Analysts and officials expect China and Russia to pursue influence in Afghanistan after the U.S. withdraws. Afghanistan, however, is considering the extension of the $62 billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) as part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). Beijing opposes the U.S. withdrawing too soon, as this will drag on the country’s uncertain situation even more.
Hundreds of companies worldwide were impacted by a mass ransomware attack late on Sunday. Hackers have demanded $70 million for the return of the data they are holding ransom, according to a posting on a dark web forum. Additionally, REvil, a Russian-linked cybercrime gang that ranks among the most prolific cyber extortionists, posted the demand on its blog.
Pakistan has found success in exports during FY2021 in comparison with FY2020. Abdul Razak Dawood, Advisor to the Prime Minister on Commerce, said that Pakistan also achieved an increase of 39 percent in export to the US. There was an increase of $1.45 billion in exports in FY2021 compared to FY2020, as exports counted $5.2 billion.
Suppose you’re running your own business and don’t have to answer anybody or meet deadlines. There would be no higher authority to question your ability, and everything is at your discretion. Isn’t that something everyone wants? Unfortunately, in Pakistan, people hesitate to invest anywhere because of risk factors or lack of proper guidance.
Pakistan Railways announced Friday that it would operate a Bostan-Kolpur tourist train to promote tourism in Balochistan. The initiative was taken in response to a request by the Balochistan government. Pak Railways will operate a tourist train between Bostan and Kolpur twice a week. Furthermore, the fair is extremely affordable for tourists, who pay between Rs20 and Rs50 for a train ticket.
Students in Pakistan took to Twitter to make it a trend to cancel board exams due to lack of preparation. Pakistan has been swarming with tweets echoing the ImranKhanStudentsKiSunLo trend on Twitter. In the past 24 hours, students have tweeted nearly 1.44 million tweets. Students are protesting nationwide over the short notice given for the exams.
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) plans to simplify banking using mobile numbers instead of bank account numbers. It aims to provide banking services to rural and remote citizens who are unbanked and financially excluded. RAAST, Pakistan’s indigenous instant payment system, allows any unique identification number to be linked to a bank account number.
Sarfaraz Ahmed, the former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, has been demoted to category C on a new PCB central contract. The decision has been taken by PCB CEO Wasim Khan, Director of International Cricket Operations, and the head coach. Sarfaraz was captain of the team across various formats in his last contract.
From FY2020 to FY2021, Pakistan’s exports to the United Kingdom increased by 33 percent to $2.025 billion. The announcement was made by Abdul Razak Dawood, the Prime Minister’s Adviser on Commerce, on Twitter. This is the first time exports to the UK have exceeded $2 billion. Furthermore, the adviser stated, “I want to congratulate our exporters on their impressive performance”.
In Afghanistan, the United States withdrew its soldiers from its main military base, Bagram airbase, on Friday. The base will be officially handed over to the Afghan government during a ceremony on Saturday. Nevertheless, some troops are still present at other bases in Kabul. Bagram’s withdrawal brings an end to the longest war in American history.