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  • Malik Riaz shuts down Aap News

    Malik Riaz shuts down Aap News

    Bahira Town chairman and property tycoon Malik Riaz has shut down Aap News due to “unavoidable legal and technical reasons”, an e-mail to the channel’s staff revealed on Saturday.

    The broadcast of the news channel will stop today.

    Furthermore, as mentioned in the email, “The administration has decided that salaries of all employees for March will be paid on April 14 and 15 while the payment of salaries for the notice period between April 11 and May 11 will be paid on April 21 and 22.”

    Riaz will use his licencing rights to launch a new channel where employees of Aap News will be hired on a “priority basis”.

    The email further stated that employees would receive 50 per cent of their monthly salaries on the 5th of each month for the next three months. 

  • Data of 115m Pakistani mobile users for sale on dark web

    Data of 115m Pakistani mobile users for sale on dark web

    A Pakistani cybersecurity company has come across data of 115 million Pakistani mobile phone users currently for sale on the dark web, a private media outlet reported.

    The asking price for this data is 300 Bitcoins (BTC), which is equivalent to 2.1 million USD. Cybercriminals is the company who is selling data, they’re also VIP members of the platform.

    Rewterz’s — Pakistani information security company — Threat Intelligence team has analyzed some of the samples from the telecom database up for sale on the notorious dark web. The data includes personal information of the users such as names, contact numbers, residential addresses, CNIC numbers, and NTN numbers.

    According to the report, these threat actors are financially motivated, who’re working in Pakistan. Moreover, organizations with outdated
    cyberinfrastructure are more vulnerable to these threats.

    The team further notes that it is unclear for now whether only single or more telecom companies have fallen victim to cybercriminals.

    According to the given sample’s visible results, the latest data is from 2014 and none of the latest number schemes (0317, 0308 etc) is mentioned.

    As yet, none of the telecom operators has notified their customers that their data has been compromised.

  • Sindh for stricter lockdown as ‘greater than world average’ tests positive in 24 hours

    Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah on Saturday cautioned that there wasn’t “much good news” and the province needed a stricter lockdown as 20 per cent of coronavirus tests, conducted in his province in the past 24 hours, had come out positive, ringing danger bells as Pakistan continues to struggle in the battle against the global COVID-19 pandemic.

    In a video released by his office’s Twitter account, CM Shah disclosed that the number is greater than the world average at the moment. According to him, 919 people are still under treatment in the province.

    National coronavirus tally currently stands at 4,901. These include 2345 cases in Punjab, 1318 in Sindh, 656 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), 220 in Balochistan, 215 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 114 in Islamabad Capital Territory and 33 in Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK).

    The number of cases has continued to soar despite the country being under lockdown for the third consecutive week now.

    While the death toll, according to the national database, stands at 71, some 762 people have so far recovered.

    Meanwhile, the KP government has asked people to remain extra careful for the next few weeks.

    “The next few weeks are going to be critical for us. People are requested to follow the precautionary measures we have put in place,” KP CM’s Advisor on Information Ajmal Wazir said during a media briefing.

    According to Wazir, the people of the province have responded well to the government’s call for precautions.

    “However, we are facing the problem of accommodating daily wage workers and as per the prime minister’s instructions, we are working to provide them with daily necessities,” he said.

  • Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    Leopard spotted near Islamabad’s hiking trails

    With human under lockdown, nature is running free and wildlife is coming out of hiding to explore the empty spaces once swarmed with humans.

    According to the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board (IWMB), a male leopard was caught on a camera trap near the hiking trails of Margalla Hills National Park. While leopards are occasionally caught on camera, this is the first time a larger male leopard was spotted on the hills. The IWMB added that the latest discovery could mean that there are three families of the common leopard hiding in the national park. Popularly referred to as the Margalla Leopards, these animals are an endangered species.

    The board also shared that not just leopards but wild animals including fox, martins, porcupines, barking deer, jackals and wild boars among others have also descended from the hills. They have also been caught by the camera traps laid out by the wildlife board.

    Various species of birds including pheasants have also been spotted on the grounds.

    Meanwhile, it has also been reported that dozens of monkeys living in the Margalla Hills National Park have descended on to the residential areas of the city in search of food.

    IWMB Assistant Director Sakhawat Ali said that residents of sectors F-6 and F-7 have filed complaints about the monkeys entering their homes. Some videos posted online showed the simians scurrying about the streets of the city or climbing over rooftops.

    “It is not a good practice [to feed animals when you go hiking on the MHNP trails or other hilly areas] as human-fed food item will have bad impacts on their health,” Ali said, adding that monkeys have lived in the national park since before humans inhabited this region.

    Ali, however, noted that the monkeys were not hostile to human beings and only attack or become violent when someone tries to hurt them.

    He advised the public to stay calm if they encountering any monkey. Moreover, he suggested that people keep their food items secure in their stores and not offer animals anything.

    Ali also advised people to take care of their clothes and the laundry hung out to dry.

    “Monkeys have a habit to take away clothes left outside a house if they find nothing in their search of food,” the IWMB officer warned.

  • Duchess of Cornwall shares a list of her favourite books

    Duchess of Cornwall shares a list of her favourite books

    With everyone cooped up at home, there is a lot of time to do things that we have been unable to do otherwise like binge-watching shows or reading.

    The Duchess of Cornwall Camilla Parker Bowles, who is a passionate reader, has shared a list of her favourite books, in case anyone was looking for any recommendations. Check them out below:

    Meanwhile the Camilla and Prince Charles recently celebrated their 15th wedding anniversary. The couple is self-isolating at their Scotland estate, due to Charles’s testing positive for COVID-19 last month. The two remained separated until Charles was cleared of the virus and Camilla was assured to not show any symptoms.

  • Strange how nuclear-capable Pakistan can’t make its own ventilators: PM Imran

    As the entire world wages war on the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — pandemic while struggling to meet medical equipment needs, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has said that it was strange how nuclear-capable Pakistan could not make its own ventilators and test kits and had to import them.

    In a private channel’s telethon to raise funds for Prime Minister’s COVID-19 Relief Fund, the premier urged the nation to adopt as much precautions as possible to help the authorities contain the virus that is continuing to spread rapidly.

    He said besides using its own resources, the government was raising funds because the impact of COVID-19 could further worsen and only those practicing social distancing would be safe.

    “If we do not take necessary measures on both government and individual levels, the pandemic would continue to spread. In such a case, the healthcare system could collapse as hospitals won’t be able to take all the pressure,” PM Imran said, adding that there were not enough ventilators to cater to the masses in the worst-case scenario.

    He pointed out that the situation in Pakistan was entirely different from the one in Europe or the United States (US), and noted that once the virus spread, even the most advanced cities in the world, including New York, could not do much.

    The premier, however, expressed confidence that Pakistan would emerge victorious in the fight against coronavirus through coordinating efforts of all stakeholders concerned, including the people.

    He said in spite of limited resources, Pakistan announced a historic package to provide relief to the corona-hit population, covering various segments and sectors of life. PM Imran also reiterated his government’s commitment to providing every possible facility to doctors, nurses and the paramedical staff fighting the global pandemic on the frontline.

  • Eight phone numbers blocked by PTA over Ehsaas programme fraud

    Eight phone numbers blocked by PTA over Ehsaas programme fraud

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has blocked eight mobile phone numbers due to complaints against them over Ehsaas programme fraud.

    Many people registered a complaint with the PTA that the numbers asked for their CNIC numbers and other details via text message to register for the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme.

    PTA has sent these numbers to the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) to investigate who is behind these scams.

    The authority has advised people to not share personal information with anybody on their mobile phones. And if they want to report any suspicious activity, they can do so by calling on 0800-55055.

    Dr Sania Nishtar, special assistant to PM on poverty alleviation, has also told people to not leave their homes unless they receive a message from 8171 confirming the collection point.

  • Religious, cultural misconceptions of COVID-19 in Pakistan

    IPSOS is an international firm that produces data on the global market and public opinion across the world. From April 4 to 7, they polled 1,000 people across Pakistan to evaluate how Pakistanis treated myths and misconceptions regarding COVID-19.

    The sample size is from all the provinces and territories of Pakistan: Punjab, 57%, Sindh, 22%, Balochistan, 6%, KP, 10% and AJK, 5%. The age bracket is from 18 to 50 plus, and social-economic status is from higher to lower income holders, as shown in the picture below.

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    The results are overwhelming. As per the report, only “2 people out of 5 can correctly recall the official helpline (1166) to report COVID-19 cases, rest are either unaware or cannot recall correctly.”

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    RELIGIOUS AND SCIENTIFIC MISCONCEPTIONS

    Moreover, Pakistanis have alarming religious and scientific misconceptions on COVID-19. According to the data: 82% believe that “they can remain protected if they do wudu 5 times a day. “67% believe that “Allah has control over all viruses so congregation prayer in the mosque (jamaat) cannot infect anyone with the virus. 58% think that if “once the summer hear starts, the coronavirus will disappear.” 48% says that “shaking hands is Sunnah, so they cannot infect anyone with COVID-19 by doing so.”

    Other majors misconceptions are mentioned below in the slide.

    COVID-19 MYTHS IPSOS SNAP POLL

    CONSPIRACY THEORIES

    Apart from religious and scientific misconceptions, a large number of Pakistanis have controversial misconceptions on COVID-19. 43% in Pakistan see COVID-19 as a “foreign conspiracy by America and Israel to weaken us (Pakistan).” 43% believe that they “should avoid people from certain sects or faiths, as they are more prone to coronavirus.” 39% think “Women who breastfeed should be in ablution/wudu all the time, so they don’t transfer COVID-19 to the baby. 30% is off the view that “only sweepers and domestic workers can contract the virus because they’re not clean.”

  • VIDEO: ‘Pakistan trying to send infected spies to spread coronavirus,’ India claims

    In yet another ridiculous attempt by Indian authorities to malign Pakistan, media outlets from across the border have quoted Bihar Police as saying that the country is at threat by men infected by the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — whom Islamabad is trying to send to India via Nepal.

    According to reports, the Sashatra Seema Bal (SSB) — one of India’s Central Armed Police Forces — manning the Indo-Nepal border, has written a letter to authorities in Bihar’s Champaran district, apprising them of a “racket being operated from Nepal to spread coronavirus in India”.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    As per the letter sent by SSB, a resident in Nepal is trying to send positive coronavirus Indian Muslims to India through the Bihar border with the ulterior motive of disseminating the virus in India. The letter also states that Pakistani men already infected by COVID-19 may also be infiltrated to India via the Indo-Nepal border.

    “All top police officials of the districts bordering Nepal have been alerted of possible infiltration attempts,” Indian media reports quoted authorities in Patna as saying.

    Both Pakistan and India are suffering in the global battle against COVID-19 that has so far claimed 72 lives in Pakistan and at least 239 in India. The number of infections in Pakistan and India stands at 4,788 and 7,447, respectively.

    By the time this report was filed, nearly 1.7 million global infections had been reported with over 102,000 deaths.

  • Shangla doctor comes forward for coronavirus patient’s ghusal, funeral

    Shangla doctor comes forward for coronavirus patient’s ghusal, funeral

    After a man died of the coronavirus at a government hospital in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Shangla, nobody was willing to prepare the body for burial or offer the funeral prayers until one doctor stepped up.

    Dr Hafiz Sanaullah bathed the body, offered the funeral prayers and then buried it. The hospital is located in the Basham Tehsil.

    Dr Sanaullah said that he took a UNICEF course on how to handle the burials of coronavirus patients and followed the proper protocol while burying the patient.

    He further said that other members also followed protocol and bathed the body, covered it in the funeral shroud and plastic and then put it in a coffin.