On Saturday, I had the opportunity to attend an amazing TEDxLUMS event where I got to listen to Dr Faisal Sultan, former special assistant to the PM on health, who spoke about Pakistan’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Dr Faisal said that data-driven decisions played a key role in ensuring we took sprinklers where there were fires instead of hosing down the entire building. He shared that one day, Mr. Asad Umar, the Chair of the NCOC at the time, gave them the seemingly impossible task of administering around 300,000 COVID-19 vaccines in a day. However, despite multifaceted challenges, from procurement to delivery, on peak day, the team managed to administer 2.3 million doses. I think this represents a great example of our resilience as a nation and shows that we can overcome any challenge if we set our minds to it and if our institutions work collectively towards a unified goal.

Former prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Thursday asserted that his political pursuits were not fuelled by personal ambitions to reclaim power for a fourth term. In a speech delivered at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers' convention in Murree, Nawaz, a three-time former prime minister, conveyed his sincere desire to witness a positive transformation in the destiny of Pakistan. Describing Murree as his "second home", the former prime minister underscored the necessity of developing the region. The former prime minister also reminisced about diplomatic achievements during his tenure, recalling the visits of two former Indian prime ministers to Pakistan. He referred to the visits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 and incumbent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit in Dec 2015.

President Biden told Americans that "we have to bring the nation together" when he called into the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade on Thursday. "On this Thanksgiving Day, Al, we have to come together," Mr. Biden told Al Roker. Mr. Biden continued that "we should focus on dealing with our problems and being together." "'Dad, you've got to run,'" Mr. Biden wrote that Beau told him, and he wrote that Hunter said, "'We want you to run.'" Beau Biden died in May 2015, and Mr. Biden ultimately opted not to run for president in 2016 amid the family tragedy.

Targeted counter terrorism operations in Balochistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal belt are frequently being employed to eliminate militants, based on intelligence information. The success of these operations is, in turn, the success of Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) and is a guarantee of security. For now, these operations, like the one conducted in Balochistan’s Kech district killing four terrorists, serve as a viable counter terrorism strategy. In view of the spike in militant activities, a package of $4million has been announced by the United States (US) for counter terrorism training in Pakistan. Counter terrorism must be multi-pronged, with a flexibility to evolve as quickly as the tactics of militants evolve, even ahead of that.

The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the main decision making body of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. Regrettably no credible and concrete steps have been taken by the global community to ward off the debilitating effects of phenomenon of climate change. Two international protocols have been signed according to which the industrial nations have made commitments to reduce the emissions of green houses gases and also help the poor nations who have been affected by climate change to deal with the impact of climate change. UN Secretary General during a special session dedicated to climate change also reiterated “Pakistan is a double victim of climate chaos and of our outdated and unjust global financial system. Transition to renewable energy besides dealing with climate change also has other enormous advantages.

Let’s get to the Philadelphia Eagles links ...Nick Sirianni’s passionate defense of Eagles offensive coordinator Brian Johnson - NBCSP“I think Brian has done a phenomenal job of calling the game,” Sirianni said. I just think he’s done a top-notch job.” The Eagles are 9-1, the best record in the NFL. Jalen Hurts on fan criticism of Brian Johnson's playcalling: "He's controlling the things that he can. Overall, I feel really good about the adjustments the Eagles made and also some of the run game stuff was really encouraging. Eagles vs. Chiefs takeaways - BGN RadioBrandon Lee Gowton and Jimmy Kempski discussed what we learned from Philadelphia’s Week 11 win over the Kansas City Chiefs!

In a speech delivered at the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) workers' convention in Murree, former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif asserted on Thursday that his political pursuits were not fueled by personal ambitions to reclaim power for a fourth term, Express News reported. The PML-N supremo, a three-time former prime minister, conveyed his sincere desire to witness a positive transformation in the destiny of Pakistan. Read More: President quizzed on Nawaz oath possibilityWarning against deceiving the nation for political gains, Sharif stressed that divine accountability awaits those who mislead. The former prime minister also reminisced about diplomatic achievements during his tenure, recalling the visits of two former Indian prime ministers to Pakistan. He referred to the visits of Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 1999 and incumbent Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's surprise visit in December 2015.

Australia produced a stunning comeback to beat the Czech Republic 2-1 on Wednesday and set up a Davis Cuphttps://tribune.com.pk/story/2447617/finland-stun-champions-canada-in-davis-cup semi-final clash with Finland. The only time the Czech Republic have beaten Australia in 10 clashes was in 1975, but the three-time champions came extremely close in Malaga. De Minaur broke Lehecka to start the third set and consolidated it, but the Czech broke back for 2-2. The Australian took a 6-5 lead when he broke again and wrapped up the set to love to complete his superb comeback. "It's great to have such amazing support, this is an Australian Davis Cup team, we fight until the end and we're never dead," said De Minaur.

Pakistan has been facing wheat shortages every now and then, which is a pity in view of agricultural resources that the country has. Data suggests that nearly 72 per cent of staple food demand in the country is fulfilled through wheat production. It is high time Pakistan looked for alternative crops, such as barley, for future production. It makes sense to make the move towards converting barley into an alternative crop for the farmers. Therefore, provincial agriculture research departments must motivate the farmers to grow barley varieties as an alternative crop to wheat.

KARACHI-NdcTech, a subsidiary of Systems Limited, recently won the banking tech award for “Best Digital - IT Services” at Asian Technology Excellence Awards 2023. With its 3rd edition this year, the Asian Technology Excellence Awards hosted by Asian Business Review recognized exceptional projects and innovations, from technology companies that pioneered ground-breaking IT products and solutions to innovative technology initiatives that made an impact on businesses. The bank was looking for a technology partner to unify complete commercial loan offerings on a centralized cloud native modern platform and maximize operational efficiencies. NdcTech used its own commercial loan origination solution on Temenos Digital Platform and itsinnovations to enhance and streamline the bank’s entire operational workflow. Our pride extends to our teams, who have delivered exceptional digital IT services and innovations to the bank.

The recent financial crisis in the national air carrier has turned out to be a boon for private airlines operating in the country. They have taken their domestic fares to unprecedented heights, exploiting the situation. Even the so-called budget airlines are charging exorbitant fares. I was recently charged a one-way fare in excess of Rs50,000 for my travel from Karachi to Lahore. AAMIR MALIK- Advertisement -KARACHI

Mandana Karimi’s favouritesHer hobbies include travelling and collecting new gadgets. Mandana Karimi’s modelling careerAt the age of 20, when her friends encouraged her, she prepared a portfolio for modelling assignments. Mandana Karimi in Bigg BossMandana Karimi participated as a contestant in the famous reality show ‘Bigg Boss Season 9.’ She emerged as the second runner-up of the show. Mandana Karimi’s film projectsSome of the films that Mandana Karimi has worked in are Roy (2015), Xuanzang (2016), Main Aur Charles (2015), Kyaa Kool Hain Hum 3 (2016), and Thar (2022). Mandana Karimi appeared in a web series called ‘The Casino.’ It is an ongoing show since 2020.

MIAMI: The LIV Golf League released its 2024 regular-season schedule on Wednesday even as merger talks continue between LIV’s Saudi backers and the PGA Tour over a framework agreement. Some of LIV’s events are opposite PGA Tour signature events. Since then, other groups have sought equity deals with the PGA Tour. Adelaide will play host to LIV Golf on April 26-28 with a Singapore stop on May 3-5. “We’re thrilled to announce an exciting slate of events that reflects our commitment to bringing world-class players and premier competition to new and repeat markets every year,” LIV Golf Commissioner Greg Norman said.

In a few recent articles, I have focused on the importance of local languages being used. That also means big languages, such as Urdu, and it means smaller languages and vernaculars, including dialects. It is important that people get a chance to use local languages, indeed their mother tongue, in as many situations as possible, and that the written languages are maintained. One could even argue for local languages to be used more even at university, and then there would be a need for courses in those languages related to scientific work. In a way, Pakistan should be grateful to the Brits in this field, and English is widely use, albeit at the expense of Urdu and local languages.

PHOTO: PIDCaretaker Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar on Tuesday said peace in the region could not be guaranteed till the resolution of the dispute of Jammu and Kashmir between Pakistan and India. " The prime minister strongly condemned the ongoing grave human rights situation in the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). The prime minister highlighted that the rapidly changing geo-strategic environment had a profound impact on Pakistan and rest of the region. Earlier, Chief of the Air Staff Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar Sidhu received the prime minister on the venue. The prime minister witnessed a thrilling fly-past of the formations of PAF jets including Mirage, F-7P, JF-17 Thunder and J-10C.