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Iran, Pakistan Aim to Boost Trade to $10 Billion: President Raisi
(CTN News) – Iran and Pakistan have agreed to expand their trade volume to $10 billion, Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday, adding that the current rate was “not acceptable”.
Raisi, now on a three-day visit to Pakistan, made the statements during a joint press conference with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif following their meeting in Islamabad. This is the first visit by a head of state since the February 8 national elections.
Boosting Economic Ties to $10 Billion
“We are committed to strengthening high-level relationships. […] The economic and trade volume between Iran and Pakistan is unacceptable. “As a first step, we have decided to increase the trade volume between our two countries to $10 billion,” he stated.
During his speech, the Iranian president thanked Prime Minister Shehbaz and the Pakistani government for receiving him. He also congratulated Pakistanis who had taken to the streets to demand freedom for Al Quds Al Sharif (Jerusalem).
He emphasized that there were “some common faiths and religions that are interconnected and cannot be disconnected.” The president also stated that trading “potentials and capabilities” would benefit both countries.
Raisi stated that during the meeting with PM Shehbaz, the two agreed to strengthen bilateral relations at the “political, economic, trade [and] cultural” levels.
Raisi noted that Iran and Pakistan share a “number of common positions and stands” on terrorism, saying: “Both countries are determined to fight against terrorism, organized crime, narcotics, and various forms and manifestations of insecurity that endanger our two countries and the region as a whole.”
“There may be some persons who oppose the expansion and promotion of excellent bilateral relations between Iran and Pakistan, but who cares? It’s not important.”
Raisi and PM Shehbaz visited the Mand-Pishin border market for its inauguration and acknowledged “some steps had been taken” but labeled them “not sufficient” and highlighted the need for more work.
“The Iranian people turned unlawful and unfair sanctions against their country into an opportunity. Today, Iran is a shining example of development and technology, and we express our willingness to share and transmit our skills and knowledge in this area with the wonderful people of Pakistan,” the president stated.
Pakistan-Iran relations
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Shehbaz advocated for improving Pakistan-Iran relations despite challenges: “We have to keep this relationship strong despite the challenges we both face.”
The premier stated that the two leaders discussed “religious, cultural, diplomatic, investment, and security matters” during their meeting.
The prime minister commended Raisi as an “ocean of political intelligence and wisdom” and added that Iran would advance further under his leadership.
PM Shehbaz emphasized the need to stabilize the two countries’ relationship and expressed hope that the shared borders could be transformed into places “where business, progress, and prosperity are seen everywhere.”
He emphasized the ability to “turn this friendship […] into a sea of development and prosperity”.
The prime minister thanked Raisi for Iran’s “strong stance” against Israel’s current war on Gaza, which has killed over 34,000 Palestinians and is in its seventh month. “The [United Nations] Security Council resolution is being shredded to bits and the entire world is silent,” he said.
PM Shehbaz also underlined the situation of civilians in Indian-occupied Kashmir, thanking the Iranian president for his assistance.
The premier congratulated Raisi for visiting his “second home” and expressed confidence that his visit would deepen connections between the two countries.
PM Shehbaz and Raisi met and pledged to work together to destroy terrorism, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. According to the article, the two presidents also discussed expanding bilateral commerce and communication links.
According to Radio Pakistan, PM Shehbaz stated that the entire nation welcomed the Iranian president’s visit, while Raisi thanked the premier for the warm welcome.
Raisi later visited with President Asif Ali Zardari at the President’s House.
“We expressed satisfaction with the trajectory of bilateral ties and agreed to further strengthen our dialogue and cooperation to reinforce existing ties,” President Zardari said in a statement posted by the Presidency’s X account.
He went on to say that Pakistan and Iran have a shared religion, history, and culture.
According to Radio Pakistan, Iran and Pakistan inked eight agreements and Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) to cooperate in domains such as security, judicial aid in civil affairs, and veterinary and animal health.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) to construct a special economic zone (SEZ) and another for film exchanges and cooperation between the information ministry and Iran’s Organisation for Cinema and Audiovisual Affairs.
According to Radio Pakistan, MoUs were signed between the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Iran’s Labor Ministry, the Pakistan Standards and Quality Control Authority, and its Iranian counterpart.
Raisi and PM Shehbaz observed the pact signing ceremony, which included an MoU on legal cooperation.
According to Radio Pakistan, Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar met with Iran’s president in Islamabad to discuss bilateral relations and regional and global developments.
Raisi and Dar “emphasised the importance of increased efforts to further consolidate bilateral relations in diverse fields,” according to the report. The two leaders also “affirmed commitment to peace and constructive dialogue for resolving regional challenges.”
The Foreign Office (FO) already announced Raisi’s journey to Lahore and Karachi to meet with provincial leaders.
The two governments also agreed to prohibit terrorist organizations in their respective countries and develop a comprehensive strategy to combat the threat of terrorism by increasing mutual support and intelligence sharing.
Pakistan, Iran agree to ban terrorist organizations
Minister for Interior Mohsin Naqvi and his Iranian colleague Dr. Ahmad Vahidi met and agreed to sign a security accord after recognizing terrorism as a common threat.
The two also agreed to provide all available amenities to Pakistani pilgrims.
The two parties agreed that coordinated initiatives would help to guarantee that pilgrims received the finest possible amenities.
Both agreed to waive the fines imposed on their citizens imprisoned in the other’s country.
Naqvi stated that he wants the Pakistani captives in Iran to return home as soon as feasible.
The two countries also agreed to tighten up border management cooperation, including measures to combat smuggling and narcotics trafficking.
According to Naqvi, smuggling causes economic loss for both countries and preventing it through border control will assist in encouraging bilateral trade.
The two parties also agreed to activate the border markets.
Iran’s interior minister commended Pakistan’s “excellent job” on border fencing.
News
Trudeau’s Gun Grab Could Cost Taxpayers a Whopping $7 Billion
A recent report indicates that since Trudeau’s announcement of his gun buyback program four years ago, almost none of the banned firearms have been surrendered.
The federal government plans to purchase 2,063 firearm models from retailers following the enactment of Bill C-21, which amends various Acts and introduces certain consequential changes related to firearms. It was granted royal assent on December 15 of last year.
This ban immediately criminalized the actions of federally-licensed firearms owners regarding the purchase, sale, transportation, importation, exportation, or use of hundreds of thousands of rifles and shotguns that were previously legal.
The gun ban focused on what it termed ‘assault-style weapons,’ which are, in reality, traditional semi-automatic rifles and shotguns that have enjoyed popularity among hunters and sport shooters for over a century.
In May 2020, the federal government enacted an Order-in-Council that prohibited 1,500 types of “assault-style” firearms and outlined specific components of the newly banned firearms. Property owners must adhere to the law by October 2023.
Trudeau’s Buyback Hasn’t Happened
“In the announcement regarding the ban, the prime minister stated that the government would seize the prohibited firearms, assuring that their lawful owners would be ‘grandfathered’ or compensated fairly.” “That hasn’t happened,” criminologist Gary Mauser told Rebel News.
Mauser projected expenses ranging from $2.6 billion to $6.7 billion. The figure reflects the compensation costs amounting to $756 million, as outlined by the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO).
“The projected expenses for gathering the illegal firearms are estimated to range from $1.6 billion to $7 billion.” “This range estimate increases to between $2.647 billion and $7 billion when compensation costs to owners are factored in,” Mauser stated.
Figures requested by Conservative MP Shannon Stubbs concerning firearms prohibited due to the May 1, 2020 Order In Council reveal that $72 million has been allocated to the firearm “buyback” program, yet not a single firearm has been confiscated to date.
In a recent revelation, Public Safety Canada disclosed that the federal government allocated a staggering $41,094,556, as prompted by an order paper question from Conservative Senator Don Plett last September, yet yielded no tangible outcomes.
An internal memo from late 2019 revealed that the Liberals projected their politically motivated harassment would incur a cost of $1.8 billion.
Enforcement efforts Questioned
By December 2023, estimates from TheGunBlog.ca indicate that the Liberals and RCMP had incurred or were responsible for approximately $30 million in personnel expenses related to the enforcement efforts. The union representing the police service previously stated that the effort to confiscate firearms is a “misdirected effort” aimed at ensuring public safety.
“This action diverts crucial personnel, resources, and funding from tackling the more pressing and escalating issue of criminal use of illegal firearms,” stated the National Police Federation (NPF).
The Canadian Sporting Arms & Ammunition Association (CSAAA), representing firearms retailers, has stated it will have “zero involvement” in the confiscation of these firearms. Even Canada Post held back from providing assistance due to safety concerns.
The consultant previously assessed that retailers are sitting on almost $1 billion worth of inventory that cannot be sold or returned to suppliers because of the Order-In-Council.
“Despite the ongoing confusion surrounding the ban, after four years, we ought to be able to address one crucial question.” Has the prohibition enhanced safety for Canadians? Mauser asks.
Illegally Obtained Firearms are the Problem
Statistics Canada reports a 10% increase in firearm-related violent crime between 2020 and 2022, rising from 12,614 incidents to 13,937 incidents. In that timeframe, the incidence of firearm-related violent crime increased from 33.7 incidents per 100,000 population in 2021 to 36.7 incidents the subsequent year.
“This marks the highest rate documented since the collection of comparable data began in 2009,” the criminologist explains.
Supplementary DataData indicates that firearm homicides have risen since 2020. “The issue lies not with lawfully-held firearms,” Mauser stated.
Firearms that have been banned under the Order-in-Council continue to be securely stored in the safes of their lawful owners. The individuals underwent a thorough vetting process by the RCMP and are subject to nightly monitoring to ensure there are no infractions that could pose a risk to public safety.
“The firearms involved in homicides were seldom legally owned weapons wielded by their rightful owners,” Mauser continues. The number of offenses linked to organized crime has surged from 4,810 in 2016 to a staggering 13,056 in 2020.
“If those in power … aim to diminish crime and enhance public safety, they ought to implement strategies that effectively focus on offenders and utilize our limited tax resources judiciously to reach these objectives,” he stated.
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Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding, But Still Accounting 48% Search Revenue
Google is so closely associated with its key product that its name is a verb that signifies “search.” However, Google’s dominance in that sector is dwindling.
According to eMarketer, Google will lose control of the US search industry for the first time in decades next year.
Google will remain the dominant search player, accounting for 48% of American search advertising revenue. And, remarkably, Google is still increasing its sales in the field, despite being the dominating player in search since the early days of the George W. Bush administration. However, Amazon is growing at a quicker rate.
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
Amazon will hold over a quarter of US search ad dollars next year, rising to 27% by 2026, while Google will fall even more, according to eMarketer.
The Wall Street Journal was first to report on the forecast.
Lest you think you’ll have to switch to Bing or Yahoo, this isn’t the end of Google or anything really near.
Google is the fourth-most valued public firm in the world. Its market worth is $2.1 trillion, trailing just Apple, Microsoft, and the AI chip darling Nvidia. It also maintains its dominance in other industries, such as display advertisements, where it dominates alongside Facebook’s parent firm Meta, and video ads on YouTube.
To put those “other” firms in context, each is worth more than Delta Air Lines’ total market value. So, yeah, Google is not going anywhere.
Nonetheless, Google faces numerous dangers to its operations, particularly from antitrust regulators.
On Monday, a federal judge in San Francisco ruled that Google must open up its Google Play Store to competitors, dealing a significant blow to the firm in its long-running battle with Fortnite creator Epic Games. Google announced that it would appeal the verdict.
In August, a federal judge ruled that Google has an illegal monopoly on search. That verdict could lead to the dissolution of the company’s search operation. Another antitrust lawsuit filed last month accuses Google of abusing its dominance in the online advertising business.
Meanwhile, European regulators have compelled Google to follow tough new standards, which have resulted in multiple $1 billion-plus fines.
Google’s Search Dominance Is Unwinding
On top of that, the marketplace is becoming more difficult on its own.
TikTok, the fastest-growing social network, is expanding into the search market. And Amazon has accomplished something few other digital titans have done to date: it has established a habit.
When you want to buy anything, you usually go to Amazon, not Google. Amazon then buys adverts to push companies’ products to the top of your search results, increasing sales and earning Amazon a greater portion of the revenue. According to eMarketer, it is expected to generate $27.8 billion in search revenue in the United States next year, trailing only Google’s $62.9 billion total.
And then there’s AI, the technology that (supposedly) will change everything.
Why search in stilted language for “kendall jenner why bad bunny breakup” or “police moving violation driver rights no stop sign” when you can just ask OpenAI’s ChatGPT, “What’s going on with Kendall Jenner and Bad Bunny?” in “I need help fighting a moving violation involving a stop sign that wasn’t visible.” Google is working on exactly this technology with its Gemini product, but its success is far from guaranteed, especially with Apple collaborating with OpenAI and other businesses rapidly joining the market.
A Google spokeswoman referred to a blog post from last week in which the company unveiled ads in its AI overviews (the AI-generated text that appears at the top of search results). It’s Google’s way of expressing its ability to profit on a changing marketplace while retaining its business, even as its consumers steadily transition to ask-and-answer AI and away from search.
Google has long used a single catchphrase to defend itself against opponents who claim it is a monopoly abusing its power: competition is only a click away. Until recently, that seemed comically obtuse. Really? We are going to switch to Bing? Or Duck Duck Go? Give me a break.
But today, it feels more like reality.
Google is in no danger of disappearing. However, every highly dominating company faces some type of reckoning over time. GE, a Dow mainstay for more than a century, was broken up last year and is now a shell of its previous dominance. Sears declared bankruptcy in 2022 and is virtually out of business. US Steel, long the foundation of American manufacturing, is attempting to sell itself to a Japanese corporation.
SOURCE | CNN
News
The Supreme Court Turns Down Biden’s Government Appeal in a Texas Emergency Abortion Matter.
(VOR News) – A ruling that prohibits emergency abortions that contravene the Supreme Court law in the state of Texas, which has one of the most stringent abortion restrictions in the country, has been upheld by the Supreme Court of the United States. The United States Supreme Court upheld this decision.
The justices did not provide any specifics regarding the underlying reasons for their decision to uphold an order from a lower court that declared hospitals cannot be legally obligated to administer abortions if doing so would violate the law in the state of Texas.
Institutions are not required to perform abortions, as stipulated in the decree. The common populace did not investigate any opposing viewpoints. The decision was made just weeks before a presidential election that brought abortion to the forefront of the political agenda.
This decision follows the 2022 Supreme Court ruling that ended abortion nationwide.
In response to a request from the administration of Vice President Joe Biden to overturn the lower court’s decision, the justices expressed their disapproval.
The government contends that hospitals are obligated to perform abortions in compliance with federal legislation when the health or life of an expectant patient is in an exceedingly precarious condition.
This is the case in regions where the procedure is prohibited. The difficulty hospitals in Texas and other states are experiencing in determining whether or not routine care could be in violation of stringent state laws that prohibit abortion has resulted in an increase in the number of complaints concerning pregnant women who are experiencing medical distress being turned away from emergency rooms.
The administration cited the Supreme Court’s ruling in a case that bore a striking resemblance to the one that was presented to it in Idaho at the beginning of the year. The justices took a limited decision in that case to allow the continuation of emergency abortions without interruption while a lawsuit was still being heard.
In contrast, Texas has been a vocal proponent of the injunction’s continued enforcement. Texas has argued that its circumstances are distinct from those of Idaho, as the state does have an exemption for situations that pose a significant hazard to the health of an expectant patient.
According to the state, the discrepancy is the result of this exemption. The state of Idaho had a provision that safeguarded a woman’s life when the issue was first broached; however, it did not include protection for her health.
Certified medical practitioners are not obligated to wait until a woman’s life is in imminent peril before they are legally permitted to perform an abortion, as determined by the state supreme court.
The state of Texas highlighted this to the Supreme Court.
Nevertheless, medical professionals have criticized the Texas statute as being perilously ambiguous, and a medical board has declined to provide a list of all the disorders that are eligible for an exception. Furthermore, the statute has been criticized for its hazardous ambiguity.
For an extended period, termination of pregnancies has been a standard procedure in medical treatment for individuals who have been experiencing significant issues. It is implemented in this manner to prevent catastrophic outcomes, such as sepsis, organ failure, and other severe scenarios.
Nevertheless, medical professionals and hospitals in Texas and other states with strict abortion laws have noted that it is uncertain whether or not these terminations could be in violation of abortion prohibitions that include the possibility of a prison sentence. This is the case in regions where abortion prohibitions are exceedingly restrictive.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade, which resulted in restrictions on the rights of women to have abortions in several Republican-ruled states, the Texas case was revisited in 2022.
As per the orders that were disclosed by the administration of Vice President Joe Biden, hospitals are still required to provide abortions in cases that are classified as dire emergency.
As stipulated in a piece of health care legislation, the majority of hospitals are obligated to provide medical assistance to patients who are experiencing medical distress. This is in accordance with the law.
The state of Texas maintained that hospitals should not be obligated to provide abortions throughout the litigation, as doing so would violate the state’s constitutional prohibition on abortions. In its January judgment, the 5th United States Circuit Court of Appeals concurred with the state and acknowledged that the administration had exceeded its authority.
SOURCE: AP
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