News Desk
ISLAMABAD: Ambassador of UAE to Pakistan Hamad Obaid Ibrahim Salem Al-Zaabi visited Pakistan Red Crescent Society National Headquarters and donated blood for the thalassemia patients.
PRCS Chairman Abrar Ul Haq and Secretary General Khalid bin Majeed received the visiting dignitary on arrival at the NHQ.
PRCS Chairman Abrar Ul Haq thanked the ambassador for his visit and also presented him a memento.
Serena and RGC Invitational Golf Tournament held at Golf Club Rawalpindi; CEO Serena Hotels Aziz Boolani says first event organized after COVID 19.
Sports Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Serena Hotels and Rawalpindi Golf Club (RGC) hosted the Annual Invitational Golf Tournament at Rawalpindi Golf Club as part of its Sports Diplomacy initiative, marking the welcome resumption of events after a long hiatus due to lockdown. Chief of Logistics Staff (CLS) Lt. Gen. Azhar Saleh Abbasi graced the event as Chief Guest.
The tournament drew more than 80 golf enthusiasts from the military high command, diplomatic corps, foreign dignitaries, corporate and business sectors which included women golfers.
CEO Serena Hotels South and Central Asia Mr. Aziz Boolani said that this was the first event to be organized after the Covid-19 lockdown period, and many more were being planned. He also thanked the RGC and the participants for their enthusiastic participation and excellent turnout. The dignitaries and participants expressed their pleasure at the chance of competing in pleasant environs of the Rawalpindi Golf Club where the organizers were fully compliant with COVID-19 protocols.
The winners in various categories were:
Maj. Gen. Tariq Qaddus and Maj. Haider Amjad (Ist Net), Maj. Gen. (r) Tariq Saleem Malik and Lt. Col. Tariq Yaqoob (1st Gross) in the Amateur Category, H.E. Dato Mahmud Saidin (1st Gross) and Mr. Aamir Shaukat (1st Net) in Diplomatic Category, Mrs. Tahira Nazir (1st Gross) and Mrs. Hussain Bano (1st Net) in Ladies Category, Mr. Aftab Ahmed (1st Gross) and Mr. Alamgir Shah (1st Net) in Corporate Category while the longest drive award went to Imran Janjua and closet to pin Mr. Haseeb Sultan. Mr. Aamir Shaukat was also awarded for a Hole in One.
Serena Hotels routinely organizes and sponsors sports activities like squash, tennis, hiking, polo, skiing etc. under its sports and adventure diplomacy banners to enhance well-being and enable sharing of the joys of sports.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, stressed,that the compromises born from the meetings of the two delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament have confirmed the Kingdom’s belief that Libyans are capable of finding solutions to their problems
DNA
BOUZNIKA- The delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament announced in Bouznika, at the end of their meetings as part of the Libyan dialogue, that they reached a comprehensive agreement on the transparent and objective criteria and mechanisms to occupy the posts of Sovereignty.
Both parties also agreed to continue this dialogue and to resume these meetings during the last week of this month in order to complete the necessary measures to ensure the implementation and activation of this agreement, said the final joint statement read by Driss Omran of the Libyan House of Representatives, in the presence of Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita.
The two parties to the dialogue called on the UN and the international community to support Morocco’s efforts to create the right conditions and a conducive climate to achieve a comprehensive political solution in Libya, reiterating their thanks and gratitude to the Kingdom and His Majesty King Mohammed VI, May God Assist Him, for the support and assistance to overcome the Libyan crisis and achieve the hopes of the Libyan people and their aspirations to build a civil and democratic State that enjoys peace, security and stability.
They also affirmed that their meetings, which took place in “a friendly and fraternal atmosphere marked by understanding and consensus”, were held as a result of their awareness of the current situation in the country, at different levels, an extremely dangerous situation threatening the security, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the State, born of negative foreign interventions that revive wars and regional and ideological alignments.
Both parties also stressed that these meetings take place in application of Article 15 of the Libyan political agreement reached in Skhirat and in confirmation of the conclusions of the Berlin conference supporting the political solution and on the basis of the relevant Security Council resolutions, and are explained by their awareness of the dangerous repercussions arising from the political and institutional division which has caused the citizen to lose confidence in the role of the legislative, executive and control institutions due to the poor living conditions at all levels.
Minister of Foreign Affairs, African Cooperation and Moroccan Expatriates, Mr. Nasser Bourita, stressed,that the compromises born from the meetings of the two delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and the Tobruk Parliament have confirmed the Kingdom’s belief that Libyans are capable of finding solutions to their problems without tutelage or influence as they are able to determine the interest of Libya and the way to serve it.
Speaking shortly before the reading of the final joint statement issued at the end of the meetings of the two delegations within the framework of the Libyan dialogue, Mr. Bourita noted that the Kingdom has always been convinced – which was also confirmed during the Bouznika meetings – that the High Council of State and the House of Representatives are the cornerstone for any progress towards finding solutions to issues concerning the Libyan crisis.
He also stressed that the important compromises reached by the two delegations regarding the appointment to the posts of sovereignty are not a mere declaration of intentions or recommendations, but rather compromises and concrete decisions about institutions and issues that have a direct impact on the daily life of the Libyan people.
The Minister further congratulated the two delegations on these compromises, considering that the institutions subject to these decisions symbolize the unity of the State and that the unification of these institutions is an essential element of any future solution to the crisis in Libya.
He also praised the positive atmosphere and the spirit of fraternity and responsibility that reigned during these meetings, where the interest of Libya and its people took precedence over any other consideration. He also welcomed the compromises “which augur well and bring good news” to the Libyans.
In addition, Mr. Bourita expressed his thanks to all the countries and regional organizations that expressed their support for the Libyan dialogue in Bouznika and the efforts of both delegations to reach compromises.
ISLAMABAD : Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on Tuesday has termed the Kashmir and Palestine disputes as the United Nation’s (UN) most glaring and long-standing failures.
Virtually addressing the 75th Anniversary of the United Nations in New York, the foreign minister said the people of Indian Occupied Kashmir (IoK) still await the fulfillment of UN’s commitment made to them for granting them their long-sought right to self-determination.
Referring to the UN’s role, Qureshi said that the global body addressed a historic need “to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”, to “reaffirm equal and fundamental rights of men and women and nations large and small”, and to “promote better life in larger freedoms”.
The minister went on to say that, today, the UN resolutions and decisions are flouted; international cooperation, especially in the Security Council, is at its lowest; force is threatened with abandon; critical treaties and covenants – designed to promote the development and protect the globe’s fragile environment – are discarded.
FM Qureshi, according to the report, pointed out that the very forces that led to the Second World War, racism and fascism are taking the shape of rising xenophobia and Islamophobia.
He said while we have seen enormous international cooperation to combat COVID-19, it has failed to unify humanity as it could have.
Underlining Pakistan’s contributions to the world body, Qureshi said Pakistan remains an ardent believer in multilateralism and the indispensability of the United Nations and has contributed over 200,000 troops to 47 Missions in 26 countries, losing 157 of our bravest in the process.
He added that the country has also hosted the largest protracted refugee population.
ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for the government’s focus on the uplift of areas that were previously neglected, his special assistant on information and broadcasting retired Lt Gen Asim Saleem Bajwa said on Tuesday.
In a Twitter post, Bajwa, who also heads the CPEC Authority, said out of the 18 approved border markets, three, including Mand and Gabd to be set up in Balochistan and ShaheedanoDan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, have been approved as a pilot project.
These markets will transform local economies, check smuggling and formalise trade with neighbouring countries, he maintained.
On September 17, Prime Minister Imran Khan had accorded approval to set up trade markets along Pakistan’s borders with Afghanistan and Iran. Presiding over a high-level meeting in Islamabad, the PM gave approval to establish 12 markets along Pak-Afghan border and six markets along Pak-Iran border.
The meeting decided to take effective measures to eliminate the menace of smuggling. Briefing the meeting, an official said that the border markets will be made functional by February, 2021.
RAWALPINDI : The Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE) will announce the results of intermediate annual examinations 2020 Part I and Part II on Tuesday (today), September 22, 2020.
Meanwhile, Bahawalpur, Multan, Lahore, Sargodha, Faisalabad, Gujranwala, DG Khan and Sahiwal boards will also announce the results today.
According to the chairman BISE Lahore, the results will be announced at 5:00 PM.
Last week, all the nine BISEs in Punjab announced the results of Secondary School Certificate (Matriculation) Annual Examinations 2020.
COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS)webinar gathers experts from six countries.
ISLAMABAD, 22 Sep, 2020.
Scientists from Pakistan, Colombia, Gambia, Ghana, Jordan and Sri Lanka were gathered by the Commission on Science and technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) to exchange valuable knowledge and experience on agriculture as means for food security and economic growth. The webinar entitled “Challenges to Agriculture and their Solutions in the GlobalSouth” was organized by COMSATS Centre for Climate and Sustainability (CCCS).
“Changing climate is a great threat to regional food security and robust efforts are needed to achieve the sustainable development goal two- zero hunger”, remarked Ambassador Kamal, head if COMSATS Center for Climate & Sustainability at the opening of the session. He considered agriculture the backbone of economy especially in the Global South due to the region’s heavy reliance on farming as the major source of income.
Owing to the rich intellectual inputs from various institutions, the webinar established the importance of sharing knowledge, good practices and success stories to address challenges in achieving food security within the framework of South-South Cooperation.Researchers and scientists from National University of Science and Technology (NUST), Islamabad; Centre for Climate Research & Development (CCRD), COMSATS University Islamabad (CUI); Centro Internacional de Fisica (CIF), Colombia; School of Agriculture and Environmental Science, University of The Gambia (UTG), The Gambia; Council for Scientific and Industrial Research (CSIR), Soil Research Institute of Ghana; National Agricultural Research Council of Jordan; and Uva Wellassa University, Sri Lanka participated in the webinar.
The speakers of the event, inter alia, highlighted need for technology-driven means for crop production and agriculture yield improvement under the changing climate; water conservation techniques, including rooftop water harvesting and wicked bed system under permaculture; importance of biochar derived from plants and other agricultural waste to mitigate climate change; measures to ensure self-sufficiency in food production such as limiting the use of chemical pesticides, promoting organic farming and precision agriculture; and import substitution policy, among others
Discussions during the webinar led to recommendations relating to use of alternate crop varieties;improvement of micro-finances and credit for smallholder farmers;more public – private partnerships in agriculture; holistic approaches towards food systems respective of social, economic, and environmental dimensions; and revisiting the agriculture policies aimed at enhancing agricultural production.
LAHORE : The Lahore High Court (LHC) will conduct the hearing of the interim bail plea of Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif in money laundering case today.
The Lahore High Court (LHC) had earlier extended the interim bail of the Opposition Leader in the National Assembly, Shehbaz Sharif, till today. The court has summoned lawyers of the parties in the case.
A two-member bench headed by Justice Sardar Ahmad Naeem will hear the bail plea of the opposition leader. Shehbaz Sharif is expected to appear before the court.
Earlier on September 16, the Lahore High Court (LHC) had extended interim bail of Opposition Leader in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in a money laundering case until September 21.
During the hearing, the bench had been informed that Shehbaz’s lawyers are busy attending a meeting of the Pakistan Bar Council, due to which they can’t appear before the court. It was requested to adjourn the case for at least three weeks.
Turning their request for three-week-long adjournment, the court had put off the hearing until September 21.
On Aug 17, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed Rs7 billion money laundering and assets beyond means reference against the Shehbaz family, including his wife Nusrat Shehbaz, sons – Hamza Shehbaz and Salman Shehbaz – and two daughters, Rabia Imran and Javeria Ali.
ISLAMABAD : An accountability court in Islamabad on Tuesday adjourned the Narowal Sports City case against PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and others until October 20.
The PML-N leader appeared before the court as it resumed hearing the case instituted against him and others by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). During the hearing, the bureau’s prosecutor informed the judge that the reference against the accused is in a final phase and would soon be filed before the court.
The court, thus, adjourned the hearing until October 20 with direction for the national graft buster to file the reference at the earliest.
At the previous hearing, Ahsan Iqbal’s lawyer had slammed the bureau saying it had failed to file a reference despite arresting his client. He said the NAB chairman also failed to come up with explanation on delay in filing the reference.
The judge asked the NAB prosecutor to explain as to why the reference against Ahsan Iqbal was not filed yet, to which he replied that the reference was sent to Headquarters for approval and will be filed once it is approved.
Ahsan is accused of using funds of the federal government and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for a sports city in Narowal.
NAB had announced to initiate a probe into alleged violation of rules in the construction of the National Sports City project – a day after its inauguration by the then President of Pakistan Mamnoon Hussain.
Former cricketers Wasim Akram and Ramiz Raja have joined the Urdu commentary panel for the National T20 Cup 1st XI tournament which begins next week.
A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official, has confirmed the news.
They will team up with Bazid Khan to do commentary in Urdu and English languages throughout the tournament.
The former cricketers, which were part of the victorious Pakistan side in the 1992 World Cup, have worked as commentators for broadcast teams across different countries namely Australia, England and India.
The National T20 Cup 1st XI tournament starts on September 30 in Rawalpindi with defending champions Northern playing against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
