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  • ‘World’s smallest baby’ goes home after 13 months in hospital

    A baby thought to be the world’s smallest at birth has been discharged from a Singapore hospital after 13 months of intensive care, BBC reported.

    Kwek Yu Xuan weighed only 212g, the weight of an apple, when she was born with the height of 24cm.

    She was delivered at just under 25 weeks, which is very early of the average 40 weeks.

    BBC News

    According to the University of Iowa’s Tiniest Babies Registry, the girl who previously held a record was a girl in the US who weighed 245g at birth in 2018.

    Yu Xuan’s mother gave birth to her by emergency C-section four months early after she was diagnosed with pre-eclampsia — dangerously high blood pressure that can damage vital organs and be fatal for both mother and baby.

    Yu Xuan now weighs a much healthier 6.3kg (14 pounds).

    The baby girl had a “limited chance of survival”, according to Singapore’s National University Hospital (NUH) where she was born.

    “Against the odds, with health complications present at birth, she has inspired people around her with her perseverance and growth, which makes her an extraordinary ‘Covid-19’ baby — a ray of hope amid turmoil,” the hospital said in a statement.

    Yu Xuan was given multiple kinds of treatment and relied on different kinds of machines to survive.

    Doctors say her health and development went well under their care and she is now healthy enough to be discharged.

    Yu Xuan still has chronic lung disease and will need help with her breathing at home. However, doctors say she is expected to get better with time.

    Yu Xuan’s parents were able to pay for her treatment through a crowdfunding campaign that raised $366,884 (Rs 44,522,019).

  • Tears and standing ovation mark Messi’s farewell to Barcelona

    Tears and standing ovation mark Messi’s farewell to Barcelona

    Lionel Messi wept on Sunday as he bade farewell to his boyhood team FC Barcelona.

    The 34-year-old Argentine’s emotional news conference followed Barca’s announcement last week that it could no longer afford him after a glittering two decades.

    French newspaper L’Equipe reported on Sunday that Messi will travel to Paris either Sunday or Monday to undertake a medical and finalise a deal with the Qatar Sports Investment-owned club.

    Spanish newspaper Marca reported PSG formally sent their offer to Messi on Sunday morning, just as the football star held a news conference.

    While Messi did not confirm he would definitely join the Parisians, he said that his plans were to carry on playing as long as possible, adding he still harbours ambitions to win another Champions League trophy.

    “As long as I go on being competitive and as long as my body responds (I’ll carry on playing),” he told a news conference.

    “As long as I can, I will carry on competing.”

    “I tried to behave with humility and respect and I hope that is what remains of me when I leave the club,” said an emotional Messi as hundreds of fans, many wearing his No. 10 jersey, amassed outside Barca’s Camp Nou stadium to bid farewell to the player they called Messiah.

    Messi broke down as he walked onto the stage before conducting his news conference and was handed a tissue by his wife Antonella Roccuzzo as he fought back the tears.

    “This is the toughest moment of my career. When the club told me, I just froze. This is all like a bucket of cold water has been poured over me and we are still coming to terms with it,” he sobbed.

    “When I get home, I’m sure it’ll be even worse. But I’ll be surrounded by my loved ones and I’ll carry on playing football, and when I do so, I’m sure it’ll become a bit easier.”

    It had been widely reported by local media that Messi was set to stay at Camp Nou, with the player admitting he had agreed to a five-year deal involving a 50% pay-cut.

    The six-time Ballon D’or winner has been at Barcelona for 21 years and became its all-time top goalscorer with 682.

    Meanwhile, many notables wished him luck.

  • Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots in order to perform Umrah

    Pakistanis have to get booster shots of one of the four approved vaccines, i.e. Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson in order to perform Umrah. Saudi Arabia is to begin accepting vaccinated foreign visitors for Umrah, reports Saudi Press Agency (SPA). The Saudi authorities will begin taking travel requests starting today and will increase the number of Umrah performers to two million per month. The Kingdom closed its borders some 18 months ago because of the coronavirus pandemic.

    According to the official guidelines for travellers to the KSA (Kingdom of Saudi Arabia), “Guests who have completed two doses of the Sinopharm or Sinovac vaccines will be accepted if they have received an additional dose of one of the four vaccines approved in the Kingdom.”

    “All visitors arriving in the country with a valid tourism visa must provide evidence of a full course of one the four vaccines currently recognised: two doses of the Oxford/Astra Zeneca, Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines or a single dose of the vaccine produced by Johnson and Johnson,” reads the guidelines.

    The Kingdom announced on Sunday about reopening their borders for Umrah, a move that will boost an economy hit by the Covid pandemic. Domestic and overseas pilgrims will have to include authorised Covid-19 vaccination certificates along with their Umrah application. “A certificate of immunisation certified by the official authorities in the country of the Umrah performer must be attached within the documents of requesting the performance of Umrah rituals, with the condition that the vaccines be approved in the Kingdom.” Moreover, foreign visitors from Saudi entry-ban list will have to undergo quarantine.

    Saudi Arabia has recorded nearly 532,000 coronavirus cases and more than 8,300 deaths.

  • Ghana Ali blasts netizen for claiming that she married Umair to use him like an ‘ATM’

    Ghana Ali blasts netizen for claiming that she married Umair to use him like an ‘ATM’

    Sun Yaara actor Ghana Ali, who tied the knot with businessman Umair Gulzar, has responded to mean comments of a netizen who claimed that she married him for his wealth.

    She mentioned that he is not a billionaire and that she didn’t marry him because of his wealth. The Dilruba star added that such speculation is fabricated and it affected their mental health.

    She revealed his profession too.

    On the work front, the Dilruba diva will be seen next in a Pak-Turk film, Gawah Rehna alongside Emmad Irfani.

  • Anti-Muslim slogans call for murder at event organised by BJP

    Anti-Muslim slogans call for murder at event organised by BJP

    Inflammatory, anti-Muslim slogans calling for murder were raised in New Delhi, India, on Sunday during a march “against Colonial-era laws” in the country — an event organised by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ashwini Upadhyay, reported The Wire.

    The event, organised under the ‘Bharat Jodo Movement’, demanded the end of “colonial-era laws” by implementing a Uniform Civil Code. The event was reportedly held without police permission.

    In photos and videos of the event doing the rounds on social media, violent and inflammatory anti-Muslim slogans were raised at the event, including slogans directly calling for the murder of Muslims. The Delhi Police have registered an FIR against unknown persons.

    https://twitter.com/asfreeasjafri/status/1424366863711043587?s=21

    People are questioning why an FIR has been registered against unknown people when their faces are clearly visible.

    Senior Journalist Barkha Dutt tweeted: “Revolting anti-Muslim slogans in heart of the capital is a clear example of hate speech and incitement to violence.”

    “I do not agree with the sedition law or with the phrase anti-national but if ever there was an apt definition of it, it is these men, caught on tape,” tweeted the journalist.

    Indian journalist Smita Sharma tweeted, “Video clips doing the rounds of vitriolic dangerous sloganeering against Muslims in the heart of the capital.”

    Sharma further said, “These are not fringe elements or just stupid crowds. They have been emboldened. Will @DelhiPolice act against these toxic anti-nationals?@CPDelhi.”

    Journalist Maya Mirchandani tweeted, “A group gets permission to hold a sit in at Jantar Mantar supposedly for unity in the country, then raises genocidal slogans against Indian Muslims in the heart of Delhi, a stone’s throw from parliament. Under govt’s nose, under @CPDelhi nose. How? #rightwingextremism #hatespeech”

  • PM Khan shares this video but TikTok is banned in Pakistan

    PM Khan shares this video but TikTok is banned in Pakistan

    Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan at the conclusion of the Olympic Games on Sunday, shared a message for his followers on social media, featuring a Tiktok video that conveys the importance of not giving up.

    Read More – PM Imran Khan wants Tiktok to be banned

    “I want the youth of Pakistan to watch the race and learn the most important lesson that sports taught me: you only lose when you give up,” wrote the premier.

    The 62-second clip shared by PM Imran Khan shows an athlete falling down on his face during a sprint before getting back on his feet again and finishing ahead of everyone else.

    It is the fourth time that the wildly popular video sharing app has been blocked in Pakistan and the third time this year. Free speech advocates are critical of growing censorship since PM Imran Khan took office in 2018.

    The app has been caught up in a series of legal battles with religious activists and authorities. Prior to this shutdown, the app was barred for two days in early July on the order of a provincial court.

    Read More – Justice Athar Minallah expresses anger over TikTok ban, asks PTA for justification

    Despite being hugely popular and useful to many who market and sell goods online in Pakistan, TikTok has many critics in the country who claim the app promotes vulgarity.

    In June, the company announced it had removed more than siz million videos in just the previous three months alone as a result of complaints from officials and citizens alike. Of those six million videos, 15% were pulled because of “adult nudity and sexual activities.”

    The first time that Pakistan moved to block TikTok in 2020, the ban was lifted after diplomatic pressure from China and assurances from Byte Dance, the parent company, with regards to content moderation.

  • Man kills wife with an ax in front of daughter

    A husband killed his wife with an ax in front of their daughter in Nankana Sahib. Police registered a case under Section 302 and arrested the accused, reports Independent Urdu.

    According to the FIR, the woman was a resident of the Maliwal area and a mother of three children. She was murdered by her husband Khalid Hussain on Saturday night.

    The brother of the deceased, Yaseen, registered an FIR at Mangta Nawala police station. Yaseen told Independent Urdu that his sister was married to Khalid 15 years ago and has two sons and a daughter. Khalid used to drive a rickshaw to earn a living. According to Yaseen, the victim came to his house after the couple had a fight over their children.

    He said that Khalid came to his house on Friday night and took an oath by placing his hand on the Qur’an that he will never beat his wife again and wants to take his wife and children back home.

    Yaseen said that since the couple already had a fight so just to be on the safe side, he went with the couple along with some other relatives to ensure that the couple do not quarrel again.

    Yaseen said he slept on the roof at night, his sister in a room and Khalid in the courtyard.

    “At about two o’clock in the morning, there was a noise and we ran downstairs. I saw Khalid attacking my sister with an ax. My sister died on the spot due to severe injuries while Khalid saw us and fled the scene.”

    Yaseen said that when Khalid was attacking his sister with an ax, his 14-year-old daughter was standing there in shock.

    He said that the young girl’s senses have not been restored yet. They have brought the children home with them while the victim has been buried.

    SHO Tasawur Munir said that the accused has been arrested and action will be taken as per law. The SHO declined to comment further, saying an investigation is underway.

    Yaseen said he is very poor and is a driver by profession, he is afraid that the police will suppress the case so he needs justice for his sister.

  • Ayeza Khan’s account hacked? Requests her fans to support

    Ayeza Khan’s account hacked? Requests her fans to support

    Meray Paas Tum Ho star Ayeza Khan took to her Instagram stories to update her fans about a fake account of the actress on Twitter. The handle claims to be Ayeza’s team but isn’t affiliated with her.

    It is a verified account and hence caught the Chupke Chupke diva’s attention. She immediately asked her followers to report the account on twitter with over 2.5 lac followers.

    She recently updated netizens on her vaccinated status with a picture and a detailed caption on her Instagram handle. The Laapata actor replied back to netizens who questioned her point of posting it on a public platform.

     Ayeza is currently starring in Laapata opposite Ali Rehman Khan and Sarah Khan.

    Read More: Video: Ayeza Khan stuns the web with her electrifying dance moves on Sridevi’s chartbuster song ‘Mitwa’

  • Did Zahir’s mother help cover up Noor’s murder? Investigators look through call logs

    Did Zahir’s mother help cover up Noor’s murder? Investigators look through call logs

    Investigators in Noor Mukadam’ s murder case are checking the calls logs of Zahir’s mother — Asmat Jaffer — who called the head of Trillium Information Security Systems, a private Rawalpindi-based security firm, several times on the day of Noor’s gruesome murder on July 20, reports Zahid Gishkori for The News.

    Asmat Jaffer, who was in Karachi at the time of the murder, was also in contact with her son at 7:29pm. Noor’s murder reportedly took place between 6:30 and 7:30pm.

    Shortly after this call, Zahir contacted Trillium Security’s head at 7:30pm for five minutes after which Asmat spoke to the head of the firm at least thrice. Not only this, several people that she was in contact have confirmed that she was actively moving between Karachi’s DHA, Clifton and Shaheed-e-Millat Road area and reached out to multiple people at this time. According to The News, Zahir’s mother communicated over 200 times with numerous people: her servant, neighbours in F-7/4, a few influential individuals, a security company, capital police, a welfare trust, four private firms, her immediate family members and periodically with her son, the suspected killer, officials and people involved in the case said.

    These strange calls started peaking in the afternoon of July 20. She made frequent calls to Zahir a dozen times. However, the nature of these calls hasn’t been disclosed yet.

    “I have nothing to do with what happened [at Jaffer House]. These are absolutely false findings. Whatever the folks are saying is incorrect, as I have no connection with this [Noor Mukadam] murder,” Trillium Information Security Systems’ owner told Gishkori.

    The court denied bail to Zahir’s parents. Asmat Jaffer arrived at Quaid-e-Azam International Airport, Karachi, at 6:30am on July 21, throughout on call. Upon her arrival, she did not go to her family home. She went straight to sector F-8 for a few hours, before going to a friend’s house in sector F-6.

  • VIDEO: Man gets stuck behind ATM machine during theft

    A drunk thief in India’s Tamil Nadu got stuck behind an automated teller machine (ATM) while he was trying to steal money.

    The police arrested the thief identified as Upendra Roy. The police first rescued the thief and then detained him. 

     As per reports, Roy in his drunk state, removed the plywood on the wall behind the ATM and managed to reach the back of the machine. 

    Read More: Thief arrested after falling asleep in AC room during robbery

    Nearby residents informed the authorities when they heard strange sounds coming from the ATM. The police reached the spot and arrested the thief.