Covert, Author at COVERT - Page 110 of 164

“Put Pakistan on Your Travel Map” virtual event highlights Pakistan tourism

Islamabad: Pakistan’s High Commission in London and Capra Falconeri Traveller magazine jointly organized a virtual discussion on “Put Pakistan on Your Travel Map” to attract international tourists to visit Pakistan and uncover its hidden treasures. The panelists included famous Scottish photographer Colin Prior, Jonny Bealby of Wilde Frontiers, multi-award-winning travel journalist Emma Thomson and wildlife […]

Imran Khan says would be more dangerous if forced out

Staff Writer Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan this week warned the opposition parties that he would be more dangerous if they forced him to step down as he ruled out granting any concession to them. Responding to a question about the planned long march by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on March 23 during live […]

Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo greets Pakistani cricketer on big achievement

Newswire Rome: Senior Italian diplomat Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo this week greeted Pakistani cricketer Babar Azam on being named ICC Men’s ODI Cricketer of the Year. “Well deserved!,” Ambassador Stefano Pontecorvo tweeted, along with the news of Babar Azam’s achievement. Earlier, Pakistan skipper Babar Azam was named ICC ODI Cricketer of the Year following his exploits […]

US goes cold on Mediterranean gas pipeline

Yasar Yakis The US State Department two weeks ago sent a document to the Department of International Economic Affairs at the Greek Foreign Ministry. It was about the Eastern Mediterranean (EastMed) gas pipeline project. Greek media was alarmed by its content. The document said that while Washington remained “committed to physically interconnecting the EastMed energy […]

Coronavirus brain drain is a real concern

Dr Theodore karasik Issues related to the aftermath of COVID-19 are tricky because of the many variables determining the speed of the planet’s recovery from the pandemic. The unknowns surrounding the full impact of the global public health emergency, such as on so-called lost generations and the brain drain, are damaging as we try to […]

Europe lacks leverage amid rising tensions surrounding Ukraine

Wang Shuo This past weekend, many people in the US and Europe were nervous about the possibility of the “first war of 2022” breaking out on the Russia-Ukraine border. To make things worse, the US Department of State issued a travel warning to Americans, and, the US and some European countries started to supply weaponry […]

Solid basis for enhancement of China-Russia ties

Wang Xiaoquan Soon, the 2022 Beijing Olympic Winter Games will kick off. It was announced on January 14 that Russian President Vladimir Putin is to attend the opening ceremony and hold a meeting on February 4 with Chinese President Xi Jinping. In the past decades, China-Russia relations have been developing rapidly. Now they have been […]

Australia, Pakistan ties excellent: Bryce Hutchesson

Newswire Islamabad: The Australian Charge D Affaires Bryce Hutchesson has said on this Australia Day – when Australians celebrate their nation, its achievements and its diverse multicultural people – it is timely to reflect on the ties between Australia and Pakistan and opportunities for further advancing the relationship between our two great countries. “Our connections […]

Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri greets Australian govt, people on national day

Newswire Canberra: Pakistani High Commissioner to Australia Zahid Hafeez Chaudhri this week greeted the Australian government and people on their national day. “We congratulate the Government and the people of the Commonwealth of Australia on their National Day #AustraliaDay and wish them continued progress and prosperity,” he tweeted. Australia Day is the official national day […]

Italy: Rent-free home in scenic Sambuca

Newswire Rome: Airbnb is looking for a candidate to move into a restored heritage home in Italy for a year. The candidate chosen for the opportunity has to host a guest in a spare room in the house for at least nine months. Living in a heritage home in a picturesque Italian locale is a […]

BELOVED ITALY

Italy-Pakistan relations based upon mutual cooperation: Ambassador Andreas Ferrarese

Newswire Islamabad: Italy’s Ambassador to Pakistan Andreas Ferrarese said this week that Italy-Pakistan relations were based upon mutual cooperation. Interacting with the Pakistani businessperson, the envoy said Italy enjoys close and cordial diplomatic, economic, cultural, business and trade ties with Pakistan. Ambassador Ferrarese said the two countries share perceptions on major international and regional issues. […]

Sports

Former Zimbabwe Cricketer, Brendan Taylor, breaks silence on match-fixing scandal

Former Zimbabwe cricket Captain, Brendan Taylor says he was blackmailed to engage in match fixing by a group of Indian businessmen he met in October 2019, after they took photographs of him taking cocaine. In a statement on his twitter page this week, Taylor confirmed taking $15,000 from the fixers, but said he never manipulated […]

Sports

Balotelli back for Italy after more than three years

Newswire Florence: Mario Balotelli is back in the Italy squad more than three years after his last appearance in an Azzurri shirt. Italy coach Roberto Mancini included the striker in a 35-man squad announced Monday for a three-day training camp this week, ahead of the World Cup playoffs in March. The 31-year-old Balotelli made the […]

Holiday bookings jump as UK Covid travel tests axed

Newswire Holiday bookings have jumped with “notable increases” in trips planned for February half-term and Easter ahead of Covid travel tests being scrapped. Jet2 said bookings had increased by 30% on last week after the announcements that rules would be relaxed for people arriving in the UK. The rule changes mean fully-vaccinated people arriving in […]

United Kingdom

Diana’s documentary opens Sundance

Newswire An “immersive” Princess Diana documentary offering an “origin story” for the British royal family’s latest woes was among the opening night movies at the online Sundance film festival this week. Sundance, which celebrates independent cinema, was forced to go virtual for a second year running by the Omicron variant of Covid-19’s surge across the […]

Record 300 day-care centers in Japan shut due to pandemic

Newswire Tokyo: A record 327 day-care centers temporarily shut down in Japan this week as the coronavirus resurgence grips the country, the health ministry said, causing a headache for working parents. The number of such facilities suspending services as of last Thursday, excluding privately operated or locally licensed ones, increased fourfold in a week along […]

A culture of collective responsibility: How Japan has kept COVID-19 numbers relatively low

Suvendrini Kakuchi Tokyo: On January 1 at a shrine in the leafy suburb of Asagaya in west Tokyo, Michiko Kubo and her husband, each wearing two face masks, joined a long line of worshippers all standing a metre apart to welcome 2022. “Last year we stayed at home following official guidelines to avoid crowded places. […]

Why is Afghanistan ditching us?

Senator Rehman Malik I remember the day of 2nd oath-taking ceremony of President Hamid Karzai in an old beautiful palace in Kabul where I was invited as a guest with then President Asif Ali Zardari. President Hamid Karzai apparently looked too interested in improving relations with Pakistan. But, with the passage of time, Afghanistan fell […]

Health

Mediterranean diet associated with a lower risk of mortality in older adults

A greater adherence to the Mediterranean diet which had been assessed through an index made with biomarkers during a 20-year scientific monitoring is associated with a lower mortality in adults over 65. This is one of the main conclusions of a study led by Cristina Andrés-Lacueva, head of the Research Group on Biomarkers and Nutritional […]

S & Tech

Newly discovered carbon may yield clues to ancient Mars

NASA’s Curiosity rover landed on Mars on August 6, 2012, and since then has roamed Gale Crater taking samples and sending the results back home for researchers to interpret. Analysis of carbon isotopes in sediment samples taken from half a dozen exposed locations, including an exposed cliff, leave researchers with three plausible explanations for the […]

S & Tech

Hubble finds a black hole igniting star formation in a dwarf galaxy

Often portrayed as destructive monsters that hold light captive, black holes take on a less villainous role in the latest research from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope. A black hole at the heart of the dwarf galaxy Henize 2-10 is creating stars rather than gobbling them up. The black hole is apparently contributing to the firestorm […]

China Power Hub Generation Company wins NEPRA’s CSR Stalwart Award

China Economic Net Islamabad: The China Power Hub Generation Company (Pvt) Ltd (CPHGC) this week received National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA)’s Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Stalwart Award for supporting its CSR drive ‘Power with Prosperity.’ NEPRA Chairman Tauseef H Farooqi presented the plaque of appreciation to CPHGC Chief Executive Officer Ren Lihui here at […]

Punjab Safe Cities Authority to assist Balochistan govt in establishing Gwadar Safe City Project in CPEC hub

Gwadar Pro Lahore: Punjab Safe Cities Authority will assist Balochistan government in establishing Gwadar Safe City Project in the hub of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC). Chief Operating Officer of Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) Muhammad Kamran Khan and Project Director of Gwadar Safe City Shehzad Asif signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for the […]

China saved Pakistan from bankruptcy in recent years: FM Qureshi

Gwadar Pro Multan: Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said this week that China had saved Pakistan from bankruptcy in the recent years. Addressing a public gathering here, FM Qureshi recalled that Pakistani economy was very down in 2018 but Pakistan sought help from China and other friends to control the damage. “China helped us and […]

People’s support needed to oust govt: Bilawal Bhutto

Staff Writer Hyderabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari this week urged the masses to help him oust Prime Minister Imran Khan. The PPP leader said that Imran Khan would have to go if Pakistan’s economy was to be saved. He warned of food insecurity crisis if agriculture economy was destroyed. Bilawal Bhutto […]

Europe won’t receive Russian oil and gas, if Russia disconnected from SWIFT

Moscow: The European countries will not be able to receive gas, oil and metals from Russia in case Russia is disconnected from the SWIFT international payment system, Nikolay Zhuravlev, Vice Speaker of the Federation Council, said this week. The Federation Council is the upper house of the Russian parliament. Earlier, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson […]

China, the safest place: Beijing

Newswire Beijing: China has expressed serious concerns and dissatisfaction to the US over reports that the US is considering to authorize departures of American diplomats in Beijing over China’s COVID-19 rules. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Zhao Lijian said this week that China was undoubtedly the safest country in the world right now and withdrawing from […]

Xi stresses full, strict Party governance, vows zero tolerance on corruption

China Economic Net Beijing: Xi Jinping, general secretary of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, this week stressed rigorous and unswerving efforts in further promoting full and strict Party governance. Xi, also Chinese president and chairman of the Central Military Commission, vowed to maintain a zero-tolerance stance on corruption while addressing the sixth […]

Putin to brief China’s Xi on Russia-NATO talks; Kremlin

Newswire Moscow: Russian President Vladimir Putin will brief his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping on Moscow’s talks with NATO when he travels to Beijing next month, Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said this week. Putin is set to attend the opening ceremony of the Beijing Winter Olympics on February 4. Russia and China have moved closer together […]

Bilawal Bhutto conditionally ready to work with PDM

Staff Writer Islamabad: Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari said this week that his party can work with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) provided that they drop the proposal for en masse resignations and adopt his strategy of the no-confidence move. The PPP chairman offered a counterproposal to PDM and once again broached […]

Pakistan to offer Permanent Residency to Chinese nationals under new National Security Policy

Gwadar Pro Islamabad: Pakistan will offer Permanent Residency (PR) to Chinese nationals who want to stay and invest in the country under a new National Security Policy, Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said. Prime Minister Imran Khan had launched the public version of the first-ever National Security Policy document at a ceremony in the Prime Minister’s […]

Imran Khan’s upcoming visit to China another proof of love and closeness: FM Qureshi

Gwadar Pro Islamabad: Prime Minister Imran Khan’s upcoming visit to Iron Brother China to attend the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics is another proof of love and closeness between the two all-weather friends, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said. Speaking to Gwadar Pro, the top diplomat maintained that China had an exclusively important position […]

Balochistan Governor urges students to take advantage of CPEC opportunities

China Economic Net Quetta: Balochistan Governor Syed Zahoor Ahmed Agha this week urged the students to take advantage of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) opportunities. Addressing the 17th convocation of Balochistan University of Information Technology, Engineering and Management Sciences in Quetta here, Agha predicted that students of Balochistan will play an important role in the […]

S & Tech

Twelve for dinner: The Milky Way’s feeding habits shine a light on dark matter

Astronomers are one step closer to revealing the properties of dark matter enveloping our Milky Way galaxy, thanks to a new map of twelve streams of stars orbiting within our galactic halo. Understanding these star streams is very important for astronomers. As well as revealing the dark matter that holds the stars in their orbits, […]

S & Tech

Unusual team finds gigantic planet hidden in plain sight

A UC Riverside astronomer and a group of eagle-eyed citizen scientists have discovered a giant gas planet hidden from view by typical stargazing tools. The planet, TOI-2180 b, has the same diameter as Jupiter, but is nearly three times more massive. Researchers also believe it contains 105 times the mass of Earth in elements heavier […]

Health

Epstein-Barr virus may be leading cause of multiple sclerosis

Multiple sclerosis (MS), a progressive disease that affects 2.8 million people worldwide and for which there is no definitive cure, is likely caused by infection with the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), according to a study led by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health researchers. “The hypothesis that EBV causes MS has been investigated by our […]

Japan to allow in some foreign students, making exception to ban

Newswire Tokyo: Japan plans to allow 87 government-sponsored foreign students into the country, making an exception to the country’s current entry ban on nonresident foreigners amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the top spokesman said this week. Entry of the students will possibly be allowed from later this month and they will be required to quarantine for […]

Japan looks to expand COVID quasi-emergency to Tokyo, 10 other prefs.

Newswire Tokyo: Japan is considering placing 11 prefectures, including Tokyo and its vicinity, under a COVID-19 quasi-state of emergency to curb rapidly spreading coronavirus cases, government sources said Monday. Any declaration of a quasi-emergency hinges on requests made by these prefectures, but the Japanese government is preparing to make a decision as the highly transmissible […]