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  • Another Indian MiG-21 crashes during training

    An Indian Air Force (IAF) MiG-21 aircraft has crashed near the Gwalior airbase in Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday. , Hindustan Times reported.

    According to the reports, both pilots of the MiG-21 trainer aircraft including a group captain and a squadron leader managed to eject safely before the crash.

    Crashes involving fighter planes are common in India which is in the midst of upgrading its Soviet-era military. Most of the crash incidents involve the MiGs that India bought decades ago from the Soviet Union, earning it the unflattering “flying coffin” tag.

    The IAF lost 27 aircraft, including 15 fighter jets and helicopters, in crashes since 2016, as mentioned by Indian Minister of State for Defence, Shripad Naik, in June 2019.

    Earlier on February 27, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) had also shot down MiG-21 fighter jet and captured its pilot Abhinandan Varthaman who was later handed over by Pakistan to India at the Wagah-Attari border crossing on March 1 as a peace gesture.

  • Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    Sindh govt to award Rs1 lakh to those identifying trash throwers

    The Sindh government has announced prize money of Rs1 lakh for those who will help to identify garbage throwers in Karachi, Dawn has reported.

    According to the details, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani has made the announcement on media while urging the citizens to record videos of those who throw garbage outside and inform the relevant authorities.

    Ghani has announced two mobile numbers where citizens can send videos of people throwing trash around the city through WhatsApp. Citizens can send videos on 0300-0074296 and 0300-0084296.

    The provincial minister said that he had personally witnessed people purposely throwing heaps of garbage on roads, adding that those who “claimed that they have inherited the city” were polluting Karachi.

    “This is a conspiracy to damage the cleanliness drive,” he added. The minister promised that the identity of citizens reporting such incidents will be kept secret.

    The Sindh government last week initiated a cleanliness campaign called “Clean My Karachi” after facing massive criticism over failure to clean the metropolis.

  • Erdogan slams int’l community for its silence on Kashmir

    Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has criticised the international community for failing to pay attention to Kashmir conflict, urging dialogue to find a solution of decades-long row between Pakistan and India, Express Tribune reported.

    According to the details, in his address at UN General Assembly (UNGA) session in New York, Erdogan said that the stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue, awaiting solution for 72 years.

    “In order for the Kashmiri people to look at a safe future together with their Pakistani and Indian neighbours, it is imperative to solve the problem through dialogue and on the basis of justice and equity, but not through collision,” said Erdogan.

    He added, “Despite the resolutions adopted, [India-occupied] Kashmir is still besieged and eight million people are stuck in Kashmir”.

    Following Erdogan’s remarks, Prime Minister Imran Khan thanked him for raising the issue of occupied Kashmir at the UNGA and calling for a solution to the long-standing dispute.

    In a subsequent tweet, PM said: “I appreciate President Erdogan’s statement that the stability and prosperity of South Asia cannot be separated from the Kashmir issue.”

    People of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) have been held hostage by Indian occupying forces since August 5 when New Delhi abrogated the article to rob the disputed territory of its autonomy.

  • VIDEO: Dr Firdous says earthquake sign of ‘tabdeeli’

    VIDEO: Dr Firdous says earthquake sign of ‘tabdeeli’

    The PTI government’s ministers seem to be on a roll, making one gaffe after another.

    In the first instance, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan on Tuesday made light of yesterday’s devastating earthquake and said that the earthquake was a sign of tabdeeli.

    She said: “These are signs of change. Whenever there is any tabdeeli [change], tremors are felt. This is a sign of tabdeeli that even the earth is changing positions as it isn’t adapting to change quickly.”

    It is important to note that the quake measuring 5.6 on the Richter scale shook parts of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and left multiple people dead and scores injured.

    While Dr Awan faced criticism for her insensitive remarks, another PTI minister tried to board a flight on someone else’s passport.

    On Monday, Aviation Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan used his wife’s passport to travel to Turkey. He was stopped by the immigration authorities at the Islamabad airport just before boarding a flight to Turkey. It turned out that he was carrying his wife’s passport instead of his own. Khan’s protocol team came to his rescue by bringing his passport from home just in time.

  • Hand sanitizer won’t protect you from catching flu: Study

    Hand sanitizer won’t protect you from catching flu: Study

    We had it all wrong. The hand sanitizer will not protect you
    from catching the flu, a new study reveals.

    It’s a myth that hand sanitizers kill germs promptly, even those that land you with a cold or flu. While it is true that some germs are removed with a quick squeeze, the flu-causing ones stay on. 

    According to a new study published in
    the journal mSphere, sanitizer products cannot remove the mucus on a
    person’s fingers. To test this, the researchers patted the participant’s hands
    with IAV-infected wet mucus.

    “The physical properties of the mucus
    protect the virus from inactivation,” said a physician and molecular
    gastroenterologist. “Until the mucus has completely dried, infectious IAV can
    remain on the hands and fingers, even after suitable antiseptic hand rubbing.”

    This mucus can take up to four minutes or more to dry, which means in those four minutes you have a high chance of catching the flu or transferring it to another person. Once the mucus has dried, it can be disinfected with any hand sanitizer.

    The US-based Center for Disease Control and Prevention advises people to wash their hands with soap and water instead, to reduce the chances of catching a cold. The researchers who conducted the study also agree, an antiseptic soap can clean up the flu germs within 30 seconds.

  • Meghan Markle’s latest photos are not very ‘princessy’

    Meghan Markle’s latest photos are not very ‘princessy’

    While Meghan Markle is currently on a tour of Africa with husband Prince Harry and Baby Archie, her former co-stars are wrapping up Suits of which Meghan was a part of till season seven.

    The final episode of the long-running USA show will air Wednesday and Patrick J Adams, who played Mike, Meghan’s boyfriend and later husband on the show, took a trip down the memory lane and shared behind-the-scene pictures of the cast from their shoot days.

    Though it was nice to see the rest of the cast, the one person who stood out and caught everyone’s attention was without a doubt the Duchess of Sussex. Patrick shared some super hot pictures of her which are dead sure the Queen would disapprove of.

    Queen after looking at these pictures: “Yeh Meghan bhi na.”

    Meanwhile, the rest of the pictures are actually quite sweet.

    But we’re sure these pictures are not going to bother Meghan much. She has often broken royal protocol with her fashion choices.

    For example while presenting at the Fashion Awards in December 2018, Meghan sported dark nail polish even though the Royals traditionally wear the lightest of pinks or neutrals on their nails.

    In another instance, Meghan wore a black pantsuit even though Queen Elizabeth II reportedly prefers royal women in skirts and dresses and reserves black only for mourning.

  • How to be safe during an earthquake?

    How to be safe during an earthquake?

    After an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has issued a warning that aftershocks are highly likely in the next 24 hours.

    When an earthquake strikes, most people believe that the best solution is to run out of their houses and offices but this might not be the safest solution.

    Here are a few tips you can follow to be safe:

    If you are indoor when an earthquake strikes

    Drop, Cover, Hold – Drop to your hands and knees. Cover your head and neck with your hands and hold your position until the tremors stop.

    Do not run outside – Falling debris or things from the roof can fall on you.

    Avoid using elevators

    If you are not near a desk or a table, drop to the floor next to an interior wall and protect your head and neck with your arms.

    If in bed stay there and cover head with a pillow, get out of bed only when tremors stop and wear footwear.

    Stay away from glass windows and doors.

    Do not go near to any furniture, large appliances, mirrors, cabinets filled with heavy items and hanging objects.

    If you are outdoors when an earthquake strikes

    Move to a clear area if you can do
    so safely. Avoid buildings, power lines, trees and other hazards.

    If you are near a tall building then get as far away from it when jolts start.

    If you are driving then safely pull over to the side of the road and stop when you are able to do so.

    Avoid overpasses, bridges, power lines, signs, trees and other things that might collapse or fall on the vehicle.

    Stay inside the vehicle until the shaking ends. If a power line falls onto your vehicle, stay inside until a trained person removes the hazard.

  • In pictures: Roads collapse after 5.8 quake jolts country

    In pictures: Roads collapse after 5.8 quake jolts country

    Roads of Jatlan town in Mirpur district of Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK) collapsed after a strong earthquake jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday evening.

    As per the details, an earthquake measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale jolted Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and AJK.

    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.

    People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses.

    At least three people were killed and 50 others injured after roads in Mirpur collapsed due to the intensity of the quake. Several vehicles, including passenger buses, were also seen falling and getting stuck in the massive cracks.

    GALLERY:

  • Imran draws flak for saying ‘Pakistan army, ISI trained Al Qaeda’

    Imran draws flak for saying ‘Pakistan army, ISI trained Al Qaeda’

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has landed himself in hot water as netizens train guns at him for saying that “Pakistan army and intelligence agency trained global terror outfit Al Qaeda”.

    Speaking at the Council of Foreign Relations in New York on Monday, when asked if any investigation was conducted by Pakistan over Al Qaeda founder Osama bin Laden’s capture in Abbottabad by United States (US) forces, the premier said that there had been a probe.

    “I know that the Abbottabad commission sat down. I don’t know what the conclusion was. But I can tell you one thing. You see I go back again. The Pakistan army and ISI [Inter-Services Intelligence] trained Al Qaeda and all these groups to fight in Afghanistan. There were always links between them. There has to be links because they trained them.”

    “Now as I said after the 9/11, when we did a 180-degree turn and went after those groups. You know not everyone agreed with it. Within the army, people did not agree with this. And so as I said there were insider attacks. There were two suicide attacks on General Musharraf.”

    “As far as I think, there was a statement by President Obama that Pakistan army, military and ISI had no idea about this because I know they were listening to the conversations the night the raid took place. And if there was any link, it was at a lower level,” he added.

    PM Imran’s statements were not very well received by Twitterati, mainly journalists, who took to the micro-blogging website to criticise him.

  • Strong earthquake jolts country

    Strong earthquake jolts country

    An earthquake of high intensity jolted different parts of the country on Tuesday, injuring over 50 people.

    According to the geological wing of the Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD), tremors measuring 5.8 on the Richter scale were felt in Islamabad, Rawalpindi, Peshawar and Lahore among other parts of northern and central Punjab besides Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK).

    People of the areas where the quake was felt, rushed out of their homes and offices in panic reciting Quranic verses. At least 50 people were injured and rushed to nearby hospitals in Mirpur.

    The epicenter of the quake was stated to be one kilometer (km) southeast of Mirpur, 10 km beneath the earth’s surface.