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  • Revolutionising air travel: Pakistan launches first-ever online ‘air taxi service’

    Revolutionising air travel: Pakistan launches first-ever online ‘air taxi service’

    Pakistan has achieved a significant milestone by introducing its groundbreaking online air taxi service, revolutionising air travel for its citizens. This innovative service offers individuals the utmost convenience in booking air travel according to their preferred time and destination.

    With just a few taps on a user-friendly mobile app, individuals can now reserve an air taxi from the comfort of their homes, mirroring the simplicity of booking a regular taxi.

    The official launch of the aerial air taxi service took place in Karachi, marking a momentous occasion. The lease agreement for the highly acclaimed DA 40 Diamond series aircraft was officially signed at the Civil Aviation office adjacent to Karachi Airport.

    Imran Aslam Khan, the Chief Operating Officer of Sky Wings Aviation, expressed his genuine excitement as the aircraft designated for aerial tours successfully arrived in Pakistan after a flawless test flight.

    Notably, this remarkable single-engine plane boasts a comfortable seating capacity of four passengers.

    Imran emphasised that the primary objective of this exceptional air taxi service is to provide emergency transportation from Karachi to remote areas in rural Sindh and Balochistan through captivating aerial tours.

    The German-manufactured aircraft demonstrates remarkable capabilities, with a maximum speed of 160 kilometers per hour and a flight range of 2,000 kilometers, making it an ideal choice for efficient air travel across the region.

    To further enhance the convenience for passengers, Imran revealed that the mobile app, which is set to launch soon, will empower citizens to effortlessly select their desired time and destination for air travel, putting the control in their hands.

    Significantly, the fare for this novel air taxi service will be significantly lower compared to typical charter services, which often begin at a staggering cost of Rs2.5 million for a trip from Karachi to various cities in Sindh and Balochistan. This affordability factor opens up endless possibilities for a wider range of individuals to experience the convenience and luxury of air travel.

    The initial phase of the air taxi service will commence with eight aircraft of varying capacities, with promising plans for expansion in the near future. Importantly, this remarkable service is not limited to political, religious, or business personalities.

  • Miscreants who attacked army installations will face military court, says PM Shehbaz

    Miscreants who attacked army installations will face military court, says PM Shehbaz

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has announced that miscreants involved in attacks on army installations and civil properties during the violent protests if May 9, will be tried in military courts and anti-terrorism courts (ATCs).

    Chairing a meeting on the law and order situation in Lahore on Sunday, PM Shehbaz said everyone who is involved in incidents of May 9 will be dealt with an iron hand.

    He added that the day will always be remembered as a “black day” in the history of Pakistan. He went on to say that the rioters “turned into enemies of the country” and carried out the attack on the GHQ.

    After Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s arrest, his supporters came out on the streets and allegedly attacked army installations which included Corps Commander’s House (Jinnah House) in Lahore Cantt and the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi.

  • Health activists urge govt to impose higher taxes on cigarettes for public welfare

    Health activists urge govt to impose higher taxes on cigarettes for public welfare

    Health activists and civil society organizations are calling on the government to impose higher taxes on cigarettes in the upcoming 2023-24 budget, signaling a potential increase in smoking costs for Pakistani consumers.

    Advocates argue that regular tax hikes on tobacco products, in line with the recommendations of the World Health Organization (WHO), are necessary to combat the detrimental effects of smoking in the country.

    Sanaullah Ghumman, representing Pakistan National Heart Association (PANAH), emphasised the importance of consistent taxation on cigarettes, urging the government to align with WHO guidelines. Ghumman’s plea reflects the growing concern over the devastating health consequences associated with tobacco consumption.

    Malik Imran, Country Head of the Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids (CTFK), highlighted the impact of the government’s recent decision to raise the Federal Excise Duty (FED) on cigarettes in February 2023. This move generated an additional Rs11.3 billion in FED revenue for the fiscal year 2022-23, marking a 9.7 per cent increase from the previous year. Moreover, an extra 4.4 billion in VAT revenue was collected during the same period, representing an 11.5 per cent rise. These figures amount to a substantial boost of 15.7 billion, contributing 0.201 per cent to Pakistan’s struggling economy.

    Imran dismissed the tobacco industry’s claims of illicit trade as a diversion tactic to undermine the benefits of increased taxation. He emphasised that the economic gains resulting from higher prices indicate the viability of this approach, which aids in curbing smoking-related healthcare costs.

  • Dear ‘Tere Bin’ writer, marital rape is rape

    To Nooran Makhdoom, the writer of the drama ‘Tere Bin’.

    How you chose to write your script is your own business. But to say that a heinous act like marital rape is justified and needed for the script is completely wrong and horrifying, as well as an insight into how the Pakistani entertainment industry keeps alienating women every year.

    This spectacle started on Friday, when the promo for the upcoming episode showed that after accusing Murtasim of cheating on her with Haya, Meerab is raped by her husband as punishment. Social media users were rightfully horrified, which led to a stream of hashtags like ‘Shame on Tere Bin Makers’ and ‘Nooran’, with users beginning to withdraw their support from the once popular drama, and criticising the production team for taking such a heinous step without realising its consequences and impact.

    Instead of listening to your fans and hearing their well-justified complaints about Meerab’s rape, you, Ms. Makhdoom, have instead decided to double down on your stand and defend it. In your statement to Arab News, you said that this is just a drama, and that this had not happened for the first time, so fans should stop complaining about every single episode.

    Now, Ms Makhdoom, we have to point out that you are entirely wrong to dismiss these complaints. Because:

    a. Marital rape is a crime, and many women in Pakistan suffer from it.

    b. Films and dramas are more than just means of entertainment. They are powerful tools to influence audiences.

    Let us break down all of this to you because clearly, you are not aware about the audience you are writing for.

    Marital rape has been declared as a human rights violation by the United Nations High Commissioner For Human Rights in 1993, when they included it in the ‘Declaration on the Elimination of Violence Against Women’. However, in Pakistan where approximately 40% of women have experienced physical or emotional violence in their lifetime, there are no laws that recognise this as an illegal act.

    Already Ms. Makhdoom, you must be aware that the country you are writing dramas for, is one where women are not granted financial independence or any form of security so that if they are suffering from violence, they find some solace and escape. But because of cultural restrictions that prevent women from finding support, as well as a dilapidating justice system that refuses to help survivors, very few women live to see the day when they are able to escape their abusers with ease.

    So to stress on why saying this is ‘just a drama’ is wrong, these kinds of scenes undermine the difficult realities of women in Pakistan. It refuses to acknowledge them as individuals with the right to reject sex from men, whether or not they are married to them. And such actions being normalised by some of the top rated dramas in this country will only further erode the little progress that has improve the rights of women in Pakistan.

    Furthermore, dramas aren’t ‘just dramas’ Ms. Makhdoom, but powerful instruments of change that can influence the masses that are watching them. As a script writer, you do not get to evade the responsibility that comes with being a public figure, because ultimately the public looks up to you and is watching your dramas to learn more about the society around them. Which is why, it speaks volumes about the way our entertainment industry has continued to dig itself further and further into a hole when one of the highest rated dramas of a country which has been declared as the fourth most dangerous country for women, thinks that showing marital rape is okay.

    It’s never okay. And we urge you, Ms. Makhdoom, to stop hiding behind such baseless defences, and actually look down to see the consequences of the narrative you are promoting. Women in Pakistan are in pain. And it is only when public figures like you take responsibility for your actions and stop churning out such debauched dramas for the sake of good ratings, that we can actually progress forward.

  • Your Future iPhone will clone your voice within 15 minutes

    If you have an iPhone or iPad, you will soon be able to hear it speak in your own voice, Apple announced earlier this week.

    The upcoming feature, “Personal Voice,” will give users randomized text prompts to generate 15 minutes of audio.
    There will be another new tool called “Live Speech” which lets users type in a phrase, and save commonly used ones, for the device to speak during phone and FaceTime calls or in-person conversations.

    Apple says it will use machine learning, a type of AI, to create the voice on the device itself rather than externally so the data can be more secure and private.

    It might sound like a quirky feature at first, but it is actually part of the company’s latest drive for accessibility. Apple pointed to conditions like ALS where people are at risk of losing their ability to speak.

    “At Apple, we have always believed that the best technology is technology built for everyone,” said Tim Cook, Apple’s CEO.
    The new “Personal Voice” feature, expected as part of iOS 17, will let iPhones and iPads generate digital reproductions of the voice of user for in-person conversations and on phone, FaceTime and audio calls.

    Apple said Personal Voice will create a synthesized voice that sounds like a user and can be used to connect with family and friends. The feature is aimed at users who have conditions that can affect their speaking ability over time.

    Users can create their Personal Voice by recording 15 minutes of audio on their device. Apple said the feature will use local machine-learning technology to maximize privacy.

    It’s part of a larger suite of accessibility improvements for iOS devices, including a new Assistive Access feature that helps users with cognitive disabilities, and their caretakers, more easily take advantage of iOS devices.

    Apple also announced another machine learning-backed technology, augmenting its existing Magnifier feature with a new point-and-speak-backed Detection Mode. The new functionality will combine Camera input, LiDAR input, and machine-learning technology to announce the text on the screen.

    Apple typically launches software at WWDC in beta, meaning that the features are first available to developers and to members of the public who want to opt in. Those features will typically remain in beta throughout the summer and launch to the public in the fall when new iPhones hit the market.

    Apple’s 2023 WWDC conference begins June 5. The company is expected to unveil its first virtual reality headset among other software and hardware announcements.

  • ‘No new military courts’: Khawaja Asif says govt is not snatching anyone’s basic rights

    ‘No new military courts’: Khawaja Asif says govt is not snatching anyone’s basic rights

    Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has said on Sunday that there no new military courts are being established.

    “No new military courts are being established. Law is already present at this time. Courts are present and they have been working for the past 75 years continuously,” said the minister while talking to media in Sialkot.

    He further said that cases would be pursued against individuals whose “footage, faces and identity is showing that they are attacking military installations”, adding that the government was not “snatching anyone’s basic rights”.

    Khawaja termed May 09 protests as “an attack on Pakistan’s integrity and existence”.

    On May 09, supporters of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) took to the streets after party Chairman Imran Khan was arrested from Islamabad High Court. In the ensuing riots, many military and government installations sustained damage, most notably, Jinnah House, the residence of Corp Commander Lahore.

  • Man kills elder brother over property dispute in Karachi

    Man kills elder brother over property dispute in Karachi

    A man in Karachi killed his elder brother over a property dispute, ARY has reported.

    The suspect has been identified as Abdur Rauf.

    According to police, Rauf opened fire on his brother, who then lost his life on the spot.

    Police have arrested the suspect from the place of the incident.

    The initial investigation has revealed that the suspect had a dispute with his brother over their father’s property.

  • ‘I stand by it’: Tere Bin writer Nooran Makhdoom defends controversial rape scene

    Trigger warning: victim blaming, discussions of marital rape, assault

    Pakistani drama ‘Tere Bin’ has been in the eye of a social media storm since yesterday a controversial scene from the drama serial went viral on Twitter. In the scene, the female lead Meerab (played by Yumna Zaidi) is raped by her husband Murtasim (played by Wahaj Ali) after she accuses him of attempting to start an affair with Haya.

    Social media users, who had already labelled the drama as problematic for past controversies like slaps, attempted suicide, stalking and poor story pacing, declared that they were dropping their support for the once-popular drama. But it turns out, the writer behind the drama Nooran Makhdoom, is not moved by the backlash, defending it as a ‘a demand of the serial’, in an interview with Arab News Pk.

    “It’s a situation which was the demand of the serial that will lead to the climax,” explained Makhdoom.

    She also went on to defend the story by saying she won’t be changing the script because of fans:

    “If the audience isn’t getting it, I can’t change it,” she said. “It’s just a drama. They should wait for the entire story to unfold instead of taking issue with every episode.”

    Makhdoom also pointed out that such a horrfiying trope is not being used for the first time, and that the entire production team or director had not objected to the scene:

    “It’s not like this has happened onscreen for the first time. It’s just that this project has received such wide recognition that people reacted strongly to the recent twist.”

    Makhdoom also shared with Arab News that she had not initially added the slap and the spit scene, which was added in before filming, but she took complete responsibility for writing the script:

    “If you speak of my social responsibility, I created a story and I stand by it,” she said. “And this is not an unusual occurrence; it has happened before.”

    This revelation has led to more backlash on social media, with hasthags like ‘Shame on Tere Bin makers’ and ‘Nooran’ trending on Twitter, and users calling for a boycott of the drama.

  • ‘Depression is something only rich people get’: Nawazuddin Siddiqui

    Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave an interview to Mashable India, where his comments about mental illness have triggered a debate on social media. According to Indian Express, the actor was quoted as saying that mental illnesses like depression and anxiety only happened to privileged people because they tend to glorify their emotions.

    The ‘Sacred Games’ actor revealed that while growing up, he would never have been able to tell his father that he was depressed or he would have been slapped:

    “I come from a place where, if I would tell my father that I am feeling depressed, he would give me one tight slap… Depression waha nahi tha, kisi ko bhi nahi hota waha depression, sab khush hai. But I learnt about anxiety, depression, bipolar after coming to the city.”

    “Ye shehro mein aake hoti hai, yaha pe har aadmi apne chhote emotions ko bhi bohot glorify karta hai.”

    The actor, who faced a recent controversy after his ex-wife accused him of kicking her and their children out of their house, went on to say that it was working class people who never get depressed because they work hard and make the most out of their conditions, unlike rich people.

    “If you ask a labourer, or someone who is sleeping on the footpath, what is depression. When it rains, they dance even then, usko gh***a depression nahi pata hota. Jab aapke paas paise aajate hai toh iss tareeke ki beemariya aati jaati hai.”

  • ‘We are not against US, but pro-Pakistan’: Hammad Azhar on Khan’s audio leak

    ‘We are not against US, but pro-Pakistan’: Hammad Azhar on Khan’s audio leak

    PTI leader Hammad Azhar, while responding to a question in Geo News‘ programme Report Card, regarding Imran Khan’s audio leak, has said that, “We are not against the US but pro-Pakistan.”

    He added that Imran Khan is willing to move past the cypher issue for the sake of good relations between both the countries.

    Azhar further said that facts have shown that the real motivation for cypher was domestically-driven.

    Earlier in the day, a conversation between Imran Khan and US Congresswoman Maxine Moore Waters surfaced online.

    In the audio clip, the former prime minister can be heard requesting the American politician to issue a statement about what’s happening in Pakistan “as it will create waves”.

    After his ouster from power in April 2022 through a Vote of No-Confidence, Imran Khan had blamed America for removing his government.