Author: newsdesk

  • Surge in Covid-19 cases: PM urges nation to follow SOPs

    Surge in Covid-19 cases: PM urges nation to follow SOPs

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has urged Pakistanis to follow Covid-related standard operating procedures (SOPs) amid a surge in coronavirus cases.

    “In view of the resurgence of corona cases in the country, I urge the entire nation to follow the instructions and SOPs related to corona. Our front-line workers and doctors have made many sacrifices to keep us safe. We must not waste these gains against Corona,” tweeted PM Shehbaz.

    Earlier today, PM Shehbaz also chaired a meeting to discuss the Covid-19 situation in the country. The provincial and district governments were given orders by the premier to strictly enforce safety precautions and take additional action to control the spread of the virus.

    The government has decided to increase the number of coronavirus tests.

    Pakistan’s Covid-19 positivity rate has risen to 3.50 per cent today (Wednesday), according to the National Institute of Health (NIH).

    According to NIH data, 451 people were infected with the virus and one death has been reported in the last 24 hours.

  • Loadshedding situation to get better by mid-July, says Musadik Malik

    Loadshedding situation to get better by mid-July, says Musadik Malik

    Minister of State for Petroleum Dr Musadik Malik hoped that the loadshedding situation across the country will get better in the second half of July.

    Earlier, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif warned the nation of more power outages next month.

    Musadik further said that Pakistan is trying to import coal from Afghanistan. He said the major reason behind electricity loadshedding is the water shortage in dams, while the other reasons include coal price hikes and Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) shortage in the international market.

    “Only 5,000 MegaWatts (MW) of electricity is being generated instead of 9,500 MW,” he said.

    On Monday, residents of Karachi came out on the streets due to the persistent loadshedding in their areas. The protests continued for more than 24 hours.

    Interestingly, the government has pledged to decrease loadshedding several times. Earlier this month, PM Shehbaz instructed the power authorities to reduce loadshedding throughout the country to two hours. However, the situation remained the same.

  • More than 40 life-saving drugs short in Pakistan

    More than 40 life-saving drugs short in Pakistan

    Due to the imposition of GST, the pharmaceutical industry is no longer importing raw materials, resulting in a shortage of 40-50 life-saving drugs.

    Mansoor Dilawar, Chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers’ Association (PPMA), stated that 40 to 50 medicines are in short supply and that the number will soon exceed 100.

    According to Brecorder, the pharmaceutical industry has been waiting for Rs40 billion in sales tax refunds since January 16, 2022. However, the FBR has denied that any refunds were held by the tax authority.

    Unavailable drugs

    Alp tablets for anti-depression, Dexamethasone for asthma, cancer, and joint pain, Epitab for epilepsy, Nervin for depression, Epival, Fexet D, Nitronal, Ventoline tablets and injections are among the medicines in short supply on the market.

    Furthermore, Epival In, Myrin P, Ketasol Inj, Loprin, Silver tab, phenergen Elixir, Tixylix Lincitilus, Chlooriptics Drops, systane drops, Rivotril drops, Dormicum tablets, Winstor, Tritace, Sodamint, Schazobutil, Jardymet, and Brufen are said to be in short supply.

    There are also no Lomotil, Panadol, Tan Primolut B, Progynova, Stilnix, Glucobay, Zentel, Avor, Gravibinan, Syp Gaviscon, Lipofundin, or Sorbid Injection available.

    According to the PPMA chairman, the industry is halting production of low-margin items after the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) imposed taxes that increased the industry’s cost of production by Rs60 billion to Rs70 billion.

    Read more: FBR collects highest-ever tax of Rs6 trillion in FY22

    “Because drug prices are capped, the pharmaceutical industry cannot pass on higher production costs to consumers,” he explained.

    “As a result, the industry has been forced to halt production of low-margin medicines, which have become unviable due to tax increases,” Dilawar added.

    According to Dilawar, the industry pays a 17 per cent refundable GST at the import stage and raw materials are subject to a 1 per cent non-refundable tax. The government then imposed a 1 per cent tax on the sale of medicines. This forces the industry to pay taxes ranging from Rs60 billion to Rs70 billion per year.

  • Pakistan decides to ease visa regulation policy for Afghans

    Pakistan decides to ease visa regulation policy for Afghans

    In a federal cabinet meeting held on June 28, the government decided to ease the visa regulation policy for Afghans to encourage bilateral trade with Afghanistan in the hopes that this would benefit both the country’s economies.

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif was presiding over the federal cabinet meeting.

    PM Shehbaz issued orders that six-month multiple-entry visas be given to the transporters from Afghanistan. The interior ministry has been given the power to extend this period to one year.

    A sub-category will also be introduced under the work visa category in the online visa system. The visa applications will be assessed on the basis of their existing passports and nationalities instead of their country of origin.

    The federal cabinet noted that this decision comes in an effort to promote bilateral trade with Afghanistan.

  • Video: Bride breaks down after finding dead father at her wedding

    Video: Bride breaks down after finding dead father at her wedding

    A man in India gifted his sister a wax statue of their late father at her wedding. The video of the bride’s emotional reaction after finding the statue of her dead father has gone viral on social media.

    In the viral video, the bride can be seen giving her father’s statue a tender kiss before performing her wedding rituals.

    The video has received at least eight million views on YouTube. The guests present at the wedding were also moved by this gesture.

    The bride’s father lost his life to Covid last year.

    “I was with him in the hospital for three days where I could not meet him or talk to him as he was on a ventilator,” said the bride’s brother.

  • FBR collects highest-ever tax of Rs6 trillion in FY22

    FBR collects highest-ever tax of Rs6 trillion in FY22

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) achieved a significant feat by collecting a record Rs6,000 billion in revenue during the previous fiscal year 2021–2022.

    The FBR reported that during the current fiscal year, it collected Rs2,205 billion in income tax, Rs2,773 billion in sales tax, and Rs1,007 billion in customs duty. The organisation in charge of collecting taxes also released Rs305 billion in refunds during that time.

    According to former finance minister Shaukat Tarin, the government of Imran Khan’s policies and the country’s economic growth allowed FBR to meet its revenue goals.

    Tarin insisted that the government should continue enforcing the prior administration’s tax laws. According to Tarin, the government shouldn’t impose additional taxes on the current taxpayers. Heavy taxes shouldn’t be imposed on the economy’s productive sectors, he continued.

    The government has given the general public significant tax breaks on a number of necessities, but the FBR claims that these tax breaks haven’t prevented revenue collection from continuing on an unprecedented and constant growth trajectory. Sales tax on all POL products has been eliminated for the first time in the nation’s history, costing the FBR Rs45 billion per month.

    In order to maximise revenue potential through digitization, transparency, and taxpayer facilitation, the FBR has implemented a number of novel interventions at both the policy and operational levels. In addition to ensuring transparency, facilitating taxpayers, and making business easier, this has led to a steady increase in revenue collection.

  • Met department predicts monsoon rains from tomorrow, warns of urban flooding

    Met department predicts monsoon rains from tomorrow, warns of urban flooding

    Monsoon rain-wind/thundershowers are expected in most parts of Pakistan starting from Thursday (June 30), according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD).

    Rainfall is expected in Islamabad, Kashmir, Gilgit Baltistan, Swat, Mansehra, Kohistan, Abbottabad, Haripur, Peshawar, Mardan, Swabi, Nowshera, Rawalpindi, Murree, Attock, Chakwal, Jhelum, Sargodha, Hafizabad, M. B Din, Sialkot, Narowal, Lahore, Gujranwala, Gujrat, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Jhang, T.T Singh, Okara, Sahiwal and Bahawalnagar from June 30 to July 4. Isolated heavy falls are also expected during the period.

    PMD has warned that heavy falls may generate urban flooding in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Lahore, Gujranwala, Sialkot, and Faisalabad from July 2 to July 4 and in Karachi and Hyderabad from July 3 to July 5.

  • ‘Speed allowed should be more’: Afridi responds to fine for overspeeding by motorway police

    ‘Speed allowed should be more’: Afridi responds to fine for overspeeding by motorway police

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi continues to stay in the headlines even after retirement.

    Lala was fined by the Motorway Police for exceeding the speed limit. According to details, while travelling from Lahore to Karachi, Afridi was fined Rs 1,500 for violating the speed limit on the Motorway.

    Afridi gladly paid the fine and thanked the highway police for treating all citizens equally. Lala also took selfies with Motorway Police personnel.

    Lala made a suggestion to the Motorway authorities and tweeted, “My humble suggestion is we have very good highways, the speed allowed should be more than 120kph!”

  • Vintage camera auctioned for PKR 3.1 billion

    Vintage camera auctioned for PKR 3.1 billion

    Leica’s inventor Oskar Barnack’s camera was up for bids and was anticipated to bring in a nice little PKR 753 million ($3 million). The Leica 0-Series Model 105 owned by Barnack has now sold for PKR 3.1 billion ($15 million), that is five times the original bid making it the priciest camera ever sold.

    According to RobbReport, the camera owned by Oskar Barnack was put up for auction and was predicted to fetch $3 million.

    The company released the 0-Series to test the market two years prior to the release of the Leica A. Only about 22 were ever produced, and today there are fewer than 12 left, according to the Leitz Auction.

    Oskar Barnack, the man who created Leica, owned camera number 105; his name is inscribed on the Galilean viewfinder. (This is the kind of viewfinder found in older cameras.)

    This camera was reportedly used by Barnack until 1930, when he gave it to his son Conrad and switched to the Leica I Model C, which has interchangeable lenses. The 0-Series Model 105 was still in Barnack’s family up until 1960, when it was acquired by an American collector.

    With the anticipation that the camera would bring in around three million euros, bidding started at one million euros. A little over $15 million, or 14.4 million euros, was the final selling price. It surpasses the old best set by the auction house, which realised $2.5 million from the sale of a Leica 0-Series no. 122 in 2018.

    In addition to the heavily altered camera (which Barnack used for photographic research), the wealthy buyer will also get the original leather lens cap, an aluminium cap personalised with Barnack’s initials, and correspondence related to the Model 105.

    There were plenty of other intriguing pieces of Leica equipment and memorabilia up for auction, though none have been quite as remarkable as the Model 105.

    A black-paint Leica MP brought in $100,000, while one of Barnack’s original prints created in 1914 on an Ur-Leica sold for $9,400. Leica MP Unique Gold, another object about which we had previously written, sold for just over $75,000 at auction.

  • ‘High hopes from youth and women’: Khan reveals plan for 2 July rally

    ‘High hopes from youth and women’: Khan reveals plan for 2 July rally

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan revealed his plans to lead the July 2 protest at the Islamabad Parade Ground against the “imported government” in a meeting of the party’s political committee.

    Khan said that he had high hopes from the youth and women of the country, urging them to register for the “tiger force”. He said that the youth and women were now politically more mature than ever, as is evident from their reaction against the ousting of his government.

    The meeting also had PTI’s Central Secretary General Asad Umar, Pervez Khattak, and Aamir Mehmood Kiyani in attendance.

    This is Khan’s second call for a protest since Azadi March.