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  • Female hotel owner bans her customers from calling her ‘auntie’

    Female hotel owner bans her customers from calling her ‘auntie’

    A coffee shop owner in Taiwan has banned her customers from calling her “auntie”. She put up a banner in front of her shop saying that customers over 18 are not allowed to address her as “auntie”.

    The banner, which has been put up on the storefront, features a picture of the proprietor and the following message: “To ensure the standard of the food served, adults aged 18 and above must refrain from referring to the stall owner as ‘auntie’.”

    The hotel owner ignored the order of a customer named Chen Fuyun who addressed the owner as “auntie”. Chen then addressed the owner as “beautiful lady boss”.

    He added that the food served to him was good and that he did not find anything strange in his meal.

  • ‘No report of attack on Khan’: Rana Sanaullah

    ‘No report of attack on Khan’: Rana Sanaullah

    Federal Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Thursday denied claims of an attack against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

    “When big leaders are attacked, the whole country suffers. Imran Khan has the same security as when he was the prime minister,” said Sanaullah.

    In an interview on Samaa TV programme ‘Nadeem Malik Live’, Rana said: “When we looked into it, there was no truth in these claims.”

    However, the minister reiterated that Imran should be arrested and prosecuted for his “extremist views and violence-mongering”.

    Sanaullah said there was no possibility of discussion with the proscribed Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) on the withdrawal of the military from tribal areas near the Afghan border, and reversal of the Fata merger, explaining that such demands were against the Constitution.

    Sanaullah insisted that the civil and military leadership were on the same page that the TTP militants would not be allowed to take up arms. “Otherwise, we won’t shy away from a fight”.

    “The military leadership assured us that we have the capacity and the power to sort these issues out effectively,” the minister added.

    To a question about the appointment of the next army chief, the interior minister said a decision in this regard will be taken in October.

    Earlier this week, the Counter-Terrorism Department (CTD)’s Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) wing has issued a warning that terrorists are planning the assassination of Khan.

  • Pharmaceutical industry wants to raise drug prices by 25 per cent

    Pharmaceutical industry wants to raise drug prices by 25 per cent

    The government is given the deadline of June 30 to accept the pharmaceutical industry’s demands, or the cash-strapped sector will have no choice but to shut down.

    In order to prevent the collapse of the industry, Qazi Mansoor Dilawar, chairman of the Pakistan Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association (PPMA), called for the refund of Rs40 billion that the government had collected as sales tax on the import of raw materials, the removal of the 17 per cent sales tax, and a 20 to 25 per cent increase in the price of medications during a press conference at the National Press Club.

    He also called for a 20 per cent increase in the maximum retail price (MRP). According to him, there is already a shortage of about 40 medicines on the market, and if immediate action is not taken, the shortage will grow alarmingly large.

    Dilawar claimed that the previous administration had pledged to refund the sales tax that had been imposed as a result of IMF pressure within 48 hours, but regretted that no mechanism had yet been established, preventing the refund of a significant Rs40 billion.

    The problem was made worse by a three-fold increase in the price of raw materials, a massive increase in freight costs, an increase in the price of fuel and electricity, and a drop in the value of the rupee. He added that 95 per cent of the raw materials used in the sector had to be imported.

    The president of the PPMA dismissed the notion that the industry was reaping huge profits by mentioning that many medications had costs that were higher than their retail prices.

    He asserted that about 70 per cent of Pakistani medications were less expensive than those found in India and Bangladesh.

    In response to a question, he stated that while there was much discussion about the increase in 600 drug prices after 13 years under the PTI government, there was little discussion of the decrease in 400 drug prices.

    The industry was not prepared to handle the challenge this time, according to the former PPMA chairman Qaisar Waheed, who also spoke about the recent increase in Covid-19 cases, particularly in Sindh.

  • US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    US Congresswoman Ilhan Omar submits resolution against India

    United States (US) Congresswoman Ilhan Omar has submitted a resolution in the House of Representatives on Tuesday in which she condemned the human rights abuses in India.

    The resolution said that the House has expressed grave concern about the “worsening treatment” of religious minorities in India and called on US Secretary of State Antony Blinken to designate India as a “country of particular concern” under the International Religious Freedom Act of 1998.

    The resolution includes two reports i.e. a report by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) and a Report on International Religious Freedom 2021 by the US State Department which was published on June 2, 2022.

    The resolution highlighted that the USCIRF had called for designating India as a country of particular concern for three consecutive years.

    According to the resolution, the report mentioned cases of the Indian government’s “repression of religious minority leaders and voices for religious pluralism in India, including the Jesuit human rights defender Father Stan Swamy and the Muslim human rights advocate Khurram Parvez”.

    According to the resolution, the report said: “Many of the incidents [on minorties] were violent, unprovoked, and/or encouraged or incited by government officials.”

    The resolution said that in the International Religious Freedom 2021 report by State Department there are numerous examples of violence and threats of violence against religious minorities, particularly Muslims and Christians, in India throughout 2021.

    It added that while presenting the report, Blinken himself said that “In India, the world’s largest democracy and home to a great diversity of faiths, we’ve seen rising attacks on people and places of worship.”

    In April, Omar made a visit to Pakistan’s part of Kashmir. She said the issue should get more attention from the US which prompted an angry response from India. The congresswoman has always highlighted the Kashmir issue on several platforms.

  • Teen arrested for raping his mentally-challenged cousin

    A 19-year-old man was arrested for allegedly raping his mentally-challenged 14-year-old cousin in Rajasthan, India, the police revealed the information on Wednesday, reports The Print. The incident happened on June 5.

    According to the police, the accused allegedly sexually assaulted his minor cousin while she was playing near her house.

    The girl’s mother saw the accused committing the heinous act. However, the survivor’s family kept quiet for a couple of weeks due to social pressure, the police said.

    Later, on June 21, the family lodged a case against the accused. Subsequently, the man was arrested within 18 hours of the First Information Report (FIR) registration.

  • Here’s how to build your new laptop without going to a shop

    Here’s how to build your new laptop without going to a shop

    As online purchasing and selling have evolved, you can now choose and order a laptop from a number of Pakistani websites without going to the market in person.

    Some of the most popular websites for online shopping include Daraz, laptopmart.pk, myshop.pk, mrlaptop.pk, telemart.pk and OLX.

    There is a distinct and significantly more effective website that delivers much more than just selling factory goods. The laptop shopping website paklap.pk offers a variety of brands from which you can choose one of your preferred models. Whatever brand or model you’re looking for, Paklap has it, from boxy Lenovo Thinkpads to sleek Apple MacBooks.

    The platform’s most intriguing feature is that it even lets you select your preferred RAM, HDD storage, and SSD storage and provides a precise cost estimate for the laptop after your chosen upgrades. In addition to laptops, the website lists a wide range of computer accessories and numerous gadgets for online shoppers at affordable prices.

    Building your new laptop and obtaining an exact price quote while you’re still in bed seems like a brilliant idea, particularly for those who lack the time to go to the market, haggle, and inquire about the cost of each upgrade.

    Despite the minimal effort, you should still confirm or check the market prices of each item you intend to purchase.

  • ‘All pending cases would have been solved by December 2022’: former special assistant to Khan

    Former Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Accountability Brigadier (Retd) Musaddiq Abbasi said that all the pending cases of politicians would have been solved by December 2022. Abbasi was SAPM to Imran Khan.

    Speaking on Express News‘ political programme‘ Kal Tak‘ with anchorperson Javed Chaudhry, the former special assistant revealed that he was working to make amendments to the Code of Criminal Procedure (CRPC) 1898 so that all the cases could be streamlined. According to him, when he took over the office as SAPM, he discussed it with Khan and he agreed.

    Moreover, talking about pending cases of Nawaz Sharif and other politicians, he clarified that all the cases would have been decided either in their favour or against them.

    On the show, Abbasi who is also the former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) director-general, talked about the recent amendments to NAB law. He said that the bureau is almost closed. It is pertinent to mention that the incumbent government through the new amendments has limited the powers of NAB.

    Abbasi also termed the allegations by Energy Minister Khurram Dastgir’s revelations as baseless. Dastagir alleged that in November when a new army chief would have been appointed by Imran Khan, the new chief would have violated the Constitution and would have helped Imran Khan make false cases against his opponents in order to disqualify them.

    Earlier, Dastgir said, “This is based on information. Imran Khan and his followers would have stayed in power for 15 years. The entire Opposition would have been disqualified. He [Imran Khan] was of the point of view that he will remove everyone and will not spare anyone.”

    Replying to Dastagir, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Asad Umar said that he believes that Dastagir is lying but is still waiting for Director General (DG) Inter-Services Public Relations’ (ISPR) statement because these are very serious allegations and the military spokesperson should respond to them.

  • MNA Ali Wazir says he isn’t safe in the hospital, attacked twice

    MNA Ali Wazir says he isn’t safe in the hospital, attacked twice

    Member of National Assembly (MNA) Ali Wazir from South Waziristan has claimed that his life is in danger. Ali Wazir is associated with the Pashtun Tahaffuz Movement (PTM). He was admitted to Karachi’s Jinnah Postgraduate and Medical Centre on Tuesday, where he was attacked twice according to Wazir. He made this statement while addressing PTM workers outside the hospital.

    In a video, he claimed that he was attacked twice in the hospital, and said he feels unsafe in the hospital. Wazir demanded to be sent back to prison.

    “I should be taken to Islamabad to attend the budget session [in the NA], raise the problems of my constituency,” Wazir said in the video.

    The National Assembly has issued production orders for his release so he could join the ongoing budget session.

    People on social media are reacting to Ali Wazir’s mistreatment:

    Read more- MNA Ali Wazir granted bail ahead of no-confidence motion vote against PM Khan

    He was earlier released from Karachi’s central prison on parole to participate in the no-trust vote against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

  • ‘DG ISI told NSC meeting he sees no conspiracy’: Asad Umar

    Former Planning Minister Asad Umar said that the Director-General (DG) Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Lieutenant General Nadeem Ahmed Anjum told the National Security Committee (NSC) that he did not see a conspiracy against former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan.

    “DG did not produce any document in the meeting to support his claim. It was all verbal,” said Umar while speaking on Dunya News programme, ‘On The Front with Kamran Shahid’.

    He was responding to a question about DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major-General Babar Iftikhar’s presser denying a conspiracy to oust Khan, saying the army spokesman had only said that the Joint Chiefs of Staff Committee (JCSC) and all services chiefs were present in the meeting and he did not say what their opinion was.

    The former minister also said the ISPR chief had said the ISI DG told the meeting he did not see a conspiracy and it was true that he had said that. But, he said, he did not present any detailed report or document to verify his findings in the NSC meeting.

    He said there had been no document other than the cipher presented in the meeting.

    No conspiracy or evidence of any kind against the then government: DG ISPR

    The military’s spokesperson on June 14 expressed regret over the propaganda initiated against the army and the military leadership on social media.

    DG ISPR once again reiterated that no conspiracy was hatched to oust Khan. He said that the military leadership was present in the NSC meeting and the participants were clearly briefed by the intelligence agencies.

    “[They were] briefed that there was no conspiracy or evidence of any kind [against the then government], nothing like that happened. Participants were told in detail that there was no evidence of any conspiracy,” said the DG ISPR.

    Did not issue political statements

    Later on June 15, Major-Gen Iftikhar said that he “did not issue political statements” when he commented on the outcome of the NSC meeting.

    DG ISPR said he did not make any “political statements”, rather it was a clarification on behalf of the services chiefs of the Pakistan armed forces.

    DG ISPR further said that the services chiefs had provided detailed input in the meeting and they had presented information based on intelligence reports, not mere speculation or opinion.

    “This cannot be considered as someone’s opinion; it was a proper briefing based on intelligence reports,” he said.