In cognizance of the global nature of the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for a multi-stakeholder global perspective and approach to address it, Foreign Minister Qureshi introduces FM Connect Digital: The Thought Leaders series.
The FM Connect Thought Leader platform will see the Foreign Minister hosting a diversity of round table digital discussions with intellectuals, writers, academics, thinkers, and researchers across the globe.
For the inaugural FM Connect digital session, Foreign Minister Makhdoom Shah Mahmood Qureshi invited four global thought leaders for a discussion premised on Post Covid-19 realities on the global geopolitical and socio-economic landscape.
These thought leaders included:
Dr. William Ury, co-founder of Harvard University’s Program on Negotiation and one of the world’s leading experts on negotiation. He is currently a Distinguished Senior Fellow at the Harvard Negotiation Project and a bestselling, award-winning author.
Professor Kishore Mahbubani, a Singa..
Category: Covid-19
Through Thick And Thin: Transworld Home’s Efforts For A Connected Pakistan
Covid-19, commonly referred to as the novel coronavirus, has affected the world adversely. With the unavailability of a vaccine and the absence of any proven treatment, all possible preventive measures are executed to safeguard the infected individuals.
To flatten the curve and control the outbreak, some measures including social distancing and countrywide lockdowns have been initiated across the globe.
Doctors and hospitals around the world are working nonstop to treat the infected patients with different degrees of symptoms from moderate to acute. These are surely unprecedented times and none of us was prepared for this calamity. In these testing times, internet connectivity has been declared as part of the essential services.
The internet traffic in Pakistan has surged 15% amid Covid-19 lockdown, according to Pakistan Telecommunications Authority (PTA). And, the ISPs are making all-out efforts to ensure that during these tough times, everyone stays connected with the world.
Ther..
PSL’s Live Streaming Contract Allows Gambling and Betting
Pakistan Super League’S (PSL) live streaming rights contract allows promotion, sponsorship, and advertising of gambling, betting, and prediction games in countries where betting is legal.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had awarded the live streaming rights to a foreign company for $1 million for a period of 3 years i.e. 2019-2021. Half of this amount has already been received by the PCB.
Earlier during the 2020 edition of the league, the media partner allowed a UK-based betting website, Bet365, to sublet PSL 5’s live streaming. According to the reports, the development was made without PCB’s prior approval, following which the media rights partner sent a formal apology whereas the betting website stopped streaming the league.
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According to the latest reports, the live streaming rights contract involved a clause for betting and gambling. Clause 4.4 (b) of the contract allows conditional permission for betti..
Indian MiG-29 Fighter Jet Crashes Kilometers Away from Lahore
A MiG-29 fighter jet of the Indian Air Force (IAF) crashed earlier today while carrying out a training mission 117 km away from Lahore.
The pilot ejected and is reportedly unharmed. IAF’s first responding teams have taken the pilot away in a rescue helicopter. No apparent cause of the crash has been disclosed by the IAF as of now.
In an official statement, IAF said:
The aircraft had developed a technical snag and the pilot ejected safely as he was unable to control the aircraft. The pilot has been rescued by a helicopter. A court of inquiry has been ordered to investigate the cause of the accident.
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The fighter jet took off from Adampur Air Force Station near Jalandhar, India’s second-biggest military airbase that is located 100 km away from the Pakistan border. The MiG-29 fighter jet crashed 25 km away from the airbase in the city of Hoshiarpur, kilometers away from the Pakistan border ..
Floor Prices Increase Across Punjab Due to Wheat Shortage
According to media reports, the flour prices in Punjab have been hiked by the flour mill owners due to the increase in the prices of wheat.
Abdul Rauf Mukhtar, Chairman, Punjab Flour Mills Association, whilst announcing the hike, said that the price of a 20-kilogram flour bag has been increased by Rs. 40 and will now cost Rs. 840.
He said that the hike was due to the increase in wheat prices and that, “These prices will be applicable across the Punjab province.” He claimed that they weren’t allowed to buy wheat nor was it being provided to them by the government quota. He said, “We are facing shortage of wheat stocks.”
It is important to point out that on 27th March, Khusro Bakhtiar, the former Federal Minister for National Food Security had claimed that there was no shortage of flour and the government had more than enough wheat to meet the demand.
He had said that a mapping process had been carried out by the government under which food commodities would be sent across the countr..
Meizu 17 & 17 Pro Affordable Flagships Launched With Tiny Punch-Hole & 90Hz Display
Following the flagship trend, Meizu, a Chinese consumer electronics company, has launched its 2020 flagship series with a vanilla and pro model dubbed the Meizu 17 and Meizu 17 Pro.
The Smartphones come with top-notch specifications at a reasonable price, taking on the expensive flagships on the market. However, smartphones are only available in China for now. Their global availability has not been confirmed as of now.
Design and Display Staying true to the minimalistic design approach, Meizu has slimmed down the bezels on both smartphones. They come with a simple punch-hole design upfront and feature advanced CoF packaging technology to increase the screen to body ratio. The switch to using a punch-hole seems a rather disappointing one as Meizu’s own implimentation (in previous flagships) of the front camera was far more practical.
At the back, Meizu 17 and 17 Pro feature a quad-sensor camera setup horizontally arranged. The standard Meizu 17 comes in three colors, i.e., Black, Dar..
Google’s Bolo App Helps Children Learn Urdu and Other Languages
Google has shared early access to its Read Along Android applications to help the housebound masses. The application is designed for children 5+ years of age. Read along helps them learn to read with an intuitive audio-visual experience.
This Android application uses Google’s text-to-speech, and speech recognition technology to provide real-time feedback as the children read stories out loud. Real Along was initially launched in India, and after an overwhelming response, the application has been launched in 180 countries globally, including Pakistan, where it is dubbed ‘Bolo.’ Apart from helping children improve their English learning skills, Bolo will also help Pakistani children improve their Urdu reading with locally inspired stories.
Bolo (Read Along) features an in-app reading buddy named Diya. As kids read out loud, Diya uses Google’s text-to-speech and speech recognition technology to detect if a student is struggling or successfully reading the passage.
To help encourage chi..
Detailed Judgement Clarifies Umar Akmal Has No Chance of Playing Cricket Earlier
The detailed judgment of Umar Akmal’s ban has been submitted by Chairman of the Independent Disciplinary Panel, Justice (R) Fazal-e-Miran Chauhan, to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). According to the judgment, Umar Akmal will be eligible to resume cricketing activities from 19th February 2023.
The troubled cricketer has been charged with two breaches of Article 2.4.4 of the PCB’s Anti-Corruption Code in two unrelated events.
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Here’s what the verdict reads:
“It appears that he (Umar Akmal) is not prepared to show remorse, seek apology, and make admission that he failed to fulfill his responsibility under Anti-Corruption Code, Article 2.4.4, rather he tried to take refuge under the pretext that in the past whenever any such approaches were made, the matter was reported by him.
As far as Charge No.1 is concerned, I do not see any circumstances to mitigate the nature of the offence, particularly, when the participant has not coo..
Balochistan’s Coronavirus Tally Can Cross 300,000 by July
Coronavirus cases are increasing by the day in Pakistan and the numbers may reach an alarming level in Balochistan if the restrictions are not followed.
Balochistan’s Director General of Health Department, Dr. Saleem Abro, has warned that COVID-19 tally in the province may cross 300,000 in July. In a news conference, he said that the numbers can reach 9.5 million by December if the masses don’t cooperate with the government.
Another alarming fact is that the number of locally transmitted cases in the province is increasing and the situation can get out of control if safety precautions are not followed. The Health Department had performed random testing in the province to find out that local transmission was on the rise.
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Currently, around 700-800 tests are being performed in the province on a daily basis, a number which is significantly low.
He urged the public to take the novel coronavirus seriously, adding that s..
PTCL Ramazan Ration Drive for Coronavirus affected Families across Pakistan
Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL), embarks upon a massive Ramazan ration drive to provide relief for families affected during the Coronavirus pandemic. The ration drive initiative will be covering 25 cities across Pakistan in the coming days.
The ration packs for an entire month comprising of essential food items, were distributed amongst a few beneficiary families at a special ceremony organized at District Commissioner (DC) Office, Kohat.
The ceremony was attended by senior management from PTCL, along with high-ranking officers of the KP Government. Majority of the ration distribution was conducted by the District Administration at the Mohammadzai Union Council of Kohat. This ceremony marks the 1st phase of the ration drive that will continue throughout the month of Ramazan.
On the occasion, Zia ullah Bangash, Advisor to Chief Minister Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), said, “We are grateful and much obliged at the support given by PTCL and its staff who have generously con..
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