Israeli tourism minister, Haim Katz, visited Saudi Arabia for a United Nations (UN) conference. It is said to be the first public trip of an Israeli cabinet member to Saudi Arabia.
Leading a delegation, Katz arrived in Riyadh to attend the UN event on Tuesday.
“Cooperation in the field of tourism has the potential to bring hearts together, and economic progress,” Katz stated.
The meeting has been held a few days after US President Joe Biden urged the establishment of formal ties between Israel and Saudi Arabia.
“I think such a peace would go a long way first to advance the end of the Arab-Israeli conflict, achieve reconciliation between the Islamic world and the Jewish state, and advance a genuine peace between Israel and the Palestinians. This is something within our reach,” Israeli prime minister had said to Biden.
On Tuesday, the same day as Saudi Arabia and Israel met, a Saudi delegation went to the occupied West Bank — first in three decades — to reassure Palestinians that despite the improving relationship with Israel, Saudi Arabia will continue to stand by Palestinians.
“The Palestinian matter is a fundamental pillar,” said Naif bin Bandar Al Sudairi, head of the Saudi delegation and new ambassador to Palestine. He met with top Palestinian diplomat Riyad al-Maliki in Ramallah.
The US Department State has released a statement on Friday stating that the country will be imposing visa restrictions on “Bangladeshi individuals responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh”.
In the statement, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said that the step is a reflection of America’s commitment to supporting “Bangladesh’s goal of peacefully holding free and fair national elections, and to support those seeking to advance democracy globally,”
The people in question are members of law enforcement, the ruling party, and the political opposition including current and former Bangladeshi officials, members of opposition and ruling political parties, and members of law enforcement, the judiciary, and security services.
Moreover, any other individual or personnel found “responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic election process in Bangladesh may also be found ineligible for US visas under this policy in the future”
“The United States is committed to supporting free and fair elections in Bangladesh that are carried out in a peaceful manner,” the statement read.
Previously this year, in May, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced the new visa policy under Section 212(a)(3)(C) (“3C”) of the Immigration and Nationality Act to support Bangladesh’s goal of holding free, fair, and peaceful national elections.
Under this policy, the US could restrict the issuance of visas for any Bangladeshi individual found guilty in tampering with the election results.
The United States has said it will not release the names or numbers of people in Bangladesh subject to the visa restrictions.
Reported by Dhaka Tribune, US Embassy Spokesperson Bryan Schiller told UNB that “Visa records are confidential under US law,” and so, the names or numbers of people will not be revealed.
He further added that the imposition of the restriction has been done “After a careful review of the evidence”
On the contrary, Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Md Shahriar Alam responded to the update stating that the government has “nothing to lose and that they are not worried about the visa restrictions issue, as they are doing nothing wrong”.
A video shared on X (formerly Twitter) on Sunday is being criticised by users. The video, which features an X user named Christian, says that he remotely hires people from Pakistan to work for him.
He has a marketing agency and he stated he pays his employees $4 an hour and “they’re extremely grateful to be working with me”.
Christian explains that he hires a virtual assistant from Pakistan for administrative level tasks for his business like formatting spreadsheets, setting up email accounts and pays them 4 USD an hour.
He justifies the meagre amount by expounding that an average monthly income in Pakistan is 280 USD, but as he is paying them four USD an hour, they are getting 160 USD a week or 640 USD a month, which is almost 3 times the average income, “a really great living for them”, he adds.
“They live very very well.”
He also added that if they perform well, the pay can be raised up to $7 an hour which is 4-6 times the average monthly income of a typical person in Pakistan.
“They’re really grateful to be working with me because of the money they make. They have a great income, I get a great employee — it’s a win win.”
He, however, concluded the video keeping in mind the expected criticism;
“Before you leave a comment, yes i have US based employees. Yes, they make way more than $4 an hour. I’m just saying for this specific task, I pay a Pakistani assistant $4 an hour and they are very appreciative of it.”
While some appreciated his work, many have criticised him for exploiting people from developing countries by paying them less than those from developed countries.
Is this a flex ? Wow more people living in poverty I can exploit instead of giving them the same wage I give my US workers for the same work
US Ambassador to Pakistan, Donald Blome, visited Lahore from September 4-6 and The Current got the opportunity to sit down with him and have a little chat.
And yes, you read it correctly. The ambassador is a lover of Khalifa nan-khatai. He told us that he discovered the biscuits last year when he came to Lahore. Later, during his February trip, he even stopped by Khalifa Bakers in the Walled City.
Visit to Lahore Over the course of his latest tour, Ambassador Blome visited PepsiCo’s FritoLay Snack plant and NetSol Technologies Ltd. While the focus of the ambassador’s trip was to foster the economic ties between the United States (US) and Pakistan, special emphasis was placed upon the importance of human rights and inclusive workspaces — particularly in regards to women.
“It is not just a matter of simply hiring — there are things you have to change, and ensure a welcoming environment for women with different needs and different requirements to excel in the workforce,” he pointed out.
Playing a leading role in corporate social responsibility, American-based companies have not only created employability in Pakistan, but they endeavour to cater to the local communities through initiatives that actively work towards women’s empowerment as well as education, health, disaster relief, and skills development.
Ambassador Blome cited a USAID programme in partnership with PepsiCo that aims its attention on women farmers of Pakistan who are working in one of the more difficult areas, toiling under a strenuous work environment.
Cultural Barriers Taking into consideration the socio-domestic constraints that often restrict women from growing in their careers, Ambassador Blome believes that practical initiatives can make workplaces more inviting for women in Pakistan.
“It is the simple things; like having child care facilities, providing safe transportation — beyond that is developing a culture that ensures that equal chance is given to women to advance within their jobs and careers, and that they are valued in the same way every other employee is valued.”
He further stated that he hopes American firms like PepsiCo, which has advanced gender parity in managerial roles globally, are exemplary models providing a leadership structure for the local businesses.
“A lot of things work through to get there. But many Pakistani companies are also trying to head in that direction,” Ambassador Blome acknowledged.
Success stories While a number of US businesses have actively countered gender inequality, Ambassador Blome particularly highlighted the digital sector as a success. He mentioned that not only more women are being employed by IT firms but certain institutes have been accommodating by providing opportunities for flexible work like allowing to work partly at home, partly in office.
NetSol Technologies, an American software company, is known for being an “equal opportunity employer with the largest concentration of female employees in Lahore”.
This year, they took an initiative to encourage women back into workspaces — women who are married or left the job after having a baby. This was carried out by creating women-exclusive jobs which catered them through on-office facilities.
Ambassador Blome, however, also hailed a number of “impressive” Pakistani women-led organisations that are in the lead when it comes to facilitating women.
“It is a whole constellation of different issues that come together,” he underlined.
“If companies are able to make that work [i.e. create inclusive workspaces], it would be incredibly effective because it brings unique talents and energy, and it is something badly needed for Pakistan. The participation of women in force is too low here and it hurts the country in many ways — to forgo this incredible resource the country has.”
After country-wide protests against unprecedented hikes in electricity bills, Pakistan’s caretaker government has approached the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to seek approval before announcing any relief for the people.
According to Geo News, the IMF asked Pakistan to share a written plan for relief on Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the federal cabinet had a meeting with interim Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to take into consideration all possible options but no decision was officially announced.
The Power Division has shared proposals with the authorities but first, the IMF is to be taken on board as loans from the Fund bear strict conditions.
In July, a $3 billion loan agreement was signed with the IMF with stringent financial regulations to be followed during the programme.
Under the bailout package, the former government of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) approved a stark increase in electricity rates, resulting in increased bills.
As reported by Geo News, Finance Minister Shamshad Akhtar had a virtual meeting with IMF representative Esther Perez to discuss relief measures.
They were made aware of the current situation and continuing protests across the country.
While the Pakistan team submitted various proposals for relief in electricity bills, IMF officials requested the relief plan in writing which, according to Geo, will be shared today.
Muhammad Masood, a 31-year-old licensed Pakistani doctor living in the United States on a work visa, has been sentenced to 18 years in jail for attempting to provide material support to terrorist organisation ISIS, according to court documents.
“A Rochester man was sentenced today to 216 months in prison, equivalent to 18 years, followed by five years of supervised release for attempting to provide material support to a foreign terrorist organization,” a press release issued by the US Department of Justice stated.
The court documents revealed that Masood was previously employed as a research coordinator at a medical clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, under an H-1B visa.
As per the official statement, Masood’s activity from January 2020 to March 2020 depicted his attempts to become a part of the militant outfit and provide material support in carrying out terrorist acts in the US.
“Between January 2020 and March 2020, Masood used an encrypted messaging application to facilitate his travel overseas to join a terrorist organization,” the statement added.
It further stated that the Pakistani man made multiple statements about his desire to join ISIS and also pledged his allegiance to the designated terrorist organisation and its leader.
“Masood also expressed his desire to conduct ‘lone wolf’ terrorist attacks in the United States.”
On February 21, 2020, he bought a plane ticket from Chicago, Illinois, to Amman, Jordan, with plans to travel to Syria from there. However, his travel plans changed on March 16, 2020, as the borders were closed by Jordan under coronavirus travel restrictions.
He then decided to fly from Minneapolis to Los Angeles, where he would meet a person who he believed would help him with travel via a cargo ship to deliver him to the territory claimed by ISIS.
On March 19, 2020, Masood traveled from Rochester to Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) to board a flight bound for Los Angeles, California.
However, he was eventually arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Joint Terrorism Task Force (JTTF) upon arrival at the airport.
Masood pleaded guilty last year on August 16 to attempting to provide material support to Daesh. Senior Judge Paul A. Magnuson sentenced him to 18 years in prison on Friday, after the completion of investigations by the FBI’s JTTF.
United States (US) President Joe Biden and Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi have demanded that Pakistan should ensure that Pakistani land will not be used by terrorists.
Indian premier is currently visiting the United States.
The statement has been issued after a meeting between Biden and Modi.
Both leaders have demanded action against terrorist groups allegedly based in Pakistan, including Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammad.
“They strongly condemned cross-border terrorism, the use of terrorist proxies and called on Pakistan to take immediate action to ensure that no territory under its control is used for launching terrorist attacks,” the 58-point statement issued by the White House read.
Both the leaders demanded action against perpetrators of attacks, including the Mumbai and Pathankot incidents.
The leaders have also demanded that the Afghan Taliban should respect human rights, and the rights of women and girls in Afghanistan.
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Jill Biden, the First Lady of the United States of America, has successfully undergone surgery to remove cancerous skin lesions on her face and chest on Wednesday. A third lesion was removed from her left eyelid and sent for examination.
The lesions, removed via Mohr’s surgery, were consistent with basal cell carcinoma, a form of cancer that does not metastasize. Jill Biden’s doctors have said they were able to get clean margins.
A White House physician said that “all cancerous tissue was removed.”
According to Jill’s spokesperson, Vanessa Valdivia, the first lady is “doing well and in good spirits.”
The 71-year-old first lady was accompanied by her husband President Joe Biden, who spent more than eight hours with her at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
Biden himself has had several non-melanoma skin cancers in the past.
Basal cell carcinoma is the most frequently occurring form of all cancers. They are slow-growing, curable and cause minimal damage if treated early.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has promised that the federal government is trying to mend relations with the United States (US).
Addressing the passing out parade of the Specialised Training Programme (STP) in Islamabad, the Premier said that in the last few years, Pakistan’s relations with friendly countries had suffered. However, he promised that he was making all-out efforts to mend ties.
He said that he is going to China soon as the northern neighbor, “always stood with Pakistan”.
The Prime Minister, who just concluded a three-day trip to Saudi Arabia, said that that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al-Saud would soon be visiting Pakistan, adding that he has expressed willingness to support development projects in the country.
“Earlier this year, a team from the Saudi Development Fund visited Pakistan. During a meeting with me, they complained about delays in projects in Pakistan caused by the previous government,” he recalled.
Shehbaz Sharif said that during his meeting with Prince Salman he had apologised for these delays. “He [Prince Salman] said that the people of Pakistan and Saudi Arabia are closely bound together in a relationship. We are like one family and I am ready to do everything. These were his words,” the Prime Minister recounted to the audience.
Hence, he added, when the crown prince visits Pakistan, “I want all of you to welcome him warmly because he comes from a brotherly country.”
