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  • Another Peshawar BRT bus malfunctions

    Another Peshawar BRT bus malfunctions

    Days after the Peshawar Bus Rapid Transport resumed services after a month-long hiatus, another one of its buses broke down near Firdous Station, Peshawar, on Wednesday.

    Dunya News reported that a crane was called by the authorities to remove the bus from the track after it malfunctioned midway.

    This is not the first a BRT bus broke down. Last month, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government had to order an investigation after multiple BRT buses caught fire. The TransPeshawar, the government-owned company set up to manage bus operations, temporarily suspended the service in the wake of these fires.

    A subsequent report had revealed the fire incidents in the buses were caused by the malfunctioning of a motor controller installed between hybrid batteries and electric motors.

    However, after a thorough investigation, the bus service was resumed on Oct 24, after 38 days. A statement issued by the TransPeshawar at the time said that the service was launched on Saturday morning and would continue from 6am to 10pm.

    It said it had also launched express bus service, which would begin from Chamkani and make stops at Sardar Ghari, Lahori Adda, Hashtnagri, Malik Saad, Khyber Bazaar, Dabgari Garden, Saddar Bazaar, Peshawar University, Mall of Hayatabad and Karkhano Market.

    The BRT bus service was launched on Aug 13 by Prime Minister Imran Khan amid much fanfare. However, it was suspended on Sept 16 in the wake of four fire incidents in buses.

  • VIDEO: Leopard spotted near Margalla Hills in Islamabad

    VIDEO: Leopard spotted near Margalla Hills in Islamabad

    Tourists spotted a leopard roaming around Margalla Hills road late Tuesday night while they were enroute to Daman-e-Koh.

    A video recorded by one of the travellers shows the leopard walking on the side of road, hide in the bushes then come back to the road. 

    As per reports, the Islamabad Wildlife Management Board said that the leopard belongs to Margalla Hills National Park. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zg9Hwgx3ZGE

    Read more – Fact Check: Did a leopard really attack a pet dog in Islamabad?

    Authorities said the wild cats often make their way to the roads late at night and warned people travelling to Daman-e-Koh and Pir Sohawa to be careful. Leopards often make their way out on roads late at night.

  • VIDEO: Egg on French president’s face over Islam remarks?

    French President Emmanuel Macron has come under criticism over his remarks on Islam after a teacher was beheaded on the streets of Paris allegedly for showing blasphemous cartoons to students.

    Amid this, a video of Macron having an egg thrown at his face as he is in conversation with some people is circulating on social media.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    The claim along with the video says Macron was attacked for his remarks on Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) and Islam, which have led to calls for a boycott of French products across the Muslim world.

    The Current has found the claim along with the video to be misleading. The video was shot in March 2017 in Paris days before the presidential elections in France, when Macron was a candidate for the top post.

    Using related keywords, we found some media reports carrying a similar video of the event, shot from a different angle.

    A report by Express says Macron was attacked by a protester with an egg when he was attending an agriculture show in Paris in March 2017.

    This was not the first time when Macron was egged. In 2016 too, an angry mob pelted eggs on Macron in Paris.

    So, it has been established that the video is more than three years old and has nothing to with Macron’s recent remarks on Islam.

    ‘WON’T GIVE INTO ISLAMIC RADICALS’:

    On Sunday, Macron tweeted, “We will not give in, ever to Islamic radicals.”

    “We do not accept hate speech and defend reasonable debate,” the French leader added.

    Calls to boycott French goods are already growing in the Arab world and beyond after Macron criticised Islamists and vowed not to “give up cartoons” depicting the Holy Prophet (PBUH).

    Macron’s initial comments, on Wednesday, had come in response to the beheading of a teacher, Samuel Paty, outside his school in a suburb outside Paris earlier this month, after he had shown the blasphemous cartoons during a class he was leading on free speech.

    With the French president pledging to fight “Islamist separatism”, which he said was threatening to take control in some Muslim communities around France, hashtags such as the #BoycottFrenchProducts in English and the Arabic #ExceptGodsMessenger trended across countries, including Pakistan, Kuwait, Qatar, Palestine, Egypt, Algeria, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.

  • South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    South Africa plan first cricket tour of Pakistan in 12 years

    Cricket South Africa (CSA) announced on Tuesday it will send a security assessment delegation to Pakistan this weekend with a view to playing in the country in early 2021.

    If the tour goes ahead it will be South Africa’s first visit to Pakistan since 2007/08.

    Two subsequent “away” tours were staged in the United Arab Emirates because of security concerns following a 2009 attack on the Sri Lankan team in Lahore.

    No details of the planned fixtures were revealed but according to the International Cricket Council’s future tours programme, South Africa are due to play in two world Test championship matches as well as three Twenty20 internationals in January and February.

    Tuesday’s announcement confirmed South Africa will host Sri Lanka in two world Test championship matches over the local summer holiday period.

    The first Test will be in Centurion from December 26 to 30 and the second Test will be in Johannesburg from January 3 to 7.

    After the CSA’s entire board resigned on Monday, acting chief executive Kugandrie Govender said the matches against Sri Lanka, like those for the upcoming white-ball series against England, would be played without spectators because of Covid-19 restrictions.

    On their previous visit to South Africa in 2018-19, Sri Lanka gained an upset 2-0 series win — the first by an Asian team in a Test series in South Africa.

    CSA also announced Australia would visit South Africa for three world Test championship matches in March and April 2021, to be followed by Pakistan, who will play three one-day internationals and three T20 internationals. Dates for these tours will be announced later.

    It was previously announced South Africa will host England in three T20 and three one-day internationals in Cape Town and Paarl between November 27 and December 9.

    The South African men’s team has not been in action since a one-day tour of India was called off because of the coronavirus pandemic in March.

  • VIDEO: Reporter robbed of phone on live TV

    VIDEO: Reporter robbed of phone on live TV

    A news reporter in Argentina was robbed of his phone while he was preparing to go live on television.

    The entire incident was caught live on camera and the video of the incident is now doing the rounds on social media.

    The video shows Diego Demarco, a reporter at an Argentine news outlet, about to go live when a man snatches his phone and runs off. The incident happened when Demarco was fixing his face mask and preparing for his live telecast.

    Locals, including children, can be seen running behind the man in the video.

    According to reports, the people who ran behind the robber caught him and returned the phone to the reporter.

  • Pakistan to introduce 5G by end of 2021

    Pakistan to introduce 5G by end of 2021

    In an attempt to catch on with the rest of the world in terms of the latest technology, Pakistan Information Technology Minister Aminul Haq has announced that the government will introduce 5G wireless technology by December 2021.

    In a statement, the IT minister said that the government was taking effective measures to introduce the latest service in Pakistan and it would ensure that this is done by the end of next year.

    The trial run of 5G would start from a hospital in Islamabad and Zong, a Chinese telecom company, would help the government in this regard, he said. However, before this step, the government will have to connect Islamabad, Karachi, and Gwadar via fibre optics network, he added.

    Furthermore, the IT ministry has established a policy committee on bidding for the 5G service. The committee has the representation of the members of all the stakeholders — telecom companies and the Frequency Allocation Board.

    The committee is currently looking for an international consultant to auction the 5G licences, which would be followed by the biddingprocess, its starting price, and other conditions.

    In August 2019, Pakistan successfully tested 5G network in the country. “Zong has become the first operator in Pakistan to successfully conduct a 5G trial and this is yet another milestone for the company,” Wang Hua, chairman and CEO of Zong, had said following the trials.

    Khaleej Times had reported that the 5G service in Pakistan will be 100 times faster than the current levels, while the network will be 10 times faster than existing broadband connections available in the country. “5G home routers speed has been recorded at 4 gigabytes per second, which means that it can download a 50gb file in just two minutes,” the report had added.

    But the road to 5G isn’t easy and Pakistan still has to go a long way to achieve this milestone. For example, the United States only has 5G coverage in 25 cities, whereas in China, only 50 cities have 5G coverage. “On top of it, the kind of 5G available for now is some kind of speed boost over 4G instead of the full-fledged 5G services,” said a report by Profit magazine.

  • EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    EXCLUSIVE: All the pictures from Kashmala Tariq’s intimate dholki

    Federal Ombudsperson for Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Kashmala Tariq is all set to tie the knot on October 31 with Islamabad-based businessman Waqas Khan.

    According to details, the wedding reception will be held in Islamabad on October 31. Festivities will also include a Mehfil-e-Milad on October 29 and qawwali on October 30.

    Friends of the bride also arranged a dholki for her and her spouse-to-be in Lahore. Pictures and videos from the event went viral on social media. Kashmala glowed in a peach-orange bespoke outfit by BNS Couture as she celebrated her upcoming nuptials. Her makeup was done by Arooj and Nida.

    While the former MNA has not made an official announcement, she sent some exclusive videos from the festivities to The Current. Check them out below:

    Kashmala shared that the hashtag #Wakash was coined by her cousins and her friend’s children. She said that they also decorated the COVID-19 safety kits which included masks and sanitisers.

  • Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    The Punjab Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department in Lahore has registered the most expensive luxury car in its history, The Express Tribune reported.

    As per the details, the car, a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder worth a whopping Rs115 million (Rs11 crores and 50 lacs), was registered for Rs4.5 million (Rs45 lacs).

    Initially, the provincial department had refused to register the luxury vehicle, saying that its system did not recognise car purchases of over Rs100 million (Rs10 crores).

    However, the department then upgraded its system and amended relevant laws to be able to register the sports car.

    “Lamborghini Huracan Spyder comes with 5.2L engine, and it is famous for its unique exterior. The car has specially designed wings at the front so that it can reach its maximum speed easily. This is the reason this car has an aerodynamic smaller front and a bit wider back. Furthermore, it has parking sensors and air intake vents at the front,” according to the supercar’s review on PakWheels.com.

    Before Huracan Spyder, the most expensive car registered in Punjab was of Mercedes GT Series. The price of that car was nearly Rs100 million. The excise department charged Rs3.5million as a registration fee of that vehicle, according to media reports.

    In September 2018, an 18k gold foil Lamborghini Aventador S had arrived in Islamabad, which quickly became the talk of the town when the owner Kunwar Moeez Khan, a property tycoon, shared its photos on social media.

  • ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    After the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan in the grey-list till February, Indian media reports have claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country to back Pakistan at the plenary meeting of the global anti-money laundering watchdog while China bailed out.

    The FATF, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an intergovernmental organisation that combats money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

    Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in 2018 whereas in February 2019, the country had secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets set by the global watchdog.

    According to reports, Turkey, during October 23’s plenary, proposed a special visit to Islamabad to make an onsite assessment of the Imran Khan government’s implementation to plug holes in its legal framework to curb terror financing.

    READ: ‘Successful implementation’: Hammad Azhar says FATF blacklisting off the table

    The suggestion was seen as an effort to let Pakistan off the hook for now and immediately place it on the white list but was not supported by any other country, including allied China and Malaysia.

    “Out of 27 points, we have implemented 21 points given by the authorities concerned regarding FATF, ” Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar said while talking to a private television channel after the watchdog decided to retain Pakistan on its grey list.

    Except India, every country had appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for satisfying the people dealing FATF, he added.

    BLACKLISTING OFF THE TABLE:

    In a statement, FATF urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021. FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.

    But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.

    The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.

    “FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.

    Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.

  • Mansha Pasha explains what she meant by ‘desi fashion is sustainable fashion’

    Mansha Pasha explains what she meant by ‘desi fashion is sustainable fashion’

    Mansha Pasha recently remarked that sustainable fashion is just a trendier and fancier name for desi fashion.

    In a tweet, the actor wrote: “Sustainable fashion/living: Don’t know why this has become a trend because it’s been given a fancy name. It’s basically what parents in the subcontinent have always taught their children: cheezon ko zaya mat karo aur kapre ko alag alag occasions par use karo!”

    Mansha further said that when she was growing up, she and her sisters would share each other’s clothes. She added that the same was done on the sets of the hit drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai to “give the true vibe of a desi household”.

    Read more – Mansha Pasha reveals she styled her own looks for ‘Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida’

    While some social media users agreed with Mansha, others disagreed with her and criticised her for her comments.

    “Desi fashion is not always sustainable fashion. Sharing clothes is one of the many sustainable things you can do to maintain a sustainable wardrobe. How is the cloth made and how it is dyed is most important. Desi fashion is made of polyester which is unsustainable,” commented a Twitter user.

    Later, Mansha took to social media to clarify what she meant by her statement.

    “With respect to my last tweet – ethical fashion encompasses many things including worker rights, [the] ecological impact of dying fabric, water consumption. I was speaking of the trend of reusing clothing done in desi households already and is promoted as sustainable fashion online.”

    She also explained what she meant in her Instagram story, saying that her comments were not in reference to ethical fashion but to “the sustainable fashion trend of reusing same clothes”.

    According to Google, sustainable fashion is “a movement and process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. This means dealing with interdependent social, cultural, ecological, and financial systems.”

    This means that Manshas analogy was not wrong. It is good to know that our actors are trying to educate their fans and followers and promoting sustainable living.