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  • KFC suspends its ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ slogan due to COVID-19

    KFC suspends its ‘Finger Lickin’ Good’ slogan due to COVID-19

    KFC has announced it will be suspending its slogan “It’s Finger Lickin’ Good” due to coronavirus. The food chain has used the slogan for more than six decades but is now skipping it because of the pandemic.

    The fastfood chain, in a statement, on Monday said that it would not be using the slogan for the first time in 64 years because it “doesn’t quite feel right”.

    “We find ourselves in a unique situation – having an iconic slogan that doesn’t quite fit in the current environment,” Catherine Tan-Gillespie, global chief marketing officer at KFC said.

    The menu isn’t changing and the company said the slogan will return when the “time is right.”

    The decision comes after the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) advised people not to touch their eyes, nose and mouth amid the pandemic.

    In a YouTube video posted on the company’s UK and Ireland account, KFC blurred ‘finger lickin’ on old billboards and buckets of chicken after the announcement.

    “That thing we always say? Ignore it. For now,” the video reads.

  • Atiqa Odho says liquor case against her was ‘politically motivated’

    Atiqa Odho says liquor case against her was ‘politically motivated’

    Atiqa Odho has finally opened up and talked about being acquitted in a nine-year-old liquor case.

    Speaking to various media outlets, Odho said that the case against her was “politically motivated”. Odho had been booked for allegedly smuggling two bottles of foreign liquor in her bag while she was checking in for Pakistan International Airline’s (PIA) Karachi-bound flight PK-301 in June 2011. The liquor had been confiscated on the spot as per the law and Odho, who was secretary information of Pervez Musharraf’s All Pakistan Muslim League (APML) at the time, had been allowed to travel. However, Iftikhar Chaudhry, who was CJP back then, took suo motu notice of the incident after the news was widely discussed on television. He directed police and Customs officials to clarify why a case had not been registered against the actor. Following the notice, Customs officials sent a lawsuit to the Airport police station, which then registered a case against Odho under Section 3/4 of the Prohibition Order of 1979.

    Odho thanked the judge who accepted her plea and acquitted her. She said that she believes in the law of the land and encouraged everyone to have faith in the judicial system and be patient. She said that over the year, she appeared in court almost a hundred times until she was granted immunity from appearing until the final verdict.

    “People have asked me if I was difficult,” said Odho. “Yes, I had to go through pain but justice was delayed, not denied. We should trust the system, go through due process, and if you haven’t done anything wrong, then ask for your right – don’t get scared and don’t run away.”

    She added, “Believe in your courts, your judges, your lawyers, and here I would like to add – those who are unfortunate, who don’t have enough resources or money, the judiciary should be mindful of them. There should be a system where the state should help them.”

    She also appealed to authorities to fast-track cases of innocent people who are stuck in prison.

    “If an innocent person is locked up for years, he will never get those years of his life back. The people who are locked up and the underprivileged should always be prioritised, because if the state does not look after them, they won’t have any hope,” said the actor.

    Listen to her complete thoughts here:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4sdjbKPA5k
  • Lahore-based startup invents affordable, country’s first bloodless dialysis machine

    Lahore-based startup invents affordable, country’s first bloodless dialysis machine

    An American startup based in Lahore has successfully invented Pakistan’s first dialysis machine that would allow kidney patients to receive affordable dialysis treatment at their homes.

    The company has named the machines and it is called “Robo-Kidney,” which will go into mass production after receiving from the healthcare regulators.

    The company has consulted Pakistan’s leading Nephrologists and healthcare professional before making the machine.

    It will not only let the patients get treated at home but will also minimise the risk of contracting hepatitis-C during the traditional dialysis procedure.

    According to the official statement by Byonyks, about 72% of kidney patients in Pakistan get infected with Hepatitis-C that spreads during the conventional dialysis treatment.

    “Robo-Kidney is an affordable and bloodless machine that will allow kidney patients to receive dialysis treatment at their homes”

    The founder of Byonyks, Farrukh Usman

    He added that Robo-Kidney will also ease the burden on national healthcare resources. It will also contribute to Pakistan’s economy through export to international markets.

  • Sindh Wildlife Department clarifies no crocodiles escaped from Mangho Pir shrine

    Sindh Wildlife Department clarifies no crocodiles escaped from Mangho Pir shrine

    The Sindh Wildlife Department has clarified that no crocodiles have escaped from the shrine of Mangho Pir and the pictures being circulated on social media are fake.

    The department shared a video of the areas where the crocodiles were reportedly seen and of the Manghopir Shrine where the crocodiles live. Officials of the Sindh Wildlife Department said that after doing a survey of the area, they concluded that no crocodile escaped the shrine during the rains.

    Officials present at the shrine further said that the crocodiles cannot escape the enclosures as the cages are high, adding that CCTV cameras have also been installed to keep a check on everything happening at the shrine.

    News of crocodiles on the loose in the Karachi began to do the rounds on social media after rain water flooded the streets of Karachi. PTI MNA Aamir Liaquat also shared a picture of a crocodile and asked residents of Surjani Town, Khuda Ki Basti and Nayi Karachi to be careful.

    Some social media users have claimed that the picture is from Philippines. The Current could not independently verify this claim.

    According to a report published in 2018, the Mangho Pir shrine is home to over 100 crocodiles that waddle between the devotees near a swampy green pond where they have lived for generations.

    Meanwhile, heavy rain has inundated Karachi and lack of proper infrastructure has submerged half the city.

  • Does CM Buzdar consider himself Sher Shah Suri or Wasim Akram? Here’s what he has to say…

    Does CM Buzdar consider himself Sher Shah Suri or Wasim Akram? Here’s what he has to say…

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar, when asked during an interview if he considers himself Wasim Akram or Sher Shah Suri, has said people can see for themselves what he is.

    Buzdar was called “Wasim Akram Plus” by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan when he anointed him, and Suri Empire founder “Sher Shah Suri” by his colleague and Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan amid criticism over “inability to run the province” and “not being the right choice”.

    Speaking to Geo, the provincial chief executive of Punjab also said those spreading rumours about his expulsion from the office want to destabilise the province and the country at large.

    Dismissing the same, he said he enjoys full trust of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan, which some people do not like at all.

    When asked why he seems to avoid the media so much, he said that liking for him still existed in the media.

    Replying to a question about the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), he said that fixing anybody on political grounds was quite an inappropriate act.

    CM Buzdar also said that the government was not bothered by the opposition even if it took to streets.

  • KYA BOLA? (Aug 25): ‘Aale Sharif’, ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ka moo torr deingay’, ‘Mulk ko lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain’

    KYA BOLA? (Aug 25): ‘Aale Sharif’, ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ka moo torr deingay’, ‘Mulk ko lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain’

    Following are some snippets that stood out from Urdu newspapers on August 25, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Aale Sharif’

    It has been reported by Daily Jang that Punjab Information Minister Fayazul Hasan Chohan has said, “Shehbaz Sharif ki aik dhelay ki corruption naa krnay ki baat darust hai kyun k Aale Sharif ne aik dhelay ki corruption nahi ki balkeh qaum ko arabo ka teeka lagaya aur iss corruption k dhairo saboot JIT aur NAB k pass hain.”

    ‘Shahid Khaqan Abbasi Ka Moo Torr Deingay’

    According to Daily Jang, Federal Minister of Water Resources Faisal Vawda has said, “Shahid Khaqan Abbasi ne assembly mein ghatiya zubaan istemal ki, speaker ko kahaa ‘bakwaas band karo’… speaker ki sharafat hai Shahid Khaqan k moo pr thappar nahi mara… agar ainda aisi baat ki to tumhara moo torr deingay.”

    ‘Mulk Ko Lootnay Walay Wajibul Qatl Hain’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Federal Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan has said, “35 saal se jamhooriyat k naam pr mulk lootnay walay wajibul qatl hain… itna zulm Halaku Khan aur Chingiz Khan ne nahi kia jitna inn 2 jamaato ne kia.”

  • PML-N’s Ahsan Iqbal accidentally arrives at accountability court, sent back home

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former federal minister Ahsan Iqbal on Tuesday accidentally arrived at an accountability court in Islamabad, from where he was sent back home by court staff.

    As per the details, the PML-N stalwart, against whom the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed a reference over alleged corruption in the Narowal Sport City project, is to appear before the court tomorrow (Wednesday).

    He, however, mistakenly arrived at the court a day earlier and was informed that his hearing wasn’t until a day later, after which he returned back home.

    Reacting to The Current‘s report on Twitter, Iqbal said:

    Iqbal was earlier also arrested in connection to the probe into the sports complex built in his hometown.

    Construction of the complex, which includes a cricket stadium, gymnasium, squash and hockey ground, began in 2009 when Iqbal was in the opposition. But work picked up pace when the PML-N came to power in the 2013 election. That year, Iqbal was appointed the minister for planning and development.

    Below is the charge sheet against the politician from December last year:

    • Illegally increasing the cost of the Narowal Sports City complex from Rs35.410 million to Rs97.520 million, without approval from the Planning Commission’s Central Development Working Party (CDWP). Ahsan, adds NAB, was the minister of planning and development and the deputy chairman of the CDWP at the time. Rather than taking the project to the CDWP, he instead approved it on his own.

    • Iqbal initiated the project without a feasibility study, which was in violation of the development manual of the Planning Commission.

    • After the 18th Amendment, the project was devolved to the Punjab government in 2012 to be completed with its own resources. Yet, reads the charge sheet, funds were taken from the federal government to bankroll the complex. Iqbal, it adds, “further enhanced the scope of the project without any demand from the provincial government”.

  • Enjoy high-speed internet while travelling along Makran Coastal Highway, NH 10

    The Universal Service Fund (USF) has announced that high-speed internet is installed at National Highway-10 (NH 10) Makran Coastal Highway and National Highway-25 (NH 25) Uthal to Quetta Highway.

    USF Pakistan tweeted that: ” USF in partnership with Ufone continues to make progress in National Highway-10 (NH 10) Makran Coastal Highway and NH 25 Uthal to Quetta Highway. Computers are now reaping benefit from high-speed broadband over 640 Kilometre of road segment covering areas of Kech, Awaran, Gwadar, and Lasbella district.”

    Makran Coastal Highway stretches to 653 Kilometres (Km). The road also covers the Arabian sea coast of Pakistan from Karachi in Sindhi to Gawadar in Balochistan and passes through Omara and Pasni.

    Along with the Ministry of Information and Technology (MoIT) and Pakistan Telecommunications Limited (PTCL), the USF Pakistan has installed 85 kilometres of optic Fiber cable to connect nine unserved Tehsils in North Waziristan and South Waziristan.

    The Optical Fiber cable is going to provide high-speed broadband connectivity to regions like Spinwam, Wana, ToiKhulla, Jandola, Sarwakai, Sararogha, and Barwand Tehsil.

    Last week, The board approved contracts to Jazz — Pakistan Mobile Communications Limited (PMCL), Zong — China Mobile Pakistan (CMPAK), and Ufone — Pakistan Telecom Mobile Limited (PTML), for the provision of next-generation internet.

  • VIDEO: Female YouTuber who was receiving threats thanks police for support

    VIDEO: Female YouTuber who was receiving threats thanks police for support

    A YouTuber Muktiar Bibi, who makes videos on the daily routine of her life in the village, in a recent video, shared that she is receiving threats from a few people in her area. Muktiar, whose channel ‘Daily Routine’ has over 200,000 subscribers, alleged that people that she considered her close friends are threatening her to give them her channel or the earnings from it.

    According to the Youtuber, these people even threatened her to kidnap her son or involve her in a legal case from which she would never be able to get out.

    “They want us to either handover our channel or give them the money earned from this. I have kept my son Mohammad Abrar in the house for the past six to seven days. I don’t let him go outside because I am scared. I am a mother,” she said in the video. Bibi requested her viewers to support and help her. The video, now made private, was widely shared on social media, after which the Lodhran Police contacted Bibi.

    “I request that you guys help me and tell me what can I do. We live in this small house. What do we know about court matters?”

    I made this small channel and it eventually grew to the point where I could earn enough to feed my children and educate them. I have promoted some 30 channels here but never have I taken money from them. I promoted them so they can succeed and use their channel to earn.

    At the end of the video, Muktiar told her followers that in case anything happens to her in the future, they should know her side of the story.

    After the video went viral, the local police of Lodhran district went to her house and assured the family that they would be safe. She uploaded another video on Sunday in which she thanked the Lodhran Police DPO for offering support. The video showcases Muktiar and her son talking to the police and thanking them.

    “I would like to thank the DPO of Lodhran, Syed Qara Hussain Shah. I pray that he succeeds in his life and stays happy,” she said.

  • Indians hack federal govt apps recently launched by PM Imran

    Government smartphone applications for Islamabad Traffic Police (ITP), Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) Police, and Captial Development Authority (CDA) were hacked by Indian groups and they were siphoned for data extraction.

    Upon trying to pay an annual tax for a car, the users pointed out that the apps were not working and only had basic information such as rates of taxes of different cars and the location of offices.

    According to the media reports, The Deputy Commissioner Islamabad Hamza Shafqat revealed that the apps and services had been jammed to stop hackers from collecting data. He said that the relevant authorities are working on dealing with the issue and they will hopefully resolve the technical glitches.

    These apps were recently launched in the company of Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan who personally attended the launch ceremony. He said that “the launch would be proven revolutionary for the people of Islamabad and these apps will soon be replicated for the rest of the country.”