Infinity Social Updates

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan has said the country is at risk of parochialism, as political instability and terrorism have brought the economy to the verge of collapse. While expressing apprehe­nsion that the country was fa­­­­­­cing imminent threat of pa­­rochialism, Mr Khan said that people staged protest over terrorism in Balochistan. He said PTI had been accused over the recent wave of terrorism, but the government then also claimed that terrorists came from across the border. Being a federal party, the PTI could tackle this grave situation as all other political parties were limited to their regions, Mr Khan asserted. The ex-premier expressed these views on Friday after attending court proceedings in the NAB reference rela­ted to Bvlgari Jewellery set that he and his spouse allegedly retained from Toshakhana gifts at a throwaway price. He said political parties could unite the nation, but it was an irony th

SAO PAULO: Brazil’s supreme court on Friday ordered social media giant X to be taken down in the country after billionaire Elon Musk did not name a legal representative for his messaging platform. Judge Alexandre Moraes and Elon Musk have been in a public feud for months after X failed to comply with legal orders to block certain accounts accused of spreading fake news and hate messages. Under Brazilian laws governing the internet, social media platforms must have a representative based in the country. “Each and every citizen from any part of the world that has an investment in Brazil is subject to the Brazilian constitution and Brazilian laws,” President Lula told a local radio station on Friday. “Just because a guy has a lot of money doesn’t mean he can disrespect (the law),” the leftist leader added. Musk on Thursday had criticised Lula as Moraes’ “lapdog” in a post on X in which the billionaire also called Moraes a “dictator”. The judge, in a separate event on Friday, reitera

Novak Djokovic’s latest bid for a record 25th Grand Slam title crashed to a halt on Friday as 28th-ranked Alexei Popyrin knocked the defending champion out of the US Open third round. One day after third seed Carlos Alcaraz slumped to a shock defeat against 74th-ranked Botic van de Zandschulp, 25-year-old Popyrin robbed the tournament of another superstar with a 6-4, 6-4, 2-6, 6-4 victory. Popyrin handed Djokovic his earliest US Open exit in 18 years and his earliest Grand Slam exit since he fell in the second round of the Australian Open in 2017 — which was also the last year the Serbian great failed to claim a single Grand Slam title. Although he won the Olympic gold he had long coveted at the Paris Games, an uneven season that included knee surgery saw Djokovic come up empty in the majors. He had beaten Popyrin in three prior encounters, including at the Australian Open and Wimbledon this year. But a career-high 14 double faults — 49 unforced errors total — were too much for

Pakistan and Bangladesh on Friday agreed that there was a need to work closely for the progress and prosperity of the people of both countries, the prime minister’s office said in a press release. Pakistan’s government had earlier, through a statement on Aug 7, expressed solidarity with the people of Bangladesh after the fall of Hasina Wajid’s government amid widespread protests. Hasina’s 15-year rule saw widespread human rights abuses , including the mass detention and extrajudicial killings of her political opponents. She was replaced by Nobel laureate Yunus, who is heading an interim government facing the monumental task of charting democratic reforms ahead of expected new elections. Last week, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif reached out to the interim government of Bangladesh, extending an offer of aid to address the catastrophic impacts of recent flooding . In a telephone conversation between the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh Muhammad Yunus and PM Shehbaz today, the two

Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Friday said that the recent spate of terrorist attacks in Balochistan was “planned to ruin” a Pakistan-hosted summit of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) scheduled for October. Islamabad is set to host the SCO Council of Heads of Government meeting from October 15-16 under its rotating chairmanship. Islamabad has also sent an invite to India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi despite long-standing tensions over occupied Kashmir and allegations of terrorism. In the latest flare-up of violence, dozens of militants affiliated with the banned Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) — a separatist outfit — launched numerous attacks on Sunday midnight across Balochistan, killing at least 50, including 14 security men. Addressing the Senate today, Naqvi said: “We have identified clear links showing that they [terrorists] planned to ruin the SCO conference. “A lot of people are in anguish [about SCO meeting] so that it should not be organised,” he said

China lacks the ability to “fully” invade Taiwan as it does not have the equipment, but is bringing on line advanced new weapons and has other options to threaten Taiwan, such as inspecting foreign cargo ships, the island’s defence ministry said. China, which views democratically-governed Taiwan as its own territory, has ramped up military and political pressure over the past five years to assert its claims, which Taipei strongly rejects. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. The government of the defeated Republic of China fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing a civil war with Mao Zedong’s communists, and no peace treaty or armistice has ever been signed. In an annual threat assessment of China sent to lawmakers on Friday, a copy of which was reviewed by Reuters , Taiwan’s defence ministry said Beijing continues to hone skills such as joint command operations. “However, the use of tactics and strategies against Taiwan is still limited by th

Rescuing countries from disorderly defaults “hinges on increasing fiscal space by restructuring their debt”, Murtaza Syed, a former acting governor of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), wrote in The Economist yesterday, recalling his previous article where he said the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and Pakistani policymakers were “flirting with disaster by pretending that the country’s public debt was sustainable”. Pakistan and the IMF signed a 37-month staff-level agreement in July for $7 billion with the approval of the new loan tied to firm commitments from China, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE that they would roll over their combined debt of $12bn. Due to foreign exchange difficulties and an inability to repay its loans, Pakistan has been securing one-year extensions. However, it is now seeking rollovers for three to five years to access IMF credit, address uncertainty, and get sufficient time to fix structural flaws and regain its external sector sustainability. “For this to hap

Mohamed Salah said he is not focused on his future beyond this season, with less than a year to run on his contract at Liverpool. The Egyptian has written himself into the record books of the English giants, scoring 213 goals since joining in 2017. Salah is just one of three huge players for Liverpool out of contract at the end of the season, along with captain Virgil van Dijk and Trent Alexander-Arnold. “Before the season, I was just like ‘I’ve got one year left, let’s just enjoy it and don’t think about the contract’,” Salah told Sky Sports . “I don’t want to think about next year or the future, I just want to enjoy the last year and let’s see. “The most important thing is to take one day at a time and just be grateful to be here.” Salah has been consistently linked with a lucrative move to the Saudi Pro League. A year ago Liverpool reportedly rejected a bid of 150 million ($198m) from Al-Ittihad. Salah signed a three-year deal in 2022 that reportedly made him the highest-

LAHORE: Moeed Mustafa, Pakistan’s former international swimmer, has died in Canada at a young age of 31, his family said on Tuesday. Moeed’s sister Mozian Mustafa, who was also a national swimmer, told Dawn that her brother passed away in Canada while adding that the cause of demise was yet to be known. Moeed represented Pakistan at the 2007 Asian Swimming Championship held in Islamabad where he bagged a silver medal. He also participated in the Asian Junior Age Group Swimming held in Bangkok, where 25 Pakistan swimmers had gone on self-finance basis as the federation had no funds. However, the Olympic Council of Asia bore the expenses of two promising swimmers , Moeed and Ghulam Sakina. Moeed’s coach Hafeez Bhatti told Dawn that the athlete was a good competitor. “Moeed was a talented swimmer who loved swimming. He made a new record at the 2007 Asian Swimming Championship.” The deceased will be brought to Lahore on Wednesday for funeral. Published in Dawn, August 28th, 2024

from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/EwsGF81

Pakistan aims to raise up to $4 billion from Middle Eastern commercial banks by the next fiscal year, the country’s central bank chief told Reuters on Tuesday, as the country looks to plug external financing gaps. In a wide-ranging interview, his first with any media organisation since taking office in 2022, State Bank of Pakistan Governor Jameel Ahmad said Pakistan was also in the “advanced stages” of securing $2 billion in additional external financing required for International Monetary Fund (IMF) approval of a $7 billion bailout programme. Pakistan and the IMF reached an agreement on the loan program in July, subject to approval from the IMF’s executive board and it obtaining “timely confirmation of necessary financing assurances from Pakistan’s development and bilateral partners”. Asked about monetary policy, Ahmad said recent interest rate cuts in Pakistan have had the desired effect, with inflation continuing to slow and the current account remaining under control, despite

Twenty-five terrorists were neutralised while eleven were injured after security forces conducted “extensive” intelligence-based operations (IBOs) in the Khyber district against the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and two of its affiliate groups, the military’s media affairs wing said on Tuesday. A statement from the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said that the operations were based on “robust intelligence” and resulted in major setbacks to Fitna al Khawarij and its affiliates. “During these daring and highly successful IBOs being conducted since 20 August 2024, security forces have so far successfully neutralized twenty-five Khwarij, including Kharji ring leader Abuzar alias Saddam, who has been sent to hell, while eleven Khawrij have been injured,” the statement said. “However, during the conduct of operations, four brave soldiers, having fought gallantly, paid the ultimate sacrifice and embraced Shahadat (martyrdom),” it said. The heavy losses inflicted upon Fitna Al

Police in India fired teargas and water cannon to disperse hundreds of protesters marching in the eastern city of Kolkata on Tuesday to demand the resignation of a top state minister in the wake of a gruesome rape and murder of a trainee doctor. Protesters led by university students broke through the iron barricades set up on the route of their march to the West Bengal state secretariat, television footage showed, resulting in a baton charge by the police, who had earlier declared the protest illegal. The August 9 attack on the 31-year-old doctor has caused nationwide outrage, similar to the widespread protests witnessed after a 2012 gang-rape of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi, with campaigners saying women continue to suffer from high levels of sexual violence despite tougher laws. A police volunteer has been arrested for the crime and the federal police have taken over the investigation. Junior doctors have refused to see non-emergency patients in many parts

A Lahore court on Monday discharged a man in a case of allegedly fuelling the recent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots in the UK through disinformation. More than a week after the UK witnessed widespread riots in the aftermath of the fatal stabbing of three young girls in Southport, law enforcement agencies began probing claims that the disinformation originated from a website with a footprint in Pakistan. Reports aired by UK media identified little-known platform Channel3Now as the source of the disinformation that claimed the British-born 17-year-old suspect was a Muslim immigrant who had arrived in the UK on a boat. UK broadcaster ITV News had asserted that a Pakistani individual was the originator of the false news story. Farhan Asif was taken into custody by Lahore police last week and later handed over to the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) cybercrime wing. On August 21, a judicial magistrate allowed the FIA Asif’s one-day physical custody for being suspected

ISLAMABAD: Best by internal differences, the PTI has found itself in a new predicament as former president Arif Alvi has expressed reluctance to head the committee formed to bridge gaps among different groups. Sources have told Dawn the former president has not given his consent to play the role of a mediator. “We have been trying to convince him to play his role. In case [he] declines, we may look for some other figure who has to be acceptable and well respected for all sections of the party,” a senior leader said while wishing not to be quoted. The PTI leader said Mr Alvi’s name was proposed as the committee’s head, and after taking all the groups on board, he was supposed to give recommendations in a week. The PTI has been severely affected by internal divisions with several party leaders having formed their own groups, according to reports. Each group tries to get close to the PTI founding chairman Imran Khan. These groupings exist at both federal and provincial levels, and t

Pavel Durov, the Russian-French billionaire founder and CEO of the Telegram messaging app, was arrested at Bourget airport outside Paris on Saturday evening, TF1 TV and BFM TV said, citing unidentified sources. Durov was travelling aboard his private jet, TF1 said on its website, adding he had been targeted by an arrest warrant in France as part of a preliminary police investigation. TF1 and BFM both said the investigation was focused on a lack of moderators on Telegram, and that police considered that this situation allowed criminal activity to go on undeterred on the messaging app. Durov faces a possible indictment on Sunday, according to French media. The encrypted Telegram, with close to one billion users, is particularly influential in Russia, Ukraine and the republics of the former Soviet Union. It is ranked as one of the major social media platforms after Facebook, YouTube, WhatsApp, Instagram, TikTok and WeChat. Telegram did not immediately respond to a Reuters requ

Spinners Mehidy Hasan Miraz and Shakib Al Hasan took seven wickets between them to secure Bangladesh’s maiden win over Pakistan in five-day cricket, a stunning 10-wicket victory in the first Test in Rawalpindi on Sunday. Mehidy grabbed 4-21 and Shakib 3-44 to trigger a Pakistan collapse on the fifth day, with the home side dismissed for 146 runs in 55.5 overs. That left Bangladesh a target of just 30 runs, which openers Zakir Hasan and Shadman Islam reached in 6.3 overs. Zakir (15) hit the winning boundary, with Shadman at the other end unbeaten on nine, as their squad celebrated a memorable victory. Mohammad Rizwan top-scored for Pakistan in the second innings with 51, including six boundaries, but the home team were staring at defeat on 108-6 at lunch. A holiday crowd of nearly 5,000 expected Pakistan to fight out a draw but Mehidy bowled Rizwan and trapped last man Mohammad Ali for a duck in successive overs. Bangladesh, criticised for their lack of Test wins, now have one win

The state of Odisha in eastern India has culled more than a thousand chickens after a positive test for the highly pathogenic H5N1 strain of avian influenza, or bird flu, a state government official told Reuters on Sunday. The epicentre of the outbreak was in the Puri district, about 19 miles from the state capital Bhubaneswar, and follows the recent death of 1,800 birds at a local poultry farm. “The work is ongoing. We are going to cull about 20,000 birds,” Additional Director of Disease Control Dr Jagannath Nanda told Reuters . The H5N1 strain is considered highly pathogenic and can also be transmitted to animals such as pigs, horses, large cats, dogs, and occasionally humans. The spread of the virus is a concern for governments and the poultry industry due to the devastation it can cause to flocks, the possibility of trade restrictions and the risk of human transmission. from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/xTUA8rJ

Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs, Qaiser Ahmed Sheikh, said on Saturday that the government planned to close or privatise state-owned enterprises (SOEs) and ministries classified as “non-strategic” as part of its austerity measures. Speaking on Dawn News TV’s programme ‘Doosra Rukh with Nadir Guramani,’ the federal minister emphasised that this move will not only relieve the government of a significant burden but also ensure a focus on “good governance.” Sheikh said that the government was looking at multiple SOEs and considering whether to privatise them or close them entirely. “These institutions, for the most part, generate losses and perform poorly ,” he said. “They bring no benefit and people aren’t satisfied with their service.” He added that the government was holding discussions related to all federal institutions, aiming to privatise most of them. “There are few that serve a strategic purpose… we need to downsize to ensure better governance.” Asked about which

National Assembly (NA) Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on Saturday issued a production order for PTI MNA Haji Imtiaz Ahmad Chaudhry after his party moved a privilege against several Punjab police officials. According to the motion moved by the PTI, Chaudhry was arrested by law enforcement authorities without obtaining prior approval from the speaker on July 24. Today, the speaker again issued a production order — an order was issued earlier but was reverted later — for the production of the PTI MNA on August 26 at 5pm. “Honourable speaker considers [the] presence of Haji Imtiaz Ahmed Chaudhry … during the said session of the National Assembly necessary,” the order said. The speaker directed the director general of the Punjab Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) to produce Chaudhry at the commencement of each NA sitting before the Parliament House’s sergeant-at-arms who will deliver the MNA into ACE custody after each NA sitting. The opposition lawmaker was in ACE custody on physical rem

Two cars set on fire outside a synagogue in southern France on Saturday caused an explosion in which a police officer was injured, authorities said. Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin called the incident at the Beth Yaacov synagogue in the seaside resort of La Motte “an obviously criminal act”. He said, “All means are being deployed to find the perpetrator”. Darmanin said police protection of synagogues and Jewish schools and shops would be strengthened across France. William Maury, of the police union Alliance Police Nationale, told BFM TV that the injured police officer’s life was not in danger. Police confirmed the attempted arson but declined to give more details. Darmanin and Prime Minister Gabriel Attal were to travel to the site of the explosion on Saturday. Police were hunting for a suspect and the anti-terrorism prosecutor’s office was put in charge of the investigation, Attal said. “This is an antisemitic attack. Once more, our Jewish compatriots are targeted,” Attal s

Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal and British High Commissioner Jane Marriott jointly launch the ‘District Education Performance Index’ in Islamabad on Friday. — INP ISLAMABAD: An official report released on Friday placed the country’s education system in the ‘low’ performance category and highlighted critical areas requiring attention to improve the education outcomes. The District Education Performance Index (DEPIx) Report 2020-23 released by the Planning Commission stated, “Pakistan’s national average score in the DEPIx is 53.46, placing the country in the “low” performance category. Among the five domains, infrastructure and access scored the highest at 58.95, indicating some progress in expanding educational opportunities. Inclusion (equity and technology) follows as the second-highest domain.“ It said public financing recorded the lowest score, highlighting the need for increased and better-targeted spending in the education sector. The learning domain also scores poorly, ref

The Ministry for Industries and Production (MoIP) on Friday confirmed that the government was planning to shut down all utility stores in the country in a bid to reduce expenses. Last week, the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet approved the disbursement of monthly subsidies to Utility Stores Corporation (USC) at a higher rate per household and turnover tax of 1.25 per cent. In recent weeks, the prices of some essential kitchen items had declined in the open market but remained higher at USC. But generally, the prices of essential items, particularly those subsidised through USC, had gone up. During a Senate Standing Committee meeting, Senator Saifullah Niazi questioned whether the government would close utility stores in the country. Secretary MoIP Saif Anjum affirmed that the government was considering shutting down the country’s utility stores, adding that work was in progress to transfer the employees of the utility stores to other institutions. “Governmen

Flash floods wrought havoc in Bangladesh on Friday as the country recovers from weeks of political upheaval, with the death toll rising to 13 and millions more caught in the deluge. The South Asian nation of 170 million people, crisscrossed by hundreds of rivers, has seen frequent floods in recent decades. Monsoon rains cause widespread destruction every year, but climate change is shifting weather patterns and increasing the number of extreme weather events. “It’s a catastrophic situation here,” rescue volunteer Zahed Hossain Bhuiya, 35, told AFP from the worst-hit city of Feni. “We are trying to rescue as many people as we can.” Nur Islam, a shopkeeper in Feni, said his home had been completely submerged. “Everything is underwater,” the 60-year-old said. Much of Bangladesh is made up of deltas where Himalayan rivers, the Ganges and the Brahmaputra, wind towards the sea after coursing through India. All major tributaries of the two transnational rivers were overflowing, acco

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Ukraine’s leader Volodymyr Zelenksy on a historic visit to Kyiv on Friday, where he is pushing for a solution to end more than two years of war with Russia. Modi embraced Zelensky — who looked visibly emotional — at the Mariinsky palace in Kyiv, in the first ever visit by an Indian premier to Ukraine. The Indian leader is casting himself as a possible peacemaker between Moscow and Kyiv. But his visit comes at a dramatic moment in the two-and-a-half year war, with a diplomatic settlement appearing more elusive than ever. Kyiv’s forces are mounting a major incursion into Russia’s Kursk region while Moscow’s army is advancing in eastern Ukraine, claiming to have seized a swathe of towns and villages in recent weeks. “No problem can be resolved on a battlefield,” Modi said in Poland on Wednesday before heading to Ukraine. India, he said, supports “dialogue and diplomacy for restoration of peace and stability as soon as possible.” But it is

Bangladesh opener Shadman Islam hit a fighting half-century on Friday to lead his team to 134-2 at lunch on the third day of the first Test against Pakistan in Rawalpindi. The 29-year-old left-hander was unbeaten 53 with senior batter Mominul Haque 45 not out as the duo defied Pakistan’s pace attack on a Rawalpindi stadium pitch that has slowed down considerably. The visitors still trail Pakistan’s first innings total of 448-6 by 314 runs with eight wickets intact. Shadman pulled pacer Naseem Shah’s last delivery before the interval for his sixth boundary to reach a third Test half-century, extending the unbroken third wicket stand with Haque to 81. The stand led the recovery after Pakistan removed Zakir Hasan (12) and skipper Najmul Hossain Shanto (16) in the extended three-hour session due to Friday prayers. Haque has also batted with confidence, having hit four boundaries. Pakistan employed all four pacers but are missing the services of a frontline spinner. Part-time

Multiple Indian users were sharing a video on social media platform X on August 8, 2024, claiming that it showed Bangladeshi protesters saying they wanted to go to Pakistan during a rally. However, the video showed no such thing. Bangladesh has started to recover from violent student-led protests that led to the ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Though an interim government has taken office, there is still resentment towards Hasina’s Awami League party. Hasina, 76, had been in power since 2009 but faced accusations of rigging the January elections and widespread protests demanding her resignation. Over 400 people died in the unrest. On Thursday, a mob allegedly beat Awami League supporters when they tried to pay tribute to Bangladeshi founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at his residence in Dhaka. Reports emerged from India accusing the Pakistan intelligence agencies of their alleged involvement in the collapse of Bangladesh’s government. The Foreign Office (FO) rejected a

A district court on Thursday extended the physical remand of a Lahore resident by four more days for his alleged role in fuelling the recent anti-Muslim and anti-immigrant riots in the UK through disinformation. The suspect was initially taken into custody by Lahore police and later handed over to the FIA cybercrime wing which presented the suspect before a magistrate and sought his physical remand for investigation. On Wednesday, a judicial magistrate allowed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) one-day physical custody of Farhan Asif, who was suspected of uploading a misleading news article on the website of Channel3Now . The investigating officer had told the court that a case was registered against the suspect under the Prevention of Electronic Crime Act (Peca) 2016. Today, while hearing the case, the judicial magistrate extended the remand of the suspect by four more days and ordered for him to be produced again after the stipulated time. The agency’s lawyer argued th

Five bullet-riddled bodies found hanging from an electric pole in Pakistan last week, who were identified as Afghan nationals, have been returned to their families, Kabul’s embassy in Islamabad said on Thursday. The bodies were discovered on Friday near a college in Dalbandin city, close to the borders with Afghanistan and Iran in Balochistan. A statement from the Afghan embassy in Islamabad said the bodies were handed over to families at the Spin Boldak-Chaman border crossing on Wednesday. Their consulate in Balochistan made “serious efforts” to return the bodies to waiting relatives in Afghanistan. “The five Afghans were brutally killed by unknown people,” said the statement shared with AFP on Thursday. Some 600,000 Afghans have travelled to Pakistan since the Taliban took back power in 2021 and implemented their austere version of Islam. Since last year, however, Islamabad has waged a campaign to evict huge numbers of undocumented Afghans, as relations with Kabul soured ov

Pakistan’s Ambassador-designate to the United States, Rizwan Saeed Sheikh, assumed responsibilities for his new assignment on Wednesday, according to the Associated Press of Pakistan (APP) . The Foreign Office announced Sheikh’s appointment as the new ambassador to the United States in June, as well as Asim Iftikhar as Pakistan’s additional permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. The replacement of the envoy in Washington DC was long overdue. The previous ambassador, Masood Khan , had already received a three-month extension after his contract ended in March. According to APP , Sheikh said his top priorities would be cementing the relationship between Pakistan and the US, strengthening economic ties, and enhancing people-to-people contacts. Speaking to the mission officers, Sheikh underscored the importance of the Pakistani community in the US, describing them as a valuable asset in the country. He added that the community served as a strong bond in the Pakist

The Taliban have barred United Nations-appointed special rapporteur Richard Bennett from entering Afghanistan, the administration’s spokesperson told local broadcaster Tolo , accusing the human rights watchdog of “spreading propaganda”. Bennett was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2022 to monitor Afghanistan’s human rights situation after the Taliban took over the previous year. Bennett, who has previously said the Taliban’s treatment of women and girls could amount to a crime against humanity, is based outside Afghanistan but has visited several times to research the situation. The UN Human Rights Council did not immediately respond to request for comment. Bennett could not immediately be reached for comment. The Taliban administration’s foreign ministry spokesperson Abdul Qahar Balkhi told Reuters that Bennett “had been unable to acquire a travel visa to Afghanistan”. “Even after repeatedly requesting Mr Bennett to adhere to professionalism during wo