Author: newsdesk

  • Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    Punjab gets its most expensive vehicle ever; Rs45 lacs paid as registration alone

    The Punjab Excise and Taxation (E&T) Department in Lahore has registered the most expensive luxury car in its history, The Express Tribune reported.

    As per the details, the car, a Lamborghini Huracan Spyder worth a whopping Rs115 million (Rs11 crores and 50 lacs), was registered for Rs4.5 million (Rs45 lacs).

    Initially, the provincial department had refused to register the luxury vehicle, saying that its system did not recognise car purchases of over Rs100 million (Rs10 crores).

    However, the department then upgraded its system and amended relevant laws to be able to register the sports car.

    “Lamborghini Huracan Spyder comes with 5.2L engine, and it is famous for its unique exterior. The car has specially designed wings at the front so that it can reach its maximum speed easily. This is the reason this car has an aerodynamic smaller front and a bit wider back. Furthermore, it has parking sensors and air intake vents at the front,” according to the supercar’s review on PakWheels.com.

    Before Huracan Spyder, the most expensive car registered in Punjab was of Mercedes GT Series. The price of that car was nearly Rs100 million. The excise department charged Rs3.5million as a registration fee of that vehicle, according to media reports.

    In September 2018, an 18k gold foil Lamborghini Aventador S had arrived in Islamabad, which quickly became the talk of the town when the owner Kunwar Moeez Khan, a property tycoon, shared its photos on social media.

  • ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    ‘Only Turkey, not even China, supported Pakistan at FATF,’ Indian media reports claim

    After the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) decided to keep Pakistan in the grey-list till February, Indian media reports have claimed that Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s Turkey was the only country to back Pakistan at the plenary meeting of the global anti-money laundering watchdog while China bailed out.

    The FATF, also known by its French name, Groupe d’action financière, is an intergovernmental organisation that combats money laundering. In 2001, its mandate was expanded to include terrorism financing.

    Pakistan was placed on the FATF’s grey list in 2018 whereas in February 2019, the country had secured an extra four months to complete the plan after missing 13 of the 27 targets set by the global watchdog.

    According to reports, Turkey, during October 23’s plenary, proposed a special visit to Islamabad to make an onsite assessment of the Imran Khan government’s implementation to plug holes in its legal framework to curb terror financing.

    READ: ‘Successful implementation’: Hammad Azhar says FATF blacklisting off the table

    The suggestion was seen as an effort to let Pakistan off the hook for now and immediately place it on the white list but was not supported by any other country, including allied China and Malaysia.

    “Out of 27 points, we have implemented 21 points given by the authorities concerned regarding FATF, ” Minister for Revenue Hammad Azhar said while talking to a private television channel after the watchdog decided to retain Pakistan on its grey list.

    Except India, every country had appreciated the efforts of Pakistan for satisfying the people dealing FATF, he added.

    BLACKLISTING OFF THE TABLE:

    In a statement, FATF urged Pakistan to complete an internationally agreed action plan by February 2021. FATF said Pakistan had now reached 21 targets out of 27 set for it in 2018 when Pakistan was placed on FATF’s “grey list” of countries with inadequate controls over terrorism financing.

    But Pakistan still needs to demonstrate that law enforcement agencies are identifying and investigating the widest range of terrorism financing activity, FATF said.

    The watchdog also asked Islamabad to demonstrate that terrorism financing probes resulted in effective, proportionate and dissuasive sanctions.

    “FATF acknowledged that any blacklisting is off the table now,” Pakistani federal minister Hammad Azhar tweeted.

    Azhar, who leads Pakistan’s delegation at FATF plenary meetings, said the forum’s discussions were focused on how Pakistan could be supported in meeting its targets before a formal review in the middle of next year.

  • Mansha Pasha explains what she meant by ‘desi fashion is sustainable fashion’

    Mansha Pasha explains what she meant by ‘desi fashion is sustainable fashion’

    Mansha Pasha recently remarked that sustainable fashion is just a trendier and fancier name for desi fashion.

    In a tweet, the actor wrote: “Sustainable fashion/living: Don’t know why this has become a trend because it’s been given a fancy name. It’s basically what parents in the subcontinent have always taught their children: cheezon ko zaya mat karo aur kapre ko alag alag occasions par use karo!”

    Mansha further said that when she was growing up, she and her sisters would share each other’s clothes. She added that the same was done on the sets of the hit drama serial Zindagi Gulzar Hai to “give the true vibe of a desi household”.

    Read more – Mansha Pasha reveals she styled her own looks for ‘Mohabbat Tujhe Alvida’

    While some social media users agreed with Mansha, others disagreed with her and criticised her for her comments.

    “Desi fashion is not always sustainable fashion. Sharing clothes is one of the many sustainable things you can do to maintain a sustainable wardrobe. How is the cloth made and how it is dyed is most important. Desi fashion is made of polyester which is unsustainable,” commented a Twitter user.

    Later, Mansha took to social media to clarify what she meant by her statement.

    “With respect to my last tweet – ethical fashion encompasses many things including worker rights, [the] ecological impact of dying fabric, water consumption. I was speaking of the trend of reusing clothing done in desi households already and is promoted as sustainable fashion online.”

    She also explained what she meant in her Instagram story, saying that her comments were not in reference to ethical fashion but to “the sustainable fashion trend of reusing same clothes”.

    According to Google, sustainable fashion is “a movement and process of fostering change to fashion products and the fashion system towards greater ecological integrity and social justice. This means dealing with interdependent social, cultural, ecological, and financial systems.”

    This means that Manshas analogy was not wrong. It is good to know that our actors are trying to educate their fans and followers and promoting sustainable living.

  • Zoom’s end-to-end encryption has arrived

    Zoom’s end-to-end encryption has arrived

    Zoom’s end-to-end encryption (E2EE) has arrived, allowing both free and paid users to secure their meetings so that only participants, not Zoom or anyone else, can access their content.

    Zoom E2EE has launched in technical preview, which means Zoom is asking for feedback on the feature for 30 days. However, the company says that E2EE will continue to be available after this period. Instructions on how to enable it can be found in Zoom’s help center.

    Zoom has previously offered encryption for its calls, but the data was only encrypted between each meeting participant and Zoom’s servers, rather than being end-to-end encrypted between participants. 

    Once E2EE is enabled, you can check Zoom is using the more secure kind of encryption using the green shield at the top left of a meeting window. The shield will show a padlock rather than a checkmark if the meeting is encrypted end-to-end.

    Zoom’s E2EE meetings support a maximum of 200 participants. That won’t affect users on Zoom’s Basic or Pro plans, which max out at 100 participants, but it could be a problem for Business or Enterprise subscribers which would otherwise allow for up to 300 or 500 participants.

    This initial launch is just the first of four phases Zoom is planning for its end-to-end encryption offering. The next phase is scheduled to include better identity management and support for single sign-on and is planned to launch next year.

  • Pirlo sees positives as Juventus miss Ronaldo before Barca clash

    Pirlo sees positives as Juventus miss Ronaldo before Barca clash

    Andrea Pirlo sees positives despite preparing for his biggest match since taking over as Juventus coach with Covid-19 -stricken Cristiano Ronaldo in doubt against Lionel Messi’s Barcelona in the Champions League on Wednesday.

    Pirlo took over after Maurizio Sarri was sacked immediately after Juventus’ last 16 exit to Lyon in August, the veteran coach lamenting another failure in a “competition cursed for Juve”.

    The Turin side have won the tournament twice, but not since 1996. They have been runners-up seven times, including twice in the last five years.

    In fact, 41-year-old Pirlo’s last Juventus game as a player came in the 3-1 loss to Barcelona in the 2015 Champions League final.

    Juventus signed Portuguese star Ronaldo in 2018 with the aim of lifting the coveted European trophy, and his absence against Messi’s Barcelona could weigh heavy.

    The 35-year-old will need to test negative 24 hours before being allowed to feature in Turin. The return at the Camp Nou is on December 8.

    “We miss him right now, of course,” said Colombian teammate Juan Cuadrado. “He’s a champion. In these very difficult matches, his strength, his mentality and his desire shine through.”

    Ronaldo scored three goals for Juventus in their first two league games, before contracting the virus while on international duty.

    Even if Pirlo has yet to record a loss this season, Juventus are fifth in Serie A, with three draws in five games.

    “Barcelona? It doesn’t worry me, they are two different matches,” said Pirlo after Sunday’s 1-1 stalemate against Hellas Verona.

    “Verona play differently than Barcelona, against teams that play like this you have to prepare a certain type of match.

    “We’re in the construction phase,” continued the novice coach. 

    “We’re sorry to leave points on the road, but we are on the right path. We are building a long-term project. I only see positive things.”

    Pirlo’s main weapons in Ronaldo’s absence have been Spanish forward Alvaro Morata, who scored both goals against Dynamo Kiev, and Swedish striker Dejan Kulusevski, who rescued the point against Verona.

    Former Chelsea and Real Madrid player Morata returned to Juventus this season with Kulusevski signed from Atalanta in January before being loaned back immediately to Parma.

    The 20-year-old Swede was up and running immediately, scoring on his club debut in September and came off the bench to give Juventus the edge against Verona.

    Pirlo has also been impressed with how Paulo Dybala performed “well above expectations,” in his seasonal debut against Verona after over three months out.

    Captain Giorgio Chiellini’s presence is in doubt, with fellow defender Leonardo Bonucci’s thigh strain being monitored, although Gianluca Frabotta, 21, has stepped into the breach, with Alex Sandro also out.

    “Seeing how we started the other championships, this start has been a bit slow,” said Cuadrado of the nine-time reigning Italian champions.

    “But we haven’t lost yet.”

    Both teams won their Group G openers with Barcelona beating Hungarians Ferencvaros 5-1 and Juventus 2-0 at Dynamo Kiev.

    RONALDO VS MESSI:

    If Ronaldo misses his chance to line out on Wednesday he will have to wait until December to renew his rivalry with Argentine Messi.

    They are the two greatest players of their generation with 11 Ballons d’Or between them, and the two highest scorers in Champions League history.

    They have not faced off since the Portuguese superstar left Real Madrid for Juventus, and both are running out of time to win the Champions League again.

    Messi, now 33, has featured in four victorious campaigns, all with Barcelona, while Ronaldo has won it five times, four with Real Madrid and once with Manchester United.

    Ronaldo has 130 Champions league goals, of which ten have been for Juventus, to Messi’s 116.

    Messi has won 16 of their 35 encounters to Ronaldo’s 10, with the remaining nine ending in draws. Messi has also scored 22 goals in those games to Ronaldo’s 19.

    The pair have only met five times in Champions League games, most recently in the semi-final in 2011.

    Barcelona got the better of Real Madrid with a 3-1 aggregate win with Messi scoring twice in the first leg.

    Their most memorable clash was the 2009 Champions League final when Messi scored as Barcelona beat Manchester United 2-0.

  • ‘Modi has decided when India would be at war with Pakistan, China’

    Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) Uttar Pradesh (UP) unit chief Swatantra Dev Singh has claimed that Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has “decided” on a time when India would be at war with Pakistan and China.

    A minister in UP Chief Minister (CM) Yogi Adityanath’s cabinet, Swatantra Dev Singh made the remark during an event at the home of BJP’s Sikanderpur lawmaker Sanjay Yadav.

    In a video clip of Swatantra Dev Singh’s remarks, the BJP’s UP chief draws parallels between the abrogation of Article 370 in held Kashmir, construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid once stood, and the ongoing India-China military standoff in eastern Ladakh.

    “Like the decisions on Ram Mandir and Article 370, PM Narendra Modi has decided when there would be war with Pakistan and China,” news agency PTI quoted Swatantra Dev Singh as saying in a video posted on social media by Yadav.

    The BJP leader’s controversial remarks come amid an intense standoff between the Indian and Chinese armies in eastern Ladakh. Both countries have held multiple rounds of diplomatic and military talks to achieve disengagement in the region.

    However, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh’s statement on Sunday contradicts the remarks made by Swatantra Dev Singh. While reiterating that India is seeking an end to the border tussle with China, Singh had said that New Delhi will not allow anyone to take away “even an inch” of Indian land.

    Launching an attack on the BJP-led Centre, Congress lawmaker Shashi Tharoor tweeted:

    “Amazing. So the PM (who will not even name the state that has encroached upon our land) is planning a war against an Unnamed Enemy, over territory he claims has never been taken, on a date that only he knows? So is this what he meant by “minimal government”!?” he said while referring to Swatantra Dev Singh’s remarks.

  • Abhishek Bachchan responds to reports of Big B being injured and hospitalized

    Abhishek Bachchan responds to reports of Big B being injured and hospitalized

    Social media was recently abuzz with rumours that the Big B of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan is injured and in the hospital.

    Responding to the rumours, Amitabh’s son Abhishek Bachchan was quoted telling Spotboye that he and his family are entirely clueless about where the reports had come from and questioned those asking him for a clarification.

    He said: “I ask because he’s sitting right in front of me. That must be his duplicate in the hospital.”

    Fans were worried for the actor after reports of him being injured and hospitalised emerged considering he recovered from coronavirus just a few months back.

  • Facebook takes its first small steps into the world of cloud gaming

    Facebook takes its first small steps into the world of cloud gaming

    Facebook is the latest tech giant to get into the world of cloud gaming — but the company is offering quite a bit different than the competition.

    Unlike Amazon or Google, which both offer standalone cloud gaming services for a fee, Facebook is introducing cloud games on the existing app — several of which are playable right now.

    “We’re doing free-to-play games, we’re doing games that are latency-tolerant, at least to start,” says Jason Rubin, Facebook’s vice president of play.

    “We’re not promising 4K, 60fps, so you pay us $6.99 per month. We’re not trying to get you to buy a piece of hardware, like a controller.”

    “We give away a lot of stuff for free because that is a business for us,” says Rubin. “Don’t undervalue just having people engage with communities on Facebook. That is what we do.”

    Users can play games without downloading them on their mobile devices. The purpose of launching this service is to facilitate the distribution of mobile games. The company is not trying to compete with Nvidia, Microsoft, or Google.

    Apart from allowing users to play instant games via its messaging service and News Feed, the new service also lets users set up a player name and an avatar. Moreover, players can cross-play and challenge their opponents while playing the cloud version of a particular game.

    Facebook’s cloud gaming service also focuses on how developers will be able to advertise their games. Instead of the usual screenshot or maybe a short clip of gameplay, the service will allow developers to create demo versions of their game that people can play instantly.

  • Quaid-e-Azam University temporarily closed after COVID-19 cases emerge

    Quaid-e-Azam University temporarily closed after COVID-19 cases emerge

    The Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad was temporarily closed on Monday after five coronavirus cases were reported in different departments.

    As per reports, the university’s administration has issued a notification in this regard.

    The move comes after District Health Officer (DHO) had dispatched a letter to the university administration instructing to seal concerned departments.

    “As per the guidelines issued by the Ministry of National Health Services Regulatory and Coordination, due to these five coronavirus cases on the campus, all academic and research activities are hereby shifted to online till November 6,” reads the notification.

    The university administration has also directed students to vacate hostels unless from remote areas.

    707 new cases of the coronavirus were reported across the country during the last 24 hours, soaring the national tally of infections to 328,602.

  • Facebook to launch free website builder

    Facebook to launch free website builder

    Facebook is planning on launching its own free website builder and paid web hosting service.

    The news was officially announced in a blog post by the company. According to Facebook, this new service will be beneficial for all the startups and medium-sized firms, who are looking for a cost-friendly and reliable services.

    They are also looking forward to provide a new option for businesses to manage their WhatsApp messages via the hosting services that will be provided by Facebook. This option will make it easier for all the small and medium-sized business to get started. They can now sell their products, manage almost everything and respond to the messages they receive. They will easily communicate with their employees and customers.

    Apart from making the hosting service available in a few months, it also plans on introducing ways purchase directly through WhatsApp chats. The compatibility with the existing e-commerce will be monitored, this will make things easier for retailers.