By Rehan KhanISLAMABAD, May 19 (APP): The International Research Council for Religious Affairs (IRCRA) has announced the launch of the Azadi Fellowship Program, hosted at the Islamic Research Institute (IRI) of the International Islamic University in Islamabad (IIUI). The highly anticipated program commenced on May 17 and will run until May 25, 2024, spanning a total of nine days. Speaking to the media, IRCRA President Muhammad Israr Madani explained that the Azadi Fellowship Program is designed to engage over 20 community youth and faith leaders, university and madrasa graduates, teachers, writers, and scholars from across the nation. This year, he said the fellowship will focus on enhancing participants’ understanding of religious freedom, democracy, and civic engagement. “We are thrilled to inaugurate the Azadi Fellowship Program, as this initiative represents our commitment to promoting religious freedom and democratic values in Pakistan.

Pakistan informed the IMF that it wanted to replace the net metering policy with gross metering for rooftop solar panels aimed at discouraging their use, said the sources. Currently, the bidirectional meter calculates rooftop generation and the import of electricity from the national grid during night time. The Ministry of Energy viewed that due to less reliance on grid electricity, rooftop solar consumers were now slipping into the protected consumers’ category, paying very little for electricity. The lender also urged a review of the current captive power generation policy, in which industrialists get cheaper gas to produce in-house electricity. There is a possibility that captive gas may be discontinued from July to shift these industries to highly expensive grid electricity.

An attempt by France to enforce a new voting law in Caledonia is what has sparked the protests. The colonial mindset and ways are all alike across the world. Just because Baku has openly called out France’s colonisation of territories, the latter now links every freedom call to Baku. One where India, France, and the West (generally) support Armenia and even have military ties. We have to watch if the Kanaks can, after all these years, break away from the colonial shackles weaved around them.

The country is in the grip of hot and dry weather with Lahore on Sunday becoming the second most polluted city in the world. Meanwhile, the weather in the provincial metropolis of Punjab will remain hot and dry on Sunday. Similarly, Quetta is also experiencing hot and dry weather. The Met Office forecast partly cloudy weather with chances of rain-windstorm and thunderstorm at isolated places in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Islamabad, Gilgit Baltistan and Kashmir. During the last 24 hours, hot and dry weather prevailed in most parts of the country, while very hot in southern and central parts.

HYDERABAD - President of Hyderabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (HCCI) Adeel Siddiqui has said the tax exemptions extended to Federal and Provincial Tribal Administered Areas are causing financial losses to the industries of steel, edible oil and ghee in the country’s 4 provinces. In a statement issued here on Saturday he pointed out that receivables in steel, edible oil and ghee industries amounted to hundreds of billions of rupees. He believed that the tax exemptions were being availed in an unjustified way and demanded an impartial audit of those exemptions. On behalf of the business community, he called for putting an end to the discrimination being made with the steel, edible oil and ghee industries of the 4 provinces. Due to the higher cost of production in the country’s urban areas’ industrial zones, the industrialists are also paying higher taxes, he said and warned that if the discrimination was continued, the local steel, edible oil and ghee industries would be destroyed.

KARACHI - A Toronto-bound Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight was diverted to Karachi after a “technical fault” it encountered during the take-off, says in media reports. According to PIA spokesperson Abdullah Khan, PIA flight, PK-781, departed from the Pakistani capital of Islamabad late Friday,The technical fault with the aircraft was “minor,” but the captain preferred to return instead of continuing the long flight over the Atlantic Ocean. “The decision to bring the plane to Karachi was made due to better arrangements at the engineering base and availability of spare parts,” Khan said in a statement. The airlines made the arrangements for the return of the flight to Karachi as well as food, transportation and accommodation of passengers, according to the PIA spokesperson. After resolving technical fault, the flight left for Toronto at 1pm today (Saturday) from Karachi.

PTI founding chairman and former premier Imran Khan on Friday said he would write a letter to Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir not for his personal gains but for the sake of the country. Read Bushra retracts ‘no-confidence’ on judge during £190 million case hearingThe PTI founding chairman claimed that the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa governor, who was a beneficiary of Form-47, was launching personal attacks at the province’s chief minister. On talks with the government, Imran said there was no point in negotiating with those who had no power. When asked about his wife Bushra Bibi's medical test, the PTI founding chairman said he did not trust the PIMS hospital's reports. “The medical staff refused, so she didn't give the samples.”Reiterating his plan to write to the army chief, Imran said inform him about what was happening in Azad Jammu Kashmir and they must think about the country’s direction.

In a significant achievement, Pakistan secured victory over Turkmenistan in the final of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Nation’s Volleyball League held at the Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad. Pakistan emerged triumphant with a 3-1 win, showcasing both offensive and defensive prowess. Despite Turkmenistan’s comeback in the third set, Pakistan ultimately clinched the match with a decisive win in the fourth set. Earlier, Kyrgyzstan secured third place by defeating Sri Lanka 3-1. Pakistan remained undefeated throughout the competition, showcasing dominance in each match, including wins against Iran, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan, Sri Lanka, and Turkmenistan.

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan defeated Turkmenistan in the final of the Central Asian Volleyball Association (CAVA) Nation’s Volleyball League at the Liaquat Gymnasium in Islamabad, Pakistan on Friday. Pakistan claimed a 3-1 win with the set scores of 25-21, 25-19, 20-25, and 25-14. However, Pakistan regained control in the fourth set, decisively winning 25-14 to clinch the match. Furthermore, Kyrgyzstan had the fourth set by a margin of 25-23. Their second win in the tournament came against Sri Lanka as the team defeated their opponents 3-0 on May 12, Sunday.

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Role Of ‘John’s’ Of Kerala Media In Settling The Massive Solar Scam Starts To Roll. The solar scam case pertains to a live-in couple — Saritha and Radhakrishnan — who cheated numerous people by taking money without supplying promised solar panels. Premachandran spoke to CPI-M veteran Kodiyeri Balakrishnan and the protest was called off after Chandy announced a judicial probe,” writes Mundakayam. “Brittas has agreed that Radhakrishnan spoke and that’s the second part of what happened. My book was written to portray that Chandy was named in a scam where he did not do any wrong,” Mundakayam told mediapersons from Singapore.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, who has been appointed interim president of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), stated that his elder brother and former three-time prime minister Nawaz Sharif was unjustly removed from the party's presidency through a conspiracy. Shehbaz was formally elected PML-N president in March 2018, months after the disqualification of his elder brother Nawaz Sharif by the Supreme Court. Attendees included Prime Minister Shehbaz, party leader Nawaz Sharif, Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, and leaders Rana Sanaullah, Ahsan Iqbal, Ishaq Dar, among others. He confirmed that PM Shehbaz has been appointed interim president, with re-election to be conducted by the general council, reinstating Nawaz Sharif as president. Prime Minister Shehbaz, addressing the meeting, expressed his honour in returning the PML-N presidency to Nawaz Sharif, stating that Nawaz was wrongfully removed through a conspiracy.

The IMF raised the issue of exchange rate devaluation during a meeting with the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA), said the sources. They stated that the IMF also questioned the incorrect electricity consumption assumptions used for the current fiscal year’s annual power tariff adjustments. The higher consumption estimates, subsequently proven wrong, resulted in a hefty increase in electricity bills due to monthly and quarterly tariff adjustments. Pakistan has informed the IMF that electricity prices may skyrocket in July due to simultaneous adjustments on account of monthly, quarterly, and annual increases in tariffs. The IMF was also inquisitive about a lag in passing on the impact of the increase in electricity prices due to quarterly adjustments.

ISLAMABAD: A senior Pakistani diplomat at the United Nations urged technology-producing nations on Friday to remove restrictions on the equitable spread of scientific knowledge and equipment, saying it would help advance developing countries. Access to emerging technologies in the Global South is often influenced by geopolitical concerns, as international relations and trade policies can dictate the availability and distribution of these resources. This geopolitical gatekeeping not only restricts technological advancement in less developed nations but also perpetuates global inequities in access to cutting-edge tools and innovations. In case of Pakistan, US export controls limit access to high-end technologies, particularly those with dual-use capabilities that might be diverted for military purposes. Ambassador Jadoon mentioned Pakistan’s concerns about the unregulated military applications of emerging technologies and supported calls for establishing legally-binding norms to regulate their use, ensuring regional and global stability.

NEW YORK: Disturbing surveillance video published on Friday shows Sean ‘Diddy’ Combs physically assaulting his then-girlfriend Casandra Ventura, corroborating allegations she made in a now-settled lawsuit late last year. Combs is the target of several civil lawsuits that characterize him as a violent sexual predator who used alcohol and drugs to subdue his victims. In the video, Ventura leaves a hotel room, after which Combs, appearing to wear only a towel, chases her, throws her to the ground, and assaults her. “The gut-wrenching video has only further confirmed the disturbing and predatory behavior of Mr. Combs. Ventura sued Combs in federal court last fall.