Top Stories
Pakistan death toll rises to 20, with cases up to 1650
F.P. Report LAHORE: Pakistan on Monday has reported 20 deaths from novel coronavirus while the total number of cases have surged to 1650 as 508 patients have been tested positive for the epidemic in Sindh, 144 in Balochistan, 618 in Punjab, 195 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 128 in Gilgit-Baltistan, 51 in Islamabad and six in Azad…
SC suspends all high court decisions regarding release of under-trial prisoners due to virus fears
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday suspended all decisions taken by high courts regarding the release of under-trial prisoners due to the coronavirus outbreak. The apex court also directed the provincial governments and the high courts to refrain from issuing any further directives. A five-judge bench, comprising Chief Justice Gulzar Ahmed, Justice Umar…
Zulfi Bukhari sends Rs1 billion defamation notice to PML-N’s Khawaja Asif over Taftan allegations
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Overseas Pakistanis Zulfiqar Bukhari has sent a Rs1 billion defamation notice to PML-N stalwart Khawaja Asif over allegations that the PM’s aide used his influence to allow pilgrims from Iran to return to the country via Taftan without fulfilling proper requirements. In the notice, a…
China will continue to support to Pakistan against Covid-19 pandemic
F.P. Report BEIJING: China will continue to provide help to Pakistan against Covid-19 pandemic as both the countries have fine tradition of lending support and assistance to each other in the difficult time. Chinese Foreign Ministry’s Spokesperson Hua Chunying at a regular media briefing in Beijing on Monday said since the outbreak, Pakistan and its…
Train services to remain suspended for the time being: Sheikh Rashid
F.P. Report RAWALPINDI: Railways Minister Shaikh Rashid has said that passenger trains will not operate throughout the country for the time being as the service was suspended following the outbreak of the coronavirus in Pakistan. The minister, while talking to media at Rawalpindi station, shared that the cabinet will tomorrow decide on the amount that…
ECC approves Rs 1.2 trillion relief package to fight coronavirus
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Economic Coordination Committee has approved the fiscal stimulus package of 1.2 trillion rupees. Meeting of the ECC was held in Islamabad on Monday with Adviser to the Prime Minister on Finance Dr. Abdul Hafeez Shaikh in the chair. ECC approved Supplementary Grant of 100 billion rupees for the “Residual/Emergency Relief Fund” in…
Global
Indian police fire tear gas on unemployed workers defying 21-day lockdown
NEW DELHI (Reuters): Police in western India fired tear gas to disperse a crowd of migrant workers defying a 21-day lockdown against the coronavirus that has left over thousands of poor without jobs and hungry, authorities said Monday. Prime Minister Narendra Modi ordered the country’s 1.3 billion people to remain indoors until April 15, declaring…
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COVID-19: Spain’s death toll jumps to 7,340
OVIEDO, Spain (AA): For the third day in a row, Spain registered over 800 daily deaths due to COVID-19, according to data released by the Spanish Health Ministry on Monday. Over the last 24 hours, 812 people have died, raising the death toll to 7,340. Together, Spain and Italy have registered around half of the…
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UK’s Prince Charles out of coronavirus self-isolation
LONDON (Reuters): British heir-to-the-throne Prince Charles, who had tested positive for coronavirus, is out of self-isolation after seven days and is in good health, his spokesperson said on Monday. Last week, his Clarence House office revealed that Charles, 71, had been tested after displaying mild symptoms of the virus and had been in self-isolation at…
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Germany reports 120 new deaths from coronavirus
BERLIN (AA): Death toll from coronavirus in Germany has climbed up to 541 on Monday, with 120 new deaths in the past 24 hours, according to the figures released by local health authorities. The Berlin-based website Coronavirus-Monitor, which compiles up-to-date numbers from the local health authorities, has reported 6,996 new cases, bringing the total infections…
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Netanyahu to go into quarantine after aide tests positive
JERUSALEM (AA): Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his advisors will go into quarantine after an aide tested positive for the coronavirus, the prime minister’s office said on Monday. Netanyahu decided to enter self-quarantine until he receive the test result, according to his office. Netanyahu’s parliamentary adviser Rivka Paluch tested positive for the novel…
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North Korea says tested ‘super-large’ rocket launchers
PYONGYANG (AFP): Nuclear-armed North Korea successfully tested “super-large multiple rocket launchers”, state media said on Monday, but leader Kim Jong Un was not described as commanding the drill as analysts say Pyongyang seeks to normalise its launches. With the world focused on the coronavirus pandemic and North Korea insisting it has not had a single…
Read MorePakistan
Pakistan reported fewer coronavirus cases in past 24 hours: Dr Mirza
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Special Assistant to Prime Minister Imran Khan on Health Dr Zafar Mirza said on Monday that Pakistan has reported fewer cases of the coronavirus in the past 24 hours as compared to the ratio in the last few days. Dr Mirza was addressing media, along with SAPM on National Security Dr Moeed…
COVID-19 lockdown: 5,663 cases registered in Punjab over Section 144 violation
F.P. Report LAHORE: A total of 5,663 cases have been registered in Punjab over the violation of Section 144 — which was imposed on March 15 as part of the coronavirus lockdown — and against hoarders and profiteers, police said Monday. According to a police spokesperson, 153 cases have been filed over the violation of…
Sindh govt directs private schools to pay full salaries to teachers
F.P. Report KARACHI: The Sindh government on Monday has directed private schools across the province to pay full salaries to its teachers on time. In a notification issued, Director General Private Institution Dr Mansoob Siddiqui has directed schools to issue monthly fee challans instead of the usual bi-monthly or quarterly challans to the parents. The…
Islamabad converts more buildings into quarantines as cases continue to rise
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Islamabad administration has converted three large buildings into quarantine facilities as number of cases in Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) continues to rise. According to details, authorities have issued the notification of the conversion and In-charge and focal persons have also been appointed. According to notification, first quarantine facility has been established in…
Dua Mangi identifies kidnappers before court
F.P. Report KARACHI: Dua Mangi has identified the kidnappers, who abducted her on November 30, last year, outside a restaurant in Defense House Authority. The hearing of the case was in the court of the Judicial Magistrate South, Karachi. At the outset of the hearing Miss Mangi identified the kidnappers who were presented before her…
PU diagnostic lab to charge Rs800 per coronavirus test
F.P. Report LAHORE: Punjab University on Monday inaugurated a diagnostic laboratory to test samples of suspected COVID-19 patients initially only referred by the Punjab government at Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB). It is pertinent to note that the facility is not open yet for the public. PU Vice Chancellor Prof Niaz Ahmad formally inaugurated…
Afghanistan
Taliban prisoner release delayed: Govt
KABUL (TOLO News): The release of Taliban prisoners that was expected to begin on Tuesday has been postponed, a government official confirmed, saying that first a Taliban team will be sent to Kabul to discuss technical matters regarding the process. Javid Faisal, a spokesman for the National Security Council, said in a tweet that the…
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Attacks in Takhar, Zabul kill 19 ANDSF
KABUL (TOLO News): Amid increasing violence in recent days across almost half of Afghanistan – 15 provinces–officials and other sources on Monday reported the latest attacks in two provinces, Takhar in the northeast and Zabul in the south, which caused casualties among Afghan forces. Sources said that at least 13 security force members were killed…
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Lockdown affects businesses in Kabul
KABUL (TOLO News): The 21-day lockdown in the city of Kabul and its provincial districts has affected small businesses, especially shop owners and workers, who said they are concerned about how to afford the needs of their families. So far, 145 people have tested positive for the coronavirus in Afghanistan, according to the Public Health…
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ICRC calls for action against COVID-19 in War Zones
KABUL (TOLO News): It will be nearly impossible to fight COVID-19 in countries already devastated by conflict unless a concerted response by states and humanitarian organizations is launched immediately, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has warned. “Plans to prevent and respond to the virus must urgently move forward before it gains a…
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Balkh Central Jail releases 75 prisoners
BALKH (Ariana News): Some 75 prisoners, sentenced to less than 5 years in jail, have been released from Balkh Central Jail because of the coronavirus outbreak. Bashir Tawhidi, deputy governor of Balkh, says that the prisoners have been let go on the president’s verdict. According to him, there will be more releases. Following the warning…
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No date set for arrival of Taliban delegation
Monitoring Desk KABUL: The date for the arrival of a Taliban delegation to monitor the release of the Taliban prisoners is still unclear, the Office of National Security Council (ONSC) said. Jawed Faisal, a spokesman for the ONSC has said that in order to accelerate the peace process, the Taliban should avoid violence and that…
Read MoreBusiness
Govts, central banks must boost efforts: BIS
Monitoring Desk LONDON: Governments and central banks need to step up efforts urgently to support their economies in the face of the coronavirus crisis, the head of the Bank for International Settlements said on Sunday. General Manager Agustín Carstens, who heads the BIS – an umbrella group for the world’s central banks – wrote an…
Dubai free zones set marker on rent incentives
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: With free zones in Dubai offering up to six months’ rent postponements, private landlords are now under pressure to match these incentives or even better them. At the very least, private landlords would be “forced” to consider rent payments via installments – something the free zones will now allow as per Saturday’s…
Qatar Airways says it will need state support
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: Qatar Airways will have to seek government support eventually, Chief Executive Akbar al-Baker told Reuters on Sunday, warning that the Middle East carrier could soon run out of the cash needed to continue flying. Several states have stepped in to help airlines hammered by the coronavirus pandemic that has virtually halted international…
Hashoo Group stands by its associates in crucial times
F.P. Report ISLAMABAD: Hashoo Group in these troubled times is ensuring practicality of having a disaster preparedness and business continuity plan by ensuring safety and mitigating risks to employees as much as possible. Covid-19 repercussions have struck down industries all around the world. Hospitality industry has received the worst blow due to the economic despondency…
Zong 4G announces free calls
F.P. Report KARACHI: With customers as its Number 1 priority, Zong 4G has stepped forward with an unprecedented gesture for its customers across the country. The customer-centric company is now providing daily free Zong minutes to its entire customer base. The endowment has been introduced with the intent of connecting people as they stay at…
JS Bank fights COVID-19: Offers financing to hospitals to curb Corona Pandemic
F.P. Report KARACHI: Playing its role in facilitating the nation and its institutions to fight the Coronavirus pandemic, JS Bank, has introduced financing of up to Rs. 200 million to hospital and medical centers, for the purchase of equipment to detect, contain and treat patients infected by COVID-19. Under this State Bank designed scheme, all…
Sports
England players set for pay cuts due to coronavirus crisis: report
Monitoring Desk LONDON : England’s cricket players must “realise the bigger picture” and will be expected to take a pay cut as the country’s cricket governing body (ECB) tries to deal with the financial impact of the coronavirus pandemic, The Times here reported on Sunday. More than 662,700 people have been infected by the novel…
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Season could continue until January: Ferrari boss
Lausanne (Agencies): The world championship could extend into January next year as Formula 1 seeks to salvage the 2020 season, says Ferrari boss Mattia Binotto. The first eight races have been called off and the British Grand Prix in July is one of the next events under threat. Binotto said teams are in “constant dialogue”…
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Tennis foot soldiers struggle in time of coronavirus
PARIS (Agencies): With careers spent scratching around dusty outposts, sometimes with “just $100” in their pockets, tennis’ unheralded army of foot soldiers claim they are struggling to afford food after being made unemployed overnight by the coronavirus pandemic. Now, Georgian player Sofia Shapatava is pleading with the International Tennis Federation (ITF) to dig deep and…
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Salman Butt justifies poor PSL performance, takes a dig at other franchises
LAHORE (Monitoring Desk): Opener Salman Butt’s 21-run knock against Islamabad United in his solitary match for Lahore Qalandars in HBL Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 was described by many as a match-losing innings. Butt failed to gain any momentum in his painful 24-ball stay at the crease, where he not only let the required rate…
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Tokyo organisers eye July 2021 for delayed Olympics: reports
TOKYO (Agencies): Tokyo Olympics organisers are eyeing next July as a start date for the postponed Games, Japanese media reported Sunday, following the historic decision to delay the event due to the coronavirus. Given the ongoing pandemic and need for preparation time, the most likely plan would be for the Games to begin on July…
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Dean Jones criticises Pakistan domestic system over Umer Khan snub
KARACHI (Monitoring Desk): Karachi Kings’ Head Coach Dean Jones is unhappy with Pakistan’s domestic system over lack of opportunities for talented spinner Umer Khan. While speaking in a YouTube video, Jones slammed the First-Class (FC) structure in Pakistan for not giving the slow left-arm spinner, who has been one of the most promising players for…
Read MoreFashion & Movies
From the Middle East to Europe, fashion houses join the fight against COVID-19
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: Since the outbreak of coronavirus at the end of 2019, international and regional companies, including Prada, Gucci and Sarah’s Bag, have all joined the fight against the infectious disease. Ana Khouri The Brazilian-Lebanese jeweler decided to create a sapphire version of her signature Mirian ring and donate 100% of the proceeds to…
Jennifer’s nuptial ceremony with Brad was not attended by her mother
Monitoring Desk LOS ANGELES: Jennifer Aniston has achieved excellence in her showbiz career. The actress is enjoying a dreamy life with her ever-shining beauty. She has plenty to be thankful for, but her personal history is more complex than it seems. Hollywood’s gorgeous and sought after actresses, in her memoir, revealed that she went through…
The Zay Initiative: The region’s first ‘fashion-history archive’
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: There is no question that what we wear tells a story: By understanding the history of our regional dress, we also gain an appreciation of our cultural heritage. That’s something Dubai-based author and founder of The Zay Initiative, Dr. Reem Tariq El-Mutwalli, has long recognized. She has been involved in art and…
Bob Dylan drops first original music in nearly a decade
Monitoring Desk NEW YORK: Bob Dylan surprised fans overnight into Friday by releasing his first original music in eight years, a 17-minute ballad about the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Backed by delicate piano, strings and muted drums, “Murder Most Foul” retells the shooting of the US president while describing the evolution of 1960s counterculture.…
Fox News slammed for talking hair, nails during pandemic
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: A Fox News host sparked a firestorm of outrage Thursday by voicing concern over how women are going to get their hair and nails done during the coronavirus pandemic. Ainsley Earhardt was absolutely clear that she was talking about trivial everyday worries rather than the life-or-death issues which are of much larger…
‘Resident Evil 3’ remake delivers thrills, chills
Monitoring Desk AMMAN: It’s tempting to credit Capcom — developers of ‘Resident Evil 3,’ scheduled for release on April 3 — with astonishing prescience: The game, after all, is set in a city under lockdown after the outbreak of a mystery virus. Tempting, at least, until you remember that it’s a remake of the 1999…
Science & Technology
Musk’s SpaceX wins NASA award to supply planned lunar space station
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: NASA on Friday picked a new space capsule from Elon Musk’s SpaceX to ferry cargo and supplies to the agency’s planned lunar space station, a crucial building block to its plans to build a permanent post on the moon and mount future missions to Mars. SpaceX will get a portion of a…
Huawei unveils new photography-focused smartphones online
Monitoring Desk LONDON: China’s Huawei Technologies unveiled its new flagship photography-focused P40 smartphones on Wednesday in an online presentation after the coronavirus scuppered the event it had planned. Richard Yu, chief executive of Huawei’s Consumer Business Group, showed three smartphones in an online broadcast: the P40, P40 Pro and P40 Pro+, which have triple, quad…
Turn off the microwave to boost wifi signals
Monitoring Desk LONDON: People should avoid using the microwave at the same time as they are making video calls, watching HD videos or doing something important online because the ovens can slow wifi signals, Britain’s media regulator Ofcom said on Wednesday. The tip was included in advice on improving broadband performance during the coronavirus pandemic,…
Telenor spreads awareness against COVID-19 pandemic
F.P. Report KARACHI: In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, Telenor Pakistan has yet again proved its role in being a socially responsible organization by spreading awareness of the preventive measures against this pandemic. Telenor Pakistan, being one of the leading Telecom operators in the country, has always been a front-runner in providing innovative solutions…
Facebook says coronavirus hits advertising sales
Monitoring Desk CALIFORNIA: Facebook Inc (FB.O) said on Tuesday the coronavirus outbreak was undercutting sales of the advertising that accounts for nearly all of its revenue, even as more users spend time on the social network during virus-related lockdowns. “We don’t monetize many of the services where we’re seeing increased engagement, and we’ve seen a…
Dubai authority warns of heightened risk of cyber attacks
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: The authority affirmed that it will back all actions by the governments to ensure financial stability in the UAE. The Dubai Financial Services Authority, DFSA, announced on Tuesday that it continues to closely assess and address the implications of the evolving situation of Covid-19 pandemic. In a statement, the DFSA said that…
Health
Age is not the only risk for severe coronavirus disease
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: Older people remain most at risk of dying as the new coronavirus continues its rampage around the globe, but they’re far from the only ones vulnerable. One of many mysteries: Men seem to be faring worse than women. And as cases skyrocket in the U.S. and Europe, it’s becoming more clear that…
Doctors, health professionals our real heroes in fight against coronavirus
Wadood Jan Faith or love for humanity, whatever the reason could be, but the real life heroes are fighting aliens who are thirsty for souls. Exactly the doctors, nurses and paramedics are real life heroes who are in continuous struggle to beat coronavirus. These health professionals have the same fears as we have but their…
Inflammation in the brain linked to several forms of dementia
Monitoring Desk CAMBRIDGE: Inflammation in the brain may be more widely implicated in dementias than was previously thought, suggests new research from the University of Cambridge. The researchers say it offers hope for potential new treatments for several types of dementia. Inflammation is usually the body’s response to injury and stress — such as the…
Coronavirus cases top half a million, protective gear lacking: WHO
Monitoring Desk GENEVA: Coronavirus has infected more than half a million people and killed 20,000, the head of the World Health Organization (WHO) said on Friday as he appealed again for protective gear for medical staff working to save lives. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO director-general, speaking to a Geneva news conference, also urged countries to…
US tops world in coronavirus cases, overtaking China and Italy
Monitoring Desk WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday took the grim title of the country with the most coronavirus infections and reported a record surge in unemployment as world leaders vowed $5 trillion to stave off global economic collapse. More than 500,000 people around the world have now contracted the new coronavirus, overwhelming healthcare systems…
Worldwide coronavirus death toll crosses 20,000
Monitoring Desk PARIS: The coronavirus pandemic has killed at least 20,599 people worldwide since it first appeared in China in December, according to an AFP tally at 1900 GMT Wednesday using official figures. More than 447,030 cases of infection have been officially diagnosed in 182 countries and territories since the start of the pandemic. The…
Travel
Olympics delay a blow for virus-hit Tokyo hotels
Monitoring Desk Tokyo: The shock postponement of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics has dealt a savage blow to Japan’s hotels and tourism industry, already reeling from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. Many operators have seen bookings decimated by the virus and had been clinging to the hope that the Games would help them claw back…
Global tourism to fall up to 30% due to virus: UNWTO
Monitoring Desk MADRID: The number of international tourist arrivals will fall by 20-30 percent in 2020 due to the novel coronavirus, putting millions of jobs at risk, the World Tourism Organization said Friday. This revises sharply lower a forecast made earlier this month of a decline of just 1.0-3.0 percent. The drop in arrivals will…
Stormy year ahead for Japan’s tourism industry as Olympics postpone
Monitoring Desk TOKYO: Now that the Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics are postponed until next year, concerns are growing about whether small and midsize businesses in the tourism and service industries can weather the coronavirus shockwave until the events are held next year, economists and analysts say. With tourist traffic drying up and domestic consumption severely…
Turkish tourism workers exposed to Coronavirus ‘Tsunami’
Monitoring Desk ISTANBUL: Hamza Aksoy was supposed to start waiting tables in Turkey’s Mediterranean tourist hub Antalya this month. But the hotel has not returned his calls since the coronavirus hit, leaving him like millions of others out of work with little protection. Turkey, where infections have surged to nearly 1,900 in two weeks, has…
Sealed borders leave migrants stranded in Moscow’s airports
Monitoring Desk MOSCOW: For the past six days, Ayomuddin Kamolov has slept on the tiled floor of a Moscow airport, hoping to get a flight to his native Tajikistan. He is one of hundreds of Central Asian migrant workers stranded in the Russian capital’s airports after borders were sealed and flights grounded to contain the…
Florida’s economic ‘backbone’ of tourism faces hardship from coronavirus
Monitoring Desk ORLANDO: On an unusually quiet evening at Orlando International Airport, an exhausted couple heads down the escalator toward baggage claim to retrieve their belongings. Jack and Lucy Howarth, who just made the over 11,000-mile journey from Perth, Australia, are here for their two-year wedding anniversary. When they booked this trip 10 months ago,…
Articles
Welcome to a truly free oil market
Julian Lee At the point we’re now at, postponing the oil-price war won’t make a lot of difference for an industry that’s already breaking down under the weight of demand destruction. It’s too late to use diplomacy and artful negotiations to share the burden of output cuts that are now inevitable. The pumping free-for-all unleashed…
COVID-19 will change the world order!
Haseeb Saeed There has been a vast fear spread all around the world this time not by deadly weapons, aggressive policies of states, rivalries among regional groups and skirmishes between two countries over a territory but by the COVID-19 only. It has affected the whole world, the developed and developing countries. Globally, its effects can…
Coronavirus blunts momentum of second Arab spring
Bobby Ghosh Will the coronavirus crisis do for the Second Arab Spring what the forces of counterrevolution did for the first? Today is the first Friday since October that the public squares of the Middle East and North Africa will be silent. In Iraq, the antigovernment protests that have wracked the country for nearly six…
COVID-19: Economic impact of nationwide lockdown
Sidra Shafaqat No outdoor activities, No flights, no trains, 6 feet distance that we have to maintain but why? For the reason, that it is time to fight with an invisible enemy ‘COVID-19’. All over the world, the deadly virus is affecting lives of people irrespective of any discrimination between rich or poor economies. World…
Why are mosques under attack in Europe? Why do the British fear Muslims?
Irfan Raja Mosques are under the constant thr-eat of attacks in Europe. If it is because so-me terrorists happen to be Muslim, then fanatical Hindus, Buddhists and w-hite supremacists’ acts of terror could put churches and temples at risk too. However, this is not the case. Mosques serve the same purpose as churches, synagogues, temples…
Panic is not the solution of the Coronavirus
Ayesha Ilyas Ups and downs use to come in everyone’s life. If there is prosperity in our life then there will be problems too because time never remains the same. However, often people get panic when it comes to problems, which lead them to make the wrong decisions because in time of panic, the human…
Editorial
Fertilizers’ price
Engro Fertilizers and other companies of this industry have announced Rs.240 reduction in price of 50 kilogram bag. Government has already stopped the collection of Gas Infrastructure Development Cess by these companies which was charged in price from farmers after the enforcement of last PPP government legislation for this purpose in December, 2011. A cess…
PM’s proposal for grand unity
Prime Minister Imran Khan has emphasised the need of collective efforts by the international community to win war against the spread of coronavirus pandemic which has affected 190 plus countries at a massive scale, both developed and underdeveloped. He said this, while expressing his best wishes for the speedy recovery of Prince Charles, heir to…
Circular debt audit by NEPRA
The cabinet committee on energy CCOE) has assigned the task of conducting audit of circular debt to National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA). Earlier the regulator has differed with the figures of circular debt compiled by Power Division and International Monetary Fund officials had remained engaged with this division, suggesting third party audit of power…
Role of universities in COVID-19 research
Higher Education Commission (HEC) has asked for proposals from universities, institutes, and individual researchers on “novel corona crisis.” The Commission intends to provide funds for quality research on the mutated virus under the World Bank Research and Innovative Fund (RRIF) Programme. It aims to mobalise research capabilities of universities in support of national efforts to…
Telemedicine project
Governor Khyber Pukhtunkhwa, Shah Farman has formally inaugurated telemedicine project at Khyber Medical University, Peshawar. The underlying objective of the project is to provide online medical consultative services free of cost to deserving people and reduce burden on government hospitals, private hospitals and clinics during these times of COVID-19 pandemic. Project Director Dr. Abdul Jalil…
Currency depreciation and foreign debt
National currency has lost its value by Rs.8.45 in the past few days against the US dollar in the interbank market. The rate of exchange dropped to Rs.167.45 for a dollar. Fast devaluation of rupee has increased the burden of foreign debt. The option of making a request for debt moratorium by the multilateral donor…
Arts and Literature
Calligraphy artist Wissam Shawkat seeks to break the mold after mastering classic styles
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: “If you continue practicing calligraphy in its traditional scripts, that’s a limitation by itself,” Iraqi artist Wissam Shawkat told Arab News while explaining the need to master the craft and then innovate to push Arabic calligraphy into the future. “I mean I am not against learning traditional scripts. I’ve been doing calligraphy…
The Cat: A Natural and Cultural History by Sarah Brown
Monitoring Desk Of all the domesticated species, cats have enjoyed the most complex relationship with people — one that still leads to arguments about whether you can truly call the cat asleep by your fire “tame.” The Cat is a comprehensive, richly illustrated exploration of the natural and cultural history of this much-loved pet. Chapters…
Healing as art: Marina Fokidis discusses Art Dubai’s online performance program
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: In these strange times, where it feels to many as if we have suddenly assumed the role of characters in a sci-fi film, fighting off an unknown assailant whose attacks are highly unpredictable and deadly, most would agree that we need to conjure up other modes of power. While the art world…
Art Dubai Residents: Nigerian artist Tonia Nneji wants women to know they aren’t alone
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: Nigerian visual artist, photographer, art blogger and graffiti artist Tonia Nneji was one of six talents invited to take part in the Art Dubai Residents program, which will no longer exhibit physically due to the coronavirus pandemic. Color plays a central role in Nneji’s practice — a tool she embraces to imbue…
A new future for art fairs? Highlights from Art Dubai’s first digital program
Monitoring Desk DUBAI: Back in February as the rapid spread of coronavirus (COVID-19) threatened the global art calendar, Art Basel Hong Kong was the first to go. Day by day, the art world watched as fair by fair was either postponed or cancelled. Frieze New York, 1-54 Contemporary African Art Fair, Milan’s Salonedel Mobile, Art…
Egypt disinfects landmark museum as virus fears grow
Monitoring Desk CAIRO: Cleaning crews descended upon the landmark Egyptian Museum in Cairo on Monday, dousing it with disinfectants as fears mount over the spread of the novel coronavirus. Sporting white coats, gloves and face masks, the men sprayed sanitisers across the vast museum halls, home to thousands of precious relics spanning Egypt’s prehistoric era…
