33 Corona Cases Detected in Pakistan

Coronavirus cases are increasing day by day in Pakistan again. Earlier this week, the National Institute of Health (NIH) reported that six new variants of omicron were detected in Karachi from the areas of DHA and Tariq Road.

However, now the NIH claims that covid cases have increased and become 33 across the country in less than 24 hours.

Moreover, NIH reported that 19 patients were found to be in critical condition and are under observation at the moment.

The government conducted almost 4000 tests and on a lighter note, no covid related deaths were reported in the last 24 hours.

The Minister of National Health, Abdul Qadir Patel suggested that the government is taking care of the situation and putting measures to stop and track the spread of a new variant of omicron.

He said, “An efficient system with a proper management team is fully functional in the country to remain vigilant and is ready to make an emergency plan to deal with any sub-variant of Covid-19.”

He also said that proper surveillance is installed at all entry points including airports and travelers from China and abroad will be checked accordingly. Also, he urges people to not panic because the situation is under control.

Dua Zehra Goes Home to Parents

A case was highlighted in 2022 of a girl named Dua Zehra who went missing from her home. Her father, Syed Mehdi Kazmi complained to the police station to search for his daughter.

Later, the police found out that Dua Zehra married a boy named Zaheer in Lahore, Punjab. Moreover, Dua claimed that she was happy with Zaheer and did not want to go home to her parents.

On the other hand, her father stated that her daughter is underage and she was kidnapped and brainwashed by Zaheer and his family.

The case had been open for months in Sindh High Court (SHC) and it made significant progress today.

A bench presided over by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro decided to hand over Dua Zehra to her parents. Dua Zehra, who was living in a shelter home appeared in court and asked the court to let her go to her parent’s house.

The court decided in her favor and handed her over to her father.

Dubai Starts to Build Air-Conditioned Highway

Dubai is always looking to innovate its infrastructure and this time the plan is to innovate a full-fledged highway.

The Gulf city located in the United Arab Emirates, Dubai has started preparations for a 2km long air-conditioned highway.

Dubai is known for tourism and people from all over the world visit Dubai and enjoy views. Now Dubai will build the first-of-its-kind boulevard that will attract even more tourists. Gulf media is already reporting and excited about the project because it will be the first-of-its-kind experience.

Along with an air-conditioned highway, there will be glass-enclosed pedestrian walkways for people to enjoy chilled walks in hot summers.

It will also include shopping spaces, restaurants, movie theatres, nightlife spaces, and children’s play areas as well.

Azizi Development firm has decided to invest 20 billion dirhams in commercial, residential, and entertainment spaces.

 

Prince Harry Alleges Physical Fight with William

The Royal family of the United Kingdom has been in the news for a long time due to their personal family life being showcased in the public, and Harry and Megan leaving the family.

Another blow hit the Royal Family recently after The Duke of Sussex, Harry released his autobiography in which he revealed some disturbing claims regarding the Royal Family’s behavior towards him including his brother William, as released by The Guardian.

The memoir claims that Harry and William both pledged to their father Charles to not marry Camilla because they were scared that she would turn out to be a ‘wicked stepmother’. However, later after meeting Camilla, Harry and William agreed that as long as she makes their father happy then she can be a part of the family.

Moreover, about his relationship with his brother William, Harry revealed that they had an ugly fight after William called Megan ‘rude and abrasive’. Also, William grabbed him by the collar, broke his necklace, and pushed him to the ground.

Harry remembers that it all happened so fast that he did not get a chance to react to the situation.

Buckingham Palace has not yet commented on Harry’s allegations.

Balochistan to Promote Handicraft Industry

Handicraft items in Pakistan are loved all over the world because of their unique designs. They are mostly produced in rural areas and Quetta, Balochistan.

The Balochistan government has decided to strengthen the inherent talent of local crafters to promote their products on an international level.

The government suggests that handicraft is an integral part of the cottage industry in the province and must be promoted.

Moreover, it is decided that the government will promote neglected talent and handicraft makers in rural and semi-urban areas of the province. The government plans to achieve this goal by arranging exhibitions, trade fairs, and craft bazaars to promote the products in the local and international markets.

There is a huge demand for handicraft products in the international market and Balochistan can cater to this demand.

Furthermore, the Balochistan government suggests that along with the development of infrastructure, human development is also necessary to produce better quality of handicrafts, embroidered items, and even jewelry which is quite popularly made in rural areas.

WHO warns of New ‘Kraken’ XBB.15 Covid variant

Last night, Dr. Maria Van Kerkhove, WHO’s technical lead for Covid, issued a warning that the variation is raising concerns among physicians.

We are concerned about its growing advantage, especially in several nations in Europe and the US, and especially in the Northeast region of the US, where XBB.1.5 has quickly displaced other circulating varieties.

According to the monitoring centre, data from the Sanger Institute indicates that the strain may be to blame for up to half of all Covid cases in the Wirral, one of the hardest-hit locations.

The BQ.1 strain, which is a descendant of the BA.5 strain and a direct ancestor of the initial Omicron variant that surfaced last winter, is the most prevalent strain in the UK.

Sir Stephen Powis, the medical director of the NHS, forewarned that BQ.1 would “force additional rises” in hospitals before it took over in November.

The Kraken strain might increase cases if it takes control, but top experts warned it is unlikely to “signal a new disaster.”

Experts have issued a warning as cases of the “Kraken” strain have nearly doubled in the US in a week, with a high incidence of infections being recorded in New York.

The variation, which was initially discovered in India in August, has acquired new mutations that improve its ability to evade immunity and make it “more infectious,” according to Prof. Francois Balloux of the UCL Genetics Institute.

It is expected to become more common internationally and might account for a sizable portion of cases in the near future, he continued.

The University of Nottingham’s Prof. Jonathan Ball, a virologist, asserted that there is “no proof it’s more harmful” than present strains.

“It may be able to avoid antibodies, but that isn’t our sole line of defence.

He said, “Our immune system is used to adjusting to infections.

It has already been established that the Omicron strain is kinder than its predecessors.

Many people in the UK have already received some kind of protection from the bug due to the massive vaccination campaign.

In light of the XBB1.5 variation, Professor Lawrence Young from the University of Warwick stated on Wednesday morning that we should be “keeping a watch” on Covid instances in the UK.
It’s significant because it’s spreading so quickly. We are currently observing a plethora of various Omicron types, and in fact, it is what is causing Covid to proliferate throughout this country.

In fact, near the end of December, the number of cases with this specific variant in the US more than doubled in a week, which is why we’re quite concerned. “This particular variety is remarkable in that it’s spreading so fast,” he added.

Symptoms of XBB.1.5?

Although no official information has been released detailing the new variant’s infection symptoms, many of its early symptoms ought to be comparable to those of earlier strains as it is an offshoot of Omicron.

According to the Zoe symptom app these include:

headache
runny nose
fatigue (mild or severe)
sore throat
sneezing

According to the most recent NHS statistics, 4,128 patients have the flu and 9,459 individuals have Covid.

One in every eight available ward beds, or 13,587, is taken up by this number.

Nine million Britons have not yet received their Covid booster.

If you qualify, you may schedule a Covid-19 appointment at a vaccination clinic or pharmacy online using the NHS website.

Medical professionals have advised Brits to use facemasks if they are feeling ill due to the spike in cases and the strain on the NHS.

Susan Hopkins, the chief medical adviser, advised sick Britons to “attempt to stay home while ill” and “wear a face covering” if they had to leave the house.

Dr. Belinda Griffiths of The Fleet Street Clinic advised using “common sense” when using masks in general.

“There should be no reason to wear a mask if you are healthy and fit, and if you have no close contacts who are known to have the flu, a cold, or Covid.”

People who are unwell should be urged to stay at home and work from there, but if that is not an option, she advised wearing a mask “out of common politeness.”

Tariq Cheema Urges People to Stop Eating Chicken

Prices of everyday commodities are increasing day by day all over the world. Pakistan is also struggling in the face of high inflation rates and people’s appeals to lower prices.

Federal Minister of Food and Security, Tariq Basheer Cheema held a press conference to address the issues of high prices in food commodities.

He said that there is a shortfall of 17,000 bags of flour in Islamabad. Regarding the prices, he said that the Provincial government takes care of the prices of food commodities and they are answerable for it.

Tariq Basheer further said that flour mills raise the prices of flour falsely and according to their liking, and provincial governments are responsible for controlling food prices.

Moreover, he urged people to stop eating chicken and he himself does not eat chicken because the poultry farms use soybeans to raise chickens which are causing diseases in chickens and people.

Regarding sugar, he mentioned that the government agreed to bring 1 ton of sugar but they have been unable to obtain even 1kg of sugar, even though sugar prices have become lower in the international market.

Girls’ Education Suffers in Bajaur, Peshawar

Education is the basic right of any individual but girls in Bajaur district, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa are finding it hard to access education.

It has been witnessed that there is only one girls’ college in Bajaur while there are six boys’ colleges.

Moreover, the only girl’s college is located in Khar which is the central district. This makes it difficult for girls in rural areas to pursue education because of conveyance and traveling problems.

The News Channel, Express Tribune visited the area to talk to the residents regarding the issues of girls’ education. The residents explained that girls’ education is not the priority of people in Bajaur that is why they do not build colleges for girls.

One of the local students said, “When I passed matric I wanted to continue my studies but was unable to do so because I am a resident of Inayat Kalay in Khar and there is no nearby higher secondary school or college.”

The student further added, “You cannot reach there using public transport. Whether public transport is safe and suitable for girls is yet another story.”

More than 500 girls leave their education after matric every year in Peshawar because of no access to education.

The government is trying to solve the issues of education but people feel hopeless.

Earthquake Hits Pakistan

Earthquake hits different areas of Pakistan.

Different cities of Pakistan reported earthquakes and shocks. People felt earthquakes in Islamabad, Azad Kashmir, Peshawar, Mardan, Chitral, Faisalabad, and Gilgit Baltistan.

Further details are not revealed as of yet but the earthquake was of a stronger degree.

SBP Releases Data on Country’s Foreign Exchange Reserves

The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has released data on the country’s foreign exchange reserves.

According to the SBP, the country’s foreign exchange reserves decreased by 284.7$ million in the last trading week of December.

SBP said that the country’s total foreign exchange reserves stood at 11.42$ billion as on December 30, 2022.

According to the SBP data, the reserves have decreased by 24.54$ million to 5.57$ billion.

SBP said that at the end of December 2021, the country’s total foreign exchange reserves were 23.88 $ billion, while the country’s foreign exchange reserves in December 2022 were 11.42$ billion. The country’s foreign exchange reserves have decreased by 12.46$ billion in one year.

SBP’s reserves decreased by 121 & million in the year 2022, SBP’s reserves were 17.68 $ billion at the end of the year 2021, SBP’s reserves decreased by 6.26$ billion in the first quarter of the year 2022, 1.60$ billion in the second quarter, 1.93 $ billion in the third quarter and 2.30 $ billion in the fourth quarter.

Pakistani embassy building in US to be sold?

Washington: Pakistan has decided to sell the old building of its embassy in the United States, after which buyers also started bidding.

In this regard, sources say that a new buyer has emerged for the old building of the Pakistani Embassy, Pakistani businessman Tanveer Ahmed has offered $ 7 million to buy the building.

According to sources, earlier there was a bid of $ 6.8 million for the old building of the embassy which were the documents of the offer of the Pakistani businessman. ۔

Pakistani businessman Tanveer Ahmed says that he is ready to pay more than the offer of $ 6.8 million, on the other hand, Pakistani Ambassador Masood Khan and other embassy staff have refrained from reacting to this news.

Canada Sets Record for Highest Immigration Rate in 2022

Canada has granted 4,37,000 immigration grants to immigrants last year in 2022, setting a record for the largest annual intake of people in Canadian history.

The government of Canada has always focused on boosting the economy with the help of immigrants and almost 100% of the Canadian economy runs on immigrant labor.

The immigration minister of Canada stated that Canada set a record for granting immigration in 1913 which it broke in 2021, and now it rose further by 9% in 2022. Moreover, Canada plans to allow 1.45 million immigrants by 2025.

The reason behind this rapid pace of granting immigration is the labor shortage in the market. Canada is still facing a shortage in the healthcare system and other industries.

Ottawa is planning targeted draws for skilled immigrants for the first time in 2023, allowing it to cherry-pick applicants with the most in-demand skills for the regions of the country that most need workers.

However, the demand for Canada is too high and Canada struggles to cater to that demand, especially after Covid as the applications of immigration delayed. And now more than 5 million new applicants have applied which will take plenty of time to process.

Hina Bayat’s Husband Passes Away

Popular Pakistani actress, Hina Khwaja Bayat’s husband passes away. An entertainment website revealed the news on its platform announcing the death of Roger Dawood Bayat.

The sources explained that Roger Bayat was struggling with cancer for several years and after a long fight with cancer, he lost his life.

Israeli Strikes on Damascus Kill 3 Civilians, Including TV Anchor

Hina and Roger Bayat had two children together and lived a happy married life as their happy pictures always surfaced on different social media platforms.

Condolences poured in from the film and drama fraternity, and the fans of Hina Khwaja also shared prayers for her late husband.

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WHO Shows Concern Over China’s Covid Plight

China has witnessed a surge in Coronavirus variant cases but after the Chinese government scraped off the zero covid policy, there is no date to show the number of infections.

The whole world including the World Health Organization (WHO) shows concern over the number of infections in China because the funeral homes and death reports show huge numbers but the government is not releasing any official data.

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus suggests that the UN agency is keeping track of covid cases in China by looking at the records of hospitalization of citizens.

He stated, “WHO is concerned about the risk to life in China and has reiterated the importance of vaccination, including booster doses to protect against hospitalization, severe disease, and death.”

Many hospitals and funeral homes in China claim that they have been overwhelmed by the number of covid infections and deaths. Health experts claim that China has suffered 1 million deaths this year due to Covid.

However, Chinese state media suggests that everything is under control and they are controlling the spread of the virus efficiently.

Fawad Chaudhry Reveals Details of Attack on IK

Pakistan Tehreek e Insaaf’s chairman, Imran Khan was attacked during his Azaadi March in Gujranwala on November 3rd, 2022, where the attacker shot him in the leg and injured him for three months.

Now, after investigation and inquiry, Fawad Chaudhry who is the Senior vice president of PTI, reveals the details regarding the attack on Imran Khan.

Fawad Chaudhry claims that reports suggest that three shooters attempted the assassination of Imran Khan. He mentioned that forensic reports state that Imran Khan was hit by three pieces of bullets and a metal shard when he was on the container during his Azaadi March.

He further added that no Imran Khan’s guards fired no bullets. Hence, all the shots fired were of the attackers. More than 10 pieces of bullets were found at the crime scene which the forensic team took for tests.

Fawad Chaudhry went on to say, “Imran Khan received eight wounds, among those are bullet wounds. Fourteen bullets were found on the ground, 12 from one place, and two from another, while nine bullets were found from a building opposite [the attack site] of which seven were at one place and two at another.”

Rameez Raja Explains Removing Waqar and Misbah

Pakistan Cricket Board’s ex-chairman, Rameez Raja recently explained in an interview the reason behind the controversial removal of Waqar Younus and Misbah ul Haq.

Rameez Raja revealed that ex-coaches Waqar Younus and Misbah Ul Haq’s contracts were already ending and as a chairman, he had the right to remove them.

He said, “We had yearly contracts. They (Misbah and Waqar) would’ve left in January/February anyway. We brought new management. It wasn’t easy for me. I’ve played with Waqar; I talked to him in detail.”

He further added, “They received their full payments for two years. They were given full respect. As a chairman, it was my right to dismiss them. Even now, they are talking about removing Saqlain Mushtaq and replacing him with Mickey Arthur. I made contracts in such a way that I didn’t want the board to be left with a coaching setup for three years.”

Moreover, he explained that he talked to everyone involved in detail about the decisions. The decision looked messy because it came right before the tournament but it was a well-thought-out plan to place Saqlain Mushtaq and Abdul Razzaq as coaches of the Pakistan cricket team.

However, he maintained that the change was necessary for the future of Pakistan’s cricket team.

Omicron Cases Detected in Karachi

The era of coronavirus is not over yet as new variants keep emerging and threatening national health. New omicron variants have been detected in Karachi, Pakistan.

The National Institute of Health (NIH) revealed that six omicron cases are detected in Karachi and the variants are XBB and XBB.1. These new cases have taken the tally of omicron cases to 29 all over the country.

Four of the cases were reported in DHA and two of them were reported in the Shadman House and Tariq Road areas.

Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif took notice of this situation and chaired a meeting in which he discussed the covid and omicron conditions across the country. He advised the meeting to ensure vaccination, especially for children from ages 5 to 12.

Moreover, the National Institute of Health stated that the six cases have no connection with China and the variant found in them does not match the variant that is spreading in China at a rapid pace. The variant in China is BF.7 and more contagious.

Patients of Covid in Karachi are in stable condition and will get well soon enough.

Saudi Arabia Football Club gets Ronaldo Onboard

Popular and people’s favorite footballer, Christiano Ronaldo has decided to join a Saudi Arabia club called Al Nassr as he plans to explore his football career in Asia.

Ronaldo signed a contract of two and a half years with Club Al Nassr. The Club has won nine Saudi Pro Premier League titles and hopes to win more with Ronaldo on their side.

Football Club Al Nassr posted a picture of Ronaldo on Twitter holding the shirt of their club announcing his joining. The tweet welcomed Christiano wholeheartedly and said, “This is a signing that will not only inspire our club to achieve even greater success but inspire our league, our nation, and future generations, boys and girls to be the best version of themselves.”

On the other hand, the five times winner of the Ballon d’Or, Christiano Ronaldo expressed his excitement for his new journey saying, “I am fortunate that I have won everything I set out to win in European football and feel now that this is the right moment to share my experience in Asia,” Ronaldo said.

He further added, “I am looking forward to joining my new teammates and together with them helping the Club to achieve success.”

A video was also posted on Twitter by the football club Al Nassr in which the host asked Ronaldo about his feelings and shared his excitement and said, “I will do my best.”

 

The Club did not reveal any details regarding the financial terms of the contracts but the media estimate suggests that the deal between Ronaldo and Al Nassr is worth 200 million Euros.

Ahsan Iqbal Calls for an Inclusive National Curriculum

The government of Pakistan is stressing the importance of the quality of education to enhance the cognitive abilities of the youth of Pakistan.

On Tuesday, the Federal Minister of Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Ahsan Iqbal held a roundtable conference to discuss the educational problems in Pakistan and devise a plan to overcome those problems.

Ahsan Iqbal discussed at the conference that the government needs to devise a plan to design a comprehensive curriculum that focuses on the cognitive abilities of young minds to deal with different situations and problems of the 21st century.

Moreover, he suggested that there is a need to develop an inclusive national curriculum that not only works in government and public educational institutions but also in private schools and institutions because Ahsan Iqbal believes that there is a dire need for a unanimous curriculum that everyone can follow.

He further added that the curriculum should promote cognitive and critical thinking so that students can learn problem-solving skills to create mindful scientists and scholars for Pakistan.

Gold Prices Get All-Time High in Pakistan

Inflation rates are increasing day and day and so is the price of gold. The price of gold has witnessed a spike recently.

Gold prices rose and became Rs. 3300 per tola in Pakistan breaking all the previous records. However, gold prices remained unchanged in the international bullion market but broke records in Pakistan on the first day of the year.

The price of ten grams increased by Rs. 2,829 and one tola by Rs.3300 in local bullion markets setting the record for an all-time high.

In different cities of Pakistan such as Karachi, Islamabad, Lahore, and Multan, the price of one tola gold has become 1,87,000.

 

Anchor Mishal Bukhari Passes Away

Pakistan suffered another loss today in the journalism world as Aap TV channel anchor, Mishal Bukhari passed away.

Mishal hosted the show ‘Aap ke Muqabil’ on the Aap TV channel for years. She also worked on Express News as an anchor.

However, she was diagnosed with cancer two years ago, and since she was struggling with cancer and her treatment was in process.

But on Tuesday, Mishal Bukhari’s husband, Ameer Abbas who is an anchor on Bol TV announced his wife’s death on Twitter.

He said, “My wife, journalist Mishal Bukhari, a beautiful heart, an incomparable personality, an incredibly patient, unbelievably brave woman, left an unbearable shock after fighting cancer for two years.”

Mishal’s funeral was held on Wednesday at 1 pm at Jamia Al Muntazar in Lahore.

The journalist community and Mishal’s loved ones all poured in their prayers for her.

Maryam Nawaz Becomes Senior Vice President

Maryam Nawaz becomes the senior vice president of her party Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N).

Pakistan’s information minister, Maryam Aurangzeb revealed through a series of tweets regarding the appointment of Maryam Nawaz as senior vice president.

She tweeted that ‘Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz’s President, Shahbaz Sharif has announced an important decision. Shahbaz Sharif has appointed Maryam Nawaz as the senior vice president of PMLN.

Information Minister also attached a certified notification in the tweet which said, “Pursuant to the powers conferred under the constitution of the PML-N, the undersigned is pleased to appoint Maryam Nawaz Sharif as senior vice president with immediate effect.”

 

Moreover, Maryam Nawaz will be authorized to organize and reorganize the party and make decisions as a senior vice president of the party.

Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif also announced this news through his official twitter account in which he said, “I have no doubts that she will very effectively galvanise our party’s rank and file with the vision of our Quaid Nawaz Sharif.“

 

 

UK to Provide Visa in 15 Days to Indian Students

Visa processing is about to get a lot easier for Indians because the government of the United Kingdom has decided to increase the processing efficiency and give visit visas to Indians within 15 days.

British High Commissioner to India, Alex Ellis mentioned that the percentage of Indians is increasing day by day in the United Kingdom where Indian people come to study and work in large numbers. He mentioned that the percentage of Indian students has surged by 89% in the last year.

Moreover, Alex suggested that along with visit visas, work visas will also be processed at a rapid pace and will be processed in 5 days for Indian workers.

There is a huge demand for work visas, therefore the UK government urges workers to visit as quickly as they can to start their processing in just five days because the demand is quite high for UK visas.

Furthermore, the authorities revealed that some complicated visas may take more time because there are several Indian students on visas. Also, India has beaten China as being the largest nationality that is issued sponsored student visas.

The government of the UK has asked people to apply for a visa three months in advance to get their process started quickly and smoothly.

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