Author: newsdesk

  • ‘Kya hum aap ke ghulaam hain?’ PM Khan slams EU ambassadors based in Pakistan

    ‘Kya hum aap ke ghulaam hain?’ PM Khan slams EU ambassadors based in Pakistan

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan on Sunday hit back at European Union (EU) envoys in Pakistan for their letter asking Islamabad to condemn Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

    “Are we your slaves that you think we will do whatever you ask us to do?” PM Khan also asked if the EU envoys also wrote a similar letter to India.

    PM Khan asked what Pakistan got out of supporting the West apart from losing 80,000 of its citizens, displacement of 3.5 million people, and losing over $100 billion.

    “I ask EU ambassadors: did you thank us? Did you say we helped you in your war? Did you appreciate us?”

    PM Khan said that instead of thanking us, some people in the West started blaming Pakistan for their loss in Afghanistan.

    “When India broke international law in Kashmir and abrogated Kashmir’s autonomous status, did any one of you break ties with India, ended trade with India or criticised them?”

    EU letter:

    “As heads of mission to the Islamic Republic of Pakistan, we urge Pakistan to join us in condemning Russia’s actions,” said a letter signed by envoys from 22 countries, including EU member states.

    Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) had earlier reacted to the letter and a spokesperson for the FO said, “This attitude is unacceptable and Pakistan has conveyed its concern to the embassies.”

  • APS attack survivor Ahmad Nawaz becomes President of Oxford Union

    APS attack survivor Ahmad Nawaz becomes President of Oxford Union

    Ahmad Nawaz, a survivor of the Army Public School (APS) Peshawar attack, has secured the position of the President of “Oxford Union”, a famous debating society at Oxford University, one of the most prestigious universities in the world. The society was founded in 1823.

    He shared the announcement on his Twitter handle saying, “I am so extremely proud to announce that I have been Elected President of the @OxfordUnion. One of the world’s biggest & historical platforms!.”

    He also thanked his parents, friends, and team who have been supportive throughout his journey.

    He enrolled in Oxford University to study Philosophy and Theology in 2020.

    At the age of 14, he was shot in the arm in the massacre, and his brother, Haris was martyred in the APS attack. After hospitalisation for several days in Peshawar, he was taken to Birmingham for emergency surgery to save his arm.

    He is also a human rights activist to empower youth and ensure access to education for deprived children.

  • Whether a woman chooses a burqa or a bikini, she has the right to decide for herself: Malala

    Whether a woman chooses a burqa or a bikini, she has the right to decide for herself: Malala

    Nobel Laureate and Women’s Education Rights Activist Malala Yousafzai, in a recent essay, Please stop telling us how to dress, has talked about the criticism and pressure women have to face on the choice of their dressing.

    Malala, sharing some text from her essay on her Instagram, wrote: “Years ago I spoke against the Taliban forcing women in my community to wear burqas – and last month I spoke against Indian authorities forcing girls to remove their hijabs at school. These aren’t contradictions – both cases involve objectifying women. If someone forces me to cover my head, I will protest. If someone forces me to remove my scarf, I will protest.”

    “Whether a woman chooses a burqa or a bikini, she has the right to decide for herself. Come and talk to us about individual freedom and autonomy, about preventing harm and violence, about education and emancipation. Do not come with your wardrobe notes,” she added.

    “Someday I might make changes to my wardrobe. I also might not. But exploring and understanding clothing will remain part of my life, as will defending every woman’s right to determine what she wears. I love my patterned, floral shalwar kameez. I love my jeans too. And I am proud of my scarves,” she wrote while concluding her essay.

  • UN Security Council condemns ‘heinous and cowardly’ terrorist attack in Peshawar

    The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) condemned the “heinous and cowardly” terrorist attack in Peshawar at a mosque on Friday (March 4). The attack was claimed by the Islamic State-Khurasan (IS-K).

    The statement on Sunday said that the UNSC members expressed their deepest sympathy and condolences to the victims and the Pakistani government.

    “I condemn the horrific attack on a mosque in Pesh­awar during Friday prayers. My condolences to those who lost loved ones, and my solidarity with the people of Pakistan,” UN Secretary Gene­ral António Guterres tweeted on Friday.

  • ‘Where is the hate?’ Twitter reacts to Indian cricket team playing with Pakistan cricket captain’s baby

    ‘Where is the hate?’ Twitter reacts to Indian cricket team playing with Pakistan cricket captain’s baby

    Though India started off the International Cricket Council (ICC) Women’s World Cup campaign with a win, the winners were bowled over by Pakistan skipper Bismah Maroof’s daughter after the match.

    A video of Indian women cricketers playing with Maroof’s daughter — Fatima — appeared on social media. A picture also surfaced where players could be seen posing with the mother-daughter duo after the conclusion of the opener in New Zealand.

    “Little Fatima’s first lesson in the spirit of cricket from India and Pakistan,” tweeted the ICC.

    Apart from this, Pakistani and Indians both reacted positively to the video.

    India secured a comprehensive 107-run win over Pakistan in the Women’s World Cup.

  • The Batman Review: An intriguing noir with stellar performances and visual effects, Robert Pattison shines

    The Batman Review: An intriguing noir with stellar performances and visual effects, Robert Pattison shines

    Star Cast: Robert Pattinson, Zoë Kravitz, Paul Dano, Jeffrey Wright, John Turturro, Andy Serkis, Colin Farrell

    Director: Matt Reeves

    The Current: 3.5/5

    The Batman (Robert Pattinson) teams up with James Gordon (Jeffrey Wright) to solve back-to-back murders of some pretty corrupt people. Every murder comes up with a secret cypher for the Batman when he then solves his during his evening tea with his beloved butler Alfred (Andy Serkis). Now, Batman has to fight a villain whose identity lies in the clues he leaves for the dark knight to reach him. He’s the Riddler (Paul Dano) bringing out probably the most underused shade of Batman’s character i.e. being the world’s greatest detective. As he figures out a way to reach the Riddler, he soft-lands on Selina aka Catwoman aka Bat’s Cat (Zoë Kravitz). Aiming towards achieving a mutual goal, they get together to reach the end of all the mishaps happening in the city. Do they succeed?

    When Matt Reeves denied using the script already sculpted by Ben Affleck, he told he didn’t want his version of the defender of Gotham to come with the burden of a shared universe. This decision has made Batman, what it is today. Reeves, Peter Craig’s story stretches to almost touching the 3-hour mark, but boy is this the first time I’ve sat through a 3-hour film without keeping a track of the time even once? Because Reeves shared the universe, he optimistically presents a more authentic touch to a story that’s partially known to everyone.

    Reeves’ Batman isn’t your next door billionaire, he’s internally broken showing more of what he’s within rather than the blingy stuff outside. Because the outside world, as captured by Greig Fraser’s camera, is so ill-lighted. Fraser masters his focus point only at the things he wants you to see, almost defocusing everything else. William Hoy & Tyler Nelson are the magicians who keep the film just under the 3-hour-mark with their editing prowess. They retain the slow-burning essence (pun intended!) of the script by keeping you intrigued despite spending 176 minutes on your a** (that’s if you’re lucky enough to not get an abrupt break as we do here in India).

    Performances

    Robert Pattinson shines in the film and is the one who looks the most like Batman from the comics, Reeves’ bleakly vision adds to the charm that Robert brings on screen. With minimal facial expression the actor manages to leave a mark and looks intimidating and pleasant at the same time.

    The Batman Movie Review

    Zoë Kravitz in a scene buries her claws into a bad man’s face and that’s where you see the most amount of Catwoman in her. She once joked she used to drink milk from a bowl to understand the psyche of a cat, and with those smoky, cat eyes of her, Zoë manages to embody the feline flexibility so well with her actions.

    Paul Dano as Riddler plays as much behind the mask as he does after stripping it off. Matt Reeves has always mentioned how he wanted to explore the ‘detective’ side of the superhero, he couldn’t have asked for a better antagonist than Riddler to test the caped crusader. The ambiguity built around Dano’s aura gives him another layer to add the surprising factor in his performance. The whole ‘he can do anything at any given time’ works majorly towards making him terrorising.

    Colin Farrell is in great form and does complete justice to his character. He doesn’t go all ballistic as Penguins of the past, but his accent adds to the peculiarity he brings in. Andy Serkis as Alfred gets to get closest to the Batman than ever before. Serkis maintains the subtlety of Alfred along with the emotions that come with him after being together with someone for years. John Turturro as Falcone has a short yet pretty sweet role anchoring the dim nature of the script.

    The Batman Review

    Some of the riddles throughout the film could’ve been more engaging, it’s the process that shines bright amid the darkness. Reeves keeps everything extremely gothic yet stylish using various camera tricks of defocusing things.

    Highlighting the entire screenplay with two major colours of Red & Black, he doesn’t make you crave for colours as he traps you in his otherworldly world. He focuses more on his Bat being ‘the greatest detective’ and less of the usual American playboy, philanthropist, and industrialist he has been before.

    Michael Giacchino takes the baton from the likes of Hans Zimmer, Danny Elfman, Elliot Goldenthal resulting in one hell of a haunting soundtrack. While peeing in the washroom during the interval, I could still listen to the background score but then I realised it was coming from the speakers (but, you do get my point here?). Nirvana’s ‘Something In The Way’ plays an important role as Giacchino smartly weaves some of the song’s notes into Batman’s theme.

    So, the song is present throughout the film, at times with lyrics and other times just the notes. A line such as “Underneath the bridge, the tarp has sprung a leak, and the animals I’ve trapped, have all become my pets,” just describes the soul of Batman.

  • ‘Jungkook cried a lot’: BTS member Jimin opens up on dramatic fight with Jungkook

    ‘Jungkook cried a lot’: BTS member Jimin opens up on dramatic fight with Jungkook

    South Korean band BTS has garnered a huge fan following across the world in the last eight years and their every new release sets a new record in the global music market. Apart from their hit songs, the band members also indulge in fun activities, clips of which can be found on several video streaming platforms.

    During a recent interview, member Jimin and Jungkook had opened up about getting into a fight, years back, only to reconcile within the next few hours in the most dramatic way possible.

    When BTS’ Jimin Revealed How He Had A Dramatic Fight With Jungkook

    A few weeks back, their managing company announced that the band will be performing at the capital of their home country, South Korea. Most reports also suggest that they are currently working on their next album which will most probably drop before the end of 2022.

    During an interaction on BTS Festa, BTS members Jimin and Jungkook had revealed how they got into a fight in one of the studios. “We had a fight in the practice studio on a rainy day. After the fight, I got so angry. I told him, ‘do whatever you want’ and left the room. I walked to our house; it was a 20-minute walk from the studio. Then I got a call from Jungkook saying, ‘Jimin, I am so sorry,’ to which I stated, ‘I said don’t call me!’”

    BTS: When Jimin-Jungkook had a nasty fight and patched things up in K-drama style in the rain!

    Explaining how the dramatic reunion happened, Jimin further said, “I asked, ‘where are you?’ Then, he said, ‘I don’t know.’ So, I said, ‘Tell me where you are and I’ll come get you.’” Jungkook explained how he decided to take a taxi home that day and almost got jumped on by Jimin making him cry inconsolably.

    “Yes. So, I was waiting for him in the rain. When Jungkook arrived. I hugged him tightly like in Slam Dunk calling, ‘Jungkook!’ Jungkook cried a lot that day.”, Jimin added.

  • ‘Therapist couldn’t believe’: Kapil Sharma opens up on battling depression and alcoholism

    ‘Therapist couldn’t believe’: Kapil Sharma opens up on battling depression and alcoholism

    Star comedian Kapil Sharma made his OTT debut recently through his Netflix special Kapil Sharma: I’m Not Done Yet. The hour-long comedy special saw the Kis Kis Ko Pyar Karoon actor enthrall audiences with anecdotes from his life, jokes about politics and Bollywood, and some heart-touching moments too.

    He candidly talked about his own struggles with depression and alcoholism on the show. Kapil talked about his experiences with therapy when he found himself depressed. “We always believe that depression is something that happens outside (abroad). It doesn’t happen here,” he said, highlighting the lack of awareness about mental health issues in the country. Kapil talked about the time when he had stopped smiling and nothing appealed to him anymore.

    The Firangi hero spoke about the darkest phase in his life and said that he restricted himself to his room when he was depressed. He added that he used to drink alcohol, sit in room with his dog and watch Netflix’s Narcos. Kapil also spoke about engaging with fights with people on Twitter, following which articles were published about him.The Firangi star stressed on the importance of seeking help if someone is in depression and said that people are still not aware about such issues.Sharing details about his conversation with a therapist, Kapil said, “She couldn’t believe that I could be depressed. She asked me about how I am feeling. I said I don’t feel like doing anything and I am not enjoying things. So, she quipped, ‘Aap duniya ko hasate hai, main nhi manti’ (You make the world laugh, I don’t believe this).”

    Kapil, who is known for his wits, revealed that he quickly replied, “Ma’am, aap kitni khoobsurat hai, aap bhi mujhe achi nhi lag rahi (Ma’am, you’re so beautiful but, I’m not enjoying sitting across you either).”He added, “She turned serious and said- oh my God you’re in severe depression.”

    “Mera kisse baat karne ka  man nahi karta tha. Mein apne kamre mein band rehta tha aur Narcos dekhta tha.Mein raat ko nashe mein bathke Narcos dekhta that.” (I did not feel like talking to anyone. I would sit in my room with my dog, drink a few glasses of alcohol and watch Narcos in a locked room)

    The comedian further revealed how seeking help for mental health illness is important and how these issues are still a taboo in India. Kapil was involved in an ugly spat with Sunil Grover in the past. His tweets during those times had gone crazy viral. 

    Earlier in September 2021, opened about his battle with depression at Fever FM’s Bounce Back Bharat Fest and said that he did not understand mental illnesses. He even added saying that his mother who hails from a small village did not know anything about mental illness and depression. ‘So at that moment, you don’t feel that anything will change because all things seem negative at that time. Don’t know what kind of chemical gets released in your brain that doesn’t allow you to think positively. But my family gave me strength at the time, especially my wife, Ginni. She knew everything about what was happening in my life. No one else did’, shared the comedian.

    “Paper walon ka bhala ho jinhone likha ‘Kapil Sharma hue depression ka shikaar’. Mujhe pata chala, accha, ye hai mujhe.”

    The Kapil Sharma Show: Is Kapil Sharma and Ginni Chatrath's marriage a  'publicity stunt'? | PINKVILLA

    The Firangi star even said that his wife Ginni motivated him to get back to work and gave him all the strength. Kapil said, ‘Ginni stayed with me like a strong pillar. She is a big strength for me in my life. She told me that the public loves me and that I should go back to work. ‘Restart your show, you will feel good’’.

    There were reports in Indian media of Kapil arriving late for shoots and canceling shows were reported in 2017. Moreover, several reports were saying that Kapil used to make celebs wait. During the same time, Kapil had a fallout with his co-star Sunil Grover and within no time his career dipped.

  • ‘Are you dumb?’: Sonakshi Sinha hits out at portal for fake wedding story with Salman Khan

    ‘Are you dumb?’: Sonakshi Sinha hits out at portal for fake wedding story with Salman Khan

    Soon after Bollywood superstar Salman Khan and actress Sonakshi Sinha’s fake wedding photo went viral, the Dabangg star reacted to it on Instagram. Sonakshi has reacted to a post on an Instagram page, calling it plain dumb for people to believe it.

    Sonakshi Sinha Reacts To Her Edited Wedding Pictures With Salman Khan

    Reacting to one such post, Sonakshi Sinha commented, “Are you so dumb that you can’t tell the difference between a real and a morphed picture.”  The post, shared on the subreddit Bolly Blinds n Gossip, shows the screenshot of the original picture with Sonakshi’s comment on it.

    Since the last few days, a bizarre picture of the duo has been doing the rounds on social media. In the photograph, both the actors could be seen exchanging wedding rings while a thick line of Kumkum rested on Sonakshi’s scalp.

    Both of them were seen smiling brightly while participating in the ceremony, instantly triggering the rumour that they have gotten married through an intimate ceremony in the city.

  • Russia blocks Facebook, restricts Twitter access

    Russia blocks Facebook, restricts Twitter access

    The Russian government has officially blocked Facebook and has restricted Twitter in the country.

    The regulator, Roskomnadzor, said there had been 26 cases of discrimination against Russian media by Facebook since October 2020, including restrictions in recent days on state-backed channels like RT and the RIA news agency, Reuters has reported.

    Meta’s head of global affairs Nick Clegg said the company would continue to do everything it could to restore its services.

    “Soon millions of ordinary Russian will find themselves cut off from reliable information, deprived of their everyday ways of connecting with family and friends and silenced from speaking out,” he said, in a statement posted on Twitter.

    Meta in a blog said it was working to keep its services available “to the greatest extent possible” but it had stopped showing ads to users in Russia and barred Russian advertisers from running ads anywhere in the world “due to the difficulties of operating in Russia at this time.”