ISLAMABAD: The federal government has adopted the climate budget as a governance system to add climate considerations into policy decision-making, Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb said on Wednesday. During the budget speech, he revealed the federal government had allocated 7.7 per cent of the Running of Civil Government (ROCG) and 15.3pc of Public Sector Development Programme (PSDP) funds for climate-sensitive areas to tackle climate change in the next financial year, 2024-25. The finance minister explained that in FY25, ROCG and PSDP were substantially bigger. In the medium term, the government plans to ensure that the climate-sensitive budget does not fall below 8pc of the…
Author: Hasnain Abid Khanzada
ISLAMABAD: In compliance with the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) guidelines, the government amended the Customs Act 1969 via Finance Bill 2024-25 to provide legal backing to the Directorate General of Trade-Based Money Laundering (TBML). As per the proposed amendment in the Customs Act, a new section ‘3CCE’ is being added for “Directorate General of Trade-Based Money Laundering.” “TBML shall consist of a director general and as many directors, additional directors, deputy directors, Assistant Directors and such other officers as the board may, by notification in the official gazette, appoint,” said the bill. FATF identified three main methods by which…
LAHORE: Lahore High Court Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan on Wednesday summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar and other officials on a complaint by the presiding judge of an anti-terrorism court of Sargodha alleging harassment by the intelligence and law enforcement agencies. The LHC registrar office received a special report on June 7 from District & Sessions Judge (D&SJ) Muhammad Abbas, wherein he said on May 25, the first day of his new charge as judge of the ATC Sargodha, a message was conveyed to him that some authority of ISI wanted to meet him in…
LAHORE: The chief justice of Lahore High Court, Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan, on Wednesday constituted six more election tribunals (ETs) for Punjab in light of an LHC judgement that the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) considers ‘meaningless’ after the promulgation of an ordinance empowering it to appoint retired judges to head ETs. “The Hon’ble Chief Justice in light of a judgement passed by this court in writ petition No.25985/24, has been pleased to constitute the following tribunals and assigned the areas to act as Election Tribunals for General Election-2024,” said a notification issued by LHC registrar Chaudhry Abdul Rashid Abid. Besides…
Cricketer Hassan Ali has said he tries to “support peace” as best he can after criticism of his post in support of the victims of a suspected terror attack on a bus in Indian-Occupied Kashmir. Ali shared to his Instagram story on Tuesday an AI-generated image calling attention to the attack on pilgrims heading to the Mata Vaishno Devi Hindu temple. At least nine people were killed and 33 injured when a bus carrying Hindu pilgrims plunged into a deep gorge near Reasi after a suspected attack in the held territory of Jammu and Kashmir on Sunday. The AI-generated image,…
ISLAMABAD: Though loud and traditional protests by the opposition led by the Sunni Ittehad Council (SIC) failed to derail the maiden budget presentation by the coalition government led by the PML-N, it was the eleventh-hour move by its key ally PPP, which took the wind out of the ruling party’s sails, forcing it to delay the proceedings for nearly two hours. According to the PPP, the decision to initially boycott the budget session was made due to an alleged violation of a power-sharing agreement it had reached with the PML-N after the Feb polls. It also claimed the PML-N bypassed it in the budget preparation. However, it agreed…
ISLAMABAD: Even before the start of discussion on the budget proposals for the next financial year in the Senate, the PTI lodged its protest in the house on Wednesday against what it called the anti-people budget and proposed additional taxes to add to people’s misery. Soon after a copy of the Finance Bill was laid in the house, Leader of the Opposition Syed Shibli Faraz rose in his seat to criticise the tax proposals. He said levy of more taxes would only add to the misery of people who are already reeling under high inflation. He was interrupted by Senate Chairman Syed Yousuf Raza…
Jin, the oldest member of BTS, whose full name is Kim Seok-jin, received a heartfelt welcome from his bandmates after completing his mandatory military service. The 31-year-old South Korean singer-songwriter was discharged on Wednesday, June 12. His fellow BTS members, RM, J-Hope, V, Jimin, and Jungkook, celebrated his return with a special rendition of Dynamite on the saxophone. The other BTS members who are also currently serving in the military, explicitly requested some time off from their duties to join the celebration in the early hours of Wednesday. Jin, who began his military service in December 2022, quickly connected with fans via…
Bridgerton’s second half of season 3 is about to get steamier. Luke Newton and Nicola Coughlan, along with the remaining cast from Bridgerton’s third season, gathered at London’s Leicester Square, which had been turned into the show’s famous ton, to share a sneak peek into the remaining season. Netflix producers divided the instalment into two parts after part one, which examined the romance between Penelope Featherington and Colin Bridgerton, debuted on May 16. The second part is scheduled to run on Thursday, June 13. Episode five, screened at the Odeon Luxe theatre, promises even more provocative content and intense character interactions, building on the Regency-era…
Nina Dobrev got a reason to doll up for the first time since her dirt biking accident. On Wednesday, June 12, the Vampire Diaries star graced the episode of The Talk, revealing that the CBS chat show appearance was her “first time actually leaving the house in over two months.” “I had knee surgery; I got a giant brace. I can’t really walk on my own yet…I had a fractured knee as well as ACL repair and meniscus,” she shed light on her injuries. However, Dobrev was happy to step out of the house, having “an excuse to get dolled up.” Responding to…
