We got an inside look at the United States Navy’s 10-week basic training program. Recruits must pass a physical assessment and a swim qualification before they train in seamanship, firefighting, and weapons training. They’re also exposed to tear gas inside a confidence chamber where they learn to correctly wear gas masks. Training culminates with “Battle Stations” an all-night event that takes place on a mock Navy destroyer ship designed by companies who have created theme park attractions for Walt Disney World. After completing the event, recruits officially become sailors when they receive their US Navy ball caps.

According to the police, the woman reportedly staged the abduction of her own child for an Rs100,000 ransom from her family. The two-year-old child named Arshad Ali has been recovered by police Kamalu, the police said. The abductors arrested from Kamalu had claimed that the mother was involved in the abduction. According to the police, the woman reportedly staged the abduction of her own child for an Rs100,000 ransom from her family. The two-year-old child named Arshad Ali has been recovered by police Kamalu, the police said.

— Experts dub PPP’s move as arm-twisting of PM Shehbaz— Mustering political support reflects PPP may jump ship soon; Shehryar AfridiISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) has stepped up efforts to gather political support for opposition to the secret dialogue with banned outfit of Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP). In this regard, the PPP leadership on Sunday constituted a three-member special committee to reach out other political parties and win their support over the recent developments in Pakistan’s talks with the TTP. Per the statement, the People’s Party has stated that it will raise the issue, jointly with other parties, in the Parliament. He said that efforts to muster political support reflects PPP may jump ship soon. “Going public with its concerns without consulting the premier, who is an ally of the PPP, was bit indecent act.

The holiest Buddhist religious sites are Taxila and the Buddhist Ruins of Takht-i-Bahi, and the Remains at Sahr-i-Ahlool. From the perspective of religious tourism, Pakistan can become the next major destination for Buddhist religious tourism. As a Buddhist holy site, Pakistan is home to the Buddhist heritage monuments, artwork, and iconography of unprecedented importance to Buddhist worshippers, scholars, and tourists. To popularise Buddhism religious tourism, Pakistan needs to develop policies that encourage approaches to develop, manage, and promote tourism in religious sites. A modest move in the right direction is required for Buddhist religious tourism in Pakistan to realise its great potential.

PARIS – The OECD has warned that the world economy will pay a “hefty price” for Russia’s inva­sion of Ukraine as it slashed its 2022 growth forecast and pro­jected higher inflation. “The world is set to pay a hefty price for Russia’s war against Ukraine,” wrote the OECD’s chief economist and deputy secretary-general, Lau­rence Boone, adding that a “hu­manitarian crisis is unfolding before our eyes”. At the time, it said the conflict could cut global GDP growth by “over one percentage point”. The World Bank revised its own figures on Tuesday, lower­ing its global growth forecast from 4.1 percent to 2.9 percent. The OECD cut its growth forecast for the United States from 3.7 percent to 2.5 percent and that of China, the world’s second biggest economy, from 5.1 percent to 4.4 percent.

Frustrated over apparent by-passing of parliament with regard to peace talks with the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) has demanded that public representatives “must be taken on board” on the issue. “[The] PPP held a high-level meeting to discuss the issue of terrorism, particularly in light of recent developments in Afghanistan, with the TTA (Tehreek-i-Taliban Afghanistan) & TTP. PPP held a high level meeting to discuss issue of terrorism. “The talks with the TTP began in 2021 and negotiations have been taking place at the government level,” the minister said, confirming the peace talks with the banned group. A few weeks ago, a Pakistani delegation led by Peshawar Corps Commander Lt General Faiz Hameed visited Kabul and held talks with the TTP.

ISLAMABAD – The speakers at a consultation unanimously viewed that Pakistan needs to be ‘assertive’ and should negotiate with outlawed Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) from the ‘position of strength.’Most participants were critical of the demand of proscribed TTP about reversal of Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)’s merger with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP). The group has set a major condition of reversal of FATA’s merger with KP to cut any peace deal with Pakistan. “There are chances of some breakthrough.” He rejected the notion that the TTP and the Afghan Taliban were two sides of the same coin. “Pakistan needs to deal with the Afghan Taliban pragmatically.”Former foreign secretary Inam-ul-Haq viewed that Pakistan should recognise Afghanistan as an independent and separate country and deal with it in the same manner. He refuted the idea that Pakistan should give away a part of its territory to TTP through any peace deal.

Pakistan have been weak in the ODIs in the past few years, however, the West Indies have been giving them competition in being worse than them. West Indies went ballistic in the first ODI to post 305 runs on the board. And they repeated the script in the second ODI when they scored 275, courtesy once again captain-in-form Babar’ and opener Imam’s fifties. Babar’s 77 against West Indies was his ninth consecutive fifty-plus score across all formats. This goes on to show that Babar’s sublime form and all Pakistani players pitching in for victories makes them the favourite to win the third ODI too and clean sweep the West Indies.

President Arif Alvi has demanded action from India against those responsible for blasphemy against the Holy Prophet. President Arif Alvi condemned the brutal use of force against peaceful Muslim protesters in India and said that the brutal and disproportionate use of force against protesters was unfair and reprehensible. He said that India should abandon its Hindutva policies and stop targeting minorities and hurting their religious sentiments. Arif Alvi said that India should stop the increasing incidents of violence and hatred against its minorities, especially Muslims. The President demanded from India to take action against those responsible for making insulting statements and insulting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

— Party wants all decisions to be taken by the ParliamentISLAMABAD: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) top brass Saturday deplored federal government’s dialogue with the banned terrorist outfit, Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan (TTA), bypassing of the parliament and called for making Parliament on board over the issue. Federal Information Minister Maryam Aurangzeb, in a statement, said the talks with the TTP were taking place at the government level. She said that civil and military representatives were part of the Pakistani side holding talks with TTP. It also warned the Afghan Taliban to take stern action against the TTP, which was operating with impunity from the Afghan soil. The Afghan Taliban, feeling pressure from Pakistan, once again persuaded the TTP to engage with Pakistan.

As a born economic-illiterate, therefore, one has no competence for judging the budgetary proposals, Finance Minister Miftah Ismail had presented before the National Assembly Friday afternoon. The finance minister of the unity or the coalition government, replacing Imran Khan in April this year, had been a student of economics. Their defiance has the potential of weakening Imran Khan’s case against the current National Assembly that must be replaced through the earliest possible new election. There is no doubt that even after being removed from the Prime Minister’s Office, Imran Khan had not only retained his base and support but also recharged the same with amazing vigour. But if assessed from the standards of hardcore politics, he visibly is losing ground to his opponents by staying out of the National Assembly.

The government has presented a deficit budget while GDP growth witnessed the highest increase during our government in 30 years,” he added. “We think that the unemployment rate will go up to 25-30% while increasing the petroleum levy will increase petrol further by Rs35 per litre. But his single measure – the proposal to slap Rs50 per litre petroleum levy for additional Rs300 billion income – has not only overshadowed some good measures but may also make it challenging for the coalition partners to defend the budget. The government has proposed Rs740 billion new taxes, including Rs440 billion tax measures proposed by the Federal Board of Revenue. Some of the major relief measures will be offset by the increase in petroleum prices rates due to Rs50 per litre levy along with 17% sales tax.

Indian troops martyr one more Kashmiri youth in KulgamIn Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir, Indian troops in their fresh act of state terrorism martyred one more Kashmiri youth in the wee hours on Saturday in Kulgam. According to Kashmir Media Service, the troops martyred the youth during a violent cordon and search operation in the Khandipora area of the district. After the incident, the area was completely cordoned off and mobile and internet services were also suspended. A search operation was underway in the area till the last information was received.

It was a good initiative by the current PMLN Government to highlight Toshakhana gifts taken by the previous Prime Minister on allowable low rates. The current PML-N government should continue this initiative and declare the gifts given to Pakistani leaders by foreign countries. They should declare all the gifts received by them on their recent trips to Saudi Arabia, USA and UAE. The government should also change the rules of Toshakhana and only allow the purchase of gifts at full rates and make it customary to declare the gifts by every official and create a secure online list and values of all gifts in Toshakhana. This way no future government official will be able to take away expensive gifts given to the government of Pakistan.

The finance minister said that the government would focus on agriculture, productivity enhancement and exports promotion in the next budget. The domestic debt servicing will eat up nearly Rs3.5 trillion while another Rs511 billion will be given for foreign debt servicing. The Rs9.5 trillion size of the budget is higher by nearly Rs418 billion or 4.6% over this year’s revised budget of over Rs9 trillion. The Rs550 billion cost appears low due to increase in cost of utilities under the IMF programme. The net income of the federal government is expected to be Rs600 billion less than expenditure on defence and debt servicing.