A minor housemaid, who was beaten to death in Rawalpindi, was reportedly often tortured and the incidents filmed.
Officials investigating the case said that they have managed to obtain access of Hasan Siddiqui and his wife Umme Kulsoom’s mobile phones, adding that they recovered some videos from the devices that showed the minor, Zahra bibi, being tortured.
As per reports, officials also found an image of the minor domestic worker locked up in a large birdcage, allegedly as a punishment.
Officers said that they have not gained any evidence so far which proves that the couple had recorded the videos. However, he said that they are still looking into the data obtained from the cellphones and there is a chance they could come across data which could be important for the case.
The victim’s father and the couple had an agreement for her services. An amount of Rs80,000 had been paid to Zahra’s father for her services for eight months. Further, both parties had agreed that if the victim serves for longer, her family will pay more.
With the government approving retrenchment of all 9,350 remaining employees of the Pakistan Steel Mills (PSM) with a one-time severance cost of about Rs20 billion, an old video of now Federal Minister for Planning, Development, Reforms and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has come back to haunt the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government.
The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) on Wednesday approved firing all employees of the PSM, reasoning that the mills haven’t been functioning for years and the employees haven’t been doing anything.
There are 9,150 employees who will be fired within a month and another 250 will be let go within three months. The ECC meeting, chaired by Prime Minister’s (PM) Adviser of Finance and Revenue Abdul Hafeez Shaikh, also approved a Rs20 billion package for the employees, which amounts to Rs2.3 million per person.
As the decision made headlines, mixed reactions were drawn. While some lauded the government’s ‘full and final’ human resource rationalisation plan for the PSM employees in accordance with the judgments and observations of the Supreme Court (SC), others criticised the same for leaving thousands unemployed.
Amid war of words on social and mainstream media, an old video of then opposition member Asad Umar resurfaced, wherein he was seen garnering the support of PSM employees by vowing to stand by them if the PTI is elected to power. The undated video is said to be from the tenure of former ruling Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), during which PSM was shut down after becoming a burden on the national exchequer under the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP).
WATCH VIDEO:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1tZf62l5Vms
“Record this so that you can embarrass me by showing me this video if I backtrack on my promise. If PTI comes to power and PSM employees are deprived of their rights, I won’t be standing with the PTI government, but will be supporting PSM employees instead,” Asad can be heard as saying in the video that is doing rounds over the internet as netizens troll him for “taking a U-turn”.
Meanwhile, opposition parties are also criticising the government for its decision.
Though the mills have been closed for years, they are running a Rs550 billion deficit and billions are being spent on debt servicing. However, the move will not be finalised until it is approved by the federal cabinet.
Reports said that PSM stopped its commercial operations in June 2015 without formulating any human resource plan for its 14,753 employees, now reduced to 9,350. Presently, the per month net salary bill of PSM employees is approximately Rs350 million, adjusted as a loan in the financial accounts of PSM. Since 2013, an aggregate loan of Rs34 billion has been extended to PSM by the government on account of net salary payment.
Jemima Goldsmith gave a shoutout to a Pakistani-British cab driver who tackled a racist sensibly.
A video which has gone viral on social media shows a British passenger abusing the cab driver for his ethnicity.
“Who do you think you are?” says the passenger. “You think you’re something special? Pakistan! But I’ll tell you what? No wonder the Indians are bombing you!”
Throughout the exchange, the driver kept searching his bag as if looking for a change and responded calmly, “I don’t think about who I am. Have fun.”
Soon the video was widely circulated on social media and caught Jemima’s attention, who lauded the driver for “keeping his cool”.
Shabash & respect to this Pakistani-British cab driver keeping his cool in the face of unspeakable racist abuse from a grotesque thug. https://t.co/kwvQPCYIai
Later, it was revealed that the West Midlands Police arrested the man for his actions. Another user also shared the alleged response of the cab driver to the arrest.
Mr Mustafa is being made the first honorary ambassador of the West Midlands Taxi Drivers’ Association (WMTDA) for the way he handled the incident in Birmingham. The father-of-four had spent the last few weeks shuttling vital Covid-19 samples for the University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation trust during the pandemic.
According to a report in The Express Tribune, the culprit Mohammad Essa was arrested while he was on his way home in the Hoper village of district Nagar. A wildlife official said that Essa’s car was raided on a tip-off and about 30 kg of meat was discovered in the vehicle.
The accused was arrested immediately and during an investigation, it was revealed that he used to supply meat to some government officials and other influential people to oblige them.
An official statement said that the culprit was presented before a forest magistrate/DFO Gibran Haider on Wednesday where he confessed to killing over 100 ibex. The magistrate sentenced him to one-year imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs140,000 under the Wildlife Act 1975.
The arrest sent waves of shock in the region, where trophy hunting was believed to have discouraged illegal hunting of such precious wild species. The long-horned animal is one of the 18 rare species for which a hunting permit is officially allowed in G-B under the trophy hunting programme. Last year the hunting fee was about Rs110,000.
The Himalayan ibex is native to the Karakoram, Hindukush and Himalayan mountain ranges of Gilgit-Baltistan.
Man arrested for dragging dog in Karachi
Meanwhile, a man was arrested in Karachi for dragging a dog with his car. According to ACF Animal Rescue, the incident took place on Siraj-ud-Daula Road, near Alamgir Masjid in Karachi. When some people behind the car tried to stop the car and save the dog, the person behind the wheel just drove faster.
The dog was dragged along until he died.
A video of the incident went viral on social media, sparking public outrage following which the authorities took immediate notice and sprang into action.
Thank you so much Sir. You have given us light in so much darkness. We hope the RIGHT person is punished. This is the first time ever that justice has been served so quickly for a case about an animal and we hope this sets an example for others that #AnimalCruelty is inexcusable
— ACF Animal Rescue (@ACFAnimalRescue) June 3, 2020
A large number of people in Lahore have visited various public parks of the city after they were opened for the general public today.
As per reports, the public parks of the city have been opened after 75-day closure amid coronavirus outbreak in the city.
The people adopted the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the provincial government to curb the virus spread.
On Thursday, the Punjab government had decided to reopen public parks in the provincial capital Lahore from May 5 (today).
The Director-General of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Muzaffar Khan Sial, had announced that the provincial government decided to reopen public parks in Lahore. The parks will be open from 6 am to 9 pm.
Sial had added that the parks will be reopened under the standard operating procedures (SOPs) finalised by the provincial health department. The citizens will only be allowed to enter into the parks after wearing face masks and gloves.
DG PHA urged the citizens to strictly follow precautionary measures and social distancing while visiting the public parks.
Google has been sued for allegedly tracking users’ internet searches of browsers set on ‘incognito mode.’
The lawsuit has accused the Alphabet unit of secretly collecting information about what people search online and seeks at least $5 billion in damages.
According to the complaint, filed in the federal court in San Jose, California, Google gathers data through Google marketing tools which include Google Analytics, Google Ad Manager, and other applications and website plug-ins, including smartphone apps.
“The data collection helps Google learn about users’ friends, hobbies, shopping habits, favourite foods, and even the most intimate and potentially embarrassing things they search online,” said the complaint.
“Google cannot continue to engage in the covert and unauthorised data collection from virtually every American with a computer or phone,” the complaint added.
Google’s spokesman, Jose Castaneda said that the company will defend itself against the claims.
“As we clearly state each time you open a new incognito tab, websites might be able to collect information about your browsing activity,” he said.
The complaint seeks at least $5,000 of damages per user for violations of federal wiretapping and California privacy laws.
Violent protests have erupted across the United States (US) since after the death of George Floyd who died in police custody, sparking outrage over police brutality, especially the treatment of African-Americans at the hands of authorities.
With people across the country taking to streets, shaking the States to its core as some protests turn ugly, here is everything you need to know about it.
WHO WAS GEORGE FLOYD?
On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died in Minneapolis city of Minnesota after a white cop, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while the suspect was handcuffed face down in the street.
Two other officers further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening.
During the final three minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse, but officers made no attempt to revive him and Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even as arriving emergency medical technicians attempted to treat him.
VIRAL VIDEOS & CRIMINAL COMPLAINT:
Several bystanders took videos of the incident, which were widely circulated and broadcastalong with security-camera footage from nearby businesses; two of the officer’s body cams footage has, however, not yet been released.
[GRAPHIC WARNING]
A criminal complaint later filed against Chauvin stated that Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe while standing outside a police car, resisted getting in the car, and intentionally fell down; he went to the ground face down and, after Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck, Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe”, “mama” and “please”.
POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION:
Two autopsies determined the manner of Floyd’s death to be a homicide. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s autopsy found that Floyd died from cardiac arrest during the application of “neck compression”, also noting as significant conditions “arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; and recent methamphetamine use”.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family found that the “evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause” of death, with neck compression restricting blood flow to the brain, and back compression restricting breathing.
OFFICERS’ FATE & PROBE:
All four officers were fired the day after the incident. On May 29, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter while on June 3, Minnesota attorney general amended Chauvin’s charges to include second-degree murder, and the other three officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a federal civil rights investigation at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also investigating.
WIDESPREAD PROTESTS:
After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests against use of excessive force by police officers and lack of police accountability were held globally.
Protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area were initially peaceful on May 26, and became violent as a police precinct and two stores were set on fire, and many stores were looted and damaged. Some demonstrators skirmished with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
BREAKING: The third precinct police station is on fire. Rioters have taken over pic.twitter.com/AJg4jDr9Tz
Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated, mainly peacefully, across the US for the ninth night while one of the largest protests, joined by Floyd’s relatives, took place in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
Many defied curfews in several cities, imposed after violence and looting in some districts.
“I’m protecting my business and they’ve robbed us after being closed for 3 months”.
With the episode drawing reactions from across the world, from global leaders, including the Canadian president among others, the Pope has also issued a call for racism not to be ignored.
Addressing his “brothers and sisters in the United States” from the Vatican on Wednesday, Pope Francis condemned the death of George Floyd and lead a prayer for “all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.” https://t.co/t2NsjfRz1spic.twitter.com/xZ4718Zh2X
“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism,” he said, but also condemned the violence.
Police stations and other buildings have been set ablaze, government establishments and offices of media organisations among other prominent structures across the country have been vandalised, and grocery, as well as luxury stores, looted.
While military has now been deployed after President Donald Trump’s warning to protesters, support for protesters and against the regime is widespread.
Cops, at places, have also been spotted lending support to peaceful protests.
The protest in Flint, Michigan yesterday was peaceful, with no rioting, looting, or fighting (based on social media posts). The city’s sherriff marched with the protesters after they chanted ‘Walk With Us,’ as well as giving multiple small speeches throughout the evening. pic.twitter.com/rX2fDpyZfG
As part of the protests, the White House was also almost attacked. The president spent nearly an hour in an underground bunker at the White House last week when hundreds of protesters gathered outside the mansion.
The bunker, also known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), has been used on rare occasions to secure US presidents in times of peril.
Meanwhile, a photo of blackout at White House also started making rounds on the internet with people calling it a “powerful symbol” of Trump’s “lack of leadership”.
A Bangladeshi national walked up to 2,000 kilometres amid coronavirus lockdown to see his social media friend in Karachi who was getting married to another man. He first crossed the India-Bangladesh border illegally and then found his way to Attari, Amritsar.
Then he tried to cross the India-Pakistan border but was arrested by an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officer.
Identified as Nayan Mian, the 26-year-old is a resident of Shariatpur, a district in the Dhaka division of central Bangladesh. When he was arrested, he only had a mobile phone with a Bangladeshi SIM card and some Indian currency notes.
Mian did not cross the border with bad intent, but he just wanted to meet his Pakistani friend who was getting married to another man.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the girl’s family shared ties with his family. However, they were separated after his parents shifted to Bangladesh in 1971. A few years ago, he reached her on social media and fell in love with her.
“The girl is my cousin and we were connected through social media. We used to talk through video calls, but had been out of touch for 10 to 15 days. She had accepted my marriage proposal and that’s why I intended to visit her. I heard that many stranded Pakistanis were being repatriated these days, so I thought of taking a chance,” he said.
Mian told the police that he first reached Kolkata, then passed through Agra, New Delhi, and then came to Punjab, mostly on foot.
Social media users have found Iqra Aziz’s doppelgänger and the resemblance is uncanny. Nour is an architect from Lebanon who looks just like Iqra.
For a moment even Iqra’s own sister Sidra thought it was Iqra with someone in the video. Sharing a video of Nour, Aziz said, “For a minute I thought.. but no no this is another beautiful human being guys.”
For a minute I thought.. but no no this is another beautiful human being guys. Relax. https://t.co/E3iL1EbZn4
The couple shared that they are doing well and are overwhelmed with the love and good wishes they have received in the past few days.
“Thanks to Allah, we are doing well,” said Yasir.
“We will always remember our 18th wedding anniversary because at this point we have spent thirteen full days together and have not had a single fight during this period,” laughed Yasir.
Nida also shared that in these twelve to thirteen days of quarantine, she has been binge-watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul and thoroughly enjoyed the series.
“My quarantine partner was actually Ertuğrul,” shared Nida.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7s-CgA3_P/
Nida and Yasir also shared a video from their quarantine anniversary celebrations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7vMREB92B/
Meanwhile, Nida also requested their fans to pray for their good health.
