24-6-24
Tourists flock to Galiyat on Eid days amid great fun, laughter
THANDYANI: Amid hide and seek between the sun and clouds over Thandyani hills, tourists thronged to Galiyat to enjoy pleasant change in the weather during Eid days in the picturesque mountains resorts of Pakistan.
Arrived with cooked food, fruits and tents for camping at the picturesque Thandyani resort, Zeeshan Khan's family, an employee of the KP government department, was rejoiced after visiting their dream tourists’ resort to enjoy trekking and adventure sports during Eid holidays.
Enjoying the national song "Dil Dil Pakistan" along with his children and other family members on his music system, Zeeshan Khan and his brother Ehtisham Khan were busy in hammering and fixing tents’ bolts at a suitable place at Thandyani to spend few days in its relaxed environment without any charge.
Amid disappearing sun behind clouds hovering over Thandyani hills amid blossom of seasonal flowers in pre monsoon season, Zeeshan's wife who belonged to Wapda Town Nowshera, was seen preparing green tea on gas stove after warming up the Peshawari’s famous Chappli Kabab, BBQ, Paye and Polao rice dishes they brought along and making it ready on ‘Dastarkhwans’ to serve her family members on third day of Eid.
“Tandyani is my favorite tourists place. I have planned Galiyat’s tour few years ago but postponed it due officials engagements and today the dream of my family to see its mesmerising natural beauty with soothing environment came true,” Zeeshan told APP.
The Nowshera born tourist said that he was stunned to see the nearby black clouds, natural beauty and cool fresh air of Thandyani and advised families to come here in large numbers due to its better road connectivity.
Wearing traditional Peshawari Chappal, the 35-year-old tourist said that he had brought tents and other stuff along as the hotel room and food cost was very high for a common man at Galiyat.
"The rent of a normal two-bedroom per night in Thandyani and Nathiyagali is approximately Rs10,000 to Rs12,000 that was beyond of hiring capacity of middle class," he said, adding that it was the responsibility of the KP government to regulate prices of hotels and restaurants in Galiyat.
The tourist said he selected Thandiyani as first camping site as the tourists can see the snow-covered Pir Panjal mountain range of Kashmir and lush green terrains of Kaghan and Kohistan besides snow-clad ranges of Swat and Chitral from Thandyani top having 2,750 meters height of the above sea level, which are taking nature lovers and adventure sports enthusiasts over the moon.
Like Zeeshah Khan, hundreds of thousand families and tourists arrived at northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa especially Malakand and Hazara divisions including Galiyat and Thandyani on Eid days to explore its waterfalls, gushing rivers, Saiful Malook, Ansoo, Dudipath and Mahoodhand lakes and colonial era tracks besides enjoying the expansive trout fish and water boating in River Kunhar at Kaghan and Khanpur dam at Haripur.
“Despite recent rains in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab provinces, the response of tourists, adventurers and adventure sportsmen in Malakand and Hazara during Eid holidays was very impressive,” Saad Khan, the spokesman of Cultural and Tourism Authority told APP.
He said thossnds of tourists and adventure sports enthusiasts visited Malakand and Hazara divisions during vacation of Eid exploring its breathtaking beauty.
Dir Upper, Malam Jabba Swat, Galiyat including Thandyani and Nathiagali, Chitral Lower including Kaslah valley and Kaghan and Naran including Saiful Malook and Ansoo lakes in Manshera distric were the most visited destinations during Eid holidays.
He said that domestic tourists’ response to Swat during eid days was higher than last year due to enhanced roads infrastructure and Swat Expressway.
Tourists families from other cities including Karachi, Islamabad, Rawalpindi and Lahore have visited Swat in large numbers during Eid days due to better roads connectivity and enjoyed trout fish besides water rafting and paragliding in Kalam.
Tourism has started growing in KP due to better roads connectivity. To promote sustainable tourism, Integrated Tourism Zones (ITZ) would be developed at Mankiyal Swat, Thandyani Abbottabad, Ganol Manshera and Madaklasht Lower Chitral.
These ITZs would be constructed with an assistance of the World Bank. ITZs Thandyani and Mankiyal would be connected with Swat and Hazara motorways through link roads that would open up entire Malakand and Hazara for tourists and make Pakistan a hub of international tourism.
KP government had signed 44 memorandum of understanding worth USD 8 billion with international firms during Dubai Expo 2022. To promote skiing sports, the government has taken a principle decision to establish ski resorts at Kaghan, Chitral and Swat.
Four new hill stations including one each in Chitral and Abbottabad besides two in Kaghan would be developed.
The spokesman said construction of four colonial era tracks between Thandyani-Nathiagali having 8,200 feet height, Thandyani-Biringali track, Dagri Bangal-Meera Jan-Nathiagali track and Kaghan-Mahmnoor trak starting from Singkayari to Kund Bangla and onward to Shaheed Pani Nadai Bangla to Musa Ka Musllaha were in pipeline.
Waterfalls is a big source of attraction of tourists and the government decided to develop Lamchar, Sajkot, Noori, Chajjan Haripur, Jarogo Swat, Lanchar Dir and Umbrella Abbottabad waterfall on modern lines to bolster ecotourism.
Jarogo Abshar, Sulatar Swat, Lashkargas Broghal and Surlaspur Shandur in Upper Chitral, Kumrat Dir Upper, Kalam, Lilowani and Alpuri Shangla, Samani top Hangu/Orakzai , Laram top and Bin Shahi in Lower Dir were selected for establishment of new camping pods.
Besides construction of the theme park at Hundi Swabi, he said the government policies have helped improve Pakistan’s international place from 89 to 83 in the international travel and tourism development index, which was a great honour for the country. APP
Dengue larvae found at 8,064 sites in RWP
RAWALPINDI: The District Health Authority has detected larvae at 8,064 sites during anti-dengue surveillance from January 1, 2024 to date.
District Coordinator Epidemics Prevention and Control Dr Sajjad Mehmood told APP that 999 teams including 788 indoor teams and 211 outdoor teams were carrying out the surveillance in the district to control the breeding of larvae.
Giving details of the detection of dengue larvae, the health officer said that during indoor surveillance the teams detected larvae at 6,735 homes while larvae were found at 1,361 sites during outdoor surveillance.
He said that the required activity was also done and urged the residents to keep their water tanks clean and leave no place wet or with stagnant water as they are the leading cause of larvae breeding.
Dr Sajjad said the government was making all-out efforts to control the spread of dengue larvae, however, no campaign could be substantiated without the active participation of the people. APP
ECI introduces Pakistan's beauty to Iran, other countries
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Iran Friendship Photographic Exhibition was inaugurated in Tehran yesterday, showing the pictures of best scenic beauty of both countries.
Renowned Pakistani historian-diplomat and President of the ECO Cultural Institute (ECI), Dr Saad S Khan, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the exhibition said that Pakistan and Iran are close friends and brotherly countries whose bilateral relations span over several centuries, said a press release received here from Tehran on yesterday.
President Khan explained that ECI is the specialized cultural agency of the ten-member Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) which binds together Iran Pakistan, Turkey and the Central Asian states.
During the exhibition, the photographer Muzammil Toori displayed the best of his clicks depicting the scenic and architectural beauty of the two countries. He had captured these clips from his travels across Pakistan and Iran over the previous years.
The renowned cultural personality of Iran, Dr Haddad Adel, ex-Speaker of the Iranian Parliament, performed the ribbon opening ceremony along with the Ambassador of Pakistan to Iran, Mudassir Tipu.
Speaking at the occasion both the dignitaries emphasised the need for closer relations between Pakistan, Iran and other countries in the region, eulogizing the role of ECI being played in this regard.
The ceremony was attended by a large number of people from all walks of life. APP
HEC signs contract to automate Pak universities with TMC
ISLAMABAD: The Higher Education Commission (HEC) via its Higher Education Development Programme in Pakistan (HEDP) held a contract signing ceremony where key personnel and leadership of HEC and Tally Marks Consulting (TMC) were present.
The signing ceremony represents a significant milestone for Pakistan’s higher education sector, said a press release.
Higher Education Institutions (HEIs) receiving state-of-the-art Student Lifecycle Systems (SLC) and Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) will completely digitise their administrative, accounting, operations, and end-to-end student lifecycle processes from admission to degree completion.
All the leading universities of the world have already adopted these systems and this activity marks HEC's commitment as well as investment to implement the same in Pakistani HEIs. The systems enhance efficiency, and transparency and promptly provide key higher education data for decision making.
At the signing ceremony Chairman HEC Dr Mukhtar Ahmed, Executive Director HEC Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum, MD TMC Abdul Haseeb, and Partner Director SAP Amir Shah were present among other senior officials of HEC, HEDP, TMC and SAP.
Speaking at the occasion, Dr Mukhtar Ahmed said, “We are now one team and it’s a great collaboration that will increase the quality of education for all in Pakistan. There are 260 plus HEIs in line to be digitized and this signing ceremony is the starting point of a fully digitized education system in Pakistan. Collaboration and commitment of HEIs, however, remain highly important since this is a seed and will start the process to inspire other HEIs of Pakistan.”
Dr Zia Ul-Qayyum reinforced that the private sector should not treat education as a high-profit business but as a part of their social responsibility to serve the nation.
MD TMC informed that SAP leadership is committed to equipping young Pakistanis with the latest tools and technologies. They have already trained more than 2000 students and professionals in Pakistan free of cost as a part of their Corporate Social Responsibility activities.
The joint effort of HEC and SAP is a landmark achievement as it represents the foundation stone of a fully paperless higher education infrastructure across the country.
HEC’s strategic IT initiatives further include developing robust high-end Data Centers, High-Performance Computing and Pakistan higher education’s own indigenous local and secure cloud infrastructure, MOOCs platform for global lifelong learning and specialised Learning Management Systems that are already in progress at different stages of completion.
HEC is an autonomous and constitutionally established institution of funding, overseeing, regulating, and accrediting the higher education efforts in Pakistan. HEDP is a flagship project of HEC supporting it in its strategic areas of research, governance, capacity building policy-making and a wide variety of IT initiatives for the higher education sector.
TMC specializes in SAP (ERP System Business Software Solutions) in addition to several other leading technologies and is the largest SAP partner(principal) in Pakistan. With hundreds of clients globally, TMC has a proven track record of delivering innovative and effective solutions for various leading Public and private sector organizations in Pakistan. APP
Kashmiri leaders, rights activists concerned over plight of women, children in IIOJK, Palestine
ISLAMABAD: The speakers at a seminar on the occasion of the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council demanded the forum for action amid expressing concerns over the plight of women and children in Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine.
In a news release here received, an important seminar was held in Geneva on the occasion of the 56th session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, in which Ghazala Habib, the chairperson of Friends of Kashmir International US, specially in the seminar organised under the title of women and children affected by the conflict in Kashkar region, where Kashmiri leader Altaf Hussain Wani and others also participated.
The speakers said that the lives of the Kashmiri and Palestinian people have been decimated, whereas the resolutions of the international organisations to protect rights have become meaningless as women and children were becoming the most victims of oppression.
The speakers demanded the International Human Rights Council to take steps to release Kashmiri women in Indian jails, Kashmiri leaders Asia Andrabi, Naida Nasreen and Fahmida Sufi were not receiving medical treatment despite their illness.
"Due to the state terrorism of the occupying Indian army, Kashmiri children are deprived of education, their childhood has been taken away. The international community should play a role in the rights of Kashmiri children," the speakers said. APP
Significant renovation work underway at IMCB I-8/3
ISLAMABAD: A significant renovation and development project has commenced at the Islamabad Model College for Boys I-8/3 Islamabad.
The college staff while talking to APP expressed their gratitude and appreciation to the Ministry of Education for initiating these much-needed improvements.
The extensive work started at the onset of the summer vacation, aimed to provide an improved learning environment for students and enhance the overall infrastructure of the college. The renovation includes repainting all classrooms and enhancing the college's appearance.
Additionally, construction of new rooms has begun, alongside the renovation of the college auditorium. Washroom facilities are being upgraded with new sanitary installations and tiles.
A filtration plant will also be established to ensure the provision of clean drinking water for students and staff. A state-of-the-art computer lab equipped with forty advanced computers is being created.
Seven smart classrooms are also being developed. Science labs will receive modern equipment to ensure students have access to the latest technology and resources for their studies.
The ministry is also investing in student health and fitness by adding an infirmary dedicated to student healthcare and an open gym.
A state-of-the-art library will be established, providing students with a comprehensive resource for their academic needs. The college cafeteria is set to be revamped and a waiting area for parents and students will be constructed at the reception.
The junior section of the college, which accommodates grades 1 to 5, will have colourful new furniture, creating a vibrant and welcoming environment for young learners. The basketball court will be renovated, and overall sports facilities will be expanded to encourage physical activities among students.
A teacher at the college while talking to APP stated, "After completing the renovation and addressing the missing facilities, students will experience an exceptional learning environment which will enhance their grades and learning style. This transformation is expected to significantly enhance their educational experience".
The faculty members and the principal of the college have extended their gratitude to Education Secretary Mr. Muhayyudin Wani and Chairman of the Federal Board of Intermediate & Secondary Education Junaid Akhlaq for their interest in launching this initiative. APP
KP Governor underlines need of development of health sector on modern lines
PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Governor, Faisal Karim Kundi here on Sunday said that health was an important sector in the province and its development on modern line was imperative to provide better facilities to the ailing people.
He was addressing a representative delegation of Peoples Doctors Forum that called on him here at Governor House. Matters pertaining to improvement in health sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and treatment facilities came under discussion.
The delegation informed the Governor about the problems and difficulties faced by doctors and medical staff in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Faisal Karim Kundi said that provision of best healthcare facilities was one of the top most and basic responsibilities of the government. He underscored the need for reforms in existing health system in hospitals of the province.
The Governor said that MTI system in heath treatment process was not proved impressive in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He underlined the need for enforcement of Sindh province health model system in the entire country. Faisal Karim Kundi said that visible change in health sector could be witnessed by establishing hospitals in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on the pattern of Sindh province.
He asked the medical experts to prepare paper work and suggestions for establishment of Medical Commission.
During the meeting, the delegation led by Dr Janbaz thanked the Governor for his suggestions and cooperation for improvement of health sector in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. APP
'You have to vote' Trump tells US evangelical Christians
Washington: Former US president Donald Trump urged evangelical Christians Saturday to vote en masse for him in November, vowing to "aggressively" protect their religious freedom if he is elected.
The ex-leader, who rarely appears in church himself, has built a crucial base among the religious right, promising -- and delivering -- on some of their biggest priorities, including by appointing Supreme Court justices who helped overturn the federal right to abortion.
"The evangelicals and the Christians, they don't vote as much as they should," Trump told hundreds of supporters at a Washington conference put on by the Faith and Freedom Coalition, a conservative advocacy group.
"They go to church every Sunday, but they don't vote," he said, adding in a half-joke that "in four years, you don't have to vote. Okay? In four years, don't vote. I don't care."
If elected, Trump would be ineligible to run for president again in 2028 because of term limits.
Evangelical voters were crucial for Trump's 2016 victory and again in his failed 2020 campaign, when 84 percent of white evangelical Protestants voted for him, according to the Pew Research Center.
Trump promised to protect their interests Saturday, as he vowed to "aggressively defend religious freedom."
"We will protect Christians in our schools, in our military, in our government, in our workplaces, in our hospitals and in our public square," he told supporters.
The former president claimed that he had "stood up to the communists, Marxists and fascists to defend religious liberty like no other president has ever done."
"If I took this shirt off, you'd see a beautiful, beautiful person. But you'd see wounds all over, all over me, I've taken a lot of wounds," Trump said.
Many Republican officials and conservative voters now are pressuring Trump to support a national abortion ban or restrictions.
However Trump has refrained from making any such commitment, which could prove politically perilous, telling supporters it is instead up to states to individually decide.
"The people will decide, and that's the way it should be," he told the crowd.
Trump additionally promised to create "a new federal task force on fighting anti-Christian bias" that would investigate supposed "illegal discrimination, harassment, persecution" of US Christians.
Almost half (49 percent) of Americans believe that religion's influence is declining in the United States and that this is a bad thing, according to a Pew Research survey published in March.
The number of Americans identifying as Christian has dropped from nearly 90 percent in the 1990s to less than two-thirds of the population in 2022, mostly due to rising numbers of people who are not religiously affiliated.
Congress remains overwhelmingly Christian, with 88 percent of the voting members sworn in in 2023 identifying as such.
Trump's Democratic rival in the election, President Joe Biden, who favors abortion rights, is a devout Catholic who attends mass regularly.
For many white evangelical Christians -- a conservative denomination that makes up about 14 percent of US voters -- it is crucial that religion stays relevant in public life.
Trump told the crowd that the political left wanted to "silence you, demoralize you, and they want to keep you out of politics."
"They don't want you to vote, that's why you have to vote," he said, adding "if you vote, no, we cannot lose."
Trump will face Biden in the first 2024 presidential debate on Thursday.
Algerian women pioneer eco-friendly farming
Algiers: Ibtissem Mahtout and Amira Messous pick fresh strawberries and tomatoes on the eco-friendly smallholding the two women are working near Algiers, a pioneering initiative in Algeria's male-dominated agricultural sector.
After graduating from university four years ago, they left the capital and started working on the small patch of land in Douaouda, some 30 kilometres (18 miles) to the west.
"As soon as I'm in the field I'm happy," said Messous, 28, holding a bundle of fresh beetroot.
"From morning to night, we're here. To me, it's the most beautiful job in the world."
The plant ecology and biodiversity graduates now run one of the country's rare ecological plots of land, where the produce is grown in harmony with the broader ecosystem and without using pesticides.
Messous said it was challenging at first to "have to integrate" into a sector in which most people who work the land are men.
According to local media, as of last October just four per cent of workers registered with the Chamber of Agriculture in Tipaza province where their land is were women.
But some "male farmers are happy to see educated women working the land", said Messous.
"They take the time to explain things to us, and it brings more value to their own work."
Her 29-year-old partner, Mahtout, recalls that they launched the project with just 60,000 Algerian dinars (around $445) -- "enough to buy basic tools" -- after renting the patch of land.
With the help of Torba, an association that promotes ecological farming in Algeria, they "learned to plant, to sow, to work the soil".
Today, their 1,300-square-metre farm even employs one male worker full-time -- and up to eight part-timers at harvest time.
When they are not in the fields themselves, the two women make full use of social media to sell their produce.
On Instagram, they advertise their baskets of seasonal fruits and vegetables each week, and take orders for the produce on WhatsApp.
Come Friday, the first day of the Algerian weekend, clients pick up their orders at a larger farm in nearby Zeralda, where other smallholders also sell produce including flowers.
"We want to eat something healthy from time to time," said Fatma Zohra, a 72-year-old loyal customer and subscriber to the small farm's social media account.
"I found these girls very nice, and when I discovered they sell to subscribers, I wanted to encourage them."
Each week, the pair sell between 10 and 30 baskets of fruit and vegetables that are in season.
The farm in Zeralda where they market their produce is also educational, and runs themed programmes for children.
In addition to the Friday farmers' market, it is also a meeting space for local families and offers cooking classes, entertainment and cultural events.
Paris fashionistas says au revoir to design legend Dries Van Noten
Paris: Fashion great Dries Van Noten made an emotional farewell at Paris Fashion Week on Saturday as he headed into retirement at just 66.
"I don't know how I'm feeling yet. It was very intense, I'm really very happy," he said backstage immediately after the show.
Hundreds came to a hangar in northern Paris to bid adieu to the "Flemish master".
With designers such as Giorgio Armani and the late Karl Lagerfeld determined to work well into their 80s, Van Noten's decision to hang up his needles earlier this year came as a shock.
While not a household name, he is beloved in fashion circles for a 40-year career in which he combined audacity, sophistication and poetry.
His signature looks -- popular with both sexes -- were all in the show: impeccably cut suits, innovative materials, cleverly clashing colours -- all of it finding the meeting point between slouchy comfort and elegant tailoring.
"It was never going to be a best-of," Van Noten said.
"It was really the idea to do new materials: wadding of recycled cashmeres, transparent recycled polyester and those classic English wools.
"The clashes of all those things were really important to me. I hope they worked."
His staff will take over collections starting with the womenswear show in September, with the only condition that they remain in Antwerp, away from the Paris fashion hubbub.
The Puig Group, which acquired a majority stake in the label in 2018, agreed.
Van Noten told The New York Times last week it was time to give up the "addiction" of fashion.
"Everything's too intense. I can't come down anymore," he said.
Earlier Saturday, there was a surprising lack of leather at Hermes and a restrained but celeb-packed Loewe show.
Hermes, known worldwide for its homemade leather bags and accessories, presented a show full of cotton and linen whites and blues for its spring-summer 2025 collection.
It was a collection "grazed by a gentle breeze... Clothing casts reflections into the transparency of water," designer Veronique Nichanian said in her press release.
Sandals and a sleeveless bomber-style jacket were among the few signs of leather among the docker hats, trench coats and drawstring trousers.
Meanwhile, Loewe, the rising Spanish star in the LVMH conglomerate, put on a minimalist show -- "the radical act of restraint", as Northern Irish creative director JW Anderson put it.
On the front row were Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodovar, US actor Jeff Goldblum and singer of the moment Sabrina Carpenter.
The minimalism still carried the sort of strange and ornate touches that Anderson loves, such as long exotic or golden feathers swooping down from headbands and weird angular collars jutting out from T-shirts.
The brand's signature cargo pants came with an Ottoman harem twist.
"I don't think they were clothes for me, but I loved it," Almodovar told AFP afterwards.
"Coming here is like going to a show, to the cinema, to the opera, to the theatre: each character has to be dressed in a certain way, a lot of emotion is created that way," he added.
Could be wurst: Vienna sausage stands push for UN recognition
Vienna: From top bankers and politicians to students and factory workers, Vienna's popular sausage stands heaving with bratwurst and meaty delicacies are a longstanding cultural legacy they hope to have recognised by UNESCO.
The owners of 15 stands in the Austrian capital have formed a lobbying group and applied last week to have the "Vienna sausage stand culture" inscribed as intangible cultural heritage by the UN agency.
"We want to create a kind of quality seal for Vienna sausage stands," said 36-year-old Patrick Tondl, one of the association's founders whose family owns Leo's Wuerstelstand -- Vienna's oldest operating sausage stand.
"At the sausage stand, everyone is the same... No matter if you're a top banker who earns hundreds of thousands of euros or if you have to scrape together the last euros to buy a sausage... You meet here, you can talk to everyone," he adds.
High inflation driving consumers looking for affordable meals, plus a new wave of vendors with updated flavours, have helped keep the stands busy.
Tondl's great-grandfather started their business in the late 1920s, pulling a cart behind him and selling sausages at night.
The family's customers have included former chancellor Bruno Kreisky, recalls Vera Tondl, 67, who runs the shop together with her son Patrick.
Leo's is one of about 180 sausage stands in Vienna today, out of a total of about 300 food stands, selling fast food at fixed locations and open until the early hours, according to the city's economic chamber.
Whereas the number of stands has remained similar over the last decade, more than a third have changed from selling sausages to kebabs, pizza and noodles, a spokesman for the chamber told AFP.
But sausage stands have seen a "mini boom" in customer numbers recently, according to Patrick Tondl.
Many have been drawn back to the stands by high inflation, where a meal can be had for less than 10 euros ($11) with lower overheads than restaurants.
New stand operators have also brought a "bit of momentum", said Tondl, bringing the likes of organic vegetarian sausages with kimchi.
Tourists are already drawn in droves.
"When you come to Austria, it's what you want to try," 28-year-old Australian tourist Sam Bowden told AFP.
The cultural legacy of Vienna's sausages is far-reaching, including the use of the term "wiener" for sausages in the United States, which is believed to have derived from the German name for Vienna, Wien.
However Sebastian Hackenschmidt, who has published a photo book on the stands, said the legacy of the "Vienna phenomena" is more complex.
He says that for many in multicultural Vienna, the sausage stands hold little appeal -- equally for the growing number of vegetarians -- and their universal appeal is something of a "myth".
"Vienna is a city in great flux... With the influx of people, cultural customs are also changing," Hackenschmidt told AFP.
Some 40 percent of Vienna's two million inhabitants were born outside the country, where the anti-immigrant far-right looks set to top September national polls for the first time.
S.Africa to dish up more zebra to boost jobs and conservation
Bela Bela:Carcasses of impala, kudu and wildebeest hang from a slaughterhouse rail, ready to be turned into steaks, sausages and burger patties of the kind South Africa wants to see more of on the dinner table.
The abattoir in Bela Bela, north of Johannesburg, is among only a handful in the country dedicated to game meat.
Authorities say the untapped sector could create jobs and help preserve wildlife -- while pleasing the palates of climate- and health-conscious meat eaters.
"We want to add a dimension into your dinner plate by giving you an organic game meat from the wild," Khorommbi Matibe, the environment ministry's biodiversity economy chief, told AFP.
A top wildlife tourism destination, South Africa produces around 60,000 tonnes of game meat a year -- equivalent in weight to roughly 60,000 giraffes.
But only a fraction ends up in butcheries and supermarkets. Ninety percent is hunted and consumed informally, according to the government.
Even less is exported.
In 2019, just over 3,000 tonnes of ostrich, crocodile and zebra were shipped to the European Union, China and the UAE, it said.
Authorities would like to serve up much more.
In March, they said they want to grow the sector from 4.6 billion rand ($250 million) in 2020 to 27.6 billion rand by 2036, adopting a strategy published late last year.
With unemployment sitting at 32.9 percent nationally, this could create jobs in rural, economically deprived areas.
Matibe said there are good reasons for barbecuing more springboks.
Game animals release less methane -- a greenhouse gas -- than cattle, whose burps are a top source of global warming emissions from agriculture.
Foraging in the wild, their meat is by definition free-range and lean.
A 2023 study by researchers at Stellenbosch University, found that zebra meat in particular was highly nutritious and very low in fat.
Eating more of it could also help conservation efforts, the government argues.
South Africa has long adopted a market-oriented approach to conservation, based on the belief that farmers have a better incentive to look after wildlife if they can profit from it.
Critics say the model exploits and commoditises animals. But it has proved largely successful.
The country's wildlife population has grown from about 500,000 in the 1960s to more than 20 million today. About 80 percent is in private game reserves that attract tourists and hunters.
Some meat could come from the hundreds of herbivores that are culled every year to keep numbers within sustainable levels, the government says.
And it wants to convert one million hectares of communal land to game meat production, which could boost black ownership in a sector where, 30 years after the end of apartheid, more than 94 percent of operators are white males, said Matibe.
Requiring little equipment, game has "really low" input costs -- an advantage for newcomers, added Darren Horner, owner of producer Aloes Meat.
Yet, in a country mad for barbecue, locally known as braai, little currently ends on the grill.
This is partially due to the belief that game is less tender than beef and tastes unusual, according to the strategy, which envisages marketing campaigns to boost consumption.
"Our grandmothers used to stuff it with bacon and leave it in red wine for three days to get rid of that wild taste. To me it only needs a bit of olive oil and salt," said Charl de Villiers, head of Game SA, an industry group.
There are other hurdles.
Authorities plan to draw up quality standards so that all meat can be traced to the source and trusted by supermarkets and restaurants.
But these can't be too stringent or risk scaring away informal producers, said Horner.
Meanwhile, exports of cloven-hoofed animals to Europe have been banned for years as South Africa struggles to contain outbreaks of the foot and mouth disease that farmers blame on inadequate border controls.
State laboratories to test meat are small and outdated, which further limits export potential, producers say.
De Villiers currently has to ship his ostrich meat to Britain for testing, which ups costs.
Child obesity remains a challenge
LOS ANGELES/SAN FRANCISCO: For many US parents seeking help for a child with obesity, the most widely-endorsed treatment is out of reach – and it's not the popular weight-loss drug Wegovy.
Leading medical groups recommend intensive behavioural counselling – 26 hours within one year – to teach children and their families practical ways to eat healthier and move more.
But these programmes are not widely available, and wait lists can run for several months. They are often not covered by health insurance and require a time commitment that is difficult for many families to make, according to interviews with more than a dozen doctors and parents.
As a result, fewer than 1 per cent of the nearly 15 million US children with obesity get this type of structured care, the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention told Reuters. Efforts by the CDC and others to expand insurance coverage have stalled, doctors involved in the process told Reuters.
"The coverage for these programs was never good, and we're not seeing any movement toward improvement," said Dr Joseph Skelton, a professor of paediatrics and an obesity medicine specialist at Wake Forest University School of Medicine.
The prevalence of obesity among US children has steadily increased, from 5pc in 1980 to nearly 20pc now, according to the CDC.
Novo Nordisk's Wegovy was approved for adults in 2021 and for adolescents in late 2022, offering a highly effective way to lose weight for the first time. Novo still cannot meet demand for the drug among adults, with at least 25,000 first-time prescriptions dispensed each week.
A much smaller, but growing, number of families are seeking the drug for their adolescents, Reuters found in February. Many doctors and parents are wary of using the medication without data on whether Wegovy can affect a child’s development, or pose other long-term risks.
CHANGING HABITS
Ruth Medina of Holyoke, Massachusetts, wanted to see if a change in family habits, rather than medication, could help her 15-year-old daughter, Jelainie, when she reached 200 pounds this year. The family has a history of type 2 diabetes, she said, a condition exacerbated by excess weight.
"I don't want to go down that path. That's when I got scared," Medina said.
Jelainie's paediatrician recommended the healthy weight programme at Holyoke Health Center where children and their parents come for visits with a dietician and community health worker to set individual goals, plus group sessions about cooking, deciphering nutritional labels and other lifestyle changes.
Dr Vinny Biggs, who oversees the program, said families face a four-month wait to enrol. Medina and her daughter’s participation is covered, in part, by the state Medicaid health insurance programme, Biggs said.
At the family's first session this month, Jelainie cut up cauliflower, carrots and other vegetables to prepare a paella dish alongside her instructors. Mother and daughter said they liked the meal and took home leftovers and the recipe.
Jelainie has lost some weight. She started walking more, playing tennis and snacking on fruits and vegetables. Her mother still worries about the appeal of the many fast-food restaurants close to their home.
"We walk by so many temptations," Medina said. "I want to do whatever I can to get her to a healthy weight."
RED LIGHT, GREEN LIGHT
The US Preventive Services Task Force, an influential federal panel of experts, says it's better to stick to lifestyle changes for adolescents with obesity until more data on the long-term safety and effectiveness of the drugs are available, according to a draft recommendation published in December.
The American Academy of Paediatrics says that youth aged 12 and older should be offered medications for obesity, but only as an "adjunct to health behaviour and lifestyle treatment."
The task force examined clinical trials involving intensive behavioural programmes for children and found that, on average, children lost 5.7 pounds.
But Wegovy and similar drugs helped people lose pounds more dramatically – 15pc or more of their body weight in clinical trials. That track record, and a lack of insurance coverage for counselling, are likely to convince more families to try the medicines in the future.
Some doctors say that wider Wegovy use by youth will make it even more essential for children to learn healthy-eating habits for the long run. They worry that reliance on the drugs alone could contribute to nutritional deficiencies or eating disorders.
"Many of us believe it would make sense to offer behavioural counselling along with the drug," said Dr Thomas Robinson, a professor of paediatrics and director of the Center for Healthy Weight at Stanford Medicine Children's Health in Palo Alto, California. "These drugs are very effective at reducing weight and health risks, but you don't all of a sudden adopt a healthy diet or become more physically active."
At Stanford's lifestyle-counselling programme, instructors give parents and their children long-established lessons about eating wisely: High-calorie foods, such as ice cream or even almonds, are "red-light" foods that should be eaten sparingly.
Vegetables are a "green light" – and can be consumed in unlimited quantities. Most foods are yellow and fall somewhere in between, Robinson said.
Health insurance doesn't cover Stanford's programme, so families pay out-of-pocket or receive financial assistance from the hospital, Robinson said. The full cost is $3,500.
Since 2022, the CDC, American Academy of Paediatrics and other key experts have pushed for better coverage of obesity counselling. In September, an American Medical Association (AMA) panel rejected one of those efforts: a request for a dedicated medical code for the 26-hour programme that would help providers bill for their services.
In a statement, the AMA told Reuters the application didn't meet the panel's criteria, without providing further details. In general, new codes may not be approved if they include non-clinical services, such as cooking classes, according to the AMA. Even if a code is granted, health insurers can still refuse to pay for medical services.
In a statement to Reuters, the CDC said that ensuring equitable access to both obesity medications and lifestyle treatment "is pivotal so that families have access to multiple options to address child obesity and support optimal health."
IT exports set another record of $332 million in May
KARACHI: Pakistan's IT sector continued to maintain its accelerated pace with each passing month, as it made another historical record of $332 million in May 2024—an all-time high monthly inflow.
Previously, the export receipts for the IT sector stood at $310 in May and $306 million in March 2024 respectively.
Experts attributed the growth to consistent policy measures, including facilitation and incentives for IT exporters by the Ministry of IT and Telecommunications (MoIT) and the Special Investment Facilitation Council (SIFC).
According to the data revealed by the State Bank of Pakistan, the exports of IT and IT-enabled services surged to record highs throughout the financial year, increasing to crossing $2.92 billion during the period of July to April 2023–24 as compared to previous export inflows of $2.37 million, showing an increase of $0.55 billion, or 23% year-on-year.
Renowned IT exporter Dr. Noman Said commented that the growth of IT exports depicted the confidence of IT exporters in government policies favorable for their sector's development and expansion. The recent collective efforts of the IT sector made by the Ministry of IT, Pakistan Software Export Board (PSEB), and IT industry association mainly in the Gulf region translated into increasing exports of the IT sector.
Pakistan's IT companies are maintaining growth in traditional and non-traditional markets, including the US, EU, and Gulf countries, which may result in consistent growth of IT exports in the coming months, he said and added. IT companies should keep their trust in government policies to work on high-margin projects, even through joint ventures with local partners or foreign companies.
Another exporter, Saad Shah said the export of IT services continued to grow up from Gulf region particularly from United Arab Emirate and Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
He pointed out that various IT companies are establishing their offshore offices in these two countries whereas some of these expanded their operations to meet the demand of the host countries offering handsome business opportunities.
The economies of Gulf countries maintain hyper growth with the IT is the essential part of the development in every sector, CEO Hexalyze remarked.
President and CEO of the of the Pakistan Freelancers Association (PAFLA), Tufail Ahmed Khan, said the contribution of freelancers and remote workers is growing into overall exports of IT and IT-enabled services.
He mentioned that the role of commercial banks and banking regulatory bodies to facilitate freelancers is vital to empower them to bring in IT remittances into the country through proper banking channels.
Various training and scholarship programs offered by various institutions, including tech giant Google, will enable thousands of people in Pakistan to make themselves valuable parts of the IT sector and economy. Not only will IT companies offer them jobs, but skilled IT workers could earn millions of dollars in Pakistan by working on various projects on different freelancing platforms.
With one month left for the financial year, the exports of IT and IT-enabled services are likely to stand above $3.3 billion in the current financial year 2023–24.
SI Global signs partnership with Irish marine giant
ISLAMABAD: JFC Marine, a leading provider of innovative marine solutions, and SI Global Solutions (Pvt) Ltd, a specialist in marine navigation and development, have signed an exclusive distribution agreement (EDA) to collaborate on the development and deployment of polyethylene navigation. ships, navigation and aquatic products in Pakistan.
The strategic partnership between these two partners aims to introduce JFC Marine’s latest range of polyethylene navigation buoys, navigation aids to the marine industry in the Pakistani market.
The company will develop and promote sustainable cultivation in Pakistan to improve water resources and food security of our country.
Through joint venture, bringing in GDIMGs in Pakistan, sharing knowledge, building capacity and transferring technology and creating jobs in Pakistan’s maritime sector.
The exclusive distribution agreement signing ceremony was held at JFC Marine’s facility in Galway, Ireland and was attended by Dr. Noman Said, CEO of SIGBL and key executive of JFC Marine. “This partnership is an important milestone in our efforts to improve navigational safety in Pakistani ports and introduce sustainable maritime practices in Pakistan,” said Colin on behalf of JFC Marine CEO. “We look forward to working together to drive innovation and industry growth.”
“SI Global Solutions (Pvt) Ltd also aims to provide innovative solutions for Pakistan’s marine and aquaculture industry. Our partnership with JFC Marine will enable us to offer world-class products, services and expertise to the local market,” said Noman. said the CEO of SI Global Solutions.
This cooperation will have a significant impact on the marine industry of Pakistan, especially in the use of polyethylene navigation buoys, the introduction of navigation and aquaculture, smart equipment and state-of-the-art to contribute to our country’s food security and economic development. , employment and environmental sustainability.
Kisan Card to be issued soon: Saho
BAHAWALPUR: Secretary Agriculture, Government of Punjab, Iftikhar Ali Saho has said that the provincial government was going to issue Kisan Card soon to facilitate farmers.
According to a press release issued here, he said that Chief Minister Punjab, Mariam Nawaz had vowed to make farmers of Punjab province prosperous.
He said that a huge fund of Rs 150 billion had been allocated for issuance of Kisan Card across Punjab province.
“All is set to issue Kisan Card after allocation of a huge sum of Rs 150 billion by the Punjab government,” he said.
He said that under the scheme introduced by the Punjab government, 0.5 million farmers would get interest-free loans to purchase agricultural machinery and to use the money in agriculture field.
“A sum of Rs 30 billion had been earmarked for execution of the 'Green Tractor Scheme' as well as nine billion rupees for 'Agriculture Scheme', respectively,” he said.
He said that under the vision of Chief Minister Punjab, peasants of Punjab province would get goals of progress and prosperity.
“The provincial government has vision of boosting agro-economy of the province,” he said.
Waves of inflation continue despite Eid ul Azha passes
PESHAWAR: Eid al-Azha has passed, but the wave of inflation could not decrease and the prices of vegetables and fruits in the markets has been increasing with every day passes while the district administration Peshawar is failed in controlling the vendors selling food items on their own prices.
The price of the ginger is all time high and now it is being sold in the vegetable market at Rs. 850 instead of Rs. 720 at the official rates while the Garlic is sold at Rs. 540 instead of selling at official rates issued by the district administration at Rs. 430. Likewise the rates of the tomato are Rs. 180 while the official rates are Rs. 100, similarly the official rate of the Onion is Rs. 120 but it is being sold at Rs. 200 per kg.
An increase has also witnessed in the rate of potato as it is being sold on Rs. 160 per kg, denying the official rate fixed as Rs. 110, kachalu 170, green pepper 160, capsicum 140, brinjal 80, cauliflower 140, okra 100, lemon 400 kg sold.
As far the fruit price is concerned an increase has also been witnessed and Apple is being sold at 400 while the official rate of Apple is 340, mango 270, cherry 390, arro 260, potato 340, lychee 270 per kg while banana 180 rupees per dozen sold. The price of live chicken is Rs 325 per kg while eggs are sold at Rs 250 per dozen.
RDA seals 11 commercial properties
RAWALPINDI: Rawalpindi Development Authority (RDA) on the directives of Director General (DG) Kinza Murtaza has sealed 11 commercial buildings on Caltex Road in the Morgah area.
According to the RDA spokesman, the RDA Enforcement Squad conducted an operation against unauthorised commercial buildings and sealed 11 properties, including seven shops, two warehouses and two restaurants.
The Assistant Director Building Control, Building Inspectors and other officials took part in the operation.
The RDA Enforcement team took action in accordance with the law as the owners of the properties namely Ch. Akram, Osama, Nouman, Saeed, Nasir Kiyani, Naeem, Ajmal, Muhammad Razzaq, Zahoor Hashmi, Dr Waheed and Mirza Shamim Baig in violation of the rules, approved building plans and maps conducted illegal commercial buildings.
The DG had directed the Land Use & Building Control (LU&BC) Wing to take strict action against encroachments, unauthorized constructions and commercial activities in residential areas without any discrimination.
Legislators urge government to review taxes on salaried class
ISLAMABAD: Legislators in the National Assembly on Sunday appreciated the government for announcing a balanced budget in a difficult economic situation and urged the government to review taxes on the salaried class.
While participating in the budget debate, Pakistan Peoples Party's Dr Mahesh Kumar Malani said that his party always worked for the uplift and welfare of the people.
He thanked his party for awarding him a ticket to contest the elections. He said that the PPP always worked for the protection and welfare of minorities and commended the government for presenting the best budget in a difficult economic situation.
He praised President Asif Ali Zardari, calling him the king of reconciliation and credited him with the ability to bring the country out of difficult situations by uniting all institutions and political parties.
He also appreciated the government for not imposing taxes on medicines and supported the tax on luxury items. He highlighted the issues of Tharparkar and urged the federal government to address these problems.
Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal Pakistan's Shahida Akhtar Ali said that the current budget cannot be called people-friendly. She alleged that the budget had been prepared under the directions of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and claimed it did not reflect the will of the people.
She asked the government to announce a sustainable policy for the solar system and to allocate more funds for the education and health sectors. She opposed the tax on the salaried class.
Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz's Ali Zahid said that his party had taken charge of the government in a difficult situation and congratulated the finance minister for presenting a balanced budget.
He claimed that the country’s economy always performed well during PML-N regimes. He mentioned the stock exchange's remarkable performance and the willingness of friendly countries to invest in Pakistan.
He said that the CPEC project, stopped by the previous government, had been reactivated by the current government led by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. He said that inflation has decreased due to government policies and praised the performance of Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif in Punjab, highlighting the many welfare policies announced in the Punjab province.
He criticised the Sunni Ittehad Council for ending the politics of tolerance and condemned the May 9 incident, stating that defence installations had been attacked by miscreants.
Muttahida Qaumi Movement (Pakistan)'s Syed Amin Ul Haque appreciated the government for increasing salaries, pensions and minimum wages. He suggested that beneficiaries of BISP should be given Rs 12,000 per month instead of Rs 10,000.
He proposed that employees earning Rs 120,000 should be exempted from taxes and that the tax base should be expanded. He supported a tax on the agriculture sector and suggested abolishing the 10 per cent GST on laptops and computers to promote digital Pakistan.
He also asked the government to promote mobile phone manufacturing in the country and to improve health facilities in Karachi. He urged the government to initiate urban development projects for Sindh Province and assured that his party would stand by the government.
Pakistan Peoples Party's Nawabzada Iftakhar Ahmed Khan Babar said that the best budget had been presented in a difficult situation. He appreciated the government for not imposing taxes on solar and medicine and suggested that hybrid vehicles should be exempted from tax.
He also asked the government to review the tax on the salaried class and provide more incentives to farmers.
Senior leader of the Pakistan Peoples Party Syed Khursheed Shah said that the budget had been announced in a difficult situation. He said that the country is facing population issues that need urgent attention and that more resources are required to tackle the growing population.
He suggested that the salaries of employees should be increased in line with inflation and said that Parliament is the supreme body where all issues confronting the country must be discussed.
He called for more funds to be allocated for the construction of water reservoirs and expressed hope that remittances would increase in the coming years. He also asked the House to discuss the issue of climate change.
Balochistan govt releases Rs861 mln in FY 2023-24 to expedite Mangi Dam construction
QUETTA: The incumbent Balochistan government has released Rs861 million in the current financial year 2023-24 to expedite the construction work on Mangi Dam to provide clean water to the residents of Quetta.
The provincial government soon after taking the charge has released the funds for the construction of Mangi Dam to ensure the provision of safe drinking water to the masses of Quetta city.
Mangi Dam being constructed with the cost of Rs 19 billion would provide 80 million gallons of water daily to Quetta city and surrounding areas, an official of Balochistan government said.
He said Mangi Dam would be completed soon as per the schedule as the development work on Mangi Dam had been accelerated.
He said that the construction of the Mangi Dam would help overcome the shortfall of water in the area where rain water is the only source of filling the dams.
With the completion of Mangi Dam the water shortage issue would be resolved in the provincial capital, he added.
He said resolving water issue was the top priority of the incumbent government.
He added that steps were being taken to achieve the target and to ensure availability of safe drinking water to the people of the province.
The Chief Minister Mir Sarfraz Bugti lead government has also released Rs 351 million to shift 493 water supply schemes to solar energy in different districts of Balochistan till the end of June in the current financial year 2023-24 under various phases of the project of solarization of existing water supply schemes.
Afghanistan stun Australia in T20 World Cup 2024 Super 8 match
KINGSTOWN: Afghanistan beat Australia by 21 runs in a crucial Super 8 match of the ongoing T20 World Cup 2024 to stay alive in the tournament.
Chasing a target of 149 runs, Australia were all out for 127 runs in 19.2 overs.
This is the first loss for Australia against Afghanistan in six international matches.
Apart from Glenn Maxwell's 59 runs in 41 balls, it was a sorry batting display from Australia as the second highest scorer in the innings were the extras with 16.
Naveen-ul-Haq claimed figures of 3-20 but the star of the show was Gulbadin Naib, who clinched 4-20 and was declared Player of the Match.
"Thanks to dear Allah. We've waited for a long time. Big moment for our nation and our people. I have no words to say but thanks to the fans who have supported us in our career and cricket journey," Naib said after the match.
"I learnt from the batting innings on how to bowl. Thanks to Rashid for trusting me. It's a whole team effort, Rahmanullah, Zadran, and also Naveen for the momentum. It is a great achievement for Afghanistan, we have achieved many things in last ten years but this is a big achievement.
"In the last World Cup we played well and in this World Cup we beat New Zealand too. Australia are a champion side so for us it is a big tournament. Lucky to have this kind of team and management."
Naib is the first man in the World Cup history (ODI and T20 combined) to take four wickets as an 8th bowler. Afghanistan used eight bowlers tonight, Naib was the last one.
Earlier, Australia won the toss and decided to bowl first against Afghanistan.
Batting first, Afghanistan posted 148-6 in their allotted 20 overs courtesy fifties by openers Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran.
Gurbaz (60 off 49) and Zadran (51 off 48) become the first-ever pair with three century stands in a T20I series after nothing up 118 runs for the first wicket.
Pat Cummins led the charge for Australia at the backend of the innings after picking up another hat-trick. The pacer now has two hat-tricks in two back-to-back games and on both occasions it was across two different overs.
Cummins dismissed Rashid Khan, Karim Janat and Gulbadin Naib to claim a hat-trick.
Cummins and Zampa claimed three and two wickets, respectively, with both conceding 28 runs in four overs.
Ashton Agar came in for Mitchell Starc for Australia due to the spin-friendly conditions.
A couple of changes were also made by Afghanistan with Nangeyalia Karote and Karim Janat coming in for Najibullah Zadran and Hazratullah Zazai.
Pakistan cricketers may refuse central contracts if demoted: sources
LAHORE: Pakistan men’s cricketers may refuse central contracts if they are demoted after the poor performance in T20 World Cup 2024.
As per sources, Pakistan Cricket Board is awaiting head coach Gary Kirsten's report and it will be deemed crucial for future decisions. PCB will make decisions in light of this report.
Additionally, the report from senior manager Wahab Riaz will also be reviewed before final decisions are taken. This comprehensive review process has delayed the board's announcement of any definitive actions.
One of the major considerations is the potential decision to drop certain players from the next series and make modifications to the central contracts. There is also an ongoing assessment of the expected reactions to possible demotions and removals in the central contracts.
There are concerns that some cricketers may refuse central contracts if they are demoted. This could lead to players opting to play freely without the restrictions of a central contract
Earlier, it was reported that Pakistan's white-ball skipper Babar Azam and wicketkeeper-batter Mohammad Rizwan are expected to be demoted from Category A in their central contracts.
Sources close to the situation disclosed that work on a new central contract for the national players is in progress.
A new, smaller selection committee will be established to finalise the central contracts.
However, the salaries of the national cricketers will remain unchanged.
Sources also said that Shan Masood is likely to be retained as the red-ball skipper for the upcoming Test series against Bangladesh.
Earlier, It was reported that Masood, head coach Jason Gillespie, and the selection committee have begun discussions related to Pakistan’s squad for the Test series against Bangladesh.
Babar, Rizwan, and Shaheen Shah Afridi may be rested for the Test matches against Bangladesh, whereas Haris Rauf’s inclusion in the squad is not even being considered.
Shakib Al Hasan becomes first bowler to pick 50 wickets in T20 World Cup history
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: Bangladesh’s Shakib Al Hasan became the first bowler to pick 50 wickets in T20 World Cup history during a Super 8 Group 1 match against India on Saturday at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium in North Sound, Antigua and Barbuda.
He achieved the record with the wicket of India captain Rohit Sharma in the fourth over of the innings.
Most wickets in T20 World Cup
Shakib Al Hasan: 50 wickets
Shahid Afridi: 39 wickets
Lasith Malinga: 38 wickets
Wanindu Hasaranga: 37 wickets
Saeed Ajmal: 36 wickets
Shakib is also the second most prolific wicket-taker in all T20Is, with 148 scalps in 128 matches, and second only to New Zealand’s Tim Southee (164 wickets) on that list.
It must be noted Bangladesh opted to bowl first against India. The Men in Blue are currently on 71/2 in 8.1 overs.
Arshad Nadeem set to participate in Diamond League in Paris
LAHORE: Olympian javelin thrower Arshad Nadeem has recovered from a recent leg injury and is all set to participate in the forthcoming Diamond League on July 7 in Paris.
Nadeem is being trained under the guidance of his coach, Salman Iqbal Butt, following his injury that was caused by Lahore’s intense heat.
Earlier on Tuesday (June 18), Athletics Federation of Pakistan (AFP) confirmed that the javelin thrower will not participate in the events in Finland. However, Nadeem reports that his condition has improved significantly.
The gold medallist of 2022 Commonwealth Games is currently preparing for the mega Olympics event in Paris. As part of his training, he will be playing the Diamond League in Paris.
Nadeem believes that this event will provide valuable experience before the Olympics. He chose not to participate in recent events of Finland to avoid risking his injury.
“The extreme weather conditions led to excessive sweating that led to severe cramps and leg pain. I’m practising really hard for the Olympics, competing in the Diamond league as part of my training would be really helpful for the mega event. I did not risk my injury by participating in the events held in Finland,” Nadeem reported.
Coach Butt reported that sweating had negatively impacted Nadeem’s muscles. He added that the thrower is progressing well through the rehabilitation phase.
“Sweating due to weather conditions negatively impacted Nadeem’s muscles. Despite the setback, he’s progressing well through the rehabilitation phase. He’s training hard and will recover soon. Diamond League is after two weeks, hopefully Nadeem will be in full rhythm by them,” Butt said.
Ronaldo bags another record in Portugal’s win over Turkey
Cristiano Ronaldo delivered an impressive performance for Portugal in their 3-0 victory over Turkey in their second match of the 2024 European Championship.
The Selecao secured a place in the second round of the competition in style, with a game to spare, thanks to a professional performance.
Bernardo Silva opened the scoring for Portugal in the 21st minute, followed by a comical own goal from Turkish defender Akaydin, making it 2-0 seven minutes later.
Ronaldo once again demonstrated his greatness by unselfishly setting up Bruno Fernandes for the third goal, thereby becoming the player with the most assists in the competition’s history.
He has now recorded eight assists in the competition since making his debut in 2004.
Ronaldo is also the highest goal scorer in the history of the competition with 14 goals.
Most assists in Euros
Cristiano Ronaldo - Portugal - 8
Karel Poborský - Czechia - 8
Cesc Fabregas - Spain - 5
Bastian Schweinsteiger - 5
Arjen Robben - 5
Most goals in Euros
Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal) - 15 goals
Michel Platini (France) - 9 goals
Antoine Griezmann (France) - 7 goals
Alan Shearer (England) - 7 goals
Alvaro Morata (Spain) - 7 goals
He is also the oldest player to record an assist at the age of 39 years and 138 days.
The 2016 champions are guaranteed to finish top of Group of F after winning their first two games against Czechia and Turkey.
Ronaldo and his teammates will be eyeing to get the maximum points in their last group game against Georgia on Wednesday.
Miller receives warning for arguing with Umpire
BARBADOS: South African player David Miller received an official reprimand after negating the umpire’s decision and violating Level 1 of the International Cricket Council (ICC) Code of Conduct during a Super Eights Group 2 match in the T20 World Cup 2024 against England at the Daren Sammy Cricket Stadium.
Miller has added one demerit point to his disciplinary record by marking his first offence within a 24-month period. If a player has four demerit points within 24 months, he is banned from either one Test or two ODIs or two T20Is.
The hard-hitting left-hand batter gained this point in the 19th over of the Proteas’ innings after facing a full toss from England’s Sam Curran. The batter expected the umpire to claim it as a no-ball due to height. However, the umpire didn’t meet Miller’s expectations.
In response, Miller expressed dissent and asked for a review, despite the fact that such a decision cannot be reviewed.
Moreover, the on-field umpires Chris Brown and Sharfuddoula Ibne Shahid, third umpire Joel Wilson, and fourth umpire Chris Gaffaney imposed the charges, which were accepted by the occasional wicketkeeper.
This reprimand is a warning for Miller to show discipline during the match and respect the umpire’s decisions in the match.
The Proteas won by seven wickets and qualified for the next stage of the T20 tournament. The team stand first with four points in Group 2 of the Super Eight.
South Africa will be playing their final match of the Super Eight against the West Indies on June 24 at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.
Marsh admits giving away too many runs in AUS vs AFG match
KINGSTOWN: Following Australia’s defeat against Afghanistan on Sunday by 21 runs at the Arnos Vale Ground, captain Mitchell Marsh admitted that they allowed the opponents to score more runs than they should have.
"They probably got 20 too many. Lot of teams have bowled first in this tournament. Don't think it was won or lost at the toss. We had an off-night on the field. Wasn't the easiest of wickets, but both teams played on it. As I said, we got outplayed today. We just need to win, and there's no better team to do it against," Marsh said during the post-match press conference.
Australia’s Glenn Maxwell was the only player to score 59 of 41 deliveries while the rest were not even able to score 15 runs.
On the other hand, Rahmanullah Gurbaz and Ibrahim Zadran played a sensational game, with the former scoring 60 runs of 49 balls and latter making 51 runs of 48 deliveries. Afghanistan made 148 runs for six in the first innings.
Gulbadin Naib bagged four wickets and Naveen-ul-Haq dismissed three players, restricting the Aussies to only scoring 127 all-out within 19.2 overs.
Additionally, Naib was awarded Player of the Match for his game-winning spell against the Marsh-led side. He mentioned that they were able to win because of their hard work.
"We were waiting for a long time. Great moment for me, my nation, and my people. Big achievement for our cricket. Thanks to our fans for supporting our cricket journey. We worked hard for the last two months, and the result is in front of you," Naib said.
"It is a great achievement for Afghanistan cricket; our history isn’t too much, so this is a great achievement. We played great cricket in the last World Cup, and this year, we beat New Zealand in the group stage. Our journey starts now. We have great management, and I’m very fortunate to have this team," he added.
Afghanistan gave a commendable performance in their second Super Eight fixture. The team secured the third spot in Group 1, and to qualify for the next round, they must win their last fixture of the Super Eight against Bangladesh on June 25.
PM's recent visit to China highly significant in Pak-China ties: Ahsan
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China was termed highly significant in the context of Pak-China friendly relationship.
He expressed these words while talking in a programme aired on a private news channel the other day.
He said he had been participated along with the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in all meetings there in China.
He said that Chinese leadership was very enthusiastic and committed to help Pakistan in different ventures.
He said that it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's wish to enhance Industrial-level contacts with China to promote industrialization between the two states.
Minister said that we had focused on enhancing business-to-business relationships to promote the industries.
He said that China's leading telecom company, Hawaii, would become a strategic partner of Pakistan in the transformation of the Pakistani economy to a digital economy.
He was also optimistic that the company would provide IT training to 0.3 million Pakistani youth.
While talking about the gains in the larger context of CPEC he said China was committed to starting five corridors in the upgraded version of CPEC in Pakistan.
He said that the first corridor would be a ‘corridor of growth’ bringing rapid economic growth to Pakistan, and the second corridor would be a ‘corridor of livelihood’ under which socioeconomic programs would be developed, poverty would be eradicated, and jobs would be created.
Speaking about the third corridor, which he called the "corridor of innovation, we had a special focus on artificial intelligence ((AI) and as everyone knows that the world was far away in this sector and China was also competing with the world, we would take advantage from Chinese’s experts and make Pakistan more reliable and self-sufficient in this sector.
The other corridor, he spoke was ‘corridor of the green economy’ in which we would tackle the challenges imposed by the environment and climate change. He also said we had to find a way to shift our energy sector from ‘fossil fuel’ to green energy, i.e., renewable resources.
In the last but not least, he said, the fifth corridor is the ‘corridor of regional development’ in which we would increase our regional cooperation and share the fruits of CPEC with other countries in the region by including them in the CPEC program, bringing prosperity and stability.
Regarding political stability and security measures for Chinese workers, he assured that we would take all necessary measures to protect the workers from any threat and political stability also be brought through dialogues.
PM's recent visit to China highly significant in Pak-China ties: Ahsan
ISLAMABAD: Minister for Planning, Development, and Special Initiatives, Professor Ahsan Iqbal said that the recent visit of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to China was termed highly significant in the context of Pak-China friendly relationship.
He expressed these words while talking in a programme aired on a private news channel the other day.
He said he had been participated along with the Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in all meetings there in China.
He said that Chinese leadership was very enthusiastic and committed to help Pakistan in different ventures.
He said that it was Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's wish to enhance Industrial-level contacts with China to promote industrialization between the two states.
Minister said that we had focused on enhancing business-to-business relationships to promote the industries.
He said that China's leading telecom company, Hawaii, would become a strategic partner of Pakistan in the transformation of the Pakistani economy to a digital economy.
He was also optimistic that the company would provide IT training to 0.3 million Pakistani youth.
While talking about the gains in the larger context of CPEC he said China was committed to starting five corridors in the upgraded version of CPEC in Pakistan.
He said that the first corridor would be a ‘corridor of growth’ bringing rapid economic growth to Pakistan, and the second corridor would be a ‘corridor of livelihood’ under which socioeconomic programs would be developed, poverty would be eradicated, and jobs would be created.
Speaking about the third corridor, which he called the "corridor of innovation, we had a special focus on artificial intelligence ((AI) and as everyone knows that the world was far away in this sector and China was also competing with the world, we would take advantage from Chinese’s experts and make Pakistan more reliable and self-sufficient in this sector.
The other corridor, he spoke was ‘corridor of the green economy’ in which we would tackle the challenges imposed by the environment and climate change. He also said we had to find a way to shift our energy sector from ‘fossil fuel’ to green energy, i.e., renewable resources.
In the last but not least, he said, the fifth corridor is the ‘corridor of regional development’ in which we would increase our regional cooperation and share the fruits of CPEC with other countries in the region by including them in the CPEC program, bringing prosperity and stability.
Regarding political stability and security measures for Chinese workers, he assured that we would take all necessary measures to protect the workers from any threat and political stability also be brought through dialogues.
Zartaj Gul appointed parliamentary leader of SIC in NA
ISLAMABAD: MNA Zartaj Gul has been appointed as the parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council in the National Assembly, a notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat confirmed.
The Sunni Ittehad Council had submitted her nomination papers to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on June 21, which were subsequently approved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan.
Earlier, the PTI had proposed four names for the parliamentary leader position, including Zartaj Gul, Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, Zain Qureshi, and Ahmed Chattha.
However, Zartaj Gul's nomination was finally approved, solidifying her position as the parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council in the lower house.
Zartaj Gul appointed parliamentary leader of SIC in NA
ISLAMABAD: MNA Zartaj Gul has been appointed as the parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council in the National Assembly, a notification issued by the National Assembly Secretariat confirmed.
The Sunni Ittehad Council had submitted her nomination papers to Speaker Ayaz Sadiq on June 21, which were subsequently approved by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan.
Earlier, the PTI had proposed four names for the parliamentary leader position, including Zartaj Gul, Sahibzada Mehboob Sultan, Zain Qureshi, and Ahmed Chattha.
However, Zartaj Gul's nomination was finally approved, solidifying her position as the parliamentary leader of the Sunni Ittehad Council in the lower house.
Pakistani-US Democrats to host Vice President Kamala Harris
WASHINGTON: Noted Pakistani-American physician and philanthropist Dr Asif Mahmood will host US Vice President Kamala Harris at his California residence on June 26.
The reception will be co-hosted by Tanweer Ahmed, who is a leading businessman and entrepreneur in the US.
Vice President Harris, seen as a champion of progressive values and community bonds for her egalitarian, pro-immigrant views, is seeking reelection in November. It is beyond doubt that her views on local, regional, and international issues will be of utmost importance in the present-day global scenario.
The timing of the reception hosted by Dr Mahmood is also significant as it will take place a day before the presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Once a harsh critic of her Democrat “rival” Joe Biden, Ms Harris has kept a low profile, which helped her built her image as a sagacious politician.
Longtime Democrat Dr Mahmood, who was recently appointed US Commissioner on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has always preferred Ms Harris over Mr Biden.
Back in 2020, when it was evident that Joe Biden would be nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, Dr Mahmood chose to stay close to Ms Harris and hosted her at his residence.
She acknowledged Dr Mahmood’s gesture and expressed her gratitude by saying: "He (Dr Mahmood) has been supporting me for so many years, and when I made the decision to run for president of the United States, he was one of the first calls that I made.
“He was incredibly encouraging and supportive, and that has always been the case. He stepped up at the very beginning, and I cannot thank him enough.
“You are not only a very successful professional, you really are an extraordinary American leader," Harris stated while lauding his support.
She reciprocated his gesture in 2022 by announcing endorsement of Dr Mahmood’s campaign for Congress: “I am proud to endorse Dr. Asif Mahmood, who is part of an accomplished slate of Californians up and down the ballot who are committed to, along with our Administration, deliver results on behalf of working families, confronting the climate crisis, lowering health care costs, and other critical priorities.
“The stakes are high this year and I am confident Dr. Asif Mahmood will stand up for the values we hold dear.”
She also attended a fundraiser for Dr Mahmood’s campaign. Both had also met in April last year to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Dr Mahmood is equally close to former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton. During her primary, he had supported her bid for president over Biden’s. On her part, Ms Clinton endorsed Dr Mahmood for Congress. She went the extra mile by arranging political events for Dr Mahmood.
It was her first-of-its-kind campaign event for any Pakistani-American politician. In a special message recorded after the event, the former first lady had said: “One of the greatest qualities of Dr Mahmood is that he has never sent anyone back home for not being able to pay fees.”
Born to a lower-middle-class family, Dr Mahmood is a true example of a self-made man. He was born in a remote village of Kharian in the province of Punjab. To study medicine, he moved to Karachi and graduated from Sindh Medical College. Later, he migrated to the United States.
According to a press note issued by the USCIRF, Mahmood is a practicing physician, human rights activist, interracial and inter-faith community organizer, and philanthropist. He has also led the advocacy for many human rights campaigns focused on South Asia.
Mahmood was also a Delegate for the Democratic National Convention from 2008 to 2016 and held many roles in presidential campaigns. He is also the current Chair of the Organisation for Social Media Safety (OFSSMS) and a Board Member of Hope the Mission, one of the largest homeless shelters in California.
The co-host of the reception for Vice President Harris, Tanweer Ahmad is very close to the top Democratic hierarchy. He is among the few Pakistani-Americans who rub shoulders with former president Barack Obama and the Clinton family, to name a few.
In Pakistan, Ahmad is better known as a philanthropist. He donated $9 million to the National University of Science and Technology for developing the Information Technology tower. Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir once acknowledged his role by saying: “Pakistan is proud of heroes like him.”
Ahmad’s vision of promoting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Pakistan has drawn him closer to Governor Kamran Tessori as well. He has also donated to the governor’s free IT programme and his initiative for unemployed youth to start their own businesses.
Like Dr Mahmood, Ahmad too comes from a humble background. He was born in Sialkot to a farmer. With a borrowed ticket and $23 in his pocket, he landed in New York City when he was just 18. Now, he owns multiple businesses and employs over 5,000 people across the US.
Ahmad believes that the Democrats can offer more to the immigrant community than the Republicans. To him, supporting Harris is a fight for a brighter, better, and more equal future for all.
Also read: US VP Kamala Harris talks 'Pak politics' with Democrat Asif Mahmood
Leading Pakistani-American Democrat Dr Asif Mahmood met US Vice President Kamala Harris in California and discussed with her current political situation in Pakistan.
Pakistani-US Democrats to host Vice President Kamala Harris
WASHINGTON: Noted Pakistani-American physician and philanthropist Dr Asif Mahmood will host US Vice President Kamala Harris at his California residence on June 26.
The reception will be co-hosted by Tanweer Ahmed, who is a leading businessman and entrepreneur in the US.
Vice President Harris, seen as a champion of progressive values and community bonds for her egalitarian, pro-immigrant views, is seeking reelection in November. It is beyond doubt that her views on local, regional, and international issues will be of utmost importance in the present-day global scenario.
The timing of the reception hosted by Dr Mahmood is also significant as it will take place a day before the presidential debate between incumbent Joe Biden and his Republican rival Donald Trump.
Once a harsh critic of her Democrat “rival” Joe Biden, Ms Harris has kept a low profile, which helped her built her image as a sagacious politician.
Longtime Democrat Dr Mahmood, who was recently appointed US Commissioner on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF), has always preferred Ms Harris over Mr Biden.
Back in 2020, when it was evident that Joe Biden would be nominated as the Democratic presidential candidate, Dr Mahmood chose to stay close to Ms Harris and hosted her at his residence.
She acknowledged Dr Mahmood’s gesture and expressed her gratitude by saying: "He (Dr Mahmood) has been supporting me for so many years, and when I made the decision to run for president of the United States, he was one of the first calls that I made.
“He was incredibly encouraging and supportive, and that has always been the case. He stepped up at the very beginning, and I cannot thank him enough.
“You are not only a very successful professional, you really are an extraordinary American leader," Harris stated while lauding his support.
She reciprocated his gesture in 2022 by announcing endorsement of Dr Mahmood’s campaign for Congress: “I am proud to endorse Dr. Asif Mahmood, who is part of an accomplished slate of Californians up and down the ballot who are committed to, along with our Administration, deliver results on behalf of working families, confronting the climate crisis, lowering health care costs, and other critical priorities.
“The stakes are high this year and I am confident Dr. Asif Mahmood will stand up for the values we hold dear.”
She also attended a fundraiser for Dr Mahmood’s campaign. Both had also met in April last year to discuss matters of mutual interest.
Dr Mahmood is equally close to former first lady and secretary of state Hillary Clinton. During her primary, he had supported her bid for president over Biden’s. On her part, Ms Clinton endorsed Dr Mahmood for Congress. She went the extra mile by arranging political events for Dr Mahmood.
It was her first-of-its-kind campaign event for any Pakistani-American politician. In a special message recorded after the event, the former first lady had said: “One of the greatest qualities of Dr Mahmood is that he has never sent anyone back home for not being able to pay fees.”
Born to a lower-middle-class family, Dr Mahmood is a true example of a self-made man. He was born in a remote village of Kharian in the province of Punjab. To study medicine, he moved to Karachi and graduated from Sindh Medical College. Later, he migrated to the United States.
According to a press note issued by the USCIRF, Mahmood is a practicing physician, human rights activist, interracial and inter-faith community organizer, and philanthropist. He has also led the advocacy for many human rights campaigns focused on South Asia.
Mahmood was also a Delegate for the Democratic National Convention from 2008 to 2016 and held many roles in presidential campaigns. He is also the current Chair of the Organisation for Social Media Safety (OFSSMS) and a Board Member of Hope the Mission, one of the largest homeless shelters in California.
The co-host of the reception for Vice President Harris, Tanweer Ahmad is very close to the top Democratic hierarchy. He is among the few Pakistani-Americans who rub shoulders with former president Barack Obama and the Clinton family, to name a few.
In Pakistan, Ahmad is better known as a philanthropist. He donated $9 million to the National University of Science and Technology for developing the Information Technology tower. Chief of Army Staff General Syed Asim Munir once acknowledged his role by saying: “Pakistan is proud of heroes like him.”
Ahmad’s vision of promoting the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Pakistan has drawn him closer to Governor Kamran Tessori as well. He has also donated to the governor’s free IT programme and his initiative for unemployed youth to start their own businesses.
Like Dr Mahmood, Ahmad too comes from a humble background. He was born in Sialkot to a farmer. With a borrowed ticket and $23 in his pocket, he landed in New York City when he was just 18. Now, he owns multiple businesses and employs over 5,000 people across the US.
Ahmad believes that the Democrats can offer more to the immigrant community than the Republicans. To him, supporting Harris is a fight for a brighter, better, and more equal future for all.
Leading Pakistani-American Democrat Dr Asif Mahmood met US Vice President Kamala Harris in California and discussed with her current political situation in Pakistan.
Punjab government to launch 'digital school on-wheel' project with support of Google
LAHORE: The Punjab government has officially proposed to launch a digital school on-wheel project across the province.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz has called on a delegation of IT companies, where it was decided to launch the education project.
Under this project, free-of-cost digital courses will be taught to one thousand teachers in government schools.
Meanwhile, Google for Education will support free certification courses for 15 thousand university students. University students will be trained in artificial intelligence (AI) and anti-virus courses.
Two pilot projects of the school on-wheel will be launched within two weeks.
Punjab CM stated that her government was committed to remove problems in the education system and improve it.
He asserted that development was impossible with restructuring in the education system and that local assembling of Chromebooks would be supported.
Maryam Nawaz also informed the Google team about IT projects of the Punjab government and the Google for Education delegation showed interest in the Punjab government's first autism school project.
Punjab government to launch 'digital school on-wheel' project with support of Google
LAHORE: The Punjab government has officially proposed to launch a digital school on-wheel project across the province.
Punjab CM Maryam Nawaz has called on a delegation of IT companies, where it was decided to launch the education project.
Under this project, free-of-cost digital courses will be taught to one thousand teachers in government schools.
Meanwhile, Google for Education will support free certification courses for 15 thousand university students. University students will be trained in artificial intelligence (AI) and anti-virus courses.
Two pilot projects of the school on-wheel will be launched within two weeks.
Punjab CM stated that her government was committed to remove problems in the education system and improve it.
He asserted that development was impossible with restructuring in the education system and that local assembling of Chromebooks would be supported.
Maryam Nawaz also informed the Google team about IT projects of the Punjab government and the Google for Education delegation showed interest in the Punjab government's first autism school project.
Provide the much-needed relief to people in budget: Shazia Marri
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and MNA Shazia Marri has said don’t facilitate the PPP in the budget but provide the much need relief to the people.
Speaking in the National Assembly, she said there were hopes that the people would be provided relief.
“We were not taken on-board in budget-making,” she said.
The provinces were doing good and they should be allowed to discharge their duties, she added, saying issues would never be resolved if everyone would be saying that all was good.
She highlighted the opposition was silent on the incidents in Sargodha and Swat which was worrisome.
Marri stated the PPP had reservations on budget, especially on developmental projects.
The MNA stated the finance minister should be corrected and the salaried class should not be removed.
“The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should go after the non-taxpayers. Increasing petroleum levy is increasing burden on commoners,” Marri concluded.
Provide the much-needed relief to people in budget: Shazia Marri
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and MNA Shazia Marri has said don’t facilitate the PPP in the budget but provide the much need relief to the people.
Speaking in the National Assembly, she said there were hopes that the people would be provided relief.
“We were not taken on-board in budget-making,” she said.
The provinces were doing good and they should be allowed to discharge their duties, she added, saying issues would never be resolved if everyone would be saying that all was good.
She highlighted the opposition was silent on the incidents in Sargodha and Swat which was worrisome.
Marri stated the PPP had reservations on budget, especially on developmental projects.
The MNA stated the finance minister should be corrected and the salaried class should not be removed.
“The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) should go after the non-taxpayers. Increasing petroleum levy is increasing burden on commoners,” Marri concluded.
Romina lauds Punjab CM for enforcing plastic ban
ISLAMABAD: Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam said that imposing of ban on plastic bags in the Punjab by the Provincial Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was a long-awaited move to deal with the hazardous effects of plastic on the environment and human health.
The PM’s aide in a press statement on Sunday said that the Punjab chief minister has enforced a comprehensive ban on the manufacturing, distribution, sale and purchase of plastic all over the province in its strict form. "We urge other provincial governments to follow suit to make Pakistan a plastic-free country", she added.
“Achieving plastic-free Pakistan is an extremely challenging goal, but it is possible with coordinated efforts by all provincial governments to completely ban manufacturing, distribution and sale and purchase of plastics in all forms and manifestations at all levels,” Romina Khurshid Alam remarked.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif enforced the province-wide ban on plastics on June 5, a move deliberately coincided with World Environment Day marked every globally on the same day.
The Punjab chief minister had announced weeks before that the provincial plastic ban policy would be strictly enforced, particularly in hotels, restaurants and eateries, citing the detrimental effects of plastics on the environment and public health and stating that "No to Plastic" campaign is core of the anti-plastic policy, which aims at reducing environmental pollution and promoting eco-friendly initiatives.
The PM’s aide on climate change Romina Khurshid recalled that when the ban on plastics was being imposed in Islamabad under a relevant law, all the provincial, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir governments were requested by the federal government to impose plastic bag in their respective provincial and admirative territories as a part of the federal government’s ‘Plastic-Free Pakistan’ campaign.
But, “now it is heartening to note all provincial governments are making efforts to rid the country of environmentally-damaging plastics in support to achieve the goal of Plastics-Free Plastic’,” PM’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid said, rejoicingly.
The PM’s aide recalled that in Islamabad implementation ban on single-use plastics and other plastic items faced stiff challenges including resistance from businesses, lack of alternatives, and enforcement issues. But, continuous efforts are needed to ensure compliance and address these challenges.
Romina Khurshid Alam, however, underlined the urgency of banning the production, distribution and use of polythene bags, citing their detrimental environmental impact and contribution to respiratory ailments and other life-threatening conditions.
PM’s aide also urged the provincial governments to promote use of eco-friendly alternatives like cotton bags to replace plastic bags, appealing to the citizens to switch to cloth and paper bags as alternatives to plastic.
She also highlighted the unprecedented importance of the public engagement through awareness campaigns to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste and promote the use of more sustainable alternatives.
“Without engaging public through sensitization and awareness about adverse impacts of plastics on environment and public health, the country cannot get rid of the plastic pollution,” Romina Khurshid cautioned.
She emphasised that plastic waste has become a major source of various kinds of pollutants, contaminating land, water bodies and oceans and it takes hundreds to thousands of years to decompose, leading to long-term pollution.
Highlighting adverse impacts of plastics on the marine life, she PM’s aide Romina Khurshid said that plastics in the ocean harms marine animals through ingestion and entanglement. Microplastics, tiny plastic particles, are ingested by marine organisms, entering the food chain and affecting biodiversity, she added.
She said further that the production and disposal of plastics contribute to climate changing greenhouse gas emissions. Because, plastic production relies heavily on fossil fuels and incineration of plastic waste releases carbon dioxide and other harmful gases.
“Developing and promoting/adopting the use biodegradable plastics, adopting recycling technologies and alternative materials would significantly mitigate the negative impacts of traditional plastics in our lives,” Romina Khrushid suggested and added, the present PM Shehbaz Sharif-led government is committed to weeding out plastics from our environment and making efforts to adopted the afore-mentioned solutions.
The government was already incentivizing the production and use of biodegradable and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic. Manufacturers and retailers are encouraged to transition to sustainable materials, with tax benefits and subsidies provided to support this shift, she highlighted.
She said further that for enhanced, improved waste management systems in the country, investments were also being made to improve the country’s waste management infrastructure by encouraging establishment of more recycling facilities, better waste segregation practices, and increased capacity for plastic waste processing.
Meanwhile, PM’s aide Romina Khurshid Alam urged businesses and industries to adopt sustainable practices and reduce plastic usage in their operations as a part of the corporate social responsibility and to support the government’s efforts to make the country plastics free.
“Reducing plastic use, improving waste management, and transitioning to sustainable alternatives are essential steps to mitigate the harmful impacts of plastics on the environment, human health, and the economy,” she stressed. APP
Romina lauds Punjab CM for enforcing plastic ban
ISLAMABAD: Coordinator to the Prime Minister on Climate Change, Romina Khurshid Alam said that imposing of ban on plastic bags in the Punjab by the Provincial Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif was a long-awaited move to deal with the hazardous effects of plastic on the environment and human health.
The PM’s aide in a press statement on Sunday said that the Punjab chief minister has enforced a comprehensive ban on the manufacturing, distribution, sale and purchase of plastic all over the province in its strict form. "We urge other provincial governments to follow suit to make Pakistan a plastic-free country", she added.
“Achieving plastic-free Pakistan is an extremely challenging goal, but it is possible with coordinated efforts by all provincial governments to completely ban manufacturing, distribution and sale and purchase of plastics in all forms and manifestations at all levels,” Romina Khurshid Alam remarked.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif enforced the province-wide ban on plastics on June 5, a move deliberately coincided with World Environment Day marked every globally on the same day.
The Punjab chief minister had announced weeks before that the provincial plastic ban policy would be strictly enforced, particularly in hotels, restaurants and eateries, citing the detrimental effects of plastics on the environment and public health and stating that "No to Plastic" campaign is core of the anti-plastic policy, which aims at reducing environmental pollution and promoting eco-friendly initiatives.
The PM’s aide on climate change Romina Khurshid recalled that when the ban on plastics was being imposed in Islamabad under a relevant law, all the provincial, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir governments were requested by the federal government to impose plastic bag in their respective provincial and admirative territories as a part of the federal government’s ‘Plastic-Free Pakistan’ campaign.
But, “now it is heartening to note all provincial governments are making efforts to rid the country of environmentally-damaging plastics in support to achieve the goal of Plastics-Free Plastic’,” PM’s Coordinator Romina Khurshid said, rejoicingly.
The PM’s aide recalled that in Islamabad implementation ban on single-use plastics and other plastic items faced stiff challenges including resistance from businesses, lack of alternatives, and enforcement issues. But, continuous efforts are needed to ensure compliance and address these challenges.
Romina Khurshid Alam, however, underlined the urgency of banning the production, distribution and use of polythene bags, citing their detrimental environmental impact and contribution to respiratory ailments and other life-threatening conditions.
PM’s aide also urged the provincial governments to promote use of eco-friendly alternatives like cotton bags to replace plastic bags, appealing to the citizens to switch to cloth and paper bags as alternatives to plastic.
She also highlighted the unprecedented importance of the public engagement through awareness campaigns to reduce the environmental impact of plastic waste and promote the use of more sustainable alternatives.
“Without engaging public through sensitization and awareness about adverse impacts of plastics on environment and public health, the country cannot get rid of the plastic pollution,” Romina Khurshid cautioned.
She emphasised that plastic waste has become a major source of various kinds of pollutants, contaminating land, water bodies and oceans and it takes hundreds to thousands of years to decompose, leading to long-term pollution.
Highlighting adverse impacts of plastics on the marine life, she PM’s aide Romina Khurshid said that plastics in the ocean harms marine animals through ingestion and entanglement. Microplastics, tiny plastic particles, are ingested by marine organisms, entering the food chain and affecting biodiversity, she added.
She said further that the production and disposal of plastics contribute to climate changing greenhouse gas emissions. Because, plastic production relies heavily on fossil fuels and incineration of plastic waste releases carbon dioxide and other harmful gases.
“Developing and promoting/adopting the use biodegradable plastics, adopting recycling technologies and alternative materials would significantly mitigate the negative impacts of traditional plastics in our lives,” Romina Khrushid suggested and added, the present PM Shehbaz Sharif-led government is committed to weeding out plastics from our environment and making efforts to adopted the afore-mentioned solutions.
The government was already incentivizing the production and use of biodegradable and eco-friendly alternatives to plastic. Manufacturers and retailers are encouraged to transition to sustainable materials, with tax benefits and subsidies provided to support this shift, she highlighted.
She said further that for enhanced, improved waste management systems in the country, investments were also being made to improve the country’s waste management infrastructure by encouraging establishment of more recycling facilities, better waste segregation practices, and increased capacity for plastic waste processing.
Meanwhile, PM’s aide Romina Khurshid Alam urged businesses and industries to adopt sustainable practices and reduce plastic usage in their operations as a part of the corporate social responsibility and to support the government’s efforts to make the country plastics free.
“Reducing plastic use, improving waste management, and transitioning to sustainable alternatives are essential steps to mitigate the harmful impacts of plastics on the environment, human health, and the economy,” she stressed. APP
Punjab on high alert as heavy monsoon rains predicted
LAHORE: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert regarding the upcoming monsoon rains, forecasting an increase of 35% above normal levels. All provincial administrations were notified on Sunday to prepare for the heightened rainfall.
According to the PDMA, the monsoon season is set to begin on July 1 in Punjab, with 15 to 50 mm of rain expected in the first week. The second week could see 25 to 35 mm, while the third week might bring 15 to 25 mm to upper and southern Punjab.
The fourth week of July is predicted to have the highest rainfall, with 50 to 70 mm expected. Heavy rain with thunderstorms is anticipated across upper, central, and southern Punjab.
The PDMA has warned of urban flooding and hill torrents in southern Punjab during the monsoon season. In response to directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, all relevant departments have been put on high alert.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia emphasised the need for district administrations to ensure all precautionary measures are in place before the monsoon rains begin. He urged the completion of drainage system cleaning and maintenance of water channels as soon as possible, highlighting that preemptive measures and cooperation can mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters. Kathia noted that ensuring the safety of citizens' lives and property is a top priority, with no room for negligence.
Earlier this week, Rawalpindi and its surrounding areas experienced their first pre-monsoon rain, signalling the potential danger of monsoon floods in Nullah Leh and other rain drains.
In Sindh, the PMD reported that Karachi is forecasted to experience rain and thunderstorms today, with the weather expected to remain hot and humid, temperatures reaching up to 39°C, and humidity at 75%.
Last week, the Met Office predicted sweltering temperatures for the first day of Eid, followed by rain in the upper regions of Punjab, Kashmir, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the second day.
Punjab on high alert as heavy monsoon rains predicted
LAHORE: The Punjab Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA) has issued an alert regarding the upcoming monsoon rains, forecasting an increase of 35% above normal levels. All provincial administrations were notified on Sunday to prepare for the heightened rainfall.
According to the PDMA, the monsoon season is set to begin on July 1 in Punjab, with 15 to 50 mm of rain expected in the first week. The second week could see 25 to 35 mm, while the third week might bring 15 to 25 mm to upper and southern Punjab.
The fourth week of July is predicted to have the highest rainfall, with 50 to 70 mm expected. Heavy rain with thunderstorms is anticipated across upper, central, and southern Punjab.
The PDMA has warned of urban flooding and hill torrents in southern Punjab during the monsoon season. In response to directives from Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz, all relevant departments have been put on high alert.
PDMA Director General Irfan Ali Kathia emphasised the need for district administrations to ensure all precautionary measures are in place before the monsoon rains begin. He urged the completion of drainage system cleaning and maintenance of water channels as soon as possible, highlighting that preemptive measures and cooperation can mitigate the damage caused by natural disasters. Kathia noted that ensuring the safety of citizens' lives and property is a top priority, with no room for negligence.
Earlier this week, Rawalpindi and its surrounding areas experienced their first pre-monsoon rain, signalling the potential danger of monsoon floods in Nullah Leh and other rain drains.
In Sindh, the PMD reported that Karachi is forecasted to experience rain and thunderstorms today, with the weather expected to remain hot and humid, temperatures reaching up to 39°C, and humidity at 75%.
Last week, the Met Office predicted sweltering temperatures for the first day of Eid, followed by rain in the upper regions of Punjab, Kashmir, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa on the second day.