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Arab News
32 minutes ago
- Health
- Arab News
Over 36 million children vaccinated as Pakistan anti-polio campaign enters fourth day
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has vaccinated approximately 36.4 million children as the third nationwide polio vaccination campaign of the year entered its fourth day today, Thursday, the country's polio program said. Around 400,000 frontline workers, including 225,000 women vaccinators, are driving the campaign launched on Monday to vaccinate 45 million children under the age of five. The drive will conclude on June 1. Polio is a paralyzing disease with no cure. Multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine, along with the completion of the routine immunization schedule for all children, are essential to ensure strong immunity against the disease. Pakistan and Afghanistan are the last two countries in the world where polio remains endemic. Pakistan has reported 10 polio cases so far this year, compared to 74 cases in 2024. 'In the first three days, 81 percent of (45 million) children across the country have been vaccinated,' the National Emergency Operations Center (NEOC) said in a statement. '85 percent in Punjab, 68 percent in Sindh, 86 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 74 percent of children in Balochistan have been vaccinated.' The report said 63 percent of children were administered polio drops in the federal capital, Islamabad, 93 percent in Azad Jammu and Kashmir and 91 percent in Gilgit-Baltistan. In the early 1990s, Pakistan reported around 20,000 polio cases annually but in 2018 the number dropped to eight cases. Six cases were reported in 2023 and only one in 2021. Pakistan's polio program began in 1994, but efforts to eradicate the virus have been repeatedly undermined by vaccine misinformation and resistance from some religious hard-liners who claim that immunization is a foreign plot to sterilize Muslim children or a cover for Western espionage. Militant groups have also frequently targeted polio vaccination teams and the security personnel assigned to protect them, often resulting in deadly attacks. A Pakistani police officer was killed earlier this week when gunmen opened fire on a team of health workers carrying out a polio vaccination drive in the volatile Balochistan province on the second day of a door-to-door campaign.
Arab News
37 minutes ago
- Entertainment
- Arab News
Marvel's ‘Avengers: Doomsday' cast spotted in Bahrain
DUBAI: Members of the star-studded 'Avengers: Doomsday' cast were recently spotted in Bahrain, where production for the upcoming Marvel film is believed to be underway. For the latest updates, follow us on Instagram @ This week, Address Beach Resort held a dinner event attended by several cast members. Among the guests were director Joe Russo and actors Anthony Mackie, Simu Liu, Winston Duke, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta, Hannah John-Kamen, Danny Ramirez, and Alex Livinalli. A post shared by Address Beach Resort Bahrain (@addressresortbahrain) 'This past weekend, Address Beach Resort Bahrain had the marvellous honour of hosting some of Hollywood's most iconic stars,' the resort posted on Instagram. Fans also spotted the cast dining at Sumosan, a Japanese restaurant located within the hotel. Directed by Joe and Anthony Russo, 'Avengers: Doomsday' is set for release on Dec. 18, 2026.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Business
- Arab News
Qatar's debt market to surpass $150bn on steady issuance, Fitch says
RIYADH: Qatar's debt capital market is expected to exceed $150 billion in the medium term, supported by continued momentum in issuance across sovereign, bank, and corporate segments, according to a new analysis. In its latest report, Fitch Ratings said the Qatari DCM expanded 13 percent year on year in the first four months of 2025, pushing outstanding volume to $131.8 billion. The analysis noted that sovereign issuers accounted for the majority with 60 percent, while banks and corporates contributed 26 percent and 14 percent, respectively. The study positions Qatar's growth within broader Gulf Cooperation Council trends, where the region's overall DCM surpassed $1 trillion as of November, driven by robust oil revenues. In a February update, Fitch projected that the GCC will continue to rank among the top emerging-market issuers of dollar-denominated debt through 2025. On Qatar's DCM growth, Fitch stated: 'Sukuk, ESG (environmental, social, and governance), and Qatari riyal market penetration are on an upward trajectory. The potential development of digital government bonds, as part of the Qatar Central Bank's Central Bank Digital Currency project, can support the market's depth and sophistication.' The DCM, which involves the trading of securities like bonds and promissory notes, serves as a key mechanism for raising long-term capital for both businesses and governments. Qatar ranks as the third-largest DCM source in the GCC, holding a 13 percent regional share by the end of April. However, issuance volume dropped to $9.6 billion in the first four months of the year, a 36 percent decline from the same period in 2024. The share of sukuk in the DCM rose to 16.9 percent or $22 billion, but sukuk issuance slumped 86 percent year on year. Bond issuance fell 18 percent during the same period. 'Fitch's base case is that the government is going to refinance upcoming external market debt maturities and tap markets to cover a small budget surplus in 2025 under the assumption of a Brent oil price of $65 per barrel (excluding QIA investment income), while banks and corporates are likely to continue to diversify funding sources,' the report stated. While 67 percent of outstanding Qatari DCM remains US dollar-denominated, 28 percent is in riyals. In 2024, approximately 90 percent of the sovereign's bond issuance and all sovereign bond sukuk were riyal-denominated. The report highlighted that ESG debt is becoming a key dollar funding tool, accounting for almost 30 percent of all dollar DCM issuance in 2024. ESG DCM volume hit $4.1 billion by April, rising 204 percent year on year, with sukuk accounting for 18 percent. Qatar's debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to rise to 49 percent in 2025 before falling below 45 percent by 2027 on the back of increased gas output and associated budget surpluses. Fitch projects the US Federal Reserve will cut interest rates to 4.25 percent by the end of 2025, a trend the Qatar Central Bank is likely to follow. In a separate February report, the agency forecast Saudi Arabia's DCM would hit $500 billion by end-2025, spurred by the Kingdom's Vision 2030 diversification plan.
Arab News
an hour ago
- Business
- Arab News
Saudi Aramco cuts propane, butane prices for June
RIYADH: Saudi Aramco has reduced its official selling prices for propane and butane for June 2025, according to a company statement issued on Thursday. The price of propane was cut by $10 per tonne to $600, while butane saw a steeper reduction of $20 per tonne, bringing it to $570. The adjustments reflect shifts in market conditions and follow a downward trend from the previous month. Propane and butane, both classified as liquefied petroleum gas, are widely used for heating, as vehicle fuel, and in the petrochemical industry. Their differing boiling points make each suitable for distinct industrial and domestic applications. Aramco's LPG prices are considered key benchmarks for supply contracts from the Middle East to the Asia-Pacific region. The global LPG market is undergoing a significant shift as steep tariffs on US imports prompt Chinese buyers to replace American cargoes with supplies from the Middle East. Meanwhile, US shipments are being redirected to Europe and other parts of Asia. This realignment is expected to put downward pressure on prices and demand for shale gas byproducts, posing financial challenges for both US shale producers and Chinese petrochemical companies. At the same time, it is likely to drive increased interest in alternative feedstocks such as naphtha. Middle Eastern suppliers are emerging as key beneficiaries, filling the gap left by reduced US exports to China. In addition, opportunistic buyers in Asian markets like Japan and India are capitalizing on the price drops to secure more favorable deals.
Arab News
an hour ago
- General
- Arab News
Pakistan army launches teachers' awareness program on online ‘anti-state' propaganda
ISLAMABAD: In a first, the Pakistan army's media wing has launched the Hilal Talks 2025 program to raise awareness among Pakistani teachers about the 'tactics and nefarious agendas of anti-state elements' on social media, Radio Pakistan reported on Thursday. While India and Pakistan announced a ceasefire after coming close to an all-out conflict earlier this month, social media citizens on both sides are vying to control public perceptions by peddling disinformation. Platforms such as Facebook and X are still awash with misrepresented footage of the attacks that killed at least 70 people and sent thousands fleeing from their shared de facto Line of Control (LoC) border. 'Hilal Talks 2025 program has been launched under the auspices of ISPR,' Radio Pakistan reported, saying 1,950 teachers from various regions of the country were participating in the program run by the army's media wing. 'It is aimed at raising awareness about the tactics and nefarious agendas of anti-state elements on social media.' The report said teachers 'got the opportunity to understand the structure, role and working mechanism of Pakistan Army more closely.' Indian and Pakistani media outlets have both amplified misinformation, including false or unverifiable claims of military victories that experts say have exacerbated tensions and contributed to a flood of hate speech. Disinformation peaked when India launched deadly air strikes on May 7 targeting 'terrorist camps' in Pakistan, two weeks after a deadly attack on the Indian-administered side of disputed Kashmir. New Delhi blames Islamabad for backing the April 22 attack near the tourist town of Pahalgam, which killed 26 people — almost all of them Hindu men. Pakistan denies the claim. After the first round of Indian air strikes, the Pakistani military shared footage that had previously circulated in reports about a 2023 Israeli air strike in Gaza. The clip quickly appeared on television and social media but was later retracted by numerous media outlets, including AFP. AI-generated imagery has also muddied the waters, including a video that purportedly shows a Pakistan Army general saying the country lost two of its aircraft. AFP fact-checkers found the clip was altered from a 2024 press conference. Both India and Pakistan have taken advantage of the information vacuum to raise alarm bells and promote their own claims and counter-claims. Pakistan appears to have lifted a more than one-year-old ban on X the same day of the Indian strikes. Pakistan's National Cyber Emergency Response Team (NCERT) on May 8 issued an alert about 'increased cyberattacks and misinformation via emails, social media, QR codes, and messaging apps.' Both Pakistan's Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Karachi Port Trust later said their X accounts had been hacked. A post from the latter account said the port — one of South Asia's busiest — was attacked by the Indian military. The page was later restored and the port authority said no attack had taken place. India, meanwhile, has executed a sweeping crackdown targeting the social media accounts of Pakistani politicians, celebrities and media organizations. The government ordered X to block more than 8,000 accounts and banned more than a dozen Pakistani YouTube channels for allegedly spreading 'provocative' content, including news outlets. Press Information Bureau (PIB) Fact Check, a government-run website, has also refuted more than 60 claims about the ongoing crisis, many having to do with supposed Pakistani military victories. The avalanche of disinformation online has also been accompanied by a spike in hate speech offline. With inputs from AFP
