FARUKH SHEHZAD

STOCKHOLM, FEB 5: A total of 89 corona-related deaths have been registered in Sweden in the last 24 hours. So far, the pandemic has claimed 12,028 lives in the country.

Since the pandemic hit Sweden last year, 584,674 people have been diagnosed with the infection, out of which 3,758 of them in the last 24 hours, according to figures from the Public Health Authority.

Denmark has also passed a gloomy milestone; with 553 new cases of the infection since Wednesday, more than 200,000 people have tested positive in Denmark.

The latest figure from the Statens Serum Institut is 200,335 confirmed infection cases since January of last year. The number of deaths is up to 2,184, including 14 deaths registered in the last 24 hours.

A total of 444 COVID-19 patients have now been admitted to Danish hospitals. Out of the 444, 86 are in the intensive care unit, and 63 people are on respirators.

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COURTESY norwaytoday

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OSLO, FEB 4: Minister of Health Bent Høie (H) confirms that the government is working to provide updated travel advice ahead of the winter holidays in week 8 and week 9.

“We would have liked to put the information out even faster, but due to the situation that has arisen, we need more time,” Høie noted at a press conference on Wednesday.

He reiterated that people should not plan leisure trips abroad at Easter or earlier.

The Minister of Health also explained why the government has not come up with a clearer definition of the notion of “unnecessary travel.”

“Sometimes it is very necessary to visit family elsewhere in the country, other times it is completely unnecessary. 

“We want people to limit these trips, but each individual must decide for themselves. Most people are good at it,” Høie said.

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COURTESY norwaytoday

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OSLO, FEB 4: Applying for a Norwegian citizenship or thinking about it? Read on for more details.

At the very end of 2020, the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (UDI) published an update in the Citizen Act legislation.

Increase in residency requirement

Be aware that the residency requirement has changed if you’re seeking permanent residence or citizenship in Norway.

The update applies to:

• Those who are married to a Norwegian
• Those who have a Norwegian cohabitant
• Those who have a registered Norwegian partner
• Those living in Norway based on special protections or other considerations
• Those living in Norway based on family reunification

If you’re in one of these groups, the permanent residence requirement -based on residency – for you is increasing from three to five years.

During these five years, you’re permitted to travel abroad for a maximum of 10 months.

Time-based exemptions

If you meet the following two requirements, the new rule does not apply to you:

• Applying for citizenship in the application portal by February 1, 2021, and;
• Meeting the three-year residency requirement by December 1, 2020

If you meet both of these requirements, you do not have to add two additional years.

But if you applied on or after December 1, 2020, you will have to meet the new rule of five years.

For more information, head here.

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China has achieved a historic leap by exceeding 100-trillion-yuan GDP threshold. This success will have a positive impact on the economic wellbeing of Chinese people as well as its partners especially Pakistan, a country which has witnessed China standing side-by-side during the test of times. 

With the high-quality development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the implementation of the Second Phase Protocol of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, China’s new economic leap will bring a larger market and deeper cooperation potential for Pakistan. 

China will always uphold the principles of international harmony and help Pakistan just like it is giving COVID vaccines to enhance Pakistan’s ability to fight the deadly pandemic. The year 2021 is very important for Pak-China friendship since it marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. 

China will continue to ensure high-quality development of CPEC and advance cooperation in developing Gwadar Port, industrial parks, agriculture, science and technology, assisting Pakistan’s development towards industrialisation, urbanisation, digitisation and agricultural modernisation. Moreover, China will promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation for a better understanding of two cultures.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 4: At the beginning of 2021, there comes encouraging news from China. According to the preliminary calculation of the National Bureau of Statistics of China, China’s GDP in 2020 reached 101.6 trillion yuan (around 14.7 trillion USD), increasing by 2.3 percent from 2019. For the first time, China’s GDP exceeded the 100-trillion-yuan threshold, achieving a historic leap.

This leap is significant.

For China, this leap marks a milestone in the journey of Chinese national rejuvenation. The GDP of 100 trillion yuan and per capita GDP of 10,000 USD for the second consecutive year indicates a new height in the overall national strength and people’s living standard. It has laid a solid foundation for China in implementing the 14th Five-Year Plan (2021-2025) and embarking on a new journey towards fully building a modern socialist country. It has also created ample space for China to follow a new development philosophy and foster a new development paradigm with domestic circulations as the mainstay and domestic and international circulations reinforcing each other.

For the world, this leap is a ray of warm sunshine amid economic gloom. The world economy has been severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic. China is the first and the only major economy to achieve positive growth in 2020, injecting impetus into the global economic recovery. China’s share in the world economy is anticipated to rise to around 17 percent. China’s growing economy will further enhance its potential of foreign trade and investment, strengthen inter-connection and the mutual promotion of the markets of China and the world, and make greater contributions to the improvement of global economic governance, the building of an open world economy and a community with a shared future for mankind.

This leap is hard-won.

This leap is attributed to the wise leadership of the Communist Party of China (CPC). In the face of the sudden outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic and the turbulent external environment, the CPC has united and led all the Chinese people to respond calmly and rise up to challenges. The CPC Central Committee with President Xi Jinping as its core assessed the situation from the long-term perspective while taking both the domestic and international situations into consideration, coordinated pandemic control and socioeconomic development, and resolutely adopted a series of significant measures. CPC organisations at all levels strictly implemented the decisions and instructions of the CPC Central Committee. The majority of CPC members actively responded to the Party’s call by rushing to the frontline in fighting against the pandemic and played a leading role in every field. The judgment, decision, and action taken by the CPC are decisive in helping China take the lead in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, resuming work and production, and achieving positive economic growth.

This leap is attributed to the unique advantages of the socialist system with Chinese characteristics. First, this system guarantees the whole nation acts in a coordinated way. Both in COVID-19 response and economic development, China gives the full play to the initiative of both the central and local governments. The local governments cooperate with the central government and the central government assists the local governments. At local level, governments also support each other under the coordination of the central government. Second, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics ensures that we concentrate efforts on major tasks. Faced with arduous development tasks, China, following the belief that “good steel is used for the cutting edge”, concentrates on the most important tasks with the best resources, and has achieved progress in poverty alleviation, research and development of vaccines, and technological innovation. Third, the socialist system with Chinese characteristics ensures that we make cohesive planning to achieve consistent development. 2020 was the last year of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan. China maintained its strategic focus, overcame the impact of COVID-19, stuck to its goals, and completed the development tasks specified in the 13th Five-Year Plan on schedule. These advantages are the institutional basis for the resilience of China’s economy.

This leap is attributed to China’s adherence to reform and opening up. China is not swayed by the historical counter-currents of unilateralism and protectionism, and does not fear the threat of decoupling, supply disruption or sanctions. We uphold that development quality and market vitality should be enhanced by deepening reform and opening up. China has taken the initiative to maintain the stability of the global supply, industrial and value chains. With both the goods trade and the actual use of foreign investment growing against the trend, China has maintained its status as the largest trading nation and has become the largest host country for foreign direct investment (FDI). Besides, the “Belt and Road Initiative” continued to advance steadily, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) was successfully signed, and the China-EU Comprehensive Agreement on Investment completed negotiations on schedule. Reform and opening up is the source of China’s economic vitality.

This leap benefits China-Pakistan cooperation.

The new leap of China’s economy is the result of China’s adherence to self-reliance and opening-up, the hard work of the Chinese people, as well as the support and contributions of friends from various countries including Pakistan. Therefore, the expansion of China’s economic volume will not only benefit the Chinese people, but also have a positive impact on the international community, especially creating more development opportunities for Pakistan, China’s all-weather strategic cooperative partner. With the development of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and the implementation of the Second Phase Protocol of the China-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement, China’s new economic leap will bring a larger market and deeper cooperation potential for Pakistan, and lays a more solid material foundation for upgrading China-Pakistan practical cooperation.

China’s good economic performance can boost the determination and confidence of the two countries to join hands in fighting the pandemic. At the just-concluded World Economic Forum “Davos Agenda” dialogue, President Xi Jinping stated that China will continue to take an active part in international cooperation on COVID-19 and continue to implement a win-win strategy of opening up. China is still facing a tight anti-pandemic situation, and there is a severe supply and demand gap in vaccine production. Even so, China, as a responsible major country in the international community, and a reliable partner who withstands the test in the face of danger, will do its best to make safe and effective Chinese vaccines available and affordable for the Pakistani people, and to boost Pakistan’s economy to full recovery at an early date.

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Pakistan. China will take this opportunity to speed up the high-quality development of CPEC. The two sides are in close communication and serious preparation for the upcoming 10th meeting of the CPEC Joint Cooperation Committee. In the next stage, the two countries will take well-targeted steps in developing Gwadar Port, industrial parks, agriculture, science and technology, assisting Pakistan’s development towards industrialisation, urbanisation, digitisation and agricultural modernisation. We also welcome friends from all walks of life in Pakistan to get a more comprehensive understanding of contemporary China, promote bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and give new momentum to this time-tested friendship.

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COURTESY cpecinfo.com

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OSLO, FEB 4: The National Institute of Public Health (FHI) will not rank the different vaccines, even if the corona vaccine from AstraZeneca really does reduce the spread of infection, FHI director Camilla Stoltenberg noted.

“The vaccines can be compared according to several dimensions, but today there has been news that we will examine more thoroughly,” she said, referring to the news that the AstraZeneca vaccine significantly reduces the spread of infection.

“If it is true, it is very good news,” Stoltenberg noted.

“But we have no basis for ranking the vaccines… It will be important for us to go into more detail and say something about each of their properties,” she added.

She also pointed out that the AstraZeneca vaccine’s effectiveness is not bad at all compared to regular flu vaccines.

According to a study conducted at the University of Oxford in the UK, a single dose of AstraZeneca vaccine provides 76% protection for up to 90 days and reduces the risk of infecting others by 67%.

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STOCKHOLM, FEB 4: Sweden is introducing an entry ban for all foreigners without a negative corona test. The ban applies from Saturday until March 31.

The corona test should, in principle, be less than 48 hours old. Persons under the age of 18 are exempt from the requirement.

Foreigners residing in Sweden and employees in the transport sector are exempt from the entry ban, which is introduced at the Public Health Authority’s request.

The ban has been influenced by the concern that new virus mutations will spread to Sweden.

Stricter rules

“The new virus variants are disturbing,” Prime Minister Stefan Löfven noted.

Swedish citizens are encouraged to test themselves after they arrive in the country if they have not done so in advance. 

Foreigners are not allowed to test themselves at the border. Everyone is advised to stay home for a week after arrival and test themselves on day five.

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 4: The members of newly elected PARC’s Employees Association (Inqilaab Group) met with Chairman PARC Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan at PARC HQs, Islamabad.

The Chairman PARC on the occasion advised the newly elected members to utilize their best to serve their organization.

He expressed that PARC is playing an important role in promoting scientific research and development activities to help bring social and economic prosperity in a society.

The Chairman was also of the view; he hopes that the new representatives will continue to strive for the overall betterment of the organization and its employees.
Mr. Liaqat Ali Wahla, newly elected President of EAPARC (Inqilaab group) said that they will work as a team for betterment of the Council.

He threw light on the activities of the union. He also shared the problems being faced by Council’s employees and proposed solutions to these problems.

Mr. Wahla requested Chairman to take immediate steps to end this financial crunch and unrest amongst employees / scientists, so that they can work with the peace of mind for the betterment of this country.

A flower bouquet was also presented by the Association to Dr. Muhammad Azeem Khan. The members of EAPARC thanked Chairman PARC for sparing his valuable time for the meeting.

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COURTESY leadpakistan

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ISLAMABAD, FEB 2021: On February 2, the Certificate Distribution Ceremony of the Article Writing Competition was held at the Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt to Pakistan.

The Article competition, “Exploring Egypt: Past, Present & Future” was jointly organized by Embassy of the Arab Republic of Egypt and Center for Global & Strategic Studies (CGSS), Islamabad.

The competition was organized to enhance bilateral ties and cooperation between Egypt and Pakistan, and to acquaint students with knowledge of the socio-cultural and economic dimensions of both countries

The ceremony was commenced with the welcome remarks by Mr. Khalid Taimur Akram, Executive Director, CGSS, he mentioned that this competition proved to be a milestone in establishing people to people contact between Egypt and Pakistan.

Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal, Former Federal Secretary of Information and Broadcasting and Senior Member Advisory Board CGSS highlighted that we must conduct research on Egypt and its development in varios sectors especially their irrigation system and vibrant history. Mr. Ashfaq Ahmed Gondal also appreciated the innovatve idea of an article writing competition to include the student fraternity of Pakistan in studing about Egypt.

His Excellency Tarek Dahroug, Ambassador of Egypt to Pakistan appreciated and acknowledged the efforts of CGSS in organizing the Article Writing Competition that helped students learn and explore about different areas of Egypt including its culture, traditions and history.

His Excellency also applauded the students in their wonderful attempt to write informative and interesting articles about Egypt. He emphasized that this is the beginning of a strong friendship between Egypt and Pakistan and we look forward to establish more activities to connect the academia of Pakistan and Egypt. He also ensured that all best articles will also be published in Egypt.

His Excellency Tarek Dahroug, Ambassador of Egypt to Pakistan awarded certificates and Medals to students who secured positions in the Article Writing Competition.

The competition received 70 articles from across Pakistan and 5 best articles were selected. The names of position holders are as below,

1st Position: Ms. Amna Hameed

2nd Position: Ms. Fiza Khokhar

3rd Position: Ms Maryam Raza

4th Position: Mr. Aamir Iqbal

5th Position: Mr. Malik Musawar Hameed

Letters of Appreciation were also presented to the Management of CGSS for their contribution in organizing and conducting the Article Writing Competition.

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COURTESY CGSS

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ADNAN HAMEED  Working on Promoting Soft Image of Pakistan.

ISLAMABAD, FEB 2 - This year marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic relation between China and Pakistan, to celebrate this significant event and in conjunction with upcoming Chinese Lunar New Year, China Cultural Center in Pakistan will host a series of cultural activities to celebrate online the Happy Chinese New Year in Pakistan.

The Spring Festival, which is also known as Chinese New Year, according to the lunar calendar, is held by the Chinese as their most important festival and has a history of over 4,000 years. It is an occasion on which people pray for a good harvest, celebrate and enjoy themselves.

Nowadays, the festival is celebrated from the evening of the last day of the 12th lunar month to the Lantern Festival on the 15th day of the new lunar year.

During the Spring Festival, Han Chinese and many of China's other ethnic groups hold a variety of distinctive celebrations in order to honor deities and ancestors, symbolize the replacing of the old with the new, and to welcome the New Year and pray for a bumper harvest. People do everything in their power to spend Chinese New Year with their families so that they can welcome the New Year and the happiness that they wish it will bring with those closest to them.

I have good news and bad news about Apple’s new Face ID feature that was released as part of the developer beta for iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4.

The good news? You’ll soon be able to unlock your iPhone via Face ID while wearing a face mask. The bad news? It only works if you own an Apple Watch. 

So if you have both of these devices, congrats — you can cross one first-world problem off of your list. And if you don’t, there are other workarounds, like simply typing in your passcode.

Here’s how to set up the new feature once the final versions of iOS and watchOS are released to the public. 

1. Make sure your iPhone and Apple Watch are up to date

As of right now, the only way you can download iOS 14.5 and watchOS 7.4 is if you’re enrolled in the Apple Developer Program.

Otherwise, you’ll have to wait until Apple releases the public versions. The company remains tight-lipped on when that’ll actually be. But based on past developer beta and public release cycles, it’ll likely be a few months from now. 

When it is released, open your iPhone, head to Settings > General > Software Update, and tap on iOS 14.5. Once that’s downloaded and installed on your phone, you can move on to updating your Apple Watch.

With the Apple Watch, you have two options: You can either download it from the Watch app on your iPhone or right from your wrist on the Apple Watch. 

iPhone

Go to the Watch app > General > Software Update and download watchOS 7.4. 

Apple Watch

Head to Settings > General > Software Update and tap to install the new software.

2. Turn on the “Unlock with Apple Watch” feature 

Once both of your devices are updated, you can turn the new feature on. 

On your iPhone, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Unlock with Apple Watch and toggle it on.

There are also a few tweaks you’ll have to make (if you don’t already have these things turned on) to your Settings on the Apple Watch. Otherwise, the feature won’t work at all.

• To enable a Passcode on your Apple Watch, go to Settings > Passcode > Turn Passcode on and type in your chosen code.
• Make sure “Wrist Detection” is toggled on. It should turn on automatically when you set up your Passcode since it uses the feature to determine when to lock the Apple Watch. But it’s always good to double check. 

3. Unlock your iPhone using your Apple Watch

Now, unlocking your iPhone using Face ID while wearing a face mask should be super simple.

As long as your Apple Watch is on your wrist, the iPhone will recognize it and immediately proceed to unlock. You’ll feel the Watch buzz on your wrist and a notification will appear on it letting you know the iPhone has been unlocked. A button to lock the iPhone will also appear underneath that notification.

As for those workarounds I mentioned before, you can do one of the following:

Turn off Face ID:

• Go to Settings > Face ID and disable “iPhone Unlock.” You can either choose to go completely passcode-free or strictly rely on your custom numeric code

Hack the system:

• If you’re really set on getting your iPhone to work with a face mask, you can attempt to trick the Face ID feature instead. Cover half your mouth with a mask, go to Settings > Face ID & Passcode > Set up an Alternate Appearance, andscan an alternate Face ID appearance.

Again, this official Apple Watch / Face ID feature isn’t available for everyone just yet — it’s only available as a developer beta. Until it’s publicly released, you’re stuck being unrecognizable to your iPhone until you enter that passcode.

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COURTESY whenwherehow

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