Infinity Social Updates

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un pledged to solidify the country’s comprehensive strategic partnership with Russia in his letter to President Vladimir Putin on Monday, state media KCNA reported on Tuesday. In the message, Kim sent New Year greetings to Putin and all Russians, including their troops and expressed his willingness to further step up bilateral ties, which he said the two leaders have elevated to a new height this year, through new projects, KCNA said. Kim “wished that the New Year 2025 would be recorded as the first year of victory in the 21st century when the Russian army and people would defeat neo-Nazism and achieve a great victory,” KCNA said. Kim and Putin signed a mutual defence treaty at a summit in June, which calls for each side to come to the other’s aid in case of an armed attack. North Korea has since dispatched tens of thousands of troops to Russia to support its war against Ukraine, and Seoul and Washington said that more than a thousand of them have ...

LAHORE: The Sabzazar police lodged a case against four police personnel for allegedly robbing a retired government officer at gunpoint and harassing him. In the first information report (FIR), retired additional commissioner Ahmad Kamal Sheikh alleged that on the day of the incident, he was going to drop his maid to her home in his car. He said as he reached the Multan Road, four policemen stopped his car and harassed him and his maid. One of the police personnel, Tanvir, occupied the front seat of the car, searched his body and robbed him of his money. He also treated his maid the same way, the complainant said, adding that the police personnel later took him and his maid to a deserted road where they made a video clip to blackmail him. They forced the retired officer to go to a bank and withdraw an amount of Rs25,000 through his ATM card, according to the FIR. The complainant alleged that the policemen later disappeared from the scene hurling serious threats for bringing matter...

The Chinese government urged local officials to provide more financial relief or step up one-time allowances to people in need ahead of major holidays over the next month, as China’s economic difficulties are set to extend into 2025. China’s economy has struggled to gather steam this year, mainly due to a protracted property crisis and weak domestic demand . Securing employment, particularly for fresh college graduates, is also a policy priority, authorities say. Ahead of New Year’s Day and the Lunar New Year in late January, local governments with financial capacity are encouraged to distribute relief funds or step up one-time allowances to those in need, the Ministry of Civil Affairs said in a statement published on Saturday. The ministry issued a similar call in late September ahead of a major holiday for one-off assistance to the extremely poor, orphans and those in difficulty. According to the ministry’s weekend statement, assistance to certain groups, such as unemployed ...

• Hassan Murtaza assails PML-N for not addressing party’s concerns over power-sharing • Naveed Qamar says it remains to be seen how Imran’s input will be incorporated into govt discussions with PTI KARACHI: Two key leaders of the PPP — one of the federal government’s key allies — have voiced concerns with the way both the PML-N and PTI have been approaching ongoing negotiations, and ignoring their concerns over power-sharing, especially in Punjab, Dawn.com reported. In separate interviews with DawnNewsTV , PPP MNA Syed Naveed Qamar and Punjab leader Hassan Murtaza voiced discontentment with the ruling party over policy-making issues, with the latter saying that if the PML-N did not change its ways, “it could jeopardise the alliance”. “If the PML-N continues along this path, then this alliance will not survive. I do not believe the PML-N will change, because they gave a lot of space to the opposition. They think that if they give space to the PPP, they will be left with nothing,” Mr...

Pakistan Peoples Party’s Sindh President Nisar Ahmed Khuhro in a statement on Sunday said that “the federal government should immediately announce its withdrawal from the controversial canal project.” Sindh has been grappling with a severe water crisis for many years, exacerbated by inadequate federal support and mismanagement. The province’s irrigation system is under strain, with acute water shortages impacting agriculture and daily life. Sindh’s grievances include the federal government’s failure to ensure equitable water distribution, leading to disputes over water rights and allocation. Khuro’s comments came after PPP Cha­i­r­man Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Saturday criticised the federal government’s “unilateral appro­ach” to water resource management, calling for consensus-driven policies to avoid controversy. Bilawal had highlighted concerns over recent decisions to construct canals, likening them to the contentious Kalabagh Dam project. Echoing the PPP chairman’s sentiment...

Activists and leaders of the mainstream religiopolitical party, Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM), continued sit-ins across Karachi on Sunday, blocking major roads to protest the Parachinar killings, demanding measures including reopening a road in Parachinar, closed for 90 days, to ensure access to essential food and medicines, according to traffic police and organisers. The demonstrators are protesting the ongoing violence in Parachinar as well as an incident where two people were killed and later decapitated after being waylaid on their way towards Parachinar in the Bagan area of Kurram. Today, the continued blockade of main arteries like Sharea Faisal, University Road, and Sharea Pakistan, among others, triggered traffic jams, causing inconveniences to the commuters who used alternative roads, mostly plying vehicles on one track. MWM spokesperson Syed Ali Ahmer Zaidi told Dawn.com that his party has “ended the sit-in on one track of the main Sharea Faisal near Star gate for the...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday said overbilling by power distribution companies (Discos) was unacceptable and ordered that the installation of smart meters be completed as soon as possible to ensure transparency. In February, a four-member independent inquiry committee on ‘Abject Failure — Illegal Overbilling’ confirmed overcharging allegations made by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) against all Discos across the country but absolved them of “deliberate and mala fide” fleecing. In April, Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi made it clear that overbilling would not be tolerated under any circumstances. The National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Energy (Power Division) had also expressed grave concern over rising overbilling complaints in August. The directives were issued today as the premier chaired a review meeting on the performance of Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco), Peshawar Electric Supply Company (Pesco) and Faisalabad Electric Supp...

QUETTA: The Balochistan Assembly lawmakers on Friday expressed serious concerns over ‘illegal’ allotment of state land and demanded action against the officials involved in this scam. Minister for Revenue Mir Asim Kurd alias Gello, however, denied that the state land was allotted during the incumbent government and assured the house that a probe would be carried out into the allotment made during the previous government. Taking the floor soon after the assembly session began, the opposition leader in the Balochistan Assembly, Mir Younis Aziz Zehri, raised the issue of land allotment on a point of order. He expressed serious concern over the illegal allotments by the relevant authorities during the previous government. He demanded an inquiry into the allotments and urged the provincial ministers to avoid involving themselves in selling state resources. Balochistan Finance Minister Mir Shoaib Nosherwani assured the house that any irregularities reported would be investigated. The o...

As sit-ins across the country continued on Saturday against killings in Parachinar in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Kurram district, traffic hurdles remained for residents of Karachi, where protests entered their fifth day. The religiopolitical Majlis Wahdat-i-Muslimeen (MWM) had given a country-wide call of protests to express solidarity with the people of Parachinar, who have also been staging a sit-in since December 20 against the law and order situation as well as road closures. The demonstrations began after an incident where two people were killed and later decapitated after being waylaid on their way towards Parachinar in Kurram’s Bagan area. Multiple sit-ins organised on MWM’s call continued in Karachi for the fifth consecutive day today, with the blockade of several important thoroughfares leading to a citywide traffic mess in all seven districts and causing hardship to people. The MWM had expanded its protests to almost all of Karachi by Thursday, and by 10pm on Friday , dem...

LARKANA: The stage is set at Garhi Khuda Bakhsh Bhutto to observe the 17th death anniversary of former prime minister and PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto amidst extensive security measures on Dec 27 (today). People in caravans started pouring in from different parts of the country. A big pandal was established at the venue where a 60-feet-big stage was built and different welcome camps were set up to help accommodate the party activists and lovers of the Bhuttos. Such camps were also established in Larkana city where party songs were being played while tricolour flags were hoisted and banners, posters and portraits of PPP leaders displayed en route to Naudero and at the venue. Naseer Khan of the PPP human rights wing from Lahore lit candles near the Bhuttos Mausoleum to pay respect to the struggle and sacrifices of Benazir Bhutto. PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, President Asif Ali Zardari, Sanam Bhutto, MNA Aseffa Bhutto Zardari, Ms Faryal Talpur, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Mur...

National Aeronautics and Space Administration’s (Nasa) said on Friday that its Parker Solar Probe was “safe” and operating normally after successfully completing the closest-ever approach to the Sun by any human-made object. The spacecraft passed just 3.8 million miles (6.1m km) from the solar surface on December 24, flying into the sun’s outer atmosphere called the corona, on a mission to help scientists learn more about Earth’s closest star. The agency said the operations team at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Maryland received the signal, a beacon tone, from the probe just before midnight on Thursday. The spacecraft is expected to send detailed telemetry data about its status on January 1, Nasa added. Moving at up to 430,000 mph (692,000 kph), the spacecraft endured temperatures of up to 1,800 degrees Fahrenheit (982 degrees Celsius), according to the Nasa website. “This close-up study of the Sun allows Parker Solar Probe to take measurements that help scie...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday reiterated his call for improved relations with Afghanistan but emphasised that the administration in Kabul must rein in Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) first. Relations between Pakistan and Afghanistan have been strained due to frequent border skirmishes and Islamabad repeatedly demanding Kabul take action against the banned TTP for using Afghan soil to launch attacks in Pakistan. Kabul denies the allegations. Earlier this week, the Afghanistan government alleged that Pakistan conducted airstrikes in Patika province, which led to the killing of 46 civilians , while security officials said that the bombings targeted TTP camps there. On Thursday, the Foreign Office (FO) parried queries regarding recent air strikes on Afghanistan. Although multiple questions were posed to her regarding the recent air strikes, FO spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch avoided directly confirming the action. She, however, maintained that Pakistan’s security and law ...

An Islamabad district and sessions court on Thursday granted bail to Bushra Bibi, the wife of PTI founder Imran Khan, in cases related to last month’s violent protest staged by the party. On Nov 13, Imran issued a “ final call ” for nationwide protests on Nov 24, demanding the restoration of the PTI’s electoral mandate, the release of detained party members, and the reversal of the 26th Amendment which he said had strengthened a “dictatorial regime”. A day of pitched battles between security forces and PTI protesters across the federal capital ended in a hasty retreat of the party’s top leadership and supporters from the Red Zone in the early hours of Nov 27. At least six lives were lost in the three days of protests, which included a policeman and three Rangers officials who were knocked down by a speeding vehicle, officials and hospital sources said. Claims and counter-claims over deaths purportedly caused by law-enforcement action against the PTI marchers remain a major bone of...

US President Joe Biden vowed on Wednesday to bolster Ukraine militarily against Russia after its overnight aerial attacks, according to a statement released by the State Department. “I have directed the Department of Defence to continue its surge of weapons deliveries to Ukraine, and the United States will continue to work tirelessly to strengthen Ukraine’s position in its defence against Russian forces,” Biden said, per the statement. His remarks came after Ukraine on Wednesday accused Russia of launching “inhumane” Christmas Day airstrikes across the country, injuring at least six people. Biden said in the early hours of Christmas that Russia launched waves of missiles and drones against Ukrainian cities and critical energy infrastructure. “The purpose of this outrageous attack was to cut off the Ukrainian people’s access to heat and electricity during winter and to jeopardize the safety of its grid,” he added. The president stressed that the Ukrainian people deserve to liv...

Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Chairman Rashid Mahmood Langrial on Thursday said that the purpose of carrying out end-to-end digitisation of the tax process was to bring the top five per cent of the wealthy into the tax net. His comments came a day after the government announced its plan to increase the tax-to-GDP ratio from the current 10 per cent to 13.5pc within the next three years, stressing that the proposed amendments to tax laws would improve tax collection and compliance in the country. During a press conference today, the FBR chairman, along with the finance minister and minister of state for finance and revenue, said, “The top five per cent of people — who should be in the system — are 2.7 million plus 0.6. “That means 3.3m people who fall in the top five pc, and whose average income is 4.8 billion, fall into the taxable category,” he stated, adding that the average income of the top one pc was higher than this. “And our country is very poor — it’s not very rich — even ...

Ousted Bangladesh prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s son and adviser on Tuesday described allegations of corruption involving the family in the 2015 awarding of a $12.65 billion nuclear power contract as “completely bogus” and a “smear campaign”. Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission said on Monday it had launched an enquiry into allegations of corruption, embezzlement and money laundering in the Rooppur Nuclear Power Plant project, backed by Russia’s state-owned Rosatom. A deal for two power plants, each with a capacity of 1,200 megawatts, was signed in 2015. The commission has alleged that there were financial irregularities worth about $5bn involving Hasina, her son Sajeeb Wazed and her niece and British treasury minister Tulip Siddiq, through offshore accounts. Rosatom, the world’s largest supplier of enriched uranium, refuted the allegations, adding that it was committed to combat corruption in all its projects and that it maintains a transparent procurement system. “Rosatom ...

Senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah announced late Tuesday that the government was willing to accommodate PTI’s demand for a time frame in ongoing talks, following PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan’s conveyance of former premier Imran Khan’s demand for a defined timeline. Since Imran’s incarceration last year in several cases, PTI’s relations with the government and the establishment have deteriorated sharply, marked by protests that frequently escalated into violence amid state repression . Tensions further intensified after PTI’s ‘Final Call’ rally last month, with renewed calls to ban the party and task forces formed against alleged “malicious campaigns.” PTI claimed a dozen deaths of its supporters during this period, a claim the government denies. Following the turmoil, Imran established a five-member committee to hold talks with “anyone,” signalling a shift in PTI lawmakers’ stance in parliament. In response, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, on the recommendation of NA...

GUJRAT: The special judge, Central-I, Gujranwala, on Tuesday sentenced two human traffickers to 33-year imprisonment each, besides imposing a fine of Rs1.8 million on each of them. The court issued the verdict in case No 505/23, registered by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Dec 5, 2023, under sections 17(1)& 22(b) EO 1979 & 3,6 PSMA 2018. According to the prosecution, Muhammad Sarwar and Muhmmad Rauf received Rs700,000 from the complainant on the pretext of sending his brother to Italy. But, when the emigrant reached Libya, the convicts took him hostage, tortured him and extorted Rs2.55 million more from his family in Pakistan. Despite extortion of extra amount, the traffickers neither sent the emigrant to Italy from Libya, nor back to Pakistan and he had been missing since then. The case was prosecuted by FIA Assistant Director (Legal) Asfahan Akram Kang and Inspector Shafique was the investigation officer. In yet another case (No 139/21), the court handed down...

A powerful blast ripped through an explosives plant in northwestern Turkiye on Tuesday killing 12 people and injuring five others, officials said. Footage showed shards of glass and metal scattered outside the plant, where ambulances stood by. “According to initial reports, 12 employees died and four were taken to hospital with injuries as a result of the explosion” in the Karesi district of Balikesir province, local governor Ismail Ustaoglu said. “I wish God’s mercy upon our deceased citizens and a speedy recovery to our wounded,” he added. Officials later revised the number of the injured as five and added they were not in a serious condition. There were no staff members left inside the factory and the blaze was put out, they added. The blast took place at 8:25am (0525 GMT) at a section of the plant which local officials said collapsed under the force of the explosion. Interior Minister Ali Yerlikaya said the cause of the blast at the factory, which is located away from reside...

TWO political families have mainly piloted our twisted and bumpy semi-democratic ride. I covered the Bhuttos last time. Today, I turn to the Sharifs, now into a record fifth family stint and 11-plus years as prime minister despite joining politics much later than the Bhuttos, their past arch-enemy and present frenemy. The Sharifs started their political ride under a dictator like Zulfikar Ali Bhutto. Bhutto left Ayub Khan to start an anti-establishment, socialist party to build on ongoing such politics since 1947 in the smaller provinces and won a fair mandate in West Pakistan but backed Yahya Khan against fellow socialist Mujibur Rahman in 1971. In contrast, Nawaz Sharif’s rise in 1980s reflected a re-politicisation after decades of Punjab’s elites, who, after the 1950s, had shirked politics given their hold on bureaucracy, the judiciary and military and the Bengali electoral edge. The 1971 tragedy and the numerical edge it gave Punjab made democracy both necessary and viable f...

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Tuesday confirmed details of the West Indies men’s cricket team’s tour of Pakistan for the two ICC World Test Championship matches. The West Indies cricket team will arrive in Islamabad on January 6. After playing a three-day match against Pakistan Shaheens from Jan 10-12 at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium, they will take on Pakistan in back-to-back Tests in Multan, according to a PCB statement . “The first Test will be played from Jan 17-21, while the second Test will be held from Jan 25-29,” the statement said. The matches will count towards the World Test Championship, though both teams are out of contention to reach the final. This will be the West Indies’ first Test tour of Pakistan in 19 years when they played three Tests in November 2006, while their last Test away Test series against Pakistan was in the UAE in October 2016. However, the West Indies have thrice toured Pakistan since April 2018; once for the ODI series (June 2022) and twice...

Starbucks workers have expanded their strike to four more US cities, including New York, the union representing over 10,000 baristas said late on Saturday. The five-day strike, which began on Friday and initially closed Starbucks cafes in Los Angeles, Chicago and Seattle, has added locations in New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia and St. Louis, Workers United said in a statement. It did not specify in what New Jersey city the walkout was occurring. Starbucks said the disruptions from the strike have no significant impact on its operations because only a small handful of US stores have been impacted. “Workers United proposals call for an immediate increase in the minimum wage of hourly partners by 64 per cent, and by 77pc over the life of a three-year contract. This is not sustainable,” the coffee chain said. The union is striking in 10 cities, also including Columbus, Ohio; Denver and Pittsburgh, during the busy holiday season which may impact the company’s Christmas sales. The co...

Former Senate chairman Raza Rabbani on Monday condemned the formation of an eight-member committee for the revision of existing or grant of new allowances to government servants, calling it “double standards on the part of the finance minister”. Despite a shortfall in revenue collection, the government has started working on offering lucrative allowances to its employees, in addition to a salary increase of up to 25 per cent, effective from July 1, 2024. A previous Dawn report stated that the PM Office and the Ministry of Finance had been receiving regular representations from various stakeholders and employee groups, seeking additional compensation, particularly following the recent significant increases in salaries and allowances for judges. As a result, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif constituted an eight-member ‘special committee’ for “revision of existing or grant of new allowances to government servants” during the current financial year. Led by Finance Minister Muhammad Au...

The United States said Monday it is opening an investigation into China’s policies for its semiconductor industry , over concerns that Beijing is turning to “extensive anticompetitive and non-market means” to undermine other economies. The probe centers on foundational semiconductors — which go into everything from cars to medical devices — and whether China’s actions create burdens for US commerce, according to the US Trade Representative’s (USTR) office. The fear is that Beijing’s practices undermine “the competitiveness of American industry and workers, critical US supply chains, and US economic security,” the USTR’s office added. “We have seen time and again, a pattern of harmful impact from nonmarket policies and practices across industries that the PRC has targeted for worldwide market dominance,” said USTR Katherine Tai, referring to the People’s Republic of China. Previous instances have included steel, aluminum, solar cells, electric vehicles and now, semiconductors, Tai...

At least 50 children have died in Parachinar due to the recent shortage of medicines caused by the closure of roads leading to the city in the aftermath of armed violence between warring tribes last month in the restive Kurram tribal district, officials said. Thousands of people have been stranded in Parachinar because of clashes that have killed at least 130 people since last month. Residents have reported food and medicine shortages in parts of the Kurram district, which borders Afghanistan, as the government struggles to end a reignited feud between tribes stemming from decades-old tensions over farmland. Dr Zulfiqar Ali, a paediatrician at the DHQ Hospital in Parachinar, told Dawn.com today that 51 children in the city had died due to a “shortage of medicine”, adding that the situation was getting worse due to a lack of medical oxygen and heating apparatus. Philanthropist Faisal Edhi corroborated the figure, stating that more than 50 children had died in the hospitals in ...

Tyson Fury insisted Oleksandr Usyk got an early Christmas gift from the judges after the Ukrainian won their heavyweight championship rematch overnight on Saturday. The “Gypsy King”, who was non-committal about his future, insisted he had won the fight that was scored 116-112 by all three officials in a unanimous decision. The 36-year-old Fury, unbeaten until he first met Usyk in their four-belt unification fight in May, departs Riyadh’s Kingdom Arena with two defeats on his record. “Listen, it is what it is. I’m not going to cry over spilt milk, it’s happened now,” said Fury. “I know boxing, I’ve been in it all my life — you can’t change no decisions. But I feel a little bit hard done by, actually a lot.” He added, “There was a little bit of Christmas spirit in there. He got a little Christmas gift.” Asked whether the public would see him fight again, Fury said: “You might do, you might not do. Who knows?” Promoter Frank Warren also claimed victory for Fury, calling the de...

Tehran has formally protested the arrests of two Iranians in Italy and the United States accused of transferring sensitive US technology to Iran, local media reported. US prosecutors on Monday charged Mahdi Mohammad Sadeghi and Mohammad Abedininajafabadi with “conspiring to export sophisticated electronic components from the United States to Iran in violation of US export control and sanctions laws”, according to a statement from the US Department of Justice. The statement added that the illegally exported technology was used in a January drone attack that killed three US servicemen in Jordan. Iran denied any involvement in the attack, dismissing the claims as “baseless accusations.” “We consider both the cruel and unilateral US sanctions against Iran and these arrests to be contrary to all international laws and standards,” foreign ministry official Vahid Jalalzadeh told the Tasnim news agency late on Saturday. Jalalzadeh said the ministry had “invited” the Italian charg d’af...

For generations, the small Hindu temple outside the capital in Bangladesh was a quiet place to pray — before arsonists ripped open its roof this month in the latest post-revolution unrest. It is only one of a string of attacks targeting religious minorities since a student-led uprising toppled long-time autocratic leader Sheikh Hasina in August. “We don’t feel safe,” said Hindu devotee Swapna Ghosh in the village of Dhour, where attackers broke into the 50-year-old family temple to the goddess Lakshmi and set fire to its treasured idols on December 7. “My son saw the flames and doused them quickly,” said temple custodian Ratan Kumar Ghosh, 55, describing how assailants knew to avoid security cameras, so they tore its tin roof open to enter. “Otherwise, the temple — and us — would have been reduced to ashes.” Hindus make up about eight per cent of the mainly Muslim nation of 170 million people. In the chaotic days following Hasina’s August 5 ouster there was a string of attack...