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Determining how long the immunity against SARS-COV-2, the coronavirus which causes the COVID-19 infection, actually lasts has been the most pressing question ever since the deadly pandemic broke out in Wuhan last year.

However, researchers at the University of Arizona have come up with the most comprehensive answer to this question yet, claiming that the immunity against the virus lasts for years.

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According to the study, which is yet to be peer-reviewed or published in any scientific journal, immune cells have been found in people, who had contracted COVID-19 and successfully recovered from the affliction, 8 months after the first diagnosis. These immune cells are sufficient to attack the virus and avert illness in the future.

Shane Crotty, a co-author of the study and a virologist at the La Jolla Institute of Immunology California, has said:

That amount of immune cells found after 8 months is likely to prevent the vast majority of people from getting hospitalized disease or severe disease for many years.

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Moreover, this study also corresponds to another recent research that revealed that survivors of SARS, the infectious disease caused by SARS-COV-1, carry immune cells 17 years after recovering from the disease.

Having initially believed that the immunity against the coronavirus may be short-lived, healthcare experts have heaved a sigh of relief after the findings of the study were made public.

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The daily COVID-19 positivity rate in Islamabad reached 11.78 percent on Tuesday, the highest since the outbreak in March.

According to the district administration officials, the federal capital reported 261 new infections and three more virus-related deaths during the last 24 hours. The capital’s caseload now stands at 24,871.

On the other hand, five educational institutions have also been closed after students, and the staff members tested positive for coronavirus. The institutions sealed by the authorities are Islamabad Model School for Girls, F-7/2, Islamabad Model School, G-7/3, Islamabad Model College for Boys, H-9, Islamabad Model College for Girls, F-6/2, and Islamabad Model College, Malpur.

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A total of 1,917 tests were conducted on Tuesday, out of which 226 people, 127 males and 99 females, were found infected, showing a positivity rate of 11.78 percent. The deceased patients, including two women, were between the ages of 40-79.

As per the official data, the number of active cases in the capital stands at 3,473 with 117 in hospitals and others isolated at homes. At least 91 patients are on oxygen, 16 on ventilators while 10 patients are in stable condition.

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The Chinese network company and Smartphone maker ZTE, mainly known for its Nubia gaming series, recently shared that it is going to make a big announcement tomorrow (19th November 2020). The news was shared via the company’s official Weibo account.

Earlier this month, the company General Manager, Lu Qianhao, shared that ZTE was planning to launch a number of new Smartphones in November. So far, only one handset has been launched. Hence, there is a high probability that the smartphone OEM is going to launch a new handset tomorrow.

Even though the company has not revealed anything officially, experts believe that the impending smartphone will come with entry-level specifications and a reasonable price. The company released the ZTE Blade A7s 2020 earlier this month. Hence, the second phone might belong to the same category as well.

Moreover, last week, live images of the alleged ZTE Blade A51 surfaced online. The smartphone also recently passed through FCC certification, so the company might unveil the handset tomorrow.

According to the certification, the handset will feature a 6.1-inch display with a waterdrop notch, a polycarbonate plastic body, a 3,200mAh battery with 5W charging, and support for Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity, 2.4GHz Wi-Fi, USB Type-C, and a 3.5 mm audio jack.

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Pakistan is set to receive the debt servicing relief of $2.7 billion under the G20’s Debt Servicing Suspension Initiative (DSSI), which will help create expenditure space for COVID-related spending.

In a global context, Pakistan is likely to benefit the most from potential savings under the DSSI.

The total volume of debt relief under DSSI stands at $11.5 billion, out of which Pakistan’s share alone is around 23 percent. The shares of other countries are negligible relative to Pakistan, except for Angola.

In terms of percent of GDP, Pakistan is among the top 10 DSSI beneficiaries. This debt relief will not only ease pressures on debt servicing but also create the needed fiscal space to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 in Pakistan.

Ultimately, participation in this initiative would further improve the debt sustainability indicators of Pakistan. Pakistan applied for the DSSI in the last quarter of FY20.

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FDI Witnesses a Massive 150% YoY Increase in October

Persistent fiscal and current account deficits have led to debt accumulation over the years, putting pressures on debt sustainability. External debt is considered sustainable if a country can meet its maturing obligations without debt rescheduling and without compromising on economic growth.

Pakistan’s total external debt and liabilities (EDL) increased by $6.5 billion during FY20 compared to a rise of US$ 11.1 billion during FY19.

This slowdown in external debt accumulation was attributed to a marked contraction in the current account deficit, revaluation gains of $0.4 billion on the outstanding stock of external debt, and higher debt repayments during the year.

Lastly, the share of loans from the IMF also increased during FY20, which not only included the tranches received under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF) but also the inflow of $ 1.4 billion under the Rapid Financing Instrument (RFI) following the COVID-19 crisis.

The most common measure used to assess debt-bearing capacity is the external debt and liabilities to GDP ratio, which improved marginally to 45.5 percent by end-June 2020 from 45.7 percent by end-June 2019.

The indicator shows that the growth in nominal GDP outpaced the growth in external debt and liabilities during FY20. As highlighted earlier, the reduction in current account deficit and higher amortization contained the growth in external debt and liabilities.

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However, it is also important to emphasize that this ratio has been consistently increasing over the last few years. The ratio increased from 26.6 percent during FY16 to 45.5 percent during FY20.

This indicates that the cumulative growth in external debt surpassed the nominal GDP growth during this period.

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Google’s video-sharing platform YouTube recently announced its audio ads that will target users listening to YouTube in the background.

In the announcement, Melissa Hsieh Nikolic, Group Product Manager YouTube Ads, said that the new format has been designed for audiences that use the website for “ambient listening.” It will help brands tailor their media and creative approach according to different ways consumers are engaging with YouTube.

Hence, you might soon start seeing ads on YouTube that will feel like ads designed for radio or services like Spotify. The audio will be 15 seconds long and will be accompanied by visuals that will either be stills or simple animations.

YouTube claims that “more than 75 percent of measured audio ad campaigns on YouTube drove a significant lift in brand awareness.”

The blog reads,

One of our early testers, Shutterfly, used audio ads to influence purchase consideration among interested shoppers, driving above benchmark lifts of 14 percent lift in ad recall and 2 percent lift in favorability among their target audience.

Along with the new ad format, the website is also launching a new feature called dynamic music lineups. These lineups are basically dedicated groups of channels focused on music divided by popular genres, such as K-Pop and hip-hop, or by interests, such as fitness. These are also focused on helping marketers find their target audiences easily.

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The Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has approved the launch of a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) Lending Platform under the first cohort of the Regulatory Sandbox to support and encourage the Fintech revolution in the country.

P2P lending is an innovative alternative digital platform that connects borrowers with individual lenders to meet the borrowers’ loan requirements. It facilitates borrowers in giving short-term loans that enable SMEs to scale up their business and eventually qualifies them to take bigger bank loans.

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This current approval for the testing and experimentation of a P2P Lending Platform is also attributed to the development of an ecosystem for SME financing to achieve higher growth prospects and to create new employment and business opportunities.

During the testing and experimentation stage, the P2P Lending Platform will operate within pre-defined parameters and will be subject to certain terms and conditions. Furthermore, the selection of each lender/borrower on the platform will be done according to specific eligibility criteria.

These terms and conditions will address the inherent risks involved in the operation of such a platform in the absence of a regulatory framework. However, they will be reconsidered alongside the results of the experimentation stage of the subject P2P Lending Platform. This will help the SECP devise the much-needed enabling regulatory framework.

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The SECP regulatory sandbox is the framework to accommodate the provision of financial services that leverage new technologies. It also allows FinTech firms to test their services and facilitates the adoption of new technology in a live environment within a limited, well-defined scope.

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A four-member independent jury today announced the team of Pakistan Super League 2020, which will be captained by Islamabad United’s Shadab Khan.

The independent jury included commentators, Bazid Khan, Ramiz Raja and Urooj Mumtaz, and Nadeem Khan, who is a member of the PSL 2020 Technical Committee and PCB Director – High Performance.

The 12-member side, as per the event regulations, includes four foreign players and one emerging category player, and represents five teams with Lahore Qalandars boasting six players, three Karachi Kings, and one each from Islamabad United, Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators.

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Here’s how the team stacks up:

Babar Azam (Karachi Kings)
Chris Lynn (Lahore Qalandars)
Alex Hales (Karachi Kings)
Haider Ali (Peshawar Zalmi)
Mohammad Hafeez (Lahore Qalandars)
Shadab Khan (captain, Islamabad United)
Ben Dunk (wicketkeeper, Lahore Qalandars)
David Wiese (Lahore Qalandars)
Mohammad Amir (Karachi Kings)
Shaheen Shah Afridi (Lahore Qalandars)
Mohammad Hasnain (Quetta Gladiators)
Fakhar Zaman (12th, Lahore Qalandars)

From the above, Babar Azam is the only player who was also a member of the Team of PSL 2019 after he had aggregated 335 runs at an average of 30.45 with a strike-rate 115.51.

While selecting the side, the independent jury considered a number of cricketing aspects, including consistency, impact on the side and results, fitness and best possible team combination so this team can take on any PSL 2020 side on any given day at any of the four tournament venues.

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Shadab Khan said, “I feel honoured to have been appointed captain of Team of the PSL 2020, which includes some fine performers from one of the most successful events. However, it hurts that we were unable to make it to the playoffs. We gave our best shot, which was clearly not enough, and means we have to come harder and stronger when the sixth edition is played next year.”

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