Islamabad Police, assisted by compatriots from the Punjab Police and Rangers, had faced significant opposition from PTI staff since Tuesday when they attempted to execute a warrant without bail issued against Imran, who is currently holed up in Anda’s Lahore apartment.

Imran has missed hearings four times.

The police yesterday resigned after several intense shootouts involving petrol bombs and tear gas, saying operations had been halted during the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL). Separately, the Lahore High Court ordered LEA to stop the action until 10 am today.

Around 12 pm Thursday (today), the Zaman Park Dawn.com correspondent said a number of PTI workers with sticks and slings had gathered outside on Canal Road. They blocked Imran’s apartment with containers and shouted slogans supporting their party leader.

Supporters of the former prime minister also laid stones on several roads leading to the Garden of Ages.

On the other hand, the police had started to gather at Mall Road.

Indian-American Ravi Chaudhary has made headlines for assuming one of the top leadership roles in the Pentagon as the assistant secretary of defense for the US Air Force. Chaudhary’s impressive educational background includes a Doctorate from Georgetown University in executive leadership and innovation, an M.S. in Industrial Engineering from St. Mary’s University, an M.A. from Air University in Operational Arts and Military Science, and a B.S. in Aeronautical Engineering from the Air Force Academy of the United States.

Chaudhary has a wealth of experience in the Air Force, having served as an Air Force pilot and systems engineer. He also holds multiple certifications from the Department of Defense in systems engineering, program management, and test and evaluation. With his extensive qualifications and experience, Chaudhary is well-equipped to lead the US Air Force into the future.

The confirmation of Chaudhary as the assistant secretary of defense for the US Air Force is a significant milestone for Indian-Americans, and his appointment has been widely celebrated. Follow this post to learn more about Chaudhary’s career trajectory and impressive qualifications.

From flying to engineering, a look at Chaudhary’s brilliant career

The newly-confirmed assistant secretary also served in the US Air Force between 1993 and 2015 as a C-17 pilot. He was a part of multiple American military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. He also performed ground deployment by serving as the director of the personnel recovery centre at multi-national corps in Iraq.

Chaudhary is also the former senior executive at the US Department of Transportation, where he worked as the Director of Advanced Programmes and Innovation, Office of Commercial Space at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). As a NASA fellow, he was deeply involved in space launch operations for the global positioning system (GPS), as well as in International Space Station protection activities. During the Obama presidency, he joined the President’s Advisory Commission on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders and played a key role in advising the POTUS about initiatives that can boost support for veterans in the AAPI community.

Virgin Orbit will stop operating from Thursday to shore up its finances.

It is reported that almost all employees at the satellite launch company will also be laid off.

Bosses announced the move to the staff at a meeting on Wednesday and said another update would be provided next week.

It comes after the company failed to launch its first satellite mission from British soil in January.

Chief Executive Dan Hart told staff the furlough would buy Virgin Orbit time to finalize a new investment plan, a source who attended the event told Reuters.

It was unclear how long the leave would last, but Mr. Hart said staff would receive more information mid-next week.

Reuters said Virgin Orbit shares fell 18.8% to 82 cents (72 pence) in extended trading.

A company statement said, “Virgin Orbit has commenced a company-wide hiatus beginning March 16, 2023, and looks forward to providing updates on continued operations in the coming weeks.”
When launched in January, the jumbo jet operated by Virgin Orbit took the rocket high over the Atlantic from Newquay, Cornwall.

The rocket fired and appeared to take off fine but then suffered an “anomaly.”

The satellite that was carried could not be released and was lost. Cosmic Girl, transport aircraft 747, returned safely to base.

Virgin Orbit later said the mission failed because the rocket’s fuel filter came off, causing one of the engines to overheat.

Stock markets across Asia fell on Thursday as problems at international banking giant Credit Suisse fueled fears of a broader banking crisis.

Major indexes in Japan, Hong Kong, and Australia fell more than 1 percent as bank shares suffered more profound losses.

It came after Credit Suisse said it would borrow up to 50 billion Swiss francs ($54 billion; £44.5 billion) to shore up its finances.

The bank’s shares fell after identifying “weaknesses” in its financial statements.

The BBC understands that the Bank of England has contacted Credit Suisse and the Swiss authorities to monitor the situation.

Problems in the US banking sector surfaced last week with the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank, the country’s 16th largest bank, followed two days later by Signature Bank.

Credit Suisse’s performance was “supported by problems at smaller banks,” Sayuri Shirai, an economics professor at Tokyo’s Keio University, told the BBC.

“Investors and lenders are worried about the risks. Banks can suffer from fundraising, which will, in turn, affect financing costs for SMEs and start-ups around the world,” he added.

Japan’s Nikkei 225 Index fell 1.1 percent in Central Asian trading. The Topix Banks Index fell more than 4% after posting its worst day in three years earlier this week.

Shares in Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, the country’s biggest lender by assets, fell 3 percent. This is the same as losses at partners Sumitomo Mitsui Financial Group and Mizuho Financial Group.

Hong Kong and Sydney Indexes fell more than 1.5 percent, while the Shanghai Composite fell 0.5 percent.

“Markets could quickly return to normal once the US-centric episode fades. Fears of greater contagion are limited for now as Asian banks are much better capitalized,” said Stephen Innes, managing partner at SPI Asset Management.

Founded in 1856, Credit Suisse has faced a number of scandals in recent years, including accusations of money laundering and other problems.

It is losing money in 2021 and again in 2022 and has warned it is unlikely to be profitable until 2024.

Tuesday’s “material weakness” announcement in the bank’s financial report deflected renewed investor concern.

They increased when Saudi National Bank, Credit Suisse’s largest shareholder, said it would no longer buy shares in the Swiss bank for regulatory reasons.

Credit Suisse emphasized that its financial condition was not problematic at that time. But the lender’s shares ended down 24% on Wednesday as other banks scrambled to reduce their exposure to the company and the prime ministers of Spain and France spoke to allay fears.

On Thursday, Credit Suisse said it would borrow up to CHF 50 billion from the Swiss central bank “to strengthen its liquidity on a preventive basis.”

The collapse of Silicon Valley Bank also fueled concern about the value of bonds held by banks, as rising interest rates make those bonds less valuable.

Central banks worldwide – including the US Federal Reserve and the Bank of England – have been raising interest rates sharply to curb inflation.

Banks tend to hold large bond portfolios and are therefore exposed to significant potential losses. A decline in the value of bonds banks hold is not necessarily a problem unless they are forced to sell them.

Silicon Valley Bank, which specializes in lending to technology companies, was shut down by US regulators on Friday in the biggest US bank failure since 2008.

TikTok, the popular video-sharing app owned by Chinese company ByteDance, is facing increasing pressure from Western powers, including the United States and the European Union. The concern is that user data could be accessed or misused by Chinese officials, which poses a risk to national security. To avoid a potential ban, US officials have urged TikTok to sever its ties with its Chinese parent company.

TikTok has responded by stating that it remains confident that the best way to address concerns about national security is through transparent, US-based protection of US user data and systems, with robust third-party monitoring, vetting, and verification. However, reports suggest that the White House has given an ultimatum: if TikTok remains under the ownership of ByteDance, it may be banned in the US.

Some analysts have likened the situation to a high-stakes poker game, and the outcome remains uncertain. Nonetheless, it’s clear that TikTok is facing significant challenges as it seeks to maintain its position in the global market. Only time will tell what the future holds for this popular app.

Washington is “clearly… putting more pressure on ByteDance to strategically sell this key asset in a major move that could have significant ripple impacts,” he continued.

The White House last week welcomed a bill introduced in the US Senate that would allow President Joe Biden to ban TikTok.

The bipartisan bill “would empower the United States government to prevent certain foreign governments from exploiting technology services… in a way that poses risks to Americans’ sensitive data and our national security,” Biden’s national security advisor, Jake Sullivan, said in a statement.

The bill’s introduction and its quick White House backing accelerated the political momentum against TikTok, which is also the target of a separate piece of legislation in the US House of Representatives.

Appearing tough on China is one of the rare issues with potential for bipartisan support in both the Republican-run House and the Senate, where Biden’s Democratic Party holds the majority.

Concern ramped up among American officials earlier this year after a Chinese balloon, which Washington alleged was on a spy mission, flew over US airspace.