Daily News Pakistan

A research team from Australian National University (ANU) found evidence of a new layer within the Earth's inner core. The "innermost inner core" is like an iron-nickel alloy ball which is a "fossilized record" of Earth's ancient history, professor Hrvoje Tkalčić explained. The scientists found the new layer in the core by studying seismic waves that traveled back and forth across the Earth's entire diameter around five times. The team from ANU believes the discovery hints at major events in the Earth's past that had a major impact on the planet, which could possibly explain the formation of the magnetic field. The magnetic field plays an important role in shielding the Earth from harmful radiation and keeping water from drifting into space. The discovery will prove to be a stepping stone and open doorways to studying other fields like the barren planet of Mars.

Moody's Investors Service has downgraded the government of Pakistan's local and foreign currency credit ratings to Caa3 from Caa1 in the wake of the drop in the country's foreign exchange reserves and rise in risk of default on foreign debt repayment. The global rating agency has, however, "changed the outlook to stable from negative," according to a statement on Tuesday. The agency has also downgraded the rating for the senior unsecured MTN programme to (P)Caa3 from (P)Caa1. "The decision to downgrade the ratings is driven by Moody's assessment that Pakistan's increasingly fragile liquidity and external position significantly raises default risks to a level consistent with a Caa3 rating," it said. In particular, the country's foreign exchange reserves have fallen to extremely low levels, far lower than necessary to cover its imports needs and external debt obligations over the immediate and medium term. Although the government is impl...

The Supreme Court of Pakistan Tuesday reserved the verdict in the suo motu notice taken over the election date of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab, with the decision set to be announced tomorrow (Wednesday) at around 11:30am. A five-member bench headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and comprising Justice Munib Akhtar, Justice Muhammad Ali Mazhar, Justice Mansoor Ali Shah, and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail conducted the hearings for two consecutive days — from Monday to Tuesday. "I would like to thank all the lawyers who have assisted us throughout the hearings. I cannot say when will we be back [to announce the verdict]," the CJP said after the parties involved in the case wrapped up their arguments. Although the verdict was expected today, the CJP's secretary informed the open court that the decision will be unveiled tomorrow. The top court had also earlier today asked the political parties — the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and the ruling alliance — to agre...

Elon Musk has approached AI researchers in recent weeks about forming a new research lab to develop an alternative to OpenAI's ChatGPT, internatiional media reported on Monday, citing people with direct knowledge of the effort. Tesla and Twitter chief Musk has been recruiting Igor Babuschkin, a researcher who recently left Alphabet's DeepMind AI unit, the report said. The report comes after ChatGPT, a text-based chatbot developed by OpenAI that can draft prose, poetry or even computer code on command, gained widespread attention in Silicon Valley. Musk, who had co-founded OpenAI along with Silicon Valley investor Sam Altman in 2015 as a nonprofit startup, had left its board in 2018, but chimed in with his take on the chatbot, calling it "scary good". Musk and Babuschkin have discussed assembling a team to pursue AI research but the project is still in the early stages, with no concrete plan to develop specific products, the report said quoting an interview with ...

A local court in Islamabad on Tuesday issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case. Additional sessions judge Zafar Iqbal issued the arrest warrant. The court issued arrest warrant and adjourned the hearing till March 7. Earlier, the former chairman secured interim bail in two different cases — the prohibited funding and terror cases — after he arrived at the judicial complex in Islamabad to attend hearings of the cases. The special judge central Rakhshanda Shaheen announced the reserved verdict on the bail before arrest plea of Khan. The Federal Investigation Agency had registered a case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and 10 others over accusations of receiving foreign funding. The case had been registered by the FIA Corporate Banking Circle. In another case, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan secured interim bail from an anti-terrorism court in Islamabad in a c...

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has secured bail in two separate cases by courts in Islamabad. The banking court approved bail of defiant politician in the prohibited funding case, while the Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) granted him bail in the case related to protests outside the officeof electoral watchdog. Former premier and chairman of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan reached the judicial complex in Islamabad with hoards of supporters. Khan left his Lahore residence in the early hours on Tuesday and reached the capital with huge convoy of party supporters. In recent development, PTI leaders sought an exemption of party chief from an in-person appearance before an Islamabad sessions’ court in the Toshakhana reference wherein his indictment is expected today. Initially, the cricketer-turned-politician planned to travel to Islamabad via flight but due to last-minute changes in his travel plans, the former PM departed for the capital via the Motorway. A...

Justice Yahya Afridi of the Supreme Court has objected to invoking suo motu jurisdiction by the chief justice in the election date case. In his additional note, made public on Monday along with the court order on the February 23 hearing, the apex court judge questioned the logic behind taking the suo motu notice despite the fact that the matter was pending before the high court in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Justice Afridi also recused himself from the nine-member bench hearing the case after which a new five-judge bench was constituted headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial. “For detailed reasons to be recorded later, it appears that prima facie these petitions fall within the purview of Article 184(3) of the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, 1973. However, it would not be judicially appropriate to exercise the power to make an order under the aforementioned provision of the constitution given that the matters raised in the petitions are presently pending adj...

Two Pakistan Army soldiers were martyred in the Spinwam area of North Waziristan tribal district during a gunfight with terrorists, the military’s media affairs wing said on Monday. The statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) identified the martyrs as 25-year-old Sepoy Imran Ullah from Bajaur and 21-year-old Sepoy Afzal Khan from Upper Dir. “On 26 February, an exchange of fire took place between terrorists and security forces in the general area of Spinwam, North Waziristan district. Own troops effectively engaged the terrorists’ location,” the ISPR said. “Resultantly, two terrorists were killed, while two terrorists were apprehended. Weapons and ammunition were also recovered from the terrorists,” it stated, adding that the killed terrorists remained actively involved in terror activities against security forces and innocent citizens. The military’s media wing said sanitisation of the area was being carried out to eliminate other terrorists in the area. “...

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy on Sunday fired a senior military commander helping lead the fight against Russian troops in the country's embattled east but gave no reason for the move. In a one-line decree, Zelenskiy announced the dismissal of Eduard Moskalyov as commander of the joint forces of Ukraine, which are engaged in battles in the Donbas region. Zelenskiy mentioned Moskalyov in a daily address on Friday when listing the military commanders he had spoken to. Moskalyov had been in the post since March 2022, shortly after Russia invaded Ukraine. According to international media reports, Russian forces are making concerted efforts to capture the two eastern regions that make up the Donbas, and Zelenskiy has in recent weeks variously described the military situation in the east as difficult and painful. Pro-Moscow units are focusing their efforts on the city of Bakhmut, mounting repeated assaults despite suffering what Ukrainian and Western officials say are hea...

A district and sessions court in Islamabad on Monday rejected Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan’s request to transfer the hearing of Toshakhana reference to the judicial complex. Additional Sessions Judge Zafar Iqbal presided over the hearing in the case filed by Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha. The case pertains to attempted murder in the context of the protest held after the Toshakhana reference decision, in which former premier’s lawyers Babar Awan and Ali Bukhari appeared before the court. Awan told the court that Imran will come to Islamabad on Tuesday. Moreover, a request for an exception for appearance today was also filed in the court, in which security measures were requested for Imran's appearance in the court tomorrow. The PTI chief’s lawyer furthered that the ministry of interior has given a statement that there is a “fear of attack on Imran”, adding that “there may be a suicide attack on him during hi...

President Dr. Arif Alvi has stressed the need to bring intellectual change in the society to deal with the challenges of current world. Addressing the convocation ceremony at Air University Islamabad on Monday, he said we should acquire modern strengths in warfare including cyber to deal with the propaganda of our enemies. Highlighting the importance of cyber strength in modern warfare, the President expressed regret that Pakistan lies nowhere in world cyber ranking. For this purpose, the President said we should promote modern skill based education to utilize the power of our youth for country's development. He said if we will not provide modern education to our children then country's youth bulge would convert into youth burden. The President said our 22 million children are out of schools which could become burden for the state in future, therefore, we need to educate them in modern fields including cyber security as its demand is rising around the globe. Quoting the ...

A local court in the federal capital on Monday rejected the police's plea and approved a three-day physical remand of Lieutenant General (retd) Amjad Shoaib. The former military officer was presented in the court of Judicial Magistrate Abbas Shah today after he was arrested by the Islamabad Police early this morning on charges of inciting the public against national institutions. During the hearing, the prosecution informed the court about the case registered against the former three-star general and requested a seven-day physical remand. Prosecutor Adnan contended that the ex-general, through his statement on TV, tried to spread hate between the government, the opposition and the government employees. The lawyer also told the court that they require a photogrammetric test of the former military officer and have to take him to Lahore for the purpose. The prosecutor then requested the court to approve seven-day physical remand of Lt Gen (retd) Shoaib. Meanwhile, Lt Gen (retd...

A 21-truck convoy carrying 275-ton relief assistance goods from Pakistan reached at Malatya, one of the worst hit cities by the earthquake. The truck convoy carrying mainly winterized tents, blankets and other essential relief goods departed from Pakistan on February 11 and reached Turkiye via Iran. The convoy was received by Deputy Mayor Malatya Hakan Ezgi, Ambassador Fazli Corman of Turkish MOFA, Pakistan Embassy Deputy Ambassador, Abbas Sarwar Qureshi, Commander Mehmet Bhaktiyar and officials from AFAD and local administration. Under the directions of the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, an air bridge was established immediately between Islamabad and Ankara on 6th February to transport rescue teams and deliver essential relief goods. As of now, twenty flights have brought relief assistance goods to Turkiye. A ship carrying earthquake relief goods is also scheduled to leave Pakistan for Turkiye soon. Speaking on the occasion, Abbas Sarwar Qureshi stated that Pakistan and Turkiye...

The counting of votes is underway as polling for by-election in Rajanpur’s NA-193, National Assembly constituency, concluded. The voting in Rajanpur began at 8am today and continued till 5pm. The NA-193 seat had fallen vacant following the death of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Sardar Mohammad Jaffar Khan Leghari in December 2022. In videos shared by the electoral body today, a number of voters can be seen gathered inside the polling stations. A total 11 candidates are contesting NA-193 Rajanpur by-poll, but the main contest is expected between the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) candidate Emaar Owais Leghari and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf’s (PTI) Mohsin Leghari. 237 polling stations have been set up in the constituency, of which 68 are declared sensitive. 2,650 police personnel have been deployed to deal with any untoward situation while Rangers and Army personnel will also patrol the area. Earlier, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) accused the district ad...

In an unprecedented move, Sabahat Rizvi became the first ever woman to be elected as the Lahore High Court Bar Association's (LHCBA) secretary since its establishment. Rizvi was elected as the first female secretary after bagging 4,310 votes in the LHC Bar Association's polls that took place on Saturday. Rizvi was supported by the majority of lawyers and Asma Jahangir's AGHS Legal Aid Cell Team. Another woman, Rabia Bajwa, was elected to the vice-president’s seat by grabbing 3,590 votes. Meanwhile, the Professional Group led by Hamid Khan won the presidential slot in the polls by defeating an independent group. Ishtiaq A Khan won the seat of the president by bagging 7,293 votes, while his opponent, Lehrasib Gondal, could get only 3,372 votes. On the finance secretary’s position, Muhammad Shahrukh Shahbaz Warraich won by securing 7,109 votes. The total strength of the registered voters was 26,043, out of which 24,271 were men and 1,772 were women lawyers. As many as ...

To resolve the ongoing deadlock over security expenditures for the Pakistan Super League (PSL) season eight’s Lahore and Rawalpindi leg, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Management Committee Chairman Najam Sethi has reached out to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for assistance. The fate of PSL fixtures in the two Punjab cities, including the final scheduled in Lahore on March 19, remains uncertain as Punjab’s interim Chief Minister Mohsin Naqvi insists that his cabinet is not willing to sanction the expenses for holding the tournament. Last year, the Punjab government reportedly spent Rs600 million on the PSL. However, Naqvi has said that his cabinet is not ready to sanction the expenses this time due to being an interim setup. Sethi, who briefed Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif today (Sunday) on the issue of security expenses, has received assurances of complete support and assistance from the premier. The PCB chairman said that the matches will have to be shifted to Karachi if the gover...

More than 30 people have died and more than 40 have survived a migrant boat shipwreck in southern Italy, a spokesman for the Italian firefighters' service said on Sunday. According to international media reports, the shipwreck took place near Steccato di Cutro, a seaside resort on the eastern coast of Calabria, the region that forms the tip of Italy's boot. The death toll "has surpassed 30," Danilo Maida, spokesman for the firefighters' service in Calabria told reportrs, adding that the count was provisional. Firefighters and other emergency services were looking for more survivors at sea using jet skis, but conditions were harsh, making the search difficult, he added. Earlier, Italian media reported that 27 bodies were found on the beach, and that more bodies were spotted at sea. "It is a huge tragedy which shows the absolute need to act firmly against irregular migration channels," Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi said in a statement....

Just like in the World Cup final, Paris Saint-Germain teammates Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe go up against one another for The Best FIFA Men’s Player prize for 2022 on Monday, with Ballon d’Or Karim Benzema the other contender. The ceremony takes place in Paris, and Messi appears as the favourite to add another individual gong to his collection after leading Argentina to glory over Mbappe’s France in that epic encounter in Qatar. Messi has won the Ballon d’Or seven times and claimed the FIFA award — inaugurated in 2016 following FIFA’s split with Ballon d’Or organisers France Football — once in 2019. In the last two years, Messi has made the podium as Robert Lewandowski has won the title, but the 35-year-old’s career-crowning World Cup triumph was the defining moment of 2022. The winner is decided by a jury comprised of the coach and captain of every men’s national team and one journalist from each country but fans can also vote. Mbappe became the first player to score a World...

Secretary of State Antony Blinken is heading to Central Asia hoping that greater US engagement will reassure former Soviet republics rattled by the Ukraine war, although Russia’s historic clout limits the extent of cooperation. Days after the anniversary of the Ukraine invasion, the top US diplomat will hold talks on Tuesday in Kazakhstan and then Uzbekistan and meet jointly with foreign ministers of all five ex-Soviet Central Asian states in Kazakhstan’s capital Astana. Donald Lu, the top US diplomat for South and Central Asia, said the United States was realistic that the five nations were not going to end their relationships with Russia or their other giant neighbour, China, which has been boosting its own presence. But he said Blinken would show that the United States is a “reliable partner” and different from Moscow and Beijing. “We have something to offer in terms of engagement economically, but we also have something to offer in terms of the values that we bring to the tab...

An explosion was reported inside the Rakhni market in Balochistan’s Barkhan on Sunday morning. Footage run on television showed a number of injured people being taken to the nearby hospital. The police have reached the site along with rescue officials and cordoned it off.

Torkham border crossing between Pakistan and Afghanistan has been reopened for business activities. As per details, the official sources said that loaded vehicles from both the sides arrived at the Torkham border. The Pakistan custom officials have also confirmed the opening of business activities at the Pak-Afghan border. Earlier, the Customs officials seized a container with consignment of urea fertilizer at Torkham border crossing. Additional Collector Customs Muhammad Tayeb had said that the department’s officials during search of an export container at the border crossing, recovered a consignment of 40 tonnes of urea fertilizer, being smuggled to Afghanistan.

Meta Platforms Inc said on Friday it was releasing to researchers a new large language model, the core software of a new artificial intelligence system, heating up an AI arms race as Big Tech companies rush to integrate the technology into their products and impress investors. The public battle to dominate the AI technology space kicked off late last year with the launch of Microsoft-backed OpenAI's ChatGPT and prompted tech heavyweights from Alphabet Inc to China's Baidu Inc, to trumpet their own offerings. Meta's LLaMA, short for Large Language Model Meta AI, will be available under non-commercial license to researchers and entities affiliated with government, civil society, and academia, it said in a blog. Large language models mine vast amounts of text in order to summarize information and generate content. They can answer questions, for instance, with sentences that can read as though written by humans. The model, which Meta said requires "far less" com...

At least two labourers were killed after an under-construction Bhara Kahu bypass flyover collapsed early Saturday morning, police sources reported. Rescue teams rushed to the incident site and pulled three labourers out of rubble, wheras two succumbed to injuries, Islamabad Capital Territory spokesman said. According to rescue officials, heavy construction material was being pitched on it when the portion caved in. Later on Inspector General Police Islamabad Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, Chairman Capital Development Authority (CDA) Noor-ul- Amin Mangal along with assistant commissioner Secretariat Aneel Saeed and other officials visited the incident site to supervise the rescue operation. Meanwhile, a committee under the supervision of Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Irfan Nawaz Memon was also constituted to review all aspects related to the incident. The 5.6 km-long Bhara Kahu bypass (including a 1km flyover) starts from Murree Road at Malpur and culminates on Murree Road near the Jugi bu...

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has appointed Zahir Shah as its acting chairman after Aftab Sultan resigned from the position on Tuesday, it emerged on Saturday. In a notification issued by the bureau on Friday, Shah has been designated the role with effect from Feb 22 “in pursuance of the proviso to Section 6b(v)” (chairman National Accountability Bureau) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. Shah’s appointment comes on the heels of the sudden resignation of Aftab Sultan as the NAB chairman after only seven months at the anti-graft body’s helm. Sultan cited “interference” and “pressure” as the reasons for his departure, but did not elaborate who was pressuring him. The main opposition PTI seized on these remarks as evidence of him being coerced to file corruption references against their chief Imran Khan. Shah has acted as the bureau’s Director General (Operations) Zahir Shah in the past and was subsequently appointed as its deputy chairman in October 2021. H...

The number of people killed by the earthquakes that struck Turkey and Syria earlier this month has now passed 50,000, according to the latest figures from both countries. According to international media reports, in Turkey alone, 44,218 people died as a result of the earthquakes, the country’s Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) said on Friday, while the latest announced death toll in Syria was 5,914. The first earthquake on February 6 that hit southeastern Turkey and northern Syria measured a magnitude of 7.7 and a second, a little later, measured 7.6. The region has been rocked by more than 9,000 aftershocks since, according to the AFAD. Nearly 240,000 rescue workers, including volunteers, continue to work in the 11 quake-hit provinces in Turkey. Some of the areas affected by the quakes were initially difficult to access but recovery efforts continue and casualty numbers are rising as they progress. There have been no reports of survivors being rescued in recent ...

A banking court has ordered the former prime minister and PTI chairman Imran Khan to appear before court on February 28 in prohibited funding case. As per details, the banking court judge Rakhshanda Shaheen heard the prohibited funding case against Imran Khan and others. The PTI chief Imran Khan’s legal team submitted the copy of IHC order to the banking court. His counsel Naeem Haider Panjotha said that IHC has ordered Imran Khan appear before banking court on February 28. The hearing was also adjourned till February 28. Earlier local media reports had said that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) decided to arrest PTI chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan in a prohibited funding case. A four-member team has been formed for the arrest, while a summary has been forwarded to the DG FIA for final approval. It is pertinent to note here that the Investigation Agency had registered a case against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief and 10 others over accusations ...

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has emphasized to forge national unity to alleviate poverty and make Pakistan an economic tiger. He was chairing a review meeting on the implementation of the National Action Plan attended by civil and military leadership in Islamabad. The Prime Minister said after the Peshawar attack, the government also invited all the stakeholders for a meeting but one particular party did not bother to attend it. He said Pakistan currently faces economic challenges and expressed the hope that the situation would improve after the matters with the International Monetary Fund were finalised in near future. He maintained that the state of Pakistan was above all and even the government's coalition parties put their political interests at stake for the sake of the country and to improve the economic situation. Mentioning the killings and arrest of terrorists during different military actions, Prime Minister Shehbaz said the security agencies were making their eff...

An anti-terrorism court in Gujrat issued bailable arrest warrants for Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Friday for allegedly threatening the judiciary and government officials in his public speeches. The directives were issued by Accountability Judge Rana Zahid. A terrorism case was registered against Sanaullah in August last year. The first information report (FIR) stated that during his speeches on April 15, 2021, and January 29, 2022, the interior minister had threatened to stop the judiciary from doing its job and kill the children of the Punjab police officials. The case was taken up by the ATC in Gujrat today. At the outset of the hearing, the police furnished before the court its final report on the case with the omission of the minister’s name in it. The judge, however, rejected the report and issued notices to Gujrat’s SP investigation, the deputy superintendent of police, and investigating officer. The court also directed law enforcers to arrest and produce the minis...

The United States said that its robust trade relationship with Pakistan was crucial as the country recovers from the effects of the devastating floods last year. Addressing a press briefing in Washington on Thursday, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said that the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement (TIFA) Council ministerial meeting hosted by the US Trade Representative Ambassador Tai exemplified American commitment to deepening economic and commercial ties with Pakistan. "We believe that a robust trade relationship between the United States and Pakistan is more important than ever to bolster Pakistan’s economic stability as it recovers from devastating floods, while at the same time also providing opportunity to Americans and to American businesses in this country, exposing them to new markets — Pakistani markets in this case," he said. The US trade relationship with Pakistan has helped both Pakistani industries and consumers, he said, adding, "We ha...

PML-N Senior Vice President Maryam Nawaz, in a fiery speech on Thursday, came down hard on a “cabal of five”, among which were former and serving members of the judiciary, whom she accused of “conspiring” against PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif. Addressing a workers’ convention in Sargodha, Maryam — who is currently on a reorganisation tour to shape her party’s narrative — said: “Ever since this watch thief left the government, our ears are tired of hearing ‘there was a conspiracy, there was a conspiracy’.” Her watch-related jibe was aimed at PTI chief Imran Khan, who has acknowledged that he sold a wristwatch he had procured from the state treasury during his time as as the prime minister. “Today, I will tell the nation that the real conspiracy took place against Nawaz Sharif,” Maryam roared. On the PML-N leader’s cue, a video screen showed a combo picture of the five people she held responsible, saying: “The people of Sargodha should also see the ones behind the conspiracy”. The pi...

US President Joe Biden’s administration unveiled on Thursday a long-awaited overhaul of arms export policy with increased emphasis on human rights, backing off a Trump-era policy of giving more weight to commercial concerns. As Reuters reported on Wednesday, the new Commercial Arms Transfer (CAT) policy covers a review of security assistance, government-to-government weapons transfers, and licensed commercial sales of US-origin military equipment and services overseen by the State Department as well as the Defence and Commerce departments, including firearms commonly available in the United States. Defence companies and activists scrutinise such policies for insight into the administration’s posture as it balances the commercial interests of exporters like Lockheed Martin Co and Raytheon Technologies against the country’s stated commitment to human rights. One change is how the CAT policy addresses the possibility that arms from the United States could be used for major human righ...