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DAILY SCOOP, Lahore (2026)

10/08/2023

SEOUL: North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has dismissed his top general and called for stepping up war preparations “in an offensive way,” including boosting weapons production and conducting more drills, state media reported Thursday.
The developments came at a meeting of the Central Military Commission on Wednesday, the Korean Central News Agency reported, just days after Kim inspected several major arms factories.
The military gathering comes as Seoul and Washington prepare for major joint drills later this month, which the North views as rehearsals for invasion and has repeatedly warned could trigger “overwhelming” action in response.
At the meeting, Kim dismissed chief of the general staff Pak Su Il, replacing him with Vice Marshal Ri Yong Gil, KCNA said without giving further details.
KCNA said the agenda of Wednesday’s meeting was “the issue of making full war preparations” including “securing more powerful strike means” to ensure “perfect military readiness for a war.”
Kim called for “all the munitions industrial establishments to push ahead with the mass-production of various weapons and equipment,”

10/08/2023

The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the Cabinet has approved outsourcing of Islamabad International Airport through international competitive bidding.
According to the Finance division, Federal Minister for Finance and Revenue Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar chaired the meeting of ECC.
The federal government has been considering various options to outsource the operation of major airports in Pakistan with the aim of effecting an improvement in passenger service and optimizing the revenue potential of the airport.
It was decided in the PM steering committee that in the first instance, only Islamabad International Airport shall be considered for outsourcing whereas the two remaining airports can be outsourced in light of the experiences and insights gained from outsourcing of IIA.

The International Finance Corporation in its inception report highlighted some issues including long outstanding PIA receivables, the uncertain macroeconomic conditions, PCAA concession fee, tariff charges escalation mechanisms, the fate of PCAA employees which could hamper the smooth ex*****on of the outsourcing initiatives.

09/08/2023

Federal Minister for IT and Telecom Syed Aminul Haque Tuesday said that the ministry plans to bring Apple to Pakistan.
Talking to reporters about the mobile manufacturing policy, the minister said that Samsung and Nokia have already set up their assembly plants in Pakistan and the ministry’s next target is to bring Apple to Pakistan.

He said that IT Ministry has directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to hire consultants to provide recommendations and to work in close consultation with all stakeholders to carry out a detailed market study on 5G. He said the caretaker government can issue policy directives for the study.

21/07/2023

The former chief Justice of Pakistan, Justice Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, is set to receive the 2023 ABA International Human Rights Award, a statement from the American Bar Association (ABA) announced recently.

The jurist has been selected for the prize in recognition of "his courageous judgments against political impunity in a time of crisis and for defending judicial independence" in Pakistan.

The award will be presented on August 5 at the ABA Annual Meeting in Denver, USA.
"This award to me is vindication for what I have stood for throughout my career. It is vindication for what I hold to be true and just and vindication for [my] stand that the Constitution and its values should be lived by people," he said.

Known to be a "balanced" judge, Justice Jillani delivered key rulings of great significance on domestic and international concerns.

21/07/2023

Pakistani mountaineer Sajid Sadpara scaled the world’s 12th highest peak — Broad Peak — without supplementary oxygen in a single push from basecamp on Wednesday.

Sadpara, son of legendary mountaineer Ali Sadpara summited the 8,051-metre peak without the assistance of Sherpas, local support.

Sadpara has now climbed all five eight-thousanders in Pakistan without any help of supplementary oxygen.
It must be noted that Sajid aims to climb all 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of supplemental oxygen.

He successfully climbed Nanga Parbat without the help of supplementary oxygen and Sherpas in June.

He has also summited K2 (8,611m), Gasherbrum-I (8,080m), and Gasherbrum-II (8,035m) in Pakistan, as well as Manaslu (8,163m) in Nepal, without supplemental oxygen.

21/07/2023

Manchester United has completed the signing of goalkeeper Andre Onana from Inter Milan in a high-profile £47.2 million deal (£43.8m initial payment with £3.4m possible add-ons).
The 27-year-old Cameroon international has committed to a five-year contract, with an option for a 12-month extension, making him the new first-choice goalkeeper for the Red Devils, replacing David de Gea who left the club in July after 12 years of service.

19/07/2023

The government of Punjab has decided to construct plastic roads across the province.
The caretaker chief minister of Punjab Mohsin Naqvi has requested a plan for completing 107 inter-district road construction projects within three months.
He instructed to assure transparency and superior quality in road construction projects. The chief minister stated that all road construction contracts in Punjab are awarded via electronic procurement.
Naqvi stated that 137 road rehabilitation projects totaling 2,600 kilometers are nearing completion in Punjab.

19/07/2023

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected increase in Pakistan’s external debt to reach $130.850 billion in 2023-24 up from $123.574 billion in 2022-23.
The Fund in its latest report on Pakistan stated that the country’s external debt is projected to further increase to $139.116 billion in 2024-25. External debt is project to increase to 37.3 percent of GDP for 2023-24 compared to 36.4 percent of GDP in 2022-23.
Pakistan’s domestic debt has been projected at Rs. 43.574 trillion for 2023-24 and Rs. 49.803 trillion for 2024-25.

The report noted gross financing needs are very large, mostly due to large debt service payments, while external market financing has dried up. Confidence is weak, and credit rating agencies have downgraded Pakistan to just above default rating. Multilateral and official bilateral support has been critical to enable Pakistan to meet its debt obligations.

17/07/2023

During a visit by India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the UAE on Saturday, the two countries also agreed to set up a real-time payment link to facilitate easier cross-border money transfers.

The two agreements will enable "seamless cross-border transactions and payments, and foster greater economic cooperation", said a statement from the Reserve Bank of India on Saturday.

India, the world's third biggest oil importer and consumer and whose central bank last year announced a framework for settling global trade in rupees, currently pays for UAE oil in dollars.

15/07/2023

Fly Jinnah, Pakistan’s leading low-cost airline, today announced the launch of a new route between Quetta and Islamabad starting July 23, 2023, connecting both cities with five weekly flights.
The new route will offer Fly Jinnah’s customers a new option to travel between both cities while benefiting from the carrier’s affordable and value-driven travel deals allowing more passengers to travel more conveniently.
Fly Jinnah remains committed to providing reliable and comfortable travel at competitive prices while prioritizing passenger experience by offering quality service, efficient operations, and more connectivity. At present, Fly Jinnah connects five major cities of Pakistan including Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad, Peshawar, and Quetta.

15/07/2023

In the agricultural area of Hadiara in Punjab’s capital, Lahore, a drone loaded with narcotics, worth millions in local currency, crashed into the fields, alarming the local community.
Residents quickly notified the police following the drone’s unplanned descent. The response team discovered five packages of he**in within the fallen drone.
The police seized the drone and the narcotics, subsequently delivering them to the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) for a detailed investigation.
This unconventional transport method, which involved a drone, gives us a glimpse into the evolving tactics used in drug smuggling.

Drones, known for their roles in photography or delivery services, are now being used for criminal activities due to their speed and unnoticeable nature.

Reportedly, the confiscated drugs carried a staggering market value, amounting to millions of rupees.

14/07/2023

Critics have termed the world's largest cruise ship a "monstrosity" as they claim it has the same buzz as the Titanic on its maiden voyage. The Icon of the Seas under Royal Caribbean International will embark on its maiden voyage in January next year, The New York Post reported.

The ship is five times larger than the Titanic, with an internal volume of 250,800 gigatonnes (GT) compared to 46,328 GT, the publication reported.

The company believes that it will take travelling on the sea to the next level.

"We are positioning it as the ultimate family vacation and when you step back and look at all the energy and time that has gone into creating this ship it is mind-blowing," Royal Caribbean International president and chief executive Michael Bayley said in a statement.

The ship will have seven pools, nine whirlpools, the largest water park at sea — named "Category 6" after its record-breaking six slides.

The cheapest ticket for the seven-night cruise from Miami to the western Caribbean in September 2024 is priced at $1,851, while the most expensive is $10,864.

The ship can house around 5,610 passengers and 2,350 crew members on 19 floors, the height of a New York City building.

DAILY SCOOP

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