A large number of people in Lahore have visited various public parks of the city after they were opened for the general public today.
As per reports, the public parks of the city have been opened after 75-day closure amid coronavirus outbreak in the city.
The people adopted the standard operating procedures (SOPs) issued by the provincial government to curb the virus spread.
On Thursday, the Punjab government had decided to reopen public parks in the provincial capital Lahore from May 5 (today).
The Director-General of Parks and Horticulture Authority (PHA), Muzaffar Khan Sial, had announced that the provincial government decided to reopen public parks in Lahore. The parks will be open from 6 am to 9 pm.
Sial had added that the parks will be reopened under the standard operating procedures (SOPs) finalised by the provincial health department. The citizens will only be allowed to enter into the parks after wearing face masks and gloves.
DG PHA urged the citizens to strictly follow precautionary measures and social distancing while visiting the public parks.
Violent protests have erupted across the United States (US) since after the death of George Floyd who died in police custody, sparking outrage over police brutality, especially the treatment of African-Americans at the hands of authorities.
With people across the country taking to streets, shaking the States to its core as some protests turn ugly, here is everything you need to know about it.
WHO WAS GEORGE FLOYD?
On May 25, George Floyd, a 46-year-old African-American man suspected of passing a counterfeit $20 bill, died in Minneapolis city of Minnesota after a white cop, Derek Chauvin, pressed his knee to Floyd’s neck for almost nine minutes while the suspect was handcuffed face down in the street.
Two other officers further restrained Floyd while a fourth prevented onlookers from intervening.
During the final three minutes, Floyd was motionless and had no pulse, but officers made no attempt to revive him and Chauvin kept his knee on Floyd’s neck even as arriving emergency medical technicians attempted to treat him.
VIRAL VIDEOS & CRIMINAL COMPLAINT:
Several bystanders took videos of the incident, which were widely circulated and broadcastalong with security-camera footage from nearby businesses; two of the officer’s body cams footage has, however, not yet been released.
[GRAPHIC WARNING]
A criminal complaint later filed against Chauvin stated that Floyd repeatedly said he could not breathe while standing outside a police car, resisted getting in the car, and intentionally fell down; he went to the ground face down and, after Chauvin placed his knee on Floyd’s neck, Floyd repeatedly said “I can’t breathe”, “mama” and “please”.
POSTMORTEM EXAMINATION:
Two autopsies determined the manner of Floyd’s death to be a homicide. The Hennepin County medical examiner’s autopsy found that Floyd died from cardiac arrest during the application of “neck compression”, also noting as significant conditions “arteriosclerotic and hypertensive heart disease; fentanyl intoxication; and recent methamphetamine use”.
An independent autopsy commissioned by Floyd’s family found that the “evidence is consistent with mechanical asphyxia as the cause” of death, with neck compression restricting blood flow to the brain, and back compression restricting breathing.
OFFICERS’ FATE & PROBE:
All four officers were fired the day after the incident. On May 29, Chauvin was charged with third-degree murder and second-degree manslaughter while on June 3, Minnesota attorney general amended Chauvin’s charges to include second-degree murder, and the other three officers were charged with aiding and abetting second-degree murder.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is conducting a federal civil rights investigation at the request of the Minneapolis Police Department, and the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension is also investigating.
WIDESPREAD PROTESTS:
After Floyd’s death, demonstrations and protests against use of excessive force by police officers and lack of police accountability were held globally.
Protests in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area were initially peaceful on May 26, and became violent as a police precinct and two stores were set on fire, and many stores were looted and damaged. Some demonstrators skirmished with police, who fired tear gas and rubber bullets.
BREAKING: The third precinct police station is on fire. Rioters have taken over pic.twitter.com/AJg4jDr9Tz
Tens of thousands of people have demonstrated, mainly peacefully, across the US for the ninth night while one of the largest protests, joined by Floyd’s relatives, took place in his hometown of Houston, Texas.
Many defied curfews in several cities, imposed after violence and looting in some districts.
“I’m protecting my business and they’ve robbed us after being closed for 3 months”.
With the episode drawing reactions from across the world, from global leaders, including the Canadian president among others, the Pope has also issued a call for racism not to be ignored.
Addressing his “brothers and sisters in the United States” from the Vatican on Wednesday, Pope Francis condemned the death of George Floyd and lead a prayer for “all those others who have lost their lives as a result of the sin of racism.” https://t.co/t2NsjfRz1spic.twitter.com/xZ4718Zh2X
“We cannot tolerate or turn a blind eye to racism,” he said, but also condemned the violence.
Police stations and other buildings have been set ablaze, government establishments and offices of media organisations among other prominent structures across the country have been vandalised, and grocery, as well as luxury stores, looted.
While military has now been deployed after President Donald Trump’s warning to protesters, support for protesters and against the regime is widespread.
Cops, at places, have also been spotted lending support to peaceful protests.
The protest in Flint, Michigan yesterday was peaceful, with no rioting, looting, or fighting (based on social media posts). The city’s sherriff marched with the protesters after they chanted ‘Walk With Us,’ as well as giving multiple small speeches throughout the evening. pic.twitter.com/rX2fDpyZfG
As part of the protests, the White House was also almost attacked. The president spent nearly an hour in an underground bunker at the White House last week when hundreds of protesters gathered outside the mansion.
The bunker, also known as the Presidential Emergency Operations Center (PEOC), has been used on rare occasions to secure US presidents in times of peril.
Meanwhile, a photo of blackout at White House also started making rounds on the internet with people calling it a “powerful symbol” of Trump’s “lack of leadership”.
A Bangladeshi national walked up to 2,000 kilometres amid coronavirus lockdown to see his social media friend in Karachi who was getting married to another man. He first crossed the India-Bangladesh border illegally and then found his way to Attari, Amritsar.
Then he tried to cross the India-Pakistan border but was arrested by an Indian Border Security Force (BSF) officer.
Identified as Nayan Mian, the 26-year-old is a resident of Shariatpur, a district in the Dhaka division of central Bangladesh. When he was arrested, he only had a mobile phone with a Bangladeshi SIM card and some Indian currency notes.
Mian did not cross the border with bad intent, but he just wanted to meet his Pakistani friend who was getting married to another man.
During the investigation, it was revealed that the girl’s family shared ties with his family. However, they were separated after his parents shifted to Bangladesh in 1971. A few years ago, he reached her on social media and fell in love with her.
“The girl is my cousin and we were connected through social media. We used to talk through video calls, but had been out of touch for 10 to 15 days. She had accepted my marriage proposal and that’s why I intended to visit her. I heard that many stranded Pakistanis were being repatriated these days, so I thought of taking a chance,” he said.
Mian told the police that he first reached Kolkata, then passed through Agra, New Delhi, and then came to Punjab, mostly on foot.
The couple shared that they are doing well and are overwhelmed with the love and good wishes they have received in the past few days.
“Thanks to Allah, we are doing well,” said Yasir.
“We will always remember our 18th wedding anniversary because at this point we have spent thirteen full days together and have not had a single fight during this period,” laughed Yasir.
Nida also shared that in these twelve to thirteen days of quarantine, she has been binge-watching Diriliş: Ertuğrul and thoroughly enjoyed the series.
“My quarantine partner was actually Ertuğrul,” shared Nida.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7s-CgA3_P/
Nida and Yasir also shared a video from their quarantine anniversary celebrations.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7vMREB92B/
Meanwhile, Nida also requested their fans to pray for their good health.
Lawn campaigns are a big deal in Pakistan and all designers go above and beyond to come up with eye-catching ones. However, some times, the campaigns come under fire for being controversial. This year, Élan was on the receiving end of backlash and criticism for being racist because it featured an African model, which people thought was being used as a prop.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_XoflYg6zv/
https://www.instagram.com/p/B9zU1JWg4gA/
Following social media outrage, Élan’s creative head and CEO Khadijah Shah took to social media to explain the campaign and the concept behind it.
“It’s heartening to see that we stand against racism and cultural misappropriation, but at the same time we must know what these terms mean,” wrote the designer on social media. Shah then proceeded to define the terms ‘cultural appropriation’ and ‘racism’ and explained how they do not apply to Élan’s campaign.
She also explained why donkeys were part of some of the pictures.
“As for those finding the image with the donkeys offensive; donkeys are beloved in Lamu,” wrote Khadijah. “They are taken care of and the only mode of transportation. In our country not only do we treat donkeys badly we also use it as a term to insult others.”
The designer also shared that the brand has featured both male and female models in their previous campaigns and there has never been any such criticism.
Meanwhile, model Mushk Kaleem, who featured in the campaign, said that beauty, equality, love and acceptance have no skin tones.
“This Élan’s campaign is so close to my heart and with its launch, it is extremely sad to see all the negativity that is pouring in,” wrote Mushk.
“Posing alongside me, in this stunning campaign is my beautiful friend, who I had an excellent time working with, and who I also learnt a lot from – Gabriel Fords.”
“Unfortunately, many people are speaking about how the male model is being used as a prop or an accessory. Why is that so?” she questioned.
Kaleem added, “This campaign is a celebration and a declaration of love, of equality, of acceptance, of tolerance – of cultures and heritages without any borders and boundaries.”
“Gabriel Fords, who is as much a vital part of this campaign as I am, is not a prop or an accessory. This entire shoot screams inclusivity. It is about bridging cultures, about educating people about the normalcy of an interracial love.”
“I’m very proud to be part of this campaign,” concluded the model.
https://www.instagram.com/p/CA7SBxppzzD/
Earlier in 2018, Sana Safinaz had come under fire for its racist representation of the Masai Mara people. They later issued a clarification and said that their campaign aimed to celebrate the beautiful Masai culture.
Several university students from across the country protested outside the Higher Education Commission (HEC) office in Islamabad demanding the board to waive their full semester fee, suspended online classes and promote all students to the next semester without examinations.
Blocking Islamabad’s Service Road, the students had placards in their hands and raised slogans against the HEC.
They called out universities for charging full semester fees despite the coronavirus pandemic.
Many students also took to social media to voice their concerns.
Universities are demanding a full semester fee which is completely unfair and immoral. It is not just a piece of cake for everyone to bear the financial burden of their academics as some do part-time jobs/ home tuitions/more than one job at a time to pay off their expenses. pic.twitter.com/K0bBg36XAk
Economy is suffering due to which a lot of families are only surviving hand to mouth. Universities should not be charging complete tuition fees when they’re saving up on so much of their own expenses. #WAIVINGSTUDENTFEES#HEC#GIVERELAXATIONTOSTUDENTS
Earlier, on May 12, Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr Tariq Banuri had chaired a meeting with university vice-chancellors and discussed possible ways to conduct annual examinations.
Suggestions were given to conduct examinations based on an open book, multiple-choice questions, assignments and viva-voce methods. The vice-chancellors put forth complaints made by students regarding internet connectivity issues and asked HEC to help in this regard.
Seems like it’s not only Pakistanis who have caught the Ertuğrul fever because according to a report in Outlook India, parents in Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) are naming their newborns Ertuğrul after the protagonist of the hit Turkish series Diriliş: Ertuğrul.
Consultant Pediatrician and president Doctors Association of Kashmir Dr Suhail Naik told the media outlet that Ertugrul is a frequently encountered name in his outdoor department.
Earlier, during the winters ‘Ertuğrul caps’ with fur also became popular in IoK. Ottoman soldiers and the civil officers used to wear the slightly claret red headwear called fez.
Set in 13th century Anatolia, the historic drama series is based on the struggle of Ertuğrul Gazi, father of Osman I – the founder of the Ottoman dynasty.
The serial became popular in Kashmir after a lockdown was imposed in the region when the Modi-led government revoked Article 370 on August 5, 2019. Despite the communication blockade and local cable operators banned from airing content produced by Muslim countries such as Turkey, Pakistan and Iran, the series began to travel from one household to another in flash drives.
A pregnant elephant died in Kerala, India after she allegedly ate a pineapple stuffed with firecrackers. The fruit exploded in her mouth badly damaging her jaw and eventually causing her death.
Article 51-A (g) of the Indian Constitution says that it shall be duty of every citizen of India to have compassion for living creatures. The pregnant elephant in pic was killed in human- wildlife conflict.Action has already been initiated. But where lies our duty? N humanity?? pic.twitter.com/V1ufNt3HfN
— Kerala Forest Department (@ForestKerala) June 3, 2020
The Kerala Forest Department has lodged an FIR (First Information Report) against those responsible for the death of a 15-year-old pregnant wild elephant.
FIR lodged against unidentified people under relevant sections of Wild Life Protection Act over the incident wherein a pregnant elephant died in Malappuram after being fed a pineapple stuffed with crackers: Mannarkkad forest range officer #Kerala (File pic) pic.twitter.com/exLBKZGTRd
The Wildlife Warden of the Silent Valley National Park said this was a serious crime whosoever was behind it.
“We are quite certain that we will find the perpetrators of this crime, which is in no way acceptable at all. It was on the 23rd of last month we came to know about this incident when the elephant was spotted near a water source outside the national park,” said Pachuau.
As per reports, some people had placed firecrackers inside a pineapple and this was eaten by the wild elephant and in the process of chewing the cracker burst and injured the elephant.
“We called a veterinarian and later on the 25th, an elephant expert David Abraham came and examined and explained to us the bad situation,” said Pachuau.
“We informed the Forest officials that its situation was bad and two days later the elephant died in the water.”
The next day, when we conducted the post-mortem we found a nearly two-month-old fetus. From the uterus, we could make out it was the first pregnancy of the elephant. That sight left many of us deeply sad and moved.
Only when we conducted the autopsy, we could see that the upper and lower jaw, teeth and tongue of the elephant was badly damaged. The cause of death is due to the aspiration of the lungs as it was filled with water. It was a sad day for many of us,” said Abraham.
Soon after the autopsy was conducted, the dead elephant was buried in the Forest.
“Two sets of teams are probing this incident,” added Pachuau.
Meanwhile, several Bollywood stars including Anushka Sharma and Varun Dhawan condemned the incident and called for harsher laws against animal cruelty.
Senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and lawmaker Rana Sanaullah was on Wednesday morning intercepted by police off Lahore’s The Mall. He, however, refused to step out of the vehicle and let the officials check it in the absence of media, The Current has learnt.
According to sources, the PML-N stalwart was stopped by the police in the Regal Chowk area of the provincial capital in connection with the arrest of party president and Leader of Opposition in the National Assembly (NA) Shehbaz Sharif.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) since Tuesday had been attempting to arrest Shehbaz in the assets beyond means case against him. The bureau had, however, failed to trace the PML-N chief despite raiding his Model Town and Jati Umra residences among other locations.
Wednesday’s incident took place before a Lahore High Court (LHC) division bench granted pre-arrest bail to Shehbaz till June 17.
“I will not let you check my vehicle in the absence of media because I fear being framed for carrying drugs once again,” Sanaullah, who had earlier been arrested by the Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF), told the cops who stopped him to check if Shehbaz was also present in the vehicle.
The ANF had last year detained the lawmaker after accusing him of carrying a cache of drugs in his vehicle and for “supplying it to drug dealers”.
After months-long incarceration, Sanaullah had been granted bail amid lack of evidence. He had then accused the ANF of planting the drugs in his vehicle for the registration of a “bogus” case against him.
