ISLAMABAD: In his second address to the nation since taking office, Prime Minister Imran Khan warned the nation that if dams are not built, Pakistan will face a drought by 2025. He urged overseas Pakistanis to contribute funds toward building dams in the country.
The prime minister said he has been receiving presentations for the last two weeks on the issues of the nation. “I made a promise to my Pakistani citizens that I would bring to light the problems being faced in our country. The biggest problem we are facing today is that of water scarcity,” explain PM Khan in his address.
Narrating facts from his meetings, the PM said that in post-partition, 5,600 cubic meters of water were available to every Pakistani but today that number has decreased to 1,000 cubic meters. “Globally, 120 days worth of water being stored is considered safe, we only have the capacity to store water for 30 days,” warned PM Khan.
Stressing on the importance of building dams in the country and the failure of doing so being detrimental to our future generations, Khan warned, “We are left with no option but to build dams. Experts have warned that if we don’t start building dams now, seven years from now (by 2025) Pakistan will face a drought.”
Warning the country, and overseas Pakistanis, of the outcome of having no water Khan said, “If we don’t have water we will not be able to grow crops, if we are unable to grow crops we will not have food, there will be a calamity. This is why we have to start making dams from today.”
Khan also lauded Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Saqib Nisar for his efforts in raising funds for the construction of dams.
“I am appealing to Pakistanis all over the world today, start contributing fund from today for the construction of dams in the country, especially overseas Pakistanis. If each of our 9million overseas citizens contributes $1,000, we will accumulate enough money to construct both the dams and our reserves will also improve.”
“No one will give us loans; we are so deep in debt that we cannot even afford to take loans any longer. We have to construct these dams ourselves. I assure you that I will protect your money.”
PM Khan warns of drought, urges overseas Pakistanis to contribute to fund
PM Khan warns of drought, urges overseas Pakistanis to contribute to fund
- PM explained that Pakistan only has the capacity to store water for 30 days
- Experts have warned that if we don’t start building dams now, Pakistan will face a drought by 2025
Philippines, US hold joint maritime exercises in South China Sea
- South China Sea joint maritime exercises is first for the year and fifth overall since launching combined activities in 2023
- Security engagements between the two allies have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr.
MANILA: The Philippines and the United States carried out joint maritime exercises for a fifth time in the South China Sea, Manila’s armed forces said on Sunday, in a move that would likely irk China.
The Philippine military said in a statement it held a “maritime cooperative activity” with the US on Friday and Saturday, its first for the year and fifth overall since launching the joint activities in 2023.
Security engagements between the two allies have soared under Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., who has pivoted closer to Washington, allowing the expansion of military bases that American forces can access, including facilities that face Taiwan.
The joint maritime activity included the United States’ Carl Vinson Carrier Strike Group, two guided missile destroyers, two helicopters and two F-18 Hornet aircraft.
The Philippine side deployed its Antonio Luna frigate, Andres Bonifacio patrol ship, two FA-50 fighter jets, and search and rescue assets of the air force.
The activities “reinforced bilateral maritime cooperation and interoperability,” the Philippine armed forces said.
Their joint activity came at a time when the Philippines had called out China over the presence of Chinese coast guard vessels inside its maritime zone, including the 165-meter-long ship that it describes as “the monster” for its size.
The Chinese embassy in Manila did not immediately respond for a request for comment on a weekend.
TikTok goes dark in the US as ban takes effect
- A federal law required ByteDance to divest its stake in the TikTok’s US platform or face a ban
- ByteDance chose to take legal action against the law and ultimately lost their fight at the Supreme Court
NEW YORK: TikTok’s app was removed from prominent app stores on Saturday just before a federal law that would have banned the popular social media platform was scheduled to go into effect.
By 10:50pm Eastern Standard Time, the app was not found on Apple and Google’s app stores, which are prohibited from offering the platform under a law that required TikTok’s China-based parent company, ByteDance, to sell the platform or face a US ban.
When users opened the TikTok app on Saturday evening, they encountered a pop-up message from the company that prevented them from scrolling on videos.
“A law banning TikTok has been enacted in the US,” the message said. “Unfortunately that means you can’t use TikTok for now.”
“We are fortunate that President Trump has indicated that he will work with us on a solution to reinstate TikTok once he takes office,” the message said. “Please stay tuned!”
Before that announcement went out, the company had said in another message to users that its service would be “temporarily unavailable” and told them its working to restore its US service “as soon as possible.”
The federal law, that was signed by President Joe Biden last year, required ByteDance to divest its stake in the TikTok’s US platform or face a ban. ByteDance had nine months to sell the US operation to an approved buyer. The company, and TikTok, chose to take legal action against the law and ultimately lost their fight at the Supreme Court on Friday.
Under the statute, mobile app stores are barred from offering TikTok and Internet hosting services are prohibited from delivering the service to American users.
Both White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and Deputy Attorney General Lisa Monaco had said that the Biden administration would leave the law’s implementation to President-elect Donald Trump given that his inauguration falls the day after the ban takes effect.
But TikTok said after the court ruling on Friday that it “will be forced to go dark” if the administration didn’t provide a “definitive statement” to the companies that deliver its service in the US
However, White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre called TikTok’s demand a “stunt” and said there was no reason for TikTok or other companies “to take actions in the next few days before the Trump administration takes office.”
In an interview with NBC News on Saturday, President-elect Donald Trump said he was thinking about giving TikTok a 90-day extension that would allow them to continue operating.
The federal law allows the sitting president to extend the deadline by 90 days if a sale is in progress. But no clear buyers have emerged, and ByteDance has previously said it won’t sell TikTok.
If such an extension happens, Trump said it would “probably” be announced on Monday.
On Saturday, artificial intelligence startup Perplexity AI submitted a proposal to ByteDance to create a new entity that merges Perplexity with TikTok US business, according to a person familiar with the matter. If successful, the new structure would also include other investors and allow ByteDance’s existing shareholders to retain their stake in the company, the person said.
Perplexity is not asking to purchase the ByteDance algorithm that feeds TikTok user’s videos based on their interests and has made the platform such a phenomenon.
Other investors have also been eyeing TikTok. “Shark Tank” star Kevin O’Leary recently said a consortium of investors that he and billionaire Frank McCourt put together offered ByteDance $20 billion in cash. Trump’s Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin also said last year that he was putting together an investor group to buy TikTok.
Pakistan, Britain reaffirm their resolve to further strengthen bilateral ties
- British high commissioner meets Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal to discuss bilateral cooperation
- Iqbal highlights financial sector's importance in promoting export growth, enhancing agricultural exports
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and the United Kingdom reaffirmed their resolve to further strengthen bilateral relations to ensure mutual economic development, state-run media reported this week.
UK's High Commissioner to Pakistan Jane Marriott met Pakistan's Planning Minister Ahsan Iqbal on Saturday during which Pakistan's measures to improve its economy came under discussion.
Iqbal spoke about Islamabad's efforts to eradicate basic education deprivation through public-private partnerships, provincial cooperation to enhance capacity in education, health, and human resources, and significant budget increases for higher education, state broadcaster Radio Pakistan reported.
"Pakistan and Britain have reaffirmed the commitment to foster stronger ties and collaborative efforts for mutual growth and development," Radio Pakistan said in its report.
The minister told the British official that Pakistan's economic strategy includes its aims to address five critical areas including exports, e-Pakistan, environment and climate change, energy and infrastructure, equity and empowerment.
He stressed the importance of Pakistan's financial sector in promoting export growth, enhancing agricultural exports, fostering industrial development and advancing critical areas such as IT, services, mining, workforce export, the blue economy, and innovation, the report said.
Pakistan and the UK have strong military, economic and educational ties, with the latter hosting a large Pakistani diaspora.
KSrelief delivers prosthetic services, food supplies in Yemen, Lebanon and Pakistan
RIYADH: The King Salman Humanitarian Aid and Relief Center’s (KSrelief) ongoing philanthropic work in Yemen, Lebanon and Pakistan continues with the provision of prosthetic services and food supplies in Yemen, Lebanon and Pakistan.
In Yemen’s Hadhramaut governorate, the Prosthetics and Rehabilitation Center in the Seiyun district provided various medical and prosthetic services in December last year to 523 Yemenis who lost limbs, with support KSrelief. Services included the fitting and rehabilitation of prosthetic limbs, physical therapy and specialized consultations.
In Lebanon’s Akkar governorate and Miniyeh District, the aid agency’ fourth phase of the Al-Amal Charity Bakery Project last week distributed 175,000 bags of bread to Syrian and Palestinian refugees as well as the communities hosting them.
The distribution benefited 12,500 families, equivalent to 62,500 individuals.
In Pakistan’s Dadu and Sanghar areas of Sindh province and the Torghar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, KSrelief recently handed out 1,500 food boxes to families in areas affected by floods. The latest activity is part of the aid agency’s 2025 Food Security Support Project for the south Asian nation.
KSrelief provides food, relief supplies in Syrian provinces
RIYADH: Saudi aid agency KSrelief has provided vital food assistance and relief aid in several Syrian provinces as part of its ongoing relief project in the country, state news agency SPA reported.
In Homs Governorate, KSrelief on Thursday distributed 14 food parcels, each containing a 10-kilogram bag of flour, along with 14 winter bags and 14 personal care kits in Talbiseh city.
This initiative benefited 1,982 individuals from 382 families as part of the relief materials distribution project there.
The agency also distributed bags of flour, winter kits, and personal care kits on Saturday to 15 families in the city of Al-Rastan in Homs, benefiting 61 individuals.
In As-Suwayda, KSrelief distributed bags of flour, winter kits, and personal care kits on Thursday to 258 families, benefiting 984 individuals.
This aid is part of a larger food distribution project coordinated with the Syrian Arab Red Crescent.
