Author: newsdesk

  • COVID-19: Walk-in vaccines for people above 18 to start soon

    The National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) has announced that walk-in vaccination for citizens above 18 years of age will be available in Pakistan from June 11 (Friday). The decision was made in the NCOC session held today.

    It was also decided in the meeting that vaccination centres will remain open from 8am to 10pm daily from June 11, except on Sundays.

    Other decisions taken in the meeting will be implemented from June 15, which are:

    • Restriction on the closure of two days a week will be relaxed to one day. Choice of the day will be at the discretion of the federating units.
    • Partial opening of indoor gyms for vaccinated members only.
    • Only selective non-contact sports will be permitted, while the ban on contact sports(karate, boxing, MMA, rugby, kabbadi, wrestling, water polo) and festivals, cultural and other events will remain imposed.
    • Ban on the closure of shrines will remain imposed.
    • Cinemas will remain closed.
    • Existing 50 percent work from a home policy will be relaxed to 100 per cent office attendance.
    • Two days weekly ban on inter-provincial transportation will be lifted.
    • Restriction regarding 50 per cent occupancy for public transport will be relaxed to 70 percent occupancy.
    • Current restrictions already announced by NCOC regarding recreation, education sector, mask-wearing SOP, Railways and inbound passengers policy will remain in place till further order.

  • Saba Qamar is embarrassed of this feature film of hers

    Saba Qamar is embarrassed of this feature film of hers

    Saba Qamar revealed in an interview about a project that she is embarrassed to be associated with, 8969.

    Read more – Saba Qamar to make a comeback on television with ‘Tumhare Husn K Naam’

    Sharing about her experience the Lahore Se Agay actress said that she was offered the project as a telefilm but the makers later cheated her and released it as a feature film after the news of her signing a Bollywood film surfaced.

    8969 is a 2016 Pakistani thriller film directed by Azeem Sajjad. The film stars Qamar, and other actors namely Hussain Tiwana, Sadaf Hamid, Anam Goher and Ali Jabran Khan in significant roles. It was released on 2nd December 2016 under the production banner of A J Media Productions.

    The actress was regretful of working in the project and candidly revealed that she reached out to the makers to stop the film’s release and even asked them to take the film’s production cost by her in return. “I told them, you invested 5 lacs on the shoot, take 10 lacs from me but don’t release it as a film”.

    The film however went unnoticed and couldn’t damage Saba’s star-power.

  • ‘We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,’ says PTI’s Noor Alam

    ‘We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,’ says PTI’s Noor Alam

    The government on Tuesday faced an embarrassing situation in the National Assembly when it received harsh criticism from its own members on the issue of load-shedding in various parts of the country, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP ) province where the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) has been ruling for six years, as reported by Dawn.

    Four members of the PTI from KP invited the attention of the Minister of Energy Hammad Azhar to the “shortage of transformers and other electrical equipment resulting in load-shedding in KP, causing grave concern among the public”.

    The notice had been moved by Junaid Akbar Khan from Malakand, Imran Khattak from Nowshera, Sher Akbar Khan from Buner, and Gul Zafar Khan from Bajaur.

    The movers talked about load-shedding in their respective constituencies. Noor Alam Khan, PTI’s MNA from Peshawar, blasted the government not only on the issue of load-shedding but also price hike.

    The Opposition members kept on thumping desks throughout Khan’s speech, making Hammad Azhar angry. The minister, while responding to Noor Alam, alleged that he had delivered the speech for the galleries.

    Noor Alam said the minister did not have the correct information as the officials of his ministry and power companies provided him wrong information. He said on the one hand the government was charging Rs34 per unit from the people and on the other hand, people were not getting electricity.

    Khan said load-shedding and price hike were the two major issues being faced by the people. He said the MNA’s could not go to their constituents as they “abused” the MNA’s when they had no electricity.

    Khan said load-shedding and price hike were the two major issues being faced by the people. He said that parliamentarians could not go to their constituents as people “abused” them due to no electricity.

    “We are here to serve the people of Pakistan. We are not rulers and should not act as rulers,” he said.

    He added there was load-shedding of 22 to 24 hours in some areas.

    In response to Khan’s speech, Azhar blamed the previous two governments for the present situation in the country. He said the PTI government was not responsible for the wrongdoings of the previous regimes.

  • ‘A model family,’ friends remember Muslim Canadian family killed in a targeted attack

    ‘A model family,’ friends remember Muslim Canadian family killed in a targeted attack

    The victims of Sunday’s truck-ramming attack in Canada were a “model family,” friends say. People from around the world mourned the killing of four members of a Muslim Pakistani-origin Canadian family, reports Geo News.

    The lives of three generations were snuffed out in a moment. Madiha Salman, age 44, who was doing postgraduate work in civil and environmental engineering; her 46-year-old husband, Salman Afzaal, who loved to greet people at the mosque; their 15-year-old daughter, Yumna Salman; and Afzaal’s 74-year-old mother, who has not been named.

    The couple’s son, nine-year-old Fayez, remains in hospital with serious injuries but is recovering, relatives said.

    UN Secretary-GeneraI Antonio Guterres expressed his outrage over the targeted killing of a Pakistani-origin Muslim family in Canada, and called for unitedly standing against Islamophobia.

    “I am appalled by the targeted and heinous attack on a Muslim family in Ontario, Canada,” the UN chief wrote on Twitter.

    Earlier, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, too, offered his condolences to the victims of Sunday’s attack and called it an “act of evil.”

    “You are not alone. All Canadians mourn with you and stand with you, tonight and always,” Trudeau tweeted.

    On Sunday, a man ran a black pickup truck over the family of five at a London intersection, killing four of them and wounding a boy.

  • Four leading ladies who got real about their beauty insecurities

    Celebrities with their perfect pictures do make us feel inferior, however even they are not perfect and a few of them even believe in sharing their insecurities with the world.

    Here is the list of four celebrities who opened up about their insecurities publicly:

    Iman Ali:

    Iman in her recent interview with Vasay Chaudhary opened up about the insecurities she has about her physical appearance.

    “A lot of people tell me I’m beautiful, but when I look at myself in the mirror, I think all these people are lying,” said Iman.

    “When people tell me you like your face and you just lie in front of us, it’s not so,” she added.

    She continued “I don’t even take pictures because of my face because I don’t like any picture and that’s why I post very few pictures of myself on social media.”

    Yumna Zaidi:

    In her latest interview with Something Haute Yumna revealed that she doesn’t find herself to be very good-looking, the Inkaar actress mentioned that her elder siblings are much better in their appearance although she believes her physical outlook has gotten better with time.

    Alizeh Shah :

    In April 2021, Alizeh posted an Instagram story in which she shared with her fans that she has been dealing with acne and posted some pictures of her showing her raw skin. The actress urged people to embrace their natural flaws and to be comfortable in their skin.

    Hania Aamir

    In 2019, Aamir had opened up about her struggle with acne and called out unrealistic beauty prototypes. She also didn’t shy away from terming Yasir Hussain’s joke as “inappropriate” when he used the word, “Danedaar” for her in his Instagram story.

  • 25 school children rushed to hospital due to power outage in intense heat

    25 school children rushed to hospital due to power outage in intense heat

    At least 25 children in Islamabad were taken to a nearby hospital after they fainted due to intense heat on Wednesday. 

    As per reports, students of a school in Islamabad’s Bara Kahu area suffered due to the scorching heat and power outage. The nose of the students started bleeding after which their teachers poured water over their heads and took them to a nearby health facility for first aid. 

    Picture Credit: Dunya News

    After the incident, 200 school children were allowed to go home from the Federal Government School due to loadsheding.

    Meanwhile, the Ministry of Energy took to Twitter and announced that the power shortfall has increased to 1,500 Mega Watt (MW) and the citizens are requested to use the electricity sensibly.

  • First solar eclipse of 2021 to occur on June 10

    First solar eclipse of 2021 to occur on June 10

    The first solar eclipse of the year will occur on June 10. This eclipse is going to appear as a ‘ring of fire’.

    As per details, the eclipse will be seen in Russia, Greenland, Northern Canada, North Asia, Europe, and the United States.

    Astronomer and Director Institute of Space Science and Technology Karachi University Professor Dr Javed Iqbal said that the first solar eclipse of 2021 could not be witnessed in Pakistan.

    The eclipse can take place at 1:12pm Pakistani time while it would be at its peak at 3:42pm and expectedly end at 4:34pm, the professor said.

    Also Read:13 mesmerising photos of the Super Flower Blood Moon

    The annular solar eclipse occurs when the sun, moon and the earth come in a straight line and almost on the same plane. It is a partial eclipse when a ring of fire appears in the sky.

    They occur every year or two and can only be seen from a thin pathway across the planet.

    A solar eclipse always occurs about two weeks before or after a lunar eclipse, when the Moon moves into Earth’s shadow. Lunar eclipses are evident from about half of the Earth’s surface.

    The last lunar eclipse which was also notseen  in Pakistan was witnessed on May 26.

  • NCOC announces 10 million successful vaccination doses

    NCOC announces 10 million successful vaccination doses

    National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) chief Asad Umar on Wednesday announced that 10 million doses of coronavirus vaccines have been administered in Pakistan so far. 

    Speaking to a press conference, Umar said the government’s decisions to curb the virus were proving “effective” during the third wave of the pandemic. 

    “The more quickly we get ourselves vaccinated, the faster we will be able to rid ourselves of this menace,” added Umar.

    Umar said the government as well as the masses had done a commendable job in following coronavirus SOPs, resulting in the number of cases dropping. 

    “We have seen that when Pakistanis, as a nation, decide to do something, then they do it,” he said. 

    Pakistan’s coronavirus positivity rate has been recorded as 2.54 per cent in the past 24 hours — the second day in a row that the positivity rate remained below 3pc. According to the health ministry, 43,900 tests were conducted during the last 24 hours after which 1,118 people tested positive.

    Earlier, the minister had taken to Twitter to announce that Pakistan will cross the 10 million doses mark today. 

    Federal Information and Broadcasting Minister Fawad Chaudhry, who accompanied Umar on the occasion of the administration of the 10 millionth dose, tweeted: “We have reached the milestone of administering the vaccine to 10 million people [sic].”

    He also lauded the government, particularly Prime Minister Imran Khan and the NCOC, for the way it fought with deadly virus.

  • Anoushay Abbasi’s transformation shocks the web

    Anoushay Abbasi’s transformation pictures are making the rounds on social media and her transformation has become the talk of the town. The Raqs-e-Bismil actress hasn’t just lost weight but has also upped her fashion game.

    We need some fitness tips from her.

    Her pictures from a recent photoshoot is giving us Barbie doll vibes but according to Anoushay herself she is, “Not your barbie girl.”

    Anoushay oozes fashion goals for her fans.

  • Mehwish wishes her ‘Jaanemann’ Azfar with a heartfelt birthday note

    Mehwish wishes her ‘Jaanemann’ Azfar with a heartfelt birthday note

    Mehwish Hayat has penned a sweet note for her ‘best friend’ Azfar Rehman on his birthday.

    “Everyone has a friend during each stage of life. But only the lucky ones have the same friend in all stages of life and I consider myself extremely fortunate to always have had you by my side. You’re not only my best friend but my family. All of my happiest memories are those of which you have been a part,” wrote Mehwish, sharing pictures of herself with Azfar on Instagram.

    She further wrote that when she thinks of all the times they’ve spent together; be it their New Year trips, shoots, promotions, or just hanging out, discovering the best breakfast venue, and the endless conversations they have had, each moment has been filled with laughter, joy, and fun.

    She also remarked that Azfar makes her proud of all his achievements, adding, “keep shining bright. You make this world a better place with your existence. You certainly make mine a blissful one.”

    “Thank you for being you Janemannnn! Wishing you all the best for your future endeavors. A very Happy Birthday Azfu hamesha khush raho!“

    Replying to his Jaanemann, Azfar wrote: “I’m blessed to have a friend like you with a heart of gold. May Allah bless you more and more and more.”

    This dynamic duo of best friends have worked in successful movies together such as Chhalawa and Punjab Nahi Jaungi.

    Azfar turned 32 on June 7 and he is currently working in ARY Digital’s new drama serial Aakhir Kab Tak in a negative role, co-starring Ushna Shah.