200 Pakistani women growers trained

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Turkish Cooperation and Coordination Agency, Islamabad (TIKA) has trained over 200 Pakistani women to grow vegetables by themselves. 

Under the Turkey-Pakistan Poverty Alleviation Programme, the project will vastly contribute towards poverty alleviation and women empowerment in Pakistan. 

A housewife, who received training under TIKA, disclosed that she grew various vegetables at her home. After consumption of fresh home-grown vegetables, she sold the remaining in the market to earn around PKR 6,000 per month.

According to the information made available by those having been trained by the TIKA, the gardeners were also educated how to grow maximum vegetables.

Nong Rong appointed as China’s new ambassador

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Nong Rong has been appointed as China’s new Ambassador to Pakistan, according to an announcement from the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing on September 11. 

A native of Guangxi, Nong Rong was holding the post of provincial minister before being named as the Ambassador to Pakistan. 

He holds vast experience in trade that would greatly help in implementation of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) projects on fast track. 

His predecessor Yao Jing is scheduled to return to Beijing a couple of months before the completion of his three-year tenure to assume new responsibility in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

PM to attend Rashakai SEZ opening

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Prime Minister Imran Khan will specially participate at the signing ceremony of development of Rashakai Special Economic Zone in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa next week. 

The Rashakai SEZ, being developed under the auspices of the China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), is spread over one thousand acres and is located on M-1 Nowshera. 

It would be developed in three phases. It will house garment, textile industries, building materials, different merchandise, electric and electronic equipment, automobile and mechanical units.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh’s numbers fluctuate

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

While Sindh’s daily COVID-19 numbers kept fluctuating during the week, Karachi registered 75% of the total new cases reported across the province during the last 24 hours ending at 8 am on September 11.

The official data showed that Karachi reported in all 203 infections, against Sindh’s 271, on September 11. 

The six districts of the division on average registered 121.5 cases per day during a period from September 5 to 11, while their share in the total daily infection figure ranged from 46% to 75% during the same period.  

The Sindh Chief Minister, Syed Murad Ali Shah, in his daily COVID-19 status statement on September 11, confirmed that Sindh detected 271(2.45%) positive cases out of 11,042 samples during the last 24 hours. 

He further shared that there were 2,374 active COVID-19 patients in the province, including 2,075 staying at homes, six admitted at the isolation centres and 293 at the various hospitals, adding that there were 148 patients whose health condition was critical while another 17 were on ventilators. 

Sindh’s total infection rose to 131,675, with 2,440 deaths, including one registered on September 11, and 126,861 having recovered from the diseases. The province has tested a total 1,095,416 samples since February 26 when it reported first COVID-19 cases. 

The districts wise breakdown of new infection on September 11 came as: Karachi (203), Jamshoro (8), Badin (5), Dadu (5), Hyderabad (4), Tando M Khan (4), Sukkur (4), Thatta (4), Ghotki (3), Mirpurkhas (3), Shaheed Benazirabad (3), Kambar Shahdadkot (2), Tharparkar (2), Larkana (1), Naushero Feroze (1), Sujawal (1), Umerkot (1), and others. 

In the meantime, according to an official report, the six patients whose deaths due to COVID-19 were confirmed on September 9 having been hospitalized in Karachi while another patient died at home on September 8.

Beijing to have driverless cabs

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Baidu, a leading Chinese internet search and artificial intelligence company, plans to launch its driverless taxi service in Beijing. 

The Beijing-based company will put 40 Apollo Go Robo taxis onto the capital’s roads. The users can book through Baidu maps or Apollo's official website. 

The total mileage under test this time is about 700 kilometers, covering nearly 100 stations in residential and business areas of Yizhuang, Haidian, and Shunyi which makes it China’s biggest for mileage and area. 

Baidu brought Apollo Go to Guangzhou in Hebei province last month, making it the second city to have welcomed the service following Changsha in April last year. Baidu Apollo Go has since entered multi-regional operation stage.

South Korean firm invent battery-fitted mask

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

A South Korean firm has invented a battery operated face mask that has addressed many problems of people wearing it as a preventative step for COVID-19 pandemic. 

LG Electronics’ PuriCare Wearable comes in one size and weighs as light as a pair of ski goggles, features two fans and high-efficiency particle air filters which cleans incoming air and exhales outgoing breath. 

The battery powered filter mask can reduce annoying problems of users such as breathing difficulty and fogged-up glasses encountered by conventional masks.

“Breathing is the biggest concern when it comes to wearing a face mask and disposable masks come with a huge environment cost,” Choi Yoon-hee, a senior official at LG Electronics’ air solution product team, was quoted as saying.

Pakistan, Chinese Foreign Ministers meet in Moscow

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Pakistan’s Foreign Minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, has met with his Chinese counterpart, Wang Yi, for the second time within as many weeks. 

"Great to meet Foreign Minister and State Councilor of China Wang Yi again,” Shah Mahmood tweeted, referring to his meeting with Wang Yi on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) Foreign Ministers moot in Moscow. 

It was the follow up meeting of the strategic dialogue held by both the leaders in China last month, Pakistan’s Foreign Minister revealed. 

He remarked that the Pakistan-China friendship was growing from strength to strength with a shared objective for peace and development under the SCO complimenting bilateral cooperation.