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Category: Lifestyle

  • Govt sets up first COVID-19 vaccine centre in Islamabad

    Govt sets up first COVID-19 vaccine centre in Islamabad

    The government has established the first COVID-19 vaccination centre in Taralai area of the federal capital.

    According to details, citizens can register themselves for the vaccine using the helpline 1166. The government has installed a special chiller at the centre so that the vaccine remains safe and lasts long.

    The federal health ministry has also set up a training centre for the vaccinators at the site.

    The centre was set up a day after Secretary for Ministry of National Health Services Dr Nausheen Hamid said that Pakistan is expected to get the first COVID-19 vaccine batch by the end of January.

    According to Radio Pakistan, Dr Hamid said that the government was “urgently” drafting a database of all public and private medical workers to get them vaccinated in the first phase.

    However, it has not yet revealed which vaccine it is and from which country Pakistan would procure it.

    A week earlier, Science Minister Fawad Chaudhry said Pakistan would purchase 1.2 million doses of virus vaccine from China’s Sinopharm.

    Last month, China had approved the COVID-19 vaccine developed by an associate of the state-backed pharmaceutical giant.

  • Internet flooded with memes after WhatsApp privacy policy update

    Internet flooded with memes after WhatsApp privacy policy update

    After WhatsApp updated its privacy policy that states the company will now be sharing the customer data with Facebook and it is mandatory for the users to accept the privacy if they want to continue using the app, memes on the subject took over the internet.

    Check out some of the most hilarious ones below:

  • Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst for international travel in 2021

    Pakistani passport ranks 4th worst for international travel in 2021

    The Henley Passport Index has released its annual report ranking the world’s strongest and weakest passports despite there being limited travel in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The Henley Passport Index is based on data provided by the International Air Transport Authority (IATA) and covers 199 passports and 227 travel spots. Asian residents continue to have the world’s most powerful travel documents. 

    As the report doesn’t take temporary restrictions into account, Japan tops the list offering visa-free or visa-on-arrival service to tourists from 191 destinations around the world.

    The best passports to hold in 2021 are of Japan with 191 destinations, Singapore with 190, South Korea and Germany with 189, Italy, Finland, Spain and Luxembourg with 18, and Denmark along with Austria with 187 destinations.

    Followed by Denmark are Sweden, France, Portugal, Netherlands and Ireland with 186 destinations.

    Many countries around the world have visa-free or visa-on-arrival access to less than 40 countries. 

    Passports with the lowest ranking include North Korea with 39 destinations on the 103rd rank, Libya and Nepal with 38 destinations, 105 Palestinian territories with 37, and Somalia along with Yemen on the 106th rank with 33 destinations to offer visa-free arrival.

    Pakistan ranks 107th on the list with 32 destinations for the second time in a row, followed by Syria, Iraq, Afghanistan, India, and Tajikistan.

    UAE is on the 16th position rising from 62nd position from 2006 back when the index began. UAE provides visa-free/visa-on-arrival access to 173 destinations.

  • TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok launches new video competition in Pakistan

    TikTok has announced a competition for its users in Pakistan for the first time. Contestants can participate in the competition ‘1 Million Audition’  by sending creative videos.

    The #1MAuditionPK campaign started on January 6 and will continue till January 22. The campaign invites all TikTokers to showcase their creative streak, across various talent categories.

    TikTokers in Pakistan will have to use the #1MAudition hashtag for the campaign. They can also add the category in which they would like to compete such as #1MAComedy, #1MATalent, #1MASing&Dance.

    There will be nine winners in each category. Winners will be selected based on video quality and engagement on the video. The final winners will be announced on January 22.

    TikTok will gift a voucher worth US$1000 to one winner in each category. The runner up in each category will get an $800 voucher and while the second runnerup will receive $500. 

    This campaign was launched in 2018 in many other countries by TikTok.

    As per a press release, the move is aimed to encourage and promote creative expression in Pakistan.

  • Russia shows interest in registering its COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

    Russia shows interest in registering its COVID-19 vaccine in Pakistan

    Russia has expressed interest in getting their COVID-19 vaccine ‘Sputnik-V’ registered in Pakistan, claiming that it is the first-ever anti-corona vaccine. Sputnik-V was developed last year in August and will be available for public use in the coming few months.

    As per reports, Russia wrote a letter to Pakistan asking for details of the process of vaccine registration as well as the demand in the country for the batch of dozes.

    In the letter addressed to Special Assistant to Prime Minister Dr Faisal Sultan, the Russian Direct Investment Fund’s (RDIF) Head, Kirill Dmitriev has said that the Sputnik-V had an emergency use certificate and it was 91.4% effective.

    The vaccine made by Russia would be available for the public in February 2021.

    The letter has also claimed that the vaccine would be cheaper compared to other vaccines. Its single doze would cost less than $10 (Rs 1605) and it can be stored at -2 to 8 degree centigrade temperature.

    Russia’s vaccine was registered in August 2020 and the country offered to sell it to Pakistan in November. Meanwhile, the country has initiated the limited use of their vaccine from last November.

    Pakistan is currently experiencing the second wave of the virus. In the last 24 hours, the National Command and Operation Centre (NCOC) reported 59 deaths and 1,903 new cases in Pakistan.

    As per the data shared by the NCOC, the confirmed cases reported are 2,118 whereas 4,033 people recovered from the contagion during the last 24 hours.

  • US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    US Congress passes ‘Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act’ for Pakistani women

    The US Congress has passed a bill named after Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai that allows more Pakistani women to avail scholarships under a merit and needs-based programme.

    According to the Congress website, the Malala Yousafzai Scholarship Act was passed by the House of Representatives in March last year and the US Senate adopted it by a voice vote last Friday.

    It has now been forwarded to US President Donald Trump to sign it into law.

    The bill requires the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to give at least 50% of scholarships to Pakistani women under Pakistan-based higher education scholarship programme, from 2020 to 2022, across a range of academic disciplines and under current eligibility criteria.

    Sharing the news on social media, Malala thanked the Congress for passing the legislation, saying that she is “very excited to see where they lead us”.

    Malala, who was shot in the head by the Taliban as she was returning home from school in Swat Valley, was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in recognition of her efforts for children’s rights in 2014.

    She is now internationally known for human rights advocacy, especially the education of women and children.

  • Memes break the internet after Shafqat Mahmood announces reopening of schools

    Memes break the internet after Shafqat Mahmood announces reopening of schools

    Amid the second wave of coronavirus, the government has decided to open educational institutions in phases from January 18.

    Soon after the news was announced, memes started doing rounds on social media adding to the popularity of Federal Minister for Education Shafqat Mahmood.

    https://twitter.com/notabdullahkhan/status/1345983641797713920?s=20
    https://twitter.com/hoor_kehti_ha/status/1346038604443897857?s=20

    Mahmood’s memes also went viral earlier after he announced that educational institutions would be closed till January 11 due to rising COVID-19 cases. In an exclusive interview with The Current, the minister talked about the memes and which ones were his favourite.

  • Karachi among world’s most polluted cities

    Karachi among world’s most polluted cities

    Karachi has been listed among the world’s most polluted cities ranking sixth on the global Air Quality Index on Monday.

    As per details, the number of polluted particles in the air in the provincial capital was recorded at 186 particulate matter.

    The capital of Kyrgyzstan, Bishkek was on the top of the list while India’s Kolkata ranked second among the world’s most polluted cities.

    According to the classification, pollution from 151 to 200 degrees is harmful to health, pollution from 201 to 300 degrees is extremely harmful to health, while more than 301 degrees indicates hazardous pollution.

  • Rare photos that reveal the unseen side of things

    Rare photos that reveal the unseen side of things

    With time, a monotonous daily routine can numb even the most enthusiastic people. The world, however, is a lovely place, full of excitement and interesting things in every corner. Here are some rare photos of absolutely common objects to make you rediscover their beauty and maybe even expand your horizons.

    1. This is how Chinese soldiers maintain their posture

    2. What an Eclipse looks like from space

    3. Sperm whales (The largest toothed predators on Earth) do not have teeth in their upper jaw but sockets that their lower teeth fit into

    4. A strawberry’s surface as seen in an electron microscope

    5. This is what an elephant’s tail looks like up close

    6. The inside of a space suit

    7. A globe for blind people

    8. You can see every organ in the glass frog

    9) Tiger’s skin when shaved

  • Pakistani truck art flies high

    Pakistan’s renowned truck art will move from the highways to the skies, as a flying academy has decorated a two-seater Cessna aircraft using the colourful technique.

    In recent times, Pakistan’s colourful truck art has grown increasingly popular in the West. With elaborate and flamboyant motifs, Pakistani truck art has inspired gallery exhibitions abroad and prompted stores in Western cities to sell miniatures. In fact, UNESCO has been using this unique art blended with indigenous motifs to communicate messages on girls’ education in Kohistan district in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

    “We want to show the world that Pakistan is not all about Financial Action Task Force and terrorism issues; it’s a very diverse country and a land of opportunities,” says Imran Aslam Khan, chief operating officer of Sky Wings, a flight training organisation.

    He also plans to paint other aircraft, with the aim of promoting tourism in Pakistan.

    Read more – Did you know Pierre Cardin also designed uniforms for PIA?

    “The world is familiar with our truck art representation; now, with this aircraft, our colours will fly in the air. We are really excited,” said Haider Ali, the artist painting the aircraft.

    Ali who is now 40, has been decorating trucks since his childhood. He was trained by his father and now he is one of the most prominent such painters in Pakistan.

    He also hopes to paint an Airbus or Boeing aircraft in the future, saying an opportunity to work on such gargantuan planes would truly be a learning experience.