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3-month-long cultural gala kickstarts for Canadian Pakistan youth

Consul General of Pakistan Vancouver Mr. Janbaz Khan has commended the organisers of a three-month-long cultural gala arranged across Canada through a series of online initiatives and programmes to equip the Canadian Pakistan youth with the knowledge and understanding of the language, arts and culture of Pakistan.

Attending the inaugural session of the event as part of the cultural diplomacy undertaken by the Pakistan High Commission in Canada, Consul General Janbaz Khan conveyed the organisers the best wishes of Pakistan High Commissioner Raza Bashir Tarar and hoped the Pakistani Canadian youth would find the activities interesting and absorbing from the point of view of learning about their culture and heritage.

He reminded the Canadian Pakistani youth that while Canada was their home, they shared a strong bond with Pakistan which was the land of their parents and forefathers and it was important to be well-equipped with the knowledge and understanding of Pakistan’s culture and heritage to negotiate multiple intercultural expressions and manifestations in life.

Dubbed as ‘Pakistani Canadian Youth Cultural Program’, the 3-month-long event would comprise a set of 13 different online sessions arranged jointly by the Pakistani Canadian Cultural Association (PCCA) of Alberta and the Canadian Cultural Mosaic Foundation. It would be run from June to August 2021 through various sessions featuring a mosaic of activities, tutorials and learning sessions to impart the Pakistan Canadian youth knowledge and understanding of the history, geography, culture, language, music, cuisine, sports and heritage of Pakistan.

A team of well-versed Pakistanis with experience and expertise in various facets and fields of the arts and cultural scene of Pakistan has been assembled to conduct the 13 sessions likely to be attended by a majority of the enthusiastic youths belonging to the Pakistani diaspora in Canada.

Special Polio campaign of varied duration begins in 124 districts of country

A special Polio campaign of varied duration begins in 124 districts of the country today (Monday).

During the drive, Polio teams will administer vaccine drops to over 33 million children under five years age to protect them from Polio disease.

The Health department of all provinces has appealed the parents to get their children vaccinated against polio virus.

ECB suspends Ollie Robinson from international cricket

London: England fast bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from “all international cricket” after historical racist and sexist tweets came to light earlier this week when he made his test debut against New Zealand, the country’s cricket board (ECB) said on Sunday.

Robinson, 27, was the pick of England’s bowlers in the drawn test with seven wickets in the match and had released a statement on Wednesday apologising for his “thoughtless and irresponsible” tweets.

“England and Sussex bowler Ollie Robinson has been suspended from all international cricket pending the outcome of a disciplinary investigation following historic tweets he posted in 2012 and 2013,” the ECB said in a statement.

“He will not be available for selection for the second Test against New Zealand starting at Edgbaston on Thursday 10 June. Robinson will leave the England camp immediately and return to his county.”

PM Imran orders investigation into Ghotki railway accident

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Monday expressed his grief and sorrow over the horrific train accident at Ghotki which left thirty passengers dead.

In a tweet, PM Imran Khan asked Railways Minister Azam Swati to reach the site and ensure medical assistance to the injured and support for families of the deceased.

Imran Khan also ordered a comprehensive investigation into railway safety fault lines.

At least thirty passengers were killed and more than fifty injured after a collision between two trains near Ghotki this morning.

According to Railways officials, Sir Syed Express collided with the Millat Express between Raiti and Obaro Railway stations and fourteen bogies derailed.

The Police sources said four bogies of Millat Express completely destroyed in the accident and the death toll is feared to rise.

Rescue operation continues at the site of the accident.

Pakistan continues to record decline in COVID-19 cases, positivity ratio

ISLAMABAD : The number of COVID-19 cases is on the decline with every passing day as the positivity rate in Pakistan has dropped to its lowest 3.02 per cent during the third wave of the pandemic. 

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) data, 58 more people lost their lives and 1,490 new infections surfaced when 49,285 samples were tested during this period.

The number of confirmed cases of Covid-19 climbed to 933,630 after 1,490 people tested positive for the virus. 3,205 patients are in critical care in various hospitals across the country.

1,820 more people recuperated from the disease in the last 24 hours, taking the number of recovered patients to 864,931.

Since the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic, Punjab has reported a total of 342,498 cases, Sindh 323,828, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 134,558, Islamabad 81,766, Balochistan 25,819, Azad Jammu and Kashmir 19,519, and Gilgit Baltistan 5,642.

On Saturday, Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan had said that the coronavirus restrictions will not be eased till all citizens are vaccinated against Covid-19.

At least 30 passengers killed, several injured in Ghotki train accident

GHOTKI : At least 30 people lost their lives and several sustained injuries as Sir Syed Express train collided with a Millat Express between Reti and Daharki railway stations in Ghotki.

According to the railways’ officials, the accident occurred when a Sargodha-bound Sir Syed Express collided with a Millat Express that was already present at the track after the derailment, said sources.

As many as 14 boogies of both the trains were damaged out of which four were completely destroyed.

DC Ghotki, Usman Abdullah confirmed the death of at least 30 passengers and added that several people are still trapped in the boogies of both trains. Getting the information about the incident, the police and rescue teams reached the spot for the rescue and relief operation.

DC Usman Abdullah said heavy machinery and cutters are required for the operation. Following the major train accident, up and down railway traffic has been suspended.

Meanwhile, troops of Pakistan Rangers Sindh have also reached the spot to assist the civil administration in the operation. The bodies are being shifted to nearby hospitals.

In a separate major train accident last year, as many as 19 people were killed and more than 30 were wounded when the Pakistan Express train collided with a passenger bus at a railway crossing near Rohri railway station.

The spokesperson of Pakistan Railways had said the incident was apparently happened due to negligence of the bus driver.

Pak, Sweden ties from cordial to excellent

Ambassador Dr. Zahor greets Sweden on national day; says 35 Swedish companies have established offices in Pakistan and contributing to various sectors

DNA

STOCKHOLM: Ambassador of Pakistan to Sweden Dr Zahor Ahmed has congratulated Sweden on its National Day. In his video message Ambassador Zahor said this is the day when we celebrate the Swedish national flag, which has become a symbol of peace, peaceful co-existence and conflict reduction.

He added, these are values which we also share back in Pakistan. We believe in developing our economy on the basis of sustainable technologies and greening OF our economy. Pakistan, he said wants cordial relations with all the countries.

Ambassador Zahor said there are 35 Swedish companies who have established offices in Pakistan and contributing to various sectors. We have more than 22,000 people of Pakistani origin living in Sweden.

Pakistan strongly believes in human rights and democratic traditions. These are the common values that bring both Pakistan and Sweden together. Because of these common grounds both the countries maintain excellent relations.

“We believe that there is a great room for more collaboration especially in the field of innovation where Sweden is a world leader and where the government of Pakistan is focused upon,”. Environment of course is yet another area where both countries can cooperate.

Then the higher education is yet another area where both countries can expand their cooperation. Many Pakistani students are studying in the Swedish universities adding this cooperation can further be increased.

Chinese trying to sell ‘obsolete’ DVB tech to Pakistan

According to the studies on the DVB-T, India, Afghanistan, And Indian Occupied Kashmir all are on DVB-T technology and if PTV adopts DTMB technology then Pakistan will be limiting it’s terrestrial beam to within the confines of Pakistani territory and will not be viewed outside Pakistan

Special Report

ISLAMABAD: The Chinese are trying to sell to Pakistan Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast (DTMB) technology, which is almost ‘obsolete’ and will not benefit Pakistani official TV channel PTV, in any case.

Government has some big plans for the digitalization of national broadcaster PTV for which plans are afoot, sources confided to this scribe.

However, what is depressing is that Digital Terrestrial Multimedia Broadcast (DTMB) being adopted by the PTV has no popular acceptance worldwide and is less compatible when compared with the very vogue Digital Video Broadcasting Terrestrial (DVB-T).

According to the studies on the DVB-T, India, Afghanistan, And Indian Occupied Kashmir all are on DVB-T technology and if PTV adopts DTMB technology then Pakistan will be limiting it’s terrestrial beam to within the confines of Pakistani territory and will not be viewed outside Pakistan.

According to tech experts, the DTMB is still under testing phase and apart from China other countries did not adopt it, yet, as most of the research work is still going on this technology. China itself is in the process of improving this technology.

Technical experts believe that a lot of factors need to be considered before adopting the DTMB in Pakistan. Firstly, a digital antenna and receiver will be required to receive the DTMB and the cost per household to receive the transmission will not be less than Rs 6000. Then a very less number of Digital Smart TVs are in use due to the high price. If the DTMB will broadcast HD channels, the user should have equipment to receive the digital HD channels.  Thus this is not cost effective option as long as our people are concerned.

The tech experts also raised the question whether the spectrum required to broadcast is available or it has already been allocated and auctioned by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), and that what will be the roll of PEMRA and the PTA to regulate the DTMB.

The tech experts threw their weight behind the DVBT technology saying it is the most widely used digital television standard in use around the globe for terrestrial television transmissions.

It provides many facilities and enables a far more efficient use of the available radio frequency spectrum than the previous analogue transmissions. The DVB-T makes use of many modern technologies to enable it to deliver high quality video in a broadcast environment. It is capable of carrying a very significant level of data. Normally several television broadcasts may be carried on a single transmission and in addition to this several radio channels may be carried as well. As a result, each transmission is called a multiplex. With this technology one can get up to seventy free-to-air standard channels, 15 HD channels and around thirty radio services.

UK-PAKISTAN BUSINESS COUNCIL HOLDS GRAND AWARDS DISTRIBUTION CEREMONY

Staff Report

ISLAMABAD: Chairman Senate of Pakistan Sadiq Sanjrani has said that the generous policies of the Government of Pakistan along with infrastructure development have provided business opportunities to industrialists and traders, especially export opportunities and especially the development of industry and handicrafts in Pakistan which has strengthened the national economy.

The role of the Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan is of key importance. He said this while addressing the UK Pakistan Business Awards ceremony in Islamabad, which was organized by the UK Pakistan Business Council in collaboration with various organizations. There is a huge potential for bilateral trade between the UK and the UK-Pakistan Business Council is proud to take full advantage of it.

He said that not only the performers would be encouraged but also the performance of the recipients would be significantly improved. He said that such events would further help in the development of industry and trade. Provincial minister for industries Mian Aslam Iqbal said that after the intensification of the third wave of Corona, business activities are increasing and on this occasion Pakistan Business Council has organized an award ceremony to provide an excellent opportunity for industrial and commercial enterprises to showcase their services. On the occasion, Khursheed Barlas, President, UK Pakistan Business Council Pakistan Chapter and Ata-ul-Haq, Central Secretary General, thanked the participants and vowed to continue to play their role in boosting the country’s exports and economic growth.

During the function, DC Islamabad Hamza Shafqat, President Islamabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries Sardar Yasir Khan, President Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry Nasir Mirza, Abrar-ul-Haq, Capital Smart City, Lahore Smart City, Park View City, Fair deal Marketing, B4U, SR Group of Companies, Rowlatt, Saif Rehman Niazi, Graana Group, Pakistan International Airlines, Faisalabad Industrial Estate Management Company, Chen One, Lahore Fashion, Royal Business Solutions Real Estate, Q Marketing, Tanveer Associates, Roots Schools and Colleges, Raja Mujahid, Beau Moon T Estate, Property Times Private Limited, Land Pakistan Group of Companies, Hassan Nader, Aurangzeb Khan, One Dollar Two Dollar, Syeda Misbah Kazmi, Vegas. (Detailed coverage in the coming issue of CENTRELINE magazine)

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