Author: newsdesk

  • New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    New Zealand denies re-entry of pregnant national, Taliban offers refuge

    A former Al Jazeera pregnant journalist, Charlotte Bellis, who is a New Zealand national, was denied re-entry by her home country on the basis of strict Covid-19 protocol. She was offered refuge by the Taliban government in Afghanistan.

    While speaking to Radio New Zealand(RNZ) from Kabul, she said, “This just feels like such a breach of trust.”

    Bellis said that the Taliban told her, “We’re happy for you, you can come and you won’t have a problem”.

    She did not get to know about her pregnancy until she returned back to the Al-Jazeera headquarter in Doha, Qatar.

    She kept quiet about her pregnancy as it is unlawful to conceive a baby out of wedlock in Qatar.

    She left Al Jazeera in November 2021 while working in Afghanistan as a journalist and went to Belgium, the home country of her partner, Jim Huylebroek. As Bellis is not a resident of a country, she could not stay for a longer period.

    She was left with only one option: to travel to Afghanistan with her partner as they had visas. She is currently in Afghanistan.

    Meanwhile, she started her preparation to return back to New Zealand.

    Her application was rejected by authorities in New Zealand for an emergency return.

    New Zealand’s Covid-19 response minister, Chris Hipkins, said on Monday, “I understand she wanted to return on a specific date and that officials reached out to her for more information shortly after looking at her application. The emergency allocation criteria includes a requirement to travel to New Zealand within the next 14 days. Ms Bellis indicated she did not intend to travel until the end of February and has been encouraged by MIQ (Managed isolation and quarantine) to consider moving her plans forward.”

    Bellis applied for a MIQ option through the medical treatment pathway however authority asked her to sign up under the different category where its nationals are in a location that is under serious risk to their safety, she told to RNZ.

    Currently, she is in contact with officials in New Zealand who claimed her rejected application is under review now.

    The New Zealand government has closed down its borders after the emergence of the omicron variant, including for its nationals who want to return back to the country except for special circumstances.

  • Fawad Chaudhry says Bilawal and Maryam are incompetent, should run for mayor elections

    Fawad Chaudhry says Bilawal and Maryam are incompetent, should run for mayor elections

    Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhry on Sunday took a jibe at the Opposition.

    Questioning the leadership qualities of Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Vice President Maryam Nawaz, Fawad said that the two leaders were not competent enough for the general elections and should try their luck and contest in mayoral elections and make their way up the leadership ladder.

    “The leadership of this great country cannot be handed over to incompetent people like Bilawal and Maryam Nawaz,” said Fawad.

    “Both Maryam and Bilawal should strive to climb up the ladder of their political careers,” Fawad said, adding, “Maryam does not have the stature to call herself a national leader.”

    “Her [street power] depends on the students of Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s madrassas alone,” he said.

    Criticising the Opposition’s way of working, Fawad said that they did not have any policy to abide by.

  • Superstar Ayeza Khan Becomes the New Face of Harpic

    Superstar Ayeza Khan Becomes the New Face of Harpic

    via GIPHY

    Mothers are known to be protectors of their children, especially when it comes to germs. This fact became even more prominent during the pandemic. From socializing to playtime, the cornerstone of day-end was ultimately the clean-up routine. And where does this routine take place? The washroom of course! So, cleanliness of that space is of utmost priority!

    via GIPHY

    In light of the virus, Harpic, as a brand, recognized how the spread of germs was not just on every surface in the house, but also in the toilet bowls and bathrooms (namely floor, basin, tiles, taps etc). Harpic’s new Bathroom Cleaner formulation gives consumers a 10x better cleanliness result than your regular detergent and continues the brand’s legacy of killing 99.99% of germs on the floor, taps, tiles, and any other surfaces. All this, plus it fights against limescale and other unwanted staining, and their new fragrances also fight against the dreaded bathroom odor.

    via GIPHY

    With a new Bathroom Cleaner on the market, Harpic has shown some love for its iconic blue Toilet Cleaner. The Blue Toilet cleaner is not just viscous as always for a brilliant clean, but it also comes in some great new scents (Lavender, Pine, and Citrus) to appeal to every preference. With both its products, Harpic has ensured that you get a 360-degree cleaning of your whole washroom.

    https://youtu.be/5gmU3iZcwYI

    With mothers being at the forefront of protection for their families, Harpic set out to find the perfect face for the brand to represent these qualities; they wanted to find a brand ambassador that would ideally represent their ethos of cleanliness and hygiene. With consumer-based research, they found a candidate that not only made a great fit for the brand but is also a long-time loyal customer of Harpic itself.

    Ayeza Khan, the loveable all-rounder has been revealed by Harpic as the new face of the brand. Her qualities perfectly align with the core values of not just Harpic, but Reckitt Pakistan as a whole. The super-loved celebrity also takes the crown for being the first-ever female brand ambassador, and we say kudos!

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3HVkwlsYjbc

    This article has been sponsored by Harpic Pakistan.

  • ‘Proud to share this era’: Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal on winning 21st grand slam title

    ‘Proud to share this era’: Roger Federer congratulates Rafael Nadal on winning 21st grand slam title

    Swiss tennis ace Roger Federer has congratulated Spain’s Rafael Nadal on winning his 21st grand slam singles title after beating Daniil Medvedev 2-6, 6-7, 6-4, 6-4, 7-5 in a nail-biting Australian Open final.

    Taking to Instagram stories, Federer shared a picture of Nadal celebrating his victory and wrote: “To my friend and great rival @RafaelNadal. Heartfelt congratulations on becoming the first man to win 21 Grand Slam Singles Titles.”

    The Swiss star revealed that he and Nadal were joking about both being on crutches. “Never underestimate a great champion.”

    “Your incredible work ethic, dedication and fighting spirit are an inspiration to me and countless others around the globe. I am proud to share this era with you,” he added.

    Federer further said that he is honoured to play a role in pushing Nadal to achieve more. He ended by saying, “I am sure you have more achievements ahead but for now enjoy this one.”

    Nadal fought back from two sets down to win the next three sets in order to win a nail-biting match.

    In the dramatic final set, Nadal broke Medvedev’s serve in the fifth game but the Russian broke back in the 10th game to level the set.

    Nadal, however, broke back immediately to clinch victory and become the first ever man in the history of tennis to win 21 grand slam titles.

    The Spaniard surpassed the previous men’s record of 20 he held jointly with Federer and Serbian player Novak Djokovic.

  • Union of Dawn newspaper ask PM Khan to call Dawn management to increase salaries, revert pay cuts

    Union of Dawn newspaper ask PM Khan to call Dawn management to increase salaries, revert pay cuts

    The Pakistan Herald Workers’ Union has requested Prime Minister Imran Khan to take notice of “the plight of media workers” at Dawn newspaper. The statement was issued by the Union in their apparent Twitter account, which represents the staff of daily Dawn newspaper.

    “We appreciate the sympathy and the concern you have shown for hardworking, honest but poorly paid workforce in the private sector in particular media organisations.”

    The union directly appealed to the PM to draw attention towards the plight of media workers in the newspaper.

    “First, the Dawn management cut employees’ salaries by up to 35 per cent in February 2019 on the pretext of ‘anticipated losses’,” the statement added.

    “Our appeal to the management to reverse the drastic pay-cut have fallen on the deaf ears, despite the company’s handsome profit in the fiscal year 2020-2021.”

    “Secondly, a truncated 8th wage board award, in August 2021, was ‘implemented’ in a lopsided manner- after a gap of 19 years. It ironically, further contracted the employees’ salary instead of raising it by 145 per cent, as required under the WBA.”

    “We, therefore request the honourable prime minister to make a phone call to Dawn’s management as well and exhort it to reverse the unlawful pay-cut, pay arrears and increase the salaries of the employees. We hope like ARY and Serene Air, Dawn’s management will also listen to your advice and do the needful,” the statement concluded.

    The Current has confirmed with Dawn that while they are not sure if the Twitter account is run by the Union, the letter seems genuine.

    Following PM Khan’s appeal to the corporate sector to increase the salaries of their staff, President and CEO ARY Digital Network Salman Iqbal last week announced a pay raise for lower-level employees.

    Read more- After PM’s Khan’s appeal for increase in workers’ salaries, ARY announces pay raise

    Salman Iqbal said the staff receiving a monthly salary of up to Rs20,000 will be given a raise of 80 per cent. “We have reached this stage with the blessing of Allah Almighty and countless efforts of the team,” he said.

  • Sharmila Faruqi files five crore defamation suit against Nadia Khan for ‘ridicule’, Nadia responds

    Sharmila Faruqi files five crore defamation suit against Nadia Khan for ‘ridicule’, Nadia responds

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Sharmila Faruqi has taken legal action and filed a Rs 50 million defamation suit against host and actor Nadia Khan for making a video with Sharmila’s mother, Anisa Faruqi. In the video, the morning show host can be seen sarcastically praising Anisa’s makeup at Actor Saboor Aly’s wedding.

    The notice said, “instead of understanding the agony of a daughter, whose mother has been grieving the loss of her husband, and subjected to sarcasm and ridicule by you, you resorted to the same YouTube channel as means of revenge.”

    The notice claimed that the TV host violated the privacy of Sharmila Faruqi’s mother, Anisa which prompted Faruqi to take legal action against her.

    “By stating that my client has taken upon the case of her mother against you for media time and that decent families do not function like that, and also that she is using [the] sympathy card against her mother for publicity, not only have you adversely affected my client’s goodwill but have also injured her reputation lowering her estimation of many of her followers/voters/supporters reducing her to ridicule, unjust criticism, dislike, contempt or hatred,” the notice added.

    The PPP leader also demanded to take down the video within 15 days from the issuance of the legal notice.

    In response, Nadia Khan also preparing to send legal notice of Rs 50 million for using derogatory remarks for her. She updated her followers regarding the action while uploading a post on her Instagram, saying she was sending the notice because Sharmila used, “insulting remarks for a woman”.

    On January 20, Sharmila Faruqi also went to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cybercrime head office to lodge a complaint against Nadia Khan.

    Later, Nadia Khan has uploaded a video with her husband to share her stance in which she has stated that her perceived intentions cannot be punished by any law and that she only praised Anisa.

    “Sharmila should be thankful that I praised her mother. Elderly people like to be appreciated and I just did that.”

    The controversy began between them when Nadia Khan uploaded the video of Saboor Aly’s wedding function on her Youtube channel on January 13 in which she was seen sarcastically praising the makeup of the PPP leader’s mother, Anisa Faruqi.

    Watch the video here:

  • Man in China attempts suicide, ashamed son still single at 29

    Man in China attempts suicide, ashamed son still single at 29

    A man in China allegedly attempted suicide because of his unmarried son, reports Geo News. According media reports, the incident took place at Shanghai Railway Station on January 22 when an unidentified 55-year-old man suddenly fainted after handing over a piece of paper to a security guard.

    “People my age have become grandparents in the village but you are still not married, because of you I am living a very embarrassing life,” the note read.

    As per media reports, the man tried to commit suicide with pesticides. He was rushed to a hospital, where he was given immediate medical attention. The man is now out of danger.

    He has claimed that he met his son in Shanghai before attempting suicide. 

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh
    
			
    PPP plans protest against PTI in Islamabad, PTI retaliates with own protest in Sindh
    
			
    Addressing a press conference in Karachi, federal Minister for Marine Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi along with federal Minister for Planning and Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar, said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) will launch a mass movement from February 26 from Ghotki towards Karachi, a day before Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) planned long march towards Islamabad on February 27.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The PTI leaders said that the march would lead to the fall of the “Zardari mafia” and put PTI in charge of the provincial government in 2023.
    

    

    


    

    

    

     “Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is clear about this and confident that this bandit rule in Sindh should end. And for that, the PTI Sindh is going to launch a massive movement from February 26 to reach out to every single person in the province and unite the people against this unjust rule of corruption and bad governance,” said Zaidi.
    

    “The PPP government has only promoted the culture of corruption, bribery, and incompetence. From water supply to farmers to jobs for youngsters, every segment of life is marred by corruption,” said Zaidi.
    

    “The PPP administration in Sindh is not a government but a mafia”, said Zaidi, adding that the key example of this corrupt system was the chief minister, who was actually an accountant of former president Asif Ali Zardari and was given the role only to serve his master.
    

    Earlier this month, PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari announced that he will lead a “long march” against the PTI government from Karachi to Islamabad on February 27.
    

    Bilawal said that the nation wants to get rid of the “selected” government and a transparent election is the only solution.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed retires tomorrow
    
			
    Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Gulzar Ahmed retires tomorrow
    
			
    Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Gulzar Ahmed reties on Tuesday (tomorrow). Justice Gulzar had taken oath as the CJP in December 2019.  
    

    CJP Gulzar mainly focused on removing encroachments in Karachi. He ordered the demolition of Nasla Tower as well as illegal houses built around Gujjar Nullah. In the end, he also ordered the relevant authorities to end commercial activities on military land in Karachi.
    

    Justice Gulzar further ordered to demolish a mosque and other encroachments built on amenity parks near Tariq Road in Karachi. Despite strong protests, he did not withdraw any order for the removal of encroachments in Karachi.
    

    CJP Gulzar could not give attention to reforms to improve the criminal justice system like his predecessor former CJP Asif Saeed Khosa.
    

    A three-judge bench led by him summoned Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in a suo motu case on the martyrdom of children in the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack.
    

    The efforts of Justice Gulzar cannot be ignored to end the sense of insecurity among minority communities. He took courageous steps to send a strong message to extremist elements that the judiciary would not spare anyone involved in usurping the rights of minorities.
    

    Taking to Twitter, federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Fawad Chaudhary said,  “The historic stand CJP Gulzar has taken on minority places of worship has greatly enhanced his prestige, at a time when India’s judiciary seems helpless at the hands of extremists.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    The outgoing CJP also made history by nominating Lahore High Court’s Justice Ayesha Malik for her appointment as the first female judge of the Supreme Court.
    

    Justice Umar Ata Bandial will replace Justice Gulzar Ahmed, and will take oath as Pakistan’s 28th Chief Justice of Pakistan on February 2.
    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
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    Twitter lauds ‘Mardan ka’ Fakhar Zaman for his maiden PSL century
    
			
    Twitter lauds ‘Mardan ka’ Fakhar Zaman for his maiden PSL century
    
			
    Pakistan’s left-handed hitter Fakhar Zaman has been highly appreciated by the Pakistani Twitter after he has scored a century in the highly anticipated match between Karachi Kings and Lahore Qalandars at National Stadium Karachi on Sunday.
    

    Pakistani term clash between Lahore and Karachi as ‘Desi El Clásico’ while the power hitter scored 106 runs off 60 balls with the help of 12 fours and four sixes in this encounter, completing 15,00 runs in the Pakistan Super League (PSL).
    

    He has become the fourth cricketer to achieve the feat. Prior to him, Babar Azam, Kamran Akmal, and Shoaib Malik have achieved the feat. He also bagged Player of the Match award for his outstanding performance. 
    

    

    


    

    

    

    In the post-match ceremony, the Captain of Lahore Qalandars, Shaheen Shah Afridi said: “Fakhar Zaman is improving day by day. We know he is a game-changer. He deserves a lot of credit for the way he managed the innings and his century. I pray that he continues to perform well for Qalandars and for Pakistan.”
    

    Netizens and his team mates of national team showered their praise to the cricketer for single handedly clinching the match from the Kings.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    
https://twitter.com/MandyHox/status/1487852686871609345?s=20&t=PY2zP9O6OpxgQLc0CWdd9Q