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COVID-19 Cases in Pakistan Could Hit 13,000 in a Week, Suggest AI Models

There is a prevailing perception in Pakistan that coronavirus has been contained and things are under control. Background interviews with government high-ups also reveal that officials are content with how the outbreak has panned out over the past few days. However, results from highly data-driven AI models suggest that the threat is still real and the somewhat flattening curve for positive cases over the few days won’t persist for long. Speaking to ProPakistani, a data scientist who is working closely with the government said that the current numbers are mainly a result of tightened lock-down from 15th March to 25th March. The numbers are likely to increase rapidly over the next week due to the fact that people stopped observing strict social distancing after pensions and salaries were disbursed in the first week of April. The scientist, who wanted to remain unnamed as he’s not allowed to speak with media by the government, said that data models are suggesting the outbreak is stil..
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Waqar Younis Doesn’t Talk to Me For Days If I Don’t Perform Well: Wahab Riaz

Cricket is a tough game for bowlers these days owing to a lot of improvisation by the batsmen and an absolutely zero margin for error. No one knows it better than fast bowler Wahab Riaz, who has to deal with not only the humiliation on the field – if he doesn’t do well – but off the field as well. The left-arm pacer has revealed that the bowling coach, Waqar Younis, doesn’t talk to him for a long time after a dismal performance. In a live Instagram session with Waqar, Wahab requested him to go easy on him. That’s what my motive is and I will keep doing it, but please go easy on me. At times, you get so angry with me when I don’t do good, you don’t even talk to me for a long time. ALSO READ Amir & Wahab Decided to Retire at the ‘Wrong Time’: Waqar Younis Replying to his request, the bowling coach told that he gets angry because he has certain expectations. I get angry because I have spent time with you since your childhood. I know you are capable but sometimes you don’t do what is..
The New Normal: Online Grocery Shopping with October Now
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The New Normal: Online Grocery Shopping with October Now

It’s safe to say there is nothing that cannot be purchased online in this day and age. Some people may consider Pakistan to be slightly behind the latest digital trends, but the booming e-commerce business tells a different story. Especially when you look at the online grocery stores that offer home delivery. The world’s current situation with the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the demand for ordering groceries online, and stores are struggling to keep up with this pressure. During this difficult and unpredictable situation, people are worried about struggling to carry out daily chores in order to survive. The most pertinent example is grocery shopping. Stores are full of shoppers, all trying to purchase as much as they can, and most people are starting to look for alternatives to fulfill this need. The COVID-19 pandemic has put us all in a tough spot, whereby we have to choose between staying safe at home or going to purchase groceries to continue a semblance of a normal life. Ho..
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Islamabad High Court Halts IESCO from Receiving Complete Bills

Islamabad High Court (IHC) has barred Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) from charging complete bill payments from a cement company due to coronavirus lockdown. Chief Justice IHC, Justice Athar Minallah, was hearing a plea of a cement factory owner in the I-9 Sector, seeking relief from IESCO in electricity bill through the court. ALSO READ Sindh Proposes Major Relief for Citizens With Emergency Relief Ordinance The lawyer of the factory owner pleaded before the court that due to the ongoing situation, the factory has been forced to close down all its activities, which has pushed the factory into a financial crunch. If it clears 100 percent utility bills, the owner will be left with no money to pay out salaries to its labor and staff for March, the counsel noted, adding that a mass layoff was on the cards if the situation continued. To this, Justice Athar remarked that the government is responsible for the job security of its citizens. ALSO READ ECC Delays Fuel Adjustmen..
Personal Information of 115 Million Pakistani Mobile Users Up For Sale on the Dark Web
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Personal Information of 115 Million Pakistani Mobile Users Up For Sale on the Dark Web

A Pakistani cybersecurity company has come across a data dump containing information of 115 million Pakistani mobile phone users currently up for sale on the dark web. The cybercriminal, who is a VIP member of the dark web forum where the advertisement has been placed, has set the asking price for this data dump at 300 Bitcoins (BTC) or $2.1 million. According to the advertisement description, the telecom database was hacked this week. Database is freshly hacked this week. That data was still being updated as I took the data down. Beautifully organized in a CSV with headers for your pleasure. Rewterz’s Threat Intelligence team has analyzed some of the samples from the telecom database up for sale on the notorious dark web. The data includes personal information of the users such as names, contact numbers, residential addresses, CNIC numbers, and NTN numbers. The Threat Intelligence team has noted that financially motivated threat actors are active in Pakistan and organizations wit..
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MIT Reveals App That Identifies Potential Coronavirus Cases Using Bluetooth

A team led by MIT researchers and experts from many institutions has been working on developing a system that augments “manual” contact tracing by public health officials while preserving user privacy. The system relies on a smartphones’ ability to advertise its presence to other devices via Bluetooth. However, the main issue was interoperability for iOS and Android phones. According to the team lead, MIT and makers of the app Private Kit: Safe Paths overcame the issue together last week. As of now, Safe Paths can keep a log of locations visited for 28 days. If a person tests positive, they can upload the list of phones their smartphone has interacted with over the past 14 days to a database. Other people can then scan the database to see if they were in close vicinity with the patient. Ron Rivest, MIT Institute Professor and principal investigator of the project, explained: I keep track of what I’ve broadcasted, and you keep track of what you’ve heard, and this will allow us to tel..
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KE Makes the Biggest Leap Among Power Sector Companies After Rs. 40 Billion Investment

K Electric has made a handsome investment of around Rs. 40 billion across the company’s power value chain, the official statement said. KE’s investment plan across all business verticals of generation, transmission and distribution has also been designed in view of these power needs which continue to grow, and the board decided once again to reinvest the profit earned back into the business. Moonis Alvi, CEO, KE said; As we continue towards our objective of ensuring reliable and safe power supply to Karachi and its surrounding areas, KE over the past decade – despite fiscal and other constraints owing particularly to rising government receivables – has invested over $2.4 billion across the energy value chain. These investments have resulted in an addition of over 1,057 MW of efficient power generation capacity, improvement of overall fleet efficiency from 30% in FY 2009 to 37% in FY 2019, 16.8 percentage points reduction in Transmission and Distribution (T&D) losses (most by any Di..
Situation Report: 284 New Cases and 4 Deaths Reported in 24 Hours
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Situation Report: 284 New Cases and 4 Deaths Reported in 24 Hours

Pakistan continues to fare better than expected in terms of new Coronavirus cases in the country. According to the latest official data, 284 new cases were reported in Pakistan on April 9th, slightly up from 248 cases reported a day ago. Four new coronavirus related deaths were also reported, down from 5 the previous day. Experts are suggesting that Pakistan is doing well in dealing with Coronavirus due to very severe lock-downs in hotspots and increased testing. However, experts say that the testing capacity needs to be expanded further. While the numbers are low compared to many other countries, experts caution that measures and efforts need to remain intact to contain the virus. They say it will be very tricky to ease the lock-downs, as a resurgence or rapid spread is always a possibility until a vaccine is developed. There’s more on Coronavirus numbers in the graphs and tables below: New Coronavirus Related Deaths Overall Picture Region Total Cases Cases in 24 Hrs Deaths in l..
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Now Anyone Can Visit Volkswagen’s Motor Show Booth Online

Due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Geneva Motor show was canceled which forced automakers to showcase their cars online. Now Volkswagen has recreated the company’s pavilion as a digital motor show experience. From today onwards, people can view all the new models online. The 360° tour allows an interactive experience enabling people to “stroll” around the booth, see the cars from all angles while also having the option to change colors and wheel rim setups. ALSO READ MoIP Changes Focus of EV Policy from Cars to Two-Wheelers & Three-Wheelers Jürgen Stackmann, Member of the Volkswagen brand Board of Management responsible for Sales, Marketing and After-Sales said: I am pleased that our marketing team has succeeded in making our booth available to all visitors despite the cancellation of the Geneva Motor Show. Virtually, they can experience our team’s attention to detail in the presentation of this show and our product highlights. Once again, this demonstrates that special ..
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Coronavirus: Pakistan’s Largest Social Assistance Program Underway as Country Fights the Pandemic

The largest social assistance program in the country’s history was rolled out on Thursday to lessen impact of the virus lockdown on impoverished communities. Under the program, cash handouts worth around Rs 144 billion will be made in a bid to counter the economic fallout of the Covid-19 crisis. Around 40 million people received text messages for collection of the amount on the first day of cash distribution under the Ehsaas Emergency Cash Program. Up to 17,000 branches of two designated banks – Habib Bank Limited and Bank Al-Falah – are disbursing the payments, in addition to 3,000 camp sites established by provinces. The virus lockdowns across Pakistan have taken a heavy toll on the earnings of daily-wagers. While a few big industries have been allowed to resume operations, the country largely remains shut adversely affecting the poor. So far, the pandemic has affected over 4,500 in Pakistan while claiming 66 lives as the country exhausts its resources in the fight. Here are the l..