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  • Ishaq Dar says Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves will strengthen soon

    Ishaq Dar says Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves will strengthen soon

    Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, which currently stand at $10 billion, will strengthen very soon, according to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

    Dar recalled the economic achievements made by the PML-N government from 2013 to 2018, saying that during that time, the GDP of the nation increased from $244 billion to $356 billion.

    He said, “Pakistan reserves stood at a total of $10 billion — $4 billion of the State Bank of Pakistan and $6 billion of commercial banks. Pakistan is repaying its loans on time, and the foreign exchange reserves will soon boost.”

    The finance minister announced that an IMF group would soon be in the nation and that he would be seeing IMF representatives at the Geneva summit.

    The coalition administration plans to seek money at the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan on January 9 in Geneva, Switzerland, in order to recover from the disastrous floods.

    Dar informed the media outlet that he will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a three-day official tour after his visit to Geneva comes to an end.

    “Funds from Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries will soon be received,” the finance minister said, who told journalists earlier this week that he expects inflows from China “in a few days.”

  • Woman gang-raped in Lahore during job interview

    A woman in Lahore was gang-raped after being lured for a job, ARY has reported. The culprits recorded videos of the immoral act to blackmail the victim.

    Details indicate that a first information report (FIR) has been filed at the Gujjar Pura Police Station under the provisions of kidnapping and sexual assault.
    The FIR has been registered on the complaint of the rape survivor.

    The woman said in the FIR that the defendant, Khalil, had invited her to travel to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital for a meeting and had given her a job.

    As soon as she arrived, the suspect led her to a house where he and two other accomplices forced her into a room and raped her on gun point.

    In the FIR, the woman alleged that the suspect had also videotaped the immoral behaviour and had told her not to call the police.

    The woman in the FIR said that Khalil, the prime suspect, befriended her on social media and introduced himself as the manager of a medicine company.
    Police are investigating the case.

  • ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    American actor Noah Schnapp, who plays the closeted gay teenager Will Byers on Netflix’s Stranger Things, has come out as gay.

    In a video posted to his TikTok account on Thursday, the 18-year-old actor wrote, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know’” — over Schnapp lip-syncing to an audio clip from a different TikTok of someone saying, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, will never be that serious.”

    In the caption to his TikTok video, Schnapp wrote, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.” In July, following the debut of the final two episodes of the fourth season of “Stranger Things,” Schnapp confirmed to Variety for the first time that Will Byers is gay and in love with his best friend Mike (Finn Wolfhard).

    Stranger Things' star Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    “It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends?” Schnapp said. “Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.”

    Will’s sexuality had been an open question since the first episode of “Stranger Things.” However, Schnapp had always deflected questions about the character’s identity, noting that the character was still “up to the audience’s interpretation.” In his July interview with Variety, Schnapp said that he wasn’t entirely sure what “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer had in mind for Will, and once he did, he didn’t want to spoil the way the show revealed the character’s journey in Season 4.

    “I think it is done so beautifully because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay,” Schnapp said. “People have come up to me — I was just in Paris and this, like, a 40-year-old man came up to me and he was like, ‘Wow, this Will character made me feel so good. And I related to it so much. That is exactly who I was when I was a kid.’ That just made me so happy to hear. They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle and they’re doing it so well.”

    Millie Bobby Brown's Boyfriend Knows She's 'in Love' With Noah Schnapp

    When Variety asked Schnapp about how he navigated the attention on Will’s sexuality while he was also still figuring himself out, the actor pointed to all the tribulations the character has faced over the course of the series.

    “I think it’s all just part of the challenge of acting,” he said. “This isn’t just a single layer thing of he’s struggling with coming out. It’s this multifaceted trauma that goes years back, because he was taken by the Demogorgon and then his friends, they never acknowledged him, and now he’s scared to come out and doesn’t know if they’ll accept him.”

    Netflix and the Duffers have announced that Season 5 of Stranger Things will conclude the show, but there is no confirmation yet when production will begin on the season, let alone when it would debut.

  • Gen Bajwa makes appearance at Gen Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding

    Gen Bajwa makes appearance at Gen Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding

    Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa attended his former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding on Saturday.

    The wedding was attended by many prominent personalities and politicians such as former director general Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the current Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza along with other famous names.

    Faiz Hameed had filed an application to seek early retirement from the army days after the federal government appointed Gen Asim Munir as the new army chief in November 2022.

    Meanwhile, Gen (retd) Bajwa retired from his post on November 29, 2022, after serving six years in office.

  • Yes, Adil Raja needed to apologise

    Yes, Adil Raja needed to apologise

    Every now and then we sit and wonder: why are women easy and soft targets for hate, abuse and criticism? What is it in our society that allows men to slander and defame women without any consequences?

    Recently, Youtuber Adil Raja claimed that some Pakistani actresses and models were working in cahoots with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI chief General Faiz Hameed to trap politicians. Although he shared the initials of the actresses instead of full names, it became obvious to netizens who he was referring to. Soon after his vlog surfaced online, a large number of social media users were seen spreading a collage of pictures featuring Mehwish Hayat, Mahira Khan, Kubra Khan, and Sajal Aly.

    Pakistan’s political rivalries have often played out by powerful men maligning innocent women to humiliate their opponents. The narratives almost always invoke charges of immoral behaviour between men and women who are well-known enough to generate intrigue and scandal. This case was no different. Do we ever use initials of men in the industry to malign someone? Has anyone ever done any moral policing on men? Are names of Pakistani actors and models dragged similarly as our women for revenge tactics and cheap fame? No, because people think twice before dragging a man’s name. Women aren’t and will not be dummy objects to be dragged and slandered in the present day tug-of-war for more likes, shares and subscription on a YouTube channel or for social media fame.

    There is no doubt that the system is rigged against women and partial towards men. Women are almost always accused of inviting the attacks on themselves by virtue of the fact that they are women. Will the system for once rise up to the promises and practice the same levels as it does for its men. Though the men of the film industry took a stand for the women and what was even more heartening to see was these women standing for themselves and rising up because they had to for the protection of their name, respect and the hard work they had put in. Unfortunately, in Pakistan, defamation laws are toothless, and it take years for people to clear their names.

    We hope that from onwards, the so-called keyboard warriors think twice before defaming a woman, think twice as hard before trying to disrespect a woman. Women aren’t soft targets; men need to learn to get their two cents of fame on their own and not misuse women’s names.

  • Saudi Arabia to change marriage law to allow Ronaldo to live with partner without marriage

    Saudi Arabia to change marriage law to allow Ronaldo to live with partner without marriage

    Saudi Arabia is set to amend its marriage law to allow Cristiano Ronaldo to live with his partner, Georgina Rodriguez without marriage, Spanish media has reported.

    Saudi Arabia marriage law prohibits couples that are not married from living together . According to Daily Mail, Ronaldo is already living with his spouse and may not be sanctioned by laws.

    ”The Saudi Arabian authorities, today, do not interfere in this matter [in the case of foreigners], but the law continues to prohibit cohabitation outside of marriage,” wrote Daily mail while quoting a law practitioner.

    The 37-year-old Portuguese forward joined Al-Nassr and became the highest paid footballer in December 2022 following a mutual termination of his contract with the Premier League side Manchester United.

  • Nearing default and lying about phone calls? Not good Pakistan, says IMF

    Nearing default and lying about phone calls? Not good Pakistan, says IMF

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) stated on Sunday that Managing Director Kristalina Georgieva and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif spoke on the latter’s request, a claim that suggests Islamabad has continued to engage in politics while being on the verge of default.

    “The call took place in response to a request by the Prime Minister of Pakistan to discuss the International Conference on resilient Pakistan,” Esther Perez, the resident representative of the IMF told The Express Tribune.

    On Friday, the PM’s office issued an official handout stating that “the IMF managing director phoned premier Shehbaz on the phone” following his address at the Hazara Electric Supply Company’s (HAZECO) inaugural ceremony. The PM had also stated in his address that the managing director of the Fund had called him.

    As the country makes dubious claims of strength and has just $4.5 billion in foreign exchange reserves, it appears that the administration is still not ready to change its ways.

    Only three weeks’ worth of imports may be covered using the remaining funds. Pakistan has paid back $8.5 billion in debt during the past three months (January through March). Included in this is a $2 billion loan to the UAE for which the government is attempting to obtain a rollover.

    Given the long-standing animosity between the two parties, such factually erroneous claims might make it harder for Pakistan to persuade the IMF.

    Due to its propensity to make pledges while receiving a loan tranche but then break them after the tranche has been released, the country has had a rough history with the IMF. This has led to a significant gap.

    A spokesperson of the IMF in a statement to the media also said that “the Managing Director had a constructive call with Prime Minister Sharif in the context of the International Conference on Resilient Pakistan to be held in Geneva on Monday, January 9.”

    The MD once more conveyed her sympathies to those who were directly impacted by the floods, and it was also said that she backed Pakistan’s attempts to create a more robust recovery.

    Additionally, the PM asserted on Friday that an IMF delegation will visit Pakistan in a matter of two to three days.

    “I asked her to send an IMF team for the completion of the pending 9th review of the programme so that the next loan tranche is released. She assured that the mission will visit [Pakistan] in the next two to three days,” Shehbaz had said.

    However, in its statement to the media, the IMF spokesperson said that the IMF “delegation is expected to meet with Finance Minister Ishaq Dar on the sidelines of the Geneva conference to discuss outstanding issues and the path forward”.

    The self-claimed deadline, which ends on Monday, for the 9th review mission’s arrival in Pakistan was not mentioned in the statement.

    On Saturday, it was revealed that due to significant debt repayments, Pakistan’s official foreign exchange reserves have for the first time dropped to a perilous level of $4.5 billion.

    The sources in the finance ministry also stated that no dates for the IMF review mission had been decided upon as of the PM’s address.

    Additionally, the prime minister said that Georgieva had asked if Saudi Arabia and China were aiding Pakistan.

    After thereafter, Pakistan’s interior minister Rana Sanullah said that even foreign countries won’t assist without the IMF’s protection.

    “If we back out from these [IMF] conditionalities, then our economic survival will become next to impossible and even our friendly countries cannot extend financial help to us,” Sanaullah had said in Faisalabad.

    The interior minister had said that if the current administration tried to adhere to the strict requirements of the IMF, inflation would soar, prices would soar, and the economy would suffer.

    Since the 9th review negotiations between Islamabad and the Fund have not concluded as of yet, a $1.1 billion loan tranche has been withheld.

    In order for the World Bank and the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) to disburse their funds, Pakistan is eager to finish the ninth review.

    Disagreements about import restrictions, currency rate regulations, demands for the imposition of more taxes, and raising energy costs to pay off over Rs500 billion in circular debts have caused the discussions to be postponed.

  • WHO report reveals smoking causes 166,000 deaths every year in Pakistan

    WHO report reveals smoking causes 166,000 deaths every year in Pakistan

    In Pakistan, smoking contributes to around 166,000 deaths annually, of which 31,000 are caused by passive smoking.

    The World Health Organization predicts that this figure won’t go down considerably in the upcoming years despite health warnings, quitting initiatives, and expanded tobacco control measures. These combustible cigarettes not only endanger the environment but also the human body.

    The industry’s carbon footprint from the manufacture, processing, and transportation of tobacco is comparable to one-fifth of the CO2 produced by the commercial aircraft industry each year, according to the WHO study “Tobacco: Poisoning our world,” which furthers the effects of global warming.

    According to Brecorder, the ultimate objective to completely remove the hazards of climate change, according to experts, is to stop smoking, but doing so can be challenging and come with a risk of relapse. Scientists across the world have been researching for years to develop possibly less dangerous substitutes that smokers can switch to as their initial step to stop smoking.

    They said that countries like Japan, US, UK, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland took it upon themselves to lower these numbers and by legalizing and funding research towards HTPs and adopting Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR) strategies. The results have been very promising as most of these countries saw a sharp decline in the number of smokers and the risks associated with it.

  • ‘Beloved, lover’: Mohib Mirza breaks silence on his alleged relationship with Sanam Saeed

    ‘Beloved, lover’: Mohib Mirza breaks silence on his alleged relationship with Sanam Saeed

    Actor Mohib Mirza opened up about his past struggles, his fallout with his former wife Aamina Sheikh, his daughter, and his new life with Sanam Saeed for the very first time.

    The Neeli Zinda Hai star appeared on a podcast with Munib Nawaz, his childhood friend and fashion designer, with whom he discussed all the possible things he could’ve done differently, including his life when he started out, personal relationships, his vulnerabilities, the importance of voicing insecurities, his experience with filmmaking and counting his blessings.

    The host asked Mirza if the life he has was once a goal, such as making films or reaching a milestone like the Oscars. Mirza said, “I don’t think I had a specific image in mind. But some small elements from it were my goals. The rest you know every single day we’re evolving and it [our brain] is like an open sea, desires and wishes never seem to end. Just like that, whatever I manifested and dreamt of deserves to come true, be it the good things you want or the fear that you end up manifesting. The rest, if I have to say, I’ve been blessed with what I was and have been given, not just the fame but also got to work with the kind of stuff I always wanted to do.”

    When asked about the fears that he manifested, Mirza said as a professional actor it would be falling behind time and not being able to meet deadlines to finish certain tasks. On a personal note, when he was asked about his younger self and his goals, Mirza opened up about his past relationship with Aamina Sheikh.

    “When I met Aamina, my focus was ‘she’s the one’ and I was in love with her and then came marriage and all the other things after that, as they should. We had a great, great partnership and everything was going fine, we had a daughter and after that we started to grow differently,” he said.

    “I had never imagined that things wouldn’t work out between us. Eventually, I came to realise, it happens with everybody and those who say it doesn’t, are just talking rubbish. I was with her for 12 to 13 years in a marriage and we had a falling out afterwards. It wasn’t our partnership that was the issue but the things that we did in our daily life related to work. Like, for example, if I’m in Skardu for 90 days and I’m filming Dukhtar, so what I learnt at that time spiritually and emotionally and the direction I grew towards, we didn’t align.”

    Talking about his daughter, Mirza shared that he hasn’t seen her in five years and it was a conscious decision on Sheikh’s part. When asked what was the most difficult thing he has experienced, the actor said it’s the time away from his daughter. “I don’t want a grown kid who, because of me or examples we see on social media, goes through what we see online. I’ve worked enough and with the common sense I have, what happens on social media, it’s better if the kid grows older and understands things on her own and if not then it’s very unfortunate,” he said on a lesson he has learned.

    Then came a discussion about his current love life. Nawaz asked Mirza about how he met Saeed. “Sanam means beloved, and Mohib means the one who gives love. I don’t think I have to say anything else,” he said.

    Mohib Mirza, Sanam Saeed's latest picture sends rumour mills buzzing

    “It’s not easy for either of us to give it another try. Especially if you realise the ‘one more time’ factor, if you want to start a new chapter then [that’s what] you want to do this time. Correction is for those who want to correct things, those who understand the value of relationships and want to understand it. Not someone who never accepts their mistakes and finds themselves right in every situation.”

    Saeed also gave a small glimpse of her new relationship in her 2022 rewind video on Instagram that featured vacation pictures with Mirza and intimate moments with her family.

    On the work front, Saeed and Mirza were last seen together in feature film Ishrat Made in China.

    Mohib Mirza professes his love for Sanam Saeed
  • Suhana Khan finds love in Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson?

    Suhana Khan finds love in Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson?

    Indian media is abuzz that Shah Rukh Khan’s daughter Suhana Khan and Amitabh Bachchan’s grandson Agastya Nanda are the new lovebirds in the town.

    Suhana and Agastya, who met on the sets of The Archies, have been spending some quality time together before they make it official. Well, after seeing Suhana attending annual Kapoor Christmas lunch, we can totally connect the dots now.

    A source close to the rumoured hot couple revealed to Hindustan Times, “They would spend a lot of time together and were not even trying to hide their bond. While they don’t plan to make it official yet, most people in the production house learned about their bond in August 2022,” the source says, adding that Agastya’s mum, Shweta Bachchan, “loves” Suhana and “approves of the relationship”.

    Not only that, the source also revealed Agastya has even introduced Suhana Khan as his ‘partner; to all the family members.