Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Wazir has baffled social media after giving a peculiar definition of COVID-19. “COVID-19 means that it has 19 points that can be applied in any country based on respective immunity levels,” she said during a TV show. Gul soon became center of social media user’s content for memes, with Twitterati excessively sharing her video.
Pakistan partially allowed international flights to resume on Sunday, in order to bring back more citizens stranded in other countries because of the coronavirus. Flight operation were suspended almost three months ago in order to curb the spread of the disease. Now the government has reopened 25% of the country’s airspace so that the citizens stuck abroad could return.
Several statistical models, official statements, leaked government documents, and interviews with people in various cities suggest that the number of Coronavirus patients and deaths in Pakistan are grossly under-reported. The actual numbers will be two to three times more than the reported number and health experts worry the lack of accuracy in data collection was misleading people and creating apathy about the disease.
New Zealand’s third case of COVID-19 to emerge this week traveled to Auckland from Lahore. The Director-General of Health, Dr. Ashley Bloomfield, confirmed that the man, in his 60s, is in quarantine after coming to New Zealand on Flight NZ124 after transiting through Doha and Melbourne. He stayed at an isolation hotel before being moved to quarantine.
Officials in the Chinese capital, Beijing, have highlighted risk of contamination through packaging. In the city which reported 22 new cases on Friday, nucleic acid tests are being carried out on all food and parcel delivery personnel. Officials have been testing people working in catering, including restaurant staff, as well as imported food after virus was found on chopping boards used to handle salmon.
In an effort to increase its e-commerce with outside world, Pakistan has sent a list of 38 exporters to US giant Amazon for registration. Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood revealed the news while chairing the second meeting of National e-Commerce Council on Thursday. Initially surgical, sports goods and home textiles exporters have been chosen only.
The solar eclipse of June 21 (Sunday), also being termed the ‘ring of fire’ eclipse, is the annular eclipse in which the moon passes between the Sun and Earth. A ring of sunlight will shine around outer edge of Sun, hence giving it a special name. The eclipse would be fully visible in Karachi, according to the Pakistan Meteorological Department
A Pakistani Ph.D. student, belonging to Bagh Azad Kashmir, has created a battery that can be charged up to 70 percent in just 2 minutes time period. Kamran Ameen, a student at National Centre for Nanoscience and Technology Beijing, says these mobile phone batteries will work on full potential for as long as 8 years.
Sri Lanka “sold” the 2011 World Cup final to India, the country’s former sports minister said on Thursday. Mahindananda Aluthgamage, who was sports minister at the time, is the second senior figure to allege the final was fixed, after 1996 World Cup-winning skipper Arjuna Ranatunga. Aluthgamage said he “did not want to disclose” the plot at the time.
Emirates has announced to start scheduled flights from Sialkot on June 24, which will be the fourth destination from Pakistan after Karachi, Lahore, and Islamabad. The UAE’s flag carrier announced that its flights from Sialkot would only carry outbound passengers to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and onward destinations. In contrast, its returning flights from UAE will carry cargo.