Pakistan signed two MoUs for the establishment of software technology parks in Rawalpindi & Faisalabad on Thursday in order to boost its IT industry. The first-ever software technology park will set up at Sitara Chemical’s Ali Fatima College of Science & Technology in Faisalabad. In addition, the software technology park in Rawalpindi will set up in the future at the Amazon Outlet Mall.
Shah Mahmood Qureshi, the foreign minister for Pakistan, has said Israel is losing out, and the tide is turning. They are losing the media war, he said, despite their connections. He commented during an interview with CNN on Thursday in New York, where he also addressed the emergency session of the United Nations General Assembly on Palestine.
The registration for COVID-19 vaccination for Pakistanis of and above the age of 30 will begin from April 16 as vaccine supply continues to improve in the country. Registration for people of and above 40 is ongoing, while walk-in vaccination for the age group has begun as well. People can now visit any vaccination centre and get their COVID-19 shot.
Mucormycosis also called ‘Black Fungus’ has been detected among several Covid-19 patients across Pakistan. Four patients have thus far died due to the dangerous fungal infection. The infection affects the sinuses, brain, lungs, skin and kidneys, and symptoms depends on where in the body the fungi is growing. The infection is being largely reported in Covid-19 patients in India.
The World Health Organisation said on Monday that the B.1.617 variant first identified in India last year was being classified as a variant of global concern. The WHO has said the predominant lineage of B.1.617 was first identified in India last December, and available information suggests increased transmissibility. The variant has already spread to other countries, and many nations have moved to restrict movements from India.
Shehroze Kashif, a 19-year-old, has become the youngest Pakistani mountaineer to reach the summit of Mount Everest at 8,848.86 metres. Hailing from Lahore, Kashif is also the youngest Pakistani to have climbed Broad Peak (8,047m) at the age of 17. He used supplemental oxygen on his climbs to Broad Peak and Everest. His expedition to Broad Peak earned him the title “The Broad Boy”.
Pakistan has received about 1.23 million doses of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine today which were procured under the COVAX programme. So far about 10.19 million doses of different vaccines (Sinopharm, Sinovac and CanSino) had reached Pakistan. Out of the 3.5 million Sinovac Covid-19 jabs, one million would reach Pakistan on May 9 whereas another consignment of a million doses would reach the country between May 13-15.
The Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) has appointed Dr. Shamshad Akhtar, a former caretaker Finance Minister of Pakistan, as its first female chair. A development economist and former central bank governor — also the first woman to assume this position — Akhtar previously served at the Asian Development Bank. In 2008, The Wall Street Journal named her one of the top ten women leaders in Asia.
60-year-old, Ustad Waheed from Lahore has proved age is just a number by making a record of becoming the oldest to win the prestigious Mr. Pakistan bodybuilding competition. Previously, the fitness enthusiast also won the title of Mr. Lahore and just a few months before his latest prestigious achievement he won the title of Mr. Punjab.
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) after consultations with the Covid-19 Oversight Committee representing Vice Chancellor from each province and region, and heads of a few private sector universities have agreed to provide provisional admission to A2 students. Students whose exams have been postponed to October 2021 will be granted admission in the Fall 2021 semester so that they would not waste a year.