Pakistan’s mango exports have taken a huge hit from the economic havoc wreaked by the coronavirus pandemic, reported Anadolu Agency.
Exporters fear a huge decline of around 35% to 40% this year due to suspension of international flights, closure of borders, rising freight fares, and on top of that, contracting demands.
Waheed Ahmed, President of Pakistan Fruits Exporters Association told the foreign media outlet that last year, Pakistan exported 130,000 metric tons of mangoes to the Middle East, Europe, the US, Japan, Australia, and other countries. This year, however, Pakistan is expected to export no more than 80,000 tons.
Pakistan had earned over $90 million through mango exports alone but it will not be more than $50 million this year due to present coronavirus conditions. He said:
Timing is a key factor vis-a-vis mango exports as it’s a perishable commodity. It cannot wait long. Suspension of international flights has badly hit the mango exports to Europe and the US. Many expo..
Category: Technology
Govt Approves Export of Locally Manufactured PPE and Sanitizers
The Federal Cabinet has given its approval for export of locally-manufactured personal protective equipment (PPEs), sanitizers, and other things.
The approval was granted by the cabinet in a meeting held in Islamabad with Prime Minister Imran Khan in the chair.
Adviser to Prime Minister of Pakistan for Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood said that the approval was granted for the export of all PPE of any material (woven or nonwoven) as well as sanitizers.
However the ban on Tyvek suits, N95 masks, and surgical masks will continue, he added.
At today’s cabinet meeting, approval was granted for the export of all items of PPE of any material, woven or non woven; sanitizers have also been allowed, however the ban on Tyvek suits, N95 masks and surgical masks will continue. 1/2 @pid_gov @ImranKhanPTI @aliya_hamza
— Abdul Razak Dawood (@razak_dawood) June 2, 2020
The Advisor further said that exporters are requested to go full speed ahead and capture a good share of the world mar..
Situation Report: 4,131 New Cases, 67 Deaths Reported in 24 Hours
Pakistan reported its highest single-day toll for the second day in a row as 4,131 new cases were reported across Pakistan yesterday, up from 3,958 cases reported a day earlier.
Pakistan also conducted the highest number of tests in a day with 17,370 tests conducted in 24 hours.
Of new cases, Punjab reported 1,639 positive cases with its tests per day reaching 6,925. Sindh reported 1,439 cases with a total of 5,454 tests in 24 hours.
New cases in Islamabad are on the rise as 295 new cases were reported in the city, and the toll reached 3,188 positive cases till now.
KP added 412 new cases while Balochistan reported 226 new cases yesterday.
The country’s death toll reached 1,688 as Punjab and Sindh reported 30 and 23 deaths respectively. Another 8 patients died in KP while Islamabad reported 4 deaths. One death each was reported in AJK and GB.
It’s apparent that cases are on the rise. Deaths are rising with the same proportion; indicating that the number of deaths will grow in the..
Federal Cabinet Approves the First Ever Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy
The Federal Cabinet, in its meeting today, approved the first-ever Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy, pursuant to a summary moved by the Ministry of Industries and Production.
The policy has been prepared by the Engineering Development Board (EDB), a techno-economic arm of the Ministry of Industries and Production (MoIP), through extensive consultation with relevant public and private sector stakeholders.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC), in its previous meeting held on 21st May 2020, approved the Mobile Device Manufacturing Policy which has been further ratified in the said meeting of the Federal Cabinet.
Mr. Muhammad Hammad Azhar, Minister for Industries and Production congratulated his team in Ministry and also acknowledged the support from Ministry of Commerce, Ministry of IT & Telecom, Pakistan Telecommunication Authority, Ministry of Planning, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) and consideration of ECC.
The market carries a potential of over 40 million handsets, which h..
AIOU to Accept Online Result Certificates For New Admissions
Allama Iqbal Open University (AIOU) will be accepting web-based provisional result certificates to facilitate candidates looking to enroll in the Fall 2020 semester amidst the Coronavirus pandemic.
According to the official notification, candidates can apply for MA, MSc, MEd, BEd, BS, BA, BBA, Associate Degree, and Post Graduate Diplomas till June 5.
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Besides, AIOU’s management has uploaded the recently announced results on the university’s website and has dispatched the result sheets to the residential addresses of the students as well.
Vice Chancellor (VC) AIOU, Prof. Dr. Zia Ul-Qayyum, has said that AIOU will take all possible measures to assist students in taking admissions during the COVID-19 pandemic.
AIOU will continue to conduct online classes and assessments through the locally developed and recently launched next-gen Learning Management System (LMS) called Aaghi LMS Portal.
The post AIOU to..
Honor’s Newest Smartphone Can Check Your Body Temperature
We have seen infrared cameras on smartphones before but what’s new about the upcoming Honor Play 4 is that it will allow you to take your temperature reliably. The new lineup from Honor is expected to arrive tomorrow as the company’s brand manager teased its uncommon temperature testing feature just a day ahead of its release.
Honor says that the new Honor 4 will be able to measure the temperature of objects, animals, and humans, but its the latter that is most practical since it might prove to be quite convenient during the pandemic.
The user will simply have to hold the phone over a person’s body without having to touch them. The video below shows how it works.
It is unclear whether the feature will be available in all phones in the series or just one of them. Either way, it could prove to be a really useful feature if it works properly especially for healthcare workers.
The Honor Play 4 is expected to come with a 6.57-inch display with a Kirin chipset and 8GB RAM on-board. It wi..
Honda Announces Massive Decrease in Profits in 2020 After 6 Months of Losses
Honda Atlas Cars has announced its financial results for the year that ended on March 31st 2020.
The company has reported a profit of Rs. 681.75 million, down by massive 82.31% as compared to a profit of Rs. 3.85 billion recorded in the same period last year.
During the fourth quarter, the automaker has, for the second time, reported a loss. It has reported a loss of Rs. 28 million in the outgoing quarter. It had reported a loss in the third quarter of the year as well. The result was accompanied with a cash dividend of Rs. 1.0 per share.
The sales during the year were down by 42.14% to Rs. 55.04 billion as compared with Rs. 95.12 billion recorded last year.
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Pakistan’s Auto Industry in Shambles as Some Resume Production & Others Await Green Signal
The major reasons behind the drop in profits ware the decrease in sales as the volumes decreased by 54% due to a rise in prices, rising finance cost by 64.06 times, low gross margins, low demand in the country and due to the R..
Microsoft Admits to Stealing AppGet’s Idea
Microsoft is finally giving AppGet developer Keivan Beigi credit for using his work for the Windows Package Manager.
A few days ago Beigi revealed how Microsoft had reached out to him and showed interest in his own package manager. They invited him for interviews only to ghost him for months and then soon after revealed their own package manager that was very similar. Beigi felt that Microsoft’s package manager was inspired by his own and accused the company of stealing his work.
He claimed that Microsoft’s package manager had used “core mechanics, terminology, the manifest format and structure, even the package repository’s folder structure” from AppGet’s iteration. Microsoft did mention AppGet in its announcements but only glancing over how several other similar package managers already exist.
Later, the program manager responsible for the app model mentioned AppGet and Keivan Beigi’s work. However, it fell short of apologizing for the circumstances or admitting that the Windows P..
COMSATS University Removes Entry Test Requirement for Some BS Programs
COMSATS University has announced a change in its admission policy for Fall 2020 semester considering the ongoing coronavirus situation in Pakistan.
According to the official notification, admissions for the fall semester will open from August 1, 2020.
The university has decided not to conduct entry tests for non-engineering undergraduate programs. However, applicants of engineering undergraduate programs will have to appear in an entry test.
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Moreover, candidates eyeing a seat in architecture and design categories will also have to undergo a departmental drawing test followed by an interview.
Marks obtained in Matriculation will account for 20% and Intermediate 80% in determining the final merit of candidates of undergraduate programs.
Test dates for MS programs will be announced later while merit calculation criteria for both MS and Ph.D. will remain unchanged.
Lastly, the model of teaching and assessments in COMSATS Uni..
$2.4 Billion Deal Signed for New 1124MW Power Project Under CPEC
The government of Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) has signed an agreement with China Three Gorges Corporation and Private Power and Infrastructure Board (PPIB) for the development of Kohala hydroelectric power project.
The 1,124-megawatt power project will be developed in AJK under the umbrella of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) framework.
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The project is estimated to produce more than five billion units of clean and low-cost electricity every year. With a $2.4 billion initial investment, this is one of the largest investments in an independent power producer (IPP) in Pakistan as well as in AJK.
Another hydropower project – the 102MW Gulpur project – at Poonch River in Kotli district has been operational since March this year.
Power Minister, Omar Ayub Khan, while chairing the 127th meeting of PPIB, lauded the board’s role in enhancing hydroelectric power generation.
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