Author: newsdesk

  • Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Buzdar rebukes ‘insubordinate’ ministers, decides to ‘act like chief minister now’

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar, irked by “insubordination” of his cabinet members, said he was being “being forced to act like a chief minister” and now he would “act like one”.

    The chief minister made these comments during a meeting of the Punjab Cabinet after Education Minister Murad Raas interrupted the CM in the middle of the meeting over the removal of a civil servant.

    Dawn reported that Murad earned the chief ministerial ire when he objected to the removal of Punjab School Education Department Secretary Sara Aslam, saying she was transferred a day earlier without taking him into confidence. CM Buzdar, however, took an exception to the remarks and responded in a “harsh tone”.

    “Is the issue big enough to raise in the cabinet meeting, especially when it was not on the agenda?” Buzdar was quoted by the newspaper as saying.

    Buzdar did not stop at this, he went on to warn his ministers about their behaviour. “I am aware of who was doing what and who is conspiring against whom. I am being forced to act like a [strict] chief minister and now that is what you people are going to get,” the CM reportedly said.

    According to reports, Ansar Majeed Niazi — minister for labour and human resource — also got his share of scolding for crossing lines with CM Usman Buzdar.

  • Man fined for riding motorcycle with nine children

    Man fined for riding motorcycle with nine children

    A citizen of Lahore was fined Rs300 for riding a motorcycle with nine children.

    As per reports, a motorcyclist named Ibrar was stopped by the traffic police for riding a motorcycle with nine children towards Lower Mall Road. The citizen was charged with a fine of Rs300 over violating the traffic rules and for putting the lives of his children and other people at risk.  

    The traffic police advised the motorcyclist to follow the traffic laws in the future.  

  • Indian aircraft makes emergency landing in Karachi

    An Indian aeroplane made an emergency landing at the Karachi airport after the health of a passenger suffered a cardiac arrest on the flight.

    The passenger, 30-year-old Muhammad Noushad, was declared dead by doctors as soon as the plane landed. They said that the passenger had suffered a cardiac arrest and breathed his last before the plane landed.

    According to Indian media reports, the deceased passenger was a resident of Bareilly, a city in Uttar Pradesh. Some reports stated that the flight G8- 6658A- took off from Riyadh on Tuesday afternoon but had to make an emergency landing after the passenger fainted and died on board.

    The aircraft of the private airline, GoAir (6658) carrying 179 passengers, was en route to New Delhi from Riyadh. After refuelling, the flight took off to land at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

  • UK parliament report suggested expulsion of Lord Nazir over sexual misconduct

    UK parliament report suggested expulsion of Lord Nazir over sexual misconduct

    Nazir Ahmed, the member of House of Lords in England, has resigned from the House a day before a report by Lords Conduct Committee recommended his expulsion for using his position to take advantage of “vulnerable” women.

    According to the report published on Nov 17, Lord Nazir breached the code of conduct for “failing to act on his personal honour” over sexual assault and exploitation. 

    Lord Nazir was earlier accused of exploiting his position to pursue intimate relationships with vulnerable women who asked him for help.

    His retirement was also confirmed by Geo News. Lord Nazir has “decided to retire from the House of Lords after 23 years of service”, it reported

    According to Geo, the UK Parliament confirmed to Lord Nazir that his retirement allocation had been approved under the House of Lords Reform Act 2014 “as of 14 November 2020”.

    SEXUAL MISCONDUCT ALLEGATIONS:

    In March 2019,  BBC said that Lord Nazir Ahmed of Rotherham “took advantage” and began a sexual relationship with her after she approached him for assistance. However, Lord Ahmed, 61, denied acting “inappropriately”.

    According to the report, Tahira Zaman, 43, approached Lord Ahmed in February 2017 through a mutual friend, hoping he would help get the police to investigate a Muslim faith healer who she felt was a danger to women.

    Zaman told BBC Newsnight that Lord Ahmed said he wrote a letter to the Metropolitan Police Commander Cressida Dick about her concerns. “She then alleges that he repeatedly asked her for dinner.”

    BBC said that the woman “finally agreed and weeks after the dinner, she contacted him about her case and he invited her to his east London home”.

    “He was saying I’m beautiful,” she told Newsnight.

    “The pair went on to have sex on numerous occasions. She accepts the relationship was consensual but said: I was looking for help and he took advantage of me. He abused his power,” as per the report.

    Lord Nazir denied any wrongdoing.

  • Shoaib Malik throws a surprise birthday for Sania Mirza in Karachi

    Shoaib Malik throws a surprise birthday for Sania Mirza in Karachi

    Shoaib Malik threw a small and intimate surprise birthday party for his wife Sania Mirza who turned 34 on November 15. Sania and their son Izhaan are currently in Karachi, where they had come to cheer on Malik during the Pakistan Super League (PSL) playoffs.

    Sharing pictures from her birthday, Sania thanked everyone for their wishes and said that she had “the most amazing time with family and friends”.

    Sania glowed in a white, floral dress while Malik looked dapper in a bright, red sweater.

    Shaista Lodhi and Urwa Hocane were among the close friends present at the surprise party. According to details, the party took place at Lodhi’s house.

    Aww, baby Mirza-Malik seems to be having a great time with the balloons.

    Earlier, Sania also celebrated her birthday with Malik’s Peshawar Zalmi teammates after the match.

  • Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform to launch in January

    Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform to launch in January

    Weeks after Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry announced that his ministry is all set to launch Pakistan’s first OTT (over-the-top) platform, Emax Media has announced that it will be launching the country’s first Urdu OTT platform. Called UrduFlix, the platform will offer original and exclusive content in Urdu worldwide.

    According to a press release, “UrduFlix will provide viewers with access to original Urdu films, series, documentaries, cartoons, and Urdu-dubbed Turkish dramas.” It will also offer already popular dramas and films to its subscribers.

    Talking about the launch of the platform, Farhan Ghauhar, founder of UrduFlix said: “We are excited to announce the launch of Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform that will have a recognisable connection to our unique entertainment offerings.”

    “With the on-demand streaming culture on the rise around the world, we want to play our part in putting Pakistan and Pakistani content on the global market as well, and compete with international players,” he added.

    An OTT media service is a streaming media service offered directly to viewers via the Internet. OTT bypasses cable, broadcast, and satellite television platforms, the companies that traditionally act as a controller or distributor of such content.

    UrduFlix is expected to launch in mid-January 2021.

  • A new meme trend is breaking the internet

    A new meme trend is breaking the internet

    Who does not like memes? Memes not only lighten up our mood but make social media exciting and interesting and we wish this meme culture never dies at least as long as the internet exists. Recently, ‘Xavier memes’ have started doing the rounds on social media and we must say that they are hilarious.

    Read more – ‘Rasode Me Kaun Tha’ memes break the internet

  • Jemima is in love with Princess Diana ‘all over again’ after watching ‘The Crown’

    Jemima is in love with Princess Diana ‘all over again’ after watching ‘The Crown’

    More than two decades after her death, Princess Diana’s ill-fated entry into the British royal family is the main storyline in the long-awaited fourth season of the hit Netflix drama The Crown, which released on the streaming platform the past weekend.

    The season has already begun to trend and is currently at number three on Netflix Pakistan. Jemima Goldsmith, who was a close friend of Princess Diana, praised the season and actor Emma Corrin for portraying Diana brilliantly.

    “Emma Corrin has captured all the magic of shy Di,” wrote Jemima on social media.

    “Prepare to fall in love with Princess Diana all over again,” she added.

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1328053776410955777?s=20

    Later, when a Twitter user commented that Corrin’s voice was “spookily accurate”, Jemima agreed with her.

    Goldsmith also praised Tom Brooke for his performance.

    The series shows Diana as a naive teenager who quickly becomes lonely in the role of Prince Charles’ fiancee and rollerskates around Buckingham Palace to pass the time. While the previous series depicted Charles as a sensitive and misunderstood boy, as Diana’s husband he is seen as cold and unfaithful, complaining to Camilla [Parker-Bowles] that she is “so weak, so fragile”.

    The love triangle is one of the main storylines in the fourth season, which covers the late 1970s and the 1980s.

    The scriptwriters also dramatise a notorious incident that year in which a 33-year-old man, Michael Fagan — frustrated at being unemployed and separated from his wife — broke into Buckingham Palace and entered the queen’s bedroom.

    The queen is again played by Olivia Colman, the British actress who won an Oscar for The Favourite in 2019. In the fifth series, she will hand over the role of the older queen to 64-year-old Imelda Staunton, known for playing the cruel Dolores Umbridge in the Harry Potter films.

    US actress Gillian Anderson plays Margaret Thatcher, the imperious first woman to head the British government, in a season dominated by strong female roles.

    A critical and popular success, The Crown was first broadcast in 2016 and has won numerous awards, including three Golden Globes and 10 Emmy Awards. A total of 73 million people have watched at least one episode of the series, according to Ted Sarandos, Netflix’s joint chief executive and chief content officer.

  • Govt reduces COVID-19 testing amid spike in deaths

    Govt reduces COVID-19 testing amid spike in deaths

    As coronavirus cases continue to spike across Pakistan, the government has drastically reduced the number of tests, as it conducted around 29,000 tests on Nov 16 as compared to 39,000 tests on Nov 14.

    According to official data, the number of tests remained above 30,000 since Nov 4 (when positivity rate was about 4 per cent) and the maximum number of samples were taken on Nov 14 i.e. 39,410. But for the past couple of days, the government has slashed the testing by 10,000 even though the positivity rate now stands at 7 per cent.

    Graph of COVID-19 testing

    According to data issued by the National Command and Operations Centre (NCOC) on Tuesday, at least 33 people passed away due to coronavirus, while 2,050 new infections were reported across Pakistan. The positivity rate has also witnessed an increase — from 4 per cent at the start of this month to 7 per cent.

    On Saturday and Sunday, the country saw over 2,000 cases and 2,400 cases respectively, which means more than a 20 per cent increase in cases. These numbers are the highest since July. Seventeen people lost their lives to the coronavirus on Saturday. Pakistan reported over 2,000 cases on Monday as well.

    Meanwhile, SOPs violations across the country continue. The marriage halls, restaurants, and such other places have failed to implement the government directives to stem the growth of the virus.

  • ‘Please bowl slow to me next time,’ Afridi tells Rauf

    Shahid Afridi has responded to Haris Rauf’s yorker that dismissed him on duck.

    In an interview with ESPN Cric Info Haris, while talking about the ball and his apology to Lala, said, “I have an aggressive style of celebration after taking a wicket, but when I dismissed Shahid Bhai yesterday, it was different as he is a superstar. He has given a lot of performances and won matches for Pakistan. So, it was essential for me to give him respect. I was not apologising, I was giving him respect.”

    In response to the interview, Afridi remarked: “It was a great and unplayable yorker, Haris. Very well bowled.”

    “Please bowl slow to me next time,” he added.

    Afridi also congratulated Qalandars for their win and hoped for an exciting final between Lahore and Karachi. He also thanked his fans for supporting Multan Sultans this season.

    Earlier in another interview, Rauf also said that Lahore versus Karachi is like an India-Pakistan match.

    Lahore and Karachi will be battling tonight (November 17) for half a million dollars and glittery golden PSL Trophy.