NEWS IN BRIEF

Published November 13, 2010

Wall-chalking banned

RAWALPINDI, Nov 12: Commissioner Zahid Saeed has imposed a ban on wall-chalking in the division.

In his directives to district coordination officers and town municipal officers of Rawalpindi, Attock, Chakwal and Jhelum, he said wall-chalking which creates disharmony among people should particularly be removed within 24 hours.

Accordingly, the Rawal and Potohar town administrations have constituted a special squad at all union council level to remove wall-chalking and outdated banners and posters. — A Reporter

Afghan boy killed on road

ATTOCK, Nov 12: A water tanker crushed a 12-year-old Afghan boy to death in Awan Sharif Muhallah, Attock city on Friday evening.

The local residents blamed the water tanker driver for the accident as he drove the water-filled vehicle recklessly in a narrow and populated street of the muhallah.

They said the Afghani boy was on his way home in the street when the tanker ran over him decapitating his head and killing him on the spot.

Rescue 1122 and police shifted the body to district headquarters hospital for medico-legal. — Correspondent

Land dispute claims life CHAKWAL, Nov 12: A man was gunned down here on Thursday over land dispute.

Lal Khan, a resident of Dhurnal village of Talagang, told Lawa police that he was standing with his brother Ahmad Khan near their house when Ahmad Nawaz and Mohammad Akram came on a motorcycle and opened fire.

He said four bullets hit his brother in the chest, killing him on the spot. The killers escaped after the attack. — Correspondent Neonatal mortality rate cut

ISLAMABAD, Nov 12: Over the last six years, a US-supported maternal and child health programme has reduced neonatal mortality in Pakistan by 23 per cent.

A press release issued by the US embassy claimed that the programme had achieved the results by focusing on training health workers and upgrading basic health facilities.

The $93 million (Rs7.9 billion) Pakistan Initiative for Mothers and Children, known as PAIMAN, launched by the US Agency for International Development (Usaid) in 2004, has improved the health of more than 5.7 million Pakistani women and children.

PAIMAN has trained 2,200 young women to become community midwives, 11,057 to become Lady Health Workers skilled in communications and group counseling and 5,262 staff of various health facilities. The project also upgraded 103 health facilities and 57 training facilities, including midwifery schools. — Staff Reporter

Teachers’ recruitment

ATTOCK, Nov 12: After a delay of almost one year, the recruitment process of 99 successful candidates for the posts of high school’s computer teachers has been completed and appointment letters were issued to them on Friday, it has been learnt.

Earlier, 199 posts of computer teachers at government high schools for both boys and girls had been advertised by the education department in January last year, they said.

The department received 120 applications and the recruitment committee carried out interviews of the candidates and finalised a list, sources said. But a candidate, over some reservation took stay order from the court against the recruitments hence the delay. —Correspondent

Health Mela ends in Chakwal

CHAKWAL, Nov 12: A health Mela (festival) arranged by United National Population Fund (UNFPA) at District Headquarters Hospital ended here on Friday.

Addressing the concluding ceremony, Member of Punjab Assembly (MPA) Ifat Liaqat called for creating awareness among women about maternity matters, adding that participation of large number of women at the health festival was an encouraging sign.

Dr Arifa Alvi, programme officer of UNFPA in Chakwal, said more such ceremonies would be arranged in the days to come to create awareness about the mother-child health. — Correspondent

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