Author: newsdesk

  • Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    Ertuğrul delegation enjoys a delightful dinner in Islamabad

    The team behind Diriliş: Ertuğrul, including Celal AL (who plays Abdur Rehman Alp) and producer of the Ottoman epic Kamal Tekdin, after being welcomed by Adnan Siddiqui and Humayun Saeed, enjoyed a delightful dinner in Islamabad on Thursday.

    The dinner, which was hosted by The Legend of Maula Jutt producer Ammara Hikmat saw several Pakistani celebrities including Imran Abbas, Faisal Qureshi, Ahmad Ali Akhbar, Yasir Jaswal, Adnan and Humayun in attendance.

    Pictures of the guests enjoying themselves were widely shared on social media.

    Earlier in the day, the delegation met with Adnan and Humayun, with whom Tekdin Films and TRT production have signed a deal with as partners. Adnan had earlier shared that the partnership will infuse freshness in Pakistani content. Minister for Information and Broadcasting Shibli Faraz and Chairman Parliamentary Committee on Kashmir Shehryar Afridi were also part of the meeting.

    Sharing pictures from the meeting, Adnan said that it didn’t feel like they were meeting Celal for the first time. He added that Celal says that he’s fallen in love with Pakistan and our hospitality.

    Later, the delegates also had a meeting with Prime Minister Imran Khan. According to a press release, the meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of the Pakistani entertainment industry.

    PM Khan, during the meeting, emphasized on showcasing the golden era of Muslims’ Rule in the subcontinent in dramas and films to apprise the youth about that golden age and to foil negative propaganda and designs.

    The PM said that the Pakistani film and drama industry needed to work for the promotion of local culture to apprise western-influenced youth of their indigenous values and to protect them from social evils, adding that the Pakistani film and drama industry will flourish by producing quality content. This will also provide a substitute for the superficial and glamourized broadcast content to the youth.

    Meanwhile, producer Tekdin said that the Turkish team is very happy over Pakistan’s cooperation in this project, which will highlight cultural commonalities between the two countries. He said it will also help strengthen people to people contact.

    The Prime Minister, while appreciating the project, assured the Turkish team that his government will provide full cooperation in this regard.

    Pakistan’s Turkish guest Celal is thoroughly enjoying his stay in Pakistan and prayed that the love and brotherhood between Turkey and Pakistan lives long.

  • PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    PM thinks Hazara community is blackmailing him by not burying loved ones

    Prime Minister Imran Khan has once again asked the Hazara protesters to bury the dead bodies of the coal miners killed in the Mach attack.

    Speaking at a ceremony in Islamabad, Imran urged the protesters not to “blackmail the premier” because “anyone will be able to blackmail the PM then”, including the Pakistan Democratic Movement.

    According to the PM, the government has accepted all demands of the protesters, but their demand that they will not bury their dead unless the prime minister visits them is akin to blackmail.

    “Anyone will blackmail the prime minister then,” he said, adding that the PDM will also use this ‘tactic’ against him. “This blackmail has also been ongoing for two-and-a-half years,” he said referring to the opposition to his government.

    The PM said he has already told the minority community that he will visit them after the burial. “I am using this platform to say that if you {Hazaras] bury them today, I will go to Quetta today to meet the families of the slain miners,” he added.

    He also termed the protesters decision of not burying the dead bodies ‘illogical’.

    PM Imran’s remarks come after Balochistan’s Shia Hazara community continued to protest for a sixth straight day in freezing temperature, refusing to bury their dead. On Sunday, 11 miners were kidnapped from their compound and killed by the armed men. The attack was claimed by the Islamic State.

    Subsequently, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass, demanding that PM personally visits them and assure them of security.

    Protests are also being held in Karachi, Lahore, Islamabad against the murder of the minority group members.

  • Google reportedly lists Mahira Khan as Zara Noor Abbas’ mother

    Google reportedly lists Mahira Khan as Zara Noor Abbas’ mother

    Google has reportedly listed Mahira Khan as Zara Noor Abbas’ mother.

    While it is unclear why and how it happened, a screenshot of search has gone viral on social media. Meanwhile, in reality, the Khamoshi star is the daughter of Asma Abbas and niece of veteran actor Bushra Ansari.

    Later, the information on Wikipedia was corrected with Asma listed as Zara’s mother.

    Goes on to show that even Google and Wikipedia can mess things up and sometimes give incorrect information.

    Earlier, Google had listed Esra Bilgiç as Yasir Hussain’s mother.

  • Netflix’s five most-watched original series revealed

    Netflix’s five most-watched original series revealed

    Though Netflix usually refrains from revealing it’s official viewing figures, they occasionally release stats about their own shows, in a bid to promote their biggest successes. The streaming giant recently revealed that their Christmas release Bridgerton is expected to be viewed by 63 million households in its first four weeks making it it’s fifth-biggest original series so far.

    Here is the list of Netflix’s most-watched original series, as reported by Newsweek.

    5. Bridgerton Season 1

    Described as a period drama which sees Downton Abbey meets Gossip Girl, Bridgerton is based on Julia Quinn’s best-selling romance novels. The show is a delightful mix of drama, romance, fantasy, gorgeous costumes and opulent sets. The series is indulgent and will have you hooked throughout.

    Read more – ‘Bridgerton’ is the arranged marriage we all want

    4. Tiger King

    As the world went into lockdown in mid-March 2020, Netflix’s docuseries about rival big cat owners in the United States Tiger King became a global sensation. Netflix said the series was viewed by 64 million households in its first four weeks.

    3. Stranger Things Season 3

    More than 64 million households watched the third season of Netflix’s mystery-thriller set in the 80s.

    2. Money Heist Part 4

    The only foreign-language drama to feature in the list, the fourth part of Money Heist was watched by at least 65 million people. The Spanish drama locally known as La Casa de Papel is about a group of thieves attempting to rob the Royal Mint of Spain.

    1. The Witcher

    Topping the list is The Witcher, which was watched by 76 million households in its first four weeks, as announced by Netflix in January 2020. Starring Henry Cavill, the series explores the legend of Geralt of Rivia and Princess Ciri, who are linked to each other by destiny.

    Read more – Reasons why ‘The Queen’s Gambit’ is breaking records on Netflix

    Special mention to The Queen’s Gambit, the miniseries starring Anya Taylor-Joy which was reported to have been watched by 62 million households, making it Netflix’s biggest scripted limited series to date.

    Meanwhile, here’s the list of Netflix’s most-viewed shows, as per Variety Magazine.

  • ‘PM tasked YouTubers to target media, Opp,’ claims journalist

    ‘PM tasked YouTubers to target media, Opp,’ claims journalist

    Prime Minister Imran Khan on Wednesday held a meeting with a delegation of YouTubers to discuss an alleged propaganda campaign against the opposition and journalists critical of the government policies, claimed a journalist in a tweet.

    Adeel Raja, an investigative journalist and producer, says the details of the meeting were not made public fearing criticism in the light of the Hazara protests. Raja said that the YouTubers “were tasked to improve the image of the government and target journalists and opposition”.

    Geo’s Hamid Mir also tweeted responded to this news, saying he was ready to face the YouTubers’ attacks.

    Meanwhile, Punjab CM’s focal person on digital media, Azhar Mashwani, rejected claims made by the journalists. He said it was “not a meeting” but an “interview by digital media publishers and Youtubers”.

    Mashwani’s remarks were also endorsed by PM’s focal person on digital media, Dr Arslan Khalid. Dr Khalid said it was a not meeting, but a question-answer session with the premier. He added that the video of the session will prove the journalist “wrong again”.

    The news of the meeting between the PM and social media influencers prompted a response from the senior journalists, including Hamid Mir, who commented that the PM has time to meet with Youtubers and Turkish artists, but he has no time for grieving Hazara people.

  • Malala requests PM Imran to visit Hazara community

    Malala requests PM Imran to visit Hazara community

    Pakistani education activist Malala Yousafzai has appealed to Prime Minister Imran Khan to visit the Hazara community who are protesting in Quetta after 10 coal miners were brutally killed by terrorists five days ago.

    In a tweet, Malala wrote: “I am short of words to express my grief over the brutal killings of Hazara miners. This is not the first time that this has happened. But I hope it is the last.” 

    She added that the whole country is mourning the tragedy before requesting PM Imran to visit the victims.

    The families of the departed have also been protesting for five consecutive days and have refused to bury the slain coal miners until the premier visits them.

    Meanwhile, PM Khan has requested the members of the Hazara community to bury their loved ones and has assured them that he stands with them in their time of suffering.

    On the other hand, PPP Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari and PML-N Vice President Maryam Nawaz visited the protesters on Thursday to express solidarity with them.

  • WhatsApp will delete accounts if user data not shared with Facebook

    WhatsApp has decided to share more user data with other Facebook companies to provide a more coherent experience to users across its services.

    It will share account registration information, phone numbers, transaction data, service-related information, interactions on the platform, mobile device information, IP address, and other data collected based on users’ consent, a new update says.

    This data sharing policy with Facebook and its other services doesn’t apply to EU states. The update is expected to go into effect next month.

    The “key updates” concern how it processes user data, “how businesses can use Facebook hosted services to store and manage their WhatsApp chats,” and “how we partner with Facebook to offer integrations across the Facebook Company Products.”

    In a notification quoted by a tech website, Whastapp said it will delete the accounts after “120 days of inactivity .i.e. not connected to the app.”

    “This effectively means that, while the profiles will remain inactive, WhatsApp will eventually end up deleting the accounts after 120 days of inactivity (i.e. not connected to the app) as part of its efforts to “maintain security, limit data retention, and protect the privacy of our users.”

    Facebook Company Products refers to the flagship Facebook app, Messenger, and Instagram, Boomerang among others.

  • PM meets Ertuğrul founding team while Mach victim families still wait for him

    Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan has come under criticism for meeting the founding team of hit Turkish drama series ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ days after the Mach massacre, victim families of which await him even after the passage of five days.

    Earlier, thousands of protesters blocked Quetta’s key western bypass on Sunday after 11 coalminers belonging to the Hazara community were brutally executed. The Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack by terrorists at a residential compound near a mine site in Mach area of Bolan, some 100km away from the provincial capital.

    While the protesters have been seeking the government’s support and assurance for an end to sectarian killings that have once again shot up in the area, they have been demanding that the premier personally meets them.

    Amid delays in PM Imran’s travel to Balochistan, and subsequent criticism by opposition members as well as the general public, it has emerged that he on Thursday met the founding team of the hit Turkish series that has broken viewership records in Pakistan.

    The meeting in Islamabad was also attended by Federal Minister for Information and Broadcasting Senator Shibli Faraz, Kashmir Committee Chairperson Shehryar Afridi and personalities from Turkish and Pakistani film industries.

    The meeting discussed in detail the proposed television series being created in collaboration between Pakistan and Turkey on the Khilafat Movement among other future projects and the lost glory of Pakistani entertainment industry.

    The premier, however, did tweet on the Mach massacre once again on Wednesday.

    He had also condemned the incident and assured the grieving community of the government’s support earlier, on Sunday.

  • Facebook bans Donald Trump indefinitely

    Facebook bans Donald Trump indefinitely

    A day after various social media platforms, including Twitter, temporarily suspended US President Donald Trump’s accounts, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced that Trump’s account has been banned indefinitely.

    “The shocking events of the last 24 hours clearly demonstrate that President Donald Trump intends to use his remaining time in office to undermine the peaceful and lawful transition of power to his elected successor, Joe Biden,” Zuckerberg said in a statement posted on Facebook. “His decision to use his platform to condone rather than condemn the actions of his supporters at the Capitol building has rightly disturbed people in the US and around the world.”

    “We believe the risks of allowing the President to continue to use our service during this period are simply too great. Therefore, we are extending the block we have placed on his Facebook and Instagram accounts indefinitely and for at least the next two weeks until the peaceful transition of power is complete.”

    On Wednesday, Twitter suspended Trump’s account. In a series of tweets, Twitter Safety tweeted:

    As a result of the unprecedented and ongoing violent situation in Washington, D.C., we have required the removal of three @realDonaldTrump Tweets that were posted earlier today for repeated and severe violations of our Civic Integrity policy.

    This means that the account of @realDonaldTrump will be locked for 12 hours following the removal of these Tweets. If the Tweets are not removed, the account will remain locked

    Future violations of the Twitter Rules, including our Civic Integrity or Violent Threats policies, will result in permanent suspension of the @realDonaldTrump account.

    https://twitter.com/twittersafety/status/1346970431039934464?s=21

    This happened in the wake of the siege of Capitol Hill by pro-Trump mob. Trump released a video on Wednesday night in which he continued to claim he won the election and told supporters who stormed the Capitol: “We love you.” According to the BBC, Snapchat also stopped Trump from creating new posts, but did not say if or when it would end the ban. YouTube also removed the video.

    While his social media accounts remain suspended, Trump released a statement through White House Social Media Director Dan Scavino. It said:

    “Even though I totally disagree with the outcome of the election, and the facts bear me out, nevertheless there will be an orderly transition on January 20th. I have always said we would continue our fight to ensure that only legal votes were counted. While this represents the end of the greatest first term in presidential history, it’s only the beginning of our fight to Make America Great Again!”

  • Newsletter- 7th January 2021, Thursday

    Newsletter- 7th January 2021, Thursday









    *|MC:SUBJECT|*

    The Current Insider
    Thursday, 7th January 2021

    I don’t get it. Why would you send someone who could not choose his words to represent you with the Hazara community who are mourning a devastating loss? PM Khan has requested the Hazara families, who have not buried their murdered family members for the past four days, to bury their dead and said that he will come and meet them ‘very soon’. The families have been doing a sit-in in Quetta, requesting the PM to come and listen to their concerns. The PM sent his special assistant Zulfi Bukhari instead who asked the community members, ‘How will the PM benefit from coming to visit you?’ It really makes one’s heart break. This community that has faced such massive tragedy over the years, and they barely make the headlines. 

    It might also be because our news is always so depressing that we turn to entertainment to make our lives feel a little better. In the past year, most of our followers have read entertainment stories, and it seems it’s because they want to escape — and not deal with the reality of what we live in. Our dramas are no less. They reflect what happens in our society but with such mirch masala that we can’t help watching it. Ashar and Ayesha break down what dramas are super hits this week. Oh and did you hear? Bigshot Indian director Sanjay Leela Bhansali is making a movie about Lahore’s Heera Mandi and rumour has it that Alia Bhatt is playing the leading role. He might also be in talks with Aishwariya Rai and Deepika Padukone but one thing is for sure — it will be big. Although a good Bollywood movie makes for a great Saturday night, it kind of sucks that our history and culture is going to be shown in an Indian movie. We should be the ones making this movie — but then, have we given the space for a Pakistani Sanjay Leela Bhansali to grow?

    Rumour also has it that the Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly decided to remove Misbah-ul-Haq as the Pakistan cricket team’s coach and will bring in a foreign coach after the home series against South Africa and if you haven’t heard already, rumours online suggest that Kim Kardashian and Kanye West are getting a divorce after seven years of marriage. 

    No particular reason to smile today except this video of the Nawaz brothers and their take on Ahmed Shah’s viral video and as promised, the team got together to do a small New Year celebration yesterday. Here is a picture of all of us making a “C” for Current except only one of us actually managed to do a C. Spot the one who got it! 

    Until tomorrow, 
    Marium

    Current Baba’s Prediction

    No matter how bad things get, or how hopeless life may seem, you can always go home and watch Netflix with a nice cup of chai. So sab theek hojaayega, bus aap ne Ghabrana nahin hai.

    Website Website

    Website Website

     

    YouTube YouTube

    Website Website

    Website Website

    Website Website

    Website Website

     
    HEY, WAIT A SECOND PLEASE. 
    If you like the newsletter, make sure that this email doesn’t get lost in promotions or spam.

    Here’s how: 

    • Through your phone, add us by hitting the “Kabob,” (the three dots in upper right-hand corner). Then click “move to,” and select “primary inbox.”
    • If you’re using a desktop just drag and drop the email into primary as shown in the video below. (You can also do this on your phone if you open your email in your browser). Easy.

    And don’t forget to send us your feedback. We would love to hear from you ❤️
     

    Twitter

    Facebook

    Instagram

    Website

    Copyright © 2020 Instant Morning Current, All rights reserved.