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  • Rafael Nadal posts heartfelt tweet for Roger Federer on retirement from tennis

    Rafael Nadal posts heartfelt tweet for Roger Federer on retirement from tennis

    Along with Novak Djkovic, Roger Federer and Rafa Nadal have battled to become among the best tennis players in the world.

    The 40 meetings between the Swiss and Spanish stars, with Nadal winning most of them and always in the championship rounds of tournaments, did not result in any off-court animosity between them.

    Off the court, Rafa and Roger have a close friendship and respect for one another.

    Because of this, Nadal’s answer to Federer’s retirement announcement on Thursday was especially anticipated, and his written words clearly reflect his true feelings.

    Nadal’s message to Federer:

    “Dear Roger, my friend and rival.”

    “I wish this day had never come. It is a sad day for me personally and for sports around the world.”

    “It has been a pleasure but also an honor and a privilege to share all these years with you, living so many incredible moments on and off the court.”

    “We will have many more moments to share together in the future, there are still many things to do together, we know that.”

    “For now, I really wish you all the happiness with your wife, Mirka, your children, your family and enjoy what lies ahead.”

    “I will see you in London at the Laver Cup.”

    Since July 2021, Roger Federer has not participated in an official match because of injuries that prohibited him from being ready to play in Grand Slam competitions and retire at the top as he had hoped.

    Rafa Nadal has long been a favourite of the Swiss, and one of the last occasions he mentioned the Spaniard was following the most recent Roland Garros.

    “It’s incredible what Rafa has achieved. Pete Sampras’ record, which I beat, was 14 Grand Slam titles, and he already has 22,” he said.

    “Rafa has won Roland Garros 14 times. It’s unbelievable. I’m very happy that he did it. I take my hat off to him.”

    “After the tenth, the eleventh…I was already thinking, ‘This can’t be.’ But he keeps raising the bar. He’s gigantic.”

  • PM Shehbaz uses international platform to plead for action against climate change

    PM Shehbaz uses international platform to plead for action against climate change

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif talked about the ongoing climate change devastation that has been caused by unprecedented floods across Pakistan at Shangai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

    In his speech, the premier stressed that his country’s contribution to the global carbon commission is only 1 per cent. “Our carbon emission is less than one per cent. Yet nature had this in store for us,” Shehbaz Sharif said.

    Moreover, he urged the world to formulate a well-thought-out and sustainable plan to prevent devastating episodes of climate change destruction in the future. “We are going to stand on our own feet but will this be the last time a country is going to fall victim to this devastation”, he asked, as he appealed to the SCO to “build a wall” against the menace of climate change.

    He concluded his speech by reaffirming Pakistan’s “strong and unwavering commitment” to advancing the objectives of the SCO.

    At the international forum, the premier urged the leaders not to ignore Afghanistan at this time.

    He stated that the world would have to work together to support all “good initiatives” in Afghanistan. “It will be a big mistake if we ignore Afghanistan this time around”, he warned.

    Moreover, PM Shehbaz asked the international community to support efforts to build a sustainable Afghan economy. “Unfreezing Afghanistan’s financial assets remains a crucial need in this regard”, he stressed.

    PM Shehbaz meets Chinese President Xi Jinping

    On Friday, PM Shehbaz met Chinese President Xi Jinping at SCO in Uzbekistan.

    In an official statement, the Chinese foreign ministry said that during the meeting, Xi pointed out that China and Pakistan are close neighbours “linked by mountains and rivers and with a shared future”.

    The two countries have all along stood with each other through thick and thin. No matter how the international situation evolves, China and Pakistan are always each other’s trustworthy strategic partners, the statement added.

    President Xi stressed that the two sides must continue to firmly support each other, foster stronger synergy between their development strategies, and harness the role of the Joint Cooperation Committee of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) to ensure smooth construction and operation of major projects.

    On Thursday, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that PM Shehbaz had “very successful” talks with Russian President Putin and Chinese President Xi.

    “Both of them have officially invited Shehbaz Sharif to visit their countries. The prime minister has accepted both invitations. There will be a visit to China in November 2022,” the minister confirmed in a tweet.

    Earlier, it was reported that PM Shehbaz would meet Xi Jinping, the Chinese President. However, no plans have been announced of a meeting between the Pakistani Prime Minister and his Indian counterpart Narendra Modi, who is also attending the SCO.

    Shehbaz Sharif was also scheduled to meet Kazakhstan President Kassym-Jomart Tokayev later in the day.

    On Thursday, the prime minister met with Russian President Vladimir Putin, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iran’s Ebrahim Raisi. He also met with the president of Tajikistan and Kagystan.

    Shehbaz Sharif declared his meetings with the world leaders on Thursday as “productive”.

    “It was a long but productive day in Samarkand. In my meetings with leaders of friendly countries, we agreed on enhancing trade and investment. I explained the flood ravages due to climate change. Food and energy shortages present a real challenge to our shared development agenda,” he tweeted.

    During the meeting with Putin, the Russian president said that pipeline gas supplies to Pakistan are possible, and that part of the necessary infrastructure is already in place.

    After the meeting with Putin, the premier also held a bilateral meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.

    The two leaders held wide-ranging talks covering all aspects of mutually beneficial bilateral cooperation, including regional and international issues.

    Shehbaz Sharif thanked Tajikistan for its support to flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods.

    Since becoming a full member of SCO in 2017, Pakistan has been actively contributing and participating in the activities of the organisation.

  • Reporter asks female footballers why they wear ‘knickers’, Twitter tells him to ‘get a life’

    Reporter asks female footballers why they wear ‘knickers’, Twitter tells him to ‘get a life’

    A Lahore-based reporter is receiving criticism for asking a bizarre question during a media interaction with Pakistan Women Football Team. The interaction was held in Lahore. The video was shared by Sports journalist Muneeb Farrukh.

    The reporter asked the panel why they could not play in leggings instead of shorts.

    Adeel Rizki, the head coach of the Pakistani women’s football team while responding to the question said that one should think progressively when it comes to sports. He added that the issue of uniforms is not in his control.

    The reporter is facing backlash for moral policing female athletes and questioning their choice of dressing.

    Have a look at Twitter reactions:

    The women team footbal team participated in an international event after a gap of 8 years and showed an excellent performance against Maldives (7-0).

  • Pakistani rupee crashes against US dollar for 11th day in a row

    Pakistani rupee crashes against US dollar for 11th day in a row

    For the eleventh session in a row, Pakistan’s rupee has lost value versus the US dollar, falling 0.41 per cent on Friday in the interbank market as the dollar gained momentum throughout the world and investors’ concerns about the increasing trade imbalance intensified.

    The rupee dropped by Rs0.96, according to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), and ended the day at Rs236.84. The rupee has lost Rs18.24, or 7.7 per cent, overall over the last 11 trading sessions against the US dollar.

    In the interbank market on Thursday, the Pakistani rupee declined against the US dollar for the tenth straight session as investors expected funding from allies and foreign creditors. It ended the day down 0.66 per cent at Rs235.88.

    The local currency increased in value last month as a result of Pakistan fulfilling all previous IMF requirements, which allowed the programme to resume. This development enabled Pakistan to receive $1.17 billion under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF).

    The local currency has recently, however, been under intense pressure once more and is currently hovering close to its all-time low as funding anticipated from allies has not yet materialised.

    Additionally, the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) foreign exchange reserves decreased by $176 million, reaching $8.62 billion as of September 9, 2022, according to information made public on Thursday.

    According to the SBP, the nation possessed $14.32 billion in liquid foreign reserves. Commercial banks held $5.7 billion in net foreign reserves.

    Globally, the dollar remained close to recent highs on Friday as Treasury yields rose and the demand for the currency persisted on expectations that the Federal Reserve would need to raise rates further to control inflation.

    The US dollar index, which compares the value of the dollar to a basket of other currencies, increased to Rs109.69, which is not far from its two-decade high of Rs110.79.

    In the meantime, oil prices—a crucial factor in determining currency parity—were largely stable on Friday, but they were headed for a weekly decrease due to worries about sudden interest rate hikes that would likely slow global economic growth and fuel demand.

  • Chinese national arrested for raping teenage girl for months in Islamabad

    Chinese national arrested for raping teenage girl for months in Islamabad

    The girl had filed a complaint against the Chinese national at the Koral police station in the capital.

    According to First Information Report (FIR), the 16-year-old girl is a grade 9 student who has been working as a translator for a Chinese national on a monthly pay of Rs15,000 since May 2021.
    The man raped her for months, threatening her with dire consequences if she resisted.

    The girl became pregnant but did not tell her family. Her elder sister, however, found out and rushed her to a private hospital in F-8, where doctors found her to be over 31 weeks pregnant. Later, the sister approached the police to file a report.

    According to the police, the suspect had been arrested and his passport has also been confiscated.

  • Trouble for IK as ECP imposes fine on him for holding jalsa in Peshawar

    Trouble for IK as ECP imposes fine on him for holding jalsa in Peshawar

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has imposed a fine of Rs.50,000 on Chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister (CM) Mahmood Khan, and other party leaders.

    The fine was imposed on them for violating the code of conduct issued for the upcoming by-elections by participating in a rally in Peshawar despite the commission’s warning.

    On September 6, PTI held a rally in the provincial capital Immediately after Imran’s arrival on stage, YouTube’s access in the country appeared blocked or greatly slowed down.

    Following the violation, District Monitoring Officer (DMO), Peshawar, Shahabuddin, had served notices to Khan, the Chief Minister and others, seeking an explanation. They appeared before the DMO and submitted written replies.

    However, the DMO deemed the reply unsatisfactory and imposed a fine of Rs50,000 on each of the leaders, directing them to deposit the fine to the state exchequer by September 18.

    It is pertinent to mention that a day before the Peshawar rally, the DMO had asked PTI not to attend the rally and warned of legal action.

    Another PTI rally is scheduled to be held in Charsadda on September 17 and for that, the commission sent letters to the KP governor and chief minister asking them not to attend it.

    This is not the first time that a fine has been imposed on PTI leaders. In March, ECP slapped a fine of Rs50,000 on Imran Khan, CM Mahmood Khan, Shah Mahmood Qureshi and others for violating the code of conduct as they all attended a public gathering in Swat on March 16 ahead of the no-confidence motion.

  • How to apply for government jobs in Pakistan

    How to apply for government jobs in Pakistan

    Many Pakistanis prefer working for the government over the private sector since a government job not only offers job stability but also other incentives that encourage people to work for the government.

    People from middle-class households typically favour working in the government. We have addressed the benefits that favour government jobs for career advancement because there are some benefits that the private sector does not provide.

    Here are some advantages of government jobs:

    Working hours

    The benefit of choosing government employment over the private sector is the flexible work schedule. In contrast to positions in the private sector, when employees are occasionally required to work a little bit extra, occupations in the public sector have set working hours. However, in some government agencies, working overtime is required without compensation.

    Job security

    The biggest benefit of working for the government is job stability. And there is no job security in the private sector. In contrast, there is very little chance that any government official will lose his or her job.

    Employees in the private sector are displaced like houseflies because this perk is only available to those working in government sectors.

    Promotions

    Another crucial element in the public sector is the promotional benefit. Promotion in government positions is always contingent on how well and how long you work. However, this can occasionally be both a benefit and a drawback because someone who is above average may not be able to develop as quickly as his typical counterparts.

    Benefits and perks

    Next in the government sector are the perks and rewards. As a result, the government sector offers a wide range of benefits, including pension plans, retirement benefits, health care, housing loans, and childcare, among others. However, several significant private sector enterprises do provide such advantages.

    In the government sector, however, retirement becomes crucial since it guarantees the longevity of a person’s career.

    Read more: Here’s how to use a SIM in a non-PTA approved phone

    Lesser stress

    The government sector, as we’ve seen above, has set working hours. Therefore, these hours will result in reduced work-related stress. The best time frame to finish the work on time and in the best way is offered by government jobs, which is not available in the private sector.

    Respect

    Along with all these advantages, working for the government increases respect. Everyone will treat you with respect if you work for the government because of your authority and position.

    Salary increments

    The other best perk of working for the government is, of course, wage increases. As a result, your compensation will rise without regard to how well you perform. So this is fantastic if you are an average performer.

    These multiple advantages provided by government employment may provide you a competitive advantage over the private sector. A government career is the ideal option, though, if you are considering doing something exceptional in the future and need job fulfilment.

    Where to apply?

    There are currently hundreds of job vacancies on the websites below:

    National Job Portal

    Punjab Jobs Online

    These websites allow interested applicants to submit applications for several Pakistani government job positions. Numerous openings, from entry-level to senior-level ones, are listed on these websites.

    Applying for posts in the following categories is possible: BPS-01, BPS-04, BPS-05, BPS-09, BPS-11, BPS-14, BPS-15, EVP/SEVP, G-1, G-2, G-3, G-4, Grade-10, Grade-11, Grade-12, MP-I, MS-VIII, PPS-10 and PPS-12.

    People who live in Punjab can apply for the most recent positions that the Punjab Government has posted, including those in the departments of planning and development, energy, and health care, by visiting Punjab Jobs Online.

  • Twitter trolls Mohammad Amir for ‘chief selector ki cheap selection’ tweet

    Twitter trolls Mohammad Amir for ‘chief selector ki cheap selection’ tweet

    Pakistan Cricket Board announced the squad for T20I World Cup, England series and tri-series on Thrusday, receiving both praise and criticism from the former cricketers and fans.

    Death overs expert, Shaheen Shah, who was forced to miss Asia Cup because of a knee injury, will be back in action. Former opener, Fakhar Zaman, has been benched because of poor performance in Asia Cup 2022 while Shan Masood has been added to the squad.

    Read here: Pakistan Cricket Board announces squad for T20 World Cup

    After the announcement of the squad, Pakistan former pacer Mohammad Amir took it to twitter and wrote, “chief slector ki cheap selection.”

    Twitteratis did not take kindly to Amir’s criticism.

    People are calling out the fast bowler for match fixing. One tweep wrote, “Cheap are those who sell their country for few dollars.”

    Another user replied, “Match fixing wale b ub lecture dein gay wah,” (Wow, we will now be lectured by match fixers)

    Another one sounded disappointed in Amir’s behaviour. He wrote, “Bro why you being so toxic man, I loved you.”

  • Sindh to fumigate houses of all dengue patients

    Sindh to fumigate houses of all dengue patients

    To combat the spread of dengue in the province, Sindh government has decided to conduct fumigation in the homes of all dengue patients as well as 20 additional homes in their immediate vicinity.

    The plan was finalized at a meeting held on Thursday at the Sindh Secretariat, presided over by Sindh Chief Secretary Dr Muhammad Sohail Rajput. The meeting was held to examine the province’s dengue outbreak response strategy.
    To fight dengue, the Sindh government would hire additional epidemiologists and launch public awareness programmes. Barrister Murtaza Wahab, Administrator of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) said that fumigation would be carried out in locations where several dengue cases had been detected.

    He stated that the KMC had used 30 vehicles to execute the anti-dengue spraying campaign in the city. He stated that the Sindh Health Care Commission’s services have been used to reduce the cost of dengue diagnostic testing. The committee resolved that health specialists from Punjab would be brought in to train doctors and other officials involved in Sindh’s dengue-control campaign.

    The meeting was informed that 4,031 cases of dengue fever had been found in the province since the beginning of the current year, with nine persons dying as a result of the viral disease. In 2021, the province reported 6373 dengue cases.

    Dengue, a viral illness spread by the Aedes Egypti mosquito, is a potentially fatal disease with common symptoms being high-grade fever, body aches and eye pain.