Author: newsdesk

  • Praise for PM, his team as ‘historic’ social assistance programme to tackle coronavirus is launched

    Pakistan has launched the largest social protection effort in the country’s history with plans to pay close to $1 billion dollars to the poor in an effort to counter the economic fallout amid the new coronavirus — COVID-19 — outbreak, CNN reported.

    The Ehsaas Emergency Cash programme is a financial assistance effort to assist parts of the population that have been worst hit by the ongoing lockdown in the country, according to Sania Nishtar, special assistant to Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety.

    The programme, which aims to cover 12 million families, is meant to assist them to “buy rations so that they don’t go hungry”.

    The premier himself has also lauded the “historic” transfer of cash to the needy, terming it a “great achievement” of his government.

    “Today saw the launch of the biggest cash distribution by any government in Pakistan’s history, directly to the most vulnerable and needy citizens in our society,” he said in a series of tweets.

    Authorities have used SMS messages and Computerised National Identity Card (CNIC) numbers from the country’s extensive National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) to identify and contact eligible families.

    By the time this report was filed, the number of confirmed cases in Pakistan stood at 4,688 with 68 fatalities and 727 recoveries.

  • PML-N MPA seeks reopening of beauty parlours amid coronavirus outbreak

    PML-N MPA seeks reopening of beauty parlours amid coronavirus outbreak

    Pakistan Muslim League – Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Sadia Taimoor has submitted a resolution in the Punjab Assembly seeking opening of beauty parlours and hairdressers’ shops in the province.

    According to reports, the resolution read: “This sector gives huge amount in terms of taxes to the government, they should be allowed to do business after adopting precautionary measures amid coronavirus outbreak.”

    It further said that millions of people are employed in the beauty industry and closure of such businesses is denting the economy and creating hurdles for people.

    The Government of Punjab has extended the lockdown till April 14 in a move to control over spread of novel coronavirus.

    Meanwhile, the closure of beauty parlours has not only affected lives in Pakistan, but AFP reported that the demand for some brands of hair colour shot up six times in Britain after the first week of the lockdown there.

    However, stylists and colourists have advised people not to experiment too much, especially when it comes to the hair and eyebrows.

    “Don’t touch your eyebrows above all,” pleaded Olivier Echaudemaison, creative director of the French cosmetics brand Guerlain.

    “Let them grow — leave a virgin forest,” said the man who once looked after makeup for screen legends Audrey Hepburn and Sophia Loren.

    Feel free to experiment with makeup, Echaudemaison told AFP, because “if it doesn’t work you just take a tissue and you start again”.

    “But anything with hair is a lot more risky,” he warned.

    Beauty experts are also advising people not to fall for gimmicks and other hacks they read on the social media, such a beetroot to dye hair.

    Social media is full of horror stories of people posting their failed attempts at cutting and colouring their own hair.

    French stylist Thomas Girard has been giving up to six free online courses a day to deal with this aesthetic emergency. His advice is to stop immediately if you make a mistake. “The biggest error is thinking that you can fix your mistake by keeping cutting,” he said.

    As for roots, he advises just letting them go grey.

    “It’s no longer a marker of age, or stigmatising” — in fact, it could be seen as body positive, he argued.

  • China declares dogs should be treated as pets not livestock

    China declares dogs should be treated as pets not livestock

    For the first time in history, China has declared that dogs should be treated like pets, not livestock.

    The announcement comes after the Chinese government imposed a ban on the eating and trade of wild animals in response to the novel coronavirus. Chinese researchers believe that the disease originated from the animal markets in Wuhan.

    “With the progress of human civilisation and the public’s concern and preference for animal protection, dogs have changed from traditional domestic animals to companion animals,” China’s Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs said.

    It added that dogs are treated as pets and not meat across the world and China should do so as well.

    According to Humane Society International, around 10 million dogs are killed in the country annually,  The meat, however, is only consumed by 20% of the country’s population.

    The move comes as hope for animal lovers and indicates  an end to the torture of animals and their meat trade.

  • VIDEO: Woman SHO assaulted as clash with worshippers erupts outside Karachi mosque

    At least one cop, a woman SHO [Station House Officer], sustained injuries after a clash between local police and worshippers erupted outside a mosque in Karachi on Friday.

    According to the details, the clash took place outside Haqqani Masjid located in the Peerabad locality of the port city as people flocked to the mosque for Friday prayers despite a government ban and complete lockdown across the metropolis on account of the coronavirus pandemic.

    A video available with The Current showed the enraged injured cop, namely Sharafat [as per her nameplate], shouting at the police personnel for arriving late, and sharing how the mob took an attempt on her life.

    “They broke my glasses,” she can be heard as saying while also instructing her staff to initiate legal proceedings.

    The video also showed hundreds of worshippers exiting the mosque.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    Earlier in the day, Sindh Minister for Information Nasir Hussain Shah said that the ban on congregational prayers across the province will be strictly followed for Friday prayers.

    Shah requested that people pray at their homes and limit their movements outside from 12 pm to 3 pm in the afternoon. He also asked citizens to cooperate with law enforcement authorities in this regard.

    “The purpose of the measures being adopted is to protect the people against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the lockdown would actually make the lives of people safer in the long run.

    “The restriction of the prayer congregations has been enforced to protect the lives of citizens,” Shah clarified. “The religious leaders have backed the efforts made by the Sindh government in this regard,” he added.

    Sindh with 1,214 COVID-19 infections is trailing far behind Punjab where the number of confirmed cases of the coronavirus has reached 2,280 — highest in the country.

    While the number of infections across Pakistan has reached 4,688 with at least 68 deaths, people still do not appear to be taking government-imposed lockdowns seriously.

  • Wasim Akram beats lockdown blues by making pizza

    Wasim Akram beats lockdown blues by making pizza

    The coronavirus induced lockdown has brought out our inner chef and we’ve all turned to the kitchen for some food and comfort. Wasim Akram is the latest celebrity to take to the kitchen to satisfy his cravings, specifically his pizza cravings.

    Wasim’s wife, Shaniera shared pictures of the former cricketer making pizza from scratch, including the dough. Wasim topped his pizza with some mushrooms, rocket leaves and olives.

    Shaniera also shared that Wasim did not clean up after his cooking experiment but that ‘men who cook are hot’.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-ymhaIDM7W/

    Shaniera has been regularly sharing updates of her family spending time together in quarantine.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-j6LKADDsi/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-rd-TwDYUZ/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UXAchD6LP/

  • PEMRA bans Waqar Zaka’s show

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) and Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) has banned Champions, a reality TV show on BOL Entertainment.

    According to PEMRA ‘Champions‘ has been banned for being ‘offensive towards social, religious and cultural values of this country’. The channel and the host Waqar Zaka have not yet responded to the matter.

    Champions is a reality TV show hosted by Wakar Zaka. The design of the show is similar to reality TV shows like Big Brother and Big Boss. The show has contestants that are auditioned and then selected to live together in a controlled space.

    Except they also have to complete a series of physical and mental tasks while they’re there and the contestants are eliminated weekly until one champion remains.

  • Coronavirus: Lahore jail’s ‘mysterious’ patient zero who infected 58 prisoners in 20 days

    Coronavirus: Lahore jail’s ‘mysterious’ patient zero who infected 58 prisoners in 20 days

    Lahore’s Camp Jail has been vacated and turned into a 100-bed quarantine centre after at least 58 prisoners tested positive for the new coronavirus — COVID-19. But who is the mysterious patient zero and how did he contract the virus before passing it on to such a large number of inmates in just 20 days?

    According to The News, a total of 490 prisoners were exposed to patient zero who developed COVID-19 symptoms back on March 18. He complained of fever to the jail authorities and upon testing, his test result for the virus came positive. Following this, three other prisoners who were close to him also tested positive. The jail authorities then asked for tests of other inmates locked up in the same barracks as the patients, and initially, 19 other’s coronavirus tests also came positive.

    As the matter was looked into, the prison authorities realised that 490 inmates imprisoned in nearby barracks were also exposed to the mysterious patient zero. With it taking them 20 days to decide on vacating the jail, 58 of the said inmates tested positive for COVID-19.

    But who is patient zero?

    According to authorities, patient zero is a Pakistani-Italian who came to Pakistan in December 2019. On March 8, 2018, he was going back to Italy when the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) found on him six kilograms of heroin. With the drugs being seized, he was arrested and sent to Camp Jail.

    Authorities claim that his family is a frequent traveler and that was how he contracted the virus. “His family had also recently traveled from Italy and patient zero developed COVID-19 symptoms 10 days after his imprisonment,” they said.

    Meanwhile, Punjab government spokesperson Musarrat Cheema confirmed that Camp Jail had been vacated and converted into a 100-bed quarantine center.

    “There are more than 2,700 prisoners in Camp Jail. The Punjab government has converted the jail into a 100-bed quarantine centre for prisoners. A medical team of Services Hospital has also been assigned to look after this quarantine centre,” she informed, adding that a total of 490 prisoners were exposed to the patient at the jail.

    “Initially, the tests of 19 prisoners came positive and they were quarantined there. But as of April 9, the number of COVID-19 positive prisoners has reached 58. The remaining prisoners are being shifted to other cities, including Lodhran and Hafizabad. So far, 1,100 prisoners have been shifted to Hafizabad, 258 have been sent to Lodhran whereas the rest of the prisoners are being shifted to other jails across the province. There will be no prisoner in Camp Jail from today [Friday] onwards.”

  • Ex-Indian cricketing star picks combined Pak-India XI of all time, names Imran Khan as captain

    Ex-Indian cricketing star picks combined Pak-India XI of all time, names Imran Khan as captain

    Commentator and former Indian cricketing star Aakash Chopra has picked his combined Pakistan-India XI of all-time, naming World Cup-winning former Pakistani skipper and now prime minister (PM), Imran Khan, as the captain.

    “I wanted to do a fun exercise today by selecting the combined all-time Test XI of Pakistan and India, although it was a very difficult task,” Chopra said in a video uploaded to Facebook. “One thing that we will all agree, before moving on, that the team will give more preference to Indian batsmen and Pakistani bowlers.”

    Chopra picked former cricketers Sunil Gavaskar and Virender Sehwag as the openers while selecting Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar at the third and fourth batting spots, respectively.

    “There is no doubt that Sunil Gavaskar will be one of the openers as his presence is absolutely mandatory,” he said. “I would partner him with Virender Sehwag because he scored two triple centuries in Test cricket which is quite an achievement,” Chopra said, adding that after including Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, he would go for Inzamamul Haq and Javed Miandad for the fifth and sixth slots.

    “Although they are both playing out of position, but deserve a place in the XI,” he said regarding the Pakistani batting legends.

    “For the wicketkeeper spot I will pick MS Dhoni. Although we can consider Dravid as well but I don’t want to make a batsman playing at one-down to keep the wickets,” he added.

    Two World Cup-winning skippers come next as Kapil Dev and Imran Khan give this team a whole new dimension. They could bat, they could bowl and they could lead the team with absolute authority.

    “At number eight and nine, I will pick Kapil Dev and Imran Khan. Imran will also be the captain of my side,” the former Indian cricketer said.

    Fast-bowler Wasim Akram finds a place in the side and so does Anil Kumble. Chopra also stated leaving out Waqar Younis was a tough call and he was made the 12th man of the team.

    “It is 100 per cent certain that Wasim Akram will be part of this lineup and he slots in at number 10. With over 600 wickets, I will include leg-spinner Anil Kumble as the final player in my team. It is hard to keep Waqar Younis out of this XI but I will definitely include him as my 12th man,” he said.

  • King Salman, Crown Prince MBS secluded on the island as coronavirus invades royal family

    King Salman has secluded himself for his safety in an island palace near the city of Jeddah on the Red Sea, while Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, his son and the 34-year-old de facto ruler, has retreated with many of his ministers to the remote site on the same coast.

    The governor of Riyadh is in the intensive Care Unit (ICU) with the coronavirus. Several dozen other members of the royal family have been sickened as well. 

    The doctors at the elite hospital that treats Al-Saud clan members are also preparing more than 500 beds for an expected influx of other royals and those closest to them.

    As many as 150 royals in the kingdom are now believed to have contracted the virus, including members of its lesser branches, according to a person close to the family.

    Senior officials at the hospital said, “We don’t know how many cases we will get, all chronic patients to be moved out ASAP,” and that only “top urgent cases” will be accepted. It said any sick staff members would now be treated at a less elite hospital to make room for the royals.

    More than six weeks after Saudi Arabia reported its first case, the coronavirus is striking terror into the heart of the kingdom’s royal family.

  • Ushna Shah thinks doctors are wasting ‘precious time’ by dancing

    Ushna Shah thinks doctors are wasting ‘precious time’ by dancing

    If there is one actor who keeps ending up in the line of fire, it’s Ushna Shah. But that is probably because her comments are usually unfiltered.

    As the coronavirus grapples the world, doctors and healthcare workers across the world are under immense pressure as they deal with the rising number of cases. In order to uplift their spirits and deal with the crisis, medical staff at various hospitals have been dancing away their blues.

    Read more – Doctors worldwide are dancing as coronavirus patients recover

    Ushna, in a recent tweet, said that while she understands that doctors need their breaks, she is confused over whether the doctors are wasting their precious time doing this.

    Though Ushna later deleted her tweet, social media did not spare her.

    https://twitter.com/adambeyzaar/status/1248253782066188289?s=20
    https://twitter.com/kaif_hameed/status/1248221478753107968?s=20

    What’s confusing is that just a few hours ago, Ushna had shared a video of herself stitching hazmat suits for medical staff.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B-tnhovBlcL/

    Read more – Ushna Shah responds to ‘pizza guy’ Twitter backlash

    It is pertinent to mention here that doctors across the world are being lauded for putting their lives at risk and fighting on the frontlines against coronavirus.