World News Headlines

Pakistan has reported 6 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,273,560. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,456 on Monday. 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 12,918 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 7,568 in Sindh 5,748 in KP, 940 in Islamabad, 740 in Azad Kashmir, 356 in Balochistan, and 186 in GB. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3bqKzfq

Life in the city began returning to normality on Sunday night when the City Traffic Police started removing containers, concrete blocks and barricades from Murree Road and its arteries after the government and the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) reached an agreement. The traffic police in a press statement said containers were being removed from roads that were blocked. The district administration of the twin cities on Tuesday had blocked Faizabad intersection while law enforcement agencies began sealing areas and roads with containers to prevent TLP protesters from entering the federal capital territory. “All the containers from Murree Road are being removed with the help of heavy cranes and diversions from Saddar to adjoining roads are also being removed,” the statement said, adding the road from 9th Avenue signal is being opened to traffic on Stadium Road.   Not only residents of the city but also police personnel, who had been called from other districts for d...

New Zealand inflicted a crushing eight-wicket defeat on India at the T20 World Cup on Sunday and put the tournament favourite on the brink of elimination. India's much-trumpeted batsmen flopped for the second time after a 10-wicket defeat to Pakistan, reaching only 110-7 after New Zealand chose to bowl. Daryl Mitchell (49) and captain Kane Williamson (33 not out) eased New Zealand to 111-2 in 14.3 overs in a lopsided Group 2 game. Mitchell missed out on a deserved half century when he was caught at long on against Jasprit… from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3CwKtPr

Pakistan and Saudi Arabia had historically enjoyed long-standing fraternal ties, rooted deep in common faith," Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a conversation with Saudi Arabia’s Al-Riyadh newspaper published Sunday. The premier said that owing to their complementarities in the socio-economic fundamentals, Saudi Arabia’s Vision 2030 provided opportunities to Pakistan to engage with the Kingdom in realizing Naya Pakistan’s ambitious plan. “I must say that there are significant complementarities in the socio-economic fundamentals of the “Naya Pakistan” and the Saudi Vision 2030. Both emphasised economic opportunity and diversity, domestic growth,… from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3bqxUsT

Afghanistan's new Taliban regime urged international donors to resume full support for green projects in the country on Sunday, marking the start of the COP26 summit. The movement seized power in Afghanistan in August after overthrowing the former US-backed regime, but has not yet been recognised by the international community. As such, the new Islamic Emirate will not be represented in Glasgow when world leaders gather on Sunday to renew plans to tackle the global climate crisis. But senior Taliban leader Suhail Shaheen said that climate programmes in Afghanistan that… from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3ErYQ82

Prime Minister Imran Khan has thanked Saudi Arabia for its $3 billion financial support to Pakistan announced earlier this week, saying "the budgetary support will help the balance of payment of Pakistan in the backdrop of rising commodity prices globally." Saudi Arabia had agreed to revive its financial support to Pakistan, including about $3 billion in safe deposits and $1.2bn to $1.5bn worth of oil supplies on deferred payments; an agreement to this effect was reached during the premier's three-day visit to the kingdom earlier this week, “I am extremely… from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3vZaPqA

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken met Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi on Sunday in Rome and raised concerns over human rights, in only their second face-to-face session as tensions between the two superpowers run high. Blinken expressed opposition to actions by China “that run counter to our values and interests... including actions related to human rights, Xinjiang, Tibet, Hong Kong, the East and South China Seas, and Taiwan,” State Department spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement. Blinken also noted areas where he said the US and China's interests… from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3CAfSQM

Opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) is all set to hold a rally in Dera Ghazi Khan today (Sunday), with a focus on protesting the rising inflation in the country. PDM chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif and other opposition leaders will address the rally. Senior PML-N leader Rana Sanaullah has said that the government has failed and that it has made it difficult for the poor and middle class to live. Sanaullah said that inflation is likely to increase even more in the coming days. On October 22, the opposition alliance had kicked off its protest drives against the recent price hikes in the country. Protest rallies were held in major cities like Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and others. Ahead of the anti-government alliance's DG Khan rally, PML-N spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb said it will be a "public referendum against the tyrannical government". In her statement, Aurangzeb said that the people of Pakistan have understood th...

Government officials and Mufti Muneebur Rehman are currently addressing a press conference in Islamabad on negotiations with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP). Mufti Muneeb, the first to speak from the line-up also featuring TLP members Mufti Ghulam Abbas Faizi and Mufti Mohammad Ameer, announced that negotiations between the government and TLP have been "successful". "The agreement was reached after sense prevailed over aggression. Rationality prevailed over sentiments, and all the participants demonstrated patience," he said. "I want to urge the entire nation that this is not the victory of any individual, but it is the victory of Islam, patriotism, and protection of human lives. "I want to tell the nation that these dialogues were never not held under any duress. They were held in a serious, responsible and independent environment, [in which] everyone made their contribution. Everyone deserves to be thanked for it." According t...

Former Afghanistan skipper Asghar Afghan said he will retire after Sunday's game with Namibia despite the T20 World Cup only having reached the midway point. "I will retire from all international cricket after the game against Namibia," the 33-year-old said in Pashto in a video message on Facebook. "I want more and more youngsters to get the opportunity to play for Afghanistan. Therefore, it's expected that tomorrow will be my last international match and afterwards I will resign." Asghar skippered Afghanistan over all three formats of cricket for six years, before being acrimoniously sacked two weeks before the start of the 2019 World Cup in England. He eventually won back the captaincy but was axed again in June this year after being blamed for the team's poor form in a Test series in Zimbabwe. Asghar played six Tests, 114 one-day internationals and 74 Twenty20 internationals in a career spread over 12 years. He scored 440 runs in Tests with on...

The negotiations between the government and the banned organisation have finally reached a positive conclusion. According to sources, the talks have been successful. “Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, and other leaders will reveal all the details at a press conference at 11:15am. Initial reports suggest that the government’s top priority was to put an end to the protests.  banned organisation supporters at the GT Road near Gujranwala will head back home. Other agreements reached in the talks will be revealed in the media briefing. The development comes after Prime Minister Imran Khan made a key offer to banned organisation leaders during a meeting with ulemas Saturday as he sought their help in defusing the ongoing tensions between the two groups. He said his government will not oppose the release of  banned organisation Chief Saad Rizvi if courts make a decision, but he would not issue an executive order in this regard. ...

An explosion near the entrance to the international airport of Yemen's southern port city of Aden on Saturday resulted in casualties, witnesses and security sources told Reuters, but it was not clear whether the incident was an attack. An airport official said a small truck blew up at an outer gate to the airport, while a local official and two security sources said the vehicle was carrying petroleum products. The blast was strong and was heard across the city. Nearby residents' windows were smashed. Aden is the temporary home of Yemen's internationally-recognised government. But tensions have also for years simmered within Aden itself between the government and southern separatist groups. The government and the Southern Transitional Council (STC) are nominal allies under the Saudi-led coalition. Earlier this month a car bomb in Aden targeting a convoy carrying the city's governor - an STC member - killed at least six people and wounded others. The governor surv...

A cyberattack on the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) has been detected that has disrupted its services which are likely to be restored by Monday, said a statement issued by the bank on Saturday. “In the late hours of the 29th and early morning of the 30th October, a cyberattack on the NBP’s servers was detected which impacted some of its services,” said the statement. Immediate steps were taken to isolate the affected systems, it added. “At this point, no customer or financial data has been compromised.” “Remediation efforts are under way using industry-leading subject matter experts, including international resources wherever required,” said the bank. “While currently the NBP’s services to its customers are disrupted, we are working to address the breach and confident that essential customer services will be restored by Monday morning,” said the NBP statement. “We are grateful for the understanding of our customers in this unusual situation…,” it added. The State Bank of Pakist...

G20 leaders have formally endorsed the global agreement for a minimum 15 percent corporate tax, US Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen said on Saturday, hailing it as a “historic” step. “Today, every G20 head of state endorsed a historic agreement on new international tax rules, including a global minimum tax that will end the damaging race to the bottom on corporate taxation,” she said on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Rome. Some 136 countries representing more than 90 percent of global GDP have signed a OECD-brokered deal to more fairly tax multinational companies and enact a minimum tax on global corporations of 15 percent. The mini-revolution, first mooted in 2017 and given a boost through the support of US President Joe Biden, is due to come into effect in 2023 — but the deadline could slip, partly due to resistance among US lawmakers. The first pillar of the reform, which involves taxing companies where they made their profits, not just where they are headquartered, has run...

No country has the right to speak or comment on the Islamic Republic’s defense capabilities, says Iran’s deputy foreign minister, amid the imposition of a new round of US sanctions on Tehran targeting the country’s drone program. “Iran’s defense capability is a matter of national decision that is intertwined with its national interests and security; therefore, no country has the right to speak or comment on this,” Ali Baqeri-Kani told the Newsmaker program of Russia Today’s Arabic service in an interview published on Friday. Baqeri-Kani said the same is the case for other countries as well. “Each country’s defense capability is [only] that country’s business, and each country acts in accordance with its national interests and within the framework of its capabilities to ensure its security and gain adequate deterrent power,” he said. “No other country has the right to talk about the capabilities and the things (military equipment) that another country possesses to defend its natio...

The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has decided to roll back all COVID-19 related restrictions from cities where at least 60% of the population has gotten itself vaccinated against the disease, it emerged on Saturday. The decision was made in an NCOC meeting headed by Federal Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives Asad Umar after reviewing progress in vaccination campaigns in various cities. In its statement, the NCOC declared Islamabad, Mandi Bahauddin, Gilgit and Mirpur as “Best Cities” for achieving vaccination of 60% of their population. Rawalpindi, Skardu, Hunza, Peshawar, Jhelum and other cities have been declared “vaccinated” as 40% to 60% of the population in the cities has gotten the coronavirus shot. All virus-related curbs have been abolished from marriage ceremonies, social gatherings, businesses, indoor dining and sports activities in cities with a 60% vaccination rate. All public transport will be allowed to function with an occupan...

Pakistan reported 733 more COVID-19 infections during the last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide tally of confirmed cases to 1,273,078, the National Command and Operation Centre’s (NCOC) data showed Sunday morning. According to the NCOC's latest statistics, 733 people tested positive for the virus after 48,192 COVID-19 tests were taken across the country during the last 24 hours. This brings the positivity rate to 1.52%. Meanwhile, the coronavirus claimed another 11 lives in Pakistan during the same period, taking the national death toll from the virus to 28,449. The number of active cases now stands at 23,094. The country has reported a daily case count of less than 1,000 for the 14th consecutive day today (Sunday). Moreover, the country reported a positivity rate below 2% for the 14th straight day today as well. Pakistan is reporting 628 new infections on average each day, 11% of the peak — the highest daily average reported on June 17. Pakistan has administered at least 10...

Jos Buttler's unbeaten 71 and inspired bowling by Chris Woakes powered England to an eight-wicket over Australia and close in on a semi-final spot at the Twenty20 World Cup on Saturday. Buttler put on an opening stand of 66 with Jason Roy, who made 22, as England romped home to their victory target of 126 in 11.4 overs in Dubai. Buttler smashed five fours and five sixes in his 32-ball knock to drive England to their third successive win in the Super 12 stage. Woakes and Chris Jordan shared five wickets between them to help bowl Australia out for 125 after they elected to field first. Woakes sent the dangerous David Warner trudging back to the pavilion, caught behind for one, to signal his intent after England elected to bowl in the Super 12 contest in Dubai. Woakes then removed Glenn Maxwell and returned figures of 2-7 from his first three overs of excellent seam bowling and in between took a superb catch to see off Steve Smith for one. Fellow quick Chris Jordan (3-17) retu...

Military forces shot dead three people during nationwide protests in Sudan on Saturday, medics said, as tens of thousands of people demanded the restoration of a civilian-led government after a military coup. Sudan’s Central Doctors Committee said the three protesters were killed by troops in the capital Khartoum’s twin city of Omdurman during the nationwide protests after a military coup. But Sudanese police denied shooting the protesters, saying on state TV that one policeman sustained gunshot wounds. People carried Sudanese flags and chanted “Military rule can’t be praised” and “This country is ours, and our government is civilian” as they marched in neighbourhoods across the capital. The protesters have called for a return to a path to democracy and rejected military measures and demanded the release of detainees. According to Sudan TV, Sudanese security forces closed the majority of main roads and bridges in Khartoum, with the exception of the Halfaya and Soba bridges. Peo...

The prime minister has turned down an Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority summary seeking an increase in fuel prices by up to Rs11.53 per litre from November 1, a notification from PM House said Saturday. The notification said the decision had been taken in the national interest and to "provide relief to the public."The government is prioritising relief for the citizens instead of passing on the impact of global inflationary pressures," an Urdu version of the statement read. "The additional burden of higher prices, as suggested by OGRA, which would have been transferred to the citizenry, will instead be borne by the government," it added. The government had last increased the per litre cost of petrol by Rs10.49 and high-speed diesel by Rs12.44 on October 16 for the next fortnight. Earlier reports had suggested that the government may increase petrol prices by up to Rs6.5 per litre for the next 15 days, while the rates of diesel may go up by Rs8. The stateme...

Missiles fired from Israel towards suburbs of the capital, Damascus, have been intercepted by Syria’s air defences, state media reported. According to a military statement by the Syrian air defences, the missiles targeted sites in countryside around Damascus and destroyed some of them, state media SANA said. Two soldiers were injured and some material losses occurred, the statement added. “The Israeli enemy fired a salvo of surface-to-surface missiles from northern occupied Palestine targeting positions near Damascus,” SANA said, quoting an unnamed military official. “Our anti-aircraft defences were activated and were able to hit some of the enemy missiles.” An Israeli military spokesperson said: “We do not comment on reports in the foreign media.” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Saturday’s raid destroyed arms and ammunition depots belonging to Iranian forces and allied militias in Qudssaya and Dimas. Israel has attacked these positions in the past. On...

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) chief organiser Mir Jan Mohammad Jamali was elected unopposed as the Balochistan Assembly speaker on Saturday as no nomination papers were filed for any other candidate, the provincial assembly's secretary said. The post had fallen vacant earlier this week after the previous speaker Mir Abdul Qudoos Bizenjo stepped down as he was being considered for the office of the province's chief executive. Bizenjo was sworn in as the Balochistan chief minister on Friday. Balochistan Assembly secretary Tahir Shah said Governor Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha had set the time for nominating candidates for the office of the speaker from 8:30am to 12pm. During that time five nomination papers were submitted for Jamali while no other candidate was nominated. Shah said Jamali was elected as the speaker unopposed as per the assembly rules and there will be no voting in the assembly session at 3pm. Instead, the acting speaker will announce the elected speaker's name,...

Minister of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony Pir Noor-ul-Haq Qadri said Saturday a 12-member committee has been formed to play the negotiator's role between the government and the proscribed banned organisation. Speaking to the media after attending a meeting of the state officials and religious scholars belonging to the Barelvi school of thought — with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair — Qadri said that the committee is in talks with the government as well as the leaders of the proscribed organisation. The federal minister said religious leaders from across the country met the prime minister and expressed the resolve to wrap up the matter peacefully. Qadri said the premier told the meeting's participants that the incumbent government has always welcomed meaningful and serious talks. The prime minister also told the ulema that their suggestions, which might save the country from bloodshed, will also be considered, the federal minister said. "The 12-memb...

Federal Minister for Planning and Chairman National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) Asad Umar on Saturday has told he is happy to report that seven crore people have now received at least one dose while four crore are fully vaccinated in Pakistan. In a post on social-networking website Twitter, the minister said, “The yearend target for 2021 was to vaccinate seven crore people.” With two months to go, we will meet and exceed the target, he hoped. We continue to make progress to vaccinate Pakistan. The year end target for 2021 was 7 crore people vaccinated. Happy to report that 7 crore people have now recieved atleast 1 dose and 4 crore are fully vaccinated. With 2 months to go, will inshallah meet, and exceed, the target On the other hand, Pakistan has reported 10 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,272,345. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,439 on Saturday. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://if...

In a bid to comply with the Supreme Court’s (SC) orders within the stipulated timeframe, the Karachi commissioner has constituted an eight-member committee to finalize the companies to raze the 15-storey Nasla Tower. The committee will evaluate and select the tenders submitted by different companies regarding the demolition of the Nasla Tower through controlled blasting. According to a notification issued by the Karachi Commissioner Office on Friday, the Supreme Court of Pakistan issued an order on October 25 regarding the demolition of Nasla Tower measuring 1,121 square yards on plot 193-A at the Sindhi Muslim Cooperative Housing Society (SMCHS) on Shareae Faisal. To comply with the apex court’s order, the statement said the Commissioner Office had already published an advertisement for the expression of interest in leading daily newspapers. The expressions of interest would be assessed and evaluated technically as per the protocol and the committee constituted for the evaluation...

President of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz on Saturday have appeared before Lahore’s accountability court in money laundering and Ramzan Sugar Mills cases. During the proceedings, the court has extended the interim bail of PML-N leaders till November 20. It’s been a year, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has failed to prove corruption of even a single penny against us, said Shehbaz Sharif. Earlier in August 2020, accountability court had indicted Shehbaz Sharif and his son Hamza Shahbaz in Ramzan Sugar Mills reference. During the hearing headed by judge Amjad Nazir Chaudhry, both the accused pleaded not guilty in the reference and their lawyer requested time for case preparation which was rejected by the court. NAB had claimed that a drain was constructed out of public money in Chiniot to facilitate the Ramzan Sugar Mills when Shehbaz Sharif, the co-accused in the case, was Punjab’s chief minister. from latest-news - SUCH T...

Pakistan has reported 10 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,272,345. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,439 on Saturday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 658 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Province-wise Details Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 12,915 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 7,563 in Sindh 5,740 in KP, 939 in Islamabad, 740 in Azad Kashmir, 356 in Balochistan, and 186 in GB. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3jQQEqa

A few border cities in northeastern China started to tighten COVID-19 measures, restricting travel and limiting gatherings in public spaces, and some declared a "pre-war" mode of vigilance and monitoring, as China combats an outbreak hitting mainly the north. China reported 23 locally transmitted symptomatic cases for Wednesday, official data showed on Thursday, down from 50 a day earlier, bringing the total number to 270 since Oct. 17, when the current outbreak began. Although the tally is tiny versus many clusters outside China, the spread to over a dozen provincial areas and a zero-tolerance policy have forced local officials to toughen restrictions, again squeezing the service sector including tourism and catering companies in a slowing economy. In northeastern Heilongjiang province, which shares a border with Russia, Heihe city detected one local confirmed case, plus three asymptomatic cases, which China counts separately from patients with confirmed symptoms, for O...

Lawyers for Julian Assange on Thursday dismissed US assurances about the treatment awaiting the WikiLeaks founder if he is extradited from Britain, as two days of hearings wrapped up in London. Britain’s High Court said it would issue a ruling at a later date, after Washington appealed against a lower court’s decision to block Assange’s extradition to face a series of US charges related to the mass leak of classified documents. “You’ve given us much to think about and we will take our time to make our decision,” said Ian Burnett, one of the two judges hearing the US appeal in the central London court. Assange’s lawyers argued that he remains a suicide risk if extradited to the US, despite new assurances that he would not be held in punishing isolation at a “supermax” federal prison. Mark Summers, representing Assange, argued there were “genuine questions” over the “trustworthiness” of the US pledges. He said US intelligence agencies had an “obsession” with Assange. Recent report...

Facebook recently announced that it has changed its company name to Meta and the internet can't stop with the jokes. The social networking site will continue to be called Facebook but the new name reflects, according to CEO Mark Zuckerbeg, their work investing in the metaverse. The metaverse is a term coined in the dystopian novel Snow Crash three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley, according to Reuters. It refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual realm which can be accessed by people using different devices. “Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can't possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future,” said Zuckerberg. But his announcement was met by many jokes and expressions of incredulity. Facebook trying to venture out into an all encompassing online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often with the help of virtual reality headsets? That's...

At least four people were killed and six others suffered injuries in an explosion in Karachi's North Nazimabad locality on Friday night, according to police and rescue officials. DIG West Zone Nasir Aftab said that the incident occurred at a petrol pump near Abdullah College. The senior officer said that the explosion occurred at the feul station's electric room, and confirmed the number of deaths and injuries. He said that the incident appeared to be an accident and ruled out the possibility of sabotage. Meanwhile, police called the bomb disposal squad to ascertain the exact nature of the blast. A spokespersonfor Edhi, which shifted the dead and the injured to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital, said that all the deceased were men. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3BsCxgs

The National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday commended the police for their professionalism and restraint despite being targeted directly by protestors belonging to the banned organisation, while Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry issued a stark warning to miscreants to return home. Punjab Police have suffered multiple casualties — including four martyrs and over four hundred injured — and on Friday the government issued a stark warning that it has had enough. "The state’s restraint should not be seen as a sign of weakness," a press release issued by the NSC read. "I am telling the protestors to return home. I am telling their families: call your people home. The state will not stop at anything to assert itself," Chaudhry warned in a press talk shortly after. Chaudhry warned that "No mob can stand up to the state," as he warned that the government would be taking all possible measures to quell any further mischief. "The civilian and militar...

The Meta-owned messaging application WhatsApp has announced its plans to roll out a new update for the app, using Novi, a digital wallet created by Facebook, WABetainfo reported Friday. With the expected feature, Novi Payments, WhatsApp users may have a new secure way to exchange money with friends and family instantly. The digital wallet requires no fees for instant money transfers and given that the privacy of users and their information is prioritised by Novi, the inclusion of the feature is “totally compatible with the principles of WhatsApp”. However, the WhatsApp users cannot use the service currently because it is not available for the public yet as Whatsapp is testing how to integrate Novi into the app. The tests are between the developers so the time of the arrival of this update for the public is not certain. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3bp7xn2

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo Friday took oath as the new Balochistan chief minister after he was elected to the office unopposed. Governor Balochistan Zahoor Ahmed Agha administered the oath to the newly-elected chief minister at the Governor House, Quetta, after he received 39 votes in the Balochistan Assembly. After Jam Kamal Khan Alyani had resigned as the CM last week following political turmoil in the province, the BAP leadership had nominated Bizenjo for the top slot. Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of Pakistan Qasim Suri, Governor Punjab Chaudhry Mohammad Sarwar, and members of the provincial and national assemblies were also present during the ceremony. Bizenjo had gained the support of PTI Parliamentary Leader Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, who announced that he was pulling out of the race and backing Bizenjo for the CM's slot. PTI's parliamentary party in the province had named Rind for the position of the chief minister. Be...

Facebook recently announced that it has changed its company name to Meta and the internet can't stop with the jokes. The social networking site will continue to be called Facebook but the new name reflects, according to CEO Mark Zuckerbeg, their work investing in the metaverse. The metaverse is a term coined in the dystopian novel Snow Crash three decades ago and now attracting buzz in Silicon Valley, according to Reuters. It refers broadly to the idea of a shared virtual realm which can be accessed by people using different devices. “Right now, our brand is so tightly linked to one product that it can't possibly represent everything that we're doing today, let alone in the future,” said Zuckerberg. But his announcement was met by many jokes and expressions of incredulity. Facebook trying to venture out into an all encompassing online world where people can game, work and communicate in a virtual environment, often with the help of virtual reality headsets? That's...

Only a few hours remain when the first ball of the Pakistan-Afghanistan clash will be bowled, and fans can't wait to see how Babar Azam tackles spin wizard Rashid Khan. It will be an interesting battle, considering both players are young, extremely good at what they do, and will most likely give fans a chance to witness a contest between them. Babar Azam and Rashid Khan are both also in good form, with the former scoring an impressive half-century in the first match against India while the latter picked up four important wickets against Scotland. The Pakistani skipper is ranked at number 2 in the ICC T20 rankings while Rashid Khan is ranked at the number 3 spot in the bowlers' rankings. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3bkiKWf

Bangladesh  won the toss and elected to bowl against West Indies, with both teams looking for a first win in a make-or-break T20 World Cup clash on Friday. Former West Indies captain Jason Holder returns to the team after being included in the main squad as a replacement for the injured Obed McCoy who was ruled out of the tournament. Skipper Kieron Pollard confirmed big-hitting Chris Gayle will open the innings for the two-time champions who have lost both their matches in the competition. "We don't have anyone else to blame, but ourselves," said Pollard on the losses. "The clarity has been there but the team hasn´t batted well. This is the perfect opportunity to put it right. "Gayle will be opening. The 'Universe Boss' has over 13,000 runs opening the batting. It's not just about one individual — the team has to come good." Roston Chase makes his T20 debut as he replaces Lendl Simmons in the XI while Holder comes in for Hayden Walsh. B...

Minister for Information and Broadcasting Chaudhry Fawad Hussain said on Friday that during an important operation last night 32 activists of a banned outfit had been arrested. In a post on social-networking website, the minister said these people were spreading hatred through fake social media accounts. Fawad Chaudhry said that big action against those spreading fake news and propaganda has been launched and more arrests would be made soon. Earlier, the minister said that talks cannot take place with the banned outfit until it hands over the culprits who martyred the policemen. He said in a statement on Twitter said that he had made it clear that no talks could take place unless the people of the banned outfit clear the roads and hand over the culprits to the institutions who martyred the policemen. Fawad Ch said that patriotic people should disassociate themselves from this protest, return to their homes and not become part of terrorism against the state. from latest-news ...

Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) leader Mir Abdul Quddus Bizenjo will take oath as the new chief minister of Balochistan in a swearing-in ceremony at Governor House, Quetta at 4pm today. Governor Syed Zahoor Agha will administer the oath to Bizenjo, who has been elected unopposed as the Balochistan CM. The development took place a day after Bizenjo gained the support of PTI Parliamentary Leader Sardar Yar Mohammad Rind, who announced that he was pulling out of the race and backing Bizenjo for the CM's slot. Besides Rind, no other candidate in the provincial assembly had filed nomination papers to contest against Bizenjo. "We will go ahead in consultation with all and take benefit from the experiences of whoever remained the chief minister," Bizenjo said. Designated CM Bizenjo said in a statement that he wanted to work with other leaders of the province. He said that he had even tried to contact former CM Jam Kamal. Bizenjo said he would announce the future policy of hi...

Prime Minister Imran Khan will preside over the meeting of the National Security Committee (NSC) today (Friday) in the wake of ongoing protests of the banned outfit in the country. Federal Minister for Information Fawad Chaudhry in a statement on Twitter said that Prime Minister Imran Khan has convened a meeting of the National Security Committee on Friday in view of the situation arising out of the illegal activities of the banned outfit. The meeting will be attended by Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Muhammad Amjad Khan Niazi and Chief of Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmad Babar Sidhu, Director General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), Director General Intelligence Bureau (IB) and some key ministers. According to sources, some important decisions are expected during the meeting. Federal Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid and Federal Minister Noorul Haq will brief the National Security Committee on the current situation and th...

In a clear message of the state’s patience running out amid the protests by proscribed Tehreek-i-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP), National Security Adviser (NSA) Moeed Yusuf on Thursday said that the outfit has crossed a red line. The NSA cautioned the TLP to be mindful of the fact that there will be “no armed militias of any sort in our country”. The statement from the top security adviser came as the protesters created chaos in Punjab's cities, with the government holding talks with their imprisoned leader Saad Hussain Rizvi. Yusuf took to Twitter to condemn and warn the TLP protestors for orchestrating extreme violence against the policemen during their protest march. He clarified that for all the individuals and groups who think they could challenge the writ of the Pakistani state, “do not test the proposition”. “As the basic principle of national security, the state will never shy away from protecting each and every citizen from any form of violence,” he underscored. The NSA sai...

Pakistan has reported 17 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 1,271,686. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 28,431 on Friday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC), 659 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Province-wise Details 469,122 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Sindh, 439,845 in Punjab 177,807 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 106,835 in Islamabad, 34,461 in Azad Kashmir, 33,228 in Balochistan and 10,389 in Gilgit-Baltistan.| Pakistan has so far conducted 20,705,288 coronavirus tests and 45,093 in the last 24 hours. 1,220,105 patients have recovered in the country whereas 1,395 patients are in critical condition. So far, 70,139,040 people have received their first dose of coronavirus vaccine including 415,562 in last 24 hours. 40,016,932 citizens have been fully vaccinated while 373,474 received their second dose in last 24 hours....

Pfizer Inc and BioNTech SE said on Thursday they expect to deliver 50 million more doses of their COVID-19 vaccine to the US government by April-end, as the country prepares to vaccinate children. The move comes after a panel of outside advisers to the US Food and Drug Administration voted on Tuesday to recommend its authorisation for the vaccine in children aged 5 to 11. The agency's decision on the vaccine for the age group is awaited. If authorised and subsequently recommended by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) advisory panel, the companies said they expect to then begin shipping the vaccine immediately, in 10 microgram pediatric doses, as directed by the US government. The US government has so far secured 600 million doses of the vaccine for use within the country and additional one billion doses for donation to low- and lower-middle-income countries. The drugmakers said they expect initial clinical trial data on the vaccine's use in chil...

Officials from Turkmenistan will visit Kabul this week to discuss continuing work on the TAPI pipeline linking the energy-rich Central Asian country through Afghanistan to Pakistan and India, the Taliban government said on Wednesday. The pipeline is expected to carry 33 billion cubic meters (bcm) of natural gas each year along a route stretching 1,800 km (1,125 miles) from Galkynysh, the world’s second-biggest gas field, to the Indian city of Fazilka near the Pakistan border. “We have been working hard for some time and we are ready to take pride in starting work on the TAPI project,” Mohammad Issa Akhund, the acting minister of mines and petroleum in the new Taliban government, said in a statement. The Afghan stretch of the pipeline will run from the northwestern border with Turkmenistan, south through the western city of Herat to Kandahar near the border with Pakistan. Akhund met the ambassador of Turkmenistan ahead of a two-day visit by a delegation from the country that will ...

Abdul Quddus Bizenjo will certainly be elected as the new chief minister of Balochistan as no other candidate has submitted nomination papers for the post. The chief minister's seat was vacated after former Balochistan chief minister Jam Kamal Khan stepped down from the post on Sunday. Following his announcement, disgruntled members of the Balochistan Awami Party (BAP) and the Opposition, who had gathered at Bizenjo's residence, celebrated their triumph by flashing victory signs. Following CM Khan's resignation, Bizenjo had also resigned from the post of Balochistan Assembly speaker. While Bizenjo is likely to be elected unopposed, he will have to prove he has the support of the majority in the assembly, which amounts to 33 MPAs. The new chief minister is to be elected tomorrow (Friday) during a session of the provincial assembly. Before the deadline ended on Thursday evening, five papers nominating Bizenjo for the post of chief minister of Balochistan, were submitt...

Pakistan's interim head coach Saqlain Mushtaq declared that his team has "the mindset of champions" as they play Afghanistan in the T20 World Cup in Dubai on Friday. Addressing a press conference in Dubai, Mushtaq said his team needs to be wary of a dangerous Afghanistan. "We know Afghanistan is a very good team but our plans are well-placed and we need to execute those plans as we have done in the first two games," he added. The interim coach further said that T20 is a game in which one should expect highs and lows. He said it is not easy to score big on pitches, one has to be technically strong while playing on such fields. "Our players are well aware of these conditions, "Mushtaq said, adding that we have to make each and every match important, "we have to play with the same mindset." The 2009 champions thumped arch-rivals India by 10 wickets in their opening match followed by a nervy five-wicket win over New Zealand, making them w...

The state-backed Russian hacking group that carried out last year’s massive SolarWinds cyberattacks is behind a new and ongoing assault against US and European targets, Microsoft said on Monday. The software giant’s Threat Intelligence Centre (MSTIC) said in a blog post that the Nobelium group was attempting to gain access to customers of cloud computing services and other IT service providers to infiltrate “the governments, think tanks, and other companies they serve”. Describing the cyberattack as “nation-state activity”, MSTIC said it “shares the hallmarks” of the assault on SolarWinds, a Texas-based software company targeted as its 300,000-strong customer base gave the hackers access to a huge number of companies. “It appears the widespread SolarWinds Russia-linked hackers from last year’s attack are again on the hunt for sensitive data and stepping up supply chain attacks across the board,” Wedbush analyst Dan Ives said in a note to investors. Washington imposed sanctions in...