ZEESHAN AFZAL

  Before Maduro arrest, Nobel Prize winner said Venezuela has a $1.7 trillion opportunity to privatize over 500 companies and undo socialist disaster , Story by Nick Lichtenberg .... Months before the U.S. military arrested Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro, opposition leader María Corina Machado called for what she described as the most ambitious economic transformation in the nation’s history—a sweeping privatization aimed at reversing his policies and what she calls “the disaster this socialist system has wrought. Appearing virtually on the Fortune Global Forum stage in Riyadh, Machado, while in hiding from the Maduro regime, unveiled a bold vision to rebuild Venezuela’s shattered economy through large-scale private investment. “Venezuela will be the single biggest economic opportunity for decades to come in this region,” she told Fortune’s Diane Brady at the forum’s 2025 edition, weeks after winning the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her decades-long fight to restore democracy to Ven...

Pakistan’s deputy PM says country will not send forces to Gaza to disarm Hamas , arabnews.com Ishaq Dar says Pakistan open to peacekeeping but Gaza’s internal security is Palestinian responsibility Pakistan’s top religious clerics from different schools have warned against sending forces to Palestine ISLAMABAD: Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar said on Saturday Pakistan was willing to contribute to an international peacekeeping force in Gaza, though it would not deploy troops to disarm or de-weaponize Hamas. The statement follows media reports saying Washington views Pakistan as a potentially significant contributor given its battle-hardened military and wants it to be part of International Stabilization Force (ISF), which is part of United States President Donald Trump’s 20-point framework for a Gaza peace plan. The plan announced by Trump at the White House on September 29 was formally adopted at the Sharm El-Sheikh Peace Summit in October. Co-chaired by Trump and Egyptian President Ab...

  یمن کی بندرگاہ پر ’متحدہ عرب امارات سے آنے والی‘ ہتھیاروں کی کھیپ کو نشانہ بنایا گیا: سعودی اتحاد سعودی عرب کی سرکاری نیوز ایجنسی کا کہنا ہے کہ سعودی سربراہی میں قائم اتحاد نے یمن میں ایک فضائی حملے میں ایسے ہتھیاروں اور کامبیٹ گاڑیوں کو نشانہ بنایا ہے جو کہ متحدہ عرب امارات سے آنے والے جہازوں سے اتاری جا رہی تھیں۔ اس بیان میں سعودی خبر رساں ادارے نے دعویٰ کیا کہ یمن میں موجود بندرگاہ مكلا کو بیرونی فوجی امداد حاصل ہے جس کے خلاف محدود فضائی کارروائی کی گئی ہے۔ کچھ روز قبل سعودی اتحاد نے یمن کے جنوب میں واقع علیحدگی پسند گروہ کو متنبہ کیا تھا کہ وہ ملک کے مشرقی صوبے حضرموت کی طرف پیش قدمی روک دے۔ رواں ماہ کے آغاز میں یمن کے جنوب میں موجود علیحدگی پسندوں کی کارروائی کے باعث متحدہ عرب امارات کی حمایت یافتہ سدرن ٹرانزیشنل کونسل (ایس ٹی سی) اور سعودی حمایت یافتہ یمنی حکومتی فوجی دستے آمنے سامنے آئے تھے۔ خیال رہے کہ یمن 2014 سے خانہ جنگی سے متاثرہ ہے۔ یمن کے مقامی ذرائع ابلاغ پر دسمبر کے اوائل سے یہ تشویش ظاہر کی جا رہی ہے کہ جنوبی یمن میں سعودی عرب اور متحدہ عرب امارات کے حمایت یافتہ ...

  جنوبی یمن کی صورتحال پر ایرانی وزیر خارجہ کی اماراتی ہم منصب سے بات چیت  BBC.com/Urdu  ایران کے وزیر خارجہ عباس عراقچی اور ان کے اماراتی ہم منصب شیخ عبداللہ بن زاید النہیان کے درمیان یمن کی صورتحال پر تبادلہ خیال کیا گیا ہے ۔ 29 دسمبر کو ٹیلیگرام پر ایرانی وزارت خارجہ کے چینل نے بتایا کہ دونوں رہنماؤں کے درمیان فون پر بات چیت ہوئی جس دوران عراقچی نے ’تمام علاقائی ممالک پر زور دیا کہ وہ یمن میں اتحاد اور علاقائی سالمیت کو برقرار رکھیں۔‘ انھوں نے کہا کہ ایران یمن میں بحران کے حل کے لیے قومی اتحاد پر مبنی بات چیت کو اہم سمجھتا ہے۔ اس بیان کے مطابق اماراتی وزیر نے یمن میں کشیدگی کم کرنے کے لیے ابوظہبی کی کوششوں کا ذکر کیا۔ انھوں نے ملک اور وسیع تر خطے میں امن و استحکام برقرار رکھنے کی ضرورت پر زور دیا۔ پیر کو عراقچی نے عمان کے وزیر خارجہ سے بھی فون پر بات چیت کی۔ ایرانی وزارت خارجہ کے مطابق اس موقع پر ایرانی وزیر خارجہ نے جنوبی یمن کی صورتحال پر تشویش کا اظہار کرتے ہوئے ملک کی علاقائی سالمیت اور استحکام کو برقرار رکھنے کے لیے علاقائی تعاون کی ضرورت پر زور دیا ہے۔ گذشتہ د...

Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia dies aged 80 ,   Begum Khaleda Zia (15 August 1945 – 30 December 2025) was a Bangladeshi politician who served as the prime minister of Bangladesh from 1991 to 1996 and again from 2001 to 2006. She was the first female prime minister of Bangladesh and the second female prime minister  in the Muslim world after Benazir Bhutto. Bangladesh's first female prime minister Khaleda Zia has died at the age of 80 after suffering from prolonged illness. Zia became Bangladesh's first female head of government in 1991 after leading her party to victory in the country's first democratic election in 20 years. Physicians had said on Monday her condition was "extremely critical". She was put on life support, but it was not possible to provide multiple treatments at the same time given her age and overall poor health, they said. Despite her poor health, her party had earlier said that Zia would contest general elections expec...

  Pakistan begins planning for permanent exit from IMF after current bailout ,    HEADLINES  18/12/2025 Planning Commission says avoiding another IMF programme hinges on export growth to $63 billion by 2029, stronger reserves, and deep structural reforms . (   پاکستان نے موجودہ بیل آؤٹ کے بعد آئی ایم ایف سے مستقل نکلنے کی منصوبہ بندی شروع کردی  )   Pakistan has initiated discussions on developing a long-term strategy to exit the International Monetary Fund (IMF) permanently after the conclusion of the $7 billion bailout programme in September 2027,  The Express Tribune  reported, citing official sources. A recent high-level meeting reviewed whether Pakistan can sustain macroeconomic stability without IMF support once the current programme expires. The deliberations focused on strengthening foreign exchange buffers, expanding exports, and reducing recurring external financing pressures that have pushed the country into repeated IMF arrang...

Govt to reinvest most of bidding proceeds in PIA , Major obstacles that undermined previous privatisation attempt have been removed, says PM's adviser . Govt to invest 92.5% of bidding proceeds back into PIA: PM's aide. PIA to need additional Rs80bn after privatisation for stabilisation. M Ali says Rs33bn in liabilities, other major hurdles removed. ISLAMABAD: The government is set to auction 75% stake in the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with a commitment to reinvest most of the proceeds back into the national airline marred by financial woes,  The News  reported on Friday, citing officials' briefing to a Senate panel. Prime Minister's Adviser on Privatisation Muhammad Ali said 92.5% of the bidding proceeds would be reinvested in PIA to support its turnaround, adding that the airline would still require an additional Rs80 billion in financing after privatisation to stabilise operations and fund growth. He said the government plans to place some electricity dist...

Russian war costs rise to unprecedented new heights ,  Story by  thedailydigest.com This is how much Moscow has spent in 2025 ©Provided by The Daily Digest Moscow is spending an unprecedented amount of money on defense amid the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, new analysis from one researcher recently revealed exactly how much Russia is spending. Citing analysis from Janis Kluge ©The Daily Digest According to data compiled and analyzed by Janis Kluge, a researcher at the German Institute for International Security Affairs, the Kremlin spent $142.25 billion on defense between January 2025 and September 2025.  Studying Russian spending ©The Daily Digest Kluge has reportedly been analyzing key data from the Russian Finance Ministry to better understand defense spending in Russia. The German researcher’s analysis has made headlines throughout the war in Ukraine.  A shocking spending increase ©The Daily Digest Details about Kluge’s more recent analysis of Rus...