KARACHI (DNA) – Famous chef, media personality and sister of writer Anwer Maqsood, Zubaida Tariq aka Zubaida Apa has passed away in Karachi on Thursday night after a brief illness. Zubaida Apa was popular for her cooking skills and housekeeping remedies. She has also hosted several shows and wrote various culinary books. According to family sources, her funeral prayer and burial will take place after Friday prayers at Sultan Masjid in Defence Housing Authority today.
SBP takes steps for transactions to be denominated in Chinese Yuan
KARACHI, JAN 02 (DNA) – State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), in the capacity of the policy maker of financial & currency markets, has taken comprehensive policy related measures to ensure that imports, exports and financing transactions can be denominated in CNY. Both public and private sector enterprises (i.e. both Pakistanis and Chinese) are free to choose CNY for bilateral Trade & Investment activities.
US in the dock under Donald Trump By Ansar M Bhatti
The UN General Assembly on Dec 21, 2017 in its extra-ordinary session adopted Pakistan co-sponsored resolution declaring US President Donald Trump’s decision to move American Capital to Jerusalem, by 128 votes. Only nine countries chose to side with the US President while 35 countries including Australia, Canada, Israel, Romania, Hungary did not attend the session. The UNGA decision and the earlier decision of the UN Security Council in which 14 countries out of 15 voted against Trump decision, may not force belligerent American President to withdraw his decision, nevertheless huge moral and political pressure from the international community has ostensibly put America on the back foot.
Kim vows North will mass-produce nukes, missiles
SEOUL (DNA) – Kim Jong-Un vowed North Korea would mass-produce nuclear warheads and missiles in a defiant New Year message Monday suggesting he would continue to accelerate a rogue weapons programme that has stoked international tensions. Kim, who said Monday that he always had a nuclear launch button on his desk, has presided over multiple missile tests in recent months and the North’s sixth and most powerful nuclear test — which it said was a hydrogen bomb — in September. “We must mass-produce nuclear warheads and ballistic missiles and speed up their deployment,” said Kim in his annual address to the nation.
Oil prices close at 2-1/2 year peak
NEW YORK, DEC 27 (DNA) – Oil prices in New York jumped to a two-and-a-half year high Tuesday and briefly topped $60 a barrel due to a Libyan pipeline explosion and frigid weather in the US. The benchmark US contract, West Texas Intermediate for February delivery, rose $1.50 to $59.97 a barrel after earlier breaching $60 for the first time since June 2015. Brent North Sea crude for February delivery advanced $1.77 to $67.02 a barrel, a level not seen since mid-2015.
President of Uzbekistan, Shavkat Mirziyoyev makes historic address to Oliy Majlis
TASHKENT, DEC 25 (DNA) – The event, held in the Palace of Symposiums in Tashkent, was attended by members of the Senate and deputies of the Legislative Chamber of the Oliy Majlis, heads of the Cabinet of Ministers, ministries and departments, representatives of diplomatic corps and representative offices of international organizations accredited in our country, activists of non-governmental non-profit organizations. Deputies of district, city and regional Kengashes of people’s deputies, heads of executive bodies and economic management at all levels, representatives of non-governmental organizations and the public, ambassadors of our country in foreign countries observed the event through video conferencing.
WAPDA win 50th National Volleyball Championship
LAHORE, DEC 25 (DNA) – While successfully defending their title, Pakistan Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) won 50th National Men’s Volleyball Championship held at POF Sports Complex Wah Cantt.WAPDA defeated Navy 3-1 in the final of the Championship. With this tremendous performance in the National Volleyball Championship, WAPDA managed to win the Men’s title for 3rd consecutive time, according to WAPDA spokesman Sunday.
Pope pleads for migrants at Christmas mass
VATICAN CITY, DEC 25 (DNA) – Pope Francis in his Christmas eve mass Sunday urged the world’s 1.3 billion Catholics not to ignore the plight of migrants who are “driven from their land” because of leaders willing to shed “innocent blood”. “So many other footsteps are hidden in the footsteps of Joseph and Mary,” the Argentine pontiff, himself the grandson of Italian migrants, told worshippers in Saint Peter’s Basilica “We see the tracks of millions of persons who do not choose to go away but, driven from their land, leave behind their dear ones.”
Mitchell Starc out, Jackson Bird in for Boxing Day Test against England
MELBOURNE, DEC 24 (DNA) – Australia pace spearhead Mitchell Starc was on Sunday ruled out of the fourth Ashes Test with a heel injury and will be replaced by Jackson Bird.Starc, who is Australia´s leading wicket-taker in the series with 19, bruised his heel bowling in Australia´s series-clinching third Test win in Perth last week.There wasn´t enough time for him to recover from the injury to his landing foot, with team management officially ruling him out two days before Tuesday´s Melbourne Test.
Britain FM to visit Moscow first time in five years amid cold relations
LONDON, DEC 22 (DNA) – British Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson on Friday will hold talks in Moscow with his Russian counterpart Sergei Lavrov on the first official visit by a minister from London in five years. The visit could signal an improvement in relations after years of antagonism. It comes after Johnson in April cancelled a planned trip at the last minute over Russia’s support for the Syrian regime of President Bashar al-Assad. Britain’s outspoken foreign secretary himself said he holds out little hope that ties with Moscow could undergo a full-blown transformation.
