ISLAMABAD: Prices of consumer goods continued to rise in December as inflation edged up to 12.3 per cent from 11.5pc, the largest increase recorded in nearly two years, according to the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) data released on Saturday. Inflation — measured by the Consumer Price Index (CPI) — has increased to its highest level in 21 months — driven by a record rise in global oil prices, undermining earlier gains. It may be noted that the recent rise in oil price prices was the highest ever in the country’s history, which is expected to lead to an increase…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
Indian troops killed 210 Kashmiris, including five women and as many young boys, in the occupied valley, according to a report by Kashmir Media Service. The report, released today (Saturday), stated that 65 Kashmiris were killed by Indian troops in fake encounters while in custody. It said the in December 2021 alone, Indian troops killed 31 Kashmiris, which left one woman widowed and two children orphaned. “At least six people were injured due to [the] use of brute force by the troops and police personnel against peaceful protesters while 94 civilians, including youth, were arrested in the month,” it said, adding that Indian…
GULFPORT: Three people were killed and four others were wounded after several people started shooting at a Mississippi party just minutes before the end of 2021, authorities said. One person remained in critical condition after a fight started a Gulfport New Year’s party and people began shooting, according to police, who responded to 911 calls at 11:58 pm on Friday. Investigators are still sorting through the shooting scene and interviewing witnesses. No arrests have been made, and the Gulfport police chief plans a news conference on Saturday afternoon. The three people killed were identified as Corey Dubose, 23, of DIberville;…
BRUSSELS: The European Union has drawn up plans to label some natural gas and nuclear energy projects as “green” investments after a year-long battle between governments over which investments are truly climate-friendly. The European Commission is expected to propose rules in January deciding whether gas and nuclear projects will be included in the EU “sustainable finance taxonomy”. This is a list of economic activities and the environmental criteria they must meet to be labelled as green investments. By restricting the “green” label to truly climate-friendly projects, the system aims to make those investments more attractive to private capital, and stop…
KIEV: Ukraine said on Saturday one of its soldiers was killed in fighting with pro-Moscow separatists, as the US again warned Russia against any attacks on the country. US President Joe Biden was due to speak to his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky on Sunday, after warning Russian President Vladimir Putin for the second time of a tough response should he invade Ukraine. In his New Year’s Eve address, Zelensky said ending the war in the east remains his “main goal”. “One serviceman of the Joint Forces was fatally wounded,” the army said in a statement, adding that separatists had launched…
TIMES SQUARE, New York: About 15,000 revelers stood shoulder to shoulder as New York resumed its ritual of welcoming the new year with a ball-drop. A 6-ton ball, encrusted with nearly 2,700 crystals, descended above the crowd who cheered the year 2022 with chanting, singing and wild hugs. It was as close to normal as it could be in a city now in the grips of a new Covid mutant. Yet, the crowd was far fewer than the tens of thousands who participated in this world-famous ceremony at New York’s Times Square. Dazzled by the lights and elevated by their…
BAGHDAD: Thousands of supporters of Iraq’s Hashed al-Shaabi alliance of armed groups on Saturday marked the second anniversary of the killing of a revered Iranian commander and his Iraqi lieutenant in a US drone strike. Chanting “Death to America”, they filled a Baghdad square to honour Iran’s General Qasem Soleimani, who headed the Quds Force, the foreign operations arm of the elite Revolutionary Guards, until his death on Jan 3, 2020. “US terrorism has to end” read one sign at the rally by backers of the pro-Iranian Hashed, a former paramilitary alliance that has been integrated into Iraq’s state security apparatus. Former…
PARIS: A ban on the use of plastic to package a range of fruit and vegetables came into force in France on Saturday, to the dismay of the sector’s packaging industry. Environmentalists have long campaigned against single-use plastics as pollution worsens globally while President Emmanuel Macron has backed the move defending a “pragmatic” approach. The October decree covers for example the sale of under 1.5 kilos (3.3 lbs) of apples. However, the full legislation will not be applied until 2026, allowing firms to adapt, including on the sale of red fruits considered fragile. Six months has also been granted to…
CAPE TOWN: South Africa said farewell on Saturday to Archbishop Desmond Tutu, the last great hero of the struggle against apartheid, in a funeral stripped of pomp but freighted with glowing tributes and showered with rain. Tutu, who was awarded the Nobel peace prize, died last Sunday at the age of 90, triggering grief among South Africans and tributes from world leaders for a life spent fighting injustice. Famous for his modesty, Tutu gave instructions for a simple, no-frills ceremony, with a cheap coffin, donations for charity instead of floral tributes, followed by an eco-friendly cremation. Family, friends, clergy and politicians gathered…
ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has deplored what it called the Sindh High Court’s (SHC) failure to perform its constitutional duty of supervising the subordinate courts, particularly monitoring the process of appointment of paralegal staff. “The plea of consistency with past practice is of no advantage because irregularities in the appointment process cannot be justified by invoking the neglect by the previous administrations,” observed a three-judge SC bench headed by Justice Umar Ata Bandial. The observations came recently on a petition filed by Ghulam Sarwar Qureshi through his counsel Khawaja Shamsul Islam, seeking a declaration from the apex court that all…
