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  • Royal Visit Day 3 – Kate & William return to Lahore

    Royal Visit Day 3 – Kate & William return to Lahore

    After a jam-packed schedule, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge wrapped up their visit to Lahore and were expected to head back to Islamabad but due to bad weather in the capital, their plane had to turn back.

    According to details, Kate and William departed for Islamabad but had to return due to bad weather. Reports said that the royal couple will leave for the federal capital in the night if weather turns normal otherwise they will stay at a local hotel in Lahore.

    Kate and William spent the day in Lahore where they had a jam-packed schedule. The couple traced Lady Diana’s footsteps on most of their visit.

    Their last engagement of the day was a visit to Shaukat Khanum Memorial Hospital, where they interacted with patients and doctors. The doctor who had given Diana a tour of the hospital gave the Duke and Duchess a tour as well.

    Kate wears a toy tiara as she attends a tea party in the children’s ward

    Late afternoon, they visited Badshahi Masjid where they toured the historic mosque, engaged in an interfaith discussion and listened to a recitation of the Holy Quran.

    Kate wore a sea-green outfit by Maheen Khan for the visit and covered her head as she entered the mosque. The couple also took off their shoes.

    After exploring the capital and the mountainous North, the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge landed in the heart of Pakistan – Lahore earlier on Thursday.

    Princess Kate looked elegant in an ivory outfit by Gul Ahmed and a shawl by Maheen Khan.

    The couple was received by Governor Punjab Chaudhry Sarwar and Chief Minister Punjab Sardar Usman Buzdar.

    At the airport lounge, they held a brief meeting with Governor Sarwar and CM Punjab who presented them souvenirs. While Sarwar gave the couple a painting, CM Buzdar gifted Kate a shawl.

    After that, they visited the SOS Village on Ferozepur Road where they interacted with orphans and even celebrated a birthday party.

    Kate also gave her first speech of the tour there. She finished her speech by wishing the children in Urdu, and it is the most adorable thing you’ll see today.

    They then went to National Cricket Academy where they played cricket with professional cricketer including Hassan Ali, Shaheen Afridi, Sana Mir and Azhar Ali.

    Kate changed from her heels into a pair of sneakers for the game while William also wore a pair of blue joggers.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1 and 2, click here and here.

  • Fans think Fakhir is going to die in ‘Khaas’

    Fans think Fakhir is going to die in ‘Khaas’

    Hum TV’s Khaas has been trending for all the good reasons. The drama which highlighted emotional abuse has been a refresher in the list of otherwise mundane dramas.

    As the drama is nearing its end – the 26th episode of it aired this week – fans are happy with the way things are turning out. Ammar and his family are getting what they deserved and Saba and Fakhir are living happily together.

    However, after the latest episode in which Fakhir referred to himself in the past tense and has a nightmare of a car crash, audiences feel that the makers are putting in an unnecessary twist and will be killing off Fakhir’s character.

    Comments under the latest episode:

    Others are speculating that Faakhir’s character will die and Saba will go back to Ammar.

    https://twitter.com/ghairhaazir/status/1184524772018966528?s=20

    Meanwhile, Haroon Shahid, who plays Fakhir took to Twitter to respond to the speculations.

  • Global Hunger Index 2019: Pakistan’s rating improves, India falls behind

    Global Hunger Index 2019: Pakistan’s rating improves, India falls behind

    Pakistan has improved its rating by jumping towards 94th position out of 117 countries in the Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019 with a score of 32.6.

    As per the latest GHI, Pakistan’s
    ranking improved considerably by 12 points if compared with the last year’s
    ranking of 106 while India is ranked on 102 points, the lowest any South Asian
    country scored.

    The Global Hunger Index or GHI scores countries on a 100-point “severity scale”, where zero is the best score which means no hunger and 100 is the worst. With a score of 32.6, Pakistan still suffers from a level of hunger that is serious but it is improving with time.

    India has been ranked on 102 out of 117
    countries, way behind from BRICS

    While a year back, Pakistan had the
    lowest ranking in South Asia. Now in 2019, India has the lowest ranking in
    South Asian countries.

  • Shutdown FBR, it’s a burden on country: SC

    Shutdown FBR, it’s a burden on country: SC

    Justice Gulzar Ahmad on Thursday has said that the Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) is a burden on the country and trillions of rupees from national exchequer are sacrificed every year, Capital TV reported.

    According to the details, Justice Gulzar while hearing an appeal filed by an employee of the bureau concerning service matters said, “Put an end to FBR […] and you will see how much money is collected”.

    “Trillions of rupees are lost every year […] what kind of recovery FBR’s army of 22,000 people can make,” he remarked, adding that out that 80% of the [total] tax collected was through indirect means.

    Justice Gulzar also said that for recovering 20% of tax the bureau has hired 22,000 people.

  • VIDEO: Sana Mir shares experience of playing cricket with Kate and William

    VIDEO: Sana Mir shares experience of playing cricket with Kate and William

    Former Pakistan Women’s Cricket Team Captain Sana Mir, while speaking to the media after playing cricket with the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge, said that she had a lovely time at the event.

    Mir shared that Prince William and Kate Middleton were very humble and down to earth, adding that the meeting was very interactive and well-organised.

    “This day is going to be very memorable, especially for the kids who came from Karachi and Sheikhupura,” she said.

  • Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider named in BBC’s 100 Women of 2019

    Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider named in BBC’s 100 Women of 2019

    Pakistani lawyer Jalila Haider was named in British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC)’s 100 women of 2019 list.

    The Hazara-based human rights lawyer specialises in defending women’s rights in Pakistan and provides free legal services to women in poverty across the country. 

    She is also the founder of We the Humans, a non-profit organisation working with local communities to provide opportunities for women and children. 

    As per reports, she is the first female lawyer from the Hazara community, and in 2018 she went on a hunger strike demanding protection for her people.

    Taking to the social media platform, Haider expressed deep joy and said it was an honour for her to represent Pakistan on the list. 

    Other women on the list include Precious Adams from the United States, Parveena Ahanger from Indian-occupied Kashmir, and Jasmine Akter from the Rohingya community. 

  • Pakistan to get $1 billion investment from Egypt

    Pakistan to get $1 billion investment from Egypt

    Egyptian Ambassador Ahmed Fadel Yacoub has said that Egypt is keen to invest $1 billion in Pakistan over the next one year in different sectors including energy, infrastructure, halal food and tourism, The Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, the envoy, while speaking at the Rawalpindi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (RCCI) said that bilateral trade had been on an uptrend and it currently stood at $260 million per annum compared to $200 million last year.

    The envoy told the meeting that Egypt would be declared Hepatitis-free country by 2020 and urged Pakistan businessmen to establish joint ventures in pharmaceutical and health sectors, stressing that Egypt could help Pakistan completely get rid of Hepatitis C.

    “Both countries are enjoying good relations and there is a need to further increase exchange of delegations and information,” the ambassador added.

    Ministry of Commerce Joint Secretary Maria Kazi has said that special incentives would be provided to Pakistani companies for participating in trade fairs in Africa under the ‘Look Africa’ initiative.

    She also urged the private sector to focus on exporting a higher volume of merchandise to Africa.

  • Media outlet announces PEMRA’s ban on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference on air

    Media outlet announces PEMRA’s ban on Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference on air

    One of Pakistan’s leading media outlets, Geo News while showing JUI-F leader Maulana Fazlur Rehman’s press conference live announced on air that they have to cut off the live streaming because of PEMRA’s instructions that his pressers cannot be covered on the media anymore.

    Member of the opposition, Rehman, in the past couple of weeks has been making headlines after he announced that he is planning to march towards Islamabad in an attempt to topple Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government. His “Azadi March” plans to enter Islamabad on October 31.

    As per reports, a written order has not yet been issued but the orders have been sent through WhatsApp messages. It is pertinent to note that it is illegal to issue “written and verbal” directives to “blackout” any particular party or leader.

    Previously, Geo News anchor, Hamid Mir, on October 12 had tweeted that Pemra has “forced TV channels not to show” the press conferences of Maulana Fazalur Rehman. He said that the government was showing weakness by “imposing unannounced censorship” in Pakistan.

    Meanwhile, other journalists on Twitter applauded Geo News for its bold stance.

  • US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran following Saudi oil attack: report

    US carried out secret cyber strike on Iran following Saudi oil attack: report

    The United States (US) carried out a secret cyber operation against Iran in the wake of the September 14 attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil facilities, which Washington and Riyadh blame on Tehran, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, the operation took place in late September and took aim at Tehran’s ability to spread “propaganda”. The strike only affected physical hardware and did not provide further details.

    The attack appears more limited than other such operations against Iran this year after the downing of an American drone in June and an alleged attack by Iran’s Revolutionary Guards on oil tankers in the Gulf in May.

    US, Saudi Arabia, Britain, France and Germany have publicly blamed Iran for the Sept 14 attack, which denied involvement in the strike. The Iran-aligned Houthi militant group in Yemen later claimed responsibility for the attack.

    Publicly, the Pentagon has responded by sending thousands of additional troops and equipment to bolster Saudi defences, which is the latest US deployment to the region this year.

    Tensions in the Gulf have escalated sharply since May 2018, when Trump withdrew from the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action with Tehran that put limits on its nuclear program in exchange for the easing of sanctions.

  • Royal Visit Day 2 – Kate & William explore the mountainous North

    Royal Visit Day 2 – Kate & William explore the mountainous North

    After creating waves and winning hearts on the first day of their visit, the Duke and Duchess began the second day of their trip by heading straight to the beautiful mountainous North of the country.

    On the third day of their five-day visit, Kate and William are visiting the mighty Hindu Kush mountain range to witness the effects of climate change, which is one of the key areas of focus of their visit.

    They arrived in Chitral on a helicopter where they were gifted the traditional Chitrali cap and a book of photos commemorating the trip of Princess Diana, who visited the valley in 1991.

    Upon receiving the book, William remarked “Fantastic,” as he sifted through the pages of the book. The residents also gifted an embroidered coat to the Duke and a shawl to the Duchess.

    The Duchess wore a long taupe-coloured skirt and a darker coloured shirt under a leather vest for the visit. She opted for flat knee-high brown boots and accessoried with gold earrings and a beige pashmina, while William wore a teal shirt and beige chino trousers. People couldn’t help but compare her to Diana.

    The couple then visited the northern tip of the Chiatibo Glacier in Broghil National Park and were shown how it has retreated rapidly in recent years due to global warming. It was the first time the couple had seen a melting glacier.

    Standing between the snowy peaks of the mountain range, the duke said communities “vulnerable to change” needed “more education, more awareness and political action.”

    Following that, they travelled to Bombaret village in Kalash valley, where they interacted with the locals and spent time with children. They also enjoyed performances of traditional dances and music by the local people.

    The Duchess was all smiles as she took part in the festivities.

    A special cultural show, focused on the life in the Northern Areas, was also held for the royal couple.

    After completing their engagements, the couple flew back to Islamabad.

    For all the royal updates from Day 1, click here.