Day: December 28, 2021

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IIUI, University of Wah and COMSATS join hands for cooperation

Islamabad, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):A memorandum of Agreement between International Islamic University, Islamabad (IIU), University of Wah and COMSATS was signed here at the new campus of IIUI on Tuesday under which it has been agreed that a consortium shall be made to establish a Business Incubation Centre (BIC) at University of Wah (UW). The IIU will be providing a lead consultancy as part of the consortium in the tune of over Rs. 2.3 million for the development and capacity building of BIC at University of Wah.

In the signing ceremony at IIU’s new campus, Dr. Hathal Homoud Alotaibi, President IIUI, Dr. Jameel un Nabi, Vice Chancellor UW and Dr. Sajid Madni, Registrar COMSATS signed the agreement. It was also attended by Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed, Vice President Research and Enterprise and Director BIC-IIUI, Engr. Muhammad Ahsen Mirza.

In this consortium, IIUI shall provide support and services as a lead partner to the University of Wah for capacity building. The IIUI’s Directorate of Research and Enterprise through its two components BIC and ORIC shall guide and support the University of Wah for establishment of BIC. The IIU shall also support UW in Post establishment Capacity building, Trainings of staff and startups through Start and Improve Your Business (SIYB).

COMSATS under this agreement shall provide support to the University of Wah for development of strategic and sustainability plans. COMSATS shall also support for Communications and marketing of BIC at University of Wah and Industry / startup connect for BIC at University of Wah.

All three parties agreed to cooperate for the establishment of BIC at University of Wah sharing resources, training, capacity building and dissemination of knowledge and information. It has also been agreed to establish a collaborative entrepreneurship club for all three institutes. All three organizations agreed to conduct Entrepreneurial Workshops, mentorship sessions, business plan competitions/ hackathons as well as startup challenge/ showcasing and investor connect events.

Speaking on the occasion, Dr. Hathal said that the university, through its new strategic plan, has been put on the track of progress and development. He said that the university has also launched its online portal and through virtual learning the university has a target of enrolling 1 million students in the long-term plan. He said that the university is keen for collaborations with other educational institutions.

Vice Chancellor UW said that there are a lot of opportunities that can be utilized through joint ventures between both universities. He hailed IIUI for its services to the society. Dr. Ahmed Shuja Syed also gave a detailed briefing on the occasion about the university’s vision, recent strategic plan and faculties of the universities. Earlier, Director BIC also apprised of the objectives and scope of the consortium.

For more information, contact:
Public Relations,
International Islamic University Islamabad (IIUI)
Room No.118, Admin Block, New Campus,
H-10 Sector, Islamabad, Pakistan
Tel: +92-51-9019249
Fax: +92-51-9257909
Email: iiuipublicrelations@iiu.edu.pk
Website: www.iiu.edu.pk

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Punjab Assembly passes six private members’ bills, adopts three resolutions 

Islamabad, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):The Punjab Assembly passed six private members’ bills and adopted three resolutions on Tuesday, observes Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN) it its daily factsheet.

Following are key observations of the House proceedings during the ninth and last sitting of the 38th session:

Members’ Participation

The House met for two hours and 14 minutes.

The sitting started at 03:27 pm against the scheduled time of 01:00 pm.

The speaker chaired the sitting for 55 minutes while the remaining sitting was presided over by a member of panel of chairpersons.

The deputy speaker was not present.

The leaders of the house (chief minister) and the opposition did not attend the sitting.

As many as 19 MPAs (5%) were present at the outset and 41 (11%) at the adjournment of the sitting.

Parliamentary leader of PRHP attended the sitting.

One out of eight minority lawmakers attended the sitting.

Output

The House passed six private members’ bills which were the Punjab Regularization of Services (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the University of the Central Punjab (Amendment) Bill, 2021; the University of Rawalpindi Bill, 2021; the University of Arts and Sciences Bill, 2021; the Nur International University Lahore (Amendment) Bill, 2021 and the Salar University Bill, 2021.

Two private members’ bills were introduced in the House which were referred to the relevant committee. These bills were the Lahore University Bill, 2021 and the Smart University of Sciences and Technology Bill, 2021.

The House adopted three resolutions demanding the provincial government to establish an autonomous authority in cooperatives department, revise pay scales of government employees and organize special programs on the death anniversary of Hazrat Abu Bakar Siddique (RA).

The House rejected a resolution regarding the uniformity of interest rate on foreign and national currency for resident and non-resident Pakistanis.

Representation and Responsiveness

The House took up ten out of 36 starred questions while lawmakers asked 17 supplementary questions as well.

Minister for law responded to two zero-hour notices regarding absence of Rescue 1122 service in District Nankana (PP-134) and non-payment to the family of deceased sanitary worker of Municipal Corporation Sargodha who lost his life during cleansing of gutter.

Order and Institutionalization

Four lawmakers spoke on points of order for eight minutes.

The session was prorogued sine die.

Transparency

‘Orders of the Day’ was not available on Punjab Assembly’s website.

Information on Members’ attendance is available on Punjab Assembly’s website.

For more information, contact:
Free and Fair Election Network (FAFEN)
FAFEN Representative
FAFEN Secretariat 224, Margalla Road F-10/3 – Islamabad
Tel: +92-51-2211026
Fax: +92-51-2211047
Cell: +92-321-5017355, +92-301-8549188
Email: media@fafen.org
URL: www.fafen.org

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History makers at ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups 

Dubai, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):Eoin Morgan is best known for leading England to ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2019 glory but after scoring a hatful of runs when representing Ireland, he is the leading run scorer in ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Morgan would become Ireland’s youngest ever senior international but before that he starred in both the 2004 and 2006 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

Morgan’s first World Cup game came against the West Indies and batting at No.3 he managed just five runs from 16 balls as Ireland came agonisingly close to an upset.

The men in green were six runs short of chasing down the West Indies’ 265 for eight with Kevin O’Brien’s 95 not enough to get them over the line.

Morgan fared little better next time out, scoring 12 in a heavy eight-wicket defeat to Pakistan before misfiring against Papua New Guinea, as he was trapped lbw for 11 off 18, albeit in a winning cause.

He cashed in against Uganda, notching a century and finishing with 117 off 129 balls as Ireland’s 329 for nine proved to be far too many for their African opponents.

Morgan showcased his all-round ability against Canada, first making 44 off 57 balls as Ireland posted 265 for nine.

He was then named player of the match after taking three catches and two for 26 from ten overs with his right arm medium bowling – something he would leave behind as he headed into the senior ranks.

Morgan was run out for 14 against Bangladesh as his side were bowled out for 141 and went on to lose by eight wickets.

But he rounded off his first tournament with 65 from 69 balls against Australia in the plate semi-final, top scoring for Ireland as they went down by 49 runs to a side captained by Tim Paine.

Morgan finished with 268 runs from seven innings with an average of 38.28 but would kick on to greater heights when he returned to the international stage two years later as Ireland captain.

It was an unlucky 13 for Morgan to start with at the 2006 edition in Sri Lanka as Ireland collapsed to 97 all out in reply to Zimbabwe’s 215 for seven in their opener.

Three days later and Morgan chipped in with 28 but was unable to prevent his side losing a nail biter by four runs against an England side led by Moeen Ali.

Morgan hit his straps with 86 off 107 against Nepal the following day but his side were still beaten by 60 runs having conceded 234.

A century followed against New Zealand on Valentine’s Day as his Ireland side crossed the 300-barrier but despite Morgan’s 124 off 126 balls, his side lost by three wickets.

After bowling out Namibia for 115, Ireland won by six wickets with Morgan contributing 27 before he made 60 not out to steer his side to another victory by the same margin as they chased down 166 to beat Uganda to round off the campaign.

Morgan’s tally of 338 runs from six matches made him the second highest run scorer of the tournament, only 11 behind India’s Cheteshwar Pujara, and his combined haul of 606 runs across the two tournaments makes him the most prolific youngster with the bat.

Morgan may have shown his prowess with the ball as a teenager, but it is Zimbabwe’s Wesley Madhevere who is the leading wicket-taker at ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cups.

The off spinner is no slouch with the bat, often opening the innings for his country, making him a prolific all-rounder.

A prodigious talent, Madhevere featured at the 2016 ICC U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup aged just 15.

And in keeping with the phrase, ‘if you are good enough, you’re old enough’, Madhevere kicked off his tournament by taking five for 24 to help dismiss Fiji for 81.

Madhevere took another wicket in the 129-run defeat to England next up, recording impressive figures of one for 53 from his ten overs given his opponents racked up 288 for four from their innings.

He was back in the wickets with two for 48 in the narrow two-run defeat against the West Indies before chipping in with one for 40 in the six-wicket win over Canada.

Another wicket came in the heavy victory over South Africa before he capped a fine tournament at such a young age with a miserly spell of none for 24 off ten overs in the five-wicket defeat to Afghanistan.

With ten wickets from his first tournament at 21.20, Madhevere returned in 2018 and again started with a bang.

He bagged the player of the match award after taking three for 19 to help bowl Papua New Guinea out for 90 before smashing 53 not out from 44 balls to deliver a ten-wicket triumph.

Madhevere chipped in with another wicket in the defeat to Australia before the ten-wicket reverse to India was followed by figures of two for 11 from six overs with the ball and 47 with the bat in the win over Namibia.

He missed out with both bat and ball against Sri Lanka before bouncing back in phenomenal style, taking four for 24 and smashing 93 in the 138-run win over Canada to round off the tournament.

Madhevere was named as the ICC’s rising star of the tournament after taking ten wickets at 12.80 and returned for his third consecutive U19 Men’s Cricket World Cup in 2020.

However, it took him until the third game against Scotland to pick up his first wicket, with one more coming in a win over Canada before he came to the fore in the defeat to England with four for 42 from ten overs.

Madhevere finished off with two for 18 against Scotland in the 11th place play-off to take his tally to 28 and leave him as the man to beat when it comes to the world’s best young bowlers.

For more information, contact:
Headquarters,
International Cricket Council (ICC)
Street 69, Dubai Sports City,
Sh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road, Dubai, UAE
Phone: +97-143828800
Fax: +97-143828600
E-mail: enquiry@icc-cricket.com
Website: www.icc-cricket.com

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Bismah Maroof prepares to return to national duty 

Lahore, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):Pakistan’s top-order women batter Bismah Maroof has confirmed her availability for the ICC Women’s World Cup 2022 and will participate in warm-up matches to be held in Karachi as part of the side’s selection and preparation for the New Zealand event that will take place from 4 March to 3 April 2022.

Bismah, who has played 108 ODIs and T20Is each in a career that started in 2006, commenced her maternity leave in December 2020 and gave birth to a baby girl in August 2021. Bismah has already been re-integrated into cricketing activities and has resumed fitness sessions as part of her post-childbirth rehabilitation at the National High-Performance Centre. She will soon commence net practice after overcoming a thumb injury.

Bismah Maroof: “The past few months have been the best of my life. Becoming a mother and spending time with my daughter has given me immense pleasure, but it is now time to return to my passion of representing Pakistan at an international stage.

“The maternity leave helped me realise the significance of navigating the balance of raising a child and maintaining my professional cricketing career as I missed being on the field each time I saw the girls in action. But thanks to the PCB Parental Support Policy, which has greatly facilitated my return to cricket, I can now resume my ambitions and aspirations of playing for Pakistan and hope to make a useful contribution in our target of doing well in New Zealand.”

Under the policy, if Bismah is selected, she will be allowed to be accompanied by her dependent child and one support person of her choice.

Bismah will be one of the 36 probables who will feature in a seven-match tri-series at the Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre from 10-19 January. The women players will be split into two squads and will be joined by a local boys’ side with the New Zealand-bound squad to be named on 25 January.

Meanwhile, the PCB has confirmed Urooj Mumtaz has stepped down as Chair of Women’s Selection Committee to focus on her professional commitments as well as to pursue other opportunities within the game. Asmavia Iqbal has been named as the new head of the selection panel and will be assisted by junior selection committee members Saleem Jaffar and Taufeeq Umar.

PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “I want to thank Urooj Mumtaz for her contributions as Chair of the Pakistan Women’s Selection Committee. You worked diligently in your role for which the PCB is grateful and indebted. We wish you best for your future endeavours.”

Urooj Mumtaz: “It has been a wonderful experience to head the selection committee and contribute in the growth and progression of women’s cricket. I am grateful for the opportunity and thank all my colleagues, while wishing the team the very best in the 2022 international commitments and beyond.”

Urooj was appointed Chair of the selection committee in March 2019.

Probables for practice matches:

Aimen Anwar, Aliya Riaz, Anam Amin, Anoosha Nasir, Ayesha Bilal, Ayesha Naseem, Ayesha Zafar, Nahida Khan, Bismah Maroof, Diana Baig, Fareeha Mehmood, Fatima Sana Khan, Ghulam Fatima (subject to fitness), Gull Feroza, Iram Javed, Javeria Rauf, Javeria Khan, Kainat Hafeez, Kainat Imtiaz (subject to fitness), Maham Tariq, Muneeba Ali, Najiha Alvi, Nashra Sandhu, Natalia Parvaiz, Nida Dar, Omaima Sohail, Ramin Shameem, Saba Nazir, Sadaf Shamas, Sadia Iqbal, Saima Malik, Sidra Ameen, Sidra Nawaz, Syeda Aroob Shah, Tuba Hassan and Umm-e-Hani

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

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PCB and Sindh Government to organise Sindh Schools Cricket League in February

Karachi, December 28, 2021 (PPI-OT):An important meeting regarding promotion of cricket in Sindh was held under the chairmanship of Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah at Sindh Secretariat last week. The meeting was attended by Chairman Sindh Cricket Association Imran Husain, PCB Director High Performance Nadeem Khan, GM Domestic Cricket PCB Junaid Zia, Secretary Sports Department Akhtar Bhurgari, Secretary College Education Khalid Haider Shah and all the divisional commissioners.

In the meeting, the PCB officials announced that the PCB is going to organize Sindh School Cricket League in the province from February next year with the cooperation of Sindh government. In the first phase, 239 matches would be played in 30 districts of the province.

PCB officials added that 240 school level teams and 3850 players will be part of the Sindh School Cricket League. In the second phase, 24 matches will be played between 30 teams at divisional level. In the third phase, five matches will be played between six teams in Sindh Championship.

In the meeting, PCB officials added that the kind of talent that has emerged in cricket from Sindh is remarkable and PCB will now go to the district level in search of talent hunt. In the meeting, Chief Secretary Sindh Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah said that Sindh government would provide full support to the PCB.

Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah further added that the Sindh School Cricket league would cost PKR 27 million which would be provided by Sindh government. During the meeting it was decided that cricket grounds across the Sindh province would be refurbished and rehabilitated by the Sindh government in collaboration with the PCB. Sindh Government will provide PKR 91 million and PCB will spend PKR 57 million annually in the maintenance of 17 grounds.

Various cricket grounds in Karachi, Hyderabad, Badin, Jamshoro, Larkana, Mirpurkhas, Sanghar, Shaheed Benazirabad, Shikarpur and Sukkur will be restored and developed and provided facilities like advance pitch roller, nets, hybrid pitch, dressing rooms and Manual/electric score boards in all these grounds.

For more information, contact:
Media Manager,
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore 54600, Pakistan
Tel: +92-42-5717231-4
Fax: +92-42-5711860
Website: www.pcb.com.pk

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JETEX CHRISTMAS IN THE SKY

Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Dec. 27, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — For the wealthiest of the wealthy, only the most extravagant and expensive gifts are acceptable during the holiday giving season. This inspired Jetex to design the ultimate ‘Christmas in the Sky’ private jet experience, priced USD 27,000 for up to 10 passengers.

Jetex, an award-winning global leader in executive aviation, invites the lucky few to celebrate style, taste and disposable income with one brilliant idea: a glamorous Christmas onboard a private jet soaring high in the festive skies.

The magical journey will commence with the passengers picked-up by a chauffeur limousine from their residence or hotel and driven in style to Dubai’s iconic Jetex VIP Terminal. Upon arrival, they will be welcomed by not one, but 28 spectacular Christmas trees lined up in front of the terminal dressed in more than 15,000 lights as well as Jetex ambassadors who will take care of seamless departure formalities.

This season, the flagship Jetex terminal is a festive wonderland in its own right: from exquisite decorations and live musicians to carefully selected Dom Pérignon vintages paired with caviar and gourmet refreshments to delight the senses. Kids will be welcomed by Santa Klaus who will look after them and let them discover the magnificently decorated Christmas trees and Insta-worthy entertainment facilities of the world’s most luxurious private jet terminal. As soon as the passengers are in the mood to board, they will be driven to their private aircraft in timeless elegance in one of the Jetex Rolls-Royces.

The special flight will take two hours and the crew will select the most optimal altitude and cruising speed to ensure passengers enjoy sensational window views, including Dubai’s world-famous skyline, iconic landmarks, Arabian Gulf and the rolling dunes of the desert.

To take experience personalization further, a Jetex in-flight culinary expert will contact passengers in advance to discuss their dining preferences and design a bespoke menu which will complement many delectable festive treats offered onboard.

Once back on the ground, passengers will be invited to enjoy the rest of the evening in one of the lounges with elegant service and amenities at their leisure, as well as receive signature Jetex Christmas presents.

Adel Mardini, Founder & CEO of Jetex, commented: “Once again, Jetex redefines private jet travel experience as we celebrate the season of togetherness. ‘Christmas in the Sky’ is the epitome of luxury and festive celebrations above the clouds. Dubai is a city of superlatives and this extraordinary package is taking it to new heights. It is a perfect gift, an excellent way to discover the world of private aviation, and to create a treasured memory to cherish for years to come.”

By inviting passengers to share a delightful holiday-themed pursuit among friends and family, Jetex provides a safe, relaxed, and joyful haven of kinship and good cheer.

“Christmas in the Sky” private jet package is priced from USD 27,000 (AED 100,000) for up to 10 passengers and will be available between 24 December 2021 and 7 January 2022.

For reservations, please contact Jetex Premier Experience at experience@jetex.com.

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About Jetex:

An award-winning global leader in executive aviation, Jetex is recognized for delivering flexible, best-in-class trip support solutions to customers worldwide. Jetex provides exceptional private terminals (FBOs), aircraft fueling, ground handling and global trip planning. The company caters to both owners and operators of business jets for corporate, commercial and personal air travel. To find out more about Jetex, visit www.jetex.com and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn.

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Oleg Kafarov - Director of Portfolio Development & Corporate Communications
Jetex
+971 4 212 4900
teamorange@jetex.com