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India is expected to overtake  China  as the world’s most populous country with almost 3 million more people by the middle of this year, according to UN figures. The  State of World Population 2023 report  by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) estimates India’s population will be 1.4286 billion by the end of June, compared with China’s 1.4257 billion. https://twitter.com/ValaAfshar/status/1666891903067992064 The US is a distant third, with an estimated population of 340 million people by the end of June. The data in the report is based on information available up to February. India's population is set to rise to 1.09 billion people by 2100. Although the two countries combined will account for more than a third of the estimated 8.045 billion people in the world, population growth in both has been slowing, albeit much faster in China than in India. https://twitter.com/UNLibrary/status/1665781100881272837 Last year, China’s population shrank for the first ...

Pakistan Association Dubai (PAD) has evolved a comprehensive strategy to expand its community services in the UAE and Pakistan in line with its Vision 2029 to serve the people with dignity and pride, says its top official. Dr Faisal Ikram, President of PAD, said the largest centre of Pakistanis in the UAE would offer more medical facilities at the Pakistan Medical Centre, which has emerged as an authentic medical institution in the emirate by providing quality services to the students, patients and visitors. While discussing the PAD’s future strategies at the Guest in Town programne, organised by the Pakistan Journalist Forum UAE, Dr Faisal Ikram said the association has completed a model village for the flood-affected victims in Balochistan. "We are going to inaugurate the model village project on June 15 and provide every family a new home, 3 cows, and six goats so they can start a new life," he said. [caption id="attachment_62480" align="...

Pakistan Cricket Team skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan have joined the Harvard Business School's executive education programme on the Business of Entertainment, Media, and Sports (BEMS). They are the first two cricketers to join the prestigious school. The star duo will participate in the programme from May 31 to June 3 at the school's campus in Boston, Massachusetts. Both cricketers will engage with various communities in the US after the programme till June 13. Previously, this course has also been taken by other sportspersons including footballers Kaka, Edwin van der Sar, Gerard Pique, Oliver Kahn, NFL’s Brandon Marshall, NBA’s Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade and Major League Baseball’s Alex Rodriguez. "It is a huge honour to represent Pakistan on such a prestigious global stage. We are going to the BEMS programme at Harvard to learn from the best of the best in the world — both in terms of faculty and programme fellows — and at the ...

 For the first time in Pakistan's history, the first Russian cargo ship will directly arrive at Karachi Port from the port of Saint Petersburg on May 25th. With the commencement of direct maritime service, cargo from Russia will reach Pakistan's port within just 18 days. It used to take a month for ships coming from Russia previously. The second ship will arrive at Pakistan's Karachi Port on May 29th. Before the opening up of the service, Pakistani products were being exported to the Russian market via transshipment, which caused delays and enhanced freight costs. The new shipping service is the outcome of an agreement between Pak Shaheen Pvt Ltd and Russian express liner service Neco Line. Initially, one ship will arrive from Russia, followed by three ships a month. With the growth of trade with Russia, Pakistan will also attract more trading companies. Pakistan’s exports to Russia in 2020 were worth $145 million with the major export items including ...

The UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network's World Happiness Report 2023 released on Monday shows that Finland remains the happiest country in the world for the sixth year in a row. Denmark, Iceland, Israel, and the Netherlands are the next happiest countries on the list. Other European countries such as Sweden, Norway, Switzerland, and Luxembourg also made the top 10. The rankings are based on data from the main life evaluation question in the Gallup World Poll, which measures how happy citizens perceive themselves to be. Pakistan is ranked 103 while Afghanistan is ranked at the last rung, 146, in the World Happiness Index Rank List 2023. However, Bangladesh is ranked 99 on the list. India’s position in the World Happiness Report is 136, well behind its neighboring Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, and China. India’s ranking in the report has consistently been low due to intolerance, anger, and hate against minorities, who are subjected to torture and violence by majo...

By Reuters Pakistan's military has struck back after an unprecedented challenge to its hegemony by the popular Imran Khan and his followers. But the nuclear-armed nation remains caught between its most powerful institution and the man who was once a firm ally. Khan's arrest on  corruption charges  earlier this month, which he says was at the behest of the generals, led to violent  nationwide protests.   The protesters attacked military buildings, and the homes of senior officers, allegedly by the former prime minister's supporters. There has never been that kind of challenge to Pakistan's military, which has held sway over the country since independence in 1947 with a mixture of fear and respect. It has been in power for three of those decades and has wielded extraordinary influence even with a civilian government in office. "I've seen the fall of Dhaka and of course, there was a lot of opposition later, but never of this severity,...

India is holding a key G20 summit in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) amid heightened security and opposition from China. A fter China, Turkey, Egypt, Indonesia, and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia also ‘decided’ to skip the G20 summit in picturesque Srinagar of IIOJK. The Indian efforts have suffered a major blow as a number of G20 countries have either refused to attend a tourism moot scheduled or skipped registration to attend the three-day gathering starting Monday will take place at a sprawling, well-guarded venue on the shores of Dal Lake in Srinagar. Turkey has consistently leaned towards Pakistan on the Kashmir dispute and the country has also raised the Kashmir issue at international forums. Turkey brought up the issue in the United Nations General Assembly and the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), urging the international community to play a more active role in finding a solution and addressing the human rights concerns in Illegally ...

China said on Friday that it is opposed to a G20 tourism meeting next week in the disputed Himalayan territory of Kashmir in India and will not attend. India, which holds the chair of G20 this year, has organized a series of meetings across the country in the run-up to the summit in New Delhi in September. "China is firmly opposed to holding any kind of G20 meetings in disputed territory, and will not attend such meetings," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ix5tr6-jcI In 2019, India split the Muslim-majority state of Jammu and Kashmir to create the two federal territories of Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. A large chunk of Ladakh is under China's control. Ties between New Delhi and Beijing have been strained since a military clash in Ladakh in 2020 in which 24 soldiers were killed. Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, will host a meeting of the tourism working group for G20 members on May 22...

Iran and Pakistan on Thursday inaugurated a joint border market and an electricity transmission line. Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and senior officials from both countries witnessed the opening ceremony. The Mand-Pishin Border Sustenance Marketplace is one of six border markets planned for the two neighbouring countries' shared border, as agreed in an MoU signed on April 21, 2021. The marketplace will provide a thriving platform for increasing cross-border trade, fostering economic growth, and opening up new avenues of opportunity for local businesses. [caption id="" align="alignnone" width="722"] Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and Iran's President Ebrahim Raisi speak during a joint Inauguration of the Polan-Gabd Electricity Transmission Line, at Mand-Pishin border crossing point, in Pishin, Pakistan.[/caption] Pishin is a city in the Iranian province of Sistan-Ba...

In a significant initiative in the aviation sector, a  private Canada's ZARA Airways has shown intent to operate flights in Pakistan.   Canada's ZARA Airways' new initiative is aimed at opening up new avenues for facilitating travel between the two countries. ZARA Airways intends to operate direct passenger flights from Toronto to Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad after the necessary paperwork is carried out. ZARA Airways will operate three weekly direct flights from Toronto to Karachi, Islamabad, and Lahore. Canadian airline has submitted a formal request to the Civil Aviation Authority of Pakistan, seeking approval for its operations. This initiative by ZARA Airways is expected to enhance travel opportunities and strengthen the bilateral ties between Canada and Pakistan. The new flights will not only benefit passengers but also boost trade and tourism between the two nations. Pakistan is known for its rich cultural heritage, scenic landscapes, and histor...

Pakistan’s renowned mountaineer Sajid Sadpara has made history as he scaled the world’s highest peak Mount Everest without the support of supplemental oxygen and assistance from Sherpas, who are considered elite mountain climbers, on Sunday in Nepal. He is the first Pakistani to climb the world’s high peak without the aid of supplemental oxygen. Sajid aims to climb all 14 eight-thousanders without the aid of supplemental oxygen. “This is an incredible achievement for the mountaineer [Sadpara]. He is conquering the mountains in a stunning way,” Karrar Haidri, secretary Alpine Club of Pakistan said. Sajid has already 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. Sajid has fulfilled the wish of his late father Mohammad Ali Sadpara, who was a legendary mountaineer, by achieving such a feat. In a tweet, the legendary climber said: “History has been made as 1st Pa...

Pakistan’s mountaineer Naila Kiani on Sunday etched her name in the chronicles of history as she scaled the top of Mount Everest. Naila’s remarkable achievement makes her the second woman from Pakistan to complete this extraordinary expedition. The first female mountaineer from Pakistan to summit the peak is Samina Baig, who achieved the feat back in 2013. Naila Kiani added another feather to her cap as she became the first non-Nepalese climber to scale Mount Everest this mountaineering season. The mountaineer reached the pinnacle of the world's highest mountain, scaling up to 8,849 metres, at 8:02 am on Sunday, marking a significant milestone in her mountaineering journey. Naila's determination and unwavering spirit drove her to conquer the world's highest peak located in the Mahalangur Himal sub-range of the Himalayas, becoming the first woman climber to reach the summit in 2023. Naila Kiani — a mother of two, a boxer, and a banker in D...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has asked Pakistan to arrange fresh loans worth $8 billion to support external debt repayments over the next seven months for the completion of the long-stalled 9th review bailout package. A staff-level agreement to release a $1.1 billion tranche out of a $6.5 billion IMF package has been delayed since November 2022 with around 100 days over since the last staff-level mission to Pakistan. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3J6Bme59EA   Despite receiving confirmation from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the IMF has asked Pakistan to arrange $8.4 billion in fresh loans for debt repayments for May-December 2023 period to avoid default. The delay in arranging these funds has caused the ninth programme review worth $1.2 billion to remain incomplete. "No more tough decisions" Pakistan’s Finance Minister, Ishaq Dar, has stated that the government will not make any more tough decisions on IMF’s demand anymo...

Former prime minister Imran Khan on Friday got blanket relief from Islamabad High Court (IHC) as it barred the authorities from arresting him in any case till Monday morning (May 15). A two-member special divisional bench granted two-week bail to the Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan in the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. The court also ordered that Imran Khan cannot be arrested on any charges filed after last Tuesday until May 17 th . Despite the rulings, the corruption charges against Imran Khan still stand. He is facing over 120 cases including allegedly committing treason and blasphemy and inciting violence and terrorism. A conviction would disqualify the former international cricket star - and Pakistan's prime minister from 2018 to 2022 - from standing for office, possibly for life. Elections are due later this year. Unlawful arrest Speaking during Friday's hearing, Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial said the arrest was unlawful because it t...

The lingering political turmoil has been taking a severe toll on the market sentiments as the Pakistani rupee depreciated a further 3 % to a record 298.93 against the US dollar in the inter-bank market on Thursday. The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) data showed that the Pakistani currency closed at 298.93, another whopping decrease of Rs. 8.9 on the same day Thursday. The rupee had also sustained losses against the US dollar on Wednesday, settling at 290.22 in the inter-bank market. Political turmoil, IMF deal The current political instability and the government’s failure to materialize the much-awaited bailout package deal with the International Monetary Fund (IMF) have been cited among the top most reasons for the free-falling rupee against the strong dollar. The arrest of former prime minister and Chairman of Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf Imran Khan has added fuel to the fire. Analysts say that the IMF has further delayed the bailout package, which...