Top Stories
Qureshi, Pompeo discuss Middle East situation
F.P. Report WASHINGTON: Minister for Foreign Affairs Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Friday met with US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to discuss the situation in the Middle East. Qureshi is on the final leg of his tri-state visit aimed at diffusing US-Iran tensions, as instructed by Prime Minister Imran Khan. During the meeting, Qureshi also…
China calls on India to respond positively to request of UNSC members on Kashmir issue
BEIJING (Monitoring Desk): After a recently-held United Nations Security Council (UNSC) meeting to review the situation in India-occupied Jammu and Kashmir, China has called on India to “give serious consideration and positive response to the request of UNSC members” on the issue. The remarks were made on Friday during a press conference by the Chinese…
Air Marshal Ahmer Shehzad Leghari appointed Vice Chief of Air Staff
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Government of Pakistan has appointed Air Marshal Ahmer Shehzad Leghari as Vice Chief of the Air Staff, according to the PAF spokesperson on Friday. He was commissioned in GD (P) Branch of Pakistan Air Force in November, 1984. During his illustrious career, Air Marshal Leghari commanded fighter squadron and Operational Air…
PM Imran proposes three names for CEC in letter to Shehbaz
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan wrote a letter to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif, proposing three names for the post of Chief Election Commissioner (CEC). The letter—written by the prime minister on January 15—calls for “meaningful negotiations” with the PML-N leader for the appointment of the new election commission chief. The…
Sindh police department has become like NAB: Saeed Ghani
F.P. Report KARACHI: Sindh Information Minister and Pakistan Peoples’ Party (PPP) leader Saeed Ghani on Friday said that the behaviour of the province’s police department has become like the National Accountability (NAB). Addressing a press conference in Karachi on Friday, he said that Sindh police department has become like anti-graft watchdog as they prepare a…
PSP chief Mustafa Kamal says MQM-P will not leave government
F.P. Report KARACHI: Pak Sarzameen Party (PSP) chief Syed Mustafa Kamal on Friday said the government should not be worried about the resignation of a federal minister belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement – Pakistan (MQM-P) as the party will not leave the ruling coalition. “The MQM-P will not leave the government,” Kamal told reporters…
Global
Saudis paid about $500M for US troops: report
WASHINGTON (AA): Saudi Arabia has paid the U.S. roughly $500 million in compensation for the costs associated with stationing American forces in the Kingdom, according to a report. The payment was made in December, an anonymous U.S. official told CNN. If true, it stands in stark contract to U.S. President Donald Trump’s claim while speaking…
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After India’s Amazon snub, Modi’s party slams Bezos-owned Washington Post
WASHINGTON (Reuters): Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ruling party on Friday slammed the editorial policies of billionaire Jeff Bezos-owned Washington Post, even as his e-commerce firm Amazon announced plans to create a million jobs in the country by 2025. Vijay Chauthaiwale, the chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) foreign affairs department, said there was…
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Khamenei says plane crash ‘tragedy’ should not overpower Soleimani’s sacrifice’
TEHRAN (AFP): Iranian Supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday said that the accidental shooting down of a Ukrainian airliner was a “bitter” tragedy, however the “sacrifice” of a top commander killed by the US should not be overlooked. “The plane crash was a bitter accident, it burned through our heart,” Khamenei said. “But some…
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China registers lowest economic growth in 29 years
BEIJING (AA): China’s economy grew 6.1% in 2019 registering the lowest growth in the last 29 years, according to official data revealed Friday. China’s National Bureau of Statistics released figures for last year saying the government’s annual target was 6 to 6.5%, Xinhua news agency reported. The figure showed the country faced slowdown from 2018…
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Syria truce fails as Idlib civilians killed daily: U.N.
GENEVA (Reuters): United Nations human rights chief Michelle Bachelet called on Friday for an immediate cessation of hostilities in Syria’s opposition-held Idlib province, saying the latest ceasefire attempt had yet again failed to protect civilians. Turkey, which for years has backed Syrian rebels fighting to oust President Bashar al-Assad, agreed a truce with Russia that…
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Ukrainian premier resigns following media leak
KIEV (AA): Ukrainian Prime Minister Oleksiy Honcharuk announced his resignation on Friday, following a media leak, claiming he criticized the country’s President Volodymyr Zelensky. On Thursday, Ukrainian media published an audio recording, where people with the voices similar to those of the prime minister and some other ministers are castigating Zelensky as incompetent in economic…
Read MorePakistan
FO debunks reports about visa sanctions imposed by Egypt
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: On the alleged reports about visa sanctions imposed on Pakistan by Egypt, Foreign Minister spokesperson Ayesha Farooqui clarified on Friday that Egypt has not placed any ban on the issuance of visas for the nationals. FO spokesperson debunked the media reports on the visa refusal and said that Cairo, the capital of…
Govt sets target of reducing fiscal deficit to 4%, Senate told
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar has said the government has set the target of reducing fiscal deficit to four percent in the next one or two years. Speaking in the Senate Friday during Question Hour, he said our fiscal deficit for the first quarter of current financial year remained within the…
Orange Line train service to start for public on March 23
F.P. Report LAHORE: The Punjab government has announced to start the Orange Line Metro Train (OLMT) service for public on March 23, Dunya News reported on Friday. According to details, China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority Chairman Lieutenant General (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa ordered to inaugurate the service for public in two months and directed…
Farogh Naseem vows not to let govt destabilize amid MQM-P’s reservations
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Law Minister Farogh Naseem on Friday said that they would not let the government destabilize amid the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan (MQM-P) reservations as they are a dear colleague of Prime Minister Imran Khan. He revealed that when the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) came into power, it promised two ministries to the MQM-P during…
PML-N tables resolution against increasing inflation in Punjab Assembly
F.P. Report LAHORE: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Friday has tabled a resolution against increasing inflation in Punjab Assembly. According to details, the opposition party has told the House that the cost of pulses, vegetables, chicken meat and flour has been increased as the government of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has failed to implement the official…
NAB chairman moved for corruption probe into BISP
F.P. Report LAHORE: Judicial Activism Panel has sent letters to President Dr Arif Alvi, Prime Minister Imran Khan and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Justice Retd Javed Iqbal to open a thorough investigation into alleged corruption in Benazir Income Support Programme (BISP). The letter to NAB chairman stated that the BISP has been exposed in…
Afghanistan
Govt bodies dispute value of 2019 Afghan exports
KABUL (TOLO News): The National Statistics and Information Authority (NSIA) rejected a report by the Ministry Industry and Commerce that says Afghanistan’s exports jumped to $1 billion in 2019. An NSIA report shows that exports for nine months of 2019–the full-year assessment is not yet complete–were worth at least $535 million. Afghanistan’s main exports, according…
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Afghan U19 cricket team defeats South Africa by 7 wickets
KABUL (TOLO News): The Afghan national U19 cricket team defeated South Africa by seven wickets in the opening match of the U19 Cricket World Cup on Friday. Afghanistan’s Imran Mir and Ibrahim Zadran played a key role in the match against the rival South African squad. South Africa set a target of 129 runs for…
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Experts urge govt to avoid politics in security shakeup
KABUL (TOLO News): Military experts and members of parliament on Friday said that reshuffling in the government is a normal routine to improve performance in the institutions, however they called on the Afghan government to skip politics, particularly in the security sector. They said that in recent years, occasionally, reshuffling of security officials in the…
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Every Afghan duty bound to partake in nation-building: Ghani
KABUL (AT News): President Ashraf Ghani has launched an unprecedented academic discussion around the topics of Afghanistan’s culture, history and national identity aimed at making them public knowledge and essentially turned to a national debate. Lecturers, students, researchers and experts from three universities – including the Kabul University, the Polytechnic University and the American University…
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US, Taliban discuss signing of peace deal: Shaheen
KABUL (TOLO News): Negotiators from the United States and the Taliban have resumed talks in Doha and are discussing “the signing of the peace deal and a ceremony for it” over the past two days, a Taliban spokesman Suhail Shaheen said in a tweet early on Friday. Shaheen said that the negotiations – which are…
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Forty year old man arrested on charges of forced marriage to 8 year old girl – Baghlan
BAGHLAN (Ariana News): A man, aged 40 has been arrested on charges of forced marriage to an 8-year-old girl by the Baghlan Police. Khadija Yaqeen, Chief of Baghlan Women Affairs, underlined that the girl was married to a 40-year-old man for two months by force and torment. The Central Baghlan Police has taken the victim…
Read MoreBusiness
Rupee gains 6 paisa against US dollar
F.P. Report KARACHI: The Pakistani rupee extended an upward trend against the US dollar at the start of trade on Friday. According to forex dealers, the rupee appreciated by 6 paisa and is trading at 154.60 against the greenback in the interbank market. The local currency rose 11 paisa to finish at 154.66 against the…
China economy grows in 2019 but with slowest pace in three decades
Monitoring Desk BEIJING: China’s economy weakened to its slowest pace in three decades in 2019 as weaker domestic demand and trade tensions with the United States took their toll, official data showed Friday. The world’s second-largest economy grew by 6.1 per cent last year, its worst performance since 1990, according to the National Bureau of…
Indonesia hails ‘historic’ $22.9bn mega-investment deal with UAE
Monitoring Desk JAKARTA: Indonesia’s business community on Thursday welcomed the UAE’s pledge to pump tens of billions of dollars into a wide range of key sector projects. President Joko Widodo and his entourage secured an overall $22.9 billion deal during an official two-day visit to Abu Dhabi earlier this week covering the fields of energy,…
Iran crisis hikes up gold prices, but Asian expats in the Gulf ‘will continue to buy’
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: In the first two weeks of the year the world teetered on the brink of war, with both the US and Iran exchanging a series of threats. It was certainly not the most pleasant of times for the GCC region. For a few days at least, many around the world worried about…
China remains top importer
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: With its US$4025.177 million imports to Pakistan, China remained the top importer of the country during the first five months of current financial year (2019-20), followed by United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Singapore. During the month of November, 2019, the total imports from China witnessed negative growth of 5.49 percent during the…
FBR appreciates services of retiring member
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Federal Board of Revenue has acknowledged and appreciated the services of retiring Member Legal & Accounting Customs Fazal Yazdani Khan in the Board-in-Council Meeting. All the members of Federal Board of Revenue attended the meeting and paid tribute to the services of retiring officer. Acting Chairperson Federal Board of Revenue Nausheen Javed…
Sports
India beat Australia to level one-day series
RAJKOT (AFP): Steve Smith hit a swashbuckling 98 but Australia could not stop India powering to a 36 run victory to level their one-day series on Friday. Thrashed by 10 wickets in the first of the three-match series, Shikhar Dhawan made 96, KL Rahul 80 and captain Virat Kohli 78 as India made 340 for…
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Hafeez says to retire from int’l cricket after World T20
LAHORE (Monitoring Desk): Pakistan all-around Mohammad Hafeez, who was recalled for the Bangladesh series yesterday, said that he will retire from international cricket after the Twenty20 World Cup later this year to end his career on a good note. The 38-year-old was Thursday recalled to Pakistan’s Twenty20 series against Bangladesh starting in Lahore from January…
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Battling Barty sets up Adelaide final, Rublev wins thriller
ADELAIDE (Agencies): World number one Ashleigh Barty will warm up for the Australian Open with a final at the Adelaide International after a 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7/5) comeback win over Danielle Collins on Friday. The Australian, whose matches have been 5,000-strong sellouts all week at Memorial Drive, will face Dayana Yastremska on Saturday for the…
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England declare first innings on 499
PORT ELIZABETH (Agencies): England declared their first innings on 499 for nine after Ollie Pope and Mark Wood slammed 73 runs in 8.4 overs off a tired South African attack after tea on the second day of the third Test on Friday. Pope finished on 135 not out, while Wood thrashed five sixes in making…
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Spanish driver Carlos Sainz wins Dakar Rally for third time
RIYADH (AFP): Veteran Spanish driver Carlos Sainz won the Dakar Rally for the third time on Friday, finishing with a comfortable winning margin in the first running of the event in Saudi Arabia. The 57-year-old crossed the line in the 12th and final stage 6min 21sec ahead of nearest challenger and reigning champion Nasser al-Attiyah…
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The time to deliver has arrived: Ijaz Ahmed
LAHORE (APP): Pakistan U19 team hit the ground running a day after arriving in Potchefstroom as the team underwent a strenuous training and practice session at the North West University Sports Village, Potchefstroom on Thursday. The team is on a high after convincing wins in the two warm-up games against Nigeria and Sri Lanka during…
Read MoreFashion & Movies
Hollywood insiders speculate Meghan Makle’s return to Hollywood post #Megxit
Monitoring Desk LOS ANGELES: Hollywood insiders and experts have taken to observing the terms governing the Duke and Duchess’s decision to split from royal life. It seems as though there have been a number of reasons as to the decision, mainly stemming from rumors of closed deals. However, even if the royal does not turn…
Judge in Weinstein rape trial says case is not a ‘referendum’ on #MeToo movement
Monitoring Desk NEW YORK: Four men and three women were chosen on Thursday as jurors in the rape trial of Harvey Weinstein, as the judge cautioned against using the case to make a broader statement about the #MeToo movement. Weinstein, 67, has pleaded not guilty to charges in New York of assaulting two women, and…
Mumbai man gets jailed for molesting Zaira Wasim while she was a minor
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Former Bollywood star Zaira Wasim’s accused was taken into custody on Wednesday after being found guilty of molesting her during a flight in 2017. The 41-year-old businessman from Mumbai, identified as Vikas Sachdev was accused of molesting the Dangal starlet by continuously moving his foot up and down her neck and back…
Comedian Kapil Sharma shares first photo of his daughter
Monitoring Desk MUMBAI: Indian comedian and host Kapil Sharma has shared first photo of his daughter Anayra Sharma. The host of popular comic show The Kapil Sharma Show and his wife Ginni Chatrath had welcomed a baby girl in December last year. The big news was announced by Kapil Sharma himself on Twitter. Kapil wrote,…
US director Spike Lee to lead Cannes Film Festival jury
Monitoring Desk PARIS: Spike Lee will lead the jury of this year’s Cannes Film Festival, and festival organizers hope the provocative American director will “shake things up” at the gathering of the world’s cinema elite. Lee said he was “honored to be the first person of the African diaspora” chosen for the prestigious position. Festival…
Mrs. World 2020 to help suffering children in Sri Lanka
Monitoring Desk COLOMBO: Sri Lankan beauty queen and Mrs. World pageant titleholder Caroline Jurie, 27, plans to use her new-found fame to inspire and empower children in the island nation. Mother of the two-year-old girl and hailing from a middle-class family from Kandana, a suburb of capital Colombo, she always aspired to be a model,…
Science & Technology
‘Invisible computing’ startup unveils smart contact lens
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: A startup focused on “invisible computing” Thursday unveiled a smart contact lens which delivers an augmented reality display in a user’s field of vision. The Mojo Vision contact lens offers a display with information and notifications, and allows the user to interact by focusing on certain points. The rigid contact lens, which…
KPITB relaunches ‘Safe Women’ App with enhanced features
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Information Technology Board (KPITB) on Wednesday arranged a demonstration of an upgraded ‘Safe Women’ mobile phone application developed for female commuters of Pink Sakura Buses. Following procurement of Pink Sakura buses in Mardan and Abbottabad, the app has been upgraded to allow commuters to connect with their family and friends…
The FBI can unlock Florida terrorist’s iPhones without Apple
Monitoring Desk FLORIDA: The FBI is pressing Apple Inc. to help it break into a terrorist’s iPhones, but the government can hack into the devices without the technology giant, according to experts in cybersecurity and digital forensics. Investigators can exploit a range of security vulnerabilities — available directly or through providers such as Cellebrite and…
UK’s Huawei 5G deal sparks dramatic US intervention
Monitoring Desk LONDON: A senior U.S. delegation has visited the U.K. to lobby the country against using Huawei in the country’s 5G rollout. The U.S. officials told the British government on Monday that allowing Huawei a role in building super-fast 5G networks across the country could jeopardize intelligence sharing between the two countries. They also…
Climate change: Oceans hotter than ever before, new study reveals
Monitoring Desk The world’s oceans are warmer than ever — and they are getting warmer faster, according to a new report. In a development that provides yet further evidence of global warming, the study, published in the Chinese journal Advances in Atmospheric Sciences, found that ocean temperatures in the last decade have been the warmest…
U.S. Makes Final Plea to Johnson to Block Huawei From 5G Network
Monitoring Desk Senior U.S. officials visited London on Monday with a last-ditch plea that Boris Johnson’s government not allow Huawei Technologies Co. to supply equipment for its 5G broadband networks, warning that U.S. intelligence-sharing could be at risk. The delegation, led by Deputy National Security Adviser Matthew Pottinger and including officials from the State Department,…
Health
Anti-polio drive to be kicked off soon
F.P. Report PESHAWAR: The three-day special anti-polio drive will be kicked off in eight districts of the province from January 13, 2020 wherein more than 2.1 million children under five will be administered oral polio vaccine (OPV). This was decided in a high- level meeting held here Friday at Emergency Operations Center Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with…
China’s central Wuhan city suffers from new virus
Monitoring Desk ANKARA: A mysterious disease broke out in China’s central city of Wuhan which health experts believe is caused by a new born virus, according to local media. The first case was diagnosed on Dec. 12, said the daily South China Morning Post on Thursday. The Wuhan Municipality Health Commission revealed last week that…
Vigorous exercise can greatly reduce your risk of cancer, heart disease
Monitoring Desk TORONTO: Women who can exercise at a higher intensity during a heart stress test are less likely to die from heart disease, cancer, and other causes, say the authors of a new study. Scotty Butcher, PhD, an associate professor of physical therapy at the University of Saskatchewan in Saskatoon, Canada, said these findings…
Two more polio cases detected in KP
F.P. Report. PESHAWAR: Two more polio cases have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) as the total number has surged to 91 in the province, on Thursday. KP’s Emergency Operation Centre (EOC) for Polio told that two-year-old boy from Dera Ismail Khan and nine-month-old girl from Lakki Marwat’s tehsil Sari Naurang have been affected by…
New anti-cancer treatment significantly reduces tumor size
Monitoring Desk HONG KONG: A new anti-cancer chemical compound was found capable of reducing tumor size and weight by up to two-thirds in laboratory tests done by researchers from the City University of Hong Kong that made results public on Monday. The problem in the fight against cancer is that the drugs used in chemotherapy…
Eating Cannabis also carries risks, warns doctors
Monitoring Desk TORONTO: Doctors have warned of the risks of eating cannabis products, particularly to those who are new to the substance. Weed was legalized in Canada in 2018, and some 27 percent of respondents of the 2019 National Cannabis Survey said they had consumed cannabis in an edible form in the past three months.…
Travel
Croatia’s Tourism Promoted at Austria’s Largest Holiday and Travel Show
Monitoring Desk ZAGREB: The 2020 Vienna Ferienmesse tourism fair opened on Thursday with more than 800 exhibitors from over 80 countries including Croatia, which is a favourite destination for Austrian tourists. “Croatia is one of the favourite destinations for Austrians who travel to Croatia several times a year and in their own vehicles,” a press…
Australian tourism industry seeks urgent help as cost of bushfires grows
Monitoring Desk MELBOURNE: Australia’s peak tourism body estimated the country’s bushfire crisis has so far cost the industry almost A$1 billion ($690 million) and called for urgent help from the government to lure back visitors. Industry bosses were due to meet with Tourism Minister Simon Birmingham later on Thursday as storms and heavy rain brought…
Tourists throng snow-covered Laram Top
F.P. Report TIMERGARA: Despite heavy rain in parts of Lower Dir and snowfall on hill tops tourists along with their families thronged the scenic snow-covered Laram Top in Adenzai to enjoy the current spell of snowfall in the valley. Tourists from different parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, majority of them children and youth were seen on…
Why 2020 is the year to visit Cairo
Monitoring Desk CAIRO: Founded in 969AD, modern Cairo may seem young in comparison to the 4,500-year-old pyramids just across the Nile. But the city has seen its own share of history in its lifetime, including occupations by the Ottomans and British and revolutions that changed the course of the country. Cairo and the region’s history…
UAE-Manila flights cancelled as volcano erupts in Philippines
Monitoring Desk MANILA: A sudden volcanic eruption in the Philippines on Monday led the authorities to evacuate the nearby villages and shut down Manila’s international airport, offices and schools. An alternative airport north of Manila at Clark freeport remained open but authorities would shut it down too if ashfall threatens flights, the Civil Aviation Authority…
Australia suffers tourism blow from bushfires
Monitoring Desk MELBOURNE: The United States is warning its citizens to exercise increased caution when travelling to Australia, placing it on the same travel advisory level as Hong Kong and Papua New Guinea. Key points: The US Department of State issued a new travel advisory for people travelling to Australia It recommends tourists in Australia…
Articles
The end of impunity
Munir Saeed On Dec. 17, 1998, Americans woke up to the New York Times headline “Impeachment vote in House delayed as Clinton launches Iraq airstrike.” Fast forward to Jan. 4, 2020 and CNN quoted a Washington Post report that “Some Democrats were privately worried about sending impeachment articles to senate amid Iran tensions.” Deja vu…
Cyber bullying
Maaz Jilani Internet has taken the world by storm since 2000’s but had already existed in 1990’s trying to make its benchmark it has made now. With every passing year internet keep making betterment not just into their speed but quality too. In this fast growing era now everything is a tap away. You want…
Future of Work and Pakistani Migrants
Zaigham Abbas The World Development Report (WDR) 2019: The Changing Nature of Work studies how the nature of work is changing as a result of advances in technology today. Work is constantly reshaped by technological progress. Dig-ital technology is also changing how people work and the terms on which they work. Pakistan ranks 7th in…
Iran must change its course
Rustam Shah Mohmand The Iranian missile that brought down a Ukranian passenger aircraft and killed 176 people will have far reaching implications for the regime in Tehran, ramifications for Iran’s image and its relations with other countries. After all, shooting down a passenger jet due to “an error of judgment” reflects badly on the systems…
Prospects of a peace deal in Afghanistan
Naila Mahsud After a long delay in the Afghan election results, Ashraf ghani claimed the throne of Afghanistan. Ghani secured the chair at a time his country has entered its most perplexed stage since the Afghan war began in 2001. Trump’s haste to withdraw with or without a deal with the Taliban and stalled peace…
Getting out of FATF Trap
Iqbal Khan Yes! We were pushed into Financial Action Task Force (FATF) trap through an Indo-US conspiracy by circumventing the then in-vogue procedures, and because Saudis ditched us at the eleventh hour. Even then, wailing about it is not likely to come to our rescue. There is need for a multidisciplinary professional approach to unshackle…
Editorial
Vicious circle of circular debt
Contrary to the claims of federal government to have lowered the rate of increase in the piling circular debt from Rs.39 billion to Rs.10 billion per month, its burden is fast rising. Federal minister for Power Division, Umer Ayub Khan had claimed in a press conference two months ago that circular debt is on downward…
UNSC meeting on Kashmir
United Nations Security Council held in camera session to review the human rights situation in the occupied Kashmir. The lock down there has entered the 165th day and 8 million Kashmiris are under siege laid by Indian forces. They are not even allowed by Indian government to say congregational prayers in mosques on Fridays for…
Disaster management
Due to highly vulnerable climate change impact, Pakistan is being hit by natural calamities every year. But the civilian organisations mandated for carrying out rescue and relief operation in the wake of natural disasters lack the capacity and means to perform their role in this regard. Heavy snowfall and multiple avalanches have brought havoc in…
Marriage of inconvenience
Differences between the ruling PTI and its coalition partners appear to have been widened. From the very outset skepticism has been expressed about its being remaining intact keeping in view the well-entrenched culture of making and breaking alliances and coalitions purely for personal political and monetary gains. Horse trading and floor crossing, formation of forward…
Shortage of life saving medicines
People are doubly disadvantaged when lifesaving medicines disappear from the local market because of regulatory bottlenecks in the registration process of Drugs Regulatory Authority of Pakistan. The prices of wide range of such medicines abnormally go up and their non-availability risks the lives of patients who are under treatment in hospitals. According to standard protocol…
Shrinking industrial base
The industrial base of the country which started shrinking in the last PML-N government has gained momentum in present government. In the government interest rates was extremely low and manufacturing sector was getting tax concessions despite the objections of IMF but the stagnation was caused by high electricity tariff, lack of skill development and non-facilitation…
Arts and Literature
64th Children’s Literature Festival to be held in Lahore
F.P. Report LAHORE: The two-day 64th Children’s Literature Festival (CLF) and one-day 7th teacher’s Literature Festival (TLF) will be held on January 21-23, 2020 at the Children Library Complex (CLC), Lahore. CLF was first launched at Lahore in November 2011 at the same venue. The CLF is a flagship program of Idara-e-Taleem-o-Aagahi (ITA) founded by…
Mohenjo Daro: Ancient masterpiece of modern urban planning
Monitoring Desk MOHENJO DARO: Streets running at right angles to each other, well-structured and elegant administrative, residential and industrial units, waste containers, and a covered drainage system are what modern urban planning should offer. It did, but 5,000 years ago. Welcome to Mohenjo Daro. The ancient cosmopolitan city on the banks of the Indus River…
The case for protecting Saudi Arabia’s ancient art of Khawlani coffee production
Monitoring Desk JAZAN: At the southernmost tip of Saudi Arabia, just a few kilometers from the Saudi-Yemeni border, is the verdant region of Jazan, blessed with its rocky mountain tops, green wadis, deep forests, hot springs and boundless fertile land. It is also home to the local Khawlani coffee bean. Although the Arabica coffee bean…
Bedouin event in London highlights challenge of balancing heritage with modernization
Monitoring Desk LONDON: An exhibition celebrating the cultural heritage of the Bedouin people living in Lebanon, Jordan and the Occupied Palestinian Territories opens in London on Wednesday. “Arab Bedouin: No Future Without Past” gives visitors a chance to meet members of the Bedouin community living in the Levant, learn their stories told through art, photography,…
Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbø added to Emirates Literature Fest lineup
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: The Emirates Airline Festival of Literature has announced its latest panel speaker — world-renowned Norwegian crime writer Jo Nesbø. The mind behind the internationally popular Harry Hole detective crime novels will be on hand at the event, which runs from Feb. 4-9. His latest novel, “Knife,” sees the detective given a chance…
30 historical mosques restored across Saudi Arabia
Monitoring Desk RIYADH: The Mohammed bin Salman Project for Developing Historical Mosques has completed its first phase, renovating 30 mosques in 10 Saudi regions at a cost of more than SR50 million ($13 million) over 423 days. This is part of the crown prince’s directive to renovate 130 historical mosques throughout the Kingdom, using Saudi…
