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An in-camera meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on National Security will be held at Parliament House today (Thursday) to discuss several important issues, including the Afghanistan situation. Apart from the internal situation, the in-camera session will also be briefed about the situation in Afghanistan, India and Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), said sources. Director-General of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed will brief the parliamentary committee. Important leaders of the opposition parties in Parliament have been invited to attend the meeting as they will be taken into confidence with regards to the recent developments in Afghanistan and national security, according to Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Several political leaders, including Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif, Leader of the Opposition in the Senate Senator Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto Zardar...

Pakistan has reported 40 more deaths over the last 24 hours by COVID-19 as the total number of the fatalities has reached 22,321, reported on Thursday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the number of positive cases has surged to 958,408 after the inclusion of 1,037 fresh infections during the said period. The country conducted 46,145 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 1,037 Pakistanis were tested positive for the disease. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 2.2% Overall 904,320 Pakistanis have recovered their health back from the COVID-19 pandemic, while 1,844 are still said to be critical. As of July 1, as many as 12,938,721 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 3,032,920 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said. A total of 159,716,411 doses of the COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far.   from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3yeE60j

PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari on Wednesday responded to a challenge by Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi during a noisy session of the National Assembly. After severely criticising the government over the provisions of budget 2021-22 and condemning the legislative process conducted on Tuesday, the PPP chairperson left the House after his speech. "He spoke a lot about [parliamentariy] procedures; I would also like to speak on procedures a bit," said a passionate FM Qureshi after Bilawal and former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi had spoken. "Where did he go after making his speech? I want him to return," he added. "I would like to ask Bilawal Bhutto to return to his seat; come back to the field and listen to us now," the foreign minister stated. The Opposition benches in the National Assembly broke into huge applause when the PPP chairperson, with another lawmaker by his side, returned to his seat. The foreign minister spoke briefly...

Two soldiers of the Pakistan Army embraced martyrdom when terrorists from across the border, inside Afghanistan, attacked a military post in Dwatoi, North Waziristan, the military’s media wing said Wednesday. “Own troops responded in a befitting manner. During an exchange of fire, 2 soldiers, Havaldar Saleem, age 43 years, and Lance Naik Pervaiz, age 35 years, embraced shahadat,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said. The statement said Pakistan has consistently been asking Afghanistan to ensure effective border control on its side. “Pakistan strongly condemns the continuous use of Afghan soil for terrorist activities against Pakistan,” it added. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3w7xxeA

Pakistan has reported 27 more deaths over the last 24 hours by COVID-19 as the total number of the fatalities has reached 22,281, reported on Wednesday. According to the latest figures issued by the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the number of positive cases has surged to 957,371 after the inclusion of 979 fresh infections during the said period. The country conducted 42,062 tests in the past 24 hours out of which 979 Pakistanis were tested positive for the disease. The COVID positivity ratio was recorded at 2.3% The number of active cases in Pakistan currently stands at 31,606. Overall 903,484 Pakistanis have recovered their health back from the COVID-19 pandemic, while 1,871 are still said to be critical. As of June 30, as many as 12,641,654 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 2,939,748 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said. A total of 15,581,402 doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far. Pakistan ...

Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani has banned the entry of eight lawmakers into provincial assembly over the issue of bringing “folding charpoy” in the House. The entry of eight lawmakers namely, PTI parliamentary leader Bilal Ahmed, Saeed Ahmed, Arsalan Taj, Muhammad Ali Aziz, Adeel Ahmed, Nawaz Jadoon, Raja Azhar has been banned. Condemning an unpleasant incident that had taken place in the Sindh Assembly earlier today, Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani has ordered a probe into the scuffle between the members from the opposition and treasury benches. The uproar started when protesting members brought a “folding charpoy” in the House. Agha Siraj Durrani has ordered Secretary Sindh Assembly, Umar Farooq, to submit a report after completing an inquiry into the incident. Opposition lawmakers earlier today brought a charpoy in the Sindh Assembly while terming it a coffin of democracy as the proceedings once again witnessed a rumpus. According to the visuals captured during the provincial assembl...

The COVID-19 positivity rate has gone down to 1.78 per cent in Pakistan during the last 24 hours,reported, quoting the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC). The pandemic has claimed 23 more lives in Pakistan during the last 24 hours, pushing the nationwide death toll to 22,254. A total of 735 new cases of the virus emerged when 41,133 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s caseload to 956,392. The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) said the Covid-19 infection rate was recorded at 1.78%. The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country climbed to 901,985 after 784 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours. Keeping in view the downward trend in coronavirus infections, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) on Monday had announced to lift some Covid-19 restrictions that put in place owing to the Third Covid-19 wave in the country. According to details, Fede...

The United States (US) on Monday has announced to send 2.5 million doses of the Moderna vaccine to Pakistan, confirmed White House press secretary Jen Psaki. Jen Psaki said the doses of the Moderna COVID-19 vaccine are being sent to Pakistan to help Islamabad in the fight against the pandemic. She further said The US is sending 1.5 million doses of Moderna to Honduras, 2 million Modern doses to Peru this week. “Thanks to president s commitment to playing a leading role in ending the pandemic everywhere.” Last week it was reported that Pakistan is likely to receive Moderna’s mRNA-1273 coronavirus vaccine doses in the coming months through COVAX — the World Health Organisation’s global shared vaccine programme. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/2UJsiVv

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Monday stressed the need to promote tourism in Pakistan during his visit to Naran and said that even Switzerland could not match the beauty of tourist spots in the country, reported. Speaking to tiger force members in Naran, the prime minister said that he was delighted to see more trees being planted in the area during the aerial visit. “Our future generations would be thankful to us that we cared for them,” he said and added that previously the forests and trees were ruined. He said that no place in the world could match the beauty Pakistan has and it is their responsibility to take care of such blessings of Almighty Allah. The prime minister Khan also stressed the need to hire local volunteers to keep a watch on forests saying that they are more aware of the local dynamics and know people involved in cutting trees in their respective areas. “Trout fish in River Kunhar is loved by people across the country,” the premier said while highlighting anot...

The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has disqualified the sponsors of the B4U Group from becoming a director of any company for a period of five years and has also imposed a penalty of Rs100 million on each of its sponsors, a statement said on Saturday. Further, the sponsors would not be allowed to incorporate any new company under the Act. In addition, the commission has granted sanction for winding up all 18 companies of the B4U Group and imposed a penalty of Rs200 million on each company. Aggregate penalties, amounting to Rs4 billion have been imposed on the B4U Group. The commission concluded the adjudication proceedings against the B4U Group and its sponsors for raising illegal deposits from the public and operating pyramid schemes, in violation of the Companies Act, 2017. The B4U Group comprises 18 companies incorporated under the Act, as well as five unincorporated business setups. All the 18 companies were registered during the last two years. The Se...

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Following the orders of National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) has allowed to increase the number of flights up to 40 percent to five countries. The airlines have been granted permission to increase flights to Canada, Europe, United Kingdom, China and Malaysia. The passengers traveling to Pakistan will undergo a mandatory COVID-19 PCR test prior to their departure. Arriving at the Pakistani airports, the passengers will have a mandatory RAT test after which they will be sent to quarantine if tested positive for the virus. The policy will come into effect from July 1, 2021. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/3dkcsHj

Pakistan has reported 23 deaths in the last 24 hours by novel coronavirus as the number of positive cases has surged to 954,743. The nationwide tally of fatalities has jumped to 22,211 on Sunday. According to the latest figures by the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) 901 persons tested positive for COVID-19 in the past 24 hours. Province-wise Details Punjab remains the worst-hit province in terms of deaths and cases followed by Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. Till now 10,721 individuals have lost their lives to the epidemic in Punjab 5,410 in Sindh, 4,304 in KP, 776 in Islamabad, 582 in Azad Kashmir, 307 in Balochistan, and 111 in GB. Furthermore 345,796 coronavirus cases have been confirmed in Punjab, 335,555 in Sindh, 137,628 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 82,565 in Islamabad, 27,003 in Balochistan, 20,212 in Azad Kashmir and 5,984 in Gilgit-Baltistan. Tests and Recoveries Pakistan has so far conducted 14,416,394 coronavirus tests and 44,544 in the last 24 hours. 900,291 p...

The COVID-19 pandemic claimed 36 more lives in Pakistan over the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide death toll to 22,188. A total of 935 new cases of the virus emerged when 46,842 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s caseload to 953,842. The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country climbed to 898,944 after 1,110 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours. As of June 26, as many as 11,440,648 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 2,725,240 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said. A total of 14,165,288 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far. On Friday, NCOC head Asad Umar foresaw a fourth wave of Covid-19 hitting Pakistan in July. In a statement on his official Twitter account, the planning and development minister said a meeting of the NCOC reviewed an artificial intelligence-based disease modeling analysis. “In ...

Microsoft Corp will show off on Thursday the first major revamp of its Windows operating system since 2015. The software that turned Microsoft into a household name and dominated personal computers for years has been overtaken in popularity by devices using Apple and Google software, but it is still core to Microsoft’s strength in the corporate market. And the upgraded operating system may also appeal to individuals, who have helped drive sales of PCs sharply higher over the past year due to work-from-home practices adopted during the Covid-19 pandemic. Analysts expect the successor to Windows 10 to be called Windows 11 and to contain updates for business users that could make it easier to use with dual-monitor setups. It may also hold updates for PC gamers, another important customer base for Microsoft, including an Xbox app. Microsoft may also give more details at Thursday’s online launch event on its plans for a revamped Windows Store. The company recently cut commissions on ...

Pakistan has secured a $4.5 billion worth of three-year trade financing facility from Jeddah-based Islamic Trade Finance Corporation (ITFC) to cover import cost of crude, petroleum products and liquefied natural gas (LNG). A formal financing framework agreement on the arrangement would be signed early next week here, informed sources told Dawn. The funds would be utilised under Annual Financing Plan of roughly $1.5bn each. This trade financing arrangement is in addition to about $531 million already signed by Ministry of Economic Affairs with Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) for project financing of Mohmand dam, a couple of coal based projects besides a few hydropower projects including two in Azad Kashmir. The ITFC’s financing would be utilised over three years (2021-23) by Pak-Arab Refinery Ltd (Parco), Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Pakistan LNG Ltd (PLL) for import of crude oil, refined petroleum pro­ducts and LNG and help augment the country’s foreign currency reserves and provi...

Turkish and US military officials met in Ankara on Thursday to discuss plans for Turkish troops to continue securing Kabul’s airport after the withdrawal of US and other Nato troops from Afghanistan. Turkey, Nato’s only majority-Muslim member, has offered to protect and run the Hamid Karzai airport. the main gateway into Afghanistan after the alliance pulls out of the country. Turkey, which has around 500 non-combat troops in Afghanistan, is however, seeking US and other allies support for the mission. Last week, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said after a meeting with US President Joe Biden on the sidelines of a Nato summit that Turkey was looking for diplomatic, logistic and financial assistance from the United States to protect and operate the airport. Turkey also wanted Pakistan and Hungary to be involved in the mission, he said. Defence Minister Hulusi Akar said a technical delegation from the United States had arrived for talks. “We will continue to take on the responsibil...

A 12-storey oceanfront apartment block in Florida partially collapsed on Thursday, killing an unspecified number of residents and leaving almost 100 unaccounted for as teams of rescuers combed the rubble for possible victims. Video footage posted online showed a large portion of the building in the town of Surfside — just north of Miami Beach — reduced to rubble, with the apartments’ interiors exposed. It was unclear what caused the building to collapse, nor how many people were inside at the time, since it was occupied by a mix of full-time and seasonal residents and renters. “It’s hard to get a count on it,” a local official told CNN. “It is 51 people who were supposedly, supposedly, residing there at the time (and) have not either called out or had people call in to reach them. “But you don’t know between vacations or anything else. So we’re still waiting. And unfortunately, the hope is still there, but it’s waning,” she said. Around 55 apartments were affected by the collaps...

Sindh Assembly on Friday approved the provincial budget for the fiscal year 2020-21, amid ruckus from the opposition benches. The house met with Speaker Agha Siraj Durrani in the chair. The opposition members were asked for speeches by the speaker, but they denied and started raising slogans in the house. The opposition parties’ lawmakers surrounded the speaker’s rostrum and pasted banners with various slogans. The behaviour of opposition parties compelled Speaker Durrani to suspend all the speeches and gave the floor to CM Sindh Syed Murad Ali Shah. After the concluding speech of the chief minister, the Sindh assembly approved the budget for the fiscal year 2021-22 during the hue and cry of the opposition. Later, the house was adjourned till Monday. Sindh budget 2021-22 On June 15, Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah, who also holds the portfolio of Finance Minister, had presented the budget of the province for the next fiscal year 2021-22. The total outlay of the budge...

Multan Sultans triumphed over Peshawar Zalmi in the final to win their maiden Pakistan Super League (PSL) title in a see-saw kind of game at the Sheikh Zayed Cricket Stadium in Abu Dhabi on Thursday. At the start of the innings, Zalmi, who were chasing a target of 207, made a blistering start courtesy Kamran Akmal's 36. Zalmi needed a herculean effort by their batsmen to chase the record-breaking target in the PSL final and Akmal gave hope to his team till the fifth over. Zalmi were 36 for the loss of no wickets at that point and all those runs were scored by the veteran wicketkeeper. Hazratullah Zazai, the other opener, was looking to join the party when he hit Blessing Muzarabani for a six from the first ball of the sixth over. However, in the very next ball, Zazai was removed by the Zimbabwean to give the Sultans their first wicket. Imran Khan then bowled a wicket-taking maiden sixth over to put Zalmi further under pressure. The bowler in the over removed the dangerous Ak...

Five Frontier Corps soldiers have been martyred in an attack by terrorists in Sibi, Balochistan, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the military's media wing, confirmed in a statement on Friday. The terrorists targeted an FC patrol party in Sangan, District Sibi. During an exchange of fire, heavy losses were inflicted on to the terrorists in men and materials, the ISPR statement said. The martyred soldiers were: havildar Zafar Ali Khan, a resident of Lakki Marvat, lance naik Hidayatullah, a resident of Lakki Marvat, lance naik Nasir Abbas, a resident of Bhakkar, lance naik Basheer Ahmed, a resident of Naseerabad and sepoy Noor Ullah, a resident of Lakki Marvat. A sanitization and search operation is in progress to "block the escape routes of the terrorists and apprehend the perpetrators", the ISPR said. "Such cowardly acts by inimical elements, backed by hostile intelligence agencies, cannot sabotage the hard earned peace and prosperity in Balochistan...

44 more people have lost their lives to COVID-19 over the past 24 hours in Pakistan, pushing the nationwide death toll to 22,152. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 1,052 new cases of the virus emerged during the said period. The overall number of the confirmed cases currently stands at 952,907. As many as 45,924 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s overall tests to 14,325,008. It said Pakistan recorded Covid-19 infection rate at 2.29 during the last 24 hours. The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in Pakistan has climbed to 897,834 after 1,013 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours. Mildy ill young COVID-19 patients report lasting symptoms More than half of young adults with mild COVID-19 who self-isolated at home were still reporting troublesome after-effects six months later, a study from Norway published on Wednesday in Nature Medicine found. Read m...

The International Monetary Fund (IMF) on Thursday said that further discussions with Pakistan are needed on Pakistan's fiscal spending plans, structural reforms, particularly in the tax and energy sectors, and social spending. According to IMF spokesman Gerry Rice, the Fund is holding open, constructive discussions with Pakistan as part of a sixth review of the country's 39-month, $6 billion financing programme that began in 2019. Rice declined to say if disbursements under that programme had been halted. IMF staff were unable to complete the talks during a recent mission, but the global lender remained “fully engaged” and aimed to resume the discussions in the period ahead, Rice told a regular IMF briefing. “We stand ready to continue to support Pakistan,” he said. “As the recovery gains strength, it will be important to accelerate the implementation of policies and reforms needed to address some of the long-standing challenges facing the Pakistani economy.” Pakistani a...

The Islamabad High Court on Thursday dismissed pleas by former prime minister Nawaz Sharif against the imprisonment sentences announced in the Al Azizia Steel Mills and Avenfield apartments references. IHC judges Justice Umar Farooq and Justice Mohsin Akhtar pronounced a nine-page judgment that was earlier reserved after listening of arguments from the National Accountability Bureau prosecutor and amicus curiae. The verdict means that the judgments pronounced by the accountability court for the two cases have been upheld. According to the IHC judgment, Nawaz is a proclaimed offender and so "there was no choice but to dismiss the pleas" owing to his continued disappearance from court. The judgment observed that if Nawaz returns or is caught by the authorities, an application for a renewal of appeals can be filed. The former prime minister had filed appeals with the IHC against the decisions of the accountability court. Accountability court judge Mohammad Bashir had on ...

The International Court of Justice (Review and Reconsideration) Bill, meant to provide the right of appeal to Indian spy Kulbhushan Jadhav, was presented in the Senate on Thursday. The bill had been passed by the National Assembly last week. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan introduced the bill in the House, which was criticised by the Opposition. Following this, the Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani referred the bill to the Standing Committee on Law and Justice. The bill states that where the International Court of Justice issues an order regarding the rights of foreigners, the high court will have the power to review and reconsider it and the affected foreigner will be able to file a petition for review in the high court either themselves or through their representative. The petition will be filed with reference to punishment or order of punishment by a military court under the Pakistan Army Act. A review or reconsideration request will be filed within 6...

Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif has been released from jail custody, reported on Thursday.Khawaja Asif is facing assets beyond known sources of income charges. MNA Khawaja Asif through his counsel Barrister Haider Rasul Mirza filed the petition which stated that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had arrested him from Islamabad last year on December 29. The PML-N stalwart is currently under treatment at the Jinnah Hospital Lahore. Seeing the release orders, the jail police left the hospital. The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) MNA Asif in assets beyond means case. A two-judge bench, headed by Justice Aliya Neelum, approved the bail petition after hearing arguments of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor and the PML-N leader’s lawyer. The NAB prosecutor contended before the court that the accused neither provided money trail of funds transferred to him from the UAE ...

The COVID-19 has claimed 38 more lives in Pakistan over the past 24 hours, pushing the nationwide death toll to 22,111. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 1,097 new cases of the virus emerged during the said period. The overall number of the confirmed cases currently stands at 951,865. As many as 46,124 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s overall tests to 14,279,084. It said the Covid-19 infection rate was recorded at 2.37. The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country climbed to 896,821 after 1,131 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours. As of June 24, as many as 7,267,000 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 3,566,547 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said. A total of 13,484,364 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far. Meanwhile, the second batch of Pakvac vaccine has been produce...

The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to PML-N's senior leader Khawaja Asif in an inquiry into assets beyond means and money laundering initiated against him by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). A two member bench of the LHC, comprising Justice Alia Neelum and Justice Syed Shahbaz Ali Rizvi, announced the verdict, ordering Asif's release from jail upon the submission of a bail bond worth Rs10 million. "The instant petition is accepted and the petitioner is admitted to post-arrest bail subject to his furnishing bail bonds in the sum of Rs10m with one surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the learned trial court," reads the short court order. Arguments on the PML-N leader's bail application were completed in three days. Senior PML-N leadership took to Twitter to celebrate the decision. PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif congratulated Asif on his release. "Khawaja sahab belongs to our vanguard which is not afraid...

PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz lashed out at Prime Minister Imran Khan Wednesday over his recent statement in which the premier said men are "tempted" when women wear less clothes and hence, it leads to a rise in sexual violence in society. "Imran Khan's statement is a reflection of a criminal mindset. He has revealed his shallow thinking to the nation," said Maryam, hitting out at the premier during a press conference in Lahore. The PML-N leader said Pakistan needed freedom from a mentality that held the victim of a violent incident to blame. "What of the little children that are sexually abused; are they subjected to it [sexual violence] because of their dressing?" she asked. Maryam said the prime minister "should be ashamed over such a statement". The PML-N leader accused PM Khan of insulting rape victims, adding that his words would add insult to injury for parents of the victims of these tragedies. "They will be ashamed a...

Officials in Azerbaijan and Turkey on Wednesday appreciated Pakistan for its role in promoting peace in the region, especially the country’s efforts for bringing peace in Afghanistan. According to a statement issued by the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR), Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa held a meeting with Azerbaijan’s Minister of Internal Affairs Colonel General Eyvazov Vilayat Suleyman oglu, the country’s Chief of State Border Service (SBS) Colonel General Elchin Guliyev and Chief of State Security Service Colonel General Ali Naghi Oglu Naghiyev at Baku, Azerbaijan today. The military’s media wing said that the Azeri officials and the army chief discussed “matters of mutual interest, bilateral defence and security cooperation, regional peace and stability, and cooperation in energy, trade and connectivity projects”. “Emerging geo-strategic paradigm in the region necessitates our close cooperation and collective response against common challenges,” Gen Bajwa ...

Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday visited headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) along with senior federal ministers where he was briefed on the Afghan peace process, reported quoting sources. According to sources privy to details, the prime minister chaired a high-level meeting at the ISI headquarters which was attended by heads of the armed forces and senior members of the federal cabinet. “Those accompanied the prime minister in the meeting included Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed,” they said. The prime minister, according to sources, was briefed on internal and external security issues including progress in the Afghan peace process. On May 24, Prime Minister Imran Khan visited headquarters of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) along with federal ministers and other government functionaries. In April last year, Prime Minister Imran Khan along with Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Jawed Bajwa paid a visit ...

At least three people, including a six-year-old boy, were killed while 23 others got injured in a blast outside a house in Lahore’s Johar Town area on Wednesday, reported. Speaking to the media at the site of the blast, Punjab IG Inam Ghani confirmed that it was a bomb blast. “A bomb planted in a car went off. It cannot reach its target due to police barriers,” he said. “The police were the target of the bomb blast. Earlier today, Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) Ghulam Mahmood Dogar visited the site of the blast and said the nature of the explosion has not yet been ascertained. An eyewitness claimed some explosive material planted on a motorcycle went off. Rescue sources relayed that the injured were shifted to the Jinnah Hospital for medical attention. Three of the injured are in critical condition, they added. Seemingly, the sources said, the blast was caused by a main gas pipeline exploding in the residential area. However, it is yet not clear what exactly caused the blast...

The coronavirus (COVID-19) claimed 39 more lives in Pakistan during the previous 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 22,073. According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 930 new cases of the virus emerged when 45,519 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s caseload to 950,768. It said the Covid-19 infection rate was recorded at 2.04. The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country climbed to 895,690 after 1,338 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours. As of June 23, as many as 7,267,000 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 3,566,547 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said. A total of 13,484,364 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far. from latest-news - SUCH TV https://ift.tt/2Uvm0c7

Pakistan has made an agreement to procure 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine from Pfizer. An exact timeline was not yet available, health minister Faisal Sultan told Reuters, but said the doses would arrive by the end of 2021, under an agreement the government has made with the manufacturer. Pakistan has started a mass vaccination campaign late last month that is now open to all adults. On May 29, Pakistan received 100,000 doses of the Pfizer vaccine through the COVAX facility, but authorities have only administered those to people who are immunocompromised and not suitable for other vaccines. Nearly 13 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines have been administered in the country of 220 million people so far, with about 3.5 million people fully vaccinated, according to the National Command Operation Center, which is overseeing the pandemic response. Pakistan has primarily used Chinese vaccines – Sinopharm, CanSinoBio and Sinovac- in its inoculation drive and, earlier this month beg...

Government of Pakistan has partnered with Facebook in their fight against COVID-19. In Pakistan, over 32 million people received authoritative information regarding COVID prevention and vaccination through social media messaging campaigns conducted by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Information’s Digital Media Wing (DMW) in partnership with Facebook. Facebook provided Marketing Partner Support and Ad Credits for these campaigns and helped the government increase its engagement rates with the public on these posts between March 16 and April 6, 2021. As part of these campaigns, Facebook and the Ministries focused on creating videos and messages on boosting greater Vaccine Confidence amongst the nation. The messaging campaigns helped the Ministry of Health increase its total number of page likes to 470,000 – increasing the government’s ability to connect with and provide information to its stakeholders. As COVID-19 vaccines are becoming more readily available to larger gr...

Bitcoin tumbled as much as nine per cent on Monday as recent volatility in the cryptocurrency market showed no signs of dampening down, with market players citing thin liquidity and China's expanding crackdown on Bitcoin mining. Bitcoin fell as low as $32,288, its lowest in 12 days, and was last down 7.5pc. If sustained, the drop would be its biggest in around a month. Authorities in the southwest province of Sichuan on Friday ordered cryptocurrency mining projects to close. The State Council, China's cabinet, last month vowed to clamp down on Bitcoin mining and trading as part of a series of measures to control financial risks. "Crackdown on Chinese miners might mean that they are offloading coin into a thin market and taking us lower," said Ben Sebley of London-based crypto firm BCB Group. Production of Bitcoin in China accounts for more than half of global Bitcoin production. Sichuan is China's second-biggest Bitcoin mining province, according to data com...

Iran’s President-elect Ebrahim Raisi said on Monday he will not allow nuclear negotiations for the sake of negotiations, in his first news conference since winning election last week. Raisi also ruled out meeting US President Joe Biden but said there were “no obstacles” to resuming diplomatic relations with Saudi Arabia which have been severed for five years.“Any negotiations that guarantee national interests will certainly be supported, but... we will not allow negotiations to be for negotiations’ sake,” Raisi said of the nuclear talks. “Any meeting must produce a result... for the Iranian nation,” he added. The 2015 deal saw Iran accept curbs on its nuclear capabilities in return for an easing of sanctions, but former US president Donald Trump unilaterally withdrew three years later and ramped up sanctions, prompting the Islamic republic to pull back from its nuclear commitments. Trump’s successor Biden has signalled his readiness to return to the deal and state parties — also i...

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry, taking exception to the opposition’s plan to hold an "all party conference" on electoral reforms, said on Tuesday that the government didn’t see Nawaz Sharif, Maulana Fazlur Rehman and Maryam Nawaz as stakeholders in the current political setup. Speaking to the media after a meeting of the federal Cabinet, the minister said the opposition leaders were making all-out attempts to derail the existing system, adding that the opposition’s decision to hold an “APC” on electoral reforms was actually aimed an weakening the parliament. Chaudhry said, however, that the government was open to discuss the proposed electoral reforms with parliamentary leaders. He said the electronic voting machines (EVMs) were being used in 20 countries and Estonia was the most digitised country as it had now switched to internet voting from the EVM. He added that Pakistan was looking to introduce the EVMs for transparent holding of the polls. He also stressed th...