Author: newsdesk

  • How to make pepper spray at home?

    How to make pepper spray at home?

    Ali Khan Tareen has presented a better solution to avoid and lessen harassment cases. He has said that we should give pepper spray to schoolgirls to avoid harassment rather than asking them to wear an Abaya.

    The son of senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen took to twitter to give us an alternative for protection of school girls from sexual harassment.

    What is pepper spray?

    Pepper spray is a chemical mixture that causes severe pain and irritation when it comes in contact with the eyes

    But the question is from where in the market we can get pepper spray? Don’t worry if you cannot find any in the market. You can even make a pepper spray at home as well. Read the instructions below to make it.

    Gather your supplies

    Pepper spray mixture can be made using
    household ingredients.

    Red chilli powder. It is recommended for its spiciness and ability to irritate the eyes.

    Vegetable oil and Rubbing alcohol or spirit. These will be used to mix with the powder to make it to a sprayable substance.

    How to prepare?

    Add two tablespoons of pepper powder.

    Add spirit until the pepper has been completely submerged and then add one tablespoon of vegetable oil. You can also use baby oil.

    Leave the mixture overnight.

    Then filter your mixture with the help of the coffee filter.

    Filtering the mixture will help prevent clogging the nozzle of the spray.

    When you are done, pour the mixture in the spray bottle and you are good to go anywhere with your spray.

  • Ashes hero Ben Stokes’ lashes out at UK tabloid

    Ashes hero Ben Stokes’ lashes out at UK tabloid

    England cricketer Ben Stokes has described The Sun’s front-page story about a private family tragedy from his past as “utterly disgusting” and the “lowest form of journalism”.

    The Sun published details of how Stokes’ half-brother and half-sister were shot dead by his mother’s ex-husband more than three decades ago.

    https://twitter.com/TheSun/status/1173712141632856065?s=20

    According to The Sun’s story, Stokes’ mother’s jealous ex Richard Dunn had weekend custody of his children. He shot them both dead at his flat in Christchurch, New Zealand in April 1988. Dunn then drove to his ex’s home and torched the building. She had left to go to work. Alerted to the fire, armed cops raced to his apartment and Dunn retreated inside. Ten minutes later, they heard two shots and found him dead.

    In a statement, Stokes described The Sun’s article as “low and despicable behaviour, disguised as journalism”. He said the article deals with “deeply personal and traumatic events” that affected his New Zealand-based family more than 30 years ago. “My family has worked hard to deal with the private trauma inevitably associated with these events and has taken great care to keep private”.

    https://twitter.com/benstokes38/status/1173893834377441280?s=20

    A spokesperson for The Sun said that the newspaper has the utmost sympathy for Ben and his mother “but it is only right to point out the story was told with the co-operation of a family member who supplied details, provided photographs and posed for pictures”.

    After Stokes’ heartfelt statement, a Twitter campaign to boycott The Sun began with hashtags #DontBuyTheSun and #BoycottTheSun.

    England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) chief executive Tom Harrison also issued a statement condemning The Sun.

  • Four ways you can help your planet

    Four ways you can help your planet

    Are all the reports regarding climate change or the deteriorating environment disturbing you? Do you want to play a part in saving the Earth?

    Headlines these days are flooded with bad news about global warming, dying oceans, melting glaciers and endangered animals. Frankly speaking, the situation is quite alarming and we are more affected with it than we thought. While most of us think that one person’s actions might not make any difference, the truth is that it all begins with one person and there are actually many ways you can help.

    Here are a few suggestions on how you can play your part for Mother Earth.

    Conserve water at home

    Water wastage is one of the biggest ways humans affect the health of the planet. Taking measures to use less water is something you can start doing right away.

    Here’s how you can save water:

    • Check and fix any water leaks – a leaky spout can waste a lot of water.
    • Don’t wash dishes with the water running continuously. Use a method that requires less water to get the dishes clean.
    • Turn off the washing machine’s water supply to prevent leaks. It doesn’t need to be on all the time.
    • Don’t use too much water to water your lawn – instead, use water used elsewhere to water the lawn.
    • Don’t leave the tap running while you brush your teeth.

    Avoid plastics

    • Carry a reusable shopping bag with you in the car, in your bag all the time and use it when needed.
    • Use food containers instead of plastic bags to get food from the market.
    • Stop buying plastic water bottles. Use refillable glass water bottles.

    For more ways on how you can reduce plastic in your life, watch this video.

    Plant trees and don’t cut them

    Trees are an integral part of the ecosystem. Trees not only protect the land but the water and air, too. Plus they provide shade to your homes in the long, hot summer. If you have room in your yard, consider planting a few trees.

    Use fewer chemicals

    Chemicals used to wash our bodies, homes, cars and everything else get washed down the drain or absorbed in the grass, and eventually, end up in the water supply. Chemicals are doing real damage to waterways and aquatic life. The chemicals aren’t good for humans, either, so do your best to use fewer chemicals.

    • Use organic products like organic soap, shampoo etc.
    • Learn about alternatives to household cleaning items that do not use hazardous chemicals. For example, using a solution of 1/2 white vinegar and 1/2 waterworks as well as most commercial cleaners for basic cleaning jobs. Baking soda and salt are cheap, non-toxic cleansers, but should be used in moderation.
    • Instead of using pesticides and herbicides, find natural ways to get rid of weeds and pests.
  • Nathiagali’s latest camping pods look impressive

    Nathiagali’s latest camping pods look impressive

    Provincial Minister of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa for Tourism, Culture, Sports, Archaeology and Youth Affairs Atif Khan in a recent social media post shared pictures of the new opened camping pods in Nathiagali and the pictures are unbelievably impressive.

    Writing about its key features, Atif Khan said that the pods have very high thermal insulation which is ideal for extreme weather. He added that the pods have a “contemporary interior with modern facilities.”

    We called the number listed on the post for further details and the person who received the call said that the pods have all facilities including warm water, power sockets and 24 hours security. They further shared that the camping pods cost Rs 10,000/night for one pod and if you book more than one pods, you can get a discount.

    Here’s a look at the pictures shared by the minister.

    View of the room

    The room at night.

    Views from the room

    That bathroom looks better than my bathroom at home.

    These pods are located on Link Road, Nathia Gali, Abbottabad, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Pakistan.

    Our favourite vacation spot just got better. Who is planning a trip?

  • Domestic dispute: Lahore man cuts wife’s nose

    A Lahori man cut his wife’s nose and shaved her head over a domestic dispute in the city’s Factory Area.

    According to reports, Sajjad Ahmad cut his wife Shazia’s nose and shaved her head after torturing her with plastic pipes, kicks and punches.

    Upon hearing Shazia and her children’s scream some neighbours rushed to their house and rescued the woman. They alerted the police and took Shazia to Lahore General Hospital. Meanwhile, Ahmad fled from the scene.

    The neighbours informed the police that Ahmad would regularly torture his wife with pipes and iron roads over petty domestic matters. She had reportedly left him twice but returned after he promised to mend his ways.

    Meanwhile, doctors revealed that Shazia had lost her nose and requires a complicated facial surgery for an artificial nose.

    Shazia told police that she was visiting one of her daughters’ in-laws in the same locality when her husband stormed in, took her back home, and attacked her with a plastic pipe. She claimed that Ahmad told her he had spent money on her health that he was to pay as a monthly installment to a shopkeeper. He then took out a knife from a cupboard and chopped off her nose.

    The police have registered a case against Ahmad and a police team has been dispatched to arrest him.

  • Ali Tareen says ‘pepper spray for girls a better idea than abaya’

    Ali Tareen says ‘pepper spray for girls a better idea than abaya’

    Multan Sultans owner Ali Khan Tareen has said that giving pepper spray to schoolgirls to avoid harassment is a better idea than asking them to wear an abaya.

    The son of senior Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Jahangir Khan Tareen in a Twitter post wrote, “I still think pepper spray is a good idea if local policy-makers feel those girls need protection”.

    In another tweet, he criticised and questioned the logic behind the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government’s decision to make abaya compulsory in all-girl schools.

    “This is directed to girl schools. In all-girl schools what ‘unethical incidents’ are they worried about? If the male staff is so untrustworthy then I suggest the students be instructed to bring pepper spray instead of chadars.”

    In an official circular on Monday, KP Education Department had directed heads of government schools to ensure that girl students were wearing abaya or gown to “cover up in order to protect themselves from any unethical incident”.

    The government had withdrawn the notification after severe backlash on both social and mainstream media.

  • Adnan Sami fined 50 lakhs for illegal purchase of flats

    Adnan Sami fined 50 lakhs for illegal purchase of flats

    The Appellate Tribunal for the Foreign Exchange Management Act (FEMA) has imposed a penalty of 50 lakh on singer Adnan Sami for purchasing eight flats and five parking spaces in Mumbai in 2003 without prior permission from the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) when he was a Pakistani national. However, at the same time, a tribunal in New Delhi has set aside the confiscation of the properties saying no foreign exchange was involved in their purchase.

    According to a report in the Hindustan Times, authorities had seized the properties saying Sami acquired them in 2003 without Reserve Bank of India (RBI)’s permission in violation of the law. Given that Sami was a Pakistani national at that time, he needed special permission to make the purchases. A penalty of Rs 20 lakh had also been imposed on the singer. Foreign nationals are required to seek RBI’s permission to buy property in India.

    The court in its order quashing the previous order said, “Admittedly, in the present case, no foreign exchange is involved and concomitantly, there has been no loss of foreign exchange as the entire sale consideration has been paid by way of a loan and income which has not only been generated in India, but the tax which has so accrued on such income has also been paid by the appellant [Sami] herein.”

    Sami, who was granted Indian citizenship in January 2016, said that he was not aware of this rule when he made the purchases but was very happy with the ruling of the court. Expressing his joy, Sami is reported to have said he was very emotional as he got this victory on the day of his wife Roya Faryabi’s birthday and that made it even more special.

    “It has been a big struggle of nine years. I am ecstatic about the fact that being an Indian justice finally prevailed. Whatever I earned with my blood, sweat, and tears, I have finally got them all back,” Sami said.

    As for the fine, Sami will have to pay Rs 40 lakh within 3 months as he had paid Rs 10 lakh earlier.

  • VIDEO: Putin quotes Quran to urge Muslim countries for peace

    VIDEO: Putin quotes Quran to urge Muslim countries for peace

    Russian President Vladimir Putin has called for an end to the conflict in Yemen by quoting from the Holy Quran to urge Muslim countries for peace.

    According to RT, the Russian president was speaking in Turkish capital Ankara alongside President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Iranian President Hassan Rouhani when he quoted a verse from Surah al-Imran.

    “And remember the favour of Allah upon you — when you were enemies and He brought your hearts together and you became, by His favour, brothers,” he quoted.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The Russian president’s references to the Holy Quran were noted with approval by both Erdogan and Rouhani, the report said.

    Tens of thousands of people have been killed in Yemen’s civil war and millions face the threat of starvation.

    The war in Yemen is an ongoing conflict that began in 2015 between two factions: the Abdrabbuh Mansur Hadi-led Yemeni government and the Houthi armed movement, along with their supporters and allies.

  • Naya Pakistan: Police register blasphemy case against 50 rioters for attacking temple

    Naya Pakistan: Police register blasphemy case against 50 rioters for attacking temple

    Police have registered a blasphemy case against 50 rioters for vandalising a Hindu temple following blasphemy allegations against a local teacher in the Ghotki district of Sindh, journalist Mubashir Zaidi has claimed.

    “Police registers balsphemy case against 50 rioters who vandalized Hindu temple in Ghotki,” he tweeted Monday.

    Heavy contingents of police and rangers were deployed in the district Sunday after violent protests over alleged blasphemy by a school principal belonging to the Hindu community. A temple, school and businesses owned by Hindus in the city were ransacked by the rioters.

    The case against the individuals, who attacked the temple, was registered under sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship, with intent to insult the religion of any class),  147 (rioting) and 149 (connivance) of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).

    Dawn quoted Sukkur Additional Inspector General (AIG) Jamil Ahmed as saying that Section 295 was included because the protesters had vandalised a Hindu temple.

    “The Sindh government and its ministers seem serious to bring the culprits to book,” a rights activist from the Hindu community told a private media outlet on the condition of anonymity.

    However, the activist said that the people still felt insecure and wanted an end to injustice on the basis of faith.

    Another case was lodged against 150 people — 27 named and 123 unidentified persons — for blocking roads. A third FIR [First Information Report] pertaining to rioting and theft was filed against 23 people, including 11 unidentified persons, over reports that protesters had stolen goods from multiple shops in Shahi Bazar.

    RIOTS OVER ‘BLASPHEMY’:

    Law and order of Ghotki and surrounding areas deteriorated on Sunday as people in large numbers took to the streets to protest against an alleged incident of blasphemy.

    The protests began on Saturday after an FIR was filed against the principal of Sindh Public School on the complaint of Abdul Aziz Rajput, a student’s father who claimed that the former had committed blasphemy.

    The FIR was lodged under Article 295(c) — that pertains to “derogatory remarks in respect of the Holy Prophet (PBUH)” — of the PPC.

    Residents of the area demanded that the police arrest the principal, issued a call for a shutter-down strike, and took to the streets in protest. Videos of stick-wielding protesters were shared on social media on Sunday, in which they were seen vandalising a Hindu temple and damaging the school where the alleged incident took place.

    The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) also shared a video of protesters breaking the infrastructure of the school and expressed concern over the situation.

    “Alarming reports of accusations of blasphemy in Ghotki and the outbreak of mob violence,” it said in a tweet.

  • KP Govt withdraws compulsory Abaya order for female students

    KP Govt withdraws compulsory Abaya order for female students

    KP
    government ordered school girls to come to school all covered up, making abayas
    compulsory for them to avoid harassment. After severe public backlash, Khyber
    Pakhtunkhwa’s Chief Minister took back the order.

    People were not happy with the authorities implying that it is women who are responsible for sexual harassment they face. Talk about blaming the victim rather than the committer.

    https://twitter.com/ayeshakhalid7/status/1172783267159973888

    After public backlash, the order was withdrawn by KP’s Chief Minister, Shaukat Yousafzai.

    Minister of Human Rights, Shireen Mazari took to twitter to raise the point that on the issue that the victims should not be restricted but the offenders should be punished.

    This isn’t the first time such an announcement came up.
    Previously, Haripur issued a similar order.

    A notice was circulated from the Peshawar District Officer enforcing compulsory Burka for school-girls’ safety.