Boris Johnson 'will return to work on Monday'

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson will resume his official duties next week after recovering from the coronavirus.

The Press Association said Johnson would be back in his Downing Street office on Monday after himself recovering from the virus.

A Number 10 source quoted by Sky News said the 55-year-old was "raring to go". Johnson has been recuperating at the British prime ministerial retreat, Chequers, outside London since his release from hospital on April 12

Johnson spent three days in intensive care and later admitted "things could have gone either way", after contracting the virus.

The prime minister’s return to work comes as pressure intensifies on his government on several fronts over its handling of the crisis.

Health department figures released Saturday showed a further 813 people had died in hospital after contracting COVID-19, pushing the official number of fatalities to 20,319.

Home Secretary Priti Patel described it as "a deeply tragic and moving moment".

Passing 20,000 was an unwanted milestone, as the medical director of NHS England Stephen Powis and Britain’s chief scientific advisor Patrick Vallance had said previously during the pandemic that keeping the number of fatalities below 20,000 would be "a good outcome".

"The nation today will be deeply moved by the figures of the number of people who have died," Patel said during the daily Downing Street briefing.

It was an increase on the 684 deaths reported the previous day and comes after the government claimed the virus had hit its peak.

However, there was some optimism as the number of new infections fell by 473 to 4,913, according to the same health department figures.

University of Oxford analysis also showed that the numbers dying in England may be on a downward spiral as it said a third of the 711 additional deaths recorded in the latest government figures on Saturday occurred more than a week ago.

Despite that, the latest figures confirm Britain has been one of the worst-hit countries in the world and the actual death toll could be much higher when deaths in the community are taken into account, particularly at care homes.

As well as a rise in fatalities, questions are being asked of the government over shortages in personal protective equipment and a lack of widespread testing, particularly of frontline health and social care workers.

There is also pressure, reportedly from within the ruling Conservative party, to relax social distancing rules.

Johnson ordered the country into lockdown on March 23, but Patel said ministers would not yet give a date for any relaxation of the rules.

"We’ve made a great deal of progress, but actually we’re not out of the woods yet, we really are not," she said.

The lockdown was extended on April 16 and is due for review on May 7.

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Saudi Arabia to lift curfew partially except for Makkah

Saudi Arabia will partially lift the curfew in all regions of the kingdom from 9am to 5pm, starting Sunday through Wednesday, May 13, an order issued by King Salman said.

According to state news agency SPA, the 24-hour curfew will, however, remain in Makkah and in previously isolated neighbourhoods.

The order also allowed the opening of some economic and commercial activities, which includes wholesale and retail shops in addition to malls, in the period from 6 to 20 Ramadan, which is from April 29 to May 13.

The relaxation came as number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country reaches 16,299, according to a Reuters tally with 136 fatalities from the virus.

“Based on the Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud's care and keenness of the health and safety of citizens and expatriates as well as what have been submitted by the relevant health authorities regarding the measures to confront the novel coronavirus for the possibility of implementing a partial curfew and the return of some economic activities in line with health instructions, and with his desire to facilitate on citizens and expatriates,” the order said.

It added, “In addition to the excluded activities mentioned in the previous orders, some commercial and economic activities are allowed to reopen during the aforementioned period in the first provision starting from April 29 until May 13 in the following fields: wholesale and retail trade stores and shopping centres (malls).”

The royal order emphasised a continuation of preventing any activity in those centres that do not implement social distancing, including beauty clinics, barber salons, sports and health clubs, recreational centres, cinemas, beauty salons, restaurants, cafes and other activities determined by the relevant authorities.

The order also allowed the return of the construction companies and factories to practice their activities without restrictions on time, according to the nature of their work.

“Based on the instructions, precautionary and preventive measures approved by the Ministry of Health and the competent authorities, the authorities responsible for monitoring economic, commercial and industrial activities must follow up the compliance with the precautionary and preventive measures in order to submit daily reports thereon,” it said.

The order also called for the continued social distancing measures, including prevention of gatherings for social purposes for more than five people, such as wedding events, funerals, etc., as well as gathering in public places.

“In a case of violating instructions and guidelines in this regard, the prescribed penalties and closing facilities will be imposed,” it said, adding, the royal order to the concerned authorities seeks to urge citizens, expatriates and employers to assume responsibility and adhere to the precautionary and preventive measures in order to overcome this pandemic.

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Global coronavirus death toll hits 200,000

Global deaths linked to the coronavirus passed 200,000 on Saturday, while confirmed cases of the virus are expected to hit 3 million in coming days, according to a Reuters tally.

More than half of the fatalities have been reported by the United States, Spain and Italy.

The first death linked to the disease was reported on Jan. 10 in Wuhan, China. It took 91 days for the death toll to pass 100,000 and a further 16 days to reach 200,000, according to the Reuters tally of official reports from governments.

By comparison, there are an estimated 400,000 deaths annually from malaria, one of the world’s most deadly infectious diseases.

The United States had reported more than 52,400 deaths as of Saturday morning, while Italy, Spain and France have reported between 22,000-26,000 fatalities each.

Of the top 20 most severely affected countries, Belgium has reported the highest number of fatalities per capita, with six deaths per 10,000 people, compared to 4.9 in Spain and 1.6 in the United States.

Around 8% of all cases reported in the United States have been fatal, while more than 10% of cases reported in Spain and Italy have resulted in deaths.

However, those rates would be considerably lower if the infection totals included the many cases of the illness that go unreported - since not everyone with symptoms is tested.

Asia and Latin America have each reported more than 7,000 deaths, while the Middle East has reported upwards of 8,800. The current toll in Africa is around 1,350.

The global death toll has continued to grow at a rate of 3-4% per day over the past 10 days, though that rate has slowed since the beginning of the month.

The true number of fatalities is expected to be higher as many countries have not included deaths recorded in nursing homes and other locations outside hospitals.

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Coronavirus relief think tank provides suggestions to revive battered economy

Members of the Coronavirus relief think tank provided suggestions to Prime Minister Imran Khan's finance advisor Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh on how to revive the economy as it reels from the pandemic.

Chairing a meeting of the think tank on Saturday, Shaikh invited suggestions from the country's economic experts on how to deal with the coronavirus situation. A press release from the finance ministry said that the experts outline the need for the government to take oil hedging steps and conduct a scrutiny of the loans provided to the power sector. 

The think tank advised the prime minister's aide to reschedule the country's internal and external loans and to provide more debt to the housing sector to generate economic activity in the country. 

During the meeting, proposals to improve the construction and agricultural sectors were also put forward by members of the think tank, confirmed the press release. 

Shaikh was advised to procure wheat at the earliest, in order to avoid another food crisis in the country. Economic experts said that for exporters and large businesses, the GST should be fixed at 5%. 

The prime minister's aide appreciated the suggestions and said that they could help revive economic activities in the country. He hoped that the G-20 countries postpone Pakistan's debt payments amounting to $1.8bn. 

Shaikh said that Pakistan had received $1.4bn in aid to mitigate the damage inflicted by the coronavirus from the International Monetary Fund. He said that recommendations from the think tank will be taken into account on a short, mid, and long-term basis. 

PM Imran will soon chair a session of the think tank as well, he said, adding that Pakistan will seek help from international experts as well in its attempt to mitigate the economic impact of the virus.

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Apple, Google say users to control virus ‘tracing’ tool

Apple and Google said their coronavirus “contact tracing” technology would enable smartphone users to control their own data, and that the system would likely be shut down after the pandemic ends.

The US technology giants, engaged in an unprecedented collaboration to allow smartphones to communicate across their respective platforms, released new technical details of their program highlighting privacy protections in the initiative.

“Each user will have to make an explicit choice to turn on the technology. It can also be turned off by the user at any time,” according to a document released by the Silicon Valley firms.

“This system does not collect location data from your device, and does not share the identities of other users to each other, Google or Apple. The user controls all data they want to share, and the decision to share it.”

The announcement comes with health agencies around the world scrambling to develop apps that use the wireless Bluetooth technology in smartphones to help track the spread of the disease by detecting when someone has been in proximity to an infected person.

The underlying technology being developed by Google and Apple, expected in early May, has rankled some officials in Europe seeking central control of the tracing data.

The Apple-Google document said public health authorities would have access to the technology but that any apps “must meet specific criteria around privacy, security, and data control.”

The companies added that “exposure notification data will be stored and processed on device,” rather than on government servers.

That means authorities would be able to access “beacons” provided by users confirmed as positive for the virus, only if they have opted in to sharing them.

The news from Google and Apple comes amid heightened debate over digital “contact tracing” and its privacy implications.

While experts say this of alert system may help slow the spread of the disease by informing people when they have crossed paths with an infected individual, privacy activists have warned against establishing databases which could be used for surveillance, even after the pandemic.

The two firms suggested this system is likely to be turned off when the pandemic eases, to allay concerns over surveillance and privacy.

“Google and Apple can disable the exposure notification system on a regional basis when it is no longer needed,” their document said

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PSX weekly review shows decrease of 25 points

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) mostly witnessed bearish trend throughout the week and lost 25 points as compared to last week’s trading.

The 100-Index was closed at the level of 32,806 points during the trading week which begun on Monday and ended on Friday.

According to the weekly report, 1.3 billion crores shares worth 57 billion rupees were traded during the week and the market capitalization witnessed decreases of Rs37 billion last week and was recorded at Rs6,167 billion.

The KSE-100 index on Tuesday lost 1,146 points and closed at 32,353 points.

The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) last week on Friday saw a return of the bulls as the benchmark KSE-100 Index gained over 1400 points.

The confidence prevailed among the investors as the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) further slashed its key interest rate by two per cent (200 basis points) to nine per cent in wake of the worsening outlook for global and domestic economic activity due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Over the past one month, the central bank’s key interest rate has seen a cumulative reduction of 4.25 per cent.

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Pakistan extends International flight suspension till May 15

An official press release of the Pakistan Aviation Division on Saturday announced extension in International flight operation suspension.

The press release reads: “As per the decision of the Government of Pakistan, the suspension of International flight operations as effected earlier has been extended upto Friday, May 15, 2020 at 2359 hours PST.”

“Remaining provisions as applicable to the suspension of International flights reflected in the previous orders remain unchanged”

However, relief and cargo flights will be operated with special permission to repatriate thousands of Pakistanis stranded in different countries due to the coronavirus pandemic, PIA has been operating special flights from April 15.

The aviation authority had earlier ordered that all inbound flights shall be subjected to thorough checking for COVID-19 as per established procedures including screening, swab test and quarantine as per the advice of the health professionals.

Earlier on April 18, Pakistan extended the ban on domestic and international flights till April 30 in the wake of the coronavirus situation.

The Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority in a statement said that the ban on all flight operations was to be extended till 30th of April.

Director Air Transport CAA has issued a NOTAM (Notice to Airmen) regarding extension in the suspension of flight operations.

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Punjab medical staff go on hunger strike over non-availability of COVID-19 protection gear

Dozens of Pakistani doctors and nurses have gone on a hunger strike to protest against the lack of personal protective equipment (PPE) available for frontline medical staff treating coronavirus patients.

Health workers have complained for weeks that the country´s hospitals are suffering chronic shortages of safety gear, prompting the arrest of more than 50 doctors who called for more supplies in the city of Quetta earlier this month.

The frontline staff has been left vulnerable, with more than 150 medical workers testing positive for the virus nationwide, according to the Young Doctors´ Association (YDA) in the worst-hit Punjab province.

The protesters have kept working in their hospitals while taking turns to demonstrate outside the health authority offices in the provincial capital Lahore.

"We do not intend on stopping until the government listens to our demands. They have been consistently refusing to adhere to our demands," said doctor Salman Haseeb.

Haseeb heads the province´s Grand Health Alliance, which is organising the protest, and he said he had not eaten since April 16.

"We are on the frontline of this virus and if we are not protected then the whole population is at risk," he told AFP.

The alliance said about 30 doctors and nurses were on hunger strike, with up to 200 medical staff joining them each day for demonstrations.

Punjab´s health worker unions are supporting the alliance and also demanding adequate quarantine conditions for medical staff.

Nearly three dozen doctors, nurses and paramedics contracted the virus in one hospital in the city of Multan, while seven members of a doctor´s family were infected in Lahore, it added.

"We are simply demanding justice for our community," said doctor and YDA chairman Khizer Hayat.

Hospital staff would not escalate their protest by walking off the job, he added.

Provincial health department officials told AFP that hospitals had now been provided with adequate protection gear after an earlier "backlog" was resolved.

Earlier this month the Punjab government announced that frontline workers will be awarded a pay bonus and life insurance.

Almost half of the nearly 12,000 confirmed COVID-19 infections across Pakistan have been recorded in Punjab.

The number of infections in the country is believed to be far higher because of a lack of testing in the impoverished country of 215 million.

The Islamic holy month of Ramadan officially began in Pakistan on Saturday, with concerns that the light restrictions imposed on mosque gatherings will not stop a potentially rapid spread of the virus.

Frontline medical workers across the world have been grappling with short supplies of vital safety equipment since the start of the pandemic.

LHC dismisses doctors' petition, slaps fine for wasting court's time
The protest comes at the heel of the Lahore High Court (LHC) dismissing a petition against the non-availability of personal protective equipment for doctors treating coronavirus patients in Punjab, on Saturday.

The LHC dismissed the plea and fined petitioners for taking up the court's time. In a 5-page written verdict, the court ruled that the petitioners had mala-fide intentions when they filed the plea.

"The doctors filed the petition without solid evidence and with the sole purpose of gaining cheap publicity. The court reserves the right to act against people who file unnecessary petitions," the ruling stated.

"If the authorities believe that the petition is against the civil service conduct rules, they may take action against the petitioners. These doctors and paramedics are leading the fight against the coronavirus," it added.

"Doctors are risking their lives every day to treat virus patients. There is no doubt that the medical profession is a respectable profession that aims to serve humanity," the written order read.

"The doctors diligently discharged their duties even when their own relatives of virus-affected patients would not be there for the patients. Doctors should exercise caution while discussing matters," it added.

"The whole world has been affected by the spread of the pandemic. Even developed countries are facing difficulties in procuring and providing for the personal protective equipment of health workers," the order noted.

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Another consignment of medical supplies arrives in Pakistan from China

China sent another consignment of medical supplies to Pakistan to help Islamabad fight coronavirus pandemic, said the army’s media wing.

According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the supplies arrived in Pakistan include face masks, testing kits, ventilators, and protective clothes.

Moreover, a team of Chinese doctors also arrived in Pakistan along with medical equipment to deal with coronavirus pandemic.

According to the media wing of the armed forces, the Chinese team was led by Major General Huang and it reached Pakistan in two special flights.

Chairman Joints Chiefs of Staff Committee welcomed the Chinese team on its arrival.

The Chinese team will stay in Pakistan for two months, the ISPR said adding that the team would support Pakistan’s efforts to fight coronavirus.

It is pertinent to mention here that in order to help Pakistani doctors in fight against COVID-19 pandemic, a team of Chinese experts started a training program for the health professionals in Lahore on April 06.

 

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COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumps to 12,227, recovery rate rose to 2,755

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 12,227 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 12,227

• Sindh: 4,232

• Punjab: 5,046

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,708

• Balochistan: 656

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 223

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 307

• AJK: 55

Deaths: 256

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 89

• Sindh: 78

• Balochistan: 8

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 3

• Punjab: 73

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 3

Officials have recorded more than 2.8 million cases and 196,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December.

CM KP’s assistant tests positive for virus

Assistant to KP chief minister for local government Kamran Bangash has tested positive for coronavirus, the provincial health minister tweeted on Saturday.

“It is sorrowful news about the corona test resulting positive for Kamran Bangash. May Allah give him the strength to beat the virus. We are all praying for him. It can’t be emphasized enough that it is absolutely necessary for everyone to observe social distancing,” CM Mahmood Khan said.

30 telemedicine centres providing health services in province: Punjab governor

Punjab Governor Punjab Chaudhary Muhammad Sarwar has said thirty telemedicine centres are providing health services in the province.

“10,000 doctors are providing health services to people on these telemedicine centres,” he told reporters.

The governor added 3,000 PPE kits have been allocated for doctors of Multan division.

Decision to resume train services to be taken on May 10: railways minister

Railways Minister Sheikh Rasheed says the decision to resume train operations in the country will be taken on May 10.

“If the lockdown is lifted earlier the train service will start within 24 hours,” he said while addressing a press conference in Lahore.

He added, fifteen trains have been reserved for booking fifty per cent passengers.

“Disinfection gates are being manufactured in railways workshop by railways engineers,” he added.

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Fight against Coronavirus: PTI govt launches programme for overseas health professionals

Federal Government launched the "Yaran-e-Watan" initiative to engage overseas health professionals in the country’s fight against COVID-19.

“Pakistani health professionals are on the frontline in the fight against COVID-19 across the world. They also want to help us combat COVID19 in Pakistan. We have launched Yaran-e-Watan initiative for our overseas health professionals who can now register to volunteer their services,” Prime Minister Imran Khan said in a tweet.

Pakistani health professionals are on the frontline in the fight against #COVID19 across the world. They also want to help us combat COVID19 in Pak. We have launched @YaranWatan iniitiative for our overseas health professionals who can now register to volunteer their services. pic.twitter.com/O0MkyDMNDs

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 25, 2020

Overseas health professionals can participate in the programme through tele-training sessions, tele-medicine for triage and counselling, public health and research collaborations.

The programme is a collaborative venture of the Ministry of National Health Services and the Ministry of Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

The "Yaran-e-Watan" platform has been operationalised with support from the International Migration Organisation, the World Health Organisation, and the National Information Board of Technology, the publication said.

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Special PIA flight brings back 250 Pakistanis stranded in Abu Dhabi

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Saturday landed at the Karachi International airport with 250 stranded Pakistanis from Abu Dhabi.

The national flag carrier is continuing its operations to bring back stranded Pakistani expats across the globe and so far 11,700 have been airlifted from the various countries.

Upon landing at the Karachi airport the flight was disinfected and the passengers went through a screening process and later were shifted to quarantine facility.

On April 22, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) had decided to operate 53 special flights from next week to facilitate Pakistanis stranded abroad.

According to details, the flights would be operated for Algeria, Khartoum, Nairobi, Oman, Zurich, Amsterdam, Turkey and Jeddah to bring the Pakistani citizens.

The PIA asked the passengers who were unable to travel to Pakistan from these destinations due to suspension of flight operations amid COVID-19 pandemic to contact the airline’s call centre and provide their local numbers for coordination.

The numbers would be used to inform the passengers regarding booking procedures, flight suspension and others details pertaining to changes made in the flight operations.

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Corona Crisis: Pakistani authorities warns about delays and disruption in CPEC

Pakistani authorities have warned about delays and disruption in China Pakistan Economic Corridors (CPEC) related multi-billion dollars projects after outbreak of coronavirus.

A detailed report tabled before high-powered National Coordination Committee (NCC) states that Chinese companies working on CPEC projects will suffer delays and higher costs, and with supply-chain and worker related disruptions will be witnessed.

It states that Pakistan’s plan to expeditiously build Special Economic Zones (SEZs) will also be thwarted or at least face delays as Chinese companies will find it hard to manage required human and capital supplies on an urgent basis.

In the second-round effect, the SEZs will be the most effective tool to harness benefit out of the crisis, it added. It is believed that G-8 countries aim to diversify global supply chains so that in case of emergency in one country, they can fall back upon other sources of supply.

Even some business giants in China also subscribe to this thought, as they want to re-locate their production houses in different countries. Pakistan, on the back of its infrastructure availability, could be a contender to benefit from global business opportunities arising from the impact of COVID-19.

A well-articulated policy is need of the hour, however, the response may be constrained by different factors, including uncertainty about the nature and duration of shocks may complicate policy response.

Other factors could be that adequately finance demand of health systems and social safety nets within the confines of already squeezed budgets may not be sufficient. The need for a mix of timely and targeted policies on hard-hit sectors and segments of society through temporary tax relief and cash transfers could also rise, the report noted.

The report recommended that the government reprioritise revenue and spending objectives as lower revenues resulting from lower imports coupled with additional spending requirements for pandemic mitigation are likely to widen fiscal deficit.

In the second-round effect, the report says, many businesses will face liquidity problem and will look towards the financial sector for cheaper sources of financing.

Global markets will be tight, thereby constricting exports and remittances, fiscal adjustment will be painful, higher debt accumulation will be problematic, and development will be harder to find financing.

Revenues will be difficult to increase while expenditure demand will be immense, and in all this an intricate policy mix has to be in place for stable transition out of the crisis, the report concluded.

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Coronavirus death toll surpasses 50,000 in US

The death toll from the novel coronavirus topped 51,000 on Friday as nearly one in six workers out of a job, Georgia, Oklahoma and several other states took tentative steps at reopening businesses, despite disapproval from President Donald Trump and medical experts.

Fitness clubs, hair salons, tattoo parlors and some other workplaces were allowed to open their doors by Georgia Governor Brian Kemp, disregarding warnings from public health officials that easing restrictions too soon could lead to more infections and deaths.

Georgia, one of several states in the Deep South that waited until early April to mandate restrictions imposed weeks before across much of the rest of the country to curb the outbreak, has become a flashpoint in the debate over how and when the nation should return to work.

While the COVID-19 illness is killing thousands of Americans daily, stay-at-home orders and business closures have thrown more than 26 million people out of work, a level of unemployment not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

“We’ve been hurting real bad,” said Lester Crowell, co-owner and manager of the Three-13 hair salon in suburban Atlanta, which reopened after 33 days. “I had to dip into my own bank account to keep the lights on here.”

A dozen customers lined up outside the salon, each standing 6 feet apart. Before they could enter, staff members took their temperatures and asked if anyone had a cough, a recent fever or a housemate who had been sick or quarantined.

Despite the lost revenue, not all eligible merchants in Georgia jumped at the chance to resume business. Shay Cannon, owner of Liberty Tattoo in Atlanta, said he would reopen in May by appointment only and did not foresee a return to normal until June or later.

“We’re just watching the numbers and doing what seems right to us,” Cannon told Reuters.

The US death toll from COVID-19, the highest in the world, surpassed 51,000 on Friday, having doubled in 10 days, according to a Reuters tally, and the number of Americans known to be infected surpassed 900,000.

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Taliban rejects call for ceasefire during Ramadan

The Taliban have dismissed a government call for a Ramadan ceasefire in Afghanistan, saying a truce is "not rational" as they ramp up attacks on government forces.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani appealed to the militants to lay down their arms for the Islamic holy month that began Friday, as the country battles the growing coronavirus pandemic.

But the Taliban's spokesman Suhail Shaheen tweeted late Thursday to lambaste the government's offer, citing ongoing disagreements over a potential peace process and a delayed prisoner exchange as reasons to keep fighting.

"Asking for ceasefire is not rational and convincing," wrote Shaheen as he accused the government of putting prisoners'lives at risk during the outbreak.

Under a landmark US-Taliban deal signed earlier this year, the Afghan government and the insurgents were by now supposed to have concluded a prisoner swap and started talks aimed at bringing about a comprehensive ceasefire.

The latest round of bickering comes after dozens of Afghan security forces personnel were killed in a fresh wave of violence launched by the insurgents this week.The attacks have mostly been limited to rural areas and small towns. Under the US-Taliban deal, the insurgents have agreed not to attack cities.

American and other foreign forces have pledged to quit Afghanistan by July 2021 provided the Taliban stick to several security guarantees and hold talks with the government.

Ghani has been calling for a lasting ceasefire with the Taliban for years, only to be ignored by the increasingly emboldened insurgents.

The Taliban instead have mocked Ghani's government, referring to them as "puppets" controlled by foreign powers, and have roundly refused to engage in peace talks as they intensify attacks on Afghan forces.

NATO urges Taliban to cut violence levels and join peace talks
The US-led NATO alliance called on Friday for Afghanistan’s Taliban militants to cut violence levels and join peace talks, saying prisoner releases should also be speeded up.

The Taliban have rejected an Afghan government call for a ceasefire for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, raising concerns about a peace process after Taliban and the United States struck a deal in February on the withdrawal of U.S.-led foreign forces.

“The current level of violence caused by the Taliban is not acceptable,” alliance ambassadors in NATO’s North Atlantic Council said in a statement on the peace efforts.

“We welcome the establishment of an inclusive negotiating team to represent the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. We call on the Taliban to enter negotiations with this team without further delay, which is considered a key element of the U.S.-Taliban agreement,” the NATO statement said.

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PIA lifted 11,000 stranded Pakistanis so far

The Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has lifted 11,000 stranded Pakistanis in the foreign countries thus so far.

According to the PIA spokesperson, the operation to bring back stranded Pakistanis to the country is underway by the PIA and so far 11,000 countrymen have been lifted via 101 flights.

The stranded countrymen were brought back from Saudi Arabia, Canada, United Kingdom (UK), France, Turkey, Iraq, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Japan.

Those lifted from the Saudi Arabia, also include Umrah pilgrims.

The PIA’s rescue operation will continue to bring back the Pakistan expats, said the spokesperson.

He added that CEO PIA Air Marshal Arshad Malik is himself supervising the operation.

Earlier this month, Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had granted permission to the national airline to operate relief flights for bringing back the stranded Pakistanis in foreign countries.

Meanwhile, the national flag carrier has also announced to lower its fares after the CEO Air Marshal Arshad Malik took notice of the higher fares charged from overseas Pakistanis returning to the country.

“Tickets with updated fares will now be available on the e-ticketing system,” said the PIA spokesman.

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Australia will make it a crime to use coronavirus tracing data for non-health purposes

Australia will make it illegal for non-health officials to access data collected on smartphone software to trace the spread of the coronavirus, Prime Minister Scott Morrison said on Friday, amid privacy concerns raised by the measure.

Australia has so far avoided the high death toll of other countries, with only 78 deaths, largely as a result of tough restrictions on movement that have brought public life to a standstill.

The federal government has said existing “social distancing” measures will remain until at least mid-May, and that its willingness to relax them will depend on whether people download the smartphone “app” to identify who a person with the illness has had contact with.

The tracing app, which is yet to be released, has raised concerns from legal and privacy advocates who have said the location data it collects may be used by unrelated bodies like law enforcement agencies.

Morrison said the government would make any use by non-health officials illegal.

“It will be illegal for information to go out of that data store to any other person other than that for whom the whole thing is designed, and that is to support the health worker in the state to be able to undertake the contact tracing,” he told reporters in Canberra.

Morrison also confirmed a local media report which said the data would be stored on servers managed by AWS, a unit of U.S. internet giant Amazon.com Inc, but added that “it’s a nationally encrypted data store”.

The promise of laws to limit use of the app came as the Australian authorities reported another day of low single-digit percentage increases of the illness, which has infected about 6,700 people and resulted in 78 deaths in the country.

With the country’s borders closed for weeks, Morrison said the illness was now in its “community phase”, which meant the health authorities hoped to slow the spread by widespread testing – even of people without symptoms – and contact tracing.

The country’s state governments began urging people to come forward for testing, saying they no longer needed to meet previous criteria of having been in contact with an infected person, having been abroad, or experiencing flu-like symptoms.

A cruise ship linked to a third of the country’s coronavirus deaths left the country on Thursday after a month docked in local waters.

The Ruby Princess, owned by Carnival Corp, has become a flashpoint of public anger after being allowed to unload thousands of passengers in Sydney without health checks on March 19. Hundreds of its passengers later tested positive to COVID-19, about 10% of the country’s overall cases.

Separate criminal, coronial and government investigations have been launched to find out how the ship’s operators were allowed to let coronavirus patients disembark.

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Pandemic drone to monitor COVID-19 symptoms

Using advance technology to monitor COVID-19 hotspots and implement on social distancing will now become easy as a ‘pandemic drone’ is being launched to monitor and detect people with infectious respiratory symptoms in public.

A United States (US) company that deals in unmanned vehicles, Dranganfly announced the first ever series of U.S. ‘pandemic drone’ test flights in Westport, Connecticut, considered a COVID-19 ‘hotspot’, to identify social distancing and detect symptoms presented by the virus, in an effort to keep the community safe.

Draganfly’s new pandemic drone technology is being tested by the Westport Police Department as a new “Flatten the Curve Pilot Program” and is made possible by the collaboration and integration of technologies developed by Draganfly, Vital Intelligence Inc. and the University of South Australia.

The drone is said to monitor people’s temperatures from 190 feet away and has the ability to detect sneezing, coughing and heart and breathing rates using sensors and computer vision.

Westport is deploying the technology and data tools to enhance town services, advance public safety, promote the efficient use of taxpayer dollars, engage residents, and encourage growth in the local economy.

It will not be used in individual private yards and does not use facial recognition, individualized data or identify people, Draganfly insists.

The company initially expected the equipment to be ready in six months time but Westport police are already testing it out.

Researchers involved say the drone demonstrated that heart rate and breathing rate can be measured with high accuracy within 16 to 32 feet of people, using drones and at distances of up to 190 feet with fixed cameras.

And it uses special algorithms to spot someone sneezing and coughing.

The UniSA team led by Defence Chair of Sensor Systems Professor Javaan Chahl believes the UAV could be a viable screening tool for the COVID-19 pandemic.

‘It might not detect all cases, but it could be a reliable tool to detect the presence of the disease in a place or in a group of people.’

Officials in Westport believe the new technology could be the answer to combating the spread of coronavirus and tracking those with symptoms.

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Pakistan has not received any aid from the international community: PM

Reiterating his stance on the coronavirus lockdown, Prime Minister Imran Khan stressed on Friday that the country will have to return to normalcy while pushing ahead with its fight against the pandemic.

Speaking to a group of YouTube vloggers who called on him, he said he can’t say anything about when the country would get rid of the virus.

The prime minister said Pakistan has not yet received any aid from the international community for its fight against the coronavirus that posed a huge challenge to the country. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) only provided relief to the country in the shape of deferring loan instalments, he added.

Lockdown restrictions brought in to contain the spread of the disease in the country took a heavy toll on the weak segments of society, he said, adding he held a different opinion on the decision to impose a lockdown in the country in the wake of the virus outbreak.

Prime Minister Khan said unemployment facing the country at present was not seen in the pre-coronavirus period. He said conditions in Pakistan are different from the US and other developed countries where people have access to social security.

He said businesses should not have been closed down as it would add to the suffering of the people.

The prime minister said the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) was the first political party to use social media in the country. No matter how much one tells lies, people will eventually find out the truth, he added.

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Utility Stores’ workers go on strike across Pakistan

Utility Stores’ employees across the country announced a strike on Friday till government fulfilled their demands.

Due to the strike, utility stores across the country are facing closure.

Employees demand that they be given status of permanent employees along with other benefits.

The employees argue that they have been working on contract or daily wages since 13 years and deserve being given permanent employment.

Furious employees have said that they have been left unpaid since a few years and their commission, Sunday allowance and Eid bonuses have also been suspended which were a staple in the past.

Due to rising inflation it is next to impossible to live on a bare minimum of 14,000 rupee salary, said the employees.

Workers also demanded security risk allowance for performing their duties amid the coronavirus pandemic.

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T20 World Cup to held as per schedule despite coronavirus

Global cricket chiefs on Thursday announced to move forward with plans of staging the T20 World Cup, in Australia, as per schedule despite the coronavirus pandemic which has halted all major sporting events.

The conference call brought together the chief executives of the International Cricket Council's (ICC's) 12 full member nations and three associate representatives.

Global cricket is at a standstill as a result of COVID-19, with stark warnings issued over the damaging economic fallout.

Thursday's meeting received updates on contingency planning for all ICC global events, including the T20 World Cup, due to start in October, and next year's women's Cricket World Cup.

Cricket Australia chief executive Kevin Roberts said his organisation was working closely with the ICC, the Australian government and local organisers to gain a "comprehensive understanding" of what it would take to host the T20 World Cup as planned.

"We are also jointly exploring all other options in relation to staging the event and will take the right decisions at the right time so we can host a wonderful celebration of the sport and keep everyone involved safe and well," he added.

ICC medical committee chairman Peter Harcourt said the next step for cricket chiefs was to create a "roadmap" for the resumption of the international game.

"This will consider everything from player preparation to government restrictions and advisories and bio-bubbles," he said.

"The scale and complexity of getting cricket started again cannot be underestimated, particularly with respect to a global event. The more teams, venues and cities involved in an event, the greater the risk which has to be assessed and managed."

The outbreak of the virus has also placed a huge question mark over whether next year's inaugural World Test Championship final at Lord's can take place as scheduled should teams be unable to play all their qualifying matches.

The ICC added Thursday that discussions about the Championship's future would be held at a later date "when there is a greater understanding of the impact of the cricket that has been lost".

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Google launches distance learning portal ‘Teach From Home’

As educational institutes across the globe remain closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, home-based learning is gaining increasing popularity.

To ensure that students and educators both are able to solve this problem, Google has come up with a new distance learning resource hub, 'Teach From Home'.

The portal features information, tips, training and tools from across Google.

It includes:

● A collection of training materials on how to get started,

● Best practices for conducting lessons with or without video call capability,

● Tips on engagement and community building, and

● A downloadable step-by-step Teach from Home Toolkit

To lend further support to distance learning, Google has made premium Google Meet video conferencing features free for schools and educational institutions until 30 September 2020. This includes the ability to have 250 people in a call together, record lessons and livestream.

“Productivity suit G Suite for Education is free for all eligible educational institutions,” read a press release from the tech giant.

The Teach from Home Toolkit is available in English and 18 different languages. The kit will be updated with more languages in the days to come.

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India is promoting Hindutva and saffron terrorism: DG ISPR

Director-General of the Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Maj Gen Babar Iftikhar on Friday said that Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Qamar Javed Bajwa had instructed the Pakistan Army to help the civilian administration during the month of Ramadan.

"COAS held a special conference at General Headquarters today where the overview of the coronavirus deployment and situation was taken into account. COAS instructed all commanders to ensures border security and carry out routine activities as per schedule," DG ISPR said.

"COAS instructed the Army to work with civil authorities to ease the difficulties being faced by the people during Ramadan. The conference also took notice of statements issued by Indian leadership with regards to Pakistan," the military spokesperson said at a press conference.

'India blames Pakistan for every domestic problem'

"India carried out close to 850 border violations. Indian military leadership has also used the media to promote failed propaganda against Pakistan. It shows demoralisation of Indian military. India has blamed Pakistan for every domestic problem it faces," he added.

"RSS extremists have violated international law and prove that India is promoting Hindutva and saffron terrorism. Saffronisation of Indian military and polity is a sad fact that the world cannot afford under present circumstances," DG ISPR noted.

"Coronavirus is a global pandemic and Indian attempts to associate it with Muslims have failed. The political and military leadership of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit Baltistan, is improving the virus situation in the region," DG ISPR informed reporters.

'We fear virus cases may rise in two weeks'

Anwering questions about the virus epidemic, DG ISPR said that it is clear that the confirmed virus cases are less than initial projections. "We fear that this number may increase in two weeks. Through the NCOC platform, the national effort against the virus is being reviewed," he said.

"All resources of Pakistan Army are being used on the order of the government to tackle the pandemic. Resource allocation is being altered due to changing situation. Under new strategy, we are taking resources to provincial, district, and union council levels," he said.

"Process of delivering more than 350,000 ration packs is ongoing. These were purchased from the funds gathered through salaries of Pakistan Army employees. Soldiers have also decided not to take internal security allowance to help with virus relief," he said.

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Netflix subscriptions doubled during Corona lockdown

The business of online streaming service Netflix is ​​booming when businesses around the world have been shut down due to coronavirus.

People are using Netflix more because they are confined to their homes, which has already doubled its quarterly profits. The number of Netflix subscribers worldwide has reached about 182 million.

More than 1.5 million people have so far subscribed to Netflix’s online streaming service during the Corona virus.

In the first quarter of 2020, Netflix posted a profit of about 71 710 million on revenue of 5.8 billion.

The company’s management has said that Corona has increased subscriptions and increased revenue, but due to lockdowns imposed by governments around the world, we have stopped most of our productions.

People are turning to this video streaming service to have fun and spend time at home, which has increased Netflix’s profits.

According to the company, the number of users who subscribed to Netflix by the end of last year has almost doubled.

Netflix reports that most of the production has been halted due to the lockdown, but revenue is growing rapidly.

According to the management, we are seeing an increase in membership for our services. According to Netflix, the company is offering its services to people who are confined to their homes in the days of lockdown.

The company added that if the lockdown continues due to the Corona virus, the service could be added to 7.5 million subscribers by June this year, but there is a risk of a sharp decline in users after the lockdown ends.

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Coronavirus: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumps to 11,155, recovery rate rose to 2,527

The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 11,155 on Friday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 11,155

• Sindh: 3,671

• Punjab: 4,767

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,541

• Balochistan: 607

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 214

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 300

• AJK: 55

Deaths: 237

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 85

• Sindh: 73

• Balochistan: 8

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 3

• Punjab: 65

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 3

Officials have recorded more than 2.7 million cases and 190,000 deaths since the virus emerged in China in December.

Lahore, Pakistan — Railways minister to hold iftar party despite lockdown

Railways Minister Shaikh Rashid invited journalists for an iftar party despite the ongoing lockdown imposed in the country due to the coronavirus.

According to the spokesperson of railways, the party will be held at Railways Mayo garden, adding that social distancing will be maintained during the party. He added that the expenses for the party were being paid by the minister, not from the government budget.

Union leaders say utility store employees not being provided with protection equipment

Union leaders of utility stores have said that they are not being provided with any protective equipment to work during the coronavirus pandemic.

Chairman of the utility stores employees association Nadeem Iqbal stated that the doctors were getting a double pay but they were not getting a single penny more than they earn. He added that they were demanding their legitimate demands.

Punjab speaker asks provincial govt to release funds for lawyers

Punjab Assembly Speaker Pervaiz Elahi has asked the provincial government to issue a fund for lawyers at once.

The speaker stated that there was no use of issuing the funds without delay as the lawyers can neither do any business nor any work. He added that the world was affected by the pandemic and every sector in the country was affected by the virus.

No reason for employees to go on strike: MD utility stores 

Managing Director of Utility Stores Corporation Umar Lodhi has stated that valid demands of the employees have been accepted and there was no reason for them to go on strike now.

Lodhi stated that board has also given them assurances in writing. He added that the union’s decision to go on a strike a day before Ramadan was inexplainable.

The MD also explained that they were planning to bring the utility stores in the list of essential items so no one can close the stores abruptly.

Friday prayers held at Faisal Mosque in Islamabad

Friday prayers at the Faisal Mosque was done without any prayer mats and with social distancing between the people.

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COVID-19: Sindh govt finalises SOPs for Holy month of Ramadan

Sindh government has finalized standard operating procedures (SOPs) for the Holy month of Ramadan.

According to the sources, only 3 to 5 people will be allowed to offer Taraweeh namaz in the Holy month in a move to curtail spread of the virus. Taraweeh congregations at marriage halls and others open places in the province would be banned.

Shopping centres and the malls will remain close and strict action would be taken against the violators. Only online business would be allowed. The businesses exempted from the lockdown would be allowed to do their business till 5:00 pm.

The restaurants can deliver the food till 5:00 pm and the superstores failing to implement the SOPs, would be sealed, the sources privy to the development.

Sources said, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has taken President Arif Alvi and Governor Sindh Imran Ismail into confidence over the SOPs.

Earlier in the day, Sindh Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah had requested the people of the province to offer Taraweeh prayers at homes amid coronavirus outbreak.

In a video message, CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah said that in view of increasing number of coronavirus cases and in fear shown by the doctors and Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), we have taken the difficult decision to limit Taraweeh prayers to 3 to 5 people at mosques.

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Pakistan’s exports to Africa increased by 10 percent: Abdul Razak Dawood

Adviser to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood has said that Pakistan’s exports to Africa have increased by 10% even in this crunch time of coronavirus outbreak.

“Alhumdulillah! Even in these testing times Pakistan’s exports to Africa have increased by 10% from July 2019 to 21st April 2020, as compared to the same period last year”, Razak Dawood said in a tweet.

Alhumdulillah! Even in these testing times Pakistan’s exports to Africa have increased by 10% from July 2019 to 21st April 2020, as compared to the same period last year.1/2 @ansukhera @pid_gov @ImranKhanPTI @aliya_hamza

— Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) April 24, 2020

He said rice exports has increased 20%, from $500 to $600 million, tractors from $9 to 15 million, clothing from $4 to $50 million, and bed linen from $30 to $36 million.

Earlier, Razak Dawood had said that Gwadar Port has been made operational for the Afghan Transit Trade.

 

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Dollar appreciates against Pakistani Rupee

The US dollar (USD) registered appreciation against the Pakistani rupee (PKR) in the interbank market on Friday after consistent depreciation.

According to details, the value of the greenback surged by 0.22 paisa today to trade at Rs160.20 in the interbank market.

Earlier on April 7, the US dollar hit an all-time high against the Pakistani rupee in the interbank market.

The value of the greenback surged by 0.92 paisa today to trade at Rs167.90 in the interbank market.

Dollar had soared by Rs9.23 during the preovious high.

The first major depreciation came on April 17, The Pakistani rupee rose by Rs3.38 against the US dollar in the interbank market.

According to forex dealers, the rupee appreciated by three rupees and traded at Rs163.50.

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Sunlight destroys coronavirus quickly: US scientists

The new coronavirus is quickly destroyed by sunlight, according to new research announced by a senior US official on Thursday, though the study has not yet been made public and awaits external evaluation.

William Bryan, science and technology advisor to the Department of Homeland Security secretary, told reporters at the White House that government scientists had found ultraviolet rays had a potent impact on the pathogen, offering hope that its spread may ease over the summer.

"Our most striking observation to date is the powerful effect that solar light appears to have on killing the virus, both surfaces and in the air," he said.

"We’ve seen a similar effect with both temperature and humidity as well, where increasing the temperature and humidity or both is generally less favorable to the virus."

But the paper itself has not yet been released for review, making it difficult for independent experts to comment on how robust its methodology was.

It has long been known that ultraviolet light has a sterilizing effect, because the radiation damages the virus’s genetic material and their ability to replicate.

A key question, however, will be what the intensity and wavelength of the UV light used in the experiment was and whether this accurately mimics natural light conditions in summer.

"It would be good to know how the test was done, and how the results were measured," Benjamin Neuman, chair of biological sciences at Texas A&M University-Texarkana, told AFP.

"Not that it would be done badly, just that there are several different ways to count viruses, depending on what aspect you are interested in studying."

Virus inactivated

Bryan shared a slide summarizing major findings of the experiment that was carried out at the National Biodefense Analysis and Countermeasures Center in Maryland.

It showed that the virus’s half-life -- the time taken for it to reduce to half its amount -- was 18 hours when the temperature was 70 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit (21 to 24 degrees Celsius) with 20 percent humidity on a non-porous surface.

This includes things like door handles and stainless steel.

But the half-life dropped to six hours when humidity rose to 80 percent -- and to just two minutes when sunlight was added to the equation.

When the virus was aerosolized -- meaning suspended in the air -- the half-life was one hour when the temperature was 70 to 75 degrees with 20 percent humidity.

In the presence of sunlight, this dropped to just one and a half minutes.

Bryan concluded that summer-like conditions "will create an environment (where) transmission can be decreased."

He added, though, that reduced spread did not mean the pathogen would be eliminated entirely and social distancing guidelines cannot be fully lifted.

"It would be irresponsible for us to say that we feel that the summer is just going to totally kill the virus and then if it’s a free-for-all and that people ignore those guides," he said.

Previous work has also agreed that the virus fares better in cold and dry weather than it does in hot and humid conditions, and the lower rate of spread in southern hemisphere countries where it is early fall and still warm bear this out.

Australia, for example, has had just under 7,000 confirmed cases and 77 deaths -- well below many northern hemisphere nations.

The reasons are thought to include that respiratory droplets remain airborne for longer in colder weather, and that viruses degrade more quickly on hotter surfaces, because a protective layer of fat that envelops them dries out faster.

US health authorities believe that even if COVID-19 cases slow over summer, the rate of infection is likely to increase again in fall and winter, in line with other seasonal viruses like the flu.

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CPO Faisalabad shot 4 men who raped minor boy

CPO Faisalabad Sohail Ahmad Chaudhry shot and killed 4 child abusers who subjected a 5-year-old child to brutality.

As per the police, armed gunmen opened fire on police during a raid.

The raid was being carried out to arrest the two accused in a 5-year-old child’s rape case. Upon retaliation, police killed both the accused and the two who tried to sabotage the raid. The attackers have been identified as Umer and Shahbaz.

As per the police, three attackers also managed to flee the scene, while a total of 4 were killed. Since the news broke on social media, people have been all praise for the CPO. Theoretically, it is being believed that the CPO shot all 4 in a staged ‘encounter’ due to the weak justice system.

However, the police have put forth a proper theory as to why the rapists were shot dead on the spot. The police’s point of view suggests that attackers tried to free their accomplices and thus, the shootout began.

Since then, the police have been on the outlook for the accused who ran away from the scene. The other two killed were also wanted in murder, theft, dacoity, and other crimes.

According to the CPO, the attack was lodged by seven armed men in order to release two of their accomplices allegedly involved in rape and murder case. However, the public is absolutely sure that CPO Faisalabad did not want these accusers to walk free.

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Special airplane carrying medical supplies from China arrived in Islamabad

A cargo plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) carrying protective gears to fight coronavirus from China on Friday landed at the Islamabad airport.

The PIA flight PK-8897 arrived from Chengdu to Islamabad.

The protective equipment include masks, gloves, sanitizers, testing kits and others to help Pakistan in fight against the deadly virus. The flight was disinfected upon landing at the airport by the authorities.

The equipment was received by the Pakistani authorities on the runway, the sources said.

On Wednesday, a Turkish plane carrying protective gears had reached Islamabad.

The plane was carrying 20,000 N-95 masks and 18500 safety gowns, for Pakistani doctors working in hospitals for treatment of corona-infected patients,reported Radio Pakistan.

Deputy Head of Mission of Turkish Consulate handed over the equipment to the Deputy Chairman of NDMA at the airport.

Earlier this month, a special plane of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from China with medical supplies regarding coronavirus pandemic had reached Islamabad.

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Sindh imposes complete lockdown from 12 noon to 3 pm today

Sindh government has decided to impose a complete lockdown from 12 noon to 3 p.m. today (Friday).

Public or religious gatherings or congregations and unnecessary movement of the citizens will be strictly banned during the complete lockdown.

Talking to journalist, Sindh Information Minister Nasir Hussain Shah urged the people to cooperate with the government in fight against the pandemic. He asked the people to follow the safety instructions issued by the government to protect themselves from the deadly virus.

Read more:People to offer Taraweeh prayers at homes, CM Sindh appeals

Earlier on April 10, Sindh would be under complete lockdown today (Friday) from 12 noon to 3:00pm as a measure to contain spread of coronavirus.

According to the home department, a complete lockdown for three hours will be imposed that day during the timings of Friday prayers, however, the orders will not apply to the private hospitals.

The department had also warned strict action against the persons involved in the violation of the restrictions.

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People to offer Taraweeh prayers at homes, CM Sindh appeals

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah has requested the people of the province to offer Taraweeh prayers at homes amid coronavirus outbreak.

In a video message on Thursday night, CM Sindh Murad Ali Shah said that in view of increasing number of coronavirus cases and in fear shown by the doctors and Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), we have taken the difficult decision to limit Taraweeh prayers to 3 to 5 people at mosques.

CM Sindh said that mosques across the province will remain open and Taraweeh prayers will be offered as usual but only the staff will be allowed to participate as its is feared that the coronavirus pandemic will spread massively if large gathering are not avoided.

“I appreciate the support extended by Ulema to date, and urge them to continue to support us, as we all work together to overcome the coronavirus pandemic. May Allah guide us to the right path!” he said.

On April 18, a consultative session of religious scholars with President Arif Alvi in chair agreed over 20-point preventive measures against highly contagious novel coronavirus disease during prayers in the month of holy Ramadan.

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Trump thinks report was incorrect on illness of North Korea's Kim Jong Un

U.S. President Donald Trump on Thursday threw more cold water on reports that North Korean leader Kim Jong Un was gravely ill, but declined to say if he had been in touch with officials there.

“I think the report was incorrect,” Trump said at a daily White House briefing, adding that he had heard it was based on “old documents.”

Trump had said on Tuesday that he might contact North Korean officials to inquire about Kim but gave no indication on Thursday he had done so. The two leaders have had regular communications over the past couple of years.

“We have a good relationship with North Korea, I have a good relationship with Kim Jong Un and I hope he’s okay,” Trump said.

Daily NK, a Seoul-based website, reported on Monday that Kim, who is believed to be about 36, was recovering after undergoing a cardiovascular procedure on April 12. It cited one unnamed source in North Korea. The state-controlled media in North Korea has been silent on Kim’s whereabouts.

Two South Korean government officials rejected a subsequent CNN report citing an unnamed U.S. official saying that the United States was “monitoring intelligence” that Kim was in grave danger after surgery.

On Tuesday, Trump, who held unprecedented summits with Kim in 2018 and 2019 in an attempt to persuade him to give up his nuclear weapons, said the reports had not been confirmed and he did not put much credence in them.

Kim is a third-generation hereditary leader who rules North Korea with an iron fist, coming to power after his father Kim Jong Il died in 2011 from a heart attack.

The U.S. government’s latest information on the North Korean leadership is that Kim still remains out of sight and there is a dearth of reliable information about the reasons for his absence, according to a source familiar with current intelligence reporting and analysis.

U.S. officials acknowledge Kim does have a history of health problems and is overweight, and say that this does at least raise a credible possibility he has suffered some kind of health crisis, the source said.

But they do not regard theories that Kim has had a heart attack or some other serious health setback as confirmed, and said he has disappeared from public view for extended periods in the past.

U.S. government experts do not believe Kim’s influential sister, Kim Yo Jong, is a shoo-in to succeed him were he to die. They believe there is “no clear” designated successor in the event that Kim dies, the source said.

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Spain’s virus death toll tops 22,000

Spain said Thursday 440 people died in the past 24 hours from the new coronavirus, a slight increase for the third day running, bringing the overall death toll to 22,157.

The country has suffered the third-highest number of deaths in the world from the pandemic after the United States and Italy, with infections now more than 213,000 cases, health ministry figures showed.

Spanish health officials believe the epidemic peaked on April 2 when 950 people died over 24 hours, nearly three weeks after the government imposed a strict lockdown, effectively confining almost 47 million citizens to home to slow the spread of the virus.

“We have achieved the goal of a deceleration and slowdown for this week but we remain in a hard phase of the epidemic,” Health Minister Salvador Illa told a news conference.

The March 14 lockdown has been twice extended and parliament late on Wednesday approved a fresh extension until May 9, although conditions are to be slightly eased from April 26 to allow children to spend some time outside.

Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez told the assembly on Wedneday he hoped Spain could begin to ease its restrictions — some of the tightest in Europe — during the second half of May, but warned that “de-escalation will be slow”.

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Time to heed health experts’ advice on Covid-19 measures: Bilawal

Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Thursday stressed the need for heeding the advice of doctors and health experts calling for a strict lockdown to arrest the spread of coronavirus in the country.

“This is not the time for populous electoral politics. This is the time to make decisions based on the advice of doctors and health experts,” he said while talking to BBC.

He added health professionals from Lahore to Karachi are protesting, giving press conferences, and appealing to them to take necessary steps to protect them and to ease the burden on the healthcare system.

The young PPP leader said Sindh was the first province to introduce lockdown and strict restrictions to stem Covid-19.

He said the provincial government was trying to convince ulema to abide by lockdown restrictions they were already adhering to but now this is difficult given mixed messages on the issue from the Centre on the issue.

The number of cases of the deadly virus has surged past 11,000, including 235 deaths.

Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah today confirmed 298 new coronavirus cases in the province.

In a video statement released from the CM House, he said out of the 298 cases reported over the past 24 hours, 202 cases were detected in Karachi while 96 emerged in other districts of the province.

CM Murad said that four more have died from novel coronavirus in the province during this period, taking the provincial toll to 73. He said the coronavirus cases in Karachi stand at 2,409 while the provincial tally of positive cases has risen to 3,671.

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Italy launches antibody tests for virus immunity

Italy began conducting antibody tests in the northern region of Lombardy on Thursday, seeking information about coronavirus immunity to help guide authorities as they reopen the long locked-down country.

Lombardy, the region hardest-hit by the coronavirus crisis in Europe's worst-affected country, is betting that the science about "herd immunity" derived from the blood tests will help the prosperous industrial region return to work faster and safer.

Nearly 13,000 people have already died of the virus in densely populated Lombardy, whose capital is Milan — more than half of Italy's total dead.

Although Germany has already started nationwide antibody tests and countries such as Finland and Britain have announced plans to roll them out, many questions remain about how reliable data derived from the tests will be.

Health authorities have said 20,000 tests would be performed every day in Lombardy. First to be tested are those in the worst-hit provinces: health workers, those under quarantine showing coronavirus symptoms and those they have been in contact with, as well as others with mild symptoms.

Authorities hope to roll out the tests to the wider region after April 29.

The head of Italy's National Health Council, Franco Locatelli, said last month that antibody tests would help authorities determine the spread of the coronavirus.

Data would also provide "very relevant information on herd immunity" which would useful in developing strategies to help restart the country, he said, such as who could be allowed to go back to work.

The kits, made by Italian biotech firm DiaSorin, look for the presence of antibodies in the blood. Such antibodies indicate that the person has been exposed to the virus, pointing to some level of immunity.

They differ from the more common swab tests, which test molecules from nasal secretions to determine whether a person currently has the virus.

Lombardy's swab testing has revealed that 24 percent of those tested have the virus.

Immunity to the virus is little understood and hopes about its efficacy possibly exaggerated.

Lacking data, virologists and epidemiologists must extrapolate information from past coronaviruses, such as the SARS outbreak in 2002-2003, to make predictions.

Experts believe at least 60 to 70 percent of a population must be immune to the virus in order to gradually wipe it out.

But recent studies, such as one conducted in March and April by France's Institut Pasteur, have found that so-called "herd immunity" was harder to attain than believed.

At a high school in the Oise department of France, site of one of the country's first outbreaks, researchers found only 26 percent of students, teachers and their families carried antibodies.

Moreover, it is not known for how long immunity to coronavirus lasts, meaning there is a risk those deemed "immune" may be re-infected and pass along the virus to others.

"There's no guarantee that these antibodies protect from a new infection. We can only hope so for the moment. We'll know in the future," Guido Marinoni, president of Bergamo's surgical and dental association, told AFP on Thursday.

Marinoni, who organised local testing in the badly affected province of Bergamo and plans to study results, also cautioned that a lack of antibodies might mean the disease was still its early stages and antibodies had not kicked in yet.

Even more risky, a person who has developed antibodies can still carry traces of the virus, and be contagious. Therefore, experts such as Italy's Locatelli say antibody tests should be accompanied by swab testing.

Immunologist Jean-Francois Delfraissy, who heads France's scientific council formed to fight coronavirus, said many doubts remain.

"We're currently asking the question whether someone who has had COVID-19... is as protected as we think," he said.

Scientists must wait until more reliable data is available, said Saad Omer, director of the Yale Institute for Global Health.

"It's too premature," Omer told AFP. "We should be able to get clearer data very quickly -- in a couple of months -- when there will be reliable antibody tests with sensitivity and specificity."

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Moody's projects Pakistan's first annual recession in 2020 over pandemic

Pakistan is expected to face its first annual recession in fiscal year 2020 due to the ongoing and worsening coronavirus pandemic, credit rating agency Moody's Investors Service said in a forecast issued late Wednesday.

The country's financing needs were also expected to rise significantly, while its real — or inflation-adjusted — gross domestic product (GDP) would likely fall 0.1-0.5% as well as opposed to the International Monetary Fund's (IMF) projected 1.5%, it said, underscoring that this would mark Pakistan's first annual recession.

The Prime Minister Imran Khan-led government had last month approved a Rs1.2-trillion relief and stimulus package to cushion the virus-caused economic impact. It includes tax incentives for businesses, exports, and the health sector, as well as support to households, which were given financial assistance via the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Programme.

That relief package was followed by the IMF's $1.4-billion Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) to Pakistan on April 16, $588 million from the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and the International Development Association (IDA) and a debt relief offer from the G20 countries. All of these, the credit rating agency added, would help slash financing risks.

It is important to note here that the IMF has also given Pakistan $6 billion as a bailout package under its Extended Fund Facility (EFF), while the World Bank has done the same under its own Revitalising, Innovating, Strengthening Education project.

The G20 nations' offer, on the other hand, was likely to support the country "by deferring principal and interest payments on bilateral debt due between May and December".

However, Moody's stressed that PM Imran's Rs1.2-trillion package would bump up Pakistan's financing needs. It would widen the PTI government's FY2020 fiscal deficit to 9.5-10% of the GDP, as opposed to 8.9% in 2019 "despite strong revenue growth narrowing the deficit in the first half of fiscal 2020".

While the government revenue shot up 40%, tax revenue rose 18% and non-tax revenue almost doubled partly on the back of SBP's higher profits in the year's first half, it was forecast to fall.

"Nevertheless, tax revenue is likely to contract in the second half compared with the year-ago period, although higher-than-budgeted central bank profits, lower-than-budgeted interest payments, and fiscal payments from lower oil prices will mitigate the effect of the contraction on the deficit," Moody's added.

In addition, the government's debt-to-GDP ration was projected to rise to 87% this year, compared to 83% in 2019. It would, however, decline in later years, the agency noted.

The economy is said to recover by over 2% in 2021.

The country-wide lockdown to contain the spread of the novel coronavirus "will significantly curtail domestic consumption and pose downside risks to economic growth, which threatens a wider fiscal deficit and a higher government debt burden than we [Moody's] currently project".

Further dampening the economic hit were the State Bank of Pakistan's (SBP) move to bring down the policy rate — in three consecutive cuts — to 9%.

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