Current Final

Author: News Desk

  • Pakistani man becomes first Muslim to head NYPD’s volunteer force

    Pakistani man becomes first Muslim to head NYPD’s volunteer force

    A Pakistani-American police officer has become the first Muslim to head the New York Police Department’s volunteer force.

    According to reports, Nasir Saleem, a 30-year veteran of the New York police, became the first Pakistani and Muslim to be appointed as the auxiliary deputy chief of the nearly 5,000-strong force.

    The volunteer force serves in the city’s neighborhoods as the “eyes and ears” of the regular police through foot, vehicle, and bicycle patrols.

    “It’s a great honour […] I am speechless. I dedicate my new title to Pakistan,” said Saleem speaking to reporters after taking the oath of office.

    Saleem was inducted into his new assignment at a ceremony where senior police officials and members of the Pakistani community were present. Captain Adeel Rana and Lt Zaigham Abbas, fellow Pakistani-American police officers, pinned badges on Saleem’s uniform.

    Taking to Twitter, the New York Police Department Chief of Patrol Fausto Pichardo stated that Saleem’s “28 years and 14,000 hours does not go unnoticed”.

    Auxiliary police officers are trained to observe and report on conditions requiring the services of the regular police, assisting in non-enforcement and non-hazardous duties.

  • Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Did the 2011 film ‘Contagion’ predict the coronavirus outbreak?

    Kate Winslet, Gwyneth Paltrow and Matt Damon’s 2011 film Contagion is re-appearing in movie rental charts in the UK and the US, in wake of the outbreak of coronavirus in Wuhan, China.

    According to reports, Steven Soderbergh’s terrifying thriller, which was inspired by the 2003 SARS epidemic and the 2009 flu pandemic bears striking similarities to the coronavirus outbreak that has the whole world scared.

    Contagion which starres Jude Law and Laurence Fishburne along with Winslet, Paltrow and Damon follows the story of a woman (Paltrow) who unknowingly catches what she thinks is a common cold during a “business trip” (read: secret rendezvous with her lover) to Hong Kong. Upon her return to the United States, the woman spreads her germs, and everyone who has come in contact with her — including her young son — is killed by what scientists call Meningoencephalitis Virus One (MEV-1).

    The film tracked the spread of a deadly virus from discovery through its global spread to, finally, a vaccine being created. However, in the process 26 million people died worldwide in only 26 days after the virus’s discovery, followed by instances of social disorder and widespread societal breakdown.

    The coronavirus is said to have originated in a live animal market in China’s seventh biggest city Wuhan. In the film, it is discovered in the final scenes that the virus was initially spread from a bat, disturbed by jungle clearance, which drops infected food into a pigpen. Additionally, the fictional MEV-1 and the coronavirus share similar symptoms which include fever, cough, and shortness of breath.

    Following the deadly outbreak, China, particularly the mainland areas have been sealed and most flights to and from the country have been suspended. The World Health Organisation has also declared it a global health emergency as scientists rush to discover a cure for it.

  • Coronavirus: Pak-China trade suspended, Opp demands bringing students back

    Coronavirus: Pak-China trade suspended, Opp demands bringing students back

    With the World Health Organization (WHO) declaring a global emergency over the spreading coronavirus, as Chinese authorities increase the toll to 213 dead and nearly 10,000 infections, trade between Pakistan and China has been suspended while opposition demands bringing back Pakistanis stuck in China.

    According to reports, while it was also decided that all Chinese imports will be sprayed with disinfectants, Pakistan on Friday suspended flight operations — except those of Pakistan Internation Airlines (PIA) — to the neighbouring country.

    TRADE SUSPENDED:

    According to a statement, trade has been suspended between the two countries for at least a month, while the issuance of Chinese visas to traders has also been halted.

    The volume of trade between the two countries is around $15 billion — around 30 per cent of Pakistan’s total trade — and the country is now mulling to import goods from other countries instead, a report said.

    Also, the Karachi Port Trust (KPT) will quarantine the Chinese and Southeast Asian ship personnel, its chairperson, Rear Admiral Jamil Akhtar, said. He added the containers, especially those arriving from China and Southeast Asia, would be thoroughly checked, and that special care would be taken to ensure that the staff on these ships remained limited to the port only.

    NO FLIGHTS TO OR FROM CHINA:

    “We are suspending flights to China until February 2,” Aviation Additional Secretary Abdul Sattar Khokhar told Reuters, adding the situation would be reviewed after that date. He declined to comment on the reason for the closure.

    Some airlines, including British Airways, have suspended flights to China due to warnings of the coronavirus outbreak. Germany, Britain and other countries have issued warnings about travel to China.

    Russia also sealed its remote far-eastern border with China as a precaution on Thursday. Some countries have banned entry for travellers from Wuhan, the central Chinese city where the virus first surfaced, while reports said that PIA would continue to operate between the two countries.

    OPPOSITION WANTS STUDENTS RESCUED:

    Meanwhile, opposition leaders have demanded that the government take responsibility of the Pakistani students stuck in China, and bring them back to the country.

    Reports quoted Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party (PkMAP) Usman Kakar as saying in the Senate that over 28,000 Pakistanis, 10,000 of which are students, were stuck in China, and the government’s decision to not bring them back was no less than “attempted murder”.

    While Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Mushahidullah said that the government should take responsibility of the students stranded in China, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Senator Rehman Malik said that military’s C-130 aircraft should be sent to rescue them

    ‘WE’RE MONITORING SITUATION’:

    The Pakistani government is monitoring the situation in China and is in close contact with the relevant authorities in order to ensure the safety of Pakistani students in Wuhan, said the Foreign Office on the other hand. 

    “Islamabad has taken up the issue of food shortages with concerned officials and we are assured by the Chinese government of full cooperation in this regard,” Foreign Office Spokesperson Aaisha Farooqui said at a press briefing.

    In response to questions about the evacuation of Pakistani citizens from Wuhan, the spokesperson said, “Islamabad is monitoring the evolving situation and will take a decision after consultations among all the stakeholders.”

  • Pakistan suspends flight operations to China amid coronavirus outbreak

    Pakistan suspends flight operations to China amid coronavirus outbreak

    Pakistan on Friday halted flights to and from China with immediate effect as death toll from the deadly coronavirus continued to climb in China and World Health Organisation declared it a global health emergency.

    “We are suspending flights to China until February 2,” Senior Joint Secretary of aviation Abdul Sattar Khokhar told Reuters, adding the situation would be reviewed after that date.

    Previously on Thursday, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) suspended all flights to Beijing until February 2. It is pertinent to mention here that PIA had restarted two flights to Tokyo and Beijing in May 2019 after a gap of three months.

    Meanwhile, Special Assistant to PM Imran on Health Dr Zafar Mirza announced that the government has decided not to repatriate Pakistani citizens stranded in China in accordance with the recommendations of the World Health Organisation.  

    “We believe that right now, it is in the interest of our loved ones in China [to stay there]. It is in the larger interest of the region, world, country that we don’t evacuate them now,” he told reporters at a press conference. 

    “This is what the World Health Organisation is saying, this is China’s policy and this is our policy as well. We stand by China in full solidarity,” he stated, adding, “Right now the government of China has contained this epidemic in Wuhan city. If we act irresponsibly and start evacuating people from there, this epidemic will spread all over the world like wildfire.”

    Mirza assured that the Pakistan Embassy in China was in close contact with Pakistani citizens in Wuhan and China was monitoring their activity closely. He said that the government will take responsibility for its citizens and ensure that they are taken care of.

    As the death toll from the virus hit 213, the World Health Organisation declared coronavirus to be a global health emergency. The virus has infected close to 10,000 people and all flights to and from China have been suspended to contain the virus and prevent it from spreading.

  • Suhaee Abro shaves head for upcoming film

    Suhaee Abro shaves head for upcoming film

    Actress and dancer Suhaee Abro has gone bald for her upcoming movie The Window. The movie, a collaboration project between Hollywood and Lollywood, will feature Faisal Qureshi, Sami Khan and Faran Tahir apart from Abro. It is being directed by Ammar Lasani and Kanza Zia.

    Being one of the leads in the film, Sohaee took a brave step and decided to shave her head as per the requirements of her character. The actress shared a video of herself being shaved by her co-star Faran Tahir.

    The actor also shared a picture of herself with her shaved head on Instagram and wrote: “I was definitely a little nervous about it but I decided to accept it and embrace it. I don’t plan on hiding it, in fact, I’m happy to explore this whole new world without hair!”

    She also thanked her co-star Faran Tahir for “not only shaving my head for me so gently and lovingly but also helping me face my fears and motivating me to explore this side of me.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7bxP5xnZ3F/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Further details about the film have not been revealed and a release date has also not been specified.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7b0fctHCSB/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7xMpjjHawK/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

    Suhaee Abro is a trained classical dancer, actress and model. She also has some theatre performances to her credit. Abro made her acting debut with a Hum TV drama Guddi in 2006. Apart from that, she has also been part of Meri Beti, Sanjha, Tum Mujh Main Zinda Ho, Mann Ke Moti and Sang-e-Mar Mar.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evw5AWVrfUM

  • OGRA proposes slashing petrol, jacking diesel price

    OGRA proposes slashing petrol, jacking diesel price

    Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) has proposed slashing petrol, and increasing diesel prices due to existing tax rates.

    According to reports, the authority has calculated and proposed a two percent increase in diesel prices. It has moved a summary with calculations of petroleum prices on the basis of existing rates of the general sales tax (GST) and petroleum demand. 

    The Ministry of Finance is expected to announce a detailed list of prices of petroleum products based on the import parity (the price that a purchaser pays or can expect to pay for the imported goods). 

    PROPOSED RATES

    OGRA says about Rs2.47 per litre of High-Speed Diesel (HSD) and Rs1.10 per litre in Light Diesel Oil (LDO) should be increased. 

    On the other hand, the regulatory has calculated six paisas and 66 paisas per litre reduction in the price of petrol and kerosene oil respectively. 

    The rate of HSD has been calculated at Rs129.73 per litre instead of Rs127.26, showing an increase of 1.9pc. In addition, light diesel oil (LDO) has been worked out at Rs85.61 per litre instead of the existing rate of Rs84.51, showing an increase of 1.3pc.

    On the contrary, petrol price has been proposed to go down to Rs116.54 per litre from the existing rate of Rs116.60, down 0.1pc.

    The ex-depot price of kerosene has been proposed to be reduced by 0.7pc to Rs98.79 per litre from the existing rate of Rs99.45 per litre.

    The government has already increased GST on all petroleum products by a standard rate of 17pc across the board to generate additional revenues. 

  • PM’s ‘inadequate’ salary to be increased from Rs0.2 million to Rs0.8 million?

    PM’s ‘inadequate’ salary to be increased from Rs0.2 million to Rs0.8 million?

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s salary, which he had earlier said “wasn’t enough to run his household”, is being increased from Rs0.2 million (Rs200,000) to Rs0.8 million (Rs800,000), a private media outlet has reported.

    While the report claimed that his salary was being increased by 300%, it was rejected by the PM’s Office that termed the report as “baseless” and “unfortunate”.

    “At a time when the PM was carrying out a campaign to slash the government’s expenditures which he initiated from his own, the propagation of such a baseless and concocted news report was unfortunate,” a spokesperson remarked, according to a press release.

    The spokesperson quoted PM Imran as saying that expenditures incurred on the head of the government were borne out of the people’s hard-earned money, so it was a must to keep it at the minimum level.

    During a speech earlier this month, the premier had cited his expenses as an individual and as a public servant to make a point to traders while accusing opposition leaders of minting money by cheating on taxes.

    While it is no secret that inflation has badly hit the average Pakistani citizen, PM Imran has been under fire as a nationwide shortage of wheat has led to a surge in prices of bread and roti.

    The country’s economy has seen the rupee plummeting as it battles rampant price rise of various commodities, including pulses and flour.

    Despite this, the fact that the PM tried to play a political game by trying to identify with an average citizen, didn’t make many people happy. His basic pay alone is enough to feed an average Pakistani household, leave alone the gross amount.

  • I love Pakistan but I am in exile forever: Aasia Bibi

    I love Pakistan but I am in exile forever: Aasia Bibi

    Recounting the hellish conditions of eight years spent on death row on blasphemy charges but also the pain of exile, Aasia Bibi has broken her silence to give her first personal insight into an ordeal that caused international outrage.

    The Pakistani Christian was sentenced to death on blasphemy charges by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in 2010 but she was acquitted by the Supreme Court on October 31 in 2018. She now lives in Canada at an undisclosed location.

    French journalist Anne-Isabelle Tollet, who has co-written a book about her, was once based in the country where she led a support campaign for her.

    She is the only reporter to have met Aasia during her stay in Canada.

    In the book “Enfin libre!” (“Finally Free”) – published in French on Wednesday with an English version due out in September – Aasia recounts her arrest, the conditions of the prison, the relief of her release but also the difficulty of adjusting to a new life.

    “You already know my story through the media,” she said in the book.

    “But you are far from understanding my daily life in prison or my new life,” she said.

    “I became a prisoner of fanaticism,” she said.

    In prison, “tears were the only companions in the cell”.

    She described the horrendous conditions in squalid jails in Pakistan where she was kept chained and jeered at by other detainees.

    “My wrists are burning me, it is hard to breathe. My neck… is encased in an iron collar that the guard can tighten with a huge nut,” she wrote.

    “A long chain drags along on the filthy ground. This connects my neck to the handcuffed hand who pulls me like a dog on a lead.

    “Deep within me, a dull fear takes me towards the depths of darkness. A lacerating fear that will never leave me.”

    Many other prisoners showed her no pity. “I am startled by the cry of a woman. ‘To death!’ The other women join in. ‘Hanged!’ Hanged!’.”

    Her acquittal on the charges, which stemmed from an incident in 2009 when she argued with a Muslim co-labourer, resulted in violent protests that paralysed the country led by Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi.

    Aasia, who vehemently denied the charges against her, argued in the book that the Christian minority in Pakistan still faces persecution.

    “Even with my freedom, the climate (for Christians) does not seem to have changed and Christians can expect all kinds of reprisals,” she said.

    “They live with this sword of Damocles over their head.”

    And while Canada gives her a safer and more certain future, Aasia also has to come to terms with likely never setting foot in her homeland again.

    “In this unknown country, I am ready for a new departure, perhaps for a new life. But at what price?

    “My heart broke when I had to leave without saying goodbye to my father or other members of the family.”

    “Pakistan is my country. I love my country but I am in exile forever,” she said.

  • Ahad Raza Mir shares what it’s like working with animals

    Ahad Raza Mir shares what it’s like working with animals

    Ahad Raza Mir has two dramas on-air currently – Ye Dil Mera and Ehd-e-Wafa – and the one thing that is common between the two is that Ahad has a pet dog in both.

    In an Instagram post, sharing a picture of himself with Sheru, Ahad revealed that he loves working with animals because of “how much they give to you”.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B78dAaCpJCy/

    Earlier, Ahad had also shared a picture of himself with his best friend in Ehd-e-Wafa: Zoro.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6BBwUkJlno/

    But what does Zoro have to say about Ahad? Find out in this video:

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Kn39gqweYE
  • UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    UAE to give $200 million financial aid to PM’s youth programme

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) government has announced to give $200 million in financial aid to the Prime Minister’s Kamyab Jawan Programme.

    UAE ambassador has made this announcement while meeting PM’s Special Assistant to Youth Affairs, Usman Dar. The financial assistance had been assured by the Crown Prince of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan during his recent visit to Pakistan.

    The ambassador said Pakistani youth are talented and capable and UAE will cooperate for the development of the youth. He said practical steps will be taken soon for the Pakistani youth.

    He also announced to start a youth exchange programme between UAE and Pakistan. A delegation of Pakistani youth will be sent to UAE where they will be trained with skills of entrepreneurship and artificial intelligence. Moreover, the UAE government has offered to Pakistani youth to partner in Dubai Expo 2020.

    The ambassador admired the federal government’s practical steps for its young generation and UAE will provide opportunities to the skilled youth in the future.

    Dar welcomed the financial assistance of UAE in the Kamyab Jawan programme. He said ‘PM Imran Khan has an aim to uplift the young generation. He added that a huge investment is being made on youth for the first time in the history of Pakistan. The young generation will play an important role in the national economy.’