ISLAMABAD, Jan 24 (APP): Chief of Army Staff (COAS), General Syed Asim Munir on Wednesday said youth were the guardians of the bright and sublime traditions of the nation and country, the epitome of Allama Iqbal and Quaid-e-Azam’s visionary leadership. The youth, he said should have immense confidence in their country, nation, culture, civilization and themselves. He said Pakistan Army could fight against terrorists, but the cooperation of the entire nation was imperative in thatregard. Citing verses of the Holy Quran on disinformation, he saida news : “Allah Almighty says : ‘O believers! During the address of COAS, the students also raised slogans of Pakistan Army Zindabad, Pakistan Zindabad and Quaid-e-Azam Zindabad.

After last week’s tit-for-tat missile attacks, Pakistan and Iran have moved quickly to de-escalate tensions. On the other hand, Iran accused Pakistan of harboring Sunni terrorist groups like the Jaish al-Adl. More importantly, the Pakistan military, which is now in absolute command of the country, wanted to function as both responsible and tough in protecting the country’s security. Undoubtedly, Iran and Pakistan want to swiftly return to friendly relations and their carefully handled border situations. [i] “ Pakistan, Iran envoys to return by Jan 26: FO”, The News, January 24, 2024, https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1150306-pakistan-iran-envoys-to-return-by-jan-26-fo Kamran Yousaf, “Pakistan, Iran announce return of ambassadors Iran FM to visit Pakistan on Jan 29”, Express Tribune, January 22, 2024, https://tribune.com.pk/story/2454052/pakistan-iran-announce-return-of-ambassadors[ii] Kamran Yousaf, “Pakistan, Iran working discreetly to prevent future border crisis,” Express Tribune, January 21,2024, https://tribune.com.pk/story/2453974/pakistan-iran-working-discreetly-to-prevent-future-border-crisis[iii] Three varsities in Islamabad ‘closed for indefinite period amid security concerns’, Ahmed Subhan, January 22, 2024https://www.thenews.com.pk/latest/1150275-three-varsities-in-islamabad-closed-for-indefinite-period-amid-security-concerns[iv] Ibid

"TikTok has robust measures in place to combat misinformation, violence, and hate speech in line with its Community Guidelines, available both in English and Urdu. In its fight against misinformation, TikTok collaborates with local and regional fact-checkers. The social media company said that an "integral part of TikTok's strategy for the Pakistan elections is the introduction of the Pakistan Election Center within the app". Overall, TikTok's measures reflect its commitment to not just platform integrity, but also inspiring creativity and joy among its users. For more information on TikTok's election integrity efforts, please read: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en/election-integrity/

According to media reports, Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, the interim finance minister, plans to use a presidential ordinance to carry out the FBR reforms program by the end of this month, which is less than ten days before the elections. She thinks that in a few years, the reforms will increase tax revenue collection from the current 8.5 percent to 15 percent. The FBR bureaucracy, for its part, is against it because it fears losing its limitless privileges and having less discretionary power taken away. They therefore wish to defer the decision regarding FBR reorganization to the upcoming elected administration. In order to make taxation equitable and fair while increasing collection, it is imperative and crucial to reorganize the Board, separate policy from tax collection, introduce technology, and limit the discretionary powers of FBR officials.

A view during the opening of the grand temple of the Hindu god Lord Ram in Ayodhya, India, January 22, 2024. PHOTO: REUTERSThe Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) — a 57-member bloc of Muslim countries — on Tuesday denounced the construction and inauguration of the “Ram Temple” built on the site of the five-century-old Babri Masjid in India’s Ayodhya. In a statement issued on social media platform X on Tuesday, the OIC expressed “grave worry” over the construction and inauguration of the temple at the site of the razed Babri Masjid. But for Modi’s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), the opening of the Ram Mandir was a landmark moment in a decades-long campaign to align the country’s governance with its majority faith. Pakistan also urged the Indian government to ensure the safety and security of religious minorities, including Muslims and their holy places.

I am writing to express my con­cern regarding the escalating cost of medicines in Pakistan. It is pertinent to mention that a critical factor contributing to this unset­tling increase in medicine prices is the growing shortage of vari­ous drugs used in the preparation of essential medicines. In response, patients are compelled to resort to cheaper substitutes for essential medications, a compromise that comes with grave consequenc­es. Therefore, I request the govern­ment to address this critical issue by investigating the root cause of the pharmaceutical production slowdown. Collaboration between the government, the pharmaceuti­cal industry, and healthcare stake­holders is essential to pave the way for a more equitable and accessible healthcare system in Pakistan.

Prices of consumer goods in the Pakistani retail sector remain unchecked as onion prices hit Rs320 per kg in the nation's capital. Data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics indicates a surge in high-quality onion prices in domestic markets, with retailers attributing the price hike to substantial exports. In Islamabad, onions are retailing at Rs320 per kg. Additionally, according to the PBS, onions are selling at Rs240 per kg in Karachi, Lahore, and Gujranwala, and Rs220 in Faisalabad, Sargodha, Multan, and Bahawalpur. The PBS also reported a 0.34 per cent increase in weekly inflation, measured by the Sensitive Price Indicator (SPI), for combined consumption groups for the week ending January 18.

The caretaker federal cabinet Tuesday accorded approval to a summary seeking deployment of the Pakistan Army and troops of civil armed forces to help the civil institutions in holding free, fair and peaceful general elections — slated to be held on February 8. The development came during a meeting of the federal cabinet held with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar in the chair. Last month, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) sought 277,000 army personnel to be deployed to maintain security, and law and order situation across the country whose 126 million voters will choose their representatives next month. Meanwhile, the Pakistan Army had also vowed to provide necessary military assistance for the upcoming general elections. It is pertinent to mention, that Pakistan Army soldiers along with Rangers and Frontier Constabulary (FC) personnel will perform election duties following the Interior Ministry's summary's approval by the caretaker federal cabinet.

Instagram and Facebook users in Europe will be offered more choices on how they consume Meta Platforms', opens new tab services to comply with the European Union's Digital Markets Act (DMA), the social media company said on Monday. Under the DMA, which all Big Tech firms including Meta must comply with by March 7, companies are obligated to treat their own services and products like they do rivals'. Facebook Messenger users will be able to choose if they want their Facebook account linked to their Messenger account, or have separate accounts for both services, the company said. Meta added that Instagram and Facebook users who have connected both accounts can choose to manage them separately and no longer share information across the two accounts. Users can also choose whether to share information between their Facebook accounts and the platform's Gaming and Marketplace services.

Tencent Holdings' Riot Games plans to lay off 530 employees, or about 11% of its staff globally, the online gaming company said on Monday in a blog that included a letter to employees from CEO Dylan Jadeja. Los Angeles-based Riot, whose popular titles include "League of Legends", said teams outside of core development will see the largest impact from layoffs. Digital games publishers are struggling to grow, as audience hold off on buying expensive titles or stick to fewer games amid high inflation. Riot will stop new game development under "Riot Forge", and drop some staff and features in "Legends of Runeterra". Tencent, which acquired a majority stake in Riot Games in 2011, also holds stake in fellow US video game developer Epic Games.

The New Hampshire presidential primary will be held on Jan. 23, 2024, just 8 days after the Iowa caucuses, marking the first primary in the nominating process. What are polls saying about the New Hampshire primary? New Hampshire has an "open" primary, meaning that voters who are not declared with either party can vote in the primary. How does the New Hampshire primary work? A 55-year-old, Michigan native who moved to New Hampshire a year ago, Paige Leary, said she appreciates how involved New Hampshire voters are in the political scene.

Tik Tok is introducing an exciting feature that will enable more people to create their own songs. Yes, with the help of artificial intelligence (AI) technology, users will be able to create songs for their Tik Tok posts. In this feature called AI Song, the user has to give written instructions. Celebrating Air on Tik Tok along with other Creators Awards in PakistanGoogle, Facebook or TikTok, which will be the most popular website in the world in 2023? A company spokesperson said that it is not primarily an AI song generator and the name may be changed.

A Pakistani, Peter Jacob, has won the International Reli­gious Freedom Award on the 25th anniversary of the adoption of the International Religious Freedom Act. The awards given by the United States Secretary of State, Antony Blinken, were a proud moment for Pakistan as Peter Jacob earned the reward for his 35 years of dedication to re­ligious freedom and human rights in Pakistan. He has advo­cated for the rights of religious minorities and has been very significant in bringing up the misuse and weaponisation of the blasphemy laws against minorities in the country. Religious tolerance and freedom are the very essence of Pakistani society. It is, then, peo­ple like Peter Jacob who have kept this ideal alive in their vi­sion and imagination.

Vijayawada: Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan said he was fortunate to have an opportunity to witness the consecration event in Ayodhya. The JS leader told national media after taking part in the ceremony there that India had been waiting for this moment for centuries. He said, “When I was watching the consecration ceremony of the Ram Mandir, tears rolled down my eyes with an eruption of joy. I became emotional and this was the same experience for all Indians.”He said that as devotees from north India visited Tirumala to take darshan of Lord Venkateswara, it would now be the turn of devotees from south India to visit Ayodhya for darshan of Lord Ram.

The caretaker government on Monday blamed “technical issues” for the recent internet outages across the country, saying that there was no guarantee that such incidents would not occur in the future. However, Solangi said one could wish that internet outages did not take place but there was no guarantee of that. Netblocks, a global internet monitor, had said on X that live metrics showed “a nation-scale disruption to social media platforms across Pakistan, including X/Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube”. Further, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) had said the internet was disrupted due to a “technical fault”. Last week, the interior ministry constituted a five-member joint investigation team (JIT) to “ascertain facts behind a malicious social media campaign” against Supreme Court judges.