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  • Punjab announces winter vacations for schools

    Punjab announces winter vacations for schools

    Caretaker Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi has announced on X (former Twitter) that Punjab schools will have a 15-day long winter break, as per the winter vacation schedule.

    Late on Thursday night, Naqvi posted that vacations will start on December 18, 2023, in public and private schools across the province and continue till January 1, 2024.

    “We held a meeting with experts and govt officials today addressing the SMOG challenge in Punjab. With an improved Air Quality Index (AQI), no restrictions are planned for the upcoming weekend. Additionally, winter vacations for children will commence from Dec 18, 2023 to Jan 1, 2024,” the CM wrote on his official handle of Twitter.

    Earlier in the week, Sindh announced winter vacations from December 22 till December 31.

    Read More: Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

  • PML-N hits back at Bilawal over ‘mehangai league’ tirade

    PML-N hits back at Bilawal over ‘mehangai league’ tirade

    The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) held the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) responsible for the inflation in the country during the two parties’ coalition government. Political temperature across the spectrum is rising as general election is set to take place on February 8 next year.

    PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari has been calling the PML-N “mehangai [inflation] league,” alleging that the PML-N is responsible for rising prices in the last 16-months period.

    The term of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), which included the PPP, PML-N, and various other parties, concluded in August this year. During this period, there was a significant surge in inflation, unprecedented increases in energy and fuel costs, and a notable decline in foreign reserves.

    In his conversation on Geo News’ programme “Capital Talk”, Musadik Malik — who served as the Minister of State for Petroleum during the PDM government — slammed Bilawal for targeting the PML-N for rising inflation and noted that all decisions in their 16-month stint were collective.

    Musadik Malik also reminded the PPP Chairman that he was a foreign minister of the country in the previous coalition government.

    “So when the minister had the portfolio of Foreign Ministry and I finalised a [oil] deal with Russia, he called it truck ki batti [false hope]. What was that? He should talk about his role as well. Was it my job to secure deals in Azerbaijan Russia? And you, while sitting in the US, said it was truck ki batti. So didn’t we reach our destination while following this truck ki batti?” asked Malik.

  • Israel resumes attacks in Gaza as truce ends

    Israel resumes attacks in Gaza as truce ends

    The additional one-day truce between Israel and Gaza has ended on Friday while the deadline to further extend the truce has passed in vain.

    Israeli Defense Forces wrote on X (formerly Twitter) that IDF has “resumed combat” against Hamas in Gaza because they “violated the operational pause, and in addition, fired toward Israeli territory.”

    As of yet, Al Jazeera has reported that according to witnesses in Gaza City and the north of the Gaza Strip, “heavy clashes are taking place between Palestinian fighting groups and Israeli troops,” while in the central Gaza Strip, Israeli tanks are also firing near Nuseirat and Bureij refugee camps. Additionally, air raids have also resumed.

  • West Indies member country Dominica withdrawn from hosting the T20 World Cup

    West Indies member country Dominica withdrawn from hosting the T20 World Cup

    West Indies member country Dominica has withdrawn from hosting the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s T20 World Cup 2024 matches.

    ICC had announced seven West Indies and three USA venues for T20. Dominica was to host one first-round and two Super 8 matches.

    However, the government of Dominica, a member country of the West Indies, says that they cannot prepare the infrastructure in time for the World Cup, and are withdrawing from the event due to incomplete preparations. The 2024 T20 World Cup will be the ninth tournament of this format, scheduled to be jointly hosted by the West Indies and USA.

    The event will feature 20 teams divided into four groups of five each, with the top two from each group qualifying for the Super 8 round. The mega event will be played from June 4 to June 30, 2024 with a total of 55 matches.

  • Oscar winner Olivia Colman among 1,000 artists signing petition slamming institutions for censoring Palestine

    Oscar winner Olivia Colman among 1,000 artists signing petition slamming institutions for censoring Palestine

    British acting giant Olivia Colman and ‘Bridgerton’ and ‘Derry Girls’ star Nicola Coughlan are among the 1000 artists who have signed a petition slamming Western institutions for aiding and abetting the “repressing, silencing and stigmatising of Palestinian voices and perspectives.” The letter includes signatures from ‘Sex Education’ star Aimee Lou Wood and multiple Emmy-award winner Harriet Walter.

    “This includes targeting and threatening the livelihoods of artists and arts workers who express solidarity with Palestinians, as well as cancelling performances, screenings, talks, exhibitions and book launches.”

    The letter shed light on the ongoing genocide of Gaza, where the death toll has crossed 15,000 civilian lives, with members of the Israeli government now openly calling for ethnic cleansing, and using starvation as a war weapon.

    “The wholesale destruction of civilian infrastructure, the bombing of hospitals, schools, churches and mosques, the killing of 14,500 people in a matter of weeks, amount to a policy of collective punishment against the Palestinian people. The United Nations and hundreds of legal scholars have called on the international community to prevent genocide.”

    The letter then proceeded to criticise the ongoing censorship and repression of voices, including Susan Sarandon, who was dropped by her agency, and actor Melissa Barrera, who was fired from the ‘Scream’ series for her vocal pro-Palestine posts.

    “As artists and cultural workers,” the petition points out, “we stand in solidarity with those facing threats and intimidation in the workplace. The arts sector must urgently align its actions with its stated values of justice and inclusivity, and to refuse the dehumanisation of Palestinian people.”

    The petition states that for artists to stay silent in the face of mass injustice and humanitarian crisis “would be an abrogation of moral duty”. It also pointed out that more artists are refusing to work with those institutions that are complicit in this heinous act.

    The petition also shared four demands from the signatories which were:

    – Publicly demand a permanent ceasefire.
    – Promote and amplify the voices of Palestinian artists, writers, and thinkers.
    – Stand up for artists and workers who voice their support for Palestinian rights.
    – Refuse collaborations with institutions or bodies that are complicit in severe human rights violations.

  • How many Pakistanis are boycotting Israeli products? New reports shed light

    How many Pakistanis are boycotting Israeli products? New reports shed light

    As Israel intensified attacks in Gaza after Hamas’ October 7 attacks, products affiliated with Israel are being boycotted across the world, including Pakistan.

    According to new survey by Pulse, the sentiments of Boycotting the MNC brands are still high.

    The survey was based on more than 1,200 respondents in 12 cities, revealing that while the gravity of sentiments has mellowed, almost eight amongst 10 (78 per cent -previously it was 83 per cent) respondents are in favor of boycotting the brands.

    Seven out of 10 (69 per cent – previously it was 79 per cent) amongst those who are in favor of boycotting brands claim that they are doing it.

    The report further highlights that “the sentiments to boycott are relatively high amongst females ( decision makers for household brands) as compared to males.”

    The most effected products or companies include carbonated soft drinks, followed by fast food, chips , juices, soaps and toothpaste.

  • Pakistan’s forex reserves rebound: SBP gains $77 million in a week 

    Pakistan’s forex reserves rebound: SBP gains $77 million in a week 

    According to data released on Thursday, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) witnessed a weekly increase of $77 million in its foreign exchange reserves, reaching $7.26 billion as of November 24.  

    The total liquid foreign reserves for the country amounted to $12.39 billion, with commercial banks holding net foreign reserves at $5.13 billion. 

    During the week ending on November 24, 2023, SBP’s reserves increased by $77 million, reaching $7,257.0 million. Contrastingly, the previous week saw a decrease of $217 million in Pakistan’s central bank reserves. 

    In July of this year, the central bank’s reserves received a boost as Pakistan obtained the initial tranche of approximately $1.2 billion from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) following the approval of a new $3-billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).  

    This boost was complemented by inflows from Saudi Arabia and the UAE. 

    However, the SBP reserves faced pressure due to debt repayments, a surge in import payments after the easing of restrictions, and a lack of fresh inflows. 

    In a significant development, the IMF announced last week that its staff and Pakistani authorities had reached an agreement on the first review of the SBA.  

    The staff-level agreement is pending approval by the IMF Executive Board. 

    The IMF team reached a staff-level agreement (SLA) with the Pakistani authorities on the first review of their stabilization program supported by the IMF’s $3 billion (SDR2,250 million) SBA.  

    Upon approval, approximately $700 million (SDR 528 million) will become available, bringing total disbursements under the program to almost $1.9 billion. 

    Following the SLA with the IMF, Caretaker Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar expressed confidence that external financing would not be an issue, anticipating inflows in December 2023 to contribute to an increase in foreign exchange reserves. 

  • Govt maintains petrol price at Rs281.34, cuts diesel price by Rs7 per litre 

    Govt maintains petrol price at Rs281.34, cuts diesel price by Rs7 per litre 

    On Thursday, the caretaker government announced its decision to maintain the current petrol price at Rs281.34 per litre while implementing a reduction of Rs7 per litre for high-speed diesel (HSD) for the upcoming two weeks. 

    As per the official notification from the finance ministry, the revised price for high-speed diesel will be Rs289.71 per litre starting on December 1. 

    Additionally, the prices for kerosene and light diesel oil have decreased by Rs3.82 and Rs4.52, respectively. 

    Following these adjustments, kerosene will now be priced at Rs201.16 per litre, and light diesel oil will be available at Rs175.93 per litre. 

    This decision comes in response to factors such as an IMF review and the recent global decline in oil prices. 

    Notably, the postponement of a ministerial meeting by Opec+ (the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and allies, including Russia) to November 30 contributed to a midweek tumble in global oil prices. 

    Brent crude futures experienced a 0.4 per cent decline, down 37 cents to $80.21 per barrel, while US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures lost 0.4 per cent, down 29 cents to $75.25. 

  • ‘Islamabad can’t see that Balochistan is heart of Pakistan’: Asif Ali Zardari

    ‘Islamabad can’t see that Balochistan is heart of Pakistan’: Asif Ali Zardari

    Ex-president Asif Ali Zardari on Thursday called Balochistan the “heart of Pakistan”, lamenting that the view was not shared by Islamabad or the other provinces.

    He made the remarks while addressing a rally in Quetta to mark the party’s 56th foundation day, campaigning to improve its prospects in the province in the run up to the general elections.

    “Pakistan has everything. And Balochistan is the heart of Pakistan. Unfortunately, Islamabad does not see that Balochistan is the heart. The other provinces do not see it [either],” he lamented.

    “But we see that Balochistan is the heart of Pakistan. And it is very important to win over this heart. Without winning over the heart of Balochistan, we cannot fix Pakistan.”

    “There is much grief […] in Balochistan and we need to address that. We tried to do it in our time but it was not enough,” he said, adding that PPP wanted the people of Balochistan to take ownership of their land and resources.

    He said that he would ensure water was made accessible for the people of the province. “Pakistan becomes an export country when Balochistan has [access to] water,” he said.

    “We have formulas available on how to develop Pakistan, how to strengthen Balochistan, and how we have to serve you,” he added.

    Commenting on his son PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, the ex-president — in an apparent slip of the tongue — said, “My son, by becoming the youngest prime minister of Pakistan, raised Pakistan’s honour and flag.”

    During the previous tenure of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, Bilawal served as the foreign minister, the youngest to do so.

    “Everyone knows him now. Some knew him because of his mother, some people knew him because of his father and some knew him because of his grandfather but today they know him because of his own identity,” he said.

    “In all seasons and at all times, we have to support him […] we have to transfer what we know […] we want to make Bilawal the leader of the youth,” he said.

    “We will redefine Pakistan, we are not weak, you are not weak,” he said as he wrapped up his speech.

    Following reports of differences between the top two leaders, party chairman Bilawal-Bhutto Zardari has called for “burying” politics of hatred and division in line with the vision of his father Asif Ali Zardari’s reconciliatory politics.

    “We have to do politics wherein we should think about unity and not of division. The PPP wants to start a new kind of politics in the country,” Bilawal said while addressing the public rally.

    “PPP is fighting against inflation and poverty due to which people are suffering. The old style of politics is based on hatred, division, and revenge. The country’s youth needs to bury such politics,” the PPP chief added.

    In the same gathering, Bilawal also fired a broadside at his political rivals saying that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) is now known as the “mehangai [inflation] league” in the country.

    “People know that they are showbaz [big mouth] of politics,” the PPP chief added.

    Bilawal said Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the PML-N wanted to roll back the provincial autonomy granted under the 18th Amendment.

    “They want to occupy the resources of the provinces.PPP will not let this conspiracy succeed.”

    Bilawal also announced giving a surprise in the February 8, 2024 general elections saying a jiyala [PPP worker] will become the country’s new prime minister.

  • Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

    The Sindh Department of Education has officially announced the winter vacation schedule for all educational institutions.

    Holidays will commence on December 22 and end on December 31.

    All private and government educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and schools in the province will reopen on January 1, 2024.

    The winter vacation 2023 in Sindh notification was issued on November 30.

    The holidays are being observed in accordance with the decision of the department’s annual steering committee, said the secretary of education.