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Category: Lifestyle

  • Man fined for illegally hunting rare bird in Parachinar

    Man fined for illegally hunting rare bird in Parachinar

    The Environment Ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has fined a man Rs 40,000 for illegally hunting a rare pheasant in Parachinar.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, shared the news on social media, saying that “PTI believes in wildlife preservation through strict enforcement of the new Wildlife Protection Act.”

    He lauded authorities for apprehending and penalising the person for his crime within a day of illegally hunting this “rare and beautiful Monal Pheasant”.

    https://twitter.com/IsbZooFriends/status/1324018955330224130?s=20

    According to details, the Himalayan Monal is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands. It is native to the KP province and has been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley, and Azad Kashmir. The main threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority.

    Read more – Rare striped hyena rescued in DI Khan

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif condemned the act of illegal hunting the rare bird.

    “So upsetting,” said Fawad, while Asif called the act “despicable”.

  • US Elections 2020: Jemima, Greta Thunberg troll Trump

    With the results of the US Elections 2020 yet to be announced, people are killing time and anxiety by turning to jokes and memes. Jemima Goldsmith, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his policies, trolled him by sharing the White House version of ‘Mujhe Kyun Nikala‘ — a phrase coined by Nawaz Sharif.

    In the video shared by Jemima, a man who looks like Trump can be seen sitting on an inflatable exercise ball, surrounded by a group of children. Another man, who resembles vice-president Mike Pence, seems to be pulling Trump off the exercise ball while the Trump impersonator yells that he doesn’t want to go.

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1324452569566109697?s=20

    Similarly, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg trolled the president over a tweet of his in which he called for the vote count to be stopped.

    Responding to the latter’s tweet, the teenage climate activist used Trump’s own words against him.

    “So ridiculous, Donald must work on his anger management problem, and then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!” wrote the 17-year-old.

    Thunberg finally got her revenge against Trump after he criticised Time magazine’s decision to name her ‘Person of the Year’.

    Meanwhile, earlier in 2016, Jemima dressed up as Melania Trump being groped by her husband, Donald Trump, for the UNICEF Halloween Ball in London. Jemima decided to pull over the anti-Trump costume after a video of Trump got leaked in which he was explicitly talking about groping women and making horrifying statements over abuse.

    As counting votes continues in critical swing states in the US, Trump has been spreading misinformation and demanding that vote counting stops.

  • Pakistanis win the US elections with memes and jokes

    Pakistanis win the US elections with memes and jokes

    Barring the fact that a change in the White House may require a shift of policy in Islamabad and Pakistan will have to rethink its diplomatic ties with the US, Pakistanis are making the most of the US Elections 2020 with what they do best – making memes.

    As US citizens and Presidential candidates wait with bated breaths for the results, Pakistanis have been sharing memes and jokes on social media. From Trump asking ‘Vote ko izzat dou‘ to Biden saying ‘Mein Inko Rulaun Ga‘, Pakistani Twitter is lit with memes that are bound to tickle your funny bones.

    Check out some of the funniest memes below:

    https://twitter.com/thepakimon/status/1324199320351084545?s=20
    https://twitter.com/SuspendedBila/status/1324003390502948865?s=20
    https://twitter.com/SuspendedBila/status/1324258087755255809?s=20

    Read more – ‘Relax, it happens,’ former senator of ‘grape’ fame tells Donald Trump

    Some netizens got creative with photoshop.

    Which meme is your favourite? Let us know in the comments below.

  • Twitter slams Qasim Ali Shah over misogynist comments

    Twitter slams Qasim Ali Shah over misogynist comments

    Motivational speaker Qasim Ali Shah landed himself in controversy for making misogynist remarks during an interview, a clip of which went viral on social media.

    “Go to schools where our daughters are studying and till matric, they are not taught how to be good wives, even though in a woman’s life, the ultimate role of a women is to be a good wife and a good mother..,” he shared in the interview.

    The speaker’s recent remarks are being viewed as sexist by some. While others believe that his remarks were blown out of proportion.

    As the clip went viral, many are questioning him on why is he only concerned with the upbringing of daughters and not of sons.

    https://twitter.com/Shehzad89/status/1323299001177878530?s=20

    Others are criticising him over his anti-women feedback, saying that women’s goal in life shouldn’t just be limited to being good wives and mothers.

    https://twitter.com/iSadiaSheikh/status/1323711211867983889?s=20

    Comedian Ali Gul Pir trolled Qasim for being a misogynist.

    There have been multiple incidents when prominent personalities in Pakistan have made misogynist remarks in the past. Member of National Assembly Talal Chaudhary making lewd remarks about Firdous Ashiq Awan, and soap-opera writer Khalil-ur-Rehman using abusive and foul language with Marvi Sirmed, are two of the recent examples.

  • COVID-19: Karachi authorities seal several eateries for SOPs violation

    COVID-19: Karachi authorities seal several eateries for SOPs violation

    Authorities have sealed at least 14 restaurants and two gaming zones in the port city for violating the government’s COVID-19 standard operating procedures (SOPs).

    As per reports, Deputy Commissioner South Irshad Ali Sodhar said his team checked 41 restaurants, of which 17 were warned to follow the SOPs, while 11 were instantly sealed for not following the government’s directives at all. Three more eateries and two gaming zones were also shut down.

    “We inspected six shops and warned three of them to comply with the SOPs. That apart, we checked four wedding venues, issued warnings, and fined them with Rs185,000,” Sodhar told The News.

    Read more – Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity nears 5%. What does that mean?

    Meanwhile, the Serena Mobile Market in North Nazimabad, that was sealed earlier on Monday for three days, has been reopened.

    Not only in Karachi, most restaurants in Lahore were also sealed at Mall1 which is located in Gulberg III.

    As Pakistan experiences the second wave of coronavirus, the country has reported 338,875 cases so far.

    Wearing a mask in confined indoor places, crowded spaces, bus stands, and inside public vehicles was declared mandatory for everyone and all commercial activities are allowed till 10 pm.

  • Will boycotting French products make a difference?

    Will boycotting French products make a difference?

    French President Emmanuel Macron’s recent controversial statements about Islam and his stance regarding the continued publication of blasphemous caricatures of The Holy Prophet’s (PBUH) served as a source of bitter disappointment for the Muslim community worldwide. Citizens of several Muslim countries publicly called for an official boycott of French products to demonstrate their opposition against Macron’s insensitive actions. Pakistanis are no different.

    While every Muslim country is contributing a unique weightage of resistance, here are five interesting facts about #BoycottFrenchProducts’ increased momentum which may motivate us to appreciate and self-assess ourselves as Pakistanis:

    1. Pakistani Market accounts for 0.08% of France’s exports only

    While the attempt to boycott a country’s products to get our disapproval across is plausible, unfortunately, this protest in the Pakistani context is merely symbolic. The power to ‘actually’ influence world politics cannot be achieved without economic stability. We do not want to sound like Donald Trump here but, for the sake of national integrity, the Ministry of Finance and our Industrial Sector needs to really “do more”.

    2. Sephora has been accused of racially discriminating against Asians

    Many Facebook groups are asking women in Pakistan to boycott the international giant makeup retailer, Sephora and not to order makeup from the popular chain. Sephora was founded by a French entrepreneur, Dominique Mandonnaud, and has its headquarters based in Paris, France. In 2014, customers filed a lawsuit against the retailer for engagement in racial discrimination against Asians.

    3. Divide and rule?

    Not long ago, to condemn Macron’s derogatory remarks about Islam, Prime Minister Imran Khan tweeted that President’s comments seem “to deliberately provoke Muslims, including own [France’s] citizens” to which a French minister responded by telling Khan to stay out of France’s domestic affairs. On 3rd November, renowned French news media outlets like France24 released a news piece titled, “Several French Muslim leaders on Monday condemned calls for boycotts of French goods in Muslim countries as unjustified and accused those leading the charge of using Islam for political gain”. The statement has been released on behalf of the leaders of the Great Mosques of Paris, Lyon and the French Mediterranean island of Reunion and three main Muslim groups of the country. The sole purpose of this boycott is to protect the sentiments of a ‘unified’ Muslim community throughout the world; however, French media says otherwise. Divide and rule?

    4. LU is not French

    Netizens, leave LU out of this! While social media posts calling out for the boycott of LU biscuits went viral, a BBC report verified that our very Pakistani Continental biscuits Limited (CBL) is in fact a joint venture with an American company called Mondelez. LU was initially registered under a French trademark but was bought by the American Company a while later. So, let bygones be bygones.

    4. Taking a stand

    Pakistanis have never shied away from risking anything to stand with their fellow Muslims worldwide. An interesting example of this can be our ever-favorite apparel brand. Back in 2011, Gul Ahmed received an award from the French Ambassador Daniel Jouanneau for being the largest exporter to France in Home Textile category. Despite reporting an annual loss of 625 million due to Covid-19 induced lockdown in the fiscal year of 2019-2020, Gul Ahmad did not condemn the boycott. The company seems to have risked its financial position in case France decides to reciprocate the ban due to the deteriorating relations between the two countries. Putting communal interests over business is a commendable gesture indeed.   

  • #BeautifulPakistan trends on Twitter: Here are a few scenic pictures of Pakistan

    #BeautifulPakistan trends on Twitter: Here are a few scenic pictures of Pakistan

    #BeautifulPakistan has been trending on Twitter and some of the pictures shared by users are absolutely breath-taking. From beautiful meadows to scenic valleys, people on Twitter are sharing lovely pictures of the country. No wonder Pakistan was listed among Forbes’ ‘Best under-the-Radar’ tourist spots in 2020.

    https://twitter.com/Muhamma63348013/status/1323903281001844737?s=20

    Here is a picture for cricket lovers of a stadium in Gwadar.

    Not only the northern areas look majestic but the pictures of Lahore’s Badshahi Masjid, Wazir Khan Mosque and Chauburji are worth seeing.

  • Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity nears 5%. What does that mean?

    Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity nears 5%. What does that mean?

    Pakistan on Tuesday recorded 4.94% COVID-19 positivity rate – highest in three months.  But what does this positivity rate mean?

    The positivity rate is obtained by dividing the number of people who test positive for the coronavirus with the total number of tests conducted in 24 hours. With that we can determine how many people being tested are actually positive for the virus. This is perhaps, the most important indicator of how the virus is spreading.

    According to the details issued by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC), 1,313 new cases were reported across the country.   A total of 26,565 tests were conducted. Pakistan has reported 337,573 COVID-19 cases so far.

    The country’s death toll stands at more than 6,800 as 18 people lost their lives in the past 24 hours. At least 316,060 have recovered from the virus so far. 

    The country’s positivity rate dropped to less than 2%, a few months ago, which was a great sign but it started increasing last month and now it is around 5%. The highest positivity rate was 23% in July and the minimum was reported at 1.7% in September.

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Health Dr Faisal Sultan officially announced that the second wave of the virus has started in the country.

    Meanwhile, the National Command and Operation Center (NCOC) has tightened restrictions on some high-risk public activities to control the coronavirus spread.

    NCOC has also launched a helpline to report the COVID-19 related violations by the public.

    Now people can report the violation of COVID-19 SOPs like non-wearing of the mask, non-adherence to Social distancing, over-crowding at public places etc, at 0335-333-6262 (0335-333-NCOC) along with a picture and the following details: Location name, tehsil/district/city, date and time, event.

  • World’s biggest pink diamond mine closes after reserves finish

    World’s biggest pink diamond mine closes after reserves finish

    The world’s largest pink diamond mine has shut its doors after exhausting its reserves of the expensive gems.

    According to reports, the Argyle mine, in the remote Kimberley region of Western Australia, churned out more than 90 percent of the world’s pink diamonds — sought after for their incredible rarity.

    The seam was discovered in 1979 and the Anglo-Australian firm began mining operations there four years later.

    It has since produced more than 865 million carats of rough diamonds, including a small but steady stream of prized pink stones, according to global mining giant Rio Tinto.

    Read more – Indian jewellery ad slammed for showing Hindu-Muslim couple

    Argyle employees and indigenous landowners attended a ceremony at the shuttered mine to mark the end of operations.

    The company expects efforts to decommission and dismantle the 37-year-old site will take around five years.

    “A new chapter will now begin as we start the process of respectfully closing the Argyle mine and rehabilitating the land, to be handed back to its traditional custodians,” mine manager Andrew Wilson said.

    Over the past two decades, the value of pink diamonds has risen by 500 percent, Rio Tinto’s Sinead Kaufman told public broadcaster ABC.

    The end of operations at Argyle is likely to push the price of the diamonds even higher, jewellers say. At current rates, the gems can fetch up to $3 million per carat.

    Diamonds are typically clear, but jewels such as those mined at Argyle become pink through extreme heat and pressure during their creation. Those conditions warp their crystal lattices and alter the reflection of light as it passes through the body of the diamond.

  • Punjab reports surge in COVID-19 with 340 new cases in a day

    Punjab reports surge in COVID-19 with 340 new cases in a day

    Punjab on Tuesday reported as many as 340 new cases of the coronavirus, which is the highest single-day surge since July 21.

    As per reports, the number of confirmed cases reported across the province has risen to 104,894 so far.

    According to the Primary and Secondary Health Department, seven more people died due to the coronavirus, lifting the death toll from the disease in the province to 2,372.

    On November 2, provincial authorities had sealed numerous places to curb the virus spread under the micro-smart lockdown. The Punjab government has sealed 830 places across the province after spiking in COVID-19 cases. In these areas, 1416 cases of novel coronavirus were reported. The micro-smart lockdown has been imposed in 435 spots in Lahore, which is the maximum number of areas sealed in the province