Author: newsdesk

  • First Muslim queer lawmaker elected in America

    First Muslim queer lawmaker elected in America

    Mauree Turner won her race for Oklahoma state House for District 88 becoming the first non-binary state legislator in US history and first Muslim lawmaker in Oklahoma.

    As per reports, Turner, 27, defeated Republican candidate Kelly Barlean to represent the district, winning about 71% of the votes, according to the Oklahoma State Election Board’s unofficial results.

    Turner identifies as non-binary, which the National Center for Transgender Equality defines as gender understood as neither male nor female. Turner uses both they/she as pronouns, according to Turner’s Twitter profile. She used the same on her campaign website.

    According to the LGBTQ Victory Fund, a national organisation dedicated to electing LGBTQ people, there are currently four known genderqueer or nonbinary-identified elected officials serving in the US and five public LGBTQ elected officials in Oklahoma. Turner is the first non-binary person to be named to a state legislature.

    An activist, community organiser and native Oklahoman, Turner has spent most of her life fighting for issues such as immigration rights, racial justice and criminal justice. Living as a black Muslim American queer woman in the state of Oklahoma, Turner said, she experienced not being seen or heard by lawmakers. Her campaign ran on a platform of seeking to drive conversations about what inclusive

  • Pakistan & India to go to war over Basmati rice rights

    Pakistan is all geared up to thwart India’s attempt to obtain branding rights for Basmati rice, The News reported.

    Advisor to PM on Commerce Abdul Razza Dawood said on Friday that the government had prepared a detailed response in the matter and would submit it before the European Union (EU) Commission on December 10. 

    He hoped the Indian’s claim on Basmati rice would be rejected in totality. “The decision is expected within a one-year period,” he added.

    We are in possession of many documents which we will present as documentary proof to the EU Commission to prove Basmati rice is our brand, the advisor told The News. 

    Dawood said India’s stance on Basmati rice was impossible to prove since Pakistan possessed every proof to foil their attempt. “The first statement will be submitted on December 19, the application will be submitted in the second round.”

    “I met with the attorney general yesterday to ensure we hire a good law firm to present our Basmati case before the EU commission.”

    Basmati is a variety of long, slender-grained aromatic rice that is traditionally grown in Pakistan and India. As of 2018-19, India accounted for 65% of the international trade in basmati rice, while Pakistan accounted for the remaining 35%.

    Many countries use domestically grown basmati rice crops; however, basmati is geographically exclusive to certain districts of Pakistan and India.

  • Public holiday in Hafizabad on PM’s visit

    Public holiday in Hafizabad on PM’s visit

    Hafizabad administration has announced a public holiday in the district to mark the arrival of Prime Minister Imran Khan in the city.

    In a notification, Hafizabad’s Deputy Commissioner Naveed Shahzad Mirza said all the offices of local and provincial departments will remain closed across the district on Nov 7.

    “This order shall be applicable only to the offices of local and provincial departments,” read the notification shared by Samaa.

    Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar will also accompany the prime minister on his visit.

    During his one-day visit to the district, the prime minister will lay the foundation stone of a university and district headquarters hospital in the district. He will also announce Sehat Insaf Card for residents of the area as well.

    Meanwhile, the district admin has also completed arrangement for a public address of the premier at the Municipal Stadium, with at least 10,000 chairs placed at the venue. The admin has also installed four gates at the venue, including a gate for the VIPs.

    The admin has also put CCTV cameras on the routes of the jalsa. Samaa reported that ahead of the PM’s visit, the district administration has also repaired the roads overnight.

    The media reports quoted local Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leaders saying that the public gathering will be bigger than the ones organised by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) — an anti-government alliance of opposition parties — over the month.

  • ‘Among us’: ICC challenges cricket fans to spot the imposter

    ‘Among us’: ICC challenges cricket fans to spot the imposter

    The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday released a series of images on Twitter featuring famous cricketers alongside their Among Us avatars.

    Among Us is an online multiplayer game centered around a space-theme. Players are given either the role of crew mate or imposter and the objective of the game is to find the imposter before all the crew mates are killed.

    Part of the game includes a wide range of customisation one can do with their avatar and it looks like the ICC had a great time customising avatars. Check them out below:

    While Babar Azam was given a green and yellow avatar, Bismah Maroof got one with a cowboy hat.

    Chris Gayle’s and Andre Russell’s blond hair avatars were the funniest among all.

  • VIDEO: Imran Ashraf’s son has an adorable reaction to father’s first LSA nomination

    VIDEO: Imran Ashraf’s son has an adorable reaction to father’s first LSA nomination

    Imran Ashraf Awan received his first Lux Style Awards nomination this year for his performance as Bhola in Ranjha Ranjha Kardi and his son couldn’t be happier.

    In a video shared by Imran on his social media, his son Roham can be seen jumping with joy over his father’s nomination.

    Earlier, the actor had expressed his own joy at being nominated and thanked his fans and the organisers for the honour.

    “Alhamdulillah, Thank you Lux. Yeh meri first Lux nomination hai. Bhola ko abhi tak koi Pakistani award nahi mila. Par aap ke baishumar dil milay hein,” said Imran.

    VIDEO: Imran Ashraf hums the tune of ‘Meray Paas Tum Ho’ as Adnan Siddiqui plays the piano

    Humayun Saeed was given the honour of sharing Roham’s first-ever picture on Imran and his wife Kiran’s anniversary this year.

    “Imran had promised me that Roham’s first picture will be posted by me so here’s introducing their son Roham to all of you for the very first time ever,” shared Humayun in the caption.

    Roham was born in March 2019.

  • Anne Hathaway apologises to disabled community for hurting sentiments in ‘The Witches’

    Oscar-winning actor Anne Hathaway has apologised to the limb difference community after her latest film The Witches received an online backlash from the community.

    According to details, the villainous witches in the Warner Bros. film including the coven leader played by Anne Hathaway, are seen as having only three fingers.

    The design of the fingers resembles ectrodactyly, also known as a split or cleft hand, which is a limb disability.

    Several social media users have objected to the representation of the limb as disrespectful as it was used to portray Hathaway’s character as non-human.

    Following the outrage, the actor took to Instagram to share a video by Luck Fin project featuring people with limb differences, with which she penned a long caption dedicated to people with disabilities and apologised to the community for offending them with her film.

    “I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches,” she wrote.

    “Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for,” her caption further read.

    The actor then went on to extend her heartfelt apologies to the entire community and especially to “kids with limb differences.”

    “As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened,” the 37-year-old actor wrote.

    “I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down,” she added.

    View this post on Instagram

    I have recently learned that many people with limb differences, especially children, are in pain because of the portrayal of the Grand High Witch in The Witches. Let me begin by saying I do my best to be sensitive to the feelings and experiences of others not out of some scrambling PC fear, but because not hurting others seems like a basic level of decency we should all be striving for. As someone who really believes in inclusivity and really, really detests cruelty, I owe you all an apology for the pain caused. I am sorry. I did not connect limb difference with the GHW when the look of the character was brought to me; if I had, I assure you this never would have happened. I particularly want to say I’m sorry to kids with limb differences: now that I know better I promise I’ll do better. And I owe a special apology to everyone who loves you as fiercely as I love my own kids: I’m sorry I let your family down. If you aren’t already familiar, please check out the @Lucky_Fin_Project (video above) and the #NotAWitch hashtag to get a more inclusive and necessary perspective on limb difference.

    A post shared by Anne Hathaway (@annehathaway) on

    Earlier last week, Warner Bros studios had also extended apologies to the community. In a statement, the studio said it “regretted any offense caused.”

    The Robert Zemeckis-directorial has been adapted from the classic Roald Dahl children’s book. The story centres on a young boy who stumbles upon a gathering of witches while staying with his grandmother at a hotel. After finding out their evil plan to turn the world’s children into mice, he works with his grandmother to thwart their wicked plot. Along with Hathaway, the cast includes newcomer Jahzir Kadeem Bruno, Octavia Spencer, Stanley Tucci, Chris Rock and Kristin Chenoweth.

    The Witches was released on October 22 on HBO Max, which is Warner Bros.’ sister streaming service. It was earlier scheduled for theatrical release before the coronavirus induced shutdown of theatres in March.

  • Man fined for illegally hunting rare bird in Parachinar

    Man fined for illegally hunting rare bird in Parachinar

    The Environment Ministry of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has fined a man Rs 40,000 for illegally hunting a rare pheasant in Parachinar.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Climate Change Malik Amin Aslam, shared the news on social media, saying that “PTI believes in wildlife preservation through strict enforcement of the new Wildlife Protection Act.”

    He lauded authorities for apprehending and penalising the person for his crime within a day of illegally hunting this “rare and beautiful Monal Pheasant”.

    https://twitter.com/IsbZooFriends/status/1324018955330224130?s=20

    According to details, the Himalayan Monal is a pheasant native to Himalayan forests and shrublands. It is native to the KP province and has been recorded in Kaghan, Palas Valley, and Azad Kashmir. The main threat to the species is poaching, as the crest is valuable. It is thought to bring status to its wearer and is a symbol of authority.

    Read more – Rare striped hyena rescued in DI Khan

    Meanwhile, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Chaudhry Fawad Hussain and senior PML-N leader Khawaja Asif condemned the act of illegal hunting the rare bird.

    “So upsetting,” said Fawad, while Asif called the act “despicable”.

  • Federal and provincial companies owe K-Electric Rs170 billion

    Federal and provincial companies owe K-Electric Rs170 billion

    Federal and provincial corporations’ failure to pay K-Electric (KE) has resulted in outstanding dues of Rs170 billion.

    The huge receivables have made the country’s sole vertically integrated power provider financially unviable, and affected its future investment plans, said KE’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Muhammad Aamir Ghaziani.

    The company has declared an approximate Rs2.96 billion loss in FY-2020, primarily due to soaring receivables and higher debt servicing cost.

    “Financial viability is critical for continued investment. If KE is rendered financially unviable, sustainable investments may be constrained,” he said.

    Responding to a query, he answered that KE’s total receivables from government entities, including Karachi Water and Sewerage Board (KW&SB), National Transmission & Despatch Company (NTDC), and Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), are close to Rs170 billion.

    KE owes a principal amount of Rs13.7 billion to SSGC while the remaining is markup which is still awaiting final adjudication by the court. He said KE has honoured its payment obligations to Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC), Pakistan State Oil (PSO) and Independent Power Producers (IPPs), although it has declared a loss of Rs2.96 billion for FY-2020.

    “If the long-standing receivables issue continues to remain unresolved, KE’s ability to serve Karachi’s growing power needs would be constrained with serious implications for citizens and industries,” he added.

    The financial statements showed that the company had been driven back into financial losses after eight years of profitable operations on account of a 166% increase in financing cost and an exponential surge in borrowing to bridge working capital requirements in the wake of unpaid dues.

  • US Elections 2020: Jemima, Greta Thunberg troll Trump

    With the results of the US Elections 2020 yet to be announced, people are killing time and anxiety by turning to jokes and memes. Jemima Goldsmith, who has been a vocal critic of President Donald Trump and his policies, trolled him by sharing the White House version of ‘Mujhe Kyun Nikala‘ — a phrase coined by Nawaz Sharif.

    In the video shared by Jemima, a man who looks like Trump can be seen sitting on an inflatable exercise ball, surrounded by a group of children. Another man, who resembles vice-president Mike Pence, seems to be pulling Trump off the exercise ball while the Trump impersonator yells that he doesn’t want to go.

    https://twitter.com/Jemima_Khan/status/1324452569566109697?s=20

    Similarly, Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg trolled the president over a tweet of his in which he called for the vote count to be stopped.

    Responding to the latter’s tweet, the teenage climate activist used Trump’s own words against him.

    “So ridiculous, Donald must work on his anger management problem, and then go to a good old fashioned movie with a friend! Chill Donald, Chill!” wrote the 17-year-old.

    Thunberg finally got her revenge against Trump after he criticised Time magazine’s decision to name her ‘Person of the Year’.

    Meanwhile, earlier in 2016, Jemima dressed up as Melania Trump being groped by her husband, Donald Trump, for the UNICEF Halloween Ball in London. Jemima decided to pull over the anti-Trump costume after a video of Trump got leaked in which he was explicitly talking about groping women and making horrifying statements over abuse.

    As counting votes continues in critical swing states in the US, Trump has been spreading misinformation and demanding that vote counting stops.

  • Twitter reacts to ‘Pornhub popup’ during CNN’s live coverage of US election

    In a rather awkward incident, a Pornhub popup has allegedly appeared during CNN’s live coverage of the United States (US) presidential election.

    According to the details, as the neck-and-neck race for the key to the White House between Democratic challenger Joe Biden and American President Donald Trump stretches over four days now, someone at CNN seems to be in dire need of a distraction.

    A video doing rounds over the internet shows senior American journalist Wolf Blitzer commenting on the endless counting of votes in Pennsylvania while news anchor John King, who is said to not have slept for more than six hours since Tuesday, stands on the other side of the studio, in front of a big interactive screen.

    It isn’t later that King notices what is being claimed to be a Pornhub popup on the screen. A quick gesture and the alleged porn site label, perhaps visited at that moment by someone in the editorial office, disappears.

    The anchor is then seen giving someone a “death stare”, leaving netizens wondering if he knew who it was.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    https://twitter.com/PatrickSikler/status/1324645655055400961

    Here’s what Twitterati have to say about the episode:

    https://twitter.com/titancrising/status/1324658856396529665

    While some weren’t as amused…

    …some also said that the video was “fake“.

    https://twitter.com/lewiswake/status/1324655345369796609

    What do you think? Let The Current know in the comments