As the threat of Coronavirus looms in Pakistan, there are no laboratories in the country equipped to diagnose the deadly virus. Special Assistant to the PM on Health DR Zafar Mirza has said that Pakistan has approached the authorities in China and The Netherlands to help confirm suspected cases of passengers arriving in the country. Pakistan has already started screening passengers at four airports of the country.
A Chinese man suspected to have contracted the coronavirus has been admitted to a hospital in Multan. 40-year-old, Feng Fen, had returned to Pakistan from Wuhan 10 days ago and was shifted from Chinese camp in Industrial Estate to Nishtar Hospital. However, National Institute of Health (NIH) has released a statement saying the case does not seem to be coronavirus and patient is stable.
The health ministry in Pakistan has directed concerned authorities to remain alert following the spread of deadly Corona virus in China. Special Assistant to the PM on Health Dr Zafar Mirza established a operation cell to monitor the emergency situation.The virus has spread to five countries including the US and has taken 17 lives so far.
Over 4,000 cameras belonging to the Lahore Safe City project are no longer working after a dispute between the project administration and the Chinese company managing the cameras. The dispute has arisen over Rs1 billion in dues not being paid. When the Chinese company didn’t receive the money, it shut down the cameras. The project uses CCTV cameras across Lahore to monitor crime and traffic violations.
HBL has become the first Pakistani bank to be awarded the much-coveted branch license to offer financial services to clients in Beijing, China. The branch license was awarded by China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission (CBIRC) in December 2019. The preparatory work of setting up the HBL Beijing branch is now underway.
Chinese scientist, He Jiankui, who claimed to be behind the world’s first gene-edited babies has been sentenced to three years in prison. Jiankui, who shocked the scientific community last year by announcing the birth of twin girls whose genes had allegedly been altered to confer immunity to HIV, was also fined three million yuan ($430,000) for illegal medical practice.
China uses pig’s bones to create tasbeeh; which is then sold to Saudi Arabia. According to a recent video released, the prayer beads sold in Saudi Arabia are manufactured by China. But, the material used by the Chinese to create them is from the pig. There are various factories in China producing prayer beads for the Muslims from the bones of a haraam animal.
Pakistan, among other countries is already lined up to acquire the $25 million shoulder-winged turboprop-powered airliner known as Modern Ark 700 (MA700) with the ability to operate in complex flight environments. The 86 passenger capacity aircraft can reach up to 640 kilometres per hour having a range of 2700 kilometres making it ideal for PIA’s domestic flights.
Pakistan plans its first Chinese yuan-denominated bond, also known as Panda bond in the first quarter of next year, worth about $1 billion, reflecting growing demand for the country’s debt as its economic outlook improved. This will be the first time that the government will be assessing the Chinese capital market, which is the third largest bond market in the world.
A three-part series on TikTok by an Afghan-American teenager has gone viral for spreading awareness of China’s treatment of at least a million Uighur Muslims. Feroza Aziz, 17, who uses TikTok to upload makeup tutorials, has claimed her videos are being censored. Feroza begins by appearing to show viewers how to use an eyelash curler and then urges them to search what’s happening in China.