Info we should know

ISLAMABAD, Jun 30:The process of payments of Rs. 2000 for the new eligible beneficiaries applied for the “Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel” scheme of the government through sending SMS to the 786 will start from July 4. According to the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP) Pakistan, the eligible beneficiaries of the scheme who registered through 786 will start getting their payment of Rs. 2000. However, the existing beneficiaries of Benazir Kafalat program are already receiving their payments of Rs. 2000 from the designated banks. Till Wednesday, out of eight million registered families of Benazir Kafalat program, Rs. 6.67 billion has been disbursed among 3,339,000 families. After receiving payment message from BISP, the registered families of Benazir Kafalat Program belonged from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan may receive their payments from biometric ATMs of Habib Bank and those from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Bank Alfalah. All those who are not reg

ISLAMABAD, Jun 29: The tourist influx at scenic spots of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) was on rise as around 33,027 people from across the country visited various destinations in one day to enjoy the pleasant weather.  Different places of KP province are known for low temperature in Summer season and are the main reason of attraction for tourists from plain cities where mercury even touched 45 C mark. The statistics issued daily by KP Integrated Tourism Development Project (KITE) on Wednesday revealed that Galiyat attracted 16,311 tourists, Kaghan/Naran 13,321, Malam Jabba 2,140, Chitral Lower 638 and areas of Upper Dir fascinated 452 tourists.  A senior official at KITE said the hotel industry was doing a good business due to rise in Summer tourism.  Moreover, a large number of tourists are also expected during Eid ul Azha holidays. The administration is in process of  finalizing all arrangements to facilitate tourists particularly during holidays.  When asked, the official said Murree was

ISLAMABAD, Jun 27: The PTCL Group, comprising of PTCL and Ufone network, has donated life jackets to the fishermen community of Karachi to ensure safety of small-scale level fishermen during high tide season at a ceremony held in FCS HQ in Karachi. Chairman of Fishermen Cooperative Society Zahid Ibrahim Bhatti was presented with life jackets by PTCL Group representatives to acknowledge the efforts of the local fishermen, said a news release issued here on Monday. Expressing his thoughts regarding the initiative, Head of Public Relations and Corporate Communication, of PTCL Group Amir Pasha said that “PTCL Group was always looking for opportunities to give back to the community where it is most needed." He said that monsoon season is around the corner and there was pressing need to undertake measures to ensure safety of fishermen community, who risk their lives to sustain the seafood supply chain.  He said safety is of a paramount importance and these fishermen need to be equipped

ISLAMABAD, Jun 27: A five-day anti-polio campaign started across the country from Monday to administer anti-polio vaccine to the children up to five years of age. According to details, in Punjab, 39,000 health workers were taking part in the the week-long campaign to administer anti-polio vaccine to over five million children in seven districts, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, DG Khan, Bahawalpur, Layyah and Mianwali. In Sindh, the special anti-polio drive started in Karachi and Hyderabad divisions and other high-risk districts of Sindh from Monday while in Larkana, Sukkur and Shaheed Benazirabad divisions, the drive will start from Wednesday. Over 30,000 polio workers will administer anti-polio drops to over 3.3 million children in the high risk union councils. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, about 2.6 million children would be administered anti-polio drops during a five day campaign. Over 11,000 teams will take part in the campaign. Similarly in Balochistan, 4,900 teams will admin

LAHORE, Jun 24:The Pakistan Railways will introduce a "Safar Saheli" mobile application to facilitate women passengers during traveling by a train.  According to the PR sources on Friday, a special room in the PR Police IG office has been set up to operate the application.  PR CEO Farrukh Temor Ghilzai has constituted a committee to monitor the work on the app.  The committee members, including Divisional Commercial Officer Zeeshan Shehzad, DEE M Akbar Shah and DSTE Ali Nawab Khan, visited the room and check preparations for the application.  The committee vowed that the app would soon be activated and after its launch, safety of women passengers would be ensured.

ISLAMABAD, Jun 21: Government has started the process of making payments of Rs.2000 to the existing eight million beneficiaries of the Benazir Kafalat program in view of rising prices of petroleum products in the country. The payments have started under the Sasta Petrol/Sasta Diesel Scheme of the government which is being executed under the Benazir Income Support Program (BISP). According to the BISP, after receiving payment message from BISP, the registered families of Benazir Kafalat Program belonged from Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan may receive their payments from biometric ATMs of Habib Bank and those from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Gilgit Baltistan and Azad Jammu and Kashmir from Bank Alfalah. All those who are not registered in Benazir Kafalat and have applied in the scheme by sending an SMS to 786 are requested to wait for the message of eligibility and payment.   They will receive a payment message shortly after the message of fulfilling the required eligibility criteria. It is perti

ISLAMABAD, Jun 20: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) on Monday issued advisory for all departments concerned to remain alert as series of heavy rains may start in the country from today. According to the latest advisory released by Pakistan Meteorological Department, the series of torrential rains with winds and thundershowers, beginning in upper and central parts of the country from Monday, will continue till Wednesday. The relevant authorities including all provincial departments, National Highway Authority, Frontier Works Organisation and other institutions asked to remain alert and take precautionary measures to avoid any untoward incidents. The new rain spell might trigger landslides in vulnerable areas of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Galyat, Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The heavy falls my generate flash flooding in local nullahs in Rawalpindi and Islamabad. The NDMA has also advised public living in low-lying areas to remain alert and immediately report any kind of emerge

ISLAMABAD, Jun 20: On the direction of Inspector General of National Highway and Motorway Police (NH&MP) Khalid Mahmood, the department will launch a demerit point system.  The system will rely on a national driving license repository (NLDR) of over 8 million driving licenses, said a press release.  Demerit points for various violations are defined in the National Highways Safety Ordinance 2000 (Section 86). Driving licenses shall be suspended, as per the law, when demerit points exceed twenty within two years.  NH&MP officers can now retrieve prior violations and challans through the violator's CNIC, telephone number, and license number.  This initiative is a part of the '#NoMore' campaign, whereby a zero-tolerance enforcement regime has been introduced with the help of technological innovations like well-equipped spotters, next-generation speed cameras, drones, body-worn cameras and intelligent management systems for public service vehicles (PSVs).  The demerit po

Traffic and driving license RAWALPINDI, May 31: City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi on the directives of City Police Officer, Rawalpindi Syed Shehzad Nadeem Bukhari on Tuesday launched 24-hour driving license service facility here at CTP Headquarters. According to a CTP spokesman, special arrangements had been made at CTP Headquarters on the instructions of Chief Traffic Officer Rawalpindi Naveed Irshad to provide round the clock driving license facilities to the students, businessmen, public and private sector employees and others.  The facility introduced for the first time in Punjab would make the citizens able to avail driving license services 24 hours at the Traffic Headquarters, he added. He said, CTP was making earnest efforts for the provision of the services related to the driving licenses and other traffic facilities to the public.  The spokesman said that under the first phase, driving learner permits, renewal of driving licenses and international driving licensing faciliti

ISLAMABAD, May 30: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday granted interim bail to Tiktok star accused Mrs. Nosheen Saeed known as ‘Dolly’ till June 8, in case pertaining to setting a fire in forests of Margalla Hills.  Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the case filed by the Tiktok star seeking her pre-arrest bail.       At the outset of hearing, the court expressed annoyance with the petitioner’s lawyer over late appearance. The court said the lawyer had requested the court to hear the matter on the same day but he himself was absence.  The advocate prayed the court to grant some time for case preparation at this the bench adjourned the case till June 8. The court accepted the bail against surety bonds worth Rs100,000. It may be mentioned here that earlier a lower court had canceled the interim bail of the accused. The Tiktok star allegedly set fire in the forest of Margallah Hills to prepare her modeling videos for social media.

MULTAN, May 29: The recreational activities have been increased at swimming pools as the temperature has jumped over 40 degree centigrade from last few weeks in Multan and the suburban areas.  A large number of people, especially, youngsters start approaching swimming pools in order to get a sigh of relief from the scorching heat. Most of the swimming pools are situated outside the city areas, while few are within the city limits.  The swimming pool owners have increased the bathing charges as the sun crossed 40 degree centigrade. The bathing fee of Rs 500 was being charged from each person at the swimming pools which was Rs 250 to 350 in the previous years.  The business of swimming pool remained almost closed during the last two years due to coronavirus. Now, most of the owners have completed the repairing work of pools and make operational while renovation and repairing work was continued on many others. 

ISLAMABAD, May 29: Global Day of Parents will be marked on June 1 (Wednesday) across the globe including Pakistan to honor parents and their commitment to children worldwide. Parents play an important part in shaping one's life. People all over the world have the opportunity to appreciate parents and parental figures for the vital role they play in the development of families. Community leaders, parents, children, teachers, and family organizations get together in celebrating the day and promoting effective parenting. On September 17, 2012, the UN publicly declared that the Global Day of Parents would be held annually on June 1. This observance recognizes parents as vital in providing protection and positive development for their children. The UN also noted that parents of every race, religion, culture and nationality in all parts of the world were the primary caregivers and teachers of their children.

LAHORE, May 27:No case of monkey pox has been reported in the country, however, precautionary measures have been taken by the government departments. These views were expressed by members Punjab Assembly Khawaja Salman Rafique and Khawaja Imran Nazeer while talking to the media at a seminar held here on Friday. They informed that the diagnostic test lab facility has been provided in the BSL-III Lab of the Institute of Public Health (IPH). Earlier while addressing the seminar, Dean IPH Professor Sobia Qazi said that symptoms of small pox and chicken pox are very similar with the viral disease monkey pox, therefore, clinicians should get more information regarding the disease so that they could differentiate between the diseases and without solid reason and lab test, do not declare similar skin disease cases as monkey pox patients. Director Communicable Disease Control Dr Shahid Magsi informed the participants that no monkey pox case has so far been reported in this region including Paki

  ISLAMABAD, May 27:Youm-e-Takbeer will be observed on Saturday with national zeal and fervour to commemorate historic nuclear tests at Chagai in 1998. The Ministry of Information and Broadcasting has also released a national song in connection with the "Youm-e-Takbeer". It was aimed at highlighting the importance of "Youm-e-Takbeer" Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif had already announced ten-day celebrations on the completion of 24 years of nuclear tests.

Exam Postponed FBISE ISLAMABAD, May 26: Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) Islamabad had postponed two papers of the annual examination of matriculation within the county and abroad, scheduled on May 25, and 26 due to the Law and Order situation in the country.  According to the controller examination, now the Secondary School Certificate (SSC) papers that were postponed on May 25 and 26 will now be conducted on June 08 and 09 respectively.  The Federal Board has asked the students to download their new roll number slips from FBISE Website. However, all remaining papers will be held as per scheduled issued earlier by the Board.  Moreover, the practical exams that were earlier scheduled to be held on June 06 will now be started on June 10, 2022.

RAWALPINDI, May 24: Rawalpindi Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (RBISE) on Tuesday postponed Secondary School Certificate (SSC) Annual Examination, 2022 scheduled to be held on May 25. According to a notification, issued by Higher Education Department, Lahore, Government of the Punjab, owing to unavoidable circumstances in Rawalpindi Division, paper of Pakistan Studies, P-II, SSC annual examinations, 2022, scheduled to be held on May 25 has been postponed. Next date will be announced by the board in due course of time through electronic and print media, the notification said. To a question the RBISE spokesman said SSC annual examinations 2022 were being held under foolproof arrangements.  He informed that 17,796 students were appearing in the exams which had started in four districts of the division in accordance with the schedule announced earlier.  388 exam centers including 142 for boys and 139 for girls had also been set up besides 107 combined centers, he added.  The

PESHAWAR, May 24 :Former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan on Tuesday announced that he would lead the long march to Islamabad from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference here, Imran Khan claimed that a large number of people, including women and youth from all the provinces would march towards the Federal Capital to press the demand for fresh election in the country. He said the PTI march would be totally peaceful and there was no justification for  crackdown against his party workers. Holding a peaceful protest was their democratic right, he added. He said a free, fair and transparent election was the only solution of the economic challenges, such as price hike and rupee devaluation. "We need to stand on own feet as quickly as possible rather than relying on the International Monetary Fund." He pleaded for maintaining voting right for the overseas Pakistanis as they were remitting $31 billion dollars annually . Imran Kha

Traffic scenario in Rawalpindi for Imran Khan long march  RAWALPINDI, May 24: City Traffic Police (CTP) Rawalpindi has completed all the arrangements to maintain smooth flow of traffic amid long march call declared by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI). According to the police spokesman, during the long march, more than 462 personnel would be on duty for the convenience of the citizens.  Chief Traffic Officer (CTO) Naveed Irshad said additional personnel have been deployed on all major highways including Peshawar Road, Mall Road and Murree Road.  He informed that the traffic would be diverted from diversion points to alternate routes whereas additional duties have also been assigned on diversion points and alternate routes.  "There will be traffic police deployed at all points to maintain the flow of traffic," he added. The citizens should travel 20 minutes prior to their schedule to avoid any inconvenience and also avoid unnecessary travelling, he maintained

BEIJING, May 23 (Xinhua):Long-term exposure to PM2.5 air pollution increases the risk of cognitive decline and may prematurely result in Alzheimer's disease, according to a new scientific study. The results, which were published in the journal Biological Psychiatry, show that air pollution, such as PM2.5, ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide, can induce neurotoxic reactions and may exert adverse effects on human cognitive health. The study was conducted by an international team led by Chinese researchers from the Shanghai-based Huashan Hospital of Fudan University. They used data from 31,573 participants in a survey concerning health and aging, the Chinese Longitudinal Healthy Longevity Survey, and 1,131 participants from a cohort study on Alzheimer's disease. They found that a rise of 20 micrograms per cubic meter in PM2.5 exposure could lead to a 10 percent increased risk of cognitive decline, and exposures to ground-level ozone and nitrogen dioxide yielded elevated risk b

Pak mangoes in Chinese Markets Islamabad May 22:The first consignment of Pakistani mangoes of present season will be transported by air cargo service in Kunming, capital city of China's South-Western Yunnan province.  The shipment comprising 3-4 tons of "Sindhri" variety of mangoes is likely to arrive on May 28 as per the tentative schedule of the airline, Adnan Hafeez, director of Imperial Ventures (Pvt) Ltd. The Pakistani mangoes would be sold in the market after custom clearance and necessary certifications by the relevant Chinese authorities, he added.  "The Farm's Choice" an indigenous premium fruit brand operation by Imperial Ventures Private Limited has been extensively working on promotion and marketing of Pakistani Mango in China since last six years and has seen positive growth trend.  He said, this year, the expected export of mangoes from Pakistan to China is set to touch 100 tons which is almost 100% increase from last year but  the recent wave