Pakistan women’s cricketer Kainat Imtiaz announced engagement

Pakistan women’s cricket team player Kainat Imtiaz has been engaged to his first cousin Arshmand Ali on Friday.

The right arm-pacer kept the engagement ceremony simple Few close relatives of both Kainat and Arshmand attended the ceremony. Kainat thanked fans and fellow cricketers for their good wishes. 

Finally I said YES! ?
17th July 2020 ?
Engaged, Allhumdullilah ? ? pic.twitter.com/AgpdoLA8n7

— Kainat Imtiaz (@kainatimtiaz16) July 18, 2020

“Thanks to all who send their best wishes. Marriage will take place in two and a half years as my only focus is cricket right now,” Kainat said.

t must be noted here that Kaniat has played 11 ODIs and 12 T20Is since her debut in 2010 against South Africa. She has scored 51 runs with nine wickets to her name whereas in T20Is she has just scored 41 runs at an average of 8.20 and also has six wickets,

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Avengers assemble to salute 6-year-old hero who saved sister from dog attack

Marvel's Avengers including Captain America, Iron Man, Thor, Spiderman have all assembled, this time to not fight the bad guys but to laurel a six-year-old hero who was mauled while saving his little sister from a dog attack.

"You're a hero, what you did was so brave, so selfless, your sister is so lucky to have you as a big brother," said Chris Evans, the actor who played Captain America in the Avengers movies, of which the little boy is a big fan.

"Your parents must be so proud of you," said Evans.

Bridger Walker, who lives in the western US state of Wyoming, put himself between a German Shepherd mix and his little sister on July 9 as the dog was about to attack the four-year-old girl.

He was bitten badly in the cheek and underwent emergency surgery during which he had 90 stitches put in his face.

"If someone had to die, I thought it should be me," the little boy's parents said he told them afterwards.

His story went viral on US social media and a number of celebrities responded to an appeal by his aunt on Instagram for messages of support for the boy.

Among them was Robert Downey Jr, who plays Iron Man in the Avengers series, who promised Bridger "something special" for his next birthday.

Chris Hemsworth, the actor who played Thor in the superhero films, also praised Bridger as "an absolute inspiration."

"Your courage is beyond belief and we are all so impressed by you, and we're thinking of you," he said.

"I know you're an Avengers fan and so myself and all the team, we'd be honored to have you on the team, and we love you and we're sending you our support."

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Incredible Health Benefits of Falsa (Grewia Asiatica) in summers

Phalsa or Falsa is a fruit of the tree Grewia asiatica, which is a native of India and other countries like Nepal, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Cambodia, and Thailand.

It has also been naturalized in Australia and the Philippines. It is a small tree that grows to a height of 15 to 20 feet and bears sour-sweet tiny reddish-purple fruits that resemble blueberries. The tree fruits during the peak summer months of May and June each year.

The fruits are easily perishable and its juice can be prepared to last the entire summer. Also, the fruits are eaten as they are with the addition of a little salt and black pepper.

The fruit is consumed for its cooling effect in summer as well as for its other health benefits.

The entire tree has various other uses.

Uses Of The Phalsa Tree

The fruits are used to treat various health problems.
The leaves are used as cattle fodder.
The branches are used to make baskets for transporting vegetables and fruits, as fuel and the wood is used to make the archer's bow, spears, handles, poles, etc.
The bark is used to make ropes and as a substitute for soap. Also, the mucilage which is extracted from the bark by pounding it in water is then used to prepare brown sugar from sugarcane juice due to its clarifying effect.

Nutrients & Antioxidant Activity Of Phalsa

The following nutrients are present in Phalsa :
Good levels of Potassium, low levels of Sodium, rich in Vitamin C, Calcium, Phosphorus, and fiber.
The seeds contain palmitic, stearic, oleic, and linoleic acids.
The fruit peel has the highest antioxidant activity followed by the pulp and then the seeds.
The fruits also offer radiation protection.
The leaves also exhibit antioxidant activity.

Health Benefits Of Phalsa

It is excellent to alleviate summer thirst and hot weather-related problems.
The raw fruit relieves inflammations, fevers, and blood disorders. It purifies the blood.
A wonderful reliever of respiratory ailments like asthma, bronchitis, colds, coughs, and sore throat.
It relieves urinary problems like burning and the juice aids in relieving digestive problems like excess acidity and indigestion.
The infusion of the bark is used to treat diarrhea.
The paste of the leaves cures skin infections like eczema and eruptions and heals wounds.
The fruit relieves liver and gall bladder problems, regulates blood pressure, and cholesterol.
The seeds are used to treat gonorrhea and fertility problems.
It protects from sunstroke, cures anemia.
The bark of the root is used to treat rheumatism.

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At least four killed, 30 others injured as bus turns turtle in Nawabshah

At least four people have been killed and 30 others sustained injuries when a passenger bus turned turtle due to over-speeding in Nawabshah’s Qazi Ahmed early Sunday.

According to Motorway Police, the ill-fated bus was traveling from Mansehra to Karachi when it overturned in Qazi Ahmed. Officials say the accident was caused by speeding.

Upon being informed, the Motorway Police, Edhi rescue teams reached the scene and pulled the dead and the injured out of the overturned bus, shifting them to Qazi Ahmed Regional Health Center.

Nine people were in critical condition and transferred to District Hospital Nawabshah. The deceased has been identified as Hashmat Khan, Naseeb Khan, Yasir Khan and Miran Khan.

Earlier on February 15, at least 13 passengers including women and children were killed while 30 others injured when a bus carrying wedding guests overturned in Jhal Magsi district.

 

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PIA dismisses seven pilots over licensing issue

Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) on Saturday dismissed seven pilots after their licenses were cancelled by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

A PIA official confirmed that the pilots, including some first officers, have been issued termination letters.

According to details, CAA’s director-general had issued the license revocation letters after the government’s approval.

Earlier, the Airline Transport Pilot licenses of 48 PIA pilots had been suspended and the pilots given two weeks to file their reply.

Last month, Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan, while presenting a preliminary report regarding the PIA plane crash in Karachi, had said 40% of pilots were flying aircraft with dubious licenses.

Read more: CAA cancels licenses of PIA pilots, first officers

“Pakistan has 860 active pilots, which includes [pilots employed by] PIA, Serene Air and Air Blue. The inquiry which was initiated in February 2019 showed that 262 pilots did not give the [pilot's] exam themselves and asked someone else to give it on their behalf,” the minister had said, adding that some pilots did not have the proper flying experience either.

"Pilots are also appointed on a political basis, unfortunately," he said. "Whilst appointing pilots, merit is ignored," he added, disclosing that degrees of four PIA pilots were found to be fake.

Soon after the statement, the national flag carrier was barred from entering the airspace of several countries and Pakistani pilots who had received their credentials from the CAA — were grounded.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency had suspended Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) authorisation to fly to the bloc for six months in a major blow to the carrier’s operations.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) also downgraded Pakistan’s air safety rating, while barring the PIA from entering its airspace. Meanwhile, the UK Civil Aviation Authority also suspended the national flag carrier’s operations from three airports — Birmingham, London Heathrow and Manchester.

Airlines in 10 countries had demanded proof of valid flying licences for their Pakistani pilots after the shocking statement from the aviation minister.

In all, the foreign airlines asked for proof of 176 Pakistani pilot licences.

Of these, 166 "have been validated as genuine and certified by the CAA Pakistan as having no anomaly," the CAA recently said in a statement.

The "process for the remaining 10 shall be concluded by next week," it added.

The 10 airlines asking for proof of valid Pakistani pilots´ licences were from Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, Oman, Qatar, Kuwait, Bahrain, Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam and Hong Kong, according to the CAA.

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PTI govt releases asset details of PM Imran’s special assistants, advisers

Minister for Information Shibli Faraz Saturday night announced that asset details and other nationalities of all the special assistants and advisers to Prime Minister Imran Khan are now available for public viewing.

He said that the details have been shared on the Cabinet Division website as instructed by the prime minister.

The following is a break down of the major assets held by the special assistants and advisers of the prime minister, along with other nationalities, if any.

Special Assistants
Sania Nishtar

The Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Sania Nishtar does not have a dual nationality, according to the documents.

Nishtar, along with her husband, have a total bank balance of Rs14.8 million. The only car, a Honda Civic (2014) is in the name of Nishtar's husband.

Nishtar owns jewelry worth Rs500,000 and has inherited property of 9.6 marlas in Peshawar.

Other nationality: None

Nadeem Babar

Nadeem Babar is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Petroleum Division with the status of Minister of State.

He owns assets worth Rs2.184 billion, including multiple properties in Pakistan as well as foreign destinations. Babar has stakes in over two dozen companies in companies based out of Pakistan.

Other nationality: US

Usman Dar

Muhammad Usman Dar is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Youth Affairs.

He has cash in hand and at bank worth Rs35.06 million, his investment in shares is worth Rs20.17 million, and his business capital stands at Rs6.68 million.

Other nationality: None

Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa

Lt Gen (retd) Asim Saleem Bajwa is Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Information & Broadcasting, in an honorary capacity.

His immovable property is worth Rs151.433 million — two in Islamabad, two in Karachi, two in Lahore and one each in Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur.

Shares worth Rs3,100,000 have been bought in his wife's name.

The documents have listed one car, the Toyota ZX 2016, worth Rs3 million.

Two bank accounts in Islamabad have Rs291,000 and Rs1,239, respectively. Lt Gen Bajwa also has a foreign currency account in Rawalpindi containing $4,149.

Other nationality: None

Tania Aidrus

Tania Aidrus is Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Digital Pakistan.

Aidrus has four immovable properties held outside Pakistan — two in the US and one each in the UK and Singapore — which when converted to Pakistani rupees, have a value of Rs452.69 million. The properties in Singapore and US are under mortgage.

The premier's aide has no property within Pakistan.

She has an investment in a venture capital worth Rs12.51 million and has declared remittances from foreign account to Pakistan worth $95,790.

Aidrus has a bank balance in various accounts both in Pakistan and abroad worth Rs34.39 million, whereas her husband has cash in bank worth Rs9.29 million in foreign accounts.

She owns a car, Toyota Fortuner, and jewelry worth Rs5 million, the documents revealed.

Other nationality: Canada

Permanent residency: Singapore

Moeed Yusuf

Dr Moeed Yusuf is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Security Division and Strategic Policy Planning with the status of Minister of State.

Documents showed that Dr Yusuf has total assets worth Rs113.76 million.

He has land worth Rs25.6 million and stocks worth more than Rs600,000.

Dr Yusuf owns two cars, an Audi A3 worth Rs4.22 million and a Morris Car which was gifted, bringing the total valuation of the vehicles to Rs8.54 million.

He has Rs1.03 million cash in hand and Rs73.26 million at the bank.

Other nationality: None

Permanent Residency: US, but not availing

Shahbaz Gill

Shahbaz Gill is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Political Communication.

Gill's, along with his family's cash in hand, totals Rs3.76 million.

He has more than Rs2.6 million in local banks, while he has a bank balance of more than Rs31 million in JP Morgan Chase in the US, while a a joint family account in the Busey bank has Rs1.6 million, the documents showed.

The SAPM has two cars (a BMW and a Camry) worth more than Rs6.5 million, the documents revealed. Gill, along with his family, owns gold worth Rs5.5 million.

The special assistant has two properties in Pakistan, both in Islamabad, worth more than Rs33 million. Outside Pakistan, he owns a single property in the US, which is on mortgage, worth Rs13 million.

Other nationality: None

Permanent residency: US

Dr Zafar Mirza

Dr. Zafar Mirza is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination with the status of Minister of State.

Mirza owns assets worth Rs50.7 million, including a house worth Rs20 million and two plots worth Rs30 million. His wife has jewelry of approximately Rs2 million and the family owns furniture worth approximately Rs2 million.

His cash at bank accounts exceeds Rs1.3 million.

Other nationality: None

Mirza Shahzad Akbar

Mirza Shahzad Akbar is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Accountability and Interior with the status of Minister of State.

The accountability tsar, along with his spouse, has properties in Pakistan worth Rs19.8 million.

Mirza possesses two cars, totalling Rs18.2 million. His cash in banks and in hand total about Rs27 million.

His wife, owns a combined total of Rs7 million.

Other nationality: None

Zulfi Bukhari

Sayed Zulfikar Abbas Bukhari is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development.

He has four properties in Pakistan, all gifted or inherited. His properties in the United Kingdom (a flat and furniture) are worth £5.28 million.

He has various business interests outside Pakistan.

He has one vehicle (a Toyota Land Cruiser 2012) in Pakistan worth Rs200,000,000. He also has four luxury vehicles in the UK, worth more than £578,000.

Bukhari himself possesses gold worth £500,000 and his wife has £150,000.

Bukhari and his wife have Rs2.4 million in Pakistani bank accounts and £1.7million in foreign bank accounts.

Bukhari's wife has jewelry worth 500,000 pounds, while he has accumulated shares in five foreign companies. His cash in hand is Rs1 million and £2,000.

Other nationality: UK

Mohammad Shehzad Arbab

Mohammad Shehzad Arbab is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Establishment with the status of Federal Minister.

Arbab owns assets worth Rs100 million, including houses, plots, and shops. His wife's investments amount to Rs20 million.

The SAPM has a total of Rs6.6 million in cash (in hand and in banks). His house has furniture worth Rs250,000.

Other nationality: None

Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind

Sardar Yar Muhammad Rind is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on activities pertaining to Ministries of Water Resources, Power and Petroleum in Balochistan.

Rind, along with his family, owns assets, including agricultural land, worth over Rs24 million. He owns two vehicles worth a combined Rs10.8 million.

He owns jewelry worth Rs6 million and has cash over Rs216 million. His foreign deposits are upwards of Rs202 million. He also has Rs37.9 million worth of furniture and other personal effects.

His family own property totalling Rs229 million in Pakistan. Whereas their property abroad is upwards of Rs75 million.

Other nationality: no document on cabinet website at the moment.

Nadeem Afzal Gondal

Nadeem Afzal Gondal is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Coordination.

Gondal owns land worth more than Rs7.8 million and residential property worth over Rs9.4 million. His business capital is Rs2.5 million. His assets remitted from abroad are Rs3.2 million.

His two vehicles are worth Rs3 million, while his cash is Rs1.3 million.

He owns gifts worth Rs3.8 million, and furniture worth Rs500,000. His other assets amount to Rs12.18 million.

Permanent Residency: Canada

Shahzad Syed Qasim

Shahzad Qasim is the Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Power Division & Coordination of Marketing and Development of Mineral Resources with the status of Minister of State.

Qasim owns assets in two foreign destinations other than Pakistan. In Dubai, he has three houses worth more than 20.6 million dirhams while he has 1.8 millions dirhams in bank accounts.

Furthermore, he has two luxury cars in the UAE worth 355,000 dirhams, while one with a valuation of $45,000.

In the US, the special assistant has property worth $865,000 while he has $2.1 million in various bank accounts and retirement funds.

In Pakistan, PM's aide owns four plots worth Rs9.7 million, invested over Rs120 million and has Rs46.4 million in multiple bank accounts.

Other nationality: US

Ali Nawaz Awan (MNA)

Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Capital Development Authority Affairs

Awan owns property in Pakistan worth Rs39 million. He has no properties abroad. His business capital amounts to Rs5.69 million.

He has three cars worth Rs3.5 million, while his wife owns a Rs800,000 vehicle.

He has about Rs2.4 million in cash (in hand and in banks) and possesses furniture worth Rs441,600.

Other nationality: None

Advisers
Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh

Dr Abdul Hafeez Shaikh who is the Adviser on Finance and Revenue with the status of Federal Minister, has agricultural land worth Rs20 million and his wife has a house in Dubai worth Rs130 million.

He has transferred $36,000 (roughly Rs6 million) from a foreign account to a bank account here in Pakistan.

Dr Shaikh has a total bank balance of Rs135 million in both Pakistani and foreign accounts.

According to the documents, he has a Mercedes E-Class worth Rs5 million.

Other nationality: None

Dr Ishrat Hussain
Dr Ishrat Hussain is the Adviser on Institutional Reforms and Austerity with the status of Federal Minister.

Dr Hussain owns a residence worth Rs45 million and a plot worth Rs11 million in the name of his wife, both in Karachi. He also owns three properties in the US worth $800,000, $625,000 and $715,000.

He has stocks worth Rs32 million and has invested in national saving schemes worth Rs8 million.

The special adviser has a 2019 Toyota Corolla worth Rs2.3 million and gold and diamond jewelry worth Rs29.7 million.

His cash at bank in Pakistan totals Rs3.2 million and abroad totals $348,000.

Other nationality: None

Dr Abdul Razzak Dawood

Dr Abdul Razzak Dawood is the Adviser on Commerce and Investment with the status of Federal Minister.

He owns Rs30.45 million in agricultural lands, has a non-agricultural land worth Rs41.51 million in his name and one worth Rs74.21 million in his wife's name.

He has declared business capital worth Rs35,533.

Dawood owns shares worth Rs521.30 million, whereas his wife owns stock worth Rs51.85 million.

He has invested Rs29.38 million in Defence Savings Certificate and Rs275 million in mutual funds. His wife also owns mutual funds worth Rs131.1 million.

The adviser has Rs315.86 million cash in hand and Rs28.42 million cash at bank, while his wife has Rs117.59 million in hand and Rs4.5 million at bank, the documents showed.

The adviser's wife also owns jewelry worth Rs5.20 million.

Other nationality: None

Malik Amin Aslam Khan

Malik Amin Aslam Khan is Adviser on Climate Change, with the status of Federal Ministe.

He owns 14 immovable assets — land which was either gifted or inherited and one, for which instalments are underway. The same goes for his children who own seven properties, inherited or gifted. His wife owns two, one which was inherited and one which is valued at Rs1.07 million.

The adviser has a bank balance of Rs5.58 million in Pakistan, and 27,011 pounds and $1,310 dollars in foreign banks. His wife has Rs9.15 million in her local bank account, the documents showed.

Khan owns two vehicles — Toyota Prado (2005) worth Rs2 million and Toyota Harrier (2010) worth Rs4.5 million. His wife owns a Toyota Corolla (2018) worth Rs2.7 million.

Other nationality: None

Babar Awan

Zaheer-ud-din Babar Awan is the Adviser on Parliamentary Affairs with the status of Federal Minister.

According to the documents, Awan holds agricultural/open land worth Rs45.42 million, and one inherited worth Rs600,000. He also owns non-agricultural land Rs112.08 million.

The adviser also declared a property in Spain worth Rs11 million.

He owns six vehicles worth Rs16.8 million, has invested Rs4.7 million in his business, owns jewelry worth Rs2 million and furniture worth Rs2 million.

The documents also showed that the adviser has a golf club membership worth Rs300,000 and agricultural equipment of Rs1.8 million.

Other nationality: None

 

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Residential electricity subsidies in pakistan

The government will be using data collected for the Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme to identify the beneficiaries as they prepare to introduce a rationalized mechanism for the provision of power sector subsidies.

According to a top finance ministry official, Pakistan has to share a tangible plan with International Monetary Fund (IMF) a plan for the mobilisation of tax revenues and eliminating circular debt besides proposing amendments to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) and Nepra Acts to put the stalled programme back on track.

He added that the cost of power sector subsidies had been declined by 60% in the budget 2020-21 which means that a targeted subsidies mechanism would be introduced.

To do this, the Ministry of Finance has given six months to the Military Accounts to bring all pensioners from the manual to direct credit system (DCS). There are apprehensions that all pensioners have not been converted from manual to DCS which means ghost pensioners still exist in the system.

Moreover, the military accountant general has indicated that they were launching a pilot project at Kasur which would later be replicated in all regiments.

The official added that it was Prime Minister Imran Khan and his economic team who decided not to give any raises in salaries or pensions, also for the armed forces personnel.

Dispelling the impression that “trust deficit” existed with the IMF, the official said there was complete understanding with the Fund and this transitory phase of ‘deviation’ from the IMF programme.

The official added that the country would continue to work to bring IMF, World Bank and Asian Development Bank, on one page on the roadmap for the mobilisation of tax revenues and adopt a strategy, fixing the problems of the power sector and eliminating the circular debt.

Without giving an exact timeframe for reviving the stalled $6 billion IMF program, the official said the government would have to come up with a revenue mobilisation plan, fixing the power sector pricing mechanism, and a tangible plan to overcome the monster of the circular debt that had peaked to Rs2.2 trillion after the coronavirus outbreak.

Moreover, he added that the SBP and Nepra Acts would have to be amended with the approval of the Parliament to grant autonomy to these two regulators. The IMF wants to grant power for determination of tariff with automatic adjustment of power tariff without seeking approval of government which can be done through Nepra’s proposed amendments. The government would have to indicate how much subsidy it intends to provide otherwise the tariff will be automatically adjusted.

The official added that the rationalization of subsidy for the power sector would be finalised as an exact mechanism would be unveiled within next 10 to 15 days. He added that the prime minister had approved tariff raise for K-Electric on hold, however, no specific timeframe had been finalized.

Speaking about the Roosevelt Hotel, he said the hotel was 100 years old and to renovate it would require an investment of $1 billion to convert it into a multipurpose building.

If this hotel was privatized, he said, it could result in utilising 40% amounts into clearing its liabilities and meeting the procedural requirement. Since the property was located in the US the only option left was the joint venture.

The official added that the budget deficit would be curtailed at 9.5 to 9.6% of GDP for the last fiscal year 2019-20 that ended on June 30, 2020.

Although the fiscal accounts were not finalised yet, the budget deficit would not escalate to go into double-digit anymore and would be restricted. He said the Rs1.24 trillion stimulus package resulted in hiking the budget deficit as the finance ministry had managed to keep the deficit at 5.2% of GDP based on its nine-month performance.

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Singer Salman Ahmed receives criticism for sharing a doctored image of Bilawal Bhutto

Bulleh, ki janan mein Kaun?

Na mein momin vich maseet aan

Na mein kufr di reet aan

Na mein paakan vich paleetan

Na mein Moosa na firaun

Bulleh ki janan mein kaun?

Bulleh, who am I?

I am no believer, I have no pagan ways

I'm not pure, I'm not vile

I'm no Moses and I'm no Pharoah

Bulleh, who am I?

Pakistani social media is free for all and much gets lost in translation. I have been accused by ill-informed individuals of misogynistic misconduct as a result of one tweet.

It would normally not be worth describing this storm in a teacup by writing a column in a newspaper.

Yet, in this hyper isolated, warped COVID-19 world, where conspiracy theories and disinformation travel at the speed of light, I feel compelled to provide much-needed context for my satirical tweet.

For the record, I have continuously championed women’s rights throughout my career.

As an artist and a Goodwill Ambassador, I recorded and shot a video on women’s empowerment and an HIV/AIDS starring famous Pakistani actress Nadia Jamil.

Alvida shines a light on the leadership of a Pakistani Woman AIDS activist, Shukriya Gul, living in a society which stigmatises PLWHIV.

My first starring role in a PTV play, Aahat, shined a light on the mother and girl child relationship and the challenges faced by both in a strongly patriarchal society.

My wife, Dr Samina and I run a non-profit, SSGWI, which champions girls' education in Pakistan.

At the same time, I have been a vociferous advocate for human rights / social justice. In 1996, I also recorded an anthem titled Ehtesaab (Accountability). The lyrics were by Hassan Nisar and Shoaib Mansoor.

That Ehtesaab song and video directed by Shoaib Mansoor takes a satirical view of political corruption during the '90s. It was banned by both the PPP and PMLN governments.

So extreme was the response to Ehtesaab, Junoon was banned for three years on TV, radio and even from performing live concerts in Pakistan.

Fast forward to July 2020, I am still attacked on social media, repeatedly for speaking out against political corruption.

Many of these attacks are below the belt, vile death threats and some of them target my wife and family.

It’s no secret that Pakistan’s social media is fiercely partisan. Supporters of political parties and their troll armies continuously hound celebrities, artists and anyone who stands up to powerful mafias.

A couple of days back, I was viciously attacked for sharing a link of the BBC film Princess and the Playboy which features Ehtesaab. An entire troll army went to work attacking me.

The viciousness of the trolls is something I have grown accustomed to but because it was aimed at my personal relationship with the Pakistani Prime Minister, I decided to respond to the tweet directly.

Like the American comedian Sarah Cooper, SNL or the Daily Show, my satirical tweet used provocative images (including an online picture of Bilawal Zardari peering over a diary with a link to the BBC film Princess and the Playboy).

A well known Punjabi proverb completes the message that people who live in glass houses should not throw stones.

That is the entire intention behind my satirical tweet. The firestorm that has erupted is a storm in a teacup.

Mr Zardari and his troll army when they see fit use the same 'satirical' below the belt social media attacks on those who are unable to defend themselves.

I have evidence of all these attacks which I will share with my legal team. I do not wish to hurt anyone’s feelings beyond making my point about entitled scions with feudal backgrounds who can not have it both ways.

Newton’s law says: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

I have made my point and deleted my tweets, voluntarily.

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princess beatrice wore a hand-me-down wedding dress from queen elizabeth

Princess Beatrice let go off the idea of a public royal wedding and decided to make her big day a private affair that was all about hand-me-downs.

The new bride dropped jaws in her vintage attire that was borrowed from Queen Elizabeth’s wardrobe, designed by Normal Hartnell, made from Peau De Soie taffeta and trimmed with ivory Duchess satin.

The dress boasts of organza sleeves, diamanté adornments and checkered geometric bodice that made the princess look like she got right out of a fairytale.

The dress was remodeled by Angela Kelly and Stewart Parvin, who have worked with the queen regularly.

The monarch had earlier worn that dress for the premiere of Lawrence of Arabia in 1962 at the Odeon in Leicester Square in London.

Apart from that, she had also borrowed the tiara from the Queen which Her Majesty had worn on her own wedding days decades ago.

The announcement of Princess Beatrice tying the knot to Edoardo Mapelli Mozzi was made on July 17, 2020 by Buckingham Palace. The wedding was held at the Royal Chapel of All Saints at Royal Lodge in Windsor after the ceremony was postponed twice this year due to the coronavirus pandemic.

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Symptom tracker app reveals six distinct types of COVID-19 infection

British scientists analysing data from a widely-used COVID-19 symptom-tracking app have found there are six distinct types of the disease, each distinguished by a cluster of symptoms.

A King’s College London team found that the six types also correlated with levels of severity of infection, and with the likelihood of a patient needing help with breathing – such as oxygen or ventilator treatment – if they are hospitalised.

The findings could help doctors to predict which COVID-19 patients are most at risk and likely to need hospital care in future waves of the epidemic.

“If you can predict who these people are at Day Five, you have time to give them support and early interventions such as monitoring blood oxygen and sugar levels, and ensuring they are properly hydrated,” said Claire Steves, a doctor who co-led the study.

Besides cough, fever and loss of smell – often highlighted as three key symptoms of COVID-19 – the app data showed others including headaches, muscle pains, fatigue, diarrhoea, confusion, loss of appetite and shortness of breath.

The outcomes also varied significantly; some got mild, flu-like symptoms or a rash and others suffered acute symptoms or died.

The study, released online but not peer-reviewed by independent scientists, described the six COVID-19 types as:

1 ‘Flu-like’ with no fever: Headache, loss of smell, muscle pains, cough, sore throat, chest pain, no fever.

2 ‘Flu-like’ with fever: Headache, loss of smell, cough, sore throat, hoarseness, fever, loss of appetite.

3 Gastrointestinal: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, diarrhoea, sore throat, chest pain, no cough.

4 Severe level one, fatigue: Headache, loss of smell, cough, fever, hoarseness, chest pain, fatigue.

5 Severe level two, confusion: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain.

6 Severe level three, abdominal and respiratory: Headache, loss of smell, loss of appetite, cough, fever, hoarseness, sore throat, chest pain, fatigue, confusion, muscle pain, shortness of breath, diarrhoea, abdominal pain.

Patients with level 4,5 and 6 types were more likely to be admitted to hospital and more likely to need respiratory support, the researchers said.

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EU extends summit to Sunday after deadlock over COVID recovery plan

European Union leaders failed to agree on a massive stimulus fund to revive their coronavirus-hammered economies on Saturday after two days of fraught negotiations, but extended their summit for another day to try and overcome their differences.

 As the 27 leaders scurried back to their hotels after a late, inconclusive dinner, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron stayed behind in the EU’s headquarters in Brussels to haggle with the Dutch-led camp of thrifty countries demanding cuts to the 1.8-trillion-euro package.

“The negotiations were heated,” said Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte of Italy, one of the EU countries most affected by the coronavirus crisis that are seeking generous aid from the bloc. “Europe is under the blackmail of the ‘frugals’.”

“We have to do all what is possible to reach a deal tomorrow. Further delays are not useful to anybody.”

Summit chairman Charles Michel was due to hand new proposals before the 27 reconvene at noon (1000 GMT) on Sunday.

With the pandemic dealing Europe its worst economic shock since World War Two, leaders first locked horns on Friday over a proposed 750 billion euro ($856 billion) recovery fund and a 2021-27 EU budget of more than 1 trillion euros.

But a group of wealthy and fiscally “frugal” northern states — the Netherlands, Austria, Denmark and Sweden — blocked progress in the first face-to-face EU summit since spring lockdowns across the continent.

They favour repayable loans rather than free grants for the hard-hit indebted economies mostly on the Mediterranean rim, and they want stricter control over how the funds are spent.

Hopes for an agreement grew earlier on Saturday when Michel proposed revisions to the overall package designed to assuage the Dutch concerns.

Under his new plan, the portion of grants in the recovery fund would be reduced to 450 billion euros from 500 billion and an ‘emergency brake’ on disbursement would be added.

But hopes that this would be enough faded quickly as Sweden asked for grants to be cut to 155 billion euros, according to diplomatic sources. Some pointed out the recovery scheme would risk being irrelevant at that much-reduced scale.

Conte also said a de-facto veto on national applications for aid sought by The Hague was “politically and legally improper and also largely unfeasible”.

“HIGH TIME”

The budget commissioner of the bloc’s executive reminded the leaders - who wore masks and kept their distance from each other - that COVID-19 was still among them and they needed to act.

“Just a solemn reminder: the Corona crisis is not over: infections on the rise in many countries,” Johannes Hahn tweeted. “High time to reach an agreement which allows us to provide the urgently needed support for our citizens+economies!”

Diplomats said the “frugals” also pressed through the day for bigger rebates for net payers into the core EU budget, among other demands.

Other countries had their own demands in negotiations criss-crossing different regional and economic priorities, putting in doubt an unprecedented act of solidarity for the EU under which the executive European Commission would borrow billions of euros on capital markets on behalf of them all.

The exact size of the EU’s long-term budget and how far to use payouts as leverage for reforms, or whether to withhold money from countries that fail to live up to democratic standards, were unresolved as the leaders left on Saturday.

Hungary, backed by its eurosceptic, nationalist ally Poland, has threatened to veto the whole package over a new envisaged mechanism to freeze out countries flouting democracy.

The EU is already grappling with the protracted saga of Britain’s exit from the bloc and has been bruised by past crises, from the financial meltdown of 2008 to feuds over migration.

Another economic shock could expose it to more eurosceptic, nationalist and protectionist forces, and weaken its standing against China, the United States or Russia. ($1 = 0.87 euros)

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CAA cancels licenses of PIA pilots, first officers

Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has cancelled licenses of 17 captains and first officers of the Pakistan International Airlines (PIA), on Saturday.

According to a spokesman of the national flag carrier, they had received a list of eight PIA captains, whose licenses have been cancelled by the aviation authority.
The pilots whose licenses have been cancelled will be terminated from their service,” said the PIA spokesman as the sources claimed that all these pilots have been grounded by the national-flag carrier in 2019.

The sources said that the CAA has suspended ATPL licenses of more than 48 PIA pilots and an investigation into their credentials is ongoing. “They have been issued a show-cause notice and a two week time to respond to the allegations against them,” they said.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Pakistani pilots were grounded globally after the issue of dubious pilots’ licenses emerged in the country.

On July 16, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) confirmed that it has received requests from 10 countries to seek verification of licences of Pakistani pilots.

The countries which sought credibility of credentials of Pakistani pilots include United Arab Emirates, Turkey, Malaysia, Vietnam and other states.

The states have sought details of 176 pilots who have received licences from the operator in Pakistan.

166 out of 176 licences have been verified so far by the CAA, said the spokesperson, adding that the clearance process was pushed into a delay for 10 more licences on technical grounds. The process will be completed by next week.

The CAA spokesperson detailed that 262 pilots had been grounded over the directives of the Pakistani government over the issue of suspected licences, whereas, the federal cabinet members had approved the suspension of licences of 28 aviates.

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Asset details of all special assistants, advisers now available for public: Shibili Faraz

Federal government has revealed the details pertaining to the assets and dual nationalities of 15 advisers and special assistants in the federal cabinet on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday.

It emerged that five of the advisors and special assistants of the cabinet possess dual nationality while two of them are green cardholders.

According to details, Zulfi Bukhari holds British nationality, Nadeem Afzal Chan has Canadian citizenship while Moeed Yusuf and Shahbaz Gill are green card holders (permanent residence of US).
Shahzad Syed Qasim and Nadeem Babar have US citizenship while Tania Aidrus holds dual nationality of both Canada and Singapore.

According to asset details of these cabinet members, Zulfi Bukhari does not own any property in Pakistan, however, he has properties worth millions of rupees in London.

Sania Nishtar owns gold worth Rs 500,000 along with a car. She is indebted of Rs 2.3 million. Shahzad Akbar owns assets worth above Rs 50 million.

Moreover, Shehbaz Gill owns assets worth Rs 150 million while Hafeez Shaikh has revealed assets worth Rs 300 million, however, he is in debt of Rs 290 million.

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Industrialization indispensable for national turn of events: PM Imran

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that no nation can progress without promoting Industrialization reported.

Addressing the ground-breaking ceremony of the Quaid-e-Azam Business Park in Lahore, PM Imran said that the government was taking steps for ease of doing business in the country.

He said that the government was facilitating the business activities in the country and all impediments in the development of industrial sector were being removed.
“Reforms process in all government institutions is in progress to harmonize the initiatives taken by the government.”

Underscoring the need for long term planning, the prime minister said that Malaysia and Singapore implemented Pakistan’s plans and made significant progress.

He maintained that the Chinese companies were taking keen interest to invest in Pakistan, adding that we have to ease entrepreneurship and simplify our procedures.

PM Imran said that the government is committed to remove the red-tap hurdles in the way of entrepreneurship and ensure ease of business.

The prime minister hoped that the Quid-e-Azam Business Park would emerge as an epicenter of new economic avenues and prospects for the Chinese companies.

He said that small and medium industry is the backbone of the economy and provides job opportunities at large scale. PM Imran said the government is committed to facilitate them at all level and will ensure ease of doing business.

“The government is committed in institutional reforms in the country and initiatives have been taken in this regard,” he concluded.

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Couple allegedly killed in Gujrat over honour killing

A boy and a girl have been allegedly killed in Gujrat city of the Punjab province over honour killing,reported.

According to the details, bullet-riddled and tortured body of the boy identified as Khalil Anwar and another body of a girl, Shaista, were found from separate lakes within the remits of Kunjah police station in Gujrat.

According to the sources, the couple was in love with each other and initially, the body of the girl was recovered from a lake in Sarai Alamgir area.

The family of the girl propagated among the neighbourhood before the death that she was suffering from mental illness.

The body of 19-year-old Khalil Anwar was recovered later from a lake near a village in Gujrat.

“Post-mortem report has found that the ear, lips and tongue of the victim were cut using a sharp-pointed material and he was later dumped in the lake after being shot three times in the body,” the sources said while detailing the chilling murder of the victim.

The police, have, however, yet to admit the crime as an honour killing incident.

DSP Saddar, Gujrat, Chaudhry Saeed said that they carried out the post-mortem of the male victim soon after the recovery of the body. “It showed that he was murdered,” said the DSP as police awaited post-mortem report of the girl, whose body bore no torture marks.

We have registered a case and initiated our investigations to ascertain the facts, the police said.

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Ceasefire violations on LOC, Pakistan summons Indian diplomat

The Foreign Office (FO) on Saturday summoned a senior Indian diplomat to register Pakistan’s strong protest over the ceasefire violations by the Indian occupation forces along the Line of Control (LoC) on 17th of July, resulting in serious injuries to two innocent women.

In a statement, the FO said that due to indiscriminate and unprovoked firing by the Indian occupation forces in Rakhchikri and Baroh sectors of the LoC, 35 year old Shakeela Bibi w/o Khursheed and 40 year old Nazia Bibi w/o Mazhar Iqbal sustained serious injuries.

FO spokesperson Aisha Farooqui said that the Indian forces along the LoC and the working boundary have been continuously targeting civilian populated areas with artillery fire, heavy-caliber mortars and automatic weapons. This year, India has committed 1697 ceasefire violations to date, resulting in 14 shahadats and serious injuries to 133 innocent civilians, she added.

Condemning the deplorable targeting of innocent civilians by the Indian occupation forces, the spokesperson underscored that such senseless acts are in clear violation of the 2003 ceasefire understanding, and are also against all established humanitarian norms and professional military conduct.

“These egregious violations of international law reflect consistent Indian attempts to escalate the situation along the LoC and are a threat to regional peace and security.”

It was added that by raising tensions along the LoC and the working boundary, India cannot divert attention from the grave human rights situation in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K).

Indian side was called upon to respect the 2003 ceasefire understanding; investigate this and other such incidents of deliberate ceasefire violations and maintain peace along the LoC and the working boundry. The Indian side was also urged to allow the United Nations Military Observer Group in India and Pakistan (UNMOGIP) to play its mandated role as per the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions.

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Another top Sindh specialist loses fight against coronavirus

Administrator of the Sindh Blood Transfusion Authority Dr Adnan on Saturday lost his battle against coronavirus, becoming the 25th doctor in the province to fell victim to the COVID-19.

Dr Adnan was suffering from the infection from the past few days and his brother still remains admitted at the hospital after contracting the infection.

The widow of Dr Adnan and other family members will also undergo coronavirus test to ascertain the presence of infection.

It is pertinent to mention here that the number of healthcare professionals affected by the novel coronavirus in the country surged to 5,164 by June 24.

According to a report of the National Institute of Health (NIH), the tally of doctors infected by coronavirus in Pakistan so far has increased to 3,150, while 612 nurses also contracted coronavirus.

Moreover, 1402 paramedics have been infected by the virus, the report said.

Around 2,4 20 infected healthcare workers have been quarantined at homes. The tally of coronavirus positive health professionals admitted at hospitals is 269 and 262 of them have been in better condition”, according to the report.

Among infected health workers 2,419 have recovered, while 56 of them have died of the virus infection, the report said.

In Sindh 21 healthcare professionals have died, while the number of deaths in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is ten, five in Balochistan, three in Gilgit-Baltistan, thirteen in Punjab and four in Islamabad, the report further said.

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35 million Iranians may contract COVID-19 : President Rouhani

Iran's president Hassan Rouhani said on Saturday that 35 million people of the country may contract the coronavirus, as they still did not have herd immunity although a quarter of the population may be infected.

It appears to be the first time a senior Iranian official has indicated the country is seeking to defeat COVID-19 via herd immunity.

The virus has killed more than 588,000 people and infected nearly 14 million around the world since first being detected in China late last year.

Iran has been battling a resurgence of COVID-19, with figures showing a rise in both new infections and deaths since a two-month low in May.

On Saturday, the health ministry reported another 188 coronavirus deaths and 2,166 cases of infection in the past 24 hours.

That took the overall toll to 13,979 dead out of 271,606 cases since Iran reported its first cases in mid-February.

The rising toll has prompted authorities to reimpose restrictions in worst-hit provinces after being lifted country-wide in April, with Tehran extending them for an extra week on Friday.

"Our estimate is that up to now, 25 million Iranians have been infected with this virus," Rouhani said during a televised meeting of the country's virus-fighting taskforce.

"We have to consider the possibility that 30 to 35 million more may face infection," he added, citing the results of a study by the health ministry.

"We have not yet achieved herd immunity and we have no choice but to be united and break the chain of transmission of the coronavirus."

Rouhani's deputy head of communications, Alireza Moezi, said on Twitter hours later that the 25 million in fact refers to "those who have encountered the virus and achieved complete immunity".

Rouhani also said that Iran may have to prepare itself for double the amount of hospitalisations it has had in the past five months, according to the study.

The health ministry does not report the overall amount of hospitalisations over COVID-19.

The Islamic republic has been struggling to contain the Middle East's worst COVID-19 outbreak since announcing its first cases in mid-February.

Iran has refrained from imposing full lockdowns but closed schools, cancelled public gatherings and banned travel between provinces in March, before lifting the restrictions the next month to reopen its sanctions-hit economy.

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Balochistan govt permits businesses to work from 9am to 10pm

Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani said the provincial government has relaxed lockdown timings and allowed businesses to remain open from 9am to 10pm.

While addressing media here in Quetta, Liaquat Shahwani said the decision was taken keeping in view of declining cases in the province.

Shahwani said that province witnessed a drop in Covid-19 cases during the last five days and 20 districts of the province have reported zero cases during the period.
The government would consider reopening schools, parks, marriage halls if cases continued to decline, he added.

He thanked people of the province for cooperating with government in following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) and appealed to the public to continue following standard operating procedures (SOPs) during Eidul Azha to avoid a possible surge in cases.

Earlier, the Balochistan government extended the smart lockdown in the province till July 30 in a bid to curtail the Covid-19.
The provincial government spokesperson said that elderly people and children have been restricted from entering the cattle markets.

The elderly and children are not allowed to enter cattle markets. Sanitisers and masks will be used and one metre of social distancing will ensured,” said Shahwani.

According to a notification issued by the home department, during the lockdown, there shall be a complete ban on a gathering of ten or more people, sit-ins, processions and rallies.

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SC to hear PTI appeal against Sindh Local Government Act

Supreme Court will hear an appeal against objections of the Registrar’s office over a challenge to the Sindh Local Government Act (SLGA).

The apex court will hear the appeal filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on July 20.

The court has issued a notice to Barrister Ali Zafar for the PTI’s appeal against objections of the Registrar’s office.

The PTI had challenged clause 74 and 75 of Sindh’s local government law in the supreme court, which were returned back to the petitioner with objections.

It is pertinent to mention here that the local bodies elections in Sindh were held in three phases across the province during the months of October, November and December in 2015.

The union councils across the province will complete their tenure by August 30 this year.

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Humayun Saeed’s ‘bhangra' dance video in rain goes viral

Pakistani superstar Humayun Saeed’s ‘bhangra' dance video in the rain in Karachi has gone viral on the internet and has won the hearts of his fans.

The Mere Paas Tum Ho actor turned to Twitter and shared short clip of him enjoying a rainy day in a park.

In the video, Humayun Saeed could also be seen performing the ‘bhangra' dance.

He captioned it, “Happy that it's FINALLY raining.” 

Happy that it's FINALLY raining pic.twitter.com/R8FnJqZAOj

— Humayun Saeed (@iamhumayunsaeed) July 17, 2020

The video has taken the internet by storm shortly after the actor posted it on social media.

Pakistani actor Shaan Shahid also commented on the endearing post and wrote, “Blessings of the ALMIGHTY #Lovekhirain #misskhirain .#timeformangoes.”

Karachi on Friday received a second spell of monsoon rain, turning the weather pleasant in the port city.

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DRAP approves 7% increase in prices of essential drugs, 10% increase in other medicines

A notification from the Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP) on Saturday stated that it had approved a 7% increase in the prices of essential drugs/biologicals and a 10% increase in other medicines.

"Manufacturers and importers may increase their existing MRP's of essential drugs/biologicals (excluding lower-priced) equal to 70% increase in CPI (with a cap of 7%) and MRPs of all other drugs/biologicals and lower-priced drugs up to increase in CPI (with a cap of 10%) subject to conditions," read the notification.

DRAP further stated that the calculations of the revised Maximum Retail Price (MRP) of the medicines will have to be submitted by the concerned manufacturer or importer, signed and stamped by the Managing Director, Managing Partner or CEO or any other authorised person.

"Evidence for authenticity of existing MRPs to the Authority (Division of Costing and Pricing) Calculations of revised MRPs, duly signed and stamped by the Managing Director or Managing Partner or CEO or any authorized person on his behalf, shall be submitted," read the notification.

The government had allowed a 5.14% increase in prices of essential medicines and biologicals whereas it had allowed a 7.3410% increase in prices of other medicines.

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Federal govt decides against opening guest houses, hotels before Eidul Azha

The federal government has decided not to open guest houses and hotels before Eidul Azha.

This was stated by Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis and Human Resource Development Zulfi Bukhari while talking to a delegation of All Pakistan Guest Houses and Tourism Association who called on him in Islamabad.

“The decision to open the hotels and the guest houses will be taken after consultation with the province”, Bukhari said.

He said that standard operating procedures (SOPs) have been finalised and the decision will be taken after Eid regarding opening of guest houses and hotel after reviewing the coronavirus pandemic situation.

Bukhari assured the delegation that a consultation would be done with the State Bank of Pakistan regarding interest-free loan.

Earlier on July 13, Zulfi Bukhari had announced that World Tourism Forum 2021 would be held in Pakistan.

 

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Govt fulfilled promise of bringing back 250,000 Pakistanis stranded abroad: PM Khan

Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan on Saturday said that despite massive disruptions in global air travel, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has fulfilled its promise of bringing back stranded Pakistanis and overseas workers from abroad.

In a Tweet on Saturday, the prime minister said 250,000 Pakistanis from around the world have been brought home so far.

“Despite massive disruptions in global air travel, we have fulfilled our promise of bringing back stranded Pakistanis and our overseas workers,” he said in a Tweet.

Despite massive disruptions in global air travel, we have fulfilled our promise of bringing back stranded Pakistanis & our overseas workers.250,000 Pakistanis from around the world have been brought home. My govt will continue to support overseas Pakistanis in every way possible

— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) July 18, 2020

PM Imran said that his government will continue to support overseas Pakistanis in every way possible.

Last month, the prime minister had approved the resumption of international flights to help overseas Pakistanis who have suffered most during the Covid-19 pandemic.

In a tweet, the prime minister also appreciated the overseas Pakistanis for showing great courage during the coronavirus outbreak.

He also appreciated the philanthropic role played by Overseas Pakistani community in helping their brothers and sisters abroad during Covid19.

 

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Corona cases in Pakistan rose to 261,917, recovery rate rose to 198,509

The number of confirmed Corona cases in Pakistan rose to 261,917 on Saturday after new infections were confirmed in the country.

• Sindh: 111,238

• Punjab: 89,465

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 31,669

• Balochistan: 11,405

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 14,504

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 1,796

• AJK: 1,840

Deaths: 5,522

• Punjab: 2,067

• Sindh: 1,952

• Khyber Pakhtunkhwa: 1,130

• Balochistan: 131

• Islamabad Capital Territory: 157

• Gilgit-Baltistan: 39

• AJK: 46

RECOVERED: 198,509

World records one million coronavirus cases in 100 hours: Reuters tally

Global coronavirus infections passed 14 million on Friday, according to a Reuters tally, marking the first time there has been a surge of 1 million cases in under 100 hours.

The US with more than 3.6 million confirmed cases, is still seeing huge daily jumps in its first wave of COVID-19 infections. The country has reported a daily global record of more than 77,000 new infections on Thursday.

The pandemic has now killed more than 590,000 people in almost seven months.

India, the only other country with more than 1 million cases, has been grappling with an average of almost 30,000 new infections each day for the last week.

China reports 22 new coronavirus cases

China reported 22 new coronavirus cases up from 10 cases a day earlier, the health authority said on Saturday.

Of the new infections, 16 were in the far western region of Xinjiang, according to a statement by the National Health Commission. The other six were imported cases.

As of Friday, mainland China had 83,644 confirmed coronavirus cases, the health authority said. The COVID-19 death toll remained at 4,634.

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Federal govt transferred top hierarchy of FBR

The federal government on Friday transferred top hierarchy of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), for the second time in three months, but once again kept the decision of appointing a permanent FBR chairman open.

The FBR issued transfer and posting orders for 12 officers, removing the ones who are not in good books of those who are calling the shots in the tax machinery.

The government has transferred FBR’s Member Inland Revenue Policy Dr Hamid Ateeq Sarwar and appointed him as Member Strategic Plan, Research and Statistics.

Sarwar had made the last two budgets of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.

A surprising decision was to post out Faiz Illahi Memon, Member Administration FBR. The government has appointed Memon as Director General Special Initiative - a post that effectively does not exist and is used to park people who are to be punished or sidelined. Memon is a man of known integrity and is also considered one of the best officers in the FBR.

In his place, the government has appointed Bakhtiar Mohammad as new Member Administration FBR. Mohammad had been appointed as Member Facilitation and Taxpayers Education (FATE) a few months ago. He will also retain the charge of Member FATE.

The officers who were considered close to former FBR chairperson Nausheen Javed have been removed from their positions. However, the federal government did not confirm Javed Ghani as the FBR chairman, who was recently appointed as the acting chairman. Ghani is the fifth chairman under the watch of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

A key government functionary said on Friday that the government was looking for a suitable candidate to be appointed as the FBR chairman. He did not rule out the possibility of retaining Ghani as the chairman till his retirement, due in April next year.

The government functionary conceded that the government has not done enough to check corruption in the FBR, underscoring the need for reforms. The government has created a new post of Member Reform and Modernisation FBR and has appointed Ambreen Iftikhar on the post.

The FBR’s Board-in-Council has not yet approved the post of member FBR Reform and Modernisation. She was earlier serving as member human resource management.

In her place, Hafiz Mohammad Ali Indhar has been appointed as new member Human Resource Management. Indhar is a grade-22 officer.

Chaudhry Muhammad Tarique has been appointed as new Member Inland Revenue Policy, FBR. Tariq was serving as Chief Commissioner Regional Tax Office Sialkot. The member policy directly deals with the International Monetary Fund.

Dr Aftab Imam has been posted as Chief Commissioner of Corporate Regional Tax Office (CRTO) Karachi. He was earlier posted as Chief Commissioner RTO Quetta. Imam has recently been show-caused for giving up to 36 performance rewards against the prime minister’s austerity policy.

Sajidullah Siddiqui, who had been tipped as member Inland Revenue Policy, has been posted as Director General Retail, FBR Headquarters. Siddiqui was serving as chief commissioner Corporate RTO, Karachi - a post that was vacated for Imam.

Tariq Mustafa Khan has been given the additional charge of Chief Commissioner of Sialkot RTO.

Amjad Zubair Tiwana, who was serving as special assistant to the FBR chairman, has been posted out of the headquarters. He has been appointed as Commissioner Large Taxpayer Unit, Islamabad. Naveed Khalid Khan has been appointed as new special assistant to the FBR chairman.

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England declared first innings on 469-9 against Windies

England took charge at Old Trafford on Friday after Ben Stokes scored an impressive 176 against West Indies, declaring their first-innings on 469-9.

Meanwhile opener Dom Sibley made a painstaking 120 and put on 260 with star all-rounder Stokes after England had been in trouble at 81-3 on Thursday following the loss of returning captain Joe Root.

West Indies, faced with a tricky hour to bat until stumps on the second day, lost John Campbell to the recalled Sam Curran and were 32-1 at the close.

England had been forced into a late change to their pace attack after fast bowler Jofra Archer was dramatically omitted Thursday for breaching the bio-secure bubble by making an unauthorised trip home to Brighton following the West Indies´ four-wicket win in last week´s first Test at Southampton.

But left-arm paceman Curran, who might not have played if Archer had been retained, made the breakthrough when an inswinger had Campbell lbw on review and he would have also had nightwatchman Alzarri Joseph leg before if England had challenged a not out decision.

England came into this match already planning to revamp their pace attack, with Stuart Broad , angry at being rested last week, back in action.

James Anderson, was rested in turn, even though this match was taking place at the Lancashire home ground of England's all-time leading wicket-taker, with Chris Woakes recalled after Mark Wood was also given a breather.

But the day belonged to Sibley and Stokes, whose partnership was the second-highest for the fourth-wicket by England against the West Indies, behind the celebrated stand of 411 shared by Peter May and Colin Cowdrey at Edgbaston back in 1957.

Sibley's hundred was one of the slowest in Tests by an England batsman, the opener batting for 471 minutes nearly eight hours  to complete a 312-ball century featuring a mere fours.

But the 24-year-old Warwickshire right-hander's second hundred in his eight Tests, following 133 not out against South Africa at Cape Town in January, was a valuable innings.

And he made normally reliable West Indies captain Jason Holder pay for dropping him in the slips on 68.

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Uzbekistan donates 25 tonnes of medical supplies to Pakistan

In order to help Pakistan fight COVID-19, Uzbekistan’s president on Friday donated 25 tonnes of medical supplies to Islamabad.

According to the details, special plane from Uzbekistan carrying medical supplies regarding coronavirus pandemic arrived at Noor Khan airbase.

The medical supplies include surgical masks, gloves, sanitizers, respirators, shoe covers, pyrometers, medicines and other equipment.

Chairman NDMA Lieutenant General Muhammad Afzal received the supplies from the acting ambassador of Uzbekistan to Pakistan at the airport.

Earlier on May 8, another plane carrying a new consignment of medical supplies from China had arrived at Islamabad International Airport (IIA).

According to a spokesperson of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), 17 tons of medical supplies, including 30 X-ray machines, 110,000N-95 masks, 20, 000 medical masks, 17,000 protective suits, 82 cartons surgical gown and other miscellaneous items had arrived in the country via a special flight of Pakistan international Airlines (PIA) from Beijing.

He had maintained that it was the fifth consignment of medical supplies arrived in Islamabad from China. The spokesperson had maintained that a team of NDMA had received the medical supplies at the airport.

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Australian researchers devised 20-minute coronavirus blood test

Researchers in Australia have devised a test that can determine novel coronavirus infection in about 20 minutes using blood samples in what they say is a world-first breakthrough.

The researchers at Monash University said their test can determine if someone is currently infected and if they have been infected in the past.

“Short-term applications include rapid case identification and contact tracing to limit viral spread, while population screening to determine the extent of viral infection across communities is a longer-term need,” the researchers said in a paper published in the journal ACS Sensors on Friday.

The research team was led by BioPRIA and Monash University’s Chemical Engineering Department, including researchers from the ARC Centre of Excellence in Convergent BioNano Science and Technology (CBNS).

Their test, using 25 microlitres of plasma from blood samples, looks for agglutination, or a clustering of red blood cells, that the coronavirus causes.

While the current swab test is used to identify people who are infected with the coronavirus, the agglutination assay – or analysis to detect the presence and amount of a substance in blood – can also determine if someone had been recently infected, after the infection is resolved, they said.

Hundreds of samples can be tested every hour, the researchers said, and they hope it can also be used to detect antibodies raised in response to vaccination to aid clinical trials.

A patent for the innovation has been filed and the researchers are seeking commercial and government support to scale up production.

The novel coronavirus has infected more than 13.8 million people around the world and killed nearly 600,000 since it emerged in China late last year. Australia has reported more than 11,000 cases and 116 deaths.

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Norway arrests British man suspected of Ryanair plane bomb threat

A Ryanair aircraft flying from London to Norway has landed safely at Oslo’s main airport after receiving a bomb threat while in the air and a suspect has been arrested, Norwegian police said on Friday.

Danish F-16 military aircraft scrambled to escort the plane to Norway, The Danish Defence Command said on its Twitter account.

The situation is under control and police have arrested a 51-year-old British man on suspicion of being behind the threat, the police said in a statement.

The aircraft will now be examined by the emergency squad and bomb group, the police said, adding all passengers were safely evacuated.

“Crew on a Ryanair flight from London Stansted to Oslo today discovered a note that claimed there was a potential security threat on board,” a Ryanair spokeswoman said in an email to Reuters.

“The captain followed procedures and continued to Oslo airport where the plane landed safely. Customers remained on board while authorities carried out a security search,” she added.

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UK policeman suspended after video shows him kneeling on neck of detained Black man

London’s police force suspended an officer on Friday after video footage emerged of him appearing to kneel on the head and neck of a Black man who was subsequently charged with carrying a knife.

Britain’s capital and other major cities have seen large Black Lives Matter protests inspired by concern about racial injustice following the death of African-American George Floyd in police custody in Minneapolis on May 25.

“The video footage that I have seen today and is circulating on social media is extremely disturbing,” Metropolitan Police Deputy Commissioner Steve House said in a statement. “Some of the techniques used cause me great concern - they are not taught in police training.”

Reuters was not able to independently verify the video.

The Metropolitan Police referred the circumstances of the arrest, which took place on Thursday evening in north London, for investigation by the independent police watchdog for England and Wales.

London Mayor Sadiq Khan called for a swift and thorough inquiry into what he described as a “distressing” incident.

Late on Friday the Metropolitan Police said the 45-year-old man they arrested had been charged by prosecutors with possession of a knife in a public place, and would appear in court on Saturday. The man was also wanted for recall to prison for a separate offence, police added.

Knife crime has risen rapidly in Britain in recent years, even as other violence has fallen, and a disproportionate amount takes place in London, where 86 people were killed in knife attacks in the year ended in March.

Video filmed by an onlooker showed one white police officer appearing to kneel on the side of the man’s head and neck, while another officer of east Asian ethnicity helped to restrain the man on the ground.

The white officer stopped kneeling on the suspect after he cried out “Get off my neck”, and the man was later shown sitting up and speaking with the officers while in handcuffs.

“One officer has been suspended and another officer has been removed from operational duty, but not suspended at this time. This decision will be kept under review,” House said.

Absolutely disgusting, my sister is in this video witnessing police brutality and them kneeling on this black man’s neck. He is clearly not a threat and is in cuffs. Please share this video for awareness.#BLM #BlackLivesMatter pic.twitter.com/xLS1h6Ficx

— axax_shockz (@RealAiRavish) July 16, 2020

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