Tag: Pakistan

  • Daughter’s burnt body found in father’s Gujranwala furniture showroom

    Daughter’s burnt body found in father’s Gujranwala furniture showroom

    The burnt body of a married young woman was found in her father’s furniture showroom in Gujranwala, reports Geo News.

    While the reason for the murder is unknown as yet, the husband of the victim is absconding and according to the preliminary investigation of the police, he is the prime suspect.

    According to further details, 24-year-old Maryam, a resident of Dhariwal, was first married to her cousin. After the marriage ended in a divorce, Maryam’s second marriage took place with Sajid, a resident of Kot Ishaq.

    Sajid and Maryam used to fight often. About six months ago, Maryam’s parents brought their daughter and son-in-law to their village and offered them a room adjacent to her father’s furniture showroom to live in.

    Maryam’s father told the police that he had gone to a nearby mosque for Fajr prayers in the morning and came back to see the burnt body.

    The police say that the search for the woman’s husband is going on.

  • Supreme Court not running anyone’s campaign: Qazi Faez Isa

    Supreme Court not running anyone’s campaign: Qazi Faez Isa

    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa stated on Monday that the Supreme Court (SC) is not running anyone’s election campaign while hearing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) plea seeking contempt charges against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for allegedly not providing a level-playing field to the party in the upcoming general elections set to take place on February 8, 2024.

    PTI lawyer and leader, Sardar Latif Khosa said that party leaders are facing political victimisation, on which CJP Isa responded, “We are the Supreme Court, not the government. We are not running anyone’s campaign.”

    A three-member bench, including CJP Isa, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, and Justice Musrat Hilali heard the case.

    At the last hearing, the SC issued notices on Wednesday to the Inspector General of Police Punjab (IGP), chief secretary, and advocate general in response to the PTI plea.

    Sardar Latif Khosa presented arguments on behalf of party leader Shoaib Shaheen.

  • Wakhri: a movie about the struggles faced by Pakistani women

    Wakhri: a movie about the struggles faced by Pakistani women

    The eagerly awaited film ‘Wakhri’ in Pakistan has been released in cinemas across the country. The film, written and directed by Iram Parveen Bilal, is produced by Abid Aziz Merchant, Apoorva Bakshi and Iram Parveen Bilal. After the success of Moula Jatt, Mandviwala Entertainment has signed up with ‘Wakhri’ for the distribution of the film.

    The Pakistan premiere of the movie took place at Nueplex Cinema, DHA, in Karachi. The film promises to entertain audience with its engrossing story and exceptional direction.

    Award-winning director Iram Parveen Bilal shares that the film ‘Wakhri’ is a special project, particularly a heartfelt tribute to the women of Pakistan and around the world. The film’s goal is to amplify the voices of the marginalized in society and bring their stories to a global audience. Iram started making films to connect with humanity and address complex societal issues collaboratively with the viewers. The nationwide release of the film is a result of the hard work and dedication of the entire team.
    The story of ‘Wakhri’ centers around a widowed school teacher in Pakistan. An emotional and genuine video of hers gains sudden popularity on social media. The film depicts the challenges faced by women in a society where they struggle to raise their voices and establish their presence, be it in the physical or digital world.

    Film producer Abid Aziz Merchant said that the film recently received praise at the Red Sea International Film Festival due to its unique story and direction. The film’s global recognition highlights the talent of Pakistani cinema on the world stage, bringing honor to Pakistani filmmakers. Beyond showcasing the challenges faced by women, the film also reflects social norms. With its captivating story and talented cast, ‘Wakhri’ aims to leave a lasting impression on the audience, providing a unique cinematic experience.

  • Rotten food and cat hunting as famine hits Gaza

    Rotten food and cat hunting as famine hits Gaza

    As the war on Gaza extends into its 90th day, impending famine and starvation are haunting the besieged strip.

    According to an assessment of the integrated food security phase classification initiative, a UN-backed body that sets the international standard that determines the severity of the food crisis, food shortage in Gaza is solely a consequence of war. Before it began, about 150 to 180 food lorries entered Gaza every day. Since, the end of the “humanitarian pause” a month ago, only about 30 do so. They are blocked by Israeli bombardment, fighting on the ground, and by restrictions and inspections on the border with Egypt, imposed by the Israeli and Egyptian authorities, cites The Times.

    More than a million people are displaced in Gaza but none is safe from hunger. It is rampant in Gaza, it is in the wasteland of al-Mawasi encampment in Gaza where handfuls of dirty flour are kneaded by mothers to make bread for their children. It is in the fires, stoked with plastic bottles, which produce nothing but choking black smoke. Children in Gaza no longer play but lie around, exhausted by hunger. It is in food that is rotten and makes you sick but is eaten just the same.

    Camellia Subeh talked to The Times who stated that her breasts no longer produce milk for her baby son.⁠ “My other sons keep saying, ‘Mum, I’m dizzy, I have a headache,” said the mother of five, sitting outside a shelter she built on the mud from scraps of plastic and wood. Subeh and her children left their home in northern Gaza weeks ago on the instructions of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). They said this is a safe area. Perhaps it is safe from the bombs that have destroyed Gaza’s cities and towns but not from hunger, diseases, or thirst that will kill just the same as a bullet will. “This place is like a desert, all sand,” Subeh said. “We are so tired.” The Palestinian death toll in the Gaza Strip after nearly three months of war stands at 21,672, with more than 55,000 wounded, the territory’s health ministry said on Saturday.

    A 13-year-old, Muhammad al-Yaziji, told The Times, “I feel that this burden is very heavy for us. We became like beggars. We were not like that.”

    In an interview with the New Yorker, Arif Hussain, the chief economist at the United Nations World Food Program explains that according to a consensus-based analysis by Integrated Phase Classification, the entire population of 2.2 million people is in a food-security crisis or a worse situation implying a famine is coming because the conditions are “catastrophic”.

    Human Rights Watch drew from Israeli officials’ statements, interviews with people in the territory about the lack of food, and evidence of bombardment that has destroyed infrastructure and resources to accuse Israel in a December report of starvation as a war crime.

  • PML-N internal rifts cause delays in ticket announcements

    PML-N internal rifts cause delays in ticket announcements

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) candidates for the upcoming general elections hang in limbo as internal disagreements and seat adjustments cause delays in announcement of final ticket announcements, The News has reported on Monday.

    A source within PML-N told The News that it was expected that the party’s top leadership will award final party tickets on Sunday, however, the announcement got postponed due to seat adjustments with multiple political parties and internal disagreements between PML-N leaders.

    According to sources in the party, the matter of tickets is creating difficulties for aspirants who have yet to start their election campaigns.

    In Lahore, a rift between stalwarts Ayaz Sadiq and Sheikh Rohail Ashgar over party tickets has not been resolved, as both were not ready to give up. Similar is the case at Narowal, where Daniyal Aziz and Ahsan Iqbal are entangled in a rift over tickets for their blue-eyed candidates.

    PML-N leader Rohail Asghar said that he doesn’t know the destiny of the seat, but he enjoyed good relations with PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif and has no disagreements with party leadership.

  • Bomb Kills Five Police From Pakistan Polio Protection Team

    Bomb Kills Five Police From Pakistan Polio Protection Team

    A bomb targeting a polio protection team in Bajaur, northwestern Pakistan, on Monday killed at least five police officers, officials said.

    “A police truck transporting around 25 policemen for anti-polio campaign duties was targeted by an IED (improvised explosive device),” Anwar ul Haq, a senior government official in Bajaur district, told AFP.

    He said at least five police officers were killed and at least 20 others were wounded.

    Kashif Zulfiqar, a senior police officer in the district, confirmed the death toll.

    The attack happened in Mamund in Bajaur district, on the border with Afghanistan, in an area where militancy has been rising since the Taliban took control of Kabul in 2021.

    There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but Islamist militants, including the Pakistan Taliban, have killed scores of polio vaccination workers and their security escorts in the past.

  • Four dead, 40 hospitalised in Tunisia alcohol poisoning

    Four dead, 40 hospitalised in Tunisia alcohol poisoning

    Four people have been killed and 40 hospitalised after consuming tainted alcohol in southern Tunisia, an official said.

    An inquiry has been opened and the person who supplied the alcohol has been arrested, Fethi Baccouche, a spokesman for the Medenine court, told AFP.

    An analysis of the alcohol is underway to determine what was behind the mass poisoning.

    Of the 40 surviving victims, most left hospital but some were transferred to the capital Tunis for treatment, Baccouche said, without providing exact numbers.

    Poisonings from incorrectly produced or adulterated alcohol are common in Tunisia and often fatal.

    In 2021, Tunisian health authorities announced five deaths and the hospitalisation of 25 more in Kasserine in the country’s west after they drank contaminated alcohol.

    And in May 2020, 39 people were poisoned, including six who died, after drinking methanol near the city of Kairouan.

    The consumption of home-made alcohol is common in some working-class neighbourhoods of Tunis and remote regions of the country where poverty rates are high.

    The alcohol, which is illegal, is often much cheaper than that sold in shops.

  • India’s Ambani no more the richest man in Asia. Who has grabbed the title?

    India’s Ambani no more the richest man in Asia. Who has grabbed the title?

    India’s Mukesh Ambani lost the title of Asia’s richest man after almost a year. He has been replaced by Gautam Adani who once again became Asia’s richest man after cracking a deal worth over half a billion dollars for the Adani group.

    It should be noted that in January 2023, American short-selling company Hindenburg said in a report that Adani Group has been involved in stock market manipulation and fraud accounting for decades. It called Gautam Adani the biggest fraudster in corporate history.

    Gautam Adani’s wealth declined after the report, pushing him to the bottom of the list of the world’s richest people in 2023, while Mukesh Ambani took the title of Asia’s richest person.

    But in recent days, the Supreme Court of India has issued an order that there is no need for a new investigation on Hindenburg’s allegations. Gautam Adani’s assets consequently increased and now he has once again become the richest man in Asia.

    According to a Bloomberg report on January 4, Gautam Adani’s net worth increased by $7.7 billion to $97.6 billion, after which he overtook Mukesh Ambani to become Asia’s richest man. Ambani currently owns $97 billion.

    Gautam Adani started 2023 as the third richest person in the world with $119 billion and then went down after a steady decline in wealth. Now, a year later, he has become the richest person in Asia and the 12th richest person in the world.

    Syed Mohammad Ali wrote in an article for The Express Tribune that the deal with the USA is part of the greater scheme of countering China’s growing influence in the region. Half a billion dollars is a sign of the restoration of confidence for the Adani conglomerate-backed Colombo seaport project in Sri Lanka.

    “This American deal with Adani seems compelled by growing great power competition across South Asia. The US government intends to use its International Development Finance Corporation to counter the Chinese Belt and Road Initiative in the Indo-Pacific, and its investment in Sri Lanka is part of that plan,” asserts Ali.
    Adani is closely linked to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and he has long been accused of benefitting from this friendship for the growth of his business. Like Modi, Adani has emerged unscathed from a potentially devastating storm of alleged wrongdoings. And both these men have the US to thank for helping them not only survive but thrive, due to America’s own vested interests, Ali explains.

  • India’s solar observation mission reaches its final orbit

    India’s solar observation mission reaches its final orbit

    India’s solar observation mission on Saturday entered the Sun’s orbit after a four-month journey, the latest success for the space exploration ambitions of the world’s most populous nation.

    The Aditya-L1 mission was launched in September and is carrying an array of instruments to measure and observe the Sun’s outermost layers.

    India’s science and technology minister Jitendra Singh said on social media that the probe had reached its final orbit “to discover the mysteries of Sun-Earth connection”.

    The United States and the European Space Agency have sent numerous probes to the centre of the solar system, beginning with NASA’s Pioneer programme in the 1960s.

    Japan and China have both launched their solar observatory missions into Earth’s orbit.

    But the latest mission by the Indian Space Research Organisation is the first by any Asian nation to be placed in orbit around the Sun.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi hailed it as yet another “landmark” in the country’s space programme.

    “It is a testament to the relentless dedication of our scientists,” he said on social media.

    “We will continue to pursue new frontiers of science for the benefit of humanity.”

    Aditya, named after a Hindu Sun deity, has travelled 1.5 million kilometres (932,000 miles) from the Earth — still only one percent of the distance between humanity’s home planet and the star at the centre of our solar system.

    It is now at a point where the gravitational forces of both celestial bodies cancel out, allowing it to remain in a stable halo orbit around the Sun.

    The orbiter, which reportedly cost $48 million, will study coronal mass ejections, a periodic phenomenon that sees huge discharges of plasma and magnetic energy from the Sun’s atmosphere.

    These bursts are so powerful they can reach the Earth and potentially disrupt the operations of satellites.

    The mission also aims to shed light on the dynamics of several other solar phenomena by imaging and measuring particles in the Sun’s upper atmosphere.

    India has a comparatively low-budget space programme, but one that has grown considerably in size and momentum since it first sent a probe to orbit the Moon in 2008.

    In August last year, India became the first country to land an uncrewed craft near the largely unexplored lunar south pole, and just the fourth nation to land on the Moon.

    India became the first Asian nation to put a craft into orbit around Mars in 2014, and it is slated to launch a three-day crewed mission into Earth’s orbit later this year.

    It also plans a joint mission with Japan to send another probe to the Moon by 2025 and an orbital mission to Venus within the next two years.

  • Pakistan welcomes PayPal through strategic alliance

    Pakistan welcomes PayPal through strategic alliance

    In a groundbreaking move for Pakistan’s burgeoning freelance community, PayPal is set to establish its presence in the country through a strategic partnership with an existing international payment gateway.

    The joint venture announcement is anticipated for next week, marking a significant milestone for the approximately 1.5 million freelancers and IT professionals in Pakistan, making it the fourth-largest community globally.

    Caretaker Minister for IT and Telecom, Dr Umar Saif, confirmed that PayPal would operate indirectly in Pakistan through this collaboration. This development follows persistent efforts by previous governments to convince PayPal to operate within the country, which initially faced resistance citing security concerns.

    Dr Saif emphasised the positive impact of this move on IT exports and freelancer remittances, underscoring recent measures supporting a more liberal financial regime. He revealed that IT exports have already experienced a notable surge, with a 13 per cent increase in November alone, and expressed confidence that this growth trajectory will continue.

    The IT Ministry, under Dr Saif’s leadership, has implemented various initiatives to bolster the IT sector. These include providing smartphones through installment plans, standardising quality tests for IT graduates, and approving the National Space Policy. Dr Saif expressed optimism about launching 5G services in Pakistan by July 2024, with a spectrum auction offering 300 MHz.

    The government aims to boost IT exports from the current $2.6 billion to approximately $5 billion by facilitating a more liberal financial regime. As part of this effort, IT companies can now retain 50 per cent of their export revenue in dollars in a local account, simplifying international payments.

    In addition to these measures, the government plans to launch 10,000 e-Rozgar centres across the country, providing facilities for freelancers and start-ups. The recently approved National Space Policy allows companies to utilise low-orbit satellites for communication services, further enhancing the technological landscape in Pakistan.

    The upcoming joint venture between PayPal and an international payment gateway is expected to usher in a new era of financial opportunities for Pakistan’s freelancers and IT professionals, contributing significantly to the country’s economic growth and global standing in the IT sector.