Author: newsdesk

  • Air travellers to now be sent home after checkup as govt abolishes 48-hour quarantine policy

    Air travellers to now be sent home after checkup as govt abolishes 48-hour quarantine policy

    The federal government has abolished the 48-hour quarantine condition for Pakistanis returning home from abroad, and they would now be sent to their homes after a medical check-up and test at the airports, The Express Tribune reported.

    The report stated that the government changed the standard operating procedures (SOPs) because the capacity at quarantine centres had been contracting due to an increase in the number of COVID-19 cases.

    According to the new SOPs, all passengers would undergo a complete medical check-up at the airports, while the staff deputed by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and provincial health departments at the airports will test the travellers for coronavirus.

    After the medical check-up and the coronavirus test, the passengers will be allowed to go their homes, instead of the quarantine centre, if they do not show any symptoms of COVID-19. The decision about suspected coronavirus patients has been left at the discretion of doctors.

    Under the new policy, all the passengers will be checked at the health counters of the airports. The record will carry the names and addresses of suspected coronavirus travellers and will be quarantined at home upon not showing any symptoms.

    On Wednesday, the NIH team conducted medical check-ups and coronavirus tests of all the passengers including 281 travellers coming from the United States (US) and 253 travellers coming from Saudi Arabia via a special Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight at the Islamabad airport, after which all the travellers were permitted to go to their homes, the report said.

    Meanwhile, with yet another record hike in number of infections, the tally of coronavirus cases in Pakistan now stands at 85,264 with at least 1,770 deaths.

  • Quiz – Which newsmaker are you?

    Quiz – Which newsmaker are you?

    Edit quiz
  • Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Khadijah Shah responds to backlash on Élan’s ‘racist’ lawn campaign

    Lawn campaigns are a big deal in Pakistan and all designers go above and beyond to come up with eye-catching ones. However, some times, the campaigns come under fire for being controversial. This year, Élan was on the receiving end of backlash and criticism for being racist because it featured an African model, which people thought was being used as a prop.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XoflYg6zv/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zU1JWg4gA/

    Following social media outrage, Élan’s creative head and CEO Khadijah Shah took to social media to explain the campaign and the concept behind it.

    “It’s heartening to see that we stand against racism and cultural misappropriation, but at the same time we must know what these terms mean,” wrote the designer on social media. Shah then proceeded to define the terms ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘racism’ and explained how they do not apply to Élan’s campaign.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267821795219959815?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267824733665427461?s=20
    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267826504194420738?s=20

    Khadijah then requested everyone criticising the campaign not to disrespect their friends from Lamu by passing insensitive comments.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267830078727061513?s=20

    She also explained why donkeys were part of some of the pictures.

    “As for those finding the image with the donkeys offensive; donkeys are beloved in Lamu,” wrote Khadijah. “They are taken care of and the only mode of transportation. In our country not only do we treat donkeys badly we also use it as a term to insult others.”

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267841731468427265?s=20

    Read more – Khadijah Shah receives a signed ‘Thank you note’ from Kate Middleton

    The designer also shared that the brand has featured both male and female models in their previous campaigns and there has never been any such criticism.

    https://twitter.com/khadijah_shah/status/1267845940628652032?s=20

    Meanwhile, model Mushk Kaleem, who featured in the campaign, said that beauty, equality, love and acceptance have no skin tones.

    “This Élan’s campaign is so close to my heart and with its launch, it is extremely sad to see all the negativity that is pouring in,” wrote Mushk.

    “Posing alongside me, in this stunning campaign is my beautiful friend, who I had an excellent time working with, and who I also learnt a lot from – Gabriel Fords.”

    “Unfortunately, many people are speaking about how the male model is being used as a prop or an accessory. Why is that so?” she questioned.

    Kaleem added, “This campaign is a celebration and a declaration of love, of equality, of acceptance, of tolerance – of cultures and heritages without any borders and boundaries.”

    “Gabriel Fords, who is as much a vital part of this campaign as I am, is not a prop or an accessory. This entire shoot screams inclusivity. It is about bridging cultures, about educating people about the normalcy of an interracial love.”

    “I’m very proud to be part of this campaign,” concluded the model.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7SBxppzzD/

    Earlier in 2018, Sana Safinaz had come under fire for its racist representation of the Masai Mara people. They later issued a clarification and said that their campaign aimed to celebrate the beautiful Masai culture.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/BgFp1tzng2o/?utm_source=ig_embed
  • Students protest outside HEC Islamabad demanding to waive of semester fees

    Students protest outside HEC Islamabad demanding to waive of semester fees

    Several university students from across the country protested outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office in Islamabad demanding the board to waive their full semester fee, suspended online classes and promote all students to the next semester without examinations.

    Blocking Islamabad’s Service Road, the students had placards in their hands and raised slogans against the HEC.

    They called out universities for charging full semester fees despite the coronavirus pandemic.

    Many students also took to social media to voice their concerns.

    Earlier, on May 12, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri had chaired a meeting with university vice-chancellors and discussed possible ways to conduct annual examinations.

    Suggestions were given to conduct examinations based on an open book, multiple-choice questions, assignments and viva-voce methods. The vice-chancellors put forth complaints made by students regarding internet connectivity issues and asked HEC to help in this regard.

    .

  • Ertuğrul becomes a popular name for newborns in IoK

    Ertuğrul becomes a popular name for newborns in IoK

    Seems like it’s not only Pakistanis who have caught the Ertuğrul fever because according to a report in Outlook India, parents in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) are naming their newborns Ertuğrul after the protagonist of the hit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.

    Read more – ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul is a gift to Pakistan from Erdoğan’

    Consultant Pediatrician and president Doctors Association of Kashmir Dr Suhail Naik told the media outlet that Ertugrul is a frequently encountered name in his outdoor department.

    Earlier, during the winters ‘Ertuğrul caps’ with fur also became popular in IoK. Ottoman soldiers and the civil officers used to wear the slightly claret red headwear called fez.

    Set in 13th century Anatolia, the historic drama series is based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty.

    The serial became popular in Kashmir after a lockdown was imposed in the region when the Modi-led government revoked Article 370 on August 5, 2019. Despite the communication blockade and local cable operators banned from airing content produced by Muslim countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, the series began to travel from one household to another in flash drives.

    Read more – Kashmiris are finding solace in Turkish drama ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’

    The COVID-19 lockdown and the airing of the series by PTV in Urdu further propelled the series’ success and made it a bigger hit in the region.

  • Pregnant elephant dies after eating pineapple stuffed with firecrackers in India

    Pregnant elephant dies after eating pineapple stuffed with firecrackers in India

    A pregnant elephant died in Kerala, India after she allegedly ate a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers. The fruit exploded in her mouth badly damaging her jaw and eventually causing her death.

    The Kerala Forest Department has lodged an FIR (First Information Report) against those responsible for the death of a 15-year-old pregnant wild elephant.

    The Wildlife Warden of the Silent Valley National Park said this was a serious crime whosoever was behind it.

    “We are quite certain that we will find the perpetrators of this crime, which is in no way acceptable at all. It was on the 23rd of last month we came to know about this incident when the elephant was spotted near a water source outside the national park,” said Pachuau.

    As per reports, some people had placed firecrackers inside a pineapple and this was eaten by the wild elephant and in the process of chewing the cracker burst and injured the elephant.

    “We called a veterinarian and later on the 25th, an elephant expert David Abraham came and examined and explained to us the bad situation,” said Pachuau.

    “We informed the Forest officials that its situation was bad and two days later the elephant died in the water.”

    The next day, when we conducted the post-mortem we found a nearly two-month-old fetus. From the uterus, we could make out it was the first pregnancy of the elephant. That sight left many of us deeply sad and moved.

    Only when we conducted the autopsy, we could see that the upper and lower jaw, teeth and tongue of the elephant was badly damaged. The cause of death is due to the aspiration of the lungs as it was filled with water. It was a sad day for many of us,” said Abraham.

    Soon after the autopsy was conducted, the dead elephant was buried in the Forest.

    “Two sets of teams are probing this incident,” added Pachuau.

    Meanwhile, several Bollywood stars including Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan condemned the incident and called for harsher laws against animal cruelty.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA99hNLB9Sa/

  • Rana Sanaullah stopped by police, refuses to let them check his vehicle in absence of media

    Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and lawmaker Rana Sanaullah was on Wednesday morning intercepted by police off Lahore’s The Mall. He, however, refused to step out of the vehicle and let the officials check it in the absence of media, The Current has learnt.

    According to sources, the PML-N stalwart was stopped by the police in the Regal Chowk area of the provincial capital in connection with the arrest of party president and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif.

    The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since Tuesday had been attempting to arrest Shehbaz in the assets beyond means case against him. The bureau had, however, failed to trace the PML-N chief despite raiding his Model Town and Jati Umra residences among other locations.

    READ: NAB arrest: Cat and mouse as Shehbaz not found

    Wednesday’s incident took place before a Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench granted pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz till June 17.

    “I will not let you check my vehicle in the absence of media because I fear being framed for carrying drugs once again,” Sanaullah, who had earlier been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), told the cops who stopped him to check if Shehbaz was also present in the vehicle.

    The ANF had last year detained the lawmaker after accusing him of carrying a cache of drugs in his vehicle and for “supplying it to drug dealers”.

    After months-long incarceration, Sanaullah had been granted bail amid lack of evidence. He had then accused the ANF of planting the drugs in his vehicle for the registration of a “bogus” case against him.

  • Record 3,938 COVID-19 cases with 78 deaths in 24 hours in Pakistan

    Pakistan from Monday to Tuesday reported a record number of 3,938 new coronavirus cases with 78 deaths within 24 hours.

    The latest surge in cases took the nationwide tally of reported cases to 78,128 while the death toll crossed the 1,600 mark. According to statistics provided by National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), Pakistan has broken its previous record number of 3,039 new COVID-19 cases reported over 24 hours on May 31.

    Earlier on Sunday, Pakistan reported its most number of deaths during 24 hours with 88 new fatalities, however, given the swelling number of coronavirus cases, doctors and health experts have warned that the number of cases will continue to rise unless a strict lockdown is not imposed.

    Sindh and Islamabad also recorded the highest number of cases reported over 24 hours with 1,402 and 304, respectively, on June 1. However, Punjab reported the most number of deaths and new cases reported over 24 hours with 1,610 cases and 43 new fatalities due to the COVID-19.

    On Monday, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, in a live televised address, had apprised the nation on the decisions made regarding the lockdown in Pakistan to contain the novel coronavirus during the National Coordination Committee (NCC) meeting.

    “Since day one when we got to know that the coronavirus had started spreading in Pakistan, we imposed a lockdown following a national security committee meeting,” he had said.

    “We observed the conditions in the Chinese city of Wuhan and in Europe when the virus started spreading and we were seeing how the world was responding. But at that time, when we had discussions and meetings, I was very clear on the path Pakistan had to take.

    “Pakistan’s situation is different than that in China or Europe,” he had said, noting that he had earlier informed the nation that 25% of the country’s population was below the poverty line, which “means that nearly 50 million people in our country do not eat two full meals a day”.

    PM Imran had said doctors, elite, and the poor all had diverse opinions but it was the downtrodden ones of the society who did not have a voice.

    “But in hindsight, I should not have stopped businesses and construction because we had to balance it. Coronavirus is not going away until a vaccine is not formulated. We have to live with it,” he had noted.

  • Cast of ‘Ishrat Made in China’ unveiled

    Cast of ‘Ishrat Made in China’ unveiled

    While we may not be able to enjoy a movie in the cinema anytime soon thanks to coronavirus, but there were a handful of Pakistani films scheduled to hit theatres this year. Among them was Muhib Mirza’s feature film Ishrat Made in China. The film may not be releasing anytime soon but the makers decided to unveil the cast of the film to keep their audiences hooked, as Sanam Saeed puts it.

    Read more – Pakistani movies releasing in 2020

    The film, which marks Muhib’s directorial debut, will feature Sanam, Shamoon Abbasi, Mani, HSY, Sara Loran, Ali Kazmi and Shabbir Jan among others. All the actors shared their posters on social media and expressed their excitement for the film. Sanam clarified these posters are only the cast reveal and not the character looks.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5ej32AIO5/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA739X3pmKw/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5lX6DDvJg/

    The film will mark Hassan Shehryar’s acting debut and designer couldn’t be more excited for its release.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5ZCUvBR5K/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CA5aDElHl6X/

    Further details about the film have not yet been shared by the film’s team. However, some reports have suggested that Ishrat Made in China is an action flick which revolves around gang rivalries.

    Mahira Khan also wished Sanam best of luck and said that she has heard great things about the film.

    Meanwhile, a few members of the cast and crew of the film had been stranded in Thailand where they had gone for the film’s shoot. After being stuck there for almost two weeks, they returned via a special flight arranged by the Government of Pakistan to repatriate those stuck in Thailand and Japan.

  • Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Cher thanks PM Khan for ‘making her dream come true’

    Following the landmark judgement which directed the Marghazar Zoo in Islamabad to shift all animals, including Kaavan the elephant to wildlife sanctuaries, American pop singer Cher took to social media to thank Prime Minister Imran Khan for “making her dream come true”. Cher added that she was always a big fan of PM Khan since his cricketing days.

    In a series of tweets, the singer not only thanked PM Khan but also various ministers for their efforts.

    Late last month, the Islamabad High Court, had ordered wildlife officials to consult with Sri Lanka to find Kaavan a “suitable sanctuary” within 30 days.

    Kaavan, an Asian elephant from Sri Lanka, has spent nearly three decades in a small cage in the zoo. His treatment and condition sparked international outrage several years ago and caught the attention of Cher, who then propagated for his release. The elephant’s behaviour, including bobbing his head repeatedly, demonstrated “a kind of mental illness” and wildlife experts were of the opinion that he was depressed.

    It is pertinent to add here that PM Khan had also raised his voice for Kaavan back in 2015 and had said that the animal belonged in “a proper sanctuary, not ill-equipped Islamabad Zoo”.