According to media reports, the Saudi government has asked Pakistan not to enter into Hajj agreements citing fears over the coronavirus pandemic.
The Hajj agreement is to help arrange food, shelter and travel for the pilgrims from the country. Dr. Muhammad Saleh bin Taher Benten, Saudi Minister, has written a letter to Pakistan’s Ministry of Religious Affairs asking them not to sign such agreements until the “direction of Covid-19 is clear”.
The letter has been received today by the Religious Affairs Ministry in Pakistan and it goes on to say that the Saudi government is monitoring the developments and will brief about any future course of action after.
As per reports, after receiving the letter, the Ministry has stopped all work on the Hajj agreements.
What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.
Category: Coronavirus
Pakistani Auto Parts Manufacturers Offer to Manufacture Ventilators
In a commendable step, the Pakistan Association of Automotive Parts and Accessories Manufacturers (Paapam) has offered its manufacturing capabilities as well as know-how to develop medical equipment locally.
PAAPAM, in a letter forwarded to the Engineering Development Board, said that it would like to offer help keeping in view the spread of the virus and need of ventilators across the country. The body has also lauded the efforts of the government and its steps to deal with the situation such as relaxing duty and import duty on the import of medical equipment and other goods.
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The letter said, “We heard about the request from various government forums to explore the possibility of manufacturing vital medical equipment like ventilators in Pakistan. The list of other imported medical items is long and the manufacturing of these goods will be considered keeping in view the population o..
Unlike Other Countries, Most Coronavirus Patients in Pakistan Are Young: SAPM
While the Covid-19 cases in China have been majorly found amongst the elderly aged 65 and above but in the case of Pakistan, the majority of the cases are involving people between the ages of 21-30 years.
Dr. Zafar Mirza, PM’s Special Assistant on Health said, “Twenty-four percent of the confirmed cases in Pakistan so far are between 21 to 30 years of age. This constitutes a majority of the cases. The pattern is unlike other countries where cases mostly comprise older people,” while speaking during his media briefing on Wednesday.
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While the SAPM failed to share a complete picture with regards to the virus trend in the country, it is easy to conclude that no one is immune to the virus regardless of age.
Furthermore, new data from the US and Europe shows that young adults are not that immune to the virus with 705 of the first 2,500 cases in the US were aged 20-44. Although, complication and ICU admissions among..
Oppo Extended the Warranty Period by 2 Months For All Products
During these times of lockdown within Pakistan due to the Coronavirus pandemic, Oppo considering it a corporate social responsibility, has extended the warranty for all its products by 2 months. Warranties expiring on the 26th of March 2020, will now expire on 26th May 2020 and so on.
Consumers can check the status of their warranty easily on Oppo’s website by entering in the IMEI number. The 2-month extension is a first of its kind initative. With this promise, Oppo, re-affirms its focus on product quality and reliability backed by robust investments in product research, and development.
The company aspires to offer value to their customers. In doing so, the company tries to bring up front and a closer experience that revolves around clarity.
Oppo considers its valued customer’s safety a topmost priority amid such a crisis. Oppo is taking appropriate measures to make its consumer’s at ease and provide complete safety to its employees.
Android Malware Was Using Ads to Target Millions of Users
Check Point, a cybersecurity firm, recently reported a previously undetected malware that was present in a total of 56 applications on Play Store, 24 of them were focused on children. The malware, dubbed Tekya, imitates user actions to serve ads from networks such as Google’s AdMob, AppLovin’, Facebook, and Unity.
The code takes advantage of Android’s MotionEvent actions that report user movement events. As a result, it can generate clicks that cannot be differentiated from the movement of a pen or finger across the screen.
According to Check Point, the code is embedded in the application’s native code, which is why it could easily bypass Play Store’s security protocols. Even though the applications were removed after Check Point notified Google, they were collectively downloaded over a million times.
Manager of Mobile Research at Check Point, Aviran Hazum, took this event to explain how Google’s efforts to remove malicious apps are in vain. He said:
To us, the amount of applicatio..
TECNO Has Finally Launched Camon 15 in Pakistan
TECNO, a global leading mobile phone brand has finally unpacked its most awaited CAMON 15 in first-ever Live Broadcast event that happened in different top-notch media channels and was hosted by talented Juggan Kazim. Camon 15 is equipped with 48 MP Quad camera, Night lens perfect for night photography, 32 MP pop-up selfie camera, and advanced specs includes TAVIOS artificial technology.
Camon 15 launch event was recorded on 15 March and was broadcasted on Tier-1 TV and on more than 13 social media channels including YouTube and Facebook.
Mehwish Hayat was revealed as TECNO’s brand Ambassador at the event launch. The event was chaired by Tecno Pakistan General Manager – Creek Ma, along with the Sales Director – Adeel Tahir. All the key distributors of Tecno were also gathered in the launch ceremony!
Mr.Creek Ma, the General Manager of TECNO Mobiles was immensely pleased with the launch event: “On behalf of TECNO I thank you all too participate in this grand launch event of Camon 15…
Proton X70 Can Now Be Seen on Pakistani Roads
This year will be pretty interesting for the Pakistan auto-sector due to fact that while we are seeing the sales drop constantly over the year and amongst all this, companies are looking to launch their new cars.
The Toyota Yaris has almost launched, we have seen BAIC’s D20 being road-tested and now are seeing pictures of Proton’s X70 SUV being road-tested. It is expected that the SUV will be hitting the local markets this year and will go head-to-head with the Kia Sportage and Hyundai Tucson. It was launched in 2016 in China and is sold in some markets under the name of Geely Boyue.
It is a stylish looking vehicle with DRLs in the base models and LED headlamps in the premium variants. The flagship variant will be fitted with a panoramic sunroof as well.
On the inside, it is loaded with features including steering-wheel controls, 8-inch touchscreen infotainment system, push-button start, dual-zone climate control with rear vents, day-night rearview mirror, and an air purification sy..
SBP Cuts Interest Rate Again to Combat Uncertainty Amid Coronavirus Pandemic
The Monetary Policy Committee, in a rare move, made a cut of 150 basis points in the policy rate which further declined to 11 percent.
The Monetary Policy Committee (MPC) noted considerable uncertainty about how the Coronavirus outbreak would impact the global economy and Pakistan.
The central bank, on twitter, announced that substantial new information on global and domestic developments has become available since the last MPC meeting. The developments that were discussed during the meeting imply that the outlook for growth and inflation in Pakistan is likely to be revised down further.
“The global economy has been hit hard by the coronavirus, with the pandemic causing several businesses, including restaurants, hotels, airlines and manufacturing businesses to record losses in billions,” the SBP said in a press release.
Last week, the committee reduced the rate by 75 basis points, which was below than expectation of the business community in the present scenario of economic slowdow..
After Coronavirus, China Reports First Death Due to Hantavirus
While the world is still struggling to contain the spread of Coronavirus, a rodent-borne virus called Hantavirus has reportedly emerged in China.
According to China’s Global Times, a 32 years old man from Yunnan died while going to Shandong on a bus. Posthumous tests of the man revealed that he had been infected by Hantavirus. Healthcare authorities have also tested 32 other passengers of the bus for the same disease.
The news of another virus emerging in China has sparked fears among social media users that this disease could also snowball into a global crisis like the COVID-19.
As per the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP), humans who contract the Hantavirus usually come into contact with four types of rodents that carry the virus; deer mouse, cotton rat, rice rat, white-footed mouse.
Hantavirus has symptoms similar to Coronavirus such as fever, shortness of breath, headache, muscle pain, chills, stomach problems, and dizziness. However, unlike Coronavirus, Hantavir..
Rs. 1.2 Trillion Covid-19 Package: Govt Slashes Petrol Prices, Stipends for Millions & More
The government of Pakistan has announced Rs. 1,200 billion Economic Relief and Stimulus Package which seeks to provide relief to vulnerable people, SMEs and industry and supports the poor.
Addressing a press conference, Prime Minister Imran Khan alongside his senior ministers and advisors said that the coronavirus pandemic is not the real danger, rather the decisions that people took fearing the COVID-19 threat.
“Chaos is more dangerous than coronavirus if we take any decision in haste it will have a dire impact on the society,” said the prime minister.
Prime Minister Imran said that he would have imposed curfew immediately if the situation in Pakistan was as bad as it is in Italy and the rest of Europe. “But in Pakistan, it is not feasible considering the number of poor people in the country,” he explained.
In a Twitter post, Economic Affairs Minister Hammad Azhar said that the package “Seeks to provide relief to vulnerable, support to poor, SMEs [small- and medium-sized enterpris..
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