Daily News Pakistan

Eidul Azha is being celebrated today (Saturday) across the country with religious fervor to commemorate the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismael (AS). The day dawned with special prayers in mosques for well-being of the Ummah and progress, prosperity and security of the country. Eid congregations are being held at mosques, Eidgahs and open places in all cities, towns and villages across the country. In the federal capital, the main Eid congregation will be held at the Faisal Mosque. Ulema would deliver Khutbah highlighting significance of the day and philosophy of great sacrifice. After offering Eid prayers, the faithful will sacrifice animals to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS). The federal and provincial governments have chalked out elaborate security plans. The government has advised the faithful to follow the standard operating procedures (SOPs) for containing the COVID-19 while perform the ritual of sacrificing animals. While offering Eid prayers, th

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British Airways on Thursday announced to resume flight operations for Pakistan. Direct flights will be operated between Islamabad and Heathrow Airport London three times a week, with first British Airways flight landing in the country on August 14 amid extra precautionary measures for the safety of its crew and passenger. Wearing masks during the flights will be mandatory for the passengers traveling to and fro from Islamabad International Airport. The United Kingdom (UK) government website shared details of the flight operations saying that from London Heathrow the flights will be on Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, departing at 20:30 and arriving in Islamabad at 04:20. From Islamabad, flights will be on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, departing at 06:15 and arriving in London at 15:00. The British High Commissioner Dr. Christian Turner CMG, said this was an important moment for UK-Pakistan links. “The resumption of British Airways direct flights is a big boost for the hundreds o

ederal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz on Friday said that the government will take measures for an integrated border system with Afghanistan to avoid any such incidents in the future. Addressing a press conference in Islamabad, Shibli Faraz said that Pakistan has strong relations with Afghanistan and both countries will normalize the situation at the borders. Responding to a question, Shibli Faraz said that Afghan troops resorted to unprovoked firing on civilians gathered at Pakistan’s side of Chaman border. He said that the incident occurred when some people attempted to cross the border forcefully. Faraz maintained that some element involved in smuggling, provoked them to cross the border for their vested interest. Earlier in the day, the spokesperson of the Foreign Office (FO) had clarified that Pakistani troops had responded to protect the local population and acted only in self-defence when Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire on innocent civilians ga

Sindh government on Friday announced to extend Eidul Azha holidays till 3rd of August. According to a notification issued by the Sindh government, there will be public holidays in the province from 31st of July to August 3 on account of Eidul Azha. All the government offices and educational institutes will remain closed on the aforesaid dates, read the notification. The provincial government extended the holidays for one day. The provincial government offices will remain open on Tuesday as per normal routine. Earlier on July 29, Sindh government had announced three public holidays in the province on the occasion of Eid ul Azha. According to a notification issued by the provincial government, all offices coming under the domain of the provincial government would remain shut for three days from Friday to Sunday, 31 July to 02 August.

The spokesperson of the Foreign Office (FO) has clarified that Pakistani troops had responded to protect the local population and acted only in self-defence when Afghan forces opened unprovoked fire on innocent civilians gathered at the Chaman’s Friendship Gate on July 30. The FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said in a media statement that Afghan forces had opened unprovoked fire on innocent civilians gathered towards Pakistan’s side of the international border at the Friendship Gate Chaman on July 30. She added that Pakistan troops deployed on the posts were also simultaneously engaged by Afghan posts. ‘Pakistan troops responded to protect our local population and acted only in self-defence. It is reiterated that Pakistan Force did not open fire first and responded in self-defence only.’ To de-escalate the situation, the Pakistan side immediately activated both military and diplomatic channels and it was after hectic efforts that the firing was stopped from the Afghan side. It mu

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Aaj kay Akhbar | 31 July 2020 | Part 1 Aaj kay Akhbar | 31 July 2020 | Part 2

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Friday constituted an 11-member inquiry team to investigate sugar mills based on the findings of the Sugar Inquiry Commission report, days after the government gave the go-ahead to the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and FIA to launch an investigation. The 11-member team, which will be headed by Director FIA Islamabad Zone Dr Moeen Masood and comprising Customs, FBR and State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) representatives, will investigate how sugar was being exported to Afghanistan. The government on July 23 had directed the departments to launch an investigation. The federal government had further ordered that a report on the investigation should be submitted within 90 days. Sugar Inquiry Commission report The report mentioned in depth how the amount of sugar exported to Afghanistan is routinely inflated to show as if 75 tonnes of the commodity were being exported per truck. However, this i

The number of confirmed Corona cases in Pakistan rose to 278,305 on Friday after new infections were confirmed in the country. Total: 278,305 • Sindh: 120,550 • Punjab: 92,873 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 33,958 • Balochistan: 11,732 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 15,014 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 2,105 • AJK: 2,073 Deaths: 5,951 • Punjab: 2,140 • Sindh: 2,209 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,194 • Balochistan: 136 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 165 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 53 • AJK: 54 RECOVERED: 247,177

Jinnah International Airport authorities here have launched an operation to restrict bird activity at the airport. Concerned staff has initiated a drive on the directives of the airport’s chief operating officer to limit the bird movement in the area, an official said. The bird shooters have hunted more than 25 birds on the runway, the airport manager said. Garbage dumps in the areas adjacent to the airport attracts increasing movement of birds in the vicinity of the airport. Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) has launched a public awareness campaign on Eid ul Azha to avoid piling of garbage. Carcasses and remains of sacrificial animals dumped near airports attract a large number of birds, making them a potential hazard to air-traffic, airport manager said. The official advised the people to pack the animal offal and leftovers in garbage bags and dispose off them at the designated places. The bird shooters are routinely deployed by the CAA to target the birds that may ca

Pakistan to observe ‘Youm-e-Istehsal-e-Kashmir’ (Day of Exploitation in occupied Kashmir) on August 5, to mark one year of Indian government’s move of scrapping special status of the valley. This was announced by Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi while addressing a press conference in Islamabad. Last year, Modi government launched demographic apartheid in Illegally Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and divided the region into three parts. FM Qureshi said Indian government tried to divide the Kashmiri people through this illegal act. The foreign minister said that Kashmiri people are facing immense difficulties, pain and persecution under the continued military siege for the last one year. FM Qureshi reiterated government’s resolve that entire Pakistani nations stands by with their Kashmiri brethren in their just struggle for right to self-determination. Shah Mehmood Qureshi said the Prime Minister Imran Khan in his speech at UN General Assembly awakened the world and gave a

Eid Ul Azha | Such Savera Par 01 Eid Ul Azha | Such Savera Par 02 Eid Ul Azha | Such Savera Par 03 Eid Ul Azha | Such Savera Par 04

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Thursday that Washington was expanding the scope of Iran metals sanctions to target Iran's nuclear, military or ballistic missile programmes. Pompeo called the move a "major expansion" of Iran metals-related sanctions administered by the State Department, allowing Washington to blacklist those who knowingly transfer 22 specific materials to Iran that are allegedly used in connection with military programmes. "Iran's nuclear, ballistic missile, and military programs pose a grave threat to international peace and security," Pompeo said in his statement. Pompeo also repeated allegations that Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) control Iran's construction sector. As a result, sanctions may still be imposed on those who knowingly transfer certain materials, including graphite or raw or semi-finished metals, to or from Iran to be used in connection with the construction sector, Pompeo said. The U

Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) in its weather outlook for Eid-ul-Azha holidays, from Friday to Sunday, predicted rain/wind-thundershowers with isolated heavy falls at several places in the country. The met office has forecast rainfall in Hazara, Malakand, Peshawar, Mardan, Kohat, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Barkhan, Khuzdar, Zhob, Musa Khel, Kashmir and Islamabad from evening or night to morning hours in eid days, while humid and partly cloudy weather conditions during the day. Light rain is also expected along Sindh-Makran Coast on Friday and Saturday, according to the weather report. Hot and humid weather expected in other parts of the country. The weather in Karachi will remain partly cloudy on Friday (today) with maximum temperature between 35 to 37 degree Celsius. Southwestern winds are blowing with 12 kilometers per hour speed, the met office report said. Mainly hot and humid weather is expected in most parts of the country on Sunday, the

In view of recent terrorism acts and imminent threat Pakistan Rangers and Sindh Police conducted search operations in three jails in the province. According to a spokesperson of Rangers, different wings of the paramilitary force participated in search operations in Central Jail Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur. The law enforcement agencies personnel thoroughly searched the barracks and cells in prisons along with the bomb disposal squad and sniffing dogs, Rangers spokesperson said. Several prohibited items including television sets, knives, scissors, USBs, memory cards, MP5s, lighters, nail cutters and heaters recovered in search operation, according to the spokesperson. The law enforcement officials also checked entry and exit points and other security arrangements in jails, spokesperson said.

Balochistan government has extended the timing of businesses till midnight tonight in the wake of Eidul Adha, which will be celebrated tomorrow (Saturday). The provincial government has allowed continuing businesses at markets and shopping malls till 12:00 midnight, an amended notification was also released in this regard. The move has been taken after decease in coronavirus cases and Eidul Adha. However, tandoor, dairy shops, medical stores and blood banks will remain open round the clock. Earlier on Tuesday, Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani had said that the number of new Covid-19 cases in Balochistan were going down and routine life will return to normalcy soon. He had said that from overall 22 active cases of the novel coronavirus in the province, nine patients were in critical condition. He warned of stern action against the people who would violate the standard operating procedures (SOPs). He had earlier said that new coronavirus cases have dropped by 5

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro said on Thursday he was taking antibiotics for an infection that left him feeling weak, chuckling in an online video about “mold” in his lungs, having spent weeks in isolation after catching the novel coronavirus. “I just did a blood test. I was feeling kind of weak yesterday. They found a bit of infection also. Now I’m on antibiotics,” Bolsonaro said in a livestream video, without elaborating on the infection. “After 20 days indoors, I have other problems. I have mold in my lungs,” he said, referring to nearly three weeks he spent at the official presidential residence. He tested positive for the coronavirus on July 7 and then negative last Saturday. His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, tested positive on Thursday, according to a statement from the presidential palace. Science and Technology Minister Marcos Pontes also said he had tested positive for the virus, making him the fifth cabinet minister diagnosed publicly. Bolsonaro said he would go ahead

U.S. President Donald Trump hopes to address the U.N. General Assembly in person in September, his U.N. envoy said on Thursday, while all other world leaders will send videos instead of traveling to New York amid the coronavirus pandemic. The annual high-level gathering had been shaping up to be a weeklong celebration of the 75th anniversary of the world body, but U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres suggested in May that leaders send video statements due to likely travel issues. The 193-member General Assembly agreed last week to the special measures, which allow one - possibly two - New York-based representatives for each country to be in the General Assembly hall for the speeches. “We’re hoping that President Trump will actually be speaking in person in the General Assembly. He will be the only world leader to be speaking in person,” U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Kelly Craft told the Meridian International diplomacy think tank. “Obviously we’re going to be focused on human ri

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Such Savera | 30 July 2020 | Part 01 Such Savera | 30 July 2020 | Part 02 Such Savera | 30 July 2020 | Part 03 Such Savera | 30 July 2020 | Part 04 Such Savera | 30 July 2020 | Part 05

In the run-up to the festival of Eid al-Adha, Karachi car-wash owner Sheikh Sagheer sees much of the traffic at his business switch from four wheels to four legs. Locals bring him their cattle, sheep and goats for a thorough scrub down ahead of the animals´ sacrifice during the three-day religious holiday, which begins Friday in Pakistan. Sagheer, 42, said the cow wash started when he was spotted cleaning his sacrificial animal ahead of Eid after opening his business a few years ago. "The people who saw me washing the animal came to me with their own... that´s how this trend started," Sagheer told AFP. Many of the animals come from a huge market on the outskirts of Karachi reputed to be the largest Eid cattle bazaar in Asia that is packed with goats, cows, bullocks, sheep and camels. The creatures are often dirty, dusty and speckled with dung after being transported then packed together at the market. Sagheer charges just 100 rupees for a wash which includes a soak wi

The number of confirmed Corona cases in Pakistan rose to 277,402 on Thursday after new infections were confirmed in the country. Total: 277,402 • Sindh: 120,052 • Punjab: 92,655 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 33,845 • Balochistan: 11,708 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 14,987 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 2,090 • AJK: 2,065 Deaths:5,924 • Punjab: 2,138 • Sindh: 2,189 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,192 • Balochistan: 136 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 165 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 53 • AJK: 51 RECOVERED: 246,131

The Supreme Court has set August 4 as the date to hear the case pertaining to the 2014 attack on Army Public School in Peshawar. The Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed will head the two-member bench. A notice has been sent to the attorney general. The judicial commission formed to investigate the 2014 attack on Peshawar’s Army Public School had already submitted its report in the Supreme Court. The commission recorded the statements of 101 witnesses and 31 police and other officials of law enforcement agencies for its 3,000-page report. It may be noted that the then chief justice of the Supreme Court Saqib Nisar had ordered judicial inquiry of the carnage in 2018. On Dec 16, 2014 six terrorists stormed the school and martyred around 150 students and teachers. After this tragic incident, the government chalked out the National Action Plan to eliminate terrorism from the country.

The Senate on Thursday passed the Anti-Terrorism Act (Amendment) Bill, 2020, which is required to fulfil certain requirements of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to get the country off the grey list. Earlier, the bill had been passed by the Senate Standing Committee on Law and Justice. During the meeting chaired by Senator Javed Abbasi, the committee was told by government representatives that all the amendments in the bill were FATF’s demands. To which the committee asked the government representatives to turn in a copy of the global watchdog's demands. Briefing the committee members on the UN Security Bill, the Special Secretary said that the Asia Pacific and the FATF were monitoring the situation and understood that some changes were needed in domestic law. The National Assembly on Wednesday passed the Anti-terrorism (Amendment) Bill 2020 to get the country off the grey list. Statement of Objects and Reasons of the anti-terrorism bill: The Anti-Terrorism Act (ATA)

Tim Cook of Apple, Jeff Bezos of Amazon, Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook and Sundar Pichai of Google were grilled for more than five hours by US lawmakers over concerns of Big Tech dominance. The executives faced an onslaught of criticism at a high-stakes antitrust hearing which could lay the groundwork for tougher regulation of the major internet platforms. While the hearing was called to focus on whether the companies abuse their dominant positions in the market, it veered quickly into topics including political bias, privacy, dealings with China and how platforms deal with misinformation. "Simply put, they have too much power," said Representative David Cicilline, a Democrat from Rhode Island who chairs the panel conducting a year-long investigation into the business practices of the four companies. Cicilline said the hearing made clear that the firms "have monopoly power some need to be broken up, all need to be properly regulated and held accountable." Congr

Aaj Kay Akhbar Part 01 Aaj Kay Akhbar Part 02

Petrol prices in the country are expected to increase again next month after the Petroleum Ministry recommended another increase in prices by up to Rs9.5/litre for August. In a summary sent to the Finance Ministry, the Petroleum Ministry has proposed an increase of Rs7/litre in petrol price, Rs9.5 in diesel price, Rs6.21 in light diesel oil (LDO) prices and Rs6 increase in kerosene price. If the government accepts this suggested increase in price, the price of petrol will go up from the current Rs100.1 to Rs107.1/litre, price of diesel will increase from Rs101.46 to Rs110.96/litre, LDO price will go up from the current Rs55.98 to Rs62.19/litre and kerosene oil price will increase to Rs62.06 from its current Rs59.06/litre price. Last month, the government had jacked up petroleum products’ prices by 66% with petrol prices increasing by Rs25.58/litre, diesel Rs21.31/litre and kerosene by Rs23.50/litre and LDO by Rs17.84/litre. The government is currently charging Rs30 per litre petr

Sajada Nasheen of Golra Sharif Dargah, Pir Shah Abdul Haq Gilani on Thursday passed away at the age of 94 years. The funeral prayers of Pir Shah Abdul Haq Gilani will be offered after Asar prayers at the Dargah Golra Sharif today. Pir Abdul Haq Gilani was son of Pir Syed Ghulam Muhiuddin and grandson of Pir Mehr Ali Shah Gilani. Family has extended its heartiest condolence with the Gilani family over this loss. The township of Golra is situated at the foot of the Margalla Hills at a distance of about 11 miles form Rawalpindi city and in the centre of sector E-11 Islamabad, Federal Capital of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. Shah decided to settle here, Golra was the headquarters of the Sikh sub divisional officer. Earlier, this area had been ruled by the Afghans, but on the death of Ahmad Shah Abdali towards the end of the 18th century, Ranjit Singh, the Afghan-appointed governor of the Punjab Province, declared his independence, and annexed the Golra area also into his domain.

TikTok pushed back at what it called “maligning attacks” by Facebook as the fast-growing video-sharing app claimed it helps competition in the US market. The comments by TikTok came hours ahead of a hotly anticipated antitrust hearing with the top executives of Facebook and three other Big Tech firms, and amid suggestions the app may be banned due to its connections to China. TiKTok welcomes “fair competition” chief executive Kevin Mayer said in a blog post, while adding that “without TikTok, American advertisers would again be left with few choices.” He added: “Let’s focus our energies on fair and open competition in service of our consumers, rather than maligning attacks by our competitor namely Facebook disguised as patriotism and designed to put an end to our very presence in the US.” The comments appeared to respond to claims by Facebook CEO last year that TikTok had censored information about protests in China, the home of TikTok parent firm ByteDance. TikTok, which has gr

Hong Kong police have arrested four people aged 16-21 for suspected offences under the city’s new national security law, the first such detentions outside of street protests since the legislation took effect a month ago. In a press conference shortly before midnight on Wednesday, a police spokesman said the three men and a woman, all students, were suspected of being involved in an online group that pledged to use every means to fight for an independent Hong Kong. “We arrested for ... subversions and for the organising and also the inciting (of) secession,” said Li Kwai-wah, police superintendent at the national security department. “They wanted to unite all the independent groups in Hong Kong for the view to promote the independence of Hong Kong.” China considers Hong Kong to be an “inalienable” part of the country, so calls for independence are anathema to Beijing’s Communist Party leaders. Police said some mobile phones, computers and documents were seized in the operation.

England will once again face a selection dilemma over the make-up of their pace attack after an unchanged 14-man squad was named on Wednesday for next week’s first Test against Pakistan. Joe Root’s side rotated their frontline fast bowlers during the 2-1 series win over the West Indies, which ended on Tuesday, with the competition for places intense. Stuart Broad responded to being left out of the opener with 16 wickets at under 11 in the last two Tests, while Chris Woakes ended the series with five wickets in the West Indies second innings. James Anderson is England’s leading wicket-taker, the raw pace of Jofra Archer and Mark Wood has swung matches in England’s favour in the past while Sam Curran has won every Test he has played in at home. Wood and Curran were the unfortunate seamers to be left out of the decider at Old Trafford but they have been retained in the squad to face Pakistan at the same ground next Wednesday. Top-order batsmen James Bracey and Dan Lawrence, wicketk

Washington has said it was withdrawing 11,900 American soldiers from Germany in a move which President Trump described specifically to punish Germany for “not paying the bills” for the defence of Europe. The Pentagon on Wednesday called the move to withdraw the troops "strategic" repositioning, but Trump said was to punish Berlin for its weak defense spending. US Defense Secretary Mark Esper said that the Pentagon will be sending home about 6,400 of its military personnel in Germany, and move nearly 5,600 to other NATO countries, including Italy and Belgium. Some could also be relocated to Poland and the Baltic countries if Washington can reach agreements with them, he said. The move, which will cost the US government several billion dollars, will cut the presence of US military personnel in Germany to around 24,000. Esper stressed that the action is part of his broader plan to reposition US military forces globally to better address the key threats from Russia and Chi

The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday passed a controversial new law regulating social media to comply with any demands by the government to block or remove content. Under the new law, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter have to ensure they have local representatives in Turkey and to comply with court orders over the removal of certain content or face heavy fines. The legislation targets social networks with more than a million unique visits every day and says servers with Turkish users' data must be stored locally. If companies refuse to comply, they will face fines and restriction of bandwidth making the platform unusable. The bill was submitted by the ruling AKP and its nationalist partner the MHP, which have a majority in the parliament, and passed after debates beginning on Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday. After the night-long debate, the parliament went into summer recess till October.

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The federal government has summoned a joint parliament session on Thursday (tomorrow). Sources closer to the federal government said that the joint parliament session is being summoned on an emergency basis. The forthcoming session will be commenced at 11:00 am tomorrow. The government legislators are being informed through telephone calls to ensure their attendance in the session.

Gold rates chalked up another record peak before pulling lower as the dollar clawed back earlier losses, while equity markets struggled with mounting coronavirus fears, dealers said. With worrying new spikes in infections in Asia and Europe on top of the already-high new US cases  forcing governments to impose strict COVID-19 containment measures, the global economic outlook remains clouded, putting the brakes on a months-long stocks rally. The virus uncertainty, combined with China-US tensions, has sent gold soaring nearly 30% this year and, it struck another record pinnacle at $1,981.27 per ounce in Asian trade. That smashed the previous day's peak but it later pared the advance to sit lower for the day. But observers say $2,000 could be broken as early as this week, with focus on the Federal Reserve's next policy meeting, which is tipped to see it unveil more easing measures to support the world's top economy. US second-quarter economic growth data is also due thi

Moments after Aidrus resigned, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said he has also tendered his resignation from the post today.  The SAPM did not divulge further details regarding his resignation but hoped that the coronavirus pandemic will continue to decline in the country. "Due to ongoing negative discussion about the role of SAPMs & criticism on the gov, I choose to resign. Pakistani people deserve a better health care."  Due to ongoing negative discussion about the role of SAPMs & criticism on the gov, I choose to resign. Pakistani people deserve a better health care. I have worked sincerely to contribute to this cause. ?? will Inshallah emerge out of COVID-19 with a stronger hlth care system. — Zafar Mirza (@zfrmrza) July 29, 2020  

The number of confirmed Corona cases in Pakistan rose to 276,288 on Wednesday after new infections were confirmed in the country. Total: 276,288  • Sindh: 119,398 • Punjab: 92,452 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 33,724 • Balochistan: 11,654 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 14,963 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 2,042 • AJK: 2,055 Deaths:5,892 • Punjab: 2,133 • Sindh: 2,172 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,186 • Balochistan: 136 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 165 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 50 • AJK: 50 RECOVERED: 244,883 Pilgrims begin downsized Hajj amid pandemic As many as 10,000 Muslim pilgrims residing in Saudi Arabia began the five-day annual Hajj pilgrimage on Tuesday amid safety protocols due to the coronavirus pandemic. This year only up to 10,000 people already residing in the kingdom will participate in the ritual, a tiny fraction of the 2.5 million pilgrims from around the world that attended last year.  

The Turkish Parliament on Wednesday passed a controversial new law regulating social media to comply with any demands by the government to block or remove content. Under the new law, social media giants such as Facebook and Twitter have to ensure they have local representatives in Turkey and to comply with court orders over the removal of certain content or face heavy fines. The legislation targets social networks with more than a million unique visits every day and says servers with Turkish users' data must be stored locally. If companies refuse to comply, they will face fines and restriction of bandwidth making the platform unusable. The bill was submitted by the ruling AKP and its nationalist partner the MHP, which have a majority in the parliament, and passed after debates beginning on Tuesday and lasting into Wednesday. After the night-long debate, the parliament went into summer recess till October.

The five-day annual Hajj pilgrimage will begin in Makkah, Saudi Arabia, today as the kingdom strives to contain the spread of the coronavirus in the kingdom. This year's Hajj will see the number of pilgrims drastically reduced — to 10,000 from last year's 2.5 million. The kingdom has put strict safety protocols in place with a mandatory quarantine that began on Tuesday. Read on to discover what the Hajj experience will be like for pilgrims this year: Who will perform Hajj? Saudi authorities initially said only around 1,000 pilgrims residing in the kingdom would be permitted for Hajj but local media reports say as many as 10,000 will be allowed to take part. Some 70% of the pilgrims are foreigners residing in the kingdom, while the rest will be Saudi citizens. The media ministry said non-Saudi residents of the kingdom from around 160 countries competed in the online selection process. It is not known how many applied. Safety protocols  Those selected to take part in

The Sindh government on Wednesday released Rs463 million funds to counter emergency situations after heavy rainfall lashed different parts of Karachi during the recent monsoon spells۔ The funds were released on the orders of Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah. According to details, Rs200 million funds had been released by the provincial government for the Solid Waste Emergency and Efficiency Project (SWEEP) on July 26. The spokesperson said the funds have been utilized for rain emergency purposes and cleaning of Karachi’s stormwater drains. While giving details of funds, CM Murad, in a statement, said that the Sindh government on July 2 had released Rs229 million funds to divisional commissioners. “Out of total Rs229 million funds, Rs30 million were given to Karachi Commissioner for rain emergency measures,” said Murad. “The Sindh government had released Rs four million for District East, Karachi, Sadi Town and Mehran Drain as rains had badly affected these areas last yea

Tania Aidrus has resigned as special assistant to the prime minister. The ex-Google executive in a post on Twitter said she was resigning “in the greater public interest”. “Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan. In the greater public interest, I have submitted my resignation from the SAPM role. I will continue to serve my country and the PM’s vision to my best ability,” Aidrus tweeted.   Criticism levied towards the state as a consequence of my citizenship status is clouding the purpose of Digital Pakistan. In the greater public interest, I have submitted my resignation from the SAPM role. I will continue to serve my country and the PM’s vision to my best ability pic.twitter.com/BWBvBvO6uz — Tania Aidrus (@taidrus) July 29, 2020