Author: newsdesk

  • Sri Lanka is not sending elephants to Pakistan

    Sri Lanka’s High Commission in Pakistan has denied reports that the island nation plans to give two elephants to the country.

    Media reports had stated last week that Sri Lanka was gifting two elephants to Pakistan, after the demise of the Karachi Zoo’s Tanzanian elephant Noor Jehan. The pachyderm died after a very public battle with illness exacerbated by neglect from Zoo officials.

    The news was met with backlash from Pakistani social media users, including celebrities like Nadia Jamil, who took to Twitter to condemn the possibility, pointing out that Pakistan had no proper policy about the well-being and care of Zoo animals, which had led to Noor Jehan’s death.

    However, a tweet posted by the Sri Lankan High Commission has put the rumors to rest.

    “Sri Lanka has not taken action or discussed in providing Elephants to the Zoo’s in Karachi or Lahore, neither Government of Pakistan has made any such request. This post indicate the correct position in view of certain articles in media and discussions on going on social media.”

    The post did clarify that there was some truth to the claims, because the Sri Lankan Honorary Counsel in Lahore Yasin Joyia, had discussed the possibility of providing elephants to Pakistan, but he did not hold any authority to execute such decisions.

  • CJ Bandial admits Supreme Court can’t force govt into negotiations on election delay

    Chief Justice of Pakistan, Umar Ata Bandial has admitted on Thursday that the Supreme Court cannot force the government to hold negotiations with Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) on the matter of delay in polls in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Punjab.

    The three member bench, comprising of Justices Bandial, Ijazul Ahsan and Munib Akhtar, barely heard the case for an hour, calling for a sudden adjournment with the Chief Justice stating that a detailed order will be issued later.

    During last week’s hearing, the apex court had told political parties to hold dialogue on April 26 and report to the court. The coalition-led federal government, however, has held no dialogue and refused to accept the April 4 verdict, calling into question the legality of the bench.

  • Pakistan asks WHO to provide monkeypox vaccine

    Pakistan asks WHO to provide monkeypox vaccine

    According to The News, officials in the National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination (NHS,R&C) have said that Pakistan plans to ask the World Health Organization (WHO) for vaccines to prevent monkeypox (mpox).

    “During a National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) meeting held on Wednesday to discuss the monkeypox situation in the country, it was decided that WHO would be requested a sizeable quantity of vaccine to immunise healthcare providers and infectious diseases experts who would be on the frontline to deal with the confirmed and suspected cases of the infectious disease”, an official of the NHS, R&C said.

    The Ministry of National Health Services Regulations and Coordination on Tuesday confirmed the first case of monkeypox in the country.

    Monkeypox is a viral disease brought on by the monkeypox virus, a germ from the orthopox virus genus.

    Humans can contract the monkey pox virus through coming into personal contact with an infected person, contaminated objects or infected animals.

  • Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania, Shoaib Malik’s son spotted with Salman Khan

    Sania Mirza’s sister Anam shared a reel of her trip to Dubai on her Instagram account, where Sania and Shoaib Malik’s son, Izhaan, was spotted posing for a picture with Bollywood superstar Salman Khan.

    His brief appearance in the video caught the attention of many fans, including Indian film director Farah Khan, who applauded Anam on her weight loss.

    According to India Today, Khan was currently in Dubai for the promotion of his upcoming film ‘Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan’. The actor has returned to Mumbai with high security after local police received an anonymous call on April 10, threatening to murder Khan at the end of the month.

  • National Assembly Speaker writes to Supreme Court, asks it to not interfere in political matters

    Speaker of the National Assembly, Raja Pervez Ashraf, has told Supreme Court (SC) in a letter to avoid getting involved in political matters.

    The SC must, as far as possible, avoid getting involved in [the] political thicket. It is best to leave resolution of political matters by the parliament and the political parties,” he wrote.

    Noting the SC’s decision to release Rs21 billion for elections in Punjab and KP, the Speaker said that the “three-member bench’s orders have completely disregarded the constitutional process and the prerogative of the National Assembly with respect to financial matters.”

    He added that the bench seemed to be in a hurry to give unusual directions to the federal government to authorise the expenditure of Rs21 billion.

    Raja Pervez Ashraf further said that the power of the purse belonged solely to the lower house of parliament, adding that the assembly would defend its right.

    At the outset of the letter, the speaker said he was writing to convey the “profound concern and unease” of the country’s elected representatives regarding recent decisions by the top court as well as comments passed by judges.

    Ashraf said the assembly would approve the expenditure for general elections to all assemblies in the annual budget for the next fiscal year.

    The decision to write a letter came about during a National Assembly session held on Wednesday when many federal ministers opposed the SC verdict about elections.

    It is pertinent to mention that before this development, the federal cabinet also disapproved the verdict of the top court of giving money to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) so that election can take place in May.

    The SC will resume hearing on election matter today.

  • ‘I learned not to be hard on my body’: Alia Bhatt on post-baby fitness

    Bollywood actor Alia Bhatt made it to the cover of Vogue India’s May-June 2023 issue. In the accompanying interiew, the star opened up about rumors surrounding her dramatic weight loss, and addressed pressure to snap back in to shape after giving birth.

    The ‘Brahamastra’ actor announced the birth of her and Ranbhir Kapoor’s daughter, Raha, in 2022. Bhatt talked to Vogue about the pressures society places over mothers to revert back to their old bodies after giving birth:

    “I wasn’t hard on myself because I was so proud of what my body had done when I delivered Raha. I know everyone believes that I lost weight unnaturally but the truth is that I can’t even get my wisdom tooth extracted at the moment since I’m breastfeeding and can’t be given anaesthesia. Many folks are under the impression that individuals who work in the visual medium do unnatural things to their bodies to get back in shape post-delivery. That’s why I felt like it was important to document parts of my fitness journey on Instagram. I didn’t put any pressure on myself. The doctors advised me to only push harder in my workouts post 12 weeks, and I did that.”

    In December 2022, the ‘Darlings’ actress shared a picture of herself performing yoga, urging mothers to keep listening to their bodies and to never be hard on themselves after what their bodies had gone through:

    To my fellow mamas, listening to your body post delivery is key. Do NOT do anything your gut tells you not to. For the first week or two during my workouts, all I did was breathe… walk… find my stability and balance again (& I still have a long way to go). Take your time – appreciate what your body has done. After what my body did this year I have taken a vow to never be hard on myself again. Childbirth is a miracle in every way, and giving your body that love and support that it gave you is the least we can do.”

    Describing herself as a healthy person to Vogue, Bhatt said that she worked out six days a week, but during post-partum recovery, she refused to check her weight to avoid getting pressurized by unrealistic expectations.

    “I avoided checking my weight every day like many people do when they work out religiously. I would step on the scale maybe once in two weeks. You need to be consistent and let change happen at its own pace. My mother-in-law even made me those gond ke laddus which I ate for six weeks. People need to understand that putting on weight during pregnancy is not a result of eating too much; it’s because you’re making life inside you and that life needs that extra weight. It has to be in sync with your BMI, of course, and you should consult a professional if you have questions but you’re supposed to put on a certain amount of weight. It’s completely okay!”

    Along with taking care of her own mental health and well being, Bhatt revealed that she ensured her newborn’s mental well-being was her biggest priority, a process that included diswoing the stereotype that a crying baby is an unhappy baby:

    “As a new mom, you don’t want your baby to even frown; you just want them to be happy all the time. But I’m very clear about not having anyone tell Raha that she shouldn’t cry. Nobody should pacify her by saying, ‘Don’t cry, you’re a good girl’. I get very upset about that. Just because she’s crying, doesn’t mean she’s a bad child. Her tears help me understand whether something is wrong. Crying is good. Crying is communication. And sadly, that goes away with time because the minute you start talking, crying becomes something to be embarrassed by. Even as adults, crying is your body’s way of saying that something is up and you need to deal with it.”

  • Video: Racist Italian students mock Asian family and Pakistani girl

    A TikTok video showing three Italian girls mocking and laughing at an Asian American family including a Pakistani girl, on a train ride from Lake Como to Milan, has gone viral on TikTok.

    The incident was captured by Mahnoor Euceph, a Pakistani film director, who was traveling with her half-Chinese boyfriend and his Chinese mother and white father.

    The video has been viewed over 17.4 million times. In the footage, the three Italian women can be seen repeatedly laughing and attempting to imitate the Chinese language while looking at Euceph and her companions.

    “They were the most calm during the video but you can still hear them saying ni hao and get a vibe of their general attitude,” read the caption of the video . “Never in my life have I experienced such blatant racism.”

    Mehreen wrote that many of her Asian friends had shared their stories of experiencing racism in Italy and Europe with her.
    Social media users identified the three students and the universities they study at. Two of those universities are carrying out an investigation.

  • Pakistan fails to meet Hajj quota due to rising inflation and dollar shortage

    Pakistan fails to meet Hajj quota due to rising inflation and dollar shortage

    On Wednesday, sources within the Ministry of Religious Affairs reported that the government has decided to return Pakistan’s quota of Hajj pilgrimage to Saudi Arabia due to a shortfall of applications caused by rising inflation.

    This year marked the first time a quota for Hajj pilgrimage was available in the country, but the shortage of dollars and rising inflation prevented Pakistanis from applying for Hajj.

    The final decision to return the Hajj quota will be made by the federal cabinet. The authorities considered giving the official Hajj quota to private operators after a few applications turned out for the government scheme. However, this option would lead to private operators collecting dollars from the open market, causing unnecessary demand for foreign currency.

    Pakistan had been demanding an increase in the Hajj quota, allowing 179,210 pilgrims to 202,000 or 201,000 pilgrims. This year, the country received its complete quota of 179,000 pilgrims after many years but couldn’t utilize it entirely. It’s worth noting that the cost of government-sponsored Hajj is around Rs1.2 million.

    Due to an acute shortage of the greenback amid the collapsing economy, the Ministry of Religious Affairs and Interfaith Harmony decided to allocate a 50% special quota in the Government Hajj Scheme-2023 for pilgrims who will pay in US dollars. However, a quota of 89,605 Hajj pilgrims was set under the government scheme, falling short of 9,000 applicants.

    The government received 72,869 applicants under the regular scheme and only 8,000 under the sponsorship scheme. Moreover, 28,679 additional applications were received under the official regular scheme against the quota of 44,190. Additional applicants are being sent for Hajj pilgrimage without a lucky draw.

    The sources indicated that a total of $235 million is required for the government scheme, some of which will be provided by the sponsorship scheme and the rest by the government.

  • More than 30 Pakistanis living in Sudan safely reach Jeddah

    More than 30 Pakistanis living in Sudan safely reach Jeddah

    Amid the intensifying conflict in Sudan, the Pakistani Ministry of Foreign Affairs has said that a ship carrying 37 citizens has arrived in Jeddah from Port Sudan.

    On Tuesday, Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari confirmed that the Pakistani diplomatic mission in Sudan had evacuated 700 countrymen to safety, and the status of the remaining nearly 1,500 Pakistanis currently in the African country was being closely monitored.

    Sudan has a long history of civil wars. However, the latest escalation in fighting came on April 15, which has turned residential areas into battlefields.

    Air strikes and artillery have killed at least 512 people and wounded nearly 4,200.

    The violence between the military and the well-armed Rapid Support Forces (RSF) paramilitary group has triggered a humanitarian crisis.

    Tensions began when members of the RSF were redeployed around the country in a move that the army saw as a threat.

  • We asked ChatGPT to write a story about crime in Karachi

    We asked ChatGPT to write a story about crime in Karachi

    ChatGPT is all the rage across the world, changing the landscape in more ways than one. Quickly and with ease, it has redefined everything- from writing essays, CVs, acing college exams and even penning novels!

    If ChatGPT is good at writing fiction, then can it paint a fair picture of Karachi’s street crime and give us a good short story about it? We decided to take the challenge and pitched the idea to ChatGPT and here are the results:

    “The sun had set yet the humidity in Karachi hadn’t reduced one bit. The bustling streets continued to be a buzz of traffic, street vendors, and people going about their business. However, with the rise of darkness, a sense of fear crept in the city. Crime was all too familiar, and the residents of Karachi knew to be cautious when stepping out after dark.

    One such resident of Karachi was Ali. He was an honest man, who had built a life of his own after years of struggle. From selling snacks on the streets to owning a small clothing store in one of the famous markets of Karachi, Ali had come a long way. However, his success story had come with a price. The local mafia bosses would continuously extort him, and although Ali always tried to avoid any trouble, he knew it was only a matter of time before things would go out of hand.

    One evening, as Ali was closing down his shop, he was approached by two men who stood lurking near his stall. They looked as if they were from the mafia and had an unmistakable air of danger around them. Ali knew better than to get into trouble with them and tried to avoid any conversation. However, it was too late. Before he knew it, the men had grabbed him by his collar and pulled him towards them.

    “We need the money, Ali; you’d better be quick in delivering it. We don’t want to get our hands dirty,” one of the men sneered.

    “I don’t have any money, I swear,” Ali tried to explain, hoping the men would let him go.

    “Stop lying, Ali. You think we don’t know how well your business is doing in recent times. We want our share of it, and you better do it quick,” the other man shouted.

    Ali realized he was in a sticky situation, and there was no way out. The mafia bosses wouldn’t leave him alone, but continuing to pay them would only put him and his family at risk. He needed a plan to protect himself and his loved ones.

    Despite the intimidation that he was facing, Ali remained calm and thought things through. He knew there was only one way out – to report everything to the police. But that, he knew, was easier said than done. The police had their fair share of corrupt officers, and with the mafia’s influence, it would be difficult to get any help. But Ali had no other choice. He had worked hard to build his life, and he wasn’t going to let anyone ruin it for him.

    The next day, Ali gathered all his courage and walked into the nearest police station. He narrated everything that had happened to him over the years to the police. Initially, the police officers seemed skeptical, but as Ali presented all the necessary evidence he had collected, they began to take him seriously.

    After a few weeks of investigations, the police finally made their move. Undercover officers managed to gather evidence against the mafia bosses, and with the help of Ali’s testimony, they were able to make arrests. The mafia bosses were tried in court and sentenced to jail time.

    In a single stroke, Ali had managed to rid himself of the mafia’s world and restore his business back to being his own. He felt a sense of pride for having stood up to the people who had been victimizing him for years. For the first time in a while, he felt like he had control over his life and could continue to run his business without any interference.

    As Karachi busied itself through its daily grind, Ali went on with his life, passing through the same bustling streets each day, yet with a newfound sense of confidence. The thing with crime in Karachi was that it never quite left you alone. But with the realization that he could stand up for himself, Ali knew that he had taken the first step towards taking control of his life.”