Construction of Diamer Bhasha dam begins

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The construction of the most talked about Diamer Bhaha dam has started on May 11, the Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting, Lt General Asim Saleem Bajwa tweeted. 

“Today is historic news for all generation of Pakistan, a huge stimulus for our economic development,” he announced. 

“The project will help create 16,500 jobs, besides generating 4500 MW Hydel power and to irrigate 1.2 million acres agricultural land. It will also help enhance life of Tarbela Dam by 35 years,” he added.

To be executed by WAPDA, it will be Roller Compacted Concrete (RCC) dam, having a height of 272 meters with 14 gates measuring 11.5 meters by 16.24 meters. The gross storage will be 8.10 MAF (10 BCM) while live storage will be 6.40 MAF (7.9 BCM). Its installed capacity will be 4,500 MW with a dozen tributes, each of 375 MW.

It may be recalled the then Chief Justice of Supreme Court of Pakistan, Justice Mian Saqib Nisar, realizing the importance of generation of hyder power through construction of dams, had personally taken the initiative by setting up Diamer Bahshah dam fund for collection of money through banks in July 2018. 

It was later joined by Prime Minister Imran Khan, making it a joint venture to overcome the country’s water scarcity and the project was named as the Supreme Court of Pakistan and the Prime Minister of Pakistan Diamer-Bhasha and Mohmand Dams Fund.

Azeem Sarwar, Athar Shah Khan immortalized Jaidi

Pakistan News & Features Services

The legendary radio producer Azeem Sarwar, who is credited to have revived the iconic character of Jaidi, lavished the man, Athar Shah Khan, with huge praise as the celebrated writer, playwright and actor passed away in Karachi on May 10 at the age of 76. 

Although Athar Shah Khan had himself created the character of Jaidi for a television play but it became a household name much later when revived by Azeem Sarwar through radio programmes like ‘Rung hee rung, Jaidi kay sung’ and ‘Jaidy kay mehman’ which ran for a staggering 23 years. 

His monumental success on radio upstaged his own earlier good work for television. 

“The character of Jaidi had died in the television play. Yes it was on my suggestion that he had agreed to revive it. The rest is history as they say. It turned out to be a masterstroke and the character of Jaidi was immortalized with our radio programmes,” Azeem Sarwar recalled modestly while talking exclusively to PNFS.

“Athar Shah Khan was a master craftsman. He excelled in everything he was doing. Being an educated man, he was creative and versatile. As a colleague, he was cooperative and punctual. It was both a privilege as well as pleasure having worked together for so long and we treasured those moments,” he added.

Together, Azeem Sarwar and Athar Shah Khan deserve to be regarded as the trailblazers of the Pakistan entertainment industry as their blockbuster programmes not only popularized Radio Pakistan nationally and globally but they also invented a template which was emulated in future successfully and most notably by the duo of Anwar Maqsood and Moin Akhtar on television.

COVID-19 camp for police force held at Mirpurkhas

Pakistan News & Features Services

The Serving Hands Organization, with the collaboration of the Citizen Police Liaison Committee (CPLC), organized a coronavirus safety programme in Mirpurkhas to carry out testing and medical check-up of the police force in the district. 

The senior officers of the Sindh Police were present on the occasion, who lauded the services of their personnel engaged in the fight against the pandemic. 

Earlier similar events were also held at Karachi and Hyderabad. The officials of the Service Hands Organization highlighted the fact that it was essential to conduct corona tests of the police force in order to protect them and let them serve the masses more enthusiastically.

Chinese military medical experts commend Pakistan’s government, army; desire greater public awareness about COVID-19

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The Chinese military medical experts, currently undertaking a trip of Pakistan during which they have been visiting hospitals and other facilities, have praised the Pakistani government and the Pakistan army for playing their proactive role in control and prevention of the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

“They have established relatively sound epidemic prevention systems and also made some achievements. However, the general public need to further raise their awareness of the pandemic’s control and prevention, particularly they should do better in keeping a social distance,” Xu Yinzhe, one of the Chinese experts visiting Pakistan to share China’s experience on COVID-19 prevention and control, was quoted as saying by the Chinese media. 

Xu added that they hoped to work together with Pakistan to mobilize the masses to join in the fight against the pandemic. 

The Chinese military medical experts have also commended the Pakistan’s testing capacity of the disease.

“We have visited a total of eight military hospitals in the surrounding areas in the last week and a half. We shared with them our experience of fighting against the coronavirus. They also told us their diagnosis and treatment procedures. As for their problems encountered in fighting the virus, we made suggestions based on our experience, which they thought were helpful,” Zhou Feihu, head of the Chinese expert team and former director of the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) Department of the Chinese PLA General Hospital, remarked. 

“Both of the tests, quantity and level, at the virology institute are good. One laboratory could conduct about 700 tests every day, which is relatively large. We advise Pakistan to further improve the testing capacity to meet the clinical demand,” Li Mianyang, another military medical expert, suggested. 

Based on their inspection and findings, the Chinese military medical team will work on the clinical front line and conduct research and discussion with the Pakistani medics about the diagnosis and treatment scheme for severe cases in the following more than one month. 

The visiting Chinese military medical team has been sent by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) to Pakistan to help them contain the pandemic.

The 10-member medical expert team of PLA, along with a batch of COVID-19 aid, had arrived in Pakistan on April 24. These experts have 

This team, possessing rich diagnosis and treatment experience, not only in COVID-19, but also Ebola and SARS, is the second batch of medical rescue teams to Pakistan, having been sent by the Chinese government. 

The first batch of medical rescue teams, eight experts, had arrived in Pakistan on March 28 and returned home on April 17 after completing their assignment.

N95 masks stolen from warehouse in England

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

As many as 80,000 N95 masks were stolen from a warehouse in Salford, England. These masks were originally planned to be provided to staff of the National Health Service (NHS) and frontline anti-epidemic personnel.

Reportedly three thieves broke into the warehouse of a medical supplies company in Salford and stole 320 boxes of high-quality N95 masks worth £ 166,000. 

According to police, the three thieves carried out the theft operation from 9:30 pm on the 7th to 0:20 am on the 8th, and then drove three cars to remove the stolen masks. 

The report mentioned that other medical equipment in the warehouse, including some other cheaper masks, were not stolen. 

Policeman Chris Mannion of the Greater Manchester remarked rather angrily that this was a particularly disgusting crime adding that the theft of equipment that protects vulnerable groups and frontline workers is too shocking. 

“When you think of these protective equipment for NHS staff and home health care workers, and now we are working hard to protect our national health care system against a common enemy, the new crown pneumonia, this is really disgusting crime," he regretted.

COVID-19 cases resurface in China

By Masood Sattar Khan
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

The health authorities in China received a warning shot as Jilin province's health commission reported three new locally transmitted COVID-19 cases on May 11, bringing the total during the past three days to 15.

One of the new cases was in Shulan, which has been categorized as a high-risk epidemic region since May 10, the only such area in the country. The other two cases were in Jilin's Fengman district, which raised its COVID-19 alert level from low to medium risk, the provincial epidemic control team said May 11 

A 45-year-old woman in Shulan, who was diagnosed on May 7, was tied to infections in several of her family members and others with whom she had close contact, according to the commission. 

A total of 276 related close contacts have been placed in quarantine, the commission said. All residential areas in Shulan have been locked down since May 9, the local epidemic control department revealed as families were allowed to send one member outside each day to make purchases. 

It has been made mandatory for the residents to register information and scan the health codes on their phones when entering and leaving communities, and masks and temperature checks are mandatory and the visitors were not allowed. 

On May 10, the China Railway Shenyang Group temporarily suspended train service between Shulan and some other cities, including Changchun, Jilin's capital. 

Changchun published notices on May 11 to residents who had traveled to Shulan after April 26. Anyone who returned to Changchun from Shulan has been advised to report to the authorities immediately to be placed under quarantine and to get tested for the coronavirus, a statement from Changchun's virus control and prevention department said.

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.

Coronavirus Update: Sindh tests 1,819 per million

By Mukhtar Alam
(Pakistan News & Features Services)

In its efforts to tackling COVID-19 disease, Sindh has been able to increase its laboratory tests further as the health authorities on May 10 declared that another 4,215 people were tested during the last 24 hours, out of which 709 were found positive for the virus. 

Sindh has been able to increase its overall number of COVID-19 tests in recent days but it is still behind the Islamabad and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) with a third position in terms of laboratory tests conducted per million population by provinces and territories of Pakistan. 

As of May 10, Sindh has 11,480 confirmed cases out of 91,323 tests in comparison of Punjab having tested 125,988 samples.

Punjab was fifth in the table of provinces and territories in the context of tests conducted per million while Baluchistan was at third position with 14,374 tests. 

According to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) topped the list of overall lab test /million population with the figure of 9,347, followed by GB (2,766), Sindh (1,819), Balochistan (1,164), Punjab (1,145), Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa (957), Azad Jammu Kashmir (687), while Pakistan overall covered 1,358 per million population. 

As of May 4, ICT had covered 6,331 per million, GB had 2,312, Sindh had 1,338, Punjab had 889, Balochistan had 836, Khyber Pakhtoonkhwa had 718 and AJK 551. Pakistan, overall a week back, was testing 1,018 per million. 

Keen observers said that number of tests conducted need to be increased further to benefit from the lockdown and various SOPs.

“Our strategy should be testing more and more and then quarantining and treating, which is the only way to fight COVID-19,” an expert observed, adding that at present tests are being used to confirm the obvious cases or more vulnerable population. 

In the meantime, another nine COVID-19 patients lost their lives in the province out of which eight, including three women, at Karachi, whose age ranged from 27 to 73 and a 70 year-year-old woman at Hyderabad, taking the tally of fatalities to 189 for the province. 

However, official sources did not share the place of deaths, patients’ dates of admissions to hospitals and date of infections. 

According to the health department routine summary, 583 new cases were detected in last 24 hours ending at 8 am on May 10, pushing the overall number of infections to 8,634 for the megapolis. 

Among other districts it was Hyderabad which reported the maximum 29, followed by Jacobabad (19), Shikarpur (16), Ghotki (12), Sanghar (11), Sukkur (6), Larkana (5), Shaheed Benazirabad (4), Khairpur (3), Jamshoro (3) and Tando Allahyar (2). 

As many as 2,081 recovered from the disease, while 1,139 were admitted in hospitals, including 78 in critical condition and 23 on ventilators, and 7,432 were taking the treatment either at their homes or at the designated isolation centres, it was further learnt.

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.

UK eases restrictions, asking people to return to work

Pakistan News & Features Services

The British Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, while making the announcement of easing restrictions on May 10, has called on people across the country to return to work if they cannot do so from home.

“We now need to stress that anyone who can't work from home, for instance those in construction or manufacturing, should be actively encouraged to go to work," he remarked while sharing his vision for gradually restarting the economy.  

In a pre-recorded televised statement, Johnson disclosed a road map to resuming activity in the country following more than six weeks under lockdown. 

He considered his plan as a cautious balance between keeping new infections down while easing the economic burden the pandemic has had on millions in the UK. 

"From this Wednesday (May 13) we want to encourage people to take more and even unlimited amounts of outdoor exercise. Social distancing measures would stay in place. You can sit in the sun in your local park, you can drive to other destinations, you can even play sports but only with members of your own household," he elaborated.