Covid-19: Pakistan records 3262 new cases in last 24 hrs

Pakistan has recorded 3,262 new cases and 55 deaths due to the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, reported on Friday.

In the past 24 hours, 55 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 8,260. 3,354 patients have recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours and 2,395 patients are in critical condition.

The total count of active cases is 51,507 and the positivity rate of COVID-19 cases reaches up to 7.3 per cent.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 410,072.

A total of 44,627 tests were conducted across the country during this period. 350,305 people have recovered from the deadly disease while 5,672,166 samples have been tested thus far.

 

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Covid-19: Pakistan records 3262 new cases in last 24 hrs

Pakistan has recorded 3,262 new cases and 55 deaths due to the COVID-19 in the last 24 hours, reported on Friday.

In the past 24 hours, 55 more people succumbed to the disease, taking the death toll to 8,260. 3,354 patients have recovered from the virus during the last 24 hours and 2,395 patients are in critical condition.

The total count of active cases is 51,507 and the positivity rate of COVID-19 cases reaches up to 7.3 per cent.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), with fresh inclusion of the infections in the country the national tally of cases now currently stands at 410,072.

A total of 44,627 tests were conducted across the country during this period. 350,305 people have recovered from the deadly disease while 5,672,166 samples have been tested thus far.

 

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Centre shuttered PSM to take over its land, accuses Ghani

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Thursday said that "several elements, including mafias, were eyeing Pakistan Steel Mills' land" and accused the federal government of wanting to "hand over [the property] to one of their ATMs".

The minister, in a press conference, said that the reason behind shuttering down Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) was not fiscal loss, but the value of the land it was built on, adding that "some people wanted to usurp it".

"An incapable, selected cabinet cannot make decisions regarding steel mills and its employees," he declared and added that the Sindh government will stand by the PSM employees who were recently axed. Last week, the federal government had fired 4,544 employees after a decision earlier this year to let go all employees of the company.

The move was condemned by PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who termed the Centre's move "heartless" and vowed that his party would "return each and everyone back to work".

In response to Bilawal's tweet, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that he wanted to "remind everyone that it was during the PPP [government's] tenure that the PSM went from a profit-making entity with billions in [its] bank account to a heavy loss-making and bankrupt entity".

In his talk today, Ghani said the land on which PSM was built belonged to the Sindh government, which can retrieve it any time it wanted to.

The provincial minister critcised the incumbent federal government, saying that over the past two years, the Centre had done nothing to revive the steel mills and had now resorted to firing people.

The PTI government's arguments regarding PSM being in loss were all "drama", Ghani said, adding that the PPP government can "run the steel mills and make it profitable as well".

He rubbished claims by government ministers that the PSM went into loss when the PPP came to power. Ghani said at the time, the world was facing an economic recession which had affected the steel sector as well.

When PML-N came to power, he said, the economic situation had improved and PSM was at breakeven.

"However, it came to a halt when its gas supply was discontinued leading to a loss," Ghani insisted. PSM's gas supply was discontinued in 2015, when the PML-N was in power.

In his press talk today, Ghani vowed to stand by the PSM employees, who he said had the right to protest. The provincial minister recalled that Planning Minister Asad Umar had once said that if PSM employees were wronged, he would stand by them instead of the government.

Ghani also called upon MQM ministers to "speak up in cabinet and resign if their voice is not heard".

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Significant growth in home textiles, pharmaceuticals & other exports: Abdul Razak Dawood

Adviser to the Prime Minister on Commerce Abdul Razak Dawood on Thursday announced that several industrial exports in Pakistan have recently witnessed significant growth.

Sharing November 2020's provisional figures on his Twitter account, Dawood revealed that as compared to 2019, the exports of home textiles have grown by 20%, pharmaceutical products by 20%, rice by 14%, and surgical goods have witnessed an 11% growth in exports.

According to his tweets, other industrial exports which have seen a boost in the month of November include stockings and socks (41%), jerseys and pullovers (21%), women's garments (11%) and men’s garments (4.3%).

"This is in line with our policy of promotion of value-added exports and reflects a healthy trend," the adviser wrote.

Last month, the government said that Pakistan's key economic indicators have started showing results due to effective policies which fueled growth and enhanced remittances and foreign direct investment.

Pakistan's economy witnessed positive signs during the first quarter of the ongoing fiscal year 2020-21 (FY20-21) as remittances grew 26.5%, foreign direct investment (FDI) rose 9.1%, tax collection went up 4.5%, and the primary balance has been in a surplus worth Rs258 billion.

According to official sources, the PTI government's "prudent and timely policies" bolstered large-scale manufacturing (LSM), which registered a 4.8% growth, while the cement sector expanded 20% at 100% capacity utilisation.

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Centre shuttered PSM to take over its land, accuses Ghani

Sindh Education Minister Saeed Ghani on Thursday said that "several elements, including mafias, were eyeing Pakistan Steel Mills' land" and accused the federal government of wanting to "hand over [the property] to one of their ATMs".

The minister, in a press conference, said that the reason behind shuttering down Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) was not fiscal loss, but the value of the land it was built on, adding that "some people wanted to usurp it".

"An incapable, selected cabinet cannot make decisions regarding steel mills and its employees," he declared and added that the Sindh government will stand by the PSM employees who were recently axed. Last week, the federal government had fired 4,544 employees after a decision earlier this year to let go all employees of the company.

The move was condemned by PPP Chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, who termed the Centre's move "heartless" and vowed that his party would "return each and everyone back to work".

In response to Bilawal's tweet, Minister for Industries and Production Hammad Azhar said that he wanted to "remind everyone that it was during the PPP [government's] tenure that the PSM went from a profit-making entity with billions in [its] bank account to a heavy loss-making and bankrupt entity".

In his talk today, Ghani said the land on which PSM was built belonged to the Sindh government, which can retrieve it any time it wanted to.

The provincial minister critcised the incumbent federal government, saying that over the past two years, the Centre had done nothing to revive the steel mills and had now resorted to firing people.

The PTI government's arguments regarding PSM being in loss were all "drama", Ghani said, adding that the PPP government can "run the steel mills and make it profitable as well".

He rubbished claims by government ministers that the PSM went into loss when the PPP came to power. Ghani said at the time, the world was facing an economic recession which had affected the steel sector as well.

When PML-N came to power, he said, the economic situation had improved and PSM was at breakeven.

"However, it came to a halt when its gas supply was discontinued leading to a loss," Ghani insisted. PSM's gas supply was discontinued in 2015, when the PML-N was in power.

In his press talk today, Ghani vowed to stand by the PSM employees, who he said had the right to protest. The provincial minister recalled that Planning Minister Asad Umar had once said that if PSM employees were wronged, he would stand by them instead of the government.

Ghani also called upon MQM ministers to "speak up in cabinet and resign if their voice is not heard".

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Uber in advanced talks to sell air taxi unit

Uber Technologies is in advanced talks to sell its air taxi business, “Uber Elevate”, to aerospace firm Joby Aviation, news website Axios reported on Wednesday, citing sources.

 

Hyundai Motor Co, which in January announced a partnership with Uber Elevate to develop electric air taxis, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

With Uber’s business rattled by the COVID-19 pandemic, the company cut 23% of its workforce in May as part of aggressive cost cuts and vowed to focus on its core ride-hailing and food-delivery businesses.

Uber has been working on various other businesses, including the development of self-driving cars, the Elevate project and a freight logistics network.

The company is also in talks to sell its self-driving business.

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US military to keep two larger Afghan bases after drawdown to 2,500

The Pentagon has approved drawdown plans in Afghanistan that will still keep two larger bases in the country as officials carry out President Donald Trump’s orders to slash troop levels to 2,500 by Jan. 15, the top U.S. general said on Wednesday.

Trump’s post-election decision last month to cut nearly half of the roughly 4,500 troops currently in Afghanistan came before military leaders could devise plans to execute a drawdown, leaving many questions unanswered about the future U.S. military mission after Trump leaves office on Jan. 20.

Army General Mark Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, offered the first details about the drawdown at an event hosted by the Brookings Institution think tank. He said that in addition to the two larger bases, the United States would also keep “several satellite bases.”

He said the US military will also continue its two core missions: aiding Afghan security forces who are locked in a grinding conflict with Taliban insurgents and carrying out counterterrorism operations.

However, Milley did not disclose which bases in Afghanistan would be shuttered or say what capabilities would be lost as the United States removes 2,000 troops from the country. He declined to speculate about what President-elect Joe Biden may decide.

“What comes after that, that will be up to a new administration,” Milley said.

As the United States prepares to withdraw more troops, the U.S.-backed Afghan government and Taliban representatives reached a preliminary deal on Wednesday to press on with peace talks.

It was their first written agreement in 19 years of war that Milley said has long been stalemated, with neither side able to defeat the other on the battlefield.

Looking back, Milley said the United States had “achieved a modicum of success” in Afghanistan. He stressed the importance of peace talks, even as he acknowledged that the idea of sitting down with Taliban representatives was “odious” to some people.

“But that is in fact the most common way that insurgencies end, is through a power-sharing negotiated settlement,” he said.

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