World News Headlines

Former Afghan president Ashraf Ghani on Thursday described fleeing the Taliban's victory march on Kabul, saying the decision had been taken in "minutes" and that he did not know he was leaving the country until he was taking off. Ghani told BBC's Radio 4 "Today" programme that on the morning of August 15, 2021, the day the Islamists took control of the capital and his own government fell apart, he had "no inkling" that it would be his last day in Afghanistan. But by that afternoon security at the presidential palace had "collapsed," he said. "If I take a stand they will all be killed, and they were not capable of defending me," Ghani said in the interview, conducted by former UK chief of defence staff, General Nick Carter. His national security adviser, Hamdullah Mohib, was "literally terrified," Ghani said. "He did not give me more than two minutes." He said his instructions had originally been to fly

Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Bilal Yaseen was shot and injured by unidentified assailants in Lahore on Friday, police said. According to police officials, the armed men on two motorcycles opened fire on the PML-N MPA after he visited a party worker in Data Darbar area of the city. The MPA suffered two bullet injuries in his leg and stomach, a police official said, adding that he was rushed to the Lahore Mayo Hospital, where is he is undergoing treatment. Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar has taken notice of the incident and directed police officials to submit the report at the earliest. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3mKGgBE

Britain has approved Pfizer's (PFE.N) Covid-19 pill for adults who have mild to moderate infection and are at high risk of their illness worsening, its second easily administered antiviral against the coronavirus. Britain is scrambling to build its defences amid a record surge in Covid-19 cases in the winter season as the Omicron variant of the virus spreads quickly. Based on data, the pill, Paxlovid, is most effective when taken during the early stages of Covid-19, Britain's Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) said on Friday, recommending it be used within five days of the first symptoms. Pfizer this month said Paxlovid showed near 90% efficacy in preventing hospitalisations and deaths in high-risk patients, and recent lab data suggests the drug retains its effectiveness against the fast-spreading Omicron variant of the coronavirus. The MHRA said it is working with Pfizer, which makes one of the leading Covid-19 vaccines with German partner BioNTec

Saudi Arabia reimposed social distancing measures at the Grand Mosque in Makkah, after recording the highest number of infections in months. Workers have returned floor markings removed on October 17 to guide people to social distance in and around the Grand Mosque. Saudi authorities said they will reimpose “social distancing requirements between worshippers and pilgrims” at the Grand Mosque, without specifying whether a capacity has been set. Earlier, the government had said social distancing and masks were again required in both indoor and outdoor venues. The country of approximately 34 million people has so far recorded more than 554,000 coronavirus cases, including 8,874 deaths, the highest number of fatalities among the Gulf Arab countries. On Wednesday, Saudi recorded 744 cases, the highest number since mid-August. The Covid-19 pandemic hugely disrupted Muslim pilgrimages, which are usually key revenue earners for the kingdom, bringing in some $12 billion annually. The s

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry on Friday insisted that Pakistan was heading in the "right direction" and that the country's economy will be "far better" by August 2022. Speaking to reporters in Lahore, Chaudhry said a phase was being commenced in Pakistan in which the social protection programmes will take effect, paving the way for improvement of the overall economic situation of the country. He informed that the PTI-led government had to return $55 billion in its next two years in debt payment, adding that a sum of $32bn had already been paid under debts in the last three years. "We are paying the price for the legacy left by Asif Ali Zardari and Nawaz Sharif," the minister said, in reference to the last two governments of the PPP and PML-N. Dispelling the impression given by the opposition about the country failing at the economic front, Chaudhry said Shehbaz Sharif and other opposition leaders should not worry about the country as "

Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched the Naya Pakistan Sehat Card for all citizens, stating that each family would be eligible for medical treatment up to one million rupees per year under the universal health coverage programme. The premier stated that not everyone can take such revolutionary decisions as the PTI did, citing the example of the health card as one. "Today, every family in Punjab will be eligible for a health card," he said, adding that a welfare state is one where all citizens have equal opportunity for growth and prosperity. He said it was in the State of Madina that for the first time in history, the state accepted responsibility for society's underprivileged segment. The PM stated that while the welfare state model can be seen in contemporary Europe, it is not seen in Muslim countries. In a dig at the PML-N's mantra of transforming Pakistan into an Asian Tiger, the premier stated, "Asian Tiger is nothing in comparison to the State of M

Four Pakistan Army soldiers embraced martyrdom in an intelligence-based operation (IBO) Friday in Mir Ali, North Waziristan, confirmed the ISPR. One terrorist was apprehended along with weapons and ammunition," said the ISPR, adding that the four soldiers were martyred during an "intense exchange of fire." The names of the martyred soldiers are: Havaldar Munawar, 40, resident of Bahawalnagar, Sepoy Zaka Ullah, 31, resident of Laki Marwat, Sepoy Farhan, 34, resident of Kohat and Sepoy Sheraz, 30, resident of Abbottabad. In another IBO, two militants were gunned down by security forces while weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the militants. The two terrorists killed during the IBO have been identified as Shahzeb alias Zakir and Daniyal. "These terrorists were involved in terrorist activities against security forces, target killing and kidnapping for ransom," it added. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3Jw8r0P

Chinese telecoms equipment giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd (HWT.UL), battered by U.S. sanctions, expects 2021 revenue to have declined nearly 30% and predicted continued challenges in the New Year. Revenue for the year is expected to be 634 billion yuan ($99.48 billion), rotating chairman Guo Ping said in a New Year letter to employees on Friday. That represents a fall of 28.9% from 2020 revenues of 891.4 billion yuan. Guo said next year "will come with its fair share of challenges" but that he was satisfied with Huawei's 2021 business performance. "An unpredictable business environment, the politicisation of technology, and a growing deglobalisation movement all present serious challenges," the letter, published on the company's website, read. In 2019, the U.S. Trump administration imposed a trade ban on Huawei, citing national security, which barred the company from using Alphabet Inc's (GOOGL.O) Android for its new smartphones, among other criti

Pakistan has reported 6 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of confirmed positive cases has surged to 1,295,376. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,927 on Friday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 515 persons were tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. 481,689 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 444,977 in Punjab, 181,370 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 108,618 in Islamabad, 34,660 in Azad Kashmir, 33,633 in Balochistan and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan.   from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3mM2e7h

Criticism regarding the government imposing additional burden on the people and of a consequent rise in inflation is “baseless,” Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Shaukat Tarin said on Thursday. Addressing a joint press conference, flanked by Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Farrukh Habib, Tarin said that tax revision worth Rs343 billion has been revised in the bill. Sharing details of the supplementary finance bill, which was unveiled by the minister in the National Assembly before the press conference, he said that a Rs70 billion rebate included taxes on luxury and business items including imported fish, high-end bakery items, expensive cheese and imported bicycles. Tax exemptions worth Rs2 billion will be removed from items of general use like personal computers, sewing machines, matchboxes, iodised salt, red chillies, and contraceptives. “If we expect inflation to increase because of the imposition of tax on these items then they [the Opposition] are

Four people have died while 14 others sustained injuries after an explosion occurred at Quetta's Jinnah Road. According to the police, the explosion took place near a vehicle near the Science College at Jinnah Road. Witnesses told the police that glass windows of buildings situated in the vicinity of the blast were shattered. Police said that the nature of the explosion is still being investigated, while security forces and rescue officials have reached the site of the explosion. The injured have been shifted to the city's Civil Hospital, the police added. Three people who sustained injuries are reported to be in critical condition. Chief Minister Balochistan Abdul Quddus Bizenjo has condemned the incident and has instructed the inspector-general of police to submit a report related to the blast. At the same time, the provincial adviser to the chief minister on the interior has been directed to further improve the security situation of the city. Adviser to the Chief Mi

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday unveiled nominations for its ODI Player of the Year award, with Pakistan skipper Babar Azam one of four contenders for the accolade. The national skipper scored 405 runs in six matches in the outgoing year at an average of 67.50 with two centuries in the 50-over format. Alongside Azam, Bangladesh's Shakib Al Hasan, Ireland's Paul Stirling and South Africa's Janneman Malan have been named as contenders for the award. Last year, India's Virat Kohli had bagged the ODI Player of the Decade for his standout performances in the previous 10 years. Describing Azam as the "top-ranked batter", the ICC said the Pakistan skipper played only six ODIs in 2021, "but he made vital contributions" in both the series his team played this year". With the nomination, the ICC also posted a video recap of Azam's feats in 2021 and titled it "Babar Azam: pride of Pakistan" The global cricket body

Federal Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin presents the much-awaited supplementary finance bill — termed by the Opposition as a "mini-budget" — in the National Assembly, as a pre-requisite to resume the $6 billion External Fund Facility (EFF) of the International Monetary Fund (IMF). The opposition staged a vehement protest and chanted slogans to prevent Shaukat Tarin from introducing the Finance Bill 2021 and SBP Amendment Bill in the House. According to the finance ministry's proposal, the government will impose a tax on approximately 150 goods at a rate of 17%. Therefore, goods that were currently either completely exempt from General Sales Tax (GST) or being taxed at 5% to 12% rates would now be taxed at 17%. The income tax rate on mobile phone calls is expected to increase from 10% to 15%. Meanwhile, the GST rate on cars above 850cc will go up to 17% and the tax on the import of electric vehicles in CBU conditions will increase from 5% to 17%. Business to busin

The year 2021 cannot be considered a good educational year as the coronavirus pandemic affected the educational activities the most. The year 2021 passed under the coronavirus regime which affected all the aspects of life including education. There was either 50% attendance or the educational institutions were closed overall. Education minister Sindh, Sardar Shah said that the education sector has been adversely affected; online classes can not compare physical classes. The continuous rise in coronavirus cases by each passing day was the reason that metric and intermediate students could give only optional exams. Metric exams were conducted on the 5th of July whereas intermediate exams were delayed by 26th of July. This caused the results to be announced late eventually causing the new educational year to be started by a delay. The educational minister stood firm on the stance that they will try their best to continue the educational year 2022 without any issues. from latest-n

Pakistan has reported 3 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,294,861. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,921 on Thursday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 482 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,066 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,666 in Sindh 5,927 in KP, 967 in Islamabad, 746 in Azad Kashmir, 363 in Balochistan, and 186 in GB. Furthermore 481,381 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 444,862 in Punjab 181,334 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 108,565 in Islamabad, 34,660 in Azad Kashmir 33,630 in Balochistan and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Pakistan has so far conducted 23,324,549 coronavirus tests and 50,662 in the last 24 hours. 1,255,931 patients have recovered in the country whereas 639 pat

The opposition on Wednesday took the government to task over its plan to table the supplementary finance bill [mini-budget] in the National Assembly. A day earlier, the federal cabinet had deferred the approval of the supplementary finance bill which was scheduled to be tabled in today's session. Speaking on a point of order, PPP MNA Raja Pervez Ashraf said that everyone in the House as well as people from different walks of life were concerned over reports that the government was planning to introduce a money bill or a mini-budget. "Inflation, unemployment and the shortage of gas and other commodities have already wreaked havoc on the people of the country. Now, if a mini-budget or money bill is in the offing, which would increase their difficulties, then everyone sitting in the House should resist the move," he said. Taking the floor, PML-N's Khawaja Asif said that the country saw a "territorial surrender" on Dec 16, 1971 which it eventually recovere

Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain on Tuesday said that the government will bring PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif back after the finalisation of an agreement with the UK government, as he ruled out the possibility of Nawaz's voluntary return to the country, The News reported Wednesday. "We will bring back the PML-N leader and former prime minister Nawaz Sharif because he himself will never return,” Fawad said during a media briefing on the federal cabinet meeting held Tuesday which was presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan earlier in the day. The minister told the media that matters regarding Nawaz's return had been settled with Britain to "a great extent". “We have been addressing the legal lacunas relating to the matter for the last two years. Rest assured, he will not return, but we will bring him back,” Fawad said emphatically. About PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq's claim about Nawaz Sharif's return, he said that h

Opposition leaders in the Senate on Wednesday sought details of retired military officials appointed at the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA). The senators' demand came after the Ministry of Interior submitted a detailed answer in the Upper House of the Parliament, where it stated that none of the 13,997 employees of NADRA belong to the military — whether on service or retired. Jamaat-e-Islami Senator Mushtaq Ahmed, during a session of the Senate, said the ministry's response was incomplete and asked for a complete record of the military personnel who were appointed by NADRA after they retired from the army. "The youth of the country are searching for jobs [...] but they cannot find any," the senator said, as he reiterated his demand of making the data of retired army officers appointed in NADRA available. PML-N Senator Azam Nazir Tarar said that he had received information that retired military officers were working as directors and deputy di

Pakistan has reported 6 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,294,379. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,918 on Tuesday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 348 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 13,066 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab, 7,666 in Sindh 5,924 in KP, 967 in Islamabad, 746 in Azad Kashmir, 363 in Balochistan, and 186 in GB. Furthermore 481,096 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 444,752 in Punjab 181,285 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 108,534 in Islamabad, 34,657 in Azad Kashmir 33,626 in Balochistan and 10,429 in Gilgit-Baltistan.   from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3ECovdK

Terming the country’s first-ever National Security Policy (NSP) an “important milestone in the security of Pakistan,” the Director-General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar said Tuesday the comprehensive framework recognises interlinkages between various strands of national security. “The comprehensive framework recognises interlinkages between various strands of national security, imperative to meet emerging challenges in evolving global environment through a whole of government effort,” the military’s media wing said in a tweet. …in evolving global environment through a whole of government effort. Pakistan’s Armed Forces will play their due part in achieving the vision laid out in the policy. (2/2) — DG ISPR (@OfficialDGISPR) December 28, 2021 The statement comes hours after the federal cabinet approved Pakistan’s first-ever NSP 2022-2026, which prioritises the security of the common man. DG ISPR assured that Pakistan’s armed forces wil

The National Institute of Health (NIH) on Tuesday said that a total of 75 cases of the Covid-19 Omicron variant have been confirmed in the country so far. In a statement, the NIH said that the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulation and Coordination (NHSRC), the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) and the provincial departments were vigilantly keeping an eye on Omicron cases in Pakistan ever since it was designated a variant of concern by the World Health Organisation (WHO). "The first case of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 was reported on December 13 in Karachi," the statement said. "As of December 27, a total of 75 Omicron cases have been confirmed; 33 in Karachi, 17 in Islamabad and 13 in Lahore," the statement said, adding that the remaining 12 cases were associated with international travel. The NIH did not provide any further details. "The relevant authorities have isolated the patients and initiated contract tracing in order to c

A crowd of women marched through the Afghan capital on Tuesday, accusing Taliban authorities of covertly killing soldiers who served the former US-backed regime. Around 30 women gathered near a mosque in the centre of Kabul and marched a few hundred metres chanting “justice, justice” before they were stopped by Taliban forces, an AFP correspondent saw. The Taliban also tried to prevent journalists from covering the march, organised against the “mysterious murders of young people, particularly the country's former soldiers”, according to social media invitations. Taliban fighters briefly detained a group of reporters and confiscated equipment from some photographers, deleting images from their cameras before returning them. Since the hardliners returned to power in August they have effectively banned unsanctioned protests and frequently intervene to block demonstrations against their austere brand of Islam. The protest comes weeks after separate reports by the United Nations,

Former Indian cricket captain Sourav Ganguly has been admitted to hospital after testing positive for Covid-19, a senior doctor said on Tuesday. Ganguly, who underwent minor heart surgery in January, was admitted on Monday suffering from a mild fever, a senior doctor of the Woodlands Hospital in Kolkata said. “His condition is stable. There is no cause for alarm at the moment,” the medic told AFP on condition of anonymity. “Ganguly has been advised by a team of medical experts of the hospital because of some pre-existing health condition.” The India Today news website reported that his samples had been sent for genome sequencing to confirm whether he had contracted the Omicron variant or not. The 49-year-old, one of India's most popular players ever and who now heads the country's cricket board, was admitted to hospital twice in early 2021 with chest pain and underwent an angioplasty. India, which suffered a devastating Covid-19 wave in April, has so far confirmed aroun

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Tuesday reaffirmed Pakistan’s commitment to cooperate with its international partners for peace in the region and ensuring a stable and prosperous future for Afghan people. The army chief made these remarks in a meeting with Andreas Papastavrou, Greek Ambassador to Pakistan who paid a farewell call to Gen Qamar at GHQ, according to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR). During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security situation especially current situation in Afghanistan and cooperation in various fields were discussed, the military’s media wing added. The army chief once again stressed upon the need for global convergence on Afghanistan and sincere efforts to avert a looming humanitarian catastrophe. “[The] COAS thanked the visiting dignitary for his services in Pakistan and acknowledged his contributions for fostering strong ties between the two countries,” according to the ISPR.

After Karachi and Islamabad, the provincial capital of Punjab also reported the first confirmed case of Omicron variant, the Punjab health department confirmed. The Punjab Health Department said that the first Omicron patient in Lahore hails from Bahawalpur and has a travel history from Sindh. It said that the patient is undergoing treatment at home. The health department said that samples have been taken from 12 people who came in contact with the patient for testing. Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Centre issued the latest coronavirus statistics suggesting that the positivity rate in Pakistan remained 0.69% during the last 24 hours. As many as 291 new COVID-19 infections were confirmed after 41,869 diagnostic tests were conducted overnight, while three patients succumbed to the virus during the same period. Pakistan has so far reported two confirmed and over 35 suspected cases of Omicron, apart from the latest case from Lahore. The first case of the new COVID-19

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) decided on Tuesday to indict on January 7 former Gilgi-Baltistan chief justice Rana Shamim and others accused in a contempt of court case, pertaining to the publication of an affidavit containing serious allegations against former chief justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar. Shamim had drafted the affidavit, accusing the former top judge of Pakistan of judicial manipulation. The latest development in the case came during a hearing headed by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah on Monday. The court announced January 7, 2022, as the date for indictment of the accused. "Why shouldn't the court decide to indict him in the contempt case?" IHC CJ Minallah asked during the hearing. Shamim, Ansar Abbasi, and others appeared before the court. At the outset of the hearing, the sealed envelope containing Shamim's affidavit, which was received by the IHC last week, was presented in court. Attorney-General of Pakistan (AJP) Khalid Javed Khan said that

Earthquake tremors were felt in Gilgit-Baltistan on Monday, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD). PMD said that the frequency of the quake was 5.3 magnitude on the Richter scale, adding that it measured a depth of 45 kilometres. Tremors were felt in the city at 7:31pm, while its epicentre was 26 north of Astore, Gilgit Baltistan. The frequency of the aftershocks was 4.5 magnitude on the Richter scale. It should be recalled that a 4.2-magnitude earthquake had struck parts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the wee hours of Friday last week. Tremors were felt in Mansehra, Torghar, Battagram and other areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. According to the PMD’s National Seismic Monitoring Centre, the magnitude of the earthquake was measured 4.2 on the Richter Scale. The epicentre was 15 northwest of Balakot, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3z9Nioz

The lira tumbled almost 8 per cent against the dollar on Monday amid persisting investor concern over Turkey's monetary policy, having surged more than 50pc last week after billions of dollars of state-backed market interventions. The lira was also supported last week by a government move to cover FX losses on certain deposits. It weakened to as low as 11.6 against the greenback on Monday before trimming losses to trade at 11.35 by 0800 GMT. "The main exchange rate resistance is at 11.45 and 12.0, with support levels of 10.57 and 10.25," QNB Invest said in a daily bulletin. Last week's rally brought the Turkish currency back to mid-November levels. Last Monday, it had plunged to an all-time low of 18.4 per dollar, after a months-long slide due to fears of spiralling inflation driven by a succession of interest rate cuts engineered by President Tayyip Erdogan. At current levels, the currency is still 35pc weaker than at the end of last year. Erdogan unveiled l

Robotic vacuum cleaners wouldn’t start. Doorbell cameras stopped watching for package thieves, though some of those deliveries were canceled anyway. Netflix and Disney movies got interrupted and The Associated Press had trouble publishing the news. A major outage in Amazon's cloud computing network on Dec 7 severely disrupted services at a wide range of US companies for hours, raising questions about the vulnerability of the internet and its concentration in the hands of a few firms. That uncertainty was underscored when Amazon reported another outage last week that, while much shorter and less disruptive than the Dec. 7 problem, still created problems for many of its cloud customers. On a status dashboard for the service, Amazon reported that a power failure in one of its data centres had disrupted customers whose tasks ran on its servers. Power was restored after about 45 minutes, although the company said some customers continued to experience problems almost 12 hours follo

A dazed England lost four wickets in a hostile late spell to leave them still trailing by 51 runs and fighting to stave off defeat Monday at stumps on day two of a gripping third Ashes Test against Australia. It came after the visitors — who must win in Melbourne — were rocked by four positive Covid cases in their camp, although no players were among them. Australia were all out for 267, earning an 82-run lead on England's first-innings 185 on an MCG pitch that was still offering plenty for the bowlers. Marcus Harris top-scored with a battling 76 against a dangerous English attack led by veteran Jimmy Anderson, who was at his fearsome best with 4-33 off 23 overs. After heavy defeats in Brisbane and Adelaide, England must win to keep the five-Test series alive, with Australia only needing a draw to retain the urn as holders. But faced with surviving the final hour against a revvm,ed-up Mitchell Starc and Pat Cummins, England collapsed again, slumping to 31 for four at the clo

The Supreme Court (SC) on Monday ordered relevant authorities to hand over charge of the Askari Amusement Park to the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) within two weeks. A two-member SC bench, comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Qazi Mohammad Amin, issued the ruling while hearing a case related to the Askari Park at the top court’s Karachi Registry. The apex court directed the KMC administrator to take control of the Askari Park and open it for people. There should be no entry fee at the park, ruled the court. The chief justice directed the KMC to return the existing swings to the current management and install new ones. The court also directed razing all the shops on the park's land. Counsel of Corps V of the Pakistan Army and Karachi Administrator Murtaza Wahab appeared before the court in the case. At the outset of today’s hearing, Murtaza Wahab told the court that Askari Park was given to the army under an agreement in 2005. "The agreement was fo

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said on Monday that the only solution to the problems Pakistan was facing in present times was the fulfillment of former prime minister and slain PPP leader Benazir Bhutto's vision. Bilawal, who was addressing a public rally held in Sindh's Garhi Khuda Baksh to observe Benazir's 14 death anniversary, began his speech with an ode to his late mother. Benazir was assassinated in a gun-and-bomb attack after an election rally in Liaquat Bagh on Dec 27, 2007. "It has been 14 years [since Benazir's assasination], and we still remember Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. The people of Pakistan still remember Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto," he said. "Shaheed BB your beloved Pakistan is facing a difficult time. In your beloved Pakistan, is [now] a democracy only in name." Bilawal went on to say neither was there any "freedom to speak nor the freedom to live" in today's Pakistan. More so, he added, the

Karachi experienced its first spell of winter showers on Monday, with various areas of the city receiving light to heavy rain. The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) had previously predicted that a strong westerly weather system was likely to grip most parts of the country on Sunday and would possibly persist till Tuesday. Under the influence of the system, rain (with isolated heavy falls) was expected in most parts of the country including Sindh and Balochistan. According to a fresh forecast issued by the Met department today, Quaidabad and Gulshan-i-Hadeed received the highest rainfall at 5millimetres each. Surjani Town received the next highest level at 4.5mm, while 4mm rain was recorded at Kemari and PAF Masroor Base. University Road received 3.8mm rainfall, Jinnah Terminal 3.4mm, North Karachi 3.2mm. The forecast said the weather today will be "cloudy with intermittent rain and chances of a thunderstorm", whereas it will be "partly cloudy with chances of

In a strange turn of events, the Supreme Court took back its order for the removal of Murtaza Wahab from the post of Karachi administrator after he apologised following heated arguments in the courtroom during a hearing of the Gutter Baghicha case at the Karachi Registry on Monday. During the proceedings, the court expressed displeasure over Murtaza Wahab for using harsh words. The apex court initially ordered the removal of Karachi administrator Murtaza Wahab after heated arguments during the hearing of the Gutter Baghicha case. During the hearing, an angry Chief Justice of Pakistan Gulzar Ahmed instructed the Sindh chief minister to appoint an "impartial and competent" person in place of Murtaza Wahab. Murtaza Wahab is not competent enough to serve on the post of Karachi administrator, the court observed. "Get out," the CJP told Murtaza Wahab, asking him to leave the court room. "You are doing politics here," the CJP remarked as he expressed annoy