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  • Karachi may face flour shortage this week

    Karachi may face flour shortage this week

    Karachi is experiencing a crisis in flour supply as a disagreement between the flour mills association and the Sindh Food Department shows no sign of abating, ARY has reported.

    The chairman of the association stated that 70 per cent of the city’s flour mills have run out of wheat, accusing Sindh government of not reaching out to them. He added that the remaining 30 per cent of mills have only 3,000 to 4,000 bags of wheat, which is insufficient to meet even 5 per cent of the metropolis’s demand for flour.

    The Chairman of the flour mills association also stated that if wheat is not made available by Tuesday, all flour mills in Karachi will be closed until a new shipment arrives, as almost all mills would have run out of wheat by then.

    The shortage of wheat has led to a flour crisis, according to the head of the Sindh Food Department. The Sindh government had aimed to buy 1.4 million tons of wheat, but despite purchases made since March, the target has not been met. Meanwhile, the Punjab government has already purchased 40 per cent of its required wheat.

    The Sindh Food Department disclosed that the cost of flour in Karachi could rise to Rs200 per kg, as only 10 per cent of the city’s flour supply can be sustained while all flour mills are closed due to the unavailability of wheat to the millers.

  • Throwback: Asif Zardari threatened to replace Naseem Asharaf as chairman PCB, if ban on Shoaib Akhtar not lifted

    Throwback: Asif Zardari threatened to replace Naseem Asharaf as chairman PCB, if ban on Shoaib Akhtar not lifted

    An old interview of former fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar has surfacted on the internet in which he has claimed that former President Asif Zardari helped him to temporarily lift a five-year ban imposed on him by Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    Shoaib Akhtar praised Asif Zardari in the old interiew and recounted how, when he was banned for five years, his friend Faisal Butt took him to meet the former President. According to Akhtar, Zardari then called the Chairman of the Cricket Board, Naseem Ashraf, and said, “Shoaib is our child, he has to play in the IPL. You must lift the ban on him, or else we will install a new chairman.”

    Aakhtar was banned for five years in April 2008 by a disciplinary committee of the PCB for violating the players’ code of conduct. However, the ban was lifted temporarily in May 2008 so that Akhar could play in the Indian Premier League (IPL).

    During the same interview Akhtar stated that after being banned for two years, he called an influential person in Rawalpindi (a Federal Minister) who invited him to his house. However, instead of helping him, the minister did not let Akhtar enter the house and closed the gate.

  • Father kills daughter in the name of honour

    Father kills daughter in the name of honour

    A father has killed his own daughter and her alleged friend in Sindh in the name of honour.

    The police in Jamshoro has arrested two suspects in connection with the incident and a heavy contingent of forces have been deployed in the area to avoid any untoward incident.

    In 2022, a report stated that at least 217 people, including 152 women, have been killed in so-called honour-related crimes across Sindh.

    Hundreds of women are killed each year in Pakistan by family members over perceived loss of “honour”.

    Many human rights activists have raised alarms over the issue and while numerous laws have been passed to prevent honour killing, the numbers continue to get higher which each passing year.

  • PM Shehbaz’s wife attended Fatima Bhutto’s wedding

    PM Shehbaz’s wife attended Fatima Bhutto’s wedding

    First Lady of Pakistan and bestselling author Tehmina Durrani attended former Prime Minister (PM) Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto’s granddaughter Fatima Bhutto’s wedding which took place in Karachi a few days ago.

    While sharing a picture of herself with the newlyweds, Durrani wrote: “Fatima Bhutto and Gibran’s marriage is an important message of simplicity for the entire nation.”

    It is pertinent to mention that the history of ties between the Bhutto family and Tehmina goes way back to the 1970s when she was married to former Punjab Governor Ghulam Mustafa Khar, who was one of Bhutto’s closest confidants. However, after Tehmina got divorced from Khar, she remained in touch with Bhutto’s son Murtaza’s family.

    Fatima Bhutto, who is also a famous writer, got married in an intimate ceremony at her family home in Karachi’s 70 Clifton on April 28, with the simple nuptials held in her grandfather’s library.

  • ‘Look who’s talking’: Twitter has no patience for Salman Khan’s hypocrisy on women’s clothes

    Bollywood star Salman Khan is no stranger to controversy and scandals, but it now seems like the aging lothario has forgotten his past.

    The ‘Kisi Ka Bhai, Kisi Ki Jaan’ actor was speaking at Rajat Sharma’s show ‘Aap Ki Adalat’ where he defended his rule that women on the sets of his films couldn’t wearing plunging necklines. The superstar said that women’s bodies are precious and it was boys who have bad intentions:

    “It’s not a matter of girls, it’s about the boys. The way they look at girls, at your sister, wife or mother, I do not like it. So, I do not want them to go through this.”

    When asked about whether this statement imposes double standards by blaming women for their harassment, the actor responded:

    “There is no double standard in it. I feel that a woman’s body is a lot more precious, the more that is covered, the better, I feel.”

    Twitter users have slammed Khan’s comments as degrading and sexist for blaming women once more for the actions of men.

    Many had to point out that Khan had a lot of skeletons in his closet to go and preach modesty to women, by printing out receipts of the actor’s history of abusing ex-girlfriends.

  • ‘Kabhi petrol bomb phainknay waalon se mazaakraat nahin hotay: Javed Latif calls PTI ‘terrorist’

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Javed Latif, has expressed disapproval of the ongoing talks between the government and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), saying that dialogue should never be held with a “terrorist wing” and the “ones who throw petrol bombs”.

    Addressing a press conference, Latif, who is considered close to PML-N head Nawaz Sharif, went on to say that dialogue could never be held with a person who “is spreading anarchy in the country, especially at a time when Pakistan’s economy is stabilising and the country is progressing without IMF’s aid”.

    He urged “individuals in institutions” to take responsibility for “producing” a person like Imran Khan, Chairman of PTI, and for the consequences of their actions. He also claimed that some people are trying to reinstate the PTI chairman as Prime Minister.

    The PML-N leader said that the elections won’t be held without the participation of his party supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    The third and final round of talks will be held tomorrow. As of yet, no census is in sight.

  • Meta’s AI strategy pays off with Q1 profit of $5.7 billion

    Meta’s AI strategy pays off with Q1 profit of $5.7 billion

    Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, has exceeded expectations by reporting a first quarter profit of $5.7 billion (£4.6 billion), despite a period of job cuts. The success has been attributed to the use of artificial intelligence (AI), which has helped to drive positive results across the business.

    Meta’s total revenue reached $28.6 billion, while the number of monthly Facebook users rose to just under three billion. CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company was becoming more efficient, allowing it to build better products faster and to put itself in a stronger position to deliver its long-term vision.

    He also announced Meta’s intention to commercialize its privately-run generative AI, which can instantly create sentences and graphics, for practical applications such as chat experiences in WhatsApp and Messenger, visual creation tools for Facebook and Instagram posts, and ads. Zuckerberg assured investors that the move would not detract from Meta’s metaverse project, and confirmed that the company planned to release its next Quest VR headset later this year.

    Despite a net loss of $4 billion last quarter in its Reality Labs division, Meta still expects operating losses to increase year over year in 2023. However, the company’s cost-cutting measures have proved successful, with Meta having shed almost a quarter of its global workforce in the past few months.

  • ‘Backbone of our economy’: President, PM Shebaz pay rich tribute to workforce on Labour Day

    ‘Backbone of our economy’: President, PM Shebaz pay rich tribute to workforce on Labour Day

    On Monday, President Dr. Arif Alvi remarked that the observance of this year’s International Labour Day is an opportunity to reaffirm the significance of labour and recognise the brave and heroic struggle of workers to secure their basic rights. He also paid tribute to the workers who fought for their rights with great courage and dedication. The President’s statement emphasizes the importance of upholding the dignity of labor and acknowledging the efforts of workers in achieving their rights.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif in a sperate message stated that ensuring labour rights and providing people with a stake in the system are still significant challenges for the global economy.

    “While we pay rich tributes to the working classes & celebrate their contributions today, the fact is that the disruption in global markets has led to a severe cost of living crisis. Together with increase in commodity prices, the working people find themselves under tremendous stress,” he wrote.
    “The edifice of material development that stands on the foundation of hard work will come crumbling if those who made it possible are excluded from its benefits. Fulfilling the labour rights & making people shareholders in the system remains a fundamental challenge for the global economy,” he added.

  • Washington doc leak says Pakistan doesn’t want to appease West anymore

    Washington doc leak says Pakistan doesn’t want to appease West anymore

    Several documents regarding the declining support of key allied countries to the United States (US) have been leaked, a report published by Washington Post has stated.

    According to one of the leaked documents, Hina Rabbani Khar, Pakistan’s Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, argued in March that her country can “no longer try to maintain a middle ground between China and the United States.”

    In an internal memo she titled “Pakistan’s Difficult Choices,” Khar cautioned that Islamabad should avoid giving the appearance of appeasing the West. She said that in order to preserve Pakistan’s partnership with the United States, the country will be sacrificing the full benefits of a “real strategic” partnership with China.

    According to another leaked document, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s aide ask him to remain neutral in the Ukraine conflict because it could jeopardise the country’s ties with Russia.

    India, likewise, appeared to avoid taking sides between Washington and Moscow during a conversation on February 22 between Indian national security adviser Ajit Kumar Doval and his Russian counterpart, Nikolay Patrushev, another of the leaked documents indicates.

    The leaked documents have surfaced when the US is no longer the unchallenged sole superpower in the world, as its former allies make strategic ties with China and Russia while the Middle East goes through its own course correction as former rivals reconcile with deals brokered by China.

  • Petrol price unchanged, diesel price slashed by Rs5 per litre

    Petrol price unchanged, diesel price slashed by Rs5 per litre

    The federal government has announced a reduction in the price of diesel by Rs5 per litre, effective immediately, while maintaining the price of petrol for the next two weeks.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said that the prices are revised to provide “maximum relief” to the public, following the directives of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. In addition to the decrease in diesel prices, there will be a reduction of Rs10 per litre in the prices of Kerosene oil and Light Diesel Oil (LDO).

    The new prices have been set at Rs282 per litre for petrol, Rs288 per litre for high-speed diesel, Rs176.07 per litre for kerosene oil, and Rs164.68 per litre for light diesel oil. Diesel is widely used in the transport and agriculture sectors, so the price reduction could have a positive impact on inflation and provide some relief to farmers, particularly as the crop-harvesting season is underway.

    However, consumers are already facing high prices, which are especially burdensome for the low-income group who use motorbikes and small cars.

    In its previous fortnightly announcement, the federal government increased the price of petrol by Rs10 and the price of kerosene oil by Rs5.78, citing the increase in petroleum prices in the international market and exchange rate variations as the reason for the increase.