IMF to visit Pakistan on January 31
The International Monetary Fund (IMF) mission will be in Pakistan from January 31 until February 9, where he will hold consultations related to the 9th Review. The Pakistani representative of the fund, Esther Perez Ruiz issued a statement that “the mission will visit Islamabad from January 31 to February 9 at the invitation of the authorities.According to the ninth evaluation of the fund’s growth facility,and the delegation will have discussions”. According to the IMF, “delegation will concentrate on policies to restore internal and external stability, including improving the financial position of sustainable high-quality measures while aiding the underprivileged and flood victims.” The statement said, “These steps include revitalizing the energy industry and sustaining a downward trend in circular debt as well as frequent forex market activation to address the lack of foreign money through the exchange rate. “Efforts and reforms under a strong policy are necessary to reduce the current uncertainty which will be important in strengthening Pakistan’s competitiveness, securing financial support from partners and the market and this is essential for Pakistan’s sustainable development,” it added. On the other side,media reports stated that Pakistan had asked the United States for assistance in reviving the IMF program so that the economy could be controlled by external obstacles including floods and unfavourable global economic circumstances.According to the report, Finance Minister Ishaq Dar advised the team to comprehend the difficulties caused by floods and other outside causes in order to persuade the IMF to be forgiving with Pakistan for resuming the loan program.
Sania bids farewell to Grand Slam career
Indian pioneer Sania Mirza retired from Grand Slam tennis on Friday after losing alongside Rohan Bopanna in the mixed doubles final at the Australian Open. Considered one of her country’s top tennis players,Sania Mirza,who is 36 years old,returned to her park in Melbourne for her final cheer and reached the final.But she and her 42-year-old Bopanna failed to cross the line as she lost 7-6 (7/2) 6-2 to Brazilian duo Luis Stefani and Rafael Matos.Mirza broke down in tears at the post-match awards ceremony.She said” these are tears of joy and I am happy that I came a log way”.Talking about her tennis partner Rohan,she said” he was my first mixed doubles partner when I was 14 and we won the national team.“After 22 years, I couldn’t think of a better person to end my career here and play in the final. He is my best friend and one of my best partners. There is no better place for me or for anyone else to finish a career at a Grand Slam.” Mirza, who is married to former Pakistani team captain Shoaib Malik, has a young son “Izhaan”. It was incredible to play in front of him in the Grand Final.I never thought I would be able to play in front of my own kids in the final,so it’s really special to have him here and my parents too.Known for her ardent convention-breakers,Mirza became the first Indian woman to win her WTA singles title in her hometown of Hyderabad in 2005.She reached the fourth round at the US Open that same year,and in 2007 she was among the top 30 women.However, her wrist injury forced her to focus on doubles,and she partnered Swiss great Martina Hingis,who produced three Grand Slam titles for her.Sania has planned to retire from tennis because she think her body is not having that capacity to play like fire and also she wanted to take care of her child with full time and attention.
The dollar hit an all-time high on the interbank market,trading at Rs 255
The local currency suffered a heavy blow in the interbank market during intraday trading on Thursday,dropping more than 24 rupees per day after unofficial caps were lifted in the open market.The local currency was trading at Rs. 255 against the dollar in intraday trading.This is the lowest level the rupee has fallen against the dollar since reaching 239.94 rupees in the interbank market on 28 July 2022.Meanwhile,data released by the Association of Stock Exchanges of Pakistan (ECAP) shows the dollar is selling at $255 on the open market after gaining 12 rupees.“The SBP seems to be adjusting its exchange rate to the market rate. PTI leader Asad Umar accused Finance Minister Ishak Dar of his “false ego”, which he said had severely damaged the national economy. “People who claimed to have pushed the dollar below 200 pushed the dollar up to 240,” he said.“Billions of dollars lost in remittances and exports, thousands of businesses destroyed and millions of people out of work due to false egos. Who is to blame for this catastrophe? Meanwhile, speaking to Geo, Dr. Khaqan Hassan Najeeb,a former adviser to the Ministry of Finance Television, said it was the “right move” to let the market determine the value of the local currency. He said “the move was necessitated by a severe dollar liquidity squeeze, tight reserves and the need for Pakistan to move forward with the IMF.”The economist added In this regime, trade deficits,supply and demand factors,and economic fundamentals have a significant impact on currency fluctuations.
Babar Azam is named ICC Men’s ODI Cricket Player of the Year for the second consecutive year
Pakistani cricket captain Babar Azam is named Men’s ODI Player of the Year for the second year in a row by the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Thursday for his “match-winning stroke and attractive batting”. The ICC noted that in the past year, Azam has only accumulated 679 runs from his nine ODIs, scoring an average of 84.87 in three centuries and his five half centuries. He also maintained his lead as the number one hitter in his ICC-ODI Men’s Player Rankings, which he has held since July 2021.The ICC also praised Skipper for his role as Pakistan’s captain, “leading the team in style with only one loss in the season” against Australia in Lahore.Cricket statistician Mazhar Arshad commented on Azam’s performance: “He is truly an ODI great”.
Pathaan is a national success,more than 300 shows increased by exhibitors
Pathaan is screening on 8000 cinemas across worldwide.Soon after the first show, exhibitors flocked to his 300+ shows from “Pathaan” as the film took the box office by storm. This is pretty unprecedented, but it’s also the fact that Pathaan has emerged as a box office monster. Today, the total number of screens has reached 8000 worldwide, showing films in multiple languages, including: Hindi, Telugu, Tamil. Of his 8,000 screens, 5,500 are domestic screens and 2,500 are overseas screens. Pathaan becomes the first Hindi film to experience the biggest release in the history of Indian cinema. Additionally, the pathaa gained more attention due to the cast of the film starring the amazing screen duo “Shah Rukh Khan” and “Deepika Padukone”. Their chemistry has been a hit since “Om Shanti Om” and continues to be loved by “Happy New Year”and “Chennai Express”. The film is directed by Siddharth Anand and produced by Aditya Chopra under ‘Yash Raj Films’ banner.This is his fourth film in Chopra’s spy universe.All assets the creator has ever released from the movie (for example, his two songs) until the movie’s release. “Besharam Rang” and “Jhoome Jo Pathaan” and the trailer was a huge hit with massive viewership.
India invites FM Bilawal to Shanghai Cooperation Organization meeting: report
India has invited Pakistan’s foreign minister to a meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) to host in May,Indian media reported.It might a possible thaw between rivals with nuclear weapons.The invitation came days after Prime Minister Shebaz Sharif called for talks with India on all matters of concern, including the Indian-Occupied State of Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).The call was made in August 2019, prior to making it clear that it has been reverted.Just a month ago, he said, as a bystander at a UN Security Council meeting, there were street protests in India after Pakistani Foreign Minister Bilawalbutt Zardari called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “gujarat slaughterer”,to which India called Bilawal’s comments “uncivilized”.Foreign ministry spokesmen from both countries did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment on media reports that Bilawal had been invited to his SCO foreign ministers’ meeting in Goa. India’s Foreign Minister S.Jaishankar’s invitation was delivered by the Indian High Commission in Islamabad, according to the Indian Express newspaper. “The dates currently being considered are May 4th and 5th,” it added.If Pakistan agrees, Foreign Minister Bilawal will visit India for almost his first time in 12 years. The last foreign minister to visit India was Hina Rabani Khar in July 2011,Indian Express said.
Suzuki raises prices up to Rs.355,000
PSMCL spokesman Shafiq Ahmed said the company has passed on a minimal portion of the increased overhead costs and economic uncertainty to consumers. Prior to this, Honda Atlas Cars (HACL) and Indus Motor Company (IMC) raised prices from Rs.300,000-550,000 and Rs.280,000 to Rs.1.2 million respectively.Alto VX, VXR, VXR AGS and AGS new prices have been set at Rs. 1,859 crore, Rs. 2,156 crore, increased by Rs.2. 223 million rupees, increased from 160,000 rupees to 200,000 rupees.After jumping from Rs 208,000 to Rs 257,000, the new charges for Wagon R,VXR, VXL and AGS models are Rs 2,629 million, Rs 2,789 million and Rs 3,059 million respectively. New prices for Suzuki Cultus VXR, VXL and AGS are Rs 3,309m,Rs 3,339m and Rs 3,569m respectively, rising from Rs 285,000 to Rs 335,000.The new selling prices of Suzuki GL MT, GL CVT and GLX CVT are set at Rs.3,479 million, Rs.3,742 million and Rs.4,115 million respectively, increased from Rs.299,000 to Rs.355,000. The Suzuki Ravi and Ravi without deck models are priced at Rs 1,539m and Rs 1,464m respectively, up Rs 115,000 each compared to Rs 1,424m and Rs 1,349m respectively.With the increase of Rs.119,000,the new prices of Bolan Van and Bolan Cargo are Rs.1619 crore and Rs.1606 crore
Netflix will start cracking down on password sharing in March
.Netflix confirmed in a letter to shareholders last week that a crackdown on password sharing could begin by the end of March, he reported,CBS News reported.The streaming giant said a password-sharing crackdown would begin “later in the first quarter.” However,the exact date of the raid has not been announced. Netflix said,”While our Terms of Service limit Netflix use to one household,we recognize that this is a change for members who share accounts more broadly. “That’s why we’ve been working hard to develop additional new features that enhance the Netflix experience, including the ability to see which devices our members are using their account on and transfer their profile to a new account.” Netflix announced plans to start charging for account sharing last October, and the company also rolled out a low-cost ad-supported plan in November.Meanwhile, the company has declared 2022 to be a “tough” year as Netflix has lost subscribers for over a decade.
Trend of “Caesarean” in pakistan, Do Doctors Perform Unnecessary Surgery?
For centuries, children around the world have often been born at home. As medical science advances, millions of women and their children’s lives are saved each year, but so does unnecessary use. Both India and Pakistan have seen a steady increase in the number of babies born by caesarean section, especially in private hospitals. In Pakistan, her 1 in 5 babies are born by caesarean section. The latest Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) report shows that the caesarean section rate has increased rapidly from 14% in her 2012-13 to 22% in 2017-18. Is Pakistan’s caesarean section rate too high? The answer is overwhelmingly yes. The World Health Organization recommends in a statement that a caesarean section rate above 10% of hers is not associated with reduced maternal or neonatal mortality (who, 2015). Current rates exceed World Health Organization recommendations, suggesting Pakistan is part of a global trend towards non-medical Caesarean deliveries. Pakistan’s health care system is mostly private, with about 64% of the country’s health care costs being funded by the private sector (Statistical Authority of Pakistan, 2018). In our survey sample, 53% of women gave birth in healthcare facilities (Figure 1), and the caesarean section rate in private healthcare facilities was nearly 28% (Figure 2). In the private realm of maternal health, where gynecologists, obstetricians, and staff are responsible for the individual care of pregnant women, they tend to have sole authority to make medical decisions based on the patient’s condition. In most cases, private maternal and child health organizations perform caesarean sections for profit. In public hospitals, doctors have no financial incentive to perform caesarean sections. However, the doctor’s fee and post-operative in hospital costs for performing a caesarean section with private medical facilities in Pakistan، are prohibitively expensive (depending on the type and location of the hospital). The results of this study therefore point to the need for a systematic review of private antenatal care units۔
FIFA suspends Sri Lanka over ‘red notice’
The warning comes after the Ministry of Sports has issued a series of regulations that are said to affect the autonomy and independence of national sports federations, including the Football Federation of Sri Lanka (FFSL). This month, the FFSL reportedly held elections that fell short of the standards agreed with FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), chaired by an ally of the sports minister. FIFA said in a letter on Sunday that the FFSL was suspended “until further notice”.The suspension will prevent Sri Lanka from participating in the international competition, which is in the midst of a major economic crisis, partly due to corruption. Sri Lanka’s men’s team ranks him 207th in the world rankings and the women’s ranks his 155th.