It seems like Pakistan certainly cemented itself as a defying force in the global music industry, with many of artists like Shae Gill and Arooj Aftab going global. And now Abdul Hannan has joined the ranks with his song ‘Iraaday’. USA Secretary of State Antony Blinken shared his Spotify playlist ‘The Secretary’s 2022 Playlist: On The Road’ where he shared the music he had listened to while travelling all over the world, and we were so pleased to spot a familiar face among them: Abdul Hannan.
Blinken had shared:
“Music has the power to connect people, regardless of borders, languages, or beliefs. As a lifelong lover of music, I’m excited to share with you some of my favorite songs and artists from around the world that I’ve been listening to in 2022. I hope you enjoy them as much as I have.”
Elon Musk’s social media company is being sued by California Property Trust, the owner of the building where Twitter’s headquarters are located, for failing to pay $136,250 in rent.
Bloomberg reports (via The Verge) that on December 16th, the company informed Twitter that it would be in breach of its contract for the 30th floor of the Hartford Building in San Francisco if it did not make the unpaid rent payment within four days.
Twitter was said to have disobeyed the order by California Property Trust in a complaint submitted this week to the San Francisco County Superior Court.
The New York Times reported on December 13 that Twitter had just stopped paying rent on all of its international locations to reduce costs. In addition, the business is being sued for failing to reimburse Musk for $197,725 in charter flights he took during his first week working for Twitter. In the same time frame, Musk is said to have bolstered Twitter’s legal team with “more than half a dozen” attorneys from SpaceX.
Balochistan Home Minister Mir Zia Ullah Langau has been appointed as the chairman of a commission that will look into the cases of missing persons.
The commission will recover and investigate the cases of missing persons, provide legal assistance to the families of missing persons while also looking into the activities of these missing persons against the state.
Earlier, the Balochistan home ministry formed a parliamentary commission on missing persons on the orders of the Balochistan High Court (BHC).
It is pertinent to mention that the missing person commission received a total number of 9,133 complaints from the residents of Balochistan alone.
Apart from this, Supreme Court (SC) was informed that overall 2,207 cases of missing persons are pending as of November 30, 2022.
Prior to this, former Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Athar Minallah instructed Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif to ensure a resolution to the missing persons’ cases.
The Premier assured the court that all-out efforts would be made to recover missing persons.
Model Saheefa Jabbar Khattak was on the Geo show Hasna Mana Hai where she opened up about her life.
On how she met her husband:
Talking about how she met her husband, Khwaja Khizar Hussain, Khattak said that she had been helping her then-friend, Khizar, look for a bride by introducing him to her female friends. “He was my senior at BNU and he was single. He asked me to look for someone, since he wanted to get married. I was always a tomboy, not a girly girl, so he was never interested in me. Whatever rowdy discussions would be going on between boys, they would come and tell me,” she disclosed. Khattak further shared that she had found some gorgeous women who she felt were perfect for Khizar, but soon found out that they were taken. Then Saheefa and Khizer realized that they liked each other a lot. “We found something else instead,” she said of finding her soulmate.
When asked about her acting career, Saheefa said she hadn’t been involved in television projects since last year, because she’s disappointed by regressive content in the scripts. “It has been a year and a half since I acted, and I think I won’t go for it because the kind of scripts they offer I don’t like them. It’s all about the consistently wailing woman. In every drama she is turned into a mom, is consistently getting slapped and given divorce.”
Khattak talked about her first drama Teri Meri Kahani and said she was disappointed by how regressive the show was regarding the empowerment of women.
“My first drama was Teri Meri Kahani, in which I also had this type of character. I was this well-educated girl who was born and raised from the UK, and comes back here to get slapped, kicked out of the house. Basically for me its very weird because if a girl is very well-educated and independent, as well as a UK national…The problem was a strong independent girl, who literally has properties in the UK, why is she getting slapped around by a man and also accepting false accusations? It was that kind of drama, and the sad bit was that the girl suffers a lot in the story but in the end she forgives the man and goes back to him. And when you ask the production house that why is this happening, they defend their decision by saying the audience needs a happy ending,” she revealed.
Dropping out of college
When an audience member asked Saheefa about her decision to drop out of university years ago, the model revealed that she regrets that decision even today.
“It’s been good eight years since I dropped out and left my education. Every time things don’t work out, they did for me but it usually doesn’t for everyone. Today, I do regret that I left my education because at a lot of places that piece of paper is very important. I didn’t think like this before, had you asked me two years ago I would have said ‘Yes, drop out‘. Now, I have seen this very clearly that a degree is important so I wouldn’t suggest anyone to drop out until and unless you have a very good, solid plan.”
Bollywood actors Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Ranbir Kapoor were blessed with a baby girl on November 6th 2022. The duo has been on cloud nine ever since they announced their first pregnancy news.
The two welcomed their first baby at H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital, Girgaon. The actress delivered her baby girl at 12.05 PM. It is indeed a happy moment for the Bhatt and the Kapoors.
Alia was recently questioned about becoming a mother at the peak of her career. The Raazi star said, “There is no right or wrong in life. What works for me might not work for someone else. I have always been someone who listens to my heart. You can’t plan life. Life plans itself and you just have to follow that path. Whether it’s films or anything else, I always let my heart decide. Yes, at the peak of my career, I decided to get married and have a baby. But who says that marriage or motherhood will change anything to do with my work? Even if it does, so be it. I don’t care. I knew that in life, I would never regret the decision to have a baby. It’s a natural instinct. It’s the best decision that I have ever made. I have never been happier or more fulfilled.”
Baby’s Name Announcement
Bhatt shared a family photo, featuring her along with her newborn and husband-actor Ranbir Kapoor. Though the trio was blurred in the image, Ranbir can be seen holding their little munchkin. The image focuses on a jersey, which reads “Raha” in the capital.
Giving the context to her Insta fam, the new mom explained the meaning of Raha while revealing the name given by her mother-in-law, Neetu Kapoor. “The name Raha (chosen by her wise and wonderful Dadi) has so many beautiful meanings,” wrote the Highway actress.
Elaborating further, Bhatt penned, “Raha, in its purest form means divine path in Swahili she is Joy, / In Sanskrit, Raha is a clan, / In Bangla – rest, comfort, relief, / in Arabic peace, / it also means happiness, freedom & bliss,” in the caption. Before signing off, she wrote, “And true to her name, from the first moment we held her – we felt it ALL!,” followed by a red-heart emoticon.
Concluding her sweet note for her daughter, the Dear Zindagi actress added, “Thank you Raha, for bringing our family to life, it feels as though our lives have only just begun,” followed by a couple of sun emoticons. As soon as she shared the post, a section of her fans flooded the comments section with wishes. Meanwhile, her peers Athiya Shetty, Sophie Choudry, Sonakshi Sinha, and sister-in-law Riddhima Kapoor Sahani also showered love on the announcement post.
Strict Conditions:
According to Indian media, the couple has listed out a set of rules for family and friends to visit their baby. A strict ‘no picture’ rule will be applicable to anyone who pays a visit.
According to reports, the entire Kapoor and Bhat family are against exposing the baby to shutterbugs. In spite of repeated requests for respecting their private space, paparazzi chased the couple’s car while bringing their newborn home. Several videos and pictures of Alia and her baby girl are doing the rounds on the internet. However, as it turns out, all these pictures and videos are fake.
The Brahmastra duo will also not allow anyone to visit their baby without a covid negative certificate. As newborns are prone to infections, the couple is extremely cautious of the baby’s health. Alia and Ranbir have also requested media and friends to abide by their rules atleast until the baby turns one.
Professional Front
Meanwhile, on the work front, Ranbir and Alia have many interesting projects in their pipeline. The actress will star in Farhan Akhtar’s Jee Le Zaraa with Katrina Kaif and Priyanka Chopra. She also has Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani with Ranveer Singh, Jaya Bachchan, Shabana Azmi, and Dharmendra in the lead. Alia will also be making her Hollywood debut with the film, Heart Of Stone, alongside Jamie Dornan and Gal Gadot.
Ranbir, on the other hand, will star next in Sandeep Reddy Vanga’s Animal co-starring Rashmika Mandanna, Anil Kapoor, and Bobby Deol in the lead. Produced by Bhushan Kumar’s T-Series.
Actor Feroze Khan recently hit back at a netizen who cursed him on Instagram. A netizen commented under Khan’s post, “Hope 2023 brings jail time”. The Khaani star was quick to respond, “Wait in the line of my detractors.”
The netizen commented on this amidst Feroze’s legal battle with ex-wife Syeda Aliza over child maintenance post their divorce.
Earlier, Khan clapped back at a netizen for referring to him as “Gareebo ka Shah Rukh Khan”.
The Punjab Safe Cities Authority (PSCA) has released its annual performance report for 2022.
The 15 Emergency Helpline received 2,73,61,000 calls, 32,80,141 cases involving grave concerns, and cases for further action were generated by the dispatch control centre. 1,65,25,000 calls were surprisingly deemed irrelevant.
Police investigators and the Court of Law received 2,004 pieces of audio and video evidence from the Electronic Data Analysis Center.
According to The News, police in Lahore reported 2,34,000 suspicious observations from PSCA’s Operations and Monitoring Center. In addition to recovering 1,230 motorcycles, 30 vehicles, and 27 auto rickshaws and returning them to their owners, the PSCA Lost & Found centre assisted in the recovery of 109 missing people. 3,736 social media pages were reported to LEAs by the Media Management Center.
Additionally, 2,790 campaign messages about road safety, effective use of the 15 emergency helplines, and other topics were carried on official social media pages and radio by MMC, PSCA WebTV, and Radio Safe City 88.6. PSCA is committed to extending its assistance and collaboration to LEAs and any other parties in need as needed. 15 helplines are available for residents to call in case of an emergency or to report criminal activities in the city.
The Safe Cities Authority was crucial to the orderly execution of Ashura, international cricket, and other security tasks in Pakistan this year. This fiscal year, the Safe Cities Authority is attempting to create contemporary centres in Nankana Sahib, Sheikhupura, Sialkot, and Rawalpindi in addition to Lahore and Kasur.
National Security Committee (NSC) meeting will be convened on Monday (today) to take “key decisions” concerning security and the economy.
According to media reports, the meeting will also approve decisive action against terrorists.
The meeting will be a continuation of the one held last week.
Senior civil and military officials are expected to attend the meeting with Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif chairing the moot.
On Friday, last week, the NSC meeting decided to turn up the heat on militancy with relentless counter and preemptory measures to neutralise threats present in the country in any form.
In a statement, the PM Office said the participants of the NSC meeting unequivocally resolved that Pakistan’s national interests would not be compromised and no one would be allowed to undermine national security.
We may have progressed to a new year, but international brands continue with their decades-old, regressive mindset of stealing artwork from third world artists for cheap products. Writer Rafia Zakaria brought this to attention today when she shared a screenshot of a Dolce and Gabbana toaster which had designs copied from Pakistani truck art on it. The toaster is retailing for $850. Is it still ethical to steal art that holds a lot of significance within a particular culture, especially while knowing that this country was recently devastated by floods.
‘Dolce and Gabbana Pakistani Truck Art limited edition toaster a mere $850 People in Pakistan still starving. Perhaps send a few extra dollars their way.’
Dolce and Gabbana Pakistani Truck Art limited edition toaster a mere $850 People in Pakistan still starving. Perhaps send a few extra dollars their way https://t.co/qohXEldi4zpic.twitter.com/B3Uqnlott7
Social media users sided with Zakaria’s criticism by sharing how unethical it is for international brands to steal art and profiting from it without giving credit to artists.
The taking of traditional cultural expression and making money of it without sharing with the people where it comes from has to stop. I’m grateful that the Africa Group is pushing for the recognition of this intellectual property at WIPO. https://t.co/WJZUeYaizp
Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan in an interaction with the media persons at his Zaman Park residence in Lahore, has recounted a conversation he had with General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, alleging that former army chief called the former prime minister a “playboy”.
“General (retd) Bajwa called me a playboy, and in reply, I said to him yes, I had been a playboy,” said Khan.
Khan didn’t share when the exchange took place between the two.
“Bajwa was stabbing us in the back while also showing sympathy. The set-up he installed is still working in the establishment,” claimed Khan.
The PTI chairman, without taking the name of the army chief, said: “In Pakistan, establishment is a name given to just one person.”
The former premier accused General Bajwa of hiring the services of Husain Haqqani, Pakistan’s former ambassador to the United States, for lobbying in DC against him.
During the same media interaction, Khan also said his wife Bushra Bibi is not like his political opponent Maryam Nawaz because, “she does not wear make-up”.
He went on with comparing his wife to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz Vice-president, stating that his spouse does not wear make-up, but Maryam Nawaz spends plenty of money on cosmetic surgeries.
