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The year 2022 has been a nightmare for Pakistan on the economic front. Everything is much more expensive as we witness decades-high inflation , the rupee has plummeted, there are fears the country may default as the central bank’s reserves remain critically low and industry is struggling to operate with many large companies partially suspending operations. The already fragile situation worsened when floods ravaged large parts of the country, destroying almost half the country’s agricultural land and sweeping away entire villages. Some estimates put damages from floods at $30 billion. It seems Murphy’s law has found a comfortable home in Pakistan. Why is this happening all at once? Let’s step back and look at why we are in this situation and how we got here. History Pakistan has a basic budgeting problem, often referred to by experts as a structural problem. We continue to spend more than we earn. And we have been doing so for decades. This is true for our fiscal budget, present

Hollywood film ‘ Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ‘ became one of Netflix’s biggest debut with 82.1 million hours of viewership during the Christmas weekend. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv   It means that 35 million households were streaming the film, which arrived on Netflix after a brief run in the cinemas, per day. It is one of the biggest debuts of the year behind ‘ The Gray Man ‘ (88.6 million).    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery (@knivesout) It is pertinent to mention the original ‘ Knives Out ‘ film was a commercial and critical success. Netflix signed a $450 million deal with Lionsgate for getting the rights to its two sequels with ‘ Glass Onion ‘ being the first.  Related – ‘ Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ‘ is worth investigating ‘ Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery ‘ tells the story of Detective Benoit Blanc who reaches a to investigate a murder case at a Greek privat

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi and Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has expressed resolve to take Pakistan towards the destination of economic and political stability and social betterment in New Year 2023. In a message on the eve of the new year, the prime minister prayed for the prosperity and welfare of the whole humanity. He said that 2022, was a year in which floods devastation increased miseries and problems for the people. PM Shehbaz reiterated to bring light into the lives of 33 million flood affected people of the country in the year 2023. He wished that the new year might be an end to price hike and terrorism and ensure security to lives and economic prosperity. The prime minister observed that the world was confronted with various challenges like climate change. PM Shehbaz said that they had to secure the future of the coming generations on durable foundations in the new year. The prime minister also expressed resolve the creation of new opportunities for the youth

The world’s eight billion people have begun ushering in 2023 and bidding farewell to a turbulent 12 months marked by war in Europe, stinging price rises, Lionel Messi’s World Cup glory and the deaths of Queen Elizabeth , Pele and former pope Benedict . Many are ready to party on New Year’s Eve after a few pandemic-dampened years, setting aside pinched budgets and a virus that is increasingly forgotten but not gone. Sydney was among the first major cities to ring in 2023, restacking its claim as the “New Year’s Eve capital of the world” after two years of lockdowns and coronavirus-muted festivities. Australia’s borders have reopened and throngs of revellers gathered along Sydney’s sparkling harbour to watch 100,000 pyrotechnics light up the southern sky. A crowd that had been projected to surpass one million watched as a spectacular 12-minute display showered the waterway and illuminated the Sydney Harbour Bridge. “It’s been a fairly good year for us; getting past Covid of cours

In the world of social media there are many viral videos circulating on daily basis some of which are termed as publicity stunts, on the other hand, some of the videos are caught by surveillance cameras or dash cam which grab footage of narrowly escape deaths. These kinds of videos are typically involved persons or cars that narrowly escaped before either something heavy falls from above or fast, heavy vehicles that pass by without causing harm to the subject. A viral video surfaced over the social media platform in which the people witnessed and termed it a “miracle”. The video was most likely captured using a car’s dash cam in which A FedEx truck is seen driving in front of the vehicle on a snow-covered road, and another FedEx truck is seen approaching from the opposite direction. pic.twitter.com/Hk5stM9hYV — Vicious Videos (@ViciousVideos) December 31, 2022 A fast train bangs into the approaching truck and smashes its way through the container as the driver’s compartment is

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has failed to achieve its tax collection target of Rs965 billion for December 2022, falling short of Rs225 billion, ARY News reported on Saturday.   According to a statement, the revenue watchdog collected Rs740 billion revenue in December against the target of Rs965 billion. Overall, the FBR has collected Rs3428 billion for the first six months of the current fiscal year. In the current financial year 2022-23, the tax department collected Rs3428 billion for the first six months against Rs2929 billion collected in the corresponding period of last year, depicting an increase of 17 percent. Moreover, FBR collected Rs740 billion for the month of December 2022 against Rs599 billion in the same month last year showing a growth of almost 24 percent as compared to the same month last year. Direct taxes collection showed growth of 66 percent during the month of December 2022 compared to December 2021. Direct taxes collection for the first six

Portugal captain and soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo has joined Saudi Arabian club Al Nassr on a two-year contract.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by نادي النصر السعودي (@alnassr_fc) “History in the making. This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves. Welcome Cristiano to your new home” Al Nassr said in a statement. The terms on offer to Ronaldo are understood to be worth $75 million a year, according to CBS Sports. Ronaldo, 37, left Premier League giants Manchester United last month following an explosive television interview in which the forward said he felt betrayed by the club and did not respect their Dutch manager Erik ten Hag. He represented Portugal in Qatar, where he became the first player to score in five World Cups after netting a penalty in his side’s opening Grou

A video of a restaurant employee dismissing a chair thrown at her during a brawl like the DC Comics character ‘ Wonder Woman ‘ is going viral. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv The viral video on Twitter showed one of the brawlers picking a chair and throwing a blonde cook. The employee managed to block the chair and threw it in another direction like it was nothing. Netizens were astounded to see her displaying Matrix-like reflexes. No #Waffling here: #Twitter erupts over viral video of #wafflehousebrawl where a #employee deflects a thrown #chair : ‘A new #superhero ‘ #wafflehousegirl #WonderWoman #LyndaCarter #WaffleHouse pic.twitter.com/bPosrO5dNB — Sn00pster (@sn00pdad) December 30, 2022 “She’s the kung fu movie protagonist that has fallen out of touch with her passion, and her training kicks in during this pivotal intro sequence,” a netizen tweeted while another wrote, “This is the most anime move I’ve ever seen in real life.” Related – Watch: Teaser tra

Actor Zara Noor Abbas performed Umrah with her celebrity-mother Asma Abbas and husband Asad Siddiqui. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv Zara Noor Abbas shared pictures of her with her mother and husband in Masjid Al-Haram on the social media application Instagram on Friday.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Zara Noor Abbas Siddiqui (@zaranoorabbas.official) In the caption, Zara Noor Abbas wrote she had no words to describe what she had experienced. The caption read, “Allah Hu Akbar The feeling of completion – the real truth of our existence. No words can describe what I have experienced. May Allah invite every one of us to perform Umrah/Hajj to HIS house again and again. Ameen.” Related – Mawra Hocane performs first Umrah with mother The picture gallery has millions of likes. Netizens liked and congratulated her for performing Umrah.  Her fellow celebrities Maya Ali, Momal Sheikh, Sadia Faisal, Saba Faisal, Dino Al

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) have decided to contempt pleas against the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) and the federal government for not complying with the court order for holding Islamabad local government (LG) polls, ARY News reported on Friday. In response to ECP’s failure to hold Islamabad LG polls, the PTI Islamabad leadership took a decision in a consultative session to file a contempt of court plea against the commission and the federal government. The contempt plea will be filed in the IHC on Saturday morning. The PTI spokesperson said that the chief election commissioner (CEC) would be held responsible for not complying with the IHC order. READ:  IMRAN KHAN ASKS CITIZENS TO ACTIVELY TAKE PART IN ISLAMABAD LG POLLS The PTI leader Ali Nawaz Awan also held consultations with the legal team and directed to prepare the contempt plea. Moreover, Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) also prepared contempt of court plea against the ECP. In accordance

The government decided on Friday to outsource airports in Islamabad, Lahore, and Karachi in a bid to attract foreign direct investment and provide “world-class facilities” to passengers. The decision was taken in a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to discuss matters pertaining to the aviation sector, a PM Office press release said. It was decided that the government would hire the services of operators of international repute to run three major airports in the first phase. As per the plan, the international operators would help run the said entities for a period of 20-25 years. The meeting also decided to engage the International Finance Corporation to provide consultancy services. The international operators would provide the services of international standards at the said airports besides uplifting them through foreign investment. The meeting gave the Public Private Partnership Authority a go-ahead to initiate the formalities. The prime minister instructed the

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed to initiate the outsourcing process of three major airports under the public-private partnership, ARY News reported on Friday. The directives were issued in a meeting chaired by PM Shehbaz Sharif to discuss matters related to aviation and airports. The concerned authorities have been ordered to initiate the process of outsourcing Jinnah International Airport Karachi, Allama Iqbal International Airport Lahore and Islamabad International Airport. The prime minister directed that in the outsourcing process all concerned departments should take steps efficiently. He further said transparency should be ensured in this process. READ: PM APPROVES PLAN TO OUTSOURCE AIRPORT SERVICES’ DIVISION OF CAA The meeting was given a detailed briefing on the outsourcing of airports. It was informed that outsourcing airports are a normal profit-seeking practice throughout the world. It was told that initially Islamabad International Airport and

ISLAMABAD: The postponement of Islamabad Local Government (LG) polls caused a huge financial loss to the national exchequer as the printing of ballot papers was completely wasted, ARY News reported on Thursday. The postponement of the Islamabad LG polls caused a huge financial loss worth a minimum of Rs10 million to the national exchequer. Sources closer to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) told ARY News that ballot papers were printed at the cost of Rs10 million. However, the ballot papers were completely wasted after the postponement order that was issued a few days before the LG elections scheduled for December 31. READ: ECP SEEKS BAN ON LG ACT AMENDMENTS BEFORE FRESH POLLS Sources added that the commission also spent a huge amount to purchase the election material. It is pertinent to mention here that the election commission postponed the LG elections in Islamabad after the ruling Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) sought to delay the polls on the pretext of an incr

Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah said Thursday that Adeel Hussain, the martyr of the Islamabad blast, will be awarded Tamgha-e-Shujaat. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had also approved the martyr package for Shaheed Adeel Hussain, he said while visiting the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences (PIMS) hospital, where he inquired after the health of Constable Muhammad Hanif who sustained injuries in the blast. The minister was accompanied by Inspector General of Islamabad Police Dr Akbar Nasir Khan, Director General Operations Sohail Zafar Chattha and other senior officers, according to the state news agency. READ: ISLAMABAD SUICIDE ATTACK CASE REGISTERED Rana Sanaullah said that terrorists would never be allowed to succeed in their nefarious designs as the country’s law enforcement agencies were fully capable of countering them. وفاقی وزیر داخلہ رانا ثناءاللّٰہ خاں کا پمز ہسپتال کا دورہ۔ وزیر داخلہ کے ہمراہ آئی جی اسلام آباد ڈاکٹر اکبر ناصر خاں، ڈی آئی جی آپریشنز سہیل ظفر چٹھہ

The United Nations (UN) aid chief Martin Griffiths will visit Afghanistan in the coming weeks and will seek to meet the highest possible officials within the Taliban-led administration after it banned female aid workers, a senior UN official said. “We regret to see that there is already an impact of this decision on our programs,” Ramiz Alakbarov, UN humanitarian aid coordinator in Afghanistan, told reporters in New York. The United Nations said that some “time-critical” programs in Afghanistan had temporarily stopped and warned many other activities will also likely need to be paused because of the ban. Alakbarov said that the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan were “enormous” and the United Nations was committed to staying and delivering help. He said the United Nations was actively working to get the ban reversed. The ban on female aid workers was announced by Taliban-led administration on Saturday. It follows a ban imposed last week on women attending universities. Girls were s

KARACHI: A joint investigation team (JIT) has been formed to probe into the cold-blooded murder of a woman in Sindh’s Sanghar district, ARY News reported on Thursday. The terrorising murder of a 45-year-old woman namely Dhiya Bheel was reported in Sinjhoro town of Sindh’s Sanghar district yesterday. According to the reports, the woman had gone missing after going to cut grass for the animals. The slain woman’s brother said in a statement that the accused men had brutally tortured Dhiya Bheel and later separated the head from torso. In the terrifying incident, the culprits chopped off body parts and left the naked body on the scene. Senior Superintendent Police (SSP) Sanghar expressed suspicions that the murder was committed by a group of men and they seemingly returned to the same village. An elder of the family said that they have no enmity with anyone nor have any domestic disputes. Sinjhoro police registered a case against unidentified men. A three-member JIT has been formed u

Brazilian football icon Pele, widely regarded as the greatest player of all time and a three-time World Cup winner who masterminded the “beautiful game,” has died at the age of 82, his family said Thursday. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv “Everything we are is thanks to you. We love you infinitely. Rest in peace,” daughter Kely Nascimento wrote on Instagram. Named athlete of the century by the International Olympic Committee in 1999, Pele is the only footballer in history to win three World Cups — 1958, 1962 and 1970. Nicknamed “O Rei” (The King), he scored more than 1,000 goals in one of the most storied careers in sport, before retiring in 1977. He had been in increasingly fragile health, battling kidney problems and colon cancer — undergoing surgery for the latter in September 2021, followed by chemotherapy. ‘Samba football’ Born October 23, 1940, in the southeastern city of Tres Coracoes, Edson Arantes do Nascimento — Pele’s real name — grew up selling peanuts on t

United Nations aid chief Martin Griffiths will visit Afghanistan in the coming weeks and will seek to meet the highest possible officials within the Taliban-led administration after it banned female aid workers, a senior UN official said on Thursday. “We regret to see that there is already an impact of this decision on our programs,” Ramiz Alakbarov, UN humanitarian aid coordinator in Afghanistan, told reporters in New York. The United Nations said on Wednesday that some “time-critical” programs in Afghanistan had temporarily stopped and warned many other activities will also likely need to be paused because of the ban. Alakbarov said that the humanitarian needs in Afghanistan were “enormous” and the United Nations was committed to staying and delivering help. He said the United Nations was actively working to get the ban reversed. The ban on female aid workers was announced by the Islamist Taliban-led administration on Saturday. It follows a ban imposed last week on women attendi

ISLAMABAD: The federal government has continued its royal expenditures as it disbursed funds worth Rs87 billion for the development schemes of the Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) despite the economic crisis.  Despite the low-paced utilization of the development budget, the increased discretionary spending on MNAs’ development schemes to a record Rs87bn. According to the official documents, the incumbent government spent more than Rs11 billion on the development schemes of the parliamentarians. It showed that the government had spent Rs780,000 on MNAs schemes from July to October. The coalition government showed a record pace of expenditures in terms of MNAs funds before the general elections. The disbursement of Rs87 billion was made and Rs11 billion funds were spent in November. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/Gr1LAaS https://ift.tt/QeEsmXb