Infinity Social Updates

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...

Originally published on May 9, 2024. “ISPR sahib , listen to me carefully. Respect is not [confined] to a single institution; respect should be for every single citizen,” thundered then-PTI chief Imran Khan in a video released a little after 11am before departing for the Islamabad High Court on May 9 last year. Policemen escort former prime minister Imran Khan as he arrives at the high court in Islamabad on May 12. — Aamir Qureshi/AFP/File Hours later, he was arrested in the Al Qadir Trust case . The case was irrelevant to his supporters and the development was expected — nevertheless, Imran Khan was “a red line” and so, protests erupted almost immediately. But within hours, they turned into riots that lasted more than 24 hours across Pakistan. When the smoke from torched vehicles and tear gas finally cleared, condemnations poured in and a chase ensued. Nearly 500 first information reports were registered. Thousands were arrested, of whom 105 were handed into military cust...