The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has completely suspended the entry of visitors, nationals and working visa holders for two weeks in the wake of the Covid-19 outbreak, an official notification said.
The notification will come into effect from today, March 19, and will be valid until the first week of April. The country has also banned its citizens from traveling abroad. Those who have recently returned are in 14-day mandatory quarantine.
This is a precautionary measure subject to renewal based on the health status measures taken due to the novel coronavirus outbreak.
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The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has issued an advisory for people with any type of UAE visas, now staying out of the country. Here is the procedure to follow:
– People with a visit visa now staying in the country of origin should contact UAE embassies in their respective countries to streamline their return.
– Working visa holders currently outside the..
Category: Hardware
Careem Extends Its Ride Package Expiry Dates for Everyone Amid Viral Outbreak
In order to help its customers during the coronavirus pandemic, Careem has extended the validity of all its packages until May 1.
Careem has become the preferred choice for students and professionals across the country. Every month, tens of thousands of Careem users subscribe to their weekly and monthly packages to enjoy additional savings on daily rides.
However, after a sudden lockdown situation in the country amid the coronavirus outbreak, many customers were worried about their pre-subscribed packages going to waste.
To save them this trouble, Careem extended the expiry dates of all ride packages till May 1, without any hidden charges. This gesture from Careem has won the customers’ hearts which is evident from their appreciative tweets.
Here are some of them:
Apple Refreshes MacBook Air With 10th Gen Processors & Better Keyboards
Apple is finally refreshing its MacBook Air lineup of lightweight laptops after nearly 1.5 years and not only does it come with a lower price tag, it also boasts better preformance. This is the first time the series has received quad-core processors, the base model now has more storage, and the dreaded butterfly keyboard has finally been overhauled.
The base MacBook Air packs the 10th generation Intel Core i3 (dual-core) processors and starts with 256GB SSD and can go all the way up to 2TB. There are now quad-core i5 and i7 models as well and the i7 variant also comes with Intel’s Iris Plus graphics.
The ultrabook has a 13.3-inch IPS display with a 16:10 aspect ratio and 2,560 x 1,600px resolution. It is equipped with two-tone technology, previously seen in iPads, that is able to adjust the display’s settings based on the ambient light.
The new Magic Keyboard comes with a new scissor design that delivers 1mm key travel. The two-tone technology is also able to switch the keyboard bac..
HEC Makes a Databank of Online Courses for University Students
The Higher Education Commission (HEC) has developed a databank of online courses available at the national and international level and shared it with universities, while the university faculty has also been asked to prepare virtual courses for students.
This was stated by Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Tariq Banuri in a message on the prevailing situation due to coronavirus.
The chairman said that the coronavirus pandemic has endangered the entire world. As a precautionary measure, students of all the public sector universities have been given a three-week break under instructions by the government.
The ongoing vacations may be adjusted in the summer holidays, however, if the situation persists, the online lectures will help avoid the educational loss of students. In the meantime, faculty members will take advantage of the break to prepare online lectures for the students to mitigate the disruption.
He urged the Vice-Chancellors to follow the guidelines about precaution..
Punjab Govt Launches Coronavirus Web Portal, Helpline & Home Testing Service
Punjab Government has launched a Coronavirus Telemedicine Web Portal to assist citizens with their queries regarding Coronavirus.
The provincial government has also decided to conduct tests of suspected Coronavirus patients at their homes instead of hospitals.
The decision has been made at a time when the country is grappling with the outbreak of COVID-19 which has infected 301 and killed 2 people so far.
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According to Governor Punjab, Chaudhry Sarwar, Coronavirus Telemedicine and Helpline will go live in Lahore today.
More than 60 doctors have volunteered to offer guidance to citizens over the helpline.
The Governor has requested citizens not to panic during the pandemic and practice social distancing as it is the most effective way to stop the disease from spreading.
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WhatsApp Launches Coronavirus Information Hub
In an attempt to contain the spread of the virus, the Punjab governme..
Karachi Kings Owner Reveals the New Date for PSL 2020 Finals
Coronavirus has stopped the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 5 as the country has ramped up its battle against the deadly virus. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has said that it will reschedule the remaining matches, however, it is uncertain when the knockouts will be held.
Owner of Karachi Kings, Salman Iqbal, has revealed that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is looking for a window after the ICC T20 World Cup later this year to accommodate the last few matches of the PSL.
In an interview with BBC, Salman Iqbal said that the remaining matches will take place this year.
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It will happen this year, we are looking for the six or seven-day window, predominantly after the world cup (T20) in Australia, I think that will be the best time.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled from 18th October to 15th November in Australia. It also remains to be seen whether the PCB will continue with the semi-finals or re..
Zong 4G Partners with NayaPay to Provide Seamless Digital Experience to Customers
Leading the charge in customer advocacy, Zong 4G has partnered with NayaPay Pvt. Limited to enable its customers to make digital payments for its services. The two organizations signed an agreement to that effect in Karachi.
This collaboration will facilitate customers to purchase Zong 4G’s mobile services directly through the NayaPay app. Customers can top-up their mobile balance, subscribe to prepaid bundles and recharge their Zong broadband devices using their NayaPay E-money account to complete the transaction.
As an Electronic Money Institution (EMI), NayaPay will enable users to open E-money accounts and make digital payments to each other and businesses conveniently. With this collaboration, both Zong 4G and NayaPay have taken a step towards digital financial inclusion for the socioeconomic development of the country.
Commenting on the partnership, Zong 4G’s official spokesperson, said: “With the surge in the demand for digital financial services, the partnership addresses th..
SECP Links Short Selling With Uptick Rule in Futures Market
In the wake of COVID-19 and its unprecedented effect on global stock markets, the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP), in consultation with market stakeholders and market infrastructure institutions, has decided that for the April 2020 contract, a short sale in 36 specific shares of the futures market shall be subject to an uptick rule.
This will ensure the provision of a required prior notice period to the market and retain liquidity in the rollover week. The uptick rule means that the shares of that relevant scrip have to be sold at a price higher than the last trade not lower.
Further, to support the mutual fund industry, the maximum period of borrowing by mutual funds for redemption purposes will be extended from existing 90 days to 360 days.
Moreover, the commission has allowed relaxing deposit requirements against the base minimum capital of TREC holders.
The requirement to perform biometric verification at the time of opening of the account is eased and the..
Bloodbath Continues at PSX as Index Drops to Its Lowest in 52 Weeks
PSX continued the free fall on Thursday as the benchmark index dropped by 1752.01 or 5.8% to 28,664.04 amid Coronavirus fears as Pakistan reported two deaths because of the virus.
It is the lowest level since March 2015. Another halt was seen in the market today as the KSE-30 Index dropped below 5% for five minutes triggering a halt for 45 minutes. Trading was halted for the sixth time since last week; KSE-30 Index down 6.9%
Adnan Sami Sheikh, a senior market analyst said the markets are in free fall, the whole system is at risk. He added that valuations are approaching throw away levels, but the fear of catching a falling knife is keeping investors support on the sidelines, while those funds with public money try to exit at any possible level.
Gohar Rasool, head of international sales at Intermarket Securities told Bloomberg, ”Market opened in halt territory due to pending sell orders from the previous session. The coronavirus is spreading in Pakistan forcing businesses to shut and..
Pakistan Reports First 2 Coronavirus Deaths in One Day; 301 Affected So Far
Pakistan reported its first two coronavirus deaths on March 18 Both deaths were reported from KP within hours Number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in Pakistan has risen to 301 Sindh has been affected the most with 208 confirmed cases so far Punjab has reported 33, Baluchistan 23, KP 19, AJK/GB 16, and Islamabad 2 cases Center and provinces continue to announce measures to curb the spread Pakistan reported its first two coronavirus deaths on March 18, both in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The first person who succumbed to the deadly disease was a 50-year-old man who had returned from Saudi Arabia and was being treated at Mardan Medical Complex (MMC). The second death followed within hours where a 36-year-old man from Hangu being treated at Peshawar’s Lady Reading Hospital lost his fight against the virus.
Meanwhile, confirmations of more positive cases continued to flood in throughout the day from all parts of the country. Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) also reported its first positive case, a 45-ye..