Tag: Pakistan

  • UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced to give $200 million in financial aid to the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme.

    UAE ambassador has made this announcement while meeting PM’s Special Assistant to Youth Affairs, Usman Dar. The financial assistance had been assured by the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his recent visit to Pakistan.

    The ambassador said Pakistani youth are talented and capable and UAE will cooperate for the development of the youth. He said practical steps will be taken soon for the Pakistani youth.

    He also announced to start a youth exchange programme between UAE and Pakistan. A delegation of Pakistani youth will be sent to UAE where they will be trained with skills of entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. Moreover, the UAE government has offered to Pakistani youth to partner in Dubai Expo 2020.

    The ambassador admired the federal government’s practical steps for its young generation and UAE will provide opportunities to the skilled youth in the future.

    Dar welcomed the financial assistance of UAE in the Kamyab Jawan programme. He said ‘PM Imran Khan has an aim to uplift the young generation. He added that a huge investment is being made on youth for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The young generation will play an important role in the national economy.’

  • German actress Leyla Dastan decides to move to Pakistan permanently

    German actress Leyla Dastan decides to move to Pakistan permanently

    After coming to Pakistan for a fashion show three months ago and loving the experience, German model and actress Leyla Dastan has decided to permanently move here.

    As per reports, Leyla said that initially, she was unsure about coming here given how the international media portrays Pakistan. She just wanted to make sure that she would be safe here. But after spending time here, her perspective about the country changed and she came to the conclusion Pakistan is a peaceful and beautiful country and with loving people.

    Leyla revealed that she is “in love with Pakistani culture”. She shared that she avidly watches Pakistani plays and films and is also learning Urdu. She reads Urdu poets such as Mirza Ghalib and Shams Tabrizi.

    Talking about Pakistani actors she listed Mahira Khan, Mehwish Hayat, Fawad Khan, and Humayun Saeed as her favourites. Dastan is also a fan of Pakistani artists Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and Atif Aslam. She added that Rahat’s Mohabbat Bhi Zaruri Thi is currently her favourite song.

    The Turkish-German actress is also set to appear in a Pakistani movie and is having a lot of fun working with Javed Sheikh, Moammar Rana, and Shahroze Sabzwari.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAl4lYm6WBk&feature=emb_title
  • Four Pakistani students in China tested positive for coronavirus

    Four Pakistani students in China tested positive for coronavirus

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Zafar Mirza has confirmed that at least four Pakistani students in China have tested positive for coronavirus as the outbreak claims at least 132 lives, leaving thousands of others affected.

    According to Dawn, Dr Mirza, while addressing a press conference on Wednesday, said that a large proportion of Pakistanis living in China were students, of which over 500 are based in the central city of Wuhan, the epicentre of the new virus.

    The premier’s special assistant said that four Pakistani students had tested positive for coronavirus with links to Wuhan. On PM Imran Khan’s behalf, Mirza assured the families of the children of the government’s support. He said that they will take on the responsibility of these children and all Pakistanis in China.

    “We will take care of them the same way we would care for our own children,” he said. However, he added, that no case of the coronavirus has been confirmed in Pakistan yet.

    The report comes days after Pakistani students studying at the Engineering and Science University of Wuhan requested help from the Pakistani and Chinese governments amid the alarming outbreak of the virus. A video message that was sent by the students stated that due to the virus, no communication between Wuhan and China was possible and more than 2,000 Pakistani students were facing food shortage.

    The students had requested the premier and foreign minister to send help and facilitate their evacuation from the province.

    On Monday, the PM Office had also convened a meeting in light of 2,000 coronavirus cases being confirmed across the globe amid the presence of a large number of Chinese nationals in Pakistan, and frequent travel between the two countries.

    CORONAVIRUS:

    In mid-December, some people in the central Chinese city of Wuhan began complaining of flu and pneumonia-like symptoms. Some had a high fever. Doctors were perplexed. To find out what might be causing their illness, geneticists analysed the DNA of the virus that had infected them.

    At once, the scientists realised the virus was new to science.

    As of January 23, experts at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Switzerland estimated that at least 557 people have contracted the rapidly spreading disease.

  • Here’s the list of all places where you can buy PSL 5 tickets

    Here’s the list of all places where you can buy PSL 5 tickets

    The Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 is scheduled to start from 20th February with the first match between Quetta Gladiators and Islamabad United at National Stadium Karachi.

    And if you are planning to go to the stadium to watch the match of your favorite team. Here is the list of all express centers selling PSL 5 tickets.

    Tickets are on sale at all these TCS Express Centers. You can also buy from Yayvo.

    Each customer can buy up to 7 tickets per match on his CNIC so don’t forget to take your CNIC with you when you go to buy your tickets from a nearby Express Centers.

  • Rights groups denounce PEMRA’s efforts to regulate web content

    Rights groups denounce PEMRA’s efforts to regulate web content

    Digital rights activists on Tuesday rejected the proposal of the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) to regulate digital content and Over the Top TV (OTT).

    According to the details, PEMRA on Tuesday released a document titled “Consultation on Regulating the Web TV & OTT Content Services” on its website, seeking comments on the matter by February 14, which drew strong reactions.

    The document proposes a number of regulatory guidelines, including licensing, inspection, content regulation and putting a complaint handling mechanism in place for web TV and OTT platforms.

    In response to the document, the participants were of the view that any such measures would cause regression in Pakistan’s digital growth. Furthermore, that the measures would curb freedom of expression, increase censorship and diminish digital rights for Pakistanis.

    A press release in this regard said that the draft regulations “are thinly disguised as draconian attempts to discourage new media journalism, including YouTube/website channels being run by Pakistani journalists who have been forced out from mainstream media over the past two years by the authorities to curtail their professional and/or entrepreneurial work or dozens of entrepreneurial and non-legacy current affairs news and current affairs websites that are filling the gaps in information from legacy media and providing useful local community information”.

  • Robbers ask shopowner for forgiveness after looting his grocery store

    Robbers ask shopowner for forgiveness after looting his grocery store

    After robbing a utility store in Sharifabad, unidentified armed men robbed asked the shopkeeper to forgive them for their offense as they ran away.

    According to the shopkeeper, Atique, two men came at his store and robbed it of two 10 kilograms sacks of flour, at least 10 kilograms of pulses, 10 bags of cooking oil and ghee and five kilograms of various spices. They also took his mobile phone and cash on gunpoint and also looted another employee at the store when he came for work.

    Atique told that before escaping, the robbers asked him for forgiveness. They said to him that this was the first time they had robbed a store. “They said they would not have done such an awful crime if they weren’t forced to by their need,” he said.

    The shopkeeper said that both the robbers were young and had not covered their faces. He complained that although he had informed the police immediately after the incident, they could not be arrested.

  • Pakistan launches first electric rickshaw

    Pakistan launches first electric rickshaw

    It’s time to bid goodbye to those rickshaws which produce poisonous gases or make noise because Pakistan is introducing electric rickshaws. These new electric rickshaws will run on batteries and will be completely manufactured in Pakistan.

    According to manufacturers, this new mode of transport will soon be seen on roads.

    “But for that to happen, it’s very important that the government endorses these vehicles. If this rickshaw will be successful in the country and its demand increases, many other vehicles will be converted soon”, an industrialist said.

    The three-wheelers were launched at the event ‘Showcasing Pakistan’s First Fully-Electric Three-Wheel Vehicle’ that was inaugurated by PM’s Adviser on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam.

    The adviser said, “By the end of this year the electric vehicle policy will be fully launched in the country. The policy will boost the concept of pollution-free vehicles in the country”.

    The electric vehicles do not emit smoke or make noise pollution and cut fuel cost as well, Aslam added.

  • UK permits its citizens to travel to Pakistan’s northern areas

    UK permits its citizens to travel to Pakistan’s northern areas

    The United Kingdom has permitted its citizens to travel to tourist spots in Pakistan’s northern areas, due to the better security situation of the country.

    The announcement was made by the British High Commissioner to Islamabad Dr. Christian Turner. 

    This is the first main update in the UK travel advisory since 2015 following the return of British Airways to Pakistan in June 2019 and the royal visit of Prince William and Kate Middleton in October 2019.

    The announcement is the “result of a comprehensive review of UK travel advice for Pakistan, based on a wide-ranging assessment of the country’s security situation,” reads a statement published on the British government website.

    “Among other changes, the advice now allows for travel by road to the North of Pakistan as well as the Kalesh and Bamboret Valleys.”

    High Commissioner Turner appreciated the Government of Pakistan for providing a better security environment over the past years.

    “Following my arrival in December 2019, I made this review of the travel advice a priority. I am delighted that British nationals will be able to see more of what Pakistan has to offer,” he said.

  • Can you get coronavirus through your AliExpress order?

    Can you get coronavirus through your AliExpress order?

    Chinese health authorities have said that the international outbreak of respiratory illness caused by coronavirus has killed over 70 people and affected at least 1,500 others.

    The deadly outbreak began in Wuhan, China, at a market selling live poultry, seafood and wild animals. Now the virus has turned up in Japan, South Korea, Thailand, Singapore, Taiwan, Vietnam, Nepal, France, Australia and even the United States. Investigators in still other countries, including Pakistan and several American states, are evaluating possible cases.

    Officials in China have closed transportation links from and within Wuhan and other affected cities. The move was a significant escalation in the country’s attempts to contain the virus as millions embarked on holiday travel for the Lunar New Year.

    ALIEXPRESS POSING ANY THREATS?

    With news of the outbreak taking the world by storm and people going an extra mile to protect themselves and their loved ones, someone has pointed out how global population might be at risk due to ordering stuff from Chinese online shopping giant, AliExpress.

    Launched by the Alibaba Group in 2010, AliExpress is made up of small businesses in China and other locations, such as Singapore, that offer products to international online buyers.

    But can ordering stuff from China also get the virus delivered to your doorstep?

    The answer is no. Reports quoted Epidemiologist Zoran Radovanovic as saying that an order from AliExpress takes several weeks to be delivered, and the virus cannot survive that long. The length of time it survives primarily depends on the conditions — whether it’s damp, dark, and on what surface it finds itself, because it’s easier to survive on plastic than on metal.

    In the case of this virus, it’s a matter of hours — it can survive for several hours on a surface, but not for several days. So chances are that if you pay extra for faster delivery, you could end up being at risk of getting infected.

  • Azad Kashmir president challenges Indian army chief to attack valley

    Azad Kashmir president challenges Indian army chief to attack valley

    Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) President Sardar Masood Khan has dared Indian chief of army staff (COAS) to attack the region, adding that the armed forces of the country were ready to avert any and all attacks against its soil.

    Army chief General Manoj Mukund Naravane, in his maiden press briefing as the top Indian military commander, had on January 11 said that the forces were ready to take appropriate action to gain control over Pakistan-administered Kashmir.

    The statement had come five months after Indian Foreign Minister (FM) Subrahmanyan Jaishankar had said that he expected India to gain physical control over AJK one day.

    “Don’t forget what has happened in the past. The armed forces of Pakistan are always ready to give a befetting response to India,” Khan reportedly said on Saturday.

    Khan further said that if the United States (US) wanted to act as a mediator in resolving the Kashmir dispute, it would have to take action against the brutalities of Indian forces in held Kashmir first. “The troubled valley is a living hell. Youngsters are being imprisoned, people are being electrocuted and even kids are being labelled as enemies.”

    He also thanked China for playing its role in highlighting the issue in the United Nations (UN).