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Punjab Govt extends partial lockdown till May 31

2020-05-10T09:04:00.003+05:00

LAHORE (ZTV News) Punjab government has extended the ongoing partial lockdown till May 31 to further control and limit the spread of coronavirus.

According to the notification issued, small shops to remain open for four days a week in the province while all major shopping malls and educational institutions in Punjab will remain closed.However, barber shops, beauty parlors and gymnasiums are allowed to open for four days a week. All grocery stores, tandoors and general stores will remain open from 9 am to 5 pm.

The Sindh government has agreed to open a small bazaar from Monday

2020-05-09T09:26:00.001+05:00

KARACHI: The Sindh government has agreed to reopen the bazaar on Monday due to insistence of traders to open the bazaar from Monday and demanded a list of small bazaars but made the process of opening big markets and shopping centers conditional on federal permission.

According to Express, a meeting of representatives of various organizations and political parties of the business community was held under the chairmanship of Sindh Minister for Education and Labor Saeed Ghani.

The meeting was attended by Provincial Minister Imtiaz Ahmed Sheikh, Sindh Government Spokesman Barrister Murtaza Wahab, MQM Leader Kanwar Naveed, Khawaja Izharul Hassan, Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar, Commissioner Karachi Iftikhar Shalawani, Business Leader Jamil Paracha, Rizwan Irfan, Sharjeel Goplani, Habib Sheikh. Hamad Poonawala, Hakeem Khan, Ismail Lyallpuria, Fahim Noori, Haroon Chand, Muhammad Arshad and others participated.

According to the spokesman, Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani said in the meeting that the Sindh government is also giving permission to the SOPs under which the federal government has given permission to open their businesses. We are not against it.

MQM leader Kanwar Naveed said all organizations, including the MQM, agreed that all business centers should be opened. Khawaja Izhar-ul-Hassan said that we are writing a letter to the federation in collaboration with the Sindh government and will request the federation to reconsider the opening of major commercial centers. Mayor KMC Wasim Akhtar said in the meeting that traders have to work with some patience.

Hot and dry weather expected in most parts of country

2020-05-09T09:03:00.003+05:00

Karachi (ZTV News) Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next twelve hours.

However, rain wind-thunderstorm is expected in upper Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Pothohar region and Islamabad.

Temperature of some major cities recorded on Saturday morning:

Islamabad twenty-three degree centigrade, Lahore twenty-six, Peshawar twenty-four, Karachi twenty-eight ,Quetta nineteen Gilgit eighteen, Murree fifteen and Muzaffarabad seventeen degree centigrade.

Another Aircraft Carrying 17 Ton COVID-19 Safety Equipment Arrives From China

2020-05-09T08:47:00.003+05:00

ISLAMABAD (ZTV News) - Another plane, fifth in a series, carrying 17 ton important medical supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) reached Islamabad on Friday from China.

A spokesman of National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in a statement that the National Disaster Risk Management Fund (NDRMF) has procured the luggage from China.

The aircraft had brought 30 x-ray machines, 17,000 protective suits, 110,000 N-95 masks, 20,000 medical masks and 82 cartons of surgical gowns. The equipment procured earlier was being moved to Pakistan through aircrafts of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA).

YouTube announces $5 million aid for Pakistan in fight against coronavirus

2020-05-09T08:35:00.001+05:00

ISLAMABAD (ZTV News) - YouTube on Friday announced $5 million aid for Pakistan in fight against the novel coronavirus,

In her letter to Prime Minister Imran Khan, YouTube’s Chief Executive Officer Susan Wojcicki lauded his effective and timely measures against COVID-19.

Underscoring the need for joint efforts to overcome the pandemic, Wojcicki said that YouTube will help Pakistan in fight against the virus. She extended continuous support to the country in containing the spread of the deadly virus.

Public service message' Social distancing and self-isolation

2020-05-08T09:34:00.001+05:00

Motorcyclist killed in road mishap near Lahore

2020-05-08T09:02:00.000+05:00

LAHORE (ZTV News) – One person was killed and another sustained injuries when two motorcycles collided in Lahore on Thursday night,

According to details, the accident occurred in Manga Mandi near Lahore where two motorcycles collided due to over-speeding, killing one person on the spot and injuring another.

No time for negative people: Wasim Akram

2020-05-08T08:56:00.001+05:00

ISLAMABAD (ZTV News) – Former captain Wasim Akram has said that he did not have time to respond negative people and hence prefers to ignore their comments.

Recently erstwhile opener Aamir Sohail has hurled allegations on the former fast bowling great stating that his ‘captaincy drama’ was the main reason behind the team not emerging victorious in a single ICC World Cup post the 1992 World Cup till 2003.

Reacting to the criticism, Akram said it was sad that his name was being used by some people to get attention. “I retired from cricket 17 years ago but people still take my name to further their own interests. But I put that in the back of my mind [ignore them].

I don’t have time for negative people now, and never will,” Akram was quoted as saying by website PakPassion.net.

Over 240 stranded Pakistanis land at Peshawar airport from Qatar

2020-05-08T08:52:00.003+05:00

MULTAN (ZTV News) – A special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight brought over 250 stranded Pakistanis to Multan from Qatar on Thursday, Dunya News reported.

Upon landing at the Multan airport the flight was disinfected and the passengers went through a screening process and later were shifted to the quarantine facility.

It is to be mentioned here that the Pakistani passengers were stranded in Qatar due to the suspension of flight operation in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.

Pakistan’s confirmed coronavirus cases soar to 25,837

2020-05-08T08:46:00.002+05:00

ISLAMABAD: The number of total coronavirus deaths in the Pakistan on Friday soared to 594 after the country reported new 35 deaths in last 24 hours, ARY News reported.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre, the total confirmed cases of COVID-19 in the country have mounted to 25,837. Of these, 9,093 were reported in Sindh, 9,195 in Punjab, 3,712 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 1,495 in Balochistan, 521 in Islamabad, 388 in Gilgit-Baltistan, and 76 in Azad Kashmir.

PM announces to lift lockdown in phases from May 09

2020-05-07T16:19:00.003+05:00

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced that the lockdown will be lifted in phases starting from Saturday.

While briefing nation over the situation of Coronavirus in the country, PM said that the decision was made because of people suffering financially due to lockdown.

“Coronavirus spreads faster than any other virus. We reported first case on February 26 and imposed lockdown on March 13. We feared that daily-wagers will suffer due to continuous lockdown so we have decided to lift it,” he said.

He further said that government constituted National Command and Control Center (NCCC) to keep an eye on the situation of Coronavirus in the country.

“We closed educational institutions, sports activities and businesses to contain the spread of Coronavirus. Fortunately, Pakistan has not been as affected by Coronavirus as Europe and US,” added.

PM also urged people to take responsibility saying that government would be forced to enforce lockdown again if standard operating procedures (SOPs) are not followed.

“The success of the next phase depends on people following the SOPs issued by the government. If people failed to follow them and cases increased, we would be forced to enforce the lockdown again,” he said.

PM said public transport will remain shut over provinces' reservations.

"I believe public transport should be reopened because it is the common man's mode of transport but the provinces have reservations. We do not want to take decisions unless there is unanimity."

“I think that public transport should be allowed to operate because it is the common man's mode of transport but the provinces have reservations. We want to take unanimous decisions,” he added.

Present on occasion, Prime Minister’s focal person on coronavirus Dr Faisal Sultan said that number of Covid-19 cases are surging due to increased testing capacity.

“Pakistan’s Covid-19 trajectory is slower than other countries. We now have sufficient data to create our own projection models,” he added.

Also present, Minister for Planning and Development Asad Umar said that government has decided to open more sectors related to construction.

“Selected OPDs in hospitals will be opened to treat specific diseases and illnesses. Markets will open after Sehri and close at 5pm before Iftar. Markets will remain closed for two days per week,” he said.

Apple, Google ban use of location tracking in contact tracing apps

2020-05-07T12:49:00.000+05:00

California (Web Desk): Apple and Google have decided to ban the use of location tracking in contact tracing applications aimed at slowing the spread of the novel coronavirus infection.

Apple and Google, whose operating systems power 99% of smart phones, said last month they would work together to create a system for notifying people who have been near others who have tested positive for COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus. The companies plan to allow only public health authorities to use the technology.

Both companies said privacy and preventing governments from using the system to compile data on citizens was a primary goal. The system uses Bluetooth signals from phones to detect encounters and does not use or store GPS location data.

But the developers of official coronavirus-related apps in several U.S. states told Reuters last month it was vital they be allowed to use GPS location data in conjunction with the new contact tracing system to track how outbreaks move and identify hotspots.

KP provincial minister Dr Amjad Ali tests positive for coronavirus

2020-05-07T12:47:00.000+05:00

Swat: Provincial Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Housing Dr. Amjad Ali has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) as the number of cases surged to 3,712 in the province.

Dr. Amjad Ali has been quarantined at his home. The Provincial Minister had visited the areas affected by Coronavirus.

The Minister for Housing has requested the people to pray for his recovery.

Earlier, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Kamran Bangash, MPA Abdul Salam from Mardan, MNA Mirza Muhammad Afridi, Munir Khan Orakzai have also diagnosed with the coronavirus, while Sindh Provincial Minister Saeed Ghani, Governor Sindh Imran Ismail, Special Assistant to CM Sindh Rashid Rabbani tested positive for coonavirus.

NCC meets today to discuss reopening educational institutions from June 1

2020-05-07T09:53:00.000+05:00

National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting is being held in Islamabad on Thursday with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair to discuss reopening of business activities and educational institutions from 1st of next month.

Earlier, Minister for Federal Education Shafqat Mahmood chaired virtual meeting of Inter Provincial Education Ministers Conference in Islamabad.

Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan proposed continued closure of schools due to fear of coronavirus spread.

However, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa suggested to open the school, aimed at mitigating the students educational loss.

Mainly hot and dry weather expected in most parts of country

2020-05-07T09:38:00.001+05:00

ISLAMABAD (Web Desk) - Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted hot and dry weather in most parts of the country during next 24 hours, Dunya News reported.

The Met Office said that a shallow westerly wave is still affecting upper parts of the country. Mainly hot and dry weather is expected in most parts of the country during the next 24 hours. However, wind/rain-thunderstorm is expected at isolated places in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.

Closest black hole to Earth has two partners in surprising celestial marriage

2020-05-07T09:32:00.003+05:00

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Astronomers have spotted the closest black hole to Earth ever discovered and are surprised about its living arrangements - residing harmoniously with two stars in a remarkable celestial marriage that may end in a nasty breakup.

The black hole, at least 4.2 times the mass of the sun, is gravitationally bound to two stars in a so-called triple system roughly 1,000 light years from Earth, researchers said on Wednesday.

“Just around the corner” in cosmic terms, said Chile-based European Southern Observatory astronomer Thomas Rivinius, lead author of the study published in the journal Astronomy & Astrophysics.

A light year is the distance light travels in a year, 5.9 trillion miles (9.5 trillion km).

Black holes are extraordinarily dense objects possessing gravitational pulls so powerful that not even light can escape. Some are monstrous like the one at our galaxy’s center 26,000 light years from Earth that is four million times the sun’s mass.

Garden variety so-called stellar-mass black holes like the newly discovered one have the mass of a single star. This one probably began its life as a star up to 20 times the sun’s mass that collapsed into a black hole at the end of its relatively short lifespan.

This triple system, called HR 6819, can be seen from Earth’s southern hemisphere with the naked eye, in the constellation Telescopium. Until now, the closest-known black hole was one perhaps three times further away.

Disney to suffer loss of $1.4 bn from coronavirus pandemic

2020-05-07T09:25:00.002+05:00

Walt Disney to suffer massive losses as its profits plunged by 91% due to coronavirus closures.

According to details, media-entertainment giant said that it will witness a loss of some $1.4 billion from the Covid-19 in the current fiscal quarter as a result of a massive hit to its theme parks and other operations due to worldwide lockdowns.

In the first glimpse into how the Covid-19 has ravaged the world’s largest entertainment company, Disney stated that its net income for the three months ending in March dropped 91 per cent to $475m.

The total revenues rose 21% to $18 billion for the company, with media operations showing strong growth.

After estimating the losses from pandemic as much as $1.4bn, Disney executives sought to assure investors that the company would weather the storm.

“While the COVID-19 pandemic has had an appreciable financial impact on a number of our businesses, we are confident in our ability to withstand this disruption and emerge from it in a strong position,” said Bob Chapek, named chief executive earlier this year.

Spinners Tauseef Ahmed, Mushtaq Ahmed pick dream partners

2020-05-07T09:24:00.003+05:00

Lahore: Former Test off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed and naming former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed have picked their partner for dream pairs, an activity launched by PCB during coronavirus lockdown to keep engage cricket lovers.

PCB’s Dream Pairs series for Test players has gained great popularity among the fans, current and former players, pundits and journalists. The campaign entered its fourth phase on Tuesday, 5 May, with the fans asked to name two spin bowling pairs of their choice.

Former Test off-spinner Tauseef Ahmed named his former colleague and co-hero of the famous 1987 Bangalore Test victory Iqbal Qasim as his dream partner from yesteryears before naming former leg-spinner Mushtaq Ahmed as his other partner.

Tauseef Ahmed, who took 93 wickets in a 34-match-long Test career, said: “I am very lucky that in my career I played with the likes of Abdul Qadir and Iqbal Qasim. If asked to pick one spinner as my partner, I would go for Iqbal Qasim who partnered with me in the famous 1987 Bangalore Test win.

“The performance we gave in that Test match is for all to see and remember. Iqbal remained very helpful and mentored me throughout my career.

“I would also like to choose Mushtaq Ahmed as my other partner. Although, I didn’t play much with Mushtaq, I always admired his skills and temperament. Mushtaq was a very exciting player and never used to get fazed by any situation. He was an attacking bowler who used to take on the batsmen and crack jokes while bowling. We played together for UBL and Mushtaq’s temperament and bravery always stood out for me.”

Mushtaq meanwhile thanked Tauseef for nominating him as his spin bowling partner and named former off-spinner Saqlain Mushtaq and the leading Pakistan leg-spinner Yasir Shah as his two dream bowling partners.

Mushtaq Ahmed, who took 185 wickets in 52 Tests, said: “I want to thank Tauseef Ahmed for his complements for me. When I started playing for UBL he was there as a mentor, role model and someone who always supported me.

“Among former cricketers I would like to name Saqlain Mushtaq as my bowling partner. Although I played a few matches with Abdul Qadir,I chose Saqlain as Qadir and I were similar bowlers while Saqlain being an off-spinner provided variety.

“Saqlain and I featured in a lot of matches and were part of many victories. Among recent cricketers, I would want to bowl with Yasir Shah. Yasir has sped his way to 200 wickets in Test cricket and has broken many records. It would be an honour for me to bowl with Yasir.”

The criterion for selection of the spinners is a minimum of 75 Test wickets.

Burhan Wani’s successor martyred in occupied Kashmir

2020-05-07T09:23:00.001+05:00

Srinagar: Indian troops on Wednesday martyred key leader of Hizbul Mujahideen during a siege in pulwama district.

Riaz Naikoo has taken over the command of the freedom fight against occupied forces after he succeeded Burhan Wani, who was martyred in 2016.

The death Wani triggered massive protests in the occupied valley where people are struggling for the freedom since the partition.

The Indian forces also gunned down another member of the group, Adil Ahmad, during the action.

In the wake of the killing of Riyaz Naikoo and Aadil Ahmad, the authorities suspended mobile internet services in the entire occupied territory and imposed curfew-like restrictions, said Kashmir Media Services.

Pakistan coronavirus cases top 24,000 as lockdown eases

2020-05-07T09:21:00.000+05:00

Lahore: The number of confirmed coronavirus cases surged to 24,073 in Pakistan on Thursday, while the death toll stands at 564.

According to National Command and Control Center (NCOC), more than 1,523 cases of coronavirus were reported while 38 people succumbed to the disease in the last 24 hours.

As many as 6,464 patients have recovered from the disease, while 153 are said to be critical as country is still witnessing a consistent rise in the COVID-19 cases.

As per details, 21 percent of the cases have foreign travel history while 79 percent of the cases are reported to be locally transmitted.

Italy in coronavirus lockdown as deaths soar and economy fades

2020-03-11T09:28:00.001+05:00

ROME: Shops and restaurants closed, hundreds of flights were canceled and streets emptied across Italy on Tuesday, the first day of an unprecedented, nationwide lockdown imposed to slow Europe’s worst outbreak of coronavirus.

Just hours after the dramatic new restrictions came into force, health authorities announced the death toll had jumped by 168 to 631, the largest rise in absolute numbers since the contagion came to light on Feb. 21.

The total number of confirmed cases rose at a much slower rate than recently seen, hitting 10,149 against a previous 9,172, but officials warned that the region at the epicenter, Lombardy, had provided incomplete data.

The government has told all Italians to stay at home and avoid non-essential travel until April 3, radically widening steps already taken in much of the wealthy north, which is the epicenter of the spreading contagion.

“Our civic duty is the only thing that can save us,” said Marzio Tonilo, 35, a teacher from the northern town of San Fiorano, which was placed under quarantine last month.

Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte unexpectedly expanded the so-called red zone to the entire country on Monday night, introducing the most severe controls on a Western nation since World War Two.

The move shocked many small businesses, which feared for their future.

Police arrests high ranking SBCA officials citing negligence

2020-03-11T09:14:00.004+05:00

KARACHI: Major headway has been made in investigations pertaining to the building collapse in Rizvia on Wednesday, 27 people have thus far died in the tragedy, ARY News reported.

Sindh Building Control Authority (SBCA) officials have been taken under arrest by local police in relation to negligence shown with regards to the incident.

According to details, three SBCA officials have been detained, the detainees also include the deputy director of the institute whose name has been revealed as Sarfaraz.

The other two officials arrested were revealed as assistant director Maqsood Qureshi and building inspector Irfan Ali.

The police have maintained that the SBCA officials were caught because of their actions or lack thereof resulting in the tragic incident.

All arrested officials will be present in the court of law today for a formal hearing and probable conviction.

Mehwish Hayat grieves loss of her pet dog

2020-03-11T09:05:00.003+05:00

Karachi: Pakistan's prominent actress Mehwish Hayat is grieving the loss of her pet dog ‘Balooni’.

Taking to social media, Mehwish shared a heartfelt post about her pain as she lost her decade-old pet dog.

The actress shared her pictures with Baloooni and said that her days without Balooni are ‘worst days of her life’.

Mehwish wrote: "My dear Balooni .. It’s been 3 days that you've been gone .. and my heart and mind still doesn’t want to believe It. I’ve been through a lot but these last few days have been the worst of my life."

She continued: "A decade of having you next to me through all my highs, lows and breakdowns .. your one gaze would make me feel everything’s going to be alright. You taught me so much about unconditional love and life itself. Never thought I’d lose you .. thought you’d always be there at the gate waiting for me with those big piercing brown eyes .. My best friend .. you loved me so much that you spared me the pain of saying good bye and letting you go .. I wish you'd waited for me a day more .. I wish I could have got to hug you for one last time .. I wish .."

PM Imran to lay foundation stone of seven housing projects today

2020-03-11T09:01:00.000+05:00

Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan will lay foundation stone of seven housing projects for the construction of 20,000 housing units at the cost of 100 billion rupees in Islamabad today.

According to details, six projects will be run under the supervision of Federal Government Employees Housing Foundations and one project is related to Pakistan Housing Authority Foundation.

The housing authority is providing affordable and quality residential facilities to the federal employees and in this regard, bank loaning facility would also be extended.

The construction and provision of housing units is an important sector in the country’s economy and social prosperity.

Under the Prime Minister’s vision, these projects would not only provide residential facilities to those people who do not own any but also boost the construction sector in the country and will create job opportunities.

International Women's Day being observed today

2020-03-08T09:27:00.000+05:00

Lahore: International Women's Day is being observed across the gobe including Pakistan on Sunday to honor achievements of women in various fields of life and renewed commitment to empower them.

This year’s theme of the Day is “I am Generation Equality: Realizing Women’s Rights”.

Various ceremonies are scheduled to be held countrywide to highlight the importance of the day and create awareness to overcome bias against women.

Meanwhile, in his message to the nation on the Women's Day, Prime Minister Imran Khan said inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development could only be ensured by providing equal opportunities and a conducive environment to women.

The Prime Minister reaffirmed his pledge to take all measures that would help the women to lead a safe, secure and prosperous life.

He said it is indeed encouraging to see that the women are proving their mettle in every walk of life and achieving excellence in their respective fields at national and international level.

On the other hand, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on underscored the importance of gender equality ahead of the International Women's Day.

In a video message for the Day (March 8), Guterres said gender equality is fundamentally a question of power and "transforming the balance of power is essential."

He said it is essential "not only as a question of human rights, personal development, health and well-being. It is critical to solving some of the most damaging and intractable problems of our age."

Noting the prevalence of misogyny, the secretary-general pointed out that women's involvement in mediation and peace processes, climate action, building a fair globalized economy, and digital technologies is imperative for achieving better results.

The benefits of gender equality are not just for women and girls, but “for everyone whose lives will be changed by a fairer world”, the chief of UN Women said in her message for International Women’s Day (IWD) at UN Headquarters on Friday, being celebrated in New York, ahead of the official day.

Generation Equality is focussing on issues facing women across generations, with young women and girls at the centre.