Author: newsdesk

  • Imran Khan demands judicial council if Faiz’s arrest linked to May 9

    Imran Khan demands judicial council if Faiz’s arrest linked to May 9

    Founder Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan has suggested that a judicial commission be formed if Gen Faiz’s arrest is related to May 9 events.

    His lawyer, Intezar Panjutha, addressed the media on Tuesday after holding a meeting with Khan.

    In an unprecedented move, the country’s former spymaster, Lt-Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed, was detained by military authorities and court martial proceedings were initiated against him on charges of corruption, misuse of authority and violating the Pakistan Army Act as announced by the ISPR on Monday.

    PTI has been unusually quiet on the entire matter, with Khan saying that it is an ‘internal matter’ of the Army distancing his party from it.

    Panjutha also stated that Khan believed it was time for the CJP Isa to step back, emphasising that PTI’s three seats were stolen and given to PML-N on Monday.

  • The Glassworker set to premiere at Hiroshima animation festival

    The Glassworker set to premiere at Hiroshima animation festival

    Pakistan’s first Ghibli style animated film, The Glassworker, will be screened at the Hiroshima Animation Festival in Japan on  Saturday August 17, 2024. Among thousands of entries from 97 countries and regions across the world, it is going to compete in the ‘Feature Competition’ category.

    This is an achievement that showcases Pakistan’s animation talent on the global stage. The Glassworker promises a heartwarming and visually stunning experience.

    The film, directed by Usman Riaz and Mairam Riaz Paracha and produced by Geo Films, was released on July 26, 2024 in Pakistan. It has now crossed the 30 million milestone at the box office.

  • Imane Khelif takes Elon Musk and JK Rowling to court

    Imane Khelif takes Elon Musk and JK Rowling to court

    Algerian boxer Imane Khelif has filed a case of cyberbullying against Elon Musk and JK Rowling along with others. The case, filed on Friday, claims Khelif has been targeted with “aggravated cyber-harassment,” described by her lawyer, Nabil Boudi, as a “misogynist, racist, and sexist campaign.”

    According to Boudi, both JK Rowling and Elon Musk are included in the campaign. The issue started when American swimmer Riley Gaines posted a picture of Khelif with the caption, “Men don’t belong in women’s sports.” Musk then shared the post, agreeing with it.

    Rowling also criticized Khelif’s involvement in the event, saying, “Could any picture sum up our new men’s rights movement better? The smirk of a male who knows he’s protected by a misogynist sporting establishment enjoying the distress of a woman he’s just punched in the head and whose life’s ambition he’s just shattered.”

    Khelif became the center of racist attacks when Italy’s Angela Carini withdrew from her Round of 16 fight against Khelif after just 46 seconds, saying she had never been struck this hard.

    IOC President Thomas Bach supported the Algerian, saying, “Women should be allowed to compete in women’s events.”

    Khelif made history as the first Algerian woman to win an Olympic gold medal in boxing. She won the final match against China’s Yang Liu with a score of 5-0. Khelif also had impressive victories over Thailand’s Janjaem Suwannapheng and Hungary’s Luca Anna Hamori.

    After winning gold, Khelif sent a message to the International Boxing Association (IBA) saying, “Now the whole world knows who Imane Khelif is.”

    Last year IBA disqualified the 25-year-old from the women’s World Boxing Championships because she reportedly didn’t pass an unspecified test. However, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) allowed her to continue competing in the Olympics.

  • 70 injured by Independence Day aerial firing

    70 injured by Independence Day aerial firing

    Aerial firing to celebrate Independence Day has injured 70 people in Karachi.

    The injured persons were taken to hospitals from different areas of Karachi, including Korangi, Gulshan e Iqbal, Mauripur, PIB colony, Jamshed Quarter, Lyari, and Malir, rescue sources told Geo News.
    Firing was also reported in Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Nazimabad, Sharifabad, Pak Colony, and Akhtar Colony.

    Women and children were also injured, however , no loss of life has been reported till now.

  • Four soldiers embrace shahadat, six terrorists killed in South Waziristan

    Four soldiers embrace shahadat, six terrorists killed in South Waziristan

    Four soldiers embraced martyrdom while six terrorists were killed when a skirmish broke out between security forces and terrorists in South Waziristan, according to Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    The ISPR statement stated, “On night 12/ 13 August 2024, a fire exchange took place between the security forces and Khwarij in South Waziristan District.”

    Havildar Nisar Hussain, 34, a resident of District Kurram; Naik Rashid Gul, 34, a resident of District Kurram; Naik Irfan Ullah Khan, 30, a resident of District Lakki Marwat; and Sepoy Usman Rafaqat, 21, a resident of District Haripur, fought bravely to defend the motherland, embracing martyrdom.

    Since the Taliban regime came to place in Afghanistan, the security situation in Pakistan has worsened, with Pakistan repeatedly calling on Kabul to reign in TTP in its territory.

  • Gen Asim Munir denounces foreign-funded digital terrorism

    Gen Asim Munir denounces foreign-funded digital terrorism

    Chief of Army Staff Gen Asim Munir on Tuesday night stressed that a wave of ‘digital terrorism’ funded by foreign powers was aimed at creating a gap between state institutions and the public of Pakistan.

    Speaking at a parade at Pakistan Military Academy to mark Independence Day, the top general addressed vital issues, including the limitations of freedom of speech.

    The military is using the term digital terrorism increasingly to label its harsh critics on social media, which includes PTI activists.

    General Munir also quoted a verse from Surah Al Hujurat, stressing the importance of investigating and verifying information so it doesn’t cause panic.

    Moreover, he also discussed the security situation of the country and called on its neighbour, Afghanistan, to not choose TTP over Pakistan.

    The COAS referred to TTP as Fitna al-Khawarij for its “anti-state and anti-Sharia activities.”

  • Govt cuts petrol price by Rs8.47 per litre ahead of schedule

    Govt cuts petrol price by Rs8.47 per litre ahead of schedule

    The government has unexpectedly reduced petroleum prices ahead of the scheduled review date of August 16.

    For the remainder of the month, petrol prices have been cut by Rs8.47 per litre, largely due to a decline in global fuel prices.

    The new petrol price is Rs260.96 per litre, down from Rs269.43. In addition, the price of high-speed diesel (HSD) has been reduced from Rs272.77 to Rs266.07, a decrease of Rs6.70 per litre.

    The announcement was made by the Ministry of Information on Tuesday.

    While some may view this as a positive development, the reduction may not provide significant relief, as petrol remains above Rs260 per litre.

    However, it could help some individuals save a small amount and slightly reduce their daily commuting expenses.

  • Fiverr lists Pakistani freelancers as ‘unavailable’ amid internet disruption

    Fiverr lists Pakistani freelancers as ‘unavailable’ amid internet disruption

    Internet services in Pakistan have been disrupted for nearly a week, causing a slow speed connection and issues with apps like WhatsApp, Facebook, and Fiverr. Users, who are also dealing with a ban on X (formerly Twitter), are turning to Virtual Private Networks (VPN) to use the app. Fiverr has warned clients that Pakistani freelancers might experience delays due to internet problems and changing their locations due to VPNs.

    Fiverr also flagged Pakistan freelancers as ‘unavailable’, making it difficult for them to get new orders.

    A social media user shared an email from Fiverr stating, “We understand that there may be Internet disruption in your area that might make it harder to keep your routine going. To ensure any unexpected order delays won’t hurt your ratings, we’re temporarily setting your availability status and Gig(s) as unavailable.” It further mentioned that this action will not negatively impact the ratings of any service provider.

    Social media users who are already dealing with serious problems shared many posts about their worries over internet disruptions. They criticised the government’s decision and requested Fiverr to remove the limitations.

    A user asked Fiver’s staff team, Lena, “Is it true that Fiverr has made Pakistani freelancers unavailable amid internet disruptions? To which she replied, yes, here you can check.

    What is the economic impact of this internet shutdown?

    The impact of internet disruptions can be severe. In May 2023, Pakistan experienced a major internet outage that caused significant financial losses. The telecom industry lost around PKR 2.46 billion in just 72 hours, and the IT sector suffered damages of about PKR 10 billion. These disruptions show how important it is to have a reliable internet infrastructure.

  • ‘Mesmerised, blown away, and proud’: Sanam Saeed on Barzakh

    ‘Mesmerised, blown away, and proud’: Sanam Saeed on Barzakh

    Sanam Saeed always lets her work speak for her. When the actress does speak, she never shies away from saying exactly what is on her mind.

    Though her latest project Barzakh, written and directed by Asim Abbasi, landed in controversy, she has come to its defence. The series attracted a lot of attention due to its incredible cinematography however, its queer-themed content stirred massive controversy, invoking mixed reactions across the region.

    In a recent interview with Hindustan Times, Saeed shared her thoughts on the overwhelming response to the web series.
    The Barzakh actress said, “The feedback has been quite overwhelming. Mesmerised, blown away, and proud are just the adjectives that I’ve gotten to hear. People are really overwhelmed, intrigued, curious and have slowly understood that this is not a show that they can just binge-watch. It’s something that they have to really focus on and watch with a lot of attention.”

    Despite the backlash, particularly in Pakistan where Barzakh was removed from YouTube, Saeed remains positive about its impact, especially in India. “It was this really beautiful exchange that happened (through the platform, Zindagi) where people’s eyes were opened up,’ noting how Indian audiences gained new insights into Pakistani culture.”

    Although she hasn’t had an opportunity yet, the actor expressed cautious optimism about the possibility of working in India in the future.

    “I haven’t experienced it, so I can’t say that I miss it because I’ve never gone to India for work. But things will happen one day”, Saeed added.

  • One ‘big sport’ likely to be removed from Olympics 2028

    One ‘big sport’ likely to be removed from Olympics 2028

    One sport will be dropped from the 2028 Olympic Games, and its replacement has already been decided.

    The 2024 Paris Olympics ended on August 11, and fans are already looking forward to the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. This will be the second time L.A. hosts the Olympics, 44 years after the 1984 Games. All the classic Olympic sports, such as gymnastics, swimming, and track and field, will be included. However, breakdancing won’t be part of the 2028 Olympics. Breakdancing first appeared at the Olympics on August 9, 2024 and surprisingly, is likely to be dropped in the next Olympic round.

    With breakdancing not included, cricket will return in the 2028 Olympics after 128 years. Cricket was only played once at the Olympics, back in 1900.

    Fans of breakdancing, though, are hopeful it will return for the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.