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Category: Lifestyle

  • The rising call of #CeasefireNow in Europe and America

    The rising call of #CeasefireNow in Europe and America

    As the War on Gaza is entering its fifth week, calls for a ceasefire and an end to genocide can be heard all around the world but the most striking is the response from the Western countries where people are principally supporting Palestine. However, their governments are either responding diplomatically or are siding with Israel.

    USA

    Last week, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s testimony before the Senate committee was interrupted by protestors calling for “ceasefire now”. Blinken was there to ask for emergency funding for Israel by the administration. The demonstrators kept shouting “Save the children of Gaza, cease-fire now. Where is your pride in America. Stop the brutal massacre.”
    Their hands were painted red. Protesters also chanted in unison, “From Palestine to Mexico, all the walls have got to go.” They were arrested and dragged out of the hall.


    This isn’t it. Hundreds of protestors have come to protest outside White House and inside the Capitol Hill building while many more are on the roads marching and protesting against Biden’s administration, questioning the aid of $14.5 billion that has been given from taxpayer money.

    United Kingdom

    The UK is seeing a very hostile political environment. Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition, is under fire for siding with Israel’s destructive tactics. He said, “I understand the calls for a ceasefire, at this stage, I do not believe that is the correct position.” Protestors gathered outside his residence and got their disapproval registered.

    More than 60 Labour MPs have called for a ceasefire while one of the Labour MPs Andy McDonald has been suspended because of seeming “deeply offensive” comments at a pro-Palestinian rally.
    Masses are protesting in huge numbers on the road and criticising the politicians who are opposing the ceasefire.

    France

    France has banned citizens from pro-Palestine marches but according to the leading newspaper France24, thousands of demonstrators have joined the pro-Palestinian march in Paris, calling for an urgent ceasefire even though the President of the country flew to Israel to show his solidarity with its government. They remain uninhibited by the country’s official allegiance with Israel.

    https://youtu.be/18OPeZtWgX0?si=NYF1oRB1qQW36nwx

    Germany

    Germany sees the pleas of Palestinians as synonymous with the activities of Hamas because it has banned all activities of Hamas from the country. This is the government’s attempt to hamper all the pro-Palestinian marches and protests. Additionally, schools in Berlin have been given permission to ban the traditional Palestinian headdress, the keffiyeh. Palestinian activists however have dubbed this as coming from a place of “historic guilt”.

    Italy

    Italy’s Georgia Meloni also paid a visit to Israel and stated that the real purpose of the Hamas attack was to create an “Unbridgeable gap between the Israelis and Palestinians, meaning that the target is all of us and we cannot fall into this trap, which would be very stupid.” Contrary to the opinion of the PM, Rome saw a protest of thousands chanting, “From River to the Sea, Palestine will be free.”

    https://youtu.be/a07wKfUm0gs?si=7a–SbnRUkHKUlPg

    Spain

    Spain is one major country from Europe which has gained the ire of Israel but has persisted in calling out the atrocities befallen by Israel on the Gaza strip. Spanish Minister of Social Rights, Ione Belorra, asked for bringing Netanyahu before the International Criminal Court for all the crimes he has committed.

    The Israeli government in response accused them of siding with Hamas. Unfazed, Spain’s premier Pedro Sanchez echoed public opinion by calling for a ceasefire. Thousands of people in different cities of the country also came out in support of Palestine.

    Ireland

    Ireland is leading the demands as always, having supported the Palestinian state since the 1980s. Irish leadership along with the Spanish heads have raised their concerns on the grander scale of the EU in favour of Palestine. Irish PM (taoiseach) Leo Varadkar has openly called out Israel for subjecting Palestinians to collective punishment. “What I’m seeing unfolding at the moment isn’t just self-defence. It looks, something more approaching revenge,” Varadkar said.

    Scotland

    Scottish First Minister Hamza Yousuf has repeatedly expressed his support for Palestine. His in-laws were trapped in Gaza leaving him fearful of the situation at the strip.

    The major showdown that happened was at the Celtic Park arena in a match between Champions League tie against Atletico Madrid. The crowd of more than 60,000 went against the warnings of the administration and literally showed up as the “Green Brigade” holding flags of Palestine. They wanted to prove themselves to be on the “right side of history.”

    The response by the West has been rather calculated and gets tweaked from time to time but the purpose here is to show that the stance of the governments is hardly a testament to public sentiment when it comes to international issues. The overwhelming response of the public manifests that better sense must prevail and that an immediate ceasefire is the need of the hour.

  • Lahore High Court orders sealing smoke emitting factories

    Lahore High Court orders sealing smoke emitting factories

    Taking stern action for the prevention of smog in the city, Lahore High Court has ordered that factories that are becoming a source of contaminating the air should be sealed.

    Lahore has had hazardous levels of air quality five days in a row. Hearing a petition filed by a citizen, Haroon Farooq, the court reviewed all the steps that have been taken by the local administration and the implementation of previous judgments by the court. Commissioner Lahore division Mohammad Ali Randhawa was present in front of the judge and laid out the efforts made by the administration.

    He told the court that strict actions have been taken against smoke emitting vehicles. For the awareness of environment friendly transport, as advised by the court in a previous hearing, campaigns for the promotion of cycling are being run in the government sector.
    The court advised penalising the owners of the vehicles and including the private sector in the revival of cycling in next five to six months to protect the environment for the future.

    Justice Shahid Kareem further adjudicated that factories that are contributing in the worsening of smog should be sealed, only allowed to reopen when the owners submit their word that if they do not comply with the guidelines their factories will be levelled to the ground by the authorities.
    The next hearing is scheduled for November 7.

  • Gujranwala: Woman burnt alive by husband is now dead

    Gujranwala: Woman burnt alive by husband is now dead

    Update: Shumaila, the woman who was burnt alive by her husband Naseer and his first wife Robina has expired in a hospital in Lahore. She was admitted to the hospital five days back but could not survive the severity of her burns. The incident happened in a village near Gujranwala, Chak Behlol.

    Further investigation has revealed that she got divorced from her first husband to marry Naseer who was already married. The constant tussle between the two wives led to this tragic situation where she was burnt alive by Naseer and his first wife in the presence of a crowd of villagers who kept making videos.

    Naseer is already in the custody of the police.

    Previously, a harrowing video of a woman being burnt alive-in a village near Gujranwala-has gone viral on social media. The crowd watching kept making videos whereas Shumaila, the woman, was burning.

    An FIR has been registered after a delay of two days. Shumaila’s husband, Naseer, has been arrested and the search for his other wife is going on.

    Shumaila, the victim, has told the police that the husband sprayed petrol on her while the other wife was his accomplice in setting her on fire. The two have been constantly fighting since the man married for a second time.
    The woman is in critical condition, being treated in a hospital in Lahore.

  • Nikkahkhwan to pay fine of Rs. 30,000 if found involved in ceremonies playing music

    Nikkahkhwan to pay fine of Rs. 30,000 if found involved in ceremonies playing music

    A committee of religious scholars in a village called Tabi Murad in Lakki Marwat have imposed a ban on playing any sort of music in engagement and marriage ceremonies, while also barring clerics from offering funeral prayer for those who arrange such programs or else they will have to pay a huge fine of Rs30,000.

    In a strict warning, endorsed by 30 local scholars, it is stated that a hafiz or a cleric should not officiate a Nikah if they are playing music. To make it more stern, they have asked the clerics to not attend funeral rites of those who play music in their ceremonies. The clerics are cautioned to confirm these facts before solemnising marriages.

    Locals have appreciated the decision because they believe that these programs disrupt the peace of the area while the scholars have stressed that this ban is imposed on the repeated requests of the residents of the village.

  • Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    The Taliban government’s refugees minister, Khalil Haqqani, has said in an interview with AFP that, “They [Pakis­tani authorities] should not give Afghans a hard time, they should not make more enemies.” The statement was said in the context of the mass exodus of refugees from Pakistan under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    Authorities on the Afghanistan side have established centres several kilometres from a border crossing along with camps for families in what was described as an “emergency situation” by the Afghan officials. “We are constantly in contact with them [Pakis­tani authorities] asking for more time. People must be allowed to return with dignity,” he reiterated.

    Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi also visited the Torkham border and asserted that the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is in violation of International laws. He also mentioned that the ones coming back are their brethren and this is their home. To address all their problems will be the first priority of the government.

  • KP government launches first Mental Health institute

    KP government launches first Mental Health institute

    The caretaker setup in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa led by Chief Minister Azam Khan inaugurated the first-ever Institute of Mental Health Sciences in the provincial capital Peshawar on Thursday.

    The landmark project has incurred a total cost of Rs2.52 billion. The larger plan includes an emergency unit, OPD, ICU, a psychiatric unit, family counseling, and a rehabilitation centre among other facilities. It will start with providing OPD services and will move on to add other services in later stages.

    In the inaugural ceremony, the Chief Minister spoke about the facilities offered by the institute and the courses on various areas concerning mental health offered there. He emphasised the growing need for understanding and treating mental illnesses that are rampant globally and the opening of one of its kind institute is a step in the right direction. He promised that the state-of-the-art institute will provide facilities for the treatment of mental illnesses and all services related to mental health.

  • Canadian PM Trudeau under fire for his son’s ‘headless’ halloween costume

    Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is under fire by netizens for his son’s pictures in a “headless” halloween costume, as people are reminded of the ongoing bombing in Gaza.

    The headless costume showing a decapitated head in hand is a classic halloween costume which his youngest son Hadrien wore for the halloween. This provoked internet users to point out that more than 3,500 children have been killed in Israel’s bombing of the Gaza strip.
    People deemed it to be inappropriate in times like these and from a leader like Trudeau who is so keen to be politically correct.

    A user wrote under Trudeau’s post, “tone-deaf”.


    Another user suggested that the PM should dress up as an Israeli Soldier because the halloween they’re living is a reality, thanks to Canada’s terrifying support for one of the bloodiest, settler-colonial occupations that practices all war crimes in Palestine, including ethnic cleansing, extermination, and displacement.

    Social researcher, Jelena Mitrovic slammed him for showing no respect to the killed kids of Gaza.

    This is not for the first time that Justin Trudeau has earned flak from the internet. School pictures of the Premier in halloween costume dressed as a black Aladdin got him into trouble, for which he had to apologise later. One user Jay Nelson reminded the world about that.

  • Six people killed in DI Khan blast

    At least six people have been killed and 20 injured after a blast in Dera Ismail Khan targeting a police van on Friday.

    Law enforcement authorities have confirmed that gunshots were also heard after the blast.

    Caretaker Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Information Minister, Firdous Jamal Shah, stated that the blast took place in Tank Adda near a police van, confirming that 22 injured people were being shifted to hospital.

    There are two police officials and two women among the injured, the minister confirmed.

    “Those elements involved in the explosion and terrorism will be brought to justice,” assured the minister.

    Two blasts occurred last month in KP and Balochistan on the day of Eid Milad un Nabi — the birth anniversary of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

  • ‘Sickening’: social media criticises McDonald’s Mauritius after insensitive Halloween post

    ‘Sickening’: social media criticises McDonald’s Mauritius after insensitive Halloween post

    McDonalds is facing a worldwide boycott after the fast food giant’s Israeli franchise provided free food to IDF soldiers while the Israeli army bombarded Gaza. Now the company’s Mauritius franchise has come under fire after it posted what users thought was an insensitive Halloween picture.

    In the now deleted image, fries dripping with ketchup are positioned to resemble a bloody hand. The caption reads: “Forget the freights. Savour the flavours!”

    Social media users expressed their outrage.

    Previously, the McDonald’s franchise in the UK was criticised for hiding the replies in their comments demanding the organisation to withdraw their support for Israel.

  • Schools shut as toxic Smog engulfs India’s capital

    Schools shut as toxic Smog engulfs India’s capital

    Schools were shut across India’s capital on Friday as a noxious grey smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants.

    Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket Delhi in a choking haze.

    The public health crisis has persisted for decades and researchers have blamed the smog for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths across India.

    Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles — so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were on Friday almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir.

    “In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    Delhi, one of the largest urban areas on the planet, is also regularly ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities.

    Visible smog is a burden for residents through much of the year but the problem peaks at the start of winter around the Hindu festival of Diwali.

    The holy day coincides with the weeks when tens of thousands of farmers across north India set fire to their fields to clear crop stubble from recently harvested rice paddies.

    That practice is one of the key drivers of Delhi’s annual smog problem, worsening the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions.

    It persists despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different clearing methods and threats of punitive action for those who defy burning bans.

    Eye-stinging and lung-burning smog peaks from October to February when colder air traps pollution, with residents advised to wear face masks outside at all times.

    Authorities regularly announce different plans to reduce pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect.

    India is hosting the Cricket World Cup and organisers have banned fireworks at matches in Mumbai and Delhi to avoid compounding hazardous air pollution levels.

    Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are due to play in Delhi on Monday, with little likelihood of the air clearing for their match.

    India captain Rohit Sharma told reporters Wednesday that the situation was “not ideal” for the tournament.

    Everyone knows that,” he said. “Looking at our future generation… it’s quite important that they get to live without any fear.”

    A Lancet study in 2020 attributed 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India during the previous year, including almost 17,500 in the capital.

    And the average city resident could die nearly 12 years earlier than expected due to air pollution, according to an August report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

    India is heavily reliant on polluting coal for energy generation. Its per capita coal emissions have risen 29 percent in the past seven years and it has shied away from policies to phase down the dirty fossil fuel.