Russian-Chinese ties improved due to India, but aren’t aimed against it
Altogether, the Russian-Chinese Strategic Partnership has become the primary catalyst of positive geostrategic change in the 21st century, representing a powerful force for opposing the US’ unipolar hegemonic designs. The importance of Russian-Indian relationsThe South Asian state is Russia’s decades-long historic partner and arguably one of the most important in its millennium-long history. Their relations remained consistently strong throughout the Old Cold War unlike Russian-Chinese ones which slipped into an intense intra-communist rivalry for some time. On the surface at least, there’s no reason why their relations can’t be just as consequential as Russian-Chinese ones (i.e. Unwittingly, however, it also strengthened Russian-Chinese ties since Beijing saw that Moscow will defend its interests vis-a-vis the far-ranging plot to “contain” it through that emerging military alliance.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 11:37 UTC
SC orders for making JIT reports in Perween Rahman case part of record
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday directives authorities to make the reports of two joint investigation teams (JITs) formed to probe the high-profile murder of Perween Rehman part of its record. Rahman, head of the Orangi Pilot Project (OPP), was gunned down near her office in Orangi Town on March 13, 2013. The bench, headed by Justice Umar Atta Bandial, called for both reports to be presented in the trial court hearing the case within two weeks to review them as per law. The apex court further instructed the trial court to wrap up the trial at the earliest. In 2018, five suspects — Abdul Raheem Swati, his son Mohammad Imran Swati, Ayaz Shamzai alias Swati, Amjad Hussain Khan, and Ahmed Khan alias Ahmed Ali alias Pappu Kashmiri — were charged with the murder.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 04, 2021 10:42 UTC
LHC declares two finger, hymen tests illegal and unconstitutional
The Lahore High Court has declared the two-finger test (TFT), an old practice of examining sexual assault survivors, as “illegal” and “discriminatory”, saying that it has “no forensic value” in such cases. “The virginity tests are discriminatory against the female victim as they are carried out on the basis of their gender, therefore offends Article 25 of the Constitution. According to the guidelines, the local examination should be detailed in lithotomy position, including inspection, bilateral digital traction and speculum examination. The federal government has disapproved of the TFT, recommending that it should not be part of any medico-legal examination report in rape/sexual assault cases. The Ministry of Law and Justice had also intimated Additional Attorney General Chaudhry Ishtiaq Ahmed Khan about the recommendation.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 10:22 UTC
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Ali Zafar announces rap battle to provide platform to indigenous hip hop artistes
Singer Ali Zafar has just announced a rap battle, following the rap competition he was originally hosting on his record page. So I came up with an idea, lets shortlist 30 candidates and start a rap battle." He then revealed that public votes will help shortlist the 30 rappers along with a panel of judges. Shout out to singer/actor/superstar @AliZafarsays and @falamb3 for reaching out to me to judge Pakistan’s biggest rap battle. pic.twitter.com/J8J6Sm4Z1o — LAZARUS / Dr. Khan (@LazDetroit) January 3, 2021These judges would also finalise three winners from the rap battle, who would then star and rap alongside Zafar in his upcoming music video.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 10:02 UTC
Urea sales likely to show 35pc YoY decrease in Dec 2020
LAHORE: The country’s urea sales for December 2020 are expected to decline by 35pc YoY, clocking in at 869k tonnes, taking CY20 urea sales to 6,028k tonnes as compared to 6,228k tonnes, down 3pc YoY. Sequentially, urea sales are up by 63pc MoM. He added that total DAP sales are anticipated to clock in at around 280k tons, up 45pc YoY. This is likely to take full year 2020 DAP sales to 2,246k tons, up 11pc YoY. FFC is likely to record DAP sales of 45k tons (up 179pc YoY) followed by FFBL’s sales of 80k tons (up 68pc YoY), while EFERT is likely to record sales of 0.5k tons (down 99pc YoY) in December 2020.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 04, 2021 09:58 UTC
Gold Price in Pakistan 4 Jan 2021
Gold Rate in Pakistan today on 4th January 2021 is being sold for Rs. Gold Rate In Pakistan TodayKarachi is the main hub of the gold market, in Pakistan, Karachi is leading for the gold price, every city follows Karachi Sarafa Bazar Association for the gold price, Today gold rates for different cities including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta are the same. Gold Rate In Pakistan, 4 January 2021Gold Rate 24K Gold 22K Gold 21K Gold 18K Gold per Tola Gold Rs. The standards of gold rates are accumulated in London Bullion Market and sometimes by IMF as they have the sole authority. Daily Times keeps an eye on today’s gold rate in Pakistan on daily basis.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 04, 2021 05:48 UTC
Moving ahead in 2021
Once again there are calls for re-opening schools, colleges, and universities so that in-person instruction can resume. It may be recalled that educational institutions were closed twice last year across the country as part of measures to stem the spread of coronavirus. The federal education minister, after a meeting with school managements, tweeted, “They [visitors] are obviously concerned about schools’ closure. [I] Hope infection rates go down so that we can open all educational institutions.”Overall, the situation remains fluid. Maximum ventilators were occupied in four major areas including Multan 37 per cent, ICT 38 per cent, Peshawar 34 per cent and Lahore 32 per cent.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 04:21 UTC
How art lovers fared through the pandemic?
This year, the virus took a toll on the presence of art connoisseurs at museums, galleries and other cultural events across the country. In Islamabad, a record low number of visitors was witnessed at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts, Folk Heritage Museum, National Book Foundation, Pakistan Academy of Letters (PAL), Muqtadra Qaumi Zaban, Punjab Council of Arts etc. The participants in these events took all precautionary measures to protect themselves against the potential threat of the virus. Former director general of Lok Virsa Khalid Javed said that art lovers should not give up in the face of adversity and should continue to tackle the situation head-on. Selling artwork online is not the same.”Pakistan National Council of the Arts member Masroor Shah said that we have organised various programs online to keep art lovers connected.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 03:55 UTC
2020 was a successful year for PTI, says G-B minister
One of the pictures of Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B) shared by Prime Minister Imran Khan on his Twitter handle. In the G-B elections held in November, the ruling government secured 22 of its 33 seats, according to official results announced by the region’s election commission. Despite numerous rallies of opposition parties across the region, the PTI defeated the united opposition in the general elections, he added. The information minister said the G-B people reposed their trust in Prime Minister Imran Khan’s vision that was evident in the party’s win. The minister expressed hope that the PTI will be able to end the deprivations of the people by making G-B an interim constitutional province.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 04, 2021 03:33 UTC
Balochistan urges ECP to postpone Pishin by-poll on security, weather issues
QUETTA: The government of Balochistan has written a letter to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) requesting it to postpone by-election on a provincial assembly seat (PB-20) in Pishin. The ECP had last month decided to hold by-elections for all vacant seats of the national and provincial assemblies. Earlier on December 28, Balochistan Assembly Speaker Abdul Quddus Bizenjo had demanded the postponement of Senate election on the vacant seat of late Senator Kalsoom Parveen due to the spread of coronavirus pandemic. Bizenjo in his letter asked how the polls for electing a new senator can be organised within 10 days. It stated that the ECP issued a schedule to hold elections on a vacant seat of Senate on January 14.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 03, 2021 14:48 UTC
Karachi to continue shivering a few more days: Met Office
KARACHI: The Met Office has stated that the ongoing cold wave in Karachi is expected to last a few more days as minimum temperature was recorded in the morning on Sunday at 8°C in the city. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has forecast the first rain/snowfall of the year in the upper areas of the country from Sunday till Tuesday. A strong westerly wave entered Pakistan on Sunday evening and is likely to grip upper parts of the country in coming days. Rain is also expected in Mianwali, Khushab, Jhang, Sahiwal, Okara, Tobatek Singh, Faisalabad and Sargodha in Punjab during the period. The met office has warned that heavy rainfall may trigger landslides in vulnerable areas of Kashmir on Monday (today) and Tuesday.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 03, 2021 14:37 UTC
New Covid strain has not reached Punjab: health dept
Punjab Primary and Secondary Health Care (P&SHC) on Sunday confirmed that the new strain of the coronavirus, which prima facie originated in the United Kingdom, has not yet been detected in Punjab. The new strain, referred to by experts as B.1.17, is said to be 70 per cent more transmittable than the previous variants. The P&SHC spokesperson said that the passengers from the UK underwent testing, and while one woman was positive for Covid-19, she has not yet undergone gene sequencing to confirm whether or not it is the B.1.17 variant. “It is not possible to declare which type of coronavirus [a patient has been infected with] without gene sequencing,” the spokesperson said. Lahore is on the top among other districts of Punjab with 1,540 deaths, followed by Rawalpindi’s 672 and Faisalabad 342.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 03, 2021 12:56 UTC
Pakistan urges UN to ensure release of detained Kashmiri activist
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has called upon the United Nations to direct India to immediately release a woman rights activist and political leader from occupied Kashmir detained in a New Delhi prison. Her family has expressed fears for her safety and health. In a statement issued Sunday, Foreign Office spokesperson Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri Pakistan has urged the UN secretary general António Guterres and the UN high commissioner for human rights Michelle Bachelet to seek Andrabi’s immediate release. “It has been highlighted that Ms Andrabi’s life is in danger owing to imminent risk of persecutory conviction by a sham court on 18 January 2020,” the statement read. It further stated that as a “champion of human rights and an ardent advocate of women empowerment, the Kashmiri leader has worked tirelessly for social reforms and realisation of fundamental freedoms for the people of the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) for over four decades”.
Source:Pakistan Today
January 03, 2021 10:10 UTC
Govt beset by another setback as anti-govt lawyers win big in PBC polls
The 17 members out of 23 elected from the Asma Group, which is known as the Independent Lawyers Group, in the PBC elections held on Thursday. The Express Tribune has learnt that PPP, PML-N, ANP, JUI-F legal wings have played pivotal role to help the Asma Group members to win the contest. Same lawyers group gave tough time to the incumbent government on the issues related to civil liberties, freedom of speech and Justice Qazi Faez Isa case. Even the Asma Group had opposed the government decision to extend tenure of incumbent Army Chief Qamar Javed Bajwa. It is learnt that in prevailing political situation, the Asma Group members have started deliberations for the nomination of PBC vice chairman.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 03, 2021 09:41 UTC
At least 11 coal miners kidnapped, killed in Machh
The labourers were kidnaped from a coal mine in Mach and taken to the nearby hills where they were shot at. PHOTO: FILEAt least 11 coal miners were kidnapped and killed in the Machh area of Balochistan on Sunday by unidentified men. The labourers were taken to the Machh hospital, where there were initial reports of 10 coal miners being in a critical condition. “Have asked the FC to use all resources to apprehend these killers and bring them to justice.”The condemnable killing of 11 innocent coal miners in Machh Balochistan is yet another cowardly inhumane act of terrorism. "Those who targeted these innocent coal miners do not deserve any concessions," he said.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 03, 2021 06:13 UTC