Tag: support

  • ADB to provide up to $2.5 billion under flood relief support to Pakistan

    ADB to provide up to $2.5 billion under flood relief support to Pakistan

    The Asian Development Bank (ADB) announced on Wednesday that it would provide support of $2.3–2.5 billion for relief efforts in the wake of disastrous floods that have left Pakistan severely damaged.

    The declaration was made during a meeting between Pakistan’s ADB Country Director Yong Ye and Finance Minister Ishaq Dar, as per a press release from the Finance Division.

    Ye offered his condolences for the loss of life and property as a result of the floods during the meeting and congratulated Dar on taking office.

    According to Dawn, the Balochistan Rural Development and Community Empowerment Programme would receive $1.5 billion of the promised aid, according to the ADB country director, and the request will be presented to the bank’s board this month.

    According to a press release, it was discussed that the Country Partnership Strategy for Pakistan 2021–25 is in accordance with the government of Pakistan’s vision.

    The finance minister was quoted as saying that he welcomed the delegation and valued ADB’s assistance in advancing sustainable development in the nation. Dar also informed the delegation of the flood’s damages and financial consequences.

    The administration had stopped the economy’s slide and put it on the correct course with its “pragmatic policy initiatives,” he continued while acknowledging that the economy still faced enormous obstacles.

    The finance minister also gave the ADB team an overview of the government’s priorities.

    Dar hailed the ADB delegation for their steadfast support and assured them of full government cooperation for the expeditious implementation of the current and new programmes.

  • Video: Young shoe polisher wins hearts by donating half of his earnings to flood victims

    Video: Young shoe polisher wins hearts by donating half of his earnings to flood victims

    A charity organisation, Alkhidmat Foundation Pakistan, posted a video of a young boy donating Rs30 for flood relief efforts.

    The shoe polisher has been donating to the flood relief camp at Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore for the last five days, according to the Alkhidmat Foundation.

    It went on to say that since he did not have any money to donate the day before yesterday, he shined some shoes and donated Rs30 of the Rs60 he had earned.

    In the emotional video, the boy can be seen searching his pockets for money before putting it inside the contribution box.

    The post has been retweeted 8k times and received over 24k likes, with others applauding the noble gesture from a poor youngster. Some netizens stated that it is a lesson for people who earn a lot of money but do not contribute or have a big enough heart to donate enough money in such instances.

  • KP govt launches ‘Flood Reporting’ app to aid flood victims

    KP govt launches ‘Flood Reporting’ app to aid flood victims

    To promptly aid those impacted by severe flooding, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government launched the “Flood Reporting” application on Monday.

    Atif Khan, the Minister of Science and Information Technology for Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), gave specific directions for the introduction of the smartphone application.

    The minister stated in a message that flood victims will be able to use the Flood Reporting App to notify when they need food or medicine.

    He promised that the impacted agencies and the Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) would see to it that the victims of the disaster received immediate aid.

    The latest application has a thorough system for seeking assistance for victims and keeping track of feedback. The smartphone application will allow users to instantly report the type of incidents that occurred and the assistance that is needed.

    Although 1,061 deaths have been reported by authorities since the start of the seasonal rains in June, the eventual death toll may be higher since hundreds of villages in the hilly north have been shut off after roads and bridges were wiped away by floodwaters.

  • WhatsApp is cutting support for two iPhones

    WhatsApp is cutting support for two iPhones

    The meta-owned messaging platform, WhatsApp announced that it will stop functioning on some outdated iPhones in its new update. The company announced that it would stop supporting iOS 10 and iOS 11 devices later this year.

    WhatsApp has begun notifying iPhone users running iOS 10 or iOS 11 that they must update their devices in order to continue using WhatsApp beyond October 24. The iPhone 5 and iPhone 5c are the only two devices in the series which will no longer support WhatsApp after October 24.

    “After October 24, 2022, WhatsApp will no longer support this version of iOS”. To get the newest iOS version, navigate to Settings > General > Software Update,” the notification says.

    WhatsApp will continue to work for iPhone 5s and iPhone 6 users for the time being, and they will be alerted if their iPhones cease running the Meta-owned instant messaging app.

    The app already states on its Help Center page that iPhone users must be running iOS 12 or above to continue using the application. WhatsApp requires Android 4.1 or newer for Android users.

    The tech giant, Apple is anticipated to unveil iOS 16 at WWDC 2022 next month, and it will be released later this year, possibly around the time the iPhone 14 series is released.

  • Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves down by $328 million

    Pakistan’s foreign currency reserves down by $328 million

    State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) on April 28, revealed that the central bank’s foreign exchange reserves fell by 3 per cent on a weekly basis.

    The central bank’s foreign currency reserves were $10,558.2 million on April 23, a $328 million decrease from the previous day’s total of $10,885.7 million. according to the SBP, this decline was caused by external debt and other payments.

    Pakistan’s total liquid foreign currency reserves, comprising net reserves held by banks other than the SBP, were $16,668.2 million. Banks held a total of $6,110 million in net reserves.

    SBP’s foreign exchange reserves reached an all-time high of $20.15 billion in the week ending August 27, 2021, after Pakistan received a general allocation of Special Drawing Rights (SDRs) worth $2,751.8 million from the IMF on August 24.

    Pakistan bought $2.5 billion using Eurobonds on March 30, 2021, by offering attractive interest rates to lenders in order to enhance foreign exchange reserves.

    Read more: All banks to remain open this Saturday

    On July 9, 2019, it received the first loan amount of $991.4 million from the IMF, which helped to boost reserves. The IMF released the second loan tranche of approximately $454 million in late December 2019.

  • Celebrities cheer for little Musa who refused to wear glasses because of bullies

    Celebrities cheer for little Musa who refused to wear glasses because of bullies

    A six-year-old boy Musa refused to wear glasses because bullies at his school made fun of him. Musa’s father, Zeeshan shared a picture of his little boy on Twitter and asked netizens how his son looks in glasses. In a heartwarming turn of events, Twitter, including celebrities cheered on little Musa and told him that he looks super cute in glasses.

    Musa took the words of his school bullies to heart and was “very upset” when he was targeted for his glasses. He was hesitant to wear his glasses so his father decided to “ask the world” how his son looks in them.

    Musa’s tweet soon went viral and people from across the world, including celebrities like Pooja Bhatt, Zartaj Gul, Adnan Siddiqui, Imam ul Haq, Mohammad Amir and Feroze Khan sent him words of love and encouragement.

    Some users even reminded Musa of all the superheroes who wear glasses and look incredibly cool.

    https://twitter.com/GitaSKapoor_/status/1388156784506900481?s=19

    The tweet also caught Adnan Siddiqui’s attention, who said: “Musa you not only look great in glasses, but I can see a bright future ahead of you through the sparkle in your eyes!”

    The actor also made a collage of himself and Musa and said: “Specs are the cutest thing one can wear. They show that you are an avid reader, that you love books and also up your cool quotient.”

    “Hello Musa, [I] am a fan of ur glasses. You look so adorable in them. Wear ‘em to give me company too,” added the actor.

    Feroze Khan too encouraged the little boy, saying: “Man!!! Mooossssa! You vibing so hard kid! You look so Good!!!”

    Meanwhile, Zeeshan later updated that Musa read some of the comments and is very happy.

    “I showed him some of the comments before he left for school today. Can’t explain how happy he is. Thank you very much for overwhelming response,” said the happy father.

  • VIDEO: Female YouTuber who was receiving threats thanks police for support

    VIDEO: Female YouTuber who was receiving threats thanks police for support

    A YouTuber Muktiar Bibi, who makes videos on the daily routine of her life in the village, in a recent video, shared that she is receiving threats from a few people in her area. Muktiar, whose channel ‘Daily Routine’ has over 200,000 subscribers, alleged that people that she considered her close friends are threatening her to give them her channel or the earnings from it.

    According to the Youtuber, these people even threatened her to kidnap her son or involve her in a legal case from which she would never be able to get out.

    “They want us to either handover our channel or give them the money earned from this. I have kept my son Mohammad Abrar in the house for the past six to seven days. I don’t let him go outside because I am scared. I am a mother,” she said in the video. Bibi requested her viewers to support and help her. The video, now made private, was widely shared on social media, after which the Lodhran Police contacted Bibi.

    “I request that you guys help me and tell me what can I do. We live in this small house. What do we know about court matters?”

    I made this small channel and it eventually grew to the point where I could earn enough to feed my children and educate them. I have promoted some 30 channels here but never have I taken money from them. I promoted them so they can succeed and use their channel to earn.

    At the end of the video, Muktiar told her followers that in case anything happens to her in the future, they should know her side of the story.

    After the video went viral, the local police of Lodhran district went to her house and assured the family that they would be safe. She uploaded another video on Sunday in which she thanked the Lodhran Police DPO for offering support. The video showcases Muktiar and her son talking to the police and thanking them.

    “I would like to thank the DPO of Lodhran, Syed Qara Hussain Shah. I pray that he succeeds in his life and stays happy,” she said.