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Marriyum blasts Imran for lame excuses for avoiding appearances in courts

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UN chief slams suicide attack in Bolan

ISLAMABAD, Feb 28 (APP): Minister for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb on Tuesday castigated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Chairman Imran Khan for his lame excuses for not appearing in courts.

In a statement, the minister said that the courts continue asking about Imran’s whereabouts but he continued to evade.
Marriyum said that the ” foreign agent” was appealing to the banking court for granting bail. In the Tosha Khana case, charges are to be framed against him, yet he refused to appear.
She said if Imran Khan fails to appear in courts, he should be arrested so that his desire to fill the jail will also be fulfilled.

She said, “If Nawaz Sharif could appear in court with his daughter on daily basis, why Imran Khan could not appear with Bushra and Farah Gogi?” She said Imran Khan should realise that in his difficult time, Bushra Bibi and Farah Gogi left him alone to face court cases.

She said that “watch thief and foreign agent” should answer why Tosha Khana gifts were stolen and why did he sell the watch with an image of the Holy Kaaba.

Marriyum asked Imran to appear in court and tell why did Bushra Bibi sell Tosha Khana’s diamond necklaces.
He should also tell the court why foreign agents used charity money in politics, she said.

The minister said that Khan should also answer why they used their employees’ private accounts for money laundering.

He should also answer why Shaukat Khanum Hospital charity money was invested in the private housing society.
“Why did Imran take millions of dollars from the Wootton cricket club and why that charity money was invested in politics?”
She asked Imran to tell the nation why foreign funding was used against the country.

Ancient tomb found in north China’s Hebei

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Ancient tomb Hebei

SHIJIAZHUANG, Feb 28 (Xinhua/APP): Archaeologists in north China’s Hebei Province have found a tomb dating back to the Jin Dynasty (265-420).

The tomb was located 5.2 meters under the ground and featured a brick chamber. A total of 16 items of pottery ware, including a cup, pot, bullock-cart and horse, were found in the tomb.

Judging from the funerary objects, it is speculated that the tomb owner might have been a woman, according to Ren Xueyan, leader of the archaeological team at the Damingfu ruins, where the tomb is located.

No written record was found in the tomb, so the specific age of the tomb is difficult to determine, Ren said.

Ren said that the unearthed pottery ware reflects people’s living conditions at that time, and that they are of high value for the study of local folk customs during the Jin Dynasty.

PM launches mobile schools to promote child literacy

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ISLAMABAD, Feb 28 (APP): Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Tuesday terming children the ‘future builders of the nation’ said the government would provide maximum educational facilities to them.

Addressing the launch of mobile schools under the project ‘School on wheels’, he said the step would increase the literacy rate in the country, particularly in the rural areas.

In the first phase, the mobile schools consisting of eight buses will provide primary-level education to the children of Islamabad and adjoining areas.

PM launches mobile schools to promote child literacy

The buses have been equipped with computers, desks, whiteboards, and LCDs, to create an effective teaching and learning environment.

Shehbaz Sharif said the government would increase the number of buses and expand the project to the rest of the country and Azad Kashmir.

He expressed satisfaction that the project would mainstream the children in rural areas who faced the unavailability of modern educational facilities.

Also, he said, the mobile library would promote a reading culture among the children.

He said education was a vital factor to make a society developed and cultured.

PM launches mobile schools to promote child literacy

The prime minister on the occasion interacted with the schoolchildren and encouraged them to take interest in learning.

Earlier, the prime minister launched the countrywide Spring plantation campaign by planting a sapling.

He urged civil society and the general public to participate in the plantation drive to save future generations.

He pointed out that cities were transforming into concrete jungles and the environment needed urgent rectification through the plantation of trees.

PM launches mobile schools to promote child literacy

Action needed to fight superbugs: report

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Action needed to fight superbugs: report

CANBERRA, Feb 28 (Xinhua/APP): Australia’s national science agency has warned urgent action is needed to prevent the spread of drug-resistant superbugs.

In a report published on Tuesday, the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) and Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) declared antimicrobial resistance (AMR) a “looming global health crisis.”

AMR occurs when bacteria and other microbes become resistant to drugs that were designed to kill them, such as antibiotics, through overuse or misuse.

According to the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), without urgent intervention AMR could kill 10 million people every year by 2050, prompting the World Health Organization (WHO) to list it as a top 10 threat to global health.

Tuesday’s report identified the key challenges and opportunities for Australia to reduce the impacts of AMR, calling for greater national coordination on the issue and easier commercialization for possible solutions.

“AMR could render some of the most critical antimicrobial drugs ineffective, undermining modern medicine and making us vulnerable to drug-resistant infections,” Branwen Morgan, head of the CSIRO’s Minimising Antimicrobial Resistance Mission, said in a media release.

“It is responsible for over 1.27 million deaths globally each year and the number is rising. In Australia, modelling suggests AMR could potentially be responsible for over 5,000 deaths annually.”

More than 100 experts from the government, academia and industry contributed to the report.

It identified surface sprays that change color when pathogens are present and toilets that detect and disarm harmful microbes before they reach waterways as specific examples of potentially impactful technologies in fighting AMR.

Japanese encephalitis virus spreads wider than reported in Aussie state: serosurvey

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Japanese encephalitis virus spreads wider than reported in Aussie state: serosurvey
Photo Source: WHO

SYDNEY, Feb 28 (Xinhua/APP): Concern over the Japanese encephalitis virus (JEV) is mounting in the Australian state of Victoria, as a new serosurvey has indicated that there could be more infections than previously thought.

The serosurvey, released by the state’s department of health on Monday, collected blood samples and questionnaires from more than 800 people in northern Victoria.

It found that about one in 30 participants had previously contracted JEV, which led the health authority to believe that there may have been more infections than the reported case number of 13 during last year’s mosquito season.

Besides, the participants who showed evidence of prior infection were aged between 25 and 90, with a median age of 73, and the majority were male. They were identified in all three regions that took part in the survey, namely Loddon Mallee, Goulburn Valley, and Ovens Murray.

The health department noted that the state had already recorded one case of human infection this mosquito season, warning that the virus continues to circulate in parts of Victoria.

The eligibility criteria for vaccination against the virus has also been extended to seven new local government areas.

“By finding more cases than we were previously aware of, this important research reinforces the risk to all in the community that mosquito-borne diseases pose, especially in light of recent flood activity,” said Victoria’s deputy chief health officer Deborah Friedman.

While vaccination against JEV is available, there are a number of mosquito-borne diseases known to be circulating in Victoria, including Murray Valley encephalitis and West Nile virus, for which no vaccine is available.

Residents are encouraged to take sensible steps to avoid mosquito bites, such as wearing long, loose-fitting, light-colored clothing, using insect repellents, clearing stagnant water around homes or properties, and avoiding the outdoors when mosquitoes are observed.

Foreign exchange rates

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EXCHANGE RATES

KARACHI, Feb 28 (APP): The Exchange Rates Committee of Financial Markets Association of Pakistan issued the following Exchange rates bulletin, here on Tuesday.

The CONVERSION RATES FOR FEBRUARY 28, 2023 FOR FOREIGN CURRENCY FOR FORWARD COVER FOR DEPOSITS (EXCLUDING FE 25 DEPOSITS)

SBP SETTLEMENT VALUE DATE MARCH 28, 2023

USD 259.8450
GBP 310.6447
EUR 274.1625
JPY 1.9077

Exchange rates for currency notes

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Rupee plunges by Rs 4.61 against dollar

KARACHI, Feb 28 (APP): CURRENCY SELLING BUYING
USD 262.90 257.20
GBP 316.83 309.94
EUR 278.43 272.90
JPY 1.9296 1.8878
SAR 70.14 68.45
AED 71.59 70.48

LIBOR
LIBOR FOR CALCULATING INTEREST ON SPECIAL USD BONDS
LIBOR 1M 4.63486
LIBOR 3M 4.95343
LIBOR 6M 5.23514

US DOLLAR Indicative FBP Rates

CURRENCY SIGHT/
15 DAYS 1M 2M 3M 4M 5M 6M

USD 258.10 256.31 252.87 250.15 247.26 244.52 242.09

EUR 273.57 271.96 268.75 266.31 263.71 261.17 259.04

GBP 311.09 309.03 305.05 301.94 298.68 295.56 292.85

NBP Exchange Rates

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Exchange rates for currency notes

KARACHI, Feb 28 (APP): The Treasury Management Division of the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) on Tuesday issued the following exchange rates.

CURRENCY SYMBOL TT Selling TT Buying
U.S DOLLAR USD 260.30 259.80
EURO EUR 276.19 275.66
JAPANESE YEN JPY 2.9105 1.9069
BRITISH POUND GBP 313.69 313.09
SWISS FRANC CHF 277.96 277.42
CANADIAN DOLLAR CAD 191.69 191.33
AUSTRALIAN DOLAR AUD 175.36 175.02
SWEDISH KRONA SEK 25.14 25.02
NORWEGIAN KRONE NOK 25.15 25.10
DANISH KRONE DKK 37.04 36.97
NEWZEALAND DOLLAR NZD 160.45 160.14
SINGAPORE DOLLAR SGD 193.11 192.74
HONGKONG DOLLAR HKD 33.30 33.23
KOREAN WON KRW 0.1974 0.1970
CHINESE YUAN CNY 37.62 37.55
MALAYSIAN RINGGIT MYR 58.09 57.98
THAI BAHT THB 07.43 07.41
U.E.A DIRHAM AED 71.37 71.24
SAUDI RIYAL SAR 69.45 69.31
QATAR RIYAL QAR 71.51 71.37
KUWAITI DINAR KWD 848.93 847.31

CONVERSION RATE FOR FROZEN FCY DEPOSITS
USD 259.845
GBP 310.6447
EUR 274.1625
JPY 1.9077

SETTLEMENT DATE: 02-03 2023

UN envoy says Israel must prevent settler attacks on Palestinians

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UN envoy says Israel must prevent settler attacks on Palestinians
UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland-File

UNITED NATIONS, Feb 27 (APP): UN Middle East envoy Tor Wennesland has expresses his disappointment with the Israeli security forces for failing to prevent the vigilante mob attack on a Palestinian town last night, saying that ‘security forces have the responsibility to maintain security and prevent individuals from taking the law into their own hands’.

In a written statement, Wennesland says that he is ‘gravely concerned by the deteriorating security situation’.
He expresses his condolences to the family of the two Israeli brothers killed on Sunday in Huwara, and the family of the Palestinian slain by Israelis during the subsequent rampage in the same town.

International media also reported that a Palestinian man shot and critically wounded a 25-year-old Israeli man near Jericho on Monday.

Wennesland – officially UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process – stressed that security forces have the responsibility to maintain security and prevent individuals from taking the law into their own hands.

“There can be no justification for terrorism, nor for arson and acts of revenge against civilians,” he added. “All perpetrators of violence must be held accountable. Violence, provocations, and incitement must stop immediately and be unequivocally condemned by all”.

The situation unfolded as Jordan hosted Israeli and Palestinian political and security officials in the Red Sea resort of Aqaba on Sunday, in efforts to curb rising violence ahead of the holy month of Ramadan.

Representatives from the United States and Egypt were also attended.

Wennesland said he was encouraged by commitments reaffirmed by the parties in the final Aqaba Communiqu, including towards de-escalation.

He urged the sides to make all efforts to address the core issues driving the conflict in line with UN resolutions, international law and previous agreements.

“The United Nations remains committed to supporting Palestinians and Israelis to achieve a just and lasting peace,” he said.
“There are no shortcuts to peace”.

Member National Assembly Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif

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Member National Assembly Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
APP58-270223 ISLAMABAD: February 27 - Member National Assembly Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. APP/FHA
Member National Assembly Mr. Muhammad Khan Daha calls on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif
APP58-270223 ISLAMABAD