Author: newsdesk

  • Japanese princess to marry commoner boyfriend despite dispute

    Japanese princess to marry commoner boyfriend despite dispute

     Japan’s Princess Mako will marry a commoner, her former classmate, this month after years of controversy as she will give up her royal status, BBC News reported.

    The couple is all set to tie the know on October 26.

    The couple initially planned their wedding in 2018, but this was put off, reportedly after Mako’s boyfriend, Mr Komuro’s family had run into financial difficulties.

    They are expected to move to the US after marriage where Mr Komuro works as a lawyer.

    This excessive media coverage around the princess — whose father is Crown Prince Fumihito — and Mr Komuro’s family over the years has caused the princess to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the Imperial Household Agency said, according to news outlet Kyodo.

    Her aunt, Empress Masako, also suffered from a stress-related illness, due to intense pressure to produce a male heir. There is often a stigma around mental illnesses in Japan. The couple first met in 2012 when they were students at the International Christian University in Tokyo.

    They were engaged in 2017 and were set to marry the following year. But news of Mr Komuro’s mother’s financial problems started doing the rounds; she had reportedly taken a loan from her ex-fiancé and not paid him back.

    Read More: Photographer deletes all wedding pictures after being denied food

    The palace denied the delay was linked to this, though Crown Prince Fumihito said it was important for the money issues to be dealt with before they got together.

    Princess Mako will reportedly forego a traditional lump-sum payment of up to 150 million yen ($1.3m), which is normally gifted to a member of the royal family upon their departure from the household.

    She is also expected to skip the usual rites associated with a royal family wedding. If she skips both the payment and the rites, it will make her the first female member of the Japanese royal family to do so.

    Under Japanese law, female imperial family members forfeit their status upon marriage to a “commoner” although male members do not.

  • Ramiz Raja chides Basit Ali for calling him ‘Rambo’ during meeting

    Ramiz Raja chides Basit Ali for calling him ‘Rambo’ during meeting

    Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Ramiz Raja on Friday got angry at provincial coach Basit Ali for calling him “Rambo” in a virtual meeting.

    According to 24 News, Raja held a virtual meeting with the six provincial coaches in which some of his old colleagues were also included.

    During the meeting, the head coach of the Sindh province and former Pakistan Test batsman, Basit Ali, who was also a friend of Ramiz, called him “Rambo”.

    Ramiz strongly reacted to this with some aggression and said, what happened Mr Basit, I am the chairman of the PCB. You should speak consciously, he sternly replied to him.

    After Ramiz’s aggressive reply to Basit, all the coaches got serious.

    In the meeting, the PCB chairman also slammed another coach Shahid Aslam on his friendly attitude and advised him strictly that he should coach and don’t try to pay for friendships.

    Meanwhile, he also warned the coaches that either they perform well or go home.

  • ‘Worst mood swings’: Ghana Ali opens up about pregnancy experience, thanks husband for support

    ‘Worst mood swings’: Ghana Ali opens up about pregnancy experience, thanks husband for support

    Actor Ghana Ali has opened up about her experience of pregnancy and how her husband helps her deal with the difficulties. The Dilruba diva while sharing her picture on her Instagram story wrote, “Who says it’s easy to become a mother swelled face/body fatigue.”

    “Frequent urination, Food cravings, Backache, Breathlessness. The worst of all is distaste for foods you usually like, and a sour or metallic taste that persists even when you are not eating.”

    The Sun Yaara star thanked her husband for his unconditional support.

    Earlier, Ghana Ali slammed a netizen for questioning the size of her baby bump and her pregnancy’s timeline on instagram.

  • Umar Akmal is off to the US for ‘personal meetings’, netizens say ‘don’t come back’

    Umar Akmal is off to the US for ‘personal meetings’, netizens say ‘don’t come back’

    Pakistani cricketer Umar Akmal shared a picture on social media where he said he was going to the United States (US) for some personal meetings.

    Akmal took his fans by surprise as he posted a picture on Twitter and said he was off to the US for some personal meetings and would have to stay there for some time if things worked out.

    Read More – Twitter reacts to Umar Akmal’s TikTok video with wife

    Reacting to his post, Twitterati asked him not to come back.

    “Please don’t come back @Umar96Akmal” wrote one of the users.

    “Don’t come back just be there,” wrote another user.

    Some of the users also speculated that Akmal was off to the US to play in the Major Cricket League (MCL).

    In July this year, Akmal had issued an apology for failing to report cases of spot-fixing in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).

    Read More – Umar Akmal gets fans arrested over request for autograph

    “Seventeen months ago, I made a mistake which caused damage to my cricket and career. I learnt a lot during this time and due to that mistake Pakistan cricket’s reputation suffered badly. I ask for forgiveness from the PCB and from cricket fans around the world,” Akmal said in a video released by the PCB.

    Akmal admitted that the period had been “very difficult for him”.

  • Juggun Kazim lands in hot water for severe backlash on viral video, netizens troll

    Juggun Kazim lands in hot water for severe backlash on viral video, netizens troll

    Morning show host and actor Juggun Kazim has landed herself in a major controversy after a video has gone viral from the latest episode of her morning show.

    Many netizens have slammed the Saiqa diva for this inappropriate segment. While some social media users have also called for a boycott of her show.

    Earlier the Paani Jaisa Pyar diva opened up on battling depression due to body-shaming: “When I was in postpartum depression and was constantly reminded of how fat l am, I just wanted the Earth to explode and for me to just fall into it and the entire chapter closes.” She also revealed how her trolls impacted her everyday life. “Even now, when I’m walking, I walk in dropping posture so that no one notices my chest. I don’t want to feel like this and I don’t want any other woman to feel it either.”

    8 Pakistani celebrities who lost weight – ARY Digital UK

    “The people who pass these remarks take it as a joke but they are painful for the one who is at the receiving end,” she concluded.

  • ‘Ravan, cheaters’: Asim Raza lashes out at Jubin Nautiyal and Neha Kakkar for plagiarism

    ‘Ravan, cheaters’: Asim Raza lashes out at Jubin Nautiyal and Neha Kakkar for plagiarism

    Pakistani lyricist Asim Raza has lashed out at Indian singer Jubin Nautiyal for copying the song Bol Kaffara Kia Hoga without giving due credit.

    Taking to Twitter, the writer of the song warned the singer to apologise after the Lut Gaye singer said on social media that he has made a mistake but he will not apologise for that.

    Asim said Hindu festival Dasehra is coming on October 15 and his “multi-headed plagiarism” will be beheaded by the “rightful arrow”.

    “Alhamdulillah I’m listed in the greatest Pakistani song-makers ever who are copied by famous copycats without giving original credits,” the lyricist tweeted in a following tweet.

    He also tagged T-Series, Neha Kakkar and Jubin Nautiyal and said that they ruined the true soul of his song.

    It is not the first time Bollywood has plagiarised famous Pakistani songs. Earlier, Indian singer Dhuvani Bhanushali’s latest song Mehendi was copied from Pakistani legendary singer Alamgir’s Gagar.

  • ‘If TTP lay down arms, we can forgive them and they become normal citizens’: PM Khan

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has said that if the Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) lay down their arms, “we can forgive them and they can become normal citizens”. PM Khan said this in an interview with journalist Ali Mustafa, which will air on TRT World Now.

    “Pakistani Taliban groups actually want to talk to our government for some peace, for some reconciliation and we are in talks with some of those groups,” added PM Khan.

    “Is the Afghan Taliban helping you in this process?” questioned Ali Mustafa.

    “In a sense that the talks are taking place in Afghanistan so yes, you can say it in this sense.”

    Mustafa asked if Pakistan was expecting some sort of an agreement or a deal to come out from the Taliban.

    “Yes, I repeat I do not believe in military solutions. I’m anti-military solutions, so I always believe that being a politician, political dialogue is the way ahead, which I always believed was the case in Afghanistan,” added the premier.

    Last month, President Dr Arif Alvi had said that if anyone wants to leave the ideology of the banned TTP and work as per the Constitution of Pakistan, the government may consider a general amnesty.

    President Alvi said, “The TTP is a threat to us. We have been told that they will stay with them [Afghan Taliban] but do nothing against Pakistan.”

    “It’s one step, Pakistan will consider general amnesty, if anyone surrenders,” further added Alvi.

    A few days after the president’s statement, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi in an interview with The Independent also said that the government would be “open to giving” a pardon to members of the banned TTP if they promise not to get involved in terrorism and follow the Constitution of Pakistan.

    Qureshi added, “If [the TTP] are willing to mend fences and not take the law into their hands and not get involved in terrorist activities and they submit and surrender to the writ of the government and the Constitution of Pakistan, we are even open to giving them a pardon.”

    “But as long as they do not come and start undertaking terrorist activities [in Pakistan]. That is our concern,” the foreign minister stressed.

  • FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    FBR extends date for filing income tax returns ‘due to serious technical problems’

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has extended the date for filing income tax returns till October 15. Earlier, the last date for filling income tax returns was September 30. FBR had said at many times that it would not extend the deadline for people seeking to file their income tax returns, but the deadline was extended on Thursday.

    “In exercise of powers conferred under Section 214A of the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001, the Federal Board of Revenue is pleased to extend the date of fling of income tax return for tax year 2021, by 15 days i.e. up to 15.10.21 due to serious technical problems in online return filing system (IRIS),” said the notification issued by FBR.

    As per Geo News, Minister for Finance Shaukat Tarin decided to extend the date considering the constant demands from the business community. The tax-collection body had received several applications for the extension of the deadline for filing income tax returns.

  • Accountability court indicts Shehbaz Sharif’s wife in money laundering case

    Accountability court indicts Shehbaz Sharif’s wife in money laundering case

    An accountability court in Lahore indicated Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) President Shehbaz Sharif’s wife Nusrat Shehbaz in money laundering case reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), reports Dawn.

    During the hearing, Judge Naseem Virk indicted Sharif’s wife who is currently residing in London. NAB prosecutor Usman Rashid Cheema was also present there.

    Shehbaz Sharif’s plea for exemption from appearance got accepted as he has been advised complete rest by doctors after he slipped from the stairs.

    The hearing was adjourned till October 18.

    Following the decision by British National Crime Agency (NCA) about unfreezing of Sharif and his family’s bank accounts, NAB sources had claimed that the money laundering case is very different from it.

    Last year in August, NAB had filed before an accountability court a Rs8 billion reference of money laundering against Shehbaz, his wife, his two sons and other family members.

    Some sources had claimed that NAB Lahore investigated the assets of Sharif’s family through money laundering and fake foreign telegraphic transfers. 

  • Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani to scale nine of world’s 14 highest peaks

    Sirbaz Khan becomes first Pakistani to scale nine of world’s 14 highest peaks

    Mountaineer Sirbaz Khan summited the 8,167-metre-high Dhaulagiri mountain in Nepal on Friday, stated Alpine Club of Pakistan Secretary Karrar Haidri. The mountaineer has become the first Pakistani to summit nine of the world’s highest 14 peaks, each having the height of more than 8,000 meters, Dawn reported.

    Sirbaz was part of the 19-member ‘SST-Dhaulagiri I Expd. 2021 Autumn’ expedition organised by trekking company Seven Summits Trek.

    According to Seven Summit Trek officials, the climbers scaled the world’s seventh highest peak on Friday morning, with Sirbaz raising Pakistan’s flag upon reaching the mountain’s top.

    Read More: Shehroz Kashif summits 8000 meters Manaslu in Nepal

    Dhaulagiri, which forms part of the Himalayas mountain range, is commonly known as one of the hardest peaks to climb due to its steep sides and bitterly cold climate.

    Soon after the news broke, social media users congratulated the climber for his achievement.

    Sajid Ali Sadpara, the son of late Mohammad Ali Sadpara and a climber himself, tweeted: “Lots of congratulations to Sirbaz Khan to climb Dhaulagiri. After climbing Daulaghiri he is first Pakistani to summit nine 8000 mountains.”

    The 32-year-old mountaineer hails from the Aliabad area of Hunza in Gilgit-Baltistan and began his climbing career in 2016.