Saturday, May 1, 2021

President, PM reiterate govt's commitment to improve working, living conditions of workers

President Arif Alvi and Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday reiterated the government's commitment to improving the working and living conditions of workers and the provision of housing and education facilities as well as extending health coverage to them and their families on the occasion of International Labour Day. The premier, in his message, acknowledged the invaluable contributions of labour, both inland and abroad towards nation-building. He also announced that his government aimed to develop automated, integrated systems for workers’ welfare institutions to ensure transparency and to curtail delays in providing relief to the workers. The premier further consoled the nation by stating that the government is fully aware of the challenges faced due to the Covid-19 situation. He said a policy is being constructed that strikes a balance between the lives and livelihoods of people and enables the workforce to earn sufficiently for their families during the pandemic. Also Read All measures taken keeping in mind the economically downtrodden: Shibli President Dr Arif Alvi also urged workers and employers of the country to come forward and play their role in making Pakistan a symbol of efficiency, cooperation and progress. "We reaffirm our resolve to continue our efforts for the dignity of labour and pay tribute to their valiant and heroic struggle for their fundamental rights" he asserted through his message.  

from Pakistan News, Latest News Pakistan, Pakistan Headline | eTribune https://ift.tt/2PGYua0

Police called after mannequin mistaken for ‘customer dining indoors’ in Covid violation

mannequin police covid-19 violation

Police called to a restaurant over a Covid-19 lockdown violation discovered that the customer who was reportedly dining indoors was actually a mannequin.

Mike Cormier, the owner of the restaurant in Canada’s Nova Scotia, said police came to his eatery Thursday morning after someone called to report someone was dining indoor at the facility in violation of shutdown orders.

“The officer got out and was looking in the window, and I saw her looking at the mannequin,” Cormier said.

He said the officer confirmed a caller had apparently mistaken the mannequin seated at a table for human customer.

Halifax Regional Police spokesman John MacLeod confirmed officers were called to the restaurant Thursday morning on a report of “individuals not following public health directives.”

“Officers attended and found there were no issues or violations at that time,” MacLeod said.

Cormier posted a photo to the restaurant’s Instagram page and wrote: “Please don’t call the police on us. We are only open for takeout and delivery. No eat in, she’s a mannequin to help with social distancing.”

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Bacon Rules (@ardmore_tea_room)

The post Police called after mannequin mistaken for ‘customer dining indoors’ in Covid violation appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/332LdM7

Afghan retreat: US formally withdrawing from its longest war

Afghan retreat United States

The United States formally begins withdrawing its last troops from Afghanistan Saturday, bringing its longest war nearer to an end.

US officials on the ground say the withdrawal is already a work in progress — and May 1 is just a continuation — but Washington has made an issue of the date because it is a deadline agreed with the Taliban in 2020 to complete the pullout.

The skies above Kabul and nearby Bagram airbase have been buzzing with more US helicopter activity than usual as the pullout gears up, following the start Thursday of a concurrent NATO withdrawal.

Afghan security forces were on high alert Saturday for any possible attacks on retreating US troops.

“The Americans will formally begin their withdrawal from Afghanistan starting May 1 and the Taliban might increase the violence,” Acting Interior Minister Hayatullah Hayat told top police commanders late on Friday, according to an audio clip given to reporters.

“I order all of you to increase the checkpoints in cities and carry out search operations on entry gates.”

The prospect of an end of 20 years of US presence comes despite fighting raging across the countryside in the absence of a peace deal.

A stark reminder of what remains came late Friday with a car bomb in Pul-e-Alam, south of the capital, killing at least 24 people and wounding 110 more.

US President Joe Biden is determined to end what he called “the forever war”, announcing last month that the withdrawal of the remaining 2,500 American forces would be complete by the 20th anniversary of the September 11 attacks.

“A horrific attack 20 years ago… cannot explain why we should remain there in 2021,” he said.

Since the US withdrawal deal was struck the Taliban have not directly engaged foreign troops.

Afghan President Ashraf Ghani insists that government forces — who for months have carried out most of the ground fighting against the Taliban — are “fully capable” of keeping them at bay.

He said the pullout also means the Taliban have no reason to fight.

“Who are you killing? What are you destroying? Your pretext of fighting the foreigners is now over,” Ghani said in a speech this week.

Two decades later, and after the death of almost 2,400 Americans and tens of thousands of Afghans, Biden says the final withdrawal was justified as US forces had now made sure the country cannot again become a base for militants to plot against the West.

“The United States and its NATO partners are stepping back and giving the two primary sides of this conflict… their first instance to fight with and assess their opponents without the extra factor of the United States,” he said.

The post Afghan retreat: US formally withdrawing from its longest war appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/2Ri42bb

Police recover toddler hours after being abducted in Karachi

Karachi, police, toddler, abduction,

KARACHI: Police on Saturday claimed to have recovered a one-and-a-half-year-old child, hours after being abducted from the Ibrahim Hyderi area of Karachi, and arrested two suspects for their role in the entire episode, ARY NEWS reported.

According to details, three muggers entered a house in Ibrahim Hyderi neighbourhood in the early hours on Saturday, where they looted Rs300,000 and gold.

The suspects while moving out of the house took away nearly two-year-old Tauqeer.

Malir Police after getting the information came into action and recovered the child within six hours, besides also arresting the two suspects.

The police, after recording statements from suspects and the family, claimed that there was a contradiction in the statements of both sides.

“We have to determine if the child got abducted or the entire episode was staged,” they said adding that a case would be registered after a thorough probe would be made in this regard.

The incidents of child abductions have been reported in the city, with some even staged by family, with police successfully recovering the children and arresting those behind the heinous acts.

In one such incident recently, Police claimed to have arrested a rickshaw driver allegedly involved in abducting a toddler from near the Karachi airport.

The police said that two-year-old Aman was recovered during a raid besides also arresting the rickshaw driver who claimed that he took away the child as he had no son.

“We have handed over Aman to his parents,” they said adding that the suspect was shifted to a police station, where he would be further interrogated in order to unearth any other angles in the story.

The post Police recover toddler hours after being abducted in Karachi appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/336Q9j4

Turkey adds crypto firms to money laundering, terror financing rules

Turkey Cryptocurrency

Turkey added cryptocurrency trading platforms to the list of firms covered by anti-money laundering and terrorism financing regulation, it said in a presidential decree published early on Saturday.

The Official Gazette said the country’s latest expansion of rules governing cryptocurrency transactions would take immediate effect and cover “crypto asset service providers”, which would be liable to the existing regulations.

Last month Turkey’s central bank banned the use of crypto assets for payments on the grounds such transactions were risky. In the days that followed two Turkey-based cryptocurrency trading platforms were halted under separate investigations.

The probe into one of them, Thodex, led to the jailing on Thursday of six suspects including the siblings of its chief executive, Faruk Fatih Ozer, who Turkish authorities are seeking after he travelled to Albania.

The post Turkey adds crypto firms to money laundering, terror financing rules appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/2PDe8D9

NA-249 by-poll: ECP rejects PTI candidate’s plea for vote recount

na-249 by-election ecp pti candidate

KARACHI: The Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) on Saturday turned down a plea of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) candidate Amjad Afridi for recounting of votes cast in Thursday’s NA-249 by-election.

Afridi approached the ECP, raising objections to the results of 21 polling stations of the National Assembly constituency in Karachi while alleging rigging at two polling stations.

Also Read: PTI rejects NA-249 by-election results

The PTI candidate requested the commission to recount votes cast in the by-poll and conduct a probe into rigging charges.

PPP’s Abdul Qadir Mandokhail won the election by securing 16,150 votes, according to unofficial results. PML-N’s Miftah Ismail was the runner-up with 15,473 votes.

Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan’s Mufti Nazeer Kamalvi clinched third position with 11,125 votes, following by Mustafa Kamal of the PSP who bagged 9,227 votes.

Also Read: PML-N’s Miftah Ismail challenges NA-249 by-election results

Amjad Afridi secured 8,922 votes while Hafiz Mursaleen of the MQM 7,511.

The post NA-249 by-poll: ECP rejects PTI candidate’s plea for vote recount appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/3u4c329

Inbound passengers to undergo COVID test at airports as NCOC devises fresh protocols

passengers, NCOC, rapid COVID test, airports

ISLAMABAD: National Command Operation Centre (NCOC) on Saturday devised new protocols for the inbound passengers, imposing a condition of COVID testing at Pakistan airports, ARY NEWS reported.

The NCOC in its handout issued today said that in view of prevailing global and regional disease trends, Pakistan has decided to reduce inbound international travel from 5 May to 20th May by 20 percent.


The restrictions would be reviewed on May 18 as category C would remain unchanged for the duration. The fresh protocols released on NCOC’s Twitter handle for the inbound passengers stated that people having Pakistani passports could return to the country and had to carry a negative PCR test report performed 72 hours before travel.

Besides this, the passengers will undergo rapid COVID testing at the Pakistani airports and would stay in quarantine for 10 days at their homes.

Read More: Stay home, stay safe: NCOC announces six-day Eid holidays amid COVID surge

In case of testing positive, the passengers will have to shift to a quarantine facility, where they would be re-tested for COVID 19 on the eight-day. The guidelines stated that the passenger would bear the expense of the isolation facility and in case of testing positive for the second time, the passenger would be shifted to a hospital.

All inbound passengers would be bound to register themselves on Track App while those deported would be exempted from it.

The post Inbound passengers to undergo COVID test at airports as NCOC devises fresh protocols appeared first on ARY NEWS.



from ARY NEWS https://ift.tt/3eOoatE

SC upholds finality of settlements

The Supreme Court has ruled that no fresh financial claims can be raised after a final settlement has been reached, underscoring the sa...