The US State Department has announced on its Twitter account that Trump administration is ready to approve $125 million for Pakistan to provide technical support to its fleet of F-16 aircraft. The programme has been sent to Congress for approval after being given a go-ahead by State Department. The good news comes immediately after PM Imran Khan’s visit to USA.
Internet and broadband services prices are about to reach a new high in Sindh, after the provincial government has decided to slap sales tax on the services. Effective from July 1, the exemption of sales tax has been withdrawn and all internet and broadband customers, irrespective of their speed or charges, will pay sales tax at the statutory rate of 19.5%.
Pakistan’s ambassador to the United Nations Maleeha Lodhi was has been unanimously elected as one of the four vice presidents of the Economic and Social Council (Ecosoc), the economic arm of the UN. Ambassador Lodhi, who was elected by acclamation after her candidature was endorsed by the 54-member body, will assume the Asia Pacific seat in the Ecosoc bureau.
In a federal cabinet meeting, presided over by Prime Minister Imran Khan, the government has decided to allow dual national Pakistanis to contest elections. Keeping the PM’s vision to utilise talent and resources of overseas Pakistanis, five major regulatory bodies were brought under the cabinet to approve a proposal for removing the column of profession from the national passport.
PML-N President, Shehbaz Sharif, has filed a defamation against The Mail on Sunday, a British tabloid and sister paper of the Daily Mail, for accusing him of misappropriating UK aid funds. The article published earlier this month had accused Sharif and his family of misappropriating UK government funds meant for flood and earthquake survivours during his tenure as Punjab chief minister.
After ten years of planning, Pakistan’s biomechanics facility set up at Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) has secured ICC accreditation. PCB’s lab is sixth lab in world to be ICC-accredited, joining those in Brisbane, Chennai, Cardiff, Loughborough and Pretoria. The lab can carry out official bowling tests of international and domestic bowlers whose actions are reported as illegal.
First time in Pakistan, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s austerity drive has saved public money worth over Rs100 million during his recent trip to the USA. The PM’s decision to take commercial flights for the US trip and travelling through Qatar airways has set examples for many. The PM scrapped practices of former premiers of engaging at least two long-haul jets.
Sajid Javid, son of a Pakistani immigrant bus driver, has been named the new finance minister by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson. Former interior minister Sajid Javid took over from Philip Hammond as finance minister in his first cabinet appointment. Javid was a contender for premiership but endorsed Johnson when he failed to get enough support from fellow Conservative MPs.
On directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, the Punjab government has asked the inspector general prison to remove air conditioner (AC) from the prison cell of incarcerated prime minister Nawaz Sharif. A letter written on July 17 to the inspector general prison states that ‘No preferential treatment be given to the criminals and money launders in the prison in Punjab’.
Since his inclusion in the Pakistan cricket team, Imam ul Haq has been a topic of controversy and has been labelled a ‘parchi’. The cricketer has now been accused by several women of being involved with them all at same time. The women who came forward have released the cricketer’s whatsapp chats on social media and also certain private pictures.