Taylor Swift’s remarkable achievements in the music industry have set her apart, earning admiration from her peers. As Swift prepares for her trio of performances in Edinburgh, Scotland, starting on Friday, June 7, various fellow artists have praised the ‘Swift effect’ that has captivated fans during her ongoing sold-out Eras Tour and throughout her career. U.K. pop singer-songwriter RAYE told BBC News, “She is just one of those rare timeless artists who gets it right every time.” He added, “She’s an absolute powerhouse.” Lana Del Rey, a collaborator and close friend of the ‘Bad Blood’ singer, shared her thoughts…
Author: WebDesk
The University of Health Sciences (UHS) Advanced Studies and Research Board (ASRB) has ratified the recommendation of the MPhil/PhD committee to amend the admission criteria for MPhil and Master’s degree programs. Chaired by UHS Vice Chancellor Prof. Ahsan Waheed Rathore, the 202nd ASRB meeting convened on Thursday. According to the revised criteria, candidates are now required to achieve a minimum score of 75 percent in the University’s Postgraduate Entrance Test for admission, an increase from the previous threshold of 50 percent. Additionally, the board has eliminated the prerequisite for a minimum of two years of relevant experience, making fresh graduates…
In April 2024, the total public debt of the federal government surged by 12.8 percent compared to the same month in the previous year, as per the monthly report from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). The debt stock rose to Rs. 66.083 trillion from Rs. 58.599 trillion in April 2023, marking an increase of Rs. 7.484 trillion. On a month-on-month basis, there was a 1.1 percent increase in the total public debt, which reached Rs. 65.374 trillion in March 2024. The data further reveals that the domestic debt of the central government saw a significant increase of 21.7 percent,…
In May 2024, remittances sent by overseas Pakistanis surged by 54 percent year-on-year, reaching $3.2 billion compared to $2.1 billion in the corresponding period of the previous year, according to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP). This marks the highest monthly remittance inflow ever recorded. On a month-on-month basis, remittances saw a 15 percent increase compared to April 2024, totaling $2.8 billion. The rise in inflows is attributed to seasonal factors, as overseas Pakistanis tend to send more money ahead of Eid ul Azha to fulfill their religious obligations of sacrifice in Pakistan. A breakdown of the…
On June 7th, the Embassy of Portugal in Pakistan, in partnership with the Sanober Institute, hosted a seminar titled “PAKISTAN AND PORTUGAL RELATIONS — Past Experiences, Vision for the Future” at the Serena Hotel Islamabad. The seminar, moderated by the Executive Director of the Sanober Institute, featured distinguished speakers including Ambassador of Portugal Frederico Silva, Ambassador Aizaz Chaudhary (Chairman of Sanober Institute), Ambassador Shafqat Ali Khan (Additional Secretary for Europe), five former Pakistan Ambassadors to Portugal, Khurram Dastgir (former Federal Minister), Ambassador Naghmana Hashmi, Raja Amer Iqbal (former President of the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry), and others. The…
Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif engaged in a comprehensive meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at the historic Great Hall of the People in Beijing today. Accompanied by Federal Ministers and senior officials, this marked the Prime Minister’s first encounter with President Xi Jinping since assuming office in 2024. The meeting showcased the enduring warmth symbolizing the steadfast friendship and close strategic ties between the two nations. Expressing gratitude for the warm reception, the Prime Minister thanked President Xi Jinping and recalled the landmark visit of the Chinese President to Pakistan in 2015, which saw the formal operationalization of the…
In Paris, President Joe Biden publicly issued the first apology to Ukraine, acknowledging the months-long congressional delay in American military aid that allowed Russia to gain ground on the battlefield. During his meeting with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who urged bipartisan U.S. support akin to the unity during World War II, Biden reflected on the uncertainty caused by conservative Republicans in Congress holding up a $61 billion military aid package for Ukraine. Despite this setback, Biden emphasized enduring American support for Ukraine. The apology and Zelenskyy’s call for steadfast backing reminiscent of the WWII coalition underscored the challenges facing Biden’s…
During his visit to Passport and NADRA centers in London today, Mohsin Naqvi declared that urgent passports for overseas Pakistanis will now be processed within seven days. Naqvi emphasized that under this new policy, normal passport issuance will be streamlined to a 30-day timeline, applicable across all Pakistani missions abroad. Expressing concern over delays in passport issuance to overseas Pakistanis, Naqvi highlighted that normal passports were previously taking approximately four months to be processed, with urgent passports taking around one and a half months. The Minister asserted that any further delays will not be tolerated, and strict action will…
The governments of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) and the Islamic Republic of Pakistan have officially established diplomatic ties through the signing of a joint communiqué, with the goal of fostering global collaboration. Ambassador of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to the United Nations, Inga Rhonda King, and Ambassador of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan to the United Nations, Munir Akram, signed the Joint Communique marking the commencement of relations between the two nations. The signing ceremony, which took place in New York on June 3, underscored both countries’ adherence to the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and…
A recent episode of confusion arose regarding the summer vacation schedule in Islamabad, as conflicting statements emerged from the Federal Directorate of Education (FDE) and the Federal Ministry of Education. Initially, the FDE issued a notification announcing summer vacations from June 10 to July 31. However, contradictory remarks surfaced when an FDE official denounced the notification as fake, while a counterpart from the Ministry of Federal Education affirmed its legitimacy. This discrepancy left parents, students, and educational institutions uncertain about the official vacation dates. To address the confusion, a subsequent notification has been issued, confirming the summer vacation dates…
