The International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) has advised Pakistan to suspend the issuance of any new pilot licences in the wake of a scandal over falsified licenses. The recommendations from ICAO, a specialised agency of the United Nations that works to ensure safety in international air transport, has asked Pakistan to undertake “immediate corrective actions”.
The US House of Representatives has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would require the Trump administration to toughen its response to China’s crackdown on its Muslim minority in Xinjiang. The Uighur Forced Labor Prevention Act calls on the president, Donald Trump, to ban imports from China’s Xinjiang region as an attempt to stop systemic forced labor from the Uighur community.
Australian great and Pakistan Super League (PSL) regular Dean Jones passed away from a heart attack on Thursday. Jones, 59, was in India for the coverage of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2020. He was a two-time winner of the PSL with Islamabad United in 2016 and 2018. The last position he held in the league was of the head coach of Karachi Kings in PSL 2020.
Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Babar Iftikhar has confirmed that two meetings took place between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohammad Zubair. DG ISPR said that matters in relation with PML-N supreme leader Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz were discussed during the meetings.
Zimbabwe Cricket have received government permission for a six-match limited overs tour of Pakistan in October-November. The teams will play three One-Day Internationals between October 30 and November 3, and another three Twenty20 International fixtures that have been pencilled in for Nov 7-10. The ODI series will be part of the inaugural ICC Cricket World Cup Super League.
Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the year-round umrah pilgrimage from October 4, the interior ministry announced, after it was suspended in March because of the coronavirus pandemic. In the first stage, “6,000 citizens and residents within the kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4,” the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has issued show-cause notices to its eight officers over the issue of leakage of data of family members of Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information retired Gen Asim Bajwa. Warning letters have also been issued to two employees, asking them to be careful about any suspicious movement in future.
Any product imported into Pakistan through postal or air courier services with a declared value up to Rs. 5,000 will be exempt from customs duty or any other types of taxes. An FBR official explained that this move has been taken as a relief for the end-users, most likely to be private individuals as opposed to corporate importers.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), Banking Crime Circle, Lahore, has traced secret bank accounts of the employees of Suleman Shehbaz with Rs9.5 billion deposits. The employees of the youngest son of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif worked in the Ramzan Sugar Mills and Al-Arabiya Sugar Mills. The FIA had provided details of those accounts to the joint investigation team (JIT), which was investigating the case.
Diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and Gulf monarchies have left the Palestinians feeling betrayed and anxious about the future. Palestinians believe peace deals will encourage Israel to continue occupation with confidence an full force. US President Donald Trump has hinted that several more Arab states would soon announce their intention to sign similar deals, suggesting a more substantive shift.