After almost six months, cinemas in Pakistan are set to reopen with Disney’s Mulan and Christopher Nolan’s Tenet. The theaters are set to welcome audience on September 11 after closing down due to coronavirus. Cinema owners and employees have been asked to follow all SOPs and there will be minimum seats available in each cinema hall with a maximum distance between the viewers.
Educational institutions across Pakistan will reopen in phases starting September 15, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood announced. In the first phase, all higher education institutions including universities, professional colleges, vocational institutes, as well as classes nine till 12 will resume on Sept 15. A week later, on Sept 23, classes six, seven and eight will be allowed to return to schools following a review.
If Pakistan does not make fruitful changes to eradicate Poliovirus in next six months, the situation would become dire, notes the Independent Monitoring Board (IMB). Citing modelling data, the report notes that Pakistan is at the risk of wild poliovirus cases reaching 500 by end of 2020 and vaccine-derived poliovirus cases reaching 1,000.
Aasia Bibi, the Christian woman who was spent eight years on death row for blasphemy, said she would never speak against Pakistan or its laws, as she disowned a book written by a French journalist on her life. In an interview with Voice of America, Aasia said she had nothing to do with the book that was being published as her ‘autobiography’.
Saudi Ambassador Nawaf bin Saeed Al-Maliki called on Pakistani Interior Minister Ijaz Ahmad Shah at the Ministry of Interior and said flights for the Umrah pilgrimage would resume as soon as the coronavirus situation improved, the interior ministry said. Saudi Arabia and Pakistan have fraternal relations not only at the governmental level but also at the public level, Shah was quoted as saying.
Virgin Atlantic Airways has announced plans for three new routes to Pakistan in December, as the struggling British airline continues its fight for survival during the Covid-19 downturn. Flights from London Heathrow to Lahore and Islamabad will be operated four and three times a week respectively, while Islamabad will also be served four times weekly from Manchester.
According to Bloomberg, the rebound that’s helped make Pakistan equities Asia’s best performers since the end of March isn’t done yet. Pakistan’s KSE-100 Index is up 36% from the end of March, the best rebound among major Asian equity indexes for the period. The central bank’s aggressive cutting of interest rates this year has reduced the double-digit returns from fixed income and bolstered the bullish case for equities.
Pakistan is successfully manufacturing economical face shields of highest standards for school children as the government prepares to reopen educational institutes. These face shields are lightweight, washable with soap and water, provide full face protection, are comfortable to wear, non-resistant to breathing, and the first level of defense against splashes and mist. The cost of each shield is Rs. 150 to make it affordable.
Prime Minister Imran Khan on Friday approved a project to introduce specialised education in 400 higher secondary schools of the country. Presiding over a meeting, the prime minister gave his consent to the launch of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) project in collaboration with universities. Around 100,000 children schools will have access to education and training in modern sciences through this project.
After politicians and actors, Pakistani cricketers are also hooked to the Turkish TV blockbuster Ertugrul. Speaking to reporters via teleconference, captain Azhar Ali said that the series is being used as an unlikely motivator for the Pakistan team ahead of their must-win third Test clash against England. “There is hardly any player who is not watching Ertugrul,” said Azhar.