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7.8 magnitude quake hits southern Philippines\

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A significant 7.8-magnitude quake occurred off the southern Philippine island of Mindanao on Monday, prompting officials to issue tsunami warnings, with no deaths or severe damage reported initially.

Tsunami warnings were issued in the Philippines and adjacent Indonesia and by the US Tsunami Warning System, with inhabitants in coastal areas told to move to higher ground.

DZBB radio, which is broadcasting from the Philippine city of General Santos around 15 km (9.3 miles) from the epicentre, reported falling furniture, damage to televisions and other equipment as the area experienced aftershocks and many evacuated their homes to seek safety.

The General Santos disaster agency said aftershocks were continuing and authorities were evaluating reports of damage and some casualties.

Local disaster ​chief Rene Punzalan said power and telecommunications were out and school lessons were cancelled in the Philippines’ Sarangani province near the epicentre. A damage assessment was ongoing, with no reports yet of any collapsed buildings, he said.

PHILIPPINES: DISASTER RESPONSE IN PROGRESS

Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr stated authorities were fast-tracking coordination of the catastrophe response.“The national government is moving and we will not leave Mindanao behind,” Marcos stated in a statement.

The Philippines and Indonesia are struck by hundreds of quakes annually and reside on tectonically complicated areas of the “Pacific Ring of Fire”, a seismically active belt reaching from South America to the Russian Far East.

Philippine agency Phivolcs warned of damage and tsunami waves above one metre (yard) which could persist for several hours. So far, the geophysics agency BKMG of Indonesia stated waves of 0.19 m (8 inches) had been measured.

The police building suffered some cracks following the quake, which happened during their flag-raising ceremony, several individuals fainted’, said Benjie Ancheta, police chief of Alabel town in Sarangani.This is the most powerful earthquake we’ve had,” Ancheta told Reuters via phone.

COASTAL AREAS EVACUATED CONTINUE TO BE EVACUATED

The 7.8 magnitude ​quake occurred at a ⁠depth of 10 km (6.2 miles), the German Research Centre ​for Geosciences stated. It had given a magnitude of 8.2.

Indonesia’s geophysics agency measured the quake at magnitude 7.7, while the Philippines’ put it at 7.0.

Witnesses in the Indonesian city of Manado in the north ​and residents and officials in the southern Philippines claimed they felt the tremor powerfully.

A representative for Indonesia disaster mitigation agency said so far there were no reports of damage.

Arlene Hollero, disaster chief of Maasim town in the Sarangani province of the Philippines, said their evacuation was under process in coastal villages and there were no recorded injuries so far.

Water drained soon after the quake, but the seas were typical so far, she said. A bridge had minor cracks and a shrine with a giant cross toppled, she added.“It’s a disaster,” Hollero told Reuters via phone.

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Through HRMIS, the federal government digitizes 75% of civil servants’ service records.

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– The federal government has digitized around 75 percent of service records of federal civil servants belonging to four occupational groups as part of a broader reform aimed at modernizing human resource management and reducing reliance on paper-based records.

Official documents presented to the Senate Standing Committee on Cabinet Secretariat, and available with Wealth Pakistan, show that the Establishment Division has made significant progress through the implementation of the Human Resource Management Information System (HRMIS) – a centralised digital platform for managing service records of officers belonging to the Pakistan Administrative Service (PAS), Police Service of Pakistan (PSP), Office Management Group (OMG), and Secretariat Group (SG).

According to the briefing, approximately 75 percent of service record data has already been entered into HRMIS, while the remaining records are being prioritized for digitization.

The Establishment Division is also carrying out a comprehensive verification and correction exercise to ensure the authenticity, completeness and accuracy of the data.

The digital platform contains officers’ personal profiles, postings, promotions, seniority, qualifications, training history, leave records, Performance Evaluation Reports (PERs) and other service-related information.

Officers have been provided access to review their records and submit correction requests, which are verified before system incorporation.

The Establishment Division informed the committee that there are no delays in the digitisation process due to manual record handling and that the current focus is on completing the remaining data entry and validation before the system becomes the government’s authoritative source for personnel management.

Once fully operational, HRMIS will serve as the single digital repository for service records, supporting promotions, transfers, training and other human resource functions.

The initiative is expected to improve efficiency, transparency, data integrity and evidence-based decision-making across the federal government.

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Greaves stabilizes West Indies in 2nd Pakistan Test

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ustin Greaves made an unbeaten 64 to steer West Indies to 239-5 at stumps on a rain-shortened opening day of the second and final Test against Pakistan in Trinidad on Sunday.

After a match-winning display with the ball in the first Test last week, Greaves displayed what has now become his trademark ease and composure at the crease in a battling knock at Queen’s Park Oval.

His only error of judgement came just after reaching the half-century mark when opposing captain Babar Azam put down a straightforward chance at leg-slip off spinner Sajid Khan.

Greaves at that time was almost hobbling after a left leg injury sustained while completing a sharp run that necessitated lengthy treatment on the field.

His sixth-wicket partnership with Roston Chase (36 not out) was worth 66 runs at the close of play and Greaves will be hoping for a return to his usual athletic mobility when he resumes the innings with his captain on the second morning.

He had come to the crease in mid-afternoon at 91 for three as Kavem Hodge became Khan’s first wicket. When Amir Jangoo fell to a leg-side catch to give debutant pacer Ubaid Shah his first Test wicket with the first ball of a new spell, Pakistan sensed the chance to break the back of the West Indies resistance.

However Greaves and Shai Hope provided a measure of stability in a 53-run stand until seamer Mohammad Ali, the most impressive of the bowlers on the day, bowled Hope off the inside-edge for 29 to leave the innings in the balance at 173 for five.

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Punjab to observe a holiday on August 4 in Lahore

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The Punjab government has declared a local holiday in Lahore on August 4 and has issued an official notification for the closure of some government offices.

The announcement said that the district offices of Lahore and other government departments working in the jurisdiction of Deputy Commissioner will be closed on the declared day.

However, the vacation would not be applicable on Punjab Civil Secretariat and other provincial government offices, which will be functional as usual.

The decision only applies to the district level offices in Lahore and provincial institutions would continue to function normally.

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