Author: newsdesk

  • Aamir, Sonakshi, Karan: 7 Bollywood celebrities quit ‘toxic’ Twitter

    Aamir, Sonakshi, Karan: 7 Bollywood celebrities quit ‘toxic’ Twitter

    Multiple A-list Bollywood celebrities use social media platforms like Instagram and Twitter to interact with their fans on a regular basis. However most of them have been disturbed due to massive trolling and negative comments by anonymous netizens.

    Every now and then, netizens are seen writing abusive and toxic comments under their posts. This month, renowned filmmaker Karan Johar quit Twitter. Earlier, celebs like Aamir Khan, Sonakshi Sinha and others too had deactivated their Twitter accounts.

    Here’s a list of celebrities who decided to quit the micro-blogging site in the past:

    Karan Johar

    On October 10, Karan Johar posted his last tweet and announced that he is quitting Twitter. He has been facing a lot of trolling online. His chat show, Koffee with Karan 7 grabbed a lot of attention like always but this time, people were seen targeting him for constantly mentioning mommy-to-be Alia Bhatt’s name throughout the season. During the finale episode, Karan went on to reveal that even Alia pointed out the same thing and asked him to not mention her. In his last tweet, Karan said that he is leaving Twitter to ‘make space for more positive energies’. His tweet read, “Making space for more positive energies only and this is step one towards that. Goodbye Twitter!”

    Picture Courtesy: Karan Johar Twitter

    Sonakshi Sinha

    In 2020, Sonakshi announced her decision to leave Twitter to ‘stay away from negativity’. She quit the platform after Sushant Singh Rajput’s sudden demise. The actress took to Instagram and shared the update with her fans. Her post read, “The first step to protecting your sanity is to stay away from negativity. And nowhere more of that than Twitter these days. Chalo I’m off– deactivating my account. Bye guys, peace out. Aag lage basti mein… mein apni masti mein! Bye Twitter.”

    Aamir Khan

    In 2021, after celebrating his birthday, Aamir shared a note with his fans to update them about his decision to leave social media. He revealed that he wanted to focus on work and keep himself dedicated to his art. Before exiting, Aamir wrote, “Hey guys, thank you so much for all the love and warmth on my birthday. My heart is full. In other news, this is going to be my last post on social media. Considering that I am SO active anyway. I have decided to drop the pretence. We will continue to communicate as we did before. In addition, AKP has created its official channel! So future updates on me and my films can be found there. Here’s the official handle! @akppl_official. Lots of love, always. a.”

    Saqib Saleem

    Saqib Saleem Dishes Out Some Health Tips and Tells Us How to Do Fitness the Right Way | Filmfare.com

    Saqib also decided to leave Twitter and cited ‘bullying and lack of kindness’ as the main reasons. He shared a long note with his fans and thanked them for their love. A part of his note read, “Hey Twitter, when we met for the first time, you were a lovely. A great platform to express feelings, gather knowledge and understand many different points of view. But, of late you seem to have gotten lost in all the hate everyone is so ready to throw at each other, a place of bullies, a place where abusing people is a normal code of conduct. These last few days have forced me to realise that I don’t need this kind of energy in my life, where I wake up to hatred, where kindness is lost. It has made me realise that I need to surround myself with people, things, content and vibes that reflect who I want to be and how I want to feel; energies are contagious!”

    Shashank Khaitan

    Varun Dhawan and director Shashank Khaitan to reunite for Karan Johar's 'Rannbhoomi'

    Dhadak director Shashank Khaitan also quit the platform after Sushant’s demise in 2020. Amid the nepotism debate, he called Twitter a ‘breeding ground for hate and negativity’. His post read, “Done with twitter… just a breeding ground for hate and negativity… very sad that a platform so powerful, could not be used to create a better world… praying for peace and love always… deactivating my account now…”

    Zaheer Iqbal

    Zaheer Iqbal Wiki Bio: Who Is Sonakshi Sinha's Rumoured Partner?

    Zaheer Iqbal made his Bollywood debut alongside Pranutan Bahl in Notebook and Salman Khan backed the film. He also bid goodbye to Twitter without revealing any particular reason. The actor is rumoured to be dating Sonakshi. 

    Aayush Sharma

    Arpita Khan prayed Aayush Sharma outshines Salman Khan in Antim: 'She said if I messed this up…' | Entertainment News,The Indian Express

    Salman’s brother-in-law Aayush Sharma also decided to leave Twitter due to negativity. He took to Instagram and wrote, “280 characters are less to define a human being. But 280 characters are more than enough to spread fake news, hatred and negativity. Didn’t sign up for this nasty herd mentality. Khuda hafiz.”

  • Govt to ask Court to review acquittal of Shahzeb’s murderer

    Govt to ask Court to review acquittal of Shahzeb’s murderer

    The Federal government on Tuesday announced that it would file a review petition over Shahrukh Jatoi’s acquittal for the murder of Shahzeb Khan.

    “This is despite the instant case having already been adjudicated to be one of constitutional importance by the Supreme Court, which mandates seeking the assistance of the Attorney-General – as has been sought previously in petitions pertaining to the same matter,” the statement issued by Attorney General of Pakistan Ashtar Ausaf Ali read.

    The letter further stated that the AGP’s Office had already declared that the case was related to terrorism after Jibran Nasir and other activists approached the SC against a Sindh High Court (SHC) ruling that overturned the death penalty for Jatoi and other defendants in the murder case, adding that the SHC’s decision was a “violation of the SC’s order.”

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday acquitted Shahrukh Jatoi and others in Shahzeb Khan’s murder case.

    Shahzeb was murdered in Karachi in 2012.

    An Anti-Terrorism Court handed Jatoi a death sentence in 2013. However, in 2017, the complainants had ‘pardoned’ Jatoi under the country’s Qisas and Diyat law.

  • Viral Video: Emergency landing of plane as drunk passenger bites flight attendant’s finger

    Viral Video: Emergency landing of plane as drunk passenger bites flight attendant’s finger

    In a shocking incident of unruly behaviour by a passenger, a flight had to make emergency landing after a drunk man got into a fight with flight attendants and bit one’s finger.

    The passenger was travelling from Istanbul to Jakarta.

    Reports said that the flight attendant was trying to calm down the drunk 48-year-old Indonesian passenger, identified as Muhammad Hohn Jaiz Boudewijin.

    https://twitter.com/NCMOULY52/status/1582000319202209793?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1582000319202209793%7Ctwgr%5E6b62a4f190468f24421da979df5d2f9e409296c8%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fapnlive.com%2Findia-news%2Findonesian-passenger-turkish-airlines%2F

    The flight was supposed to arrive in Jakarta, the capital of Indonesia, at 5pm on Tuesday. However, it was forced to land at the Kualanamu International Airport in Medan over Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

    The plane continued on its journey after the passenger was removed. The flight reached its destination at eight o’clock local time. Jakarta Metro Police also confirmed that the passenger who caused the problem was dropped off and that he was believed to be drunk.

  • Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become PTI’s Senator, says Capt Safdar

    Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become PTI’s Senator, says Capt Safdar

    Pakistani Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Caption retd Safdar, who also happens to be Maryam Nawaz’s husband, has said that Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) former federal minister Aitzaz Ahsan is trying to become a senator on a Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf ticket.

    “Aitzaz Ahsan has made the judgment of this respectful court very controversial. He has spent 40 years as a lawyer and yet he did this,” Safdar said while talking to media outside Lahore High Court.

    Ahsan, while talking to media persons last week at the Lahore High Court had given a statement criticising Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. Ahsan alleged that the army chief rescued the Sharif family from conviction in cases and had thus committed a “big crime.”

    He said the cases against Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, former prime minister Nawaz Sharif and his daughter Maryam Nawaz Sharif were open-and-shut and their conviction was evident.

    Safdar also talked about Sunday’s by-elections and said, “Imran Khan knew that if his party members contested the elections, they would have failed, hence he contested himself. He does not have faith in his people.”

  • PKR suffers losses against USD for 5th consecutive day

    PKR suffers losses against USD for 5th consecutive day

    The State Bank of Pakistan and the government were unable to stabilise the exchange rate as the Pakistani rupee lost value for the fifth straight day on Monday after falling 46 paisas against the US dollar in the interbank market.

    State Bank of Pakistan reports that the local unit decreased by 0.37 per cent to close at Rs219.71.

    The closing price in the interbank market, according to the Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP), was Rs220 as opposed to Rs219.50 in the previous trading session.

    US dollar dropped 30 paise in the open market, closing at Rs225.70 as opposed to Rs226 the previous session. Its price on October 11 was Rs219

    The optimistic market sentiments that appeared following the nomination of Ishaq Dar as finance minister in anticipation of his potential to secure dollar inflows appeared to have disappeared.

    In FY23, Pakistan would need around $32 billion to pay for its foreign debt, mostly to service it, as well as to close its current account deficit. In a recent interview with a foreign news outlet, the finance minister stated that he will seek to reschedule approximately $27 billion in non-Paris Club debt, the majority of which is owed to China.

  • Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Fact Check: Sharif family ki corruption par independent documentary toh ban rehi hai, lekin it isn’t confirmed if it’s on Netflix/Amazon

    Claim: Several Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) politicians and multiple social media users on Twitter are claiming that an upcoming documentary, about the alleged corruption of Pakistan’s former Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharif and his family, will be released on Netflix and Amazon Prime.

    The trailer of the new documentary, titled “Behind Closed Doors” was released on social media on Monday, October 18.

    The trailer was shared across platforms, raking up views.

    The trailer features, amongst others, Imran Khan, the former prime minister, as well as several investigative journalists including Tom Stocks and John-Allan Namu.

    Former Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari tweeted, “Soon on Netflix and Amazon. A must-watch documentary on corruption very relevant as Sharifs also feature in it.”

    PTI’s Finance and Health Minister in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Taimur Jhagra tweeted, “A film about corruption. Coming soon to Netflix / Amazon Prime. The truth is out there. In Pakistan, sadly it just seems to lead back the same people to corridors of power, again and again.”

    Fact: According to the official website of Behind Closed Doors, the documentary highlights “Politically Exposed Persons (PEPs), people who hold a public function and as a result present higher risks of being involved in bribery or corruption.” It also mentions offshore leaks which have revealed that PEPs use the British financial system and offshore jurisdictions to launder, hide and re-invest their wealth into the global financial system.

    “But what happens when a developing country fights back and attempts to get Britain to return the money that it claims has been stolen?” question the documentary makers.

    The film is produced and directed by Michael Oswald and Murtaza Mehdi. The IMDb website states that Oswald is a UK-based director, writer and editor.

    The webpage names all of Netflix’s upcoming releases till January 2023. Behind Closed Doors has not been listed.

    The website of Prime Video by Amazon Studios also does not name the documentary as an upcoming release.

    While several members of the PTI camp have claimed Behind Closed Doors will be featured on Netflix, the streaming service has made no such announcement nor have the makers of the documentary mentioned it on their website or YouTube channel.

    Verdict: FALSE

  • Sindh police launches ‘Talash’ app to fight street crimes in Karachi

    Sindh police launches ‘Talash’ app to fight street crimes in Karachi

    The Talash (search) app was introduced by Sindh Inspector General of Police (IGP) Ghulam Nabi Memon on Monday at Central Police Office in an effort to combat street crime in Karachi with the help of contemporary technology.

    According to Express, the regional police head said that the app would be an “effective tool” in the fight against crime at the launch event.

    “This Talash App will be utilised as an effective and best weapon against crimes and in taking action against criminals,” the IGP said.

    The device’s goal was to enhance criminal investigation and eradication, he continued, adding that the Sindh police were using technology more frequently to reduce crime.

    Memon stated that a committee had been established to give investigators modern training, and that Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah had authorised spending money to strengthen policing by purchasing “world-class technology.”

    The IGP stated that the device’s initial rollout was in Karachi and that it would “very soon” expand to other districts.

    The device, according to Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) (Information Technology) Parvez Ahmed Chandio, is intended to reduce street crimes.

    He claimed that it would guarantee identity checks while on patrol. The DIG continued, “This is transportable technology as it is easy to carry it.”

    Chandio emphasised the device’s key attributes by saying, “Data of Nadra (National Database and Registration Authority) and other institutions can be accessible using this device.

  • CNG stations in Punjab, KP to remain shut till March 2023

    CNG stations in Punjab, KP to remain shut till March 2023

    CNG stations in Punjab and KP will stop operating from November 2022 to March 2023 as the gas crisis increases as a result of the lack of required LNG during the winter.

    While the government is obligated to purchase 12 LNG cargoes each month, Pakistan LNG Limited (PLL) has been unable to do so; as a result, the country will only have 10 LNG cargoes available in December and nine LNG cargoes each month in the following months. Due to the decreased LNG import cargoes, gas utilities will be forced to limit the supply of gas to captive power plants by 50 per cent.

    According to Express, in Punjab and KP, there won’t be any LNG available for CNG stations during the winter. Due to insufficient local gas output, Punjab has also been experiencing a gas crisis.

    According to government officials, the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) system’s gas supply to the fertiliser sectors won’t be reduced. Due to the probable political reaction this would cause, the government does not intend to reduce supplies of gas for the household sectors, therefore there will always be a supply available.

    As instructed by the federal government, SNGPL has been providing Re-Gasified Liquefied Natural Gas (RLNG) to a number of subsidised industries, including domestic consumers, export-oriented businesses, and fertiliser producers.

    Government payments to SNGPL for RLNG subsidies are Rs199 billion as of this writing. SNGPL’s capacity to pay RLNG suppliers PSO and PLL has been severely hampered by the reduced pricing. The amounts owed to PSO and PLL are now Rs284 billion and Rs135 billion, respectively.

    The power industry pays in full, but because its receivables have grown to over Rs115 billion, payments to suppliers have been significantly delayed.

  • US is confident of Pakistan’s ability to keep its nuclear assets safe and secure

    US is confident of Pakistan’s ability to keep its nuclear assets safe and secure

    The United States (US) has said that it is confident of Pakistan’s ability to keep its nuclear assets safe and secure.

    “The United States is confident of Pakistan’s commitment and its ability to secure nuclear assets,” US State Department spokesperson Vedant Patel told journalists in Washington shortly after a meeting between Ambassador Masood Khan and Counselor Derek Chollet.

    The statement came after US President Joe Biden made a off-the-cuff remark on Pakistan’s nuclear programme last week while at a private Democratic Party fundraiser in California where he was talking about challenges faced by President Xi Jinping of China, a close ally of Pakistan.

    “And what I think is maybe one of the most dangerous nations in the world: Pakistan. Nuclear weapons without any cohesion,” Biden said, according to a White House transcript.

    Patel, responding to questions, gave a detailed answer regarding what was said about Pakistan by President Biden, and said: “The US has always viewed a secure and prosperous Pakistan as critical to US interests. And more broadly, the US values our long-standing cooperation with Pakistan.”

    The two countries “enjoy a strong partnership”, said the State Department official, adding that Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari visited Washington recently where he met Secretary Blinken as well.

    He recalled that Counselor Chollet also visited Karachi and Islamabad during the floods, as did USAID Administrator Sam Power.

    “So, this is a relationship we view as important, and it’s something that we’re going to continue to remain deeply engaged in,” said Patel, pointing out that US and Pakistani officials meet regularly.

    But when the journalist insisted on a response to his question about President Biden’s remarks, the US official said: “I don’t have any specific conversation to read out, but the United States is confident of Pakistan’s commitment and its ability to secure its nuclear assets.”

  • ‘Almost impossible to convict the elite’, Pakistanis angry kay Shahrukh Jatoi ko reha kia jaye ga

    ‘Almost impossible to convict the elite’, Pakistanis angry kay Shahrukh Jatoi ko reha kia jaye ga

    The Supreme Court of Pakistan on Tuesday acquitted Shahrukh Jatoi and others in Shahzeb Khan’s murder case.

    Shahzeb was murdered in Karachi in 2012.

    An Anti-Terrorism Court handed Jatoi a death sentence in 2013. However, in 2017, the complainant side had ‘pardoned’ Jatoi under the country’s Qisas and Diyat law.

    The hearing at the apex court was headed by a three-judge bench that included Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi, Justice Munib Akhtar, and Justice Ijazul Ahsan.

    The son of Deputy Superintendent of Police, Aurangzeb Khan, the 20-years-old Shahzeb Khan was shot and killed at Karachi’s Defence Housing Authority on December 24, 2012. He was returning home from a wedding with his sister.

    Shahzeb was slain after he got into an altercation with one of the suspects’ servants who had verbally threatened and tormented his sister.

    Twitter users are expressing their anger over the acquittal of Shahrukh Jatoi.