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  • KP govt to provide Rs77m relief package to tourism industry

    KP govt to provide Rs77m relief package to tourism industry

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government will not charge registration and licences fees in order to give a relief package of Rs77 million to the tourism industry.

    According to reports, the KP Tourism Department has waived off registration fees for hotels and restaurants and license fees for travel agencies and tour operators for one year.

    The decision is made due to the adverse economic impact of coronavirus on KP’s tourism industry.

    The statement was issued by the KP Tourism Department after the decision was taken during a meeting of the provincial cabinet on July 21.

    Businesses, hotels and restaurants that are not registered or they are new in the industry will also be exempted from paying license fees for one year.

    Due to the coronavirus and ban on tourism has caused lose of Rs 12 billion to tourism industry.

    For now, the KP government has banned tourist activities in the province until further notice. The decision has been taken in light of the instructions of the Department of Rehabilitation and Resettlement (R&R) to contain the spread of coronavirus.

    Similarly, restaurants, rest houses and other tourist spots will also remain closed while seminars, conferences, sports and tourism activities in hotels will also be banned.

    The provincial government has handed over 168 rest houses in KP to the Tourism Department intending to promote tourism in the province.

    Out of the 168 rest houses, 55 were previously under the Communication and Works Department, 20 were under the Irrigation Department, 21 were under the local government, two were under Police and 70 were under the Forest Department.

    The orders for the restoration of these rest houses were issued by the provincial government and after conducting a survey, all the rest houses have now been handed over to the Tourism and Sports Department.

  • ‘Multinationals may move factories from China to Pakistan’

    The confrontation between China and the United States (US) will likely persist for the coming years. The Chinese and global manufacturers may move their factories from to Pakistan, said a renowned Canadian advisory firm BCA Research in its latest report.

    Pakistan is anxiously expecting the benefits of relocating the Chinese industry to Pakistan, which will help increase exports. China had also expressed its willingness to relocate its industrial units to Pakistan last year.

    According to the commerce and trade advisor Abdul Razak Dawood, “Pakistan has experienced significant improvement in 10 critical areas of regulation, and has improved its position from 136 to 108 in the Ease of Doing Business Index (EODB) rank last year. It shows the government’s commitment to improving the business environment.”

    According to the BCA research firm, Pakistan will receive large financial inflows this year, 2020, probably more than $12 billion from multilateral and bilateral sources.

    The research firm also stated that there will be more than enough for Pakistan to finance its current account deficit, which was at $11 billion over the past 12 months.

    In April, the International Monetary Fund (IMF) approved the payment of about $1.4 billion to Pakistan to address the economic impact of the COVID-19 shock. The World Bank (WB) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) have also pledged around $2.5 billion in assistance.

    In April, G20 countries also awarded Pakistan a suspension of debt service payments, valued at $1.8 billion, which will be used to pay for Pakistan’s welfare programs.

    In early July, the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) received a $1 billion loan disbursement from China. This came after Beijing awarded Pakistan a $300 million loan last month.

    The authorities plan to raise $1.5 billion through the issuance of Eurobonds over the next 12 months, said the report.

  • Quiz – Which ‘Indian Matchmaking’ character are you

    Quiz – Which ‘Indian Matchmaking’ character are you

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  • These pictures of Gwadar Marine Drive after CPEC works will take your breath away

    Stunning views of Gwadar Marine drive after the completion of roads and other construction work under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are breaking the internet, and we guarantee you that the following pictures will take your breath away.

    The pictures were first shared by official handle of the CPEC on Twitter as the completion of construction work was announced.

    It wasn’t later that Twitterati among other netizens started reacting to the pictures and expressed their delight.

    Here is what Marine Drive looked until around three years ago.

    Earlier, it was reported that Gwadar’s population is set to exceed two million people in the long run with high-paid expatriate professionals accounting for up to 80 per cent of the population.

    High-paid jobs, tax-free environment, high-tech industries, mega shopping malls, luxury resorts, manmade islands and Pakistan’s largest international airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in 2019, are all included in the new Gwadar Smart City Masterplan that will see Gwadar become the third-largest city in Pakistan by economic output with assistance from China under the CPEC.

    The governments of Pakistan and China project Gwadar’s economy to surpass $30 billion per annum in the long-term, creating 1 to 1.2 million high-paid jobs with an income per capita of $15,000. Pakistan’s current income per capita meaning the economic output the country generates per person is around $1,500 which Gwadar will eclipse by some 1,000%.

  • Quiz – End of the World

    Quiz – End of the World

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  • Three must-play PS4 games before thinking of getting a PS5

    Three must-play PS4 games before thinking of getting a PS5

    Holiday Season this year will bring you a next-generation gaming console — PlayStation (PS) 5 — but before you upgrade, and over the next few months, while you wait for it to be available in the market, you must try these three new breathtaking games for the PS4.

    While one of them is already available in the market, the other two are about to launch. 

    1. Assassin’s Creed Valhalla 

    Launch: December 2020

    Developers: Ubisoft and Epic games

    Available on: PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox One, PC and Google Stadia

    The game has been produced by Ubisoft and Epic Games. You will take the character of a mighty Viking raider, who will lead his clan from the harsh shores of Norway to a new home amid the lush farmlands of 9th century England.

    You will explore an open world map, where you will encounter brutal enemies, raid fortresses, build your clan’s new settlement and create alliances to win glory and earn a place in the majestic Valhalla hall of Norse mythology.

    2. The Last of Us II

    Launch: June 2020

    Available on: PS4

    Developers: Naughty Dog 

    Publisher: Sony Interactive 

    The first part of this game was released in 2013. Players entered the role of 19-year old Ellie, who comes into conflict with a mysterious cult in post-apocalyptic United States (US). 

    The Last of Us 2 is the next part and it is the same action-adventure survival horror game. Players can use firearms, bows, improvised weapons, and stealth to defend against hostile humans and cannibalistic creatures. However, the graphics and mechanisms are on steroids.

    The trailer was mostly well-received by reviewers, and the critics also praised the improved graphics and features, enemy artificial intelligence, and combat mechanisms in the latest part. 

    3. Call of Duty: Warzone 

    Developers: Infinity ward, Raven software

    Publisher: Activision

    Series: Call of Duty

    Available on: PS4, Xbox One, PC

    Warzone is a massive combat experience with up to 150 players from all over the world who can join the map… and above all it’s free! 

    It has two very interesting features to offer — Battle Royale and Plunder.

    In Battle Royale, you can join forces and jump into a battleground with three other online players of your team.

    Your team should be the last group standing in the field to win the game. 

    The second mode is Plunder. The best part about Plunder is that if you get killed, the player will respond every time until the match ends. Besides, you will get more points which enable you to unlock new weapons, their upgrades and other awesome equipment.  

    The best part about this game is that it is very close to reality. Games like Apex Legends or Fortnite are awesome and millions play it. However, they’re unrealistic from the point of view of story and graphics.

    Which games are on your list? Let us know in the comments.

  • These areas, including Lahore Cantt and parts of Gulberg, will be under 15-day lockdown from tonight

    These areas, including Lahore Cantt and parts of Gulberg, will be under 15-day lockdown from tonight

    With Punjab becoming the first province to record 1,000 coronavirus fatalities amid a rapid surge in the number of COVID-19 infections, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has announced a 15-day selective quarantine in Lahore, which will come into effect from Monday-Tuesday midnight.

    Addressing a press conference, Dr Rashid said that selected neighbourhoods, including Lahore Cantonment, Shahdara, Mozang, Walled City, Harbanspura, Nishtar Town, Allama Iqbal Town will be locked down completely from midnight. Some areas in Gulberg will also be closed completely.

    Areas of Lahore to go into lockdown Monday-Tuesday midnight as part of government’s efforts to curb the spread of COVID-19 (Google Maps)

    According to the health minister, more than 300 cases had been recorded in each of these areas which was why the decision to enforce a lockdown was taken. However, Dr Rashid added, pharmacies, tandoors and dairy shops will remain open and so will any factories that are making protective equipment.

    “These areas will be locked down for at least two weeks and then we will observe the results.”

    She also once again urged people to follow the government’s announced standard operating procedures (SOPs) to stop the spread of the virus, adding that the virus could be stemmed by 50 per cent just by wearing a face mask.

    Lamenting the “wrong” criticism against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government for alleged loose handling of the pandemic, she said, “If [you say that] our government has failed, so has every other government in the world.”

    “The media is comparing us to New Zealand and Taiwan. The population of New Zealand is half [about 5 million] of that of Lahore’s. Controlling the virus there is much easier than controlling it in a thickly populated country like ours,” she said.

    “People don’t understand that this is a viral infection. Even in China, where they followed strict measures with commendable discipline, there is a resurgence of cases,” the health minister said.

    ‘NO SWEEPING LOCKDOWN’:

    On Saturday, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan had ruled out a sweeping lockdown once again on a visit to Lahore during which he held meetings with Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Usman Buzdar and other officials to evaluate the virus situation in the province.

    The premier’s visit to Lahore had come a day after the Punjab government sent recommendations to the federal government to tighten lockdown measures in the province, in particular Lahore, in a bid to curb the growing number of COVID-19 cases.

    But after holding meetings with the provincial government’s top brass, PM Imran had said a strategy of “smart lockdowns” will be implemented instead whereby strict adherence to SOPs will be ensured to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus.

    “After analysing with my Punjab team today, [we’ve decided that] we will not impose a lockdown but will impose selective lockdowns — trace and seal hotspots,” the premier had said, adding that the country’s administration and police were not in a position to take “such a huge burden of a complete lockdown”.

  • Data of 500,000 Pakistanis using govt’s coronavirus app at risk

    A French security researcher, Baptiste Robert — known by his penname Elliot Alderson on Twitter –, has criticised Pakistani government’s official COVID-19 mobile application over security flaws, highlighting several privacy errors in the application developed by the National Information Technology Board (NITB).

    In a series of tweets, Robert said the “Radius Alert” app was being managed without proper security bearings, using hardcoded passwords — the practice of embedding plain text (non-encrypted) passwords in the source code.

    “To display the pins on the map, the app is downloading the exact longitude and latitude of sick people,” he said. Any hacker could find the locations of the identified patients in Pakistan.

    He further tweeted that requests being sent to the server on the app were insecure (requests made with http) and any hacker can access the username and password being used to access the server. So far, more than 500,000 people have downloaded the app.

    In response to the allegations, NITB Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Shabat Ali Shah said the app did not show the exact coordinates of infected people, instead, it showed a radius parameter that is fixed by def­ault at 10 metres for self-declared pati­e­nts and 300 metres at a quarantine location.

    “The self-declared patients have given their consent to reveal their coordinates for the safety of other citizens, moreover, they have accepted our app privacy policy/terms and conditions,” he maintained.

    The NITB CEO said there was always room for improvement and any critical analysis would be appreciated.

    He added the NITB was also preparing a security audit report of the app.

  • COVID-19 research: Monkeys develop immunity after exposure to virus

    COVID-19 research: Monkeys develop immunity after exposure to virus

    Two studies conducted on Wednesday offer some hope that humans can develop protective immunity against the novel coronavirus — COVID-19.

    The study was published in a journal of science, after a prototype vaccine was tested whether infection with SARS-CoV-2 — the strain of coronavirus that causes COVID-19 — provides immunity against re-exposure.

    Two experiments were conducted on rhesus macaque monkeys to see whether they develop immunity against natural infection or from a vaccine.

    In the first experiment, carried out by the researchers, nine adult rhesus macaque monkeys were infected with the virus. The monkeys developed COVID-19 symptoms but created protective antibodies and recovered after a few days.

    To test their newly developed immunity, they were re-exposed after 35 days, what is called a “re-challenge”, and the monkeys showed no symptoms.

    The researchers of this experiment cautioned that further research is needed because of the great difference between humans and monkeys.

    “Rigorous clinical studies will be required to determine whether SARS-CoV-2 infection effectively protects against SARS-CoV-2 re-exposure in humans,” they said.

    The second study, involving many of the same researchers and led by Jingyou Yu, involved vaccinating 35 adult macaques with DNA vaccine candidates designed to generate protective antibodies.

    They were exposed to coronavirus six weeks later and had developed levels of antibodies in the blood which are sufficient to neutralise it, the study found.

    The levels of antibodies were similar to those seen in humans recovering from the virus, providing hope that an effective human vaccine can be developed.

    “Further research will need to address the important questions of the durability of protective immunity and the optimal vaccine platforms for a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine for humans,” the authors of the study said.

  • Quiz: Which Iftaari favourite are you?

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