TikTok shares election integrity measures ahead of polls
"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/
Source:The Express Tribune
January 24, 2024 11:00 UTC
Revitalizing FBR: Streamlining Reforms for Efficiency
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.
Source:The Patriot
January 24, 2024 09:15 UTC
OIC slams opening of Ram Temple at Babri Mosque’s site
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.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 24, 2024 05:48 UTC
Costly cure
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.
Source:The Nation
January 24, 2024 03:01 UTC
Onion prices skyrocket in Pakistan as inflation rises
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.
Source:The Nation
January 24, 2024 01:31 UTC
Army to be deployed for 'free and fair' general election
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.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 18:30 UTC
Instagram, Facebook users to get more choices to comply with DMA
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.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 23, 2024 16:53 UTC
Tencent's Riot Games to lay off about 11% of staff
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.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 23, 2024 16:07 UTC
Why the New Hampshire primary is first in the nation
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.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 13:38 UTC
Introducing an interesting feature in Tik Tok
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.
Source:The Patriot
January 23, 2024 13:01 UTC
Religious Freedom
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.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 11:38 UTC
PK Feels Fortunate to Witness Consecration of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya
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.
Source:The Nation
January 23, 2024 07:52 UTC
Govt blames ‘technical issues’ for internet outages
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.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 23, 2024 05:09 UTC
Pakistan, China hold fourth meeting of CPEC working group
Pakistan and China held on Monday the fourth meeting of the CPEC Joint Working Group International Cooperation and Coordination (JWG-ICC). The two countries agreed to enhance focus on high-quality advancements in industry, agriculture, information technology, and science and technology, ensuring tangible socio-economic benefits for the people. 2️⃣2️⃣/2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣4️⃣Fourth Meeting of CPEC Joint Working Group on International Cooperation and Coordination🔗⬇️ https://t.co/E2tyf6XK0J pic.twitter.com/lenmyBsQrT — Spokesperson 🇵🇰 MoFA (@ForeignOfficePk) January 21, 2024The meeting, which was co-chaired by Foreign Secretary Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi and Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs of China Sun Weidong, also underscored CPEC's pioneering role in strengthening international and regional connectivity while appreciating the open and inclusive nature of this flagship project. Noting that the two countries were all-weather strategic partners, the foreign secretary reaffirmed the importance of CPEC in promoting cooperation and sustainable development. Islamabad and Beijing also agreed on sharing best practices and generating an intellectual knowledge pool of CPEC and BRI development through enhanced international communication and cooperation.
Source:The Express Tribune
January 22, 2024 22:03 UTC
PK Appeals to State to Resolve Angawadi Workers’ Woes
Vijayawada: Fuming over the Andhra Pradesh government's crackdown on Anganwadi workers protesting for 42 days, Jana Sena chief Pawan Kalyan on Monday demanded Chief Minister Y.S. Kalyan slammed the arrests and termination threats against the workers, terming it "undemocratic" and an attempt to silence their legitimate demands. He pointed out their peaceful intent to submit a one-crore-signature petition to Jagan, highlighting their long-standing issues. He reminded Jagan of his pre-election promise (made during his padayatra) to increase Anganwadi worker wages by Rs 1,000 above neighbouring states and implement a gratuity scheme as per the Supreme Court verdict. Urging Jagan to view their demands "positively," Kalyan appealed for a swift and amicable resolution.
Source:The Nation
January 22, 2024 18:55 UTC