A new report by Reuters reveals that as per estimates, there has been at least a 50 per cent rise in paediatric patients in Lahore hospitals due to respiratory issues caused by poor air quality.
According to provincial health minister Dr. Javed Akram, hospitals are on high alert with extra beds and ventilators on standby for additional emergency cases.
The UN children’s agency highlights that outdoor air pollution across the world contributed to 154,000 deaths of children aged below five in 2019. As for Pakistan, it is one of the top five causes of death among the entire population among whom young children and the elderly are the most vulnerable and severely affected.
“Children are physiologically more vulnerable to air pollution than adults because their brains, lungs and other organs are still developing,” said UNICEF, further explaining that children breathe twice as fast as adults which increases their exposure to the pollutants.
Former army chief General (r) Qamar Javed Bajwa can surprise founder and former Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan, as he is “willing to appear” as a witness in the cipher case, The News has reported.
During the last hearing in cipher case, Imran Khan said while speaking to journalists, “I will include General Bajwa and US Embassy officials as witnesses in the case.”
A source from The News confirmed that the former army chief also showed willingness to appear as a witness. However, he will require permission from military authorities.
The former prime minister is currently in Adiala jail and facing charges under the Official Secrets Act, 1923. A special court is hearing the cipher case against Imran Khan and former foreign minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi.
Imran had alleged that “General Bajwa did everything on Donald Lu’s directives”.
This accusation does not match the statements given by witnesses, including the former secretary of foreign affairs and Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US. Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US was in contact with Donald Lu, and their communication’s result was a cable that was sent to the foreign ministry, which is a normal thing.
Imran Khan had also claimed that the cipher was a conspiracy against him to remove him from the office.
The National Security Committee (NSC) deliberated over the cipher twice, once when Imran Khan was the prime minister of Pakistan and later in the tenure of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) president Shehbaz Sharif.
The NSC found no evidence of conspiracy on both occasions against Imran Khan in the cipher.
Proteas fast bowler Gerald Coetzee has tied the knot with long-time girlfriend Hannah Haythorne in a wedding ceremony at Ellandskloof Farm in Helderstrom with close friends and family in attendance.
Gerald Coetzee is known for his speed and skill on the cricket field. He has taken a short break from his career to start a new journey in life.
Cricket personalities also attended the wedding ceremony while fellow players and friends expressed their best wishes for the newly wedded couple.
Gerald Coetzee has so far represented South Africa in 14 ODIs, 3 T20Is, and 2 Tests.
AFP – Lahore: A zoo in Pakistan has been shut down after a man was mauled to death by tigers in an attack discovered during routine cleaning, officials said Thursday.
The body was found on Wednesday morning in Bahawalpur’s Sherbagh Zoo in the eastern province of Punjab after staff spotted one of the three tigers with a shoe in its mouth.
“The zoo is closed right now as we determine how the man got in,” Ali Usman Bukhari, a senior officer of the province’s wildlife department, which operates the zoo, told AFP.
The condition of the body suggests the attack happened late Tuesday night.
“The autopsy report has not been released, however evidence gathered from the enclosure points towards him being alive when he was attacked by the tigers,” Bukhari said.
“The tigers did not go out of the den to attack the man, he jumped into their enclosure,” he said.
“If we find a security lapse, we will address it. If need be, we will hire private security guards.”
The victim has not been identified and no family member has come forward to claim the body.
Speaking to media outside the zoo after the body was discovered on Wednesday, senior local government official Zaheer Anwar said all staff had been accounted for.
“Our assessment so far is that this appears to be a lunatic, because a sensible person would not jump into the den,” he said.
“You can see the den is secured. There are stairs behind the den, maybe he jumped from there.”
The three tigers present in the den when the body was discovered have been restricted to a smaller space while evidence is collected.
The zoo was built in 1942 by the ruling royal family of the former princely state of Bahawalpur and costs adults 50 rupees (18 cents) to enter.
Pakistan’s zoos are generally in a poor condition and frequently accused of disregarding animal welfare.
Veteran actress Saba Faisal was a guest on the Samaa show ‘Subh Ka Samaa Madehaa Kay Sath’ where she spoke about girls having unrealistic expectations from marriage, including immediately becoming the owner of a home after marrying a man. Her advise to these girls who wished to become financially secure was, not to look for better jobs, but to marry older man.
“Today’s girls think they will immediately become owner’s of homes after getting married and have a lot of wealth. They don’t realise that young men are struggling with their jobs in these periods. If you’re looking for financial stability, then a better choice is that you marry a man who is between the ages of 40 or 50. Since he would be able to fulfil all of your needs.”
Turns out this wasn’t the only housekeeping tip Miss Saba had to offer on the show. She also urged parents to pray for their son’s fortunes, rather than entirely focusing on their daughters because after all it is the son who is responsible for running the entire household. Women can’t become bread winners, Miss Saba? They are solely just burden on their parents because they have to eventually get married and become the responsibility of someone else?
“Parent’s shouldn’t just pray that their daughters fortunes are good, but they should also pray that their sons are blessed in life. They are the ones who are responsible for handling an entire household, and when they get married they have to get a wife who would take care of the entire family. Men have an enormous responsibility.”
Can celebrities please stick to solely acting projects and not churn out advice we never asked for?
Clive Stafford Smith, the lawyer of neuroscientist Dr Afia Siddiqui, currently jailed in America, has said in a shocking interview to Geo News that she has been subjected to sexual abuse as an investigation tactic, including being assaulted twice by prison guards in America, and harassed multiple times by fellow jail inmates.
Her lawyer also mentioned that the Pakistani government is also aware of the two instances of sexual assault. Smith revealed that a sexual assault complaint was, therefore, filed on her behalf. “What they have been doing to her is pretty much unspeakable,” he said. Clive pointed out the tragic fact that there are close to 10,250 women in the American federal prison system. The woman who is treated the harshest of them all is Afia Siddiqui, currently in FMC Carswell Jail in Texas.
He stressed that the Government of Pakistan has been informed about these instances and since it represents Afia on international forums, it is a failure on the part of the government of Pakistan that they have not tried enough to get her back.
In August, Clive also posted about having compiled a report about “the sexual abuse that poor #Aafia has suffered at American hands in the last 20 years”.
I have just completed a report on the sexual abuse that poor #Aafia has suffered at American hands in the last 20 years. It is a shame upon my country & Pakistan @ForeignOfficePk needs to multiply their efforts by 1000% @Aafiamovement@FreeAafiaM
These comments by Afia’s lawyer also pointed to a 2018 report prepared by Aisha Farooqui, Pakistan’s former consul general in Houston, in which she cited physical and sexual abuse that Dr. Aafia was subjected to during her detention. That report recommended “Exploring a legal mechanism for her repatriation to Pakistan to complete her sentence in Pakistan, where at least she would be safe and would be able to meet her mother and children, who she has not met in almost eight years.”
Clive posted about his last meeting with Dr Afia, “She ended our meeting sobbing, ‘I’m not going back to that cell & the sexual predators. Take me out of here. I’m innocent!’ Over&Over&Over for 28 minutes before they made me leave.”
Dreadfully sad today: Aafia ended our meeting sobbing, “I’m not going back to that cell & the sexual predators. Take me out of here. I’m innocent!” Over&Over&Over for 28 minutes before they made me leave. @Aafiamovement@FowziaSiddiqui@senatorMtalha@SenatorMushtaq
Dr Afia is currently being visited by her sister Dr Fowzia Siddiqui where they are not allowed to touch or hug each other and have to talk to each other been separated by glass screens. Fowzia shared in a video message that she found her sister to be in a worse condition than before.
Earlier this year, the sisters met after 20 years when the elder Dr Fowzia visited her in June at a prison hospital in Fort Worth, Texas, US. Dr Fowzia said: “Due to her condition, I could not even recognise her,” reports Geo.
Dr. Aafia Siddiqui, a US-educated Pakistani scientist, was jailed in 2010 for 86 years by a New York federal district court in September 2008 on charges of attempted murder and assault, stemming from an incident during an interview with the US authorities in Ghazni, Afghanistan — charges that she denied.
Time magazine announced yesterday that the coveted title of ‘Person Of The Year’ 2023, went to singer Taylor Swift. The decision was met with severe backlash from the internet, who called it out as another example of how the Western media has silenced journalists in Gaza, who were risking their lives to reveal the realities of the genocide.
A Twitter user is going viral for drawing a comparison between Ukraine-Russia war and Israel’s aggression.
times person of the year when russia invaded ukraine vs when israel is committing literal genocide against palestinians pic.twitter.com/rvhzkUUXxu
Twitter users were outraged at Gazan journalists like Motaz Azaiza, Plestia, Bisan and Saleh being ignored, stressing that censorship lays bare that Gazan lives are considered disposable by the western media.
72 Journalists and their families have been killed by israel since october 7th, they are among the 20,000+ palestinians slaughtered. We can honor ukraine in 2022 but god forbid you honor the brown people risking their lives to show whats happening in Gaza. Screw this. https://t.co/uwg7mPzzSP
Today I choose to honor the real people of the year: the Journalists in Palestine. Their constant strength and courage in the midst of a genocide is something so admirable. They lose family and friends but never stop showing us what’s actually happening in Gaza. #freepalestinepic.twitter.com/jBCCdnNnWI
Many Twitter users are also criticising Taylor Swift to be a white feminist, after a quote from her article with Time went viral where she spoke about the intersection of capitalism and patriarchy.
“What has existed since the dawn of time? A patriarchal society. What fuels a patriarchal society? Money, flow of revenue, the economy. So actually, if we’re going to look at this in the most cynical way possible, feminine ideas becoming lucrative means that more female art will get made. It’s extremely heartening.”
She’s basically saying that her being rich is because of feminism and her “female art” (whatever that means) is justified in making money because it’s feminist. Guys look she’s such a feminist for using feminism to profit more money even if she’s a billionaire. White feminist https://t.co/SzaDsgZ7oG
— সব নিপীড়িত মানুষের মুক্তি Ujala/নিশিথিনী (@shimmeringolds) December 6, 2023
i’m so glad she did this interview. She’s the final (girl)boss liberal white woman, and I am saying this neutrally. stuck in a vacuum, staid politics, pussy ear hats, daughter of a witch they couldn’t burn https://t.co/kogXstlqjN
— Bolu Babalola is technically on leave & (@BeeBabs) December 6, 2023
The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has invoked Article 99 of the UN Charter, calling on the Security Council to declare a ceasefire to put a stop to Israeli atrocities committed in Gaza.
Invoking Article 99 is one of the few powers that the Charter gives the UN Secretary-General.
In a letter written to the council’s president, Guterres cites the responsibility of the 15-member Security Council that has the obligation to maintain international peace and security, stating that the situation in Gaza and Israel “may aggravate existing threats to the maintenance of international peace and security.”
He added that the humanitarian crisis in Gaza can have “potentially irreversible implications for Palestinians as a whole and for peace and security in the region.”
I’ve just invoked Art.99 of the UN Charter – for the 1st time in my tenure as Secretary-General.
Facing a severe risk of collapse of the humanitarian system in Gaza, I urge the Council to help avert a humanitarian catastrophe & appeal for a humanitarian ceasefire to be declared. pic.twitter.com/pA0eRXZnFJ
UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric explained that the move has been taken “given the scale of the loss of human life in Gaza and Israel, in such a short amount of time.”
He described the use of Article 99 as a “dramatic constitutional move” made by Guterres in the hope that it would put more pressure on the Council – and the international community at large – to demand a ceasefire between the warring parties.
“I think it’s arguably the most important invocation”, Dujarric told reporters at UN Headquarters, “in my opinion, the most powerful tool that he [the Secretary-General] has.”
Explore the lively spirit of Karachi with Jalebi Express’s Mix Plate City Tour, a Sunday morning ride on the iconic W-11 Karachi Mini Bus. From 8:30 am to 1:30 pm, discover the city’s rich culture, blending old and new aspects. Experience the charm and diversity of Karachi with Jalebi Express – turning every Sunday into an adventure!
Mark your calendar for a night full of laughter as comedian Hashim takes the stage at Cafe Forex (Lahore) on December 9th. From 7 to 9 PM, join in for continuous comedy, promising an evening of hearty laughs with friends and family. Don’t miss this chance to relax and enjoy a Comedy Night that will leave you in stitches!
Join us for an unforgettable day at BazaarFest 2.0, a unique event on December 9th, 2023, at Lahore Fort. Experience cultural fusion and futuristic fun with live performances, rhythmic dhamaal, futuristic light shows, food stalls, family-friendly shopping, and much more from 3:00 pm to 12:00 am. Don’t miss the Faris Shafi concert, Baeyyet dance, open mic sessions, pottery workshop, live graffiti, and experiential rooms!
Support over 150 home-based women entrepreneurs at the Islamabad Women Gala on December 9th and 10th, 11 am to 9 pm, at Pakistan China Friendship Centre. Enjoy a vibrant family atmosphere with a kids’ arena, interactive activities, food court, magical show, Christmas corner, and a craft corner promoting inclusion and religious harmony. Join them for a festive and empowering experience!
Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir said on Thursday that the presence of illegal foreigners in the country is “seriously affecting” its security and economy, adding that the decision to send illegal foreigners to their home country is beneficial for Pakistan.
According to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), the army chief passed the remarks during a visit to Peshawar, where he briefly explained the security situation, ongoing counter-terrorism operations, and the return of undocumented foreign nationals.
“Decision to repatriate them has been taken by the government in the interest of Pakistan,” General Asim said, as quoted by the military’s media wing.
The army chief also mentioned that all the illegal immigrants are being sent to their home country in a “humane and dignified manner.”
According to the Interior Ministry, almost 255,029 illegal foreigners have left for Afghanistan from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP).
On his visit to Peshawar, Gen. Munir interacted with soldiers and officers, and he said while addressing them that “The nation takes pride and acknowledges the accomplishments of its Armed Forces. Pakistan is destined to succeed and the Pakistan Army will continue to undertake its selfless and sacred duty of safeguarding every inch of the motherland till the last drop of blood, InshaAllah.”
