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Morocco committed to supporting Libyan parties

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DNA

RABAT: Bouznika – Following clear instructions from His Majesty King Mohammed VI, Morocco is committed, on a permanent basis, to accompany and support the Libyan parties to resolve the current crisis which has lasted too long, underlined, Saturday in Bouznika, the Moroccan minister of Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Moroccans Abroad, Nasser Bourita.

Speaking to the members of the delegations of the Libyan High Council of State and House of Representatives at the end of a new round of the Libyan Dialogue, Bourita affirmed that Morocco’s commitment stems from solid, sincere and human ties binding the two peoples, as well as its deep conviction that the stability of Libya with strong institutions is in the interest of the stability of North Africa and the achievement of economic integration in the Arab Maghreb region.

The Kingdom’s commitment to efforts aimed at putting an end to the Libyan crisis is based on four determinants: supporting the Libyans and accompanying them without replacing them in their decisions, and remaining attached to the institutional legitimacy in Libya and to the legitimate institutions resulting from the Skhirat agreement, noted the minister.

It is also a matter of working within a clear framework alongside the United Nations as a contributor to the Libyan Dialogue and facilitator and of coordinating with all regional and international stakeholders without, however, engaging in agreements or participate in meetings on Libya without the presence of Libyans, he continued.

Contrary to pessimistic voices, Morocco remains optimistic about the future of Libya, said Bourita, noting that this optimism is based on several elements namely confidence in the ability of Libyans to overcome differences and notable progress achieved over the past few months through political dialogue while moving beyond the situation of chaos and non-dialogue.

He stressed in this regard that the continuation of meetings between the Libyan stakeholders is rightly a source of optimism.

Bourita also observed that the agreements reached by the two parties represent a “positive element” in the political process, noting that Morocco supports dialogue between Libyans on the issue they choose.

The minister also congratulated the delegations on their agreement regarding the final measures concerning the posts of sovereignty, while reiterating the particular support of HM the King at all stages aimed at putting an end to the Libyan crisis, as well as Morocco’s continued readiness to host any meeting between the Libyan parties.

At the end of this new round, the delegations of the High Council of State and the House of Representatives of Libya agreed on the formation and appointment of small work teams to take practical measures concerning the holders of sovereignty posts.

These teams will ensure in particular the development of application forms and invite candidates to present their files which must meet the agreed criteria and conditions.

Clear Covid-19 vaccination policy and rational distribution urged

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Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed urged the donors to directly monitor and control the donated free vaccine doses to avoid misuse and its selling in the private hospitals.   

DNA

ISLAMABAD, JAN 24 – The stakeholders speaking at a webinar have suggested the Covid-19 vaccine donors to strictly monitor the distribution and administration of free doses being donated to the Pakistan government. They feared that free vaccine doses might be grabbed by the sides of those in power and sold on high prices as it was done in the case of Covid-19 free testing-kits.

The trust deficit between the people and the Pakistan government has widened. So, it is necessary to have external monitoring and control mechanisms for the Covid-19 vaccination to be in place to benefit the genuinely needy ones and the frontline workers and aged people.

They also urged the government to first develop an inclusive and integrated Covid-19 vaccination policy, followed by a strategic action plan. We are far behind in developing any inclusive and integrated framework for Covid-19 vaccination. Just firefighting would not serve the purpose to take care of the peoples’ healthcare and preventive needs. The federal government and the provinces have to be on the same page in this regard.

The participants urged the Chinese government to administer the free-doses of vaccination under their own supervision and by their own teams to ensure the rational use of the donated vaccine.

Very well-attended by the stakeholders and experts the webinar was organized by the Development Communications Network (Devcom-Pakistan) and DTN. The key experts included chief of the Prime Ministers Shelter Programme Naseem ur Rehman, Dr Masood Ghani, Dr Muhammad Ali, Dr Amena Hasan, Dr. Arshad Mahmood, HRDN CEO Robeela Bangash, Zatasha Niazi, Dr Khushboo Ejaz, local leader from Gilgit-Baltistan Iqbal Hussain, Azhar Qureshi, president Islamabad Crescent Lions Club Bashir Ahmed. Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed hosted and moderated the webinar.

Speaking on the occasion the Chief of the Pnanaghah (Shelters) Programme Naseem ur Rehman said the government would take care of the marginalized communities during the Covid-19 vaccination phase after the free-doses administered to the frontline workers including the medical professionals and aged persons. He hoped the leadership of Dr. Faisal Sultan and his team would rationalize and expedite the process. He said the institutional gaps have widened and trust building is essential for such a type of national crisis impacting human security.

Dr Masood Ghani, a well-known health practitioner and Vice District Governor Association of Lions Clubs International, said the Centre and provinces are not on the same page in handling the Covid-19 pandemic and its vaccination. We don’t see any clear and steadfast government policy and engagement of its institutions accordingly. That is why the public is also not taking the pandemic seriously. Despite all lousy handling, we are grateful to Allah for saving us from any major disaster. He asked the government to have an inclusive vaccination policy before going to buy anything.

Dr. Muhammad Ali said many actions of the government were commendable though they were not taken well in time. Same is the case with the vaccination phase. We are not clear about it. Even the professionals are not aware of the clinical trials of any vaccines in Pakistan. Government should have engaged any think tank to develop a Covid-19 vaccination policy and strategic action plan after finalizing the vaccination trials. We have no data analysis of the vaccination trials that why we are preferring the Chinese one.

Devcom-Pakistan Executive Director Munir Ahmed said donors shall send their own teams with free vaccines doses to ensure transparency in vaccination and rational distribution. The public have a trust deficit on the government aides keeping in view the past practices of daylight robbery of Covid-19 testing-kits. Donors should have their direct monitoring of control of the free vaccine doses.

Dr Arshad Waheed Chaudhary highlighted the importance of civil society in the vaccination phase to ensure transparency and fair distribution that is a very important aspect for the credibility of the process.

Namood Muslim, a journalist, asked to engage the corporate sector and the pharmaceutical industry under the Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), and philanthropists.

Azhar Qureshi said only a few cases were reported from the villages that shows immunity level in the rural areas, and the same is the case of children. He suggested having metropolitans on top priority for vaccination and the inward passengers on the airports.

Dr.Amena Hsan said the government is preferring Chinese Vaccine, perhaps it would be available on credit besides half a million free doses.

The Gilgit-Batistan political figure Iqbal Hussain said that they don’t have sufficient doctors, paramedics and nurses to handle the pandemic and vaccination. Governmennts from the public health funds.

President ICCI urges govt to solve key issues of business community

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ISLAMABAD, JAN 24 (DNA) – Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan, President, Islamabad Chamber of Commerce (ICCI) said that the business community is the backbone of the country’s economy, therefore, its role in economic stability is vital.

He stressed that the government should solve the key issues of the business community to facilitate them in business promotion. He said this while speaking at the inaugural ceremony of a new branch of D-Watson Group Chain Store at Jinnah Supermarket Islamabad.

Mian Akram Farid, Chairman ICCI Founder Group, Zafar Bakhtawari Chairman D Watson Group, Zubair Ahmed Malikm former President FPCCI, Ejaz Abbasi former President ICCI, Ahsan Bakhtawari, Waqar Bakhtawari, Arham Bakhtawari, Asad Aziz, Zahid Maqbool, Ajmal Baloch, Tahir Abbasi, Chaudhry Abdul Ghaffar, Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Ashfaq Chatha and others were present at the occasion.

Sardar Yasir Ilyas Khan said that D.Watson Group has provided employment to hundreds of people and was making useful contributions towards the economy. He paid tributes to D.Watson Group for opening a new branch and hoped that it would continue to achieve further growth.

Mian Akram Farid Chairman Founder Group said that D-Watson Group’s manifesto is to provide quality service at low prices. He congratulated D.Watson Group for opening a new branch of its chain store and hoped that they will continue their high quality and service.

Zafar Bakhtawari Chairman D.Watson Group said that his family has been involved in this business for many decades. He said that as a result of dedication and hardwork, D.Watson Group have achieved many new milestones.

Zubair A. Malik said that D.Watson Group is another name for high standards and ethics. He said that with honesty and ethics, the Group has captured significant market share and a special place in the hearts of the people.

Ejaz Abbasi said that whenever it comes to quality, people’s trust will always be in D.Watson. He prayed for more progress and prosperity of the D.Watson Group.

Ahsan Bakhtawari said that their joint family system, unity and harmony have always propelled their business forward. He said that there is a lesson for all people that consensus is a blessing for progress. He said that they are running business with a spirit of service. He said that their workers are their hands and arms as many workers have been working with them for the last 30 years.

Raja Saghir and Musaddiq Khattak was awarded a cash prize of Rs.5.5 lakh, while shields were also distributed among the branch employees.

Zahid Maqbool, Ajmal Baloch, Tahir Abbasi, Chaudhry Abdul Ghaffar, Sheikh Abdul Waheed, Ashfaq Chatha and others also spoke at the occasion and express good wishes for D.Watson Group.=DNA

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Pandemic has turned people to videogames

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You’re stuck in lockdown but that doesn’t mean you can’t visit a tropical island, a space station or have games night with your friends — certain video games have filled the need of the world’s confined for a bit of distraction, adventure and socialising and achieved unexpected success during the pandemic.

Animal Crossing

No adversaries or competition in “Animal Crossing: New Horizons” which came out in March for Nintendo’s Switch console. Instead players explore an island, collecting fruit and making tools and furniture, trading with others, as the seasons slowly change.

This version of the game certainly hit the spot with players hungry for a bit of light-hearted diversion. It powered to the top of the sales charts in the United States in March 2020, and was among top sellers in other countries as well. It was the number two title in Europe for 2020 overall, according to GfK.

“The smashing success of Animal Crossing is explained by two factors: one is an underlying trend towards family games and the other is the short-term factor of the confinement,” said Nicolas Vignolles, head of the association of French video game publisher association SELL.

He said parents suddenly confronted with being confined with their children looked to video games to find options for family entertainment, and that “Animal Crossing was an ideal game for parent-child interaction.”

Nintendo’s chief in France, Philippe Lavoue, has acknowledged the firm’s lucky timing of releasing the game just as many people were needing an escape.

“But we were happy to have helped confined people feel less lonely and to escape mentally,” he told the French newspaper Le Figaro.

Among Us

The success of “Among Us” in 2020 was a big surprise for the industry as the title drew little attention when was originally released in 2018.

But its developers at US studio Innersloth kept refining their concept, which paid off when some prominent game streamers on Twitch began to play it on the platform in mid-2020.

By November the game had half a billion players, according to Superdata, which monitors the gaming industry.

The online multiplayer game takes place on a space ship. Most people are crewmates but several are imposters who are out to kill or at least block crewmates from carrying out their assigned tasks. Lively debates take place as crewmates seek to unmask the imposters.

The game’s popularity has even seen US lawmakers join in matches broadcast on Twitch in an effort to reach young voters last year.

For French game publisher Nicolas Vignolles it is the exchanges between players that explains the game’s popularity.

“Among Us at the intersection of social networking and video games,” he said, noting that nearly one in two gamers in France say that video games help them create social relationships.

“That didn’t exist before… This underlying trend has accelerated with confinement,” said Vignolles.

Ring Fit Adventure

If working out and playing video games are usually two contradictory activities, “Ring Fit Adventure” brings them together.

The game works with the Switch console, whose controllers are slotted into a Pilates ring and a leg strap.

Once equipped, players can fight against monsters or be guided through fitness routines by the television.

The closure of gyms along with lockdowns fuelled a spike in sales, leading to shortages last year after consumers snapped up four million units between October 2019 and July 2020.

FIFA 2021

The halt to many football matches and the postponement of the Euro championship may have sparked interest among fans to play virtually. According to GfK, FIFA 2021 from Electronic Arts was the best-selling video game in 2020.

Board and card games

If chess boards and Uno cards graced the tables of many households more frequently during lockdowns, their video games versions did as well.

A sign of that is a collection of classic board games for Switch was among the top sellers for the console in France last year, Nintendo told Le Figaro.

“The big lesson of confinement was that video games have broken definitively the stereotype of a game that can cause people to withdraw and become isolated,” said Nicolas Vignolles.

“They were an incredibly effective antidote to isolation.”

Inzamam predicts outcome of Pakistan-South Africa Test series

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Pakistan cricket legend Inzamam-ul-Haq believes that the Green Caps can win the two-match Test series against South Africa which begins from Tuesday in Karachi.

The Proteas are touring the South Asian country for the first time in more than 13 years where they are scheduled to play a two-match Test series ahead of three T20I fixtures.

The celebrated right-handed batsman made the remarks while talking in a video posted by the Pakistan Cricket Board.

“I believe the hosts can pull it off despite the players we have selected,” he said. “We should do it as it will improve our rankings in the World Test Championship. If we discuss the previous two series of the two sides, it was South Africa which hosted Sri Lanka whereas Pakistan played in New Zealand.

“The conditions are completely different in the two countries. The New Zealand fixtures were played in tough conditions and according to me…it is the most difficult to play there. We could not win but it was a learning process for them [players].”

The 50-year-old went on to say that the Green Caps have selected those players who have performed well in the first-class format.

“I may have reservations over the selection,” said Inzamam. “But they have given solid performances in domestic cricket. So, it will be ideal for them to perform under the conditions they are used to.”

Pakistan mulls oil import from Iran

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In the first phase,  action against illegal POL retail  outlets will simultaneously be taken in Punjab, Sindh and KPK which have already been geo mapped by customs besides choking off supply routes of smuggled POL products from Balochistan to the rest of the country

Naveed Miraj

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan government is mulling legalizing oil import from Iran. According to sources, talks in this regard are already under way. The purpose of this move is to check illegal oil import from Iran thus avoiding huge loss incurred due to illegal import.

It may be mentioned here that on the directions of Prime Minister Imran Khan, operation against the sale of smuggled petroleum products in the country has been accelerated as this costs Rs 100 billion to Rs 150 billion loss to national kitty.

Official sources told this correspondent a comprehensive and well thought out action plan has been prepared to nab the oil smuggling racket without any discrimination.

“According to this plan, the crackdown against illegal outlets has been divided into two phase,” the sources said, adding, “In the first phase,  action against illegal POL retail  outlets will simultaneously be taken in Punjab, Sindh and KPK which have already been geo mapped by customs besides choking off supply routes of smuggled POL products from Balochistan to the rest of the country.”

These sources maintained that the operation in Balochistan will be launched in the second phase after the establishment of new legal POL outlets by the oil marketing companies in all the district of the province.

“The option of legalizing import of petroleum products from Iran through land route is also being considered by the relevant quarters to bring an end to smuggling,” the sources said.

The officials of interior ministry, while talking to this correspondent said, “if the sealed pumps do not show valid documentation within seven days of sealing, these will be confiscated by the state under the customs act along with other properties of the owners as it would be deemed that these properties were acquired with smuggling proceeds.”

The official said enforcement teams comprising officers from customs, district management, police, Rangers are jointly conducting the operation on all illegal retail outlets.

According to an official statement earlier issued stated that the drive is showing positive results. Around 1192 petrol pumps sealed and 6.8 million litres of petroleum products including diesel and petrol worth approximately Rs 760 million seized since the launch of operation.

Giving the break up, the official statement said 875 petrol pumps have been seized in Punjab, 172 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 145 in Sindh.

As per the estimates, the highest numbers of 1317 illegal petroleum retail outlets are in Punjab, followed by 343 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 336 in Sindh and 98 in Islamabad Capital Territory and Rawalpindi division.

It merits mentioning that the estimated loss due to the illegal selling of petroleum products to the national  kitty is in the range of Rs 100 billion to Rs 150 billion per annum.

Pak-China enterprises reach consensus on trade of disinfection supplies

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BEIJING, Jan 24 (DNA): The Yangtze River Delta International Trade Promotion Committee and China-Europe Association for Technical and Economic Cooperation (CEATEC) initiated an online Pak-China matchmaking meeting in the medical supplies sector.

According to Gwadar Pro, a total of six government agencies and enterprises related to the medical and health industry took part in the event and shown high interest in hypochlorous acid disinfectant, an efficient advanced disinfectant recommended by the Centre for Disease Control, Shanghai (Shanghai CDC).

A couple of months back, CEATEC visited the Consulate General of Pakistan in Shanghai and met the Consul General, Hussain Haider. On the occasion, Zhao Haofang, the Secretary-general of CEATEC told Gwadar Pro that CEATEC previously focused on the cooperation between China and Europe and did not have much contact with the Pakistani government and enterprises.

But through this meeting, they really felt the good friendship between Pakistan and China, and the two sides reached a consensus on organizing urban environment promotion activities and the business connection between enterprises of the two areas.”

According to Tammie Xu, the Secretary of vice president, CEATEC, considering COVID-19 epidemic situation has become increasingly tense recently worldwide, CEATEC finally chose this disinfectant as the first product of its Pak-China matchmaking meeting.

“The disinfectant, with affordable price and good quality, was developed and researched by a PhD team from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU) who were involved in the whole process including designing equipment and researching products,” Tammie said, “in addition, the disinfectant is alcohol-free, safe and non-toxic, so it can be sprayed directly into the mouth.”

“Under the context of COVID-19, we hope to provide our Pakistani brothers with Chinese technologies and products through the online matchmaking meetings, to jointly conquer the epidemic.

Pakistan’s high level of interest in disinfection supplies reflects the growing awareness of the Pakistani people. After the meeting, we will collect and sort out relevant information to assist enterprises of both sides in the follow-up cooperation,” she said.=DNA

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Trump asked Justice Dept to go to Supreme Court to overturn election: Journal

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WASHINGTON : Former president Donald Trump considered replacing the acting attorney general with an official willing to pursue unsubstantiated claims of election fraud, and he pushed the Justice Department to ask the Supreme Court to invalidate President Joe Biden’s victory.

Citing people familiar with the matter, the Journal said the efforts in the last weeks of Trump’s presidency failed because of resistance from his Justice appointees who refused to file what they viewed as a legally baseless lawsuit in the Supreme Court.Other senior department officials later threatened to resign if Trump fired then-acting Attorney General Jeffrey Rosen, several people familiar with the discussions told the Journal.

The Justice Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from Reuters on Saturday.

Senior officials including Rosen, former Attorney General William Barr and former acting Solicitor General Jeffrey Wall refused to file the Supreme Court case, concluding there was no basis to challenge the election outcome and the federal government had no legal interest in whether Trump or Biden won the presidency, some of these people told the Journal.

Then-White House counsel Pat Cipollone and his deputy, Patrick Philbin, also opposed Trump’s idea, which was promoted by his outside attorneys, these people said.

After his Supreme Court plan got nowhere, Trump explored replacing Rosen with Jeffrey Clark, a Trump ally who had expressed a willingness to use the department’s power to help Trump continue his unsuccessful legal battles contesting the election results, the people told the Journal.

Trump backed off that plan after the threats from senior Justice Department leadership to resign if Rosen were removed, people familiar with the discussions said.

Democrats reacted with fury on Saturday to the New York Times’ report, with Senator Richard Durbin, incoming chairman of the Judiciary Committee, saying he would investigate efforts to use the Justice Department to further Trump’s efforts to overthrow the election results. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer calling on the department’s inspector general, Michael E. Horowitz, to investigate “this attempted sedition.”

Trump’s relentless and baseless claims of election fraud – and his refusal to acknowledge Biden’s victory – culminated on Jan. 6 when Trump urged a rally of his supporters to march to the Capitol to protest the certification of the results. The resulting rampage led to five deaths, including a Capitol police officer.

The Democratic-controlled House of Representatives impeached Trump for a second time a week later for inciting the insurrection at the Capitol, and a Senate trial on the charge will begin the week of Feb. 8. Biden took office on Wednesday.

IPS delegation meets CPEC Authority chairman, gets briefed on progress, challenges

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Islamabad, 24 January: Pakistan attaches great importance to the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a national project, and is ready to pay any price for its success. The chairman of the newly created CPEC Authority Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa stated this at an exclusive session with a delegation of senior officials and researchers of the Institute of Policy Studies (IPS) held at the CPEC Authority’s Secretariat.

The IPS delegation comprised its Executive President Khalid Rahman, GM Operations Naufil Shahrukh, senior associates Amanullah Khan, Mirza Hamid Hasan, Dr Maliha Zeba Khan, Ambassador (r) Tajammul Altaf, Brigadier (r) Said Nazir Mohmand, and members of the Institute’s research and outreach team including Shafaq Sarfraz, Asim Ehsan, Kulsoom Belal, Wali Farooqi, Hafiz Inamullah Khan, Shahid Afzal and Maimoona Mahmood.

Briefing the delegation about the progress on CPEC, the chairman said that work on the eastern, western and central alignments is in full swing, and the second phase of the project is just beginning. He also rubbished the claims that work on phase one has slowed down, claiming nothing was on hold.

Bajwa was of the view that underdeveloped areas, especially southern parts of Balochistan were being given importance in CPEC; a dam and desalination plant have been built in Gwadar in a bid to resolve chronic water shortages affecting the inhabitants. An airport with the biggest runway of Pakistan worth $230 million was also being built in Gwadar.

Commenting on phase one of CPEC, Asim Bajwa said the first phase’s success depends on the second phase, which involves business-to-business and people-to-people contacts. He also said synergy among all stakeholders is required to make CPEC a success. In this regard, Pakistan-China Joint Chamber of Commerce & Industry was also being revived, he informed.

He stressed the need for projecting CPEC as a regional connectivity initiative to make Pakistan emerge as an economically galvanizing state instead of a security or terror-fighting state on the global spectrum. Afghan transit trade, he added, is also now being facilitated through Gwadar port.

Khalid Rahman opined that China and Pakistan both need each other to implement CPEC as the initiative’s success lies in further strengthening bilateral relations. He also underlined the importance of transparency and effective perception management for the success of CPEC to counter the nefarious designs of Pakistan and China’s adversaries at all levels.

No one has courage to table no-confidence move against PM Khan: Fawad

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ISLAMABAD : Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry has said that opposition parties don’t have any plan or strategy against the incumbent government.

In a Twitter post, Fawad said that the opposition is now thinking about no-confidence motion against Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan after facing humiliation on its resignation plan.

No one has the courage to bring a no-confidence motion against the premier, he asserted.

It is pertinent to mention here that the fault lines have emerged within the opposition alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) as the parties divided over whether to bring an in-house change via no-confidence motion or build pressure outside.

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