More than 200 protesters, including journalists, were detained by Turkish police on Sunday for being part of the pride march. Local authorities had banned the march from going ahead again this year.
Eyewitnesses said that the cops made an effort to stop journalists from taping the arrests. According to the organisers, authorities denied detainees access to their attorneys and jailed more than 200 Pride attendees and LGBTQ activists.
On Sunday, small groups of people waving rainbow and transgender flags congregated in accessible locations for a brief period of time and chanted before being scattered and pursued by the police, who forcibly detained several of them.
“Discrimination is a crime, the rainbow is not,” one group chanted, while some others read statements to mark Pride week.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has invited the MNAs of coalition parties to dinner at Prime Minister’s Office tonight (June 27).
Members of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) and coalition parties will attend the dinner, where the current political situation and matters related to the budget for fiscal year 2022-23 will be discussed.
Earlier this month, former President Asif Ali Zardari hosted a dinner for leaders and members of the coalition government. During the dinner, Zardari was also lauded by the coalition leaders and members for his efforts to unite the parties together. PM Shehbaz who was also in attendance received advice from members and leaders present at the dinner.
Staff at Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s Bani Gala residence on Saturday night caught a man red-handed while installing a spy device in his bedroom.
ARY News reported that an employee of Bani Gala was paid to install a device in the former prime minister’s bedroom. However, the spying attempt was foiled after another employee informed the security team about the installation of the device.
PTI leader and the chief of staff of the former premier, Dr Shahbaz Gill, handed over the suspect, an employee of Bani Gala, to the police.
Shahbaz Gill claimed, “An employee – who cleans the former premier’s room – was paid to install a spy device,” terming the act ‘ heinous and unfortunate’.
“Our people are being threatened to get information. Such shameful acts should be avoided,” he added. The PTI leader further said that the ‘arrested’ employee has made several revelations – which he refused to share at the moment.
Many from PTI have been asserting that Imran Khan’s life is in danger. “In this regard, we have informed all relevant agencies, including the government,” Gill said.
However, Islamabad police said that a media person had handed over the alleged spy to the police but the suspect was not able to speak properly.
بنی گالہ ہاؤس سے جاسوسی کرنے میں ملوث شخص کی گرفتاری کا معاملہ۔
اے آر وائی کے رپورٹر نے ایک شخص کو پولیس کے حوالے کیا جو ٹھیک طرح سے بات نہیں کرسکتا جس وجہ سے اس شخص کی ابھی تک شناخت نہیں ہوسکی۔شخص کی جسمانی اور دماغی حالت جاننے کے لئے میڈیکل ٹیسٹ کروایا جائے گا۔ 1/2
“The suspect could not be identified as he cannot speak properly. It has been decided that a medical test will be conducted on him to ascertain his physical and mental condition. The suspect was kept in Bani Gala house for a day. The person who handed over the suspect to the police has not provided any evidence or proof of spying. Police are investigating the matter and will soon reach the conclusion,” said the police.
An additional increase in the price of power of Rs7.90 per unit was announced by the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (NEPRA) on Monday.
After hearing the Central Power Purchasing Agency’s (CCPA) argument today, the power regulatory authority made the final hike announcement, according to ARY News.
It is worth noting that life consumers and K-Electric are protected from the tariff increase and that the amount would be paid in July’s bills.
In response to a request from CPPAG for a raise of Rs7.96 per unit, the increase was granted under fuel adjustment costs (FAC) for the month of May 2022, according to a notification released by the power regulating authority.
Additionally, after a substantial increase of Rs7.91 per unit, the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority has just set the power rate at Rs24.82 per unit for the fiscal year 2022–23.
The authority approved a Rs5.27 per unit increase in electricity rates for K-electric customers on June 24.
According to a handout provided by NEPRA, K-Electric requested an increase in the electricity rate of Rs5.25 to account for fuel adjustment charges for April.
Earlier, The Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet approved an increase in power costs for K-Electric customers of 57 paisa per unit.
However, ECC deferred making a decision on a different proposal that called for charging K-Electric customers a surcharge of Rs1.45 per unit in order to recover Rs113.1 billion in past-due amounts related to quarterly rate increases.
The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) on Monday released a fresh travel advisory instructing all relevant authorities to enforce the usage of masks on domestic flights in view of the ongoing surge of Covid-19 cases in Pakistan.
According to a notification from CAA, all concerned quarters must ensure compliance with the new order. The notification added that the other Covid-19 guidelines on domestic air travel remained unchanged.
According to the National Institute of Health (NIH), 382 cases of Covid-19 with a positivity rate of 2.85 per cent were reported in Pakistan on June 26.
COVID-19 Statistics 27 June 2022 Total Tests in Last 24 Hours: 13,412 Positive Cases: 382 Positivity %: 2.85% Deaths: 02 Patients on Critical Care: 87
‘Woman of bad character’ is one of the phrases we often hear when the word ‘abortion’ is mentioned in our country. Abortion means the deliberate termination of a human pregnancy, most often performed during the first 28 weeks of pregnancy. Abortion sparked a debate after the United States (US) Supreme Court overturned Roe v Wade, a landmark ruling that granted the right to abortion. The court determined that there is no constitutional right to an abortion, leaving it up to the states to decide whether or not to allow abortions.
According to a 2020 article in ‘Soch writing’, Pakistan has an annual abortion rate of 50 per 1,000 women as per a 2012 survey, the highest in South Asia and one of the highest in the world. (A previous study estimated a rate of 27 per 1,000 women in 2002).
So at present, we understand the meaning of abortion but what we don’t understand is why is it required. A woman conceives a child, but somehow her circumstances lead her to the “choice” of not having the child anymore, and “she ends up deciding of quitting the will to bring a child into this world”. What happens next? She decides to “abort” the baby. Will she be “allowed” to do so? What if the woman was raped and conceived the child as a result of sexual assault? What if she is in an abusive marriage and doesn’t want to risk another life at the hands of her partner? What if the child conceived is a serious threat to the mother’s health? What if both parents are drug addicts? What if they don’t have the financial means to nurture a child? What if both parents carry childhood traumas that they haven’t fully recovered from? What if they are simply not ready? The situations are plenty but they all lead to one word, “choice”. A choice that a woman and her partner must have. A choice to decide when to bring another life into this world and their lives.
Women in Pakistan are no different. They are clearly seeking abortions, and medical practitioners often refuse to perform them or do so only in secret, which are very risky and at times, very expensive —in general, both seekers and providers of abortions tend to believe the procedure is against religion or Pakistani law, or both. So where does it lead us? Education on abortion must be taken up as a priority by the health practitioners and by the individuals involved. Yes, abortion is a big step and comes with its own weight and worries but one’s mind and body should be allowed to make a choice. A choice that doesn’t lead to a judgement about a woman’s character but will only be considered a choice which she freely made for herself. Her body, her choice.
According to the secretary of the Ministry of Science and Technology (MoST), Pakistan can bring in $8 billion in revenue within four years by implementing a policy on cannabis.
As per Minister of Science and Technology, in light of the country’s dire economic situation, Pakistan should “generate revenue through the legal sale of the drug”, Aqib Rauf Abbasi reports for Pro Pakistani.
The minister stated this during a meeting of the Standing Committe on Science and Technology, which was chaired by Senator Shafiq Tarin.
The committee considered the possibility that by creating a regulation on cannabis usage, the government could generate $2 billion in income in a couple of months. He added that cabinet has not approved the policy developed by MoST regarding legal use of cannabis.
The MoST will also initially grant 100 permits for cannabis growing.
Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman, first deputy Prime Minister (PM) and minister of defence, decorated Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa with the King Abdulaziz Medal of Excellent Class for making “significant contributions in defence cooperation” between Pakistan and the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
The medal was named after Saudi Arabia’s founding King Abdulaziz Al Saud and is considered the highest civilian honour in KSA. Recently, it was given to Chinese President Xi Jinping.
Pakistan’s army chief visited Saudi Arabia on an official tour met with the Crown Prince in Jeddah on Saturday. They reviewed bilateral relations, especially in the military fields, and opportunities for developing them. They also discussed a number of issues of common interest.
Following this, Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif congratulated the COAS for being conferred the honour. “It is a great honour for the people and the armed forces of Pakistan,” he said in a tweet.
In another tweet, he said Pakistan considers the security of Saudi Arabia “as our own and are completely resolved to further cementing our multifaceted bilateral relationship including excellent defence cooperation”.
COAS Bajwa meets Musharraf:
COAS General Qamar Javed Bajwa and his wife also paid a visit to former President and Army Chief General (retd) Pervez Musharraf in Dubai, reports emerged on Saturday.
Gen Qamar and his wife were accompanied by top physicians of the Pakistan Army. They spent some time with Gen Musharraf and his family while the army doctors examined the former military ruler, reports The Express Tribune.
Earlier this month, Musharraf’s family revealed that he is going through a difficult stage where recovery is not possible as his organs are malfunctioning.
After this, the establishment and politicians, including Nawaz Sharif, came forward and were of the view that he should be brought back to Pakistan.
One of Pak Suzuki Motor Company’s (PSMC) best-selling vehicles, Suzuki Cultus, will reportedly no longer be produced. According to reports, all variants of the hatchback will be officially phased out in the upcoming months.
According to Pakwheels, Alto and Swift sales had an impact on Cultus sales, and the company intended to actively promote Swift while boosting Alto sales.
If the rumours are true, it may be terrible news for those who adore this tiny hatchback since Cultus has long held the top spot in the 1,000cc category.
According to information from the Pakistan Automotive Manufacturers Association (PAMA), PSMC sold more than 9,800 Alto in March of this year. In April, the amount fell to 5,000. In May, sales slightly increased to about 5,400.
It is also worth noting that PSMC has not made any public statements about the development. Once the business issues a formal statement regarding this, PSMC’s response will be added.
The current generation of Suzuki Cultus was introduced in 2017. The hatchback is available in three variations from PSMC: VX, VXR, and VXL. Since its debut, Cultus has dominated the 1,000cc segment of the home market due to its compact size and impressive fuel economy.
It is still too early to tell if these rumours are true, as several reports from last month that Pak Suzuki was preparing to reintroduce the Mehran turned out to be false after The Current obtained confirmation from numerous dealerships.
Hollywood veteran Johnny Depp has received an apology letter from Disney, requesting him to return to the Pirates Of The Caribbean.
Owing to the accusations made by actress Amber Heard, Johnny was ousted from Fantastic Beasts 3 and Pirates Of The Caribbean.
As per an Australian pop culture site Poptopic.com, Disney has now finally apologized to Depp. They reportedly made a heartening gesture and even offered him a whopping $301 million to return as the iconic Jack Sparrow in the next installment of POTC.
A source close to the publication revealed, “I know corporate sent him a gift basket with a very heartfelt letter, but I’m unsure how it was received. But what I can tell you is that the studio has already penned up a draft for a film about Jack Sparrow, so they are very hopeful that Johnny will forgive them and return as his iconic character.”
However, there remains no confirmation of the same. In fact, the article has raised doubts as the amount offered by Disney seems to be really close to what Johnny mentioned in the defamation trial.
If one recalls, Depp had said that he would not return to Pirates Of The Caribbean now even if he was paid a sum of something as huge as $301 million. Furthermore, producers have previously clarified that they have no plans to bring back the veteran actor so far. So this is nothing but just another rumour.
Depp’s current net worth is over USD 150 million, as he has made some staggering real estate investments which include luxury islands, French villages, and English country homes among others.
Johnny’s lifestyle is like his persona, larger than life and unbelievably exorbitant.
He has recently spent more than USD 75 million on real estate.
Here are a few things that constitute Depp’s monthly bills, according to the lawsuit:
$30,000 on wine
$300,000 on staff, including 40 full-time employees
$150,000 on security for himself and his family
$200,000 for a private jet
The Gilbert Grape actor loves to live like a true superstar.
According to TMG, Depp spent more than $75 million to buy and furnish 14 residences, including an entire village in France. Depp is now trying to unload the town, which features a church, a restaurant and several houses, for $63 million.
In a January 2017 filing, Depp mismanaged his finances, costing him millions. TMG counterclaimed that Depp dug himself into a financial hole.
