The News Of Pakistan

­TAJURA, Libya: Libya's navy said Saturday it had rescued 205 migrants in an operation off the coast of Tripoli.The rescue took place on Friday, with 158 men, 33 women and 14 children taken from three inflatable boats off the coast of Zawiyah, 45 kilometres west of the capital, a navy statement said.After receiving calls for help, coast guards had found the boats between 45 and 50 nautical miles (83-93 kilometres) offshore, it said.The migrants, who came from African nations including Mali, Ivory Coast and Guinea, were returned to port in east Tripoli.Rescued migrants returned to Libya are often detained in overcrowded detention centres, where a lack of regulation means people face torture, sexual abuse and forced labour.Their situation deteriorated after fighting broke out south of Tripoli in April, with forces loyal to eastern-based strongman Khalifa Haftar attempting to seize the capital from Libya´s unity government. from The News International - National https://ift.tt/35HCR...

TUNIS: Several hundred mostly women protesters rallied in the Tunisian capital on Saturday against violence targeting women, urging authorities to act to ensure their rights.Demonstrators marched through the city centre, waving brooms to symbolise the sweeping away of violence against women.The march was called for by some 50 local NGOs including the Tunisian Association of Democratic Women (ATFD).Some protesters beat on drums and others rapped on pans, chanting "Solidarity with women victims of violence!"The march followed an incident in October in which a newly elected lawmaker was shown in a video that purported to show him masturbating outside a school.MP Zouheir Makhlouf said he is diabetic and had been urinating into a bottle. He walked free after being investigated for alleged sexual harassment and public indecency. The video went viral and sparked Tunisia´s own #MeToo movement, with sex abuse victims breaking taboos under the hashtag #EnaZeda.It was inspired by the hu...

RAWALPINDI: The Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) I, Rawalpindi Judge Shaukat Kamal Dar on Saturday ordered the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to present full details of Musharraf’s property for confiscation in Benazir Bhutto murder case.The court has given two days’ time to the FIA to present details of Musharraf’s property for confiscation till December 2, 2019. The court has already confiscated moveable and immoveable properties of former military dictator in BB murder case. But, FIA has told the court that Musharraf yet having some other properties in the country which are not confiscated. On this, the court has directed to present full details of other properties of Musharraf for confiscation.The FIA special prosecutor appeared in Rawalpindi ATC and requested for some more time to present full details of Musharraf’s property. The court has accepted the FIA request and given two days to present full details of Musharraf’s property till December 2.The court has already confiscate Musha...

KARACHI: Pakistan’s biggest and Geos first animated film the Donkey King, the highest grossing Pakistani animated film, is set to have (dubbed) theatrical release in the Russian Federation on 5th Dec, 2019. After South Korea and Spain, this is third international market to have dubbed theatrical release.The Donkey King set to become the first Pakistani film ever to have dubbed theatrical release in The Russian Federation. This is the third international release of the film after South Korea and Spain.Aziz Jindani, the Director of the Donkey King, and the man behind Pakistan’s first and most popular superhero animated series has stated, “This is a huge achievement for us as a nation that a Pakistani film has reached such high levels of popularity and is now reaching newer audiences. We will, however, not stop just with the release in Russia, we are trying to unlock other international markets too and further updates on this front will be shared soon. This is a huge stepping stone for th...

KARACHI: Iqra University (IU) for the first time has placed its name in the QS World Universities Ranking 2020, becoming Sindh’s first private sector varsity to receive this prestigious ranking award.The QS World University Rankings include 29 public and private universities in Pakistan, out of which, four are the private universities from Punjab while there are no private universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan. From Sindh, there are five public sector varsities, including University of Karachi, University of Sindh, NED University, Mehran University and DOW University of Health Sciences.The KU and NED universities have retained their ranking as of last year, University of Sindh’s ranking has been depreciated while the Mehran University has improved its ranking. The IU has been included in the category of Business School while the Dow University has also been included in the medical category.The QS ranking takes into account many indicators for devising these rankings which ...

ISLAMABAD: Two India army personnel were killed on Saturday after an avalanche hit their patrol at an altitude of about 18,000 feet in southern Siachen glacier in Ladakh occupied by India.Six Indians were perished ten days ago in Siachen and with this number of Indian troops killed in Siachen ever-since it occupied the area in 1984 to around nine hundred fifty.According to media report an Indian army patrol operating at an altitude of approximately 18,000 feet in southern Siachen Glacier was hit by an avalanche during the early hours of Saturday, Srinagar-based defence spokesperson Col Rajesh Kalia said in a statement. He said an Avalanche Rescue Team following the patrol immediately rushed and managed to locate and pull out all members of the patrol. Army helicopters too were simultaneously pressed into service to evacuate the avalanche victims, he said.Despite the best efforts by the medical teams, two army personnel, however, perished in the avalanche, the officer said.It was for th...

ISLAMABAD: Leadership of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference on Saturday staged a strong protest demonstration here ahead of the Diplomatic Enclave to condemn the Indian brutalities and human rights violations in Indian Occupied Kashmir.The protesters were holding banners and posters inscribed with anti-India and pro-freedom slogans, some of which read: India has a plan to carry out genocide in Indian Occupied Kashmir and the United Nations should intervene and freedom is our fundamental right.They also chanted slogans like what we want is freedom. Indian must go back, Kashmir seeks attention and Indian forces have crossed all limits of brutalities. The speakers, on the occasion, urged the international community to break silence and pressurize India to give right to self-determination to the Kashmiri people.They emphasised that Kashmiris should be given their right of plebiscite as enshrined in the United Nations Security Council resolutions.They said the people of Occupied Kashmir we...

KARACHI: Shahzada Zulfiqar and Nasir Zaidi got elected as the president and secretary-general respectively of Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists for a term of two years in elections held on Saturday.Zulfiqar is a recipient of the President’s Award for Pride of Performance — the first journalist from Balochistan to receive the distinction. He was previously associated with Dawn, The Nation, and Samaa, and has over three decades of experience in journalism.Zaidi is also veteran journalist and a press freedom activist. He was one of four journalists jailed and flogged in 1978 during the Zia era for protesting the closure of Musawaat newspaper.Initial reports from Karachi said that Lala Asad Pathan, Saleem Shahid, Bakhatzada Yousafzai, and Rana Pervaiz Hameed were elected as the vice presidents of PFUJ.Others elected were: Zulfiqar Metho (treasurer), and Khalid Khokher, Hamid Yasin, Eisa Tareen, and Shahid Ch (assistant secretaries-general).The following are the elected members of the F...

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) has directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to conduct a detailed inquiry about 35 different points in the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) project and submit report within 45 days.A division bench headed by Chief Justice Waqar Ahmad Seth was hearing writ petitions filed by different petitioners against the BRT.The bench directed the FIA authorities to take action against the delinquents if found guilty in the inquiry.The petitioners told the court that the project was initiated without any vision and plan. They questioned if there was any need to obtain huge loans for the project. They also questioned as to why the project was pushed for approval without proper feasibility. The court in the judgement observed that such a huge amount spent on the BRT could have been used to complete projects in a number of sectors that would have changed the economic landscape of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.It added that visionless PTI government has concentrated loaned mo...

ISLAMABAD: Debt servicing on domestic and external loans has consumed almost 80 percent more than joint spending on defence and development during the first quarter (July-Sept) of the current fiscal year.According to fiscal operation released by Finance Division on Saturday, the budget deficit stood at Rs286.023 billion equivalent to 0.7 percent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) during the first quarter of the current fiscal. The total fetched revenue was standing at Rs1.489 trillion while booked expenditures were Rs1.776 trillion so the fiscal deficit was hovering in the range of Rs286 billion. The deficit financing was reduced through improved collection in shape of non-tax revenue.Debt servicing consumed the major chunk as it stood at Rs571.684 billion while defence spending was standing at Rs242.63 billion. The development spending was standing at Rs147 billion. The statistical discrepancy stood at Rs47 billion in first three months of the current fiscal. The primary deficit stood at...

KARACHI: A district & sessions judge on Saturday sentenced two men accused of murdering a man five years ago to a collective 26 years in prison.The District East’s additional sessions judge Haleem Ahmed awarded the punishment to Baaz Muhammad and Sher Muhammad Khan after finding them guilty of the murder of Ghulam Rabbani.According to the prosecution, the accused men as well as their accomplices, who were declared absconders, had attacked a shop within the jurisdiction of the Korangi Industrial Area police station on August 2, 2014.As a result of the firing during the attack, Rabbani got injured and died during treatment at the Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Centre.In his order, the judge observed that the prosecution had successfully established its case against the accused, while they failed to prove their innocence.After the pronouncement of the verdict, the two men who had been out on bail were taken into custody and remanded to the central prison for serving their sentences. fr...

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Saturday ordered to carry out blood test of all the prisoners in Adiala jail and remarked if medical board can be constituted of Nawaz Sharif then why not for others.Justice Athar Minallah on Saturday took up the petition of prisoner of Adiala Jail Khadim Hussain seeking relief on medical grounds. Secretaries’ Ministries of Human Rights and Health and Adiala jail officials appeared before the court.Both the secretaries filed replies on the petition from prisoner Khadim Hussain.During hearing Justice Athar Minallah deciding to visit Adiala jail and remarked, "I will visit Adiala jail next Friday.Ensuring the rights to the prisoners is responsibility of the federation. Medical board is constituted on one’s sweet will. Justice Minallah remarked that if medical board can be constituted for Nawaz Sharif then why not for others.Addressing the Adiala Jail authorities Justice Minallah said you know how corruption is being committed in...

Islamabad :Executive Director of Institute of Urbanism (IU), Mome Saleem has said that because of expansion of unplanned residential area accessibility to facilities has reduced, hence there is congestion on roads.Mome Saleem was speaking at a workshop on ‘Research on reshaping urban mobility in Islamabad’ organised by IU here.Ms Mome said that the issue is exacerbated due to non-availability of mass transit facility. Due to increase in transport, we have to seek solution to handle traffic congestion.She said that her researchers would collect data from three areas in twin-city to resolve the issue.A participant said that air pollution falls in areas like E-11.After the group discussion, the participants were told that private schools should also have buses to reduce private cars. Government can also start buses for such students. He also proposed car pooling. He asked for putting motorcycles to be forced to use their dedicated lanes.The participants proposed sending students to educat...

Islamabad :Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has promised a 1000 per cent increase in science and technology budget in the next fiscal.In a tweet, the minister said the federal government increased the science and technology funding in the current year's budget by 600 percent.He added that he would try to get that funding increased by 1000 percent in the budget for the next financial year.The minister said the ministry had brought Pakistan back to the realm of research and technology with the support of Prime Minister Imran Khan.He said Pakistan was forming ministerial commissions with Russia after China."Our attention is now towards European Union and America," he said.The minister said it was Pakistanis failure that they didn't make engines."We will make solar panels and lithium batteries in the next three years to change the whole system of power," he said.The minister said the proposed Jhelum biotech park would be the biggest her...

Islamabad :Some 320 children and adolescents died every day from AIDS-related causes in 2018, says Unicef’s annual statistical update on children, HIV and AIDS, released ahead of the World AIDS Day - falling today (Sunday).According to a UN press statement here Saturday, low access to antiretroviral treatment, in addition to limited prevention efforts, is a leading cause for these deaths, with only 54 per cent of children aged 0-14 living with HIV in 2018 - or 790,000 children - receiving lifesaving antiretroviral therapy.“The world is on the cusp of making great gains in the battle against HIV and AIDS, but we must not rest on the laurels of progress made,” said Unicef Executive Director Henrietta Fore. “Neglecting testing and treatment initiatives for children and adolescents is a matter of life and death, and for them, we must choose life.”In Pakistan, a joint United Nations team led the investigation into the HIV outbreak earlier this year in Larkana district of Sindh. Unsafe injec...

Rawalpindi :The dengue fever outbreak that has badly hit population in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi this year is losing intensity after the sharp fall in mercury in this region of the country however the three teaching hospitals in town are still receiving five to 10 confirmed patients of the infection per day on average.Data collected by ‘The News’ on Saturday has revealed that the three allied hospitals in town including Holy Family Hospital, Benazir Bhutto Hospital and District Headquarters Hospital received as many as 58 confirmed cases of dengue fever within last one week while in last 24 hours, only six confirmed cases have been reported at the teaching hospitals in town.For the last two weeks, the infection has not claimed any life at the allied hospitals though at least 41 deaths had already been reported at the three hospitals from September 5 to November 15 this year due to the infection.To date, the three teaching hospitals have tested as many as 11,983 patien...

Islamabad :The Commission on Science and Technology for Sustainable Development in the South (COMSATS) – an inter-governmental organization based in Islamabad has partnered with The World Academy of Sciences (TWAS), Italy, and The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey (TUBITAK), Turkey, to organize the International workshop titled ‘Learning about Sustainability, SDGs and Global Challenges’. The event, which is being hosted by TUBITAK, will be held on 3-5 December 2019, in Gebze, Turkey, says a press release.The aim of the workshop is to provide an overview and training on the concept of sustainable development, the rationale of SDGs, importance of targets set as benchmarks for monitoring the progress of the implementation processes; and on the planetary boundaries.The focus is on the Least Developed Countries and S&T Lagging countries, especially those that are members of COMSATS and TWAS. The workshop is based on presentations by four experts on the topics of SD...

Islamabad :Ambassador Romania Nicolae Goia has said Romania is eager to work with friendly Pakistan for taking forward the bilateral agenda, as well the cooperation within the EU-Pakistan framework and in multilateral formats, especially in the UN.“I warmly welcome the spirit of Romania-Pakistan relations, characterized by friendship and collaboration and the new dynamism witnessed in the recent years with a result-driven political dialogue reflecting a clear desire of both states for developing a pragmatic relationship in fields of mutual interests”.The Romanian ambassador expressed these views while speaking on the occasion of 101 anniversary of National Day of Romania.Speaker National Assembly Asad Qaisar attended the event as chief guest. It was Asad Qaisar’s first diplomatic event after assuming charge of the Speaker of the National Assembly.Apart from him, Minister Sheharyar Afridi attended the event as guest of honour while a number of other Federal and State Ministers, Senators...

Islamabad :The peaceful resolution of Kashmir issue is going to be a long struggle requiring a lot of patience, proactive approach, innovative thinking and devising of well-coordinated, carefully planned, multidimensional strategies, aimed at attracting global attention while maintaining effective engagement of as many people, international organizations and states as possible.This was the crux of a declaration on Kashmir issue that was signed as the conclusion of an international seminar titled ‘The Crisis in Kashmir amidst Regional and Global Dynamics’.The event was organized in Muzaffarabad, AJ&K by Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad, in collaboration with Policy Research Forum (PRF), AJK and Maritime Studies Forum (MSF).The declaration was signed by Prime Minister of AJ&K Raja Farooq Haider.The other signatories of the document comprised Khalid Rahman, Executive President IPS, Dr Syed Muhammad Anwer, law expert and president MSF, Mansoor Qadir Dar, Acting Chairman...

Islamabad :Austrian director/screenwriter Dominik Hartl describes short films as ‘Little treasures in the shadow of big productions.’ The good news is that now more watchable short films are being made and invitees to the First Central-European Short Movie event were lucky to view four - each of a different genre - at the Marriott Hotel hosted by the embassies of the four countries falling in the central European category - Hungary; Poland; Czech Republic and Austria. The guest of honor was Islamabad Mayor Sheikh Ansar Aziz.The evening began with the chief guest saying a few words about how films are a means to educate, inform and understand other peoples and appreciate their culture; music; art and architecture in all its beauty and complexity.Before each film, envoys of each country said a few words about it and the directors. The first film to be screened was ‘Sing’, which, Hungarian Ambassador Szabo informed, won the Academy Award for the best ‘Live Action Short Film’ in 2017. Zsóf...

Islamabad :Country Director Pak-Turk Maarif International Schools and Colleges has said that the National Olympiad is a medium for exchange of academic culture and strengthening the bond between management and administration, teachers, and students across different private and government schools of Pakistan and in order to motivate students we have arranged Maarif Inter Schools Math Olympiad - MISMO 2019 which is a unique competition and provides a great chance for the students of Grade 5 to 8 to show their incredible potential in Mathematics and get rewarded by the institution. He stated Bugra Ozler Country Coordinator Academic & Education was coordinator for this mega event. from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2LoSmhp

Some parts of the city have been bearing a disproportionate amount of the danger. The number of pedestrians’ injuries and deaths on old airport road has risen ever since Dhok Hafiz traffic signal was removed to facilitate VVIPs. Public anxiety is growing but the city authorities’ response continues to fall short.“The absence of traffic signal is taking its toll. The cherry to this pudding are the over speeding vehicles that have been adding to the misery of those trying to cross over to the other side of the road,” says Aadila Batool.“Increasingly urgent public safety measures are needed. Almost every day, a pedestrian is hit. Several people have been hit by cars and bikes, yet it generates not even a small fraction of the concerned authority’s concern. Given the scale of the injuries, the issue should receive serious attention,” says Ali Asghar.“The problem is getting worse. Over the past years, the number of deaths has leaped. Especially women crossing this road daily are worried abo...

Islamabad :The three-day event Millennial Model United Nations (MMUN) 2019 was opened at the Flagship Millennium College, I/9-3 Campus, here last day says a press release.More than 1,200 students from across the country participated in the event. The MMUN 2019 is the outcome of the aspirant students of Millennium College, I-9/3 Campus.The opening ceremony was presided over by Rolf M Hey Holmboe, ambassador of the Royal Danish Embassy & Founder Chairman The Millennium Education Chaudhry Faisal Mushtaq TI. Principal Millennium College I-9/3 Campus, Muneeze Muzaffar in her introductory speech expressed the fact that the purpose of this intellectual exercise is to foster teamwork, encourage work force, engage the youth of Pakistan in the most organized scholastic event which is recognised worldwide.Ambassador Rolf M. Hey Holmboe in his speech to the delegates expressed his pleasure to witness the event and stressed that education is the best investment concerning the future of the coun...

Islamabad : Islamabad is ranked the safest city in Pakistan at the 244th position by World Crime Index, while Karachi is the most crime-prone city of the country ranked at 71st position.The ranking of Lahore has improved in the latest report of the World Crime Index. The previous report that came out at the start of 2019 ranked the city in the 174th position among 328 total cities measured across the world.The security condition in Lahore has improved which is the major reason for its improved ranking, reported Research Snipers.News.The most dangerous city in the world as per the World Crime Index is Caracas in Venezuela. The safest city in the world is Abu Dhabi, the United Arab Emirates having 89.39 points on safety index. On the crime index, the city scored 10.61.The crime index and safety index of Islamabad are 30.47, and 69.53 respectively. The crime and safety index of Lahore is 38.43, and 61.57 while Karachi’s crime and safety index are 56.79, and 43.21 respectively.The topmost ...

Islamabad :Director-General of Pakistan Environment Protection Agency (PEPA) Farzana Altaf Shah has said that short, medium and long-term Urbanisation planning goals would go a long way forward to resolve the issues of mobility, health and environment in the capital city. She said that we need to evolve institution for urban planning and go for empirical research to come out the issue of mobility in the city.Dr Altaf was speaking on the concluding day of Dialogue on ‘Reshaping Urban Mobility in Islamabad’ organised by Institute of Urbanism at Sangra village in Haripur district.Dr Altaf She said that probably thousands of the vehicle daily enter in Islamabad on major arteries where official, workers and student came, adding that proper strategy needed to resolve the issue which created the environmental hazards in capital city.Ms Altaf said that the record unhealthy air in the federal capital was mainly due to unplanned transport and abrupt entry of vehicle in early hours. She said that...

Rawalpindi :The winter has set in but still there is a great variation in temperature between day and night in this region of the country that may cause serious health threats both to healthy persons and chronic patients particularly those suffering from heart disease, hypertension, high blood pressure and other chronic ailments.The phenomenon may pose mild to moderate health threats to healthy persons but the chronic patients may suffer from serious complications due to exposure to sharp fall in mercury at night and early in the morning.Majority of people do not take extra care while spending time outside homes and offices late at night or early in the morning when temperature drops sharply to a significant level.Almost all healthcare facilities in public and private sectors in the twin cities of Islamabad and Rawalpindi have been receiving extraordinary burden of patients with seasonal ailments including upper and lower respiratory tract infections that take the shape of epidemic in ...

Islamabad :The Islamabad Police have arrested 38 persons during the last 24 hours in its crackdown against criminal elements and recovered narcotics and weapons from them, the police spokesman said.Aabpara Police arrested two accused Nawaz and Adnan Khalid and recovered 260 gram hashish from them while another accused Qasir Masih was held for decanting gas in cylinders. Secretariat Police also arrested Rizwan involved in decanting gas in cylinders.Kohsar Police arrested two accused Saleem and Shahnawaz and recovered a total of 990 gram hashish from them. Banigala Police arrested Bashrat, Ramash, Imran, Khalid Mehmood, Tanveer, Gulrez and recovered 16 wine bottles from them. Police also arrested accused Iftikhar and Zia-Ur-Rehman and recovered SMG gun from him while three Afghans, Aman-Ullah, Dilwar and Farhad were nabbed for residing illegally in the country.Golra Police arrested two accused Abdul Ghafar and Asim Iqbal and recovered 115 gram heroin and stolen mobile phone from them.Tar...

A fresh wave of student activism has been sweeping through the country. Its goals are very high and its definition subject to different interpretations. But the student processions that hit the roads of Islamabad are generated by totally different reasons. Simply put, these protesters live in private hostels which stand in violation of law due to their location. Since, business activity is prohibited in residential areas, the law came into action and they were to be evicted from these hostels in one way or the other. To protest this eviction, they are now on the roads demanding that their rights be protected.But the issue is not as simple as this. Consider: Universities are meant to educate and facilitate creation of knowledge. Islamabad has the distinction of housing the country’s top-notched universities; hence, becoming a magnate for students from across the country. Though the city managers have allocated enough land to public sectors universities to build hostels properly, they ar...

Islamabad: In order to pay tribute and inculcate the philosophy of Dr. Allama Muhammad Iqbal in young generation, first National Conference on Iqbal’s philosophy was organised by Bahria University at Islamabad Campus.Chief of the Naval Staff Admiral Zafar Mahmood Abbasi was chief guest on the occasion.The theme of the two days conference, held in connection with 142nd birth anniversary, was ‘Inclusiveness of lqbal’s Philosophy and its Potential for Personal and Social Change’ included key note addresses, speeches, panel discussions and research paper presentations. Eminent speakers participating in the conference included renowned scholars and academia who shared their intellectual thoughts on the subject.During the conference, speakers deeply explored lqbal’s philosophical thought and its practical guidance for implementation in different domains of Islamic States. Speakers also shared lqbal’s concepts of self-awareness, self-empowerment through a journey of self-discovery and knowled...

Islamabad Art Festival 19 and Embassy of Iran have collaborated with the best contemporary screen gems.Some of the titles offered from Iran included: Season of Narges (Fasle Narges), Zero Platform (Safar ta Saku), We Have Guests (Ma Meehman Dareem), Sweetheart (Dilbari), Raana Silence (Sokute Raana) and Mermaid (Pari Daryani).The challenges brought on screen by filmmakers here are commendable and well appreciated by the Islamabad moviegoers. The themes here are rich, thought-provoking and entertaining. Three women with their own stories (Season of Narges), different attitudes of parents reaching to a point where the children begin to fear from the selfish world around them, and, then one must now overcome this fear (Sweetheart) and truth coming out when a son is brought back from the hospital (We Have Guests). from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2OWqySb

Islamabad: Arabic Department of National University Of Modern Languages (NUML) organised ‘Seerat-un-Nabi’ Conference here on Thursday.Mufti Syed Adnan Kaka Khel and Shuja-ud-Din Shaikh, Director Quran Academy were the guest speakers While Director General NUML Brig Muhammad Ibrahim, Dean Languages Dr. Safeer Awan, Heads of Departments, guests, faculty members and large number of students attended the conference.Renowned speakers highlighted the points of ‘Seerat’ of Hazrat Muhammad (peace be upon him) and stressed that only describing the Seerah of Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2OyoW27

Islamabad :Princess Sarah Zeid of Jordan, who campaigns globally to bring attention to the criticality of good nutrition in the first 1,000 days from conception to a child’s second birthday, appreciated Pakistan’s commitment to address the malnutrition emergency here on Friday.Princess Sarah was in a meeting with Special Assistant to the Prime Minister on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Nets Dr. Sania Nishtar for a discussion on current projects aimed at fighting malnutrition in Pakistan. Tackling malnutrition is also a core focus of Ehsaas, the government’s pioneering poverty alleviation programme.“Malnutrition has long-lasting consequences for families and countries. The Government of Pakistan’s commitment to address malnutrition is commendable. “I highly appreciate the multisectoral programmatic steps being taken by the Government of Pakistan under Ehsaas to achieve nutrition driven outcomes,” stated Princess Sarah, who is a Special Advisor to the World Food Programme (WFP) on...

Islamabad :Around 2 billion jobs will disappear by 2030 and 75 per cent of companies are going to vanish in the next 5 years, out of which 50 per cent are not born yet.85 per cent of the jobs that will exist in 2030 have not been invented yet. What does this data tell us? These statistics are indicating that we are not ready for the changing dynamics of the future employment. Most of the employers complain that they cannot find the right person for the job."Organisations spend almost 50 per cent of their expenditure on trainings and they are not happy about it. University graduates are not ready to cope with the industry. We need to get smart, innovative, creative, and work on the skill development of our youth," said Dr. Nadeem Ahmed Khan, Head of the Department of Business Studies, PIDE, Islamabad, while talking to Pak-Afghan Youth, during a workshop, organised by Afghan Studies Centre.The data generated in the last two years is more than all the data ever produced in the e...

Rawalpindi :The investiture ceremony of the newly elected student council was held on Friday, in the Salma Masud Auditorium of F.G Postgraduate College for Women, Kashmir Road, Rawalpindi.Maj. General Muhammad Asghar Warraich HI(M), director general FGEI(C/G), Directorate was the chief guest. The ceremony started with the recitation of Quranic verses by Hafsa Mudassir. English Translation of the verses presented by Naima Asif. Na’at (SAW) was presented by Beenish Mustafa. Sajjar, Muneeba, Beenish and Nighat presented college anthem.Speaking on this occasion the Principal, Mrs. Rana Arshad Qazi highlighted the role of student council in character building through better coordination between the students and administration. She advised the newly elected council members to set an example of discipline and good behaviour by practicing the virtues of tolerance, grace and humility. She further said that “The students, the parents and the teachers are the real troika for a positive and constr...

Islamabad :Secretary, Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Division Shaista Sohail launched a draft legislative bill related to rights of street vendors. She said that Ehsaas programme of the Prime Minster Imran Khan will be engaging for this social welfare cause. She said that for the implementation of 134 policy actions, Ehsaas programme will be engaging more than 45 government agencies at federal, provincial and local levels.Shaista Sohail was speaking at an event organised by Prime Institute the mover of this drafted bill. She was of the view that this new legislation will take its course through the parliamentary process.“However, administrative actions for betterment of street vendors can be undertaken early. These administrative measures can be given legal cover under the new law”, she recalled. The Secretary said that Ehsaas has launched Solution Challenge Programme for engaging university students for the design of innovative solutions for poverty alleviation. “Government wil...

Islamabad :Minister for Narcotics Control & SAFRON Shehryar Khan Afridi Friday urged the Christian scholars to raise their voice for eight million Kashmiris who have been caged in the biggest human prison ever by India’s fascist regime, says a press release.These views were expressed by Shehryar Afridi during a meeting with a delegation from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints who called on the minister here. Peter F Merus, Asia President, Bradley R Hansen, Mission President and Imran Shaukat, President Pakistan were part of the delegation.Shehryar Afridi said that the Christian leadership needs to build pressure over the Modi government to lift siege in Kashmir where around one million Indian security officials were committing worst crimes against humanity. He said that it is unfortunate to note that the United Nations has failed to take action against India over recovery of mass graves in Indian Occupied Kashmir and unfortunately no practical steps have been taken by ...

Islamabad :The Department of Art and Design, COMSATS University, Islamabad, held a series of academic lectures and talks on ‘Traditional Art vs Modern Art; Reciprocity and Dichotomy’.The lectures and talks were delivered by well-known international and national artists, architects and designers. The sessions brought together the diverse thinking of various artists, designers and architects in the month.The speakers included Ustad Aqeel Solangi on the fresco painting of Pakistan, the lecture concluded with a lively discussion with the students.The second lecture was given by Dr. Vicky Clark, an American curator and art historian. Dr Clark talked about the art of the non-white artists and the feminist concerns in the American art scene.The third lecture was given by prominent Islamabad architects; Suhail Abbasi and Fawad Abbasi. from The News International - Islamabad https://ift.tt/2DwrFmi

Islamabad :Awareness and right protective measures would be a key to stop growing sexual abuse of vulnerable adults and children. Unfortunately, the presence of this menace in our society was quite alarming. Hence, it’s time for students, teachers and parents to be more aware and vigilant to stop such heinous crimes. This was the crux of a daylong activity with several interactive sessions with the male and female children organised by Nomad Art Gallery in collaboration here at Saya School Golra.The activity to raise awareness among the children on sexual abuse was the part of the series of the campaign under 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-based Violence, which is a global movement initiated by Rutgers University – US. The theme for 2019 is ‘Generation equality stands against rape'.A documentary ‘Sahar Batool Insaaf Maangte Hai,’ produced by Nageen Hyat, Director Nomad, was screened during the event that unveiled the hidden aspects of child abuse in our society.Nageen, who is a...

Rawalpindi :Under the Punjab Literacy Programme, 19 adult literacy centers (ALCs) have been established in Rawalpindi, which include 11 ALCs for prisoners in Adiala Jail, two ALCs for transgender, one for Hindu community set up in a temple in Lalkurti area and five ALCs have been set up for Christian community in various parts of Rawalpindi.This was said by District Officer Literacy Rawalpindi Ghulam Ahmed Akash while briefing on the Punjab Literacy Programme. He said minorities, transgender and prisoners have been specially focused in the literacy programme of Punjab formed under the supervision of Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar and Provincial Minister for Informal Education Raja Rashid Hafiz. He said these all 19 ALCs have start functioning from November 15 where illiterate adults are taught special syllabus of Punjab Informal Education department for three months to make them literate citizens. He said in ALCs qualified teachers have been recruited who take classes for tw...

The common man in the twin cities of Rawalpindi and Islamabad goes to market happily to buy food items but returns unhappy. He curses the hoarder and the profiteer for unjustified price hike.It was not tomato only that went sky high but also other kitchen items like onion and garlic.One can recall that onion rose so high that people raised voice of protest. The head of the administration, General Zia-ul-Haq took notice of the unrest among consumers, and onion price came down from two rupees to 75 paisa. The ordinary citizen welcomed the step.Also worth recalling is a sports event.Years ago, one as senior editorial staff member of The Pakistan Times, Rawalpindi-Islamabad, also holding the position of commerce editor, predicted “this young promising cricketer, who is making choka and chhikka today, will rise one day as prime minister. And that is he today.Common people say Satan is not happy over what Imran is trying to achieve for the motherland whose treasury reportedly was emptied by ...

Islamabad :The abrogation of the so-called autonomous status of Indian occupied Kashmir has exposed the true nature of false Indian democracy and brought the subcontinent to the brink of a nuclear war.If not resolved peacefully and timely, the conflict can not only jeopardize the stability of the region but it will also have implications far beyond the continent.The crisis has remained unresolved for decades for want of more efforts that are led and owned by Kashmiris.This was the crux of the thoughts expressed at an international seminar on “The Crisis in Kashmir amidst Regional and Global Dynamics” here.The event was organised by the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS), Islamabad in collaboration with Policy Research Forum AJK and Maritime Studies Forum to dig deep into the Kashmir crisis and come up with policy imperatives.It was attended by a variety of international and national leaders, experts and scholars including AJK Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider, Executive President of IPS...

Islamabad :Graduation ceremony of the 47th batch of PAF Finishing School was held at the Officers' Mess, PAF Complex here on Friday.Dr Sania Nishtar, special assistant to the Prime Minister of Pakistan on Poverty Alleviation & Social Safety Division was the chief guest at the occasion.Wife of Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, president Pakistan Air Force Women Association & Patron-in-Chief of PAF Finishing School was also present at the occasion.The chief guest awarded certificates to the graduating students. Dr Sania Nishtar congratulated the students on successful completion of their personality development programme at this unique institution of the country. She also praised the standard of training at this premier institution and lauded the efforts of the faculty members in grooming the womenfolk of our society. She added that the personality development programme would bring about all-round refinement in the lives of students and help them play a vital role in the ...

Islamabad :The 26th Convocation of NUST Military College of Signals (MCS) was held here Friday to confer undergraduate degrees upon 199 students in Electrical (Telecom) Engineering and Software Engineering and postgraduate degrees upon 105 students in Electrical Engineering, Software Engineering, System Engineering and Information Security.Lt Gen Sher Afgan, Inspector General Training and Evaluation (IGT&E) graced the occasion as chief guest, who congratulated the graduating students as their efforts had come to fruition.He extolled NUST for maintaining a high standard of education and research in all its constituent schools and colleges and for its ever-rising position amongst world-renowned universities.Speaking to the audience, Lt Gen Naweed Zaman, (r), Rector NUST, advised the students to play their role in the nation-building, being graduates of Pakistan's premier science and technology university.He particularly spoke high of MCS, one of the pioneer institutions of NUST, ...

Islamabad :An enchanting poetry evening was organized in honour of celebrated poet Hasan Abbas Raza by the well-known literary organization Sada-e-Sukhan in collaboration with CASHT University at National Press Club (NPC) Library Hall.The evening was presided over by the prominent poet, intellectual and critic Professor Dr. Waheed Ahmad. The guests included Sadia Kamal from National Press Club (NPC) and MD CASHT Tayyab Hussain Malik.The evening started with recitation of verses from the Holy Quran by anchor-person Shahid Naseem. It was dexterously moderated by Shahid Nasim and Chairman Sada-e-Sukhan M. A. Doshi respectively.At the outset, Shahid Nasim briefly apprised the gathering about the aims of Sada-e-Sukhan, and the personalities of Sadr-e-Mushaira and Sahib-e-Shaam Hasan Abbas Raza, afterward Chairman Sada-e-Sukhan M. A. Doshi conducted the proceedings.In acknowledgement of Hasan Abbas Raza’s passionate services to Urdu poetry, Chairman ‘Sada-e-Sukhan’ M. A. Doshi gave ‘Sukhan A...

Islamabad :Iqra University is now listed among the Worldwide International University Ranking and became the only private university in Sindh to achieve this honor, says a press release.According to QS World University Ranking, Iqra University has achieved 264th position in Asia University RankingIqra University is the only private university in Sindh to receive this prestigious ranking award. The QS World University Rankings include 29 public and private universities in Pakistan, out of which four are the private universities from Punjab while there are no private universities in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan.Iqra University has achieved this milestone within only 18 years of its establishment. In addition, Iqra University has been cited for the best faculty-student ratio in this ranking.The QS World University Rankings compile this ranking based on various indicators which include the University’s academic credentials, faculty student ratio, PhD teachers, research posts citation...

Rawalpindi :Secretary Forest, Wildlife and Fisheries Captain (r) Mohammad Mahmood has said that in order to protect land of Lohi Bheer Wildlife Park from land mafia, boundary pillars be erected and especially seek guidance from the map prepared by the Survey of Pakistan to protect the park’s land adjacent to Korang Town.He directed the concerned officers to ensure removal of encroachments from the land of Park and in this regard department should approach the Supreme Court through Advocate General. He emphasised the Forest officials to restore the Chak Plantation scheme throughout the province and to establish large-scale plant nurseries and accelerate the process of tree plantation. He also directed the Fisheries officials that a comparative report regarding production of fish hatcheries and expenditures be presented to him and TORs should be framed to outsource the fisheries nursery units and hatcheries.He gave these directions during his visit to Lohi Bheer and Bansra Gali Wildlife ...

LAHORE: In the backdrop of the ongoing economic conflicts between China and US, Huawei’s Country Manager Scott Huang has said the telecommunications giant has the ability to provide seamless services to its users if there was any break-up with Google Mobile Services (GMS).Speaking at a roundtable on the launch eve of Huawei Y9s on Thursday, Country Manager Huang said Gmail and other Google applications on Google Play Store were and would be available to its users.However, he said the company was working on Huawei application gallery and currently more than 570 million people were on it, a number that was growing with every passing minute.Scot admitted that the number of applications on Huawei application gallery was smaller against the Google Play Store’s almost 2.8 million applications. “This is an eco system, and a challenging thing to develop which takes time, but Huawei has been investing in it globally. Huawei has scientists, researchers and experts across the world who are workin...

KARACHI: Pakistan’s foreign exchange reserves increased to $15.577 billion in the week ended November 22 from $15.462 billion a week ago, the central bank reported on Thursday.The forex reserves held by the State Bank of Pakistan rose $240 million to $8.682 billion due to official inflows, the SBP said. However, the foreign exchange reserves held by commercial banks fell to $6.895 billion from $7.020 billion. from The News International - Business https://ift.tt/2OtG88T

KARACHI: Gold prices in the local market declined Rs250/tola on Thursday. An announcement by the Karachi Saraf Association said bullion rates decreased to Rs85,200/tola in the local market. Similarly, 10 gram gold prices dropped Rs215 to Rs73,045.In the international market, bullion rates decreased $1 to $1,457/ounce. Jewellers claimed prices in the local market were still trading Rs1,500/tola lower, compared with the rates in the Dubai gold market. from The News International - Business https://ift.tt/2KYct5J

KARACHI: Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) has launched its new initiative called ‘PTCL Safeer’ (ambassadors) to narrow down gap with academia, a statement said on Thursday.The concept of a Campus Ambassador Program is an integral part of the PTCL’s transformational journey. The objective of the programme is to bridge the gap between the corporate sector and academia across Pakistan, it added.PTCL HR team, in collaboration with the placement offices of various universities, have selected ‘safeers’ through a fair and transparent process from a pool of students provided by the universities.The selected students went through an orientation and training workshop at the PTCL offices, where their roles and expectations were outlined, it said. Syed Mazhar Hussain, chief human resource officer of PTCL, said: “We are committed to support the education system in Pakistan by providing an enabling platform to young and bright students, who are the future of our nation.” from The ...

LAHORE: Women empowerment should be a cornerstone of the government’s economic agenda for a sustainable development, a statement quoted LCCI President Irfan Iqbal Sheikh, as saying, on Thursday.Speaking at a seminar on “Ease of Doing Business for Women”, organised by Standing Committee on EODB for Women, at the Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industry, (LCCI), he said the role of women entrepreneurs has become more crucial with the passage of time, as they are now well over half of the population.It is believed if they are given due support and better opportunities they can boost Pakistan’s GDP by 30 percent, Sheikh said.Imparting training to women is a must because as having all the talent a number of women are unable to make a mark in the international market because they did not have a certificate from any reputed institution, a prerequisite to enter into the world market. from The News International - Business https://ift.tt/33uOy4e