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  • Covid-19: NCOC eases curbs for passengers travelling to Pakistan

    Covid-19: NCOC eases curbs for passengers travelling to Pakistan

    The National Command Control Centre (NCOC) on Wednesday announced that from tomorrow (February 24), requirement of negative PCR report for passengers travelling to Pakistan has been abolished for fully vaccinated travellers.

    According to the new orders, pre-boarding negative PCR has been abolished for inbound travellers who are fully vaccinated. It also says that passengers below 12 years of age are exempted from mandatory vaccination. Passengers between 12-18 years of age are allowed to travel without mandatory vaccination till March 31, 2022.

    The Sindh government on Tuesday revised Covid-19 restrictions. Ban on indoor dining and weddings have also been lifted.

    Under the new relaxed rules, the following will apply:

    Gatherings

    • Indoor gatherings of all types, including weddings, with a cap of 500 fully-vaccinated guests will be allowed
    • Outdoor gatherings allowed with strict enforcement of safety protocols

    Dining

    • Ban on indoor dining has been lifted. And, outdoor dining for fully-vaccinated citizens and takeaway service will be allowed

    Business timings

    • Businesses will continue without time restrictions

    Office routine

    • Offices will be allowed to operate at 100% capacity of fully vaccinated workers with normal working hours

    Education sector

    • Institutes for children under 12 years of age will open with stringent Covid-19 protocols.
    • Institutes for children above 12 years of age will open with stringent Covid-19 protocols (fully vaccinated)

    Public transport

    • Public buses will be allowed to operate with 80% of their seating capacity. Wearing masks will be mandatory throughout the journey. However, a complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28

    Gyms

    • All gyms will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Shrines

    • Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Cinemas

    • All cinemas will be allowed to remain open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Amusement Parks

    • Open for fully-vaccinated individuals only

    Sports

    • All types of sports are allowed for vaccinated individuals

    Domestic air/land travel meals

    • A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the in-flight or land journeys for domestic travel will remain imposed till February 28

    Railways

    • Railways will operate with a 100% occupancy level for vaccinated individuals only
    • A complete ban on serving meals/snacks during the journey will remain imposed till February 28

    Mask wearing

    • Compliance with compulsory mask-wearing while incorporating innovative measures for enforcement
    • Strict adherence to SOPs in mosques and other places of worship be ensured by the respective district administration

    Extended lockdowns

    • Smart lockdown with stringent enforcement protocols based on disease clusters.

    Pakistan’s daily Covid-19 death toll witnessed an increase after several days.

  • Senior PPP leader Rehman Malik passes away

    Senior PPP leader Rehman Malik passes away

    Senior politician and former Interior Minister Rehman Malik passed away at the age of 70.

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senator was hospitalised in Islamabad due to Covid-19-related complications and his lungs had been severely affected.

    Riaz Ahmad Turi, Malik’s spokesperson, confirmed his death.

     PPP Senator Sehar Kamran had announced on Twitter earlier this month that Malik’s condition had deteriorated because of which he was put on a ventilator. 

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan office tweeted, “May Allah Almighty forgive the deceased and grant patience to the mourners.”

    PPP Chairperson Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari said, “When terrorism was on the rise in the country, it was Rehman Malik who played a pivotal role in eradicating terrorism.”

    PPP Co-chairperson Asif Ali Zardari paid tribute to Malik, saying he was a “hardworking and capable interior minister”.

    He added that Malik’s services to the country were unforgettable and the PPP leadership and workers shared in his family’s grief.

    Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed expressed his grief and extended condolences to the departed’s family.

    Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry tweeted, “Hudaibiya case was investigated under Rehman Malik’s leadership. Although justice has not been done yet, this investigation showed such modern methods of corruption that people were amazed.”

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Ahsan Iqbal tweeted, “I am deeply saddened by the demise of former Interior Minister Rehman Malik.”

    Rehman had a long career as a politician and held many portfolios, including his term as interior minister from 2008 to 2013.

    He was also a recipient of the Sitara-i-Shujaat for his services in the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and the Nishan-i-Imtiaz.

  • Pakistan Test squad for Australia series to see some changes

    Pakistan Test squad for Australia series to see some changes

    Pakistan Test squad for the Australia series is reportedly to see some changes, reported Geo News.

    The report stated that the decision regarding the replacement for injured Mohammad Nawaz will be made in the next couple of days.

    Nawaz had to leave Pakistan Super League (PSL) following an injury to his foot. The left-arm spinner was representing PSL franchise Quetta Gladiators.

    It was also reported that the team management is concerned about the form of pacer Hassan Ali. Hassan is representing Islamabad United in PSL 7 and was unable to impress fans with his performance.

    Read More – Australia announces full-strength squad for Pakistan tour

    Pacer Naseem Shah, who is on the reserves list, is likely to get promoted to the original squad.

    Team Australia is set to tour Pakistan after 24 years and is scheduled to play three Tests, three ODIs and one T20I.

  • Khan family celebrates Jeh’s birthday in style, half-siblings Sara and Ibrahim load car with gifts

    Khan family celebrates Jeh’s birthday in style, half-siblings Sara and Ibrahim load car with gifts

    Bollywood stars Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor’s second son Jeh Ali Khan turned one on February 21, 2022.

    Cuteness overloaded

    On the special occasion, the two celebrated the first birthday of the little munchkin with the family. Yesterday Jeh’s sister Sara Ali Khan took to social media to share glimpses from the birthday bash.

    . Take a look at all the happy pictures of Sara Ali Khan with her sibling gang from Jeh’s first birthday party.

    Adorable pictures from Jeh's first birthday bash
    Happiest first birthday!

    The Simmba star shared an adorable glimpse of the revelries that took place in the Khan house. She captioned the post as Happiest first birthday baby.

    All about love

    In this adorable picture, Saif, Sara, Ibrahim, and Jeh can be seen posing together. For little Jeh’s birthday, Sara Ali Khan decided to twin with her little brother in white outfits. Meanwhile, Saif and Ibrahim also opted for a similar colour to attend the party.

    Happy together
    Brother-sister goals

    Kareena took to social media to share a picture of her sons in a playful mood to wish Jeh on his birthday.

    In the picture, Jeh can be seen chasing his elder brother Taimur. Kareena wrote in the caption, “Bhaiii, wait for me I am One today. Let’s explore the world together. Of course with Amma following us everywhere. Happy birthday My Jeh baba…My life #Mera Beta and #My Tiger To eternity and beyond (sic).”

    As Jeh turns 1, Kareena shares cutesy pic of her sons on social media

    The Jab We Met star followed Jeh’s birthday post with another picture in the next, where Saif (who otherwise refrains from using social media), can be seen spending some quality time with Jeh. She put up the caption with Saif and Jeh’s picture, “Ok Abba will follow too I love you #MyBoys #Forever #MyTigers.”

  • Indian Tinder Swindler: Man scams 27 women, marries them for money

    Indian Tinder Swindler: Man scams 27 women, marries them for money

    A man in India has been arrested after he married 27 women and scammed them for their money. The man named Bibhu Prakash Swain was arrested by the Odisha police on February 13. The man married 27 women in 10 different states.

    He was arrested after one of his wives lodged a complaint under under sections 498 (A), 419, 468, 471 and 494 of the Indian Penal Code.

    “He did not seem anything from what we had imagined him to be. We are not even sure if he has passed the matriculation exam. But we knew that he had preyed on unsuspecting women looking for security and love,” said Sanjiv Satpathy, assistant commissioner of police.

    He targeted his victims through matrimonial sites like Jeevansathi.com, Shaadi.com and Bharatmatrimony.com. As per his mother, he had first married a girl from a nearby village in 1979 and the couple had two sons and a daughter.

    His victims include, “An assistant commandant of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police, a chartered accountant from Chhatisgarh, teachers of a New Delhi-based school, a doctor in Tezpur in Assam, two advocates of the Supreme Court and the Delhi high court, a government employee from Indorean officer of the Kerala Administrative Service.”

    “Though he looked more than 60 in real life, his victims ignored it while considering his government job. Swain took full advantage of the women’s helplessness and laid elaborate traps,” said Bhubaneswar deputy commissioner of police Umashankar Dash. “Though we are yet to know how much money he made out of the victims, initial assessments say he collected ₹2-10 lakh from his victims. His motive was marry for money.”

    “I did not suspect a thing. He came to my home twice with one of his assistants. As I had spent a considerable time in Odisha before moving to Bhilai and then Delhi, I thought Odia men were innocent and could never cheat anyone. In July 2018, we got married in an Arya Samaj temple. But he never took me to Odisha till December 2018, when he brought me to an apartment in Bhubaneswar. However, five days later, he said he is leaving for Bangalore on official work and I returned to Delhi. I started getting suspicious when he would suddenly leave me at short notice and disappear for months together,” said one of the women who lodged the FIR.

    “There were no male members in my family as I had lost my father and brother a few years ago. There was no way to verify his age and we were taken in by the fake identity card. He wanted to rush through the marriage and said it would be held in Jagannath temple in Puri, but midway he took me to Maa Sarala temple in Jagatsinghpur district, saying the temple was closed due to Covid restrictions. It was only after he brought me to an apartment in Bhubaneswar several months later that I had my first doubts. A maidservant who worked in his house told me about his past and I left. However, I could not bring back the gold jewellery worth ₹2 lakh, which I had taken with me,” said another victim.

  • Putin allows Russian forces to enter Ukraine rebel regions

    Putin allows Russian forces to enter Ukraine rebel regions

    Russian President Vladimir Putin ordered Russian troops on Monday to “maintain peace” in two rebel regions of eastern Ukraine.

    The development came forward hours after Putin recognised pro-Moscow separatist regions Donetsk and Luhansk as independent entities in a televised national address, reports Reuters.

    “I consider it necessary to take a long-overdue decision to immediately recognise the independence and sovereignty of the Donetsk People’s Republic and the Luhansk People’s Republic. I ask the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation to support this decision, and then to ratify the treaties of friendship and mutual assistance with individual republics,” Putin announced despite West’s warnings.

    Putin termed United States-backed Ukraine as a failed state and “puppet” of the West, repeatedly kept suggesting that it is essentially part of Russia. He said, “Ukraine never had a tradition of genuine statehood.”

    He demanded an immediate cessation of hostilities in Kyiv and warned, saying, “Otherwise, all responsibility for the possible continuation of the bloodshed will be entirely on the conscience of the regime ruling on the territory of Ukraine.”

    Talking about North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) the Russian President stated, “US strategic planning documents contain the possibility of a so-called preemptive strike against enemy missile systems. And who is the main enemy for the US and NATO? We know that too. It’s Russia. In NATO documents, our country is officially and directly declared the main threat to North Atlantic security.”

    “We will never compromise our sovereignty, national interests, and our values,” he said while adding that the country has every right to take retaliatory measures to ensure its security. That is exactly what we will do.

    Responding to the news, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky addressed his nation and said that the country had initiated an emergency meeting with the Normandy Four (Germany, Russia, Ukraine, and France), reports CNN.

    In a video address, Zelensky said the move was a violation of Ukraine’s “national integrity and sovereignty.”

    Ukraine is deeply divided, with a large Russian and Russian-speaking minority. Since fighting broke out in eastern Ukraine in 2014, separatist rebels of the self-proclaimed Donetsk and Luhansk People’s Republics have been accused of being proxies for Russian interests.

    Several leaders of the state across the globe have condemned the act. The US is reportedly coordinating with allies and will announce new sanctions against its long rival Russia

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan is set to visit tomorrow (Wednesday). In August, Putin and PM Khan talked over the phone and exchanged views on the evolving situation in Afghanistan and bilateral relations.

  • VIDEO: Haris Rauf hugs teammate Kamran Ghulam after slapping him in PSL match

    VIDEO: Haris Rauf hugs teammate Kamran Ghulam after slapping him in PSL match

    During the ongoing Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches, Lahore Qalandars’ pacer Haris Rauf slapped his teammate Kamran Ghulam after he dropped a catch on his bowl. Video of the incident went viral in minutes but the speedster later hugged Ghulam during the match against Peshawar Zalmi in Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.

    It happened when Ghulam dropped Hazratullah Zazai at Haris Rauf’s full delivery on the leg side. However, Fawad Ahmed took a good catch to send Mohammad Haris back. While celebrating, Ghulam went towards Rauf for a hi-five and that was when the latter slapped him in frustration.

    He, however, hugged him later.

    Lahore Qalandars’ official social media account also posted a video of the two players hugging and having fun with each other.

    Peshawar Zalmi won in the Super Over after the teams were tied on 158 runs. Shaheen Afridi’s unbeaten 39 off 20 deliveries, which included a last-ball six, had earlier helped Qalandars tie the game.

    A report in Cricket Pakistan also said that, “Although no serious action was taken, Haris Rauf was let go after being given a warning.” Rauf finished the match with figures of 1/36 from his four overs.

  • ‘Kisi se bhi badtameezi ka competetion ho, jeet jayegi’: Zarnish Khan on co-star Alizeh Shah

    ‘Kisi se bhi badtameezi ka competetion ho, jeet jayegi’: Zarnish Khan on co-star Alizeh Shah

    Actor Zarnish Khan appeared on Wajahat Rauf’s show Voice Over Man, on which while answering a rapid-fire segment’s question on the show, she made some striking remarks about her fellow actress Alizeh Shah.

    Khan was asked if there was a rudeness competition against Alizeh Shah who would win between the two actresses, Zarnish responded, “Kisi se bhi badtameezi ka competetion ho jeet jayegi [She could win a rudeness competition against anyone].

    Her comment — and the question itself — were rather pointed, given that Shah has been in the spotlight for her alleged rude behaviour in the past.

  • Zardari, Bilawal to meet Shehbaz, Maryam as Opposition gears up for no-confidence motion

    Zardari, Bilawal to meet Shehbaz, Maryam as Opposition gears up for no-confidence motion

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari will meet the Leader of the Opposition and the President of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) Shehbaz Sharif at Bilawal House Lahore.

    Sources said the meeting between the two party leaders will first propose a no-confidence motion in Punjab in the meeting.

    Moreover, the two leaders will make a final decision on the date of the in-house change and will also consider a new offer from the Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q).

    PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz and Leader of the Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz will also join the meeting. However, it has not been confirmed yet.

    Zardari has also summoned PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto Zardari from Mardan to Lahore.

    Earlier this week, Zardari held an exclusive meeting with Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) cheif Maulana Fazlur Rehman at his residence.

  • Woman kidnaps ex-husband after he re-marries, demands ransom from family

    Woman kidnaps ex-husband after he re-marries, demands ransom from family

    A woman has been arrested in Yemen on the charges of kidnapping, her husband after he re-married,Gulf News Has reported. As per media reports, the woman alsot tortured and demanded ransom from the family of her ex-husband.

    The man, identified as Mubarak Sultan, was allegedly kidnapped by Taghred Ghalib, on February 7 in Yemen’s south west province of Taiz, according to an unverified police statement posted on the Internet.

    Sultan was abducted while strolling down the street with the help of the woman’s brothers and transported to an unknown location.

    The woman while confessing her crime said, “Yes!” I have kidnapped and tortured him to take my frustration out.” She added that she has shared the pictures of her severely injured ex-husband’s body to set an example.

    She further said that her ex-husband lied, cheated and shared her pictures online and leaked private conversations.