Category: Information Technology

The All Pakistan Fruit & Vegetable Exporters Association (PFVA) has set an export target of kinnows at 350,000 metric tons that will generate $210 million in revenue.

The export of kinnows commenced from 1 December 2020 and is expected to fetch a valuable foreign exchange of $210 million.

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While the export during the previous season was 300,000 metric tons, a press release issued by the PFVA claims that the total production of kinnows is estimated to be around 2,100,000 tons this year.

According to the Patron-in-Chief of the PFVA, Waheed Ahmed, the total production of kinnows is around 2.1 million metric tons but the production of quality exportable kinnow is far less. Of the total production, 75 percent production consists of grades B and C kinnow that are not worth exporting.

Export target of #Kinnow set at 350000 tons, Revenue generation of US$210 million expected, total production around 2.1 million M tons, Exportable volume will be lower, Kinnow industry of Rs.125 billion engulfed with stiff challenges, Exploration of new varieties imminent 1/2 pic.twitter.com/6HlWtvYEov

— Waheed Ahmed (@waheedAmed) December 2, 2020

Ahmed revealed that the kinnow orchards are sixty years old and are susceptible to various diseases.

The Pakistani kinnow suffers from the common diseases of blemishes and melanoses that badly affect its cosmetic look which is why the PFVA had imposed a ‘self-ban’ on the export of kinnows to Europe for several years to avoid interceptions that are likely to lead to a ban by the European Union (EU).

“It is being witnessed that due to the global pandemic of coronavirus the demand for citrus fruits containing vitamin C is increasing in the international markets, and Pakistan, being a prominent producer of citrus fruits, can take full advantage of this unique opportunity. However, due to the quality issues of kinnows, we have been unable to exploit such opportunities to our advantage,” Ahmed revealed.

He also insisted that the overall export of citrus fruits and value-added products can be enhanced to $1 billion in a period of five years, but to attain this, it is imperative to explore new varieties of the citrus fruits that are impervious to diseases and to establish new orchards that have a higher yield per acre through extensive research and development (R&D).

“It is ironic that the province of Punjab, being a hub of kinnow production, could not draw the attention of the provincial government, and similarly, the federal government, using the plea of the 18th Amendment, kept ignoring the issues of the kinnow industry that it has been confronted with for the last several years,” he added.

The Patron-in-Chief revealed that the kinnow industry is worth around Rs. 125 billion, and that the entire economies of Bhalwal and Sargodha depend on the kinnow industry while about 250 kinnow processing factories located in Punjab are providing direct employment to 250,000 people.

The future of the kinnow industry will be bleak unless new orchards are developed with new varieties of the kinnow.

With the total production of around 2.1 million metric tons, the export target of kinnows is set at 350,000 tons with an expected revenue generation of $ 210 million expected. Additionally, the exportable volume will be lower as the kinnow industry of Rs.125 billion is engulfed in stiff challenges, and can be remedied by the exploration of new varieties imminent.

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According to Waheed Ahmed, he had held meetings with the provincial Minister for Agriculture, the Governor of the Punjab, and the growers, exporters, and stakeholders associated with the kinnow industry and the horticulture sector prior to the commencement of the current kinnow season to apprise them of the need to resolve the issues of the industry via the adoption of a national strategy.

The PFVA meticulously planned to conduct a national conference on kinnows, keeping in view the issues and realistic solutions of the industry but it could not be held on 1 December due to the new wave of coronavirus and other unavoidable circumstances in the country.

The post Pakistan Targets $210 Million Through Kinnow Exports This Season appeared first on .

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Dawid Malan has attained the highest-ever rating points for batsmen in the ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings after a terrific run saw him top the series aggregate with 173 runs and help England blank South Africa 3-0. Babar Azam is third on the list of highest-ever rating points for a batsman in T20I cricket.

The 33-year-old left-hander has reached 915 points, the first to cross the 900-point mark after Australian Aaron Finch’s 900-point achievement in July 2018. Malan now enjoys a 44-point lead over Pakistan’s Babar Azam, whom he overtook to become number one in September this year.

Malan’s player of the series performance included a match-winning 99 not out in the final match and helped England leapfrog Australia to take the top position in the ICC Men’s T20I Team Rankings.

England, who had started the series at 271 points, are now level with Australia at 275 points but ahead on decimal points. South Africa and New Zealand retain their fifth and sixth positions while the West Indies have slipped behind Afghanistan to 10th place after losing 2-0 to New Zealand in another series, performances of which are also included in Wednesday’s rankings update.

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South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen’s continued good form, which saw him score 136 runs in the series, has lifted him 17 places to a career-best fifth position.

Among the bowlers, England’s leg-spinner, Adil Rashid, is back to the 700-point mark, gaining three places to reach number 4. He is just one spot below his career-best third position achieved in November 2018. The top seven bowlers are all spinners, with Tabraiz Shamsi, South Africa’s top-ranked bowler in 5th place.

Chris Jordan, who became England’s leading T20I wicket-taker in the third match against South Africa with his 66th wicket, has gained one place to reach 12th rank.

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Top 10 T20I Batsmen

Rank
(+/-)
Player
Team
Pts
Avge
S/R
Highest Rating

1
(-)
Dawid Malan
England
915
53.43
149
915 v SA at Cape Town 2020

2
(-)
Babar Azam
Pakistan
871
50.93
130
896 v ENG at Cardiff 2019

3
(-)
Aaron Finch
Australia
835
38.43
155
901 v Zim at Harare 2018

4
(-)
KL Rahul
India
824
45.65
146
854 v Eng at Old Trafford 2018

5
(+)
Rassie van der Dussen
South Africa
744*!
38.71
137
744 v Eng at Cape Town 2020

6
(-)
Colin Munro
New Zealand
739
31.34
156
830 v Pak at Dubai 2018

7
(-)
Glenn Maxwell
Australia
696
33.52
158
838 v SL at Adelaide 2019

8
(-)
Hazratullah Zazai
Afghanistan
676*
40.71
155
736 v WI at Lucknow 2019

9
(-)
Virat Kohli
India
673
50.80
138
897 v Eng at Edgbaston 2014

10
(-)
Eoin Morgan
England
662
30.37
139
872 v India at Old Trafford 2011

10
(+)
Rohit Sharma
India
662
32.62
139
719 v WI at Lucknow 208

Top 10 T20I Bowlers

Rank
(+/-)
Player
Team
Pts
Avge
Econ
Highest Rating

1
(-)
Rashid Khan
Afghanistan
736
12.62
6.14
816 v Ban at Dehradun 2018

2
(-)
Mujeeb Ur Rahman
Afghanistan
730
17.72
6.15
745 v Ire at Greater Noida 2020

3
(-)
Ashton Agar
Australia
706
20.86
6.87
717 v Eng at Southampton 2020

4
(+)
Adil Rashid
England
700
25.80
7.52
716 v WI at St Kitts 2019

5
(-)
Tabraiz Shamsi
South Africa
680
33.28
7.68
699 v Eng at Paarl 2020

6
(-)
Adam Zampa
Australia
679
20.86
6.56
720 v SL at Brisbane 2019

7
(-)
Mitchell Santner
New Zealand
643
21.70
7.56
724 v Pak at Wellington 2018

8
(-)
Kane Richardson
Australia
641
25.81
7.69
664 v Eng at Southampton 2020

9
(+)
Imad Wasim
Pakistan
637
21.93
6.13
780 v WI at Trinidad 2017

10
(-)
Sheldon Cottrell
West Indies
634
21.81
7.89
648 v NZ at Auckland 2020

Top 5 T20I All-Rounders

Rank
(+/-)
Player
Team
Pts
Highest Rating

1
(-)
Mohammad Nabi
Afghanistan
294
355 v Ban at Mirpur 2019

2
(-)
Shakib Al Hasan
Bangladesh
268
409 v Pak at Mirpur 2015

3
(-)
Glenn Maxwell
Australia
220
368 v SL at Colombo (RPS) 2016

4
(+1)
Richie Berrington
Scotland
194
204 v Ire at Malahide 2019

5
(-1)
Sean Williams
Zimbabwe
190
225 v Nepal at Singapore 2019

What are your thoughts on the rankings? Let us know in the comments section.

The post Dawid Malan Leaves Babar Azam Far Behind in T20I and All-Time Rankings appeared first on .

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Huawei’s sub-brand Honor, which has now been sold off to the Chinese government, was expected to launch the V40 series this month. However, recent reports suggest that the company is postponing the launch to January 2021.

We might also see three phones instead of the usual two in the next year’s V series. Rumor has it that there will be a third phone with a super-zoom/periscope lens.

Launching the V40 series will not be a major delay for Honor as the brand launched the V10 and V20 series in December and a global rollout followed a month after. The V30 series was a bit different from the rest as the company did not make an announcement outside of China but silently released it to the international market soon after.

It remains to be seen how Honor will perform in the international market without being a part of Huawei. The Chinese tech giant has a vast and loyal customer base and it is uncertain how new Honor phones will be received in the future.

Details regarding the V40’s specifications are scarce, but it is expected to be an upper mid-range device similar to the last few models in the series.

The post Honor Delays V40 Series Until January 2021 appeared first on .

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Saudi scientists have made a significant breakthrough in the field of biotechnology. According to reports, the scientists have created a new artificial skin. This artificial skin is not only durable and flexible but also sensitive to touch and other necessary human elements of responsivity.

Scientists have created a unique sensitive skin that can be used in artificial organs, and its feature of automatic repair is an exciting new prospect. Notable scientists have labeled it the ‘electronic skin.’

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Researcher Dr. Yichen Cai, who contributed to the invention, said,

The ideal e-skin will mimic the many natural functions of human skin, such as sensing temperature and touch, accurately and in real-time. However, making suitably flexible electronics that can perform such delicate tasks while also enduring the bumps and scrapes of everyday life is challenging, and each material involved must be carefully engineered.

This experiment was performed by scientists at the King Abdullah University of Science and Technology in Saudi Arabia.

The post Saudi Researchers Invent Artificial Skin That Can Replace Human Skin appeared first on .

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The Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) Cyber Crime Wing has arrested a man from Narowal, Punjab, over his involvement in child pornography.

An FIA team raided his residence in Narowal on a tip-off and arrested the accused identified as Riaz. The team recovered over 600 videos of child abuse from his possession. FIA has sent the offender’s laptop and other gadgets to the Punjab Forensic Laboratory for further investigation.

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According to FIA officials, the suspect was a member of an international child pornography racket. The agency had received evidence against the suspect from the Brazilian government through the Interpol.

A case has been registered against Riaz, and a local court has given him in FIA’s custody for four days. Ironically, the offender has a clean record, with no cases registered against him in the city.

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The development occurred days after Rawalpindi court awarded the death sentence to Sohail Ayaz, a leader of an international child pornographic racket on the dark web.

In 2015, police exposed a child abuse ring in Kasur, Punjab. Investigations revealed that a gang of 25 criminals had made over 400 videos of 280 victims of abuse.

The post Member of International Child Pornography Racket Arrested in Narowal appeared first on .

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The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has amended the transaction structure to raise funds against Jinnah International Airport (JIAP) under the Government Ijara Sukuk (GIS).

Pursuant to the discontinuation of the Trust Act 1882, “The future issuances of Ijara Sukuk on JIAP Karachi as an underlying asset, and the reopening there against, will be carried out under the revised transaction structure and documentations following the repeal of the Trust Act 1882,” the central bank said in its circular.

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The SBP said that it will conduct an auction through which the Sukuk investors will be identified. Non-competitive bidders may also submit their bid for the Sukuk. The investors will execute the Sukuk subscription undertaking to record the commitments of the Investors to subscribe to the Sukuk to be issued by the Pakistan Domestic Sukuk Company Limited (PDSCL).

Under the Sukuk subscription undertaking, the investors may appoint the PDSCL as their investment agent for the purchase of the assets on their behalf and for the purposes set out in the Sukuk issuance undertaking.

The SBP said that the primary dealers will also sign the subscription undertaking on behalf of the successful non-competitive bidders.

The PDSCL, as the agent of the Investors and the SBP’s Banking Services Corporation, will execute an Agency Agreement whereby the PDSCL will appoint the corporation as its agent to collect proceeds from the investors, collect rentals and other payments due from the government, distribute them to the Investors, and act as reference agent and a registrar for the investors.

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The circular also stated that the documentation for this structure will include a Sukuk subscription and issuance undertaking, a purchase agreement, a title agency agreement, and cost undertaking and rules.

“The Jinnah International Airport Karachi, together with the identified, unencumbered, and undisputed land of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) surrounding the airport, identifiable by survey numbers and area, has been identified as the proposed Assets to facilitate the issuance of the GoP Ijara Sukuk,” said the circular.

The Valuation of the Assets is to be carried out by two Pakistan Banks Association (PBA)-approved independent valuators, and the lower of the two valuations will be accepted as the sale price of the Assets.

The post SBP Issues Revised Rules for Sukuk Against Jinnah International Airport appeared first on .

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