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  • Sanam Saeed receives flak for criticising opposition parties

    Sanam Saeed receives flak for criticising opposition parties

    With the Pakistan Democratic Movement holding rallies in different parts of the countries in a bid to oust the government, Sanam Saeed has criticised them for “creating more mess and chaos like always”.

    “Utter disgrace,” remarked the actor.

    However, the actor received immense criticism for her tweet following which she later deleted it.

    Meanwhile, other members of the entertainment industry including Shaan Shahid, Haroon Shahid and Omair Rana have condemned Capt (r) Safdar and PML-N for raising slogans at the mausoleum of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, the founder of Pakistan and jumping over the grill surrounding the grave.

  • Woman pushed into well by Instagram friend for rejecting marriage proposal

    Woman pushed into well by Instagram friend for rejecting marriage proposal

    A 22-year-old woman in the Indian state of Bengaluru spent three days in an open 60-foot-deep well without food or water after an Instagram friend of hers allegedly pushed her into the well for rejecting her marriage proposal. Indian media reported that the incident took place in a village near Devanahalli.

    According to details, on October 13, a villager heard someone shouting from the well, upon which the villagers called the fire and rescue department. A team of police, fire, and emergency officials reached the spot with a crane and rescued the woman. The woman’s hand was fractured during the fall.

    The woman revealed that she came to meet her 22-year-old Instagram friend named Adarsh. The two had become friends on Instagram a month back. Adarsh wanted to meet her personally, so the woman took a bus from her village and arrived in Devanahalli on October 10.

    “I reached Devanahalli around 5.30 pm, and he picked me up on his scooter. He told me that he would show me his farmhouse and took me there. He started expressing his desire to marry me. I rejected his proposal, saying I’m already married and have a son. But he didn’t listen and started forcing me to marry him. He threatened to kill me if I rejected his proposal and pushed me into the well. He fled the spot, cursing me that I would die there,” she told police.

    The police later arrested her ‘friend’, who said that he was upset because the woman rejected his marriage proposal.

    Police said the woman luckily survived the fall because of the bushes in the well. They took her to a nearby hospital for the treatment of the injuries she sustained.

  • Gujranwala protesters booked for violating coronavirus SOPs

    Gujranwala protesters booked for violating coronavirus SOPs

    Gujranwala police have booked at least Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) members over violation of coronavirus SOPs during its power show in the city last week.

    The case registered at the Civil Lines police station against the PDM workers alleged that the political workers flouted measures put in place to contain COVID-19 and also blocked roads.

    The FIR nominates Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders Khurram Dastgir, Chaudhry Mehmood Bashir, Salman Khalid Butt, and Muhammad Bashir Virk among others.

    Last week, the joint opposition held its first rally in Gujranwala as it kicked off its anti-government drive. The rally was termed by the opposition a resounding success, but the government called it a flop show.

    Police had also booked over 100 people, including internet service providers, sound system organisers and residents in at least seven FIRs [First Information Reports] for violating coronavirus guidelines ahead of the gathering in Gujranwala.

    COVID-19 GUIDELINES FLOUTED:

    The massive gathering also blatantly flouted the anti-coronavirus measures, especially at a time when the second wave is in the offing. It is understandable that social distancing was not possible in a small stadium, but face masks — an effective precautionary measure — were also conveniently ignored.

    Out of the party leaders, only some were covering their faces, but they too removed them once they started addressing the gathering. PML-N’s Maryam Nawaz and JUI-F chief Fazlur Rehman and his party leaders did not wear masks at all. As for the crowd, a negligent number of people bothered to wear face masks as a measure to contain the spread of COVID-19.

  • VIDEO: Donald Trump’s dance moves become a TikTok trend

    VIDEO: Donald Trump’s dance moves become a TikTok trend

    Tiktokers are copying US President Donald Trump’s dance moves that he did at one of his YMCA rallies, making it a trend on the Chinese-owned mobile app. 

    The song on which users can be seen shaking a leg to is a mix of Viva La Vida by Coldplay and Swing by Savage, and is being referred to as ‘Viva La Swing‘. 

    Here is a video of the US president dance steps at a rally. 

    https://twitter.com/ScottElliott10/status/1318065165250793472?s=20

    US president’s daughter Ivanka Trump also retweeted a video of a TikTok user, with the caption “love it”.

  • Coronavirus infections to spike in polluted cities, fears PM

    Coronavirus infections to spike in polluted cities, fears PM

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has warned that the second wave of coronavirus infections was imminent, especially in cities that face higher air pollution levels.

    In an award ceremony pertaining to clean green index programme, the prime minister said that he feared there might be a resurgence of COVID-19 infections in cities where the rate of pollution increases in October and November.

    “I fear that in October and November […] cities like Faisalabad, Lahore, Karachi, Peshawar and Gujranwala where there is more pollution […] there might be a second spike in coronavirus cases. The cases are rising gradually and we hope that they don’t increase quickly; we are monitoring it,” he added. According to the PM, the infections could increase during winter as ‘pollution becomes stagnant in the atmosphere’.

    This is not the first time that the premier has warned of a resurgence of the deadly virus. At the start of this month, he had urged people to follow precautionary measures to curb the spread of coronavirus.

    Even though there have been multiple warnings by the government officials about the imminent spike in coronavirus infections, the federal and provincial governments have yet to take any serious measures to thwart a potential catastrophe. In March when the virus had started making inroads in Pakistan, the federal government through its reckless attitude enabled the outbreak.

    The prime minister had said the coronavirus infection was just like normal ‘flu’ which could be cured with ‘hot water’. This attitude didn’t help the government or public living under the shadow of a pandemic.

    This time again, the government is dilly-dallying on measures to prevent COVID-19 outbreak. Despite a gradual spike in cases since September, the government has allowed schools and businesses to operate, exposing millions to the virus.

    SMOG AND CORONAVIRUS:

    Experts say the pollutants could also aid the spread of coronavirus, said a BBC report. “In addition to air pollution decreasing immune defences, it is thought that particulate and nitrogen dioxide found in air pollution can act as vectors for the spread and survival of airborne particles such as Covid [virus],” Mary Prunicki, director of air pollution and health research at Stanford University, said.

    Studies have shown that exposure to high levels of pollution worsens the condition of patients who have diabetes, hypertension, coronary disease and asthma. And it also weakens the immune system of healthy people.

    “The lung is the gateway to the body and any damage to the organ can cause severe problems. And that makes people more susceptible to Covid-19,” Dr DJ Christopher, head of pulmonary medicine at the prestigious Christian Medical College in Tamil Nadu, said. Christopher said. “It’s akin to fighting a war with weakened front-line soldiers.”

    In Lahore, the air quality index has crossed 200 –very unhealthy– since the past week. According to the IQAir website, “Air quality in Lahore usually worsens during the winter season from October to February.” It says that winter air pollution is ‘worse due to temperature inversion, which results in a layer of warm air that is prevented from rising trapping air pollutants’.

  • Son slashes father’s neck when told not to play PUBG

    Son slashes father’s neck when told not to play PUBG

    A young man in India attacked his father and slashed his neck with a knife when he was told not to play PUBG, a Chinese gaming app that has been banned by the Centre.

    As per reports, the father was severely injured in the incident and later, the son, identified as Amir, also stabbed himself with the knife. Both father and son have been admitted to the Meerut Medical College.

    The son attacked his father, Irfan, after he asked him not to spend long hours at gaming. Distressed with his father’s directions, Amir picked up a knife and slashed his father’s neck. Later, he cut his own neck. The youth is in critical condition.

    The incident took place on Thursday in Jamnanagar in Kharkhoda town of the district but was not reported to the police instantly.

    The family of the youth said he was addicted to drugs and was undergoing treatment, revealed Inspector Arvind Mohan Sharma.

  • Muslim denied German citizenship for viewing handshake as a ‘threat of seduction’

    Muslim denied German citizenship for viewing handshake as a ‘threat of seduction’

    The Administrative Court of Baden-Württemberg (VGH), Germany ruled on Friday that a Muslim man was rightly denied the German citizenship because of his refusal to shake the hand of a woman, as he viewed it as “danger of sexual temptation”.

    According to details, a 40-year old Lebanese doctor, who came to Germany in 2002, applied for citizenship through naturalization in 2012. Though he aced the naturalization test, his citizenship was cancelled at the final stage of the process. During his citizenship ceremony, he refused to shake hands with the female bureaucrat, officiating his hearing. As a result, the woman withheld his certificate and rejected his application.

    Defending his actions, the man appealed to the VGH, and stated that he had made a promise to his wife never to touch another woman. However, the court found that refusal to shake hands on gender-specific grounds is in breach of the sexual equality principles laid down in the German constitution. The judge further stated that the handshake symbolizes the conclusion of a contract and is deeply rooted in social, cultural, and legal life. Thus it was concluded that those who are able to demonstrate that they can live according to the values set out in the German constitution are entitled to the German citizenship

    Although handshake is a questionable practice nowadays, thanks to COVID-19, the judge was convinced that the practice would survive the global pandemic.

    This is, however, not the first time citizenship across European countries was denied on the bases of refusal to shake hands with people of the opposite sex for religious reasons. In 2018, a Muslim couple was denied Swiss citizenship because of a lack of respect for gender equality. According to details, the couple’s application was rejected after they refused to shake hands with people of the opposite sex during their interview.

  • Polished Man: Why are male celebrities painting their nails?

    A plethora of male celebrities from Wasim Akram to Humayun Saeed have shared pictures of themselves with one nail polished a different colour prompting fans and followers to question the reason behind this.

    Shaniera Akram, who spearheaded the movement in Pakistan, has explained that ‘The Polished Man’ aims to raise awareness about child abuse. Posting photos of some of most prominent faces in Pakistan, Shaniera wrote: “Some of the toughest men Pakistan has ever produced are showing their softer side and coloring one nail to represent the millions of children who suffer every day at the hand of an adult. Our Pakistani heroes say ‘We WILL NOT tolerate child abuse in our country’.”

    She further explained that though the ‘Polished Man’ campaign has been around for years, 2020 has witnessed the highest level of child abuse in Pakistan.

    Shaniera also encouraged men to start participating in the campaign.

    WHAT IS POLISHED MAN?

    YGAP is a foundation that started in 2008 by a team of young and enthusiastic volunteers and has since matured into a high impact international organisation driven by its work. They support local entrepreneurs who have shown the drive, talent and conviction to create change in their own communities through social impact ventures. They have started raising money for child abuse as one billion children have experienced violence in the last year alone – that’s half the world’s children. They’ve raised $ 530,743 donations so far and are still counting.

    WHY NAIL POLISH?
    YGAP’s cofounder Elliot Costello came up with the idea for Polished Man after a visit to campaign beneficiary Hagar International in Cambodia. One evening, he met a young girl named Thea, who drew a heart on Elliot’s palm, and then painted all of his nails blue.
    Later, Elliot learnt how Thea came to be in Hagar’s care – she was physically and sexually assaulted for two years by her orphanage’s director. Elliot made the decision then and there to paint one nail to remember Thea. When he later learned of the extent of child violence, the Polished Man movement was born.

  • PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    PTA removes ban on TikTok after management assures monitoring

    The Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) has removed the ban on video-sharing application TikTok, after assurances from the platform’s management. According to details, TikTok has assured the regulatory body that they will block all accounts indulged in spreading ‘obscenity and immorality’.

    PTA, in a tweet, confirmed that TikTok will moderate all accounts in accordance with local laws.

    Earlier on October 9, PTA had blocked the social media application after receiving multiple complaints from “different segments of society against immoral/indecent content on the video-sharing application TikTok”.

    This came after a final warning to TikTok was issued in July over explicit content posted on the platform. PTA said TikTok was given “considerable time to respond and comply with” instructions for the development of an effective mechanism for proactive moderation of “unlawful online content” but TikTok “failed to fully comply” with the regulator’s instructions.

    TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in Pakistan. According to some estimates, the app has been installed 43 million times in Pakistan, with 14.7 million of those coming in the year 2020 alone.

    Meanwhile, TikTok had issued a statement on Saturday which called for the lifting of the ban on the app.

    “If the Government of Pakistan decides to reopen access to our services in the future, we will certainly assess our allocation of resources to this market,” the Chinese social media giant had said in a statement.

  • VIDEO: PM mocks Khawaja Asif; claims he called Gen Bajwa crying, seeking help to win election

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has mocked Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Asif, claiming that the latter called Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa on election night in 2018, crying while fearing defeat, and seeking his help to win from the NA-73 constituency of Sialkot.

    “There’s a prominent rangbaaz [charlatan] from Sialkot who thinks highly of himself… makes tall claims… but it was revealed that on election night he called Gen Bajwa at 8 pm, weeping and seeking his help to win the election,” the premier said during an animated address to a Tiger Force convention in Islamabad.

    Calling him “Rangbaaz Khawaja”, PM Imran quoted Asif as appealing to the army chief that he would be destroyed if Gen Bajwa didn’t help him win the election against Usman Dar of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    WATCH VIDEO:

    In the 2018 general election, Asif had secured 116,957 votes while Dar had received 115,464 votes from the NA-73 constituency.

    However, Dar had requested a re-count in the constituency following the result but Asif had retained his seat.

    The vote recount was completed in NA-73 with Asif receiving 45 more votes than before. The vote count of PTI’s Muhammad Dar, who had requested the re-tally in the constituency, increased by 132 but he still remained behind the PML-N leader. 

    Dar, who is the current special adviser to the PM on youth affairs, had later also challenged Asif’s victory, but to no avail.