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New British 50 pound note with WW2 codebreaker Turing enters circulation

LONDON: A new 50 pound ($70) banknote featuring the mathematician and computer scientist Alan Turing enters circulation in Britain on Wednesday, three months after the Bank of England first unveiled the design.

Turing is best known in Britain for designing machines to decrypt coded messages during World War Two, and before the war his work laid the theoretical foundation for modern computer science. Later he made discoveries in developmental biology.

“Placing him on this new banknote is a recognition of his contributions to our society, and a celebration of his remarkable life,” BoE Governor Andrew Bailey said.

Britain’s GCHQ spy agency, for whose predecessor Turing worked in World War Two, unveiled an artwork in his honour on Wednesday.

The new 50 pound banknote completes the BoE’s transition away from paper banknotes to those made out of a more durable polymer or plastic.

Existing paper 50 pound banknotes will circulate alongside the new polymer ones until the end of September 2022.

Fifty-pound notes account for 357 million of the over 4.5 billion Bank of England banknotes in circulation. Lower-denomination notes are more popular for day-to-day transactions.

($1 = 0.7179 pounds)

June 23, 2021
Coronavirus claims 39 more lives in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The coronavirus (COVID-19) claimed 39 more lives in Pakistan during the previous 24 hours, taking the nationwide death toll to 22,073.

According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), 930 new cases of the virus emerged when 45,519 samples were tested during this period, taking the country’s caseload to 950,768.

Also Read: Pakistan to receive 13 mln doses of Pfizer vaccine

It said the Covid-19 infection rate was recorded at 2.04.

The number of people who have recovered from the disease since the first case of the pandemic was reported in the country climbed to 895,690 after 1,338 more people recuperated in the last 24 hours.

Also Read: Dual-antibody drugs effective against COVID-19 variants in new study

As of June 23, as many as 7,267,000 people have been partially vaccinated against the deadly infection while 3,566,547 fully vaccinated, the NCOC said.

A total of 13,484,364 doses of Covid-19 vaccine have been administered across Pakistan thus far.

June 23, 2021
FIA exposes gang involved in credit card fraud with over 60 citizens

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has exposed a gang comprising of bank and courier company employees who were involved in credit card fraud with over 60 citizens, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The FIA spokesperson said that more than 60 victims of credit card fraud have come forth so far. Three accused in the credit card fraud have been arrested so far while efforts are underway to arrest the other criminals, the spokesperson added.

It emerged that the gang was comprised of private bank employees, a delivery boy of a courier company and a credit card agent. They continued committing financial crimes for two years by issuing credit cards of citizens through the national identity cards.

Later, the courier company’s employee kept possession of the credit card to give it to the gang leader. A private bank employee was found involved in making fake signatures besides sharing confidential data.

Alongside the said employees, a sales selection officer of the bank’s credit card department also worked as a member of the gang that has withdrawn more than Rs10 million from the credit cards of different citizens.

The senior officer has been tasked to verify the fake documents, whereas, the courier company’s employee was given the responsibility to verify the national identity cards and related documents of the citizens, it was learnt.

June 23, 2021
Nine inbound passengers test positive for COVID-19 at Karachi airport

KARACHI: At least nine inbound passengers have tested positive for COVID-19 at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

According to the details, the passengers arrived at the airport through a foreign airline from Saudi Arabia. The COVID-19 test of the nine of the passengers came positive at the Karachi airport during the examination

According to the airport administration, the COVID-positive passengers have been shifted to the quarantine centre.

However, the passengers were of the view that they were not provided the ambulances donated by the WHO despite several requests. Eight hours after their arrival at the airport, COVID-positive passengers were shifted to a quarantine centre situated in Liaquatabad Town.

Read More: Three inbound travellers test positive for COVID-19 at Karachi airport

Earlier on June 3, three more inbound passengers had tested positive for coronavirus at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport who were shifted to hospital for quarantine.

Over 58 inbound travellers had been found COVID-positive during the last 20 days at Karachi’s Jinnah International Airport. The Sindh health department had confirmed that three passengers from Saudi Arabia and Sharjah had tested positive for COVID-19 after undergoing rapid antigen tests at the airport.

June 23, 2021
FIA decides to summon Shehbaz Sharif again in sugar scam: sources

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has decided to again summon Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President and Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif in connection with its ongoing probe into alleged money laundering of Rs25 billion, ARY News reported, citing sources.

The FIA decided to summon PML-N president during its meeting held today at FIA office on the sugar investigation.

Sources privy to the matter told ARY News that the PML-N leader has requested the FIA officials not to disclose the content of the interrogation to the media.

Shehbaz Sharif today appeared before the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in connection with its ongoing probe into alleged money laundering of Rs25 billion through the sugar mills owned by the Sharif family.

A four-member team of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) quizzed the PML-N president at the agency’s Lahore office for more than an hour.

Also Read: Billions found in accounts of employees of Shehbaz’s son

Sources told ARY News that the investigation team put as many as 20 questions to PML-N president and Leader of the Opposition in National Assembly Shehbaz, out of which he could answer only four. A large number of PML-N supporters gathered outside the FIA office to show solidarity to their leader.

The opposition leader and his son Hamza Shehbaz Sharif have been accused of laundering Rs25 billion ill-gotten money using the Ramazan Sugar Mills and Al-Arabiya Sugar Mills.

Also Read: Shehbaz Sharif, Hamza Shehbaz obtain pre-arrest bail before FIA appearance

On Monday, both father-son duo obtained pre-arrest interim bail from the Lahore High Court (LHC) to avoid their arrest at the hands of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). The court approved their bail against surety bonds worth Rs1 million each.

June 23, 2021
KSA invites private sector investments in sports with Nafes platform

RIYADH: The Saudi sports minister presiding over their Olympic committee Prince Abdulaziz Bin Turki Al-Faisal launched on Monday the “Nafes” platform to license sports clubs, academies, and private gyms for the first time in the Kingdom.

The platform is in line with the ‘Quality of Life’ program that aims to enable the private sector investment in sports domain across the Kingdom and provide opportunities for local and foreign investors to establish and expand clubs, academies and private gyms.

It allows investors to issue licenses to achieve the goals of Vision 2030 and diversify economic resources toward healthy society building .

The first phase of Nafes will include sports like football, basketball, squash, rowing, indoor rowing, gymnastics, judo, taekwondo, karate, jiu-jitsu, wrestling, various martial arts, equestrian, cycling, fencing, tennis, boxing, Muay Thai, kickboxing, windsurfing, swimming, e-sports, chess, shooting and badminton.

The KSA sports sector witnessed unprecedented qualitative leaps in the past few years, which clearly contributed to the growth of the sector by 170 percent in the past three years alone, in addition to the increasing number of citizens practicing sports regularly by about 19 percent.

“The value of the sector increased to SR6.5 billion,” the sports minister said during a virtual ceremony.

“We are inviting the world to partner with us on our journey of sporting transformation. Our country’s incredible passion for the sport is well known and, as more get active and take up the sport, the economic opportunity is exciting.”

“Nafes is our invitation to overseas partners to drive our sporting investment to the next level and to collaborate across our sports clubs, academies and centers,” Prince Abdulaziz said.

ALSO SEE: EXPLAINER: Indo-Pak battle over basmati rice in European markets

He added that: “It’s a turning point for the Kingdom’s sports sector. Our message to investors and the private sector both in Saudi Arabia and across the globe is direct and clear, establish your clubs, compete and draw the future path of Saudi sports investment.”

“The platform will be a turning point in the sports industry in the Kingdom, as it provides the opportunity for the private sector to invest in sports, and contribute to its growth and prosperity, by obtaining the necessary licenses to establish clubs, academies and gyms,” he added.

June 23, 2021
NDMA complains about difficulties in cleaning Karachi nullahs

KARACHI: The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has complained about facing difficulties in continuing in the cleanliness work of drainage nullahs, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The NDMA spokesperson said that the cleaning work of Karachi nullahs is continued at full pace. It detailed that 14,900 tonnes of garbage removed from Mehmoodabad nullah, 73,550 tonnes from Gujjar nullah and 153,031 tonnes from Orangi nullah.

The spokesperson added that the NDMA teams were facing difficulties in accessing some choked spots of the nullahs due to encroachments. The NDMA was making efforts to resolve the issue on a priority basis along with the assistance of concerned institutions.

Earlier in the day, Sindh Minister for Information and Local Government Syed Nasir Hussain visited various rainwater drains in Karachi to review cleanliness measures in view of the upcoming monsoon season.

During the visit, the minister directed to speed up cleaning work on Karachi’s nullahs and immediately opening the chocking points of the drains. He also ordered to improve the drainage of stormwater. Nasir Shah also directed authorities concerned to properly dispose of the trash lifted from stormwater drains at landfill sites.

The government will stop the salary of contractors if waste lifted from stormwater drains did not dispose of properly at landfill sites, he added. Sindh Solid Waste Management officials were also along with the Sindh minister during a visit to various Karachi nullahs.

The monsoon rains will begin in Karachi after the first week of July, according to a media report quoting a weather official.

June 23, 2021
Three labourers killed at Khanpur’s stone crushing plant

KHANPUR: Three workers were killed while working at a stone-crushing site in Khanpur on Tuesday, ARY News reported.

As per details, the incident occurred due to a landslide in a mountainous region of Khanpurt district of Rahim Yar Khan.

The dead bodies of the victims were pulled out from the fallen rocks while rescue work was underway with help of heavy machinery to recover the rest.

Accidents are common at stone crushing units in Pakistan owing to poor working conditions and labourers off and on suffer at these sites as no safety measures are adopted.

Many workers reportedly suffer from pulmonary problems, besides other illnesses, as workplace safety is neither practiced nor monitored at most stone crushing plants across the country.

Read More: Landslide kills six labourers in Sargodha

It merits mentioning that during the last 19 years as many as 370 labourers died and thousands lost their limbs.

June 23, 2021
Gas supply to industrial zone suspended in Karachi

KARACHI: In view of the worsening gas crisis, Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) on Tuesday suspended supply of natural gas to the industrial zone in Karachi, ARY News reported.

According to a spokesperson of SSGC, the gas utility was receiving 200 MMCFD to 250 MMCFD less gas than usual. He maintained that owing to the acute shortage of gas, SSGC cut gas supply by 50 per cent to KEPTO power plant.

The spokesperson said that the gas utility was facing difficulties in meeting the demands of domestic consumers. He claimed that the company was providing gas only to export industries.

Read More: Supply to CNG stations, industries to be disconnected as gas crisis worsens

Earlier on June 20, the gas crisis in the country worsened as Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) hasd decided to disconnect supply to CNG stations and industrial units.

According to sources privy to the matter, two gas fields in the Sindh province, Kunnar Pasakhi and Gambat gas fields had been shut for repair works, worsening the already strained supply.

“The SSGC after the closure of these two gas fields is facing upto 40 percent shortage in gas supply,” they had said, adding that the SSGC had a requirement of 1260 mmcfd, however, it is only receiving a supply of 850 mmcfd.

June 23, 2021
Two alleged terrorists arrested in Rahim Yar Khan: CTD

LAHORE: The Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) officials have conducted a raid in Rahim Yar Khan today and arrested two alleged terrorists including Shahid Zaheer and Ghulam Rehman, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

The raid was conducted on a tip-off by the CTD officials in Rahim Yar Khan. The CTD spokesperson said in a statement that the terrorists were holding a suspected bag. It added that explosive material, safety fuses and detonators were recovered from their possession.

A case was filed against the alleged terrorists at CTD Multan police station. The arrested terrorists were shifted to an undisclosed location for further investigation.

Read: CTD arrest two terrorists in night raid from Mirpur Khas, says DIG

Earlier on June 19, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD) had said that 49 operations were conducted across Punjab during the period of one week.

The CTD Punjab spokesperson had said that three terrorists including Iftikhar Ahmed, Saad Manzar and Waseem Abbas were arrested, whereas, 50 suspects were also interrogated.

The arrested terrorists were allegedly associated with different banned outfits. According to CTD spokesperson, cases had been registered against the terrorists and they were shifted to an undisclosed location.

June 23, 2021