ISLAMABAD, OCT 22: PTI Chairman Imran Khan said Saturday that he will announce the date for his “Haqeeqi Azadi March” next Thursday or Friday, warning the government against taking steps to stop the march.
Instagram to make it easier to avoid trolls
ISLAMABAD, OCT 22: Instagram will enhance features that help users block the accounts of abusers and trolls on the social media platform, the Meta Platforms-owned company said on Thursday.
Users will now be able to block all existing accounts of a person, expanding a feature launched last year that only allowed the blocking of any new accounts that they may create.
“Based on initial test results from this new change, we expect our community will need to block 4 million fewer accounts every week, since these accounts will now be blocked automatically,” Instagram said in a blog post.
The photo-sharing app has been doubling down on tackling hate speech and online abuse on its platform, which is more popular among teens and young adults than Meta’s Facebook.
Instagram has also upgraded its feature that helps prevent users from viewing possibly abusive messages, by filtering offensive words to story replies, and said on Thursday it is expanding “nudges” designed to protect creators from harassment.
Dar reaffirms resolve to fully implementing CPEC, further cementing bilateral ties
ISLAMABAD, Oct 22 (DNA): Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Ishaq Dar here on Saturday reaffirmed the firm resolve of the government for successfully implementing China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) project as it will play an important role in taking local economy forward as well as cementing the bilateral relationship between both the countries.
Talking to Ambassador of the People’s Republic of China Nong Rong, who called on him, the minister said that Pakistan and China were enjoying deep-rooted friendly relations which were strengthening with each passing day, said a press release.
The minister further highlighted the economic challenges and policies of the present government with aim to bring about economic and fiscal stability. He also appreciated the support extended by the Chinese leadership for flood relief and refinancing of syndicate facility of RMB 15 billion (US$ 2.24 billion) to Pakistan.
The Ambassador reaffirmed the Chinese Government’s continued support to Pakistan and thanked the Government of Pakistan on facilitating Chinese companies in various projects in Pakistan. He also assured full support and cooperation of Chinese Government in developing Special Economic Zones as part of CPEC.
The proposed visit of Prime Minister of Pakistan to China was also discussed in the meeting and both sides hoped that the visit will enhance bilateral relations between both the countries.=DNA
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Far-right Meloni sworn in as Italy’s first woman PM
Rome, Oct 22 (DNA): Far-right leader Giorgia Meloni was sworn in as Italian prime minister on Saturday, to become the first woman to head a government in Italy.
Meloni took the oath before President Sergio Mattarella at the Quirinal Palace in Rome, once home to popes and kings of Italy.
Her post-fascist Brothers of Italy party — Eurosceptic and anti-immigration — won the September 25 legislative polls but needed outside support to form a government.
Meloni’s appointment is an historic event for the eurozone’s third largest economy and for Brothers of Italy, which has never been in government.
It won 26 percent of the vote last month, compared to eight and nine percent respectively for her allies Forza Italia and the far-right League.
Meloni’s list of 24 ministers, including six women, revealed a desire to reassure Italy’s partners. She named Giancarlo Giorgetti as economy minister, who served under the previous government of Mario Draghi.
Giorgetti, a former minister of economic development, is considered one of the more moderate, pro-Europe members of Matteo Salvini’s League.
Meloni also named ex-European Parliament president Antonio Tajani, of Forza Italia, as foreign minister and deputy prime minister.
Salvini will serve as deputy prime minister and minister of infrastructure and transport.
That appointment is likely to disappoint Salvini, who wanted Meloni to give him the role of interior minister again after he previously held the post between 2018 and 2019.
The position went instead to a technocrat, Rome prefect Matteo Piantedosi.
A formal ceremony for the handover of power from Draghi to Meloni will take place on Sunday before the premier leads the first cabinet meeting.
European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen congratulated Meloni on her appointment.
“I count on and look forward to constructive cooperation with the new government on the challenges we face together,” she tweeted on Saturday, while European Parliament speaker Roberta Metsola tweeted in Italian that “Europe needs Italy”.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban meanwhile tweeted: “Congratulations @GiorgiaMeloni on the formation of your government! Big day for the European Right!”
The consultations to cobble together a government had been overshadowed by disagreements with her two would-be coalition partners over Meloni’s ardent support for Ukraine since the Russian invasion, whereas the leaders of Forza Italia and the League are both considered close to Moscow.
A recording was leaked in which Italy’s former prime minister Silvio Berlusconi — who heads Forza Italia — talks about his warm ties with Moscow and appeared to blame the war in Ukraine on Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.
Berlusconi says the comments were taken out of context.
Salvini, meanwhile, is a long-time fan of Russian President Vladimir Putin and has criticised Western sanctions on Russia.
Despite her Eurosceptic stance, Meloni has been firm about her support for Ukraine, in line with the rest of the European Union and the United States.
But the tensions add to concerns that Meloni’s coalition, held together by the need for a parliamentary majority, will struggle to maintain unity.
Meloni’s coalition wants to renegotiate Italy’s portion of the EU’s post-Covid recovery fund.
It argues the almost 200 billion euros ($197 billion) it expects to receive should take into account the current energy crisis, exacerbated by Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine, which has hit supplies of Russian gas to Europe.
But the funds are tied to a series of reforms only just begun by Draghi’s government, and analysts say Meloni has limited room for manoeuvre.
Meloni had campaigned on a platform of “God, country and family”, sparking fears of a regression on rights in the Catholic-majority country.
Rain threat looms over India-Pakistan blockbuster in T20 World Cup
MELBOURNE, OCT 22: Arch-rivals Pakistan and India are set to renew cricket’s most adrenaline-fuelled rivalry in Sunday’s T20 World Cup match in Melbourne but the threat of rain looms over the blockbuster featuring the former champions.
With bilateral cricket remaining suspended between the two, emotions run high every time they clash in multi-team events in a neutral venue.
The Melbourne Cricket Ground is set to become a cauldron of emotions but the tournament’s most anticipated clash could prove a damp squib with rain forecast this weekend.
Pakistan’s much-maligned middle order showed signs of form in the recent tri-series in New Zealand but a lot would depend on what kind of start they get from Mohammad Rizwan, currently the top-ranked T20 batter, and skipper Babar Azam at the top of the order.
“It’s a high-pressure game but we’ll try to keep it simple and keep faith in our abilities and the practice that we’ve done,” said Azam.
Meanwhile, India skipper Rohit Sharma said his team will be ready.
“The toss does become a little important. But again, I’ve been hearing about the Melbourne weather for a while now and it keeps changing,” Sharma said.
“You don’t really know what is going to happen tomorrow.
“The things that are in our control we’ll try and control […] We need to come here thinking that it’s a 40-over game. We’ll be ready for that. If the situation demands that it’s a shorter game, we’ll be ready for that as well.
“A lot of the guys have played such kinds of games before, and they know how to manage themselves in a situation like that where you’re getting ready for a 40-over game and then suddenly it’s a 20-over game for both sides.”
Players from both sides have sought to downplay the hype around the match even though tickets sold out within five minutes of going on sale earlier this year.
They even hobnobbed with each other though many suspect the bonhomie is a coping mechanism to deal with the pressure of expectation from their unforgiving fans back home.
India will be particularly under pressure to avoid a repeat of the last year’s World Cup when a 10-wicket thumping by Pakistan in their opener set the tone for their early exit from the tournament.
The strike rate of their top order and death bowling remains a concern for the inaugural champions who are without injured pace spearhead Jasprit Bumrah.
The onus is on their explosive middle order, led by the swashbuckling Suryakumar Yadav, to come good against Pakistan’s formidable pace attack bolstered by Shaheen Afridi’s return from a knee injury.
Afridi had removed Sharma and KL Rahul in last year’s tournament to set the tone for their comprehensive victory and the left-arm speedster would be eager to prove his class on Sunday.
India’s Yadav separates Rizwan and Azam in the official rankings and fans would be justified in expecting batting fireworks in a match featuring the world’s top three T20 batters.
New Zealand thrash defending champions Australia at T20 World Cup
New Zealand thrashed hosts and defending champions Australia by 89 runs on Saturday to start the Twenty20 World Cup Super 12 in style and avenge defeat in last year’s final.
Devon Conway carried his bat with a majestic unbeaten 92 to help New Zealand blast 200-3 before Australia were skittled for 111 in Sydney to make a nightmare start to their title defence.
Conway’s knock came from just 58 balls with seven fours and two sixes, joining a select group to make 90 or more at a World Cup. Mitchell Santner and Tim Southee both took three wickets each.
It was New Zealand’s first win against Australia in Australia in any format since 2011.
The match at a sold-out Sydney Cricket Ground was a repeat of the 2021 final in Dubai when Australia powered to an eight-wicket win and maiden crown.
Aaron Finch’s men now have their work cut out to match the feat in a tough Group 1 with Afghanistan, England and qualifiers Ireland and Sri Lanka awaiting them. Only the top two make the semi-finals.
New Zealand got off to a sensational start after Finch sent them in to bat, with Finn Allen cracking two fours and a six off Mitchell Starc’s opening over.
Not to be outdone, Conway then crunched two blistering boundaries off Josh Hazlewood as the Black Caps plundered 29 from the first two overs.
Adam Zampa dropped Allen in the next over as Pat Cummins was similarly punished, taken for 17.
But the young right-hander’s luck ran out when Hazlewood returned and the wily pace spearhead bowled him for 42 — off just 16 balls — as he charged down the crease.
The introduction of Marcus Stoinis and Zampa helped stem the run flow, but Conway brought up his 50 with a six off the spinner Zampa, who trapped Kane Williamson (23) lbw in the same over.
Hazlewood removed Glenn Phillips for 12 before Jimmy Neesham hit a six off the final ball to reach 200.
Slog
Australia’s chase started badly when David Warner, the player of the tournament in the 2021 event, fell for three in the second over, dragging the ball onto his stumps off Southee.
Finch (13) hit a giant six off Trent Boult but didn’t last much longer, striking Santner straight to Williamson at cover as his miserable form continued.
It was a similar story for Mitchell Marsh, briefly hitting big to make 16 before being caught by Neesham going for another slog to leave Australia teetering at 34-2 in the fifth over.
Phillips pulled off one of the catches of the tournament so far to remove Stoinis for seven, leaping full length to his left as he ran from deep cover.
And when the big-hitting Tim David, preferred to Steve Smith, became Santner’s third wicket, out for 11, it was all but over at 68-5 in the 11th over.
Matthew Wade (two) and Glenn Maxwell (28) were their last hope with the tailenders offering little resistance.
Australia next meet Sri Lanka in Perth on Tuesday while New Zealand face Afghanistan in Melbourne a day later.
Teams
New Zealand: Devon Conway, Finn Allen, Kane Williamson (capt), Glenn Phillips, Mark Chapman, James Neesham, Mitch Santner, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Trent Boult, Lockie Ferguson
Australia: Aaron Finch (capt), David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Glenn Maxwell, Marcus Stoinis, Tim David, Matthew Wade, Pat Cummins, Mitchell Starc, Adam Zampa, Josh Hazlewood
Umpires: Adrian Holdstock (RSA), Kumar Dharmasena (SRI)
TV Umpire: Langton Rusere (ZIM) Match Referee: Chris Broad (ENG)
Indian skipper Rohit Sharma breaks silence on Pakistan tour controversy
MELBOURNE: Indian Skipper Rohit Sharma reacted to the off-the-field tensions between Pakistan and Indian cricket boards after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decided against touring Pakistan for the Asia Cup 2023.
On Tuesday, BCCI Secretary Jay Shah unilaterally announced that India won’t be touring Pakistan for the Asian event. Shah also said that the board will insist on a neutral venue for the tournament.
Speaking about the ongoing issue, Rohit said that the decision will be taken by the BCCI. “We are focusing on the T20 World Cup for now,” he said.
The skipper said that he is hoping for a complete match against Pakistan tomorrow (October 23). The match is expected to be affected by rain as the weather department has predicted showers on Sunday in Melbourne.
“Pakistan’s bowling is very good and can be challenging for us, however, our batting is good too,” he added.
Rohit said that we will have to focus on bowling and fielding to win the match, adding that it was important to work on the flaws after the last World Cup humiliation.
Talking about the Pakistan team, he said that the current squad is very challenging as the team played well in the World Cup and Asia Cup.
Pakistan, Turkiye agree to boost cooperation in tourism, culture & film
ISTANBUL, OCT 22 (DNA): Pakistan and Turkiye have agreed to boost their cooperation in tourism, culture, film, drama and other areas in order to take their bilateral relations to the next level.
Different measures will be taken for the purpose which have been decided upon during two separate meetings of Minister of Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb with a delegation of the Turkish film industry and Deputy Minister of Culture and Tourism of Turkiye Ahmet Misbah Demircan.
During the meetings, both sides agreed to promote bilateral cooperation in the drama and film industry, setting up a film processing lab in Pakistan on modern lines and taking the joint venture to launch “screen tourism”.
The information minister announced that Pakistan would participate in the upcoming film festival of Turkiye to showcase its best talent in the film industry.
Marriyum said the two countries enjoyed deep friendly relations, adding the role of Turkiye in Pakistan’s development was unforgettable.
She said Pakistan was keen to launch the “screen tourism” in collaboration with Turkiye which would eventually help both countries in highlighting their cultural diversity and natural beauty at the international level.
Marriyum said her government had formulated the country’s first-ever film and culture policy, which included tax exemptions and incentives for the industry. The use of modern technology was made part of the national film policy to improve production quality and stories, she added.
She said the government had abolished different tax for the film, tourism and culture sectors in the federal budget of 2022.
Foreign filmmakers were also being given rebates on launching joint film and drama projects at the local level, she noted.
The minister said her government was striving to boost business activities in the different sectors including tourism and culture.
She said the government had also abolished sales tax and entertainment duty on import of equipment required for the production of new films and dramas.
Marriyum said steps were taken to give incentives to the artists and revive cinema culture in Pakistan by setting up new cinemas and rehabilitating the old ones. It was the best time to involve 70 per cent of the youth in the film and tourism industries.
She said the government would invite renowned producers in the international film workshops being arranged in the country for the youth.
She said Pakistan was the world’s third-largest film producer in 1970. The film and drama, she added, played an important role in improving the image of a country at international level.
As regards the participation of Pakistan in the upcoming film festival, she said three new Pakistani movies could be screened at the mega event.
She said cooperation with the Turkish universities would be sought for the inclusion of filmmaking subjects in the academic curriculum.
A feasibility report would be prepared for joint ventures between the two countries in the film industry, the minister said.
She said the Turkish filmmakers could produce their movies in northern areas of Pakistan, which were rich in natural beauty.
Massive funds had been allocated for preservation of numerous archaeological sites in Pakistan, she said, adding those sites were archaeological sites in Pakistan are the best assets to develop the tourism sector.
Pakistan, she said, would learn from Turkiye’s experiences in tourism sector development.
The Turkish deputy minister for tourism and culture assured Marriyum of his country’s all possible cooperation in tourism sector development.
Meanwhile, the Turkish film industry delegation, in a separate meeting, said the best companies of the Netherlands and France based in their country could provide technical support in establishing the film processing lab in Pakistan.=DNA
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Chinese delegation keen to explore business, investment scope in Pakistan
Islamabad, /DNA/ – A delegation of Pakistan-China Business Forum (PCBF) led by its Chairman Sheikh Nasir Ali visited Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry and showed keen interest to explore business and investment opportunities in Pakistan. The delegation discussed various options to boost Pak-China business and investment cooperation. The delegation vowed to work jointly for facilitating the business matchmaking and sharing the relevant information regarding the B2B events, exhibitions and trade fairs.
Speaking at the occasion, Sheikh Nasir Ali, Chairman, PCBF said that the Forum was working to promote business linkages between Chinese and Pakistani companies to enhance business collaboration, joint ventures and investment between the two countries. He said that PCBF would bring more Chinese companies to Pakistan for JVs and investment in special economic zones of Pakistan being set up in CPEC.
Sheikh Ejaz, Co-Chairman PCBF said that their Forum would cooperate with ICCI in its efforts for a new industrial zone in the region as it would improve Pakistan’s exports, reduce imports and attract more investment from China as well. He said that by investing in Pakistan, Chinese companies can export to Africa, Middle East and other countries. He said that a showroom would be set up in China to display Pakistani products in order to improve their exports.
Liu Shao Hong, Vice Chairman PCBF said that Chinese companies were interested to invest in green energy in Pakistan and PCBF would like to work with ICCI to bring Chinese investors to Pakistan.
Addressing the delegation, Ahsan Zafar Bakhtawari, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce & Industry said that Chinese companies should transfer technology and set up industrial units in Pakistan to produce imports substitutions. He said that Pakistan’s annual imports of electronics was around US$ 10 billion and Chinese companies should invest in Pakistan to produce electronics goods. He said that many sectors of Pakistan’s economy including IT, engineering, manufacturing, construction, tourism, warehousing, cold chain logistics, air freight & transportation, trucking and urban transport offered great investment opportunities and stressed that Chinese investors should take advantage of them by investing in Pakistan.
Azhar ul Islam Zafar Vice President ICCI, Cdr (Rtd) Muhammad Ayub Director PCBF, Zafar Bakhtawari, Mian Shaukat Masud, Muhammad Ejaz Abbasi, Baser Daud, Ameer Hamza, Dr. M. Usman, Ch. Muhammad Ali, Khalid Chaudhry and others also spoke at the occasion and offered useful proposals for promoting Pak-China bilateral trade and economic relations.
First shipment through WeBOC in Gwadar Free Zone on Saturday
DNA
Islamabad, Oct 22: In a landmark development, the first shipment was set to begin from Gwadar Free Zone putting into operation the Web-Based One Custom Clearance System (WeBOC) on Saturday (October 22).
According to Gwadar Pro, the development has made a mark after the web-based one custom clearance system was successfully launched in Gwadar Free Zone. Earlier this week, FBR issued the operator ID to Gwadar Free Zone Company transforming the traditional one custom to a modernised WeBOC.
Given the new digitalised e-customer clearance system, all entry and exit of shipments in Gwadar Free Zone will be carried out using WeBOC.
A consignment of Hangeng Trade Company, an investment firm within Gwadar Free Zone, is first to be shipped under the e-custom service.
Liao Longtai, the General Manager of Hangeng told Gwadar Pro, “It is a great honour for Hangeng to be the trailblazer for innovative mode of commerce”, adding that “next week another cargo container will be exported from Free Zone by Hangeng using WeBOC”.
“In the days to come all companies operating in the zone will be registered under WeBOC. Since it is convenient, transparent and business-friendly, it is highly likely to boost investor confidence and enhance commercial activities in Gwadar,” said an official of Gwadar Free Zone Company.
To give strategic boost to commerce and shipment activities, the e-custom clearance system was installed in Gwadar Free Zone in the last week of July this year, which was featured by paperless, ultra-fast, cost-effective and transparent processes and procedures.
The game-changing e-initiative aims to facilitate companies in Gwadar Free Zone to get integrated with Gwadar Port, customs, NLC, FBR, banking channels and other institutions to increase efficiency and reduce the time taken for processing in various departments.
WeBOC in Gwadar Free Zone will help with the automation, standardisation and harmonisation of all trade procedures and logistic services related to land, air and sea routes under Pakistan Single Window (PSW).
Presently WeBOC has thousands of registered users i.e. businesses, government departments including Anti-Narcotic Force, Engineering Development Board, State Bank of Pakistan, Ministry of Climate Change, Railways, Income Tax Department, Provincial Motor Registering Authorities, Commercial Banks, etc.
