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  • A-Sports buys TV rights for PSL Season 9

    A-Sports buys TV rights for PSL Season 9

    A-Sports has bought the TV rights of Pakistan Super League (PSL) season 9 for six billion and 30 crore rupees, Samaa has reported.

    According to the details, A-Sports bid six billion and 30 crore rupees, Ten Sports made a bid of 5 billion and 28 crore rupees, while PTV tried to get PSL rights for 5 billion and 25 crore rupees.

    A-Sports will now own TV rights for two years.

    The bid for TV rights of PSL started at four billion rupees. Blitz has acquired digital PSL rights with a bid worth 1 billion and 90 crores.

  • Grades 9 and 10 to have fewer subjects

    Grades 9 and 10 to have fewer subjects

    Lahore Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) announced the reduction of one subject each for matric and ninth classes.

    In a report, Geo’s Ummay Farwa talked to the spokesperson of the board who said that for the session 2024-2026, only ninth-standard students will take Islamic Studies exams, while matric students will appear for the Pakistan Studies examination.

    The report elaborates that marks for Islamic Studies have been increased from 50 to 100, while the same applies to Pakistan Studies. Since the marks have been moved up, the Punjab Textbook Board has been asked to print books in line with the development, it added.

    Moreover, BISE Lahore has also announced that Punjab Matric Exams for 2024 will begin on March 1.

  • Blinken to meet Palestinian president after warning Israel civilian toll ‘too high’

    Blinken to meet Palestinian president after warning Israel civilian toll ‘too high’

    Tel Aviv (AFP) – US Secretary of State Antony Blinken was due to hold talks Wednesday with the head of the Palestinian Authority, which Washington hopes could govern Gaza after Israel’s attacks end.

    The United States’ top diplomat was on his fourth crisis visit to the Middle East since the war in the Gaza Strip began, meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

    Blinken told a news conference afterwards that the United States would continue to support its ally, but also called on Israel to do more to protect those trapped in the besieged Palestinian territory, saying the “daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly children, is far too high”.

    Washington has floated a post-war scenario in which a reformed Palestinian Authority, currently led by president Mahmud Abbas, governs Gaza in addition to the West Bank.

    The authority currently exercises limited rule in the West Bank, which has been occupied by Israel since 1967.

    “Israel must stop taking steps that undercut Palestinians’ ability to govern themselves effectively,” Blinken said Tuesday, emphasising the importance of progress towards a two-state solution.

    “The Palestinian Authority also has a responsibility to reform itself, to improve its governance — issues I plan to raise with president Abbas,” he added.

    Netanyahu, however, has shown no interest in reviving negotiations towards a Palestinian state, and an early post-war plan outlined by Defence Minister Yoav Gallant envisions local “civil committees” governing Gaza after Israel has dismantled Hamas.

    Blinken declined to say on Tuesday whether Netanyahu’s views had shifted in their discussions.

    Multiple attempts at reconciliation have failed, but Hamas chief Ismail Haniyeh said last week he was “open to the idea” of a single Palestinian administration in Gaza and the West Bank.

    Jordan’s royal palace, meanwhile, said King Abdullah II would host Abbas and Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi on Wednesday for talks on Gaza, including efforts to “push for an immediate ceasefire”.

    ‘We see no hope’

    Israel has responded with relentless bombardment and a ground invasion of Gaza since October 7 that have killed at least 23,210 people, mostly women and children, the health ministry said Tuesday.

    The ministry announced Wednesday morning that another 70 people were killed and more than 130 wounded in overnight attacks.

    The Israeli army announced the death of another soldier early Wednesday, bringing the total killed since its ground invasion began to 186.

    The war has displaced the vast majority of Gaza’s population, and dire shortages of food, water and medicine have left hundreds of thousands at risk of famine and disease, the UN and WHO have said.

    AFP footage on Tuesday showed a crowd of Gazans rushing towards aid trucks carrying flour and canned goods into Gaza City, in the territory’s devastated north, with some climbing up the sides of the vehicles and tossing down food.

    “We’ve been listening to the news for 98 days, hoping that the war will end, but due to this difficult situation we see no hope,” Ibrahim Saadat told AFP from a camp for displaced people in the southern border town of Rafah.

    “Due to the lack of water, we shower just once per month. Psychologically we are suffering, and diseases have spread everywhere.”

    The WHO warned on Tuesday that its ability to provide aid and support to Gazan hospitals was “shrinking”.

    During his visit, Blinken called for “more food, more water, more medicine” to be delivered to the territory, and said that Israel had agreed to a UN assessment in the north to “determine what needs to be done to allow displaced Palestinians to return safely”.

    Israel says it has largely achieved military control over northern Gaza and that operations are focussing further south.

    In the southern city of Khan Yunis, wounded people, some of them children, were rushed to hospital on Tuesday after a strike hit displaced Palestinians living in tents at Al-Mawasi camp.

    “We were chatting under a palm tree, and suddenly we saw stones and shrapnel everywhere,” young Lama Abu Gemmayzeh told AFP.

    “Some of us started running, and others were on the ground, and we started screaming for ambulances.”

    Fears of escalation

    Since the war started, fears have grown of an escalating conflict between Israel and its other regional enemies, a loose alliance of Iran-backed armed groups in Lebanon, Syria, Iraq and Yemen.

    Defence Minister Gallant told Blinken on Tuesday that intensifying pressure on Iran was “critical” and could prevent a regional escalation, an Israeli government statement said.

    Hours later, Iran-backed Huthi rebels in Yemen “launched a complex” drone and missile attack in the southern Red Sea, the US Central Command (CENTCOM) said.

    American and British forces shot down 18 drones and three missiles in the latest attack, CENTCOM said, adding no injuries or damage were reported.

  • Missing persons commission taking salaries in lacs, haven’t solved 2,297 cases from 2011-2023: missing persons report

    Missing persons commission taking salaries in lacs, haven’t solved 2,297 cases from 2011-2023: missing persons report

    A report submitted on orders of the Supreme Court by the Missing Persons Commission has said that most of the cases of missing persons have been reported by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa followed by Balochistan.

    A total of 2297 cases of missing persons are pending while members of the commission as well as the heads are all being paid hefty salaries. The report was presented in front of the two-member commission for missing persons constituted by the Interior Ministry on the Supreme Court’s directions. It is headed by Justice (R) Javed Iqbal while the second member is the former inspector general of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Muhammad Sharif Virk.

    According to the information extracted by Samaa’s Sohail Rashid via Auditor General Pakistan, the highest number of 3,485 cases of missing persons were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, followed by the enforced disappearance of 2,752 citizens from Balochistan.

    The report states that the reason behind the said disappearances in KP was extremism, war, and deaths in drone attacks. Moreover, moving to another country without informing one’s family owing to a war-like situation was also a reason behind the said disappearances, as per the commission.

    Furthermore, 744 production orders were issued to produce the missing persons, while only 52 were executed. The 692 production orders issued by the commission were not even implemented by the relevant authorities, the commission reported.

    The police and sensitive institutions filed 182 requests for revision of the production orders, the report says, adding that out of the unimplemented production orders, 503 were from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    From March 2011 to December 2023, 4,413 missing persons returned home, while 994 were incarcerated in various detention centres and 644 imprisoned in different jails of the country.

    From March 2011 to December 2023, bodies of 261 missing persons were found, according to the commission, which also dismissed 1,477 cases it categorized as non-enforced disappearances.

    The commission further says that the disposed of cases involved kidnapping for ransom, personal grudges or willful disappearances.

    Moreover, 260 cases from Punjab, 163 from Sindh, and 1,336 from KP are still pending in the commission as well as 468 cases from Balochistan, 55 from Islamabad and 15 from Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

    According to the report, the monthly salaries of the 35 officers and employees of the Missing Persons Commission are more than Rs1.5 million. Commission chief, Justice (r) Javed Iqbal receives a monthly salary of Rs674,000, while that of Zia Parvez, a member of the commission, is Rs829,000, as per the report.

    Commission member Justice (r) Amanullah’s salary is over Rs1.1 million, while that of Sharif Virk is Rs263,000.
    The Supreme Court has sought a response from the federal government within 20 days of receiving the report of the missing persons commission.

  • No more NAB cases against Sharif Family

    No more NAB cases against Sharif Family

    National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Executive Board, chaired by the NAB Chairman, approved the closing of an investigation into the Sharif Trust case involving Sharif’s family including Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif.

    The meeting convened on January 1 to approve the closure of corruption cases, including those against PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif and his family.

    The meeting approved shutting down six corruption cases, notably a 24-year-old case against Nawaz Sharif and his family in the Sharif Trust case. This decision brings relief to the former premier and his family members.

    Among the closed cases was an inquiry into Islamabad Inspector General Akbar Nasir in the Safe City corruption case. Additionally, the board decided to conclude the investigation into the Park Enclave Housing Society, involving officers of the Capital Development Authority (CDA). Another inquiry against federal officers for alleged preferential recruitment was also approved for closure.

    Furthermore, the NAB board approved to close an inquiry against Shahid Malik and Shahbaz Yasin Malik, the CEO of Hilton Pharma.

    The investigation into the Sharif family regarding the Sharif Trust Case was initiated on March 31, 2000, based on allegations of receiving funds through illicit means, lack of audits, misappropriation of funds, and benami property acquisition by the Sharif family in the name of the Trust.

    The Panama Papers Joint Investigation Team (JIT) report, submitted to the Supreme Court, had criticized NAB for delays in the investigation and urged prioritization.

    Under the recently amended National Accountability Act 2002 by the previous PDM government, the NAB has concluded the Sharif Trust investigation under Section 31-B.

    This decision by the NAB’s Executive Board marks a significant development in the ongoing legal proceedings against the Sharif family, as they receive a respite from multiple longstanding corruption cases.

  • Interbank closing: PKR continues winning streak, settles at Rs281.22

    Interbank closing: PKR continues winning streak, settles at Rs281.22

    The Pakistani rupee (PKR) extended its upward trend against the US dollar for the fifth consecutive session, gaining 0.02 per cent in the inter-bank market on Tuesday.

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) reported that the rupee concluded at Rs281.22 after a rise of Re0.06. In the preceding session on Monday, the rupee had experienced a slight increase, settling at Rs281.28 against the US dollar.

    On a global scale, the US dollar took a pause in its rally on Tuesday, with traders expressing confidence in multiple Federal Reserve rate cuts this year.

    This optimism is based on the belief that the slowdown in US inflation is significant.

    Meanwhile, in the cryptocurrency realm, bitcoin maintained its position near the highest level since April 2022, driven by growing expectations of the imminent approval of spot bitcoin exchange-traded funds (ETF).

    These market movements were influenced, in part, by the New York Fed’s recent Survey of Consumer Expectations, revealing that US consumers’ short-term inflation expectations in December reached the lowest level in almost three years.

    A key reading on US inflation is scheduled later in the week, offering additional insights into the Federal Reserve’s potential room for interest rate adjustments this year.

    Futures currently indicate the pricing in of nearly 140 basis points worth of easing by the Fed in the coming year.

    Against a basket of currencies, the US dollar experienced a slight decline of 0.08 per cent, settling at 102.22, following a 1 per cent increase in the previous week.

  • Agha Ali reveals actresses refused to work with him

    Agha Ali reveals actresses refused to work with him

    Actor Agha Ali has revealed that many times actresses were not allowed to work with him by their fiancés. The actor shared this information during a recent appearance on Geo News’ show ‘Hansna Mana Hai,’ where host Tabish Hashmi asked him various questions about his life and career.

    In response to a question, Agha Ali said, “It was in 2016- 2017 during which time I would sign any drama, after that I would get a call from the producer saying, ‘Agha, do you have any quarrel with such and such heroine?’ On this, I would tell them that I have not even met this heroine yet, on which the producer would ask that ‘You don’t have any quarrel with her fiance?’ I tell them that I don’t know who their fiancés are.”

    He further said that during this time he was also going to work with Humayun Saeed’s production house. “He also called me and asked me what are you doing that the fiances and husbands of the actresses are afraid of you?”
    Agha Ali said, “There is no specific reason for my image, but I think many times people misunderstand the actor because of the characters in his dramas. It plays such a negative role.”

    He further said that when he came into the industry, he was not very familiar to people. “So maybe that’s why they were afraid of me, but now it’s not like that, everything is fine.”

    Responding to another question, Agha shared that he was banned from working in Lahore years ago due to giving strong answers in an interview, which led to a producer dropping him from a signed project. Following the ban, a friend’s request prompted him to move to Karachi.

  • US defense chief under fire for undisclosed hospitalisation

    US defense chief under fire for undisclosed hospitalisation

    US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is facing growing criticism for waiting days to inform the White House and Congress about his hospitalisation, keeping key officials in the dark about his status during a major Middle East crisis.

    Austin was admitted to Walter Reed National Military Medical Center on January 1 due to complications from an elective medical procedure, but the Pentagon did not make any public announcement until four days later, and also waited to notify other top government figures.

    The 70-year-old secretary’s hospitalization comes with Washington struggling to contain the fallout from the Israel-Hamas war, which has sparked violence against American forces in Iraq and Syria as well as attacks on international shipping.

    With the Middle East in turmoil, the idea that “for four days the secretary of defense is in a hospital and (President Joe) Biden doesn’t know is shocking,” Ian Bremmer, the president of the Eurasia Group political risk firm, said Monday.

    Bremmer said the situation gives the president an opportunity to replace Austin, but the White House has stood by the secretary.

    Austin underwent an unspecified medical procedure on December 22 and was discharged the following day, but began experiencing “severe pain” on January 1 and was taken by ambulance to Walter Reed, Pentagon spokesman Major General Pat Ryder told journalists on Monday.

    Some of Austin’s authorities were transferred to Deputy Defense Secretary Kathleen Hicks on January 2, but she was not told that he was hospitalized until two days later, Ryder said.

    The US National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan was likewise informed on January 4, bringing the White House into the loop, while Congress was not told until the day after that — the same day the Pentagon made a public announcement.

    Ryder said Austin’s chief of staff “had been out sick with the flu, which caused a delay in these notifications.”

    “We are currently reviewing how we can improve these notification procedures, to include White House and congressional notifications,” he said.

    Ryder also said he was informed of Austin’s hospitalization on January 2, but “did not feel that I was at liberty” to disclose information on the secretary’s condition “until we knew more.”

    The lack of notification has drawn criticism from Congress, with some Republican lawmakers calling on Austin to go.

    “It is shocking and absolutely unacceptable that the Department of Defense waited multiple days to notify the president, the National Security Council, and the American people,” Representative Elise Stefanik said in a statement, calling for Austin’s “immediate resignation.”

    Former president Donald Trump also weighed in, saying in a social media post that Austin “should be fired immediately for improper professional conduct and dereliction of duty.”

    But the White House has backed him, with Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre saying, “The president has complete confidence, continues to have confidence in Secretary Austin.”

    Ryder also said Austin — who remains hospitalized but is no longer in intensive care and has resumed his full duties — “has no plans to resign.”

    “Nothing is more important to the secretary of defense and the (Defense) Department than the trust and confidence of the American public we serve,” Ryder said, adding that “we will continue to work hard every day to earn and deserve that trust.”

    Austin meanwhile said in a statement on Saturday that he took “full responsibility for my decisions about disclosure,” and admitted that he “could have done a better job ensuring the public was appropriately informed.”

  • PTI says The Economist article was not written by Artificial Intelligence

    PTI says The Economist article was not written by Artificial Intelligence

    Update: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf has just recently posted the clarification on the official X account stating that “the said piece has been authored by the PTI Chairman-for-life, Imran Khan, vindictively incarcerated at Central Jail, Rawalpindi. In no way, this has been compiled through the use of artificial means including artificial intelligence.”

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan held an informal conversation with reporters in the courtroom at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, talking about the article that appeared under his name in The Economist, creating an uproar. “I take full responsibility for the article published in The Economist recently,” he said. However, he admitted that he himself had not written the piece, confessing that it was “dictated”.

    Embattled PTI founder and former prime minister Imran Khan made a surprising claim, saying that an essay recently published by The Economist under his name was actually “AI-generated”, reports Dawn.

    According to Geo’s Khalid Iqbal, Mr. Khan also shared that “next week” his party will share another of his fresh speeches on social media.

    When the Geo News reporter asked the former Prime Minister whether the speech would be audio or a video, Khan replied, “Today is the era of Artificial Intelligence.”

    To a question about elections, the PTI founder said nationwide polls should be held in the country on time, though the process of participation had been made very difficult for his party. He stressed that elections must be held in any case.

    “Elections are very important for the country’s economy and political stability.”

    “It has been made difficult for us to contest the elections, yet the elections should be held on time,” he added.

    Talking about the incidents of May 9, Khan called it a conspiracy against him and his party PTI.

    The former Prime Minister said: “These people are conducting an inquiry against me regarding the May 9 incidents. May 9 is a conspiracy against us. Who stole the CCTV footage of my arrest from the Islamabad High Court, the attack on GHQ and Corps Commander’s House? Find the CCTV footage thieves, and all will be revealed.”

    “It is a conspiracy to trap me; it’s a conspiracy against the PTI,” said the PTI founder.

    The caretaker governments in the federal capital and Punjab have claimed that The Economist piece was a “ghost article”.

    Caretaker Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Murtaza Solangi said that Adiala Jail comes under the Punjab government’s jurisdiction, so, the provincial government must be investigating.

    Saying that he believes the piece was a “ghost article”, the caretaker minister added that, “The federal government will approach The Economist and write [to] them that if Imran Khan sends an article/letter following due process and the jail manual then it is publishable. But according to my information, he hasn’t written any such article, and the foreign publication has misled its readers. We are working on it and will soon write a letter to The Economist.”

    In a recent post, he criticised the statement of Imran Khan of living in the age of Artificial Intelligence by saying that this should not be allowed to run amok.

    Journalist Gharidhah Farooqi posted on X that now that Imran Khan himself has admitted he did not write the article but AI did for him; A- It’s proven the article is in-fact “ghost writing”, B- being a journalist I’d like to know what a leading and reputable publication as The Economist say about publishing an article which is not the real work/writing of a political leader, the ethical and legal standards behind publishing such a piece of writing.

    Journalist Noreen Shams questioned the veracity of the fact generated by a machine.

    Omar Qureshi asked the question if The Economist has started accepting AI-generated articles.

  • Gold price increases Rs300 per tola to Rs216,400

    Gold price increases Rs300 per tola to Rs216,400

    Gold rates in Pakistan witnessed a notable upswing on Tuesday, aligning with the international market trend.

    The precious metal was quoted at Rs216,400 per tola in the local market, marking a substantial increase of Rs300 within the day.

    According to data released by the All Pakistan Gems and Jewellers Sarafa Association (APGJSA), the 10-gramme gold price reached Rs185,528 after experiencing a rise of Rs257 on the same day.

    This surge in gold prices follows a recent decline on Tuesday, where the yellow metal in Pakistan had seen a decrease of Rs1,900 per tola.

    The international gold rate, with a $20 premium, stood at $2,050 per ounce on Tuesday, marking an increase of $3 in the global market, as reported by the APGJSA.

    Meanwhile, silver rates maintained stability in the local market at Rs2,660 per tola on the same day, indicating a lack of significant fluctuations in silver prices.

    Market analysts are attributing the rise in gold rates in Pakistan to the positive movement in the global market, emphasising the impact of international factors on the local precious metals landscape.

    Investors and traders are closely monitoring these fluctuations as they evaluate their investment strategies in the backdrop of the dynamic economic environment.