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Tag: Karachi

  • Karachi ranked most polluted city in world, second day in row

    Karachi ranked most polluted city in world, second day in row

    Karachi has been at the top of the list of the world’s most polluted cities for the past consecutive two days.

    Dawn newspaper quoted ‘IQAir.com’, an air quality monitoring website, stating that Karachi topped the chart, followed by New Delhi.

    The concentration of 2.5 particulate matter (pm) in Karachi is 20.3 times higher than the annual air quality guideline value of the World Health Organization (WHO) as last night it recorded an air quality index of 175.

    Air quality index readings in the range of 151 to 200 are considered unhealthy, while air quality index readings between 201 and 300 are dangerous and severely harmful to health.

    According to the annual report released by ‘IQ Air’, the level of pollution in Karachi has not improved over the past few years, in fact it has increased.

  • Aijaz Aslam was once mistaken for another celebrity by robbers

    Aijaz Aslam was once mistaken for another celebrity by robbers

    Karachi walahs never change.

    Aijaz Aslam was a guest on Samaa News’ show ‘Had Kar Di’ where he opened up about a hilarious instance when he was robbed twice in Karachi, and how when the first time this happened, the robbers thought he was the late religious television host, Junaid Jamshed.

    The actor recalled that when he was in Karachi during Ramzan, a group of robbers approached him by first politely tapping on his car window. The ‘Cheekh’ actor chuckled saying that when he rolled down the window, the robbers greeted him by saying ‘Junaid bhai’, but after recognising him, they apologised and asked for his phone.

    The second time Aijaz recalled being robbed was when he was coming out of a friend’s studio, and when they were about to enter their car, two young boys approached him with a silver gun and demanded that the actor and his friend hand over their phones.

    “I took out my phone, he looked up to recognise me and said: ‘Array! Oh maaf kardien Aijaz bhai, mein tou boaht bara fan hoon’,” the actor laughed. The robbers handed them back their phones and apologised as they left.

    Listen to the hilarious encounter here.

  • Who was Zainab Market named after? Twitter has a hilarious discussion about road names

    Who was Zainab Market named after? Twitter has a hilarious discussion about road names

    Ever thought about what was the meaning behind names of popular roads like Tariq Road in Karachi or Abdul Rehman Road in Lahore? A Twitter user decided to finally decode the question, posting a Tweet on X (formerly Twitter) asking who were the people after whom these roads were named.

    “Anyone ever wonder who the Zenab behind Zenab market, Tariq behind Tariq Road, Hasan behind Hasan Square really are? Who are these people? How did they become so iconic and important to Karachi?”

    A user was kind enough to explain Zainab Market’s name, and it turns out because that’s the name of the owner’s daughter.

    Soon, people brought up some hilarious road names and attempted to decode what they had really meant. For instance, there’s really a road in Karachi called Anda Mor?

    Then there’s another place called Mochi Mor? Kya mochi sirf wahan par baithtay hain?

    And Bandar Road doesn’t actually mean Monkey- but it’s the road that leads to the port.

    Finally we got an explanation behind Tariq road, it’s named after Tariq bin Ziyad, the Muslim General who led the invasion on Iberia.

  • Increase in Pink Eye cases; IHRA releases SOPs

    Increase in Pink Eye cases; IHRA releases SOPs

    Lahore is in the throes of the spread of Pink Eye — medically known as conjunctivitis.

    According to health department officials, 85 new cases of conjunctivitis have been reported in the city within the past 36 hours.

    Several cases have also been reported in Karachi, Hyderabad, Rawalpindi and other cities.

    What is Pink Eye (Conjunctivitis)?

    Eyes have a transparent membrane called conjunctiva which covers it. Pink Eye is when the blood vessels become swollen or inflamed, which causes the eye to turn red.

    This often causes irritation and severe itching.

    While in some cases conjunctivitis heals on its own, some cases are severe and require consultation with the doctor.

    Symptoms

    According to Aga Khan University Hospital, symptoms include redness in the eye, increased tears from the affected eye, burning sensation, itchiness, and thick yellowish discharge from the eyes

    How does it spread?

    Pink eyes can be caused by a virus, bacteria or an allergy from dust, pollen, chlorinated pool, or any other item.

    It can also spread from person to person through close contact with the infected person or by touching the used items of the infected person; coughing and sneezing

    Treatment

    Islamabad Healthcare Regulatory Authority (IHRA) has released guidelines for the viral infection.

    It states that viral conjunctivitis can be treated with an antibiotic eye drop and/or a steroid eye drop. This helps in reducing the inflammation but does not treat the infection.

    The symptoms can also be countered with cool compress and lubricant eye drops like artificial eye drops (which can also be refrigerated to keep it cool and soothe the eyes).

    How to stop Pink Eye?

    1. Discard tissues that come in contact with the infected eye discharge.
    2. Do not share towel, soap, pillow and other similar items with others if you are infected.
    3. Do not share eye drops even with the infected person.
    4. Wash hands with soap for at least 20 seconds; especially before and after washing applying the ointment to the infected eye.
    5. Wash your hands after coming in contact with the infected person or with the items used by the patient.

    Remember to seek medical help in case of severe pain and sensitivity to light, weakening of vision, and if redness persists more than 10-14 days.

  • Karachi-Lahore flights encounter GPS signal disruptions

    Karachi-Lahore flights encounter GPS signal disruptions

    GPS signals for flights between Lahore and Karachi reportedly ran into difficulties in receiving signals.

    The GPS signals got disrupted approximately 100 nautical miles around Karachi and Lahore.

    Civil Aviation Authority has issued Notices to Airmen (NOTAM) regarding the problem and instructed the pilots of the aircraft to immediately inform them about difficulty in receiving the GPS signal.

    Complaints were also received around Rahim Yar Khan Airport that the planes were not getting the signal.

    This raises safety concerns for aircrafts.

    According to Samaa news, issues regarding GPS signals have been raised before as well but it still has not been resolved.

  • Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society boycott classes

    Karachi University Teachers’ Society (KUTS) held a meeting on Thursday, announcing a boycott of teaching classes from Friday (today), demanding the Chief Minister of Sindh to take immediate notice of the administrative crisis at the University of Karachi.

    Express Tribune spoke with KUTS secretary, Faizan Naqvi, who explained that regular and visiting faculty members have not received their evening program salaries for over a year and a half, and the total amount owed exceeds Rs70 million.

    This means that the evening program is operating at a loss.

    Naqvi highlighted that all university employees are being paid their salaries except for the teachers. Currently, there are around 250 permanent teachers for the part-time evening program.

    Demands

    Karachi University Teachers Association has announced a complete boycott of the teaching process from Friday. The decision to boycott was taken in a general body meeting organised by the teachers association.

    The teachers’ association has also demanded an investigation by the commission for the non-approval of the university budget for six years.

    The participants of the meeting expressed their anger over the appointment of part-time teachers at six hundred rupees per lecture and non-payment of salaries to them for more than six months and a year.

    They demanded that the dues evening classes should be paid in full and on an immediate basis.

    Moreover, they pressed upon the restoration of exemption in MPhil and PhD fees should be restored immediately.

    They highlighted that handling of administrative matters is the responsibility of the Sheikh-ul-Jamia and the management team, not the teachers. That being said, ad hoc Assistant Professor appointment of Ph.D. teachers approved by the syndicate should also be restored.

    The meeting demanded for immediate release of funds for the revival of research in the university; that the budget of the university, which has not been approved for the last six years, is financial corruption and must be investigated by a commission. The hike announced in Budget 2023 should be included in salaries without delay.

  • EXCLUSIVE: pictures of Shahid Afridi at Shaheen Afridi’s Valima that will shock you

    EXCLUSIVE: pictures of Shahid Afridi at Shaheen Afridi’s Valima that will shock you

    Bowling sensation Shaheen Afridi’s valima reception with former captain Shahid Afridi’s daughter Ansha is being held tonight in Islamabad, and from the pictures, it looks nothing less than a star-studded gala. The Current is bringing you exclusive pictures from the event. The groom is looking incredibly dapper posing next to his father-in-law, and all of the A-list celebrities who were in attendance. Scroll for the pictures.

    We can’t tell who is the groom and who the father-in-law is from these pictures!

    Former DG Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Asim Bajwa can also be seen celebrating the joyous occasion and congratulating the proud father-in-law.

    Television presenters and anchorpersons Waseem Badami, Adil Abbasi and Iqrar Ul Hassan spotted along with Shahid Afridi and the groom.

    Journalist Asma Shirazi was among the attendees as she poses for a pic with Boom Boom.

    Geo anchorperson Shahzad Iqbal can be seen posing next to Shahid Afridi and the groom Shaheen.

    Shaheen and Ansha’s nikkah was held on February 3 this year in Karachi. The event was a day time ceremony attended by Shaheen’s team mates including captain Babar Azam. Ansha’s rukhsati was held on September 19 in Karachi.

  • Fungus found: UAE bans fresh meat imports from Pakistan

    Fungus found: UAE bans fresh meat imports from Pakistan

    The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has imposed a ban on the importation of fresh meat from Pakistan.

    This decision stems from the discovery of fungal contamination in frozen meat shipments from Pakistan via the sea route.

    As reported by ARY News, the presence of fungus on meat imported by a Karachi-based company prompted the UAE to enact this ban, which will be in effect until October 10.

    It’s worth noting that Pakistan typically exports fresh meat valued at $12 million monthly to the UAE through maritime channels.

    Pakistan primarily directs a significant portion of its meat exports towards the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, and Bahrain.

  • Karachi wholesale grocers announce market shutdown in protest against alleged illegal raids, fines

    Karachi wholesale grocers announce market shutdown in protest against alleged illegal raids, fines

    Wholesalers in Karachi are set to stage a market shutdown on Monday in protest of what they consider unlawful raids and penalties imposed by the district administration in an effort to combat hoarding.

    According to ARY News, Rauf Ibrahim, the Chairman of the Karachi Wholesale Grocers Association (KWGA), held a press conference today, expressing concern that the district administration’s actions have created fear among traders due to shop and go-down closures. 

    He cautioned that they would cease operations at wholesale markets on Monday unless the district administration unseals these establishments. He said if these unjust raids and fines persist, we will suspend commodity markets on Monday.

    Ibrahim alleged that the district administration is sealing shops and go-downs under the pretext of cracking down on hoarding. He cited an instance where a shop owner in Joria Bazar was fined Rs30,000 for storing just two sacks of sugar.

    He criticised the categorisation of wholesalers with 100 to 500 sacks of sugar as hoarders and stressed that traders are willing to cooperate with authorities during hoarding crackdowns.

    Ibrahim urged the administration to take decisive action against genuine hoarders.

    To combat hoarding, federal and provincial governments have initiated operations in various cities, including Lahore, Rawalpindi, Islamabad, Faisalabad, Peshawar, Quetta, and Dera Ismail Khan, resulting in the confiscation of illegally stockpiled sugar.

    Meanwhile, a spokesperson for the Utility Stores Corporation (USC) assured that there is an ample supply of sugar available at controlled prices nationwide.

  • Child dies in crossfire in Karachi

    Child dies in crossfire in Karachi

    Maryam, a seven-year-old girl, got shot on Friday while she was on her way to school near Nagan Chowrangi.

    The girl was seated in a car being driven by her father when a security guard and robbers exchanged fire.

    Dawn spoke with Taimuria police officer Ghulam Murtaza who said that the father recalled that the two were near a shopping centre around 7:12am when the car slowed down at a speed breaker. At that point he heard Maryam cry out “Baba”. She was bleeding so he rushed her to a hospital nearby and then to Ziauddin Hospital where doctors pronounced her dead on arrival.

    According to Police Surgeon Summaiya Syed, the family took Maryam’s body home without a post-mortem examination but then the police brought it back to conduct a post-mortem which concluded that she was shot in the head.

    The police reported that the shootout was between a security guard and robbers.

    Maryam’s father did not lodge an FIR, however, police have registered a case against the detained guard on behalf of the state under Section 319 (manslaughter) of the Pakistan Penal Code and initiated an investigation.

    Security guard Ali Raza was then taken into custody.

    Initially, two spent bullet casings fired from separate pistols had been recovered from the spot, and later, as per a police spokesperson, a forensic report confirmed that the bullet that killed Maryam was fired by the security guard.

    The guard, employed at a restaurant, opened fire on two robbers as they escaped the scene, when one of the bullets hit Maryam on the opposite side of the road near Haroon Shopping Centre within the jurisdiction of the Taimuria police station.

    A four-member committee has been formed which will be led by Gulberg SP to probe into the case.

    Sindh Governor Kamran Tessori has also taken notice of the incident and sought a detailed report from the Additional IGP of Karachi.