Shehri Tv

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The entries for the highly sought-after National Geographic Traveller Photography Competition 2020 have closed down as the final time for submission was 11.59 pm (GMT) on February 23. The event is being promoted by the London-based APL Media Limited.  Although the entrants had to be residents of the UK or Ireland only, the iconic annual competition generated global interest, catching the imagination of the photographers as well as the travelers.  In order to enter the competition, the entrants had to submit their photograph using the entry form available as online entries were acceptable only. The photographic entries had to be below 25MB and .jpg format.  It was mandatory to have all submissions to be the entrant’s own work, and they had to own the copyright to the photographs entered. It was also essential to have the photographs clicked within two years before the date of entry.  ...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Coronavirus has been hitting headlines the world over for all kind of reasons. All aspects relating to the virus are being deliberated at all levels and the experts are sharing whatever information they may be having with them in this regard.  The fear factor has gripped literally the whole world, particularly those countries where the virus has been suspected to have found its way. While the authorities are in the process of taking preemptive measures, there are all sorts of warnings coming from different sources.  The scientists in China, from where it all started, have reportedly detected the Coronavirus appearing in the outside environment. It’s a kind of information that should be followed with caution by the regular visitors to the the net shop for gaming.  According to the Chinese scientists, the virus could be in door handles, cell phones, computer keyboards and water valves. So...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) An emergency vaccination campaign in Sindh following the outbreak of typhoid in the province has found the typhoid conjugate vaccine to be effective in preventing new cases of the disease.  The researchers of a recent event at Aga Khan University (AKU), Karachi, revealed that over 10,000 cases of extensively drug resistant (XDR) typhoid, a strain of the disease resistant to an unprecedented range of antibiotics, have been reported since 2016 in Karachi and Hyderabad which led to the launch of an emergency vaccination campaign in January 2018 in the worst affected areas of Hyderabad which saw 207,000 children between 6 months and 10 years of age receive the new vaccine.  At the same time as the campaign, researchers set up a surveillance system in the same area over an 18-month period to screen a cohort of over 20,000 children, who received the vaccine, to detect cases of typhoid. They found that 9 o...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) Senator Nisar Memon, a former federal minister, has regretted the lack of governance at the top, believing that it’s about time to let the youth take leadership of country which will also help achieve happiness with them taking ownership of challenges. “Of course, we have governance. The Constitution of Pakistan and all state institutions govern the 219.4 million people. Is it effective, decisive and sustainable? Even if one wishes to look optimistically, it is difficult to give an affirmative answer,” he wrote in a recently published newspaper article.  “If governance was effective by this multi-party conglomeration in Islamabad, it would be visible in all walks of life. The conduct of parliamentary affairs, the quality of debates, government response to private bills and answers to members questions, the handling of Ordinances for converting them to bills, the absence of relevant government ministers durin...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The Sindh Minister for Information, Local Government, Housing, Town Planning, Religious Affairs, Forest and Wildlife, Syed Nasir Hussain Shah, vowed to protect the rights of the minorities. Having participated in the ongoing religious festival in Swami Narayan temple in Karachi, the provincial minister expressed his solidarity with the religious minorities and categorically acknowledged that the role and contribution of the members of the minorities in the development and progress of the country was commendable.  “Following the teachings of Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) government has always remained committed towards protecting the rights of the minorities,” he remarked on the occasion.  “The Sindh government would continue to do so under the guidance and leadership of the PPP Chairman, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. It was the government of the PPP which always...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) A multi-country research study in Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, has found that a low-cost, multi-component intervention helped deliver a clinically meaningful reduction in blood pressure levels among patients living with high blood pressure, or hypertension, as well as better control of the condition. Published in the New England Journal of Medicine, the multi-country intervention trial, Control of Blood Pressure and Risk Attenuation of Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka (COBRA-BPS), evaluated the effectiveness of a range of interventions consisting of home visits by community healthcare workers to monitor blood pressure (BP) and provide lifestyle coaching, coupled with physician training and coordination with the public health care infrastructure among 2,550 individuals with hypertension living in 30 rural communities in the three South Asian countries over two years. At the end of the study, the declin...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The experts, while speaking at the inaugural session of the 5th AKU Annual Surgical Conference, having the theme Trauma: Striving for Change, reckoned that thousands of injury deaths every year in Pakistan could be averted by taking safety measures on one side and by adopting a systematic approach to improve trauma care on the other side.  A systematic approach ensures that life-saving interventions are performed in a timely manner and that no life-threatening conditions are missed, the speakers at the event, organized by the Aga Khan University (AKU), noted.  As per the World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, such an approach could consist of emergency care in the form of first aid being provided by a trained bystander, who can also call an ambulance, equipped with necessary life support and at least two personnel, one to monitor and manage the patient and the other to drive. Ambulance personne...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi  (Pakistan News & Features Services) Idarae Ilm Dost, a forum founded by Shabbir Ibne Adil and like-minded contemporaries, has started making its presence felt by holding programmes regularly.  The latest event was organized at the KMC Officers Club, located at Kashmir Road, on February 14 in which the accomplishments and contributions of the legendary quartet of Hakim Muhammad Said, Mirza Ghalib, Ibne Insha and Josh Meleehabadi were recalled by various eminent personalities.  Although none of the high ranking officials of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation (KMC) was present on the occasion, there were quite a few worthy intellectuals brightening the premises of the KMC Officers Club.  The initiatives of Shabbir Ibne Adil and his group of friends augur well for the literary minded community of the metropolis, which has witnessed a dearth of such activities over the years. Shabbir Ibne Adil, who has had successf...

By Abdul Qadir Qureshi (Pakistan News & Features Services) The 5th AKU (Aga Khan University) Annual Surgical Conference from February 14 to 16 in Karachi will focus on how these precious lives can be saved by following a systematic approach for improving trauma care, training and research.  As injury kills more people every year than HIV, TB and malaria combined, and the overwhelming majority of these deaths occur in low- and middle-income countries, the theme of this year’s conference is 'Trauma: Striving for Change' will enable the experts and participants to deliberate on those burning issues.  The conference will bring together national and international experts with expertise in pre-hospital care, mass casualty, rehabilitation, prevention and disaster management.  On the second day of the conference, the AKU’s upcoming Centre of Excellence for Trauma and Emergencies, and partners will launch a national life-saving initiative focused on trauma ...