Daily News Pakistan

President Dr. Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan in their separate messages on the occasion of International Labour Day, have reaffirmed the government commitment to effectively protect the rights and welfare of the workers. In his message, the President Arif Alvi paid rich tribute to the valiant and heroic struggle of the workers for their fundamental rights. He said this day is not only a reminder of the struggle of workers but also an acknowledgement of their contribution towards national growth and progress. The President said Ehsaas Emergency Cash Relief Program has been launched to provide immediate relief to the deserving class in the country. In his message, Prime Minister Imran Khan expressed his government's commitment to improve the working and living conditions of workers and to supplement their welfare by providing better housing, education facilities and health cover for them and their families. He said our religion has also emphasized the principles of so...

Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin on Thursday said that he had tested positive for the novel coronavirus and will hence self-isolate. "I have just learned that the test on the coronavirus I took was positive," Mishustin said in a video meeting with President Vladimir Putin, suggesting a deputy takes his place while he self-isolates. "I have to observe self-isolation and follow orders of doctors. This is necessary to protect my colleagues," he said, promising to be in constant contact "on all the main issues." He suggested that First Deputy Prime Minister Andrei Belousov takes his place as an "acting" prime minister. "What is happening to you now can happen to anyone," Putin reassured him in the televised meeting. "I hope that you stay able to work and will actively participate" in government decision-making, he said. "Without your opinions and your participation these decisions will not be made," Putin...

The government on Thursday announced that it had slashed petrol prices for May owing to sharp decline in crude oil prices in the international market. The price of petrol has been brought down to Rs81.58 after a reduction of Rs15, meanwhile the rate of high-speed diesel has been slashed by Rs27.15 and reduced to Rs80.10. According to the notification, kerosene oil and light diesel will now be sold at Rs47.44 and Rs47.51 after a reduction of Rs30.01 and Rs15 in their prices respectively. The new prices will be effective starting midnight, the notification said. On Wednesday, the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) had recommended to the government to reduce petroleum prices by up to Rs44 per litre for May 2020. The regulatory body had suggested that the price of diesel may be reduced by Rs33.94 per litre (or 31.6%), petrol by Rs20.68/ litre (21.4%), kerosene oil by Rs44.07/ litre (56.9%) and light diesel oil (LDO) by Rs24.57/ litre (39.3%). It is worth mentioning that the go...

The speaker of the National Assembly (NA), Asad Qaiser, as well as his son and daughter, have tested positive for the novel coronavirus. "I have put myself in self-quarantine," Qaiser said on Twitter, confirming he had the virus. "I request the entire nation to take precautions and to pray for my recovery," he said. The NA speaker noted that he had symptoms of fever for the past couple of days and had himself tested earlier as well. At that time, however, the result was negative. "Today, when I had myself tested again, the report came out positive," he added. "I have been advised to stay at home and take care. "The test results of my son and daughter have also come out positive," Qaiser added. میرا کورونا وائرس کا ٹیسٹ مثبت آیا ہے۔ میں نے خود کو اپنے گھر میں قرنطینہ کر لیا ہے۔ میری پوری قوم سے درخواست ہے کہ وہ احتیاط کریں۔ دعا کی درخواست ہے۔ — Asad Qaiser (@AsadQaiserPTI) April 30, 2020 Qaiser becomes the latest politician and th...

Former Pakistan captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Rashid Latif has rated all three national wicketkeepers in the fray including ex-skipper Sarfraz Ahmad, Mohammad Rizwan and Rohail Nazir as mentally strong. In his video session with the three wicketkeepers on Wednesday under a PCB programme, Rashid said that a good wicketkeeper has to have strong nerves and high class physical fitness which all the three current wicketkeepers possess. Rashid said a good wicketkeeper must also have a good balance and complimented former captain and wicketkeeper-batsman Moin Khan for having strong feet and good balance which helped him prolong his career. Rashid said to keep himself alert, he used to have conversation with the fielders standing in the slip area. He, however, emphasised the current trio should bring more improvement in their batting skills and also gave them tips on how to improve further. He also advised them to keenly watch the vidoes of two high profiling world wicketkeepers name...

The "Stars Wars" actor Harrison Ford was involved in an incident in which he was piloting a small plane that wrongly crossed a runway where another aircraft was landing. According to Reuters, the United States’ Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the incident. There was no danger of a crash in the incident that occurred last week at an airport in southern California, according to an FAA statement cited by the New York Times. A publicist for Ford told media the actor misheard a radio instruction from the air traffic controller (ATC). “He immediately acknowledged the mistake and apologized to ATC for the error,” Ina Treciokas, Ford’s publicist, said. “The purpose of the flight was to maintain currency and proficiency in the aircraft. No one was injured and there was never any danger of a collision.” The planes had come within 1,100 meters of each other at the Hawthorne Airport in Los Angeles last Friday. The actor, who played swashbuckling space smug...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 16,117 on Thursday after new infections were confirmed in the country. The province-wise break up of the total number of cases are as follows: Total confirmed cases: 16,117 • Sindh: 6,053 • Punjab: 6,061 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 2,313 • Balochistan: 978 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 313 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 333 • AJK: 66 Deaths: 358 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 122 • Sindh: 112 • Balochistan: 14 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 3 • Punjab: 103 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 4 Officials have recorded more than 3.19 million cases and 226,880 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December. Officer who met Sindh governor tests positive for virus An officer who met Sindh Governor Imran Ismail has tested positive for the virus, Matiari's district health officer (DHO) said. “Assistant Commissioner New Saeedabad Ammar Rizvi has tested positive for the virus,” the DHO said. The DHO said Rizvi had gone for a test two days a...

Prime Minister Imran Khan says the country won’t progress towards the “knowledge economy” until it spends its resources on education and research. Speaking at an event at COMSTECH, he said the ongoing coronavirus crisis has brought many things to light for them. “We have a dependency syndrome, we lack self-belief,” the prime minister said, adding it is this crisis that made us realise that producing ventilators is not difficult. He pointed out the country had the capacity to make nuclear bombs but found it hard to make ventilators. He said it is the self-belief that takes a nation forward and brings it at a stage where it can overcome any challenge. Prime Minister Khan said the coronavirus pandemic doesn’t differentiate between the rich and the poor, lamenting the ruling elite didn’t spare a thought for developing the country’s health infrastructure in the past and went abroad for treatment at the taxpayers’ expense. Now, they can’t go abroad because the situation is more danger...

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has said that Pakistan’s dismal human rights record will further deteriorate due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, heaping misery on the already marginalized sections of the society. The HRCP released its State of Human Rights 2019 annual report today, in which its honorary spokesperson, I.A. Rehman, termed Pakistan’s human rights record in 2019 “greatly worrisome”. Rehman noted that the ongoing global pandemic “is likely to cast a long shadow on prospects for human rights,” according to the official press release. On the release of its flagship annual report, HRCP’s Secretary-General Harris Khalique observed: “Last year will be remembered for systematic curbs on political dissent, the chokehold on press freedom, and the grievous neglect of economic and social rights”. He informed that the 2019 report also offered standalone chapters on each federating unit and administered territory so that no area was underreported or missed out...

For the first time in the country’s history, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has been allowed to operate direct flights to the United States (US). Last week, the Chief Operating Officer (CEO) of the PIA Air Mar­shal Arshad Malik wrote a letter to the US ambassador and the State Department seeking permission to operate PIA special flights to repatriate Pakistanis stranded in the US. The permission was granted by the US Transport Department on Pakistan’s request to repatriate its stranded citizens in the United States of America. According to the permission granted by the US, the PIA can operate as many as 12 flights in a month to bring back the stranded Pakistanis. The PIA spokesperson said that the permission was granted to Pakistan by the US after improvement in the security situation. CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik thanked Prime Minister Imran Khan, Foreign Ministry and Aviation Ministry for taking the issue with the US. The national flag carrier is continuing its ope...

A coronavirus-themed game has been blocked on Steam in China because of it's a politically motivated content. In order to win Coronavirus Attack, players have to stop “selfish zombies” from escaping a country infected with the virus. Players reported the game for using the same colour scheme as the Chinese flag, with virus-shaped animations in place of its stars. The game has been inundated with negative reviews on Steam’s store. “A selfish-zombie virus has infected throughout the country,” reads the game’s description. “The virus carriers are attempting to flee the country. “Your purpose is to prevent the selfish zombie virus carriers from escaping and infecting the world.” Players can also collect badges that include “Liberate Honk Kong” and “Taiwan is not in China”. The creator behind the game, MythZ, told news site Abacus he had developed the project as a protest against the Chinese government. He said he was unhappy with how it had handled the pandemic. Some Steam ...

The US has tried to cushion the economic blow with nearly $3tn (£2.4tn) in new spending, including direct payments to many families. The Federal Reserve has also taken with a slew of emergency steps, including lowering interest rates to near zero. On Wednesday, Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said the bank would maintain those levels until it was “confident that the economy has weathered recent events and is on track”. But he warned that the ongoing crisis would “weigh heavily” on the economy. “Will there be a need to do more? I would say the answer to that will be a yes,” Mr Powell said at a virtual press conference. ‘Unprecedented’ shock Since mid-March, more than 26 million people in the US have filed for unemployment, and the US has seen historic declines in business activity and consumer confidence. Forecasters expect growth to contract 30% or more in the three months to June. “This is off the rails, unprecedented,” said Mark Zandi, chief economist at Moody’s Analytics...

Prime Minister Imran Khan has urged the international community to take notice of the rights violations in the Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK). “Under the cover of coronavirus, the Modi govt with its fascist Hindutva Supremacist RSS-driven ideology continues its war crimes in IoK as it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention by continuing its genocide of Kashmiris”, PM Imran Khan said in his tweet.   Under cover of COVID19 global pandemic, the Modi Govt with its fascist Hindutva Supremacist RSS-driven ideology continues its war crimes in IOJK as it violates the Fourth Geneva Convention by continuing its genocide of Kashmiris: & by attempting to change https://t.co/ezFAQBhE7I — Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 30, 2020 The demography in Occupied Jammu & Kashmir is a territory recognised as disputed by the United Nations, the PM said and stressed upon the international community to realize its responsibility and take notice of act against these war crimes by India in ...

The United States has caught no sight of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and is watching reports about his health, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Wednesday, adding there was a real risk of famine in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak. North Korean media has not reported on Kim’s whereabouts since he presided over a meeting on April 11, provoking speculation about his health and raising concerns about instability in the nuclear-armed country that could affect other North Asian countries and the United States. “We haven’t seen him. We don’t have any information to report today, we’re watching it closely,” Pompeo told Fox News after being asked about conflicting reports about Kim’s health. Pompeo said the United States was also monitoring the situation more broadly in North Korea, which borders China, given the risk presented by the coronavirus. “There is a real risk that there will be a famine, a food shortage, inside of North Korea too,” he added. “We’re watchi...

Prime Minister Imran Khan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Wednesday exchanged views over the prevalent coronavirus situation. The communication took place in a telephone call made by Iranian President Rouhani to PM Imran. The PM's Office, in a tweet, said: "Prime Minister Imran Khan received a telephone call from President of Iran, Dr Hassan Rouhani, today, in the context of greetings for the Holy month of Ramazan." The two discussed the locust situation in the border areas between Pakistan and Iran. The Iranian president congratulated the premier on the advent of the holy month of Ramazan. PM Imran, Bill Gates discuss latest developments on COVID-19 Prime Minister Imran Khan spoke to Bill Gates, co-chair of the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to discuss the latest developments surrounding the COVID-19 response. During the telephonic conversation, the prime minister expressed appreciation for the support provided by the Gates Foundation and other interna...

Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on Wednesday said the Indian Army will always get a "befitting response" to cease fire violations along the Line of Control (LoC). According to a statement by the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the Army chief's remarks came during a visit to the LoC where he was received by Corps Commander Rawalpindi Corps Lieutenant General Azhar Abbas. Gen Bajwa was briefed about the latest violations by Indian forces "deliberately targeting innocent civilians along LOC" and the Army’s response, said the statement. "Blatant atrocities by Indian occupation forces on innocent Kashmiris and unethical targeting of civil population in [Azad Jammu and Kashmir] is unacceptable," it quoted Gen Bajwa as saying. “Blatant atrocities by Indian Occupation Forces on innocent Kashmiris & unethical targeting of civil population in AJ&K is unacceptable. Indian provocations are a threat to regional peace and...

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 15,289 on Wednesday after new infections were confirmed in the country. The province-wise break up of the total number of cases are as follows: Total confirmed cases: 15,289 • Sindh: 5,695 • Punjab: 5,827 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 2,160 • Balochistan: 915 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 297 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 330 • AJK: 65 Deaths: 335 • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 114 • Sindh: 100 • Balochistan: 14 • Gilgit-Baltistan: 3 • Punjab: 100 • Islamabad Capital Territory: 4   Officials have recorded more than 3.1 million cases and 216,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December. NDMA sets up hotline to register complaints of medical workers The National Disaster Management Authority established a hotline for medical workers where they can register their complaints. The cell number 051-111-157-157 will be active 24/7, the NDMA said, adding that medical workers can also complain about the shortage of perso...

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) appreciated efforts by the Pakistani government to repatriate its citizens from the country on Tuesday, as coronavirus cases continue to surge in both countries. The remarks came during a virtual meeting between the UAE's Minister of Human Resources and Emiratisation (MOHRE) Nasser bin Thani Al Hameli and Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis, Zulfiqar Bokhari. Discussions focusing on the repatriation of Pakistani citizens from the UAE and cooperation between the two governments took place during their meeting. The two personalities also discussed migrant workers' issues in light of the pandemic, which has had disastrous consequences for economic activities around the globe. Hamad Obaid Al Zaabi, UAE's Ambassador to Pakistan, lavished praise on Bokhari and the government of Pakistan for their efforts to repatriate stranded Pakistanis from the country. “Constant work and coordination is underway to ensure return o...

A Saudi engineering team was able to devise a device that monitors Corona virus infected people, and issues data that is not limited to measuring temperature, and was registered with the Saudi Authority for Intellectual Property. “The Corona detector will dispel all fears, and he can see the virus, Al-Ain’s opinion, and innovation will join a list of efforts made by the Kingdom to confront the virus scientifically, technically and precautionally,” team leader Eng. Saif bin Ghazi Al-Hassouni said. He added: “Creation of corona recognition is based on our innovation principle, which was presented as an innovation to the WIPO Intellectual Property Organization in Switzerland, and it was published globally as a previous innovation in our name titled Medical Analysis using Optical Absorption and Fuzzy Logic.” He continued: “Based on the data, the innovation team hopes to obtain results in identifying the Corona virus, through the mechanism by which excellent results were achieved on me...

West Indian opening batsman Chris Gayle called his former teammate Ramnaresh Sarwan ‘Worst than coronavirus’. Speaking on his Youtube Channel, Gayle bashed Sarwan for playing politics every time. He also claimed that Sarwan, assistant coach of Jamaica Tallawahs, was behind not retaining him in the franchise for this year’s edition, scheduled in August this year. “You’re so vindictive. You’re still immature, still stabbing people in the back,” Gayle said. “You want the franchise, have it. There’s no Gayle. You run the show,” he added. He also recalled his playing days with Sarwan in group-age cricket. “From 1996, that’s when our careers started in youth cricket days. We shared the same room in the West Indian Under-19s,” Gayle recalled. “You told the management team you can’t sleep because Chris Gayle was watching TV too late at night. That’s what I got sent home for. I forgive it but I’ll never forget it,” he added. It must be noted here that Gayle came on social media after bei...

A draft amendment to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Ordinance has been prepared by the government which states that matters related to taxes and duties will not come under the bureau. According to the amendment, the cases handled by the federal and provincial regulatory bodies will also not under the jurisdiction of NAB once the formal approval for changes to the law has been given. The inquiries and investigations related to the taxes and duties that are being pursued by the bureau will be handed over to the relevant bodies after the amendment has been passed by the lawmakers. Under the changes, the accountability bureau will no longer be probing corruption-related matters that do not involve a sum of at least Rs1 billion. The federal cabinet will also be exempt from NAB inquires. The trials related to these cases will be transferred from accountability courts to the relevant district courts or other bodies once the amendment has been ratified into existing laws. The ...

Faisal Edhi, the head of Edhi Foundation and the son of philanthropist late Abdul Sattar Edhi, has again tested positive for the coronavirus. The Faisal Edhi head went into self-isolation after testing positive for the coronavirus on April 21. Faisal Edhi against underwent coronavirus test at the PIMS hospital on April 27, in which he was again diagnosed COVID-19 positive. Last week, the Sindh Health Department had confirmed that the coronavirus report of social worker Faisal has come positive. Edhi is in Islamabad at the moment. His son Saad Edhi, in a statement, had said that Faisal Edhi was currently in Islamabad and was doing better. “He has not been admitted to any hospital and is self-isolating,” he said. He further said that everyone who had come in contact with his father will be tested for the virus. Before testing positive for the coronavirus for the first time, the head of the Edhi Foundation met Prime Minister Imran Khan in Islamabad and donated Rs10 million in PM’s...

The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Wednesday dispatched the fourth consignment of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) for doctors and health workers of Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan. According to NDMA Spokesperson, these PPE include surgical masks, N-95 masks, protective gowns, gloves, shoe covers, surgical head covers, face shields, protective goggles, and sanitizers. The consignment included 38798 surgical masks, 1600 N-95 masks, 7292 protective gears, 2240 surgical gloves and 1303 shoes to be used in intensive care units of hospitals. It also contained 1676 surgical caps, 318 protection glass, 808 face shields and 200 thermal guns, bottles of sanitizers. Similarly, 29098 surgical masks, 1200 N-95 masks, 5469 protective gears, 1680 surgical gloves and 997 shoes have been dispatched to Gilgit Baltistan hospitals. The spokesperson said the provision of PPEs is also continuing to hospitals of Punjab, Sindh, and Azad Kashmir. The National Disaster Management ...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb Wednesday said Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shahbaz is being politically victimized for 11 months. The PML-N leader said in her statement that no proof of corruption has been found against Hamza Shahbaz till date. Read also: Govt cannot hide facts from masses by delaying the report: Shahbaz Sharif Marriyum Aurangzeb stressed that no action is taken against those who are involved in the sugar and flour hoarding as well as against those who are responsible for ruination of the Peshawar metro bus project.

The postponed Tokyo 2020 Olympics will have to be cancelled if the coronavirus pandemic isn't brought under control by next year, the organising committee's president warned, ruling out further delays. The comments, in an interview with a Japanese sports daily published Tuesday, come as medical experts doubted whether the pandemic can be sufficiently contained by next year to hold an event drawing participants and spectators from around the world. The pandemic has already forced a year-long delay of the Games, which are now scheduled to open on July 23, 2021. But Tokyo 2020 president Yoshiro Mori was categorical when asked by the Nikkan Sports daily whether the Games could be delayed until 2022 if the pandemic remains a threat next year, replying: "No." "In that case, it's cancelled," Mori said. Mori noted the Games had been cancelled previously only during wartime, and compared the battle against coronavirus to "fighting an invisible enemy...

The operators of inter and intra-city transport in the province have demanded that the Sindh government should readily adopt standard operating procedures for the reopening of the passenger bus services as the continued suspension of this service is no more an option due to grave economic sufferings of the people associated with the sector. According to a reports, the demand came on Tuesday as a joint delegation of the representative associations of inter-city and intra-city transport service in the province met Sindh Education and Labour Minister Saeed Ghani in Karachi. President Karachi Transport Ittehad Irshad Bukhari headed the delegation. The delegation members said the operators of the bus service had kept their service halted for over one-and-half-month, showing complete confidence in the provincial government’s lockdown measures against the spread of the coronavirus. 'Economic hardship has become unbearable' They said the operators of the public transport were of ...

The Citizenship Amendment Act, passed in December by the Parliament in majority-Hindu India, violates religious freedom especially for Muslims, said the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom in its annual report released Tuesday. The rating came in the annual report of the body charged with monitoring religious freedom abroad and the U.S. government’s response. to them. The controversial Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) gives Hindus and religious minorities from neighboring countries — including Afghanistan, Bangladesh and Pakistan — a fast track to citizenship, it excludes Muslims. The commission recommended that the State Department designate India as a “country of particular concern,” or CPC, because it “tolerated particularly severe violations of religious freedom.” “It showed the central government’s involvement in repressing religious freedom and, of course, the consequence of that can very well be millions of Muslims in detention, deportation and statelessness ...

Advisor to the Prime Minister on Finance Abdul Hafeez Shaikh Tuesday said the government would pass on the benefit of reduced oil prices in the international market to the public and people would hear good news in this regard on May 1. Speaking in a private television channel programme, he said the cost of energy and travel would decrease with the reduced oil prices in the international market and the government would be able to reduce the oil prices further. He regretted that the coronavirus hit the country at a time when its economy was recovering. "The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government had controlled its expenditures strictly. No loan was taken from the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and the defence budget was also frozen," he added. $17 billion for financial crisis The advisor said that the PTI government, soon after coming to power, had mobilised $17 billion to steer the country out of financial crisis. "Before the outbreak of the disease, the local curr...

Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next twelve hours. However, rain wind-thunderstorm is expected at Isolated places in all districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, south Punjab, south Balochistan and Kashmir. Temperature of some major cities recorded this morning: Islamabad seventeen degree centigrade, Lahore twenty-four, Karachi twenty-seven, Peshawar nineteen, Quetta twenty, Gilgit fifteen, Murree ten and Muzaffarabad fourteen degree centigrade.

Pakistan army is assisting civil administration to contain spread of COVID-19 across the country, said Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) on Wednesday. Troops are busy in relief efforts and distribution of more than 350000 Army assistance packages. According Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Pakistan Army troops distributed Army assistance packages which were purchased through contributions of Army’s announced salary donation for COVID-19. The packages are being distributed among daily wagers, handicapped, labourers, widows & needy people including far flung areas of all four provinces, AJK and Gilgit Baltistan. With confirmation of 806 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours in Pakistan, the number of total confirmed cases in the country has jumped to 14,885. According to National command and Operation Centre, 11,133 people are still under treatment from which 111 are said to be critical, while 3,425 patients have recovered so far. With 26 more deaths in last ...

Australia’s calls for an independent inquiry into the origins of COVID-19 is “reasonable” and not targeted at any specific country, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said. Australian-Chinese bilateral relations have soured in recent weeks after Morrison called for the inquiry into the origins of novel coronavirus. Morrison insisted his call was not an attempt to criticise China, and while Canberra’s largest trading partner may feel slighted - Australia would continue to press for the review. The novel coronavirus is believed to have originated in China late last year and has infected more than 3 million people worldwide. “What Australia is pursuing is not targeted,” Morrison told reporters in Canberra. “This is a virus that has taken more than 200,000 lives across the world. It has shut down the global economy. The implications and impacts of this are extraordinary. Now, it would seem entirely reasonable and sensible that the world would want to have an independent assessment.”

Pakistani film maker Shehzad Hameed Ahmed won two awards for his acclaimed documentaries ‘Whiter Shades of terror’ and ‘Caught in the Crossfire’ in the category of human rights and human concerns at New York International Film Festival 2020. In the category for ‘human concerns’, Ahmed’s documentary ‘Whiter shades of terror which is based on white supremacist terrorism in the Christchurch shootings last year, won the Silver Award whereas in the second category of ‘human rights’, his film titled ‘Caught in the cross fire’ bagged the bronze award. The film ‘Caught in the cross fire’, is a part of Ahmed’s two-part documentary, orbits around the plight of people living in the war-torn country Afghanistan. Revolving around the lives of three civilians: a journalist, a female street artist and a young army cadet, the film portrays their never-ending struggles during the war between Afghanistan and Taliban. For the second part of the film titled ‘The battle for Kabul’, Ahmed got rare acc...

Zoom Video Communications Inc said on Tuesday it has started using Oracle Corp’s cloud computing service to help handle the surge in online video call volumes brought on by the novel coronavirus pandemic. As corporations and schools shift to remote work and billions of people subject to stay-at-home orders seek ways to remain connected, Zoom has seen daily meeting participants rocket from 10 million in December to 300 million. But it has also experienced a backlash as the increased use exposed privacy and security flaws. Zoom set out a 90-day plan to fix the security issues, but in the meantime, the thirty-fold jump in traffic has required more computing power. The deal is a big win for Oracle, which wants to catch up with rivals such as Amazon.com and Microsoft that have greater market share, and is selling a new generation of cloud technology after its first generation efforts failed to gain traction. Zoom and Oracle did not disclose the size of the deal, but said traffic for “...

Oral hygiene, or the lack of it, is an issue that is often swept under the rug during Ramazan. People generally avoid using toothpastes during Ramazan thanks to the fear that they might ingest it by mistake, breaking their fast, and let’s face it, it’s not the best practice! Who wants to come out of Ramazan with tooth sensitivity, oral decay and bad breath? The answer is, no one! Luckily, there’s one thing that has saved people’s oral health and hygiene for thousands of years prior to toothbrushes and toothpastes – we’re talking about chew sticks or miswak! Miswak is most generally associated with the Salvadora persica tree, commonly known as ‘arak’ in Arabic, and holds special importance in Islam – the Prophet (PBUH) himself used ‘twigs made from the Arak tree’, and their use is often mentioned in hadis concerning the Prophet’s life. As compiled from StyleCraze, here are five health benefits of incorporating a miswak in your daily oral healthcare routine! 1) Fights tooth decay ...

The Sindh government banned all religious gatherings during the holy month of Ramadan, which includes Yaum-e-Ali and Mehfil-e-Shabeenas, on Tuesday. According to a notification released by the Home Department, Government of Sindh, all religious gatherings "being not farz shall not be held". "All religious activities during the holy month of Raman with gathering of people like Majalis & Jaloos for Shandat-e-Imam AS (AS), Religious Rallies/Gatherings & Mehfil—e-Shabeenas being not far. shall not be held," read the notification. Every year in Ramadan, thousands take part in processions and gatherings for Yaum-e-Ali. Rallies to salute Hazrat Ali (RA) on the day of his martyrdom are taken out across the country. The decision has been taken by the provincial government in its bid to encourage social distancing to contain the novel coronavirus from spreading. The development takes place as coronavirus cases in Pakistan surged past 14,500 on Tuesday and Sindh...

The FBR on Monday issued a notification for exemption of sales tax on services of property developers and promoters in the federal capital. Amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the government implemented an amnesty scheme along with a string of relief measures to promote the construction sector which offers employment to a large number of labourers. As per the decision, property developers and promoters as well as allied services of low-cost housing schemes, will not pay any sales tax on services. The Naya Pakistan Housing Development Authority or government’s Ehsaas Programme will approve or finance these schemes. No one will claim input tax adjustment or refund in case of availing the exemption. The provincial governments will notify the exemption of sales tax on services for their respective provinces.