FARUKH SHEHZAD

ISLAMABAD, JUN 6: The Pakistan Medical Commission (PMC) has announced that the Medical and Dental Colleges Admission Test (MDCAT) will be held from Aug 30 to Sept 30.

In a statement, the PMC said it has taken a number of decisions regarding the upcoming academic year, including National Licensing Examination (NLE), MDCAT, conduct of examinations regulations and the medical and dental undergraduate education. According to PMC President Dr Arshad Taqi, for the first time MDCAT would be entirely a computer-based exam, allowing both local and foreign students an opportunity to take the exam.

“The examination will take place from Aug 30 to Sept 30 2021 in 20 designated cities across Pakistan and in selected cities abroad depending on registration by the students. Applicants will have the option to schedule and reschedule their examinations to time slots that are more convenient for them. The applicants will also be provided online tutorials and practice tests to help them familiarise themselves with the format of the exam,” he said.

According to the statement, the Medical and Dental Council has approved the structure and syllabus for MDCAT as recommended by the National Medical and Dental Academic Board.

PMC announces key updates for current academic year

The syllabus/content formed by the academic board was mainly derived from the existing curriculum of biology, chemistry and physics of all boards across Pakistan.

It also took into consideration the curriculum of the A-Level structure.

The syllabus of all the disciplines and the breakdown of each subject are now available on the PMC website.

“The Academic Board recommended pass marks of 65pc for MDCAT 2021 which was approved by the Medical and Dental Council. The result of a student will be ready for delivery within half an hour after given the exam and will be provided to the student through online. The students can select all the colleges they apply for admissions and the PMC will directly send the MDCAT result of the student to the relevant colleges,” Dr Taqi said.

The council also unanimously approved the structure and syllabus for NLE as formulated and recommended by the academic board. The NLE consists of two exams with the first being a MCQ based theory component and the second a clinical skills exam.

The MCQ based theory component of Step 1 of the NLE will also be a computer-based examination to be conducted at multiple centres across Pakistan multiple times a year with no bar on the number of times a candidate can attempt.

The result of NLE Step 1 will be valid for five years, enabling a student to attempt and qualify the Step 2 exam during this five-year period.

Step 2 or skills exam will be taken through physical examiners during 2021-2022 while PMC has initiated development of a 3D exam system for Step 2.

The qualifying marks for the NLE will be 70pc for both Step 1 and Step 2.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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There’s nothing better than a chilled glass of sugarcane juice on a hot summer day. But, have you wondered what are the benefits of sugarcane juice? Sugarcane, a grass plant that can be found in 36 varieties, has no fats and is a 100 percent natural drink.

An 8-ounce serving – approximately 240 ml – of sugarcane juice (with no additives) contains 250 calories, with 30 gm natural sugars. It has zero content of fat, cholesterol, fiber, and protein but contains sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, and iron. You would think that this sugar-rich drink can’t possibly have health benefits but we’ve rounded up 10 of them for you.

10 Benefits of Sugarcane Juice

1. Sugarcane juice gives you a shot of instant energy

There’s a reason sugarcane juice sells at most roadside kiosks in summer. It’s the best way to energize yourself and ensure you don’t experience dehydration. The simple sugars in the juice are easily absorbed by the body and are used to replenish sugar levels.

2. Enhances liver function

Sugarcane juice is said to be one of the best natural treatments for liver-related ailments such as jaundice. Alkaline in nature, sugarcane juice helps maintain the electrolyte balance in the body.

3. Help the body fight cancer

The high concentration of calcium, magnesium, potassium, iron, and manganese makes sugarcane juice alkaline in nature. This – along with the presence of flavonoids – helps the body stave off cancerous cells, especially prostate and breast cancer.

4. It eases the digestive system

People suffering from digestive distress would do well to include sugarcane juice in their diet. The potassium in sugarcane juice balances the pH levels in the stomach, facilitates the secretion of digestive juices, and keeps the system on track. It also helps prevent stomach infections.

5. It is helpful for people with diabetes

The high sugar content in sugarcane juice may make diabetics wary of consuming this juice. But, in moderation, sugarcane juice can benefit diabetics – the natural sugar has a low glycemic index, preventing spikes in blood glucose levels.

6. Maintains kidney health

Being a natural low-cholesterol, low-sodium food with no saturated fats, sugarcane juice helps to keep the kidneys in top shape.

7. It alleviates pain associated with STDs & UTIs

Consumed in a diluted form, with lime juice and coconut water, sugarcane juice can help reduce the burning sensation associated with sexually transmitted diseases, urinary tract infections, kidney stones, and prostatitis.

8. Aids in the development of bones and teeth

Back in the day, chewing on a sugarcane stick used to be a regular pastime for young children and adolescents. Apart from keeping them occupied, the calcium-rich sugarcane also ensures proper development of the skeletal system, bones, and teeth.

9. Keeps bad breath & tooth decay at bay

Experiencing bad breath linked to tooth decay? Sugarcane juice can be your saving grace. Rich in minerals, including calcium and phosphorus, sugarcane juice helps build tooth enamel and strengthening teeth, and ensuring they are prone to decay. It also overcomes bad breath caused due to the deficiency of these nutrients.

10. It can help cure acne

Topical use of sugarcane juice can help reduce and cure skin problems such as acne. Sugarcane juice contains alpha-hydroxy acids (AHAs) like glycolic acid, which increases cell turnover. They also exfoliate the skin, eliminating chances of acne buildup. Just mix with Fuller’s earth (multani mitti) into a mask-like consistency, apply on face and neck and leave on for 20 minutes. Wash off with cool water.

The sugar contained in sugarcane juice is natural, but keep in mind that it is essentially sugar. Consume this healthy beverage in moderation and run it past our Coaches if you suffer from a medical condition.

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COURTESY healthifyme.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 6: The Citizens Foundation (TCF) has signed MoU with the Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE) regarding the affiliation of TCF’s Secondary Schools.

The association with FBISE will provide centralized support for teaching and learning activities. Affiliating its network of secondary schools with FBISE will help TCF align syllabi and assessment system across Pakistan, enabling TCF to bring about improvements in teaching and learning to the less privileged communities where TCF works.

It will also enable TCF’s students to benefit from innovations relating to subject choice, use of technology etc. that FBISE provides across Pakistan.

FBISE aims to support organizations that are in the field of education, particularly those serving less privileged communities. A collaboration with TCF will help FBISE deepen its footprint across Pakistan and to play its role in meeting the needs of less privileged communities.

Talking about this development, Asaad Ayub Ahmad, President and CEO of TCF, said, “TCF believes in continuous improvement and affiliation with Federal board for Intermediate and Secondary Education is a step in that direction.

This step will help us bring about improvements in teaching and learning so that our students can continue to prosper and prove themselves in various walks of life.”  

“We are glad to partner with The Citizens Foundation’s country-wide network of formal schools.”FBISE is committed to playing its part in improving the quality of education offered in less privileged communities.

This partnership will help us in making a substantial contribution in this regard.” Added Qaisar Alam, Chairman of Federal Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (FBISE).

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Director General Karagoz says Armenia still takes lives of innocent people in places where Karabakh occupation came to end

ANKARA, JUN 5: Turkey’s international news agency on Saturday offered its condolences to Azerbaijan over the deaths of two Azerbaijani journalists in a landmine explosion planted by Armenia during its occupation of the Kalbajar region.

Serdar Karagoz, the agency’s chairman of the board and director-general, said in a letter of condolences that he has learned with great sorrow that three people, including Meherrem Ibrahimov, a journalist for the state news agency Azertac, and Sirac Abishov, a cameraman for Azerbaijan state television AZTV, lost their lives in the blast.

At least 20 Azerbaijani civilians and seven soldiers have been killed by landmines laid by Armenian forces since the two countries reached a truce in Nagorno-Karabakh last November. According to a statement issued by the Azerbaijani Prosecutor General’s Office on Friday, at least 86 soldiers and 29 civilians were also injured in these blasts.

“I strongly condemn that Armenia, which has committed terrible acts against humanity, still takes the lives of innocent people in places where the Karabakh occupation came to an end,” he said, adding that Anadolu Agency stands by all Azerbaijani media on this painful day.

“I wish Allah’s mercy upon our brothers who lost their lives, my condolences and patience to you and all their relatives,” he said.

At least three Azerbaijanis, including two journalists, were killed and four others injured on Friday when a mine planted by Armenia during its occupation exploded.

The explosion happened when a bus carrying journalists in the recently liberated Kalbajar region crossed over the mine.

The Kalbajar region was recently liberated after a nearly three-decade occupation by Armenian forces.

During a 44-day conflict last year, which ended in a truce on Nov. 10, Azerbaijan liberated several cities and nearly 300 settlements and villages in Karabakh from Armenia’s occupation.

The cease-fire is seen as a victory for Azerbaijan and a defeat for Armenia, whose armed forces withdrew in line with the agreement.​​​​​​​

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COURTESY aa.com.tr

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BAKU, JUN 2021: Ibrahimov, a correspondent for the Azerbaijani state news agency AzerTag, and Abishev, a camera operator with the Azerbaijani state broadcaster AzTV, were on assignment while riding in a bus in Kalbajar district, near Nagorno-Karabakh, when the vehicle hit a landmine, according to multiple news reports and a tweet by Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov.

Both journalists and an Azerbaijani government official were killed in the blast, which also wounded several other passengers including AzTV producer Emil Mammedov, according to those reports, which did not state the extent of Mammedov’s injuries.

For about 30 years, Armenia has mined a large part of occupied territories of Azerbaijan. So, today main duty is to clear these territories of mines.

Without a map, it’s difficult to ensure the safe return of peaceful Azerbaijanis who became internally-displaced persons 30 years ago. Unfortunately, we do not see the goodwill of Armenia in this matter. The fact that Armenia does not provide minefield maps to Azerbaijan is a war crime.

A landmine explosion has killed a cameraman of Azerbaijan State Television Siraj Abishov, and an employee of AZERTAC Maharram Ibrahimov in Kalbajar district of Azerbaijan.

Last year, at least six journalists were injured in shelling while covering the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan, as CPJ documented at the time.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 4: National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said on Wednesday that the sudden withdrawal of the United States from Afghanistan was not ideal, adding that any shifting of blame on Pakistan for “facesaving” would be unacceptable.

Speaking on DawnNewsTV show 'Live with Adil Shahzeb', Yusuf said international media had been biased against Pakistan in the past and it was the same today.

“[The] United States has assured us that Pakistan will not be made a scapegoat amidst the withdrawal [of US troops] from Afghanistan, but only time will tell whether [they stay true to their word] as history suggests otherwise," he remarked.

He added that it was “too early to predict whether they [the US] will stick to their words.” The adviser said Pakistan had always wanted peace in Afghanistan and the hasty withdrawal of US troops from the country was not a good idea.

Yusuf also stressed that Pakistan needed to maintain bilateral ties with the US, which continued to view Pakistan as a regional player, without compromising on national interests.

“The approach is still regional. [Though], they [the US] have shifted focus from Af-Pak and are now obsessed with China, seeing India [as a country] that has a role to play [in this equation],” said Yusuf.

In reply to a question about Pakistan allowing the US to continue to use its airbases, Yusuf denied such reports.

“It has been very clearly communicated to the Americans so it's not debatable,” he said, adding that Prime Minister Imran Khan had been opposing the war in Afghanistan for the past 15 years, so allowing the US access to airbases after its withdrawal from Afghanistan was not on the table.

To another question, he stressed that “it's important for all stakeholders in Afghanistan to sit together for a … political settlement.”

Yusuf also empahsised economic stability for Afghanistan, saying that the Afghan economy could not function without support from the outside.

“And for that, only Pakistan can give them the regional connectivity, and for investment from China [and the] US, Pakistan is the only linchpin. Afghans must understand this.”

The adviser reiterated that in the wake of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, Pakistan wanted bilateral relationships with America, but with a focus on “not what the US can give us, but what we can take from the US”.

He added that Pakistan had made its priorities clear to the world in Geneva, where he met the US National Security Adviser Jake Sullivan last month.

He went on to say that Afghans should decide their own fate, adding that any terrorist activities in Afghanistan were not acceptable to Pakistan.

US pullout and security vaccuum

The US has announced troop withdrawal from Afghanistan by September 11. However, with the US troops pulling out from the war-torn country since May 1— a deadline set in the US-Taliban agreement signed last year— there have been reports of the withdrawal being completed by July 4, which is celebrated as the US Independence Day.

US President Joe Biden is determined to end what he called “the forever war”, announcing in April that the withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 American forces would be complete by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

The prospect of an end to the US presence in Afghanistan after 20 years comes despite fighting raging across the countryside in the absence of a peace deal, giving rise to security concerns and fears that violence will increase and could also spill over to neighbouring states, including Pakistan.

In a statement issued on Tuesday, the Foreign Office had said Pakistan was worried about a security vacuum in Afghanistan after the US pullout as the already dim prospects of successful reconciliation between warring Afghan groups were growing dimmer with every passing day.

Although another round of intra-Afghan talks is scheduled to begin in the next couple of days, Pakistani officials don’t seem very hopeful about a breakthrough.

Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, while talking to Speaker of Afghanistan’s Wolesi Jirga Mir Rahman Rahmani on Tuesday, had urged the Afghan groups to “seize this historic opportunity and work out an inclusive, broad-based and comprehensive political settlement for durable peace and stability in Afghanistan and the region,” according to the statement.

The fears of a security vacuum have been growing because of the stalemate in the peace process.

The peace dialogue has made little progress since it started in September last year except for an understanding of the principles and procedures, which too was achieved after haggling for months over minor issues.

Several efforts were made by Pakistan and the international community to push all stakeholders to return to the negotiation table to settle the remaining outstanding issues for ending the conflict, but none of the efforts have succeeded so far.

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COURTESY DAWN NEWS

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 4: Ambassador of Somalia, Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi visited the Embassy of Palestine on Thursday, Jun 3.

She was received by the Ambassador of Palestine, Ahmed Rabaie upon her arrival at the embassy.

During the meeting with Ahmed Rabaie Ambassador Khadija expressed solidarity with the Palestinian people against the heinous actions of the Israeli occupation against the blessed Al-Aqsa Mosque and the inhumane actions.

Ambassador of Somalia, Khadija Mohamed Al-Makhzoumi also recorded her views in the visitor's book during her visit to Palestine Embassy.

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Exclusive by Editor-In-Chief / 

Farukh Shehzad

An Airblue flight took off on May 20-2021 from Jinnah International Airport [Karachi] was cruising towards Islamabad over the blue sky.

During the Airblue flight to Islamabad a couple started kissing to each other in front of other travellers openly.

This was the second non-Islamic below the line incident happened in recent times in the Islamic Republic of Pakistan.

Earlier, we saw Pakistani celebrity Mahira Khan dancing on middle of the road openly.

People talking about that the man and woman who kissed each other they were foreigners but this excuse will not be accepted because it is a purely Islamic country in which foreigners are also not allowed kissing openly in front of public as they did recently while travelling Airblue flight.

It is highly unfortunate and heartbreaking to watch that there is group of people in our society who has been supporting this foreign couple for doing kissing.

PTI govt and aviation authorities must take strict actions to stop happening of these kinds of vulgar acts in the days to come because this vulgar act will not produce good positive results for young boys and girls in our society in the future.

If I say that Pakistani culture has been hijacked by the western culture, so this would not be a wrong statement and I believe most people will agree with my opinion.

Closing Remarks:

What lesson we can learn from Airblue Kissing?

As we know that every incident leaves a lesson for us!

Well, as a Muslim nation we all want to build a virtuous society to live and I know personally there are many people who are putting their best efforts to spread good deeds to make our society better for our upcoming generation.

But on the other hand, the collective efforts are also needed to be performed by the government and concerned authorities to stop such vulgar acts to be happened in future.

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ISLAMABAD, JUN 3: Salesflo (Retailistan Pvt. Ltd) started the retail digitization journey for Pakistan in 2015 with the launch of Pakistan’s first cloud enabled Sales and Distribution platform.

Since its inception, Salesflo has onboarded more than 40 enterprise FMCG, Pharma & Distribution companies representing close to Rs.400 billion in annual transacted goods (Roughly 1% of Pakistan’s GDP).

Salesflo, through its continuous digitization has laid down the rails for the entire Information, Financial and Physical Supply Chain of Pakistan allowing efficient access to over 300,000 retailers across Pakistan.

To further accelerate the digital retail transformation, Pakistan’s premier B2B e-commerce platform (Jugnu) was launched to empower more than a million small businesses to directly procure from manufacturers and improve their financial inclusion.

Jugnu operates as one of the most advanced B2B e-commerce technology platforms in the world with a complete eco-system having state-of-the-art fulfilment centers, optimized routing & vehicle load management to AI enabled CRM platform that delivers world-class customer experience.

Today, Jugnu is one of the fastest growing B2B platform with a mission to empower a million small businesses in Pakistan by 2023.

With this pre-seed raise of Rs.500 million, the Jugnu team seems to be more prepared than ever to make a mark and transform the retail distribution segment which is estimated to account for $100 billion in annual transacted goods.

Furthermore, the collaboration between Jugnu, Systems and OneLoad will enable financial inclusion for millions of small businesses that form the backbone of the Pakistan economy.

The team behind Salesflo, Jugnu and Systems stands for Pakistan and is well-positioned to transform the retail and economic outlook of the country.

#EmpoweringRealPakistan

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ASHGABAT, JUN 3: Ambassador John McGregor has been appointed as new head of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) center in Turkmenistan, Trend reports with reference to Turkmenistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan.

Minister of Foreign Affairs of Turkmenistan Rashid Meredov met with McGregor on June 2, 2021, where the ambassador presented his credentials.

The parties discussed promising areas of cooperation for the coming period, the report said.

The sides also talked about the issues of cooperation in the field of energy security, including the development of sustainable energy initiatives within the OSCE.

The topic of sustainable transport was also touched upon. The sides exchanged views on acceptable joint projects to optimize the activities of the East-West corridor.

Turkmenistan's relations with such OSCE institutions as the Office of the OSCE High Commissioner on National Minorities, OSCE Office for Democratic Institutes and Human Rights, OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media was emphasized.

As reported, Turkmenistan is promoting the idea of creating a specialized structure of the OSCE - the Council for Sustainable Energy.

Turkmenistan intends to promote the development of "green" ports, digitalization and simplification of trade procedures and transport links in Central Asia and the Caucasus.

Expert meetings are continuing to explore the possibility of preparing a Comprehensive environmental program of the OSCE.

Earlier, the OSCE and Ashgabat discussed possible steps to develop a program of Turkmenistan for the development of energy diplomacy.

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COURTESY en.trend.az

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