A call for regulation
It is imperative to understand the negative impact of social media misuse and take necessary measures to regulate it for the greater good. However, the lack of regulation and unchecked social media use resulted in radicalism, divisions, and political volatility after the revolution. Through laws against hate speech, defamation, and falsehoods, Singapore has effectively prevented rampant abuse of social media and preserve social peace. To promote responsible and ethical use of social media, the government should actively raise awareness through television and social media platforms. Singapore’s successful approach to regulation can serve as a model for other nations to follow.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 20:49 UTC
Bilawal lands in Japan on four-day official visit
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari arrived in Japan on Saturday for a four-day official visit at the invitation of the Japanese government. Bhutto-Zardari was welcomed by senior members of the Japanese foreign ministry and Pakistan's ambassador to Japan upon his arrival in Japan. He will meet with the foreign minister and prime minister of Japan.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 18:15 UTC
President Alvi meets Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman
President Dr Arif Alvi on Saturday shared a picture on his Twitter handle that showed him standing and sharing affectionate smile with Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman. On his Twitter handle, the president said that such expressions were very symbolic of great relationship between the people of two countries. The president, in a tweet, posted “Very symbolic of the great relationship between the people of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. No better expression of the kinship than the beaming and affectionate smile on the faces of two brothers.”
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 18:15 UTC
FM Bilawal arrives in Tokyo on official visit
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari arrived in Tokyo on Saturday for an official visit at the invitation of the Japanese government. The foreign minister’s visit signals the revival of leadership-level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus, a statement issued by the foreign ministry said. Read Coalition bigwigs in Dubai rendezvousDuring the visit, the foreign minister will hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi, the spokesperson, in an earlier press statement, said. Foreign Minister Bilawal will call on Prime Minister of Japan Fumio Kishida, besides, he will also hold a meeting with the National Security Advisor of Japan Takeo Akiba. The foreign minister will also deliver a talk at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), which is a renowned think tank of Japan.
Source:The Express Tribune
July 01, 2023 17:58 UTC
India bus fire kills at least 25, injures eight
A bus crashed and burst into flames killing at least 25 people in India's western state of Maharashtra in the early hours of Saturday, police and officials said. Madhya Pradesh | 24 people were injured after a bus travelling from Dindori district to Shahdol overturned in Anuppur today morning pic.twitter.com/Cm8pgj4qLh — ANI MP/CG/Rajasthan (@ANI_MP_CG_RJ) July 1, 2023"The majority of deaths were caused due to burning." Twenty-five people were killed and eight were injured, Maharashtra's deputy chief minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a post on Twitter. The state's Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted separate tweets expressing sorrow, and said they would pay support to each victim's family, amounting to 700,000 Indian rupees ($8,500). ($1 = 82.0910 Indian rupees)
Source:The Express Tribune
July 01, 2023 17:48 UTC
Pakistan, India exchange prisoners lists under 2008 Agreement
Pakistan and India on Saturday exchanged lists of their nationals imprisoned in each other’s jails. According to a spokesperson for the Foreign Office, the Government of Pakistan shared with the Indian High Commission in Islamabad a list of 308 Indian prisoners in Pakistan, including 266 fishermen and 42 other civilians. The Indian government simultaneously shared a list of 417 Pakistani prisoners in Indian jails with the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi including 74 fishermen and 343 other civilians. “We have stressed over the New Delhi to send back the Pakistani prisoners who have completed their jail terms, spokesperson said. The two neighbouring countries swap lists of prisoners twice a year – on Jan 1 and July 1.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 16:25 UTC
Policeman injured in grenade attack on Quetta police station
A policeman was injured when unidentified assailants hurled grenades on the Smart Police Station Civil Lines, Quetta on Saturday. According to police, the attackers who threw the grenade escaped the site. Police said that a constable received injuries in the explosion, adding that the injured was immediately shifted to a hospital. Police launched a search operation in the area after the attack. Police said that two motorcyclists threw a hand grenade at the police station situated on the White Road area of Quetta.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 16:25 UTC
Dr. Gholam Mujtaba meets U.S. Congress Intelligence Committee bipartisan leaders pursuing Pakistan's case as MFN
Anyone trying to construe such notions is doing a disservice to the U.S. after handshake meetings with the lawmakers. The letter written by the 65 lawmakers to the SCOTUS (Secretary of the U.S.) was a friendly advice to abide by the principles of democracy, and values of human rights. These standards have improved as Pakistan ranked 130 in 139 nations ( https://tribune.com.pk/story/2336386/ranking-countries-based-on-rule-of-law in 2021 in the previous regime, while the current regime improved it to 129 in 140 nations in the year 2022 ( https://worldjusticeproject.org/sites/default/files/documents/Pakistan.pdf )”, emphasized Dr. Mujtaba through press statement.Dr. Mujtaba invited the Chairmen of the Intelligence Committee and House Foreign Affairs Committee to visit Pakistan on an official trip with him. He expressed his intent to invite General Asim Munir, the Pakistan Army Chief to the United States to help bridge gaps in the existing relationship of trust deficit between the two nations.
Source:The Express Tribune
July 01, 2023 12:34 UTC
IMF deal spares nation from severe consequences
He said that in case of a default, the people would have starved, and the country would have plunged into chaos. However, he said, the news of a deal with the lender has struck a rogue party and self-serving politicians like lightning. The former cabal wasted all the loans and introduced damaging policies that pushed the country to the brink of bankruptcy. He informed that the size of Pakistan’s economy is 350 billion dollars, while by December 2022, it had a debt of 126.3 billion dollars. Debt could only be repaid if the government complies by the IMF agreement and stop elite from wasting resources.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 11:48 UTC
Three killed, four injured in accident on motorway
Three people were killed in a road traffic accident on motorway near Pir Mahal Interchange. The rescue officials said that the tragic incident took place near the motorway interchange when a Mazda truck was overturned due to high speed. Three people died while four were injured, the rescue officials said. Some sacrificial camels were also loaded in the Mazda truck. The injured have been shifted to the nearby hospital while attempts are also being made to rescue the camels.
Source:The Nation
July 01, 2023 01:04 UTC
FM Bilawal to pay a four-day visit to Japan from July 1
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari will hold talks with his Japanese counterpart and call on PM Fumio Kishida during his visit to japan from July 1 to 4, 2023, according to the Foreign Office.—File photoMinister for Foreign Affairs Bilawal Bhutto Zardari is scheduled to pay a four-day visit to Japan from July 1 to 4 at the invitation of the Japanese government. “The Foreign Minister’s visit signals the revival of leadership level contacts with Japan after a considerable hiatus,” a spokesperson for the Foreign Office said. During the visit, the foreign minister will hold delegation-level talks with his Japanese counterpart Yoshimasa Hayashi. He will also call on the Prime Minister of Japan, Fumio Kishida, and will hold a meeting with the National Security Advisor of Japan, Takeo Akiba. The Pakistani foreign minister will deliver a talk at the Asian Development Bank Institute (ADBI), which is a renowned Japanese think-tank.
Source:The Express Tribune
July 01, 2023 00:18 UTC
Leeds Art Council to peform ‘Something Rotten’
By Chase Holmes, News ReporterLEEDS — The Leeds Art Council is set to perform ‘Something Rotten’ with performances in late July and early August. Olivia Soileau, with the Leeds Art Council, described the play as “a witty, musical comedy about Shakespeare and his rivals.”Attendees will have multiple opportunities to go and see the performance. A 7 p.m. showtime is available from July 27-29 and August 3-5. A 2:30 p.m. performance is available on July 30 and August 6. Ticket purchasing and more information is available at leedsartcouncil.org.
Source:The Express Tribune
June 30, 2023 23:50 UTC
Shehbaz comes up with economic revival plan as Pakistan secures IMF deal
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Saturday took the nation into confidence over deal with International Monetary Fund (IMF). Addressing a press conference in Governor House Lahore, Shehbaz also talked about the economic revival plan of Pakistan as he said that everyone would have to put efforts for uplifting the country. Pakistan is full of natural resources and we’ll give four million employment opportunities by using them," said the PM. Talking about the IMF deal, Shehbaz Sharif said, "Pakistan has managed to get $3 billion after a hectic exercise and meetings in Paris turned out to be the turning point. Finance Ministers of two provinces refused to write letter to the IMF and it was meant to default the country but Almighty helped us and now we have secured the deal, Shehbaz added.
Source:The Nation
June 30, 2023 18:25 UTC
'$3b stand-by arrangement with IMF to bring short term relief'
Taking to Twitter to rejoice in the staff-level agreement, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif expressed hope that this is a step in the right direction. Alhamdulillah, I am pleased to announce that Pakistan has reached a Staff-Level Agreement with the IMF on a nine-month US$3 billion Stand-By Arrangement. IMF Reaches Staff-level Agreement with Pakistan on a US$3 billion Stand-By Arrangement. https://t.co/nbFeHp0s8A — Ahsan Iqbal (@betterpakistan) June 30, 2023Finance Minister Ishaq Dar too shared the IMF's press release on the staff-level agreement and thanked God. "The 9 month SBA for $3 billion will bring some badly needed relief in the short term.
Source:The Express Tribune
June 30, 2023 16:53 UTC
Gulf nations to invest billions of dollars in Pakistan under economic revival plan — PM
ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said on Friday billions of dollars would come into Pakistan in the future in the form of investments from Gulf nations as part of a new economic revival plan devised by his government. Earlier this month, Sharif announced his government new economic revival plan, including setting up a Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC) to attract foreign investment, particularly from Gulf nations. “Four million jobs will be created under this economic revival plan,” Sharif told reporters. “Billions of dollars in investment will come from Gulf nations.”He said agriculture, information technology and defense production were key elements of the new plan. “Today if we want to get rid of these loans, then we must bring investments from Gulf states, billions of dollars … back-to-back agreements,” Sharif said.
Source:The Nation
June 30, 2023 12:40 UTC