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  • Turkiye airport workers refuse to refuel Israeli airplane

    Turkiye airport workers refuse to refuel Israeli airplane

    Israel’s national carrier, El Al, said Sunday that its Warsaw to Tel Aviv flight was not allowed to refuel at Antalya airport after making an emergency landing to evacuate a passenger for medical reasons.

    Turkish workers at Antalya airport refused to refuel flight LY5102 before it could take off for Israel, El Al said in a statement.

    “Local workers refused to refuel the company’s plane even though it was a medical case,” it said, adding that the passenger was evacuated.

    The plane then took off to Rhodes in Greece, where “it will refuel before taking off to Israel”, the airline said.

    Relations between Turkey and Israel have deteriorated since October 7, with all direct flights between the two countries cancelled since.

    Turkish diplomatic sources confirmed the plane was allowed to make an emergency landing to evacuate a sick passenger.

    “Fuel was to be provided to the plane due to humanitarian considerations, but as the relevant procedure was about to be completed, the captain decided to leave of his own accord,” a Turkish diplomatic source said.

    Israeli newspaper The Times of Israel said the plane was on the tarmac at Antalya for several hours before it took off for Rhodes.

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has been a vocal critic of Israel’s blistering military operations in Gaza and has often expressed support for Hamas as defenders of their homeland.

    Israel’s retaliatory military offensive has killed at least 37,877 people in Gaza, also mostly civilians, according to the health ministry in Gaza.

  • Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Ali Abbas wants 18+ age limit, ID verification for social media

    Pakistan is going through huge regulations, with Twitter/X banned by the government and talks of a firewall underway in the country. 
    Recently, actor Ali Abbas appeared as a guest on the ‘FHM Podcast’ where he talked about the urgent need for regulations on social media.
    Ali Abbas said, “There should be an age limit of 18 years enforced and monitored, with users required to verify their identity using an ID card or passport before opening an account. The younger generation is losing their way, influenced by inappropriate content they encounter online.”

  • Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Khan’s release not possible under current PTI leadership, says Fawad Chaudhry

    Former leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), Fawad Chaudhry, has criticized the party’s current heads, stating that there is no possibility of incarcerated former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s release in the presence of the current leadership, Geo News reported on Sunday.

    “[Due to] lack of political strategy of current PTI leadership, all of us are suffering,” said the former vice president of the party, who left PTI after the May 9 events.

    He also replied to criticism that those who left Imran Khan during a difficult time have started speaking up for him now that the draught period has passed.

    “Tough times have not ended for the jailed former premier and other PTI leaders. Yasmin Rashid, Ejaz Chaudhry and others are still behind bars and going through a difficult time,” Fawad Chaudhry said.

     “Some people start their journey from Peshawar and return after staging a rally in Lahore,” he remarked.

  • Euro Cup: England defeats Slovakia by 2-1

    Euro Cup: England defeats Slovakia by 2-1

    In the Euro Cup 2024, England reached the quarter-finals with a dramatic win over Slovakia. In the round of 16, the English team defeated Slovakia by 2-1.

    In the first half of the match, Slovakia’s Ivan Shrins took the lead by scoring in the 25th minute, while the England team could not score any goals.

    Despite several attacks in the second half, England could not get any success, but in the extra time, Jude Billingham scored in the 90th minute of the match and Harry Kane scored in the 91st minute to give England victory.

    In the second match of the event, Spain easily defeated Georgia by 4 goals to 1.

  • Economic stability in Pakistan has revived trust of international bodies: Finance Minister

    Economic stability in Pakistan has revived trust of international bodies: Finance Minister

    Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb has stated that Pakistan’s economic stability has restored the trust of international institutions.

    Speaking at a press conference in Islamabad, Aurangzeb highlighted the significant improvement in the country’s economy, attributing this success to the government’s prudent economic policies.

    He emphasised that these policies would lead to sustainable economic stability.

    Aurangzeb reaffirmed the government’s commitment to digitising the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to enhance transparency and eliminate corruption. He stressed the importance of minimising human intervention to make the FBR system free from malpractices.

    The minister noted that efforts are underway to bring retailers into the tax net, with 42,000 retailers already registered. He pledged to raise the tax-to-GDP ratio to 13 per cent within the next three years through pragmatic reforms across various sectors of the economy.

    Aurangzeb’s remarks came shortly after the government passed the Federal Budget 2024-25 in the National Assembly, ahead of critical discussions with the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

    The budget, which included specific amendments, further increased taxes without offering relief to taxpayers.

  • Temporary relief ends as govt raises petrol price by Rs7.45 to Rs265.61 per litre

    Temporary relief ends as govt raises petrol price by Rs7.45 to Rs265.61 per litre

    In a significant development, the federal government announced on Sunday an increase in the prices of petrol and high-speed diesel (HSD), effective from July 1, 2024.

    The price of petrol has been raised by Rs7.45, bringing the new rate to Rs265.61 per litre. Meanwhile, the price of HSD has surged by Rs9.56 per litre, setting the new price at Rs277.45.

    This price adjustment follows the previous review in which the government had reduced the petrol price by Rs10.2 per litre and the diesel price by Rs2.33 per litre.

    The latest increase aligns with the government’s earlier projections, which had indicated a potential rise of Rs7.54 per litre for petrol and Rs9.84 per litre for HSD, based on prevailing government taxes and the profit margins for oil marketing companies (OMCs).

  • Pakistan’s Hamza Khan wins Asian Junior Squash Championship

    Pakistan’s Hamza Khan wins Asian Junior Squash Championship

    Pakistan’s Hamza Khan won the Asian Junior Squash Championship in Islamabad. The exciting event saw young talents from across Asia compete fiercely for the title with Hamza Khan emerging victorious in the Under-19 category. In the final of U-19, Hamza Khan faced third seed Haris Daniyal of Malaysia.

    Hamza dominated the court in the 35-minute match and won comfortably with scores of 11-5, 12-10 and 11-9.

  • Iran warns Israel of ‘obliterating’ war if Lebanon attacked

    Iran warns Israel of ‘obliterating’ war if Lebanon attacked

    Iran on Saturday warned that “all Resistance Fronts”, a grouping of Iran and its regional allies, would confront Israel if it attacks Lebanon.

    The comment from Iran’s mission to New York comes with fears of a wider regional war involving Israel and Lebanon’s Hezbollah movement. The two sides have engaged in near-daily exchanges of fire since the genocide in Gaza began.

    Such exchanges have escalated this month, alongside bellicose rhetoric from both sides. Israel’s military said plans for a Lebanon offensive had been “approved and validated”, prompting Hezbollah to respond that none of Israel would be spared in a full-blown conflict.

    In a post on social media platform X, the Iranian mission said it “deems as psychological warfare the Zionist regime’s propaganda about intending to attack Lebanon”.

    But, it added, “should it embark on full-scale military aggression, an obliterating war will ensue. All options, incl. the full involvement of all Resistance Fronts, are on the table.”

    Alongside Hezbollah’s attacks on northern Israel, Houthi rebels in Yemen have repeatedly struck commercial ships in the Red Sea area in what they say are acts of solidarity with the Palestinians.

    The Islamic Republic of Iran has not recognised Israel since the 1979 revolution that toppled Iran’s United States-backed Shah.

    Fears of regional war also soared in April, after an air strike that levelled Iran’s consulate in Damascus and killed seven Revolutionary Guards, two of them generals.

    Iran hit back with an unprecedented drone and missile attack on Israel on April 13-14.

    Iran’s state media later reported explosions in the central province of Isfahan as US media quoted American officials saying Israel had carried out retaliatory strikes on its arch-rival.

    Tehran downplayed the reported Israeli raid.

  • Virat Kohli is retiring from T20 cricket

    Virat Kohli is retiring from T20 cricket

    Former Indian cricket team captain Virat Kohli has announced his retirement from T20 cricket.

    After a sensational match, India defeated South Africa and became the T20 world champion once again.

    Speaking after the match, Virat Kohli announced his retirement from T20. He said that today was the last T20 World Cup and today’s final was the last match for India.

    Kohli was declared Man of the Match for the final.

    Virat has represented India in 125 T20 Internationals and scored 4188 runs with one century and 38 fifties.

  • Pakistan faces ‘one of the deadliest debt traps in the world,’ warns Ex-SBP governor

    Pakistan faces ‘one of the deadliest debt traps in the world,’ warns Ex-SBP governor

    Dr Murtaza Syed, former Governor of the State Bank of Pakistan, has raised significant concerns about Pakistan’s alarming debt situation, describing it as one of the most severe debt traps globally.

    In a series of tweets, he highlighted the country’s excessive borrowing and criticized the misuse of funds on non-productive expenses, leading to a situation where servicing the debt takes precedence over crucial developmental and climate-related investments.

    According to Dr Syed, Pakistan currently spends more on servicing its debt than any other country globally, a burden that is expected to persist for years. This high debt servicing obligation has necessitated heavy taxation and severely limited resources for essential social expenditures, such as education and health.

    He pointed out that Pakistan’s spending on interest payments vastly exceeds allocations for education and health, indicating a prioritization that hampers human capital development and public health.

    Citing data from the UNCTAD, Dr Syed highlighted that Pakistan’s government spends a disproportionate amount of its revenue on interest payments, second only to Sri Lanka. This financial strain not only constrains immediate social spending but also impedes long-term economic growth by limiting investments in infrastructure and other critical sectors.

    Despite fluctuations in global interest rates, Dr Syed emphasized that Pakistan’s debt burden remains among the highest globally, indicating a systemic issue rather than a temporary financial challenge.

    He cautioned that even with potential increases in government revenue, a significant portion would still be consumed by interest payments, further squeezing resources available for developmental initiatives.

    In conclusion, Dr Syed proposed a strategic restructuring of Pakistan’s debt to alleviate the fiscal pressure and redirect funds towards sustainable development and climate resilience.

    This, he argued, would require a balanced approach, avoiding over-reliance on taxation and instead focusing on optimizing debt management strategies to foster economic stability and social progress in Pakistan.