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Robbers shot, injure woman at ATM, made off with cash

LAHORE: Robbers shot at and injured a woman at an ATM and made off with cash from her in the Model Town police limits Friday. The robbers intercepted the woman and demanded cash and on resistance,...

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One billion people will live in insufferable heat within 50 years

LONDON: The human cost of the climate crisis will hit harder, wider and sooner than previously believed, according to a study that shows a billion people will either be displaced or forced to endure...

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Netflix says first two seasons of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' are arriving next month

Netflix says the first two seasons of 'Keeping Up With The Kardashians' are arriving next month




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Jennifer Aniston shares an interesting picture with fans

Jennifer Aniston shares an interesting picture with fans




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'Harry Potter' star Rupert Grint welcomes baby girl with girlfriend Georgia Groome

Rupert Grint and Georgia Groome welcomed their little bundle of joy on Thursday




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Reese Witherspoon looks pretty in '90s throwback photos

The photo, Reese Witherspoon shared, is from the premiere of the film "Nowhere" in 1997




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Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande drop their sweet duet 'Stuck With U'

Justin Bieber, Ariana Grande collaborated for the timely song with a star-studded music video featuring contributions from people across the globe




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Jennifer Aniston shares throwback photo with a strong message

Jennifer Aniston shared a very strong message against coronavirus, asking the novel illness to just go away




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Deadpool 2: Ryan Reynolds' starrer slapped with fine over stuntwoman's death

The stuntwoman died while filming a scene for an actress




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Alia Shawkat steps out of her house without Brad Pitt amid virus lockdown

Brad Pitt and Alia recently made headlines for their growing closeness




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Kim Kardashian hints at possible rift with husband Kanye West

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West tied the knot in 2014 and have four children together




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Billie Eilish to host radio show with her dad

The singer Billie Eilish is expected to discuss life during the coronavirus lockdown




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Demi Lovato makes loved-up appearance with Max Ehrich in Ariana Grande's new song

Demi Lovato left fans gushing after she made a PDA-filled appearance with boyfriend Max Ehrich in Ariana Grande and Justin Bieber’s new track




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Tekashi 6ix9ine returns with new song, shatters Instagram live viewership record

In his first post-prison track 'Gooba,' Tekashi 6ix9ine flaunted his jaw-dropping performance accompanied by six women and a puppy




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Kim Kardashian shares throwback family photo amid rift reports with Kanye West

Kim Kardashian on Friday said she has started missing her sisters.




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Father, son charged with killing black man Ahmaud Arbery

SAVANNAH, Ga: More than two months after a black man was shot to death while jogging on a Sunday afternoon, Georgia investigators conceded that the facts show enough evidence to jail a white father and son on charges of felony murder and aggravated assault, a UK based news agency reported.The...




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Venezuela charges two Americans with 'terrorism, conspiracy'

Venezuela has charged two former US soldiers with "terrorism" and "conspiracy" for allegedly taking part in a failed invasion bid to topple President Nicolas Maduro, the attorney general said Friday.




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Lockdown measures: Sindh govt to work along with Centre

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah declared that the Sindh government will work alongside the Centre to implement the new lockdown measures for the mitigation of the coronavirus outbreak."We will implement the federal government's lockdown decisions to the extent of 99pc if not...




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Lockdown measures: Sindh govt to work along with Centre

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah declared that the Sindh government will work alongside the Centre to implement the new lockdown measures for the mitigation of the coronavirus outbreak. “We will implement the federal government’s lockdown decisions to the extent of...




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Lockdown measures: 'Sindh govt to work along with Centre'

KARACHI: Sindh Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah declared that the Sindh government will work alongside the Centre to implement the new lockdown measures for the mitigation of the coronavirus outbreak. "We will implement the federal government's lockdown decisions to the extent of 99pc if...




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Enhancing road safety with intelligent transport system technology -- by Pawan Karki

In recent years, particularly in many developing countries, road developers have failed to give sufficient consideration to road safety features in the design and construction of highways. As a result, these roads have become more deadly.




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Proper disposal of medical waste can help us cope with pandemics -- by Stephen Peters, Christine P. Chan

Medical waste disposal is a key part of pandemic planning and recovery that we must get right during the COVID-19 outbreak.




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Even with borders closing, we need to keep trade flowing -- by Steven Beck

The COVID-19 pandemic underscores the need to support trade to not only move medical supplies but also to bolster economies




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To survive the pandemic, Indonesia’s urban poor need economic support and help with basic services -- by Joris van Etten, Tiffany M. Tran

For many of Indonesia’s urban poor who work in the informal sector, social distancing is nearly impossible if they want to maintain their income. Two key policies can help.




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The pandemic combined with climate change is hitting the poor hard -- by Nathan Rive

The global response to COVID-19 should also be a springboard for action on climate change resilience so we can narrow the divide between rich and poor and keep everyone safe.




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Nagpur civic body to levy triple tax on buildings without OC

The Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) has proposed a penalty of threefold property tax on residential structures lacking the Occupancy Certificate (OC). As the Nagpur Municipal Corporation (NMC) plans to levy threefold property tax on residential structures lacking the Occupancy Certificates (OCs), it may affect as many as 90 percent of the buildings in the city. Tukaram Mundhe, Commissioner, NMC, avers that the occupancy certificate is mandatory as per the building byelaws stated under the Maharashtra Regional and Town Planning (MRTP) Act, 1966. Therefore, all the building owners should obtain OC to avoid penalties. Nagpur has around 3,000 buildings that were served notices under the MRTP Act, but penalties were not levied until […]



  • Real Estate India

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Mercedes-Benz Slapped with Record Fine for Emissions Cheating

The Environment Ministry is fining Mercedes-Benz W77.6 billion for illegally tampering with emissions tests, the biggest fine ever for a carmaker here (US$1=W1,225). The ministry on Wednesday said Mercedes-Benz, Nissan and Porsche tampered with the emissions of around 40,000 diesel cars sold in Kore...




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IU's Collaboration Single with Bangtan Boys' Suga Sweeps Music Charts

"Eight," the new single by singer IU and Suga, a member of boy band Bangtan Boys, also known as BTS, swept many global music charts shortly after its release on Wednesday."Eight" reached No. 1 on major music-streaming sites here including Melon. It also topped iTunes charts in some 59 countries.The ...




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Withdrawal of sales tax demanded

Rawalpindi: Pakistan Businessmen and Intellectuals Forum President Mian Zahid Hussain has said that sales tax should be withdrawn on cottonseed, oil cake, etc. while withholding tax refunds stuck since a decade should be released.He said the largest foreign exchange earning sector is in trouble,...




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Pakistan among countries with most corona cases in Asia Pacific

Islamabad : Iran, China, India, Pakistan, Indonesia and the Philippines have the most cases of COVID-19 and related deaths in the Asia Pacific region.The COVID-19 situation of Asia Pacific was highlighted in the Second COVID-19 Situation Report Asia Pacific released by United Nations Population...




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Psycho-social support helpline dealing with 50 cases daily, says LG secretary

The newly launched ‘1093 helpline service’ of the Sindh Local Government Department has been providing counselling service to around 50 people on a daily basis who are suffering from various psychological issues due to the ongoing coronavirus crisis in the country, said Sindh Local...




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KMC to introduce app for field staff to mark attendance without coming to office

The Karachi Metropolitan Corporation is going to introduce a mobile application to ensure punctuality of its employees and facilitate their work.Karachi Mayor Wasim Akhtar announced this while addressing a meeting at the Frere Hall on Friday. He also announced that applications were sought for...




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Experts call for providing COVID-19 patients at home with tele-consultation

Expressing serious concern over dozens of unexplained deaths of asymptomatic COVID-19 patients in home isolation in Sindh, local and foreign health experts have advised the government to provide tele-consultation to the patients in home isolation on a regular basis.The experts also asked the...




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Microchip’s Low-Power Radiation-Tolerant (RT) PolarFire FPGA Enables High-Bandwidth Space Systems with Lower Total System Cost

Microchip’s Low-Power Radiation-Tolerant (RT) PolarFire FPGA Enables High-Bandwidth Space Systems with Lower Total System Cost




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Microchip Smart Storage Adapters Now Interoperate Seamlessly with MegaRAC® SP-X Management Firmware from AMI for At-Scale Secure Storage Management

Microchip Smart Storage Adapters Now Interoperate Seamlessly with MegaRAC® SP-X Management Firmware from AMI for At-Scale Secure Storage Management




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Reduce Memory Costs and Retain Data at Power Loss with Microchip’s EERAM Memory Solutions

Reduce Memory Costs and Retain Data at Power Loss with Microchip’s EERAM Memory Solutions




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Microchip Simplifies Functional Safety Requirements with MPLAB TÜV SÜD-certified Tools

Microchip Simplifies Functional Safety Requirements with MPLAB TÜV SÜD-certified Tools




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Next-Generation Miniaturized Rubidium Atomic Clock Improves Performance and adds Features without Increasing Size

Next-Generation Miniaturized Rubidium Atomic Clock Improves Performance and adds Features without Increasing Size




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White Georgia man, son charged with murder in shooting of unarmed black man

A white former police officer and his son were arrested on Thursday in Georgia, United States of America, and charged with murder in the shooting death of an unarmed black man, an incident that touched off a furore in the community and among civil rights activists nationwide.

Gregory McMichael, 64, and his son Travis, 34, were taken into custody by the Georgia Bureau of Investigation and charged with aggravated assault as well as murder in the killing of Ahmaud Arbery in the town of Brunswick, the agency said in a statement.

The Feb 23 shooting death of Arbery, 25, as he ran unarmed through the small town was captured on video by an unnamed witness in a vehicle near the scene. The video’s wide broadcast in recent days ignited outrage among activists, politicians and celebrities who saw the incident as the latest case of white perpetrators killing a black man and going unpunished.

It was not immediately clear on Thursday if the two men had retained attorneys.

A district attorney appointed to handle the high-profile case after two other prosecutors recused themselves said on Wednesday he would ask a county grand jury to decide if the two men should face charges.

The men’s arrest by the GBI, one day after the agency opened an investigation into the case, appears to have sidelined any grand jury probe.

Three shots

The video footage shows Arbery jogging down a narrow two-lane road and around the McMichaels’ white pickup truck, which had stopped in the right lane with its driver’s door open.

As Arbery crosses back in front of the truck, a gunshot is fired. Arbery is then seen struggling with a man holding a long gun as a second man stands in the bed of the truck brandishing a revolver. Two more shots are heard before Arbery stumbles and falls face down onto the asphalt. The GBI said it was Travis McMichael who fired the fatal round.

According to a police report obtained by the New York Times, Gregory McMichael, a former Glynn County police officer and district attorney’s investigator, told detectives the incident began when he spotted Arbery from his front yard “hauling ass” down the street.

McMichael told police that, because he suspected Arbery in a string of recent neighborhood break-ins, he and his son gave chase in the truck, with Gregory McMichael carrying a .357 Magnum revolver and Travis armed with a shotgun.

Gregory McMichael said Arbery began to “violently attack” his son, fighting him for the shotgun, prompting Travis to open fire.

According to a letter obtained by the Times, the prosecutor in Brunswick argued there was not probable cause to arrest the McMichaels because they were legally carrying firearms, had a right to pursue a burglary suspect and use deadly force to protect themselves.




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Provinces announce easing lockdown even as Pakistan witnesses record rise in coronavirus cases

The governments of Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan on Friday announced the partial easing of lockdown measures imposed to curb the spread of the coronavirus, even as the number of infections in the country registered a record daily increase.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Imran Khan had announced the lifting of the countrywide lockdown in phases from Saturday by reopening all construction-related industries and shopping centres for five days a week from Fajr (early morning) till 5pm and outpatient departments (OPDs) in hospitals.

The premier, who had announced the decision after a meeting of the National Coordination Committee (NCC) attended by the chief ministers of the four provinces, had acknowledged that the lockdown was being eased "at a time when our curve is going up" but maintained that "it is not edging up as we were expecting.”

The trend continued on Friday, with the country recording 1,807 cases of Covid-19 from the three provinces of Punjab, Sindh and KP alone, and the national tally nearing 27,000. It is the highest daily increase in the number of infections since Pakistan confirmed its first case on February 26.

Also read: Pakistan's Covid-19 death toll doubles in last 10 days

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

A notification issued by the KP relief department said businesses associated with the construction industry will be exempt from closure subject to them following the standard operating procedures (SOPs) already issued for industrial units and sale points.

Businesses of steel and PVC pipes, electric appliances, manufacturers of steel and aluminium equipment, ceramic and paint industries, sanitary, paints, steel and aluminium works, and hardware stores will be allowed to open four days a week, not later than 4:00pm. They will remain closed on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

KP relief department notification.

All factories which are not included in the negative lists of factories will also be allowed to resume operations.

According to the notification, all shops will be allowed to remain open for four days a week and not later than 4:00pm, subject to their implementation of the government's SOPs.

Meanwhile, Adviser to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa chief minister on information, Ajmal Wazir, told a press conference in Peshawar that educational institutions in the province will reopen as per the federal government's instructions and the province will not take an independent decision in this regard.

He added that discussions were being held on inter-district and intra-district transport with transporters and the decision will be shared with the public whenever it is taken.

Punjab

Punjab Information Minister Fayyazul Hassan Chohan said that the provincial government will submit a recommendation to the Centre for not lifting the lockdown in the province's major cities.

Speaking to reporters in Lahore, he said: "We have seen that there is a hype about coronavirus in some big cities. Therefore, we are submitting this recommendation to the federal government and if it is approved, then the lockdown and standard operating procedures will remain in big cities like Lahore, Rawalpindi, Multan and Gujranwala."

Examine: The lockdown dilemma

He added that higher secondary board examinations in Punjab will be cancelled and students will be promoted based on last year's grades. Schools will reopen on July 15.

As per the federal government's decision, OPDs in the province will open from May 9, Chohan said.

He added that the SOPs for congregational and Taraweeh prayers in mosques as announced by President Arif Alvi will remain in place.

The first session of the Punjab Assembly since the pandemic began was also to be held today.

Sindh

Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah told a press conference in Karachi that under "phase two" of the easing of the restrictions, businesses linked to construction industries will be allowed to open while observing the preventive guidelines. Selective OPDs will also be allowed to resume services.

Industries will no longer be required to submit an application to resume operations; however, they will have to submit an undertaking and forward the details of their employees to the government.

Shops will be allowed to open after sehri (dawn) and will be required to close at 5pm. They will remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays which will be "safe days with 100 per cent lockdown", the chief minister said.

The businesses permitted to resume from Monday include shops in rural areas and neighbourhood shops situated in residential localities, excluding large market places.

Shah said marriage halls, shopping malls, hotels and restaurants in the province will remain closed and there will be no congregations or sports events either.

"These guidelines will remain applicable until May 31. This is what the federal government has outlined and we are ready to comply with these directives," he said.

The chief minister appealed to citizens to stay at home as much as possible. "If you are allowed to leave your homes, according to the directives issued by the government, then make sure to follow standard operating procedures. Wear a mask," he said.

Referring to the increase in Covid-19 infections, he added: "I am seeing the rise in cases, but for national integrity and uniform policy we are going along."

In a statement released by the CM House later in the day, Shah denied media reports stating that the lockdown will end on Monday, saying: "We are entering the second phase of the lockdown with some extra restrictions, particularly at hotspots."

He maintained that air, train and public transport will continue to remain suspended.

Balochistan

In Balochistan, a meeting chaired by Chief Minister Jam Kamal Khan approved the move to turn the lockdown imposed in the province into a 'smart lockdown', under which restrictions are enforced in virus hotspots only, according to Balochistan government spokesperson Liaquat Shahwani.

He announced that markets will be allowed to open from 3am till 5 in the evening.

Shopkeepers and traders will be bound to implement SOPs for precautionary measures while legal action will be taken against the violators, Shahwani said in a tweet.




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115 policemen infected with Covid-19 in Sindh

KARACHI: The number of coronavirus-infected policemen has gone up to 115, a police spokesperson said on Friday.

“So far, 115 policemen and officers have been infected with the contagion.” Out of them, five new cases emerged on Friday. The majority of the policemen belonged to Karachi.

As many as 97 police personnel were under treatment at different hospitals while 15 policemen have been discharged after treatment. The condition of one sub-inspector was stated to be critical.

“Covid-19 infected policemen were being looked after properly and steps were being taken to this effect on daily basis,” added the spokesperson.

The police on Friday also issued a video message, highlighting ordeals of the families of the policemen and commitment of the law enforcers to serve humanity in these testing times.

Published in Dawn, May 9th, 2020




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Visualizing Square Roots with Elias Wegert

Quick, what’s the square root of -1? Okay, I know. That’s an easy one. But how about the square root of i? If it’s been a while since you took complex analysis, you might have to scratch your head a little bit. Fortunately, MATLAB can just tell us. ... read more >>






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‘While I breathe, I hope’: In conversation with Ali Gharavi of the #Istanbul10

Gharavi, a security consultant, was among ten human rights defenders arrested in Turkey in July 2017 at an information management and well-being workshop.




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Benin's partial withdrawal from African Charter of Human Rights is a retreat from democracy

Benin drops 17 places in the 2020 World Press Freedom Index, following the withdrawal from a key document of the African Charter of Human and People's Rights.




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Justice Ginsburg in hospital with infection, court says

Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized Tuesday with an infection caused by a gallstone, the Supreme Court said.




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ADB Accelerating Renewable Energy in Mongolia with Advanced Battery Storage System

ADB has approved a $100 million loan to help supply renewable energy to Mongolia by installing its first large-scale advanced battery energy storage system.




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Dentons launches combination with Rattagan Macchiavello Arocena in Argentina

Dentons is now the largest global law firm in Argentina and the first truly Pan-Latin American and the Caribbean firm in the history of the legal profession.




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dsPIC33/PIC24 FRM, High-Speed Analog Comparator with Slope Compensation DAC

dsPIC33/PIC24 FRM, High-Speed Analog Comparator with Slope Compensation DAC