KCCI chief tributes Hakim Said

 By Syed Sajid Aziz

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

“The whole world knows about Hakim Muhammad Said as a legendary scholar, author, researcher and philanthropist but let’s not lose sight of the fact that he was also a visionary entrepreneur who created jobs for millions of people during his lifetime by founding an organization like Hamdard Laboratories,” Shariq Vohra, President, Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI), complimented on the occasion of the death anniversary of Hakim Muhammad Said on October 17. 

“The services of Hakim Muhammad Said the great in trade and commerce have not been particularly highlighted because of his awesome stature in the fields of tibb, medical science, literature, education and social work,” he added.

“We salute him and we remember him for his accomplishments which continue to be the source of inspiration for all of us,” the KCCI President acknowledged. Hakim Said was born at Delhi on January 9, 1920. 

He was a quick learner from the outset and he had acquired command in the languages of Arabic, Persian, Urdu and English from a young age. 

Although his family had an established herbal medical business in India, he chose to migrate to the newly founded country of Pakistan in 1948. 

Upon arrival he began his practice of tibb at Karachi before setting up Hamdard Dawakhana at a later stage from where he started manufacturing of herbal medicines. 

The establishment of Hamdard Laboratories turned out to be a masterstroke as it produced, among others, the flagship syrup of Rooh Afza which became one of the leading brands of the country. He started Hamdard Foundation to extend his philanthropic works. 

Hailed as one of the most respected personalities of the country, Hakim Said was appointed the Governor of Sindh in 1993. He was assassinated in Karachi on October 17, 1998.

Shariq Vohra elected as KCCI President

 By Syed Sajid Aziz 

(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Shariq Vohra, an eminent entrepreneur and philanthropist, has taken over as the new President of the Karachi Chamber of Commerce & Industry (KCCI), after being elected unopposed for the year 2020-2021. 

Saqib Goodluck has been elected as the Senior Vice President, while Shams-ul-Islam Khan as become the Vice President of Pakistan’s largest chamber of commerce, having more than 20,000 members in its folds. 

It may be recalled that all the candidates of the Businessmen Group (BMG), headed by Siraj Kasim Teli, had been elected unopposed for the managing committee. 

The committee also includes Mohammad Hanif Ayoob, Qazi Zahid Hussain, Muhammad Hilal Sheikh, Muhammad Ali, Sheikh Muddasir Rafiq Magoon, Tanveer Ahmed Barry, Jawed Siddiq, Chaudhry Muhammad Zahid Bashir, Ahmed Azeem Alavi, Muhammad Iqbal Khamisani, Zaheer Ahmed and Faiz Ahmed.

Journalist Qaiser Mahmood passes away

By Syed Sajid Aziz
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

Qaisar Mahmood, a veteran journalist and a senior member of the Pakistan Federal Union of Journalists (PFUJ), passed away in Karachi on September 10. He was suffering from lung cancer and remained hospitalized for quite a while. 

After having done masters from the University of Karachi, he worked in many leading news organizations during his long journalistic career in which covered different beats over the years. His longest professional stint came at the Jang Media Group. 

After serving as a Senior Reporter than the Chief Reporter of The News, he moved to the Geo News editorial committee with whom he remained associated until his final days. 

Previously he had worked for The Frontier Post, when the Peshawar-based organization had launched its Lahore edition with great fanfare in late 1980s. He also served Voice of America (VOA) and British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC).

LCCI President unhappy with SSGC; appeals to federal government for intervention

By Syed Sajid Aziz 
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Ismail Suttar, President of the Lasbela Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI), has vehemently denounced the grim performance of and false statements by the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) in regards to the uninterrupted provision of natural gas, as well as smooth monitoring of the gas supply to the only organized industrial area in Hub, Balochistan. 

He regretted that the fluctuations in the gas pressure has distorted production and unnecessarily exacerbated the input cost which has led to expensive exports and it has become simply impossible to keep the wheels of the industry rotating. 

Further, the LCCI President remarked that if the boilers stop functioning as a result of the low pressure then entire plants need to be shut down and loss of precious revenue to the national treasury.

“It has now become a daily routine and specially in this time of the year when normally there are no such issues witnessed previously as the pressure issue is normally witnessed in the three winter months but never in the past have we witnessed low pressure during the summer,” Ismail Suttar stated. 

He expressed great resentment on the non-responsiveness of the top management of the SSGC on several appointment attempts to discuss the situation.

He said that if SSGC continued to ignore, a full-house protest outside the main office of SSGC might be needed to get an answer for which seemed to be the only way forward.

“Balochistan, from where entire Pakistan is supplied gas, does not receive in return is highly condemnable, sad and unjustified,” he commented.

The LCCI has requested the federal government to take up this issue very seriously with the SSGC management to urgently resolve the woes put forth in an amicable and by taking all important direct beneficiaries into confidence.

Disney World set to reopen on July 11

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Having shut its doors because of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic for nearly four months, Walt Disney World has announced that it will welcome guests back to its flagship theme park in Orlando, Florida, and reopen a cornerstone of its business over the weekend.

According to the media reports, the Disney (DIS) resort has planned to begin a phased reopening on July 11 for its Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom parks, followed by EPCOT and Hollywood Studios on July 15. 

Disney will be implementing several measures to reopen safely but there remained question marks over reopening of a dense theme park around the size of San Francisco at a time when cases were spiking in Florida. 

The resort has more than 75,000 employees and it has been visited by millions of people every year. The Magic Kingdom alone, which houses trademark attractions like Cinderella Castle and Space Mountain, accounted for more than 20 million visitors in 2018, according to a report by AECOM. 

Disney World is also described as the heart of the brand as whenever one talked about Disney most of the people thought of Disney World immediately.

COVID-19 does not spread easily from contaminated surfaces, animals: US website

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA 
(Pakistan News & Features Services) 

The coronavirus primarily spreads from person to person and not easily from a contaminated surface, according to a report published in the Washington Post, which quoted latest update in ‘How COVID-19 Spreads’ website, run by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP). 

Noting that spreading very easily and sustainably between people, it was clarified that the sources were not major risks. It has been explained that touching contaminated objects or surfaces did not appear to be a significant mode of transmission and the same was true for exposure to infected animals. 

“Our transmission language has not changed. COVID-19 spreads mainly through close contact from person to person,” CDCP spokesperson, Kristen Nordlund, remarked while revealing that the revisions were the product of an internal review and usability testing.

“The virus travels through the droplets a person produces when talking or coughing, An individual does not need to feel sick or show symptoms to spread the submicroscopic virus. Close contact means within about six feet, the distance at which a sneeze flings heavy droplets,’ the CDC website added.

“Direct contact with people has the highest likelihood of getting infected, being close to an infected person, rather than accepting a newspaper or a FedEx guy dropping off a box,” virologist Vincent Munster, a researcher in the virus ecology section at Rocky Mountain Laboratories, a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases facility in Hamilton, Mont, was quoted as saying.

Munster and his colleagues showed in laboratory experiments that the virus remained potentially viable on cardboard for up to 24 hours and on plastic and metal surfaces for up to three days. But the virus typically degraded within hours when outside a host.

WHO issues fresh guidelines, emphasizes on wearing masks for COVID-19 protection

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As the entire planet faces the wrath of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, the World Health Organization (WHO) has issued fresh guidance for the use of masks on the basis of evolving evidence. 

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, Director General, WHO, shared the new guidance over the weekend, warning the people about the dangers of ignoring the other safety measures while wearing the masks. 

He cautioned the people against developing a false sense of security when they were wearing masks as the protective gear but did not take care of other preventive matters. 

“I cannot say this clearly enough: Masks alone will not protect you from COVID-19. Masks are only a benefit as part of a comprehensive approach,” Dr Ghebreyesus clarified. 

“Masks can be used either for protection of healthy persons (worn to protect oneself when in contact with an infected individual) or for source control (worn by an infected individual to prevent onward transmission). However, the use of a mask alone is insufficient to provide an adequate level of protection or source control, and other personal and community level measures should also be adopted to suppress transmission of respiratory viruses,” the WHO advised. 

In places with widespread transmission, WHO has advised medical masks for all people working in clinical areas of a health facility, not only workers dealing with patients with COVID-19 which meant that when a doctor is doing a ward round on the cardiology or palliative care units even without confirmed COVID-19 patients was advised to wear a medical mask.

In areas with community transmission, people aged 60 years or over, or those with underlying conditions, have been advised to wear a medical mask in situations where physical distancing is not possible. 

The WHO has continued to recommend people, who are sick with symptoms of COVID-19 should remain at home, and should consult their healthcare provider while people confirmed to have COVID-19 should be isolated and cared for in a health facility and their contacts should be quarantined.

Apple to offer COVID-19 tests to returning employees at headquarters

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Apple employees returning to its Silicon Valley headquarters will reportedly will be having the option of getting tested for the coronavirus (COVID-19), CNN reported quoting Bloomberg News.

The company had started bringing back some workers to its Apple Park office in Cupertino, California, last month, offering them nasal-swab tests for the virus and requiring temperature checks and masks.

The other precautions included closed kitchens and a two-person limit in elevators which generally accommodated 10 users. 

The company had closed its offices and retail outlets around the world because of the pandemic but has gradually been reopening them with additional safety measures. 

The operations had resumed at more than 100 stores across the US last month although the vast majority of them were only open for curbside pickup of online orders. The stores allowing customers inside will require masks and temperature checks.

US stocks soar on strong jobs report

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The US stocks surged at the conclusion of the week on June 5, after the government reported that 2.5 million jobs were added in May and that the nation's unemployment rate fell to 13.3%.

It has been viewed as a surprise because the economists had been expecting significant job losses and a spike in the unemployment rate to near 20%. 

But the reopening of several states, leading to more Americans than expected returning to work has seemed to have brought about the positive change. 

The Dow soared nearly 830 points or 3.2% while the S&P 500 rose 2.6% and the Nasdaq was up more than 2% to finish the day just below its record closing level from February 19. 

The tech-heavy Nasdaq, home to Apple (AAPL), Amazon (AMZN) and the rest of the FAANG stocks, also notched a new intraday all-time high of 9,846. 

The five most valuable companies in the United States, Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google and Facebook, were now collectively reported to be worth $5.7 trillion while Netflix had a market cap of nearly $185 billion and shares were up 30% during the current year.

US stocks could soon be reaching for highs all over again

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The analysts at the Citigroup have reckoned that the US stock markets will deliver among the steepest recoveries in their history over the next year and returning to levels from before March's coronavirus lockdowns more than twice as fast as after the 2008 financial crisis. 

It has been forecast by the bank that the S&P 500 index and Dow Jones Industrial Average index would stand at 3,160 points and 28,400 points respectively in June 2021, up about 7 per cent and 15.5 per cent from current levels. 

The forecast is being considered among the most bullish among US market forecasters, many of whom are forecasting next to no gains for the next 12 months. 

The Citigroup's forecast would see the two indexes recoup 81 per cent and 90 per cent of the losses they suffered from February's record peaks in 465 days. The equivalent recovery after the 2008 crash took the S&P 500 1,107 days and the Dow 1,288 days. 

The optimistic targets reflected expectations for improved economic performance next year and in 2022.

"Embedded in the forecast is an expectation for COVID-19 vaccines and treatments that lift many of the hindrances to 'back to normal' practices that still are in place currently. While some industries could face permanent long-term damage, the Great Pause will reverse itself as time progresses," analyst Tobias Levkovich noted.

Trump orders reopening houses of worship

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The US President, Donald Trump, has ordered the states to allow churches to re-open from stay-at-home restrictions imposed to combat the coronavirus outbreak, vowing override any governor who refused.

"The governors need to do the right thing and allow these very important essential places of faith to open right now. If they don't do it I will override the governors. Churches would be declared essential services under CDC guidelines,” President Trump said in a statement while talking to reporters at the White House. 

It, however, remained unclear if the US President had the power to override state orders to close churches or limit the size of services. 

He has shown increasing exasperation with state social distancing regulations that have collapsed the US economy, as he desired Americans to return to normal economic and social life. 

The recommendations for restarting activities by religious organizations weren't part of the CDC suggestions for opening workplaces, schools and restaurants released over the weekend, though they had been included in a draft first reported by the Associated Press. 

The communication had given detailed suggestions for social distancing, hygienic practices and symptom-checking that were in many cases tailored to the organization and its activities.

Hawaii endangered by unemployment

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Hawaii, which used to be one of the topmost tourism destinations, is currently facing its highest unemployment rate ever due to strict stay-at-home orders and a virtual shutdown.

The state's once mighty tourism industry has nosedived already and the residents of Hawaii are under enormous pressure as they begin to run out of their savings to stay afloat. 

They are struggling to pay rent and feed their families as unemployment rate has soared from 3% to 34% which is one of the highest in the US. 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) has taken its toll here as the workers are being pushed out of their jobs in the absence of the tourists. 

"Our life is in danger because, of course, we don't know what will happen. There's no real hope for good things in the future," one of the affected locals bemoaned. 

According to reports, around 216,000 of the state's 660,000 workers were employed in jobs supported by tourism in 2019. Airline arrivals to Hawaii have slumped from more than 30,000 passengers per day to 756. 

Food service workers, who make up roughly 13% of all employees in the state and earn a median annual income of about $30,000, have lost wages as restaurants closed and hotels shuttered.

Singer Betty Wright dies at 66

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Betty Wright, the singer-songwriter and producer best known for her 1971 soul-disco classic ‘Clean Up Woman’ died on May 10 at her home in Miami of cancer, the New York Times reported. She was 66.

Besides becoming a key player in the Miami funk sound of the ‘70s, she had remained a mainstay on the Billboard R&B chart as a lead singer, duet partner and background vocalist, placing 20 different singles in the R&B Top 40. 

She was on the R&B and dance charts until 2007 with ‘Baby’ which was a duet with the contemporary soul singer Angie Stone. She also featured in the R&B classics ‘Let Me Be Your Lovemaker’, ‘Shoorah Shoorah’, and ‘Tonight Is the Night.’ 

An early starter, she was barely 17 when her most famous hit ‘Clean Up Woman’ was released in 1971. The song reached No. 6 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, sold more than a million copies and came in as the No. 49 song of 1972, according to Billboard. 

Her illustrious career spanned nearly half a century with late ‘70s and early ‘80s being the most successful period. She was known to be an inspiration to many contemporary singers like Mary J Blige and Joss Stone.

Pakistan community in California to hold food distribution drive on May 9

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Pakistan community, under the auspices of the Pakistan American Chamber of Commerce (PACC), will be holding food distribution drive in the city of Artesia, located in the state of California, on May 9 to facilitate the COVID-19 victims. 

According to the details, the event is being organized by the Community Coronavirus Taskforce Group. The venue will be the Artesia Park at Clarkdale Avenue in Artesia Community the timings will be between 1 pm to 5 pm. 

The drive will take place in the east parking lot at the corner of Elaine Street and South Street. More information could be obtained by dialing 310-424-3686 or accessing the website www.lacovid19care.com. 

The members of the Pakistani community have been communicated that if they or anyone they know was in need of food, they will have packages available through a contact free drive through service. No registration was required and the recipients have been requested to bring their cars with a space in their trunks to accommodate food items.

Waqar Ali Khan, Chairman, PACC, and Fatima Khan, Vice President, (PACC), who is also the Project Incharge, have spearheaded the task of providing food items to those having been affected by COVID-19. 

They have acknowledged the support of Mayor Ali Taj and staff of City of Artesia besides the corporations and the organizations having contributed in making the food distribution drive possible.

Apple, Google release COVID-19 app sample concept

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

Apple Inc. and Google have announced that their upcoming contract-tracing tool will be restricted to one public health app per country to get as many people in each nation using the software as possible. 

The two companies also released app concepts and sample code to help app developers build programs using the iOS and Android contact-tracing tool. 

In a statement on May 4, the companies declared that they would still support countries to have opted for a regional or state approach. 

The system, unveiled in April, added technology to the iOS and Android smartphone operating systems that alerts users anonymously if they have come into contact with a person with COVID-19. 

The first phase will be launched publicly in mid-May. It requires public health apps to integrate with the system. In the future, the technology will be embedded more deeply into the Apple and Google operating systems to be less reliant on apps. 

The company representatives also outlined why they decided to build the tool, now known as Exposure Notification, adding that the governments had been attempting to build their own apps, but came to Apple and Google for help. 

The companies also reiterated that the apps using the technology must be built by public health authorities, require user consent, collect only the minimum amount of data, and should not record a user's location.

Billions pledged for COVID-19 vaccine research

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

International leaders, organizations and banks have pledged 7.4 billion euros ($8 billion) for research to find a vaccine against the new coronavirus (COVID-19) but warned that it’s just the beginning of an effort that needs to be sustained with full intensity to overcome the deadly disease.

The funds were pledged at a video-conference summit hosted by the European Union although it fell marginally short of the target of 7.5 billion euros but more money could arrive in coming days. 

"In the space of just a few hours we have collectively pledged 7.4 billion euros for vaccines, diagnostics and treatments. All this money will help kick-start unprecedented global cooperation,'' the European Commission President, Ursula von der Leyen, observed in her concluding remarks on the occasion. 

The original objective was to collect around 4 billion euros ($4.37 billion) for vaccine research, some 2 billion euros for treatments and 1.5 billion ($1.64 billion) for testing. 

The United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, stated that the initial target pursued to help find a vaccine, new treatments and better tests for the disease would only amount to a down payment on the tools that will be needed to fight the virus as they needed around five times more to reach everyone and everywhere.

Madonna tested positive for COVID-19

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The iconic American singer-songwriter, Madonna, has revealed having tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) antibodies.

The 61-year-old celebrity took to Instagram to make the announcement as she posted a video of herself on IGTV through the latest edition of her ‘quarantine diaries’ series. 

“I took a test the other day and found out that I have the antibodies, so tomorrow, I’m just going to go for a long drive in a car, and I’m gonna roll down the window, and I’m gonna breathe in the COVID-19 air,” she remarked rather dramatically. 

Later, from a milky bath sprinkled with rose petals, Madonna informed the colossal number of her fans and followers that the novel coronavirus was ‘the great equalizer.’ 

"That's the thing about COVID-19. It doesn't care about how rich you are, how famous you are, how funny you are, how smart you are, where you live, how old you are, what amazing stories you can tell. It's the great equalizer and what's terrible about it is what's great about it," she reckoned.

Trump may extend coronavirus social distancing guidelines

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The United States (US) President, Donald Trump, on April 24, has hinted that his administration may extend its national social distancing guidelines until early in the summer or later. 

“We may, and we may go beyond that. We’re going to have to see where it is. I think people are going to know just out of common sense. At some point, we won’t have to do that. But until we feel safe, we’re going to be extending,” Trump observed at the White House press briefing. 

Trump’s remarks have come just a day after multiple White House apprehended that the US might still be fighting with the deadly coronavirus by the fall and winter, when the flu season kicks up. 

The coronavirus guidelines had first been shared in the middle of March, having been extended to the end of April. There are strong enough indications now that the federal guidance might be extended once more even though Trump and state leaders looked ahead to reopening the economy, having been devastated by the coronavirus and the preventive measures taken to contain it. 

Although the federal guidelines were not legally binding on states, many of whom implemented their own social distancing rules, they recommend severe restrictions on normal behaviors, such as eating out at restaurants and socializing in groups.

US President agrees to send ventilators to Pakistan, other developing countries

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The United States (US) President, Donald Trump, on April 24, announced to send ventilators to three developing more countries after having promised to do the same to as many countries, including Pakistan.

In a series of tweets, Trump pledged ventilators for Ecuador, El Salvador and Indonesia after having committed the life-saving breathing equipment to Pakistan, Mexico and Russia to let these countries combat coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. 

The US President had also expressed his willingness to supply ventilators to three European countries, Italy, Spain and the UK, where the pandemic had wreaked havoc during the last few weeks. 

There were also reports suggesting that the US officials were preparing to ship ventilators to Africa, in an effort to counter Chinese diplomatic initiatives. 

President Trump earlier disclosed that Pakistan had asked him to send ventilators for the victims of the coronavirus and he has agreed to do so. 

“Spoke with Pakistan; they would like to have some ventilators. We’re going to get them some ventilators,” he said, adding that all the leaders, he spoke to, were indebted to the US for solving the ventilator problem.

US President pledges to rescue oil industry

By Syed Sajid Aziz in USA
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The United States (US) President, Donald Trump, has pledged to rescue the oil industry which was rocked on April 20 as the prices went negative for the first time in history. 

“We will never let the great U.S. Oil & Gas Industry down. I have instructed the Secretary of Energy and Secretary of the Treasury to formulate a plan which will make funds available so that these very important companies and jobs will be secured long into the future!” Trump tweeted on April 21. 

The US President didn’t furnish details, however, only saying that he had advised members of his administration to make funds available to companies. 

“We are taking very aggressive but appropriate steps to help the industry. The administration is working to ensure that oil and gas companies can access lending programs created by the $2 trillion coronavirus rescue plan, including those meant for medium-sized businesses and the Federal Reserve facility,” Energy Secretary, Dan Brouillette, revealed in a television interview. 

“The market is ruthlessly efficient at weeding out high-cost producers. The demand curve has moved so quickly in a downward fashion, the production is simply not able to keep up with it,” he added. 

In the meantime, the West Texas Intermediate (WTI) futures had plunged below zero for the first time ever on April 20 and the sector has hemorrhaged an estimated 51,000 drilling and refining jobs in March, according to BW Research Partnership, a research consultancy which also warned that the industry’s job losses could reach as high as 30% or more in the first quarter of 2020.