Author: newsdesk

  • Sindh confirms 41 new cases of coronavirus, 94 infections confirmed in Pakistan

    Senator Murtaza Wahab has confirmed 50 new coronavirus cases since his last update — 41 new cases since The Current’s last report — in Sindh, which has taken the total number of infections in Pakistan to 94.

    According to Murtaza, out of the total 76 patients in Sindh, two have recovered while the remaining 74 are being kept in isolation. 25 of the said cases are in Karachi.

    RELATED: Pakistan’s handling of coronavirus among world’s best: WHO country head

    Meanwhile, Lahore has confirmed just one case of the virus, one in Islamabad and Punjab has imposed section 144 in the province, shutting down schools and public places for three weeks. Shrines have also been closed in the province for three weeks.

    https://twitter.com/MusarratCheema/status/1239244547282161666

    READ MORE: Daily Coronavirus Updates

    Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan has stated that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is personally monitoring the pandemic and its spread in Pakistan.

  • 13 new polio cases reported in a single day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    13 new polio cases reported in a single day in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

    In a shocking development, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has reported 13 new cases of type 2 polio cases. This is the highest number of cases to be reported in the province in one day.

    According to the provincial health department, seven of the cases were reported from Khyber tribal district, while one case each was reported from Lakki Marwat, Bannu, Mardan, Nowshera, Bajaur and Lower Dir.

    WATCH: The Current tours Pakistan’s Polio Lab

    A senior public health specialist told a leading newspaper on condition of anonymity, that several Pakistani health specialists had raised the issues over the polio programme, but “they are either sidelined or kicked out of the programme,” also adding that the reason why the virus spreading so fast is that not every child is being reached in infected areas and the government is missing a lot of children that need to be vaccinated.

    “Pakistan has this year reported 25 cVDP2 (type 2) cases, in which Khyber Pakhtunkhwa alone had a share of 24,” the report said. Type 2 polio does not cause paralysis but is debilitating. The type 2 virus was eliminated in the country in 2016 and reemerged last year.

    In 2019, Pakistan had reported 22 cases of type two polio cases, including 16 from KP. These were apart from type one polio cases in 2020, which are 29 in the country and 15 in KP.

    “It is a money-driven programme and huge salaries and incentives are being taken by the consultants at the top level. Unfortunately, some people in the programme are very influential and answerable to none and they set their agenda ignoring local needs and requirements,” he maintained, according to The News.

    Another senior official said that after working with the polio programme for many years, he realises that the elimination of polio is not a priority.

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  • Pakistan’s handling of coronavirus among world’s best: WHO country head

    Pakistan’s handling of coronavirus among world’s best: WHO country head

    The World Health Organisation (WHO) Country Head Dr Palitha Gunarathna Mahipala, praised Pakistan’s efforts in tackling coronavirus, noting that the country had come  up “with one of the world’s best National Response Program against the virus”.

    While talking to media in Karachi during his visit to hospitals and labs, he said, “At a time when other countries were reporting cases, Pakistan was keeping the virus at bay, which is something quite praiseworthy.”

    READ MORE: CORONAVIRUS DAILY UPDATES

    “Pakistan has timely come up with one of the world’s best National Response Program against COVID-19 and it is being implemented very effectively. Authorities are doing their job and now it is the responsibility of the people to follow the instructions and take preventive and precautionary measures to avoid contracting the viral disease”, Dr Mahipala said while speaking to The News.

    He inspected the isolation ward of the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre (JPMC) In Karachi and was satisfied with the steps taken by the institute. He also visited Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) Oja Campus and said that their lab and isolation facility was, “a world-class diagnostic and treatment facility”.

    RELATED: Pakistani couple distributes free coronavirus prevention kits in UK

    “At the moment, Pakistan has seven diagnostic labs which are capable of conducting 15,000 tests, but there is a need for more diagnostic facilities in case the number of suspected patients go up,” he said, adding that authorities had even established a mobile diagnostic facility that had been sent to Taftan to test and diagnose suspected cases coming from Iran. Even countries with superior health systems like South Korea and Italy had failed to contain the virus but Pakistani authorities timely responded to the pandemic and took preventive measures earlier on, he said.

    READ MORE: Coronavirus: Indian media reports fake claim, says top Pak army officers infected

    He urged people to wash their hands with soap and use a ‘coughing etiquette’ while coughing. He also said that 67% of the patients who were tested positive with COVID-19 had cough with temperature and difficulty in breathing.

  • Pakistani couple distributes free coronavirus prevention kits in UK

    A Pakistani couple living in the United Kingdom is trying to keep those around them safe amid the coronavirus outbreak. 

    As per reports, the couple, who run a little confectionary shop in the Scottish town of Falkirk, is not only distributing prevention kits in their area but is also preparing those kits. They are distributing the kits free of charge to every elderly person walking inside their shop.

    Jawad and his wife both also make special efforts to hand-deliver kits at the doorsteps of the elderly living in their surroundings.

    Scotland is the second biggest province of the United Kingdom where the reported cases of coronavirus have surged to 85.

    Earlier in the day, a newborn was diagnosed with the disease, making him/her to be the youngest person in the United Kingdom (UK) to have caught coronavirus.

    North Middlesex University Hospital said two patients had tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus, which has killed more than 5,000 people worldwide.

  • ‘Shukriya Pakistan’: PSL’s foreign players leave early due to coronavirus outbreak

    ‘Shukriya Pakistan’: PSL’s foreign players leave early due to coronavirus outbreak

    With the World Health Organisation (WHO) declaring the coronavirus to be a pandemic, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Friday decided to cut short the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2020 and hold the final match of the tournament on March 18 instead of March 23. 29 confirmed cases of coronavirus have been reported in Pakistan, while two patients have completely recovered.

    According to a press release by the cricketing body, the playoff match has been replaced by the semi-finals, which will be held in Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium on March 17; one at 2 pm and the second at 7 pm. The final will also take place at the Gaddafi Stadium at 7 pm on March 18.

    Read more – PCB allows foreign players to leave country amid coronavirus fears

    The PCB also allowed foreign players to leave if they wished to and a couple of the players cut short their trip and headed back to their home countries. Among those who left included Karachi Kings, Alex Hales, Multan Sultans Rilee Rossouw and James Vince; Peshawar Zalmi’s Tom Banton, Carlos Brathwaite, Liam Dawson, Lewis Gregory and Liam Livingstone; Quetta Gladiators Jason Roy and Tymal Mills; and Islamabad United’s Colin Munro, Dale Steyn, Dawid Malan and Luke Ronchi.

    As the foreign players headed back home, they took to social media to thank Pakistan and it’s people for their warmth and hospitality.

    https://twitter.com/AlexHales1/status/1238516816709914627?s=20

    https://twitter.com/daws128/status/1238575735121612800?s=20
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9rQxI7H1ht/?igshid=1fegn51idpfxo

    Meanwhile, Lahore Qalandars’ Ben Dunk and Quetta Gladiators’ Shane Watson said that they had no qualms staying in Pakistan.

    Watson, while speaking to the media after the match, had said that if Pakistani players can play in Pakistan amid the coronavirus scare, then so can the foreign players.

  • Coronavirus: Indian media reports fake claim, says top Pak army officers infected

    In a rather amusing development amid coronavirus fears, Indian media has quoted a fake Twitter handle of Pakistan’s Health Ministry to report that at least eight officers of Pakistan army, including three lieutenant colonels, two colonels, two brigadiers and one major general, have tested positive for COVID-19.

    “Routine check-up in GHQ [General Headquarters] Rawalpindi by #COVID19 investigation team has found that 3 Lt.colonel, 2 Colonel, 2 Brigadier, 1 Maj.general has been tested positive for coronavirus. #CoronavirusPandemic. [sic]” reports quoted a statement tweeted by an account that has now been suspended by the micro-blogging website.

    The blunder was also highlighted by Uzair Hasan Rizvi of AFPFactCheck.

    A Health Ministry spokesperson also confirmed that the account was fake.

    It was created in September 2019 and was regularly tweeting misleading information regarding the efforts of the government to control coronavirus in the country.

    Meanwhile, the coronavirus tally in Pakistan has reached 29 with Islamabad’s maiden case being reported Saturday. The federal and all provincial governments are taking every possible step to contain the virus.

  • Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly are married

    Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly are married

    After a long wait, Ahad Raza Mir and Sajal Aly, lovingly referred to as Sahad by their fans, tied the knot in Abu Dhabi on Saturday and pictures from their wedding have gone viral on social media.

    The couple took to social media to share a lovely picture of the two as man and wife. While Sajal donned a traditional red outfit, Ahad wore in a white sherwani.

    Sajal recreated her mother’s look on her baraat.

    Watch Ahad’s ‘Qubool Hai‘ moment here:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9tdD0-p9Kn/

    When the maulvi sahab messes up your name, and calls you Ahmad instead:

    The larka walas arriving.

    Sajal’s qubool hai moment:

    Read more – Ahad Raza Mir, Sajal Aly have started inviting people to their wedding

    Meanwhile, Sajal changed her name on social media from Sajal Aly to Sajal Ahad Mir.

    Earlier in the day, Ahad and Sajal both shared that they were in Abu Dhabi.

    Ahad shares a sweet moment with his mother during one of their earlier wedding festivities.

    Meanwhile, Hamza Ali Abbasi took to wish his Alif co-star all the best for her upcoming life.

  • Social entrepreneur from Pakistan wins Common Wealth Youth Award

    Pakistani social entrepreneur Hafiz Usama Tanveer has won the Commonwealth Youth Award for his exceptional contribution in achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in Pakistan. Tanveer was selected from 500 award nominations from 40 countries.

    An official statement issued by the Commonwealth Secretariat stated that the awards were presented during a gathering at the Commonwealth headquarters in London. Apart from the honour, the winning candidates also received a grant of £3,000 to expand their projects in their respective regions.

    Tanveer is the co-founder and Chief Technologist Founder of Pak Vitae, a social enterprise that has created water purification kits to help prevent the spread of waterborne diseases in poor communities and refugee camps. The enterprise has reached more than 11,000 people including victims of India’s Kerala flooding.

    Tanveer received the honour in the ‘Clean Water and Sanitation’ category.

    Meanwhile, Jaya Rajwani, from Pakistan, was also shortlisted for the same award. Rajwani is the technical lead for ‘Aurat Raaj’ a social enterprise that creates technology-based products and services to educate girls on health, hygiene and safety. She was nominated in the category of ‘Gender Equality’.

    Other winners include people from Fiji, Canada and Uganda where they are running successful social enterprises for the betterment of their regional communities.

    https://www.facebook.com/PakUSAlumni/photos/a.229362303770534/3791248380915224/?type=3&theater
  • Bill Gates quits Microsoft board of directors

    Bill Gates quits Microsoft board of directors

    Bill Gates has left Microsoft’s board of directors to devote more time to his philanthropy projects, DAWN reported.

    The 64-year-old stopped being involved in day-to-day operations at the firm more than a decade ago, turning his attention to the foundation he launched with his wife, Melinda.

    Gates served as chairman of Microsoft’s board of directors until early 2014 and has now stepped away entirely.

    “It’s been a tremendous honour and privilege to have worked with and learned from Bill over the years,” Microsoft chief executive and company veteran Satya Nadella said in a press release.

    “Bill founded our company with a belief in the democratising force of software and a passion to solve society’s most pressing challenges, and Microsoft and the world are better for it.”

    Nadella said Microsoft would continue to benefit from Gates’ “technical passion and advice” in his continuing role as a technical advisor.

    “I am grateful for Bill’s friendship and look forward to continuing to work alongside him,” he further added.