Darkening Path
Moody’s analysts have expressed “credit negativity” due to the divided public mandate and allegations of election fraud, which may cause more political instability. Furthermore, it is not surprising that the rating agency feels this way, considering the rebellious attitude of some key parties. Nonetheless, longer-term political and policy stability cannot be replaced by the SIFC. Due to political unpredictability, the Gulf countries—who have invested billions of dollars in Pakistan—have refrained from joining the market despite the SIFC. The country’s economic destiny will depend on how and when the new coalition handles the Fund notwithstanding the unstable political environment.
Source:The Patriot
February 18, 2024 20:38 UTC
Lady Mounties in Elite 8
By John Goolsby, Prep Sports EditorJACKSONVILLE – Shades Valley Girls Basketball head coach Gary Ferguson knew the start of the season was going to be a difficult one for his Lady Mounties. The Lady Mounties lost nine of their first twelve games. The Lady Mounties defeated Parker 62-45 and Oxford 71-52 on their way to the Elite 8. The Lady Mounties are getting good production from all five starters and quality minutes and points from their bench. The Lady Mounties face Huffman in the regional finals at 9:00 AM Tuesday at Jacksonville State.
Source:The Express Tribune
February 18, 2024 18:28 UTC
OpenAI’s text-to-video model Sora is driving internet insane
The future is cooked man — polytope enthusiast (@ThoronIsHere) February 16, 2024One user penned, “Sora by OpenAI is just amazing. Sora by OpenAI is just amazingHere was my prompt: Create a video of a politician drinking water when faced with tough questions during an interview on national television. Jordan Peterson assumed the scene from Singham as an AI prompt 🤣🤣 pic.twitter.com/cAIICb4kLo — Shilpak. According to OpenAI, Sora is a work-in-progress, can confuse the spatial details of a prompt and have difficulty in following a specific camera trajectory. OpenAI has just announced Sora, its text-to-video AI model.
Source:The Express Tribune
February 18, 2024 17:10 UTC
Transcript: Sen. Tim Scott on "Face the Nation," Feb. 18, 2024
The following is a transcript of an interview with Republican Sen. Tim Scott of South Carolina that aired on Feb. 18, 2024. ROBERT COSTA: We turn now to South Carolina's other Republican senator, Senator Tim Scott. And what many Americans--ROBERT COSTA: Senator-SEN. SCOTT: -- feel, Bob--ROBERT COSTA: -- Senator,SEN. SCOTT:-- is that what's happening to President Trump could happen to them just as well. ROBERT COSTA: Senator, that Hur report you speak of has been harshly criticized by the Biden White House. So what we should focus on is what will cause the former president, President Trump, to be the next president of the United States.
Source:The Nation
February 18, 2024 16:11 UTC
Artwork of 20 Trussville students on exhibit in Montgomery
From Tribune staff reportsTRUSSVILLE — The artwork of ten students from Trussville City Schools is currently on display in the Old Supreme Court Library in the State Capitol building in Montgomery. Students from from Layken Rubin’s art classes at Hewitt-Trussville High School are sophomores Sawyer Henderson and Harper Ramadan; juniors Sydney Boggess, Raymie, Brechin and Aaralynn Gilles; and seniors Kathryn Henderson, Elly Morris and Kelsey Norris. Representing Hewitt-Trussville Middle School is the artwork of sixth graders Kinsley Halpin and Michelle Treese, and eight graders Sawyer Hancock and Eleanor Tucker. Kristin Meriam is the students’ art teacher. The eight artists are from Angela Santiago’s and Kelsi Andrews’s art classes.
Source:The Express Tribune
February 18, 2024 15:24 UTC
Empowered women – elevating nation, beaming with pride
In recent outgoing years the empowered Pakistani women have displayed their best potential in every sphere of life, achieving for the country, by breaking barriers and achieving numerous ‘firsts’ in their respective fields, APP observed. To a great surprise, Naila Kiani, renowned mountaineer and the first Pakistani woman, who climbed 10 peaks above 8,000 metres last year. Likewise, Samina Baig attained the feat of becoming the first Pakistani women to summit the world’s ninth-highest peak, the 8,125m-tall Nanga Parbat. Pakistani women in the walk of social or performing arts, did not shy away from exhibiting their love for modern arts and media either as they set new records. This was the fifth women police station of its kind that inaugurated aiming at empowering women in the province.
Source:The Nation
February 18, 2024 13:24 UTC
Human trafficking
These perpetrators deceive the parents of these children, claiming they will take care of them, but instead, they are sold into different forms of trafficking. In other cases, children are stolen from their families and sold into human trafficking, never to be seen again by their parents. The worst part is that some children are stolen and sold as camel jockeys to Gulf countries such as the United Arab Emirates. Human rights organizations have been fighting to put an end to this for years, but unfortunately, the problem persists, and the numbers continue to increase. We should strive to bring an end to this madness in our country so that young and innocent children can be freed from such exploitation.
Source:The Nation
February 18, 2024 05:34 UTC
Pakistan’s fashion goes global
LONDON - Coveted fashion label, Mohsin Naveed Ranjha, announces a major brand expansion, as the fashion house is set to launch a standalone design studio in the heart of London’s luxury district, just off Regent Street. Mohsin is the first Pakistani couture fashion designer to do so, taking the nations fashion footprint to new frontiers. Speaking on their expanding global footprint, MNR’s Managing Director, Abubakar Naveed Ranjha remarked, “Launching in the European market is an exciting prospect for us. Mohsin Naveed Ranjha’s flagship stores are housed in Lahore, Karachi, Gujranwala, with presence in New York and online at www.mohsinnaveedranjha.com. The MNR London Studio will open on the 08th of March 2024.
Source:The Nation
February 18, 2024 01:17 UTC
PML-N puts forward conditions for forming govt
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) on Saturday put forward conditions for the formation of government in centre. According to sources, PML-N suggested that all the coalition parties should become part of the cabinet for two tenures of 2.5 years. Sources said PML-N will table their conditions before Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) in today’s meeting. The senior leadership advised Nawaz Sharif and Shehbaz Sharif to condition the formation of government with the inclusion of all coalition parties in the cabinet.
Source:The Nation
February 18, 2024 00:44 UTC
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Marriyum faces social media backlash over call to ‘behead’ Imran
Marriyum, during a press conference, said that PTI founder Imran Khan and his party members should have been beheaded in 2014. "When the Chinese president was arriving in Pakistan, this fitna should have been addressed at that time. His head should have been beheaded,” PML-N leader can be seen in video clips shared by netizens. 🚨🇵🇰PAKISTANI POLITICIAN WISHED IMRAN KHAN WAS DEADAs tensions in Pakistan reach a fever pitch, Maryam Aurangzeb from the PNLM party said that Imran Khan and members of his PTI party should have been beheaded in 2014. Sectetary Information of PMLN, a mafia party, is openly calling for beheading of former Prime Minister, @ImranKhanPTI in press conference !
Source:The Express Tribune
February 17, 2024 20:34 UTC
Alabama exports soar to record $27.4 billion in 2023
Last year’s record exports were driven by rising overseas shipments of Alabama-made vehicles, aerospace parts, minerals and metals, the data indicates. The top destinations for Alabama exports last year were:Germany: $5.1 billion (up 17%). Other leading destinations for Alabama exports in 2023 were Japan, Brazil, Poland, India and Saudi Arabia, Department of Commerce data shows. Other categories registering more than $1 billion in exports during 2023 were minerals and ores ($2.2 billion), chemicals ($2.2 billion) and primary metals ($1.8 billion), according to Department of Commerce data. This story originally appeared on the Alabama Department of Commerce’s Made in Alabama website.
Source:The Express Tribune
February 17, 2024 18:27 UTC
Resolute Sovereignty
In a bold statement, Pakistan’s Foreign Office has firmly asserted the nation’s commitment to its constitutional obligations amidst the global spotlight on its electoral process. This firm stance confirms Pakistan’s sovereignty in managing its own democratic affairs, a principle that cannot and should not be compromised. Despite the cacophony of allegations and critiques following our recent elections, Pakistan stands tall in defending its internal processes. This is not just a simple gesture; it is a testament to our unyielding commitment to the nation’s democratic principles. As we navigate the post-election landscape, it’s imperative for all stakeholders to respect the nation’s sovereignty whilst supporting its efforts in ensuring a robust democratic process for its citizens.
Source:The Nation
February 17, 2024 15:24 UTC
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KLF confirms cancellation of pro-Israel speaker's attendance
Ronya Othmann's inclusion caused quite a storm on social mediaRecently, the Karachi Literature Festival (KLF) found itself in the eye of a gnarly storm. Social media users from all over Pakistan were riled up due to the inclusion of Germany-based author Ronya Othmann. Othmann's name has since been quietly removed from the list of speakers on the website, with speculation circulating regarding the cancellation of the relevant sessions. Confirming that Othmann's sessions have indeed been cancelled, Baqai stated, "Yes. Ronya Othmann will no longer attend KLF, and her sessions have been cancelled."
Source:The Express Tribune
February 17, 2024 10:54 UTC
Let us hope for the better
Let us not forget that Pakistan is party to a Stand-By-Agreement that the IMF signed with the PDM government back in June 2023. Let us be hopeful that a hung parliament will not cause economic shocks in Pakistan. One can only hope our political leaders learn some lessons from the past and respect the people’s mandate. The sooner our key stakeholders understand this, the better our chance of tackling the daunting challenges faced by Pakistan. It has become vital for all political parties to recognize their responsibility toward resolving the real issues faced by the people and put aside the grievances they have against each other.
Source:The Patriot
February 17, 2024 07:09 UTC
Ascension St. Vincent’s East Freestanding Emergency Department opens in Trussville
From Tribune staff reportsTRUSSVILLE — Ascension St. Vincent’s East Freestanding Emergency Department in Trussville officially opened to the public on Friday, Feb. 16 at 6 a.m., according to a statement released on Friday. Our team has worked hard for this moment and we are ready to start treating patients,” says Stephanie Diaz, RN, nursing manager, East Freestanding Emergency Department. This is the first freestanding ED for Ascension St. Vincent’s created more than 80 jobs for the community. “It has been our goal over the past few years to extend Ascension St. Vincent’s East ED services,” says Suzannah Campbell, President and COO, Ascension St. Vincent’s East, Blount and St. Clair. “Trussville is growing at a rapid rate and we want to put emergency care close to where residents live and work.
Source:The Express Tribune
February 17, 2024 06:51 UTC