Author: newsdesk

  • New record: Naila Kayani scales all five ‘8,000 m’ peaks in Pakistan

    New record: Naila Kayani scales all five ‘8,000 m’ peaks in Pakistan

    Naila Kayani, a female mountaineer from Pakistan, has successfully climbed all five of Pakistan’s ‘8000 m’ peaks. She successfully summited the 12th highest peak in the world, Broad Peak, today [Thursday].

    After successfully climbing the 8,051 meters high Broad Peak today, Kayani has become the first Pakistani woman to achieve this feat.

    Naila Kayani hails from a conservative family in the Gujar Khan area of Rawalpindi, Punjab. She studied Aerospace Engineering in the UK and worked in the field before pursuing her passion for mountaineering.

    In addition to climbing all five ‘8000 m’ peaks in Pakistan, Naila Kayani has also summited Mount Everest, Lhotse, and Annapurna, among other impressive accomplishments.

    She is the first Pakistani woman to summit Nanga Parbat, Lhotse, Annapurna, and Gasherbrum Two, and the second Pakistani woman to climb Everest. Furthermore, she is the first Pakistani woman to summit eight of the 14 peaks that are over 8,000 meters in height.

    Her achievements have not gone unrecognised — she was awarded the Sitara-i-Imtiaz by Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for climbing Mount Everest, and later received an award from President Dr Arif Alvi in December 2021 for her remarkable accomplishments in mountaineering.

  • Amir Khan going to therapy to ‘stop sexting women’ apologises to wife

    Amir Khan going to therapy to ‘stop sexting women’ apologises to wife

    Former world champion boxer, Amir Khan, has publicly apologised to his wife, Faryal Makhdoom, for being involved in a sexting scandal with another woman. Khan expressed remorse for his actions and has vowed to seek therapy to address the ‘mental issues’ that led to his infidelity.

    The scandal came to light two weeks ago when reports surfaced of Amir Khan engaging in explicit conversations with a bridal model, Sumaira, including requests for provocative pictures and attempts to arrange a meeting. Faryal confronted him about the revelations, emphasising the impact his actions have had on their family.

    In response, Amir Khan has taken full responsibility for his wrongdoing and acknowledged the hurt he has caused his wife. He expressed a willingness to attend therapy sessions if it would help rebuild trust and address the underlying issues in their relationship.

    Recognising the importance of mental health support, Khan emphasised that seeking therapy could be beneficial, particularly in addressing the challenges of maintaining a healthy relationship in the public eye.

    “I think nowadays with mental health issues, any help goes a long way. It’s definitely something I would do. Things like that do help, so maybe it’s something to think about,” said Khan.

    During their holidays in Mykonos, Khan and Faryal took time to reflect on their relationship and the consequences of his actions.

  • Sona, sona, dil mera sona: Firdous Apa says she got 200 tolas of gold on her wedding

    Sona, sona, dil mera sona: Firdous Apa says she got 200 tolas of gold on her wedding

    Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Central Information Secretary of the Istehkam-e-Pakistan Party (IPP), revealed that she received 200 tolas of gold on her wedding.

    Firdous Ashiq Awan’s revelation in an interview is going viral on social media, in which she admitted to the host’s question that she had received 200 tola gold at the time of marriage.

    Now the price of 200 tolas of gold is 4 crore, 49 lacs, and 20 thousand rupees in Pakistan.

    Firdous Ashiq Awan also said that these are our traditions. “We also gave gold bracelets to the buffaloes given to my sister at her wedding,” she added.

  • Melting glacier causes Indus to stop flowing, locals and infrastructure at risk

    Melting glacier causes Indus to stop flowing, locals and infrastructure at risk

    The Indus River has stopped flowing due to the melting of a glacier, which has emerged as an eminent threat to the surrounding population in Diamer district of Gilgit-Baltistan.

    There is a fear of damage to the adjacent population due to the hold in water flow of the Indus River, reported Geo News. The rising water level has started touching the Labcher Bridge that could result in damaging the structure.

    Following the water blockage in Indus, the Raikot Mathath drain has also flooded and the drain water has entered the water channel of the Raikot Power House [Raikot is a village situated along the Indus River].

    Flooding in the drain has further caused a power outage in Gonar farm and Goharabad areas. Furthermore, a house and crops were also damaged.

  • Can you take your kids with you to watch Barbie and Oppenheimer?

    Can you take your kids with you to watch Barbie and Oppenheimer?

    Warning: Spoilers

    Happy Barbenheimer Eve!

    The showdown of the decade begins tomorrow: Greta Gerwig’s Barbie versus Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. The anticipation is mounting as fans of both Nolan and Gerwig are placing bets on which film will dominate the box office and acquire cult status for the years to come. Critics are already praising the performances by Margot Robbie and Cillian Murphy by declaring them Oscar-worthy.

    But in the midst of all this excitement, a lot of people have been questioning if both films are age appropriate for family members to attend, and what essential things should they know before watching the films.

    Regarding Barbie, the Motion Picture Association Grant has granted it a “PG-13” rating, citing “suggestive references and brief language”. This remark alludes to the heavy themes the film will be exploring as shown by the trailer how Barbie deals with an existentialist crisis and begins to doubt the way she had known the world.

    Another things parents can look out for is that there will some explicit language used in the film, like People magazine reports that there are some curse words used in the film like “b**” or “crap” and there is a sexually explicit line delivered by Kate Mckinnon when she makes a comment about Ryan Gosling’s character Ken: ” “I’d like to see what smooth blob he’s packing in those shorts.” So if your kids are below the ages of 15, children are not recommended to watch Barbie.

    Coming to Oppenheimer, we would recommend you not to take your children under 18 to watch the film, as it has received an R rating due to nudity, explicit language as well as sex scenes between Florence Pugh and Cillian Murphy.

  • Protests, counter-protests escalate over Quran burning in Sweden and Iraq

    Protests, counter-protests escalate over Quran burning in Sweden and Iraq

    A group of protesters in Iraq set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad after hearing about a planned burning of the Holy Quran in Stockholmon on Thursday.

    The Swedish authorities have approved a demonstration outside the Iraqi embassy in Stockholm, where organisers plan to burn a copy of the Holy Quran and an Iraqi flag.

    Last week, an Iraqi Christian immigrant burned the Holy Quran outside a mosque in Stockholm on the occasion of the Muslim holiday of Eid ul-Azha.

    The incident has caused widespread condemnation in the Islamic world.

    This, along with other recent protests by a far-right activist, has sparked a debate in Sweden about the limits of freedom of speech. Swedish police have now received new requests for demonstrations by individuals who want to burn the Quran, Torah, and Bible. The Islamic world has urged Sweden to enact bans and introduce blasphemy laws.

  • Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    Cop martyred, eight injured in Khyber district blast

    The police said on Thursday that a cop was martyred and eight others, including policemen, were injured in an explosion in the Bara Bazar area of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Khyber district.

    According to the initial police report, the explosion was suspected to be a suicide attack.

    The latest attack occurred at the tehsil compound, where police were checking people entering it. Other than that, there is a Bara Police Station, government offices, and a cell of the counter-terrorism department in the tehsil compound.

    The police said that the injured have been shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital, Dogra Khyber Agency. There is still no information about the nature of the blast.

    The KP police also suffered an attack last night in which two cops were martyred and two others injured.

  • Here’s the list of illegal loan apps banned in Pakistan

    Here’s the list of illegal loan apps banned in Pakistan

    The Ministry of IT and Telecom of the government responded to numerous reports and took decisive action against illegal loan apps, resulting in the banning of over 40 such applications. The severity of the issue prompted the ministry to intervene and curb the proliferation of these apps.

    In a statement released on Monday, Federal Minister Aminul Haque directed the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA), led by Chairman Major General Hafeez-ur Rehman, to promptly address the situation. As a result, 43 applications were immediately blocked in accordance with the ministry’s instructions.

    Additionally, the PTA is collaborating with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SECP) to seek consultation and support in tackling this concerning matter.

    Here’s the list of loan apps recently banned:

    • Superb Loans
    • Fair Loans
    • Plati Loans
    • UrCash
    • MyCash
    • Debit Campsite
    • Loan Credit Cash
    • Easy Mobile Loans
    • Fori Qarz Online Personal Loan
    • Easy Loans Credit Fast Pay
    • Little Cash- Mobile Loans
    • FinMore- Online Credit Loans
    • ZetaLoan- Easy Credit Wallet
    • Qarza Pocket -Personal Funds
    • Asaan Qarza- credit loans
    • Fast Loan
    • Harsha Tube – Quick Money
    • Loanclub
    • Tazza Centre – Get Money Soon
    • Aasan Lab – Easy Apply Money
    • CashCredit-Online Loan money bee
    • Galaxy Loan
    • TiCash
    • CashPro-Immediate Approval
    • Rose Cash – Loan Cash
    • HamdardLoan
    • Bee Cash
    • Yocash
    • Sallam Loan – Online Loan App
    • Whale
    • Zenn Park -Easy Instant Help
    • Get Welfare
    • LendHome
    • QuickCash
    • Mrloan
    • 567 Speed Loan
    • Rico Box – Easy Apply Online
    • Fori Instant Loans
    • 99 Fast Cash Loan
    • Apple Qist Qarz
    • BG Loan
    • Swift Loans
  • Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    Not being asked about election-related decisions: MQM complains to Shehbaz

    A delegation of the Muttahida Qaumi Movement (MQM) met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday and complained that the MQM was not being taken on board on important national issues.

    PM Shehbaz met an MQM delegation to discuss the process for the formation of a caretaker setup in the country, reported The News.

    MQM Convener Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui was heading the delegation, while Federal Minister for Information Technology Aminul Haq, Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori, Dr Farooq Sattar, and Mustafa Kamal were other members of MQM in the delegation. Railways Minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and Minister for Economic Affairs Sardar Ayaz Sadiq were also present in the meeting.

    In the meeting with the PM, the MQM delegation complained that the two major coalition partners planned the dissolution of assemblies. MQM was an important ally in the ruling coalition, but it was not being consulted on crucial issues.

    According to sources, MQM said that the next general elections should be held on the basis of the new census and not the 2017 census results. The delegation also demanded notification of the census results.

    The MQM leaders proposed the name of a former commissioner Karachi, Shoaib Siddiqui, as the Sindh caretaker chief minister. However, the decision will be taken after consultation between the leader of the House and the leader of the Opposition in the Sindh Assembly.

  • Two women allegedly gang-raped, paraded naked in India

    Two women allegedly gang-raped, paraded naked in India

    In a shocking sequence of events, a viral video from May 4 shows two women from Kangpoki district, Manipur, being paraded on the streets naked after being gang-raped in a field. According to the statement posted by the Indigenous Tribal Leaders’ Forum (ITLF):

    “…The despicable scene, which happened on May 4 in Kangpokpi district, shows the men constantly molesting the helpless women, who cry and plead with their captors.”

    “The horrifying ordeal suffered by these innocent women is amplified by the perpetrators’ decision to share the video, which shows the identity of the victims, on social media,” ITLF further wrote, appealing to the National Commission For Women and the National Comission for Scheduled Tribes to intervene and arrest the aggressors.

    According to The Wire, the incident happened after tribal clashes between the Meitei and Kuki community in Manipur on May 3. The violence began when tribal groups held a solidarity march against the demand to grant Scheduled Tribe status to the Meitei community. A mob burned down houses and accosted five people who were trying to flee the violence. Two men in the group were murdered, and the other women were forced to strip.

    The Union Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani had condemned the incident on her Twitter account yesterday and revealed that she had spoken with Chief Minister N Biren Singh to order the police and investigate this crime to take speedy action against the perpetuators.

    According to Outlook, the Indian government has issued an order to social media websites like Twitter to take down the video