ISLAMABAD, DEC 1 – The Aga Khan University Examination Board (AKU-EB) and Knowledge Platform (KP), a leading ed-tech organization in Pakistan, have developed a strategic alliance to find new ways to address the learning crisis and bring about a set of solutions previously considered difficult or impossible to implement.

The innovative online platform will provide a robust holistic digital teaching, learning, and assessment opportunities for AKU-EB-affiliated schools in Pakistan. This platform offers high-quality digital learning systems that prepare students of grades 6 to 12 to continue their learning online with the flexibility of time, place and pace of learning. Moreover, students will have access to high-quality assessment content enabling them to prepare for AKU-EB’s high-stakes examinations.

This would also facilitate students to be self-directed learners. Student learning will be independent of the varied teaching quality across affiliated schools and private tuitions, which is an additional cost for parents.Knowledge Platform is already working with 280,000+ students and 800+ schools across Pakistan. 

Mahboob Mahmood, the founder of Knowledge Platform noted: “We are honored and delighted to craft an alliance with AKU-EB. Their premier examination preparation content, when combined with our Grade 1-10 content library of videos, games and assessments, provides a high-quality and extensive education program for national curriculum students.

We are keen to collaborate with AKU-EB and their affiliated schools in their march towards responsive, intelligent 21st century education. Cross-capability alliances such as the one between AKU-EB and Knowledge Platform are essential to leveraging the capabilities of education technology to transform education in Pakistan.According to the director AKU-EB, Dr Shehzad Jeeva, “Partnering with KP to provide an excellent solution to our schools will help to achieve our objectives of being school-centered.

The COVID-19 crisis has further compelled the need for an online solution and the urgency for implementation to support affiliated schools and students for the upcoming academic year. Historically, AKU-EB has always supported its affiliated schools with a mission to eliminate the rote-learning culture and in these unprecedented times, schools expect similar support from us.”

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OSLO, DEC 1 – Temperatures in November were above average last month, according to the Meteorological Institute. A warmer November hasn’t been registered since 1900.

Admittedly, this year’s November shares the record with the year’s penultimate month of 2011.

November of 2020 nevertheless led to several places experiencing the warmest month of November in over 150 years.

New records

At Torungen lighthouse near Arendal, at Lista in Agder, and at Utsira in Rogaland, it has never been warmer in November since the measurements started in 1867, according to Norwegian Broadcasting (NRK).

Furthermore, 1,894 meters above sea level, on Juvasshø in Innlandet county, the measurements show an average of minus 3.9 degrees.

That is 4.5 degrees warmer than normal at the highest measuring station of the Norwegian Meteorological Institute.

Above-average temperatures

According to the Norwegian Meteorological Institute, the average temperature in November on the Finnmarksvidda was six to seven degrees above normal at the location.

The warmest place in November was Tafjord on Sunnmøre, which was the warmest place in the country last month, with its 18.1 plus degrees (November 16).

Not only has this year’s November been mild it has also been wetter than normal.

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COURTESY NORWAYTODAY

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OSLO – The New Year’s fireworks in Oslo are canceled due to infection control considerations, the municipality states. “An assessment has been made of whether the event could take place within the infection control rules and the guidelines that are available today, but the municipality can not see how to move forward without it leading to accumulations of people and greater risk of infection,” the Urban Environment Agency wrote in a press release.

Richard Kongsteien, communications director at the Urban Environment Agency, says it is a sad but correct thing to do.

The municipality is now working on an idea to mark the New Year that is more in line with the infection control rules.

This year’s celebration has had a budget of NOK 500,000 for fireworks and guards, the Urban Environment Agency added.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 1 – The fifth Meeting of the Joint Working Group on Gwadar was held through a video link, Gwadar Pro reported on Tuesday.

The meeting reviewed the progress of projects in Gwadar. Both sides expressed satisfaction over the progress made in port development and the Chinese side appreciated the support provided by Pakistan in the port operationalization, particularly enabling the Afghan transit trade through Gwadar.

The meeting was co-chaired by Secretary Ministry of Planning, Development and Special Initiatives (PD&SI) Mathar Niaz Rana from the Pakistan side and Director General, National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC) Ying Xiong, from the Chinese side.

In his opening remarks, Director General, NDRC said that the development of the Gwadar was a priority and will be pushed forward with vigor and zeal. The Secretary, PD&SI acknowledged the continuous support extended by the Chinese government for the development of Gwadar and assured the Chinese side of Pakistan’s unwavering commitment to accelerate the development projects in Gwadar.

It was agreed that this step would greatly reduce the logistical cost and facilitate the transshipment trade.

The Chairman, CoPHCL explained the development of the port in detail and highlighted renewed interest of the entrepreneurs in investing in Gwadar port and Free Zone area.

It was informed that the Eastbay Expressway will be completed in 2021 and all pending issues have been resolved on priority.

The Expressway will connect the port with the 2nd Phase of the Free Trade Zone (FTZ) which will facilitate the business climate of the zone and the port alike.

Other projects discussed included New Gwadar International Airport (NGIA) and M-8 Motorway for seamless connectivity of Gwadar with the rest of the country and beyond. The progress on the NGIA was noted with satisfaction.

The Chinese side appreciated progress on the Energy Project in Gwadar. The Power Purchase Agreement of 300 MW Coal Power Project was made as a deliverable for the forthcoming 10th JCC.

The project, upon completion, will energize the industry in Gwadar and will improve the social and economic well-being of the local community.

Other projects in the social sector discussed during the meeting include Pak-China Friendship Hospital in Gwadar and Vocational & Technical Institute in Gwadar.

The Secretary, MoPD&SI highlighted that the hospital project is of vital importance for the people of Gwadar and needs to be expedited.

The Secretary suggested to expedite work for timely completion of the project. For the Vocational & Technical Institute, both sides agreed to push ahead to create job opportunities for the youth.

For the development of Gwadar as a smart port city, it was reiterated that the provision of fresh water is of utmost importance. In this regard, the 1.2 MGD Desalination plant project was termed critical. Both sides agreed to take the necessary measures to complete the project in time.

The dredging of Berthing Areas is important for large vessels to access the Gwadar port which will improve the operation of the port. For the construction of Breakwater, the timely completion of the project was stressed as a crucial intervention required for the fishermen community in Gwadar.

The Secretary, PD&SI proposed to divide the project into two phases for better implementation of the project. DG, NDRC replied in affirmative and appreciated the idea.

The Secretary PD&SI also appreciated the projects under Corporate Social Responsibility including Fraternity Emergency Care Centre of the Red Crescent Society of China, Pak-China Faqeer Colony School and other initiatives of the China Overseas Port Holding Company.

At the end, the Secretary, PD&SI apprised about other social sector development projects, being undertaken by the government of Pakistan under the Prime Minister’s development package for South Balochistan.

The Director General, NDRC applauded the development package and reiterated China’s full support for the socio-economic well-being of the region.

The meeting was concluded with signing of the minutes along with finalization of the agreed deliverables of the JWG on Gwadar for the forthcoming 10th JCC.

The meeting was also attended by other senior officials of the ministry of PD&SI, representatives of the Government of Balochistan, Civil Aviation Authority, Board of Investment, and Ministry of Maritime Affairs amongst others.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 1 – Easypaisa, Pakistan’s leading digital payments platform has yet again added another feather to its cap by winning the Emerging Payments Award 2020 for the ‘Best Financial Inclusion Payments Initiative’. The renowned mobile banking platform was one of the two winners, out of four contestants, to bag the awards.

The winners were announced recently at the virtual Emerging Payments Awards Ceremony, streamed online for the global community to participate. The Awards celebrate innovation and collaboration by recognizing companies that have made significant advances in payments. Now in its 13th year, the Emerging Payments Awards is the UK industry’s most prestigious event.

This isn’t the first time that Easypaisa has emerged as a major player in the sphere of financial inclusion. It has been making significant headway in the field by forging partnerships with other companies to play the role of an enabler for financial inclusion through ensuring access to digital financial services.

Commenting on the achievement, M. Mudassar Aqil, President & CEO, Easypaisa / Telenor Microfinance Bank said, “It is a matter of great pride for us at Easypaisa to become the winner of the prestigious Emerging Payments Award for 2020 and we are ecstatic to say the least. Easypaisa has always strived to play the role of an enabler for the digital financial inclusion of the masses, and this recognition further strengthens our resolve to play our part in the development of a digital ecosystem.

As the most widely used digital wallet App in Pakistan, serving millions of people every day, we look forward to continue building the Easypaisa platform through which all Pakistanis will be able to participate in the country’s formal economy.”

Easypaisa has been making consistent efforts to introduce a digital landscape by allowing more people to leverage various use cases and experience seamless digital transactions through its App.

The platform also won ‘The Innovators 2020’ Award in May this year for the second consecutive time in the field of Payments by the Global Finance Magazine, wherein it was recognized for forging new paths and introducing tools for greater financial inclusion.

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Saudi Arabia agreed on Monday to let Israeli airliners cross its airspace en route to the United Arab Emirates after talks between Saudi officials and White House senior adviser Jared Kushner, a senior Trump administration official said.

Kushner and Middle East envoys Avi Berkowitz and Brian Hook raised the issue shortly after they arrived in Saudi Arabia for talks. According to the Israeli i24news, the Tel Aviv administration asked Washington to persuade Saudi Arabia to allow use of its airspace and Kushner stepped in.

“We were able to reconcile the issue,” the official told Reuters.

The agreement was hammered out just hours before Israel’s first commercial flight to the UAE was planned on Tuesday morning. The Israir flight was at risk of being canceled with no overflight agreement.

An announcement by Saudi Arabia’s official news agency said that the kingdom’s civil aviation authority had approved a request by UAE’s aviation authority “which includes the desire to allow flights coming to and departing from the United Arab Emirates to all countries to pass through the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s airspace”.

This will help the route of Israeli flights to UAE — to start from this month onwards — shorten by half.

The permit was only valid for the UAE and Israeli companies will not be allowed to use the Saudi Arabian airspace for flights to other countries, said Israel’s local media report.

Israeli President Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the development, terming it a “tremendous breakthrough” and “benefits of a peace that is genuine”. In a video message, he said that crossing through the Saudi airspace would shorten the journey from Israel to UAE. He also thanked Kushner and UAE crown prince for their “important contribution” towards the Saudi decision.

“This should resolve any issues that should occur with Israeli carriers taking people from Israel to the UAE and back and to Bahrain,” the US official said.

The direct flights are an offshoot of normalisation deals Israel reached this year with the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan.

Kushner and his team were to meet Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman later this week, as well as the emir of Kuwait. One goal of the trip is to try to persuade Gulf Cooperation Council countries to end a three-year blockade of Qatar.

In 2018, the Saudi kingdom granted approval to Air India to use its airspace to operate direct flights from New Delhi to Tel Aviv.

In September this year, Saudi Arabia also allowed Israel’s first commercial flight to UAE to cross its airspace.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, Dec 1 - Sino-Pak cooperation to drive ahead Pakistan’s Agri-economy, under the 2nd phase of CPEC, says a report published by Gwadar Pro on Tuesday.

According to the report, China and Pakistan can strengthen cooperation in seed technology, farm machinery, water and irrigation management, food processing, dairy technology, international compliance, corporate farming, technology transfer at all levels.

Prof. Iqrar A. Khan, Vice Chancellor of University of Agriculture, Faisalabad (UAF) recently told Gwadar Pro that China’s yields at the farm level and products in the markets have evidenced huge leap. “China itself is a large consumer market.

The two countries can work together for serving markets on both sides. With CPEC and regional connectivity, the two sides can have joint access to markets in a greater region (Central Asia, Middle East, South East and Africa).”

Agricultural economy of Pakistan is in urgent need of reform. The yield is stagnant and productivity is lower than other countries in the region, with food imports surpassing $7 billion.

Iqrar argued the priority areas of improvement include Genetics (biotechnology and genome editing), seed technology, mechanization and precision, value addition, good agricultural practices (GAP) and skill development in which China can be a great help.

Pakistan’s high-quality items include rice, cotton made ups, potato, corn, mango, citrus, poultry, beef, fodder and hey etc. “Close proximity is the advantage for China and Pakistan.

However, institutional arrangements are still necessitated to be strengthened and the business to business needs a better match making to create successful joint ventures. A facilitation beyond official channels is also required,” Iqrar added.

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ISLAMABAD, DEC 1 – The Japanese Government has offered training programmes, which are held in Japan for Pakistani nationals every year as a part of development cooperation for the further development of Pakistan. 

These programmes are implemented by JICA (Japan International Cooperation Agency), thanks to the support by Japanese ministries, municipalities, universities and relevant organizations.

Although around 80 trainees are to participate in a total of 61 courses in FY2020, due to restriction on overseas travel by the COVID-19 pandemic, these curriculums had to be reconsidered.

Therefore, JICA is exploring alternative methods such as online courses so that opportunities to participate in the trainings will not be lost even in challenging times. The programmes are gradually being decided as shown in the attached tables. The programmes will restart on a full scale once the pandemic calms down.

Japanese Government would be pleased if these trainees who will learn many things in Japan could build a bright future of Pakistan.

(1) Group and Region-Focused Programme

– Many trainees participate in a course of diverse sectors.

– Around 60 trainees participate in 50-60 programmes for basically 1-2 months with the participants from the other countries.

– Approximately 5,000 trainees have joined under this programme since 1957.

(2) Young Leaders Training Programme

– The programme targets young people who are around 20-35 years old and are expected to lead the development of Pakistan in the future.

– Around 10 trainees participate in 1 programme for 2-3 weeks.

– 495 trainees have joined under this programme since 1991.

(3) Long-term Training Programme

– Participants study at Japanese universities pursuing masters or post-doctor degrees for 2-3 years.

– 32 trainees have studied under this programme since 2016.

(4) Country Focus Training Programme

– Order-made programmes which focus on specific sector for a certain country.

– The period is less than one year.

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Moscow has been breaking its word for more than 20 years

KARACHI, NOV 30 - Members of the Pakistan Cricket squad underwent a third round of coronavirus PCR tests in Christchurch on Monday. The reports are due in 24 hours.

Six members of the team tested positive for COVID-19 upon their arrival in New Zealand six days ago – two of these were identified to be historical infections. One member of the team tested positive in the second round of testing conducted on Day 3.

Today’s tests will likely determine whether the players will be allowed to train in the managed isolation period. The team was supposed to have an exemption to train but it was put on hold after members of the squad testing positive for COVID-19 along with reports of bio-security breaches.

In a statement, New Zealand’s health ministry said the Canterbury DHB medical officer of health will “conduct an assessment of whether the team members who have not returned positive tests can have an exemption from managed isolation to train”.

“For this to occur, the medical officer of health must be satisfied that training is unlikely to transmit COVID-19,” the statement added.

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Tashkent, NOV 30 – At the initiative of President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, large-scale work is being carried out in Uzbekistan to preserve universal hum an values, revive the scientific and cultural heritage of the Uzbek people and convey to the general public the essence of the true religion of Islam.

The decree of the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan dated April 16, 2018 «On measures to radically improve the activities of the religious and educational sphere» is the fundamental basis of this activity.

In accordance with it, the International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan was established and one of the major projects carried out at the academy is a multi volume Islamic encyclopedia. The Islamic Encyclopedia will consist of approximately 20 volumes, in which it is planned to publish more than 60,000 articles.

The original version of the encyclopedia is being created in Uzbek and will be translated into other languages in the future. Foreign scientists have been involved in the creation of the encyclopedia, including those from Asia, the Arab East, European countries and Turkey. Scientific advisory councils have been created in such scientific areas as the Koran and Hadith, Islamic law, the history of Islam, literature and art.

When defining the content of the encyclopedia, an attempt was made to creatively use the traditions o f compiling an encyclopedia in the world, as well as the experience accumulated in this area in Uzbekistan, the available theoretical developments.

The new «Islamic Encyclopedia» is fundamentally different from the previous editions in its content and features. It includes systematized articles on the pillars of Islam, the provisions of Sharia, holy places, mosques and madrassas, prominent personalities who have made a special contribution to the development of Islamic science, Hadith scholars, fiqh and Koranic readers. New information has been introduced into scientific circulation about individuals whose names and activities were previously unknown to the general public.

Drawings, maps and other illustrations are attached to the articles. The bibliography contains the latest editions in Uzbek, Arabic, Turkish, English, German, Russian and other languages.

The first volume of the «Islamic Encyclopedia» includes 419 articles written by 118 authors, 161 references, 5 maps, 121 drawings and ornaments, 65 images, lithographs, printed books, 24 portraits. Its volume consists of 495 pages. The main goal of the «Islamic Encyclopedia» is to collect scientific knowledge and combine the relevant aspects of the spiritual heritage of the Uzbek people associated with the Islamic religion, their impact on socio-political, cultural and spiritual processes.

International Islamic Academy of Uzbekistan

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