Author: newsdesk

  • ‘PDM on mind’: Firdous breaks tiles with a punch

    ‘PDM on mind’: Firdous breaks tiles with a punch

    Punjab Chief Minister’s Special Assistant on Information Firdous Ashiq Awan recently broke a stack of tiles with a punch.

    Firdous, who participated in a ceremony organised by Mashal-e-Rah Foundation in Lahore, said she broke these tiles with the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) on her mind. According to the CM’s aide, the PDM has been throwing punches at Imran Khan’s government, so now this was her response to them.

    As she broke the tiles to pieces, she was applauded by the host and the people who had gathered to watch Firdous’s feat of strength.

    Firdous is not the one to shy away from a fight. Last month, she had an altercation with Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader Azma Bukhari on a TV show. The argument between the two politicians lasted well after the show and Firdous almost hit Bukhari. But, the staffers intervened to placate the CM’s aide and cooled things down.

    Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan was appointed as the Punjab CM’s aide months after she was removed from the federal cabinet as PM Imran’s aide on information. She replaced Fayyazul Hassan Chohan in the Punjab cabinet.

  • Gippy Grewal calls out Bollywood for ignoring farmers’ plight

    Gippy Grewal calls out Bollywood for ignoring farmers’ plight

    Punjab star Gippy Grewal has lashed out at Bollywood for not standing up for Punjab at a time when the state needs their support for the ongoing farmers’ protest.

    Read more – Ahmed Ali Butt to share the screen with Gippi Grewal in upcoming Punjabi film

    Rupinder Singh Grewal, popular by his stage name Gippy Grewal, took to Twitter and wrote that for years Punjab had welcomed Bollywood with open arms but its silence over the issue was painful.

    “Dear Bollywood, Every now and then your movies have been shot in Punjab and every time you have been welcomed with open heart. But today when Punjab needs you the most, you didn’t show up and speak a word. Disappointed,” the 37-year-old singer tweeted.

    In response to Gippy’s tweet, Taapsee Pannu said that there are artistes in Bollywood who have always been vocal about contentious issues, including the farmers’ protests, and she found his generalised comment “demotivating”.

    Replying to the actor, Grewal said his tweet wasn’t for Pannu and others who are supporting the farmers, but for those who call themselves Punjabi.

    “My tweet was for them who call themselves from Punjab and not utter even a single word. They all vanish,” the singer added.

    Earlier, Kangana Ranaut and Diljit Dosanjh were involved in a Twitter feud over the ongoing farmer’s protests in India in which Diljit gave Kangana a piece of his mind and called her out for propagating hate.

    Farmer’s Protest

    Thousands of farmers have gathered at Delhi’s gateways to demand a repeal of the Centre’s three new farm laws. The protesting farmers, mainly from Punjab and Haryana as well as Uttar Pradesh, are worried the new laws will eliminate the safety cushion of a Minimum Support Price and procurement system while rendering ineffective the mandi system that ensures earnings for various stakeholders in the farm sector.

    The government has been in talks with farmer leaders to resolve the issue.

  • Ex-general says establishment not responsible for deaths of Rizvi, two judges

    Ex-general says establishment not responsible for deaths of Rizvi, two judges

    Amid rumours that the military establishment has something to do with the deaths of radical cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi, Peshawar High Court Chief Justice Waqar Seth, and accountability judge Arshad Malik, retired general Ghulam Mustafa said that the establishment doesn’t have anything to do with these deaths.

    In a video posted on YouTube, he said it was concerning that people were paying heed to the ideas that were detrimental to Pakistan.

    He said people should need to think before they go public with such ideas, urging the youth on social media not to go far in support of ideas for the sake of others. “This can come back to haunt you or your family,” the ex-general added.

    Rizvi died the previous month a day after the TLP protesters and government reached an agreement following a day-long sit-in at Faizabad. The TLP wanted the government to take action against France, such as the boycott of products and the expulsion of its envoy, over blasphemous cartoons. His death had led to speculation that it may not be due to natural causes.

    Last month, PHC CJ Waqar Seth also breathed his last due to COVID-19. The judge made headlines for his stern ruling wherein he said ex-general Pervez Musharraf must be hanged for subverting the constitution, and if he dies before his body should be hanged at D-Chowk for three days. The judge also struck down dozens of sentences awarded by the military courts on the basis of lack of evidence.

    And Arshad Malik, the judge who sentenced ex-prime minister Nawaz Sharif in Al-Azizia reference, too died this week due to COVID-19. Last year, PML-N VP Maryam Nawaz along with top party leadership, held a press conference, wherein she said that Malik was coerced to give a verdict against Nawaz. She played a purported video of Malik to back her claims. The judge was subsequently dismissed, though he contested the veracity of videos.

  • World can start dreaming of pandemic’s end, says UN health chief

    World can start dreaming of pandemic’s end, says UN health chief

    The UN health chief on Friday said that positive results from COVID-19 vaccine trials mean the world “can begin to dream about the end of the pandemic,” but he said rich and powerful nations must not ignore the poor and marginalized “in the stampede for vaccines.”

    In an address to the UN general assembly’s session on the pandemic, World Health Organisation Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus cautioned that while the virus can be stopped, “the path ahead remains deceitful.”

    The pandemic has shown humanity at “its best and worst,” he said, pointing to “inspiring acts of compassion and self-sacrifice, breathtaking feats of science and innovation, and heartwarming demonstrations of solidarity, but also disturbing signs of self-interest, blame-shifting and divisions.”

    Referring to the current increase in infections and deaths, Tedros, without naming any countries, said that “where science is drowned out by conspiracy theories, where solidarity is undermined by division, where sacrifice is substituted with self-interest, the virus thrives, the virus spreads.”

    In his virtual address, he warned that a vaccine “will not address the vulnerabilities that lie at its root” — poverty, hunger, inequality and climate change, which he said must be tackled once the pandemic ends.

    “We cannot and we must not go back to the same exploitative patterns of production and consumption, the same disregard for the planet that sustains all life, the same cycle of panic and meddling and the same divisive politics that fuelled this pandemic,” he said.

    On vaccines, Tedros said, “the light at the end of the tunnel is growing steadily brighter,” but vaccines “must be shared equally as global public goods, not as private commodities that widen inequalities and become yet another reason some people are left behind.”

    Earlier, WHO warned people ‘vaccines do not equal zero Covid’ and asked governments and citizens not to drop their guard over the pandemic and urged people to follow all the virus SOPs.

  • Hajra Yamin, Fahad Sheikh’s ‘Nam Kya Rakha’ talks about unrequited love

    Hajra Yamin, Fahad Sheikh’s ‘Nam Kya Rakha’ talks about unrequited love

    Pakistan’s fastest growing web-channel, See Prime released a short film titled Nam Kya Rakha on Friday, starring Hajra Yamin, Fahad Sheikh, Faizan Shaikh and Shawaiz.

    “Shayan (Fahad Sheikh), the lead protagonist in the story is a cricket fanatic who ends up on a hospital bed due to a car accident, unaware of what waits for him. There he meets up the only woman he ever loved. The story discloses how healing touch of love that can happen in unlikely places at unlikely times,” reads the film’s official synopsis.

    Penned by Shaha Jamshed and directed by Sohail Javed, the short story has been produced by Ali Hussain and Mahib Bukhari.

    The Executive Producer of the film, Seemeen Naveed, in a statement, said, “Naam Kya Rakha is a reminder to each one of us that it is okay to look back if it will allow you to move forward – and we are glad that with See Prime we are able to tell such simple stories for our audiences.”

    Fahad and Hajra are currently winning hearts as a couple in ARY Digital’s ongoing drama Jalan.

    Read more – Sanam Saeed’s ‘Ab Buss’ takes inspiration from the motorway gang-rape incident

    Watch Naam Kya Rakha here:

  • IN PICTURES: Hina Altaf throws a surprise party for husband Agha Ali

    IN PICTURES: Hina Altaf throws a surprise party for husband Agha Ali

    Hina Altaf threw an intimate surprise birthday for husband Agha Ali. Only close friends and family attended the birthday, which was Agha’s first after marriage.

    The happy couple looks radiant in this selfie.

    The theme of the party was black and gold with a rock star themed cake.

    Such an endearing photo of Agha and his mother and Hina and her mother-in-law.

    Hina and Agha tied the knot in a low-key ceremony on May 22, 2020.

  • Two Pakistani companies make it to Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under A Billion’ 2020 list

    Two Pakistani companies make it to Forbes Asia’s ‘Best Under A Billion’ 2020 list

    Two Pakistani companies have made it to this year’s Forbes ‘Asia’s 200 Best Under A Billion 2020‘ list.

    The Forbes list recognises 200 small and medium-sized companies which have performed the best in the Asia-Pacific region. The criteria for the companies is to have sales below the $1 billion mark.

    Systems Limited Pakistan and Feroze1888 Mills Ltd made it to the annual list. Adviser to the prime minister on Commerce and Investment Abdul Razak Dawood appreciated and congratulated the companies for making it to the coveted list.

    He praised the companies and expressed confidence that the achievement of these firms would “provide impetus to others to achieve similar laurels.”

    Founded in 1977, Systems Limited Pakistan has the distinction of being the country’s first software technology company, according to a statement on its website.

  • COVID-positive employee booked for ‘forcibly kissing’ boss after suspension of pay

    COVID-positive employee booked for ‘forcibly kissing’ boss after suspension of pay

    An employee of the Karachi Metropolitan Corporation, who was suspended over corruption complaints, hugged and kissed Human Resource Director Jamil Farooqui and other senior staffers at the building before telling them that he tested positive for coronavirus.

    Shehzad Anwar, the KMC land assistant director posted in Landhi, was suspended on October 5 and his salary was being docked by the HR department after his failure to report to the HRM director following the suspension.

    Samaa quoted Farooqui saying that Anwar tried to get close to him by entering his office on a false pretext.

    After Anwar revealed that he had tested positive for the deadly virus, there was pandemonium at the secretariat, with people rushing out.

    Farooqui said he would take legal action against the KMC assistant director, Anwar, for his attempt to cause harm to him and other staffers. “I tested positive for COVID four months, but I will however retake the test following my interaction with Anwar,” he added.

    Subsequently, a case was filed against Anwar under sections 34 (common intention), 186 (obstructing a public servant) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the City Court police station. According to the FIR, Anwar, who was a stenographer at the KMC, “[forcibly] hugged and kissed” him on his neck.

  • Man’s wife sells his PS5 after he lied and told her it was an air purifier

    Man’s wife sells his PS5 after he lied and told her it was an air purifier

    A Taiwanese man bought the newest Playstation 5 but could not enjoy playing with the device because his wife sold the console after she found out his lie about it being an air purifier.

    The buyer, Jin Wu, shared the experience on Facebook. Wu said he arranged a meeting with the seller in person and even called to verify the purchase, but was met by a female voice, who he said didn’t sound like she was much of a gamer.

    Wu added that the “price is also the cheapest to find on the day.”

    When Wu met the seller to claim his new PS5, he was greeted by a sad husband instead of his wife.

    After a short exchange about where the device was purchased, the husband admitted that he tricked his wife into thinking the game console was an air purifier.

    “It’s my wife who wants to sell it,” the Facebook post read. “I went silent after seeing the look in his eyes. I could feel his pain.”

    “Seems like women can still tell the difference between a PS5 console and an air purifier,” the post concluded.

  • The first look of ‘Game of Thrones’ prequel is out

    The prequel of popular TV series Game of Thrones has finally been given a production date.

    “Dragons are coming, House of the Dragon begins production in 2021″, said the official account of the TV series. It also teased the first look of the prequel by sharing artworks depicting a red dragon.

    As per details, House of the Dragon is based on George R.R. Martin’s House Targaryen chronicle Fire & Blood and set 300 years before Game of Thrones. The famed Dance of Dragons — the Targaryen civil war occasionally referenced in GoT that ripped apart Westeros — will be tackled during the series.

    Paddy Considine was the first actor to be cast in prequel series, as King Viserys I Targaryen. More casting announcements are expected soon.

    The series will premiere on HBO Max at the same time it does in theatres. HBO Max is a streaming service that will launch in May 2020 at $15 per month. House of the Dragon will have 10 episodes and the series will be filmed mainly in England at Leavesden Studios in Watford.

    Considering the popularity of the Game of Thrones, the channel was keen on making a prequel of the show. Two different prequels were in talks after the final episode of Game of Thrones aired in May 2019.

    The prequel is expected to premiere in 2022.