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  • VIDEO: Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan vaccinates citizens

    Trust Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Information Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan to do the unusual and make headlines. Dr Firdous was recently spotted administering COVID-19 vaccines to citizens who had come to get vaccinated.

    In a video doing the rounds on social media, Dr Awan can be seen injecting a citizen with a dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. As per Geo News, the CM’s aide vaccinated more than one citizen at a vaccination centre set up by the government in Sialkot.

    During her visit, Dr Awan also promised to announce vaccinations for journalists, saying that she will vaccinate journalists herself.

    Meanwhile, Asad Umar has announced that vaccine registrations for citizens aged 40 and above will commence from tomorrow. He also announced that walk-in vaccinations for citizens above 50 have also been opened.

    Vaccinations of people 60 and above commenced on March 10, while registrations for people above 50 started from March 30, and the vaccination drive of people in the age group 50-59 started on April 21.

    As per NCOC, Pakistan recorded 4,825 cases and 70 deaths in last 24 hours with the positivity rate of 9.61%.

  • Vaccination registration for ages 40-49 to start from April 27

    Vaccination registration for ages 40-49 to start from April 27

    Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives Asad Umar has announced that Pakistan will commence COVID-19 vaccination registrations for ages 40-49 from April 27.

    The minister also said that the National Command and Operations Centre has decided to start walk-in vaccinations for all registered citizens aged 50 and above.

    “In today’s NCOC meeting decided to open up registration of 40 plus age citizens starting tomorrow. Also, decision taken to allow walk-in vaccination of all registered citizens of 50 plus age group,” said Umar, urging all eligible persons to register for the vaccine.

    Pakistan is currently vaccinating citizens who are 50 plus and healthcare workers with Chinese vaccines including Sinopharm. According to the NCOC, over 1.8 million people have been vaccinated in the country so far.

    Meanwhile, more than one billion doses have been administered worldwide, according to a tally by AFP. More than half, or 58 percent, have been given in three countries: the United States with 225.6 million doses, China with 216.1 million doses and India with 138.4 million.

    In terms of the proportion of the population who have been vaccinated, Israel is in the lead, with nearly six out of every 10 Israelis fully inoculated. That is followed by the United Arab Emirates with more than 51 percent of the population has received at least one jab, Britain with 49 percent, the US with 42 percent, Chile with 41 percent, Bahrain with 38 percent and Uruguay with 32 percent.

    WATCH – Canadian man celebrates COVID-19 vaccination with bhangra

    Pakistan is currently battling against the third wave of COVID-19 with a total of 800,452 cases. The country has reported 4,825 cases and 70 deaths in the last 24 hours.

  • Shoaib Akhtar says ‘Rizwan has proven to be an asset for Pakistan’

    Shoaib Akhtar says ‘Rizwan has proven to be an asset for Pakistan’

    Former Pakistan speedster Shoaib Akhtar has heaped praise on Mohammad Rizwan, saying the wicket-keeper batsman has proved that he is “an asset for Pakistan”.

    Pakistan were under the pump after being on the receiving end of a shocking 19-run loss in the second T20I, which was also Zimbabwe’s first-ever win over Pakistan in T20Is. Pakistan were given a paltry total of 119, but they collapsed to 99 all out to put series on the line.

    But on Sunday, the visiting side approached their batting with better intent and paced it better. Pakistan had added Sharjeel Khan in the side, which meant that Babar Azam was pushed to third spot while Rizwan and Sharjeel opened the batting.

    Sharjeel didn’t impress in his appearance but Rizwan stuck right till the end, notching up an extremely impressive 91 off 60 balls to get his side to 165.

    “Rizwan’s intent towards Pakistan is amazing. The way he is serving Pakistan, it’s fabulous to see that someone is playing for his side with this good intent,” said Akhtar on his YouTube Channel. “All of them play like this. 91 off 60, he’s proven that he is an asset for Pakistan.”

    Akhtar added that Pakistan needed to sort out its middle order, which has been under the radar for a while now. He said that Rizwan should contribute to Pakistan if the management requires him to bat in the middle order to sort out this crisis.

    “Rizwan should contribute for his side in the middle order if they require him in that role,” he continued. “Pakistan should improve their selection, they should sort out their middle order and the X-factor in the bowling should be brought back. Many congratulations to this side for winning.”

    Read more – Afridi wants PCB to review middle-order performances, suggests Shoaib Malik’s inclusion in T20Is

    There was a slight scare for Pakistan after Madhevere (59 off 47) and Marumani (35 off 26) were starting to find momentum in the run-chase. The 20-year-old Madhevere was impressive in his stroke-play but Pakistan bowlers, in particular Hasan Ali, did a good job to pull things back.

    For his career best four-wicket haul, Hassan received Player of the Match award.

    Shoaib said there was a slight doubt in his mind that Zimbabwe might win this and if that happened, the defeat would’ve been a hard pill to swallow. “There was a slight doubt in my mind that Zimbabwe might get away by chasing this total down, it would have been embarrassing. It wouldn’t have been easy to bear that.”

    Rizwan now holds the record for the most runs in 11 consecutive innings across T20Is. He has scored seven fifty plus scores in this period.

    The opener has also bagged his second consecutive Player of the Series award.

    Meanwhile, Azam has become the fastest batsman to reach 2000 T20I runs. He has taken only 52 innings to achieve the feat, beating Indian Cricket Team captain Virat Kohli. Babar reached to 2000 T20I runs four innings quicker than him.

    Pakistan and Zimbabwe will now go head-to-head in two-match Test series, which starts April 29.

  • Fake fingerprints being used to activate SIMs, warns Interior Ministry

    Fake fingerprints being used to activate SIMs, warns Interior Ministry

    The Ministry of Interior has disclosed that criminals are using fraudulent techniques like silicon thumbs impressions to activate SIM cards.

    The Cyber Crime Wing of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has received more than 4,547 complaints of unsolicited/fraudulent calls. These cybercrime activities are financially deceiving common people.

    “It’s a fact that Cybercrime FIA assists the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) in tracking the owner of such SIMs. Some culprits are being interrogated,” said the ministry.

    In 2019 and 2020, the Cyber Crime FIA registered 90 First Information Reports (FIRs), 107 accused were arrested while 17 biometric verification (BVS) devices, 25,192 SIMs, and 6,446 silicon thumbs impressions along with a voter list were recovered.

    The loss averted during 2019-20 was R.71.99 million, and the estimated cost of the confiscated items was Rs 91.76 million.

    The Cyber Crime FIA has established a special team in every cybercrime reporting centre to deal with complaints about unsolicited callers who defrauded people and collaborates with the PTA to crack down on such franchises that fraudulently activate SIMs.

  • Indian actor thanks Pakistan for ‘bada dill’ amid COVID

    Swara Bhasker has thanked Pakistan for showing kindness to India “during this devastating times”.

    “Heartening to see Pakistani civil society and social media reach out in solidarity and kindness to India, during this devastating time,” wrote the actor on social media.

    She continued: “This despite the fact that our media and mainstream public discourse have consistently mocked and vilified Pakistanis.”

    “Thank you for your bada bada dil padosi,” she added.

    Twitter in Pakistan trended with hashtags showing solidarity to India, which also melted Kangana Ranaut’s heart, prompting her to thank Pakistan for extending prayers.

    Prime Minister Imran Khan and other cabinet members also extended their prayers for India and Faisal Edhi had also written a letter to Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi offering help in tackling COVID-19 in India.

    Atif Aslam also extended his prayers for the neighbouring country.

    India recorded over 350,000 new COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours ending 8 am Monday, taking the country’s total infections to over 1.73 crores. Of these, over 28 lakh cases are currently active while 1.43 crore people have recovered after testing positive. With 2,812 new fatalities, the death toll is now over 1.95 lakh, The Indian Express has reported.

    As per Indian media reports, from the first wave of COVID-19, the demand for medical oxygen had increased from 700 metric tonnes per day to 2,800 metric tonnes per day. However, in the past few days, the demand has reached nearly 5,000 metric tonnes per day.

  • Rich Indians reportedly fleeing to UAE on private jets, paying fare as high as $38,000

    Rich Indians reportedly fleeing to UAE on private jets, paying fare as high as $38,000

    Rich and affluent Indians are reportedly fleeing India to escape the COVID-19 pandemic, and the demand for private jets and fares has increased drastically.

    United Arab Emirates (UAE) decided to suspend flights from India and people had time till Sunday to travel back to UAE.

    Online price for one way fare has increased almost ten times. Flights from Mumbai to Dubai would cost as much as 80,000 Indian Rupees ($1,400).

    Tickets for the New Delhi to Dubai route were going for more than 50,000 rupees, five times more than the average rate. Moreover, no tickets were on offer from Sunday when the 10-day flight suspension comes into force.

    For private jets, the fare is ridiculously high. The spokesperson for a charter company total that
    “We have requested more aircraft from abroad to meet the demand. It costs $38,000 to $50,000 to hire a 13-seater jet from Mumbai to Dubai, and US$31,000 to hire a six-seater aircraft.”

    “People are making groups and arranging to share our jets to get a seat. We’ve had some queries for Thailand but the demand is for Dubai,” he maintained.

    According to the latest figures, UAE is home to around 3.3 million Indians which accounts to a third of Dubai’s total population.

    The UAE’s General Civil Aviation Authority has ordered that those who are coming from India must stay in 14 days quarantine.

  • Indian woman gets married to COVID positive man in PPE kit

    Indian woman gets married to COVID positive man in PPE kit

    An Indian couple recently tied the knot inside a coronavirus ward at the Alappuzha Media College in Kerala. Sarath Mon and Abhirami got married inside the Covid ward after the groom tested COVID-19 positive a few days back. The bride showed up at the hospital in a PPE kit.

    According to details, Sarath, who was working abroad, had tested positive during the arrangements of his wedding. Later, his mother was also tested positive for the virus. Both Sarath and his mother Jijimol were admitted to the Covid ward.

    After taking necessary permissions from the District Collector and other concerned authorities, the marriage was held inside the ward. The bride and a relative entered inside the Covid ward in a PPE.

    The family and relatives decided to hold the marriage on the fixed date on April 25 instead of delaying it further.

    Read more – ‘Distance makes the heart grow fonder’: Mumbai Police tells man wanting to see girlfriend amid lockdown

    The groom’s mother handed over the garlands to the couple and they tied the knot.

  • Karachi woman buys 208 burgers using 26 bank cards

    Karachi woman buys 208 burgers using 26 bank cards

    A woman in Karachi availed a Ramzan offer and bought 208 burgers using 26 bank cards from a well-known international food chain.

    As per details, the  international food chain had introduced a special Ramzan offer for Karachi customers having a certain bank’s card. The deal offered four burgers for Rs550, and the deal can be availed twice within 24 hours for each debit/credit card.

    When the woman got to know about the offer, she rushed to the franchise’s outlet located on Khayaban-e-Shahbaz with 26 bank cards.

    Read more – Delivery boy robbed of burgers in Gujranwala

    Talking to the media, the food chain manager said: “We had no choice but to entertain the lady’s request because the company had introduced the deal.”

    “What’s more interesting, is that she either remembered the PIN codes of all the cards or must have had them saved on her phone because not one code was wrong,” he added.

    The manager said that the lady was handed a bill of Rs28,600 and walked away with a whopping 208 burgers.

  • Pakistan Stands With India

    Pakistan Stands With India









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    Hey,*|MERGE1|*! It’s April 25, where did the month go? I finally started watching a Ramzan drama, and no it’s not Chupke Chupke. ?I’m watching Tanna Banna, which is a romantic comedy that revolves around the relationship of Zain and Zoya and is also dismantling patriarchy in a very sweet way. I’ve also penned down a review, so you guys can decide whether to watch it or not.  

     

    Laila-The Current 

    MORNING MEME
     

     Prayers for India: PM Imran, cabinet ministers tweet in solidarity

    Prime Minister Imran Khan and other cabinet members including Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi expressed support for the people of India in the current wave of COVID-19. 

    Apart from PM Imran and cabinet ministers, Pakistanis also expressed their solidarity with India. #PakistanStandsWithIndia trended as number 1 on Twitter. 

    Read On

     Pakistan IT exports cross $1.5bn for the first time

    The Pakistan Information Technology (IT) industry has experienced $1.5 billion in exports for the first time. In March, the industry received the highest export remittances of $213 million. 

    According to data released by the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP), IT and IT-enabled services recorded a huge increase of $1.512 billion during the first nine months of the current fiscal year (FY) 2020-21. 

    The industry observed an increase of $459 million, or 43 per cent in comparison to the previous period in which the IT exports stood at $1.512 billion. 

    Read On

    Review: ‘Fitoor’: Is Haider confused or simply unfaithful? ?

    Love triangles and cheating husbands are not new to Pakistani television. I have seen at least one if not more dramas on the subject and they have pretty much been done to death. Fitoor, which airs on Geo Entertainment, is the latest love triangle on the block with our hero oscillating between two women: one his wife and the other his pehli mohabbat (first love).  

    Read the complete review by Saman.  

    Read On

    ‘Don’t ask a sister why she’s not fasting,’ urges Mariyam Nafees ?

    Mariyam Nafees wants people to normalize not pretending to fast when you are not. 

    “Brothers, don’t ask a sister why she’s not fasting,” wrote the actor on social media. “In fact, don’t ask anybody who’s not fasting why they’re not fasting.” 

    Earlier, Shaniera Akram had clapped back at those who asked her why she was not fasting and told them to “just chill out a little”.

    Read On

     Sunday Superstar

    The bank was one of the most fancy places in our village, whenever I would take mother there, she looked at the Accountant’s seat and said that one day her son will make it there.”
    If you have lost faith in your dreams, watch this week’s Sunday Superstar to know how Ansar Ali achieved his dream degree after waitressing at Zakir Tikka’s LUMS branch for two years.     

    Watch

    On this day: 25 April WORLD MALARIA DAY

     On this day, we observe World Malaria Day and raise awareness about the global effort to control and ultimately eradicate malaria. This also provides health organisations and scientists with an opportunity to communicate information about the disease and about the current research efforts to the public. Malaria exists in more than 100 countries worldwide, and some 900,000 people die from the disease each year.

    Current Baba’s prediction

     Aaj you will find something that you have been looking for.?

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  • Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says steps to end military mission launched

    Top U.S. commander in Afghanistan says steps to end military mission launched

    The commander of foreign forces in Afghanistan, U.S. Army General Scott Miller, on Sunday said an orderly withdrawal of foreign forces and the handing over of military bases and equipment to the Afghan forces had begun.

    Miller said he was acting on orders based on U.S. President Joe Biden’s decision to end America’s longest war, deeming the prolonged and intractable battle in Afghanistan no longer aligned with American priorities.

    Earlier this month Biden said he would withdraw troops from Afghanistan before Sept. 11, the 20th anniversary of the militant attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon that launched the Afghan war.

    Miller, who has been commanding the U.S. forces and the NATO Resolute Support Mission in Afghanistan in their fight against the Taliban and other Islamist militant groups since 2018, said foreign forces will continue to have “the military means and capability to fully protect themselves during the ongoing retrograde and will support the Afghan security forces.”

    “I’ve had the opportunity to talk to Taliban members with the Taliban Political Commission, and I’ve told them a return to violence, an effort to force a military decision, would be a tragedy for Afghanistan and the Afghan people,” Miller told reporters in the capital Kabul.

    The Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, when they were ousted by U.S.-led forces. Since then they have waged a long-running insurgency and now control wide swathes of territory.

    Security experts in recent weeks said they doubt if the Taliban will allow U.S. forces, whom they call invaders, to peacefully exit the country at a time when clashes between the Afghan forces and the Taliban have not ebbed.

    Foreign force withdrawal is slated to begin on May 1, in line with an agreement with the Taliban in 2020.

    “As we retrograde to zero U.S. forces, we will turn over the (military) bases primarily to the (Afghan) Ministry of Defense and other Afghan forces,” Miller said adding that the Taliban have committed to break their relationship with al Qaeda, the Islamist extremist group.

    The Taliban government’s sheltering of Al-Qaeda was the key reason for the U.S. invasion of Afghanistan after the September 2001 attacks.

    A United Nations report in January said there were as many as 500 al Qaeda fighters in Afghanistan and that the Taliban maintained a close relationship with them. The Taliban denies al Qaeda presence in Afghanistan.