Pakistan to UN: Move from talk to action to close digital divide in poor nations
UNITED NATIONS: In spite of global progress in expanding the use of the Internet and information communications technology (ICT), the digital divide between developed and developing world remains wide, Pakistan told the world body during a virtual discussion organised by a United Nations body that conducts independent research on international security issues. “The inability of the developing countries to reap benefits of digital transformation offered by extraordinary opportunities for innovation, communication, sustainable development and economic growth is amplifying the risk of further deepening of the already existing digital divide,” Ambassador Aamir Khan, deputy permanent representative of Pakistan to the UN, told the webinar sponsored by the Geneva-based United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research (UNIDIR). According to statistics, out of 2.9 billion people offline, 96 percent live in developing countries. Bridging the digital divide will require addressing the major impediments that developing countries face in engaging with and accessing new technologies, such as an appropriate enabling environment, sufficient resources, infrastructure, education, capacity, investment and connectivity, the envoy said. Achieving real and sustained progress in the various dimensions of digitalization requires skills development and effective training, in particular in developing countries,” he said.
Source:The Nation
December 06, 2022 21:51 UTC
PFF drops Hajra Khan from squad ahead of Four-Nation Cup
Experienced midfielder Hajra Khan. — PFF/FileKARACHI: The Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) has dropped experienced midfielder Hajra Khan from the squad ahead of the upcoming Four-Nation Cup in Saudi Arabia. The move indicates the future strategy of PFF's Normalisation Committee (NC) as they seem to go ahead with a new look squad. Midfielders: Maria Khan, Alina Isphani, Alina Akram, Aliza Sabir, Amina Hanif, Ammal Khan, Anushey Usman, Marvi Baig, Rameen Fareed, Ruqqya Farheen, Sanober Sattar, Suha Hirani and Zehmina Malik. Forwards: Nadia Khan, Aliya Sadiq, Anmol Hira, Kainat Abdul Ghani, Nadia Shams, Naqiyah Ali and Zoya Zeeshan.
Source:The Nation
December 06, 2022 19:57 UTC
World Cup scores, highlights: Croatia tops Japan in PK shootout; Brazil steamrolls South Korea
What’s better for the student: a tablet or a laptopSome analysts argue that computers have outlived their usefulness. There is some truth in this: PC and laptop sales are...
Source:The Express Tribune
December 06, 2022 14:02 UTC
How Pakistan can tackle TTP and ISKP
India’s external intelligence wing R&AW are fully training, funding and arming TTP and ISKP while the Afghan Taliban are merrily providing shelter to TTP, ISKP and AQIS. They troublingly hint towards a deepening entente between ISKP, TTP and AQIS whose cells merging is a regional menace if not tackled immediately. The regional extremist ecosystem with ISKP, TTP and AQIS churns out well-trained death-cults with ample experience in guerilla and urban warfare. The ISKP and TTP strongholds and core threats to Pakistan emanating from Afghanistan’s Paktia, Paktika, Khost and Nangarhar provinces. Airstrikes by Pakistan Air Force or Pakistani UCAV involvement targeting TTP and ISKP strongholds can’t be ruled out.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 06, 2022 06:48 UTC
Could New Hampshire Lose Its First-in-the-Nation Primary?
New Hampshire residents feel strongly they have earned the right to be the first in the nation primary state following a 100+ year proven track record. Like most politicos, Buckley was caught off guard by news that President Joe Biden is recommending South Carolina replace New Hampshire as the first in the nation state, though Buckley is confident, the state law will hold up. The New Hampshire primary is going to be held one week before anyone else," he said. Word of Biden's guidance sparked anger in New Hampshire, where state law calls for it to hold the nation's first primary. The primary proposal will go before the full DNC for a vote in early 2023.
Source:The Nation
December 06, 2022 04:41 UTC
FM rules out early polls on PTI chief's demand
Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said on Sunday that he did not see the need for holding early elections in the country on the demand of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan, as the government looked for solutions to internal problems. To another question, Foreign Minister Bilawal said that Kashmir was an unfinished agenda of the Partition, and since Narendra Modi’s election, the space for Muslims in India as well as the Kashmiris was shrinking. Coming to Afghanistan, the foreign minister said that Pakistan was engaging with the war-torn country in the interest of its own as well as the neighbourhood. However, he said that the TTP had been involved in terror attacks in the past, which were still going on. He said that Pakistan would work with the Afghan government to address the challenge posed by the terrorist outfits.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 05, 2022 21:38 UTC
Georgia football places 5 on AP First Team All-SEC Team, shut out for individual awards
Georgia football placed five players on the Associated Presses’ First Team All-SEC team on Monday, with Brock Bowers being the lone unanimous selection. Bowers led Georgia in every statistical receiving category this year, catching 52 passes for 726 yards and six touchdowns. Also making the first team for Georgia was offensive tackle Broderick Jones, kicker Jack Podlesny, defensive tackle Jalen Carter and safety Chris Smith. Georgia also had four players make the second team, with Sedrick Van Pran, Darnell Washington, Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Kelee Ringo earning the honors. Georgia likely isn’t all that worried about the individual accolades and would much rather be the SEC’s lone representative in the College Football Playoff.
Source:The Nation
December 05, 2022 21:26 UTC
Twitter disgusted by British recipe for one-pot Chicken Korma
A popular online Food channel, Tasty UK posted a recipe for a one-pot Chicken Korma and sparked outrage on Twitter for all the right reasons. https://t.co/u12D6usg0l — Abhishek Mukherjee (@ovshake42) December 4, 2022Keep the disastrous recipe aside, a user was even questioning how they didn’t even cook their chicken a bit, making the recipe a sure cause for food poisoning. “I don’t even care about the ingredients, but why can’t they caramelise the onions and saute the chicken for a bit? Without that happening this dish is best-called food poisoning,” they wrote. Without that happening this dish is best called “food poisoning”.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 05, 2022 20:40 UTC
Energy: A story of economic division
Energy is an oligopoly, a fragmented market controlled by multiple hegemonies that take control of their respective areas under this sector. When you control the flow of energy, you control the economic output of a state. This situation has led to energy theft, a system where energy is diverted off-grid without any consequences or providers don’t pay bills, and the hiking of prices. One of the other major problems is development: all data on Pakistan energy consumption is commercial energy consumption, the energy that is billed in the National Grid with WAPDA and companies, what it doesn’t take into account is non-commercial consumption. But one remnant of an age-old time is the energy sector.
Source:Pakistan Today
December 05, 2022 17:47 UTC
Recent floods, rains pose 'serious' threat to wildlife
People retrieve bamboos from a damaged house following rains and floods during the monsoon season in Dera Allah Yar, district Jafferabad, Balochistan. PHOTO: REUTERSRecent super floods and torrential rains combined with drought and wildfires across Pakistan have posed a "serious" threat to already under-pressure wildlife in the country. On the occasion of World Wildlife Conservation Day observed on Sunday, the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) in a report said the recent climatic events such as floods and widespread rains coupled with drought and wildfires have damaged the wildlife habitats and posed a serious threat to the wild species in Pakistan. This crocodile, harmless to man, was hunted to extinction due to its perceived threat to fish stocks. Conservation successesPakistan is home to rare, unique, and iconic wildlife species such as the snow leopard, markhor, brown bear, Indus River dolphin, freshwater turtles, and many others.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 05, 2022 04:55 UTC
Lloris matches France record by starting World Cup match
France's goalkeeper Hugo Lloris warms up ahead of the World Cup round of 16 soccer match between France and Poland, at the Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar, Sunday, Dec. 4, 2022. (AP Photo/Christophe Ena) APGoalkeeper Hugo Lloris matched France’s national team record of 142 appearances by starting a round-of-16 match against Poland at the World Cup on Sunday. The 35-year-old Lloris is now tied with Lilian Thuram, the right back in France’s 1998 world champion team. Lloris aso matched Henry and Fabien Barthez for the most World Cup appearances for France with 17. ___AP World Cup coverage: https://apnews.com/hub/world-cup and https://twitter.com/AP_SportsThis story was originally published December 4, 2022 7:06 AM.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 05, 2022 03:20 UTC
TTP Rampage
Share:The security situation continues to spiral downwards since the TTP called off the ceasefire earlier last week. Since Wednesday, a series of attacks have been conducted by the TTP and it appears that our security forces are one step behind. On the same day in Charsadda, a constable was returning home from duty when unidentified persons opened fire at him, killing him on the spot. On top of all of this, the attack on the Pakistan Embassy personnel in Kabul just illustrates the lengths the TTP are willing to go to. While we must push Kabul to clamp down on the TTP cells operating on Afghan soil, we must simultaneously be initiating a nationwide operation to counter and eradicate the TTP cells that have infiltrated parts of the country.
Source:The Nation
December 05, 2022 02:43 UTC
Stagflation nation
Pakistan’s economy is going through what can only be called stagflation. Our levels of consumption and investment never fully recovered from the Covid pandemic, and yet we are facing sky-rocketing inflation. Prices are climbing while growth is falling and no one seems to be able to find a way out. Debt repayments have chewed up any fiscal space we had to lower prices through subsidies or boost spending. The current government needs to come up with some solution other than just asking for more aid and raising more debt.
Source:The Nation
December 05, 2022 02:31 UTC
Impact of real estate
Previously, the tax rate on buyer, if non-filer, was 2pc, but now the tax rate has been raised to 7pc. Under the revised rates, every seller irrespective of timeframe has to pay a property tax of 4pc. The positive thing is that these tax rates are significantly reduced for income tax filers. For income tax filers, the tax rate is 2pc for both the buyers and the sellers, which is a substantial relief. The public is afraid of being income tax filers.
Source:Pakistan Today
December 04, 2022 22:50 UTC
Mahira Khan tells all in 'Ask Mahira' session on Twitter
♥️ https://t.co/L8tfT9HjD2 — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) December 3, 2022Was meant to be soonish.. inshAllah. The user asked, "Mahira Khan, do you still lowkey cry for shippers of a certain ship or have things changed? https://t.co/uuNTea22Zc — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) December 3, 2022She also revealed that if given the choice, she'd play Khirad from Humsafar again. https://t.co/76m9su28v3 — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) December 3, 2022When a user told her they're feeling low, wishing to hear some words of wisdom, Mahira advised, "Live in the now. Lots of love always ♥️ https://t.co/ebD9zb6yRi — Mahira Khan (@TheMahiraKhan) December 3, 2022A fan also wanted to know why Mahira never changes her profile picture.
Source:The Express Tribune
December 04, 2022 14:09 UTC