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Saturday, June 27, 2020

COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumped to 202,955, recovery rate rose to 92,624

Coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 202,955 on Sunday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of June 28, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 202,955

• Sindh: 78,267

• Punjab: 74,202

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 25,380

• Balochistan: 10,261

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 12,395

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,423

• AJK: 1,027

Deaths: 4,118

• Punjab: 1,673

• Sindh: 1,243

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 914

• Balochistan: 114

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 122

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 24

• AJK: 28

Global coronavirus cases surge past 10 million

Global coronavirus cases topped 10 million on Sunday marking a major milestone in the spread of the respiratory disease that has so far killed almost half a million people in seven months.

North America, Latin America, and Europe each account for around 25% of cases, while Asia and the Middle East have around 11% and 9% respectively, according to the Reuters tally, which uses government reports.

There have been more than 497,000 fatalities linked to the disease so far, roughly the same as the number of influenza deaths reported annually.



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Youtube targets TikTok with 15 second video test

Youtube gearing up to rival TikTok with 15 second videos
Google-owned YouTube appears to have taken an aim at TikTok as the streaming giant has now started testing a way to record multi-segment videos that run up to a maximum length of 15 seconds.

The 15-second video format, made popular by TikTok, is now being increasingly tried by other social media platforms as well.

YouTube announced its intention to give the 15-second video format a try this week, which may be called ‘Shorts’.

The experiments have started on mobile — both Android and iOS — with a small group of people.

YouTube hasn’t revealed further upcoming details about whether they would bring more controls or features related to the short-form videos in the form of filters, effects, music, AR, or buttons to change the video speed – that basically makes what TikTok is today.

YouTube has confirmed that the 15-second videos experiment is not a part of the Stories section and with that being said, there is still confusion on how will the short videos be discoverable within the YouTube app.



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Opposition likely to be delayed APC over Shehbaz Sharif’s illness

Opposition likely to be delayed APC over Shehbaz Sharif’s illness
All parties conference (APC) to be convened by opposition parties has been delayed for at least a week over the continuous illness of Opposition Leader in National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif.

The conference, to be hosted by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto is likely to be convened in the next week. The sources said that the PML-N had asked the PPP to delay the APC.

The sources, while quoting the opposition leader said that the APC was an important development in the ongoing political scenario.

“I personally want to join the conference,” said Shehbaz Sharif, who requested that the political event be postponed until the outcome of his COVID-19 test.

Bilawal Bhutto has summoned a meeting of the senior PPP leadership on video-link to mull over the suggestion from Shehbaz Sharif.

Moreover, the PPP chairman also held a telephonic conversation with the Awami National Party (ANP) chief Asfandyar Wali.

The two discussed the policies adopted by the federal government to tackle COVID-19 and hike in fuel prices. Bilawal Bhutto also took the ANP chief into confidence over the APC, to be conveyed in the next week.

It is pertinent to mention here that two major opposition parties, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and the Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), have rejected the federal budget.

PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif said that the targets set in the budget are unrealistic, adding that it will further increase inflation and unemployment in the country.

The PML-N leader said that for the first time in 68 years, the country’s GDP has plunged to negative and predicted that the government will present a mini-budget ahead of the next meeting with the IMF.



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Scottish police name Sudanese man shot dead during knife attack

Scottish police name Sudanese man shot dead during knife attack
Police in Scotland named a man who was shot dead by officers during a knife attack in the city of Glasgow as Badreddin Abadlla Adam, 28, from Sudan.

Six people, including a policeman, were stabbed at a hotel in the city centre on Friday before the attacker was shot dead.

Police said they were not looking for any other suspects and were not treating the incident as terrorism. The attacker was the only person killed.

Earlier on Saturday, the injured police officer, Constable David Whyte, issued a statement from hospital.

“The incident myself and colleagues faced in West George Street was extremely challenging. The scene we were confronted with is something I will never forget,” he said.

“Despite suffering serious injuries myself, I know that the swift actions of colleagues saved lives and prevented a far more serious incident.”

Whyte’s condition was initially described as critical. On Saturday police said he was in a stable condition.

The hotel where the attack took place was being used to house asylum seekers during the coronavirus pandemic. Police cautioned against speculating about the attacker’s motives.

Three of the other people who were injured were asylum seekers, and two were hotel staff. All five remained in hospital, and one was in a critical but stable condition.

Several British media outlets reported that the attacker had been behaving erratically and displaying signs of mental health problems in the hours leading up to the incident. Police did not confirm those details.



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Govt exempted areas from load-shedding under smart lockdown

lockdown
In a step to provide relief to masses amid coronavirus pandemic, the Power Division on Saturday announced to exempt all the areas going under lockdown from load-shedding.

In a statement, Power Division directed all the distribution companies (DISCOs) that no load shedding would be allowed in the areas that have been placed under restrictions even if feeders in that areas are in high losses.

The Power division is closely monitoring the power supply to these areas, read the statement.

The capacity of the transmission system has been increased to over 26,000 MW, it said and added that at present 22,000 MW electricity is being transmitted though the system successfully.

Earlier today, an unannounced power load shedding had been continued in Karachi, the largest city and economic hub of Pakistan, as eight hours power shutdown in a day continued in industrial areas of the city.

According to sources, the factories had closed night shifts due to long hours of disruption in power supply leaving thousands of industrial workers jobless.

Several union councils in the metropolis had been facing long hours of power outages during sweltering summer time in Karachi.



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Pakistan rejects illegal grant of IOK domicile certificates to Indians

FO Spokes person Aisha Faroogui
Pakistan has categorically rejected the grant of domicile certificates of Indian occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOK) by the Indian authorities to reportedly 25,000 Indian nationals.

In a statement, Foreign Office Spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the certificates issued to non-Kashmiris including, among others, the Indian government officials under “Jammu and Kashmir Grant of Domicile Certificate (Procedure), 2020” are illegal, void and in complete violation of the relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions, and International law including the 4th Geneva Convention.

She said that the latest action is a vindication of Pakistan’s consistent stance that the major intention behind the Indian government’s illegal and unilateral actions of 5 August 2019 was to change the demographic structure of IOK and turn Kashmiris into a minority in their own land.

The spokesperson said that this has long been part of the RSS-BJP’s “Hindutva” agenda. By changing the demographic structure of IOK, the Indian government intends to undermine the exercise by the Kashmiri people of their right to self-determination through a free and impartial plebiscite under the auspices of the United Nation as per the relevant UNSC Resolutions.

Through these reprehensible actions, alongwith continuing restrictions, excruciating military crackdown, extra-judicial killings, arbitrary detentions and incarcerations, and unabated grave human rights violations, India seeks to further perpetuate its illegal occupation of the Kashmir, she added.

“India should know that its suppression has not been able to break the will of the Kashmiri people in the past and it will not succeed in doing so in the future.”

Aisha Farooqui said that the United Nations and the international community must intervene to stop India from changing the demographic structure of IOK by settling people from India in a territory that it has illegally occupied and the status of which remains disputed.

She maintained that the recipients of the domicile certificates must know that India has no legal authority to bring in and settle people from outside IOK. The international law bars India from such illegal actions, the spokesperson added.



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Facebook announces to ban ‘hateful content’ in ads

Facebook announces to ban ‘hateful content’ in ads
Facebook said Friday it would ban a “wider category of hateful content” in ads as the embattled social media giant moved to respond to growing protests over its handling of inflammatory posts.

Chief executive Mark Zuckerberg said Facebook also would add tags to posts that are “newsworthy” but violate platform rules — following the lead of Twitter, which has used such labels on tweets from President Donald Trump.

The new policy on hateful content in ads will “prohibit claims that people from a specific race, ethnicity, national origin, religious affiliation, caste, sexual orientation, gender identity or immigration status are a threat to the physical safety, health or survival of others,” Zuckerberg said.

“We’re also expanding our policies to better protect immigrants, migrants, refugees and asylum seekers” from hateful ads, he continued.

Facebook has underscored its moves to stem racism in the wake of civil unrest triggered by the May 25 killing of African American George Floyd at the hands of Minneapolis police.

“We invest billions of dollars each year to keep our community safe and continuously work with outside experts to review and update our policies,” a spokesperson said.

“The investments we have made in (artificial intelligence) mean that we find nearly 90 percent of hate speech” and take action before users report it.

– ‘Newsworthy’ exception –

Zuckerberg said the “newsworthy” exemption normally occurs “a handful of times a year,” when Facebook decides to leave up a message that would ordinarily be removed for rule violations.

Under the new policy, Zuckerberg said, “we will soon start labeling some of the content we leave up because it is deemed newsworthy, so people can know when this is the case.”

He said users will be allowed to share the content “but we’ll add a prompt to tell people that the content they’re sharing may violate our policies.”

Twitter in recent weeks has labeled at least one Trump tweet misleading and has flagged others as violating platform rules, accessible only when users click through a warning. The move has angered the president and his allies.

Internet platforms have faced intense pressure from activists following Floyd’s death.

A coalition including the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) has been urging companies to stop advertising on Facebook, using the #StopHateForProfit hashtag.

At the same time, Trump and his allies have voiced anger over what they claim is biased against conservatives.



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COVID-19 and conspiracy theories: ‘The electronic chip and the poison’

‘The electronic chip and the poison’: COVID-19 and conspiracy theories
The vaccine will inject you with an electronic chip, poison you, make you sick, they say.

There’s no vaccine yet for treating COVID-19, and scientists are multiplying efforts to find one.

But already anti-vaxxers — a small but vocal group of people who don’t believe in vaccinations — have taken advantage of the pandemic to multiply disinformation on social media.

The video “Plandemic,” which claims the COVID-19 crisis was a government setup, has already been viewed millions of times on YouTube and other streaming platforms.

A list of substances with scary-sounding names — phenoxyethanol, potassium chloride — said to be found in toxic quantities in vaccines (which is not true) has been shared thousands of times on Facebook since the end of April.
The anti-vax rhetoric is not new, but has gained huge visibility during the pandemic, according to experts who spoke with AFP.

Echo chamber

The anti-vax movement predates both the internet and the COVID-19 crisis, but social media has created a highly-efficient “echo chamber” for anti-vaxxers, according to Sylvain Delouvee, a researcher in social psychology at the University of Rennes, in France.

Despite these platforms’ claims that they will limit viral anti-vax content, the false headlines have nonetheless proliferated, he said.

Anti-vax rhetoric, he added, is “continuously-evolving, without a clear definition,” meaning it can reach people across the political divide.

Some misleading claims — like one article claiming that vaccines contain the same toxic chemicals as the substances used for lethal injections — have seemed to reappear online without direct reference to COVID-19.

The extent to which the pandemic has altered the misinformation landscape is not yet clear, according to David Broniatowski, from George Washington University in DC.

“We are still investigating the question of whether vaccine opponents are more active because of the pandemic, or whether they are just more visible because of the increased attention given to the pandemic,” he said.

The attention given to COVID-19 has allowed anti-vaxxers to fold the news into their existing narrative, according to Amelia Jamison, at the University of Maryland.

“There’s this kind of small but very vocal group online,” she said. “This has just re-energised them.”

She noted that in the US in particular, the anti-vax, anti-mask and anti-quarantine movements have come together ostensibly in the name of preserving individual liberties.

Conspiracy ‘groundswell’

Anti-vaxxers are “taking up more and more space online,” Delouvee noted, comparing the current wave of anti-vax activity to a “groundswell”.

But Jamison cautioned that things online aren’t always what they seem.

“If you look at polarised content on vaccines, it tends to break out like 50-50 [online],” she said.

“We know in real life it’s not at all close to 50-50.”

The vast majority of people worldwide — about 80 percent — somewhat or strongly agree that vaccines are safe, according to the 2018 Wellcome Global Monitor, an annual survey on science and health. Seven percent of people said that they “somewhat or strongly disagree,” while 11 percent did not have an opinion.

Still, the anti-vax movement “could amplify outbreaks” of COVID-19, as was the case for the 2019 measles outbreak, according to researchers who published a study in the scientific journal Nature.

The World Health Organization, for its part, classified “vaccine hesitancy” as one of its 10 threats to global health in 2019.



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Fake ASP arrested, never sat for CSS exams: Report

Shahrukh Kalhoro
Shahrukh Kalhoro was arrested for tricking the Sukkur police into becoming an assistant superintendent by lying about passing the Central Superior Services exams.

According to an inquiry report prepared by SSP Irfan Samo, Kalhoro never sat for the exams nor did he fill any form for the exams. “He did not just create a misunderstanding with the police but also lied to them,” the report said.

Kalhoro had initially been quarterguarded and the investigation officer has filed a complain against him.

The suspect was arrested after he put up pictures of himself at the police station clad in a uniform on Facebook. However, when the news went viral, it was found that another Shahrukh had actually passed the exam.

Shahrukh Khan, the son of a retired general and Pakistan’s first female pilot, was the person who had actually cleared the CSS exam. Following the revelation, SHO Mushtaq Jatoi was suspended for not conducting a proper background check.



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Pakistani actress Ayeza Khan’s cute childhood photo wins hearts

Ayeza Khan’s cute childhood photo wins hearts
Pakistani actress Ayeza Khan, who is in self-isolation with her husband and children amid coronavirus pandemic, shared a cute childhood photo of herself on Instagram on Saturday.

The Mehar Posh actress turned to photo-video sharing app and shared the cute photo. The little Ayeza looked all smiling in the picture while flashing her smile at the camera.

She also wrote a sweet caption for the endearing post.

Ayeza Khan wrote, “Teacher: Bari houkar kia banogi? Friends: Doctor, Teacher, Doctor Teacher.: Dulhaan.”

The endearing post has garnered thousands of hearts within no time.

On the work front, Ayeza Khan is currently seen in romantic drama serial Mehar Posh alongside Danish Taimoor.



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BabarAzam, Imam playing badminton at hotel in Lahore, watch video

BabarAzam, Imam playing badminton at hotel in Lahore, watch video
Pakistan limited-overs captain Babar Azam and opener Imam-ul-Haq have found the way to keep themselves active at the hotel in Lahore as they prepare to leave for England tomorrow.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) posted a video on social platforms where the duo can be seen playing badminton whereas Test skipper Azhar Ali and opener Shan Masood enjoyed their time playing video game.

It must be noted that Pakistan team is scheduled to depart for England on June 28 via chartered plan. A squad of 23 players instead of 29 is likely to travel to UK after 10 players tested positive for COVID-19.

Fakhar Zaman, Imran Khan, Kashif Bhatti, Mohammad Hafeez, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Rizwan, Wahab Riaz, Haris Rauf, Haider Ali and Shadab Khan had tested positive for the widely-spread virus. All these players have given samples for Test yesterday, results are expected today.

Meanwhile, reserve players including Imran Butt, Mohammad Nawaz, Muhammad Musa, Rohail Nazir and Bilal Asif had also been tested for the virus as they are likely to join the team in place of COVID-19 positives, based on their results.



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PIA grounds 141 pilots with immediate effect

PIA
PIA has grounded 141 pilots whose licences are suspected to be fake with immediate effect.

Yahya Sandila, who was captain of the PIA plane carrying 43 passengers that careened off the runway in Balochistan’s Panjgur, is among these pilots.

PIA CEO Arshad Malik has informed the Ministry of Aviation and all ambassadors about this. Seventeen pilots had already been grounded.

Airblue has also grounded nine pilots who had dubious licences.

PIA came under strict scrutiny after a flight carrying 99 passengers crashed in Karachi on May 22. Ninety-seven people were killed and later, an initial investigation report held the pilots responsible for the accident.

On June 24, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar revealed the many problems that have been persistent in PIA. He called for major changes in the airline if it wants to reach the same level as its glory days in the 1960s.

“More than 90% of people in Pakistan get their driving licences without even appearing for the exam,” Sarwar said during a National Assembly session.

“The same has started happening for pilots too. Pilots were being hired on a political basis and were carrying fake licenses.”



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Pakistan is expediting pace of CPEC projects: Shaikh

Hafeez Shaikh
Pakistan is taking several institutional steps to further speed up implementation of projects under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework, Adviser to PM on Finance and Revenue Hafeez Shaikh said on Friday.

“CPEC is the culmination and anchor of the great friendship and deep-rooted collaboration of the people and governments of China and Pakistan to realize their joint destiny, achieve their common objectives, and ensure a more prosperous future for both nations,” Shaikh said during a meeting with Chinese Ambassador to Pakistan Yao Jing.

The $60 billion CPEC kick-started five years ago, concentrating mainly on construction of roads and motorways and power plants to ensure energy security in the wake of a massive power shortfall.

Within the last couple of years, a series of power projects transformed the country into an energy-surplus destination from a power-deficient one. The CPEC framework envisaged 10,000 megawatts of production capacity.

In the first phase, a total of 1,544 km of roads have been constructed and 1,456 km are under construction. In the energy sector, 5,320MW of electricity has been added to the national grid, while work on seven projects with 4,170MW power projects is nearing completion.

Under the CPEC, additional projects of 2,844MW are planned. Also, a cross border optical fiber project, which stretches over 820 km linking Khunjrab to Rawalpindi, has already been completed.

Special economic zones (SEZs) are the next phase of development after early harvest projects under the CPEC. Initially, 27 zones were expected to be set up. The number was now reduced to nine. Government is expecting $1.3 billion worth of exports revenue from industrial chemicals through SEZs dedicated to biotechnology.

However, the second phase of industrial and agriculture cooperation has yet to be operationalized and its debt burden on Pakistan’s economy is frequently being questioned.

Shaikh appreciated the continuous and unwavering support that China has been providing to Pakistan. Reviewing the serious social and economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic across the globe, the adviser apprised the ambassador of the wide-reaching measures that the government of Pakistan had taken, and was further planning.

The adviser informed regarding the government's plans for the provision of much needed relief to mitigate the socioeconomic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, especially on the low-income and vulnerable groups.

The adviser also told the ambassador of the initiatives that were being undertaken to stimulate the economy in these difficult and uncertain times.

Jing said the people of China are standing in unity with Pakistanis. “China would provide enhanced investments in development projects that would both stimulate the economy and generate employment,” he said.

“China places the highest value on its fraternal relations with Pakistan.”



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Licences of 160 pilots from PIA, Serene Air and Airblue declared ‘suspicious’

Licences of 160 pilots from PIA, Serene Air and Airblue declared ‘suspicious’
The Aviation Division has declared licences of 160 pilots from national flag-carrier Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), Airblue and SereneAir ‘suspicious’ and orderd the management of the airlines to immediate ground the aviates on Friday.

The aviation authority issued directives to the management of the airlines to immediately ground the pilots who were possessing suspicious licences. The suspicious pilots include 141 from PIA, nine from Airblue and 10 from SereneAir.

The report regarding the suspected licences was prepared by the fact-finding committee of the Aviation Division which aimed to check and verify the genuineness of the pilot licences on the basis of IT forensic analysis of records.

It directed the airlines to immediately ground the pilots in view of flight safety and security concerns besides submission of compliance report to the Director Flight Standards of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on most immediate basis.

Earlier in the day, Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan said that the total number of ‘suspicious pilots’ was 262 who were employed in different airlines including Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

Ghulam Sarwar Khan, while addressing a press conference in Islamabad today, said that those PIA pilots faced investigation have been recruited by the past governments. He said that the pilots had been recruited before 2018 who have faced inquiry as no new appointment was made during the tenure of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

The process of reformation has been commenced in the national carrier, said Khan, adding that the former chief justice had directed to scrutinise degrees of the pilots.

The number of pilots performing duties in PIA was 450 and 262 pilots employed at the national carrier and other airlines were declared suspicious. He added that suspicious pilots will not be allowed to fly aircraft.

The list of the suspicious pilots has been handed over the concerned institutions which stated full restrictions against the aviates to operate aircraft.

He detailed that 34 pilots among them had not attempted a single exam paper out of eight subjects, whereas, 162 pilots were from PIA and 141 from other airlines. The federal minister said that the list of the suspicious pilots was also uploaded on the website.



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COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumped to 198,883 , recovery rate rose to 86,906

coronavirus update
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 198,883 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of June 27, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 198,883

• Sindh: 76,318

• Punjab: 72,880

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 24,943

• Balochistan: 10,116

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 12,206

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,417

• AJK: 1,003

Deaths: 4,035

• Punjab: 1,656

• Sindh: 1,205

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 890

• Balochistan: 113

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 120

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 23

• AJK: 28

 

PCB to announce squad for England tour after infections reported in team: sources

The Pakistan Cricket Board will make a decision regarding the upcoming visit of Pakistan cricket team to England today, days after around 10 players tested positive for the coronavirus, sources said.

According to sources, the board will announce the squad today and the players and management staff will be allowed to go only after they test negative for COVID-19.

Sources said that around 10 cricketers and one management member will not go to England due to the infection.

The virus test results of 18 cricketers and 11 management members will be received today, sources added

 
Shibli Faraz blames hike in petroleum prices on coronavirus pandemic
 

Minister for Broadcasting and Information Shibli Faraz said that the coronavirus pandemic has affected the economies around the world.

He said that as compared to the other countries in the region, Pakistan has made a minimal hike in the prices of petroleum products.

Faraz continued that due to the change in prices of these products globally, the government had to review the petrol prices.

“Our first priority is to give relief to the public, and we will continue to make efforts for providing people relief,” he added.



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LHC moved against hike in petroleum products’ prices

Lahore High Court
The fresh increase in petroleum products’ prices by the government was challenged in the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Saturday.

The petition, filed by advocate Muneer Ahmed, stated that the increase in the prices was illegal as rules and regulations were not followed by the government.

It said the petroleum prices were increased without taking approval from the federal cabinet. The petitioner pleaded with the court to declare the recent increase in the fuel prices as illegal.

In a bombshell development, the federal government had yesterday increased petrol price by Rs25.58 after decreasing it a short while back resulting in a countrywide scarcity.

According to a notification issued by the government on the matter, new price for a litre of petrol is now Rs100.10.

High-Speed Diesel’s new price is now Rs101.46 per litre with an increase of Rs21.31.

Light diesel’s new price is Rs55.98 per litre registering an increase of Rs17.84 whereas kerosene oil’s new price would now be Rs59.06 per litre with an increase of Rs23.50.

The new petroleum prices will come into effect after 12 am tonight.

It is pertinent to mention here that petroleum prices in the country went through a significant decrease earlier in the month which subsequently made Pakistan one of the cheapest sellers in the region but that status couldn’t even be upheld for a month.



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Friday, June 26, 2020

U.S. curbs visas for Chinese officials over Hong Kong freedoms: Pompeo

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo
U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said on Friday Washington was imposing visa restrictions on Chinese officials responsible for restricting freedoms in Hong Kong, but he did not name any of those targeted.

The move comes ahead of a three-day meeting of China’s parliament from Sunday expected to enact new national security legislation for Hong Kong that has alarmed foreign governments and democracy activists.

The U.S. visa restrictions apply to “current and former” Chinese Communist Party officials “believed to be responsible for, or complicit in, undermining Hong Kong’s high degree of autonomy,” Pompeo said, without naming them.

Last month, President Donald Trump responded to China’s plans by saying he was initiating a process to eliminate special economic treatment that has allowed Hong Kong to remain a global financial center since its handover by Britain in 1997.

Pompeo’s announcement represents the first concrete U.S. step in response to China’s moves, but Bonnie Glaser, an Asia expert at Washington’s Center for Strategic and International Studies, said visa restrictions were largely symbolic and the fact that no names were given could lessen their impact.

A State Department spokeswoman said relatives of designees could also be barred. A Bloomberg columnist quoted a department official as saying the number of officials targeted was “in the single digits.”

Chinese embassy spokeswoman Fang Hong said China “opposes the U.S. side’s wrongful decisions,” and added that China’s legislation targeted only “a very narrow category of acts that seriously jeopardize national security.”

“We urge the U.S. to immediately correct its mistakes, withdraw the decisions and stop interfering in China’s domestic affairs,” she said.

Wall Street’s major indexes tumbled on Friday after a Wall Street Journal article said U.S. “meddling” on issues like Hong Kong and Taiwan could jeopardize Chinese purchases under a Phase 1 trade deal Trump agreed with China in January, spooking investors already worried about a surge in coronavirus cases.

Pompeo’s announcement comes at a time of intensified U.S. rhetoric against Beijing as Trump campaigns for re-election. Opinion polls have shown voters increasingly embittered toward China, especially over the coronavirus, which began there.

“President Trump promised to punish the Chinese Communist Party officials who were responsible for eviscerating Hong Kong’s freedoms. Today, we are taking action to do just that,” Pompeo said.

He accused China of pressuring local authorities to arrest pro-democracy activists and disqualify electoral candidates, and added: “The United States will continue to review its authorities to respond to these concerns.”

Pompeo said last week Washington would treat Hong Kong as a Chinese city rather than an autonomous one to the extent that China treated the territory as a Chinese city. He said Hong Kong elections due in September would show China’s intentions.

On Thursday, the U.S. Senate approved a bill that would impose mandatory sanctions on people or companies that back efforts to restrict Hong Kong’s autonomy. It includes secondary sanctions on banks that do business with anyone backing any crackdown on the territory’s autonomy.

A Hong Kong government spokesman called the legislation unacceptable, China’s official Xinhua news agency said.



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Govt to decide on re-opening schools on July 2: Shafqat Mehmood

Shafqat Mehmood
Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood told the National Assembly on Friday that private schools were pressurising the government to re-open schools across the country.

The minister, while responding to speeches on a cut motion relating to his ministry, said so far the federal government had not taken any decision to re-open government schools and other educational institutions, but was facing pressure from private schools in this connection.

He informed the floor of the House that a decision to re-open schools, which were closed on March 7 as a precautionary measure to stem the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, would be taken at the inter-provincial conference of education ministers on July 2.

It may be pointed out that during a recent briefing of the NCOC, Prime Minister Imran Khan was informed that cases of COVID-19 would increase in the last two weeks of July.

There are reports that the government, while capitulating to the pressure from the private schools' management, is contemplating to re-open educational institutions from July 15.

“We are facing heavy pressure from the private schools' management to re-open schools but the health of our children is our priority,” the education minister told the House, adding that any decision would be taken after thorough consideration.

He added that it was the inter-ministerial conference which decided to promote students to next grade, but there were also legal implications of doing so.

Speaking about the issue of online classes, Mahmood said that availability of the internet was a problem. “The prime minister will soon announce a plan for availability of network and connectivity," adding that in some areas, local area networks will be established to facilitate students.

He informed the House that there would be a uniform syllabus in all the madaris, private and government schools from grade one to five.

Earlier, while speaking on the cut motions, Maulana Abdul Akbar Chitrali of Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) had demanded that there should be a uniform system of education in private and government schools.

He pointed out that parents prefer to get their children admitted to private schools because of a low standard of education in government educational institutions.

The JI member, who was elected from Chitral, questioned as to how students could benefit from online classes when there was no internet availability in his constituency. He pointed out that mobile companies earn crores of rupees but they have failed to provide better facilities.



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Man kills three children after fight with wife in Rawalpindi

A man who killed his three children in Rawalpindi’s Gujar Khan was arrested
A man who killed his three children in Rawalpindi’s Gujar Khan was arrested in Sukkur on Friday.

He was trying to flee to Karachi.

The man confessed to the murders in Railway police custody and said his wife had gone back to her parents house, which had enraged him.

The children were between the ages of four and nine. His two older children managed to escape. The victims’ bodies were found in a trunk.

SSP Niaz Ahmed said they were already aware of the man’s presence and had been following him since Daharki.

He will be presented in court today (Saturday).



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Five reserve players, 11 support staff undergo Covid-19 test

Five reserve players, 11 support staff undergo Covid-19 test
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) confirmed that 23 cricketers, including five reserves and 11 members of the support staff of Pakistan’s England-bound cricket squad underwent the Covid-19 tests at a local hotel here on Thursday.

Among the players, 18 are those who have already been cleared in the first batch whose tests were held at their respective cities on Sunday and Monday. Meanwhile, those ten players who tested positive early this week will again appear for the tests on Friday.

Besides them, five reserve players namely Bilal Asif, Imran Butt, Mohammad Nawaz, Musa Khan and new entrant Rohail Nazir appeared for the Covid-19 tests for the first time as they are being prepared as back-up of the 10 players who could not clear the tests on Tuesday.

Interestingly, the PCB only picked five reserves players as back up for the 10 players. The PCB has already announced a 29-member team for the England tour to play three Tests and three T20I matches against England, tentatively from August 5 to Sept 1. The squad is set to leave for England on June 28.

 

It is learnt that the PCB medical team is in contact with local doctors as well as England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and is keen to clarify whether the positive-tested 10 cricketers could be allowed to travel with the team to England, in case their second tests are negative.

Moreover, all 11-members of the support staff also appeared for their second tests conducted at the team’s hotel. Besides them, one more candidate — masseur Mohammad Imran — was also tested as possible replacement for Malang Ali who tested positive on Tuesday. Malang, however, will also appear for his second test on Friday.

Bilal, Imran, Nawaz and Musa were originally named as reserve players on June 12 when the 29-player squad was announced while Rohail has been added as a backup wicketkeeper because first choice wicket-keeper Mohammad Rizwan also tested positive in the first test.

Though Sarfaraz Ahmad as the team’s second wicketkeeper has cleared the Covid-19 test, Rohail may go to England as replacement for Rizwan.

“The PCB will announce the outcome of all tests on Saturday and until then will not make any further comment,” a PCB press release stated.



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CM Sindh asks PM Imran, power minister to 'wake up from their sleep' and address loadshedding issue

Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah
Chief Minister Sindh Murad Ali Shah on Friday lashed out at the federal government for not addressing the electricity crisis that has taken over the province while it battles coronavirus.

“I don’t understand when K-Electric says there is unavailability of furnace oil and Pakistan State Oil (PSO) responds by saying that they are providing them with it. KE also says they are not getting gas and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) says they are providing them with it,” CM Shah said, while addressing a session to conclude the budget discussion in the provincial assembly.

“These organisations — PSO, SSGC, KE — come under the jurisdiction of the federal government. Why are their lips sealed on the matter? Given the fact that Karachi is a virus hotspot, why don’t the power minister and prime minister wake up from their sleep?” he asked.

The provincial chief “strongly” condemned the prolonged power outages and the federal government’s failure to ensure electricity provision. He questioned why during a time when lockdowns are being imposed, and almost all of Lahore has been sealed in the name of a smart lockdown, were they unable to provide electricity to the people.

After much criticism from several lawmakers, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail later in the day said that the federal government would provide additional furnace oil to the Karachi power utility through HUBCO/PSO.



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PM Imran calls Modi a 'psychopath', says RSS considers Hitler's Nazi Party 'a role model'

Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday called Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi a “psychopath” and "a product of the RSS" while speaking at an event here in the capital of Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

Referring to the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture 2020, PM Imran said the RSS' Hindu extremist Modi government had done injustices in Kashmir.

"Modi murdered Muslims in Gujarat, pushed them out of their homes, and had women raped," he said. "Modi is not a normal man; he's a psychopath and a product of the RSS.

"His party is a product of the RSS and those belonging to the RSS consider Hitler's Nazi Party a role model. What's being done to the Muslims [in India] was done to Jews by Hitler.

"They are heading towards genocide in Kashmir," the prime minister warned, adding that such tyrants were actually cowards.

He said violence was ongoing in Kashmir earlier as well but under the Modi government, children had lost their eyes due to the Indian Army's use of pellet guns, thousands — including 10- and 11-year-old kids — were taken to jails, and mass graves were discovered.

An 800,000-strong army was committing atrocities on some eight million people in Kashmir in a planned and coordinated manner, the PM said. "I had promised to become the ambassador of Kashmir. I told the world about the RSS and its violence."

PM Imran said India was using power to scare and harass the inhabitants of occupied Kashmir and spreading fear and terror in an attempt to intimidate them.

"The Kashmir movement rose again due to their [Indian Army's] aggression and violence. India cannot frighten the Kashmiris," the prime minister said, praying for their strength and patience.

"No power can deter the Kashmiris' passion and resilience. I will bring to the whole world's attention the conditions in occupied Kashmir."

The premier said he had apprised the head of every country he met of the issue of occupied Kashmir and would continue telling the world about it.

"I told heads of state about the RSS' dangerous mindset, of how these extremists believe that people of other faiths are not their equals, that they are a special creation of God, like Hitler spoke of the Aryan 'master race', and that others are second-class citizens.

"They do that with the Christians in India too but they mainly do it to the Muslims. In the end, they will also go for the Sikh community and other lower castes," he said, terming it "the Brahmin thinking", which considered lower castes as untouchables.

"We raised the Kashmir issue in the United Nations when it was the focus of international media," the premier said.

"As we returned from the UN in New York after raising the Kashmir cause in the world, when a certain man started his Azadi March," PM Imran stated, taking a jibe at JUI-F chief Maulana Fazlur Rehman, who had headed a rally towards Islamabad.

"Azadi March intentionally sabotaged the cause of Kashmir as it distracted the media and the people when the Kashmir cause was being raised," the premier said.

PM Imran also underscored that his government would make proper arrangements ahead of August 5 to commemorate the horror and abuse Kashmiris have faced since a year when the Modi-led Indian government scrapped the Muslim-majority region's special status.

"All Pakistanis and Kashmiris — anywhere in the world — will participate in this movement of the world as well as in Pakistan and we will all continue reminding the world of what's happening in Kashmir."

The prime minister also spoke of Muslims being targeted in India, saying "Modi's thinking is the destruction" of that country and that the smart and educated people there had started to realise their PM was taking the nation towards devastation.

PM Imran also talked about the Ehsaas Programme under his PTI-led government, stating that "God has given me the opportunity to help those living with difficulties at the Line of Control (LoC)".

"Assistance will be given to 138,000 families through the Ehsaas Programme," he said, adding that AJK prime minister and president had detailed the challenges they face when India started bombing and people were martyred.

"I'm proud to help such people. Health cards will be given to 1.2 million people in Azad Kashmir," the premier explained, adding that people would be able to get treatment worth up to Rs1 million for free.

"When there's sickness in a daily-wager's house, their family goes below the poverty line because the money they spend on medical treatment upends their budget."

The PM also lamented the lower-than-expected revenue collection due to the coronavirus and related lockdown but said his government had raised the public sector development programme (PSDP) and budget.

"Even in these challenging times, we have increased Kashmir's budget and not reduced it," he explained, adding that the budgets of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Federally Administered Tribal Area (FATA), Balochistan, and Gilgit-Baltistan would be bumped up.

"We will continue helping the people of Kashmir," he added.



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Asad Umar says number of Covid-19 cases in end June to be lower than earlier predicted

Planning Minister Asad Umar
Planning Minister Asad Umar on Friday said that the National Command and Control Centre (NCOC), after reviewing recent Covid-19 figures, believes that the number of nationwide cases by the end of June will be 225,000 or less.

Earlier, the government had predicted that there would be around 300,000 cases by the end of this month. Umar, while addressing the media alongside Information Minister Shibli Faraz, said that the reduction in the projected figures "proves that if we all do the right thing and everyone performs their duty on an individual level while the government does its job on a communal level, a significant success in curbing the spread can be seen".

Detailing the reasons behind the reduction in figures, Umar said: "Most people realised their responsibility. Not everyone realised [their responsibility] and as a result, the government had to take some administrative measures.

"As a result, we are now looking at 225,000 cases instead of 300,000 — which we initially feared."

He also explained some measures taken by the NCOC to curb the spread of the novel coronavirus. On May 30, the body issued a guideline, deeming it compulsory to wear a mask at crowded places.

A week later, on June 4, the NCOC issued directives to the provinces to administrative action in order to implement the standard operating procedures (SOPs) laid out by the government. The provinces share data with the NCOC twice a week, Umar said.

On June 14, the NCOC told provinces to expand 'smart lockdown', which Umar said had been in place since May. The body pointed out the 'hostpots' — areas where a cluster of cases had been detected — in 20 major cities which needed to be sealed. Umar said that while the governments had to take strict action to implement the guidelines, many citizens took precautionary measures after they witnessed the rise in cases.

He cautioned that the reduction in projected figures "does not mean the danger had passed".

"It is a reminder that if we take the right measures, God will protect us and if we don't, situation can worsen."

He said that the body was in touch with the modellers and in a week, the government will inform the nation about what the situation would be by the end of July if the current measures stay in place.

The minister acknowledged that pressure on big hospitals in major cities was high for two weeks earlier. The current scenario, however, "does not seem to be getting to a position where our health system would collapse".

He urged the people to realise their responsibility towards the doctors and healthcare workers — who are risking their health and fighting for the nation in this difficult time — by taking precautions.

"If we continue to take these measures, our businesses will keep running and life will not come to a halt," he said.



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Govt raises petrol price by nearly Rs26 due to global 'rising oil prices'

Govt raises petrol price by nearly Rs26 due to global 'rising oil prices'
The government on Friday increased the prices of all petroleum products by up to nearly Rs26 to share the impact of rising international prices with the consumers.

The price of petrol (motor spirit) has been raised by a whopping Rs25.58 to Rs100.10 per litre from the existing Rs74.52, an increase of 25.6 per cent, according to a Finance Division press release.

The price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has been hiked to Rs101.46 per litre from the current price of Rs80.15, an increase of Rs21.31.

The new price of kerosene oil (SKO) will be Rs59.06, a rise of Rs23.50 over the existing Rs35.56.

Meanwhile, the price of light diesel oil (LDO) has been pushed up by Rs17.84 to Rs55.98 from the current Rs38.14.

The decision to revise the prices of petroleum products upwards was taken "in view of the rising oil prices trend in the global market", the brief statement issued by the Finance Division said.

The new prices are effective from June 26 (today).



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Foreign Exchange: SBP reserves fall $145.9m

SBP’s foreign exchange reserves fall by $145.9 million
The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) recorded a decrease of 145.9 million dollars in its foreign exchange reserves during the week ending on June 19.

According to the central bank, reserves held by the SBP decreased to 9.961 billion dollars.

However, reserves held by the commercial banks increased by 100 million dollars to 6.768 billion dollars. The country’s reserves fell by 45.2 million dollars to 16.73 billion dollars during this period.

The central bank received around 1.725 billion dollars in foreign assistance, including 725 million dollars from the World Bank, 500 million dollars from Asian Development Bank, and 500 million dollars from Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank during the current week.

These funds will be added to the SBP reserves data to be released on July 2.

Earlier, on June 25, the Ministry of Finance had confirmed Pakistan received $1.5 billion in Covid-19 and development policy related finance assistance from three international financial institutions during this week.

“During this week, Pakistan has received USD 1.5 billion in Covid 19 and development policy related assistance from the World Bank, Asian Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank,” it tweeted.

The ministry expressed gratitude to the government of Pakistan’s development partners for “this critically need support in such unprecedently difficult and uncertain time.”



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PM Imran urges int'l community to hold India accountable for human rights abuses in IoK

Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday called on the international community to hold India accountable for its human rights abuses in occupied Jammu and Kashmir.

In a message on the occasion of International Day in Support of Victims of Torture on his official social media account on Twitter, he said: “Today on International Day in Support of Victims of Torture, I call on the international community to hold India accountable for its human rights abuses in IOJK where women, men & children have faced pellet guns, sexual assault, electrocution, & physical & mental torture.”

Prime Minister Khan said these atrocities by Indian occupation forces “on orders of the Hindutva Supremacist Occupation Modi govt” are well documented by the United Nations, Huham Rights organisations and international media.

“A continuing silence in the face of such blatant abuse is against int[ernational] human rights & humanitarian laws & must be unacceptable,” the premier said.

It is noteworthy that the UN International Day in Support of Victims of Torture observed on 26 June marks the moment in 1987 when the UN Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment, one of the key instruments in fighting torture, came into effect.

In his message on the occasion, Minister for information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz said the day is aimed at drawing the world’s attention towards the victims of violence. He added the Kashmir issue is an international long-standing conflict as the brutal Indian forces are subjecting the innocent Kashmiri people of oppression and persecution.

 



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Former JI Ameer Syed Munawar Hasan passes away in Karachi

Former ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Syed Munawar hasan
Former ameer of the Jamaat-e-Islami (JI) Syed Munawar Hasan breathed his last in Karachi on Friday.

He had been undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the port city for the past few weeks.

The former JI central head was admitted to the hospital after his health deteriorated earlier this month.

Hasan’s condition had deteriorated after he had reportedly fallen down at his residence.



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Gilgit-bound PIA flight forced back to Islamabad airport

Gilgit-bound PIA flight forced back to Islamabad airport
A Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight had to fly back to the airport it departed from after it was denied permission to land at Gilgit airport due to strong winds on Friday morning.

According to sources, the national flag carrier’s PK-605 flight took off from Islamabad International Airport and intended to land at Gilgit airport. As it entered the Gilgit airspace, the pilot of the aircraft contacted Air Traffic Control (ATC) officials and sought permission to make a landing, which was denied due to strong winds.

The plane, therefore, was diverted back to Islamabad due to the bad weather, the sources said.

Last month, the national airline’s flight PK-8303 had crashed in Model Colony near Jinnah International Airport in Karachi, two passengers had miraculously survived out of the 99 onboard.

Earlier, on June 24, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan presented in the National Assembly the preliminary investigation report of the last month’s crash of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) aircraft, holding the pilot and co-pilot of the ill-fated plane as well as ATC officials responsible for the tragedy.

He claimed the plane was 100 per cent fit as there was no technical fault in it.



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COVID-19: Pakistan's confirmed cases jumped to 195,504, recovery rate rose to 84,168

Coronavirus cases
The number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan rose to 195,504 on Friday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

The province-wise break up of the total number of cases as of June 26, is as follows:

Total confirmed cases: 195,504 

• Sindh: 75,168

• Punjab: 71,987

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 24,303

• Balochistan: 9,946

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 11,981

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,398

• AJK: 962

Deaths: 3,962

• Punjab: 1,629

• Sindh: 1,178

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 879

• Balochistan: 109

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 119

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 23

• AJK: 25

As COVID-19 cases near 10 million, WHO warns of oxygen shortage

Head of the World Health Organisation (WHO) on Wednesday said the world faces a shortage of oxygen concentrators as the number of worldwide cases of coronavirus infection nears the 10 million mark.

“Many countries are now experiencing difficulties obtaining oxygen concentrators,” WHO Director General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus told a news conference. “Demand is currently outstripping supply.”

The new coronavirus has hit 9.3 million people and killed more than 480,000 so far and is rising by about 1 million cases per week. This has pushed oxygen demand to 88,000 large cylinders per day, or 620,000 cubic metres of oxygen, Tedros said.

The sudden rise has created a dearth of oxygen concentrators needed to support breathing of COVID-19 patients suffering from respiratory distress.



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NSC case: Court seeks NAB report on delay in filing reference against Ahsan Iqbal

Leader of PMLN Ahsan Iqbal
An accountability court in Islamabad on Friday directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit a report explaining why it has not yet filed a reference in the Narowal Sports City (NSC) Project case.

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal turned up before the accountability judge as the court resumed hearing the corruption case against him.

Over the course of the hearing, the bureau’s prosecutor sought more time to file the reference, stating that witnesses have been called to record their statements but they are not showing up due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At this, the PML-N leader taunted the bureau questioning why he was detained for two months if the anti-graft watchdog doesn’t have witnesses.

Towards the end of the hearing, the judge directed the bureau to submit a detailed report explaining what difficulties it faced in filing the reference and adjourned the hearing until July 20.

Ahsan Iqbal was taken into custody by the NAB on Dec 23, 2019 in the Narowal Sports City (NSC) Project case. He was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Feb 25 this year 62 days after his arrest.

He is accused of using funds of the federal government and Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) for the NSC project.



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Thursday, June 25, 2020

Mexican president makes economic case for risky Trump visit

Mexican president makes economic case for risky Trump visit
Mexico’s president on Thursday said an upcoming meeting with his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump was a matter of economic necessity even as diplomats questioned the wisdom of making his first foreign visit to a man widely reviled by Mexicans.

President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador will visit Trump in Washington to usher in a new trade deal four years after his predecessor Enrique Pena Nieto was pilloried for hosting the American during the 2016 U.S. presidential election race.

Mexico sends 80% of its exports to the U.S. marketplace and receives billions of dollars in remittances from some 35 million people of Mexican origin in the United States. Trump has used both as leverage to pressure Mexico to curb illegal immigration.

Lopez Obrador, who has suggested the meeting could take place in early July, has striven to stay on good terms.

“It’s a relationship of friendship, and it’s an indispensable economic and commercial relationship,” Lopez Obrador told a regular news conference. “That’s what my journey to the United States is about.”

Lopez Obrador, who has yet to travel outside Mexico since taking office 19 months ago, proposed the idea of a June or July meeting with Trump two months ago but later suggested it would be difficult in person.

That changed this week when Trump announced he was expecting to meet the Mexican president soon.

The thought of him sharing a stage with Trump, who tarred Mexican migrants as rapists and drug runners in his 2015-16 election campaign and vowed to make Mexico pay for his planned border wall, stirs unease among Mexican diplomats.

Agustin Gutierrez, the husband of Lopez Obrador’s ambassador to Washington, Martha Barcena, and himself a former Mexican ambassador, said in an opinion piece on Thursday the visit risked repeating the “disaster” of Pena Nieto’s 2016 encounter.

“What will happen if the press asks Trump, sitting next to the Mexican president in the Oval Office, if Mexico will pay for the wall?” Gutierrez wrote in newspaper Milenio.

ELECTORAL BENEFIT

Critics say the planned get-together will also give Trump a platform to burnish his credentials with Hispanic voters for his November re-election bid.
“I don’t think it will help Trump a lot, but I think he will certainly use it,” said Andres Rozental, a former Mexican deputy foreign minister.

Lopez Obrador has vowed to stay neutral in the U.S. election and says his visit has nothing to do with it.

He wants to celebrate the July 1 start of the United States-Canada-Mexico Agreement trade deal, and thank Trump for U.S. medical support during the coronavirus pandemic.

Mexico’s government hopes Canada’s Prime Minister Justin Trudeau will join the meeting, but it is not clear he will.

A Canadian government source said Trudeau would look at any invitation and make health and safety the primary consideration in taking any decision to attend during the pandemic.

Under federal health rules, Trudeau currently faces 14 days in quarantine upon returning to Canada if he leaves the country.

Lopez Obrador’s trip looks unlikely to prove popular at home.

A June 20 online survey by polling firm Consulta Mitofsky showed 68% of Mexicans had a negative view of Trump. The Mexican president evidently felt that not meeting Trump was the riskier of the two options, said Roy Campos, head of Mitofsky.

Foreign Minister Marcelo Ebrard, Economy Minister Graciela Marquez and presidential chief of staff Alfonso Romo will join Lopez Obrador, who is flying commercial even though there are currently no direct flights to Washington due to the pandemic.



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Saudi Arabia's biggest lender NCB in merger talks with Samba

Saudi Arabia's biggest lender NCB in merger talks with Samba
National Commercial Bank (1180.SE), Saudi Arabia’s biggest lender, said on Thursday it had signed an initial agreement with smaller lender Samba Financial Group (1090.SE) to create a combined entity with almost $214 billion in assets.

NCB’s offer would value each Samba share at 27.42 to 29.32 riyals ($7.82), giving it a maximum market value of $15.63 billion, 27.5% above its market value of nearly $12.3 billion based on Wednesday’s closing price.

Low oil prices and weak economic growth are pushing bank consolidation across the Gulf and if completed the merger would create one of the region’s largest lenders by assets, ranking third after Qatar National Bank (QNB) and UAE’s First Abu Dhabi Bank (FAB.AD).

In a bourse filing, NCB said it had signed a framework agreement for a potential merger with Samba, confirming an earlier Reuters story on the merger talks.

NCB has a market value of nearly $30 billion, more than double that of Samba, which according to Refinitiv data is the kingdom’s fourth largest lender by assets,

The two banks intend to conclude a reciprocal due diligence process and sign definitive agreements in relation to the proposed transaction within a period of four months.

The merger would also create an entity with a lending portfolio worth 432 billion riyals, a source familiar with the matter said.

Saudi Arabia’s sovereign wealth fund, the Public Investment Fund (PIF) is a major investor in both banks, with a stake of 44.29% in NCB and 22.91% in Samba. The Public Pension Agency and the General Organisation for Social Insurance are also substantial shareholders in both banks.

JPMorgan is advising NCB, while two sources told Reuters Morgan Stanley is advising Samba.

In 2018, Saudi British Bank (SABB) and smaller rival Alawwal Bank agreed to merge in the first major tie-up for the country’s banking sector in recent times.

NCB and Riyad Bank (1010.SE) ended merger talks last year, without giving a reason.



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Volvo Cars, Waymo partner to build self-driving vehicles

Volvo Cars, Waymo partner to build self-driving vehicles
Waymo and the Volvo Cars Group have agreed to develop a self-driving electric vehicle designed for ride hailing use, as part of a new global partnership, the companies said on Thursday.

Waymo, a unit of Silicon Valley’s Alphabet Inc, said it will be the exclusive global partner for Volvo Cars for developing self-driving vehicles capable of operating safely without routine driver intervention.

Waymo will focus on the artificial intelligence and certain hardware, including cameras, lidar and radar, for the automated “driver.” Volvo will design and manufacture the vehicles. The companies said Waymo will work with Volvo’s global brands, including Polestar and Lynk & Co.

Waymo and Volvo did not say when or where they expect to launch their new ride-hailing vehicle.

Volvo, owned by China’s Zhejiang Geely Holding Group Co, has a separate agreement to deliver vehicles to ride hailing company Uber Technologies Inc that Uber will equip to operate as self-driving vehicles. Volvo Cars is continuing to deliver vehicles to Uber.

Uber’s development of self-driving vehicle technology was disrupted after a self-driving Volvo SUV operated by Uber struck and killed a pedestrian in Arizona in 2018. More recently, Uber has been slashing costs and staff to offset revenue lost to the coronavirus pandemic. Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahi has said Uber is open to using competitors’ technology..

The Waymo-Volvo deal marks a return by Waymo to its early goal of rethinking how cars that can pilot themselves should look. Since retiring its Firefly self-driving car in 2017, Waymo has retrofitted its software and sensors into conventional vehicles such as Chrysler Pacifica minivans. Waymo also is developing technology for self-driving commercial trucks.

Waymo earlier this year raised $3 billion in its first external investment round.

Rival Cruise, majority-owned by General Motors Co, last year unveiled a prototype for an electric, self-driving people carrier called the Cruise Origin. 

Waymo said it will continue working with Fiat Chrysler, Jaguar Land Rover [TAMOJL.UL] and the Renault Nissan Mitsubishi Alliance.



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Disney to revamp Splash Mountain to feature company's first Black princess

Disney to revamp Splash Mountain to feature company's first Black princess
Walt Disney Co (DIS.N) said on Thursday it will renovate its Splash Mountain theme park ride to feature Tiana, the entertainment company’s first Black princess and the star of 2009 animated film “The Princess and the Frog.”

The announcement follows criticism of the current theme for Splash Mountain, which is based on 1946 film “Song of the South.” A recent online petition argued that the film promoted racist stereotypes.

Splash Mountain, “will soon be completely reimagined” with a story that features Princess Tiana preparing to attend a Mardi Gras performance, Disney said in a blog post.

“Tiana is a modern, courageous and empowered woman, who pursues her dreams and never loses sight of what’s really important. It’s a great story with a strong lead character, set against the backdrop of New Orleans and the Louisiana bayou,” the company said.

Hollywood companies including Disney are revisiting works from the past in light of renewed calls for racial justice following the death of African American George Floyd in U.S. police custody.

The petition on Change.org said Splash Mountain was a “beloved classic” at California’s Disneyland, Walt Disney World in Florida and Tokyo Disneyland. But “its history and storyline are steeped in extremely problematic and stereotypical racist tropes from the 1946 film Song of the South.”



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Coronavirus pandemic getting worse globally: WHO head Tedros

head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus
The COVID-19 pandemic is subsiding in Europe, but getting worse globally with the number of infections expected to reach 10 million next week and the number of deaths 500,000, the head of the World Health Organisation Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said.

Speaking via video-conference with members of the European Parliament’s health committee, Tedros said that once the pandemic was over, the world should not return to its previous state, but build a “new normal” that would be fairer, greener and help prevent climate change.



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PCB disappointed with Hafeez over retesting

all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has expressed disappointment over all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez’s conduct of sharing his Covid-19 report in public which came negative in contrast to the result of the same test from another lab conducted a day earlier by the board.

PCB chief executive Wasim Khan had a talk with Hafeez over phone with regards to him sharing his Covid-19 report in public instead of making a direct contact with the board, Dawn learnt on Wednesday.

Wasim reminded Hafeez that he should have made a contact with the PCB under such circumstances instead of going public. Wasim told Hafeez that by doing so, the cricketer had put the whole testing process of Pakistan in disrepute.

Read more: Hafeez says he has tested negative for Covid-19

It was also learnt that Hafeez’s attitude was apologetic throughout a long telephonic conversation. The concerned authorities of the PCB may take further action against Hafeez after considering all the aspect of the case.

Hafeez had shared his negative Covid-19 report on his social media account, stating that he got retested on his own after learning that he had tested positive in the test conducted by the PCB.

It may be mentioned here that the PCB had made the arrangements with Shaukat Khanum Hospital for all the Covid-19 tests, while Hafeez went to another lab, which is also accredited with the government, having the authority to do Covid-19 testing.



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Accountability court acquits Raja Pervez Ashraf in Rental Power Plant reference

former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf
An accountability court acquitted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in the Rental Power Plant reference on Thursday.

The accountability court hearing the reference against Ashraf and other suspects had reserved its judgment in the case during the last hearing. The court announced that it had accepted the former prime minister's acquittal plea in the case.

Ashraf was charged by NAB on three counts in the Rs22 billion scam. The ex-premier has maintained throughout that he did not cause any loss to the national exchequer and had not indulged in any corruption.

The Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretin (KKEU) was one of 12 rental power companies that had been awarded contracts by the PPP government in 2008-09 to ‘resolve’ the power crisis.

The company failed to provide the required electricity and then it moved the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) which imposed a $1.2 billion penalty on Pakistan in 2017, which is now amicably resolved.

Due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's intervention, the fine worth $1.20 billion imposed on Pakistan was waived.

The cabinet had said that Pakistani officials involved in the Karkey Rental case have pleaded guilty.

Ashraf was the federal minister for power and water at the time of the 2009 agreement. He was later elected as the country’s premier. Former secretary power and water, Shahid Rafi, was also arrested a few days in connection with the case.

The PPP government had entered into an agreement with Turkey to provide electricity in 2009 and awarded the contract to nine RPP firms (both local and international) for the purpose.

The Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco) working under the ministry of power and water, signed a contract worth $564.6 million with a Turk company ‘Karkey’.

Under the agreement, a rental power project was installed in Karachi to supply 231 MW electricity to PEPCO. However, the rental project failed to do so, given the fact the electricity was turning out to be costly to the country as the government had to pay $9.4 million monthly to the Turkish company.

On an application filed at the Supreme Court by the then PML-Q leader Faisal Saleh Hayat and PML-N leader Khawaja Asif, the court held the contract with the Turk company as null and void as there was no transparency maintained in it.

The contract was guaranteed by the government of Pakistan, which stirred the Turk company to move the World Bank’s International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) over breach of the agreement. Pakistan lost the case in 2017 and was ordered to pay a total amount of approximately US$780 million (the “Award”), which carried an approximate monthly interest of US$ 5.5 million.



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CJP takes notice of threats to Justice Isa in viral video

Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed
Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Justice Gulzar Ahmed has taken notice of a video clip containing derogatory and scandalous language against Justice Faez Isa case.

The statement issued by the Supreme Court of Pakistan regarding the derogatory video clip against Justice Qazi Faez Isa.

In the viral video, a man identified as Agha Iftikhar-ud-Din Mirza can be seen giving threats to the Supreme Court judge.

According to a statement issued by the apex court, the CJP has fixed the hearing of the case tomorrow [Friday] morning before Bench-1 in Islamabad.

The video contained derogatory, contemptuous and scandalous language against the institution of the judiciary and the honourable judges, read the statement.

 



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PM Imran defends govt's Covid-19 response, says there has been no 'confusion' or contradiction

Prime Minister Imran Khan
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Thursday defended his government's response to the coronavirus crisis, saying there has been no confusion or contradiction in official policies since the start of the pandemic.

Speaking in the parliament during the budget session, the premier said he had stressed from day one the need to balance measures to fight the virus and preventing people from going hungry.

"They say again and again that there was confusion ... if there was one country whose government did not have confusion, it was ours," he said to applause from other treasury members.

He said the government had imposed a lockdown to curb the spread of Covid-19 when the country had only 26 cases and no deaths. At that point, he added, the provinces had "reacted themselves" because lockdown had become a worldwide phenomenon and the country did not have "centralised planning".

But he said he and his team feared from day one that the lockdown model used by Western countries and China could not be copied in Pakistan because the situation in the subcontinent was "very different".

The prime minister said people give the example of countries like New Zealand when talking about social distancing "but New Zealand has social distancing already" with a low population density. Other the other hand, Pakistan has a high population density and eight-nine people often live in one-room houses, he said.

"I said from day one we had a dual problem; we had to save the people from corona and hunger, and those dying from poverty," he added, acknowledging that his government had to face "a lot of criticism" at the start and there was pressure, including from cabinet members, to implement a more strict lockdown "as did by India".

But he said the data now coming in had shown that the government took the right steps to respond to the health crisis.

Addressing the opposition benches, he challenged their lawmakers to "point out one statement that had inconsistency" since the lockdown was first announced on March 13.

"I constantly talked about two things: if you have the population of Singapore, if you have $50,000 per capita income [and] if you have natural social distancing, then curfew is the way to go.

"But i also talked about how the restrictions would impact the poor people based on our conditions," he added.

Recalling that the government did not have any data on available ventilators and intensive care staff initially, Imran lauded the National Command and Operation Centre for collecting all the information on a daily basis and looking at trends with expert help due to which "our decision making was free of inconsistencies".

Reiterating the "destruction" a sweeping lockdown could cause to a country, Prime Minister Imran said: "India's reports are in front of the world ... figures show that 34 per cent people have been steeped into poverty. Their hospitals are facing difficulties; they are full."

He said the government had opened the construction sector first and now the whole world was saying that "there are more negative effects of lockdown as compared to its impact on controlling the virus."

Citing the example of New York, Imran said even "the strongest economy is also realising you cannot close down an economy."

He added that his government was the first to talk about a 'smart' lockdown. "This is the hallmark of our NCOC; look at our population and how we have navigated this hurdle."

At the same time, the premier told the nation that they have a "very difficult situation" in front of them.

"The next phase is difficult because we are trying to make people understand why following standard operating procedures is so important," he said, adding that the virus spreads when there are clusters.

He said the country had two paths going forward: there are enough facilities to cope with the virus if people take precautions, but if people show carelessness, the disease will continue to wreak havoc.

"If we spend this month while following precautions then we can save ourselves from [the virus's] bad effects," he said, condoling with the families of the nearly 4,000 people who have died of Covid-19 in the country.



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