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  • Perverts have no place in any civilised society: Mehwish Hayat

    Perverts have no place in any civilised society: Mehwish Hayat

    The shocking news about a man from Rawalpindi raping and molesting 30 children left everyone stunned.

    According to reports, the suspect, identified as Sohail Ayaz was arrested after a woman filed a case against him for kidnapping her 13-year-old son, drugging him and then raping him for four days. The man even recorded videos of the children and blackmailed to release them if they exposed him.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the 46-year-old man is a chartered accountant by profession and worked at a government department in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, according to the police.

    He has also been imprisoned for raping children in the United Kingdom and Italy. He was then deported from both the countries after he completed his prison sentences.

    Among those who spoke up against the heinous act were actors Mehwish Hayat, Mansha Pasha and Sanam Saeed, who expressed their disgust on Twitter.

    Mehwish called for a “shut down [of] all the networks and mafias exploiting our children in this way.”

  • The new Motorola Razr is going to make you flip

    The new Motorola Razr is going to make you flip

    Leading mobile phone manufacturing company Motorola released the first look of their upgraded and revamped iconic Motorola Razr and let’s just say, it flipped us.

    The new Razr is an Android smartphone with a large touch screen that folds in half. It keeps the same general form factor but replaces the T9 keypad and a small LCD with a foldable plastic OLED panel. The screen measures 6.2 inches on the diagonal – about the same size as an iPhone 11 – and shuts to be about half as tall. Though it’s wider than the original, The Washington Post reports that the new Razr is, “impressively, just as thin.”

    Image Courtesy Bloomberg

    However, on the other hand, the Razr has a small battery at 2,510mAh and runs the older Android 9 Pie operating system on Qualcomm’s sub-flagship Snapdragon 710 chip. It lacks the 5G option and expansive memory of its rivals.

    Nonetheless, the Razr will be the first device of its kind on the market. Samsung had previously introduced a flip phone, the Galaxy Fold but that had issues with air bubbles popping up beneath the display and tiny particles getting trapped under the screen. The device’s design chief Ruben Castano said that the Razr will have none of these issues.

    Image Courtesy Bloomberg

    The price of the phone will possibly make you do a double flip considering it is priced at $1,499.

    The popular Motorola Razr smartphone, launched in 2004, went on to become an iconic device, even popularized by Hollywood, until the iPhone was launched in 2007.

    Original vs New
    Paris Hilton posing with her Motorola Razr

    The new Motorola Razr will be available for pre-orders in the United States in December this year before retailing worldwide in January 2020.

  • Punjab Assembly: 100 PML-N MPAs submit resignations

    Punjab Assembly: 100 PML-N MPAs submit resignations

    At least 100 provincial lawmakers of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) on Thursday submitted their resignations from standing committees of the Punjab Assembly to register their protest against non-acceptance of their demands.

    According to sources, the PML-N lawmakers submitted their resignations to the secretariat of the provincial house for not appointing Opposition Leader in the Punjab Assembly Hamza Shehbaz as chairman of the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and not issuing production orders for jailed party leaders, including Khawaja Saad Rafique.

    As many as 97 members of the standing committees out of 100 had on Wednesday submitted their resignations to the party leadership.

    “It is a black day in the history of the Punjab Assembly when over a hundred members have tendered their resignations from the standing committees,” PML-N leader Malik Nadeem Kamran said.

    He trained guns at the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for not issuing Hamza Shehbaz’s production orders and said that the government had backtracked on its promise of appointing Hamza as the PAC chairman.

    “Now, the standing committees will not have any political or moral status for legislation and circumstances called for such extreme measures.”

    A day earlier, an accountability court in Lahore extended Hamza’s judicial remand till November 28 in the assets beyond means case.

    During the hearing, Presiding Judge Amjad Nazeer expressed resentment at the PML-N leader for not maintaining the decorum of the court and instructed him to come to the rostrum and stay quiet.

    Hamza also exchanged harsh words with the judge and explained that the people interacting with him had come to the court on their own. “Next time, you will come straight to the rostrum,” the judge directed Hamza.

    The defence counsel sought exemption from personal appearance for Shehbaz Sharif, saying he had to appear before the federal cabinet in Islamabad.

  • Pakistanis to face reduction in salaries in 2020: report

    The salaries across Pakistan are expected to record a substantial decrease this year due to rising inflation and depreciation of the Pakistani rupee, according to a report released on Tuesday by mobility consultancy ECA International.

    According to the details, the Salary Trend Report published by the group contends that the average real salary increase in Pakistan is expected to be negative, and employees will likely be worse off than they were last year. Lee Quane, Regional Director Asia at ECA International, has surmised these trends.

    Lee explained, “The average real salary increase in Pakistan is forecast to be -3.0%, meaning that employees will be worse off than they were last year. Despite the nominal increase staying at a relatively high 10.0%, inflation has shot up as the rupee has depreciated.”

    He also said that the Inflation in Pakistan is forecast to reach 13.0% in 2020, exceeding the nominal increase and leaving workers out of pocket compared to 2019.

    However, the same is not true for other Asia-Pacific countries, especially neighbor and arch-rival India. 

    According to the report, India topped the table for average real salary increases in Asia, but now also tops the table globally for 2020. The average real salary increase is set to be 5.4% for workers in India, which is four times the rise expected in Hong Kong. 

    “Salaries in India are set to rise significantly, with the 5.4% increase almost four times as high as the expected increase in Hong Kong. Despite inflation rising slightly from 2019 and the economy slowing slightly, though workers can still expect more increases” said Quane. 

    Workers in China are set to see a real salary increase of 3.6% in 2020, while UK workers will receive a lower real salary increase in 2020 as compared to the previous year.

    Overall, the global average salary increase stands at 1.4% and the Asia-Pacific average increase is 3.2%. 

  • Don’t compare me with Ahmed Shehzad: Umar Akmal

    Don’t compare me with Ahmed Shehzad: Umar Akmal

    Pakistan’s middle-order batsman Umar Akmal has said that it was not right to compare him with opener Ahmed Shehzad and asked to be assessed in an individual capacity, Cricket Pakistan reported.

    According to the details, Umar in a press conference at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Wednesday said, “I am usually associated and compared with Ahmed Shehzad, which is not right. We have different goals and identities”.

    He added that we have different roles and should be criticised or praised in our individual capacities.

    The 29-year-old batsman accepted the fact that his performance against Sri Lanka was below the required standard and vowed to make a comeback in the side.

    “It is not easy to make a comeback whatever team you play for. There is always pressure to solidify your place in the side. I can only say that I was unlucky to get out on the first ball against Sri Lanka. I could not perform well. I am working harder and I believe that the chief selector Misbahul Haq will give me another chance and I will not disappoint,” Umar said.

    Akmal praised the media for its role in the return of international cricket in Pakistan and expressed hope in the Pakistan Test side to deliver a good performance against Australia in their upcoming Test series Down Under.

  • Toxic smog: Punjab Govt bans outdoor activities in schools

    Toxic smog: Punjab Govt bans outdoor activities in schools

    With hazardous and toxic smog engulfing major cities of Punjab, the Government of Punjab has placed a ban on all outdoor activities in all public and private schools across the province.

    According to a notification issued by the provincial government “no outdoor sports and other activities [will take place] in schools up till December 20, due to smog.”

    The notification further said that all the students should wear air filter masks during school hours. Schools were also directed to create awareness among the students about air quality, prevention of smog and impact of the environment on the health of human beings.

    Read more: School children file petition in Lahore High Court against toxic smog

    Punjab Minister for School Education Dr Murad Raas also shared the notification on Twitter.

    Across the borders, in Delhi and Tehran, schools have been closed due to the worsening air quality.

    Smog reached very unhealthy levels in Lahore on Wednesday, making life difficult for the citizens of the city. In the morning, the Air Quality Index was recorded at 529 which is hazardous.

    According to the Met department website, different areas of the city had different AQIs. It AQI was 506 at the US Consulate, 498 in Gulberg, 491 at Punjab Assembly, 489 at Liberty Market, 453 at Upper Mall, 384 in Allama Iqbal Town’s Zeenat Block and 395 at Sundar Industrial Estate.

    The toxic smog is causing eye and throat irritation, skin rashes, besides generating or aggravating pulmonary diseases.

    Read more: Tips to beat the toxic smog this winter

    The Punjab environment department says the practice of paddy stubble burning, mainly by the Indian Punjab farmers, is the biggest reason behind the formation of smog during October and November.

    However, experts say that fuel emissions from vehicles on city roads, untreated emissions by industries and dirt also contribute to the increasing smog. That coupled with a fall in the temperature and wind speed at this time of the year worsens the overall situation.

  • FBR uncovers Rs100 billion in tax fraud within last four months of PTI govt

    FBR uncovers Rs100 billion in tax fraud within last four months of PTI govt

    Karachi’s Large Taxpayers Unit (LTU) — the biggest revenue collecting arm of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) — has unearthed Rs100 billion in tax evasion from July to October of the current fiscal year, The News International reported.

    According to the details, the senior officials of LTU Karachi have revealed that in the ongoing audit and examination, the unit detected Rs100 billion as tax avoidance/evasion by around 12 companies.

    Inland Revenue commissioners Zulfiqar Memon and Girdhari Mal announced these evasions while sharing information about the performance of the unit on the instructions of the FBR Chairman Shabbar Zaidi.

    The names of the tax-evading companies were, however, not disclosed.

    Reports quoted Girdhari as saying that one of the cases involved tax concealment of a whopping Rs23 billion and notices had been issued to the companies for recovering the taxes.

    “LTU posted a 16% growth in revenue collection during the first four months of (July – October) 2019-20,” he said and attributed the growth to reforms and initiatives taken by the government.

    LTU Karachi released Rs21 billion as sales tax refunds during the period under review after the change in sales tax regime effective July 1, 2019, stated the report.

    Meanwhile, Memon said that the law of information sharing from banks to tax authorities was introduced in 2013, however, the law had been given a stay order by the courts.

    He added that FBR was unable to receive information with the exception of specific/identified cases from banks. Recently a court has advised the bureau and Pakistan Banks’ Association to resolve the issue.

    LTU Karachi has also identified around 100,000 individuals who have commercial gas connections, but don’t have mandatory sales tax registration.

  • ‘Babar Azam is Jinnah’s grandson’ among other statements attributed to JUI-F leader

    Ever since Jamiat Ulema-e-Islam Fazl (JUI-F) leader Mufti Kifayatullah has made a statement about Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan’s former wife, Jemima Goldsmith; that ‘Wiki of Wikileaks’ is her cousin, social media is flooded with funny quotes.

    Dr Farhan Virk, a social worker from Pakistan Tehreeke Insaf (PTI) had recently started a Twitter trend called “KifayatQuote” after Wiki-Jamima blunder and asked its followers to come up with funny quotes that they can attribute to JUI-F leader.

    Soon after Dr Farhan began the trend by sharing a meme on his Twitter handle which said, “Kartarpur is the cousin of Faryal Talpur” and wrote, “Guys, Grab your keyboards and start trending KifayatQuotes as it is now time to pay a tribute to this great legend of social media and Azadi March”.

    Since then the Twitter users across Pakistan are sharing funny quotes and attributing all of them to Mufti Kifayat.

    One of the users wrote that Pakistan Cricket team’s skipper and batsman Babar Azam is the grandson of Quaide Azam.

    https://twitter.com/Shaziaa24/status/1193963917141262336

    Another wrote that “Babar Azam and PM Imran are cousins”.

    https://twitter.com/saadiraja183/status/1193963531957362691?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1193963531957362691&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fsaadiraja183%252Fstatus%252F1193963531957362691%26widget%3DTweet

    While the rest of the users are making all kinds of random hilarious quotes and they are funny.

    https://twitter.com/umama86/status/1193965849750777856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1193965849750777856&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fpublish.twitter.com%2F%3Fquery%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Ftwitter.com%252Fumama86%252Fstatus%252F1193965849750777856%26widget%3DTweet
    https://twitter.com/qijalali/status/1193963853782102017
    https://twitter.com/Arman2k3/status/1193963690703433729
  • Ahad Raza Mir praises Kartarpur driver for being ‘a real hero’

    Ahad Raza Mir praises Kartarpur driver for being ‘a real hero’

    The heartwarming exchange between Indian journalist Ravinder Singh Robin and Saddam Hussain, the driver escorting the worshippers going to Kartarpur has caught the attention of heartthrob Ahad Raza Mir who lauded Hussain for being a real hero.

    Sharing the friendly video on his Instagram, Ahad wrote, “This is what every Pakistani feels and stands for: compassion, humanity and peace.”

    “Saddam Hassan really sums up the fact that Pakistan welcomes everyone. You are a real hero!” he added.

    The actor then requested his fans and followers to help him connect to the driver so he can “meet and thank him for being such a good ambassador of our country.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B4y9sROpERn/?utm_source=ig_embed

    Read more: Sunny Deol praises Pakistan, says he received a lot of love

    The video which has been shared by Ravinder Singh himself shows him asking Hussain what he feels about the gesture by the Pakistani government for Sikhs across the border.

    “I don’t think you are as happy as me,” Hussain said smiling. “The way my eyes have welled up with tears. I am very happy.”

    He continued, “Seeing you all, I have that feeling that one has when one goes for Hajj. This is the same experience for you.”

    The video of this exchange went viral on social media and won everyone’s hearts. In case you missed it, watch it here:

    Read more: Celebs praise PM Khan for Kartapur opening

    Ahad had previously also lauded the Pakistani government for taking this initiative and praised Prime Minister Imran Khan for being “a true leader.”

  • Koyi Shak, asks D.G. ISPR after report uncovers fake media outlets run by India

    EU Disinfo Lab, an independent non-governmental organization, has found that there are at least 265 “coordinated fake local media outlets” that were “designed to influence the EU (European Union) and the UN (United Nations) by repeatedly criticising Pakistan”.

    The report shows how the NGO investigated and found that Indian stakeholders are deliberately trying to influence countries against Pakistan by getting stories posted on sites like eptoday.com, which is “the website of a self-proclaimed magazine for the European Parliament in Brussels”. After investigating the site and the increasing anti Pakistan articles and op-eds, the Disinfo Lab found a pattern that matched 265 fake local media outlets, including timesofgeneva.com, “an online “newspaper” that is “approaching 35 years in business”. Strangely enough, Times of Geneva publishes the same type of content as EP Today and produces videos covering events and demonstrations criticising Pakistan’s role in the Kashmir conflict.”

    After the report was published, D.G. ISPR tweeted that koyi shak (any doubt), hinting that there was zero doubt that India is trying to influence the world against Pakistan by publishing fake news.

    RELATED: DG ISPR defends Neelum Muneer’s item song in ‘Kaaf Kangana’

    Other findings from the report include that most of the fake outlets are named after an outdated newspaper or are fake versions of real media outlets. They also republish content from agencies and have little original content. It also showed that the coverage was mostly of the same Indian-related demonstrations and events and also republications of the same anti-Pakistan content.