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Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row

Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row
Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab performs onstage during Global Citizen NOW 2024 at Spring Studios in New York City, on May 02, 2024. (AFP/File)
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Updated 09 November 2024
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Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row

Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab secures Grammy nominations for fourth year in a row
  • Aftab’s song ‘Raat Ki Rani’ has earned the nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category
  • The song is part of her album ‘Night Reign,’ nominated in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category
Updated 09 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab has once again secured Grammy nominations for the upcoming 2025 awards ceremony, with the singing sensation expressing her delight over the recognition.
Aftab’s song ‘Raat Ki Rani’ has earned the nomination in the Best Global Music Performance category. The song is part of her album ‘Night Reign’ that has received recognition in the Best Alternative Jazz Album category, which awards vocal or instrumental albums containing greater than 75 percent playing time of new alternative jazz recordings.
“OMG [oh moy God] YES!!! This will be the fourth year in a row that the @recordingacademy and industry peers have celebrated my music with these accolades and IT FEELS SO GOOD,” the singer wrote on Instagram on Friday.
“Thank you thank you thank youuuuu and keep spinning Night Reign we are just getting started,” she added.
In 2022, Aftab became the first Pakistani singer to win a Grammy for her song ‘Mohabbat’ in the Best Global Music Performance category. She had been nominated in two categories for the 2024 Grammy Awards, the highest honors in the music industry.
The 39-year-old, who has lived in New York for some 15 years, has been steadily gaining global attention for her work that fuses ancient Sufi traditions with folk and jazz music. After growing up in Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, Aftab moved to the US at age 19 to attend Berklee College of Music in Boston.
The now Brooklyn-based singer/songwriter first gained critical acclaim for Bird Under Water and Siren Islands in the mid-2010s, but it was 2021’s Vulture Prince — a delicate, seven-track project dedicated to the memory of her late brother — that propelled Aftab to stardom.
 

Topics: Arooj Aftab Pakistani singer Arooj Aftab Grammy Award

Pakistan’s northwestern province approaches center again to acquire national airline PIA

Pakistan’s northwestern province approaches center again to acquire national airline PIA
Updated 30 sec ago
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Pakistan’s northwestern province approaches center again to acquire national airline PIA

Pakistan’s northwestern province approaches center again to acquire national airline PIA
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa this month formally expressed intent to buy PIA to keep it under government control 
  • Pakistan last month kickstarted flag carrier’s privatization process, attracting a sole bid of Rs10 billion [$36 million]
Updated 30 sec ago
WASIM SAJJAD

PESHAWAR: The northwestern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government has recently sought an update from the federal government over its earlier intent to acquire the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), reiterating its resolve to “revitalize” the national airline as Islamabad looks to privatize the state-owned asset. 

KP’s Board of Investment and Trade (KP-BOIT) wrote a letter to federal officials on Nov. 1, expressing its intent to top the sole bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) it received last month to acquire the PIA. The provincial government said it wanted the national flag carrier to remain under government control to preserve its status as an asset that symbolizes Pakistan’s pride. 

Cash-strapped Pakistan is looking to offload a 51-100 percent stake in debt-ridden PIA to raise funds and reform state-owned enterprises as envisaged under a $7 billion International Monetary Fund program. The process, however, hit a snag last month when the final bidding round attracted just one bid of Rs10 billion ($36 million) for a 60 percent stake in the national flag carrier.

In a letter dated Nov. 11, the KP-BOIT demanded an update on its Nov. 1 expression of interest in acquiring the airline. 

“Given the strategic importance of this process and the strong support for this initiative from the Chief Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Board of Investment & Trade, we kindly seek an update on the status of KP-BOIT’s proposal,” the letter said. 

“KP-BOIT is fully committed to preserving and revitalizing PIA, ensuring its legacy as the National Flag Carrier.”

The board said that the KP chief minister and its team were fully committed to ensuring the national airline “return to prominence” and secure its future under the KP-BOIT, supported by its investors. 

“The leadership of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is prepared to offer substantial backing and resources to accomplish these objectives,” the letter added. “KP-BOIT would appreciate any indication of when KP-BOIT might expect to discuss this matter further.”

KP-BOIT said its team is ready to share its strategic vision and present a “competitive and compelling bid” for the national airline. 

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, chief of the ruling party in Pakistan’s Punjab, said this month that the province was also considering acquiring the national flag carrier. A business group in Canada led by a Pakistani expat also threw its hat in the ring to acquire the airline this month, offering the Pakistan government around Rs100 billion ($358 million) to acquire the debt-ridden national carrier. 

The disposal of PIA is a step former governments have steered away from, as it has been highly unpopular given the number of layoffs that would likely result from it.

Other concerns raised by potential bidders for the PIA stake included inconsistent government communication, unattractive terms and taxes on the sector, and the flag carrier’s legacy issues and reputation.
 

Topics: Pakistan International Airlines Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) KPK PIA privatization

Imran Khan’s party announces ‘long march’ to Islamabad on Nov. 24

Imran Khan’s party announces ‘long march’ to Islamabad on Nov. 24
Updated 8 min 49 sec ago
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Imran Khan’s party announces ‘long march’ to Islamabad on Nov. 24

Imran Khan’s party announces ‘long march’ to Islamabad on Nov. 24
  • PTI is protesting alleged rigging of elections, calling for release of political prisoners, independence of judiciary
  • Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment, election commission denies elections were rigged
Updated 8 min 49 sec ago
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Former Prime Minister Imran Khan has called a ‘long march’ to the capital, Islamabad, on Nov. 24 over alleged rigging in Feb. 8 general elections and to call for the release of political prisoners and the independence of the judiciary, the jailed leader’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said on Wednesday. 

Khan has been in jail since August 2023 and has faced dozens of cases since he was removed as prime minister in 2022 after which he launched a protest movement against a coalition of his rivals led by current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and backed by the all-powerful military, which denies interfering in politics. 

Khan says cases against him, which disqualified him from contesting the February elections, are politically motivated.

“Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf announcing long march on 24 November, toward Islamabad with 3 basic demands,” the party said in a statement to reporters. 

The PTI’s first demand is a rollback of recent constitutional amendments like the 26th amendment that the PTI says is an attempt to curtail the independence of the senior judiciary. 

“Release of party leadership and workers,” the PTI said. “⁠Return of stolen mandate, 2024 election by far, the most controversial and farce election.”

Speaking in Lahore, Khan’s sister Aleema Khan also announced the protest call. 

“Today you will have to decide if we want to live in martial law or in freedom,” Aleema said. “And on Nov. 24, Imran Khan has today [Wednesday] asked a call for Islamabad.”

Pakistan’s government denies being unfair in Khan’s treatment and its election commission denies the elections were rigged. The government also says the amendments related to the judiciary are meant to smooth out its functioning and tackle a backlog of cases.

Topics: Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan Imran Khan PTI

Pakistan, fighting for climate funds, urges COP29 to become ‘Finance COP’

Pakistan, fighting for climate funds, urges COP29 to become ‘Finance COP’
Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan, fighting for climate funds, urges COP29 to become ‘Finance COP’

Pakistan, fighting for climate funds, urges COP29 to become ‘Finance COP’
  • Nearly 200 nations are meeting in Baku to discuss climate compensation for developing countries
  • Pakistani prime minister urges fulfillment of financial pledges made during COP27 and COP28
Updated 13 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday expressed hope the UN’s ongoing COP29 climate summit would transform into a “Finance COP” by restoring confidence in the pledging process and increasing climate finance for vulnerable, developing countries.

The main task for nearly 200 countries at the COP29 summit from Nov. 11-22 is to broker a deal that ensures up to trillions of dollars in financing for climate projects worldwide. 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion. International donors pledged over $9 billion last January to aid Pakistan’s flood recovery but officials say little of the promised funds have been received so far.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit on Tuesday, Sharif said developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.

Most of the world’s climate-friendly spending so far has been skewed toward major economies such as China and the United States. Africa’s 54 countries received just 2 percent of global renewable energy investments over the last two decades.

“We believe that under Azerbaijan’s able leadership, COP29 can transform into a Finance COP by restoring confidence in the pledging process and scaling up climate finance,” Sharif said in his address to the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit on Wednesday. 

“I strongly feel that climate finance must be grant-based and not add to the debt burden of vulnerable developing countries.”

He said COP29 should make it clear that financial pledges committed during COP27 and COP28 must be fulfilled, as many had yet to materialize.

As minimal emitters, countries like Pakistan should not have to bear the brunt of emissions caused by others, Sharif added, especially without the necessary tools to finance climate resilience.

“Without climate justice, there can be no real resilience and I don’t want other countries to face the plight Pakistan faced back in 2022,” he added, referring to floods. 

Wealthy countries pledged in 2009 to contribute $100 billion a year to help developing nations cope with the costs of a transition to clean energy and adapting to the conditions of a warming world.

Those payments began in 2020 but were only fully met in 2022. The $100 billion pledge expires this year.

Countries are negotiating a higher target for payments starting next year, but some have been reluctant to confirm its size until it is clear which countries will contribute. Instead, they are circling around the idea of a multi-layered target, with a core amount from wealthy countries’ government coffers, and a larger sum that includes financing from other sources such as multilateral lending institutions or private investors.

In the past, public money made up the bulk of contributions to the $100 billion goal.

Donald Trump’s victory in the US election has overshadowed the COP29 talks, because of expectations he will halt US climate finance contributions.

That would leave a hole in any new global target that other donors would struggle to fill. Some climate negotiators also expect the overall target agreed at COP29 to be smaller, given the expected lack of contributions from the world’s biggest economy.

The US provided nearly $10 billion in international climate finance last year, less than the European Union’s $31 billion contribution.

So far, only a few dozen rich countries have been obliged to pay UN climate finance and they want fast-developing nations, such as China and Gulf oil nations to start paying as well.

Beijing opposes this, saying that as a developing country it does not have the same responsibility as long-industrialized nations like Britain and the United States.

While China is already investing hundreds of billions of dollars in electric vehicles and renewable energy abroad, it does so on its own terms. 

Any COP29 deal would need consensus approval.

With inputs from Reuters

Topics: Pakistan at COP29

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COP29: Pakistani PM to pitch new fund in address at Climate Action Summit today

COP29: Pakistani PM to pitch new fund in address at Climate Action Summit today
Updated 13 November 2024
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COP29: Pakistani PM to pitch new fund in address at Climate Action Summit today

COP29: Pakistani PM to pitch new fund in address at Climate Action Summit today
  • Nearly 200 nations have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for COP29 climate talks this week
  • Main focus of talks is wealthier nations compensating poor countries for climate change damages 
Updated 13 November 2024
SAIMA SHABBIR

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will address the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit at the COP29 conference in Baku today, Wednesday, where he is expected to discuss the risks posed to Pakistan by climate change and pitch a new fund to help developing countries pay for damages. 

Nearly 200 nations have gathered in Baku, Azerbaijan, for UN climate talks this week. The main focus of the talks is climate finance, which involves wealthier nations compensating poor countries for damages from climate change’s weather extremes, helping them pay to transition their economies away from fossil fuels and helping them with adaptation.

Speaking on the sidelines of the World Leaders’ Climate Action Summit on Tuesday, Sharif said developing countries would need an estimated $6.8 trillion by 2030 to implement less than half of their current nationally determined contributions (NDCs), or national action plans for reducing emissions and adapting to climate impacts defined by the Paris Agreement.

“In his speech [Wednesday], the Prime Minister will shed light on the threats posed to Pakistan by climate change and highlight the country’s efforts to tackle environmental risks.,” Radio Pakistan reported. 

“He will also speak about the responsibilities of developed countries and the establishment of a new fund in this regard.”

Sharif will also hold a meeting with the president of Azerbaijan, Ilham Aliyev, today and discuss bilateral cooperation, particularly in energy and regional connectivity.

Topics: COP29 Pakistan at COP29 World Climate Action Summit

Pakistan announces $50 million assistance for climate startups

Pakistan announces $50 million assistance for climate startups
Updated 13 November 2024
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Pakistan announces $50 million assistance for climate startups

Pakistan announces $50 million assistance for climate startups
  • Project seeks to attract private investment in climate-tech ventures
  • Initiative is backed by $25 million commitment from Green Climate Fund
Updated 13 November 2024
Arab News Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan government has launched Climaventures, an initiative led by the National Rural Support Programme (NRSP) under which it will provide $50 million in assistance to climate-tech startups, Radio Pakistan reported on Wednesday. 

Pakistan is ranked the 5th most vulnerable country to climate change, according to the Global Climate Risk Index. In 2022, devastating floods killed over 1,700 people and affected over 33 million, with economic losses exceeding $30 billion.

“Under this project, an investment of fifty million dollars will be made … aimed at providing technical guidance, grants and equity to climate startups," said Radio Pakistan, reporting on the Climaventures initiative. 

“This project will increase private sector investment to deal with climate related challenges in Pakistan.”

In a video posted on X last week by NRSP, Georges Sander, a climate investment specialist, said Climaventures was exciting as it supported “local entrepreneurs […] develop local solutions for local climate problems”.

The $50 million project is designed to attract private investment in climate ventures, NRSP said.

With a core $25m funding commitment from the Green Climate Fund (GCF), Climaventures says it aims to address Pakistan’s funding gaps for sustainable solutions by offering technical guidance, grants and equity for climate-focused startups.

It is the first initiative of its kind in Pakistan and brings together key stakeholders, including government officials, international organizations like the World Bank and ADB, and climate entrepreneurs.

Topics: Pakistan climate startups

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