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JOHI: Growers of Johi are facing acute shortage of irrigation water for the summer crop season due to delayed repair work of aqueduct over the Main Nara Valley Drain (MNVD) in Khairpur Nathan Shah taluka. The structure for carrying water was damaged last year due to heavy torrential rains and massive floodwaters coming from Balochistan. The water shortage would likely to persist as the work would continue till next month. The structure collapsed between Sept-Dec 2022 at MNVD’s right bank’s end when three piles of the aqueduct were damaged. Emanating from the Sukkur Barrage’s right bank Dadu canal, the Johi branch is the only source of water for Johi taluka as the structure is built over the MNVD. It also served as a bridge over the MNVD which was also known as Right Bank Outfall Drain-I. The ongoing work had started by the end of May under the Sindh Flood Emergency Rehabilitation Project. The kharif crop sowing season has, however, already started. Johi taluka is a rice-growing area

MQM-P leader Mustafa Kamal shows a document at the press conference on Wednesday.—Dawn KARACHI: Accusing the provincial election authorities of tampering with the voter list of Karachi to serve political interest of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party, the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan on Wednesday demanded that the Sindh Election Commissioner be removed immediately. The party also warned that it would not accept the results of any elections until the issues related with electoral rolls were fixed. Addressing a press conference at the party’s temporary headquarters in Bahadurabad, senior MQM-P leader Syed Mustafa Kamal was visibly angry when he blamed both the PPP and the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for ‘abusing powers’ to benefit certain political entities and damage others. “We have documented proof of all wrongdoings and we demand the ECP to move before it’s too late. We can’t let anyone steal the mandate of people of Karachi. This is pre-poll rigging. This is not

LAHORE: The Lahore police claimed that the armed attack on the residence of former Punjab governor and senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa was planned by Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Zubair Khan Niazi. Addressing a press conference here on Wednesday, Lahore Investigation DIG Kamran Adil shared the breakthrough in the probe into the case of attack on the DHA residence of Mr Khosa, saying that the prime suspect who had opened fire has been arrested. The incident occurred on June 16 when unidentified armed men opened fire at the main gate of Khosa’s residence. In the attack, driver of Mr Khosa was injured and a footage later showed two armed motorcyclists fleeing after the incident. The former governor had sharply reacted saying those ‘irked by his speeches’, were behind the attack. Khosa had shown to the media holes in the door of his residence saying a Kalashnikov was used in the attack. The DIG said the suspect told the investigators that he was tasked with firing on the the resid

KARACHI: Governor Sindh Kamran Khan Tessori has announced free health care facility for low-income people, ARY News reported. As per details, Governor Sindh said in a statement, he said free healthcare facilities will be for those having income from 35 to 40 thousand rupees. Health insurance up to five hundred thousand rupees will be free through a health card. The cardholders will be able to get treatment in the best hospitals. It is pertinent to mention here that the federal government has allocated an amount of Rs1 billion in the budget 2023-24 for health insurance of working journalists and media workers. Read More: Budget 2023-24: Rs1bn allocated for health insurance of journalists Taking to Twitter, Information Minister Marriyum Aurangzeb confirmed the development, saying that Rs1 billion has been allocated for health insurance of working journalists and media workers. “Delighted to announce that an allocation has been made in the budget for health insurance of working jou

Some restaurants have gained worldwide attention for serving shocking dishes and a Taiwanese restaurant gained notoriety for its bizarre ramen dish. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv Nu Wu Mao Kuei restaurant has gone viral for serving a bowl of ramen noodles with a crocodile leg. The dish is being called ‘Godzilla Ramen’ because of the unusual food combination. They shared videos of the ‘Godzilla Ramen’, which is only available on pre-order, on Facebook. A clip showed the woman eating the dish. She set the crocodile leg aside and devoured the ramen noodles and other ingredients in the bowl. She ate the crocodile leg at the end.   Those who don’t want to have the crocodile leg can eat ramen noodles with different sauces. Eggs, baby corn, and bamboo shoots are also used as toppings.  The restaurant owner said they get the protein from a Taitung farm. Apart from crocodile leg, customers can get their dish served with unusual toppings eggs, baby corns and bamboo shoots.  Eac

ISLAMABAD: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has announced that the prices of petrol will remain unchanged while the diesel price hiked by Rs7.5 per liter, ARY News reported.  The federal government decided to maintain the petrol price at Rs262 per liter, while the diesel price has been hiked by Rs7.5 for 15 days and the new price will be Rs260.50 per liter. Earlier today it was reported that the government of Pakistan is likely to impose an additional burden on citizens by raising petroleum levies to fulfill International Monetary Fund (IMF) terms. According to the sources, the federal government is expected to increase the petroleum levy after which the initial electricity tariff will likely raise Rs 3 to Rs 5 per unit, adding that the gas will also become more expensive for the citizens of Pakistan. Read more: PAK-IMF agreement: Govt expected to raise petroleum levy The government sources maintained that the federal cabinet will decide on the increase in electricity tariff. Simultane

KARACHI: Embroiled in controversy over draft legislation aimed at enhancing the perks available to current and former chairmen, deputy chairmen and members of the upper house of parliament, Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani has offered to resign and present himself for accountability, Dawn.com reported. Sadiq Sanjrani. Mr Sanjrani claimed he had never demanded even a penny’s raise in his salary, nor did he claim any travel allowance or daily allowance during his time as Senate chairman. “I am ready for my accountability, an audit should be ordered and if it proves any misconduct or wrongdoing, I will step down from my position,” he told Nadir Guramani of DawnNews in an interview scheduled to be broadcast over Eidul Azha. Explaining the reasons for introducing the legislation, he noted that there were senators who relied solely on their salaries, and suggested that if the country was prosperous, then public representatives should receive better privileges. Senate chairman says be

• Heated exchanges witnessed as treasury benches criticised for not prioritising region’s issues • Rs28.45bn allocated for development, Rs74bn set aside for non-development expenditure • Rs51bn earmarked for salaries; education sector to get Rs1.57bn GILGIT: The Gilgit-Baltistan Assem­bly passed the tax-free budget for the next fiscal year 2023-24, with a total outlay of over Rs116 billion. After a two-day debate session, the budget was approved by the majority members of the assembly, chaired by Speaker Nazir Ahmed. GB Chief Minister Khalid Khurshid, addressing the session, stated that Rs51bn would be allocated for employees’ salaries and Rs28bn for development projects. He emphasised the government’s focus on the health and education sectors. However, opposition members in the assembly criticised the GB government for not prioritising GB issues in the current budget. Harsh words were exchanged between GB Chief Minister and opposition leader Amjad Hussain Advocate during the bu

LAHORE: Finance Minister Ishaq Dar said a staff-level agreement for a crucial bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “very close” and expected in the next 24 hours. Pakistan is racing against time to unlock at least $1.1 billion under the lender’s ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility (EFF) agreed in 2019. The programme expires on Friday. “We are very close to signing a staff-level agreement with the IMF,” minister Ishaq Dar told Reuters late on Thursday. “I think it should come some time tonight or maximum within 24 hours. We have finalised everything.” A source familiar with talks told Reuters that Pakistan and the global lender were also in discussions for the release of the full $2.5 billion pending under the IMF programme. The source said the staff-level agreement was to set to initially unlock around $1.1 billion and then be followed by a “standby agreement” which could release the rest after the programme finishes on Saturday. A repres

Finance Minister Ishaq Dar has said a staff level agreement for a crucial bailout deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was “very close” and expected in the next 24 hours. The government is racing against time to unlock at least $1.1 billion under the lender’s ninth review of a $6.5-billion Extended Fund Facility agreed in 2019. The programme expires on Friday. “We are very close to signing a staff level agreement with the IMF,” Dar told Reuters late on Thursday. “I think it should come some time tonight or maximum within 24 hours … We have finalised everything.” READ : Ishaq Dar loses his cool with reporter over question on IMF programme A source familiar with talks told Reuters that Pakistan and the IMF were also in discussions for the release of the full $2.5 billion pending under the IMF programme. The source said the staff level agreement was to set to initially unlock around $1.1 billion and then be followed by a “standby agreement” which could release the rest

Apple continues to bring changes to its iPhones via hardware and software updates. A YouTuber went a step ahead and recreated an iPhone 14 Pro Max which is eight-foot long with all the features of the original. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv   Matthew Beem shared a video which showed how he created the customized iPhone 14 Pro Max on YouTube. He built the gadget via touch-enabled screens of televisions, that are connected to a Mac Mini. There are buttons for adjusting the volume.    Even more surprising is that the user will have to jump to get their selfie taken due to the phone’s sheer size. Related – Everything you need to know about iPhone 14 Pro and Pro Max Matthew Beem claimed it was extremely difficult for him to build the phone as he has not done anything like this before.  “I have never built anything like this before so this was extremely difficult,” he stated. “To top things off we drove this all the way to New York City to get people’s reactions in Times S

SAKINA Fatima used to think her path to the Haj and Umrah was forever blocked. “If I don’t have a mehram, why can’t I come to see Allah’s house and do sajdah on the floor of Haram?” the 40-year-old orphan from India, wondered. “Why do I have to pay the price for a decision that’s not mine?” she asked, fighting back tears. Then in the Haj 2020, during the height of the Covid pandemic, she made a fervent plea as the sight of an almost empty Kaaba pierced through her heart — “Oh Allah, call me once.” The prayer was answered. In October 2022, she and countless other women were granted permission to travel for Haj and Umrah without male guardianship. “It’s not about money or status or anything else. Once Allah has decided to call you, He will make ways,” Sakina told me during an Umrah earlier this year. She was finally in the holy city of Makkah, seeing the Kaaba with her own eyes. The dream had come true. This year, thousands of women from across 160 countries participated in the Haj

ISLAMABAD: With the results of the digital census yet to be formally notified, conducting the upcoming general polls on the basis of the latest delimitation is out of question, a senior official of the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) said on Wednesday. “The general elections 2023 for the national and provincial assemblies will be conducted as per the limits of the constituencies published by the Commission on August 5 last year,” he told Dawn . The remarks come ahead of a post-enumeration survey scheduled to start on July 8, and plans to submit a report to the Council of Common Interests (CCI) by July 31, amidst claims by various federal ministers that the forthcoming polls will be preceded by a fresh delimitation exercise. He said that under Article 51(5) of the Constitution and Section 17 (2) of the Elections Act, the final published data was required for the purpose of delimitation of constituencies, and the commission was bound to start the delimitation process once the c

• PM says national airline can only progress if run by experts on profit-loss basis • Dar-led body to present workable solutions immediately after Eidul Azha ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has formed a high-level committee that will work out a plan to restructure and revive Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), which has continued to be in bad shape over the years. The reputation of the national flag carrier, facing cumulative losses of Rs635 billion by the end of September, has further suffered in recent weeks because of five particular incidents in different continents. And this happened when the company’s standing had already been at the lowest ebb following question marks raised by a former aviation minister on the qualifications of pilots operating its aircraft globally. As if that was not enough, the inter-agency acrimony in the aviation chain — including the Civil Aviation, PIA, and the Airport Security Force — is making things murkier. Things worsened to the e

LAHORE: There will be no shortage of petroleum products in the country again as the government has introduced a “bonded bulk storage policy (BBSP)” to deal with the hoarding menace, says Minister of State for Petroleum Musadik Malik. “The world’s biggest traders will now come here because of this policy and set up bonded storage facilities and it will address the problem of petroleum products shortage once for all. The step will also help end the monopoly of local storage houses and ensure uninterrupted supply of petroleum products,” Mr Malik told a presser on Wednesday. The minister said BBSP would address another issue — opening of Letter of Credit (LC) for acquiring petroleum products. “The international LC confirmation bar will be over by this step. Transac­tions by international traders may also be done in local currency thus reducing burden on foreign exchange,” he added. The minister revealed that bidding process for drilling of 16 to 24 wells in the sea had also been initia

The nation will celebrate the Eidul Azha today with religious fervour to commemorate the great sacrifice of Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismael (AS). The day will dawn with special prayers in mosques for well-being of Ummah and progress, prosperity and security of the country. Eid prayers’ congregations will be held at mosques, Eidgahs and open places in all cities, towns and villages. Ulema, in their Eid sermons, will highlight the significance of the philosophy of great sacrifice rendered by Hazrat Ibrahim and Hazrat Ismail (AS). People will offer sacrifice of animals to follow the Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim (AS). Civic authorities have made special arrangements for disposal of offals and other solid waste during the Eid days. The state and private media will air special programmes in connection with Eid-ul-Azha while newspapers will publish special supplements highlighting the importance of Eid-ul-Azha and Sunnah of Hazrat Ibrahim AS. from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/ILvYuMS https:

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has urged the people to take special care of flood-hit homeless people on the occasion of Eid ul Azha, ARY News reported.  In a message on the occasion of Eid ul Azha, 1444 Hijrah, the prime minister felicitated the Pakistani nation and the Muslim Ummah on the auspicious occasion of Hajj and Eid ul Azha, he prayed for the acceptance of all the religious rituals and sacrifices. He said that he was cognizant that Pakistan was facing price hike which was triggered by the external issues in the shape of inflation and recession. The prime minister said the incumbent government was utilizing all its resources to provide relief to the public. It had provided maximum relief to the salaried class, pensioners and labourers in the the current fiscal budget, PM Office Media Wing in a press release on Wednesday quoted the prime minister as saying. On the occasion, the prime minister prayed for the peace and prosperity of the Muslim world and for the

The latest pictures of actress and model Dur-e-Fishan Saleem on the festive occasion of Eid-ul-Azha are going viral on social media. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv   Dur-e-Fishan Saleem shared pictures of her in elegant Eastern wear on the visual-sharing application Instagram. She applied henna on her hands and wore a gajra on the occasion.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Durefishan Saleem (@durefishans) Dur-e-Fishan Saleem enjoys a huge fan following, in both online and offline spheres, thanks to not only her consistently amazing on-screen performances but also her stunning feed on social platforms. Related – Dur-e-Fishan Saleem is sight to behold in latest pictures It is pertinent to mention that celebrities are busy preparing for Eid-ul-Azha. Earlier, Faiza Khan shared pictures of her preparations as well.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Faiza khan (@faiza

Harrison Ford is bidding farewell to one of his most famous roles with the new film “ Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ,” which heads to theatres on Friday. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv The 80-year-old, who plays the adventurous Nazi-punching archaeologist, confirmed to Reuters that he will not be returning for more relic-related escapades. “I’m saying goodbye to a brilliant opportunity to bring joy to people,” Harrison Ford said in an interview, “but I wanted that last iteration of the series to be about character as much as anything.”   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Lucasfilm (@lucasfilm) The film starts with a digitally de-aged Harrison Ford, created with help from artificial intelligence, fighting Nazis to secure one-half of classical inventor Archimedes’ dial of destiny. While Harrison Ford has praised his youthful appearance in the film, he told Reuters he does not think a full-length movie with his yo

England captain Ben Stokes said an “awkward” changing room meeting with a new fan of Test cricket has underlined his faith in the team’s dynamic ‘Bazball’ method. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv A policy of all-out attach has paid rich dividends since Ben Stokes and coach Brendon McCullum joined forces last year, with England winning 11 out of 14 Tests. But a thrilling two-wicket defeat by arch-rivals Australia in last week’s Ashes opener at Edgbaston led several former England internationals to warn Ben Stokes’s men would need to curb their attacking instincts if they were to level the five-match series at Lord’s, where the second Test starts Wednesday.   View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Ben Stokes (@stokesy) Ben Stokes, however, is convinced England’s approach remains both their best chance of winning and attracting new fans to the red-ball game, with that belief reinforced by a chance encounter during a recent family

ISLAMABAD: The Central Development Working Party (CWDP) has approved installation and commissioning of 1000 Kilowatt Digital DRM Medium Wave Transmitter at the cost of Rs4 billion at High Power Transmitter Rawat, in the suburbs of Rawalpindi by Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. A decision to this effect was made the CDWP meeting held in Islamabad with Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal in the chair. With this decision and approval of the full digitization plan, DRM is now the official digital standard of Pakistan Broadcasting Corporation. A DRM Steering Committee was constituted within the PBC in 2014 led by the then Director Engineering Kamran Saeed. The Committee started working on the DRM plan with its dedicated focus and succeeded in preparing a policy document containing an outline for digital migration and adoption of digital radio standard. Later, the DRM Steering Committee gave scores of presentations the Minister of Information and Broadcasting and the su

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday he had been invited to China and his office had informed close ally the United States about the planned trip to Beijing. The announcement comes during tense ties between Israel and the US, whose President Joe Biden failed to invite Netanyahu for a visit after the Israeli’s re-election in November. “The projected visit will be Prime Minister Netanyahu’s fourth visit to China,” Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, noting “the American administration was updated one month ago.” It said the premier had also informed a bipartisan Congressional delegation about the trip, and told the Congress members that the “US will always be Israel’s most vital and irreplaceable ally.” A spokesman for Netanyahu when contacted by AFP could not provide further details on the planned trip or when it was expected to happen. Tensions have arisen over the Biden administration’s consistent calling for a two-state solution with the Palestinians, a

KARACHI: A property investor has been murdered in Baghdadi Lyari, Karachi in what police have termed as a target killing incident, ARY News reported. The police identified the victim as Irfan, who invest money in properties in different areas. He has several property disputes with people. Police officials said that one woman and a man who was passing by also sustained injuries when the unidentified men opened firing. According to the initial investigation, the reason behind his murder is the property disputes. The crime scene unit has reached the spot of the incident and further investigation is underway. Earlier, five people including two women were killed in separate firing incidents in Karachi in the last two hours. According to details, the shootings took place in Memon Goth, Surjani Town, Defence, and Municipal Town۔ Police officers said two people were killed when unidentified men opened fire at a car near a petrol pump in Gulshan-e-Surjani، The deceased was identified as

Columbian singer Shakira and Spanish footballer Gerard Pique were one of the prolific celebrity couples and their breakup shocked their fans. Watch ARY News live on  live.arynews.tv   Their first interaction happened at her concert in 2010. They made their relationship official the following year. They had their first son Milan in January 2013 and their second son Sasha in 2014. They parted ways after eight years.    View this post on Instagram   A post shared by Shakira & Piqué (@shakiraandpique) Shakira, in a recent interview, accused Gerard Pique of betraying her when her father William Mebarak was undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit of a Spanish hospital. “He went to Barcelona to console me after I was consumed with sadness because of my separation,” she spoke about her father. “While he was at Milan’s first communion, he was gravely injured in an accident. Everything happened at once.  “My home was falling apart. I was