Tag: Tuesday

  • Pak vs Aus: Imamul Haq, Shafique create Test record against Australia

    Pak vs Aus: Imamul Haq, Shafique create Test record against Australia

    Imam-ul-Haq created a Test record and his opening partner Abdullah Shafique hit a maiden hundred as Pakistan’s first home Test against Australia in 24 years ended in a tense draw in Rawalpindi on Tuesday.

    Imam-ul-Haq was the Player of the Match for scoring hundred in both the innings. He said that he has been working hard for the last couple of years and he feels good to score centuries in both the innings, especially against a team like Australia.

    Shafique finished on 136 as Pakistan were 252 without loss when the match ended without a result.

    The home team led by 208 runs after dismissing Australia for 459 in the morning session. Pakistan declared 476-4 in their first innings.

    Left-arm spinner Nauman Ali grabbed four wickets on Monday and finished with career-best figures of 6-107 in 38.1 overs — his third five-wicket haul in eight Tests. Shaheen Afridi bowled really well.

    The second Test of the series will begin on Saturday, March 12.

    The Australian cricket team is in Pakistan for its first tour of the country in 24 years.

    Pakistani authorities aren’t taking any risks and have deployed 4,100 security personnel, army snipers and road closures for the players.

  • Covid-19: NCOC eases curbs for passengers travelling to Pakistan

    Covid-19: NCOC eases curbs for passengers travelling to Pakistan

    The National Command Control Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday announced that from tomorrow (February 24), requirement of negative PCR report for passengers travelling to Pakistan has been abolished for fully vaccinated travellers.

    According to the new orders, pre-boarding negative PCR has been abolished for inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated. It also says that passengers below 12 years of age are exempted from mandatory vaccination. Passengers between 12-18 years of age are allowed to travel without mandatory vaccination till March 31, 2022.

    The Sindh government on Tuesday revised Covid-19 restrictions. Ban on indoor dining and weddings have also been lifted.

    Under the new relaxed rules, the following will apply:

    Gatherings

    • Indoor gatherings of all types, including weddings, with a cap of 500 fully-vaccinated guests will be allowed
    • Outdoor gatherings allowed with strict enforcement of safety protocols

    Dining

    • Ban on indoor dining has been lifted. And, outdoor dining for fully-vaccinated citizens and takeaway service will be allowed

    Business timings

    • Businesses will continue without time restrictions

    Office routine

    • Offices will be allowed to operate at 100% capacity of fully vaccinated workers with normal working hours

    Education sector

    • Institutes for children under 12 years of age will open with stringent Covid-19 protocols.
    • Institutes for children above 12 years of age will open with stringent Covid-19 protocols (fully vaccinated)

    Public transport

    • Public buses will be allowed to operate with 80% of their seating capacity. Wearing masks will be mandatory throughout the journey. However, a complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28

    Gyms

    • All gyms will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Shrines

    • Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Cinemas

    • All cinemas will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Amusement Parks

    • Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Sports

    • All types of sports are allowed for vaccinated individuals

    Domestic air/land travel meals

    • A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the in-flight or land journeys for domestic travel will remain imposed till February 28

    Railways

    • Railways will operate with a 100% occupancy level for vaccinated individuals only
    • A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28

    Mask wearing

    • Compliance with compulsory mask-wearing while incorporating innovative measures for enforcement
    • Strict adherence to SOPs in mosques and other places of worship be ensured by the respective district administration

    Extended lockdowns

    • Smart lockdown with stringent enforcement protocols based on disease clusters.

    Pakistan’s daily Covid-19 death toll witnessed an increase after several days.

  • Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    Getting direct with Australia: PIA to fly directly down under for the first time

    The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has announced plans to launch two weekly flights to Australia, cutting travel time to and from the country by around one-third, The News reports.

    PIA spokesperson Abdullah Hafeez says that if it (flights to Australia by a Pakistani carrier) happens, it would be happening for the first time.  He said that PIA has conducted a feasibility study, which concluded that it would be beneficial to the airline.

    PIA intends to operate two weekly flights from Karachi and Lahore to Sydney at first. Later, it might also include Islamabad.

    Flights might commence in late March or early April, according to the national carrier. The airline, however, has yet to receive authorisation from the Australian aviation authority.

    Direct flights would shorten a traveler’s flight duration to 12:30 hours and 13 hours, if one is going to Australia or coming to Pakistan respectively.

    Because there are no direct flights between Pakistan and Australia, passengers must travel for 34 to 35 hours with stopovers, which adds to their travel time.

    “Every airline must touch their hub before flying on to their destination,” stated Nadeem Sharif, Chairman of the Travel Agents Association of Pakistan (TAAP). “There may be eight-hour layovers or even overnight stays, which adds to the travel time.”

    He added that, for example, if a person travelling to Australia via Qatar Airways from Pakistan, he or she must first fly to Doha, Qatar Airways’ hub, and then be carried to Australia from there. Similarly, when a person travels from Australia to Pakistan, the same thing happens.

    PIA’s fleet is expected to grow from the current 29 to 49 by 2026, comprising 16 wide body, 27 narrow body and 6 turbo propeller aircraft. PIA’s share price increased by 1.24 percent on Tuesday to Rs4.09.

  • Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri passes away

    Bollywood composer Bappi Lahiri passes away

    Iconic musician, Bappi Lahiri known for his contribution to the Bollywood disco genre, has passed away in Mumbai.

    The musician had been undergoing treatment for multiple health issues over the past month. He was 69.

    Dr Deepak Namjoshi, director of the hospital, evaluated his case and said, “Lahiri had been admitted to the hospital for a month and was discharged on Monday. But his health deteriorated on Tuesday and his family called for a doctor to visit their home. He was brought to the hospital. He had multiple health issues. He died due to OSA (obstructive sleep apnea) shortly before midnight.”

    Lahiri, also known as Bappi Da, was famous for composing songs for movies including Disco Dancer, Himmatwala, Sharaabi, Adventures of Tarzan, Dance Dance, Satyamev Jayate, Commando, Aaj Ke Shahenshah, Thanedaar, Numbri Aadmi and Shola Aur Shabnam.

    The news of his demise comes after rumours spread in September about his deteriorating health.

    “I am shocked to see so many reports stating that I’ve lost my voice. It’s ridiculous and I’m really unhappy,” he said.

    The composer’s last contribution to Bollywood was the song Bhankas from the 2020 film Baaghi 3.

  • Global tourism won’t return to pre-covid levels until 2024

    Global tourism won’t return to pre-covid levels until 2024

    With the highly contagious Omicron variant in the picture, global tourism arrivals have further been affected, and will not return to the pre-pandemic levels until 2024, the World Tourism Organization (WTO) said on Tuesday.

    The highly contagious Omicron variant, though mild, will “disrupt recovery” for 2022. Last year in 2021, tourism saw a four percent growth over 2020, according to the Madrid-based UN agency’s World Tourism Barometer.

    Meanwhile, tourism revenue in 2020 was 72 percent lower than that in 2019.

    “The pace of recovery remains slow and uneven across world regions due to varying degrees of mobility restrictions, vaccination rates and traveller confidence,” the UNWTO said in a press release.

    In Europe and the Americas, foreign visitor arrivals increased by 19 percent and 17 percent in 2021, respectively, when compared to 2020.

    In the Middle East, however, arrivals declined by 24 percent in 2021, while in the Asia-Pacific region, they were 65 percent below the 2020 levels, and 94 percent lower than pre-pandemic levels.

    The statement said tourism professionals “see better prospects” for this year after turbulence in the early months because of the Omicron wave.

    Many countries are highly dependent on tourism and are eagerly awaiting a return to normal.

    “The economic contribution of tourism in 2021 (measured in tourism direct gross domestic product) is estimated at $1.9 trillion (1.68 trillion euros), above the $1.6 trillion in 2020, but still well below the pre-pandemic value of $3.5 trillion,” the statement noted.

  • Asteroid size of Burj Khalifa to make closest pass by Earth

    Asteroid size of Burj Khalifa to make closest pass by Earth

    A large asteroid the size of the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building is heading for Earth. The flyby is expected to take place on Tuesday, January 18.

    The massive asteroid has a diameter of approximately 791 meters. Its estimated size is about 3,280 feet, which is approximately the size of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and twice the height of New York City’s Empire State Building.

    For comparison, the distance between the earth and the moon is far less than that around 385,00 km. As such, despite being classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid(PHA) due to its size and close proximity to Earth, it seems unlikely to pose a threat to the planet. In fact, NASA has declared the Earth safe from asteroid impacts for the next 100 years.

    The asteroid’s size also isn’t a cause for concern. Hasan Al Hariri, the CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, said it will pass Earth safely.

    “The asteroid will fly past and go even beyond the moon. It’s not going to collide with our planet,” he said. “There are more than 500 such asteroids. These are also called NEOs or Nearth-Earth Objects or Hazardous Bodies.”

    “There are different types of asteroids, and we have to create different methods to defend Earth against potential asteroids or comet hazards,” Al Hariri said.

    The speeding asteroid will pass 1.93 million kilometres from earth, or about five times the distance between earth and moon.

    “Nasa’s programmes of planetary defence systems monitor all such bodies that can cause a threat to Earth, either in the short or long-term,” Al Hariri said. “Different space agencies also monitor the sky and there are many surveys held around the year and around the world to identify such objects that could pose a threat to us. Additionally, advanced telescopes are being manufactured that can capture up to even one million objects coming from space.”

  • WHO experts say repeating booster shots not appropriate

    WHO experts say repeating booster shots not appropriate

    World Health Organisation experts warned on Tuesday that repeating booster doses of the original Covid vaccines is not a viable strategy against emerging variants.

    “A vaccination strategy based on repeated booster doses of the original vaccine composition is unlikely to be appropriate or sustainable,” the WHO Technical Advisory Group on Covid-19 Vaccine Composition (TAG-Co-VAC) said in a statement.

    It said preliminary data indicates that the existing vaccines were less effective at preventing symptomatic Covid disease in people who have contracted the new Omicron variant, currently spreading like wildfire around the world.

    It recommended developing vaccines that not only protect people against falling seriously ill but could also better prevent infection and transmission in the first place.

  • ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    Urging people not to take the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 lightly, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on health Dr. Faisal Sultan on Tuesday said there will be some increase in hospitalisation of patients in the next one to two weeks and urged people to wear masks, avoid crowds and get vaccinated at the earliest. It takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up, says the health minister as Omicron cases rise.

    So far Pakistan has recorded 372 cases of the Omicron variant, Dr Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.

    “It’s still a bit early to draw conclusions since it takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up. Also, let us see how the virus behaves regarding virulence”, Dr Sultan said when asked as to why hospitalisations were not going up in Karachi despite an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

    “At the moment, we are receiving one or two patients with Covid-19 on daily basis, but so far, we have not found anybody infected with Omicron Variant of the Covid-19”, Dr Abdul Wahid Rajput, Medical Superintendent of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, affiliated with Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) told The News.

     “There will be some increase in hospitalisation. How much, depends on the degree of spread and infection. International evidence suggests it spreads fast; how much serious sickness it causes will be evident in a week or two (for us)”, Dr Sultan added.

    “What I would say is this: we should not take it lightly”, he warned.

    When asked if the government was worried about the low vaccination rate in major cities, including Karachi and Lahore, he said: “We want it (vaccination) higher for sure. I am happy that the vaccination rates picked up with time but we still have some distance to still go. So I would not say I am worried but that we need to enhance the numbers further.”

    “Masks. Masks. Masks. Avoid crowds. Vaccinate. Ventilate,” was his advice to people in Karachi.