A recent report has brought to light a new scam by federal ministries and departments. The report submitted to the Prime Minister’s office reveals that federal ministries have been siphoning fuel and repair expenses off the federal government for more than 7,000 defective vehicles. Acting over the report, PM Khan has ordered to halt transfer of fuel and repair expenses.
At least 500 Pakistani students are reportedly stuck in the coronavirus-hit Chinese city of Wuhan. In a recorded video, the students have requested the government to rescue them just like embassies of other countries are helping their citizens. “If even one of us gets affected, the others will be in danger,” said Hafsah Tayab, one of the students stuck in Wuhan.
The Duke of Cambridge, Prince William, has another title to add to his list. According to a tweet by Kensington Palace on Saturday, Queen Elizabeth II has appointed him Lord High Commissioner to the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland. As the Lord High Commissioner, the prince will now maintain a relationship between the State and Church.
Pakistan has started to manufacture commercial, environment friendly and fuel efficient electric rickshaws as the first manufactured electric three-wheeler was presented in a special ceremony held in Lahore. Advisor to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam said on the occasion that the success of the project would depend on the financial benefits that the owner derived. He further said that if it was found suitable for its owner, more rickshaws could be converted into electric technology.
The Senate passed on Monday the Maternity and Paternity Leave Bill, 2018, women are entitled to a maternity leave of six months and men will get a paternity leave of three months. Mothers and fathers may get further three- and one-month optional leaves but those will be unpaid, it says. The employer won’t be allowed to terminate the services of an employee for seeking leave under the provisions of the bill.
A woman died while taking part in a cake-eating competition to celebrate Australia Day, local media reported. Public broadcaster ABC reported the 60-year-old had a seizure after she “shovelled a lamington into her mouth”. The woman was rushed to hospital in the coastal town of Hervey Bay but later died. She was a contestant in the Beach House Hotel’s annual Australia Day lamington and meat pie eating contest.
An Afghan passenger plane crashed on Monday in Ghazni province but the number of people on board and their fate was not immediately known, nor was the cause of the crash. Arif Noori, the spokesperson for the provincial governor, said the plane went down around 1:10pm local time in Deh Yak district, which is held by the Taliban. Two provincial council members also confirmed the crash.
Pakistan’s overall economic freedom score has increased by 0.6 point, with higher scores for judicial effectiveness and property rights outpacing declines in monetary freedom and fiscal health, says a US think-tank report released on Saturday. The Economic Freedom Index 2019, compiled by the Washington-based Heritage Foundation, gave Pakistan 55.0 on a scale of 0 to 100, making it the 131st freest economy on a list of 186.
A speeding SUV belonging to the US Embassy hit a car carrying six people in Islamabad on Sunday, killing one woman and injuring five. The deadly accident happened on Margalla Road near Faisal Avenue Chowk when the speeding Toyota Land Cruiser hit the Suzuki Khyber car from behind. One of the vehicles might have driven through a red light.
A 286-foot-high public art mural, claimed to be world’s tallest, is painted in Karachi to give a message of conservation of mangroves in Pakistan. The mural titled ‘Rising Blue’ was made by Italian artist Giuseppe Percivati as part of International Public Art Festival (IPAF), to serve a message of peace and friendship, as well as a cry of alarm for the environment.