Author: News Desk

  • New Covid symptom only occurs at night

    New Covid symptom only occurs at night

    A leading immunologist has warned that a new Covid variant can cause a different symptom that only occurs at night.

    BA.5 was first discovered in South Africa earlier this year. It is a highly-contagious subvariant that can cause night sweats. The variant is contributing to a fresh wave of infections across the world.

    Professor Luke O’Neill from Trinity College Dublin called this symptom “strange”.

    “One extra symptom from BA.5 I saw this morning is night sweats.”

    “The disease is slightly different because the virus has changed. But if you are vaccinated and you’re boosted, it doesn’t progress into the severe disease,” Professor O’Neill added.

    BA.5’s ability to reinfect is concerning to healthcare professionals. It is pertinent to mention that previously, if a person had been infected with SARS-CoV-2, they were considered safe from the virus after one cycle ended. With the subvariants, this is not the case anymore.

  • Janhvi Kapoor blames Sara Ali Khan for choosing a non-heater room in freezing cold to save Rs 6,000 on their vacay

    Janhvi Kapoor blames Sara Ali Khan for choosing a non-heater room in freezing cold to save Rs 6,000 on their vacay

    The much-awaited Koffee With Karan season 7 is back with stirring cups of steamy confessions, secrets, and manifestations. In the season’s second episode, the new Bollywood besties, Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor graced the couch with stories about their style, wits, and misadventures.

    Host Karan Johar asked them about life, work and love; the dynamic duo reveals stories of their travel and adventures. Bonding over the scenic beauty of Kedarnath, Janhvi and Sara’s trip hit a roadblock as they faced two near-death experiences.

    Recollecting Khan’s choice of a low-cost no-heater hotel in a bid to save Rs 6000, Janhvi shared how this choice nearly froze them. She said, “I had traveled to Kedarnath with two thermals, one puffer jacket, three shawls, two-track pants, and two sweaters. Karan, I wore every single piece of clothing I had owned and was still shivering,” adding that by the time Sara returned to their room after meeting her friends, her lips had turned blue and she was shivering! She even added that apart from the absence of a heater in the freezing -7℃ weather, the bathroom in the hotel was also doubtful, “If I had sat on that pot, it would have shattered,” said Janhvi Kapoor adding to her bad-hotel stay story.

    Sara Ali Khan And Janhvi Kapoor's Kedarnath Trip

    Later Janhvi chose a hike at Bhairavnath over walking a normal path, the duo were faced with an unexpected twist in their adventure. Sara Ali Khan said, “We decided to go to Bhairavnath and there was a normal path for walking. But we thought ourselves to be better. We chose to hike instead. There was an 85 incline of just rocks and Janhvi is like let us just climb this,” Though skeptical of climbing the incline, Sara admitted that she was afraid of being called a buzzkill. However, the adventure turned sour as their climb became very scary. Admitting about fear kicking in, Sara mentioned how at one point, she was sure they would fall off owing to dangerous rocks.

    With no escape in sight, they found solace when they saw a fan coming toward them as they hung off the cliff. Much to their dismay, he was of no help, as he only wanted to take a selfie with them. Eventually, Sara’s driver found them after almost 30 minutes of being stuck, and they were rescued with the help of special forces.

  • Video: Ukrainian soldier’s life saved by iPhone 11 Pro

    Video: Ukrainian soldier’s life saved by iPhone 11 Pro

    A Ukrainian soldier was saved by his iPhone 11 Pro and his video has gone viral on social media.

    The clip shows a Ukrainian soldier taking an iPhone out of his bag. The iPhone acted as a bulletproof vest for the man as the bullet would otherwise have killed him.

    What’s interesting here is to see that the battery of the phone didn’t explode and acted as a shield for the soldier.

    The phone was completely destroyed because of the bullet.

  • Punjab govt sends The Minor to shelter home, will be handed over to parents

    Punjab govt sends The Minor to shelter home, will be handed over to parents

    The Punjab Police sent The Minor to a Dar-ul–Aman (shelter home) on the orders of the court, Head of Prime Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit Salman Sufi tweeted.

    “Punjab Gov has secured The Minor at Dar UL Aman under strict security and protection after a court order. Sindh Government has been requested to dispatch a child protection bureau team to take her to her parents. Mr Zaheer is being traced for arrest.”

    The Minor appeared before a magistrate’s court and claimed that her life is in danger and requested the court to send her to a shelter home.

    Lawyer Jibran Nasir tweeted, “To save their own life Zaheer/accomplices will go to any length. Please see the application submitted in name of The Minor. She says my relationship with my husband Zaheer isn’t good, I have separated from my husband & have no protection from my Parents hence I need to go to Darul Amaan.”

  • Pakistani rupee hits new all-time low of Rs224 against US dollar

    Pakistani rupee hits new all-time low of Rs224 against US dollar

    Despite the International Monetary Fund’s (IMF) announcement that the multibillion-dollar loan programme would resume, the Pakistani rupee plunged to an all-time low against the US dollar on Tuesday, reaching Rs224 in the interbank market.

    Today, the local currency continued to lose value against the US dollar and lost another Rs8.80. In the interbank market on Monday, the rupee fell by Rs4.25 or 1.97 per cent against the US dollar.

    With ongoing political unrest and a bad macroeconomic environment, the currency has considerably depreciated.

    The State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) has begun to stifle the outflow of small dollar amounts of less than $100,000 in order to prevent a further decline in the reserves, putting numerous factories at risk of closure and financial penalties.

    According to the sources, Pakistan is using a variety of capital controls, including restrictive measures, to prevent a situation resembling default while the IMF takes its time approving and disbursing a $1.12 billion loan tranche.

    Resuming the loan programme will increase the nation’s ability to make international payments and unlock foreign currency inflows from other bilateral and multilateral sources as well.

    Additionally, China has extended its $2.3 billion loan to Pakistan and deposited it in the State Bank a few weeks ago. In line with the decline in the rupee, the Pakistan Stock Exchange (PSX) fell 770 points during Monday’s intraday trading. After “political and economic uncertainties in Pakistan,” the capital market came under fresh pressure, a specialist claimed.

    Finance Minister Miftah Ismail stated in an interview that the government would keep making difficult choices in an effort to save the economy and keep the nation from going bankrupt.

  • Boat heading to a wedding capsizes, at least 20 dead

    Boat heading to a wedding capsizes, at least 20 dead

    On Monday, a boat capsized in the Indus River, killing at least 20 people while around 30 people are still missing. The boat was carrying passengers to a wedding.

    The boat was heavily loaded at the time of the incident as it was carrying more than a 100 people. Police officer Mohammad Hammad told AFP that “most of the drowned appear to be women” as most of the men knew how to swim while the women did not.

    “We’re not sure how many people exactly were on the boat. We’re getting the estimates just on the basis of the family members’ accounts,” local government official Aslam Tasleem told Geo News.

    According to the government’s announcement, over 35 divers from a state-run rescue organisation took part in an effort to find and rescue the passengers.

    Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif has also expressed his grief after the loss of lives in the incident.

  • PML-N decides not to hold early elections

    PML-N decides not to hold early elections

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has decided not to hold early general elections in the country and to complete its constitutional term, reports Geo News.

    In a meeting on Monday under the leadership of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif, the PML-N’s defeat in Punjab by-polls and other political matters were discussed.

    On July 17, the ruling party suffered a heavy loss as it only managed to win four seats out of 20 while its rival party Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) won 75 per cent (15 seats) of the Punjab constituencies.

    The decision regarding elections has been taken by the PML-N. The party is yet to discuss the matter with its coalition partners and for that, a meeting is scheduled for today (Tuesday).

    A day earlier, PTI Chairman Imran Khan addressed the nation after his party’s landslide victory in Punjab. He highlighted that the only way out of the current political crisis is free and fair elections.

  • ‘Voice-recorder found in my bedroom,’ Shireen Mazari

    ‘Voice-recorder found in my bedroom,’ Shireen Mazari

    Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari claimed that the staff at her Islamabad residence had discovered a “voice-recorder” in her bedroom a day earlier.

    “I was at Bani Gala yesterday when I received a call from my domestic staff that a device was found attached underneath a coffee table in my bedroom,” said Mazari.

    “The question that arises is: who installed it? That too in my bedroom. Which agency [installed this device]? We have our doubts regarding who is behind it. But I want to highlight that this is a violation of the Constitution.”

    Mazari said she initially thought the device in question was a USB. But upon further investigation, it was discovered that it was a “voice-recorder”.

    “What are they trying to find out?”

    “What more do you want to achieve? Fake cases have been lodged against us. Our mobile phones have been tapped. The law and the Constitution have been turned into a joke.”

    “But I will stand up against this and file a constitutional petition in the Islamabad High Court. They have infringed on my right to privacy and protection,” said Mazari.

    Last month, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Dr Shahbaz Gill said that a Bani Gala staffer was caught installing a spy device in PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s bedroom.

  • Dubai retains its position as top FDI tourism destination in the world

    Dubai retains its position as top FDI tourism destination in the world

    Dubai has continued to lead the world in luring foreign direct investment (FDI) into the tourism industry in 2021.

    The emirate attracted Dh6.4 billion ($1.7 billion) in foreign direct investment (FDI) over 30 projects in the last year, placing it at the top of the list for FDI capital, projects, and job creation in the tourism sector, according to The Financial Times’ FDI Markets data.

    The Dubai FDI Monitor report, released by the Dubai Investment Development Agency, states that these new projects and investments resulted in the creation of 5,545 new jobs over the course of the year.

    “Dubai’s rank as the top FDI destination for tourism is a testament to the sector’s resilience and stability. It reaffirms the sector’s role as a key economic driver that offers international investors confidence and an exceptional opportunity for stable and sustainable returns,” Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, said on Twitter.

    As the city strives to become the most popular travel destination in the world, Dubai attracted more than 7.28 million foreign overnight visitors in 2021, an increase of 32% from the previous year.

    The goal of Dubai’s Department of Economy and Tourism, which will be created with the merger of the tourism and economy departments, is to attract 25 million visitors to the city by the year 2025.

    To streamline government organisations, keep up with quick changes, and maintain Dubai’s business and tourism sectors’ competitiveness, the merger was achieved.

    “The newly-formed department seeks to support the economic and tourism transformations taking place in the emirate. It will adopt the same competitiveness and efficiency of the private sector and work together with it on various development projects,” said Sheikh Hamdan.

    In spite of the inflationary environment, business activity in the private sector grew steadily in June, expanding at the quickest rate in three years.

    Its highest reading since June 2019, the headline seasonally adjusted S&P Global Dubai Purchasing Managers’ Index increased to 56.1 in June from 55.7 in May.

    The main engine of growth in the emirate continued to be the travel and tourism industry.

    As travel restrictions around the world continued to loosen, businesses in Dubai, the commercial and touristic centre of the Middle East, reported a noticeable increase in tourism-related business activity. This solidified Dubai’s position as a major travel hub.

    Prior to that, Dubai became the first Middle Eastern location to receive the coveted Michelin star, further solidifying its position as a top culinary and travel destination. Eleven restaurants in total received awards for outstanding dining.

  • Video: Man gropes burqa-clad woman in Islamabad

    Video: Man gropes burqa-clad woman in Islamabad

    A CCTV footage of a man forcefully groping a woman is being shared on social media. The video was posted by Twitter user Ehtesham Ali Abbasi and the incident took place in the I-10 area of Islamabad.

    In the video, a man can be seen running towards a burqa-clad woman and then groping her from behind. The woman tries pushing the man away. He later runs away.

    The Islamabad Police is currently investigating the case. The man has reportedly been traced.

    Ehtesham Ali Abbasi tweeted to the Islamabad Police that the family of the woman who was harassed is also satisfied with the police investigation.

    People on social media are requesting the Islamabad Police to arrest the culprit at the earliest.