The ride-hailing service Careem announced on Monday that it will lay off 536 of its employees, representing 31% of its workforce, this week. Careem CEO Mudassir Sheikh said in a blog on the company’s website that their business is down by more than 80% and the recovery timeline is alramingly unknown. The company, which primarily operates in the Middle East, is owned by Uber.
The Anjuman-e-Tajran Lahore has said that they will open their markets on May 10. The Centre has put the lockdown in place till May 9. A decision on its extension has yet to be made. Pakistan has reported at least 21,500 known cases of the novel virus so far. Lahore traders said they’ll “break” the lockdown if the government doesn’t lift it after May 9 as they want to resume their businesses.
TikTok star Ghani Tiger’s father was gunned down in Sialkot two days ago. Police have arrested three people nominated in the FIR while the affected family has continued its appeals for justice. The incident happened in Sialkot’s tehsil Pasroor. A children’s squabble two days ago led to firing which killed Ghani Tiger’s father Dawood Butt while five people, including Ghani’s brother, were injured.
Berkshire Hathaway Chairman and billionaire value investor Warren Buffett said that the conglomerate has sold the entirety of its position in the U.S. airline industry. The prior stake, worth north of $4 billion dollars, included positions in United, American, Southwest and Delta Airlines. He said that the world has changed for the airlines and he does not know how it’s changed.
The Punjab government has ratified the allotment of up to 25 acres of army land to 47 civilian government officials. The land was meant for the families of the martyred soldiers and war veterans under the Army Welfare Scheme (AWS). The allotments had been made without legal sanction on the orders of former dictator Gen Pervez Musharraf in contravention of the merit and law.
Germany’s minister for the interior and sport said that he supports the resumption of the country’s football season this month despite the pandemic. The German Football League (DFL) backs a resumption of matches without spectators around mid-May. This would make it the first major European championship to make such a move.
One hundred passengers who reached Islamabad from Abu Dhabi on April 28 tested positive for the novel coronavirus. The health department confirmed Monday. The special flight brought more than 200 people to Pakistan. The passengers were quarantined and tested for the virus. Those who have tested positive have been shifted to Fatima Jinnah university, which has been converted into a quarantine centre.
Researchers at the Abu Dhabi Stem Cell Center (ADSCC) have developed an innovative treatment for COVID-19 that uses stem cells to cure the infection. This treatment involves extracting stem cells from the patient’s blood and reintroducing them to the lungs through inhalation of a fine mist. The mist has a therapeutic effect as it enables the lung cells to regenerate and change the response of the immune system.
Europe prepared for a further cautious easing of coronavirus restrictions following signs the pandemic may be slowing. Italy followed by Spain will allow people outside. More than 243,000 people have been killed and 3.4 million infected worldwide by the virus which has left humanity in lockdown. With signs that the spread of the contagion has been brought under control, parts of Europe, Asia and the United States have begun to lift restrictions.
The Punjab government has extended the hours of Utility Stores across the province. According to a notification issued by the government, the stores will now be open from 9am to 8pm. People will be able to visit the stores after iftaar as well. The primary and secondary health department has also issued a notification on this and said the decision was made to facilitate people.