Author: newsdesk

  • Lahore sees peak pollution as coronavirus surges

    Lahore sees peak pollution as coronavirus surges

    A thick blanket of smog has enveloped Lahore, prompting officials to warn that tens of thousands of the city’s residents risk respiratory disease and eye-related problems while doctors urged people to stay at home.

    The air quality in Lahore deteriorated to hazardous levels, putting an additional burden on the fragile healthcare system amid a surge in coronavirus deaths and new infections. The Air Quality Index at one point rose to 750 in the city’s poorer areas — about 12 times the recommended level.

    Earlier in the day, Switzerland-based air quality information platform IQair declared Lahore the second most polluted city, after New Delhi, India’s capital. Pollution indexes peak dramatically in Pakistan in winter, when farmers burn off stubble in the fields. Winds worsen the pollution by further spreading smog across the region.

    “The air quality level was hazardous today,” said Sajid Bashir, a spokesman for Environmental Protection Department.

    By mid-day the situation had improved, he said, as authorities took steps to keep smoke emitting vehicles off the roads and shut brick kilns across Punjab.

    Lahore, once dubbed as the city of gardens, remained pollution-free for months after March, when the government imposed a lockdown to contain the spread of coronavirus. But the restriction was lifted in May, allowing a return to industrial activities and normal businesses. With cars back on the roads, the air quality gradually deteriorated, falling again to unhealthy levels.

    Pollution is no stranger to Pakistan, a country of 220 million — or Lahore, with some 12 million people. Cars are the top pollutants in Lahore but the city also has other sources of pollution, including the stubble burning, steel manufacturing furnaces and the city’s famous brick kilns.

    “Coughing, throat infection and irritation in the eyes are common,” said Anza Farid, an environmental expert, warning that the situation could worsen in the coming weeks as more people burn garbage in the cities and farmers burn off the stubble in their fields.

    Dr Talha Ayub urged people to wear face masks for protection, both from pollution and the coronavirus. “People should try to stay at home if they can,” he appealed.

    Pakistan on Thursday said it registered 34 new COVID-19 deaths and 1,808 new infections over the past 24 hours — despite a government-imposed partial lockdowns in 4,136 residential areas across the country. The government is turning to sealing off hotspots in a bid to contain rising fatalities and infections from coronavirus.

    Authorities also banned large gathering, shut shrines, cinemas and theatres to contain the spread of the virus, which has infected more than 348,000 people in Pakistan and killed 7,021 since February.

  • Meera threatens to hang herself publicly if allegations of fraud are proven true

    Meera threatens to hang herself publicly if allegations of fraud are proven true

    Rejecting allegations of fraud, Meera Jee has threatened to hang herself publicly if there are proven to be true. The actor had recently been accused of fraud and earning money through illegal means by a family.

    In a rather emotional and chaotic press conference, the actor rejected all allegations against her and said that she was being targeted.

    “I will hang myself if I am found guilty of fraud and corruption. Some elements are targeting me and continuously doing propaganda. I challenge all those who are involved,” said a teary-eyed Meera.

    Meera then said that if her actions create controversy, then let there be a controversy because she is not scared of anyone except God.

    She went onto say that much like the character she has played on screen, she is a heroine in real life as well.

    “I am a heroine in my real life,” stated the actor. “My whole life and career are based on struggle and hard work.”

    “I’m the superstar of Pakistan, I’m the heroine of Pakistan. In films and in real life, I live in the character of a heroine.”

    Meera added that she was “a good daughter, a good friend, a good sister, pure, virtuous, innocent and an extremely good human being”.

    Meera also claimed that she had gone out of her way to help the family who has accused her of fraud.

    “I offered my own home to a poor family during the corona pandemic. I allowed them to stay there for a period of three months and in return, they are making false accusations against me,” remarked Meera.

    Presenting her account details and bank statements to those gathered, Meera said that her money trail proves that she has not been involved in any fraudulent activity.

    “My bank account and credit history shows that no funds and money has been transferred in my account during this year. Every department can see my bank statement and how much money I earned. My bank account is empty and here, I also present my account numbers to any intelligence agency that want to verify my details as they wish,” she said.

    Meera further said that she has been involved in multiple scandals in her life and this one like the rest does not bother her.

    “Trust me, these are just allegations and there is no truth to them. I have villas in Dubai and are on my name and the relevant agencies are most welcome to investigate them,” said the actor.

    Concluding her address, Meera asserted that she is an honest and honourable woman.

    “Main paak daaman hoon aur mainay hamesha sach bola hai,” said the actor. “It is sad that people for whom I am a ‘real-life hero’ are now blaming me for wronging them.”

    “Time will prove that these allegations are false,” she added.

    As per reports, Meera at the end of the briefing, refused to provide a copy of her bank statement and left the press conference crying. She was reportedly in such a hurry that she left behind her father and domestic help at the press club and rode off with her driver.

    It is pertinent to mention here that earlier this year, Meera had requested Rs 40 million from the Punjab Government under the Artist Support Fund, launched by the Punjab Information and Cultural Department, claiming that she is in financial trouble. However, the department denied her request, adding that they can only offer her Rs 5000-10,000.

    Meera had claimed that she was suffering financially because her shows in USA and Canada had been cancelled due to the pandemic.

    “I suffered a loss of around $100,000. I have to pay back a loan I took in Dubai. I am forced to apply for financial support,” the actor had said.

  • Fisherman survives after live fish slips into his throat

    Fisherman survives after live fish slips into his throat

    A fisherman in Egypt, who had accidentally swallowed a live fish, survives after a group of medical officers at Beni Suef Specialist Hospital in Egypt, manage to retrieve the fish from his windpipe.

    According to the attending physician, the 40-year-old fisherman in Cairo was holding the fish in his mouth, while he tried to catch another one. Unexpectedly, the fish slipped into his throat, causing him to choke.

    He was immediately taken to the hospital’s emergency department, where the medical team managed to extract the fish, blocking his throat, and succeeded in saving his life. The doctors were surprised to find the fish alive after removing it from the man’s windpipe. 

    Deputy of plastic surgery Doctor Michael Ibrahim, ensured that the patient was out of danger and was admitted to the intensive care for observation.

    While this fisherman was lucky to be alive, there was another incident in 2019, where a 49-year-old fisherman in Philippine died after found in a similar position, with fish stuck in his throat. His wife reported that he also had a habit of putting the fish he catches in his mouth so that it won’t get away, while he tries to catch more fish.

  • Kyun Nikala?: ‘Misbah Saab he bataa saktay hain,’ says Mohammad Amir

    Kyun Nikala?: ‘Misbah Saab he bataa saktay hain,’ says Mohammad Amir

    Mohammad Amir, Shoaib Malik and Asad Shafiq have been dropped from the 35-member squad announced for Pakistan’s upcoming tour of New Zealand, stirring up a debate on social media. The tour is scheduled to take place in December.

    According to a press release, the management wants to give a fair chance to youngsters like 20-year-old Shafique in the T20 format, which is why they decided to drop the three senior players. Babar Azam, who is now the captain across all formats, will lead both the T20I and Test sides in New Zealand.

    Pakistan head coach and chief selector Misbah-ul-Haq, explaining the decision said: “There are three major omissions from the side that toured England. Shafiq has been left out due to lack of form after he managed 510 runs in his last 15 innings, including a total of 67 runs in England.”

    “Malik and Amir are not part of the white-ball matches as for this tour we have opted to invest, develop and focus on the promising and emerging players who are likely to be available to Pakistan for all formats,” he added.

    Meanwhile on the other hand, the board has shown their confidence in other senior players like Wahab Riaz and Mohammad Hafeez.

    When asked why he was left out of the team, Amir responded: “Misbah saab hi bata sakte hain, but good luck for team green.”

    Later, when a journalist remarked that this was Amir’s ‘Mujhe Kyun Nikala‘ moment, Amir said: “Hahaha, good one.”

    Later, responding to another tweet, Amir said that he has placed his trust with God and not with people.

    The three-match T20 series between Pakistan and New Zealand will start on December 18 and end on December 22.

    The ICC World Test Championship fixtures will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.

  • Istanbul to host Pakistani stars for the fourth IPPA Awards

    Istanbul to host Pakistani stars for the fourth IPPA Awards

    Turkey is the place to be this holiday season. The fourth edition of the International Pakistan Prestige Awards (IPPA) are all to take place in Istanbul on December 26.

    According to a press release, the awards ceremony will be held at Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Centre. The awards aim to present a soft image of Pakistan to the rest of the world by “promoting Pakistani cinema, television, fashion and music, especially at a time when economic activity is at an all-time low, and international events all cancelled or postponed”.

    Announcing the event, Ali Malik, who is one of the two organisers of IPPA, said: “We have had to face many challenges this time thanks to the pandemic and have postponed and even changed destinations a few times but were determined that we could continue to keep Pakistan’s flag flying high, in spite of all odds. Therefore, keeping the COVID-19 SOPs in mind, we are organising the event for invitees only, and will execute it without risk to any of the participants and stakeholders.”

    Similarly, Mukhtar Ahmed, who is the other organiser said, “We are continuing with IPPA this year although it means less revenue as we won’t be selling any tickets, but we felt it is our duty not to disappoint our fans and supporters, and to continue exposing our talent to the world.”

    Speaking to a local media outlet, the organisers shared that they have designed a destination vacation format for this year’s edition.

    “We will be selling tickets to people who want to fly out from Pakistan to Istanbul for a few days’ vacation,” said the organisers. “They will be paying for a package which will include airfare, stay in the same hotel as the stars, and attending the awards.”

    One of the country’s biggest independent award functions, the first IPPA Awards first took place in 2017 in London. The second edition was also held in London, while the third was held in Oslo, Norway. The ceremony is always a star-studded affair with the likes of Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Hira Mani, Ayesha Omar, Maya Ali and Hania Aamir in attendance.

  • COVID-19: NCOC recommends closure of shrines, indoor restaurants

    COVID-19: NCOC recommends closure of shrines, indoor restaurants

    The National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) has issued new restrictions to control the rapidly increasing second wave of COVID-19 across the country.

    As per details, the NCOC has recommended limiting all public gatherings to 500 people, including cultural, political, religious, entertainment, and civil gatherings.

    The body has proposed early and extending winter vacations to federal and provincial education departments, keeping in view the rising positivity rate in educational institutions.

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mehmood will be presiding a special meeting with his provincial counterparts at the NCOC on November 16 to evaluate the positivity prevailing in educational institutions.

    The forum has allowed only outdoor dining at the restaurants till 10 pm while cinemas and theatres will be closed instantly. Shrines will also be temporarily closed with immediate effect. Only outdoor weddings with maximum  500 people be will allowed from November 20.

    The NCOC also wants early closing of markets.

    “After consultative discussions, the recommendations would be shared with the provinces for consequent decision and enforcement,” said the NCOC in a statement. “The body has recommended urgent and emergency measures to the NCC for final approval after consensus by all stakeholders.”

    The country has reported 348,184 coronavirus cases so far.

  • Modi invites Imran Khan to New Delhi

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has invited his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting being held in New Delhi on November 30.

    According to reports, the Indian premier invited all the eight members and four observer countries on Tuesday during the online summit of the organisation held in Moscow, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    The News quoted sources as saying that the Russian president appreciated Pakistan’s proposals on various counts.

    Modi, who tried to demean the objectives of the SCO, tried to take on Pakistan and China in the same stroke without naming them under the garb of respect of sovereignty and said in muffled words that India believed that to enhance connectivity it was important that we move forward while respecting one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    He boasted that India had always been resolute in working in sync with principles laid out in the SCO charter, but it was unfortunate that there had been repeated efforts to unnecessarily bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda which was in violation of the SCO spirit.

    It was an assault on Pakistan and China’s policies of enhancing connectivity in the region.

    Modi referred to the Shanghai spirit and SCO charter, but he conveniently forgot that it was India that had humiliated the two documents by its actions and inactions.

    Diplomatic sources told the English daily that none of the significant member countries’ premiers will attend the New Delhi virtual meeting except Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin while the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, and PM Imran might not be available to attend the heads of government meeting.

    Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood or Additional Foreign Secretary Syed Faisal Tirmizi are likely to represent Pakistan at the huddle.

  • Calling rivals ‘traitors’ easiest trick in politics playbook, says Firdous

    Adviser to Punjab Chief Minister Firdous Ashiq Awan, while talking about the practice of labelling political opponents ‘pro-India’, said politicians use such statements because it’s easy to manipulate “anti-India sentiments” of people.

    She made these comments in a TV show in response to a question about the use of terms “traitor”, “Modi’s friend” and “Indian agent” by government officials to discredit political rivals.

    According to Firdous, it’s easy for politicians to exploit the “anti-India” sentiments of people, which was why treason allegations have remained an integral part of Pakistani politics.

    When asked if the government was using these trick to malign its opponents, Firdous said this practice is allegedly employed by all political parties, not just the government.

    However, the government has accused the opposition of peddling the pro-India narrative multiple times. In Sept this year after the opposition blocked an anti-terror legislation, the prime minister had said that by blocking Financial Action Task Force (FATF) legislation the opposition was serving Indian interests.

    Also, after the formation of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) and its aggressive stance towards the army establishment, the ministers have accused the opposition leaders, especially former prime minister Nawaz Sharif, of harming Pakistan to favour his “Indian friend”.

  • Sanam Saeed’s ‘Ab Buss’ takes inspiration from the motorway gang-rape incident

    Sanam Saeed’s ‘Ab Buss’ takes inspiration from the motorway gang-rape incident

    A new short film by YouTube channel See Prime titled Ab Buss starring Sanam Saeed in the lead takes inspiration from the horrible Lahore Motorway gang-rape incident that shook the nation earlier this year.

    The short film, written by Shahid Dogar and directed by Mohsin Talat, sends out a strong message on the subject. The plot of the film revolves around a woman who is taking extreme precautions while preparing for a trip to visit her father.

    “She knows she’s done it before and she can do it again – Maya packs for an unexpected trip as she gets a phone call,” reads the film’s official synopsis.

    Sanam has been a vocal advocate for women’s safety and empowerment. Earlier in September, the actor also took Twitter to demand castration as punishment for rapists.

    “Why hang them when we can castrate them? Why let them go so easily when they can live with the pain, shame, and guilt without their genitals,” she had written.

    She had further asserted that there should be zero tolerance for such heinous acts.

  • After Pakistan issues new map, Nawab of Junagarh says princely state will soon become its part

    Months after Islamabad issued a new political map that also included occupied Kashmir among other erstwhile princely states currently under Indian rule, Nawab of Junagarh Muhammad Jahangir Khanji has said that the city in the Indian state of Gujarat “will soon become a part of Pakistan”.

    Addressing a news conference in Islamabad, Nawab Khanji urged the United Nations (UN) to play its role in the liberation of Junagarh from Indian occupation. He also appealed to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan to become its ambassador as he did in the case of Kashmir to highlight the issue of liberation from New Delhi’s illegal rule at all international forums.

    The Nawab said a secretariat of Junagarh should be established in Islamabad to bring the princely state closer to Pakistan and told the participants that November 9 was observed as a black day as on this day in 1947 India occupied the territory of Junagarh.

    “The occupation was against the international law and norms,” he said, adding that a living nation should remember its history and act accordingly.

    Junagarh, he said, had a territory of 4,000 square miles and a 100-mile coastline along the Arabian Sea with many ports. Among the 562 princely states in the sub-continent, Junagarh was the sixth richest and a welfare state which provided free education to its citizens and took responsibility to provide healthcare facilities to all of them, Dawn quoted him as saying.

    He recalled that in October 1947, during his visit to Pakistan his grandfather Nawab Mahabat Khan signed an agreement of accession to Pakistan. During the visit, his grandfather held a meeting with Quaide Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah and decided to accede the state to Pakistan.

    The treaty of accession was ratified by the Constituent Assembly of Pakistan.

    In the absence of his grandfather, India landed its troops and occupied the territory of Junagarh on November 9, 1947, he said.

    The Nawab said that after the creation of India and Pakistan, the sovereign rulers of the states were given the right of choice to stay independent or accede to India or Pakistan.

    He said that Pakistan took the case of occupation of Junagarh to the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

    He vowed to continue struggle for the liberation of Junagarh.

    “I will not rest and will not stay quiet till I have achieved my goal of the liberation of Junagarh,” he said.

    The Nawab said that Junagarh was part of Pakistan and it would remain so.

    He said that Hindu and Muslim communities in Junagarh still expressed their loyalties to the Nawab of Junagarh. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi should know that Junagarh would be part of Pakistan, he said.

    He said it was a dream of the Quaid-i-Azam and his grandfather that Junagarh should be part of Pakistan.

    In reply to a question, he said 2.5 million people belonging to Junagarh lived in Pakistan.

    He said his grandfather never claimed any property or benefits in Pakistan.