A new study that analysed the coronavirus outbreak in Brazil has found a link between the spread of the virus and past outbreaks of dengue fever that suggests exposure to the mosquito-transmitted illness may provide some level of immunity against COVID-19.
The study, which has not yet been published was led by Miguel Nicolelis, a professor at Duke University, compared the geographic distribution of coronavirus cases with the spread of dengue in 2019 and 2020.
Places with lower coronavirus infection rates and slower case growth were locations that had suffered intense dengue outbreaks this year or last, Nicolelis found.
“If proven correct, this hypothesis could mean that dengue infection or immunization with an efficacious and safe dengue vaccine could produce some level of immunological protection” against the coronavirus, it added.
Nicolelis told Reuters that the reveal was interesting because previous studies have shown that people with dengue antibodies in their blood can falsely test positive for COVID-19 antibodies even if they have never been infected by the coronavirus.
“This indicates that there is an immunological interaction between two viruses that nobody could have expected because the two viruses are from completely different families,” Nicolelis said, adding that further studies are needed to prove the connection.
Brazil has the third-highest total of COVID-19 infections in the world with more than 4.4 million cases – behind only the United States and India. In states such as Paraná, Santa Catarina, Rio Grande do Sul, Mato Grosso do Sul and Minas Gerais, with a high incidence of dengue last year and early this year, COVID-19 took much longer to reach a level of high community transmission compared to states such as Amapá, Maranhão and Pará that had fewer dengue cases.
The team found a similar relationship between dengue outbreaks and a slower spread of COVID-19 in other parts of Latin America, as well as Asia and islands in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
Statements by Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed on Wednesday, who claimed Ahsan Iqbal, Khawaja Asif and Shahbaz Sharif had held meetings with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Bajwa and head of the Inter-Services Intelligence, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, upset many opposition leaders and prompted the military high-ups to step forward to counter his claims.
Shortly after the All Party Conference (APC) and the directions by Islamabad High Court (IHC) for the government to produce Nawaz Sharif, the railways minister predicted an implosion of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), claiming that the process has already started.
He disclosed that some senior politicians of the party had held two meetings with the military leadership. Speaking indirectly, Rasheed seemed to predict a coup or a split. wherein PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif would take over the party.
Rasheed alleged that the arrest warrants and Nawaz Sharif’s anti-establishment statements have caused troubles for the party, a sentiment supposedly held by many members of the PML-N. He predicted that a Shehbaz-led faction will soon arise.
The minister added that PML-N’s senior politicians held two meetings with the military leadership, with the first meeting lasting for five hours. and the second for three. “In one meeting, Khawaja Asif and former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal held an hours long meeting with military leadership while in other meeting Shehbaz Sharif and I sat on same table and ate dinner,” he said.
Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari at a press conference in Karachi said that those conversations are meant to be confidential, and that certain people need to refrain from revealing their details.
“Whenever there s a national security issue, whether it concerns India, AJK [Azad Jammu and Kashmir], GB [Gilgit-Baltistan], FATA [Federally Administered Tribal Areas], extremism and terrorism, we were, are today and will be together on these in the future,” he said, adding that the PPP and other political parties were approached on September 18 or 19 and invited to a national security briefing on GB.
Bilawal commented that these meeting are officially ‘off-the-record’, and said that he had no choice but to talk about the it “out of helplessness”.
“Some irresponsible persons [Rasheed] who have nothing to do with national security, GB, AJK or foreign policy, and who did not say a word in this meeting, are giving statements on every TV channel these days,” he said.
“I think such actions make national security and foreign policy issues controversial. And whoever’s spokesperson this [person] is, they should immediately ask them to shut up and not say anything irresponsible,” Bilawal said. “You can never be able to create consensus on any issue if such things happen,” he added.
PML-N Ahsan Iqbal denied reports of any one-on-one meeting with army leadership and said that Rasheed was lying about the meeting.
On the other hand, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz denied reports of a meeting between Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa and representative of former premier Nawaz. She was at the Islamabad High Court (IHC) for a hearing of an appeal against her conviction in the Avenfield House reference. When asked about the meeting, she said, “I do not know about dinner, maybe it was not a dinner [but] I heard about the meeting.”
She further said political decisions should be made in the parliament and not at the General Headquarters (GHQ).
سیاسی معملات پر جس نے بات کرنی ہے ان کو پارلیمنٹ آنا چاہیے، مسلم لیگ (ن) نائب صدر مریم نواز شریف pic.twitter.com/UuLGy3KWAG
“From what I understand it was called to discuss Gilgit-Baltistan which is a political issue, an issue of the people’s representatives, for them to solve and deliberate upon,” she said.
Maryam said that political issues should be discussed in the parliament and political leadership should be allowed to resolve problems of political nature.
Later, replying to Maryam’s statement, the railways minister remarked, “The day Maryam Safdar starts speaking the truth will be the end of her political career”.
The Pakistan Army finally broke its silence over the controversial statements made about the alleged meetings of political leadership with the military leadership, confirming that the opposition leaders had met with the military top brass twice in past few months.
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Director-General Major-General Babar Iftikhar told a private television channel that former Sindh governor and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mohammad Zubair had met with the army chief not once but twice in past some weeks.
“One meeting was held in the last week of August and the second meeting was held on September 7. ISI DG was also present in both meetings. Both the meetings were held on request made by Mohammad Zubair and in both the meetings, Zubair raised issues regarding Mian Nawaz Sharif sahib and Maryam Nawaz sahiba,” the military’s spokesperson said.
It is good that DG ISPR, has named PML (N) leader who net not once but twice with army chief and discussed Nawaz and Maryam’s cases. Zubair’s version was too weak. The PML (N) has to come out with explanation or admit NRO request.
“In these meetings, the army chief made it clear to him that the legal issues of both of them would be resolved in Pakistani courts and political issues would be resolved in Pakistani parliament. Army should be kept away from these issues,” the ISPR DG said, adding that he would make no more comments over the issue.
Following ISPR DG’s comments, PML-N leader Muhammad Zubair also confirmed his meetings with the COAS Bajwa.
“Army chief termed matters against the PML-N leaders as legal affairs and said that courts should decide on them,” he said while quoting General Bajwa, and further added that such meetings are held in secret.
I just love how Maryam Safdar keeps exposing herself.
1. Meri London mein tou kia, Pakistan mein bhi koi property nahi
The second meeting was held in the presence of ISI DG, the PML-N leader said. He denied seeking any relief for Nawaz and Maryam during the meetings and said that they discussed political matters.
Zubair claimed that Maryam was unaware of the meetings initially but he later apprised her regarding the contacts made by him. “If I had been seeking relief for Nawaz Sharif and Maryam Nawaz then they would have known prior to the meeting,” Zubair said.
He further expressed his ignorance as to why details regarding the meetings are being conveyed to the media.
The day is finally here! Gigi Hadid and Zayn Malik’s baby girl has arrived and the happy parents took to social media to make the announcement though they did not share any pictures of their baby.
“Our baby girl is here, healthy & beautiful,” wrote Zayn on social media. “To try put into words how I am feeling right now would be an impossible task. The love I feel for this tiny human is beyond my understanding. Grateful to know her, proud to call her mine and thankful for the life we will have together.”
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Gigi also shared a picture of her and the baby’s hand and said, “Our girl joined us earth-side this weekend and she’s already changed our world. So in love.”
https://www.instagram.com/p/CFgSR7mHV7y/
Last week, Gigi’s parents Mohamed Hadid and Yolanda shared pictures of a fully pregnant Gigi and expressed their anticipation for their bundle of joy.
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Malik and Hadid, who have been dating on and off over the years, reportedly met at the 2015 Victoria’s Secret after-party, where the former One Direction musician recognised the model “from her picture”. In an interview, Zayn revealed that he asked her to have dinner with him at a New York City restaurant called Gemma.
“She’s a very intelligent woman. She knows how to carry herself. She’s quite classy and that. She’s not, like, arrogant in any way, she’s confident. She carries it well. She’s cool,” Malik had said in the interview.
They confirmed their romance in December 2015, though they have had several breakups along the way. Their most recent split happened in January 2019, and the couple spent nearly a year apart before they reportedly began casually talking again 11 months later.
In April, the couple gave fans a surprise when they announced that they were expecting their first child together. While Gigi, initially kept details about her pregnancy off social media, telling fans that she wanted to use her platform to focus on the coronavirus pandemic and Black Lives Matter protests, she later posted a series of black-and-white maternity portraits in August. Hadid was in her third trimester when the photos were taken.
Naseeb Jamal, who runs an appliances repair shop in Qasba Colony, Karachi, has taught and trained his daughters to repair different things.
In an interview with Urdu News, Jamal, who has eight daughters and one son, shared that he trained six of his daughters to fix and repair electronic devices, adding that he believes women are fast learners.
Talking about breaking the stereotypes, Jamal said: “People would gossip and called me a rebel. Even my mother said to me that what I was doing was not in line with our traditions and that it was not good for [my] girls to sit at the shop.”
“I trust my daughters and want to equip them with skills in my supervision. What is wrong in that,” he questioned.
“This is the way to strengthen women. They should not just be educated, but skilled as well. If they are skilled, they would bring more pride to their parents, to their country and also to their area,” he added.
Saudi Arabia will gradually resume the year-round Umrah pilgrimage from October 4, the interior ministry said on Tuesday, seven months after it was suspended because of the coronavirus pandemic.
In the first stage, “6,000 citizens and residents within the Kingdom will be allowed to perform the umrah per day from October 4”, the ministry said in a statement published by the official Saudi Press Agency.
Visitors from outside the Kingdom will be permitted from November 1, when Umrah’s capacity will be raised to 20,000 pilgrims per day, the ministry said.
The Umrah, which refers to the Islamic pilgrimage to Makkah that can be undertaken at any time of year, attracts millions of Muslims from across the globe each year.
The ministry said Umrah would be allowed to resume at full capacity once the threat of the pandemic is eliminated.
Saudi Arabia suspended the Umrah in March and scaled back the annual Hajj over fears that the coronavirus could spread to the holiest cities.
The decision to resume Umrah was in response to the “aspirations of Muslims home and abroad” to perform the ritual and visit the holy sites, the interior ministry said.
Saudi Arabia’s custodianship of Makkah and Madinah – two holiest sites – is seen as the Kingdom’s most powerful source of political legitimacy.
The holy sites, which draw millions of pilgrims every year, are a key revenue earner for Saudi Arabia, which hopes to welcome 30 million pilgrims to the Kingdom annually by 2030.
The Indian government has barred Sikh pilgrims from travelling to Gurdwara Darbar Sahib in Kartapur to take part in the 481st death anniversary rituals of Baba Guru Nanak.
Pakistan in June had informed India that it was ready to reopen Kartarpur Corridor and invited New Delhi for a discussion on protocols for the safe visit of pilgrims during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The decision was taken after many Sikh pilgrims had started arriving from across the world to attend the event.
The Foreign Office (FO) also wrote two letters to its Indian counterpart regarding the arrival of Sikh pilgrims in Pakistan through the corridor. The first letter was written on June 27 and the second on August 27, but New Delhi did not respond to either.
The pilgrims have been taking part in the 481st death anniversary of Baba Guru Nanak at Kartarpur for the past three days. Tuesday was the last day of the event.
Maryam Nawaz’s look at the opposition’s All Parties’ Conference has been the talk of the town.
The Vice President (VP) of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) dazzled in an emerald green raw silk outfit with statement sleeves which she accessorized with matching Manolo Blahnik shoes, a Rolex watch and a diamond ring. Maryam completed her look with small green earrings.
Inside sources have revealed to The Current that Maryam designed her outfit herself and did not wear a designer for the occasion. Check out more pictures of her outfit below:
Responding to the news which stated that the Government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has decided to allocate Rs50 million to renovate and restore the Kapoor Haveli and other historical buildings in Peshawar, Shaan remarked that the same should be done with Madam Noor Jehan’s house.
“Madam Noor Jahan’s house has become a plaza,” said Shaan. “Sad, our legends deserve it to.”
However, Vasay Chaudhry disagreed with Shaan’s suggestion saying that the legendary singer sold it out of her “own will”.
She Sold that house out of her own will ,where as the other house in question is a totally different story.
Shaan then said that the government should have bought her house and converted it into a museum. In response, Vasay said that the government honoured her in her lifetime and “buying her house (especially when she was not even in the need for money) doesn’t make sense, given the economic situation of our country.”
I disagree Sir, The govt commemorated her with Civil awards & other aclodes in her life time. It was her private property and Buying her house ( specially when she was not even in the need for money) doesn’t make sense , given the economic situation of our country.
Shaan later said that he believes that Madam Noor Jehan, Mehdi Hassan and Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan all should be given the same honour and that they are inspirational people.
I believe that madam Noor jehan museum will give inspiration to a lot of people who wants to know and learn the true voice of Pakistan . Like a soldier she fought along with her voice in wars Pakistan fought. And same goes for Mehdi Hassan sb , Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan sb♥️
It is being assumed that Shaan is referring to the house which was located in Liberty, Lahore. Noor Jehan reportedly sold that in 1997 to finance her treatment in the United States.
Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has made headlines again. Not for his comments about the opposition’s all parties conference (APC) in a video message from Monday afternoon, but for getting it recorded with an assault rifle in the background.
The video shows the weapon, which appears to be an M16A4 assault rifle, leaning against the wall.
According to Chohan, the gun is licensed and he carries it with him and keeps it at his office because he has been receiving death threats.
“I received a letter from terrorists threatening my life two months back,” he told SAMAA TV. “There are three other guns in my office and all of them are for security and are licensed.”
He said the person behind the camera, who was one of his office staff, forgot to remove the gun. “I didn’t see the video myself because I had to rush for a meeting after the recording,” the minister added.
WATCH VIDEO:
The guns are usually hidden under the table in the minister’s office.
PENALTY?
According to Section 11B of the Pakistan Arms Ordinance, 1965, “the carrying or display of arms at fairs or in gatherings or processions of a political, religious, ceremonial or sectarian character or in the premises of courts of law or public offices” is prohibited.
Noncompliance can result in the suspension or cancellation of the weapons’ licence, fines and imprisonment for at least seven years.
ARREST DEMANDED:
Earlier, Chohan said that the APC was “nothing but an attempt to protect corruption and find more chances to plunder public money”.
While the minister spoke at length against rival Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), opposition members have hit back at Chohan with the demand for his arrest.
PPP lawmaker from Punjab, Syed Hassan Murtaza, demanded that Chohan be arrested for display of weapon in his video message.
Murtaza stated that displaying a gun in a video message by a provincial minister was tantamount to threatening political rivals, adding that a common citizen would have been arrested and tried for such a vieo.
“It is strange how ‘non-political’ police have not taken any action against the minster so far.”
A thief fell asleep in the comfort of an AC room during a robbery.
According to details, the 21-year-old man who attempted to rob a house in India’s Andhra Pradesh’s East Godavari district fell asleep under the bed of the owner during a burglary. The police caught him red-handed.
Suri Babu, after doing a recce of the house, tried to loot a petrol pump’s owner house. He had carefully noted the daily routine of Satti Venkat Reddy, the house’s owner, where he keeps his money, what time he goes to sleep, etc.
One night Babu entered the unlocked house at 4 am and stepped inside Reddy’s room who was by then fast asleep.
The owner had kept the cash on his side table that night. Meanwhile, unable to resist the temptation of a cool comfortable room, Babu slept under the owner’s bed.
Waking up to Babu’s snoring, Reddy immediately called the police.
When the police arrived Babu locked himself inside the room. However, after a lot of persuasions, he finally opened the door and confessed to his crime.
“He told us that he was tired and since the air conditioner was also on, he could not resist going to sleep in the cool room,” narrated a constable from the Gokavaram police station.
The police revealed that Babu ran a small sweet shop but didn’t make much money out of it. Drowned in debts, he thought a theft would help him come out of his financial problems. Though he failed at committing the crime, he has been arrested for attempting to steal.
