British High Commissioner for continuing cooperation to promote entrepreneurial culture in Pakistan

Islamabad: Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Pakistan, Ms. Jane Marriot has said that the United Kingdom (UK) will always continue its full cooperation with Pakistan to promote entrepreneurial culture and skills and instil entrepreneurial spirit in youth of the country.

Pakistani youth have entrepreneurial skills and potential and the British High Commission in Islamabad will continue its due support to develop this potential and such programs will be continued in the future to enhance their business skills, the British High Commissioner said.

Ambassador of the United Kingdom to Pakistan, Ms Jane Marriot told reporter here, the annual inter-School business competition was hosted by British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott CMB OBE, in Islamabad with King's Trust International and SEED Ventures.

Meanwhile talking to reporter, she said that today, young students from five different schools and education institutions belonging to all the provinces of the country including Sindh, Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK), Baluchistan and Islamabad Capital presented their business models and business-related ideas, which reflect their excellent entrepreneurial skills and business capabilities and such talented youth in Pakistan are testifying to the bright future of the country.

The British High Commissioner said that in an annual inter-school business competition held here today in British High Commission Islamabad, students from different education institutions demonstrated their full potential and in this, especially girl students expressed their talents in the best way.

The envoy said that the British High Commission Islamabad has already started various programs to promote girls' education and entrepreneurship in Pakistan and more programs are being planned in this regard in the future.

She said that the private sector, especially Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), play a very important role in any economy and such programs will improve the national economy by promoting SMEs in Pakistan.

In today's modern world, start-ups, innovation, and entrepreneurial skills are the backbone of any emerging economy and especially to increase the role of youth in the future economy, these skills must be taught to them, she said.

The High Commissioner said that there is a lot of potential in economic and trade relations between the United Kingdom and Pakistan and there are vast opportunities for promoting future bilateral trade on both sides.

She said that at present, the volume of bilateral trade between the two countries is 4.4 billion pounds, which is much less than its potential and it needs to be enhanced in the future.

The British envoy said that the United Kingdom has historical social, economic and cultural relations with Pakistan, which are growing day by day.

At present, 1.6 million Pakistanis are present as the Pakistan diaspora in the UK, which plays the significant role of a cultural bridge between the two countries and is also our cultural heritage.

Enterprise Challenge Pakistan (Enterprise Challenge Pakistan) is an annual inter-school business competition, a joint initiative from Prince's Trust International and SEED Ventures. Now in its eighth year, the programme enables school students to learn practical business skills through coaching, mentoring and an online business simulation game. Enterprise Challenge Pakistan received a mention in Forbes as one of the 'Five Leading Programs Supporting the Next Generation of Entrepreneurs'.

The event will host 100 guests from a diverse range of sectors. The event commences at 3: 00 p.m. and will conclude at 6: 00 p.m with the speech from the High commissioner and the winner.

In annual Inter-School business competition was hosted by the British High Commissioner team 'Eco-EduTech from Daharki' won the eighth cycle of Enterprise Challenge Pakistan.

The King's Trust International delivers interventions in 20 countries, providing opportunities for young people to develop the skills and confidence to learn, earn and thrive.

Recruitment process of constables underway

Lahore: The process of receiving application forms for recruitment to posts of Constable/Women Constable and Grade-IV in Lahore Police is underway. The last date for submitting forms for recruitment of Constables in Lahore Police is January 25, while the last date for submitting forms for Grade-IV posts in Punjab Police is January 20. Those interested in recruitment can download the recruitment form from the Punjab Police website. SP Headquarters, Ahmed Zunair Cheema in this connection told reporter that candidates could submit forms in District Police Lines Lahore by the due date. Meanwhile, he said that 14 teams consisting of 78 officers are on duty to submit the forms for the posts of Constables. The age of the candidate for recruitment of Constable/Women Constable in Lahore Police has been set at 18 to 22 years. For the recruitment of constables, 50 percent marks in the candidate's matriculation examination have been made mandatory. The SP Headquarters advised the candidates that to avoi d counterfeiters and fraud, visit the information desk at the Police Lines. Furthermore, a summary by the Inspector General of Police (IGP) Dr Usman Anwar has been sent to Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz for raising a new 'riot management police' (RMP), consisting of 5,000 personnel to handle mobs. The summary, moved by Inspector General of Police has been given the green light by the chief minister after the IGP's briefing to the CM on the significance of the force. It is worth mentioning here that the RMP will be headed by a police officer not below the rank of DIG and assisted by a superintendent of police (SP). It will have eight regional offices, each headed by a regional SP. The RMP would be made operational in Lahore, Rawalpindi, Faisalabad, Multan and Sargodha, and its scope would be extended to other major districts at a later stage.

International Conference on Obesity, Metabolic held

Hyderabad: An international conference on obesity and metabolism aimed to educate the public and medical professionals about their latest treatments and its adverse effects was held here on Sunday at local hotel.

The conference was organized by the Director of Clinical Sciences of the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, nationally renowned gastroenterologist Prof. Dr. Sadiq Memon, with the support of Feroze Sons Pharmaceutical Company.

Health experts shed light on the various aspects of obesity and its modern management and identified it as 13 life-threatening diseases, including heart disease, hypertensive kidney disease, and liver disease, and was called the mother of diseases.

Professor Dr. Sadiq Memon said that the death rate is increasing due to obesity and the obesity disease in children is increasing to an alarming level. If the campaign to eliminate obesity is not carried out on an emergency basis, obesity will increase in the country in the next few years, he added.

The chief guest of the conference was Dr. Muhammad Iqbal Memon, Chancellor University of Modern Sciences, Tando Muhammad Khan, while Prof. Dr. Gulshan, Vice-Chancellor People's University of Medical and Health Sciences Shaheed Benazirabad also participated in the conference.

Professor Dr. Waseem Jafari spoke in detail about obesity and fatty liver disease. Dr. Nadeem Naeem highlighted the pharmacological management of obesity. Prof. Dr. Basit gave a detailed discussion regarding the management of metabolic syndrome.

Dr. Farooq Khan from Dubai informed about endoscopic management of obesity through video links while Dr. Syed Imran Abbas gave a comprehensive presentation on surgical management of obesity through video links.

Expert panels were formed for various sessions in the conference, including

Prof. Dr. Bekha Ram Devrajani, Prof. Dr. Noor Muhammad Memon, Prof. Dr. Santosh, Prof. Dr. Asif Ali Barni, Prof. Dr. Akbar Memon, Prof. Dr. Qadir Khan, Prof. Dr. Akram. Bajwa, Prof. Dr. Arshad, Prof. Dr. Naveed, Prof. Dr. Ghani Soomro, Dr. Nand Lal Serrano, Dr. Saadat Jaskani, Dr. Rizwan Awan and Prof. Dr. Aamir Iqbal also spoke in a various Expert panel sessions.

At the end, the participants appreciated the great initiative taken by the Asian Institute of Medical Sciences and wished to organize more such events in the future.

Gas explosion badly injures family in Nowshera

Peshawar: : An explosion caused by accumulated gas inside a house in Nowshera district on Sunday resulted in severe injuries to the parents and children.

According to rescue sources, the incident occurred in the Badarshi Isa Khel area of Nowshera, where a gas leak inside the house led to a massive explosion.

As a result, the parents and children suffered severe burns.

The explosion caused a fire that engulfed the entire room.

Upon receiving the information, rescue teams quickly arrived at the scene and shifted the injured to the hospital.

CM felicitates team on test victory against West Indies

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has extended heartfelt congratulations to the Pakistan cricket team over their outstanding victory in the first Test match against the West Indies in Multan.

In her message, the CM praised the team's collective efforts and commended spinner Sajid Khan for his exceptional performance, which played a pivotal role in securing the win.

The chief minister lauded the team's dedication and emphasized that their triumph reflects the hard work and spirit of Pakistan cricket. 'Your success has made the nation proud. Keep up the momentum and continue to inspire the youth with your excellence,' she added.

PHC seals 23 labs, 550 illegal clinics in crackdown

Lahore: Punjab Healthcare Commission (PHC) has sealed 23 laboratories and diagnostic centres along with 550 illegal treatment facilities over the past four weeks, aimed at improving healthcare services and enforcing regulatory standards. PHC spokesperson said on Sunday that enforcement teams conducted targeted raids across multiple cities in Punjab, inspecting laboratories and diagnostic centres. Among these, 23 were found operating in violation of PHC regulations and were sealed. In Lahore alone, 10 labs, including prominent facilities such as Hassan Colour Doppler and Ultrasound Centre, Fuji Friends Clinical Laboratory, Aman Lab and Digital X-ray Centre, and Hameed Latif Laboratory, were shut down. Additionally, Doctor's Lab on Jail Road had its services suspended after inspectors found expired reagents. On a broader scale, PHC teams inspected 1,937 treatment centres across 24 districts, sealing 550 illegal facilities. In Lahore, 317 outlets were closed, while other significant actions incl uded shutting down 70 facilities in Faisalabad, 27 each in Rawalpindi and Multan, and 14 in Sargodha. The PHC also reported that 419 illegal centres had already ceased operations, while 845 others have been placed under surveillance for further monitoring. The PHC spokesperson reaffirmed the Commission's commitment to eradicating quackery and ensuring safe medical practices in Punjab. To date, the PHC has raided over 207,000 treatment centres, sealing 56,841 illegal facilities and eliminating quackery from more than 42,396 centres. The Commission emphasized its ongoing efforts to protect public health by upholding healthcare standards and combating unauthorized medical practices.