Former Australian cricketer, Dean Jones, has suggested moving the ICC T20 World Cup to New Zealand considering the country has eradicated COVID-19 successfully with no new cases for over a week. He posted this earlier today on Twitter.
Jacinda Ardern said NZ could move to alert level 1 next week, which means all social distancing measures and curbs on mass gatherings will be lifted, she said. Maybe play the T20 WC there? #justathought
— Dean Jones AM (@ProfDeano) June 3, 2020
New Zealand’s last COVID-19 patient was released from the hospital last week and the government has said that it is likely to lift the social distancing and other restrictions next week.
The mega event is scheduled to be held in Australia from 18th October to 15th November later this year, however, the coronavirus situation in the country is likely to get the event postponed. Cricket Australia has already requested the ICC to move the tournament to 2021 with India’s 2021 T20 World Cup also likely to be delayed..
Category: Technology
Pakistani Scientist’s Research on Viruses Now Ranks #1 On Google Scholar
Google Scholar has ranked the scientific contribution by Pakistani molecular virologist, Professor Dr. Muhammad Mukhtar, titled “Antiviral Potentials of Medicinal Plants” at the #1 spot in the category of treatment of viral infections.
Dr. Mukhtar’s work stands out from more than 234,000 research papers investigating the use of traditional medicine in the treatment of antiviral infections.
Mohammad Arshad and Mahmood Ahmad of Islamia University Bahawalpur, Zahida Parveen of Thomas Jefferson University, Brian Wigdahl of Drexel University College of Medicine, and Roger Pomerantz of Tibotec Pharmaceuticals had co-authored Antiviral Potentials of Medicinal Plants alongside Dr. Mukhtar in 2008.
The research paper describes the potential antiviral properties of medicinal plants against a diverse group of viruses. It further suggests screening of 24 plants possessing broad-spectrum antiviral effects against emerging viral infections.
About Dr. Mukhtar Dr. Mukhtar is currently serving as t..
Indonesia Cancels its Hajj Plans for 2020 Amid COVID-19 Fears
Indonesia, home to the largest Muslim population in the world, is canceling its Hajj pilgrimage plans this year over coronavirus fears.
“The government has decided to cancel the Hajj 2020 as the Saudi Arabian authorities failed to provide certainty,” Fachrul Razi, Indonesia’s religious affairs minister, said during a news conference in the capital, Jakarta.
This was a very bitter and difficult decision. But we have a responsibility to protect our pilgrims and Hajj workers.
The decision comes just a few weeks before the first group of pilgrims was scheduled to leave Indonesia to begin their journey for the pilgrimage. More than 220,000 people from the world’s biggest Muslim country were set to take part in this year’s Hajj.
Normally, Saudi Arabia sets quotas for millions of pilgrims based on their country of origin. But they haven’t announced yet whether it will allow visitors for this year’s Hajj and international travel has been banned there since March.
With uncertainty lingerin..
Govt to Launch a Web Portal for Ehsaas Cash Program Applicants
The government has decided to launch a web portal to facilitate applicants and volunteers and allow them to check their application status for the Ehsaas Emergency Cash program online.
The web portal will also allow beneficiaries, who are facing problems in their bio-metric verification, to receive payments through designated banks without prior verification from NADRA.
Habib Bank in Punjab, Sindh, and Balochistan, Bank Al-Falah in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit-Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir will provide services to applicants.
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The web portal will let applicants to get registered for the program directly by entering their computerized National Identity Card (CNIC) number.
PM Imran’s Ehsaas Emergency cash program has proved to be a huge success so far. As per statistics, the government has distributed Rs. 115.68 billion among 9,513,000 beneficiaries in several categories ..
Pakistani Pharma Companies Saw 37% Increase in Profits in Q1 2020: Report
According to a report by Topline Securities, Pakistan’s pharmaceuticals witnessed a significant increase of 37% in profits during the first quarter of 2020, followed by Consumer Staples which remained largely stagnant (up 1.0% year on year) while the profitability of Consumer Discretionary (mainly autos) fell by 39% as compared with the same period last year.
Pakistan’s consumer companies’ (Staples, Pharmaceuticals, and Discretionary) profitability declined by 7% on a year-on-year basis in the first quarter of 2020.
The overall slowdown in economic activity and country-wide lockdown starting during the last week of Mar-2020 in the wake of COVID-19, resulted in lower consumers’ purchasing power said the report.
The sales of Consumer Discretionary, as a result, have declined significantly by 32% YoY compared to a decline of 38% in the fourth quarter of 2019. However, the turnover for the other two segments, i.e. Staples and Pharmaceuticals, witnessed an uptick of 8% and 7% YoY respect..
Here’s Why Wasim Akram is Trending on Twitter
These days when a topic trends on Twitter, its reeks of controversy. It’s Wasim Akram’s name that’s trending today, however, things aren’t always bad.
Social media users have started a campaign to share their love for the legendary fast bowler and former captain on his birthday. The 54-year-old is the highest wicket-taker for Pakistan and one of the greatest fast bowlers to have stepped on a cricket field.
The Sultan of Swing has a number of records to his name and has 916 international wickets to his name including 414 in Tests at 23.62 and 502 in ODIs at 23.52.
✴️ 104 Tests, 356 ODIs
✴️ 916 international wickets
✴️ 6,615 runs
✴️ 1992 Men's @cricketworldcup champion
Happy birthday to the legendary Pakistan all-rounder, @wasimakramlive ? pic.twitter.com/Vl61LYDlpd
— ICC (@ICC) June 3, 2020
In his career, Wasim Akram grabbed 4 hat-tricks and 31 five-fors across formats. The man of the match in World Cup final in 1992, Akram later became the first bowler to take 400 wickets in..
Qatar Airways Temporarily Suspends Flights From Pakistan
Qatar Airways has suspended its flight operations in Pakistan until June 15 for reasons unknown. The decision has come days after the Doha-based airline was given special permission to land in Pakistan with limited flights.
The announcement was followed by a meeting of the civil aviation authority with country managers of international airlines to discuss the revival of international flights in the country.
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Additional Director General (ADG) Civilian Aviation Authority, Vice Marshal Tanveer Bhatti presided over the meeting held at the CAA headquarters. During the meeting, the international flight schedule came under discussion.
The airliners were informed about the resumption of 30 percent of flights in the country. Suggestions were also sought from them regarding the return of passengers to Pakistan.
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Moreover, it was also conveyed that there will be ..
Islamabad Police to Install Hi-Tech Cameras At All Check Posts
Islamabad Police has decided to install high-tech cameras at all check posts across the capital for enhanced security and better implementation of law and order.
All cameras will be connected to the Islamabad Safe City Project. The data from these cameras will also be shared with other law enforcement agencies to increase collaboration on matters related to security.
IG Islamabad Police Aamir Zulfiqar Khan approved the project in a meeting attended by DIG Operations, SSP Security, AIG Special Branch, and officials from other law enforcement agencies.
IG Islamabad Police while commenting on the initiative said:
Protection of the lives and property of the citizens remain the paramount priority of Islamabad Police. The department has taken several measures for effective security in the Capital in collaboration with other law enforcement agencies.
This isn’t the first time Islamabad Police has decided to employ technology for better policing since the appointment of Aamir Zulfiqar as ..
SEGA Launches Micro Game Consoles to Celebrate its 60th Anniversary
SEGA, on its 60th anniversary, is making a second attempt to conquer the microgames console market. The Japanese company has launched Four handheld Micro gaming consoles, and each one comes with a set of four different games.
The consoles are absolutely miniscule and might be the tiniest mini gaming consoles launched to date.
Design and Display The consoles look like the original SEGA game gear but are much smaller. The consoles measure 80mm x 43mm x 20mm and are equipped with a 1.15-inch display featuring 160 x 144 pixels resolution. For comparison, the Game Boy micro has a 2-inch panel that provides 240 x 160 pixels resolution.
The SEGA Micro console comes with a mono speaker and charges over USB but can also run on two AAA batteries.
Included Games Each colored console is a different system that comes with a set of four different preloaded games. This is probably SEGA’s attempt to force collectors to buy them all.
Here is what you get with each console.
Console Games Black S..
Xiaomi’s Display Hanging Lamp Reduces Headaches & Increases Your Efficiency
MIJIA, Xiaomi’s subsidiary known for its Mi Home products, has launched the MIJIA Display Hanging Lamp designed to provide a comfortable light for workspaces.
According to the company, unlike many table lamps, the MIJIA display hanging light does not cause any white light-induced headache and fatigue. Rather, it provides a comfortable light that helps improve overall efficiency.
Construction The MIJIA Display Hanging Light looks pretty much like a modern tube light. It comes with a hook that can be used to mount the light on your computer or TV screen. Note that it cannot be used with a laptop.
The casing has been constructed using high-grade aluminum while the light itself is customized using an optical lens and a finely etched photomask prevents screen reflection. Moreover, it also comes with magnetic rotation, so that users can adjust the angle as per their choice.
Other Specifications The light has a remote control and is equipped with a Ra90 high color rendering index, preset..