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Category: Travel

  • PIA prohibits pilots and cabin crew from fasting during Ramzan

    PIA prohibits pilots and cabin crew from fasting during Ramzan

    Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) has prohibited its pilots and cabin staff members from fasting during the holy month of Ramzan.

    As per a recent safety notice released by the national flag carrier, fasting is one of the key factors behind diminished human performance.

    The decision is part of the PIA’s in-flight safety measures, which were recently announced by Aamir Bashir, the PIA’s General Manager (GM) of Flight Services.

    In order to meet the physical and psychological demands of flying, a healthy diet is crucial for pilots. Human errors that result in plane crashes can be minimized by focusing on nutrition due to its strong connection with flying performance.

    On-duty pilots and flying crew members should consider several aspects such as tiredness, performance degradation, and refrain from fasting throughout Ramadan, keeping in view the safety of the innocent lives (passengers and other staff).

    In addition to this, the administration has also allowed pilots and cabin crew members to apply for leave who do not wish to give up fasting during the month of Ramadan.

    Read more: Man hacks airline’s website after he lost his baggage

    Lastly, it also noted that non-compliance with the directive could result in the suspension or cancellation of the flying crew’s licenses.

  • 11-minute flight: Billionaire Jeff Bezos is going to space without a pilot

    Amazon billionaire, Jeff Bezos will fly to space with his brother Mark Bezos next month, on the first human spaceflight. The spacecraft are being made by his company, Blue Origin. The automated capsules with no pilot will include six passengers, including the winner of an ongoing auction taking place for a seat. After that, the remaining seats will be up for sale.

    In an Instagram video, the world’s richest person, Bezos disclosed that ever since he was five years old, he has dreamed of traveling to space.

    If the mission is successful, Bezos will leave behind Tesla and Space X founder Elon Musk. and British entrepreneur Richard Branson, who are also hoping to fly to space by the end of this year.

    As per reports, the total flight time would be 11 minutes approximately. The mission is to get ahead of the Karman line known as “an imaginary boundary” which is about 62 miles above the Earth and hundred kilometers above sea level.

    Since this is the first human spaceflight, there is no guarantee that the flight is safe for passengers. However, Blue Origin has successfully launched dozens of rockets from Guadalupe Mountains of West Texas.

    Blue Origin was founded by Bezos in 2000 with the mission of cheap traveling to space and reusable launch systems.

    The news came after the announcement made by Bezos in February that he would step down as the CEO of Amazon and would focus on his other work.

  • US asks citizens to reconsider travel to Pakistan owing to terrorism, sectarian violence

    The United States has asked its citizens to reconsider travel to Pakistan in the light of the coronavirus outbreak, sectarian violence, and terrorism.

    In a travel advisory issued on Jan 25, the US administration said it “has limited ability to provide emergency services to US citizens in Pakistan due to the security environment”.

    The US also asked its citizens not to visit Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s tribal districts, and the areas in close proximity to the Line of Control due to militant threats.

    The advisory is “reissued after periodic review with edits regarding sectarian violence”.

    COVID-19 IN PAKISTAN:

    The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has issued a Level 3 Travel Health Notice for Pakistan due to COVID-19, according to the advisory.

    “The government of Pakistan has lifted stay-at-home orders and allowed the resumption of intercity domestic travel and mass transit services in most cities. Travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, business closures, and other restrictions can be reintroduced at any time within Pakistan due to COVID-19.”

    BALOCHISTAN AND KHYBER PAKHTUNKHWA:

    The US asked its citizens not to travel to Balochistan due to “terrorist groups, an active separatist movement, sectarian conflicts, and deadly terrorist attacks against civilians, government offices, and security forces”. “In 2019, several bombings occurred in Balochistan province that resulted in injuries and deaths,” it said.

    About KP, it said that “active terrorist and insurgent groups routinely conduct attacks against civilians, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), government offices, and security forces”. “Assassination and kidnapping attempts are common, including the targeting of polio eradication teams,” it said, asking the citizens to avoid these areas.

    LINE OF CONTROL:

    It also mentioned the Line of Control, saying “militant groups operate in the area”.

    “India and Pakistan maintain a strong military presence on both sides of the border. Indian and Pakistani military forces periodically exchange gunfire and artillery fire across the Line of Control (LoC),” it said, asking the citizens to avoid the border.

  • Four ‘spooky’ places in Pakistan

    Four ‘spooky’ places in Pakistan

    There are different places in some major cities of Pakistan that are believed to be haunted by the undead. Here is the list of few spooky legends that might make your Halloween a little more spooky.

    1. Red-dressed Bride at the Karsaz Road

    The main Karsaz Road in Karachi is known for being one of Pakistan’s most haunted destinations. Back in the 1960s, a newlywed couple was driving on Karsaz Road, when they got into a terrible road accident and died on the spot. Since then, the locals have reported that many people who take this route have witnessed a bride in a traditional red dress, walking alone on the road and disappearing after a few minutes.

    Source – Geo News

    2. Crying Fairies on Lake Saif-ul-Malook

    Even the beautiful lake in the Kaghan Valley is included in the category of the scariest places in Pakistan. Legend says that a Prince of Persia fell in love with Saif-ul-Malook’s fairy princess, but since the fairy was promised to a Demon, the union could not go through. The Demon killed them and it is believed that cries of the fairies, mourning the death of the two lovers, can be heard at night.

    A Night with stars and lake of fairies Saifulmalook Pakistan. Picture credits Xeeshan photography | Fairy land, Lake, Landscape

    3. Moving things at Mohatta Palace

    Mohatta Palace Museum located in Karachi is also one of the spookiest places in Pakistan. Back in 1927, the palace belonged to a Rajasthani businessman and is said to be haunted by his ghost ever since he died. Word on the street is that the guards have felt the presence of unseen creatures during their night duty, and have occasionally observed different things moving from their actual position.

    Mohatta Palace- A Remain of Divine Love

    4. Forty bodies at Koh-e-Chiltan Peak

    Located in the Balochistan province, Koh-i-Chiltan Peak means “forty bodies” in the local language. According to the natives, the area is surrounded by the spirits of forty babies who were left abandoned by their parents on the mountain. The peak is avoided by the locals, who are reported to have heard the noises of those children from the top.

    Koh-i-Chiltan - Ghoomlo.pk

  • These pictures of Gwadar Marine Drive after CPEC works will take your breath away

    Stunning views of Gwadar Marine drive after the completion of roads and other construction work under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) are breaking the internet, and we guarantee you that the following pictures will take your breath away.

    The pictures were first shared by official handle of the CPEC on Twitter as the completion of construction work was announced.

    It wasn’t later that Twitterati among other netizens started reacting to the pictures and expressed their delight.

    Here is what Marine Drive looked until around three years ago.

    Earlier, it was reported that Gwadar’s population is set to exceed two million people in the long run with high-paid expatriate professionals accounting for up to 80 per cent of the population.

    High-paid jobs, tax-free environment, high-tech industries, mega shopping malls, luxury resorts, manmade islands and Pakistan’s largest international airport, which was inaugurated by Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan in 2019, are all included in the new Gwadar Smart City Masterplan that will see Gwadar become the third-largest city in Pakistan by economic output with assistance from China under the CPEC.

    The governments of Pakistan and China project Gwadar’s economy to surpass $30 billion per annum in the long-term, creating 1 to 1.2 million high-paid jobs with an income per capita of $15,000. Pakistan’s current income per capita meaning the economic output the country generates per person is around $1,500 which Gwadar will eclipse by some 1,000%.

  • Coronavirus: Improved air quality leads to breathtaking view of Kashmir from Sialkot

    With reduced industrial pollution and traffic due to coronavirus resulting in improved air quality across the globe, breathtaking views of Kashmiri peaks from Punjab’s north-eastern city of Sialkot — one of Pakistan’s most industrialised regions — have started doing rounds over social media.

    In the wake of COVID-19, lockdowns have had a dramatic impact on air pollution around the world. While lockdowns have emerged as a temporary but effective solution to the global pandemic, they also appear to be dealing with another pressing problem faced by citizens — suffocating pollution. As millions of humans stay home around the world, pollution is temporarily alleviating.

    While the mountains of Indian occupied Kashmir (IoK) could earlier only be seen from Sialkot after heavy rains — when the weather was super clean –, they can now be seen from the city as improved air quality leads to better visibility and clearer skies.

    Earlier, images of clear skies over China and California, and fish swimming in Venice’s canals also made their way to social media. While they are a glimpse of what it might look like if we take better care of the earth, none of it is likely to last.

    https://twitter.com/ikaveri/status/1239660248207589383

    Much of this temporary environmental reprieve will diminish once the economy picks back up again. And of course, no one should want to curb pollution and tackle climate change via a deadly global pandemic, given the grave health and economic impacts the crisis is creating.