other opposition parties. He said, “We gave enough time […]
Streamlining tax collection
To overcome the revenue shortfall, which has almost reached to well over Rs. 190 billion in the last seven months, the Prime Minister has urged for the adoption of modern methods of tax collection. He rightly directed the bureaucracy of Inland Revenue Service department of the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) to refrain from harassing […]
Tribal districts development plan
To give impetus to the socio-economic uplift of hitherto neglected areas of former federally administered tribal areas, a 10 years comprehensive and ambitious development plan is in place now. It will be implemented with an outlay of Rs 1228 billion to ensure speedy and balanced growth of all important sectors. A lion share of Rs.434 […]
New era of Pak-Saudi relations
The visit of Saudi Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has heralded a new era of closer cooperation in the economic and strategic fields besides robust support on the international forums. It was the cool relations between the two countries during the previous government that Saudi Arabia abstained from the voting of Financial Action Task Force […]
Befitting response
In the wake of Indian blame game after the Pulwama car bomb attack, which killed 44 security forces, Pakistan gave a robust diplomatic response. This sort of prompt and sagacious diplomacy had never been demonstrated by the ruling leadership of Pakistan when the 26/11 Mumbai incident occurred and when Patankot Airbase was stormed by a […]
Letters to Editor
Police high handedness and aggrieved people
Through the lines of your esteemed news paper, i would like to draw the attention of the concerned authorities towards the sorry state of affairs of the people at the hands of police. Despite the tall claims made (still making) by previous government of reforming police department, no improvement whatsoever is seen in our area […]
Stop child labour
“One who does not show mercy to our children is not from my community” [Holy Prophet (SAW)] Kindness towards children was one of the Prophet’s special characteristics. Children are flowers of heaven and they are the beautiful creation of God. Child labour is a terrible and big crime. In Pakistan it is an ever growing […]
The devaluation of economy
What is behind the devaluation of Pakistani currency? What are its effects on our economy? The Pakistani currency has experienced a worst fall against the US dollar ever in the history of Rs 143 per Dollar. The rupee has lost about 35 percent since the first devaluation in Dec 2017. PM Imran Khan on the […]
Rumors about abolishing of tax – free status of Malakand
It has been reportedly learnt that the Chief minister of KP Mahmood Khan has issued directives to all the ministries/ departments and quarters concerned to fulfill all the legal formalities before tabling any bill or law in the house for legislation. They have been further directed to share and discuss the theme of the bill […]
Working women issues
In the past few years, the role of a woman has changed drastically in Pakistan. Women are now stepping out of their houses to earn and break free from all stereotypes that confine women to live inside home. Women can now be seen working as fire fighters, pilots,air traffic Controllers, bankers, company executives, labourers, farmers […]
TF and Pakistan’s economic quagmire
Financial Action Task Force is a global body which aims at combating money laundering and terrorists financing. FATF grey list comprises of the countries which lacks in implementing strategic policies against terrorist financing. Pakistan was also grey listed from 2012 to 2015. But later due to efforts and policies, Pakistan was removed from the grey […]