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  • How to get your stolen phone blocked

    How to get your stolen phone blocked

    If your mobile phone has been stolen or misplaced, you can immediately lodge a complaint and get it blocked within 16 hours.

    This service has been introduced by the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) to prevent the possible misuse of the stolen mobile phones.

    According to a statement issued by the authority on Monday, a complaint can be lodged through call or email or the complainant can also “contact the Citizens Police Liaison Committee helpline for filing a complaint”.

    To file a complaint regarding a stolen phone visit PTA’s website to get the official contact details.

    Through this service, mobile phone users don’t have to go all the way to PTA’s offices to lodge a complaint about stolen phones, which are located in a few cities only.

    How to check the status of your phone?

    You can check the status of your stolen phone 16 hours after reporting. It can be checked through SMS, PTA’s official website or an Android application (DVS). The IMEI search for your phone will show that it has been blocked.

    The IMEI of your mobile phone can be found by dialing *#06#. It can also be checked from your phone settings.

    The advisory has further said that PTA is only responsible for the reporting of the stolen phone, If someone wants to trace or locate his/her device then they must contact the police.

  • PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    PIA launches a mobile app for booking flights

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has introduced a mobile application to facilitate passengers in online bookings and confirmation of seats.

    The PIA app features a user-friendly interface. It allows the user to perform several functions, including booking their flight directly from their mobile phones, checking their booking status, and monitoring the status of their flight.

    “The application has recently been launched and now the air passengers will enjoy improved services. The airline’s overall seat factor has improved and reached nearly 84 percent while on some sectors, the seat factor is at 90 percent,” a PIA spokesman told state-run wire service.

    As per reports, significant improvement was obvious in different pointers like seat occupancy ratio, aircraft utilization, cargo load factor and customer service.

    The mobile app even generates a digital boarding pass for an easier check-in experience.

  • Pakistan has set an example by hosting refugees for the last 40 years: Mahira Khan

    Pakistan has set an example by hosting refugees for the last 40 years: Mahira Khan

    The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees has announced Mahira Khan as their “newest Goodwill Ambassador for Pakistan.”

    Mahira, who previously visited several refugee camps in the country with UNHCR said she was “grateful and honoured” with the position.

    She added that she was “proud to be born to a motherland that has opened its arms to refugees for over 40 years.”

    In the video shared by the UNHCR, Mahira said: “Pakistan has set an example for the world, where a country has hosted refugees for the last 40 years. Four decades.”

    “This is one cause because I feel so strongly about it, this is something I want to talk about, especially as Pakistan’s UNHCR National Goodwill Ambassador.”

    Speaking further, Mahira said, “It was amazing to see despite the violence that they have faced, or the conflicts that they faced, they’re resilient people, they have defied all odds and they’re hopeful. They actually are hopeful, and, from now on, all we have to do is not give up.”

    “This cause is not limited to a country and should not be limited to a country. So, I think first and foremost, there should be some sort of responsibility sharing,” the actor concluded.

  • Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Irshad Bhatti slapped with legal notice over Buzdar’s ‘second marriage’ claims

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Wednesday served a legal notice to journalist Irshad Bhatti for claiming that the former had “recently gotten married for the second time”.

    Bhatti had on October 29 claimed that the provincial chief executive “had gotten married for the second time” and congratulated his colleagues while appearing on Geo News‘ programme “Report Card”.

    “I congratulate all of you as Buzdar Sahib has gotten married for the second time… and on top of that, stories surrounding his new in-laws are amazing,” he had said.

    “You have made certain assertations and touted them as facts which, I am instructed, are completely untrue and baseless, to say the least,” CM Buzdar’s lawyer, Advocate Obaid Ullah, stated in the notice served to Bhatti on Wednesday.

    The notice further said that that the statements had damaged Buzdar’s reputation both personally and as a politician, and “lowered him in the estimation of others”.

    “Personal relationships of my client with his family members, who are also respectable members of the society, have been soured and grossly undermined as a natural consequence of your defamatory utterances.”

    Seeking an unequivocal apology within 14 days, Obaid also sought for CM Buzdar Rs250 million in damages. “…failing which, if a suit is filed, Rs500 million plus mark up shall be claimed, apart from the claim pertaining to entangling and grossly undermining the personal relationships of my client and his family.”

  • School children file petition in Lahore High Court against toxic smog

    School children file petition in Lahore High Court against toxic smog

    School children from Lahore have lodged an appeal in the Lahore High Court (LHC) against the hazardous level of smog and air pollution in the Punjab province.

    Leila Alam and her class fellows through their appeal aim to draw the acting Chief Justice Mamoon Rashid Sheikh’s attention towards the worsening air quality in Lahore and its surrounding areas.

    The children’s lawyer, Rafay Alam, told the court that the Environment Protection Department, Punjab, measured the air quality index (AQI) of 182 as safe to breathe when by international standards the index should not cross 50.

    Last week, the city’s air quality index crossed safe limits and was recorded at well over 400. The city also has continued to be engulfed by a toxic blanket of smog since October.

    Health
    experts say that children and the elderly are most vulnerable to toxic air. The
    LHC has directed the Punjab government to submit its reply in the next hearing.

  • Four-day workweek increases productivity by 40%, reveals Microsoft experiment

    One of the world’s leading technology company Microsoft tested out a four-day workweek in its Japan offices and discovered that employees were not only happier – but significantly more productive.

    According to The Guardian, Microsoft experimented with a new project called Work-Life Choice Challenge Summer 2019 in the month of August. Under the program, the company’s entire 2,300-person workforce were given five Fridays off in a row without decreasing pay.

    The shortened weeks led to more efficient meetings, happier workers and boosted productivity by a whopping 40%.

    In addition to the increased productivity, employees took 25% less time off during the trial and electricity use was down 23% in the office. Employees printed 59% fewer pages of paper during the trial. The vast majority of employees – 92% – said they liked the shorter week as it led to a better work-life balance.

    Read more: ‘Burn-out’ is real, WHO recognises it as a medical condition

    This is not the first time long weekends have been experimented with in the corporate world. Previously in 2018, a New Zealand trust management company also trialled a four-day workweek over two months for its 240 staff members. Employees reported experiencing better work-life balance and improved focus in the office while staff stress levels decreased by 7%.

    Meanwhile, an experiment published by the Harvard Business Review shows that shorter workdays, a decrease from the average 8-hour workday to a 6-hour workday, increased productivity.

  • ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    ICC features Pakistani American couple watching cricket during wedding ceremony

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) has featured on its social media a Pakistani American couple watching the first T20 match played between Pakistan and Australia on Sunday.

    “Here’s a message we got from a fan in the US [United States],” ICC wrote as it shared the couple’s picture as well as the groom’s message.

    “As a die-hard cricket fan, I wanted to submit a photograph from my wedding this past weekend. As per tradition, after the completion of the wedding, the bride is brought home for a little traditional welcoming ceremony among the close family,” Hasan Tasleem wrote, adding that as they reached back home around midnight in Detroit, the game was underway.

    “Over the years, residing in North America, I’ve stayed up at all sorts of odd hours at night to catch Team Pakistan play. Even though it was my wedding night, I wasn’t going to miss the game,” he added.

    On Sunday, rain abandoned the first T20I between Pakistan and Australia in Sydney. The hosts were motoring along at 41-0 in just 3.1 overs as they chased 119 in 90 balls. The match was, however, abandoned after rain interrupted play for the second time.

    Australia won the second T20 on Tuesday by seven wickets with nine balls remaining.

  • Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari hit out at Tallal Chaudry for his rude & sexist behaviour

    Fawad Chaudhry, Shireen Mazari hit out at Tallal Chaudry for his rude & sexist behaviour

    PML-N leader Tallal Chaudry has come under fire again for passing derogatory comments and being rude to PTI MNA Kanwal Shauzab.

    On a talk show, the PML-N and PTI members were in a heated debate on the ongoing ‘Azadi Marchi’ when Chaudry disrespected Kanwal by using abusive language and accusing her of the ‘things’ she has done to reach power.

    Main yahaan saari cheezain nahi bata sakta. Humaray peechay bhi phirti rahi ho. Iss baat ka jawaab do,” Chaudry said to Kanwal.

    (Sister, I can’t discuss everything here. You also followed us. Do you have an answer to this?)

    When Kanwal called him out for his “cheap” comments, Tallal responded, “Ghatiya tum ho gee (You are cheap). Keep your tongue in check.”

    At this point, the host intervened and asked her guests to stay on the topic.

    However, the two did not back down and continued to engage in an argument.

    Aap kay peechay kaun phir sakta hai? Aap toh khud dus jaghon say phir kar aye hain,” (Why would anyone follow you? You yourself have been at ten places), Kanwal remarked.

    At this point, Tallal asked Kanwal to be quiet and act like a woman and earn her respect.

    What was even more interesting to note that the JUI-F member Mufti Kifayat­ullah present on the show sat with his eyes closed.

    Watch the video here:

    Meanwhile, Twitter called out Tallal for being “rude and indecent”.

    Ministers Shireen Mazari, Fawad Chaudhry and Zartaj Gul Wazir were among those who hit out at the lawmaker.

    https://twitter.com/ayeshakhalid7/status/1191986019635216386?s=20

    This is not the first time Talal has come under fire for passing derogatory and sexist remarks. Earlier his comments on Firdous Ashiq Awan has sparked social media outrage.

    “This is the kind of tabdeeli … if Baji Firdous Ashiq Awan got her face washed, the way her real looks would emerge from behind her makeup… she would appear as Firdous Khan instead. This is also the real face of this tabdeeli,” Chaudhary had said.

    Following the backlash, Chaudhry had issued an apology on Twitter saying: “My intentions were not to hurt someone, if my statement or example was ‘inappropriate’ then I would like to apologise.”