The University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom has become the first university to announce that it will move all “face-to-face lectures” online for the upcoming 2020-21 academic year. The institution added that it was “likely” social distancing would continue to be required.
According to a report in The Guardian, the university said that while lectures would continue virtually until summer 2021, it may be possible for smaller teaching groups to take place in person if it “conforms to social-distancing requirements”.
A statement from the university read: “The university is constantly adapting to changing advice as it emerges during this pandemic. Given that it is likely that social distancing will continue to be required, the university has decided there will be no face-to-face lectures during the next academic year.
“Lectures will continue to be made available online and it may be possible to host smaller teaching groups in person, as long as this conforms to social-distancing requirements. This decision has been taken now to facilitate planning, but as ever, will be reviewed should there be changes to official advice on coronavirus.”
All teaching at the university was already moved online in March and exams were being carried out virtually.
Federal Minister for Communications Murad Saeed, who had falsely claimed that New York was to follow Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s coronavirus lockdown model, has been trolled by lawyer Reema Omer among others as United States (US) President Donald Trump expressed the desire for his country, worst-hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, to reopen.
The tweet by the lawyer came as Trump, who has been voicing his concerns over the adverse effects of the lockdown on the economy, tweeted, “REOPEN OUR COUNTRY!”
The tweet by the US president coincided with PM Imran allowing to ease restrictions across Pakistan ahead of Eid to “wisely” provide relief to the labour class, daily wagers and lower-middle strata of the society.
“Epic trolling,” tweeted senior journalist Abbas Nasir in response to Reema’s dig at the federal minister.
‘NEW YORK TO FOLLOW PAKISTAN’S LOCKDOWN MODEL’:
In a May 11 viral video, Saeed had claimed that the US state of New York was going to follow the “smart lockdown” concept after being inspired by Imran Khan and Pakistan, however, fact checks revealed otherwise. Meanwhile, netizens shared videos and pictures of how the partial lockdown measures were failing even in Pakistan.
The clip instantly gained popularity on social media and was reported by several Pakistani and international news outlets.
Pakistan’s communications minister Murad Saeed told a session of Parliament on May 11 that “New York will follow the ‘smart lockdown’ concept introduced by [Pakistan] Selected Imran Khan” pic.twitter.com/FHkclDL57w
“If you look at the smart lockdown concept implemented by PM Imran Khan even the governor of New York has quoted Pakistan’s contact tracing and tracking concept and are following it now,” the federal minister is heard saying while speaking at the National Assembly.
Saeed also reportedly said that the cluster lockdown concept discussed by Khan is being taken forward by his counterpart Boris Johnson in the United Kingdom (UK).
Healthcare giant Johnson & Johnson will stop selling its talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder in the US and Canada. The firm faces many thousands of lawsuits from consumers who claim that its talc products caused their cancer.
The move comes after years of trial where Johnson & Johnson has been ordered to pay out billions of dollars in compensation. The company has constantly defended the safety of its talc products.
Johnson & Johnson said it would wind down sales of the product, which makes up about 0.5% of its US consumer health business, in the coming months, but that retailers would continue to sell existing inventory.
The firm faces more than 16,000 consumer charges alleging that its talc products were contaminated with asbestos, a known carcinogen (a substance capable of causing cancer).
The firm said that demand for Johnson’s Baby Powder had been declining in North America “due in large part to changes in consumer habits and fuelled by misinformation around the safety of the product”. It said it had faced “a constant barrage” of lawyers advertising for clients to sue the firm.
“We remain steadfastly confident in the safety of talc-based Johnson’s Baby Powder. Decades of independent scientific studies by medical experts around the world support the safety of our product,” it said.
The firm added that the move was part of a reconsideration of its consumer products prompted by the coronavirus pandemic. It said in October that its testing had found no asbestos in its Baby Powder after tests conducted by the US Food and Drug Administration discovered trace amounts.
The firm is appealing against a 2018 order to pay $4.7bn in damages to 22 women who alleged that its talc products caused them to develop ovarian cancer.
Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz has announced the federal cabinet’s decision of handing over operations and management of Pakistan’s major airports to international firms, saying that a special committee to prepare a legal framework by June 30 has been formed.
Briefing journalists about the decisions taken by Tuesday’s federal cabinet meeting under the chairmanship of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, the info minister said that country’s major airports will be outsourced to bring them on par with international standards. “The government is looking for some international firm with rich experience of operating and managing airports.”
He said the cabinet was informed that some firms had already evinced interest in the matter and a legal framework had to be clarified before the tendering process started. “To this effect, a committee, to be headed by Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, would fast track the process,” he said.
According to sources, the members of the committee will include Special Assistant to PM on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari, the chairperson of the Board of Investment (BoI) and Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan as well as Adviser on Commerce, Trade and Industry Abdul Razak Dawood.
About job security of employees working at airports in case of their outsourcing, Faraz said the government, which came to power on the basis of votes of masses, would like to ensure none was deprived of his or her job rather there could be more job opportunities.
With humans under lockdown, wildlife all over the world is getting a chance to flourish. And according to latest reports, the population of marsh crocodiles living in the wilderness of Sindh is believed to have increased in at least four locations across the province. The locations include Haleji Lake, Nara Wetland Complex, Chotiari Wetland Complex and Wagni village near the Ghotki and Hub Dam.
While an exact number is not known, a representative of the Sindh Wildlife Department (SWD) said that over 200 crocodiles have been sighted in Haleji Lake and its surroundings and as many in the Nara Wetland Complex.
He added that these were just rough estimates and that there is no exact tally of the crocodile population in the province.
Sharing his excitement, SWD Conservator Javed Mahar said: “Crocodiles coming out of the water to bask at Haleji Lake is a sight to see. Crocodiles opening their mouths and sunbathing is called basking, which is a natural process. It re-energises them.”
Each tooth is hollow, with new ones growing inside the old ones. This one showing his chompers at Haleji Lake #wildlifesanctuary. 2/2
Mahar further shared that these carnivores were once found in abundance in the region but their population shrunk after a canal irrigation system was constructed in the region.
“The fragmentation of their habitat, illegal hunting and illegal trade also contributed to their declining numbers,” said Mahar, adding that records show that they also used to reside in creeks near Karachi.
He said that though illegal hunting of these animals has now been banned, hunters continue to target these animals to polish their shooting skills. Meanwhile, others kill these animals in fear that they would attack and hurt them.
“But they [marsh crocodiles] are not aggressive and do not attack people. I have not heard of any incident of them attacking people,” he said.
The chief executive officer (CEO) of Microsoft, Satya Nadella, has said that making remote work permanent can have a deteriorating impact on social interactions and mental health of the workers, whereas virtual conferences cannot replace in-person meetings.
“Those who are used to traditional office setting and appreciate social interactions that take place at the office, a sudden shift to remote work will impact their mental health due to isolation and burnout.”
After the outbreak of coronavirus, companies around the world made work from home mandatory as a safety measure but according to Nadella, this step is not good for the wellbeing of workers.
Speaking to a private media outlet, Nadella said that remote setup would be “replacing one dogma with another dogma”.
“What does burnout look like? What does mental health look like? What do connectivity and community building look like? One of the things I feel is, hey, maybe we are burning some of the social capital we built up in this phase where we are all working remotely. What’s the measure for that?,”Nadella added.
His remarks come after Twitter allowed its staff to work from home “forever” even after the end of COVID-19 pandemic.
Twitter has become the first company to allow employees to work from home indefinitely as the pandemic changes work culture around the world.
Tech giants like Facebook and Google have also allowed most of their employees to work remotely until the end of this year.
Microsoft has also extended its work-from-home policy until October at least, besides, nothing will hinder the operations and progress of Microsoft as the CEO clearly stated, “We’re going to boldly allocate and acquire, build, innovate, partner, whatever.”
“We are also going to make sure that we have the ability to do credit for small businesses and other organisations that need that help.”
It’s raining babies for our cricket stars this year. After Shahid Afridi, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah, Wahab Riaz has announced that he and his wife Zaynab have welcomed a baby girl, Hoorain Sikandar. This is the couple’s second child together.
My family n I just welcomed Hoorain Sikandar in to our world, my second daughter Alhumdulilah She’s in my arms as I write this tweet n my wife is smiling at me n well right next to me there is no joy comparable to blessing n mercy a beti Wish dad was around to hold her #happy ☝
Though the left-arm pacer missed out on Pakistan’s central contracts list for 2020-21 season, head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq has said that he will be on the radar for selection in the team in the future.
Yasir Hussain seems to have stirred up quite a storm with his comments on Turkish dramas and Diriliş: Ertuğrul. After Mansha Pasha and Anoushey Ashraf stepped in to defend him, more members of the entertainment industry are sharing their stance on the matter.
Osman Khalid Butt discussed how the drama series can benefit Pakistan
Without taking any names, Osman addressed Yasir’s concerns that foreign content spells death for the local industry.
“Sharing my response to a post that insinuated our jobs are under threat,” wrote Osman. “I don’t recall us actors finding ourselves jobless when Ishq-e-Mamnoon or Mera Sultan were all the rage in Pakistan.”
He further said that the series can help “create more job opportunities for local dubbing/VO artists” in Pakistan.
Osman also suggested that PTV can “use the revenue generated from this series to create our own original content”.
Sharing my response to a post that insinuated our jobs are under threat:
I don’t recall us actors finding ourselves jobless when Ishq-e-Mamnoon or Mera Sultan were all the rage in Pakistan. Nor did Turkish actors ‘infiltrate’ the local industry & replace us. – contd.
Of course, I’d love it if our national television uses the revenue generated from this series to create our own original content – shows that can rival Ertugrul in narrative if not in scale, and showcase our own historical events.
“We need to have more faith in our content, writers and work as an artist,” wrote Maya on Instagram.
Ahmed Ali Butt said that though he respected Yasir’s opinion, he did not agree with it
“One should not be crucified for voicing their concerns,” said Ahmed.
He said that Ertuğrul is a great drama which promotes Islamic values.
Butt also added that he believes that the “Government of Pakistan should grant special budgets to Pakistani production houses with specific guidelines to produce historical dramas with local talent and artists also”.
While Munib Nawaz supported Yasir and called him a true artist, Ali Kazmi said that this should be a wake up call for the industry.
Gohar Rasheed also added his ‘two cents’ on the matter
He said that “if you want job security, take ownership, and create better content. Stop being petty.”
Neelum Munir says “we should look beyond and understand its Islamic content, which has so much wisdom and teaches us the history and the values of Muslims”.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVJnJlliTB/
Armeena Khan said that if you want to watch good Pakistani content, watch Hamza Ali Abbasi, Kubra Khan and Sajal Aly’s Alif
Yasir had urged PTV to make a historic drama using artists and technicians who pay taxes to the country.
“Landy k kapray aur Turkey k dramay, dono hee local industry ko tabah kardein gay,” the actor had written.
Following his colleagues remarks, Yasir responded saying: “Yeh humara kaam nahi hai bhai idary ka hai.”
Set in 13th century Anatolia and based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty, Diriliş: Ertuğrul has been trending in the country ever since its first episode aired on PTV Home. Pakistanis are loving the drama series and it has become a sensation in the country. According to PTV, 133.38 million people have watched the drama series from April 25- May 14. PTV’s YouTube channel has also registered an exponential rise in its viewership with 3.13 million subscribers and episodes trending every day on the social media platform.
In an exclusive interview with The Current, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Senator Faisal Javed Khan revealed that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan had gifted the drama series to Pakistan as a goodwill gesture.
Former cricket team captain Shahid Khan Afridi has said that he would address the issues of unemployment and education if he became the prime minister of Pakistan.
During an interaction with journalists, undated footage and pictures of which are doing rounds on social media, Afridi was asked about his plans if handed reins of the country for 10 days.
The video being recorded during a ceremony held as part of Afridi’s nationwide campaign titled “Taleem Ho Gi Aam, Her Beti Key Naam”, suggests it is from later last year.
Addressing the ceremony, Afridi said that women were giving birth to children on streets in Sindh, adding that it was 21st century Pakistan where humans and animals were being forced to drink water from the same place.
Seeking support from the youth, the former captain went on to say that Pakistan was stuck in a swamp of problems and we have to unite and make it an ideal country.
“More than 20 million children are missing out on education and the goal is to bring them to school,” Afridi said.
“Our culture and religion are very beautiful,” he said and added that loving humanity was the need of the hour.
The former cricketer also reportedly highlighted the plight of Muslims in occupied Kashmir.
A petition was filed on Monday in the Lahore High Court to ban video game PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) following which the court ordered the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to decide on the matter within six weeks.
The petitioner’s lawyer Bilal Riaz Sheikh moved the court after finding some features of PUBG “problematic”.
“The game has a negative impact on children. They are becoming more ruthless and violent,” he said.
He asked the court to order the removal of PUBG from the Google Play Store. The court said it has forwarded petition over the game to the PTA several times, but the authority never responds.
As per reports, the court, earlier, disposed of a similar petition that asked for a ban on the game.
PUBG is an online multiplayer In the game, up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves.
