Author: newsdesk

  • Fungus found: UAE bans fresh meat imports from Pakistan

    Fungus found: UAE bans fresh meat imports from Pakistan

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has imposed a ban on the importation of fresh meat from Pakistan.

    This decision stems from the discovery of fungal contamination in frozen meat shipments from Pakistan via the sea route.

    As reported by ARY News, the presence of fungus on meat imported by a Karachi-based company prompted the UAE to enact this ban, which will be in effect until October 10.

    It’s worth noting that Pakistan typically exports fresh meat valued at $12 million monthly to the UAE through maritime channels.

    Pakistan primarily directs a significant portion of its meat exports towards the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

  • Power outage alert: Residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to experience disruption today 

    Power outage alert: Residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad to experience disruption today 

    Residents of Rawalpindi and Islamabad are slated to experience a power outage today. The Islamabad Electric Supply Company (IESCO) has announced a scheduled power suspension programme for various areas within its jurisdiction. This planned interruption is imperative to facilitate necessary maintenance and routine development work. 

    According to an IESCO spokesperson, the power supply to different feeders and grid stations will be temporarily suspended during specific time windows. From 08:00 AM to 01:00 PM, the affected areas include Islamabad Circle, Anguri, NCP, Mengyal, Shahdara, Shahpur, Khayaban Iqbal, Pir Suhawah, Quaid-e-Azam University, Punjab House, Bari Imam, Mandala, Athal, NIH, and Suhadran Road Feeders. 

    Additionally, from 07:00 AM to 12:00 Noon, the power supply will be interrupted in the following areas: Islamabad Circle, SES, Fazal Ghi, NDC-1, H-11/4, I-10/2, New Exchange, Kidney Centre, Dr AQ Khan, Islamic University, Bahria University, G-10/1, 2 & 4, G-9/1, CWO, Dhok Najo, Raja Sultan, Eid Gah, Khasala, I-8/4, Service Road, Muslim Town, and FHS Feeders. 

    This scheduled power outage will also affect areas within Rawalpindi Cantt Circle, including FECHS, Swan Garden-I, IST, New Rawat, Old Rawat, CWO, AOWHS, and Sparco Feeders. Furthermore, areas covered by Rawalpindi City Circle, Pindhon, I-14/3, Noon, I-16/1, HPT Radio Pak, Lakho Road, Ameer Hamza, Officer Colony, New Milpur, Jinnah Camp, KRL, Zeeshan Colony, and Lakho Feeders will experience power interruptions. 

    According to APP, residents in Attock Circle, specifically Ghorghashti, Bara Zee, Maskinabad, Shah Dir, Radio Pak-I & II, Larnpur, Qaziabad, GBHP Colony, HMC Road, Taxila, Sher Shah Suri, Islampura Feeder, Chakwal Circle, Chakra Feeders, Jhelum Circle, and F-3 Gul Afshan, Sanghui, Chotala, Kantrela, Pakhwal feeders, and their surrounding areas will also be affected by this planned power suspension. 

  • K-Dramas we’re excited to watch this October

    K-Dramas we’re excited to watch this October

    October is shaping up to be an exciting month for K-drama fans with projects featuring big names like Cha Eun-Woo, Bae Suzy and Kim Ro-Woon. Scroll through this list to check out what your favorite star’s next show is all about.

    1. A Good Day to be a Dog

    If you loved Cha Eun-Woo in ‘True Beauty’ and ‘Rookie Historian’, you will be happy to watch him back in another romantic comedy. Starring Park Gyu-Young, the serial revolves around a woman who is cursed to turn into a dog every midnight, and she must find the man who can help her break this spell, but it turns out that he is also deeply terrified of dogs. The series is set to stream on Netflix from October 11.

    1. The Wedding Battle

    K-Drama fans who can’t get enough of Kim Ro-Woon in ‘Destined With You’ are in for a treat with his upcoming rom-com. In this historical drama, the heart throb plays a widow, who teams up with a rival matchmaker to marry off four young maidens. But circumstances change when the two matchmakers realise they’re falling for each other. The series is set to premier from October 30.

    1. Doona!

    ‘Alchemy of Souls’ actress Bae Suzy is set to come back after a year with ‘Doona!’ where she plays a singer in a band, who shocks audiences by announcing her retirement, and begins living in a shared home with a college student. The nine-episode series will release on Netflix on October 20.

    1. Doctor Slump

    Starring Park Hyung Sik (Strong Girl Bong-Soon) and Park Shin-Hye (The Inheritors), the drama is a slice of life focusing on four doctors who are burned out from their profession. The two meet at the time they’re at the lowest point of their lives and are trying to rediscover themselves after quitting their jobs.

  • ‘Last opportunity’ for police to recover Imran Riaz Khan: Lahore High Court

    ‘Last opportunity’ for police to recover Imran Riaz Khan: Lahore High Court

    The Lahore High Court (LHC) has said on Wednesday that it’s the “last opportunity” for Punjab Police to recover missing journalist and YouTuber Imran Riaz Khan by September 26, adjourning the hearing till then.

    Imran Riaz was arrested after May 9 riots. He was taken to the Cantt police station and then transferred to Sialkot prison.

    After that, the law officer told the court that Imran Riaz had been released from jail after taking a written undertaking on May 15.

    On May 16, the father of the anchorperson, Muhammad Riaz, filed a first information report (FIR) with the Sialkot Civil Lines police, alleging that Imran had been kidnapped.

    The FIR was registered against “unidentified persons” and police officials for allegedly kidnapping Imran, invoking Section 365 (kidnapping or abducting with intent secretly and wrongfully to confine a person) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    Imran Riaz’s father also filed a petition in the LHC for his recovery.

  • PKR gains for 11th straight session, reaches Rs293.88 per dollar

    PKR gains for 11th straight session, reaches Rs293.88 per dollar

    The Pakistani rupee continued its upward trend against the US dollar, marking the 11th consecutive session of appreciation in the interbank market on Wednesday.

    According to the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), the rupee closed at 293.88, reflecting a 0.35 per cent increase. This follows a 0.36 per cent appreciation on Tuesday, when it settled at 294.90.

    Recent days have seen a remarkable strengthening of the rupee, with a nearly 4.5 per cent gain since hitting a record low of 307.1 in the inter-bank market on September 5. 

    This turnaround is attributed to structural reforms introduced by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in the Exchange Companies’ (ECs) sector and reported efforts to combat smuggling, both of which have provided support to the currency markets.

    Globally, the US dollar remained steady on Wednesday, with a slight softening against the yen, in anticipation of the Federal Reserve’s highly anticipated rate decision later in the day. 

    The US dollar index, which gauges the greenback against a basket of currencies, held steady at 105.13 as traders awaited the Fed’s announcement. Market expectations are that the Fed will likely maintain interest rates in the range of 5.25 per cent to 5.50 per cent, putting the spotlight on the central bank’s forward guidance.

    Meanwhile, oil prices, a significant indicator of currency stability, declined by nearly $1 on Wednesday, ahead of the US Federal Reserve’s interest rate decision. Investors remain uncertain about when peak interest rates will be reached and the potential impact on energy demand. 

    These price drops occurred despite larger-than-expected reductions in US oil stockpiles and weaker US shale output, both of which point to limited crude supply for the remainder of 2023.

  • Passenger arrested for carrying Ihram towels soaked in heroin on flight

    Passenger arrested for carrying Ihram towels soaked in heroin on flight

    The Airport Security Force (ASF) has recovered Rs. 70 million worth of heroin in a raid from a passenger flying to Istanbul from Islamabad International Airport.

    The suspect, Imran, was travelling for Umrah when 5 kg and 448g of drugs were found on his person. He had soaked three Ihram towels with a solution of heroin.

  • ANP leader Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi found dead in Kuchlak area

    ANP leader Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi found dead in Kuchlak area

    Arbab Ghulam Muhammad Kasi, a senior leader of the Awami National Party (ANP), was found dead on Tuesday in the Kuchlak area of Balochistan.

    The SHO of the new Kuchlak police station has said that the body of the senior leader was found in the village of Sheikh Jamal Atuzai in the Kuchlak area. Official authorities have taken custody of the body.

    According to the initial report, a gunshot wound on the right temple is visible, while a bullet casing was also found at the crime scene.

    Police and other official authorities are still investigating whether the incident was murder or suicide.

    The body of the ANP leader has been transferred to Quetta Civil Hospital for a post-mortem.

  • Significant decline in mobile phone imports in two months

    Significant decline in mobile phone imports in two months

    In the current financial year, the volume of imports of mobile phones was 89.93 million dollars

    In the first two months of the current financial year, a significant decline has been recorded in the imports of mobile phones.

    According to data from the State Bank of Pakistan, the volume of imports of mobile phones in July and August was 8.314 million dollars. In the same period last year, the volume of imports of mobile phones was recorded at 59.31 million dollars.

    The statistics also revealed that during the last month in August, foreign exchange was spent on the import of mobile phones worth 4.979 million dollars, which was 3.33 million dollars in June and 43.66 million dollars in August last year.

    The volume of imports of mobile phones recorded in the current fiscal year was 89.93 million.

  • India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    India’s terrorism in Canada is not surprising for Pakistan, says foreign secretary

    Syrus Qazi, foreign secretary, has said that it’s not surprising for Pakistan that the Indian government has been involved in the killing of Sikh leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar in British Columbia, Canada, in June this year.

    The statement of the foreign secretary came during a media briefing at the Pakistan mission in the UN on Wednesday, as Syrus Qazi is on a five-day visit with caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar to the US to attend the 78th UNGA session.

    “India’s terrorism in Canada is not a matter of surprise for Pakistan,” the top diplomat remarked.

    The foreign secretary said that the Canadian PM’s allegations are not unusual for Pakistan, as Pakistan had arrested serving Indian spy Kulbhushan Yadav from Balochistan in March 2016.

    The Indian spy was later sentenced to death as he was the mastermind of multiple terror attacks all over the country.

    On Monday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau revealed in an assembly session that the Indian government played a role in the killing of Sikh Leader Hardeep Singh Nijjar.

    “Over the past number of weeks, Canadian security agencies have been actively pursuing credible allegations of a potential link between agents of the government of India and the killing of a Canadian citizen, Hardeep Singh Nijjar,” Trudeau said, addressing the House of Commons about an “extremely serious matter,” after informing the opposition party leaders.

  • ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    ‘Constellation’ of injuries found on Sara Sharif

    Sara Sharif’s father, stepmother and uncle appeared at the Old Bailey, Central Criminal Court of England on Tuesday. As per orders, they will face a murder trial next autumn.

    The father, Urfan Sharif; Sara’s stepmother, Beinash Batool, and Sara’s uncle, Faisal Malik, appeared in court via video link.

    The trio have been charged with “causing or allowing” Sara’s death.

    According to details provided in court, Sara had a “constellation” of healed and healing injuries including a broken collarbone, multiple rib fractures and a brain haemorrhage.

    Prosecutor Giles Bedloe stated that they are to continue to probe into how Sara died.

    Sharif, Batool, and Malik only spoke to confirm their names and dates of birth: 41, 29, and 28, respectively.

    They will now appear on December 1 for a plea hearing, and will stand trial in September 2024.