Author: Raabia Zimri

To understand why the West has failed to convince the Global South to take its side on the Russia-Ukraine war, look no further than Pakistan. In recent days, as part of an attempt to gain the Pakistani public’s support for Ukraine, Britain’s new high commissioner in Islamabad has made a series of rather obtuse remarks on the war. On Thursday, the British envoy, Jane Marriott, co-authored an op-ed with her Ukrainian counterpart in a Pakistani English-language news outlet in which they called on Pakistan “to continue to support” Ukraine. Curiously, they neglected to mention how exactly Pakistan has been supporting Ukraine. That support has not been at the diplomatic…

Pakistan’s tourist destinations were highlighted Thursday at an event organized by the Association of Turkish Travel Agencies (TURSAB) in Istanbul. The event was attended virtually by the chairman of the Pakistan Tourism Development Corporation (PTDC) and the heads of the provincial tourism departments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. Video presentations to introduce Pakistan’s natural, historical and cultural sites were delivered during the event. Pakistani Ambassador Yousaf Junaid emphasized the importance of experience sharing and enhanced collaboration between Pakistan and Türkiye in the realm of tourism. He highlighted that a stronger economic partnership…

The Union government will import tomatoes from neighbouring countries, such as Nepal, to meet demand and reduce prices of the household staple. Speaking at the Lok Sabha on Thursday, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman said the government was undertaking steps to curb the inflationary effect on essential commodities. “India has initiated tomato imports from Nepal by removing import restrictions,” she told the house during her address, as part of the debate on the no-confidence motion. The first lot of imports is expected to reach Varanasi, Lucknow and Kanpur by Friday, she said. The National Cooperative Consumers’ Federation is expected to host…

A day after Pakistan’s National Assembly and the federal government were dissolved, the country’s Ministry of Finance stated that five significant and ongoing economic issues are contributing to increased poverty and social vulnerabilities. In its first quarterly performance report to the Asian Development Bank (ADB) on USD 1.5 billion, Building Resilience with Active Country-cyclical Expenditures (BRACE) released on Thursday, the Pakistan’s Finance Ministry said the financial progress remained satisfactory on Countrycyclical Development Expenditure Programme (CDEP) in the quarter ending December 31, 2022 as 41.5 per cent of the budget for the fiscal was utilised. It said the current expenditures increased…

Pakistan on Monday “strongly condemned” repeated acts of the desecration of the Holy Qur’an, vowing to redouble efforts to counter Islamophobia. In a latest incident, Iraq condemned the burning of a copy of the Qur’an in front of its embassy in Denmark on Monday and said Danish staff at the embassy in Baghdad had left the country after protests there, while Copenhagen said it had “not withdrawn from Iraq.” Pakistani foreign minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari spoke with Hissein Brahim Taha, the current Secretary General of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, on Monday and condemned the latest act of desecration. “We strongly…

Paris, Washington (13/7 – 50) Kenes Rakishev (Keñes Hamitūly Raqyşev) aka Kenges Rakishev is an entrepreneur, philanthropist, former special envoy for Kazakhstan, head of the Kazakh boxing federation, a family man, and most importantly, a man of success. Under Kenges Rakishev’s leadership, the Kazakh female and male boxing squad leaped considerable forward and secured the top ranking in the recent boxing championship putting Kazakhstan boxing squarely in the top ranking in the world. A total of 21 medals were won by the Kazakhstan’s boxers – a tally of six gold, seven silver and eight bronze – and all were honoured…

Teams from India, Oman, and Nepal will arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday (July 10) to take part in the fifth edition of the Men’s Emerging Teams Asia Cup 2023, which will commence on July 13 and all matches will be played in Colombo. Team Oman will be the first to arrive in Sri Lanka on Monday in the early hours, while India will arrive in Colombo at noon and Nepal in the evening. The Pakistan Emerging Team, the defending champion in the tournament, will arrive on July 11 and Team UAE will arrive on July 12. Bangladesh and Afghanistan…

ISLAMABAD – The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) has approved an offer made by New York City Government to utilize the Roosevelt Hotel, owned by the Pakistan International Airlines, for a period of three years on rent. Finance Minister Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of the ECC when Ministry of Aviation submitted a summary on Challenges and re-opening of Roosevelt Hotel, New York and informed that “PIA investment Limited (PIA-IL) management has got an opportunity offered by New York City Government to utilize the Hotel ( 1,025 rooms) over a period of three years for migrant business @ US$ 200 per…

WASHINGTON: Pakistan’s political crisis echoed in the US House of Representatives on Friday night when a senior member of the Foreign Affairs Committee highlighted the need for the United States to side with democracy and not with the leaders more pliable to Washington. On Saturday, Congressman Brad Sherman, a record 13th-time member of the House from California and an influential member of the ruling Democratic Party, also put his speech on his official Twitter site. “I would like to address recent events in Pakistan,” he told the House Speaker, raising the current political dispute, apparently for the first time, inside…

So much so, LIV Golf have reportedly changed the deal for crewmembers working in production of their broadcasts.    To the surprise of nobody, LIV’s backers, the Public Investment Fund of Saudi Arabia, paid for every expense in their inaugural season. Yasir Al-Rumayyan, the governor of the wealth fund, supplied a private jet to ferry players all over the world.  Even the caddies were treated like royalty, put up in plush hotels. It sure was good for some. That apparently extended to the crewmembers. In 2022, they worked under a union, which contributed to the healthcare and retirement benefits of workers. That has now apparently changed. …