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Tag: Pakistan

  • Baarish nahin, rehmat for Lahoris; LQ will qualify for PSL final if rain washes out match

    Baarish nahin, rehmat for Lahoris; LQ will qualify for PSL final if rain washes out match

    A spell of rain that begun in the early hours of Friday morning in the provincial capital has come as a blessing for Lahore Qalandars after getting routed by Multan Sultans in the previous game. Qalandars were in hot water as they faced a do or die game to qualify for Pakistsn Super League (PSL) 8 final.

    The important playoff between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi will likely be affected if rain continues in Lahore. The home team will directly qualify for the PSL eighth edition finals if the match is washed out.

    The meteorological department has predicted rain again in the afternoon.

    Based on the latest updates, it seems that the match is expected to commence as scheduled, despite the ongoing rainfall.

    However, if there is a further downpour, it could exacerbate challenges for the ground crew. In such a scenario, the Lahore Qalandars may have an advantage over their opponents.
    After the league matches, Qalandars has 14 points on the points table while Peshawar Zalmi has 10 points, and this advantage is enough for them to qualify for the final of the PSL eight.

    On the other hand, all the tickets for the match between Lahore Qalandars and Peshawar Zalmi have been sold, but fans are eager to see the match between the teams of Shaheen and Babar.

  • SBP issues commemorative coin of Rs50 to celebrate golden jubilee of Senate of Pakistan

    SBP issues commemorative coin of Rs50 to celebrate golden jubilee of Senate of Pakistan

    The Federal Government of Pakistan has authorised the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) to issue a commemorative coin of Rs50 to celebrate the Golden Jubilee of the Senate of Pakistan in 2023.

    The coin, which has a round shape milled with a dimension of 30.0 mm, weight of 13.5 grammes, and Cupro-Nickel metal contents (Copper 75 per cent & Nickel 25  per cent), shall be issued through the exchange counters of all field offices of SBP Banking Services Corporation starting from March 17, 2023.

    The Senate of Pakistan, also known as Aiwan-e-Bala Pakistan and constitutionally referred to as the House of the Federation, is the upper legislative chamber of the bicameral parliament of Pakistan. As a permanent House with equal representatives from all provinces of the country, the Senate symbolizes continuity in national affairs.

    The issuance of the commemorative coin is a fitting tribute to the Golden Jubilee of the Senate of Pakistan and underscores the significance of this occasion. It is expected to serve as a lasting reminder of the Senate’s contribution to Pakistan’s democratic process and its role in shaping the country’s political landscape.

  • Malala’s hilarious response to Tik Tok user has the internet in fits

    Malala’s hilarious response to Tik Tok user has the internet in fits

    Malala is an icon for her bravery but she is also the absolute Queen savage comebacks to put down her haters.

    What’s hilarious is how much people keep underestimating her wicked sense of humor, but Malala has time and time again proven that she knows how to get the last word on her enemies.

    Like remember the time when the entire country was clutching their pearls because the Noble Prize activist said she prefers not to get married, she trolled her haters with this gif.

    Or when a boy tried to impress her with his thirst traps, the activist turned him down with the coldest rejection.

    This time, users are once more in fits because of Yousafzai’s hilarious response to a TikTok user who was celebrating the fact that she skipped her classes in school.

    Malala Fund responded to the tweet saying: “Boo”

    https://twitter.com/jijisblog/status/1636358692122550274?s=20

    Twitter users have found the entire exchange hilarious because imagine getting caught like this, we could never!

  • National Institute of Health urges citizens to wear masks amid rise in Covid-19

    As Covid-19 cases has begun rising in Pakistan once more, the National Institute of Health (NIC) tweeted yesterday that according the guidelines sent by the National Command And Operation Center (NCOC) citizens are advised to take safety precautions like wearing masks to keep themselves safe from the disease.

    Amid the current COVID-19 disease trends across the country, NCOC recommended following guidelines for the period up to 30 April 2023. “Mask wearing is recommended at crowded tightly enclosed spaces including healthcare facilities”

    The alert has arrived after the countrywide Covid-19 positivity rate rose to 2.7%, with positive patients adding up to 133 in total, and at least 15 under critical care, as per the tweet released by NIH.

  • Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    Dar says assurance of funding from friendly countries is the final hurdle in securing IMF deal

    On Thursday, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar announced that the assurance of funding from “friendly countries” was the final obstacle to securing an IMF deal that would provide critical support to Pakistan’s struggling economy and prevent an economic crisis.

    During a session of the country’s upper house of parliament, Dar revealed that several countries had previously made commitments to support Pakistan during IMF reviews, and the IMF was now requesting that these commitments be fulfilled.

    The delay in securing the deal, which involves a $1.1 billion bailout package from the IMF, has been ongoing since November due to issues surrounding fiscal policy adjustments. The package is part of a larger $6.5 billion bailout approved by the IMF in 2019, which is crucial for Pakistan to avoid defaulting on external payment obligations.

    The deal would also allow Pakistan to access other financing avenues to bolster its foreign exchange reserves, which currently only cover four weeks’ worth of imports.

    The IMF has asked Pakistan to secure assurance of up to $7 billion to cover this year’s balance of payments gap, while Dar believes that $5 billion would suffice.

    An IMF mission has been present in Islamabad since February to negotiate a set of policy measures for Pakistan’s struggling economy, ahead of the annual budget due in June.

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that all of the IMF’s conditions had been met, and expressed hope that a staff level agreement would be reached soon.

  • ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    ‘Sharam karo’: Aima Baig slams FHM magazine for misinformation

    Aima Baig called out FHM, an online celebrity magazine, for spreading incorrect information about her and lectured them on the importance of fact checking before publishing stories.

    FHM had published a story about a re-surfaced interiview in which they claimed Baig had said that she had a crush on her elder brother, who was seven years senior to her.

    Baig commented underneath the post, stating that she was horrified because she had never said such a thing.

    “What in the actual f**k is that????
    I never said anything stupid like that wth!
    Kuch to sharam kar lo yaaar. Like seriously is this really something we should be talking about, clearly not knowing how sensitive is this topic.”

    On her own Instagram page, Baig revealed that her publicist had sent her the FHM post. She said she was dissapointed by ‘yellow journalism’.

    “Usually I don’t come forward to clarify my statement but this post caught my attention when my publicist sent this post. I am utterly disguisted by this yellow journalism by @fhmpakistan. What creepy, shameless ideology they are sharing across. I don’t know if they are spreading some shameless agenda but atleast don’t make me a part of this. I literally wanna throw up…like seriously..kuch bhi for views. I mean seriously WORK HARD OR LEAVE ME ALONE. Shame on you guys. Like big time.”

    Baig also clarified that the story was not true, and shared the link to the interview where she had actually said that her crush was her elder brother’s best friend, when she was ten years old.

    Baig also demanded an apology from the online website for spreading degrading information about her:

    “I demand a public apology for such heinous and vile accusation on me. And erase all these unwanted, peevish posts about this unprofitable and absurd news.”

  • Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    Pakistani family sets world record for having same birthdays

    A Pakistani family hailing from Larkana made history after they set a Guinness World Record for “most family members born on the same day” category.

    All nine family members share the same birthday, August 1.

    The family surpassed the record of an American family of five members, who had held the Guinness record since 1966.

    The record-holder family consists of Amir Azad Mangi, his wife Khadija, and their seven children, including two sets of twins.

    Mangi was born on Aug. 1, 1968, his wife on Aug. 1, 1973, their first daughter Sindhu on Aug. 1, 1992, twin daughters Sassi and Sapna on Aug. 1, 1998, first son Amir on Aug. 1, 2001, second son Ambar on Aug. 1, 2002, and twin sons Amar and Ahmer on Aug. 1, 2003.

    Interestingly, Mangi’s wedding anniversary falls on the same day, making it a significant date for the entire family.

    The world record was added to the list in 2019.

  • Trans activist Shahzadi Rai shares video of extremists stalking her home

    Trans activist Shahzadi Rai shares video of extremists stalking her home

    Prominent Karachi-based transgender activist Shehzadi Rai shared a triggering video on her Twitter page of two men stalking her home. In the clip the men be seen turning away when they spot the camera. Rai wrote in a tweet that she was terrified for her life, because the men were threatening her with bottles of acid.

    People tagged the Sindh police in replies to help Rai.

    The Current reached out to Rai for a statement, and she revealed that she did not know why the men were stalking her. Rai also shared that this was the fourth time these men had appeared outside her house, and that she was going to the police to get them arrested.

    Member of the Provincial Assembly Sindh Sharjeel Memon condemned the incodent on Twitter and asked Rai to send him relevant details.

    Rai later revealed in a video uploaded to her Twitter account that she was present at the Shahar E Faisal police station and called for better protection of the khwajasara community by the police.

    Rai also shared a picture of the police case filed against her stalkers and thanked the Sindh Govt for understanding the sensitivity of the situation by deploying police forces outside her home



  • Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    Pakistan’s nuclear and missile programmes will not be compromised for IMF deal, says Finance Minister

    During a session of the Senate on Thursday, Pakistan’s Finance Minister Ishaq Dar stated unequivocally that there would be no compromise on the country’s nuclear and missile programs. The assurance came in response to questions posed by PPP Senator Raza Rabbani, who had raised concerns about the delay in Pakistan’s agreement with the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Rabbani had suggested that the delay might be due to pressure being exerted on Pakistan’s nuclear program.

    In response to Rabbani’s questions, Dar stated that the delay was not due to any action by the current government, but rather to the fact that the IMF had requested that certain friendly countries fulfill commitments they had made to support Pakistan. According to Geo, Dar promised that once the staff-level agreement and the Extended Fund Facility program were finalized, the details would be posted on the finance ministry’s website.

    Dar also expressed his belief that Pakistan’s nuclear program was a matter of national security and emphasized that no one had the right to tell Pakistan what range of missiles or nuclear weapons it could have. He argued that the country’s nuclear and missile programs were essential for deterrence and for guarding Pakistan’s national interests.

    The delay in the IMF agreement has been a cause for concern, as it is seen as critical to taming a balance-of-payments crisis. The agreement, which was approved by the IMF in 2019 and is worth $6.5 billion, includes $1.1 billion that would be released once the agreement is signed. Dar had previously blamed the delay on the previous government, which he said had failed to meet commitments and created a trust deficit. Despite the delay, Dar stated that Pakistan was “very close” to signing the agreement.

  • Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    Pakistan faces second-highest food price inflation in South Asia: World Bank report

    According to the World Bank’s “Food Security Update,” the consumer price inflation for food items in Pakistan in February 2023 on a year-on-year basis was 45.1 per cent, which is the highest in South Asia after Sri Lanka, which experienced 54.4 per cent inflation.

    The report further states that domestic grain and wheat flour prices remained volatile across South Asia at the beginning of 2023, and were well above their year-earlier levels. Specifically, in Pakistan, wheat flour prices in January 2023 reached record highs and were 20 to 140 per cent higher year on year.

    The high prices of food items have been attributed to several factors, including generally stagnant production since 2018, stock losses and disrupted trade flows due to the 2022 floods, high agricultural input and transportation costs, and high headline inflation, according to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO).

    The report noted that India, Bangladesh, and Nepal experienced year-on-year consumer price inflation for food prices of 6.2 per cent, 7.8 per cent, and 5.6 per cent, respectively, in January 2023. Rice production increased in 2022 in several countries, including India, despite reductions in Pakistan and Tanzania, according to the report.

    The US Department of Agriculture predicts a 4.5 per cent contraction in rice shipments due to a decrease in exports from Pakistan, Thailand, the United States, and Vietnam, which will more than offset an increase from India. Moreover, domestic food price inflation remains high around the world.

    According to Brecorder, the latest month between October 2022 and February 2023, for which food price inflation data are available, shows high inflation in almost all low- and middle-income countries, with inflation levels above 5 per cent in 94.1 per cent of low-income countries, 86 per cent of lower-middle-income countries, and 87 per cent of upper-middle-income countries, with many experiencing double-digit inflation.

    Furthermore, about 87.3 per cent of high-income countries are experiencing high food price inflation, and the countries affected most are in Africa, North America, Latin America, South Asia, Europe, and Central Asia, according to the report.