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WASHINGTON: More than 50 years after the last Apollo mission, the United States will try once again to land a craft on the Moon on January 25, said the head of what could be the first private company to successfully touch down on the lunar surface. The lander, named Peregrine, will have no one on board. It was developed by American company Astrobotic, whose CEO John Thornton said it will carry NASA instruments to study the lunar environment in anticipation of NASA’s Artemis manned missions. Several years ago, NASA opted to commission US companies to send scientific experiments and technologies to the Moon — a programme called CLPS. These fixed-price contracts should make it possible to develop a lunar economy, and provide transport services at a lower cost. “One of the big challenges of what we’re attempting here is attempting a launch and landing on the surface Moon for a fraction of what it would otherwise cost,” said Thornton on Wednesday at a press briefing at his company’s ba...

• Ask govt to take back unprecedented hike in gas tariffs • Production suspension to cause $47m per day export loss KARACHI: Industrialists in the economic nerve centre of Pakistan have announced a complete production shutdown on Monday (Dec 4) to force the caretaker government to reverse the unprecedented hikes in the gas tariffs. They estimate a per day export loss of $47 million from the port city. Businessmen have already displayed protest banners at the offices of all trade associations, demanding the government to immediately bring down the gas rates to Rs1,350 per mmBtu approved by the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) instead of the high tariffs of Rs2,100-2,600 per mmBtu. This was announced by various industrial bodies at the third press conference held at the Site Association of Industry (SAI) on Thursday, which was attended by the office-bearers of various industrial associations and value-added textile sectors. Businessmen Group Vice-Chairman Jawed Bilwani s...

ISTANBUL: A massive banner proclaiming ‘Humanity is dying in Gaza’ is displayed in the stands during the Champions League football match between Turkish side Galatasaray and Manchester United at the RAMS Park, on Wednesday.—Reuters • Five premature babies found dead in paediatric hospital • Another group of prisoners released; three said to be killed in earlier Israeli strikes on Gaza GAZA: With just hours of peace left, mediators scrambled to extend a truce between Israel and Hamas on Wednesday. But progress on the truce deal was marred by the killings of two Pales­t­i­nian children by Israeli forces in the occupied West Bank city of Jenin. Late on Wednesday night, AFP reported that another group of Israeli prisoners had been handed over to the Red Cross in the Gaza Strip. The release is the sixth under the extended humanitarian truce. At least 10 prisoners were expected to be freed on Wednesday under the terms of the truce agreement. But the handover was overshadowed by the...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pak­istan (MQM-P) pledged to jointly contest the upcoming general elections in Sindh and strengthen local governments (LGs) nationwide through constitutional cover. These commitments were made during a delegation-level meeting at the residence of PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal. The PML-N delegation included Ahsan Iqbal, Ayaz Sadiq, Saad Rafique, and Bashir Memon, while the MQM-P team comprised Farooq Sattar, Aminul Haq, and Mustafa Kamal. During the meeting, the MQM-P side handed over a draft bill to the PML-N, seeking constitutional amen­dments to politically, financially, and administratively empower LGs so that “the fruits of democracy are extended for the benefit of the populace”. Following the meeting, leaders from both sides held a news conference to provide details. Muttahida seeks constitutional cover for empowerment of local government Ahsan Iqbal said: “We [PML-N and MQM-P] will work together to sec...

ISLAMABAD: The Lahore High Court’s (LHC) Rawalpindi bench issued a landmark judgement on Tuesday on the “doctrine of expeditious resolution” of corporate disputes through mediation. The judgement, authored by Justice Jawad Hassan, explained the methodology of settling commercial disputes through alternative dispute resolution (ADR). Justice Hassan handed down the decision on a petition filed by Faisal Zafar and others regarding a dispute related to the management of a pharmaceutical company. Ahmer Bilal Soofi represented the petitioners. He argued that the management had committed “certain illegalities” in running the company’s affairs, including non-payment of salary to its employees, non-payment of electricity bills, non-compliance with guidelines given by the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), and impracticality of the agreement under the consent decree. The court concluded that the matter could be resolved through “early neutral evaluation” (ENE) — a form o...

• Palestinians demand Israel give news of those detained during operations in Gaza • UN, White House welcome extension in humanitarian pause CAIRO: Mediator Qatar said on Monday that a truce between Israel and Hamas in Gaza had been extended by two days, while Palestinian authorities have demanded the Israeli military release information about who have been detained from Gaza during its assault on the territory. “An agreement has been rea­ched to extend the humanitarian truce for an additional two days in the Gaza Strip,” a Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson said in a post on social media platform X. There was no immediate comment from Israel, but the White House welcomed the extension of the humanitarian pause in Gaza. Hamas also said it had agreed to a two-day extension to the truce with Qatar and Egypt, which have been facilitating indirect negotiations between the two sides. “An agreement has been reached with the brothers in Qatar and Egypt to extend the temporary humanita...

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has imposed a cost of Rs1 million on Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd for wasting its time and directed the realtor to pay the amount to the Sindh Institute of Urology and Transplantation (SIUT) — a facility providing free-of-cost healthcare. In addition, Bahria Town is also required to reimburse to the Sindh government an equal amount of the money spent on a survey conducted by the Survey of Pakistan (SoP) to assess the land in possession of the developer. The directives were contain­ed in a 13-page written order, iss­ued by the apex court on Monday. A three-judge SC bench, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa and comprising Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Athar Minallah, had on Nov 23 taken up an application moved by Bahria Town through its counsel Salman Aslam Butt. The application stated that pursuant to the March 21, 2019 SC judgement, the realtor had to receive 16,986 acres of land in Sindh’s Malir district, but it received only 11,747 acres,...

Pakistan and the United Arab Emirates on Monday signed memorandums of understanding (MoU) pertaining to investment cooperation that will unlock “multi-billion dollars” in funding from the Mideast state. The development came in a meeting between caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar and UAE President Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan in Abu Dhabi during the former’s week-long trip to the Middle East. The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the MoUs in the sectors of energy, port operations, wastewater treatment, food security, logistics, minerals, and banking and financial services will unlock “multi-billion dollars of investment from the UAE into Pakistan and will help realise various initiatives envisioned under the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC)”. The prime minister termed the signing of MoUs as “a historic event that will usher in a new era of Pak-UAE economic partnership.” During the meeting, PM Kakar expressed profound gratitude for the UAE’s f...

• Adviser Sullivan believes prisoners release a testament to effectiveness of direct presidential diplomacy • Senator Bernie Sanders says ‘blank cheque approach’ by US must end WASHINGTON: In a significant shift of tone, US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan hinted on Sunday at the possibility of President Joe Biden attaching conditions to US aid to Israel while his deputy Jon Finer added that US aid was never unconditional. In interviews to various US television channels, Mr Sullivan stated that President Biden acknowledged the notion during a recent press conference. This development comes as health officials in Gaza report a staggering toll from weeks of Israeli attacks, with over 14,500 deaths and 1.7 million people displaced. Pressed on whether President Biden would consider legislation attaching conditions to aid for Israel, Mr Sullivan did not rule out the possibility. “He is going to continue to focus on what is going to generate results,” he said, pointing to the re...

• Experts say amounts paid by aspirants form big chunk of most parties’ finances • Politician argues fee is necessary to weed out ‘non-serious contenders’ ISLAMABAD: The upcoming elections are set to become a money-making venture for nearly all mainstream political parties as candidates are being charged ‘non-refundable fees’ for the award of tickets. For example, PML-N and PTI have both fixed a fee of Rs200,000 each for aspirants seeking to contest elections on a National Assembly seat. Although the practice has been decried as being ‘exclusionary’ for the common man, as it all but ensures that only those with substantial financial means can take part, there is no law forbidding it, which has become commonplace in Pakistan’s electoral politics. These fees are separate from the nomination fees that are submitted to the Election Com­mission of Pakistan (ECP) alongside nomination papers. In fact, while the fees charged by various parties have incre­ased over the years (in step with ...

Eight terrorists were killed by security forces during an intelligence-based operation (IBO) in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s South Waziristan district, the military’s media affairs wing said on Sunday. According to a statement issued by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the IBO was conducted in the district’s Sararogha area based on the reported presence of terrorists. “During the conduct of operation, intense fire exchange took place between own troops and terrorists as a result of which eight terrorists were sent to hell. “The killed terrorists remained actively involved in numerous terrorist activities against security forces as well the innocent civilians. Arms, ammunition and explosives were also recovered from killed terrorists,” the ISPR said. It added that a sanitisation operation was under way to eliminate any other terrorists found in the area as the security forces were “determined to wipe out the menace of terrorism from the country”. On Wednesday, two soldiers were...

KARACHI: Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar has appointed Fahad Haroon as Special Assistant to PM on Digital Media. According to a notification issued by the cabinet division in Islamabad on Saturday, the newly appointed SAPM will have status equal to the minister of state. Published in Dawn, November 26th, 2023 from The Dawn News - Home https://ift.tt/d857tgi

At least four people were killed and dozens injured on Saturday evening in a stampede at a university in southern India, local officials and media reported. The stampede occurred at an outdoor auditorium in the Cochin University of Science and Technology (CUSAT) in southwest Kerala state, where a concert was planned. In a statement on X, formerly Twitter, Kerala state governor Arif Mohammed Khan said he was “deeply shocked and grieved to know about the sad demise of four students” at CUSAT. “Heartfelt condolences to their families. Prayers for speedy recovery of injured,” he added. State Health Minister Veena George said in a statement that four people were brought dead to the Kalamassery Medical College Hospital while four more were in critical condition, the PTI news agency reported, adding that over 60 people were injured. A local police official said that a crowd outside the auditorium had rushed to seek cover from a sudden downpour when a number of people slipped o...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and Kuwait will soon sign seven memorandums of understanding (MoUs) for investments worth $10 billion in Pakistan through seven projects in multiple fields, including environment, mining, and food security. In this regard, the federal cabinet, in its meeting held on Friday, approved seven MoUs to be signed during the upcoming visit of caretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar to Kuwait. Consequent to the efforts by the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC), both countries would sign MoUs on multiple projects, including the expansion of water reservoirs, mining facilities, conservation of mangrove forests in coastal areas, information technology and food security, the PM Office said in a statement. PM Kakar and the cabinet members appreciated the efforts of the SIFC and the relevant ministries. SIFC meeting approves initiatives to be pitched to friendly countries; PM appreciates Saudi support for Palestinians The prime minister, who chaired the meet...

SWABI: Former National Assembly speaker Asad Qaiser, having just secured bail from an anti-corruption court, was re-arrested on Thursday in a May 9 case registered in Charsadda district. Senior special judge Babar Ali Khan granted the bail on condition that Mr Qaiser submit two surety bonds of Rs80,000 each. Swabi’s anti-corruption establishment had charged the PTI leader with financial irregularities in procurement of equipment for the Gajju Khan Medical College, Swabi. However, following his release from Swabi prison, a joint team of Swabi and Charsadda police arrested Mr Qaiser from his Marghuz residence, citing his suspected involvement in the ransacking of Charsadda Toll Plaza on the Peshawar-Islamabad Motorway during the nationwide violent protests that erupted on May 9 after PTI chief Imran Khan’s arrest in a corruption case. Jawad Khan, the deputy superintendent of police (headquarters), told Dawn that Mr Qaiser had been transferred to Charsadda police custody. PTI leader...

ISLAMABAD: The National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) on Thursday gave in to a demand of the Power Division to impose for 12 months an additional special surcharge at a flat rate of Rs1.52 per unit on all K-Electric consumers, except lifeline category with less than 100 units per month on a permanent basis. The additional surcharge will come into force from Dec 1 for up to November 2024 and provide a Rs24.5 billion financial cushion to the federal government which claimed to have extended Rs416bn subsidy to KE during the past five years and had budgeted another Rs298bn for 2023-24, taking the total toll to Rs714bn in six years. Power Division said the government had also allocated Rs678bn subsidy for other distribution companies (Discos) for the current year. This additional surcharge is on top of an average Rs32 per unit uniform national base tariff, Rs3.23 per unit financing cost surcharge and various taxes and duties besides the quarterly tariff adjustments and ...

The top brass of the army resolved to completely support the caretaker government’s initiatives for “sustainable economic recovery and curbing illegal activities”, the military’s media wing said on Thursday. According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir presided over the 82nd Formation Commanders Conference (FCC) at the GHQ today. The conference was attended by corps commanders, principal staff officers, and all formation commanders of the army, it said. “The forum resolved to fully support the government’s initiatives in various domains for sustainable recovery of the economy and curbing illegal activities, including smuggling, hoarding, electricity theft, implementation of One Document Regime, dignified repatriation of illegal foreigners and safeguarding of national database, etc,” the press release reads. The forum highlighted that “an increasing sense of stability, certainty and optimism” was witnesse...

ISLAMABAD: By a majority of four to one, the Supreme Judicial Council (SJC) on Wednesday issued a show-cause notice afresh to a sitting Supreme Court judge, Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, with a direction to come up with his defence by filing a reply within a fortnight. Headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, the SJC also dispatched the complete record of allegations and evidence mentioned in the complaints against Justice Naqvi to furnish his reply within a fortnight. The SJC is a constitutional body that probes allegations of misconduct against the superior court judges. The decision to issue the show-cause notice was taken by the CJP, Justice Sardar Tariq Masood, Chief Justice Lahore High Court Muhammad Ameer Bhatti and Chief Justice Balochistan High Court Naeem Akhtar Afghan, though Justice Ijazul Ahsan dissented. Earlier on Oct 27, the SJC issued a show-cause notice by a majority of three to two with a direction to respond to the same by filing a repl...

CHITRAL: Pakistan Peoples Party chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday asked veteran politicians to call it a day allowing youth to take up the reins of the country. “Youth form 70 per cent of the population and have the capability and passion to run the country along modern lines and thus, steering it out of the current morass,” the PPP leader told a public meetinghere. Mr Bilawal said Pakistan was a country of fabulous resources and tremendous growth potential but its leadership that was well into old age impeded national progress, lacked vision, and focused its attention on settling scores with political rivals and amassing wealth after coming to power. “They [veteran politicians] should either have a rest in their farmhouses or madrassas and pray for the welfare of the country and people acknowledging they can no more get along with modern times,” he said without naming names. Says PDM-led govt ‘failed’ as his party’s allies wanted to take revenge from political rivals ...

ISLAMABAD: Amid struggling project implementation and calls for more transparency by multilateral and bilateral lenders, the caretaker government on Tuesday made a pitch for additional international financial support, particularly those relating to ‘debt for nature and debt for social development swaps’ to help Pakistan meet climate finance targets. The appeal for additional financial support was made by Caretaker Finance Minister Dr Shamshad Akhtar at back-to-back engagements with lenders and development partners ahead of upcoming UN Climate Change Conference (COP-28) convened by UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) from Nov 30 to Dec 12 in Dubai. The meetings were attended by representatives from all the key multilateral and bilateral lenders. The minister has already shelved budget plans to launch conventional Eurobond citing adverse global financial market conditions and announced to make efforts for access to climate financing, including through relevant bonds like...

‘THE more the things change, the more they stay the same.’ That truism can be applied to Pakistan’s power politics. The same old game that we have witnessed many times in the past is being played out yet again on our political stage, with the characters only swapping roles. While one former prime minister has been consigned to ignominy , another has been pulled out of disgrace and has returned as the favourite. The game of musical chairs is on. With just a few months left for polls, the outcome, it seems, has already been decided. The field is now being cleared for a former three-time prime minister, who is bidding for a fourth stint, with the main challenger having been demolished. Indeed, elections in Pakistan have never been considered completely free and fair but what is happening now has made a mockery of the entire democratic process. It appears that another process of selection, with the most brazen pre-poll manipulation, is underway. That makes the legitimacy of the democr...

Israel and Hamas agreed to a four-day truce that would see the Palestinian group release dozens of hostages taken on October 7 , both sides announced Wednesday. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s cabinet approved the accord after a near-all-night meeting, in which he told reticent ministers this was a “difficult decision but it’s a right decision.” A government spokesman told AFP that under the agreement at least 50 Israeli and foreign hostages would be released — women and children — in return for a four-day “lull” in military operations. For every 10 additional hostages released, there would be an extra day of truce. Hamas released a statement welcoming the “humanitarian truce”, which it said would also see 150 Palestinians released from Israeli jails. The truce offers Gaza residents the prospect of a desperately desired, if brief, pause after nearly seven weeks of total war. Sources had earlier told AFP the truce would include a complete ceasefire on the ground a...

JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman receives PML-N supremo Nawaz Sharif in Islamabad, on Tuesday.—Tanveer Shahzad / White Star • Fazl says will move forward with PML-N; Sana says talking to JUI-F on KP alliance • Bilawal flays PML-N, PTI as ‘elite-centric’, vows to implement NFC Award ISLAMABAD: As the political arena heats up in the lead-up to elections, JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman after a meeting with PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif on Tuesday annou­nced that both parties have reached a seat adjus­tment agreement in a bid to cement their relations. Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif called on JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence in Islamabad after making an appearance at the Islamabad High Court in connection with corruption proceedings against him. There was no statement from the PML-N regarding the meeting between the two, but JUI-F chief Maulana Fazl said both parties have reached an agreement to contest elections together. Maulana Fazl told reporters...

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan on Monday floated an urgent international tender for a Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) cargo in the first part of January to meet anticipated peak winter shortage in the residential sector. The tender, issued by the state-run Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) with a four-day notice, asked bidders to submit technical and financial bids by Nov 24 for a standard LNG cargo with targeted delivery on Jan 8-9, and the bids would be opened the same day. Last month, after about a year-long gap, Pakistan received three bids for two additional LNG cargoes for peak winter demand at a significantly higher premium over the prevailing spot market. The government accepted two lower-evaluated bids to minimise winter gas shortages following a decline in domestic gas production and to maintain load management at a level similar to that experienced in the winter of the previous year. LNG trader Trafigura Pte Ltd submitted two bids for the Dec 7-8 window and the Dec 13-14 window at $18.39 per...