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  • Bilal Saeed is sorry for throwing mic at fans during concert

    Bilal Saeed is sorry for throwing mic at fans during concert

    Pakistani singer Bilal Saeed is facing criticism from fans and critics after he threw his microphone into the crowd during a university concert. A video of the incident went viral on social media, showing Saeed abruptly ending his performance and tossing the mic forcefully before leaving the stage.

    Fans were surprised and upset by his actions, drawing comparisons to American rapper Cardi B’s mic-throwing incident. Some users expressed worry about Saeed’s anger and suggested he take a break from public appearances.

    After a long wait, the singer of ‘Hogai Ghalti’ took to Instagram and explained what happened. Bilal shared pictures of himself performing at past concerts, expressing how the stage means everything to him and is where he feels most alive.

    “I have always felt the most complete and the most alive while performing,” he begun his long caption. “I forget my sickness, stress, worries – I leave everything behind when I perform for my fans. And no matter what, nothing should have come in the way of me and the respect that my stage deserved from me.” Bilal acknowledged the unexpected nature of the incident and clarified that it was a response to an attendee’s misconduct.

    The songwriter made it clear that he really cares about his fans. He said, “I love my fans and sometimes that love can be overwhelming for both sides.” As per Bilal, it was not the first time he had encountered someone in his audience misbehaving but he had never before reacted in such a manner.
    He wrote, “It wasn’t the first time someone was misbehaving in the crowd but it was definitely the first time I gave the wrong reaction!” Without disclosing any details as to the nature of the attendee’s misconduct, Bilal firmly stated, “I should have never left the stage.”

  • Gold glitters again: Domestic bullion rebounds with Rs1,500 per tola increase

    Gold glitters again: Domestic bullion rebounds with Rs1,500 per tola increase

    In a notable reversal, domestic bullion has rebounded from a four-week decline, initiating the current week with a positive trajectory. The price of 24-karat gold has seen a robust surge, ascending by Rs1,500 per tola and reaching Rs215,400. 

    The Karachi Sarafa Association reported a noteworthy uptick in the 10-gramme 24-karat gold, now standing at Rs184,671, reflecting a gain of Rs1,286 from the preceding day. Meanwhile, the 10-gramme 22-karat gold is reported at Rs169,282.

    Contrary to the gold market’s dynamic, silver prices have maintained stability domestically. The 24-karat silver is being traded at Rs2,600 per tola and Rs2,229.08 per 10-gramme.

    This positive shift in the domestic gold market is attributed to the rise in international prices. At present, the international spot gold is trading at $2,032.5 [12:42 p.m. PST], exhibiting a 0.7 per cent increase from the closing of the previous session. 

    Notably, the global market witnessed a second consecutive weekly loss last week, driven by diminishing expectations of a rate cut.

    However, the current surge in gold prices is fueled by escalating tensions in the Middle East, prompting an increased demand for safe-haven assets. 

    This geopolitical development signals a bullish trend for gold, counteracting the pressure on domestic gold caused by the continuous strengthening of the Pakistani Rupee (PKR). 

    The sudden upturn in international prices has effectively outweighed the market impact of the PKR’s persistent strength.

  • ECP releases comprehensive summary of polling stations

    ECP releases comprehensive summary of polling stations

    The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has released a detailed summary of polling stations and booths as the upcoming elections are set to take place on February 8, 2024, across the country.

    The electoral watchdog’s data shows that they’ve set up a total of 90,675 polling stations across the country. Out of these, 25,320 are specifically for male voters, while 23,950 are for female voters. They’ll also have 41,405 combined polling stations open for everyone to use.

    In Punjab, the ECP will establish around 50,944 polling stations, including 14,556 for men, 14,036 for women, and 22,352 that both men and women can use. In Sindh, they’re planning to set up 19,006 polling stations, with 4,439 for men, 4,308 for women, and 10,259 where both genders can vote.

    Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) will host around 15,697 polling stations, distributing 4,814 for men, 4,289 for women, and 6,594 combined polling stations. Meanwhile, Balochistan will have 5,028 polling stations catering to both male and female voters.

    Furthermore, the summary stated that Punjab will have 149,434 polling booths, Sindh will have 65,005, KP will have 47,081, and Balochistan will have 14,882.

  • Athletes return medals after Sports Minister Wahab Riaz’s ‘false promises’

    Athletes return medals after Sports Minister Wahab Riaz’s ‘false promises’

    Athletes who participated in the Punjab Rising Games have returned their medals to the office of caretaker Sports Minister Punjab Wahab Riaz as a protest. The players returned their medals to expose the “false promises” of cash prizes by the Punjab Sports Board and Wahab Riaz.

    All the national and international players participating in the tournament won medals by competing with heart and soul and they deserve better treatment. When the players tried to meet former cricketer and caretaker sports minister Wahab Riaz, his office was locked.

    Riaz had earlier announced that the mega event will continue for 16 days and will include sports like volleyball, hockey, football, badminton, athletics, and table tennis.

    The ongoing Punjab Rising Games started on January 18 and the final of the games will be held on February 2.

    Wahab Riaz had announced before the tournament that the top performers in the mega event would be given a monthly stipend of Rs 70,000, Rs 50,000 and Rs 30,000 for a year based on their performance. The former cricketer also announced that a prize money of Rs 25 lakh will be given for each game during the mega event, but all these promises and announcements have not been fulfilled yet. A total of 950 players from all divisions of Punjab have registered for the event.

  • Japan’s moon lander back to life after ’20 minutes of terror’

    Japan’s moon lander back to life after ’20 minutes of terror’

    Japan’s Moon lander has come back to life, the space agency said Monday, enabling the craft to proceed with its mission of investigating the lunar surface despite its rocky start.

    Officials from the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), smile in front of a screen showing an image taken by LEV-2 on the moon, after their press conference on SLIM’s moon landing mission, in Tokyo, Japan. Reuters

    The surprise announcement was a boost to Japan’s space programme, nine days after the Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) touched down at a wonky angle that left its solar panels facing the wrong way.

    “Last evening we succeeded in establishing communication with SLIM, and resumed operations!” JAXA said on social media platform X, posting a grainy image of a lunar rock known as a “toy poodle”.

    The Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) is seen in this handout image. Reuters

    “We immediately started scientific observations with MBC, and have successfully obtained first light for 10-band observation,” it said, referring to the lander’s multiband spectroscopic camera.

    Terrifying minutes

    SLIM’s January 20 touchdown made Japan only the fifth nation to achieve a “soft landing” on the Moon after the United States, the Soviet Union, China and India.

    But on its descent, dubbed the “20 minutes of terror”, the craft suffered engine problems and ended up at a skewed angle, images released by JAXA showed.

    This meant the solar panels were facing west instead of up, and it was uncertain if they would still get enough sunlight to function.

    Last week JAXA said it had switched the elevator-sized SLIM off with 12 per cent power remaining, hoping that the craft would wake up this week.

    A JAXA spokesman told the media on Monday that the SLIM operation resumed “presumably because power generation resumed in its solar battery as it received sunlight”.

    “We will prioritise what we can do now — observing and collecting information — rather than adjusting SLIM’s position since adjusting the position could lead to a worse situation,” he said.

    “The daytime (where SLIM is on the Moon) will last until around the end of January and it will be at night from around February,” he said.

  • Two injured in grenade attack on PPP, NP election Balochistan offices

    Two injured in grenade attack on PPP, NP election Balochistan offices

    Unknown men targeted the election offices of the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the National Party (NP) in Balochistan on Sunday, ahead of the highly anticipated nationwide elections set to take place on February 8.

    The two grenade blasts have sparked concerns about security measures leading up to next month’s general polls, while election campaigns of all political parties are underway throughout the country.

    Unknown men lobbed a grenade at the NP election office in Mastung district, leaving two people wounded following its explosion at Muhammad Shahi Road, police said, noting that the attackers managed to flee from the scene.

    The police quickly took the injured people to the hospital. The police force launched a search operation in the area to catch the culprits.

    The NP spokesperson strongly condemned the “cowardly” grenade attack, stating that despite such “cowardly acts,” they will continue to push forward with campaign efforts at an accelerated pace.

    On the other hand, unidentified miscreants threw a hand grenade at a PPP election office in the Qalat district, specifically in the Mangocher area. There were no reported casualties in this incident.

  • Iran executes four men convicted of spying for Israel

    Iran executes four men convicted of spying for Israel

    Iran executed four men at dawn on Monday after they were convicted of collaborating with the country’s arch-foe Israel on a plan to sabotage an Iranian defense site, according to the judiciary.

    The four defendants, identified as Mohammad Faramarzi, Mohsen Mazloum, Wafa Azarbar, Pejman Fatehi, were arrested in July 2022 and accused of plotting to carry out out an operation against a Ministry of Defense centre in the central province of Isfahan, according to the judiciary’s Mizan Online website.

    “The death sentence of four members of a group affiliated with the Zionist spy organisation, who were arrested… for plotting a bombing operation in Isfahan, was carried out this morning,” Mizan Online reported.

    According to Iran, the men had been recruited by Mossad, Israel’s intelligence service, “about a year and a half before the operation”.

    They were sent to African countries for “training courses in the military centres” where Mossad officers were present, the judiciary added.

    The men were sentenced to death in September 2023.

    In August 2023, Iran claimed to have foiled a “very complex” Mossad-initiated project to “sabotage” its ballistic missile industry. A few months earlier, in February, Teheran accused Israel of being responsible for a drone attack on a military site in Isfahan.

    The two countries have been engaged in a shadow war for decades, with Iran regularly accusing Israel and its ally the United States of inciting unrest.

  • Indian tennis team arrives in Pakistan to play Davis Cup after 60 years

    Indian tennis team arrives in Pakistan to play Davis Cup after 60 years

    An Indian tennis team has reached Pakistan to play Davis Cup Group 1 tie of the Davis Cup competition after 60 years.

    An Indian tennis team last visited Pakistan in 1964. Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) Secretary Colonel (retd) Gul Rehman and other officials of the federation welcomed the Indian team on their arrival.

    The team arriving in Pakistan includes five players, two physios, one coach, one manager, and one coordinator. The two-day India-Pakistan Davis Cup will begin on February 3 at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad.

    It should be noted that the All-Indian Tennis Association (AITA) tried to use all options to deprive Pakistan of hosting rights, first approaching the Davis Cup Committee and then the Chair of the Independent Tribunal to move the tie to a neutral venue. However, his efforts went in vain and he was left with only two options: either to travel to Pakistan to play the tie or forfeit the tie and face the wrath of the International Tennis Federation (ITF) and pay fines.

    Fearing fines and possible repatriation, the Indian team eventually decided to travel to Pakistan and arrived in the federal capital.

  • Monthly inflation expected to ease in the coming months

    Monthly inflation expected to ease in the coming months

    In January, a discerning shift towards disinflation is anticipated, as headline inflation is poised to soften to 27.2 per cent year-over-year (YoY), attributed to a favourable base effect.

    This decline from the previous month’s 29.7 per cent is primarily influenced by a higher base in the preceding year, while monthly pressures on consumer prices are expected to persist.

    Despite the overall yearly decrease, monthly inflation is projected to rise by 0.93 per cent month-over-month (MoM), contrasting with the 12-month average of 2.2 per cent MoM. 

    Consequently, the average yearly inflation for the first seven months of fiscal year 2024 is estimated at 28.57 per cent YoY, up from 25.40 per cent YoY in the same period last fiscal year.

    The surge in monthly inflation is predominantly fueled by a rise in the food and housing index. Food inflation is expected to increase by 1.76 per cent MoM, driven by inflated prices of essential commodities such as onions, chicken, tomatoes, eggs, and pulses. 

    Meanwhile, the housing index is projected to experience a 1.54 per cent MoM increase, primarily due to quarterly rent adjustments. In contrast, the transport index is anticipated to decrease by 2.69 per cent MoM, attributed to relief in fuel prices.

    Looking ahead, a 0.5 per cent MoM inflation rate in February could result in an annual headline inflation of around 22 per cent, with a gradual decline below 16 per cent by June 2024.

    Even a 1 per cent MoM inflation rate, significantly lower than the 12-month average, is expected to maintain real interest rates from turning positive until March 2024, as illustrated in the accompanying chart depicting various monthly inflation scenarios.

    Starting in January, the disinflationary trend is expected to accelerate due to the favourable base effect, the lagged impact of monetary tightening, and other administrative measures.

    However, potential risks include unforeseen climate events, volatility in global commodity prices—especially oil—and external account pressures.

    Rising global oil prices amid geopolitical tensions pose a threat to the inflation outlook, and an additional gas price adjustment, as suggested by the International Monetary Fund (IMF), may further intensify pressure on consumer prices.