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  • ‘Don’t need permission of any League leader, Nawaz Sharif’s orders are enough’: Ishaq Dar

    ‘Don’t need permission of any League leader, Nawaz Sharif’s orders are enough’: Ishaq Dar

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif’s close aide and former Finance Minister Ishaq Dar confirmed his return to Pakistan in July. He said that he is coming back on the directions of Nawaz and the decision was taken after the consent of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, reports The News.

    “I don’t need the permission of any League leader to return to Pakistan, as Nawaz Sharif’s orders are enough,” he added.

    The former finance minister further revealed that he has received his new passport and his doctor has also given permission to travel. 

    While talking to BBC Urdu on Tuesday, he said that his medical treatment is expected to be completed in the next 10 to 12 days.

    When asked about taking the charge of the finance ministry, Dar said he cannot decide this matter. “My party will decide.”

    Dar confirmed that he will take oath as Senator once he is back in Pakistan.

    It is pertinent to mention that the incumbent finance minister Miftah Ismail is an unelected member and he cannot continue in the office for more than six months. He took charge of the ministry in April.

    When asked by BBC Urdu about the cases against him in Pakistan and his bail, Dar said that he is facing only one “fake case which was filed by [former prime minister] Imran Niazi”.

    The PML-N leader also said that the “baseless” case against him was based on his tax return and added that he always filed his income tax return on time.

    “That is why when Imran Khan’s government approached Interpol to bring me to Pakistan, the documents given to Interpol had no credence, so they gave me a clean chit,” he added.

    Earlier, Samaa News reported that Dar would be back to face his court cases and assume his responsibilities as Senator. After winning the cases, he will decide on joining the federal cabinet.

    In 2017, an accountability court declared Ishaq Dar a proclaimed offender in assets beyond means case.

    Dar has been living in London since 2017 on account of his medical treatment. He has served as a federal minister of finance four times between 1998 and 2017.

    Earlier this year, Dar was re-instated to the Senate by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).

  • Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to restrengthen pledges Chinese delegation leader

    Pak-China relations to re-strengthen, pledges Chinese delegation leader
    Chinese politician and Director of China’s Central Foreign Affairs Commission Yang Jiechi pledged to help re-strengthen Pakistan-China relations as he kickstarted his two-day trip to Islamabad with a meeting with Army Chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday.

    “He assured to play his role for further improvement in diplomatic cooperation with Pakistan at all levels,” said the Inter-services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General (DG) Major-General Babar Iftikhar after the meeting with the army chief at the General Headquarters.

    Yang had a meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday as well. The PM highlighted the significance of Director Yang’s visit in furthering the bilateral relations between the two countries across all domains. In particular, the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) has strengthened the ties between China and Pakistan. The relationship between the two countries would continue to grow and prosper, bringing peace and stability to the region, noted Sharif.

    Yang also met Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.

    “The two sides discussed the entire spectrum of bilateral relations and exchanged views on regional and global issues of mutual interest,” the Foreign Office said in a statement.

    The meetings come at a sensitive time as the Pakistan-China relationship seems to be under strain after the April 26 attacks on three Chinese language teachers in Karachi.

  • Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Shah Mahmood Qureshi and Zardari to be new neighbours?

    Former President Asif Ali Zardari has reportedly bought two bungalows of 14 kanal in one of the elitist areas of Gulberg in Lahore, reports The News.

    According to media reports, discussions to purchase another bungalow of 6 kanal for residential purposes in Lahore are ongoing. This bungalow is situated in front of PPP’s rival Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice Chairman Shah Mahmood Qureshi’s house near Gaddafi Stadium.

    If the deal finalises, Zardari and Qureshi would become neighbours. It is pertinent to mention that Qureshi left PPP in 2011 after almost two decades of serving under the leadership of Benazir Bhutto. Since then, he is on bitter terms with PPP.

    Zardari and his son Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s current residence in Baharia Town in Lahore will be converted into a farmhouse.

    Earlier, the former president hinted at buying a residence in Gulberg so that he can hold more meetings with people, as it gets difficult for people to come to his residence in Bahira Town.

    Stronghold in Punjab

    According to Geo Urdu, Zardari is currently in Islamabad. However, he will later visit Lahore and hold meetings to discuss the political crisis in Punjab.

    Prior to this, the PPP co-chairman claimed that his party will form the next government in the Centre after winning the next general elections.

    “The next government (in the Centre) will be the PPP’s. I promise if I get a chance to return to power, I will turn around Pakistan 110 degrees. The PPP has the capability to help the country negotiate all the challenges,” said Zardari.

    Talking about politics in Punjab, Zardari said, “The PPP has to sacrifice its politics to save Pakistan. I will myself look into the party affairs in Punjab and ensure its revival here.”

    “We will strengthen our party in Punjab and ensure we get our fair share in the province,” he said.

    Criticising former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, Zardari said that the policies of the “anokha laadla” (favourite) had caused price hike and inflation in the country.

    The PPP is currently ruling Sindh, where it is in power for the third time in a row, while it is also a major stakeholder in the incumbent federal government.

  • Samsung starts mass production of advanced 3nm chips

    Samsung starts mass production of advanced 3nm chips

    Samsung Electronics, which is vying with Taiwan’s TSMC for market dominance, declared on Thursday that it had begun mass producing advanced 3-nanometer microchips.

    Before being employed in devices like mobile phones, the new chips will be used in high-performance computer applications. They will be smaller, more powerful, and efficient.

    The first-generation 3nm technology, according to Samsung, “can reduce power consumption by up to 45 per cent, boost performance by 23 per cent, and reduce the area by 16 per cent” when compared to the 5nm process.

    The South Korean company stated last month that it would “push ahead the mass production of chips based on the 3-nanometer technology” with a five-year plan to invest 450 trillion won (US$356 billion).

    Only two businesses, Samsung and Taiwan’s TSMC produce the great majority of the most sophisticated microchips in the world, and both are currently operating at maximum capacity to address a global shortage.

    Although it dominates the memory chip market, Samsung has been unable to keep up with TSMC in the advanced foundry sector.

    According to TrendForce, TSMC holds a majority of the worldwide foundry business with clients like Apple and Qualcomm, while Samsung is in second place with a market share of about 16 per cent.

    As per the company’s 2021 annual report, TSMC intends to start 3-nanometer technology volume production in the second half of this year and 2-nanometer technology development last year.

  • Man gets Covid-19 from cat

    Thailand has reported a case of a human being infected with Covid-19 through a cat. The case was reported in Nature, a science journal.

    As per the study published on June 6 titled “Emerging Infectious Diseases” and cited by the journal, a father and son duo who tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 in August were reportedly kept in isolation at the university hospital. The household cat tested positive as well.

    The cat sneezed in the veterinarian’s face as it was being swabbed. The surgeon had no eye protection but was covered up with gloves and a face mask. Three days later, she developed a fever.

    Genetic testing proved the vet and the cat shared the same variant.

    However, according to researchers, such instances of cat-to-human transfer are quite uncommon.

  • Man disappears after company pays 286 times his salary accidentally

    Man disappears after company pays 286 times his salary accidentally

    A company in Chile accidentally paid one of its employees 286 times his salary in May, after which the employee resigned from the company and disappeared.

    The man worked at Consorcio Industrial de Alimentos (Cial), one of the largest producers of cold cuts in Chile. The company paid nearly Rs37 million to the man although his salary was Rs111,760.

    Soon after the incident, the company realised its mistake. The management reached out to the employee who at the time agreed to get the money refunded.

    However, when the company did not get the amount back, they tried to contact the employee again but their messages were not answered.

    Later, the man got in touch with the management and promised that he would visit the bank.

    However, on June 2, he handed over his resignation and disappeared without any trace.

    Subsequently, the company was forced to take legal action against the man to recover their money.

  • Next army chief appointment after consultation with leaders of coalition parties, says Khurram Dastgir

    Next army chief appointment after consultation with leaders of coalition parties, says Khurram Dastgir

    Federal Minister for Power Khurram Dastgir Khan has revealed that the appointment of the next chief of army staff (COAS) will be made by Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif after consulting leaders of the coalition parties. The consultation process will begin in September.

    “The new army chief will be appointed in November. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, after consulting with other coalition leaders, will decide on the army chief. This consultation will start in September,” said Dastgir.

    “This appointment is not only important for the safety and defence of Pakistan but also necessary for the transparency of the upcoming general elections in 2023,” added Dastgir.

    The new COAS appointment is to take place in November this year.

  • Woman writes 434-meter-long letter to brother after he blocked her on WhatsApp

    Woman writes 434-meter-long letter to brother after he blocked her on WhatsApp

    A woman in India forgot to wish her brother on International Brother’s Day this year, after which he stopped picking up her calls and blocked her on WhatsApp. To make it up to him, she wrote a 434-meter-long letter on billing rolls that weighed more than 5kg. It took her 12 hours to complete the letter.

    “I forgot to wish him. I usually call him or send him a text on Brother’s Day but I forgot this year due to my busy work schedule. I saw he sent me screenshots of all the wishes he received from others. We share a mother-son relationship. I was sad because he stopped talking to me and even blocked me on WhatsApp,” Krishnapriya told the media.

    “We have a seven-year age gap. So he respects me and fears me a little like a mother or a teacher. We are very attached to each other and share a very friendly relationship,” she added.

    “I was hurt and disappointed when she did not wish me on Brother’s Day this year…She must have felt bad about what happened and that is why she wrote the letter. I was very happy when I received it,” said Krishnaprasad, brother of Krishnapriya.

    Krishnapriya thinks that this could be the longest letter ever written and has submitted an application to the Guinness Book of World Records.

  • Tensions rise in India’s Udaipur after murder of Hindu tailor

    Tensions rise in India’s Udaipur after murder of Hindu tailor

    A Hindu tailor was murdered by two Muslim men in Udaipur, India, on June 28. The two men entered the tailor’s shop as customers and then murdered him.

    The man was allegedly killed after he shared a social media post in support of the derogatory remarks made about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma.

    The derogatory comments by Nupur Sharma caused a stir in the Muslim world, inviting condemnation and protest from over 20 Muslim states. There were widespread protests and demonstrations in India, which turned violent in some parts of the country.

    After the murder of the tailor, hundreds of police officials were deployed, and mobile internet was cut off in Udaipur. A partial curfew was also imposed to curb any potential uproar after a video of the attempted beheading of the Hindu tailor went viral.

    Other parts of the Rajasthan state also had their mobile internet access cut off and local authorities issued a month-long ban on four or more people gathering in the state.

    “Both the accused in the killing have been arrested and we will ensure strict punishment and speedy justice,” said Rajashtan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot.