Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Pakistan to get $1 billion investment from Egypt

    Pakistan to get $1 billion investment from Egypt

    Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Fadel Yacoub has said that Egypt is keen to invest $1 billion in Pakistan over the next one year in different sectors including energy, infrastructure, halal food and tourism, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, the envoy, while speaking at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) said that bilateral trade had been on an uptrend and it currently stood at $260 million per annum compared to $200 million last year.

    The envoy told the meeting that Egypt would be declared Hepatitis-free country by 2020 and urged Pakistan businessmen to establish joint ventures in pharmaceutical and health sectors, stressing that Egypt could help Pakistan completely get rid of Hepatitis C.

    “Both countries are enjoying good relations and there is a need to further increase exchange of delegations and information,” the ambassador added.

    Ministry of Commerce Joint Secretary Maria Kazi has said that special incentives would be provided to Pakistani companies for participating in trade fairs in Africa under the ‘Look Africa’ initiative.

    She also urged the private sector to focus on exporting a higher volume of merchandise to Africa.

  • Media outlet announces PEMRA’s ban on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference on air

    Media outlet announces PEMRA’s ban on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference on air

    One of Pakistan’s leading media outlets, Geo News while showing JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference live announced on air that they have to cut off the live streaming because of PEMRA’s instructions that his pressers cannot be covered on the media anymore.

    Member of the opposition, Rehman, in the past couple of weeks has been making headlines after he announced that he is planning to march towards Islamabad in an attempt to topple Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. His “Azadi March” plans to enter Islamabad on October 31.

    As per reports, a written order has not yet been issued but the orders have been sent through WhatsApp messages. It is pertinent to note that it is illegal to issue “written and verbal” directives to “blackout” any particular party or leader.

    Previously, Geo News anchor, Hamid Mir, on October 12 had tweeted that Pemra has “forced TV channels not to show” the press conferences of Maulana Fazalur Rehman. He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, other journalists on Twitter applauded Geo News for its bold stance.

  • US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran following Saudi oil attack: report

    US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran following Saudi oil attack: report

    The United States (US) carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”. The strike only affected physical hardware and did not provide further details.

    The attack appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.

    US, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed Iran for the Sept 14 attack, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences, which is the latest US deployment to the region this year.

    Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

  • Royal Visit Day 2 – Kate & William explore the mountainous North

    Royal Visit Day 2 – Kate & William explore the mountainous North

    After creating waves and winning hearts on the first day of their visit, the Duke and Duchess began the second day of their trip by heading straight to the beautiful mountainous North of the country.

    On the third day of their five-day visit, Kate and William are visiting the mighty Hindu Kush mountain range to witness the effects of climate change, which is one of the key areas of focus of their visit.

    They arrived in Chitral on a helicopter where they were gifted the traditional Chitrali cap and a book of photos commemorating the trip of Princess Diana, who visited the valley in 1991.

    Upon receiving the book, William remarked “Fantastic,” as he sifted through the pages of the book. The residents also gifted an embroidered coat to the Duke and a shawl to the Duchess.

    The Duchess wore a long taupe-coloured skirt and a darker coloured shirt under a leather vest for the visit. She opted for flat knee-high brown boots and accessoried with gold earrings and a beige pashmina, while William wore a teal shirt and beige chino trousers. People couldn’t help but compare her to Diana.

    The couple then visited the northern tip of the Chiatibo Glacier in Broghil National Park and were shown how it has retreated rapidly in recent years due to global warming. It was the first time the couple had seen a melting glacier.

    Standing between the snowy peaks of the mountain range, the duke said communities “vulnerable to change” needed “more education, more awareness and political action.”

    Following that, they travelled to Bombaret village in Kalash valley, where they interacted with the locals and spent time with children. They also enjoyed performances of traditional dances and music by the local people.

    The Duchess was all smiles as she took part in the festivities.

    A special cultural show, focused on the life in the Northern Areas, was also held for the royal couple.

    After completing their engagements, the couple flew back to Islamabad.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1, click here.

  • Cash-strapped PIA promotes 1,000 officers while even fuel supply remains terminated

    Cash-strapped PIA promotes 1,000 officers while even fuel supply remains terminated

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has promoted 1,000 officers to the next grades amid a halt in flight operations after PSO terminated fuel supply to the national carrier due to the non-payment of impending dues, The News International reported.

    According to the details, out of the total 1,000 crew members, almost 750 have been promoted from group 4 to 5, and 121 from group 5 to 6. Similarly, 84 out of 280 flight pursers working in group 6 have been promoted to group 7 as senior pursers.

    The top management of PIA, mostly on deputation from Pakistan Air Force (PAF) believes the promotions will motivate the already demoralised staff to perform well and get the PIA out of this financial quagmire.

    The reports, however, claim that the management has promoted such a large number of employees from group 4 so that it could get the maximum number of officials out of the PIA unions.

    The employees from group 1 to 4 can become a member of PIA unions because from group 4 onwards ‘officer category’ starts, which restricts them from being a member of the PIA unions.

    Adding to the already piled up problems of PIA, a disturbance in the flight operation at Allama Iqbal International Airport was caused when flights PK-305 (Lahore-Karachi) and PK-652 (Lahore-Islamabad) were canceled due to non-availability of fuel.

    PIA spokesperson Mashood Tajwar has said that the flights were stopped due to non-provision of oil, adding that both national organizations are holding talks to resolve the conflict.

  • Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    Govt announces action against Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding platoon

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has announced initiating legal action against Jamiat Ulemae Islam-Fazl (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s stick-wielding army, the constitution of which it says is in “violation of both the law of the land and the National Action Plan (NAP)”.

    Volunteers of the religio-political party’s Salar Force earlier this week presented a guard of honour to Fazl, taking an oath to safeguard their leadership even at the cost of their lives.

    The demo came as the JUI-F gears up to take on the federal government as part of its Azadi March to Islamabad on October 31; with plans of locking down the capital in protest against the “fake” Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Reacting to the march and the creation of the force, KP Information Minister Shaukat Yousafzai on Wednesday warned the JUI-F against stick-wielding, uniformed workers marching on the roads.

    “When you are marching on roads in uniforms it means that you are erecting a force. This is a violation of the NAP and will not be tolerated,” Yousufzai said.

    “I know who is pushing [Fazlur] Rehman; money is pushing him. He is threatening institutions, he is trying to use seminary students,” the minister said.

    The information minister added that the JUI-F chief was struggling to get incarcerated former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and former president Asif Ali Zardari out of jail.

  • VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    VIDEO: Journalist trolls Imran Khan for ‘another broken promise’

    Journalist and anchorperson Shahzeb Khanzada has tolled Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan over “another broken promise”, and it’s hilarious.

    Khanzada, in his show last night, aired an old video of PM Imran promising that he will create such opportunities in Pakistan that people from foreign countries will be seeking jobs in the country.

    He also said that former Finance Minister Asad Umar had earlier claimed that people from foreign countries were already seeking executive positions in Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM), but in reality, the positions were still vacant and PSM was still inoperational.

    Continuing his brutal trolling of premier and his aides, Khanzada also aired a video of Finance Adviser Abdul Hafeez Sheikh saying, “Our government’s target is to increase foreign employment of Pakistani citizens”.

    He was heard as adding that this year from January to August, the government had sent around 373,000 people from Pakistan to foreign countries for employment.

    Shahzeb then said that the government instead of providing job opportunities was now taking credit for sending people abroad for jobs.

  • Celebrities rub shoulders with the royal couple at grand reception

    Celebrities rub shoulders with the royal couple at grand reception

    The grand Royal reception hosted for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad by the British High Commissioner to Pakistan Thomas Drew and his wife saw the who’s who in Pakistan in attendance. From politicians to celebrities to sportsmen to entrepreneurs – it was a star-studded event and one we wish we also had a chance to attend. But since that didn’t happen, we were glued to our phones for all the live updates from the event.

    While a lot of celebrities were in attendance at the event, not everyone got a chance to snap a picture with the royal couple.

    King of Couture, Hassan Sheheryar Yasin was among the few lucky ones who were introduced to William and Kate. He not only got a picture but also got a chance to interact with them. We hear that Kate will be donning an outfit by the designer on the visit.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B3pj4EdBvUq/

    Maheen Khan, whose creation the Duchess wore for her first royal engagement also interacted with the couple.

    Mehwish Hayat said that it was a “real pleasure” to meet the royal visitors.

    Mahira Khan and Masarrat Misbah also got a moment with the Prince.

    As did Shehzad Roy.

    Others who attended the event included Atif Aslam, Hareem Farooq, Momina Mustehsan, Yousaf Sallahuddin, Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly, Wasim and Shaniera Akram and Shaan Shahid.

    Atif looked dapper in a sherwani by Mohsin Naveed Ranjha while Mahira looked lovely in Misha Lakhani.

    While the celebrities have not yet shared high-quality pictures yet, UK-based DJ Noreen Khan who was the red carpet host, shared pictures with the celebrities.

  • Who did Princess Diana wear on her Pakistan tour?

    Who did Princess Diana wear on her Pakistan tour?

    Jemima Khan called the designer and asked to design a dress for a celebrity whose name she yet reveals in 1996. Rizwan Beyg shares the story behind dressing the most famous and most photographed woman: Diana, Princess of Wales.

    Princess Diana visited Pakistan in 1996 on Imran Khan’s invitation to help raise funds for Shaukat Khanum Memorial Cancer Hospital. Diana was accompanied by Lady Annabel Goldsmith, the mother of Khan’s wife at the time, Jemima Khan, and Jemima’s cousin Cosima Somerse.

  • Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Fawad Chaudhry tells nation not to look towards government for jobs

    Science and Technology Minister Fawad Chaudhry created a stir once again when he said that the nation should not look towards the government for jobs.

    Addressing a conference in Islamabad on Tuesday, the minister said that the government is, in fact, going to disband 400 departments.

    “If you start looking towards the government for jobs, our economy will collapse,” he stated.

    Chaudhry explained that his statement was taken out of context and was being misinterpreted. In a tweet, he explained that jobs are provided by the private sector while the government’s responsibility is to create an environment where jobs are created. But the government cannot accommodate everyone in government departments.

    Meanwhile, PTI’s manifesto states otherwise:

    Create 10 million jobs and strengthen the labour market

    PTI will strengthen the labour market and create 10 million jobs over 5 years in key sectors: SME, housing, ICT, health, education, green economy and tourism.

    Article 38 of the constitution states that the “state shall provide for all citizens, within the available resources of the country, facilities for work and adequate livelihood”. Approximately two million additional youth enter the labour force each year, which totals to 10 million over the next 5 years. We believe Pakistan’s youth can become its biggest asset. However, if we do not take action, the youth dividend can also become our biggest challenge and lead to drastic economic and social consequences.

    Meanwhile, Minister for Water and Resources, Faisal Vawda, in early April had said that there will be a burst of jobs in Pakistan in the coming weeks.

    Six months later we have seen no burst. Is the PTI going back on its promises?

    https://youtu.be/uQDjmtSxgKE?list=PLJPlBvZludM5xdTtXjTIlrbYVBHpXZSpm