Tag: January

  • Holidays are around the corner in Sindh

    The Sindh Department of Education has officially announced the winter vacation schedule for all educational institutions.

    Holidays will commence on December 22 and end on December 31.

    All private and government educational institutions, including universities, colleges, and schools in the province will reopen on January 1, 2024.

    The winter vacation 2023 in Sindh notification was issued on November 30.

    The holidays are being observed in accordance with the decision of the department’s annual steering committee, said the secretary of education.

  • Shah Rukh-Deepika, Salman-Katrina: Announcement teasers of ‘Pathan’ and ‘Tiger 3’ released

    Shah Rukh-Deepika, Salman-Katrina: Announcement teasers of ‘Pathan’ and ‘Tiger 3’ released

    Salman Khan and Katrina Kaif starrer ‘Tiger 3’ will be out on April 21 2023(Eid). Both shared the teaser of Tiger 3 and is all set to take the internet by storm. 

    The video begins with Katrina’s power-packed action scenes. Sharing the teaser on Twitter, Salman wrote, “Hum sab apna apna khayal rakhen (All of us should take care of ourselves.. Tiger3 on 2023 Eid… let’s all be there ..Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Celebrate #Tiger3 with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you on 21st April 2023.”

    Shah Rukh Khan also shared the teaser for his upcoming film Pathaan and announced the release date.

    He wrote in the caption, “I know it’s late… But remember the date… Pathaan time starts now…See you in cinemas on 25th January, 2023. Releasing in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. Celebrate #Pathaan with #YRF50 only at a big screen near you.”

    Both Shah Rukh and Salman have done extended cameos in each other’s films.

  • PIA’s new flight plans for tourist destinations

    PIA’s new flight plans for tourist destinations

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has finalised the plan to start direct flights from Balochistan’s Kech district to Turbat city , ARY News reported on Friday.

    This move will enable Pakistanis to travel to the popular tourist destination directly.

    The airline will also operate flights from Quetta to Turbat from February 26.

    It may be noted here that PIA had decided to operate flights between Turbat and Sharjah in January last year. ATR planes will be used for flight operations between Turbat and Sharjah.

    The decision was taken to facilitate citizens to travel to the mountainous areas.

    Moreover, PIA will resume flight operations from Lahore and Karachi to Gilgit and Skardu to promote tourism in the northern areas.

    The national carrier will resume the flight operations on March 13. PIA will operate flights from Lahore to Gilgit and from Karachi to Skardu.

  • Electrician arrested for murdering and then raping a woman in Karachi

    Electrician arrested for murdering and then raping a woman in Karachi

    Police on Friday claimed to have arrested a suspect for his alleged involvement in the rape and murder of a woman after brutally killing her in Lyari, Karachi, ARY news reported.

    According to details, the body of a woman was found near the Cheel Chowk area of Lyari on January 18 under mysterious circumstances, only to be found later that the victim, Sumaira was murdered by an electrician, who use to come for repairs at her home.

    SSP Sarfaraz Nawaz while confirming the arrest said that suspect was an electrician by profession and has been arrested from the Kalakot area.

    “He used to frequently visit her home for repair works,” he said, adding that on the day of the incident, the suspect went to her home to repair a light. The electrician murdered the woman and later subjected her to rape and fled from the scene.

    He was arrested after the evidence collected from the crime scene pointed towards him.

  • Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    Man brushes teeth, shaves during viral court hearing

    In an incident at the Kerala High Court, a person was seen either brushing his teeth or shaving, during the proceedings before Justice VG Arun, on Monday, January 17.

    Following the surge in covid-19 cases in the state, the Kerala High Court had decided to conduct virtual hearings. A man who entered the virtual session was seen brushing his teeth or shaving, mostly facing the camera. While it appeared that the judge did not notice the incident, a video of the man was shared across social media.

    The man, in the video, appears to have just woken up and is seen walking back and forth in a room that appears to be a washroom. It appeared that he was either shaving his beard or brushing his teeth during the proceedings and was seen doing so by other attendees.

    As covid-19 cases in India continue to surge, several High Courts have reverted to conducting virtual hearings again. In the first and second waves of the pandemic, many judges had complained about decorum in the virtual courtroom, as people appeared to be carrying out personal activities during the proceedings.

  • Karachi court says woman convicted of murder is ‘not guilty’ seven months after she died in jail

    Karachi court says woman convicted of murder is ‘not guilty’ seven months after she died in jail

    A Karachi court on January 10 exonerated a woman, Saima Farhan, and four of her family members, for their alleged involvement in a murder case. 

    However, it was too late for Saima, as she was exonerated seven months after her death in Central Jail, where she remained incarcerated for almost a year-and-a-half.

    Saima, 35, who was an aalima and used to teach the Holy Quran to the person she was accused of killing, died in jail on June 14, 2021, due to severe abdominal and kidney issues. Jail authorities, in her death report, also revealed that she was a cancer patient.

    The defence counsel — Muhmmad Akbar Khan and his associate Sheikh Saqib Ahmed — while talking to Geo.tv said: “During the trial, Saima asked us at every hearing: ‘Wakeel sahib, hamein bail kab milegi? (when will we be granted bail)?”

    The lawyers, however, lamented not being able to share the happy news that she was finally exonerated.

    Saima’s incarceration began on February 14, 2020, after she was arrested for allegedly poisoning her neighbour and friend, Rukhsar.

    Following Rukhsar’s death, her mother, Shahnaz, sought to register a complaint against Saima and her family members for allegedly poisoning her daughter.

    Saima’s family members, speaking to Geo.tv, said the complainants built a “false case” against them with the “help of the police” to usurp the property Saima owned.

    Murder charges against Saima were officially framed on February 6, 2021.

    Even after winning a legal battle and emerging innocent, Saima’s family members still await action against the jail authorities, whose denial of her timely medical treatment led to her death.

  • ‘Getting older’: Sania Mirza opens up about retirement plan

    ‘Getting older’: Sania Mirza opens up about retirement plan

    Indian tennis player Sania Mirza on Wednesday (January 19) announced that 2022 will be her final season on the Women’s Tennis Association (WTA) tour after her first-round loss in women’s doubles at the Australian Open.

    The 35-year-old Sania Mirza and her Ukrainian partner Nadiia Kichenok suffered an opening-round loss in the women’s doubles event of the ongoing Australian Open.

    “There’s a few reasons for it. It’s not as simple as ‘okay I’m not going to play’. I do feel my recovery is taking longer, I’m putting my 3-year-old son at risk by travelling so much with him, that’s something I have to take into account. I think my body is wearing down,” the 35-year-old said.

    “My knee was really hurting today and I’m not saying that’s the reason we lost but I do think that it is taking time to recover as I’m getting older,” said Mirza on Wednesday.

    The tennis star added that it’s difficult for her to find motivation everyday to come out. The energy is not the same anymore.

    “There are more days than there used to be where I don’t feel like doing that. I’ve always said that I will play until I enjoy that grind, the process which I’m not sure I’m enjoying as much anymore,” the athlete said.

    “Having said that, I still want to play the season because I’m enjoying it enough to play the year. I’ve worked very hard to come back, get fit, lose weight and try to set a good example for mothers, new mothers to follow their dreams as much as they can. Beyond this season, I don’t feel my body doing it,” Mirza added

  • NCOC bans indoor events in cities with Covid positivity rate over 10%

    NCOC bans indoor events in cities with Covid positivity rate over 10%

    According to the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC), all indoor gatherings and events have been banned in the districts and cities with Covid-19 positivity rate exceeding 10 per cent. However, only outdoor wedding events are allowed to be organised with a maximum of 500 guests.

    The ban will go into effect from January 24 , the NCOC said.

    The decisions were taken after the NCOC held a detailed review of the country’s current coronavirus situation along with the corresponding Nonpharmaceutical Interventions (NPIs). The forum differentiated the new NPIs depending on whether districts have Covid-19 positivity rate up to 10 per cent or above.

    The NPIs to be implemented are as follows depending on the positivity rate and specify that they are for fully vaccinated individuals:

    Gatherings

    • Indoor gatherings allowed up to 300 individuals, outdoor up to 500 for districts with positivity up to 10pc
    • Indoor gatherings banned, outdoor up to 300 for districts with positivity rate more than 10pc (with effect from Jan 24)

    Weddings:

    • Indoor weddings allowed up to 300 individuals, outdoor up to 500 for districts with positivity rate up to 10pc
    • Indoor weddings banned, outdoor up to 300 for districts with positivity rate more than 10pc (with effect from Jan 24 and will remain effective till February 15)

    Dining:

    • Indoor and outdoor dining both allowed for districts with positivity rate up to 10pc
    • Indoor dining banned (with effect from Jan 24), outdoor allowed for districts with positivity rate more than 10pc

    Education sector:

    • Education activities will continue for those under and over 12 in districts with positivity rate up to 10pc
    • Education activities will continue with staggered attendance at 50pc capacity for those under 12 and 100pc attendance for those over 12 in districts with positivity rate more than 10pc
    • Those over 12 will need to be fully vaccinated in both situations
    • Vaccination will be mandatory (at least one dose) for those over 12 from Feb 1
    • Aggressive sentinel testing to be carried out for targeted closures in institutes with high disease prevalence
    • Federating units in consultation with health authorities will decide limits for closure of educational institutions

    Gyms, cinemas, shrines, amusement parks:

    • Indoor activities allowed for districts with positivity rate up to 10pc
    • Indoor activities allowed at 50pc capacity for districts with positivity rate more than 10pc

    Sports:

    • All sports activities allowed for districts with positivity rate up to 10pc
    • Ban on contact sports (karate, boxing, martial arts, rugby, water polo, wrestling and kabaddi) for districts with positivity rate more than 10pc

     

    The NCOC decided that markets and business activities will continue without any restrictions. Employers are encouraged to let people work from home where possible.

    Similarly, intercity public transport has been restricted in districts with high coronavirus positivity ratios at 70pc and 80pc in railways. The ban on serving of meals was also maintained for public transport and domestic air travel.

    The curbs come as the country is in the grip of the fifth wave, which is being driven by the highly transmissible Omicron variant.

    It should be noted that in the last 24 hours, the coronavirus positivity ratio in Pakistan was 9.48pc when 5,472 infections were recorded, with Sindh and Punjab leading the charge in new cases reported.

    Owing to a surge in the number of Covid-19 cases, several educational institutions in Islamabad and Karachi have also decided to close all schools to curb the rapid spread of the virus.

  • Karachi cop involved in groom’s killing commits suicide

    Karachi cop involved in groom’s killing commits suicide

     A policeman allegedly involved in the killing a newly-married man for resisting a mugging committed suicide to avoid arrest during a police raid. He has been identified as Farzand Ali Jafri who was posted at the Investigation Wing of Karachi’s District West in Karachi.

    According to the police, the suspect killed himself by shooting at his own head to avoid arrest during a police raid.

    On January 17, it was reported that four people, including a policeman, had been arrested for killing a youth, Shah Rukh, in front of his mother and sister on Kashmir Road. 

    The media reports said these arrests were made in Surjani Town, Gulshan-e-Maymar and other areas.

    “The accused shot himself in the head and died on the spot,” according to the police.

    The tragic death became a top trend on the social media as it followed several incidents of street crime in the city. 

  • Asteroid size of Burj Khalifa to make closest pass by Earth

    Asteroid size of Burj Khalifa to make closest pass by Earth

    A large asteroid the size of the Burj Khalifa – the world’s tallest building is heading for Earth. The flyby is expected to take place on Tuesday, January 18.

    The massive asteroid has a diameter of approximately 791 meters. Its estimated size is about 3,280 feet, which is approximately the size of Dubai’s Burj Khalifa and twice the height of New York City’s Empire State Building.

    For comparison, the distance between the earth and the moon is far less than that around 385,00 km. As such, despite being classified as a potentially hazardous asteroid(PHA) due to its size and close proximity to Earth, it seems unlikely to pose a threat to the planet. In fact, NASA has declared the Earth safe from asteroid impacts for the next 100 years.

    The asteroid’s size also isn’t a cause for concern. Hasan Al Hariri, the CEO of Dubai Astronomy Group, said it will pass Earth safely.

    “The asteroid will fly past and go even beyond the moon. It’s not going to collide with our planet,” he said. “There are more than 500 such asteroids. These are also called NEOs or Nearth-Earth Objects or Hazardous Bodies.”

    “There are different types of asteroids, and we have to create different methods to defend Earth against potential asteroids or comet hazards,” Al Hariri said.

    The speeding asteroid will pass 1.93 million kilometres from earth, or about five times the distance between earth and moon.

    “Nasa’s programmes of planetary defence systems monitor all such bodies that can cause a threat to Earth, either in the short or long-term,” Al Hariri said. “Different space agencies also monitor the sky and there are many surveys held around the year and around the world to identify such objects that could pose a threat to us. Additionally, advanced telescopes are being manufactured that can capture up to even one million objects coming from space.”