Reko Diq Project to Start Production by 2028

Reko Diq is the world’s largest undeveloped mine of copper and gold which is located in the Chaghai District in Baluchistan, Pakistan.

It is the largest mine in the world because it has estimated reserves of 5.4 billion tonnes of copper and gold ore. However, a dispute case stopped the development of this project.

The CEO of Barrick Gold, Mark Bristow stated that the project will start production by the year 2028. He said, “The year 2028 is targeted for the first production from the giant copper and gold mine in Baluchistan province,”

He also mentioned the importance of this project and said, “this project is a significant new frontier of gold and copper in the world”.

Also, Mark explained that the company will finalize the feasibility study of the project by the year 2024. The company started and signed the project with previous partners in 2013 and finalized the feasibility study about legal, financial, and environmental matters. However, now they have to reset the feasibility study because of change of government and delay in different cases.

He said, “We have checked resources of this project, which are reliable, and the key thing to complete is to finalise the geotechnical work around the deposits. We need to continue the investment we have already started. This is one principle.”

He went on further to say, “We have a lot of data regarding environmental study. We want to refresh and validate the data in line with best international standards,”

Mark explained that this project will benefit all the parties as Barrick Gold owns 50% of the company, Baluchistan owns 25%, and independent stakeholders own remaining 25% of the company. It will also generate huge revenue for the company and Pakistan.

China Witnesses a Decline in Population

China has witnessed a considerable drop in the population for the first time in six decades. The last time China’s population dropped was when the Great Famine hit China in 1961 which killed a large population and the population dropped by a considerable amount.

In 2023, experts suggest that China will continue to witness decreasing population which will make India the most populous country in the world.

Explaining further, China’s National Bureau of Statistics gave the numbers showing the decline in population. They mentioned that China’s population dropped from 1.41175 billion to around 8,50,000 million towards the end of the year 2022.

Moreover, UN experts mentioned that China will see a decrease in population and might lose 109 million by the year 2050 which is triple the amount of what they predicted in 2019.

Furthermore, experts also claim that before becoming the richest and world’s biggest economy, China will become old. This situation might lead to economic slowdown because the demographers suggest that government debts will increase over time and revenue will be less.

However, the head of National Bureau of Statistics claims that people should not worry about the decline in population because the labor force still exceeds the demand.

Also, Demographer Yi Fuxian said, “China’s demographic and economic outlook is much bleaker than expected. China will have to adjust its social, economic, defense and foreign policies.”

Hafiz Naeem ur Rehman Statement After Elections

After a long delay, finally, the local body elections happened in Sindh on the 15th of January as scheduled by the Election Commission of Pakistan.

The results of the elections were delayed for 29 hours after which the election commission announced the results which surprised everyone. Peoples Party (PPP) won 94 seats in Karachi, Jamat e Islami (JI) won 86 seats, and Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) won 40 seats in the local body elections.

However, the Karachi chief of Jamat e Islami (JI), Hafiz Naeem posted on his Twitter account regarding the results of the elections. He claims that JI won the most seats and Karachi and PPP rigged the elections to win it.

https://twitter.com/NaeemRehmanEngr/status/1615054612192497665?s=20&t=uGqRxeYKOelUSvziviCijA

He said, “We have signed forms 11 of those UCs [union council] results, so the total seats that we won so far are 94 while we have applied for recounting on 11 seats.”

Moreover, Ameer JI supported Hafiz’s views and said that JI won the most seats in Karachi but did not win to the rigging. Therefore, he announced nationwide protests against rigging.

Hafiz Naeem also said that he will announce sit-ins in Karachi if someone tampered with the votes. He also said that JI will not allow anyone to ripp off Karachi’s mandate.

Local Body Elections Results in Sindh

The most talked about event in Pakistan for quite some time was the local body elections that took place on the 15th of January, and the results surprised everyone.

Peoples Party (PPP) dominated most of the polls in Hyderabad but Jamat e Islami (JI) challenged them and gave them tough competition in Karachi.

PPP surprised everyone by winning 94 seats in Karachi while JI won 86 seats, and Tehreek e Insaaf (PTI) won 40 seats. Moreover, PMLN won seven seats while TLP won only two seats.

In Hyderabad, the PPP has won 76 seats, PTI 37, Independents eight, TLP two, and JI one, as per the ECP’s data.

However, the results were delayed by 29 hours which sparked speculation from the people and political parties. PTI maintained that PPP rigged the elections to win. Also, PTI mentioned that many people did not cast votes and did not show up for the elections. Moreover, MQM and PSP jointly boycott the elections.

 

 

Gunman Fires at Lawyer Latif Afridi

Senior lawyer Latif Afridi was shot dead outside Peshawar High court as the gunman fired several bullets. The gunman was disguised as a lawyer.

Along with being a lawyer, Latif Afridi was the former president of the Supreme Court Bar Association. Police revealed that the gunman was dressed as a lawyer and opened fire outside the Peshawar High Court and fired six bullets that injured the lawyer severely.

After the gunfire, Afridi was taken to the Lady Reading Hospital immediately but the hospital authorities confirmed that he died on his way to the hospital.

Also, Latif Afridi’s body was transferred to his village, to his loved ones for his last rights.

Moreover, the lawyer community condemned this attack and announced to hold a strike all over Pakistan for Latif Afridi.

Dubai’s First Ever 3D Printing Mosque

The United Arab Emirates city of Dubai is all set to build the first 3D printing mosque which will allow 600 people to worship in it.

The Islamic Affairs and Charitable Activities department of the UAE government will oversee the building of this mosque. They have planned to start building the mosque by October 2023 and finish it by 2025.

An architectural firm known as JT+Partners has developed designs for luxury hotels in Seychelles and the Middle East and has designed the 3D printing mosque.

Moreover, three specialists will work on the building of the mosque using a combination of raw materials and concrete mix. Also, the 3D robotic printer used in the project will work at the rate of two square meters.

UAE is developing and using innovative technology at a rapid pace and plans to see 25% of construction through 3D printing by 2025.

The director general of IACAD, Hamad Al Shaibani said, “Building the first mosque in the world to be built with 3D printing technology is a distinguished project in the world built with this feature, and this work is a translation on the ground of the vision of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed.”

Dubai to Build Ring Around Burj Khalifa

Dubai is evolving and innovating itself at a rapid pace. A month ago, Dubai announced the building of an air-conditioned highway. Now it has announced a spectacular project that includes a ring around the Burj Khalifa.

Znera Space which is an architectural company proposed a design of 550 meters tall ring which will surround the Burj Khalifa. This new design will encompass the whole of Downton Dubai with a circumference of three kilometers.

The proposed design is known as ‘Downtown Circle’ and Znera Space shared the pictures on Instagram with a caption: “As a response to the dilemma of how to build densely while retaining livability, the downtown circle project establishes a sustainable and self-sufficient vertical urbanism. As a singular mega building complex, it aims to create a hyper-efficient urban center that gives back to the environment The proposed 550-meter tall mega structure offers an alternative to the singular and unconnected high-rises found in most metropolitan areas.”

People who have seen the project’s design have been amazed by the sleek design and how beautiful it looks. Many people commented positively in favor of this project.

Chaudhry Shujaat Meats Asif Zardari

Pakistani politics is going through a complicated phase and political parties are discussing economic and political matters in depth.

Today, the leader of the Pakistan Muslim League Quaid (PML-Q), Chaudhry Shuja’at Hussain met the Chairman of the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), Asif Ali Zardari to discuss matters regarding the economy, politics, and the next step of Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf’s Chairman, Imran Khan.

PTI chairman said that he will give sleepless nights to Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and asked him to take a vote of confidence.

Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) which is the amalgamation of leading political parties in Pakistan, has started discussing Imran Khan’s stance and trying to come up with different strategies to avoid defeat because they already suffered defeat when Hamza Shahbaz was removed due to a vote of no confidence.

Chaudhry Shuja’at and Asif Ali Zardari analyzed the political scenario of the country and mentioned that Pakistan is going through a difficult condition with the economy on the verge of default. Both of them maintained that everyone would have to play their role to get the economy back on track.

Election Commission Expels Firdaus Shamim Naqvi

The Election Commission of Pakistan has decided to expel Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf’s MPA, Firdaus Shamim Naqvi.

Local body elections took place on Sunday in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad during which footage surfaced on the internet of Firdaus Shamim Naqvi allegedly breaking the seal of the ballot box in the polling station of Tehsil Municipal Committee Jinnah.

ECP asked for an immediate report on the matter from the provincial election commissioner, and after seeing the report, ECP decided to expel Firdaus from the polling station.

However, Firdaus denied all the allegations and asked people to visit different polling stations and check the seals on ballot boxes.

He wrote on Twitter along with the video of him allegedly breaking the seal, “All the candidates are requested to visit their polling stations as soon as possible & check the ballot box’s seals & if they are not tight ask your presiding officers to tighten the seal in front of your eyes. The PPP candidates are involved in riggings,”

Japan Decides to Release Contaminated Water into Sea

Japan has decided to release contaminated water from the Fukushima nuclear power plant into the sea this year.

The disaster of Fukushima in 2011 remains a heartbreaking memory for Japan and the worst nuclear disaster in history after Chornobyl. A strong earthquake of 9.0 magnitudes hit Japan’s north-eastern side which triggered a disastrous tsunami.

The intense waves of tsunami hit the Daichi nuclear power plant which sparked a catastrophic event in the history of Japan. More than 150,000 people had to evacuate their hometowns because of the leaking radiation from the nuclear plant.

Now, Japan has decided to release more than a million tonnes of water into the sea from the Fukushima nuclear power plant. The international Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has said that this proposal is safe because the removal of radioactive particles from the water is of national standard and it will only hurt humans if they consume it in larger quantities, but Japan is safe to carry out the process.

The government of Japan has revealed that they have removed and filtered most of the radioactive isotopes. However, tritium remains in the water because it is difficult to remove it.

Moreover, neighboring countries and fisherman community that lives on and close to the Fukushima island disapprove this proposal.

Domestic Flight Crashes in Nepal

A domestic flight known as Yeti Airlines flying from Kathmandu crashed in the Pokhara region of Nepal, killing 41 people. This has been the worst crash in five years in Nepal.

The civil aviation authority of Nepal, Jagannath Niroula said that rescue operations are on. This news has saddened the people of Nepal.

Air crashes are not uncommon in Nepal because it has the 14 highest mountains in the world. Another deadly air crash happened in Nepal in 2008 which killed 51 people on board.

The rescue teams in a crash in Pokhara are working to gather information and retrieve bodies as much as they can. The Civil Aviation authority suggests that the weather was fine.

Further details have not been revealed.

Local Body Elections Polling in Process

Local body elections are happening after a long delay in 16 districts of Karachi and Hyderabad. This is the second phase of elections.

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM), Pak Sar Zameen Party (PSP), and the Sindh government all tried to postpone the local body elections. The Sindh government pleaded several times to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) to postpone the elections because there are not enough civil police and rangers to cater to the security of the polling stations and citizens.

However, the ECP denied their request twice and announced that the elections will continue and be held on the scheduled date.

MQM and PSP have boycotted the elections.

A total of 17,862 candidates are competing against each other out of which 9,057 are from Karachi, 6,228 from Hyderabad and 2,577 from Thatta division.

There are more than 4 million voters in Karachi that have set out to cast their vote in favour of the party they support.

Snowfall Blocks Roads in Northern Pakistan

The whole northern region of Pakistan has turned white because of constant snowfall for three days and the temperature dropped to -8 degrees centigrade freezing almost everything.

Neelam Valley, Leepa Valley, and Skardu are all completely covered with snow. The scenes look beautiful as everything is icy white but it has caused many problems for the people.

All the tourists and citizens of the region are facing problems because the snow has blocked the roads and knocked off the power system. Moreover, tourists find it hard to find good shelter as many of them are stuck on the roads.

Rescue operations are in process in all of the northern regions to avoid hazards and havoc. Also, the authorities have advised tourists to take precautionary measures

Pakistan International Airlines have been cancelled to Skardu because of extreme weather conditions.

8-inch snow covered the roads of Murree blocking ways for tourists and several accidents also took place on Murree roads.

MQM and PSP Boycotts Elections

Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) and Pak Sar Zameen Party (PSP) decides to boycott elections after a series of meetings.

Earlier this week, MQM made an announcement about PSP joining them in these elections for the people of Karachi and their rights.

Late at night on Saturday, MQM held a meeting with all the officials from their party and Mustafa Kamal’s party, PSP to discuss the matters regarding the local body elections.

MQM’s official, Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui said that they will boycott local body elections in Karachi, Hyderabad, and Thatta. He said, “Our reservations over the delimitation of local government constituencies have not been addressed despite several assurances from the provincial government.”

In the press conference, Mustafa Kamal, Farooq Sattar, Aminul Haq, and Faisal Sabzwari all were present.

Mustafa Kamal mentioned that, “The Sindh government played its part in addressing our grievances but the Election Commission of Pakistan did not.”

The Sindh government also pleaded to Election Commission of Pakistan to postpone elections but they refused their request twice, after which MQM decided to boycott elections.

Business Crisis in the Metropolis

The business crisis in Karachi is one of the most pressing issues of our time.

The local shopkeepers and other small businesses are facing unprecedented challenges due to the increasing taxes, electricity bills, gas shortages, and the closure of many industries.

Pakistan Economic crisis impact and tsunami of inflation

This has led to a decrease in hi and profits, creating a downward spiral in the once booming local economy. Many businesses are now struggling to stay afloat and are forced to close down because of the mounting financial losses.

This has not only impacted the livelihoods of shopkeepers and other small businesses but has also put a dent in the overall economy.

The high cost of running a business in Karachi is a major deterrent for potential investors and entrepreneurs. Many are now being forced to look at other opportunities and markets, further destabilizing the economy.

The government needs to take proactive steps to address the business crisis by providing financial assistance, tax relief, and other incentives to small businesses.

In order to make Karachi business-friendly, the government must look into reducing the cost of running a business and create a more conducive environment for investment. It must also focus on providing better infrastructure to support the small businesses.

All these measures combined can help revive the local economy by encouraging investment and entrepreneurship. This is essential for the future of Karachi’s businesses and the city’s overall economy.

EC Announces Sate of Local Body Elections

The Govt of Sindh has once again requested a delay of the local body elections in Karachi and Hyderabad over security threats.

This comes after the Election Commission recently announced that the polls will be held on 15th January 2023.

However Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) has called for a Rabta Committee emergency meeting to discuss the matter and had also issued an ultimatum to the federal government, threatening to withdraw from the government if the elections were not postponed.

Amidst the political tension, the Jamat-e-Islami and the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) have raised their voices against the MQM’s merger.

Asif Zardari, Co-Chairman Peoples Party, has also contacted Governor Sindh, Kamran Tessori and Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui to find a solution to the current political situation.

The security concern has been raised due to the volatile nature of the two cities, with the potential of tensions spilling over into violence.

The Sindh Govt is of the view that the security of the citizens should be ensured before the local body elections are held.

Furthermore, the Federal government has suggested deploying the Frontier Corps (FC) in Karachi and Hyderabad to maintain law and order during the polls.

It remains to be seen whether the local body elections will go ahead as planned or if the government will be successful in its bid for a postponement.

Ali Tariq to Hold Gig After Karachi Eat Disastrous End

Karachi Eat which is one of the most anticipated food festivals in Karachi ended on a disastrous note because of all the ruckus and harassment that took place at the event.

Families along with their ladies went to the Karachi eat festival where some unknown people gatecrashed and ruined the party for everyone. These unknown people harassed women, broke the stage, and ripped the tents apart which caused a commotion and ruined everybody’s moods and spirit.

Many singers including Kaifi Khalil and Young Stunners left the show and refused to perform at an event where women can’t be safe.

Famous singer, Ali Tariq also could not perform at the event because of an insecure environment. However, he announced that he will hold a gig for women who could not enjoy themselves at the Karachi Eat Festival. He mentioned his desire in his Instagram post.

He wrote, “it hurts to see that women and families in our society can’t even enjoy such simple things in life.”

He further said, “After reading all your messages from you guys, I want to put out a public gig, all girls only! This is to cater to all the girls who came out on Sunday but weren’t able to enjoy their day to the fullest.”

Iran Executes Former Defense Minister

Iran has executed a former Deputy Defense Minister, Alireza Akbari on charges of passing Iran’s sensitive information to the United Kingdom’s intelligence agencies.

Alireza Akbari was a British Iranian dual national who was arrested by Iranian police in 2019 and this week, the judiciary announced his sentence of execution.

Iran claimed that Akbari received training from MI-6 and had intelligence meetings in various countries and passed secrets of Iran to them jeopardizing Iranian security.

A nuclear scientist, Mohsen Fakhirzadeh was assassinated in Tehran in 2009. Iran suggests that Akbari forwarded his whereabouts to the UK’s intelligence and betrayed Iran.

British Prime Minister, Rishi Sunak said, “it is a callous and cowardly act carried out by a barbaric regime with no respect for the human rights of their own people”.

Akbari’s family has been devastated and claims that he was an innocent man who has fallen victim to the political games of Iran.

The International community does not support this decision and this might tense the relationship of Iran with other countries because it has been several years since Iran executed a high-profile person.

Sindh Government Demands Delay in Elections Again

Local body elections in Karachi and. Hyderabad have become a mess in Pakistan because of uncertainty at every step.

MQM and PSP joined hands to boycott the elections. Also, the Sindh government has pleaded in the court to postpone and delay the elections.

A few days ago, the Sindh government pleaded with the Election Commission of Pakistan ECP to postpone the elections but ECP refused their request and maintained that elections will be held on the scheduled date on the 15th of January.

On Saturday, the Sindh government reiterated its point of view regarding local body elections. They suggested to the ECP to postpone the elections because of security issues. They mentioned that there are not enough civil police and rangers available to cater to the requirements of elections.

The ECP has not responded to this matter as of yet. There is still a lot of uncertainty in the elections just a day before.

The ECP has conducted a sudden meeting to discuss the request of the Sindh government.

Karachi Needs Saviour

Karachi is the largest city of Pakistan and its people are facing many issues due to the lack of proper local governance.

The local government elections in Karachi have been postponed for a long time, due to some political engineering by the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM).

This has created a vacuum in the local governance of the city, leading to various problems like water and gas shortage, bad living standards, garbage and roads issues, unemployment, job crisis, snatching and target killing, robberies, and an overall sense of insecurity in the city.

The people of Karachi are suffering due to this political maneuvering and have requested the government to resolve the issue and hold local government elections as soon as possible.

With a population of over 18 million people, Karachi is the economic engine of Pakistan and needs proper local governance to take it forward.

Elections on 15th January – Election Commission

It is important to hold the Karachi local government elections in order to ensure proper management of local affairs, thus improving the quality of life of the people living in the city.

Local government elections will help in devolving powers to the people of Karachi and ensure that their basic needs are met.

It will also help to bring about transparency and accountability in the local government and bring about a much-needed change in the city.

Therefore, it is important for the government of Pakistan to ensure that Karachi local government elections are held as soon as possible.

This is the only way to ensure that the people of Karachi are able to enjoy the benefits of proper local governance and have access to basic amenities.

It is time to let the people of Karachi decide who leads them and what is best for their city.

Elections on 15th January – Election Commission

A lot of speculation was doing rounds in the media about the local body elections happening in Karachi and Hyderabad.

Recently, MQM Pakistan and PSP joined hands to boycott elections and news started circulating that elections might get delayed this time again. However, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) has announced its decision on the matter.

ECP has announced that local body elections will take place on the selected date, on the 15th of January in Karachi and Hyderabad to elect the local governing body for Sindh.

ECP held a meeting in which the Sindh government plead to delay the elections. After the meeting, ECP dismissed the plea that the Sindh government submitted and said that elections will be held on a decided schedule.

Moreover, ECP maintained that Rangers and police must protect and cover sensitive polling stations in Sindh.

Sania Mirza Announces Retirement from Tennis

The Indian tennis star, Sania Mirza who is also a wife to Pakistani cricketer Shoaib Malik announced her retirement on her social media platforms on Instagram and Twitter.

She posted pictures of her playing and wrote a heartfelt letter to her fans remembering her journey since she was six years old. Now the 36-year-old star has decided to retire from the Tennis world after the Australian Grand Slam that is starting on the 15th of January.

She captioned her post as a ‘life update’ to let her fans know about her decision.

The tennis star wrote, “Thirty years ago, a six-year-old girl from Nasr School in Hyderabad, walked onto a tennis court at Nizam Club with her young mom and fought the coach to let her learn how to play tennis as he thought that she was too little [to play tennis]”.

She further wrote, “[looking back], not only did I get to play well over half a century of Grand Slam tournaments but I was fortunate enough to win a bunch of them, too, with God’s grace,”

Moreover she thanked her fans saying, “It’s all of you, who have helped me through the toughest phases of my life and helped this little girl from Hyderabad to not only dare to dream but to achieve those dreams, as well. So thank you from the bottom of my heart.”

About her retirement, the tennis star stated, “My Grand Slam journey started with the Australian Open back in 2005. So, it goes without saying that this would be the most perfect Grand Slam to end my career with.”

Furthermore, she explained that she took this decision to focus on her son more because he needs her at the moment. She said, “In fact, [it is] a beginning of many different memories to be created, dreams to be achieved and new goals to be set. My son needs me more than ever now and I can’t wait to live a slightly quieter and calmer life while giving him more of my time than I have been able to give so far”.

 

Shahrukh Khan Becomes Fourth Richest Actor in the World

Shahrukh Khan, the name itself is enough to let people know who he is. The megastar Bollywood actor is one of the most loved actors not only in India but all over the world. His stardom is not limited to Indian soil. When people who live abroad think about Bollywood, the first actor they think of is Shahrukh Khan.

He is not at the top of the list of the most-loved actors, but he is also on the top list of people who are the richest actors in the world.

He is amongst other superstars in the world such as Jerry Seinfeld, Tyler  Perry, Tom Cruise, Dwayne Johnson (ROCK), George Clooney, and Robert De Niro.

According to the World of Statistics’ Twitter post in which they revealed the list of actors with the highest net worth, Shahrukh Khan bagged the number four spot on the list.

Moreover, the article revealed that Shahrukh Khan has a net worth of $770 million which makes INR 6,300 crores.

It is interesting to note that for two years, Shahrukh Khan was on an acting break. Also, before that, his films did not do very well at the box office. And yet he ended up in the top five of the richest actors in the world.

In addition, the fans believe that even after being the richest man, he still is grounded, humble, and always meets his fans with utmost civility and love.

Currently, the DDLJ actor is promoting his upcoming and highly-anticipated film Pathaan alongside Deepika Padukone and John Abraham.

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