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  • ‘Race against time’: PM Shehbaz calls on the world to help flood ravaged Pakistan

    ‘Race against time’: PM Shehbaz calls on the world to help flood ravaged Pakistan

    The International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan — co-hosted by Pakistan and the United Nations — began in Geneva on Monday.

    The international conference began with the words of Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, who said, “We will need considerable support” from the international community,” as he sought solidarity to help Pakistan achieve a “resilient” future.

    The FM said that rehabilitation “continues to this day” as Pakistan battles with wide-scale destruction brought on by the environmental catastrophe.

    United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres Monday appealed to the world to help Pakistan deal with the disaster caused by floods, saying “massive investments” are needed for the country’s rehabilitation which is expected to cost more than $16 billion.

    “Even through the darkest moments, the giving spirit of the Pakistani people has shone brightly,” said Guterres, “I have seen neighbours helping neighbours with food, water and shelter”.

    The UN head stated that his heart broke when he saw first-hand the active devastation of last summer’s floods. “No country deserves to endure what happened to Pakistan, but it was especially bitter to watch that country’s generous spirit being repaid with a climate disaster of monumental scale,” he said.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif again called on the world to help flood-ravaged Pakistan in his address at the International Conference on Resilient Pakistan.

    PM Shehbaz said that the world was standing at a “turning point of history” today.

    “One can go on and on but to truly say, we are racing against time. We are thankful for the support extended to us by the Asian Development Bank, UN, International Monetary Fund and several other international organisations.”

    At the moot, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also launched the ‘Resilient Recovery, Rehabilitation, and Recons­truction Framework’ (4RF).

    The framework outlines a vision for rehabilitation and reconstruction of the flood-affected areas as well as will emphasise the need for global support and long-term partnership to implement it.

    “The first part of the 4rf plan reflects the priorities for recovery and reconstruction, bearing in mind the minimum funding requirement of $16.3 billion, half of which we met from domestic resources and the remaining half with the help of development partners and friends,” PM Shehbaz said.

    He said that the second part of the framework plan incorporates flood-resilient designs and infrastructure projects such as protecting key highways, railway line networks and early warning systems and capacity building for rescue and relief for future disasters.

    The PM while sharing details of the scale of destruction the country has suffered said that “various parts of Sindh and Balochistan still remain under water”.

    The floods, blamed on climate change, dealt a severe blow to Pakistan’s strained economy while displacing some 8 million people and killing at least 1,700.

    PM Shehbaz stressed that he was asking for support for those who have lost their life savings, homes, and livelihoods and are facing the harsh winter under open skies.

    “The one thing we have learned is that nothing can go back to business as usual,” the PM stressed.

    “I am asking for a sustained international support plan to meet this daunting challenge, for a new lifeline for these people. Together we have to rebuild their lives and their dreams,” he concluded.

    French President Emmanuel Macron, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store and President European Commission Ursula von der Leyen shared messages of solidarity at the event via video link.

  • Woman in Lahore allegedly killed by husband, in-laws over domestic dispute

    Woman in Lahore allegedly killed by husband, in-laws over domestic dispute

    A woman in Lahore was allegedly tortured and then murdered by her husband and in-laws, ARY has reported.


    Details indicate that the event occurred in the Nishtar Colony area of Lahore, where a woman was allegedly tortured and killed by her husband and in-laws over a domestic quarrel.


    The woman, who had been subjected to assault, was taken to a hospital where she passed away while receiving treatment, according to a statement from the police.
    On the complaint of the victim’s brother, Nisar, a first information report (FIR) has been filed against the husband and in-laws.


    The FIR claimed that after the torture, suspects Arshad, Ashraf, and Neelam administered poison to the woman.
    Police are conducting raids to arrest all the accused involved.

  • Flour price may increase to Rs200 per kilogramme soon

    Flour price may increase to Rs200 per kilogramme soon

    The pirce of “chakki” flour in Rawalpindi and Islamabad has soared to Rs170 per kilogramme due to the country’s escalating inflation.

    The price of “chakki atta” (chakki flour), which was formerly sold at Rs150 per kilogramme, has suddenly increased to Rs170 per kilogramme. The new pricing is applicable as of Sunday, according to the price list published by the Rawalpindi Islamabad Chakki Atta Association and displayed at chakkis.

    Unfortunately, the administrations of the twin cities have not made any announcements. Nazakat Shah, president of the association, and Ali Raza, general secretary, have both signed the price list.

    According to The News, chakki owners in Rawalpindi claim that the association informed them that the price of flour may rise to Rs200 per kilogramme in the near future.

    An owner claimed that he only received 10 bags of wheat, each weighing 50 kilogrammes, with condolences from wholesalers that they would have to restrict the product and that things would only get harder as time goes on.

    The price of rice has also increased by Rs50 per kilogramme in less than a week, in a similar manner. The best rice can be found for between Rs340 and Rs380 per kilogramme.

  • ‘Wholesome and endearing’; twitter users are already in love with the drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’

    ‘Wholesome and endearing’; twitter users are already in love with the drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’

    The ARY drama ‘Kuch Ankahi’ debuted on Sunday with a star studded cast including Sajal Aly, Bilal Abbas Khan, Shehryar Munawar and Mira Sethi. The drama’s plotline revolves around the lives of three sisters and their family.
    In the first episode we get to see the family prepare for the future in-laws of the elder sister Samia (played by Mira Sethi), while the middle child Aaliya (played by Sajal Aly) is a powerful real estate agent who is trying to secure a client. The youngest child Taniya (played by actress Qudsia Ali) loves teasing her mother and keeps urging her elder sister not to marry her future husband Saif-ul-Rehman (played by Ali Safina) as he has kept her waiting for three years to secure the proposal.
    On its debut, it has secured itself among the top trending hashtags in Pakistan.

    Twitter users love the calming vibes of the show, and are calling it a fresh, progressive start for 2023 where a show centers around the bond between three women who stick with each other in the toughest of times.

    https://twitter.com/koilak2/status/1612296720037068801?s=20&t=kck6Zkw2O0kJHjftU0Ocnw

    Fans are also applauding the amazing chemistry between Aaliya and Salman (played by Bilal Abbas) who are both rival real estate agents trying to secure a wealthy client.

    https://twitter.com/fIwrluvr/status/1609907222645207040?s=20&t=kck6Zkw2O0kJHjftU0Ocnw

  • Aleem, Aun Chaudhry not forming a new party: report

    Former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders Awn Chaudhry and Abdul Aleem Khan have dismissed reports that they are forming a new political party, reports Raees Ansari for Geo News.

    The news report states that Chaudhry clarified that former PTI stalwart Jahangir Khan Tareen, Aleem and Chaudhry Sarwar are “not forming a new political party”.

    “Currently, we are part of the government and are standing with it. Tareen group is an ally of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and will remain an ally,” Chaudhry said.

    It was also reported that senior politician Aleem Khan denied joining a political party or forming a new one, saying: “There is no truth in the reports of my inclusion in a new political party.”

    “I am neither a part of any political party nor have any intentions to become one,” Aleem said adding that he has good ties with former PTI leaders Chaudhry Sarwar and Jahangir Tareen but has no intentions of becoming active in politics.

    It is pertinent to mention here that Aleem and Tareen were the most prominent leaders in the PTI’s early years. Internal differences got in the way with Tareen first and then Aleem parting ways with the PTI chief Imran Khan.

  • Male doctors can’t treat female patients, Taliban announce ban

    Male doctors can’t treat female patients, Taliban announce ban

    The Directorate of Public Affairs and Hearing of Taliban Complaints in the Balkh province, Afghanistan, has announced that male doctors are no longer allowed to treat female patients.


    According to Afghan newspaper Hasht-e-Subah, the Taliban also announced that working rooms for male and female healthcare workers should be seperated, and female patients should reach out to female health workers instead of male ones for their problems.


    It further banned men from walking into the rooms of female patients.

    The Taliban have placed a number of restrictions on women including a ban on education, barring them from attending high school or university in December of last year. In November, 2022, the Taliban had banned women from entering Kabul’s parks or funfairs.

  • Ishaq Dar says Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves will strengthen soon

    Ishaq Dar says Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves will strengthen soon

    Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves, which currently stand at $10 billion, will strengthen very soon, according to Finance Minister Ishaq Dar.

    Dar recalled the economic achievements made by the PML-N government from 2013 to 2018, saying that during that time, the GDP of the nation increased from $244 billion to $356 billion.

    He said, “Pakistan reserves stood at a total of $10 billion — $4 billion of the State Bank of Pakistan and $6 billion of commercial banks. Pakistan is repaying its loans on time, and the foreign exchange reserves will soon boost.”

    The finance minister announced that an IMF group would soon be in the nation and that he would be seeing IMF representatives at the Geneva summit.

    The coalition administration plans to seek money at the International Conference on Climate Resilient Pakistan on January 9 in Geneva, Switzerland, in order to recover from the disastrous floods.

    Dar informed the media outlet that he will travel to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for a three-day official tour after his visit to Geneva comes to an end.

    “Funds from Saudi Arabia and other friendly countries will soon be received,” the finance minister said, who told journalists earlier this week that he expects inflows from China “in a few days.”

  • Woman gang-raped in Lahore during job interview

    A woman in Lahore was gang-raped after being lured for a job, ARY has reported. The culprits recorded videos of the immoral act to blackmail the victim.


    Details indicate that a first information report (FIR) has been filed at the Gujjar Pura Police Station under the provisions of kidnapping and sexual assault.
    The FIR has been registered on the complaint of the rape survivor.


    The woman said in the FIR that the defendant, Khalil, had invited her to travel to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital for a meeting and had given her a job.


    As soon as she arrived, the suspect led her to a house where he and two other accomplices forced her into a room and raped her on gun point.


    In the FIR, the woman alleged that the suspect had also videotaped the immoral behaviour and had told her not to call the police.


    The woman in the FIR said that Khalil, the prime suspect, befriended her on social media and introduced himself as the manager of a medicine company.
    Police are investigating the case.

  • ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    ‘Stranger Things’ actor Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    American actor Noah Schnapp, who plays the closeted gay teenager Will Byers on Netflix’s Stranger Things, has come out as gay.

    In a video posted to his TikTok account on Thursday, the 18-year-old actor wrote, “When I finally told my friends and family I was gay after being scared in the closet for 18 years and all they said was ‘we know’” — over Schnapp lip-syncing to an audio clip from a different TikTok of someone saying, “You know what it never was? That serious. It was never that serious. Quite frankly, will never be that serious.”

    In the caption to his TikTok video, Schnapp wrote, “I guess I’m more similar to Will than I thought.” In July, following the debut of the final two episodes of the fourth season of “Stranger Things,” Schnapp confirmed to Variety for the first time that Will Byers is gay and in love with his best friend Mike (Finn Wolfhard).

    Stranger Things' star Noah Schnapp comes out as gay

    “It was always kind of there, but you never really knew, is it just him growing up slower than his friends?” Schnapp said. “Now that he’s gotten older, they made it a very real, obvious thing. Now it’s 100% clear that he is gay and he does love Mike.”

    Will’s sexuality had been an open question since the first episode of “Stranger Things.” However, Schnapp had always deflected questions about the character’s identity, noting that the character was still “up to the audience’s interpretation.” In his July interview with Variety, Schnapp said that he wasn’t entirely sure what “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer had in mind for Will, and once he did, he didn’t want to spoil the way the show revealed the character’s journey in Season 4.

    “I think it is done so beautifully because it’s so easy to make a character just like all of a sudden be gay,” Schnapp said. “People have come up to me — I was just in Paris and this, like, a 40-year-old man came up to me and he was like, ‘Wow, this Will character made me feel so good. And I related to it so much. That is exactly who I was when I was a kid.’ That just made me so happy to hear. They are writing this real character and this real journey and real struggle and they’re doing it so well.”

    Millie Bobby Brown's Boyfriend Knows She's 'in Love' With Noah Schnapp

    When Variety asked Schnapp about how he navigated the attention on Will’s sexuality while he was also still figuring himself out, the actor pointed to all the tribulations the character has faced over the course of the series.

    “I think it’s all just part of the challenge of acting,” he said. “This isn’t just a single layer thing of he’s struggling with coming out. It’s this multifaceted trauma that goes years back, because he was taken by the Demogorgon and then his friends, they never acknowledged him, and now he’s scared to come out and doesn’t know if they’ll accept him.”

    Netflix and the Duffers have announced that Season 5 of Stranger Things will conclude the show, but there is no confirmation yet when production will begin on the season, let alone when it would debut.

  • Gen Bajwa makes appearance at Gen Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding

    Gen Bajwa makes appearance at Gen Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding

    Former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa attended his former chief of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt General (retd) Faiz Hameed’s daughter’s wedding on Saturday.

    The wedding was attended by many prominent personalities and politicians such as former director general Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) General (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Vice-Chairman Shah Mehmood Qureshi and the current Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (CJCSC) General Sahir Shamshad Mirza along with other famous names.

    Faiz Hameed had filed an application to seek early retirement from the army days after the federal government appointed Gen Asim Munir as the new army chief in November 2022.

    Meanwhile, Gen (retd) Bajwa retired from his post on November 29, 2022, after serving six years in office.