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  • Naya Pakistan: Govt to set up 50,000 shops to sell daily-use items on subsidised rates

    Naya Pakistan: Govt to set up 50,000 shops to sell daily-use items on subsidised rates

    The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government has reportedly decided to provide jobs and daily-use items to people on subsidised rates under which 50,000 new retail shops will be opened.

    Reports quoted sources as saying that Rs25 billion have been allocated for the programme in the first phase, citizens will get loans up to Rs500,000 for opening retail shops and 1,500 such shops will be opened immediately.

    The Utility Stores Corporation (USC) will reportedly supply 60 per cent items to retails shops, while shop owners will get remaining items from the open market. This plan of the government will provide jobs to 50,000 families.

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has also directed to continue the Rs7 billion relief package to Utility Stores till the end of Ramzan. The premier was informed that Utility Stores need up to Rs10 billion funds after which he had directed the ministries concerned to make arrangements for the same.

    Meanwhile, PM Imran has said that his government would announce various measures to reduce the prices of basic food items for the common man.

    He explained that the government departments concerned had also begun doing an in-depth probe into the flour and sugar price hike.

    In a series of tweets, the premier said he was aware of the difficulties being faced by ordinary people, including the salaried class, and had decided to announce a number of measures for giving relief to them come what may.

  • CM Buzdar wants strict action against companies selling substandard fairness creams

    CM Buzdar wants strict action against companies selling substandard fairness creams

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar on Tuesday directed action against productions of low-quality fairness creams.

    The Punjab CM has approved ‘The Punjab Drug and Cosmetics Amendment Act’, according to which the drug regulatory authority will take action against companies making substandard fairness creams.

    During the meeting, CM Buzdar said that previous governments failed to take any action against mafia selling fake cosmetics.

    “There is no place for such kind of ‘mafias’ in PM Imran Khan’s government”, said CM Buzdar, adding that such people are playing with the health of the nation because they contained toxic ingredients.

    Last year in July, the minister for climate change, Zartaj Gul Wazir had initiated a crackdown on fairness creams across the country and ordered strict action against those selling substandard products.

  • Which celebrity friend of outgoing ISPR chief are you?

    Which celebrity friend of outgoing ISPR chief are you?

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  • ‘Defamation’: Shehbaz moves London court against British journalist

    ‘Defamation’: Shehbaz moves London court against British journalist

    PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif has filed a defamation case in the London High Court against UK journalist David Rose and Daily Mail & General Trust (DMGT) – publishers of the Mail Online and Mail on Sunday for carrying “utterly false allegations” against him.

    According to a report in The News, Shehbaz’s lawyers, Alasdair Pepper and Antonia Foster shared the details of the defamation suit in a press conference at their office. The former chief minister of Punjab was also present.

    Pepper revealed that the defamation claim has been filed at the London High Court’s Queen’s Bench Division against the defendants DMGT and David Rose, author of the story. The case will go to a trial before a judge at the Royal Court of Justice in under a year as the minimum time to get a trial date is between nine months to a year.

    The lawyer elaborated they decided to approach the court after failing to get a substantive response from the newspaper in several months, despite repeated requests.

    He said that the article, which alleged that Sharif misappropriated UK taxpayers’ money in the form of DFID aid intended for the victims of the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan, and the author’s “social media campaign” was “gravely defamatory” of Sharif.

    He asserted that DFID denied the allegations and labelled the claims as false proving that their client was not involved. The lawyer added that the article was part of a “politically motivated campaign” against the PML-N leader and that Sharif is renowned for his professional and personal ethics.

    In a statement, a DFID spokesperson had said, “The UK’s financial support to ERRA over this period was for payment by results – which means we only gave money once the agreed work, which was primarily focused on building schools, was completed, and the work audited and verified.”

    Speaking at the press conference, Shehbaz said that he was determined to prove that the allegations against him were false, baseless and politically motivated to malign him, adding that it was clear that Rose was used by the PTI government as they granted him “exclusive access to some of the tempered results of a high-level probe ordered by Khan” including a “confidential investigation report” and unusual access to interview “key witnesses” held on remand in jail.

    The Daily Mail UK report, published on July 14, 2019, claimed that the paper was given exclusive access to some of the results of a high-level probe ordered by the government of Pakistan and it was also able to interview key witnesses held on remand.

    One of the witnesses had claimed that he laundered millions on behalf of Shehbaz’s family from a nondescript office in Birmingham without attracting suspicion from Britain’s financial regulators.

    The paper had also alleged that Shehbaz and his family were embezzling tens of millions of pounds of public money and laundering it in Britain.

    Shehbaz had served a first legal notice to the newspaper on July 26, alleging that David Rose’s report was “politically motivated”.

    Despite this, Rose had on multiple occasions thrown shade at Sharif for taking no action.

  • It’s impossible to imagine life without them: Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa opens up

    It’s impossible to imagine life without them: Kobe Bryant’s widow Vanessa opens up

    Vanessa Bryant made her first public comment on Wednesday since the helicopter crash that killed her husband Kobe Bryant, one of their daughters and seven others, taking to Instagram to thank people for the global outpouring of support since the tragedy.

    She also announced the formation of a fund to help support the other families that were affected by the crash.

    “Thank you for all the prayers. We definitely need them,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “We are completely devastated by the sudden loss of my adoring husband, Kobe — the amazing father of our children; and my beautiful, sweet Gianna — a loving, thoughtful, and wonderful daughter, and amazing sister to Natalia, Bianka, and Capri. We are also devastated for the families who lost their loved ones on Sunday, and we share in their grief intimately.”

    The Bryants would have celebrated their 19th wedding anniversary this April. They had four daughters including Gianna, the 13-year-old who died in the crash.

    “There aren’t enough words to describe our pain right now,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “I take comfort in knowing that Kobe and Gigi both knew that they were so deeply loved. We were so incredibly blessed to have them in our lives. I wish they were here with us forever. They were our beautiful blessings taken from us too soon.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B77K8XWDY7O/

    It was the first statement from the Bryant family since the crash. The Los Angeles Lakers — the team that Bryant spent 20 years with, winning five championships — held a media availability Wednesday as well, the team’s first since learning of Bryant’s death.

    The Lakers were to play against the Los Angeles Clippers on Tuesday, a game the NBA postponed out of respect to Bryant, the other victims and the grieving process. The Lakers will next play on Friday, at home against Portland.

    “I’m not sure what our lives hold beyond today, and it’s impossible to imagine life without them,” Vanessa Bryant wrote. “But we wake up each day, trying to keep pushing because Kobe, and our baby girl, Gigi, are shining on us to light the way. Our love for them is endless — and that’s to say, immeasurable. I just wish I could hug them, kiss them and bless them. Have them here with us, forever.”

    There has been no announcement on funeral or memorial plans yet for Kobe and Gianna Bryant. Vanessa Bryant asked for a continued respect of her family’s privacy as they begin to “navigate this new reality.”

  • ‘JUI-F’s Mufti protecting Mansehra child molester’; family registers FIR

    ‘JUI-F’s Mufti protecting Mansehra child molester’; family registers FIR

    A chilling child abuse case takes a surprising turn as political party, Jamaet-e-Ulema-Islam-Fazal (JUI-F)’s leader Mufti Kifayatullah is accused of harbouring the child molestor and forcing the victim’s family to take back their accusation.

    The case took place in Mansehra in December, when a ten-year-old student was sexually abused by a madrassah teacher. According to the medical report, the child was sexually abused multiple times, the child’s eyes had bloody wounds and he had also been tortured. After the medical report the madrassah was sealed as the alleged molester went into hiding. Police said that raids were being conducted to find the alleged rapist.

    In an update on the case, the family of the victim filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Mufti Kifayatullah and Qari Abdul Maalik for trying to force the family to drop the case and for hiding the alleged abuser, Shamsuddin.

    The family has registered an FIR and is not giving up

    The family says that Mufti Kifayatullah threatened them to settle out of court or face the consequences. He also offered them money to settle the case. The family has refused and is asking for justice.

    READ MORE: Jemima Khan reacts to being called ‘Wiki’s’ cousin

  • Sakoon sirf qabar mein?

    Sakoon sirf qabar mein?

    Dying has now become more expensive in Faisalabad.

    According to a report in Samaa News, digging a grave used to cost anything between Rs 4,000-5,000 but now costs at least Rs 10,000 and in some cases, prices have gone up to Rs 12,000.

    A resident of Faisalabad told the media outlet that while Prime Minister Imran Khan says peace is in the grave, “we can’t even get that because dying too costs so much now”.

    The price of getting a permanent grave (pakki qabar) made now costs something between Rs 25,000 and Rs 30,000.

    Recent rise in prices of essential items has already cost the public a lot; now you can’t even die in peace due to the rising costs of digging graves and getting a permanent grave.

  • Squash legend Jahangir Khan stuns with incredible weight loss transformation

    Squash legend Jahangir Khan stuns with incredible weight loss transformation

    One of the finest squash players of all time, Jahangir Khan has left everyone stunned with his amazing transformation. Khan shared a new picture of himself in which looked fresh and appeared to have lost a great amount of weight.

    https://twitter.com/JK555squash/status/1221080704227971075?s=20

    In case you didn’t know, here’s what the player looked like previously. The squash champion had gained a considerable amount of weight post his retirement from the sport.

    Soon after Khan shared the picture, people began to praise him for his incredible transformation.

    Meanwhile, others attributed his transformation to surgery. However, Khan refuted the claims and said that he “always believed in determination with discipline”. The 56-year-old, who retired in 1993, was known for his never-say-die approach and stamina.

    Khan has had a prolific career. At 17, he became the youngest ever to win the World Open Champion. He won this title a total of six times. The squash legend also won the prestigious British Open a record 10 times. He still holds the record of remaining unbeaten in 555 consecutive matches played over a period of five years and eight months.

    Khan has also been awarded the Pride of Performance and the Hilal-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan for his achievements in squash.

  • VIDEO: PML-N’s Azma Bokhari hits back, tries to find atta at stores; PTI files lawsuit

    VIDEO: PML-N’s Azma Bokhari hits back, tries to find atta at stores; PTI files lawsuit

    The PML-N Azma Bokhari vs. Punjab Food Authority Chairman Umar Tanveer continues as Azma searches stores for the atta promised by PTI. The two had a big argument on a talk show which led to Umar dropping off bags of atta outside Azma’s house. Azma and Umar sparred once more on talk shows after the event, with Azma saying that PTI was trying to harass her and Umar saying that Azma lied and tried to malign PTI by saying atta was not available in stores.

    Umar Tanveer filed a defamation suit against Azma, saying that she had made false allegations against him in a talk show, alleging that he had given and taken bribes for political gains. He has filed a 10 crore law suit against her.

    The legal notice to Azma
    Umar Tanveer is askign for 100 million rupees in damages

    Meanwhile Azma visited stores, asking shopkeepers if they had any atta.

    WATCH THE VIDEO HERE:

    Azma Bokhari at stores asking for atta
  • Policeman forces himself in woman’s house, strips her and makes her dance

    Policeman forces himself in woman’s house, strips her and makes her dance

    In the city of Khanewal, Punjab, a bus hostess refused to accept a police officer’s ‘friendship’ request. The policeman was persistent, sending her indecent messages and asking her to be his friend, she says.

    After she refused, the police officer broke into her home, forcibly stripped her clothes off and made him dance for him. He allegedly took her phone because he was worried that she would reveal the messages he had sent her.

    The police officer is the Station House Officer (SHO) of the local station (which is a high position at the station). He has now been suspended pending an investigation. Khanewal’s District Police Officer, Faisal Shahzad has sad taht a forensic report and an inquiry would take place soon.