Author: newsdesk

  • Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    A student of Lahore University of Management Sciences’ (LUMS), Faaiz Arbab has developed a voice-controlled electric wheelchair that can be operated through a smartphone application.

    Faaiz is a graduate of electrical engineering program from LUMS and invented the voice-operated smart wheelchair, named ‘GOBEE’, in collaboration with the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore and AYEco.

    It operates with the help of a smartphone application which has a ‘Call N Go’ feature in it. The wheelchair responds to the voice commands of the user, being able to turn left or right and move forward or backward. It can also be summoned from a distance of 15 kilometers.

    Faaiz aims to assist people with disabilities through the use of technology. The smart wheelchair offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a remote control which goes over the range of a 100 feet.

    GOBEE is water repellent, anti-rusting, and has alloy rim wheels combined with an anti-sweat technology sofa seat.

    National Design Awards (NDA) Pakistan also awarded Arbab with the best Consumer Product Design Award (2018) for his Voice Operated Smart Wheel Chair.

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Asad Umar shared lauded the Arbab’s efforts on Twitter and shared a video of the wheelchair.

    “This is just the kind of work that needs to be projected,” Asad wrote.

  • FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to bring beauty parlours, bakeries, grocery stores, and all other retail outlets under an Invoice Monitoring System to check their tax and to ensure that no sales tax theft is taking place at these stores.

    As per reports, the FBR is going to launch its pilot project in Islamabad from next month. Under the plan, the Invoice Monitoring System will be installed at all commercial beauty parlours, bakeries, and grocery stores in the capital to record their actual sales. The project would gradually be extended across the country after its trial launch.

    The system works in a manner that whenever concerned outlets issue a copy of the invoice to a customer, an electronic copy will reach the linked FBR office. This will help the bureau keep a track of the actual sales and the amount of sales tax charged on each bill.

    The FBR officials expressed satisfaction over the system and hoped that it will help increase the revenue collection.

    Most parlours and grocery stores already charge tax so it is unlikely that the prices will be increased. However, this system will ensure that the tax you’ve paid reaches the relevant authorities and is not stolen along the way.

  • Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    It’s going to be a month to Hamza Ali Abbasi and Naimal Khawar’s wedding and from then till now, we’ve seen the two indulge in excessive PDA on social media and otherwise. Given how low-key their shaadi and their “platonic” relationship prior to their Nikkah was, it is somehow odd to see them behave this way, especially Hamza, who has always maintained a certain image.

    While I’m all for letting people live the way they want, their public displays of affection seem to give the impression that they are trying to milk the attention they are getting as much as they can. Which raises the question: How much is too much?

    Let’s start with this picture of the two of them from this week. Naimal shares a picture of the two of them out on a dinner date.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xHlEiD4Li/

    Hamza shares the picture on his story with the caption, “You Naimal, you are Allah’s gift and blessing for me.”

    A few days before that a picture of them cosying up in the hills was widely shared on social media.

    Pretty much every picture of Naimal and Hamza goes viral.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bDNLVDZgh/

    We did not want to post a biased opinion so we decided to ask our followers what they had to say on this. Here are the results:

    It’s a close call.

  • Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Punjab Chairperson Sarah Ahmad on Tuesday announced that Zainab Ansari’s father Amin Ansari is being appointed as the focal person for child abuse in the Kasur district. According to details, the father of the six-year-old – who was raped and killed in January 2018 – volunteered himself for the task.

    Zainab’s case had sparked countrywide outrage and protests and her perpetrator Imran Ali was executed nine months after her death.

    The bureau, on the directives of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, has launched a campaign in Kasur to raise awareness regarding child sexual abuse. According to the chairperson, this is the “first time that the government has started a campaign in Kasur.” Previously only NGOs were the only ones working on the ground to tackle the problem of child abuse in the area.

    Though the bureau had established a small outreach centre at the TMA Hall in early 2018, after Zainab’s case, the centre had not been equipped properly and largely depended on the Lahore head office.

    The development comes days after the remains of three minor boys, whom police suspect were raped and murdered, were found in Kasur’s Chunian Tehsil. According to the police, two children were reported missing in August while a third had gone missing earlier this month. On the indication of a local worker, police found the body of one of the boys and the skeletal remains of the other two at a deserted place in Chunian Industrial Estate area. Residents in Chunian says that five children had gone missing in recent months. The remains of four have now been found.

    Investigators claim that the heinous crimes have been committed by a single person as suggested by the result of the samples taken from the body of one of the victims, Faizan. The police have so far detained 20 suspects from Chunian, while the samples of over 950 others have also been collected for DNA tests.

    The discovery of the bodies had led to violent protests after which the government including Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident.

    In recent years, Kasur has garnered international attention for being a hotspot for child abuse and pornography.

  • CCTVs to be installed in police stations to curb torture cases

    CCTVs to be installed in police stations to curb torture cases

    Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Ahmad Shah has directed for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations across the country. An official order has been issued to all provincial police heads.

    As per reports, the decision has been taken to discourage the prevailing culture of torture inside police stations. The initiative is also expected to ensure transparency in investigations.

    A digital control room will also be built in every police station for effective monitoring.

    Meanwhile, during the departmental meeting to improve the policing system in the country, Brig Shah took several other decisions as well. This includes presenting a Safe City Project in Balochistan in coordination with the provincial government. Apart from that, the government is also considering reopening the Chaman border. It was decided that after taking necessary measures, the Pak-Afghan border will be opened in three months.

  • Shadab Khan to donate his earnings to the earthquake victims

    Shadab Khan to donate his earnings to the earthquake victims

    Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan has announced to donate his
    Pakistan-Sri Lanka series match earnings to the victims of the earthquake.

    The earthquake, which came on the early
    morning of Tuesday, has claimed over at least 21 lives and left 450 injured. 

    Shadab took to Twitter to express grief over the sad incident and pledged to help the affected people.

    Pakistan will play its first match against Sri Lanka on 27th September in Karachi in a series of 3 ODIs and 3 T20s.

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also publicly asked everyone to help the affected people.

  • An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    Pakistani documentary Armed with Faith won a News & Docs Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.

    The documentary is based on the lives of the brave Pakistani men who are part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bomb Disposal Squad and are faced with life-threatening challenges every day. However, its main focus is two security personnel Abdur Rehman and Inayatullah and their struggles.

    Co-produced by the two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and former journalist Haya Fatima Iqbal, Armed with Faith was nominated in the Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary category. It has been co-directed by filmmakers Asad Faruqi and Geeta Gandbhir.

    Previously the film was also screened in Vancouver International Film Festival in 2017 as well as at the Atlanta Film Festival and TRT’s Belgesel Günleri Film Festival.

    Sharmeen also took to social media to congratulate the team and shared some warm words about Asad.

    Watch the promo here:

  • Another Indian MiG-21 crashes during training

    An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 aircraft has crashed near the Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. , Hindustan Times reported.

    According to the reports, both pilots of the MiG-21 trainer aircraft including a group captain and a squadron leader managed to eject safely before the crash.

    Crashes involving fighter planes are common in India which is in the midst of upgrading its Soviet-era military. Most of the crash incidents involve the MiGs that India bought decades ago from the Soviet Union, earning it the unflattering “flying coffin” tag.

    The IAF lost 27 aircraft, including 15 fighter jets and helicopters, in crashes since 2016, as mentioned by Indian Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik, in June 2019.

    Earlier on February 27, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had also shot down MiG-21 fighter jet and captured its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who was later handed over by Pakistan to India at the Wagah-Attari border crossing on March 1 as a peace gesture.

  • Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    The Sindh government has announced prize money of Rs1 lakh for those who will help to identify garbage throwers in Karachi, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani has made the announcement on media while urging the citizens to record videos of those who throw garbage outside and inform the relevant authorities.

    Ghani has announced two mobile numbers where citizens can send videos of people throwing trash around the city through WhatsApp. Citizens can send videos on 0300-0074296 and 0300-0084296.

    The provincial minister said that he had personally witnessed people purposely throwing heaps of garbage on roads, adding that those who “claimed that they have inherited the city” were polluting Karachi.

    “This is a conspiracy to damage the cleanliness drive,” he added. The minister promised that the identity of citizens reporting such incidents will be kept secret.

    The Sindh government last week initiated a cleanliness campaign called “Clean My Karachi” after facing massive criticism over failure to clean the metropolis.

  • Erdogan slams int’l community for its silence on Kashmir

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the international community for failing to pay attention to Kashmir conflict, urging dialogue to find a solution of decades-long row between Pakistan and India, Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, in his address at UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, Erdogan said that the stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue, awaiting solution for 72 years.

    “In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with their Pakistani and Indian neighbours, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue and on the basis of justice and equity, but not through collision,” said Erdogan.

    He added, “Despite the resolutions adopted, [India-occupied] Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are stuck in Kashmir”.

    Following Erdogan’s remarks, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked him for raising the issue of occupied Kashmir at the UNGA and calling for a solution to the long-standing dispute.

    In a subsequent tweet, PM said: “I appreciate President Erdogan’s statement that the stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue.”

    People of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated the article to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.