- CCoE directs re-submission of oil refinery policy
The Cabinet Committee on Energy (CCoE) on Friday asked the Petroleum Division to resubmit in its next meeting the draft of the Pakistan Oil Refinery Policy 2021 for approval after detailed deliberation and consensus with the stakeholders.
- US urges Pak-China help for Afghan settlement
The United States has said that it wants Pakistan and China to help evolve “some sort of political settlement” in Afghanistan even though the Taliban now effectively control the country.
- Govt proposal on all-encompassing media regulator rejected
Key stakeholders from the media and civil society have rejected as draconian and unacceptable the government’s proposal to create a new authority to regulate the entire spectrum of the country’s media sector, including print, electronic, digital media and film, and its attempt to wrongly claim support for it.
- More PIA flights bring Pakistanis, foreigners stranded in Kabul
Pakistan International Airlines operated two more special flights to bring Pakistani nationals and foreigners stranded in Afghanistan to Pakistan on Friday. The PIA’s Chief Executive Officer, Arshad Malik, left with the first flight to encourage the crew.
- Visiting Afghan leaders seek formation of an all-inclusive govt
Visiting Afghan political leaders have called for an all-inclusive political settlement in their country through power sharing and a decentralized government. The Afghan leaders believe that any monopolistic setup was bound to fail.
- Sydney extends lockdown, imposes curfew
Sydney extended its two-month-old lockdown for another month and introduced a partial curfew on Friday, as Australia’s largest city struggled to contain a fast-spreading coronavirus outbreak.
- Two boys killed, Chinese man injured in Gwadar suicide attack
Two boys were killed and four others, including a Chinese national, injured when a suicide bomber blew himself up targeting a vehicle carrying Chinese nationals in Gwadar on Friday evening.
- Kabul evacuation among ‘most difficult’ ever: Biden
President Joe Biden said on Friday he could not guarantee the final outcome of the emergency evacuation from Kabul’s airport, calling it one of the most “difficult” airlift operations ever.
- PCB says upcoming visit of NZ security official nothing to do with developments in Afghanistan
Dispelling the impression that the visit of Reg Dickason — a long-time independent security consultant for New Zealand Cricket (NZC) — to Pakistan next week was related to the situation in neighbouring Afghanistan, a spokesperson for the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Thursday said that Dickason was “always scheduled” to visit the country as part of NZC’s tour protocols.
COVID-19 Updates
- With 3,084 new COVID-19 cases, 65 deaths recorded in the last 24 hours
- 89,044 COVID-19 cases are active in the country
- The total death tally of Covid-19 stands at 24,848
- 3,648 people recovered from Coronavirus in the last 24 hours
- The positivity rate of Covid-19 is recorded at 6.2%
- Over 209.9 million are infected globally
- More than 4.4 million have died due to the virus
- Vietnam calls in army for strict virus lockdown
- Euro 2020 final at Wembley was a ‘superspreader’ event
- San Francisco becomes first major city in US to require full vaccination for indoor activity
- US public health agency asks travelers at high risk of severe Covid-19 to avoid cruises
