Current Final

Category: Lifestyle

  • PIA to fly to European countries once again as EU decides to lift ban

    PIA to fly to European countries once again as EU decides to lift ban

    The ban imposed by the European Union (EU) on Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) flight operations is expected to be lifted soon, local media reported quoting the country’s Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) official.

    The ban had been imposed following the crash of a PIA aircraft in May last year, which resulted in the deaths of 97 passengers and crew.

    An International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) audit team that had visited to undertake a safety audit of the aviation authority completed the process on December 10. Its final report will be released in a few weeks and shared publicly, The News reported.

    According to The News, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) had extended travel restrictions imposed on PIA in April for an indefinite period and directed the Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (PCAA) to get its safety audit done by ICAO scheduled in July.

    In its January 4 letter to DG CAA Khaqan Murtaza, ICAO’s Deputy Director Denis Guindon wrote that the committee conducted the audit in December 2021 and “determined that the actions taken by Pakistan had successfully resolved SSC (Significant Safety Concern).”

    “I wish to refer to the Significant Safety Concern (SSC/PEL-01/09-2020/PAK refers) that was issued to Pakistan on September 18, 2020, as well as the Universal Safety Oversight Audit Programme (USOAP) Continuous Monitoring Approach (CMA) audit that was conducted by an ICAO team in Pakistan from 29 November to 10 December 2021.”

    He further said that until the CAA received the approval, PIA would not be able to resume flight operations to the EU.

    “In accordance with the USOAP SSC process, […] the ICAO SSC Validation Committee reviewed the actions and relevant evidence validated in Pakistan. The Committee determined that the actions taken by Pakistan had successfully resolved SSC,” the letter stated.

  • ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    ‘Masks, avoid crowds, vaccinate’: Dr Faisal Sultan urges people to take Omicron seriously

    Urging people not to take the Omicron variant of the SARS-CoV-2 lightly, Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on health Dr. Faisal Sultan on Tuesday said there will be some increase in hospitalisation of patients in the next one to two weeks and urged people to wear masks, avoid crowds and get vaccinated at the earliest. It takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up, says the health minister as Omicron cases rise.

    So far Pakistan has recorded 372 cases of the Omicron variant, Dr Faisal Sultan, told Reuters.

    “It’s still a bit early to draw conclusions since it takes 1-2 weeks for hospitalisations to go up. Also, let us see how the virus behaves regarding virulence”, Dr Sultan said when asked as to why hospitalisations were not going up in Karachi despite an increase in the number of Covid-19 cases due to the spread of the Omicron variant.

    “At the moment, we are receiving one or two patients with Covid-19 on daily basis, but so far, we have not found anybody infected with Omicron Variant of the Covid-19”, Dr Abdul Wahid Rajput, Medical Superintendent of the Infectious Diseases Hospital, affiliated with Dow University of Health Sciences (DUHS) told The News.

     “There will be some increase in hospitalisation. How much, depends on the degree of spread and infection. International evidence suggests it spreads fast; how much serious sickness it causes will be evident in a week or two (for us)”, Dr Sultan added.

    “What I would say is this: we should not take it lightly”, he warned.

    When asked if the government was worried about the low vaccination rate in major cities, including Karachi and Lahore, he said: “We want it (vaccination) higher for sure. I am happy that the vaccination rates picked up with time but we still have some distance to still go. So I would not say I am worried but that we need to enhance the numbers further.”

    “Masks. Masks. Masks. Avoid crowds. Vaccinate. Ventilate,” was his advice to people in Karachi.

  • Passenger aircraft narrowly escapes disaster in Pakistan

    Passenger aircraft narrowly escapes disaster in Pakistan

    An aircraft traveling from Islamabad to Saudi Arabia on Monday narrowly escaped a disastrous event.

    During the flight, a technical fault was detected and soon after that, the aircraft landed back safely at the capital’s airport.

    Currently, engineers are carrying out repair work of the aircraft after which the flight will take off again for Saudi Arabia today afternoon, ARY has reported.

    The passengers have been shifted to the lounge and they are being taken care of, according to airport officials.

  • Woman gives birth to twins in different years

    Woman gives birth to twins in different years

    The astonishing news about the birth of twins by a mother in two years is a new year special. One twin came in 2021 while the other came in 2022.

    According to NDTV,, the first twin was born at 11:45 PM on New Year’s Eve (2021), while the second one said hello to Earth exactly at midnight in 2022.

    Fatima Madrigal and Robert Trujillo gave birth to the twins — a boy named Alfredo and his sister Aylin. The hospital, Natividad Medical Centre, shared on its Facebook page. “Baby Aylin Yolanda Trujillo was born exactly at midnight in 2022, but get this: Her twin brother, Alfredo Antonio Trujillo, was born 15 minutes before in 2021.”

    Madrigal’s take on her babies having unique birthdays: “It’s crazy to me that they are twins and have different birthdays,” she said, “I was surprised and happy that she arrived at midnight.”

    People magazine reported that Aylin weighed 5 lbs, 14 oz (2.66 kg approx), and big brother Alfredo weighed 6 lbs, 1 oz (2.75 kg approx) and the twins are healthy and doing well.

    According to NDTV,, Dr Ana Abril Arias who delivered the babies at the hospital, said,“This was definitely one of the most memorable deliveries of my career.”

    “It was an absolute pleasure to help these little ones arrive here safely in 2021 and 2022,” she said.

    The doctor further added: “What an amazing way to start the New Year”.

  • Video: Taliban orders beheading of dummies, mannequins

    Video: Taliban orders beheading of dummies, mannequins

    The Taliban has ordered a series of mannequin beheadings in Afghanistan. The order was issued after the Taliban described dummies as “idols” and according to them, forbidden in Islam. Shopkeepers in the western Afghan province of Herat were told to remove the heads of female mannequins. As per Afghan media, those who disobey the order would face harsh consequences as ordered by the ministry’s local department.

    Journalist Arshad Yousafzai shared a video of a shopkeeper beheading female dummy mannequins.

    Read more- No transport for women travelling without hijab, male relative: Taliban

    Earlier on December 27, Aghanistan’s Taliban announced that women who seek to travel long distances should not be offered transport if they are not wearing hijab and are not accompanied by a close male relative.

  • Woman abandons newborn baby in airplane toilet bin

    Woman abandons newborn baby in airplane toilet bin

    A 20-year-old woman from Madagascar abandoned her newborn baby in the rubbish bin of an Air Mauritius flight. The plane initially took off from Madagascar and arrived at Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport, Mauritius on January 1.

    The airport officers found the baby during routine custom checks of the plane. They immediately moved the baby to the hospital for medical treatment and after an initial checkup, the baby was found to be healthy.

    The authority arrested the woman who initially refused to accept that the baby was hers. However, she had to take a medical examination which confirmed that she has delivered the baby.

    She is currently under police observation at the hospital.

    The woman and baby are said to be doing fine according to media reports, BBC

    The Malagasy woman came to Mauritius on a two-year permit work visa and according to reports, she will be questioned after being discharged from the hospital. Police will charge her with abandoning her baby.

  • Indian Muslim women ‘up for sale’ on app again

    Indian Muslim women ‘up for sale’ on app again

    BBC News Correspondent Yogita Limaye claims that Indian Muslim women find themselves ‘up for sale’ for a second time on an application called Sulli [a derogatory term used to refer to Muslim women in India] application.

    In a tweet, she said, “In the span of six months, Indian Muslim women find themselves ‘up for sale’ for a second time. The info tech minister says the content has been blocked. Perpetrators yet to be found.”

    This is not the first time that Muslim women were put up “for auction” online in India. In July, images of hundreds of women were uploaded via an auctioning app called “Sulli Deals”.

    Hana Khan, a commercial pilot whose name was on the list revealed that she was alerted to it when a friend sent her a tweet.

    Police opened an investigation but refused to say who could be behind the app.

    The experience had left women scarred. Those who featured on the app were all vocal Muslims, including journalists, activists, artists and researchers. A few have since deleted their social media accounts and many others said they were afraid of further harassment.

  • Asad Umar warns of fifth wave of Covid-19 hitting Pakistan right now

    Asad Umar warns of fifth wave of Covid-19 hitting Pakistan right now

    Minister for Planning, Development and Special Initiatives and head of the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) Asad Umar has said that there was clear evidence that the fifth wave of COVID-19 had started in the country.

    “Clear evidence now of a beginning of another covid wave which has been expected for last few weeks. Genome sequencing showing rising proportion of omicron cases particularly in Karachi.”

    He also urged people to wear masks

    According to NCOC, people who got both doses of their coronavirus vaccine at least six months back and are 30 or above, are eligible for the booster jab.

    On December 13, the NCOC confirmed the first case of the Omicron variant in Pakistan.

  • Police arrest men disguised in burqas harassing women in Lahore

    Police arrest men disguised in burqas harassing women in Lahore

    Police arrested two men disguised in burqas for harassing women on Sunday at Lahore’s Greater Iqbal Park, reports Geo News.

    According to the police, the two had worn burqas to hide their identities. They were also involved in harassing families that had come to visit the park.

    The superintendent of police (SP) of the anti-riot force has said that strict legal action will be taken against the culprits.

    Meanwhile, it is reported that both men have been transferred to the city’s Lari Adda police station.

    Earlier, a horrific incident had taken place at the Greater Iqbal Park where more than 400 men had attacked a woman named Aisha Akram on Independence Day.

  • TikTok releases official statement on shooting incident in Karachi

    TikTok releases official statement on shooting incident in Karachi

    Video sharing platform, Tiktok has released an official statement on Friday regarding the recent shooting incident in Karachi. The incident involved the shooting of a man, Qamar Raza by three teenagers who were creating videos for the application.

    The incident took place on December 23, when teenagers were riding on the motorbike and one of them opened the fire on Raza for the ‘thrill’.

    Tiktok spokesperson condemned the incident in the statement, “The safety of our community is our top priority and we do not tolerate any dangerous acts, hate speech, or hateful behaviour. TikTok has zero-tolerance for firearms and we do not allow any content that depicts acts of violence.”

    He has given assurance that the application would remain observant to control the violent content and vowed to remove the videos that are against the guidelines of the community. He assured their commitment towards the safety of the users.

    Meanwhile, two suspects, Saeed Ahmed and Fazil Ali are currently in remand of the police custody. The other friend named Ismail has been on the run. Raids are been conducted to arrest him.

    Recently Tiktok has set up Urdu-language safety centre in Pakistan to ensure that the contents are within the guidelines of the country.

    Earlier on July 21, a boy had drowned in the Khanpur Dam while trying to take a selfie. The 20-year old was taking a selfie at the edge of the dam. According to details, a 20-year-old was attempting to take a selfie while standing at the edge of the dam when he suddenly lost his balance and fell into the dam.

    The Pakistan government banned Tiktok four times for the violent and vulgar content however it was lifted by Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) on November 19 after the assurance to control the immoral and violent content from the Tiktok management.