Blog

  • PM Imran second most searched leader at UN General Assembly

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has become the second most searched personality among the leaders currently in the United States (US) for the 74th session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

    According to Google Trends, PM Imran has secured the second slot in the list of most searched UNGA leaders on Google, while Indian PM Narendra Modi stands fifth and United States (US) President Donald Trump has topped the list.

    Among other most searched UNGA leaders are British PM Boris Johnson at the third place and Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on the fourth. The Brazilian president had recently made headlines after severe criticism over his lack of efforts to protect the Amazon rainforest.

  • Modi expresses grief over Pakistan earthquake

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has expressed grief over the loss of lives and damage to property after an earthquake in Pakistan killed at least 40 and left more than 500 people injured.

    The Twitter handle “PMO India” wrote, “PM has expressed grief on the loss of lives and damage to property due to an earthquake in parts of India and Pakistan”.

    “PM expresses condolences to the families of the deceased and prays for the speedy recovery of those injured”, said the Tweet.

    A powerful 5.8-magnitude earthquake jolted several parts of Pakistan on Tuesday, particularly areas of Azad Jammu & Kashmir, Punjab, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), the epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.

  • ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    ISB: Sixth grader accidentally shot dead by school guard

    A sixth grade boy was killed outside his school in Islamabad after a security guard accidentally shot him.

    The incident took place on Wednesday outside a private school in Nilore, Islamabad.

    The guard was cleaning his gun and accidentally fired it. He has been taken into custody and it is unclear why he was cleaning his gun during school time.

    According to reports, there was an eyewitness who said that after the boy was shot, he cried in pain for 10-15 minutes. The school did not provide a vehicle to take the child to the hospital and closed its gates instead.

    The boy was taken to the hospital and pronounced dead on arrival.

    Police are investigating the incident and the parents are protesting against the school.

  • Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    Pakistani student builds first voice-operated wheelchair

    A student of Lahore University of Management Sciences’ (LUMS), Faaiz Arbab has developed a voice-controlled electric wheelchair that can be operated through a smartphone application.

    Faaiz is a graduate of electrical engineering program from LUMS and invented the voice-operated smart wheelchair, named ‘GOBEE’, in collaboration with the National Incubation Center (NIC) Lahore and AYEco.

    It operates with the help of a smartphone application which has a ‘Call N Go’ feature in it. The wheelchair responds to the voice commands of the user, being able to turn left or right and move forward or backward. It can also be summoned from a distance of 15 kilometers.

    Faaiz aims to assist people with disabilities through the use of technology. The smart wheelchair offers Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and a remote control which goes over the range of a 100 feet.

    GOBEE is water repellent, anti-rusting, and has alloy rim wheels combined with an anti-sweat technology sofa seat.

    National Design Awards (NDA) Pakistan also awarded Arbab with the best Consumer Product Design Award (2018) for his Voice Operated Smart Wheel Chair.

    Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf’s (PTI) MNA Asad Umar shared lauded the Arbab’s efforts on Twitter and shared a video of the wheelchair.

    “This is just the kind of work that needs to be projected,” Asad wrote.

  • FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    FBR to regulate beauty parlours, bakeries

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has decided to bring beauty parlours, bakeries, grocery stores, and all other retail outlets under an Invoice Monitoring System to check their tax and to ensure that no sales tax theft is taking place at these stores.

    As per reports, the FBR is going to launch its pilot project in Islamabad from next month. Under the plan, the Invoice Monitoring System will be installed at all commercial beauty parlours, bakeries, and grocery stores in the capital to record their actual sales. The project would gradually be extended across the country after its trial launch.

    The system works in a manner that whenever concerned outlets issue a copy of the invoice to a customer, an electronic copy will reach the linked FBR office. This will help the bureau keep a track of the actual sales and the amount of sales tax charged on each bill.

    The FBR officials expressed satisfaction over the system and hoped that it will help increase the revenue collection.

    Most parlours and grocery stores already charge tax so it is unlikely that the prices will be increased. However, this system will ensure that the tax you’ve paid reaches the relevant authorities and is not stolen along the way.

  • Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    Are Naimal & Hamza getting too much?

    It’s going to be a month to Hamza Ali Abbasi and Naimal Khawar’s wedding and from then till now, we’ve seen the two indulge in excessive PDA on social media and otherwise. Given how low-key their shaadi and their “platonic” relationship prior to their Nikkah was, it is somehow odd to see them behave this way, especially Hamza, who has always maintained a certain image.

    While I’m all for letting people live the way they want, their public displays of affection seem to give the impression that they are trying to milk the attention they are getting as much as they can. Which raises the question: How much is too much?

    Let’s start with this picture of the two of them from this week. Naimal shares a picture of the two of them out on a dinner date.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2xHlEiD4Li/

    Hamza shares the picture on his story with the caption, “You Naimal, you are Allah’s gift and blessing for me.”

    A few days before that a picture of them cosying up in the hills was widely shared on social media.

    Pretty much every picture of Naimal and Hamza goes viral.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2bDNLVDZgh/

    We did not want to post a biased opinion so we decided to ask our followers what they had to say on this. Here are the results:

    It’s a close call.

  • Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Zainab’s father appointed focal person for child abuse in Kasur

    Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Punjab Chairperson Sarah Ahmad on Tuesday announced that Zainab Ansari’s father Amin Ansari is being appointed as the focal person for child abuse in the Kasur district. According to details, the father of the six-year-old – who was raped and killed in January 2018 – volunteered himself for the task.

    Zainab’s case had sparked countrywide outrage and protests and her perpetrator Imran Ali was executed nine months after her death.

    The bureau, on the directives of Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, has launched a campaign in Kasur to raise awareness regarding child sexual abuse. According to the chairperson, this is the “first time that the government has started a campaign in Kasur.” Previously only NGOs were the only ones working on the ground to tackle the problem of child abuse in the area.

    Though the bureau had established a small outreach centre at the TMA Hall in early 2018, after Zainab’s case, the centre had not been equipped properly and largely depended on the Lahore head office.

    The development comes days after the remains of three minor boys, whom police suspect were raped and murdered, were found in Kasur’s Chunian Tehsil. According to the police, two children were reported missing in August while a third had gone missing earlier this month. On the indication of a local worker, police found the body of one of the boys and the skeletal remains of the other two at a deserted place in Chunian Industrial Estate area. Residents in Chunian says that five children had gone missing in recent months. The remains of four have now been found.

    Investigators claim that the heinous crimes have been committed by a single person as suggested by the result of the samples taken from the body of one of the victims, Faizan. The police have so far detained 20 suspects from Chunian, while the samples of over 950 others have also been collected for DNA tests.

    The discovery of the bodies had led to violent protests after which the government including Prime Minister Imran Khan had taken notice of the incident.

    In recent years, Kasur has garnered international attention for being a hotspot for child abuse and pornography.

  • CCTVs to be installed in police stations to curb torture cases

    CCTVs to be installed in police stations to curb torture cases

    Interior Minister Brigadier (retd) Ijaz Ahmad Shah has directed for the installation of CCTV cameras in all police stations across the country. An official order has been issued to all provincial police heads.

    As per reports, the decision has been taken to discourage the prevailing culture of torture inside police stations. The initiative is also expected to ensure transparency in investigations.

    A digital control room will also be built in every police station for effective monitoring.

    Meanwhile, during the departmental meeting to improve the policing system in the country, Brig Shah took several other decisions as well. This includes presenting a Safe City Project in Balochistan in coordination with the provincial government. Apart from that, the government is also considering reopening the Chaman border. It was decided that after taking necessary measures, the Pak-Afghan border will be opened in three months.

  • Shadab Khan to donate his earnings to the earthquake victims

    Shadab Khan to donate his earnings to the earthquake victims

    Pakistani all-rounder Shadab Khan has announced to donate his
    Pakistan-Sri Lanka series match earnings to the victims of the earthquake.

    The earthquake, which came on the early
    morning of Tuesday, has claimed over at least 21 lives and left 450 injured. 

    Shadab took to Twitter to express grief over the sad incident and pledged to help the affected people.

    Pakistan will play its first match against Sri Lanka on 27th September in Karachi in a series of 3 ODIs and 3 T20s.

    Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi also publicly asked everyone to help the affected people.

  • An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    An Emmy for Pakistani documentary ‘Armed with Faith’

    Pakistani documentary Armed with Faith won a News & Docs Emmy for Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary.

    The documentary is based on the lives of the brave Pakistani men who are part of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s Bomb Disposal Squad and are faced with life-threatening challenges every day. However, its main focus is two security personnel Abdur Rehman and Inayatullah and their struggles.

    Co-produced by the two-time Academy Award winner Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy and former journalist Haya Fatima Iqbal, Armed with Faith was nominated in the Outstanding Politics and Government Documentary category. It has been co-directed by filmmakers Asad Faruqi and Geeta Gandbhir.

    Previously the film was also screened in Vancouver International Film Festival in 2017 as well as at the Atlanta Film Festival and TRT’s Belgesel Günleri Film Festival.

    Sharmeen also took to social media to congratulate the team and shared some warm words about Asad.

    Watch the promo here: