BEIJING, Jan 17 (APP): As a key event of the “Thousand Cars and Ten Thousand People Crossing Inner Mongolia”, the Ice and Snow Jianghu Car King Competition in Inner Mongolia, China attracted more than 100 national champion racers from more than 20 provinces and cities across the country.
Over a thousand off-road and self-driving vehicles also gathered in Dali Lake and competed passionately on the Yulong Ice and Snow Track, interpreting the unique charm of ice and snow sports.
The championship held last week was divided into two groups: the modification group and the mass production group. It had set a relatively high prize money for domestic folk sports events and formed a large publicity team. It is currently the highest standard, largest scale, and highest prize money ice and snow car sports event in China.
Finally, Qiao Xu from the Koman (China) team won the championship in the professional modification group.
The Dragon Year Special Jade Dragon Ice and Snow Track has a total length of four kilometers. This is currently the longest and most curved professional ice and snow track in China. It not only allows professional racers to fully demonstrate their superb ice and snow driving skills, but also allows many ice and snow self-driving enthusiasts to participate in the race and experience the infinite joy of ice and snow driving while watching.
At the same time, there were also Inner Mongolia specialty foods such as iron pot stewed fish, iron pot stewed beef, and iron pot stewed lamb at the competition venue.
There was also a long table banquet of ice and snow hot pot that could accommodate thousands of people, allowing tourists from all over the country to feast on the ice and snow, fall in love with the taste of Inner Mongolia, and let all tourists harvest unforgettable memories of ice and snow self-driving.
They transform into Inner Mongolia ice and snow tourism promoters, thus contributing an undeniable internet power to the development of winter ice and snow tourism in Inner Mongolia.
Ice and snow car racing championship held in Inner Mongolia, China
Sialkot University’s session on research opportunities
First Lady calls for universal access to assistive technology
DAVOS, Jan 17 (APP): First Lady Begum Samina Alvi on Wednesday called for ensuring universal access to assistive technology for persons with disabilities, the aging population and those suffering from non-communicable diseases.
The first lady, in her keynote address at an event themed “Unlock the every day: advancing the SDGs through the power of Assistive Technology” on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum 2024, urged global leaders to prioritize the integration of assistive technology in their national plans and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) strategies.
“Unlock the Everyday” is the first-ever global campaign on assistive technology (AT) that has been launched to raise awareness about everyone’s right to AT- such as wheelchairs, glasses, hearing aids, prostheses and digital devices – regardless of their geographic and socio-economic background.
The event, organized by Devex and ATscale at the SDG Tent in Davos, was attended by high-level leaders specializing in disability inclusion, technology and impact investment, and aimed to explore the transformative power of AT in revolutionizing the lives of millions of people who have special needs.
Begum Samina Alvi said that assistive technology was a critical tool for achieving SDGs as it could open up opportunities for education, employment, and inclusion in society for people with special needs.
She called for greater collaboration among technology experts, policymakers, and advocates worldwide, besides urging the public and private sectors to invest in technologies that empower people.
The first lady highlighted that globally 2.5 billion people needed at least one assistive product whereas access was only 3% in low-income countries.
“Affordability, availability, and accessibility remain key challenges, particularly for individuals in low-income and marginalized communities. We must strive to overcome these hurdles and ensure that assistive technology reaches those who need it the most, leaving no one behind”, she remarked.
Begum Samina Alvi emphasised that Pakistan was committed to creating an inclusive society and advancing the agenda of enhancing access to assistive technology.
She said that Pakistan stood at the forefront of advocating for assistive technology, both within its region and on the global stage.
She highlighted that Pakistan had made significant efforts at the global level to promote assistive technology including proposing and adopting regional and global resolutions, hosting key events, launching the WHO Assistive Product List, developing a regional strategic framework for AT, and the first lady inaugurating and concluding the Global Conference on Assistive Technology.
Begum Samina Alvi stressed that sharing the best practices, knowledge, and resources would help create a collective impact on a global scale.
“Assistive technology also plays a key role in universal health coverage by ensuring that health services are accessible to everyone, including those with disabilities.”, she added.
She also called for prioritizing research and development to ensure the continuous innovation and improvement of assistive technology.
ATscale is a global partnership working to transform access to life-changing assistive technology across lower- and middle-income countries. Its vision is to ensure every person can access and afford the assistive technology they need, enabling a lifetime of potential.
President directs IESCO to refund Rs 139,000 to a complainant
ISLAMABAD, Jan 17 (APP): President Dr Arif Alvi has directed the Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) to refund Rs 139,860 to a complainant who had been wrongly issued an additional demand notice for the installation of an electricity connection along with a transformer due to cost escalation.
The president issued these directions while deciding upon a representation filed by IESCO assailing the order of the Wafaqi Mohtasib directing IESCO to refund the amount to complainant Haji Akhtar Raheem and adopt proper procedure/rules/regulation, which were violated by IESCO, resulting in maladministration.
The IESCO had violated its own procedure by not installing the connection within 30 days and later sent an additional demand notice to the complainant, who had already paid the original requisite amount, on account of the escalation of the cost of the material.
The complainant had applied with IESCO for an electricity connection along with a 25 KVA transformer.
Subsequently, a demand notice of Rs 305, 656, including the cost of allied material was issued to him. He deposited the amount, however, IESCO instead of installing his connection timely, issued an additional demand notice of Rs 139,860 on account of the escalation of the cost of the material.
He approached IESCO for withdrawal of the demand notice but to no avail. Feeling aggrieved, he approached the Wafaqi Mohtasib for the redressal of his grievance, who passed the order in his favour. IESCO, then, filed a representation against the order of the Mohtasib with the President.
After personally hearing the case and going through the record of the case, the president directed IESCO to refund the amount to the complainant.
He referred to IESCO’s Consumer Service Manual which provided that once the demand notice had been issued by IESCO and paid by the applicant in full, no further charges/demand notice could be raised on account of the escalation of the cost of the material.
He further noted that as per the manual, IESCO was bound to install the connection within 30 days but it delayed the installation by seven months.
President Alvi concluded that Wafaqi Mohtasib’s decision was based on sound reasoning and was sustainable in the eyes of the law. He, therefore, rejected IESCO’s representation and upheld the Mohtasib’s decision.
Suspect kills in alleged encounter
Bomb blast in Quetta leaves eight injured, including children
Medical Camp held at UoS
Cold & Dry weather forecasts for northern Sindh
SUKKUR, Jan 17 (APP): The local Pakistan Meteorological Department on Wednesday predicted cold and dry weather for most parts of the Sindh province during the next 24 hours.
However, dense fog and smog are predicted in Sukkur, Khairpur, Ghotki, Jacobabad and Kashmore districts of northern Sindh.
Mainly, cold and dry weather is likely to prevail in the province.
Three robbers arrested, 12 bikes, weapons recovered
Two killed, five injured on road
