Hamas has reportedly shown “appreciation” as Russia and China vetoed a US-led draft resolution on a Gaza ‘ceasefire’ at the UN Security Council on Friday.
The United States proposed a resolution endorsing “the urgent need for an immediate and enduring ceasefire” and, notably, condemning the October 7 attack carried out by Hamas for the first time.
“We express our appreciation for the position of Russia, China and Algeria who rejected the biased American resolution of aggression against our people,” the Hamas said in a statement.
They added that the draft consists of “misleading wording that is complicit” with Israel and “grants it cover and legitimacy to commit a genocidal war against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip.”
On the other hand, prior to the vote, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, Vassily Nebenzia, urged members against endorsing the resolution, deeming it as “excessively politicized” and implying it endorsed Israeli military operations in Rafah, Gaza, where more than half of its 2.3 million residents sought shelter in camps to escape the Israeli offensive in the northern regions.
Nebenzia asserted that several non-permanent Security Council members had crafted an alternative resolution, which he portrayed as a fair proposal, calling on all members to support it.
Gauahar Khan and Zaid Darbar have shared their son Zehaan’s picture from the Holy city of Makkah, Saudi Arabia. The couple shared a post together where they’re holding their son in the Holy Kaaba. They also posted a video of Zehaan smiling at the holy site. In the caption, they wrote: “Just wanted to give our little prince’ first Salaam to the world from the house of the Almighty! May he be pleased with our SonShine! Ameen. Our Zehaan. Request for continued positivity, love and blessings for him. Lots of love.”
They continued, “The emotions you feel when you arrive, no matter how many times you visit, only comes from the imaan in your heart . But how do you explain the feeling of watching your baby ,an infant flapping his hands in a calling action to masjid al nabawi for the first time that he has ever seen it. Subhan Allah.”
A district and sessions court approved a request on Friday to bring Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and party leader Shah Mahmood Qureshi to court. The court directed authorities to make sure that the politicians appear in court on April 20th.
Judicial Magistrate Mureed Abbas heard the petition for the production of evidence in the Parliament attack case involving Imran Khan and others. During the hearing, Naeem Panjotha, the lawyer representing the former prime minister, presented his arguments.
The lawyer argued that the Superintendent of Adiala jail does not obey the order of any court. He insisted the court ensure that jail officials adhere to the orders and produce Khan.
He also said that jail authorities come up with excuses and don’t even arrange for a video link hearing for the PTI founder.
The judicial magistrate, following Panjotha’s arguments, said Khan is in Adiala jail and the situation is different, and while the option of video link is there, the attendance takes place in the e-court.
On Friday evening, Princess of Wales, Kate Middleton, shocked the world with a video announcement that she has cancer. As absurd rumors about her having died or being murdered by her husband Prince William, took hold on social media, the future Queen of England broke her silence and made a rare public appearance.
Sitting on a bench, composed and calm, the Princess said that doctors found cancer after her “successful” abdominal surgery. She said she’s receiving “the early stages” of preventive chemotherapy. She did not offer more details about what type of cancer she has been diagnosed with or what stage her disease is at.
But there are clues in her message. Let’s look at exactly what is ‘preventive chemotherapy’.
Preventive chemotherapy, or chemoprevention, is the use of a medicine or a supplement to prevent cancer from developing in high-risk patients.
The chemo in this instance can be used in a healthy person to stop cancer from developing, in a person who has pre-cancerous or stage 0 cancer to stop the cells from becoming malignant, or in a person who already has one form of cancer to stop another cancer from developing.
Chemoprevention is primarily used in three types of cancer: breast, prostate (in men) and colon. However, it is also used, albeit less often, in lung, skin and neck cancers.
Preventive chemotherapy is mostly delivered via IV tube or pills, usually in outpatient procedures. The patient does not need to be admitted to hospital.
We hope that Princess Kate is able to beat her disease quickly and easily. Here’s wishing her and her family the best of luck on their journey.
Indus Motor Company, the manufacturer of Toyota vehicles in Pakistan, has revealed its latest offerings for consumers.
On Friday, the company announced the introduction of two petrol variants of the Corolla Cross. Bookings for these models are set to commence from March 23, with deliveries tentatively scheduled to begin on April 15.
The Corolla Cross 1.8X, positioned as the high-end gasoline model, is priced at Rs8.899 million, while its basic counterpart, the 1.8 (Low), comes with a price tag of Rs8.199 million.
In comparison, the hybrid variants are priced slightly higher, with the mid-level category priced at Rs9,399,000 and the high-end category at Rs9,849,000. It’s important to note that the company has labeled these prices as ‘introductory’ during the launch event.
Despite this announcement, market experts suggest that the hybrid models of the Corolla Cross may remain more appealing to consumers, especially in light of rising fuel prices.
However, experts in the auto sector note that the gasoline variants are competitively priced within the range of other compact SUVs such as the Kia Sportage, Hyundai Tucson, and MG-HS, indicating potential competition within this segment.
The auto industry in Pakistan has witnessed intensified competition, with companies offering various discounts to attract customers.
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In a shocking turn of events, Catherine, Princess of Wales, revealed on Friday, via a video message, that she has been diagnosed with cancer and is in the “early stages” of treatment.
The announcement was described by the princess as a “huge shock”. It has been two months after she had stepped away from public life, following what Kensington Palace stated at the time was surgery for an abdominal condition.
“In January, I underwent major abdominal surgery in London and at the time, it was thought that my condition was non-cancerous,” she said, laying to rest all rumours about her disappearance from public life.
Apparently, the surgery was successful. However, tests after the operation found cancer was present. “My medical team therefore advised that I should undergo a course of preventative chemotherapy and I am now in the early stages of that treatment.”
Kate explained that her diagnosis was “a huge shock” and that “William and I have been doing everything we can to process and manage this privately for the sake of our young family.”
The princess added, “As you can imagine, this has taken time. It has taken me time to recover from major surgery in order to start my treatment. But, most importantly, it has taken us time to explain everything to George, Charlotte and Louis in a way that is appropriate for them, and to reassure them that I am going to be ok.”
Kate said that she had told them she is “well and getting stronger every day by focusing on the things that will help me heal; in my mind, body and spirits.”
She praised her husband, Prince William for being by her side as “a great source of comfort and reassurance” as well as the support she has received from the public.
“We hope that you will understand that, as a family, we now need some time, space and privacy while I complete my treatment. My work has always brought me a deep sense of joy and I look forward to being back when I am able, but for now I must focus on making a full recovery,” she said.
She ended her heartfelt message by saying that she was also keeping “all those whose lives have been affected by cancer” in her thoughts.
“For everyone facing this disease, in whatever form, please do not lose faith or hope. You are not alone,” Kate concluded.
Recently, King Charles has also been diagnosed for cancer and is also in chemotherapy.
Last week, India’s election commission published a list detailing buyers of electoral bonds, a contentious funding scheme that has helped Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s party build an immense campaign war chest dwarfing rivals.
Electoral bonds account for more than half of all political donations and were anonymous until India’s top court ruled them illegal weeks before the start of national elections next month.
An AFP review of the list found that of the $1.5 billion donated through the scheme, at least $94 million was donated by 17 companies after they faced — either directly or through their subsidiaries — investigations for tax evasion, fraud or other corporate malfeasance.
“The electoral bond scheme was sinful in conception, faulty in design and intended to prevent transparency,” lawmaker Abhishek Singhvi of the opposition Congress party told AFP.
“Each of these vices stand exposed… by the huge disclosures tumbling out of the closets.”
‘Knocked at their doors’
Opposition party lawmakers claim the electoral bonds list shows that firms were donating to Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the hopes of influencing the outcome of criminal probes.
The BJP was far and away the single biggest beneficiary of the scheme, receiving $730 million or around 47 percent of total bonds cashed since April 2019.
Its main competitor Congress received around $171 million over the same period.
Among the companies named as donors are Hero MotoCorp, the country’s biggest motorbike maker by sales. It donated $2.4 million to the BJP seven months after confirming its finances were being investigated by the tax department.
Glenmark Pharmaceuticals, a top drug firm, bought $1.17 million worth of electoral bonds for the BJP eight months after Indian media reported an investigation for alleged tax evasion.
Indian miner Vedanta, whose parent company was once listed on the London Stock Exchange, donated more than $40 million spread across half a dozen parties over the past five years.
Local media reported in 2022 that the country’s main financial crime agency began investigating the company in 2018 for allegedly paying bribes to facilitate Indian visas for Chinese technicians.
Hero, Glenmark and Vedanta did not respond to requests for comment.
No definitive proof of such a quid pro quo has surfaced. Authorities have also not publicly announced whether investigations against donor companies have been closed or withdrawn.
Nirmala Sitharaman, Modi’s finance minister, said last week that any allegation of a link between criminal investigations and political donations was based on “huge assumptions”.
“What if the companies gave the money, and after that, we still went and knocked at their doors?” she told a panel hosted by television channel India Today.
The BJP was not the only party to receive electoral bonds from companies facing legal investigation.
Among the several parties funded by lottery company Future Gaming — the biggest single donor under the scheme with a spend of $164 million — were the government and opposition of southern Tamil Nadu state.
Future Gaming has since 2011 been the subject of several investigations on suspicion of unpaid income tax, money laundering and fraud, according to media reports.
‘Black money’
Ties between corporate India and the country’s political class have previously blown up into public scandal — including to the benefit of Modi, who was swept to office a decade ago on a wave of public discontent over corruption.
Modi made hay from a number of corporate bribery accusations directed against his opponents, including allegations that ministers and bureaucrats had taken money from telecom companies in return for favourable licensing deals.
His government introduced electoral bonds in 2017, pledging the scheme would clear up the illicit “black money” donated to parties in return for political favours.
But the new scheme did not close off other avenues of funding, including anonymous cash donations or tax-deductible electoral trusts in which multiple companies can pool money together for parties without public scrutiny.
Indian media also identified several other irregularities with the electoral bond scheme, reporting that several companies donated amounts far in excess of their annual profit or revenue.
Others were loss-making or had been freshly incorporated, suggesting they had been used as front companies to make donations on behalf of an unidentified third party.
Milan Vaishnav, of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, said the donation list vindicated the election commission’s objections to the scheme when it was first unveiled.
“This is precisely what the EC had warned, (that) the creation of this opaque instrument could allow for shell companies, foreign firms, and unknown third parties to give to parties without detection or outside scrutiny.”
Ottawa, Canada – Canada for the first time is planning to curb the number of temporary foreign workers it welcomes, officials announced Thursday, after years of lofty immigration levels.
Ottawa is proposing to reduce the number of temporary residents to five percent of the population over the next three years, down from the current 6.2 percent (2.5 million people).
That target will be firmed up after consultations with Canada’s provinces, some of which have been pushing back on large migrant inflows amid a housing crunch and soaring demands for services.
Restrictions on temporary foreign worker permits will start on May 1.
This follows a recently announced cap on new permits for international students and visa requirements for some Mexican travellers.
“Canada has seen a sharp increase in the volume of temporary residents in recent years, from a rise of international students to more foreign workers filling job vacancies to those fleeing wars and natural disasters,” Immigration Minister Marc Miller told a news conference.
However, Canada’s labour market is now much tighter, with its population growth, fueled by massive immigration, outpacing job creation.
According to government data, job vacancies fell 3.6 percent to 678,500 in the last three months of 2023, marking the sixth straight quarterly decline from a record high of 983,600 reached in the second quarter of 2022.
“Changes are needed to make the system more efficient and more sustainable,” Miller said.
Employment Minister Randy Boissonnault urged employers to consider hiring refugees before seeking to bring in temporary foreign workers.
He said businesses that are currently allowed to have temporary foreign workers make up to 30 percent of their workforce will see that proportion drop to 20 percent, except in the health care and construction sectors.
Canada’s immigration department, meanwhile, has been ordered by Miller to conduct a review of existing programs that bring in temporary labourers to better align them with labour needs and weed out abuses.
Gold prices experienced a downturn in the domestic market on Friday, aligning with the global trend.
The price of 24-karat gold dropped by Rs4,200 to reach Rs228,200 per tola, reflecting fluctuations in international gold prices.
Notably, the previous day saw a significant increase of Rs4,600 per tola in gold prices in Pakistan.
According to the Karachi Sarafa Association, the price of 24-karat gold per 10 grammes fell to Rs195,645, marking a decrease of Rs3,600.
Similarly, the price of 22-karat gold also saw a decline, reaching Rs179,341 per 10 grammes.
In addition to gold, silver prices also saw a decrease. 24-karat silver was sold at Rs2,580 per tola and Rs2,211.93 per 10 grammes, indicating a decrease of Rs20 per tola and Rs17.15 per 10 grammes, respectively.
Internationally, spot gold prices retreated after reaching a milestone of over $2,200 an ounce for the first time.
This drop followed the Federal Reserve’s indication of maintaining its trajectory for three interest-rate cuts this year. Spot gold traded near $2,166.81, showing a decrease of $14.65 or 0.68 per cent for the day.
The correction in gold prices was influenced by the strengthening of the dollar, which rose by 0.8 per cent after hitting a one-week low.
The government, as confirmed by sources within the Prime Minister’s Office, has formally commenced the privatisation procedure for Pakistan International Airlines Corp (PIA) by issuing a gazette notification.
This notification delineates the transition of the national airline into a government holding company.
Notably, PIA has experienced a persistent surge surpassing its previous peak performances. Despite being a loss-making entity, the airline has encountered fluctuations in recent trading sessions.
Its stock price has escalated by 2.37 times this month alone and an astounding 7.6 times within the current fiscal year.
This rally can be attributed to the new government’s endeavors aimed at restructuring and privatising the airline.
