The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) extended its impressive performance, achieving a historic milestone as the benchmark KSE-100 Index surpassed the 59,000 mark for the first time ever on Friday.
At the close of the session, the benchmark index concluded at 59,086.35, registering a gain of 186.51 points, or 0.32 per cent. This marks its highest closing level to date.
Earlier in the day, the KSE-100 index reached an intra-day peak of 59,502.28. However, profit-taking activities in the second half of the trading session led to a partial retreat from these gains.
The trading session commenced with widespread buying, particularly in key sectors such as automobile assemblers, cement, chemicals, commercial banks, oil and gas exploration companies, OMCs, and technology and communication, all contributing to a positive market trend.
In the preceding session on Thursday, bulls maintained control of the bourse, with the benchmark index settling at 58,899.84, marking a substantial increase of 701.08 points, or 1.20 per cent.
The bullish momentum in the stock market follows the recent staff-level agreement between Pakistani authorities and the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on the first review under the nine-month $3 billion Stand-By Arrangement (SBA).
Market experts anticipate increased inflows in the coming weeks due to this agreement. However, data released on Thursday revealed a decrease of $217 million in foreign exchange reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on a weekly basis, reaching $7.2 billion as of November 17.
Film screenwriter Jemima Khan took to her X (formerly Twitter) account to share the happy news that her son Kasim Khan, has finally launched his own app Mifu, which will help influencers connect with marketing brands.
Many tweets congratulated Jemima while others were heartbroken at how his father, former prime minister Imran Khan, was not able to attend the joyous occasion because of imprisonment.
Imran Khan left his family and always missed these big and little achievements of his children for this forsaken country, which has instead thrown him in a dungeon. https://t.co/UAhqZnjXcR
pains me to realise that Imran Khan is not there to celebrate this milestone in his son’s life. heart aches every time i realise about this one big sacrifice he made for this nation. hurts. https://t.co/SfPkjwg4aj
An FIR has been filed against Australian opener Mitchel Marsh in Uttar Pradesh, India, by RTI activist Keshav Pandit.
After Australia won the World Cup, a picture of Mitchell Marsh resting his legs on the trophy went viral on social media. He later removed the picture from social media but Indians are still on his case.
An FIR was lodged against Australian cricketer #MitchellMarsh in Aligarh, UP
The complaint was filed by RTI activist Pandit Keshav, alleging that Marsh’s actions of dropping legs on the World Cup trophy had offended the sentiments of Indian cricket team fans
The FIR was filed by RTI activist Pandit Keshu in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, India. The prosecution has also sent a copy of the FIR to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in which he has demanded a ban on Mitchell Marsh from participating in any cricket activity.
The FIR against Mitchell Marsh has been filed after the complaint of former Indian player Irfan Pathan, who said that he was hurt by Mitchell’s action.
This is not the first time that a case has been filed against a foreign cricketer in India. In October, an Indian lawyer filed a complaint in the ICC against Pakistani wicketkeeper-batsman Mohammad Rizwan, asking that he be stopped from offering prayers on the ground during the match.
Pakistan cricket team’s all-rounder Imad Wasim has announced his retirement from international cricket on the social media platform ‘X’.
Imad Wasim wrote that ‘representing Pakistan in T20 and ODI matches was a dream come true, it is the beginning of a good time for Pakistan cricket with new leadership and coaches’.
All-rounder Imad Wasim said, “Recently I have been thinking about my international career, I have come to the conclusion that it is the right time to announce my retirement.”
Imad Wasim said, “I thank PCB and fans for their support, I wish them all the best, now I will focus on the next step away from my international career”.
Imad played 55 ODIs and 66 T20Is for Pakistan as a left-arm spinner and a lower-order batter. He last represented Pakistan in April in a T20I against New Zealand. In all, he took 44 wickets and scored 986 runs in ODIs. In T20Is, he took 65 wickets and scored 486 runs. His best performance with the ball, incidentally, is the same in both formats – 5 for 14.
Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) has lodged a complaint against the ex-CEO of the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) for acquiring the position on the basis of a fake PhD degree, reports Geo.
Sheikh Akhtar Hussain remained CEO DRAP from 2018 till 2019. FIA has begun searching for Hussain to investigate the matter
The findings were discovered by the anti-corruption circle in FIA.
In an interview with Urdu Point, the head of the family whose six members were killed in an accident after being hit by an underage driver, Rafaqat Ali, has said that he’s facing difficulty in seeking justice.
Calling the incident “target killing”, Rafaqat recounts the accident and the harassment his family faced by the teenager driving the car. He clarified that nobody has threatened him but the cold behaviour of the police is repulsive. Earlier, in an interview which was conducted a day after the incident, he claimed that he had been receiving threats.
He went on to explain his dejection seeing police siding with the accused as in the court hearing, Afnan was brought late and was also given a mobile phone(iPhone) by his relatives. He added that he was not even shown the reason for remand by the police even though he is the petitioner. Rafaqat Ali relayed that the investigation officer requested the judge to issue a judicial remand as both the alleged culprit and his car are in possession of the police. The deputy of the investigation officer also misbehaved with him when he asked for the digital copy of the judicial remand, saying, “Mein ap kay baap ka naukar hoon.”
This repelled the father so much that he even thought of “withdrawing” altogether since nothing is in his favour and the opposite party seemed stronger than him. He took the matter to DIG Investigation Imran Kishore who called the Investigation Officer Umar and asked him about the case who said that the judicial remand had been issued by the judge to Kishore and asked how is this possible when it was a case registered under section 302(a constitutional clause that governs punishment for murder).
Kishore brought up the matter of misbehaviour with him and suspended him instantly, stating that the job of the investigation officer is to serve the petitioner, not the suspect. He also reprimanded another officer for negligence. Now the matter of investigation lies with DSP Kahna Police Station.
Who would have thought that at a time when Pakistan is seeing discrimination and hatred displayed openly for the vulnerable Afghan refugees, we get to watch a television show displaying cultural solidarity and harmony in such a beautiful manner? When Green Entertainment announced ‘Kabli Pulao’ among their list of to-be-released dramas, many were curious about whether it would follow the lines of the misogynist trope involving an old man marrying a younger woman, given the wide age gap between the main lead actors Sabeen Farooq and Mohammed Ehteshamuddin. But, this is a show every person needs to watch to accept our cultural differences, and that no one is an ‘illegal alien’.
The drama centres around elderly bachelor Hajji Mushtaq, who spent his life caring for his sisters and their children, and is lovingly referred to as ‘baray abba’ by them. When he meets Barbeena while travelling in Mardan, her brother begs him to marry her to protect her from falling into the hands of her abusive brother-in-law. Hajji Mushtaq reluctantly agrees to do so.
Their marriage is obviously not met with approval at first. Barbeena’s entry into Mushtaq’s family is met with scorn and racism. Mushtaq’s sisters Chammo and Zubaida at first suspect she is a spy, sent to take over their brother’s wealth and force them out of the family. Barbeena has to pretend she is a newly hired maid, and after a feud reveals that she is actually Mushtaq’s wife, she is met with accusations of shaming the honour of the family.
But the willingness displayed by Barbeena to win over the family, and especially how she brings joy into Hajji Mushtaq’s life, and then slowly for the rest of the family members, is something no other drama has ever displayed. It is Barbeena’s Afghan background that helps her win over everyone else. In episode four, the family fawns over her roghni naans and her kabli pulao. Barbeena bonds with the younger children by singing Afghan songs, sharing her traditional dresses and dancing with them. Soon she partners with Hajji Mushtaq to set up her business selling the kabli pulao to customers.
It was some time ago when I was re-watching episode three, where the family hounds Hajji Mustaq and begs him to send Barbeena away. Ironically at this point, there was a heartbreaking video going viral on the internet featuring a young Afghan boy with tears in his eyes saying goodbye to his classmates as his family was being sent back to Afghanistan. Since that moment, we’ve seen consistently how much burden the term ‘illegal alien’ carries, the way it strips a human of their humanity and dignity.
Your Namak (Salt) was enough. Thanks everyone. An Afghan student says goodbye to his classmates. pic.twitter.com/DSg16wBeKv
Videos from Aurat March show how Afghan refugees were kept in cramped conditions, denied basic respect as their children were picked up by officers and ‘accidentally deported’ over racist assumptions. Irony lies in how this is the same country where ‘Kabuli Pulao’ was became one of the best television shows to come out this year, yet it’s sole inspiration, the Afghan refugees, are treated with such malice.
The enduring message of Barbeena’s resilience, and her blossoming relationship with Hajji Mushtaq, was that there is beauty in our cultural diversity. Barbeena’s uniqueness in her Afghan heritage, turned this drama into more than just a simple love story but a message on how Pakistani’s need to know more than ever to open up their hearts rather than shut them down. Accept our neighbours as our friends rather than turn them away because of our own internalised racism.
This message resonates with the horrific treatment of the Palestinians in Gaza, and how their oppression is justified with terms like ‘human animals’ and ‘barbarians’. Because now more than ever, us Pakistanis need to become the anti-thesis of hateful rhetoric and learn to hold those close who had no choice but to leave their homes in search of better opportunities.
All episodes of ‘Kabli Pulao’ are available to watch on Youtube.
As smog spreads across Punjab, causing a potential health hazard, the caretaker government of the province is considering artificial rain to combat the toxic pollution.
Cloud formation
To make artificial rain, there need to be clouds. Experts are saying that they can find these clouds and then use a process called cloud seeding to make it rain.
Cloud seeding is like giving clouds a little push to make them release rain. Scientists found out about the process in 1946, when they discovered that by using a special mix of silver iodide and dry ice, they could make clouds produce more ice and eventually rain.
Nowadays, we still use silver iodide and dry ice for cloud seeding, but we’ve gotten better at it. The meteorological department in Pakistan has already tried it out successfully. Other countries, like Gulf nations, also use artificial rain.
In the United Arab Emirates, scientists are trying a new method, using water-absorbing salt flares. These flares release tiny salt particles into the air, which activate the clouds and speed up the rain-making process. It’s like a high-tech way of helping nature create rain when it’s needed.
Why is artificial rain important?
Artificial rain is important because it can help clear out the smog in cities. When it rains, it washes away the pollutants in the air, making it easier for people to breathe and improving overall air quality. It’s a smart solution to a serious problem.
A clip of former Pakistan captain Rameez Raja recently went viral on social media in which he claimed that the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has designed the diet plan of Portuguese star footballer Cristiano Ronaldo. Ramiz Raja said, “Let’s take the example of Ronaldo’s diet plan developed by NASA scientists”.
The video gained a lot of attention on social media with social media users criticizing the former captain.
However, NASA actually helps 38-year-old Cristiano Ronaldo maintain his physical strength. The legendary Portuguese soccer star maintains his extraordinary physical strength thanks to a NASA-designed physical rehabilitation machine.
Vascusport Regeneration System, installed in his home, helps them maintain their physical mobility. This technology helps improve lymphatic flow, activates drainage and increases endorphin levels in the brain while also bringing more oxygen to the tissues. It also helps improve circulation and speed up the healing process which allows Ronaldo to recover from injuries faster.
While NASA’s machine plays a role in his recovery, Ronaldo’s strict diet plays an equally important role in achieving his peak fitness. Beef, avocado, coconut oil, chicken, eggs and black rice are essential components of his carefully planned diet. He also undergoes thalassotherapy sessions using substances derived from the sea to relax muscles.
Ronaldo uses Cryotherapy to remove abnormal skin cells for injury recovery. Now we know how NASA helps Ronaldo and Ramiz Raja may have been given incomplete information about the star footballer.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari left the country for Dubai on Friday following what appears to be a dispute with his father.
Bilawal’s departure comes a day after his father, former President Asif Ali Zardari, said in an interview on Geo News that he was still training his son.
Bilawal left the country on a private flight. The party is yet to disclose the reason for his visit.
In a seeming act of defiance to his father, Bilawal changed his profile picture on X on Friday afternoon, to a photo with his mother Benazir Bhutto, the former Prime Minister and head of the PPP till her assassination in 2017.
The former president of Pakistan and Bilawal’s father, Asif Ali Zardari, during an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir on Geo News’ program “Capital Talk”, said that Bilawal is “inexperienced” and that it would take some time for him to gain more exposure, on Thursday.
“Bilawal is much more talented than I am, but he isn’t experienced,” he said.
The former president said the new generation has its own mindset and the right to express itself.
He further stated that if he tried to intervene in their affairs, it would just lead to more mess.
“If Bilawal says, ‘You do politics, I won’t’, then what can I do? People learn over time in politics. I have made several mistakes myself.”
Zardari also mentioned that Bilawal’s narrative would’ve been the same if we were doing business, “You [Zardari] don’t know anything. It’s the same in politics.”
Zardari said he is the president of the PPPP, which is authorised to allocate election tickets, while his son Bilawal is chairman of the PPP. “I allocate tickets,” he said.
