The catchphrase, “just looking like a wow” trending nowadays is actually a very interesting sales pitch by Jasmeen Kaur, the owner of “Design Machine Suits” in Delhi with a total of 649K followers on Instagram. In her jubilant and enthusiastic style, she presents her really colourful, traditional dresses in live sessions and reels.
Jasmeen runs a small business in Delhi. She jumped on the bandwagon of live streaming and using social media for growing sales. In one of those live streams, she was seen wearing a flamboyant yellow dress, pitching it to be the best ever choice for girls to wear by saying, “…so beautiful, so elegant, just looking like a wow” as she goes on to explain the sizes and colours available. The phrase was picked up by celebrities around the world and has become a pop-culture reference for netizens since then.
Ms Kaur has since then become a social media personality, giving interviews and boosting her business to the fullest. She sees this stroke of luck as an outcome of her long struggle of 23 years.
On Instagram, the audio clip has been recreated 477K times reaching millions of views especially created by celebrities. From Deepika to Ranveer, celebrities are using the phrase. The numbers are no less on TikTok. Thousands of videos have been created solely because it feels good and relatable. Yashraj Mukhate famous for his own musical stints, also posted his version of looking like a wow which has been liked by more than half a million until now.
Videos are trending on social media with the audio of, “so toxic, so negative, just looking like a jao,” amassing thousands of views on Instagram and TikTok but nothing beats the simplicity with which Jasmeen carries herself. There is innovation in her style as she comes up with unique colours’ names like laddu peela, mouse grey and bengani purple.
Authorities in Balochistan have declared a health emergency in the province amidst an outbreak of the deadly Congo fever. An outbreak of the viral disease has claimed the life of one doctor while 44 cases have been reported.
The decision was made by Chief Minister Ali Mardan Domki in Quetta to prevent the further spread of the disease. Local administration has been asked to stay alert, a ban has been imposed on private slaughterhouses in Quetta under section 144 and a directive has been issued to the livestock department to immediately spray disinfectants in cattle markets.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Congo fever is caused by a tick-borne virus called “Nairovirus”, transmitted via tick bites or through infected animals’ blood. It causes Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF), a severe viral haemorrhagic fever with a fatality rate of 10 to 40 percent.
Dr Shukrullah Langove, who got infected with the virus, died on Sunday while he was being moved to Karachi by road. It was claimed by the Young Doctor’s Association that his life could have been saved, had swift action been taken. About 11 more healthcare providers including doctors, nurses, and paramedics, have also tested positive. The caretaker setup has declared the deceased doctor a martyr and announced benefits for his family. As for the other patients, it has been decided that they will be shifted to Karachi via air ambulance.
In an effort to facilitate tourism and strengthen cultural ties, the government of Azerbaijan has launched a user-friendly online service for the issuance of e-visit visas to citizens from various countries, including Pakistan.
This exciting development launches in November 2023, providing Pakistani tourists a hassle-free entry into Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan visit visa fee November 2023:
• Standard Category: For a single-entry 30-day electronic visit visa, Pakistani tourists can avail of the standard category at a fee of $69. The processing time for visa applications in this category ranges from 3 to 5 days
• Urgent Category: In the urgent category, the visit visa for Pakistan nationals costs $119. This option offers a swift consideration period, with visa applications processed within three to five hours
On the other hand, Bahrain’s Ministry of Interior, Nationality, Passport, and Residence Affairs (NPRA) has unveiled an efficient and convenient online visa application system for Pakistani nationals, offering three distinct types of visit visas.
This new initiative aims to enhance travel experiences for visitors from Pakistan, whether they are planning a two-week vacation or a more extended stay in Bahrain.
Visa types and application process:
Pakistani travelers seeking to explore Bahrain’s tourism or business opportunities can now choose from the following visit visa options:
Visit Visa – 2 Weeks Single Entry
Visit Visa – Three Months Multiple Entry
Visit Visa – One-Year Multiple Entry
Application process
Visit the official website and click on the “Apply for Visa” link on the homepage
Fill out the eligibility page and proceed to view the available visa types and their respective conditions
Select the desired visa type and click “Apply now”
Complete the online application form as prompted, following the subsequent steps
Attach the required documents, and if you are applying for multiple visas with the same credit card, use the “Submit another application” button to repeat the process
Make the initial payment for the application fee using a credit card through a secure payment gateway, and keep note of the Application Reference Number(s) provided
NPRA will process your application, and once approved, an email notification and a PIN will be sent to you
Visit the Visa homepage and select “Pay for Application.” Provide the necessary information and enter the PIN to access your applications
Should your application not be approved, you will receive an email containing instructions on contacting the relevant Embassy or NPRA.
Required documents
To complete your visa application, ensure you have the following documents:
• A copy of your passport, including the family page and any additional information pages
• A copy of a confirmed return air ticket
• A copy of your hotel booking in Bahrain. If you plan to stay with a relative or friend, provide a copy of their ID reader’s printout
• A copy of a bank statement under your name, covering the last three months with a balance of not less than the equivalent of USD 1000
Visa fee information
The total fee for applying for a two week long visit visa is nine Bahraini Dinar.
The caretaker Sindh government has declared November 13 a public holiday for the Hindu community, marking the vibrant festival of Diwali.
A notification issued by the provincial government confirmed the holiday, stating, “The Government of Sindh declares 13th November, 2023 (Monday) as Holiday for Hindu Community on the occasion of DIWALI for all Government offices, Autonomous Bodies, Semi-Autonomous Bodies, Corporations and Local Councils under the administrative control of Government of Sindh.”
The Sindh Government has declared November 13, 2023 (Monday) as a holiday for the Hindu community on account of the religious festival #Diwali2023pic.twitter.com/RgaCgenFSN
— Sindh Information Department (@sindhinfodepart) November 6, 2023
This decision by the Sindh government highlights a gesture of inclusivity and respect for the diverse religious festivities observed within the province.
Moreover, provincial authorities had previously announced November 9 as a public holiday in honor of Iqbal Day, as per an official notification disseminated across various government departments.
This measure aims to commemorate the influential legacy of Allama Iqbal, a renowned poet, philosopher, and politician, who played a pivotal role in shaping the ideological foundations of Pakistan.
Peshawar High Court has granted bail in two separate cases involving honor killings.
The first case involved Swat resident, Akhtar Ali, suspected of being involved in the killing of his wife and another man over three months ago.
The bail was granted by Justice Shahid Khan of a single-member bench, who directed the submission of two surety bonds of Rs200,000 each for Ali’s release.
The incident, which took place on July 22, 2023, was initially reported at the Shaheedan Wenai police station in Swat under sections 302 and 311 of the Pakistan Penal Code and Section 15 of the Arms Act.
The complainant in the FIR, station house officer of the police station, Mohammad Zaib Khan, claimed that he along with a police team went to the crime site after learning about the murder of a man and a woman and found out that the deceased were killed by the petitioner, who suspected that the two had an extramarital affair
During the hearing, the bench noted that the case lacked substantial evidence against Ali.
It added that the complainant in the case had neither disclosed the name of the person who informed him about the involvement of the petitioner nor did he produce any other “cogent and reliable information, which could prima facie spoke about the guilt or otherwise of the petitioner.”
Lawyers Saeed Khan, Askar Khan, and Dunya Zeb, representing the petitioner, emphasized the absence of witnesses and evidence connecting Ali to the crime.
They added that the murders took place at nighttime and that there was no evidence to connect the petitioner with the commission of the offense.
Similarly, the court also granted bail to Habib Khan and his three sons – Talim Khan, Owais Khan, and Zarif Khan – from Lower Dir district.
It accepted the joint bail petition of suspects on the condition of furnishing two surety bonds of Rs100,000 each.
They were arrested on suspicion of the honor killing of Habib’s daughter-in-law, Nish Bibi, whose body was found at their residence on Sept 23, 2023.
An FIR was lodged by the mother of the girl, who alleged mistreatment and torture by her husband and in-laws.
The complainant claimed that her daughter was married to Dawood six years ago but she didn’t have kids and she often asked her husband for medical treatment.
She claimed that for the same reason, relations between the couple were strained and that she was mistreated by her husband and in-laws and was also tortured by them.
Legal counsel Shabbir Khan Daulatkhel defended the petitioners, maintaining that the prosecution’s case was founded on rumors, lacking any concrete evidence against the accused.
The initial bail application of the petitioners was rejected on Oct 12, 2023, by an additional sessions judge in the Chakdara area of Lower Dir district.
A petition filed in the Indian High Court on November 2 by Surjit Singh Yadav, the president of the Hindu Sena, claims that the Taj Mahal wasn’t built by Mughal Emperor Shah Jehan.
According to India Today, Yadav asserted that the monument was originally the palace of Raja Man Singh which was refurbished by the Mughals, hence there is no mention of his name in Shah Jehan’s books.
“Further, the book titled Taj Museum mentions that the dead body of Mumtaz Mahal was interred under a temporary domed structure within the land premises of Raja Jai Singh. It is pertinent to mention that there is no account which states that the mansion of Raja Man Singh was demolished to construct Taj Mahal,” the petition explained.
Yadav urged the Archeological Survey of India (ASI), the Central government, the National Archives of India and the Uttar Pradesh Government to correct “historically inaccurate facts” related to the history behind Taj Mahal’s construction. Yadav further said he had done an indepth study of Taj Mahal. He felt it was necessary to fix historical inaccuracies in order to provide accurate information to the public.
On Friday, the Delhi High Court directed the ASI to examine the representation.
In 2022, the Supreme Court of India rejected a plea filed by Yadav where he claimed there were “wrong historical facts” regarding the construction of the Taj Mahal.
“What kind of PIL is this,” the bench responded according to The Wire. “The PILs are not meant for fishing enquiry. We are not here to reopen history. Let history continue. The writ petition is dismissed as withdrawn. The petitioner is granted liberty to make representation to the ASI. We have not expressed any merits on the same.”
A man in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, divorced his wife after she shaped her eyebrows without permission. The matter came to the notice of the police as the woman went to register an FIR against her husband and in-laws.
Gulsaiba and Saleem got married in January 2022. He left for Saudi Arabia on August 30, 2023, for an employment opportunity. Since then, the girl alleged, her in-laws were harassing her for dowry. In a statement given to the police, she told them that her husband is an extremely old-fashioned and orthodox person who has always raised objections over her fashion choices.
During a video call on October 4, Saleem noticed that her eyebrows had been shaped and despite her explanations that she did it because her face looked unruly, he got angry and pronounced three talaqs. As per Gulsaiba, Salim said to her, “You went ahead and shaped your eyebrows despite my objections. From today, I free you from this marriage”. There has been no communication between the two since then.
Gulsaiba stated in her complaint, “I had been married for only a year. My husband, who had previously disrespected me, has now given me triple talaq. I want the police to take appropriate action against him.”
An Israeli minister was suspended from government meetings “until further notice” Sunday, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office said, after suggesting in an interview dropping a nuclear bomb on Gaza.
The comments by Heritage Minister Amichay Eliyahu advocating a fierce military response to Hamas’s October 7 attacks even at the cost of the lives of hostages believed to be held in Gaza also drew rebuke from families of the captives.
Eliyahu, an ultranationalist politician part of Netnayahu’s ruling coalition, told Israel’s Kol Barama radio he was not entirely satisfied with the scale of Israel’s retaliation in the Palestinian territory after Hamas fighters carried out their deadly attacks inside southern Israel.
The attacks killed 1,400 people, mostly civilians, Israeli officials say.
Israel’s military campaign in Gaza since October 7 has killed 9,488 people, most of them women and children, the Hamas-run health ministry says.
When the interviewer asked whether the Israeli minister advocated dropping “some kind of atomic bomb” on the Gaza Strip “to kill everyone”, Eliyahu replied: “That’s one option”.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s office quickly responded in a statement, describing Eliyahu’s remarks as “disconnected from reality” and adding that Israel was trying to spare “non-combatants” in Gaza.
In a follow-up question about the estimated 240 hostages held in Gaza, Eliyahu said that “in war we pay a price.”
“Why are the lives of the hostages… more important than the lives of the soldiers?” he said.
“International law, along with fundamental principles of human morality and common sense, strictly prohibits the use of mass destruction weapons,” it said in a statement, calling for the release of all the hostages.
Following the outcry over his remarks, Eliyahu said in a post on X, formerly Twitter, that his statement about the atomic bomb was “metaphorical”.
He also said that Israel was “committed to doing everything possible to return the hostages safe and sound”.
Israel has never admitted to having a nuclear bomb.
The Hostages and Missing Persons Families Forum, representing relatives of people snatched to Gaza by Hamas militants, slammed Eliyahu’s “reckless and cruel” statement.
As the War on Gaza is entering its fifth week, calls for a ceasefire and an end to genocide can be heard all around the world but the most striking is the response from the Western countries where people are principally supporting Palestine. However, their governments are either responding diplomatically or are siding with Israel.
USA
Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s testimony before the Senate committee was interrupted by protestors calling for “ceasefire now”. Blinken was there to ask for emergency funding for Israel by the administration. The demonstrators kept shouting “Save the children of Gaza, cease-fire now. Where is your pride in America. Stop the brutal massacre.” Their hands were painted red. Protesters also chanted in unison, “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go.” They were arrested and dragged out of the hall.
This isn’t it. Hundreds of protestors have come to protest outside White House and inside the Capitol Hill building while many more are on the roads marching and protesting against Biden’s administration, questioning the aid of $14.5 billion that has been given from taxpayer money.
Our government sends Israel $10 million in American taxpayer dollars per day, but politicians want to pass hate speech laws to stop the American taxpayer from criticizing it.
If my money’s funding it, I should be able to say whatever I want about it.
The UK is seeing a very hostile political environment. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, is under fire for siding with Israel’s destructive tactics. He said, “I understand the calls for a ceasefire, at this stage, I do not believe that is the correct position.” Protestors gathered outside his residence and got their disapproval registered.
More than 60 Labour MPs have called for a ceasefire while one of the Labour MPs Andy McDonald has been suspended because of seeming “deeply offensive” comments at a pro-Palestinian rally. Masses are protesting in huge numbers on the road and criticising the politicians who are opposing the ceasefire.
France
France has banned citizens from pro-Palestine marches but according to the leading newspaper France24, thousands of demonstrators have joined the pro-Palestinian march in Paris, calling for an urgent ceasefire even though the President of the country flew to Israel to show his solidarity with its government. They remain uninhibited by the country’s official allegiance with Israel.
https://youtu.be/18OPeZtWgX0?si=NYF1oRB1qQW36nwx
Germany
Germany sees the pleas of Palestinians as synonymous with the activities of Hamas because it has banned all activities of Hamas from the country. This is the government’s attempt to hamper all the pro-Palestinian marches and protests. Additionally, schools in Berlin have been given permission to ban the traditional Palestinian headdress, the keffiyeh. Palestinian activists however have dubbed this as coming from a place of “historic guilt”.
Italy
Italy’s Georgia Meloni also paid a visit to Israel and stated that the real purpose of the Hamas attack was to create an “Unbridgeable gap between the Israelis and Palestinians, meaning that the target is all of us and we cannot fall into this trap, which would be very stupid.” Contrary to the opinion of the PM, Rome saw a protest of thousands chanting, “From River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”
https://youtu.be/a07wKfUm0gs?si=7a–SbnRUkHKUlPg
Spain
Spain is one major country from Europe which has gained the ire of Israel but has persisted in calling out the atrocities befallen by Israel on the Gaza strip. Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belorra, asked for bringing Netanyahu before the International Criminal Court for all the crimes he has committed.
We ask our partner that, as the Government of Spain, we bring Netanyahu before the International Criminal Court for war crimes. Here is my official statement pic.twitter.com/Wuu8nnKfVp
The Israeli government in response accused them of siding with Hamas. Unfazed, Spain’s premier Pedro Sanchez echoed public opinion by calling for a ceasefire. Thousands of people in different cities of the country also came out in support of Palestine.
Ireland
Ireland is leading the demands as always, having supported the Palestinian state since the 1980s. Irish leadership along with the Spanish heads have raised their concerns on the grander scale of the EU in favour of Palestine. Irish PM (taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has openly called out Israel for subjecting Palestinians to collective punishment. “What I’m seeing unfolding at the moment isn’t just self-defence. It looks, something more approaching revenge,” Varadkar said.
Scotland
Scottish First Minister Hamza Yousuf has repeatedly expressed his support for Palestine. His in-laws were trapped in Gaza leaving him fearful of the situation at the strip.
The major showdown that happened was at the Celtic Park arena in a match between Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid. The crowd of more than 60,000 went against the warnings of the administration and literally showed up as the “Green Brigade” holding flags of Palestine. They wanted to prove themselves to be on the “right side of history.”
The response by the West has been rather calculated and gets tweaked from time to time but the purpose here is to show that the stance of the governments is hardly a testament to public sentiment when it comes to international issues. The overwhelming response of the public manifests that better sense must prevail and that an immediate ceasefire is the need of the hour.
Taking stern action for the prevention of smog in the city, Lahore High Court has ordered that factories that are becoming a source of contaminating the air should be sealed.
Lahore has had hazardous levels of air quality five days in a row. Hearing a petition filed by a citizen, Haroon Farooq, the court reviewed all the steps that have been taken by the local administration and the implementation of previous judgments by the court. Commissioner Lahore division Mohammad Ali Randhawa was present in front of the judge and laid out the efforts made by the administration.
He told the court that strict actions have been taken against smoke emitting vehicles. For the awareness of environment friendly transport, as advised by the court in a previous hearing, campaigns for the promotion of cycling are being run in the government sector. The court advised penalising the owners of the vehicles and including the private sector in the revival of cycling in next five to six months to protect the environment for the future.
Justice Shahid Kareem further adjudicated that factories that are contributing in the worsening of smog should be sealed, only allowed to reopen when the owners submit their word that if they do not comply with the guidelines their factories will be levelled to the ground by the authorities. The next hearing is scheduled for November 7.
