Author: newsdesk

  • Pak-Iran tension will not affect February 8 elections, confirms ECP

    Pak-Iran tension will not affect February 8 elections, confirms ECP

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the caretaker government have said that the border clash between Pakistan and Iran will not affect the upcoming general polls set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    On a question regarding border tensions erupting between Iran and Pakistan, the spokesperson of the ECP affirmed that the upcoming general elections will be held on the announced date.

    “The ECP is busy in preparation for the elections, and there is no proposal or consideration about reviewing the election date because of the Pak-Iran tension.

    “We are working as usual and all set to hold elections on February 8,” he said.

    Caretaker information minister Murtaza Solangi said that elections will be held on time. He said that the Pakistan-Iran tension will not affect the elections and its schedule.

    When asked about the security requirements needed to hold the elections, the information minister said that the government will provide the required security to the ECP for the holding of elections in a peaceful manner. “There is now no backstepping from general elections on the announced date,” assured the minister.

  • LUMS student jumps off from 10th floor in Defence

    A 20-years-old man jumped from the tenth floor of a building in Defence B area of Lahore, killing himself instantly.

    Syed Musa was part of a group of about 20 boys and girls who were partying in a flat. Musa may have jumped in a state of intoxication, reports PNN.

    According to 24 Channel, Syed Musa had a fight with a girl during the party and then he jumped off from the fifth storey of a flat in a residential building, located at Penta Square in Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Phase 5 in Lahore. The disagreement escalated and in the heat of the argument, Syed Musa dashed towards the balcony and jumped off from the fifth floor.

    However, Express Tribune reported that whether it was an accident, murder, or a suicide, it is unclear. Musa’s father has registered a case of murder with the police.

    Syed Musa was a resident of Islamabad but was a student of B.Sc in Lahore’s LUMS University.

    Police have detained all the participants in the party and started an investigation.

  • American man asks for beer money, gets million dollars

    Daily Live Show host Ronny Chieng has shared a story of a man who in his words “went viral for the dumbest thing possible,” calling it a King Controversy.

    Carson King attended ESPN’s college game day carrying a poster “Busch Light Supply needs replenished”. He even added his original Venmo account title under the text. King thought this to be a joke that would attract a few laughs or even a little money. He was surprised when the money started pouring in as a huge number people sent him money. He eventually raised more than a million dollars in his account.

    King told the Daily Show that the episode started as a joke but then people from different states started sending him money.

    Ronny jokes that the man got a million dollars for beer and all he did was hold up a sign. “He did it on TV and he is a hero.” Had he (Ronny) asked for money like this, he would have been called a bank robber, implying how Asians are stereotyped in America.

  • Sindh High Court allows Zulfiqar Mirza, Fahmida Mirza to contest elections

    Sindh High Court allows Zulfiqar Mirza, Fahmida Mirza to contest elections

    The Sindh High Court has on Thursday allowed former interior minister Zulfiqar Mirza and his wife, former Speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Fahmida Mirza to contest the general elections.

    The Court heard the constitutional petitions filed against the rejection of the couple’s nomination papers.

    Fahmida Mirza and Zulfiqar Mirza submitted nomination papers from National Assembly Constituency NA 223, while Zulfiqar Mirza also submitted papers from PS 70, 71, and 72.

    Both nomination papers were rejected by the returning officers, and an election tribunal accused them of being bank defaulters.

    However, the Sindh High Court approved the constitutional petitions of both candidates and allowed them to contest the elections.

  • Pakistan team announced playing XI for fourth T20 against New Zealand

    Pakistan team announced playing XI for fourth T20 against New Zealand

    The Pakistan playing XI has been announced for the fourth match of the series of five T20 matches between Pakistan and New Zealand.

    Sahibzada Farhan has been included in the playing XI of the national team for the fourth T20 match in Christchurch today, replacing Azam Khan.

    New Zealand has defeated Pakistan in three consecutive T20 matches to take a decisive lead in the series.

  • Pakistan’s forex reserves witness a dip of $127 million

    Pakistan’s forex reserves witness a dip of $127 million

    In a recent report, it was revealed that the foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) experienced a decline of $127 million during the week ending January 12, settling at $8.03 billion.

    The country’s total liquid foreign reserves, including those held by commercial banks, amounted to $13.15 billion. Specifically, commercial banks held net foreign reserves of $5.12 billion.

    The SBP attributed the reduction in reserves to debt repayments, stating, “During the week ending on January 12, 2024, the SBP’s reserves decreased by US$ 127 million to US$ 8,027.4 million due to debt repayments.”

    Notably, the previous week had also seen a decrease in Pakistan’s central bank reserves, amounting to $66 million.

    In a significant development, Pakistan received a tranche of $705.6 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF), as confirmed in a statement by the SBP on Wednesday.

    The central bank stated, “The SBP has received SDR 528 million (equivalent to $705.6 million) on January 16, 2024, from the IMF following the successful completion of the first review by the Executive Board of the IMF under Standby Arrangement (SBA).”

    The impact of this disbursement will be reflected in the central bank reserves for the week ending January 19.

  • World must be ready to fight ‘disease X’ : WHO

    World must be ready to fight ‘disease X’ : WHO

    Director General of the World Health Organization (WHO) Dr. Tedros Adhanom has said that Disease X is a global problem that we need to be prepared for.

    Addressing the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, the WHO head talked the next possible global epidemic, dubbed Disease X.

    The name was first added to the WHO list in 2018, before the emergence of Covid-19.

    Dr. Tedros Adhanom said, “You can call Covid the first Disease X and it may happen again in the future.”

    He acknowledged that some people will say that such a warning will spread fear, but pointed out that it is better to be prepared for everything because it has happened many times in our history and now we have to start preparing for the next epidemic.

    Dr. Tedros said that the world learned from the Covid epidemic how to deal with the next epidemic.

    WHO discussed plans for a global agreement to prevent future pandemics in 2021.

    The head of the WHO said in Davos that the agreement to prevent epidemics will be the most important to protect the world from future epidemics. So far, many countries could not agree on the terms of this agreement.

    Dr. Tedros Adhanom stated that the negotiations between the member states are going on and WHO expects the agreement to be reached in time. “If our generation does not do it, we do not think the next generation will do it. Because this is about a common enemy and without a shared response, starting from the preparedness … we will face the same problem as COVID,” added the WHO chief.

    Reminding his audience that the deadline for the pandemic agreement is May 2024, he said that he hopes countries will reach this pandemic agreement by that time.

    He went on to say that if this generation who has first-hand experienced a pandemic cannot do it, he does not think the next generation will be able to do so.

    “So for our children and grandchildren’s sake, … we have to prepare the world for the future,” added Ghebreyesus.

  • PKR’s winning streak continues with uninterrupted gains against US dollar

    PKR’s winning streak continues with uninterrupted gains against US dollar

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) demonstrated consecutive gains against the US dollar, appreciating by 0.04 per cent in the inter-bank market on Thursday, closing at Rs279.98, marking a gain of Re0.12 against the greenback, as reported by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP).

    This follows a gain on Wednesday, when the rupee settled at Rs280.1 against the US dollar.

    Wednesday witnessed several positive economic developments on the local front.

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) extended the rollover of its $2 billion deposits with Pakistan for an additional year, providing crucial support to the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

    Concurrently, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) disbursed a $705 million loan tranche to Pakistan, as confirmed by the SBP.

    In response to Pakistan’s request last week, the UAE’s commitment to rollover the $2 billion in deposits aims to prevent a depletion in the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

  • Murad Saeed is not contesting elections this year

    Murad Saeed is not contesting elections this year

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Murad Saeed withdrew from the general elections 2024 on Thursday.

    During the hearing of the petition filed against his nomination papers in the Peshawar High Court (PHC), Murad Saeed’s lawyer told the court that he had returned the ticket and he was not participating in the elections.

    The Peshawar High Court bench, comprising Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim, Justice Aijaz Anwar, and Justice Sahibzada Asadullah, entertained a plea regarding the rejection of Murad Saeed’s nomination papers and subsequently rendered its decision.

    However, it was revealed during the proceedings that the petitioner had withdrawn the application, informing the court that the ticket had been voluntarily returned.

    On Wednesday, the bench reserved its decision on the petition against the rejection of the PTI leader’s nomination papers.

    Justice Ishtiaq Ibrahim remarked in yesterday’s hearing regarding what the law says when a person is declared a fugitive and does not surrender before the law.

    When a person does not appear in front of the law, how can the papers be approved, he will be elected again and legislate, he asked.

    The Advocate General said in his arguments that when a person becomes a fugitive, he loses some basic rights and he has no right to vote or contest election.

    The court stated in its remarks that, “It will then be used as a weapon to prevent anyone from the election”.

    While reserving the decision on Murad Saeed’s appeal, the court declared the documents of Shehram Tarkai and Atif Khan to be correct in this regard.

    A three-member bench of PHC upheld the decision of the Election Tribunal and rejected the petitions against the approval of Shahram Tarkai and Atif Khan’s papers.

  • Faysal Quraishi wants Pakistani women to cook this dish on Feb 8

    Faysal Quraishi wants Pakistani women to cook this dish on Feb 8

    Faysal Quraishi has a special request for Pakistani women and it involves the one dish we all love. In an Instagram story discussing the upcoming 2024 elections, he asked women to cook biryani on February 8, the day the country goes to vote.

    “I have a humble request to Pakistani mothers and sisters to definitely cook biryani at home on February 8 so that your husband, brother, son do not stake the future of future generations on a plate of biryani.”
    The actor added a joined-hands emoji and used the hashtag ‘Silent Message.’
    The Insta story shared by the actor took social media by storm, generating equal amounts of praise and revulsion.

    According to some users, the actor has spoken very well, while some users say that those who vote for a plate of biryani are so depressed that they cannot afford even a plate of biryani in their daily life.