Pakistan Press International
ISLAMABAD: 10-day Baisakhi festival began across the province of Punjab on Monday.
In this connection, Pakistan High Commission in India has also issued visas to over 1100 Sikh pilgrims. Baisakhi is a spring harvest festival which also marks the Sikh New Year.
KARACHI: Noted human rights attorney of Pakistan and president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), Zia Ahmed Awan, has stressed the need to create a scholarship fund for the children of lawyers.
Addressing a book launching ceremony arranged by the Library Committee of Sindh High Court Bar Association (SHCBA) in the SHCBA library, he floated the idea of a special fund to pay fees and educational expenses of the children of needy lawyers directly and confidentially.
He praised the book writer Arshid Mobin for writing this valuable book entitled Ilim ki Pehli Kiran. He said writing a book for a busy lawyer is not an easy job. He appreciated the library committee for arranging the book launching and hoped that in future lawyers would virtually visit this modern law library.
HARNAI: Six persons suffered injuries in a clash between two rival groups in Zardalu area of Harnai district on Monday.
According to levies force, the clash occurred due to entering of livestock in agrarian land of Zardalu area of district Harnai. Stones and batons were openly used in the clash.
As a result, six persons of both sides sustained injuries. The injured were shifted to Rural Health Centre Shahrug for treatment. Further investigation into the incident was underway by the levies team.
QUETTA: Spokesperson for provincial government has said that the incumbent provincial government had attached priority to construct more dams so as to utilize rainy and flood water of the reservoirs for overcoming the dearth of water in Balochistan province.
In a statement issued here on Monday, the spokesperson said that neither any decision with regard to the construction of Berj Aziz Khan Dam had been made nor any such decisions would be made which might cause loss to anyone. He said that Chief Minister Balochistan Jam Kamal Khan would soon discuss the dam issue with the delegation of district Nushki of the province.
QUETTA: Pakistan Meteorological Department Quetta Regional Center has forecast that on mainly hot and dry weather is expected in southern and eastern parts of Balochistan with very hot conditions in Turbat, Sibbi, Pasni, Lasbella, Kohlu and Dera Murad Jamali areas during the next 24 hours.
Weather during last 24 hours: Mainly hot and dry weather remained in southern and eastern parts. Maximum temperature recorded today was as: Barkhan 32, Dalbandin 36.5, Gwadar 35, Jiwani 34, Kalat 26, Khuzdar 30.5, Lasbella 41.5, Nokkundi 37, Panjgur 34, Pasni 35.5, Quetta 30, Samungli 28.5, Sibbi 40, Turbat 39.5, Ormara 33, Zhob 29.5, Uthal 40.3, and Usta Muhammad 41.
KARACHI: Japan emerged as model country for tobacco harm reduction when it reduced its smoking rate by nearly a third in a span of three to four years since the introduction of non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes in 2014.
The webinar, titled “Tobacco Harm Reduction and Novel Nicotine and Tobacco Products-Evidence from the Japanese Market” focused on the experience of the Japanese market following the launch of novel nicotine and tobacco products (NNTPs), specifically HTPs in Japan since 2014. The event was moderated by Yvonne Lucas of Frost and Sullivan, according to a press release issued on Monday.
Dr. Hiroya said HTP users account for about 30 percent among Japanese male smokers and 25 percent among female smokers. He said dual use of cigarettes and HTPs remains low at 6.9 percent among male smokers and 4.8 percent among female smokers.
A study by Tottori University Medical School funded by Ministry of Health and Welfare also shows that the initiation to HTP use among 60,000 Japanese junior high-school students was very low at just 0.1 percent belying fears of youth uptake.
Mark Dougan, director of Transformational Health at Frost and Sullivan, said the case of Japan, being the world’s largest market of HTPs, deserves to be studied because of the significant reduction in smoking rate in the country.
“The reason we’re focusing on the Japanese market is because NNTPs have been commercially available in Japan since 2014. It’s by far the world’s largest market, and they put it to be commercially available now for seven years,” he said.
A public health expert said Japan accomplished this milestone following the introduction of heated tobacco products (HTPs). Dr. Kumamaru Hiroya, vice director of the AOI Universal Hospital in Kawasaki. This rate of decline in smoking incidence was not observed after years of trying nicotine replacement therapy (NTP).
He said that while NTPs such as nicotine patches proved ineffective in reducing the smoking rate in Japan, the commercial launch of HTPs like IQOS from Philip Morris International (PMI) in 2014, following a market test in 2013, led to a substantial decrease in smoking rate.
“In conclusion, after nicotine replacement therapy direction has been tried, they were not really a big success. However, ever since 2014, three heated tobacco products have been launched officially nationwide in Japan and these have been penetrating 25 percent [of total smoking population], and this product has been successful to reduce cigarette smoking in Japan so far by 30 percent in three to four years,” Dr. Hiroya, a preventive physician specializing in smoking cessation, said during a recent webinar organized by business consulting firm Frost and Sullivan.
HTPs are non-combustible alternatives to cigarettes that closely mimic the rituals of smoking minus the combustion process. These electronic devices heat, instead of burn, specially-designed tobacco units to release flavorful nicotine-containing tobacco vapor. Results of scientific studies show that tar and carcinogens found in tobacco smoke, causes the death and disease associated with smoking, and not nicotine.
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the marketing of IQOS, the tobacco heating system of PMI, as a modified risk tobacco product (MRTP) on July 7, 2020.
The FDA authorized the marketing of IQOS in the US with the information that the IQOS system heats tobacco but does not burn it and scientific studies have shown that switching completely from conventional cigarettes to the IQOS system significantly reduces the body’s exposure to harmful or potentially harmful chemicals.
KARACHI: As we begin another Ramadan in the midst of COVID-19, Facebook has announced to add a new list of resources and features to help the Muslim community celebrate the month while maintaining social distancing. Through these additions, people can also discover ways to show kindness and give back to their communities.
According to a press release issued on Monday, people can share their acts of good and connect with friends and family during Ramadan with new Instagram and WhatsApp stickers. There will be new avatar stickers available in the Facebook app, as well as new camera effects and stickers on Messenger and Messenger Kids.
In a blog post published on Facebook’s Newsroom, they shared, “Last year, our community exchanged more than 20 million “Happy Ramadan” posts and comments on Facebook, and WhatsApp video calls spiked on the first day of Eid.
Despite the barriers to coming together in person, Ramadan remains a time for generosity, charity and reflection. In 2020, people contributed twice as much to Ramadan-related fundraisers than they did in 2019 across Facebook and Instagram. This year, we’re inviting the more than 2 billion people observing Ramadan globally to honor this period through #MonthofGood”.
To kick off the #MonthOfGood, Facebook has also issued a list of ideas for people to start a pay-it-forward chain to share acts of good and inspire others to do the same.