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[1/2] People wait for their turn to get fuel at a petrol station in Peshawar, Pakistan January 30, 2023. If we don't have LCs (letters of credit) open right now, we might see shortages in the next fortnight," a senior official at one of the oil companies told Reuters. Oil traders, however, are shunning countries such as Pakistan and Sri Lanka due to an acute shortfall of foreign exchange. State-owned refiner Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Pakistan LNG Ltd have left a flurry of fuel tenders unawarded in the last couple of months. Pakistan bought only 223,000 tonnes of gasoline in December versus 608,000 tonnes in the same period a year earlier, data from Kpler showed.

☆ Suicide bomber kills 28, wounds 150 at mosque in NW Pakistan
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-30 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +4 min

Security personnel cordon off the site of a mosque blast inside the police headquarters in Peshawar on January 30, 2023. Police between 300 to 350 worshipers were inside the mosque when the bomber detonated his explosives. A survivor, 38-year-old police officer Meena Gul, said he was inside the mosque when the bomb went off. Former Prime Minister Imran Khan also condemned the bombing, calling it a "terrorist suicide attack" in a Twitter posting. Pakistan has witnessed a surge in militant attacks since November when the Pakistani Taliban ended their cease-fire with government forces.

☆ Tens of millions without power after Pakistan suffers major outage
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-23 | by ( Associated Press | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

Much of Pakistan was left without power for several hours on Monday morning as an energy-saving measure by the government backfired. The outage was reminiscent of a massive blackout in January 2021, attributed at the time to a technical fault in the country’s power generation and distribution system. According to the minister, during winter, electricity usage typically goes down overnight. A Metro station is closed after major power outage in Lahore, Pakistan on Monday. Pakistan is grappling with one of the country’s worst economic crisis in recent years amid dwindling foreign exchange reserves.

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan says his party to dissolve two local assemblies on Dec. 23
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-17 | by ( Mubasher Bukhari | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

LAHORE, Pakistan, Dec 17 (Reuters) - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan announced on Saturday that his party would dissolve two provincial assemblies next week, earlier than scheduled, in an attempt to build pressure on the federal government to hold early general elections. Khan's party controls two of the country's four provincial assemblies. "Next Friday (Dec. 23), we will dissolve the Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa assemblies," Khan said while addressing a gathering of his supporters in the eastern city of Lahore. If the two provincial assemblies are dissolved earlier, separate polls would have to be held for them within 90 days, which could throw up legal problems. He added that elections in the two provinces would mean holding polls in 66% of the country, and so the government might as well hold general elections.

☆ TikTok may push potentially harmful content to teens within minutes, study finds
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-15 | by ( Samantha Murphy Kelly | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +5 min

CNN —TikTok may surface potentially harmful content related to suicide and eating disorders to teenagers within minutes of them creating an account, a new study suggests, likely adding to growing scrutiny of the app’s impact on its youngest users. The CCDH said the app recommended videos about body image and mental health about every 39 seconds within a 30-minute period. TikTok said it continues to roll out new safeguards for its users, including ways to filter out mature or “potentially problematic” videos. TikTok said it does not allow content depicting, promoting, normalizing, or glorifying activities that could lead to suicide or self-harm. Still, the CCDH says more needs to be done to restrict specific content on TikTok and bolster protections for young users.

☆ 'Sort Of' is about a nonbinary millennial. Its star hopes to change how we see each other
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-11 | by ( Harmeet Kaur | ) edition.cnn.com time to read: +9 min

Sabi, who is nonbinary, not only navigates love and dating in Toronto but also hopes to be understood by their Pakistani immigrant family. Baig spoke to CNN about what it means to feel seen and how “Sort Of” might help some viewers achieve that feeling. Wanting to feel seen is another thread that runs through the show. When we feel seen, when we feel understood, we feel a lot less lonely in the world. We work with writers and directors who are trans, nonbinary, South Asian, people of color.

☆ Why extremism experts say it's worth discussing the Colorado shooting suspect's pronouns
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-10 | by ( Jo Yurcaba | Jo Yurcaba Is A Reporter For Nbc Out. | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Attorneys for the alleged gunman in the deadly shooting at an LGBTQ club in Colorado said in court filings the suspect is nonbinary and uses “they” and “them” pronouns. In court appearances this week, Aldrich’s lawyers and District Attorney Michael Allen used he/him pronouns for Aldrich, but Aldrich’s attorneys referred to their client as “Mx. It’s unclear whether the public defenders were accidentally using he/him pronouns for Aldrich, and their office has not returned a request for comment. A spokesperson for the district attorney’s office said, regarding the suspect’s pronouns, “The defendant will be identified as the defendant throughout proceedings,” but declined to comment further on both legal teams using he/him pronouns for Aldrich in court. Holt said the response from Carlson is another part of why he believes it’s worth questioning the suspect’s claim.

☆ Pakistani journalist's killing in Kenya a pre-meditated murder -report
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-09 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

TV journalist Arshad Sharif, who had fled Pakistan citing threats to his life, was shot dead in Nairobi in October. The fact-finding team highlighted one wound in particular on Sharif's back, saying it appeared to have been inflicted from relatively close range. The fact-finding team's report also pointed out apparent contradictions in the autopsy reports in Kenya and Pakistan. The post-mortem report in Pakistan identified 12 injuries on Sharif's body whereas the Kenyan report identified just two injuries pertaining to gunshot wounds. The fact-finding team report said doctors believed the injures may be the result of torture or a struggle, but it could not be established until verified by the doctor who conducted the post mortem in Kenya.

Jones and Infowars had already been banned from Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Apple, YouTube, Spotify, Google Play, Vimeo, Pinterest, Mailchimp and LinkedIn. But Ye’s interview had more than 3.1 million views as of publication. On other platforms, clips of the interview got millions more. Twitter suspended Ye later that night after Ye tweeted an image that contained a swastika. He showed clips of Ye praising Hitler, and Foreman speculated that his channel might get a “strike” from YouTube as a result.

☆ Elon Musk's 'amnesty' pledge brings back QAnon, far-right Twitter accounts
▼ + stars: | 2022-12-02 | by ( Https | Media-Cldnry.S-Nbcnews.Com Image Upload Newscms Brandy-Zadrozny-Circle-Byline-Template.Jpg | Brandy Zadrozny | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

A “general amnesty” has restored hundreds of accounts of right-wing activists and QAnon adherents, according to data reviewed by NBC News. The reinstatement of far-right accounts has coincided with a series of bans of left-wing accounts, leaving users unsure of how the company is now applying its rules. It’s a dangerous combination.”The reinstatements and bans come as researchers continue to monitor an uptick in hate speech, and high-profile users leave the platform. Among the spammers, copyright rule-breakers, adult-content creators and high-profile accounts, Twitter has reopened the door to a growing and emboldened community of trolls, white nationalists, conspiracy theorists and extreme right-wing activists. Those reinstatements also come after Twitter dramatically reduced its staff, including those dedicated to dealing with abuse and hate speech.

One month since Arshad Sharif was killed, Kenyan and Pakistani authorities have not concluded their reports nor have there been any arrests in the case. “I have no faith in the Pakistani government,” his mother, Riffat Ara Alvi told CNN in a video interview. But I request all the international journalistic organizations and United Nations to investigate this killing,” his widow, Javeria Siddique told CNN. Arshad Sharif Sharif was a critic of the Pakistani military and an ally of former prime minister Imran Khan. Sharif and Khurram Ahmed left Ammodump around 8:30 p.m. local time, a detective involved in the case told CNN.

☆ Former Pakistan PM Khan calls off protest march to avoid creating 'havoc'
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-26 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

Khan has been holding country-wide protests to push the government for early elections since being ousted from power in April. He named Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and a senior military official of plotting his assassination, but both the government and military have denied involvement. On Saturday, Khan arrived on stage using a walking frame and addressed the crowd from behind bulletproof glass. He said he had been told by various security sources there was still a threat to his life. PTI has already resigned from the federal parliament, but remains in power in two provinces and two administrative units.

☆ Explainer: Why Pakistan's army chief matters far beyond its borders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Even when a civilian government holds power, Pakistan's generals retain a dominant influence over security matters and foreign affairs. He later headed Pakistan's two most influential intelligence agencies - Military Intelligence (MI) in 2017 and then the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) in 2018. WHY IT MATTERS GLOBALLYPakistan's army chief will play a key role in managing risks of conflict with nuclear-armed rival India on its eastern border, while dealing with potential instability and friction with Afghanistan on its western frontier. The incoming army chief could potentially play a key role in lowering the political temperature as Pakistan attempts to survive an economic crisis and recover from historic floods. He even summoned Pakistan's top industrialists to a meeting at army headquarters to encourage them to pay more tax.

☆ Fans pause action for Friday prayers during first World Cup in a Muslim country
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-25 | by ( Andrew Mills | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

DOHA, Nov 25 (Reuters) - As noon approached, muezzins across Qatar called Muslim soccer players, fans and officials to the first Friday prayers of the first World Cup to take place in a Muslim country. Unusually for soccer, Muslim fans say Qatar's World Cup has accommodated them like never before - with stadium prayer rooms, concessions selling halal food and no beer-swilling supporters to contend with in the stands following a stadium alcohol ban. For now, Muslim fans are just enjoying an event that caters to their needs. Ridwaan Goolam Hoosen, an avid South African soccer fan, is used to having to leave the grounds to find a prayer space, including at the 2010 World Cup in South Africa. "It feels as if this World Cup is for me, it works for me, it fits for me...This is the first of its kind like this," Goolam Hoosen said.

☆ Pakistan Chooses New Army Chief Amid Confrontation With Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-24 | by ( Saeed Shah | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

Lt. Gen. Asim Munir will be Pakistan’s next chief of army staff, a position widely considered to be the country’s most powerful office. ISLAMABAD, Pakistan—A general who was removed from leadership of Pakistan’s spy agency by former Prime Minister Imran Khan will take over as the country’s next army chief. Lt. Gen. Asim Munir will succeed Gen. Qamar Javed Bajwa , who will retire next week, the government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif announced Thursday. The chief of army staff position is widely thought to be the most powerful office in a country that has seen multiple coups, and where the military exerts massive influence over the government and policy even when not formally in power.

ISLAMABAD, Nov 24 (Reuters) - Pakistan on Thursday named Lieutenant-General Asim Munir as chief of the army, an organisation that plays an extraordinarily influential role in the governance of the nuclear-armed nation. Munir, who was also Pakistan's chief spy, will take over from outgoing General Qamar Javed Bajwa, who retires later this month after a six-year term, the defence ministry said. "It is based on merit, law and as per constitution," Defence Minister Khawaja Asif told reporters after announcing the Munir as the new chief. On Wednesday, outgoing army chief Bajwa said the military would have no role in national politics in the future, rejecting as "fake and false" Khan's claims that a U.S.-backed conspiracy topped his government. Reporting by Gibran Peshimam; Editing by Neil Fullick and Miral FahmyOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Pakistan army chief takes on ousted PM Khan over alleged US conspiracy
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-23 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

ISLAMABAD, Nov 23 (Reuters) - Pakistan's outgoing army chief rejected on Wednesday as "fake and false" claims by ousted prime minister Imran Khan that a U.S.-backed conspiracy had toppled his government, and also said the military would play no role in national politics in future. The former premier has also alleged that the military played a role in his ousting, a charge the army has denied. "A state of hysteria was created in the country on the pretext of a fake and false narrative," the army chief said about Khan's main accusation that Washington supported his removal with the help of a local handler. Over the weekend, Khan said that even if the military had not been involved it could still have saved his government. Khan's party spokesman Fawad Chaudhry told Reuters he had no comment on the army chief's remarks.

☆ Young Malaysians urged to 'get mad' and vote to end political merry-go-round
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Ebrahim Harris | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +4 min

The infighting has exhausted voters, with two local elections held in the past year seeing lower than average turnout. Young voters form a sizeable portion of the six million people newly eligible to cast a ballot, following reforms that lowered the voting age from 21 to 18 and allowed automatic registration. Some voters, however, remain turned off by the constant political wrangling, believing that their choices will have little impact. "I'm scared to vote because whoever you choose will be part of a weak coalition," Eddie said. "They have to form alliances with parties who were rejected in the elections, and will end up forming the same type of government."

☆ Explainer: Who Pakistan picks as army chief matters far beyond its borders
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-17 | by ( Gibran Naiyyar Peshimam | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +5 min

Even when a civilian government holds power, Pakistan's generals retain a dominant influence over security matters and foreign affairs. BAJWA'S LEGACYAppointed chief in 2016, Bajwa sought to balance ties with China and the United States. He even summoned Pakistan's top industrialists to a meeting at army headquarters to encourage them to pay more tax. WHY IT MATTERS GLOBALLYPakistan's army chief will play a key role in managing risks of conflict with nuclear-armed rival India on its eastern border, while dealing with potential instability and friction with Afghanistan on its western frontier. The incoming army chief could potentially play a key role in lowering the political temperature as Pakistan attempts to survive an economic crisis and recover from historic floods.

☆ Pakistan's Imran Khan relaunches political march after surviving gun attack
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-10 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

"Our march wouldn't stop," Khan said, adding the protest will instead gather strength as it closes on the capital Islamabad. His successor Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has rejected the demand, saying the election will be held as scheduled later next year. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has said the shooter was a "self motivated and committed person" who carried out the attack on religious basis. The former premier instead alleges that Sanaullah, the prime minister and a Pakistan military general from the country's spy agency, Inter Services Intelligence (ISI), were involved in the assassination attempt. The police have the suspected shooter in custody after he was intercepted by a Khan supporter who threw off his aim.

☆ Pakistan police name lone shooter in gun attack on Imran Khan
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-09 | by ( ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +3 min

ISLAMABAD — Pakistani police on Tuesday opened a criminal investigation into a failed assassination attempt on former Prime Minister Imran Khan and said just one shooter was involved. Police said the suspected shooter was arrested after Khan supporter Ibtesam Hasan overpowered him and threw off his aim. Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said on Tuesday the suspect was self-motivated. Police confirmed to Reuters on Tuesday this was the same man as the suspect Mohammad Naveed named in the case. Khan said on Twitter on Tuesday that the police case was “farcical.”He has accused Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and intelligence official Major-General Faisal Nasser of planning to assassinate him.

Islamabad, Pakistan CNN —A Pakistani journalist shot dead by police in Kenya last month was the victim of a “targeted killing,” a senior member of Pakistan’s government said on Tuesday, without offering any evidence to support his claim. Television journalist Arshad Sharif – a vocal critic of the Pakistani military – died in a police shooting near Kenya’s capital Nairobi on October 23. Kenyan police told CNN they were unaware Pakistani officials had made any allegations about non-cooperation. Sharif fled Pakistan in August after sedition charges were leveled against him for allegedly criticizing state institutions and “abetting mutiny” within the military. The associate said Sharif then went to Kenya and had only been in the East African country for a few weeks before his death.

Police said the suspected shooter was arrested after Khan supporter Ibtesam Hasan overpowered him and threw off his aim, possibly saving the ex-premier from more serious gunshot wounds. Khan has accused three people of devising a plan to assassinate him, naming Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah and intelligence official Major-General Faisal Nasser. Khan launched what is known as a long-march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on Oct. 28. He was waving to the crowd from a container mounted on a truck in Wazirabad when a man fired several shots at him. Reporting by Asif Shahzad in Islamabad and Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore, Pakistan; Editing by Robert BirselOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

☆ Watch CNBC's full interview with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: 1 min

Share Share Article via Facebook Share Article via Twitter Share Article via LinkedIn Share Article via EmailWatch CNBC's full interview with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto ZardariBilawal Bhutto Zardari, Pakistan's foreign minister, discusses the attack on former Prime Minister Imran Khan, the climate crisis and the economic outlook.

☆ Supporters of Pakistan's Imran Khan block roads in new protest
▼ + stars: | 2022-11-08 | by ( Asif Shahzad | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

[1/5] People react as police use tear gas to disperse them during a protest to condemn the shooting incident on a long march held by Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan in Wazirabad, in Rawalpindi, Pakistan November 4, 2022. The former cricket star, who has been pressing for a general election since he was ousted as prime minister after losing a confidence vote in parliament in April, was shot at the rally last Thursday. Khan's successor as prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, has rejected his demand for new polls and the deadlock has stoked instability in the nuclear-armed country of 220 million people. Television footage showed Khan's supporters burning tyres as they set up protest camps across roads. Khan, 70, launched what is known as a long-march protest rally from Lahore to the capital on Oct. 28.

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