Category: Uncategorized

  • US man gets COVID-19 twice with a severe second infection

    US man gets COVID-19 twice with a severe second infection

    A man from the US state of Nevada has caught COVID-19 twice with the second hit more serious.

    According to the details, the 25-year-old, had no known health conditions or immune problems that would have made him particularly vulnerable.

    Doctors said the man needed hospital treatment after his lungs weakened during the second infection, which was much worse than the first.

    According to the study in The Lancet Infectious Diseases journal, the man experienced initial symptoms – a sore throat, cough, headache, nausea and diarrhoea on 25 March.

    He tested positive for the first time on 18 April and his symptoms were resolved by 27 April.

    On 9 and 26 May he tested negative on two occasions, but he developed symptoms again on May 28 including fever, headache, dizziness, cough, nausea and diarrhoea.

    On 5 June, he tested positive for the second time and went on to suffer low blood oxygen and shortness of breath.

    Scientists said that the genetic codes of the two illnesses were different, meaning it was not a case of the first infection being dormant and then reappearing.

    The study said the case was the first known COVID-19 reinfection in North America, with other single cases reported in Hong Kong, the Netherlands, Ecuador, and Belgium.

    The patients in those places showed no increase in symptom severity the second time, with the exception of the patient in Ecuador.

    It is unclear what had caused the second infection in Nevada.

    The study suggested one possibility was a “very high dose of virus (which) might have led to the second time infection and induced a more severe disease”.

    Another suggestion was that reinfection was caused by a “version of the virus that was more virulent, or more virulent in this patient’s context”.

    A third possibility was a “mechanism of antibody-dependent enhancement… a means by which specific Fc-bearing immune cells become infected with virus by binding to specific antibodies”.

    The study’s authors said: “Previous exposure to SARS-CoV-2 might not guarantee total immunity in all cases.

    “All individuals, whether previously diagnosed with COVID-19 or not, should take identical precautions to avoid infection with SARS-CoV-2.

    “The implications of reinfections could be relevant for vaccine development and application.”

    Reinfections also have implications for concepts such as herd immunity.

    It had been assumed that the body would learn to fight the virus during an initial infection, meaning that later infections would be minor or even without symptoms.

  • ‘Anushka Sharma is Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan’s wife,’ Google says

    Afghan cricketer Rashid Khan was mistakenly referred to as Bollywood star Anushka Sharma’s husband on a Google search that has left fans in fits.

    Social media surely had a field day after the little gaffe on the search engine that seemingly stems from the cricket champ’s crush on her and Preity Zinta.

    As per a few media reports, Rashid was recently asked in an interview to name his favourite woman actors. Rashid said he loved to watch Anushka and Preity. That is all his fans needed to ship Rashid and Anushka.

    The many mentions all over the internet might have caused the Google search engine to goof up the same way United States (US) President Donald Trump’s pictures show up if one searches for “idiot”.

    The B-Town diva is actually married to Indian cricket captain Virat Kohli, and the two are also expecting their first child together.

    Anushka also attended Saturday’s Royal Challengers Bangalore vs Chennai Super Kings match of the ongoing season of Indian Premier League (IPL). She even blew Virat a kiss from the visitors’ area, which caught everyone’s attention. Virat, who scored an unbeaten 90 in the match, even gestured towards his wife after his half-century.

    Rashid, on the other hand, says he will “get engaged and married once Afghanistan wins the cricket World Cup”.

  • Petition filed in LHC to block TikTok through VPNs, proxies

    Petition filed in LHC to block TikTok through VPNs, proxies

    A citizen approached the Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday requesting authorities concerned to block the use of TikTok through Virtual Private Networks (VPN) and proxies.

    In his petition, the petitioner explained that people are still using Tiktok through VPN and some other proxies. The court was pleaded to direct the government to ban the use of TikTok through VPN and proxies as well.

    Meanwhile, social media star Hareem Shah slammed the government’s decision to ban the video-sharing app saying that it is only a diversion from real issues like wheat flour crisis and rape cases. She said that YouTube and other social media sites also carry content which is questionable.

    Shah further explained her point saying that if nails grow on fingers we cut the nails, not the hands.

    On the other hand, the most followed TikTok Star Jannat Mirza supported the government on the ban but said it should not be on permanent basis.

    Many other prominent personalities including Shahid Afridi and Imran Abbas supported the ban on Tiktok.

    The Government of Pakistan banned TikTok on Friday due to “immoral/indecent” content being shared on the social media platform. The ban has sparked uncertainty in the content creator industry considering that a great number of people earn from social media.

    However, Federal Minister of Information Technology and Telecommunication Aminul Haque on Saturday had clarified that the government will lift the ban on TikTok after removal of objectionable content.

  • Mushk Kaleem opens up about taking drugs to lose weight

    Mushk Kaleem opens up about taking drugs to lose weight

    To mark World Mental Health Day over the weekend, model Mushk Kaleem opened up about the time when she was underweight and struggling to be okay with her looks and appearance.

    Sharing pictures of her journey on Instagram, Mushk wrote: “2019, was probably the most rewarding year of my career, but when I look back and think about all that I went through last year, I realise that my mental health had completely taken a back seat.”

    “I was a model, adapting to fame, success and accolades. Of course, everyone thought I was okay, living the dream. I knew then, that to complain about anything would be unthankful,” she continued.

    “I was hospitalised on my 25th birthday last year. I was almost 48 kilos and I was suffering from severe body dysmorphia. I would spend hours obsessing over my weight, about losing those few inches on my waist, about getting those perfect hips, or about just looking the part. I had started starving myself, not eating for 24 hours and more, I was abusing drugs, I was unhealthy. I was a 6ft girl suffering from severe anorexia. I would occasionally blackout.”

    Mushk then said that her story has a happy ending.

    “Now a year later, I’m a happier person. I’ve been clean for more than a year. I have found support and happiness in my family, friends, and my pets. I have set boundaries that I never let people cross. I decided that I could still be beautiful, no matter what number the weighing scale would say. I took therapy. I put myself first. I tackled my issues head-on, and at first, it was scary and it aggravated my anxiety, but I’ve grown, and I’ve healed. It’s still an ongoing process of recovery that I’m on. But I’m glad I started somewhere,” she added.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CGKAzAPn9mU/

    Read more – Mushk Kaleem calls out Iman Aly for her ‘condescending statement’ on current models

    Several of Mushk’s colleagues and members of the entertainment industry, including Sheheryar Munawar and Anoushey Ashraf, appreciated her for opening up and sharing her journey.

    Winner of the Lux Style Award for Best Emerging Talent in Fashion, Mushk is a regular at all fashion shows across Pakistan, opening and stopping the show for many renowned designers, along with being the face of many designer brands. Late last year, she also walked the ramp at the Milan Fashion Week for Italian designer Stella Jean.

  • Face masks ‘helping criminals escape arrest’ in Islamabad

    Face masks ‘helping criminals escape arrest’ in Islamabad

    With face masks becoming the norm in these COVID-19 times, criminals are misusing them to hide their identity while carrying out their crimes.

    According to reports, criminals are making use of face masks to easily blend in with customers at malls or banks. Because of these masks, they are also able to evade CCTV cameras.

    “If it were pre-COVID 19, I could have averted the happening by finding veiled people chasing me. But now it is normal. They looted me and sped away. One had face mask while the other wore a helmet,” shared APP senior reporter Ishtiaq Ahmed who was robbed of Rs800,000 in Islamabad on September 23 in broad daylight.

    He said the mask provided a perfect cover to the robbers, adding that they can hold up any bank or shop with their covered faces and escape unchecked as the police rarely bother to confiscate the bikes carrying no or non-standard number plates.

    In another robbery of Rs1.5 million in Islamabad on September 30, a masked man was seen inside a bank who apparently intimated his assistants on phone having witnessed a man leaving the bank with a cash bag.

    “Earlier the bandanna or mask was a risky proposition for criminals. Nowadays it is normal but scary too. We can’t distinguish between customers and criminals,” a bank employee said.

    Talking to APP, a senior police officer, who did not want to be named, said though the crime increase had nothing to do with face mask. However, he agreed that it made it easier for the criminals to blend in.

    He agreed that under anti-COVID SOPs, a provision could be created to allow security staff outside banks or malls to ask visitors to remove face mask at the entrance to allow cameras to capture the face.

    He also said that other than face coverings, criminals or suspected people could also be singled out through their body language, movement or confidence when questioned.

    Not only in Pakistan, criminals’ wearing surgical masks is an issue getting global attention with some countries also pondering to revise SOPs or making specialised security arrangements to keep the criminals from entering establishments.

    The installation of vestibules, the use of high-quality cameras and identification software are being used to identify the face behind masks. In America, police have directed people, to note some special sign of the masked criminals like shoes or jacket brand, belt, socks color, face scars, or tattoos to make identification easier.

  • Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa quits PM Imran’s team

    Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa quits PM Imran’s team

    Lt Gen (r) Asim Saleem Bajwa has stepped down as Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s special assistant on information and broadcasting, the former military bigwig has announced in a tweet himself.

    “I requested the honourable PM to relinquish me from the additional portfolio of SAPM [special assistant to prime minister] on info and broadcasting. He very kindly approved my request,” Bajwa stated.

    He will, however, continue to remain the chairman of China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) Authority.

    The development comes a month after the premier rejected Bajwa’s resignation from the post after the latter categorically rebutted all corruption allegations levelled against him.

    CORRUPTION ALLEGATIONS:

    On August 27, a website known as Fact Focus published a story, claiming that Lt Gen Bajwa’s family had set up 99 companies in four countries, including a pizza franchise with 133 restaurants.

    The website further claimed that Lt Gen (r) Bajwa’s wife was a “shareholder” in at least 86 companies. Of them, 71 were set up in the US, seven in the UAE and four in Canada.

    Defending the businesses and enterprises owned by his brothers in countries abroad, he had said that shameless allegations were levelled against him to tarnish his image.

    Lt Gen Bajwa, in rejoinder to a story published on an “unknown website”, had lamented that the allegations were “false and incorrect”. He had insisted that on the date of filing of his declaration, i.e. June 22, 2020, his spouse was no longer an investor or shareholder in any business of his brothers.

    About the investments abroad, Lt Gen Bajwa had said that since 2002 till June 1, 2020 his wife had only invested $19,492 in his brothers’ companies. He had said that all investments came from his savings over the last 18 years, and no regulations of the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) have been broken.

    Concerning the alleged investment of businesses in the pizza chain Papa John’s in the US and DQ, UAE, Lt Gen Bajwa had said that facts and figures were fully documented.

    He had insisted that Bajco Global Management, LLC did not have any ownership interest in any Papa John’s in the USA, DQ, UAE or any real estate.

    READ: ‘Who is this Mr Bajwa you are talking about?’ NAB DG on alleged assets of Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa’s family

    “The author further makes a false claim that Bajco owns 99 companies. The author has listed many companies multiple times on his list. There is a total of 27 active companies in the US and two in the UAE,” he had said.

    “For eighteen years, the actual out of pocket cash investment into the said businesses by my brothers and wife has been about US$73,950/-. It is further pointed out that out of US $73,950/-, my wife’s contribution, as stated aforesaid, is US$19,492/-. Thus, the total out of pocket cash contribution of my five brothers, for eighteen years, has been US$54,458.”

    He had added that the cash contributions of $54,458 by his five brothers were fully accounted for and traceable to their sources. He further said that apart from his five brothers and his wife, the businesses have at least 50 other investors. He maintained that any further investments were a result of profits generated from the business, while also mentioning the various qualifications of his five brothers as a source of income.

    “One question that may be underscored is whether three persons who have worked in the US up to the positions of a Vice President in a US Bank, a Controller in a restaurant operating company, and as an operating partner of a restaurant; and two persons having worked as doctors, would not be able to save US$54,458/-,” argued Lt Gen Bajwa.

    Responding to the allegations made about businesses of his children, he said that the company Scion Builders and Estates (Pvt.) Ltd owned by his sons and registered in the SECP had never done any business and same is dormant since inception. He said the same about other businesses owned by his sons, namely Advance Marketing (Pvt.) Ltd, Scion Natura LLC, and Mochi Cordwainers.

    READ: ‘Lt Gen (r) Asim Bajwa to issue clarification on report linking military career to family’s businesses’

    Regarding an allegation about a house owned by his son’s Scion Management Group LLC, he had asserted that the house was only 31,000 and had been bought by his sons through their independent resources in “cheap foreclosure proceedings”.

    “Baseless allegations have been levelled that a business entity of my two brothers by the name of Silkline Enterprises (Pvt.) Ltd has been formed to acquire CPEC contracts. It may be stated that this company has never acquired any CPEC contract. This company is in Rahim Yar Khan and has only provided labour/human resources to industries in Rahim Yar Khan region,” he had added.

    He had said that one of his sons owns a house in the USA but it has been acquired through a mortgage in the manner that 80 per cent of loan/mortgage remains unpaid.

    “This again is a small time-house. All my sons are above 18 years and none are my dependents. Masha’Allah their ages are 33, 32 and 27 years respectively. It shall be noted that my sons completed their business degrees from reputable universities in the United States and have had well-paying jobs,” concluded the retired general.

    PM Imran had expressed satisfaction over the clarification.

  • Sheikh Rasheed foresees ‘assassination of some prominent personality’

    Sheikh Rasheed foresees ‘assassination of some prominent personality’

    Federal Minister for Railways Sheikh Rasheed has made headlines for reportedly saying that anything can happen over the next four months, including an attempt on his life or that of some other prominent person.

    “Anything can happen within the next four months… February 20 is the date… everything will be sorted…” reports quoted Rasheed as saying.

    “Some terrorist attack could happen, coronavirus could spread again, the [Pakistan] People’s Party (PPP) could break away from the [opposition] alliance, I could get killed or so could some other prominent person,” the minister reportedly said, adding that if something of the sort happens, it could lead to a civil war in the country.

    “Plans to ignite a sectarian fire were foiled when law enforcement acted promptly ahead Chehlum of martyrs of Karbala last week as well,” he said.

    The minister also spoke at length about the possibility of a terrorist attack and how every person’s life was in danger.

    The minister’s statement comes while investigators remain clueless about the perpetrators of the high-profile targeted killing of prominent religious scholar Maulana Adil Khan, who along with his driver, was shot dead in Karachi on Saturday.

    According to police, the scholar was sitting in a Toyota Vigo parked outside Shama Shopping Centre when suspects on motorcycles came up to him and opened fire. He succumbed to the wounds on his way to the hospital.

    While authorities claim foreign powers were at play, Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has described it as “an attempt by India to create sectarian conflict across the country”.

    The premier, while strongly condemning the targeted killing of Maulana Adil of Jamia Farooqia in Karachi, said that India is attempting to target religious scholars to fan sectarian rift in the country.

    In a series of tweets on Sunday, he stressed upon the religious scholars from all sects to ensure that people do not fall prey to nefarious Indian designs to destabilise Pakistan by fuelling a sectarian conflict.

    “We have prevented a number of such attempts pre-emptively in the last few months. Our intelligence organisations and law enforcement agencies will nab culprits of this murder also,” he said.

  • COVID-19: Experts say mental illnesses on the rise in Pakistan

    COVID-19: Experts say mental illnesses on the rise in Pakistan

    With many people now reporting symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depressive equivalents, and anxiety, coronavirus has started affecting the mental health of people, including healthcare providers in Pakistan and the rest of the world.

    According to the details, an increasing rate of abuse is also being witnessed in the world, including Pakistan. However, the situation is worse in war-torn countries like Syria, Iraq, Yemen, and Afghanistan.

    Speaking at an international conference on “Mental Health for All: Greater Investment – Greater Access. Everyone, Everywhere” at Jinnah Postgraduate Medical Center (JPMC), mental health experts from Pakistan and other parts of the world said that the countries with a serious economic crisis like Pakistan have been also badly affected by mental health issues during the pandemic.

    The chief guest, Professor Haroon Ahmed said coronavirus had started affecting the mental health of people all over the world, and in Pakistan people with a newer type of depression and symptoms of PTSD were approaching psychiatrists for treatment.

    “People are complaining of symptoms like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to COVID-19- related stress and experiences. A newer type of depression, which is not clinically depressed, is also being observed where people are feeling lonely and [exhibiting] a lack of interest in daily life. These issues have a close relation to COVID-19 and its impacts on the daily life of people.”

    Professor Haroon said that he was glad that people are now breaking taboos and openly admitting that they are under treatment for depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders. He noted that an estimated 70% of depression is due to a biochemical imbalance in the brain, which is not the fault of the patient.

    “I have been saying this for the last several decades that there is no need to hide mental illnesses,” he said and added that mental health was given low importance but it was a high prevalence health issue in our society.

    Meanwhile, president-elect WPA Professor Afzal Javed claimed that the prevalence of mental health issues was not less than cancer or cardiac ailments in the world, and it was estimated that now 25 to 30% of the world’s population was suffering from some kind of mental illness.

    It’s right time to assign more resources for mental well-being, treatment, and cure in countries like Pakistan, he added.

  • Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Every Pakistani girl wants to be ‘Emily in Paris’

    Meet Emily – a bright, vivacious and a tad bit annoying American who suddenly finds herself in Paris for a new job. She lands in Paris, makes an Instagram account to document her year in the city, posts a picture of a croissant on Instagram and boom she’s hit 20,000 followers. And you’re just like, where, what, when, HOW? But that’s what Emily in Paris is about. It requires you to leave all sense and sensibility aside and just immerse yourself into Emily’s world.

    Created by Darren Star of the Sex and the City fame, Emily in Paris has been produced by the show’s star Lily Collins and follows Emily as she navigates her life in Paris and tries to add an “American touch” to the firm she works at. She breezes through life with the mantra ‘fake it till you make it’ and still manages to get everything right and save the day while running around the city in her cutesy clothes and heels (Again, HOW?). She makes friends on the street, has a hot neighbour, gets invited to all cool parties and events in town and eats all the butter and chocolate croissants she wants without gaining a pound. With all this, who wouldn’t want to be Emily? Or live in her world – where everything can be solved via Instagram engagement?

    As a 20-something girl living in Pakistan, I can say with full conviction that every girl in the country wants to be Emily in Paris. She wants to be able to live her own life in a charming city like Paris, away from the prying and judgmental eyes of the society and relatives, do a job she loves, post pictures on social media without a care in the world, and eat and drink as many croissants and Starbucks as she likes without putting on a pound. She wants to be able to walk free on the streets without worrying what awaits around the corner or if she’ll make it home safe. She wants to be able to date and hang out with whoever she wants without being labelled a s***. She just wants to be free to live her life the way she wants. And the way Emily does.

    It is rare for a show like Emily in Paris to trend at number one on Netflix Pakistan, given the show and movies that nab the top spot are either all-time favourites (Diriliş: Ertuğrul, Friends), Bollywood films, action/crime (Money Heist/Sherlock) or soft porn (365 Days). For Emily to make such an impact proves my earlier stated point and shows that Pakistanis love an absurd rom-com just like any other. They are done with love triangles and saas-bahu stuff that are shown regularly on television, most of it which is also not relatable.

    Emily in Paris is far from reality but the beauty of it is that it doesn’t even pretend to be real. Even the French have accused the show of stereotyping French people and culture and presenting an image of Paris that even they don’t recognise. But the creators of the show knew exactly what they were doing. They wanted to transport their viewers to the charming, cobbled streets of Paris and give them a stress-free vacation right in their living rooms. The episodes are short and crisp – less than half an hour each – and easy. They don’t demand you to use any of your brain cells. That with lots of eye candy including good-looking people (Sigh Gabriel), dreamy locales, beautiful clothes (though I have to add Emily’s wardrobe did not impress me) and some witty one-liners (courtesy Julien), Emily in Paris is trash television at its finest.

    “Don’t you want to go to the movies to escape life”, Emily asks her colleague in one of the episodes. That one dialogue is the gist of the whole series and the reason why you should also be watching it.

    Meanwhile, latest reports have suggested that Emily in Paris will be renewed for another season. In an interview, the show’s creator Darren revealed that he has plenty of ideas for season 2 in which “Emily is going to be more of a part of the fabric of the world she’s living in. She’ll be more of a resident of the city.”

  • Banning culture

    Banning culture

    Earlier this week, the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) said in a statement that due to a number of complaints from “different segments of society against immoral/indecent content on the video sharing application TikTok”, it has issued instructions to block the popular video-sharing app.

    This comes after a final warning to TikTok was issued in July over explicit content posted on the platform. PTA says TikTok was given “considerable time to respond and comply with” instructions for development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of “unlawful online content” but TikTok “failed to fully comply” with the regulator’s instructions.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister of Pakistan on Political Communication Dr Shahbaz Gill tweeted that several parents complained against the app on the Prime Minister Portal and said that their young children are being misled by the app’s content, which is against our religion and culture. One is bewildered why these parents felt the need to complain to the state regarding an app being used by their children instead of stopping them from using this app and limiting and monitoring their technology usage.

    It is the duty of parents to keep an eye on their children’s activities. We have seen that most parents give tablets or cell phones to children at a very young age and do not control what they see or do. Instead of encouraging their children to read books or play outdoor games or indulge in other healthy activities, a lot of parents worldwide give their children access to the internet and gadgets when even tech giants like Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg have a very strict policy for their children when it comes to technology. According to Business Insider, Gates, the former CEO of Microsoft, implemented a cap on screen time in 2007 when his daughter started developing an unhealthy attachment to a video game. He also did not let his children get cell phones until they turned 14. Zuckerberg wants his daughters August and Maxima to spend time reading books of all kinds instead of getting lost in technology at a young age.

    This is what these parents should have also done instead of asking the state to ban an app that is not just popular but has made money for many of its users. TikTok is an app that is used a lot by lower middle class or poorer sections of our society. A lot of Pakistani TikTok stars have now made it big due to their huge following on this platform. They are earning their livelihoods due to their popularity on TikTok. It is a platform where they display their talent. It is unfortunate that we have now banned an app that is being used for earning livelihoods in a country plagued by unemployment.

    Moral policing is something we should all be way off. Who would have thought that a biscuit advertisement with a few dance sequences would cause such controversy that the regulatory authority would issue an advisory to advertisers on how to make ads for their products? On October 5, the Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (Pemra) issued an advisory for broadcasters and advertisers, which says: “It has been observed with concerns that themes of advertisements of ordinary consumer products like biscuits, surf, etc. being aired on satellite TV channels are not corresponding with the disposition of these products.” This led to some channels pulling the add off air.

    It is time that we stop regulating people’s lives, what they see, and their creativity. People need to express themselves in different ways and they should be allowed to do so as long as they are not breaking any rules or endangering someone’s life, including their own. Regulations lead to more censorship. We certainly do not need more of it.