Author: newsdesk

  • Fact Check: Ranveer Singh set to replace Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Don 3’?

    Fact Check: Ranveer Singh set to replace Shah Rukh Khan in ‘Don 3’?

    Bollywood buffs created a frenzy on social media when director Farhan Akhtar revealed that he is working on the script for Don 3. However, there has been overwhelming speculation about the cast of the much-awaited film.

    As per Indian media, the third installment of the acclaimed franchise will have Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in key roles with Ranveer Singh playing an extended cameo.

    Contrary to social media speculation, Singh will not be replacing SRK in the film but will be doing a special part to make the film even bigger.

    Amitabh Farhan Ranveer

    A source revealed to Filmfare, “Farhan had an ambitious idea of getting Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan together in the third installment. Interestingly, Bachchan was the lead in the original Don (1978). It had a different ending and showed the good-natured Vijay surviving and Don dying, while SRK’s version showed vice versa. Hence, it’s not clear whether or not Big B was supposed to play the role from the original version. However, Farhan definitely had thought of casting Amitabh Bachchan and Shah Rukh Khan in Don 3.”

    Amitabh Farhan Ranveer

    Farhan is currently crafting a special part for the Bajirao Mastani star who is currently the biggest young superstar in Bollywood. Well, the fans surely can’t wait for the official announcement of the film.

  • Need to know how to deal with misogyny? Just watch Sherry Rehman

    Need to know how to deal with misogyny? Just watch Sherry Rehman

    If you want a guide or need tips on how to deal with the misogyny that exists even in Pakistan’s Senate, you need to watch Pakistan’s Federal Minister for Climate Change, Senator Sherry Rehman. Here is she at her wittiest best.

    An incident took place in Senate Pakistan on Tuesday where the House Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani called Rehman the “Senate’s dadi (grandmother)” when he asked a house member to keep the questions specific so that Sherry Rehman can answer the questions.

    “I would advise you to only ask specific questions so that Sherry Rehman, who is the dadi of this House, can give you the right answers,” Sanjrani said, adding that members should keep the environment of the House calm.

    However, Rehman snapped back immediately and said: “Kyunke mei apki dadi lagti hoon, meri koshish ye hogi kay kisi ki dadageeri na ho“. (Because I am your grandmother, i will try to ensure that no one is bullied.)

    The Upper House then burst out with laughter.

    Following this, Senator Rehman shared a clip of the incident with a caption saying, “How to deal with misogyny 101 without giving it the oxygen it seeks”.

  • Malala Yousafzai is all set to produce Hollywood films

    Malala Yousafzai is all set to produce Hollywood films

    Pakistan’s youngest Nobel Prize Laureate Malala Yousafzai is all set to produce Hollywood films after signing a three-film deal with Apple Inc, Variety magazine has revealed.

    Yousafzai is among creative leaders honoured for Variety’s 2022 Power of Women presented by Lifetime.

    Her production company Extracurricular has partnered with the indie studio A24 for a still-untitled feature documentary on the legendary “Haenyeo” society of fisherwomen, who live on South Korea’s Jeju Island.

    The second project is a scripted series based on Asha Lemmie’s coming-of-age novel “Fifty Words for Rain,” about a woman’s search for acceptance in post-World War II Japan

    The third is a feature film with “Don’t Look Up” director Adam McKay, based on Elaine Hsieh Chou’s book “Disorientation” — a satire about a college student’s revealing dissertation about a young poet.

    “What I hope to bring to the table are the voices of women of color and debut writers and Muslim directors and writers. I hope we can have a wide range of perspectives and that we challenge some of the stereotypes we hold in our societies. And I also hope that the content is entertaining and that people fall in love with the characters and have the best time together,” she said.

    She told the magazine that she has watched ‘Succession,’ ‘Ted Lasso’ and ‘Severance,’ and pointed out that in those shows there were a lot of white men.

    “If we can watch those shows, then I think audiences should be able to watch shows that are made by people of colour, and produced and directed by people of colour, with people of colour in the lead. That is possible, and I’m gonna make it happen,” she avowed.

    Malala disclosed that her favourite TV shows include adult animated sitcom “Rick and Morty” and Netflix comedy “Sex Education”.

    Talking to the magazine, Yousafzai said that she doesn’t want to get into British politics.

    “This activism for girls’ education and gender equality is already a form of getting involved in politics. So I’m not sure if I’ll become the prime minister of a country.” Still, she adds, “We’ll see in the future”. After a beat, she said mischievously, “Maybe that is also a political answer”.

  • Govt to conduct forensic audit of Shehbaz, Imran audios: Sanaullah

    Govt to conduct forensic audit of Shehbaz, Imran audios: Sanaullah

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Wednesday said that the federal government will conduct a forensic audit of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif and Pakistan Tehrek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s leaked audios.

    Sanaullah — during a press conference in Islamabad — said that if Khan’s audio is real, then he should be exposed before the nation. “Khan has created a narrative of an American conspiracy to mislead the nation and divide it,” he said.

    Criticising the PTI chief, the interior minister said that Khan has caused “Irreparable damage to Pakistan and destroyed the country’s economy and political culture.”

    “I will show students Imran Khan’s awful face,” said Sanaullah with reference to Khan’s recent appearance at a university, adding that this “political fitna” (political miscreant) has to end in a political way.

    Sanaullah also said that Khan’s political narrative will be exposed.

  • ‘Modi is not Manmohan Singh or even Vajpayee’: Bilawal Bhutto

    ‘Modi is not Manmohan Singh or even Vajpayee’: Bilawal Bhutto

    Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari once again talked about India being a different country now and said a lot has changed since 2010, pointing out that the current Indian Prime Minister, (PM) Narendra Modi, is not like his predecessors.

    In his address at Washington DC-based think-tank, Woodrow Wilson Centre, the minister stated, “This is a very different India, Modi is not [former PM] Manmohan Singh or even [former PM] Atal Bihari Vajpayee. We want a manageable and responsible relationship with India”, adding that he was not surprised by India’s reaction to the United States’ decision to give $450 million to upgrade Pakistan’s fleet of F-16 aircraft. “Obviously, Indians are going to be upset, let them be, kiya karein (what do we do)”, he said.

    Last week, prior to PM Shehbaz’s United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) session Bilawal said that, “India today is a changed India and is no longer the secular country promised by its founding fathers for all its citizens.”

    While responding to a question from the audience at the Woodrow Wilson Centre that some sections of the media are reporting that the “US schooled Pakistan” on maintaining ties with India and China, Bilawal dismissed the reports, saying “He [US Secretary of State Antony Blinken ] is an incredible human being and can never talk in such tone.”

    ‘Everything else can wait’: Bilawal urges China and US to work together

    At the international forum, the minister also urged the two world powers to cooperate and not fight with each other.

    “Let me be absolutely clear. We will not overcome climate change, we will not save our planet, if China and the US do not work together on climate,” said Bhutto-Zardari

    “Everything else can wait. Every other conflict. Every other dispute. We will all fight among ourselves if there’s a planet left to fight over,” he added.

    Earlier, US Secretary Blinken said that he had urged Pakistan to engage China on some of the important issues of debt relief and restructuring so that Pakistan can more quickly recover from the floods

    Addressing these remarks, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said that Beijing is already providing assistance to the flood victims and urged that other nations also do “something real and beneficial, instead of passing unwarranted criticism against China-Pakistan cooperation”.

    It is pertinent to mention that US is so far the largest donor to flood relief and rehabilitation funds. Washington has provided about $56 million to Pakistan since July.

  • Pakistanis to face gas shortage in winter once again

    Pakistanis to face gas shortage in winter once again

    The government has warned of an impending gas crisis in the nation due to a dramatic reduction in gas supplies and a gradually growing imbalance between demand and supply.

    With each passing year, Pakistan’s gas reserves are declining by roughly 10 per cent annually in past years, according to DAWN.

    Officials from the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) gathered to discuss the Petroleum Division’s annual report for 2019–20.

    We cannot purchase the gas, according to Petroleum Secretary Ali Raza Bhatti, who spoke to PAC about the state of the market. Since the start of the war in Ukraine, gas prices have risen everywhere. Gas prices had increased by about 4% at the time.

    According to Bhatti, Pakistan is considering purchasing gas from other nations as the prime minister just visited Qatar and held a private meeting where a request for extra cargoes was on the agenda.

    Nevertheless, the government is currently thinking about importing gas from friendly nations. Previously, the nation got its gas from Qatar, but now it wants to get supplies from other friendly countries to make up for the deficit.

    According to him, domestic consumers use the majority of the gas in Pakistan’s system, which is extensively subsidised by the government.

    Qatar is the most dependable provider, it should be noted. According to the petroleum secretary, Qatar has continued to provide Pakistan with LNG at a rate of $15 per million British thermal units (mmBtu), down from the $60 per mmBtu it was previously charging from other nations, despite the market’s rising demand.

    Sui Northern was also asked to provide information on defaulters in the Gas Infrastructure Development System by the PAC, which was led by Noor Alam Khan.

    The committee instructed gas firms to take payment from late payers within seven days, and the government to cut off the defaulters’ connections right away.

  • ‘Imran Khan ki videos dekhaanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain’: Rana Sanaullah claims to have seen videos of Khan

    ‘Imran Khan ki videos dekhaanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain’: Rana Sanaullah claims to have seen videos of Khan

    Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah on Tuesday claimed to have seen secret videos of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, which he claimed were “neither worthy of being seen nor being shown”.

    “[Imran Khan] ki videos dekhanay ya dekhnay ke qabil nahi hain,” said Sanaullah. Translation: Imran Khan’s videos are neither worthy of being seen nor being shown.

    Sanaullah while speaking on Geo News programme, ‘Capital Talk’ said, “The alleged audio does not damage PM Shehbaz’s reputation because there is nothing wrong in it,” adding that recording something in today’s day and age was no big deal.

    Talking about Khan’s video, Sanaullah also said that he does not have access to the videos.

    Earlier today, in a new leaked audio, the former prime minister can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’ (let’s play with this), without mentioning the name of the United States. They discuss how holding a meeting with the Foreign Secretary and then-Foreign Minister Shah Mahmud Qureshi in which allegedly Azam Khan can be heard discussing the minutes of the meeting.

  • Court issues notice to NAB on Dar’s plea to cancel warrants

    Court issues notice to NAB on Dar’s plea to cancel warrants

    An accountability court has served a notice to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) today (Wednesday) after newly-appointed Finance Minister Ishaq Dar surrendered himself before the court and submitted a petition pleading for the cancellation of his arrest warrants.

    The court then issued a notice to the NAB and ordered Dar to appear before the court on October 7.

    “We will hear the application for cancellation of warrants along with assets’ reference,” the judge remarked.

    In 2017, Dar was a declared a proclaimed offender in a NAB reference due to his continued absence from the proceedings.

    NAB accused Dar of possessing assets disproportionate to his known sources of income.

    The case was filed by NAB in light of the Supreme Court’s July 28 verdict in the Panama Papers case.

    The same year, Dar flew to United Kingdom due to seek medical treatment. He stayed there for almost five years until his return to Pakistan on Monday.

  • Naseem Shah hospitalised, will miss Pak Vs Eng match tonight

    A team spokesperson announced on Wednesday that fast bowler Naseem Shah has been admitted to hospital after developing a viral infection.
    He won’t be playing the fifth Twenty20 match in Lahore against England in the ongoing series.

    The 19-year-old pacer was reportedly transferred to a hospital for treatment, where he was tested for dengue fever. According to sources, Shah has a chest infection that has led to other problems.

    Both teams will try to play at full strength today (Wednesday) in an effort to grab the lead in the seven-match series, which is now tied 2-2. After a 17-year absence, Lahore will once again play host to England.

    Naseem Shah was one of the main strike bowlers for his team in the recently concluded Asia Cup 2022. He took seven wickets in five games while maintaining an economy rate of 7.66.

  • ‘Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai’: Imran Khan responds to new leaked audio

    ‘Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai’: Imran Khan responds to new leaked audio

    Former Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan broke silence on the leaked audio, saying he has not played on the cipher yet.

    Khan in the new leaked audio, can be heard talking about the alleged foreign conspiracy against him with his then principal secretary Azam Khan.

    He said that Shahbaz Sharif leaked that audio when asked who did this.

    “It is good that the audio got leaked, I would say the cypher should also be leaked. So that everyone should come to know how big was that foreign conspiracy.”

    “Abhi toh khela hi nahi mai,” said Khan. Translation: I have not played over it yet and will play when they expose it.

    Audio: ‘Is par hi khelna hai’: Imran warns not to reveal United States involvement

    Khan discusses how to frame the narrative around the alleged conspiracy that resulted in the ouster of his government. He tells Azam Khan: ‘Iss par hi khelna hai’, without mentioning the name of the United States and they discuss how to form a team on the issue.

    The “cipher” lies at the heart of PTI’s claim that the US plotted with individuals within Pakistan to remove Khan from office. It is based on then-envoy Asad Majeed’s meeting with State Department employee Donald Lu.

    Pakistan Tehreek-i- Insaf (PTI) is claiming that the audio has been leaked by the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

    PTI leader Fawad Chaudhry has said that the audio leak is evidence of the attempt to hide the US letter from Imran Khan, in an acknowledgement that the audio is likely real.