Author: newsdesk

  • American Federal Aviation Administration downgrades Pakistan to category 2

    American Federal Aviation Administration downgrades Pakistan to category 2

    America’s Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has downgraded Pakistan’s safety rating to category 2, which foreign media reports say is a serious but not unexpected blow to a country with a scandal-plagued aviation sector.

    As per the details, the FAA’s decision that follows a fatal Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) crash in Karachi in May and more recently, the aviation minister claiming up to one-third of Pakistan’s commercial pilots hold “dubious” licenses, means that no Pakistani airlines can establish new services to the United States (US) or codeshare with US airlines.

    While the decision has effectively locked PIA out of the US, the ruling only impacts new services to the country. The national carrier does not fly across the Atlantic to the US and as far as can be ascertained, no US airline operates codeshare or interline agreements with PIA either.

    Longstanding security issues have thwarted PIA’s ambitions to access the US. While PIA had tentatively planned a service to begin between Islamabad and New York earlier this year, the downturn in travel derailed that. Now, safety issues are joining the list of concerns.

    It merits a mention that the decision on Thursday came despite Federal Minister for Aviation Ghulam Sarwar Khan and the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) a day earlier having to face embarrassment at the hands of Pakistan Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) that said all commercial pilot licences (CPL) and airline transport licences (ATPL) issued by the authority were genuine and validly issued.

    Earlier, the European Union (EU) and the United Kingdom (UK) had suspended PIA operations as well, while several Pakistani pilots working with foreign airlines had also been grounded.

  • Only 10% of IT graduates in Pakistan are employable: Gallup

    Only 10% of IT graduates in Pakistan are employable: Gallup

    According to a recent study conducted by Gallup, which is the country’s leading social research lab, software houses hire only 10 per cent of the graduates from lower-tier universities. The software houses with low-end IT services employ only 50 per cent of such graduates.

    Research shows that Pakistan’s top universities generate 25,000 IT graduates, but only 5,000 get employed at top local IT companies. The other graduates simply do not meet the selection criteria as a result of their outdated education and lack of relevant skills.

    Furthermore, there is a skill gap between graduates of high-tier and low-tier universities. The gap is widening due to the lack of nationwide IT skills training. The lack of fluency in communication has also been identified as a problem due to the lack of qualified teachers and modern curriculum.

    “There is a need for Pakistan to focus on human capital related to technological innovations” states the research. The best way to boost employability, according to Gallup, is to impart skills upon graduates that are required by the IT industry and digital economy.

    The IT Ministry is aware of it and thus been working on setting up an authority to boost the quality of IT curriculums. The hope is that across Pakistan, IT education can be brought up to global standards.

  • Did you know Katrina Kaif did her own makeup for ‘Sheila ki Jawani’, ‘Chikni Chameli’?

    Did you know Katrina Kaif did her own makeup for ‘Sheila ki Jawani’, ‘Chikni Chameli’?

    Katrina Kaif is a household name in Bollywood and is admired by millions of fans across the world. In fact, the actor recently just hit 40 million followers on Instagram.

    Read more – Workout at home with Katrina Kaif’s routine

    In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, Katrina revealed that she did her own makeup for a lot of her films and superhit songs including Sheila ki Jawani and Chikni Chameli because it was easier and faster.

    “Even Jab Tak Hai Jaan was all my own makeup. Ek Tha Tiger is all my own makeup,” added the actor.

    Sheila ki Jawani

    Sharing the story behind this, Katrina said: “So I had a makeup artist, his name was Subhash dada. What happened is that I realised I had a knack for it and I picked it up pretty quickly. It started with me saying ‘Let me do the liner’, then it was like ‘Let me do the blush’ and before you know it, I did everything. So it was just the thing that I was so much faster. Because I just saw and I picked it up, whatever tips that I would need to know. I would observe different makeup artists and pick up what I liked.”

    “I know it’s unusual but that’s the way it is,” said the actor. “This is why I am so passionate about Kay Beauty (Katrina’s cosmetic brand). Because I know makeup. It has been what, 15 years since I have been doing my own makeup.”

    Katrina added that Daniel Bauer now does her makeup.

    Chikni Chameli

    When asked about her signature style, Katrina said that she prefers a nude look, something that enhances her features and gives a more defined structure to her face.

    “Easy makeup and big eyes” is what Katrina’s look is all about.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCnvYaygNGH/
  • Armeena Khan says the scripts and projects coming her way ‘killed her passion’ for acting

    Armeena Khan says the scripts and projects coming her way ‘killed her passion’ for acting

    Armeena Khan has often been in the headlines but it has been a while since we saw her on the screen. Her last drama outing was Daldal, which aired in 2017.

    Recently, one of her fans asked her why she hasn’t done any project lately.

    In response to that, Khan gave a detailed reply in which explained her reasons.

    “This is an interesting question, so I will try to give a detailed answer. People work for two reasons: Because they need financial stability (thankfully, that wasn’t the case for me) or because they have a passion or an incentive.”

    She further said that in the past she worked in the industry because she was passionate about the work she did. But now, she has no passion to work because of the scripts coming her way.

    “I used to get angry at the kind of projects that were coming my way. Why would you work for something that is killing your passion?”

    Khan believes that it’s not the actors’ or audience’s fault. It is the system that has some flaws. However, she plans to come to Pakistan whenever she is offered a decent project.

    Meanwhile, Armeena while responding to a follower on Twitter said that she would love to play a “strong, self-determined female character”.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1283050805172502528?s=20

    She also revealed that she has signed her next project.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1283045008501886978?s=20
    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1283043141675778055?s=20
  • Sarah Khan’s engagement: Usman Mukhtar has the cheekiest reply for all the memes

    Sarah Khan’s engagement: Usman Mukhtar has the cheekiest reply for all the memes

    Sarah Khan gave her fans a shock when she announced her engagement to singer Falak Shabir Wednesday evening. A few hours later, fans were in for another surprise after videos from their mehndi began to circulate on social media.

    While fans were super excited for the new couple, they couldn’t help but poke fun at Usman Mukhtar with whom Sarah is sharing the screen in Sabaat. Usman plays Dr Harris Ahmed in the serial who is Miraal’s (Sarah’s character) love interest. Fans joked that whoever Usman shares the screen with ends up getting married.

    Earlier, Usman had played Altamash, Naimal Khawar’s character Izza’s love interest in the drama serial Anaa. And while the drama was still on-air, Khawar got married to Hamza Ali Abbasi.

    https://twitter.com/mujhgan99/status/1283697451531206658?s=20

    Following all the jokes and memes, Usman said in his next drama he will come solo so that he also gets married.

    https://twitter.com/MukhtarHoonMein/status/1283668810306850816?s=20

    Sarah and Falak are expected to tie the knot today (Thursday).

  • KYA BOLA? (Jul 16): ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki’ to ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    KYA BOLA? (Jul 16): ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki’ to ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    Following are some of the best snippets from Urdu newspapers on July 16, 2020, which The Current takes no responsibility for.

    ‘Noon League ne PIA ko naa baich kar ghalti ki‘

    According to Daily Jang, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) stalwart Khawaja Asif has admitted in a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation that“Noon League nay pichley daur mein PIA ko naa baich kr ghalti ki”.

    Meanwhile, managing director of PIA Investments Limited told the meeting that United States (US) President Donald Trump was interested in buying the national carrier-owned luxury hotel in New York.

    ‘Court aur Wazir-e-Azam kay muawin‘

    Daily Dunya has reported that Islamabad High Court (IHC), while hearing a petition filed against special assistants to the prime minister (SAPMs), has remarked that, “Wazir-e-Azam ka muawin wohi ho sakta hai jo mutalka shaubay [department] ka maahir ho.” The court ruled that if an answer was not submitted at the next hearing, unilateral action will be taken.

    ‘Benazir ki waseehat’

    It has been reported by Daily Dunya that Federal Minister for Maritime Affairs Ali Haider Zaidi of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) has demanded that the late former PM Benazir Bhutto’s will be presented before the nation.

    As a war of words continues between ruling PTI’s leaders from Sindh and members of the PPP-led provincial government, Zaidi has alleged that a handwritten “unverified” note was presented by the PPP to hand the reins of the party to the family of the deceased PM while “fooling the nation” and “ruining Sindh”.

  • PML-N lawmaker in Punjab seeks action against men with fashionable beards, their barbers

    PML-N lawmaker in Punjab seeks action against men with fashionable beards, their barbers

    Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) MPA Rukhsana Kausar has tabled a resolution in the provincial house of Punjab seeking a ban on beard styling and action against men with fashionable beards as well as their barbers.

    According to Kausar’s resolution, beard is the sunnah of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and legislation to decide strict action against those who shape beards in fashionable styles is needed.

    The resolution contends that any kind of styling of the beard is a “grave sin”, and it is an “insult to the beard”. The resolution calls for strict action against those “who make fun of beard”.

    “When I see youngsters on the streets and in the markets with different designs of beard in the name of fashion, I feel hurt, because that is against the teachings of Islam,” she told a private media outlet.

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has also reacted to the resolution in the Punjab Assembly.

    This is not the first time that beard designing has been a priority of the ruling elite as barbers have time and again been “strictly barred” from styling customers’ beards in different shapes or clipping them into designs in areas of rural Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Balochistan.

    KP police in Shabqadar tehsil of Charsadda had in 2019 detained at least four barbers for styling customers’ beards during an unofficial ban imposed by a local traders’ union that had termed such beards “un-Islamic”.

  • Photography obsessed man builds camera-shaped house, names his sons Canon, Nikon & Epson

    Photography obsessed man builds camera-shaped house, names his sons Canon, Nikon & Epson

    A man in Belgaum, India expressed his love for photography by making a house that resembled a camera.

    According to details, Ravi Hongal loved photography ever since he was a child and used to go to the nearby rural areas to take pictures.

    The 49-year-old is so passionate about photography that he even named his sons after the famous camera brands. He named his sons Canon, Nikon and Epson which are also written on the house.

    Ravi spent approximately Rs 15953750 to build the three-story house. The exterior of the house consists of a lens, a flash, a showreel, a memory card and a viewfinder. Also, the ceilings and walls inside the home resemble various parts of the camera.

  • Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    United States (US) President Donald Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Roosevelt Hotel in New York, it was revealed on Wednesday during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation.

    The 19-storey hotel with 1,025 rooms plus allied facilities in New York City, with some of the suites being among the most luxurious available in Manhattan, is considered a valuable property that also carries cultural significance for Pakistan.

    tandingg on the corner of 45th Street and Madison Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the hotel bears a quintessentially American name in honour of former United States (US) President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously been the governor of New York State.

    According to The News, the managing director of PIA Investments Limited informed the lawmakers that Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the iconic hotel in the past and was “still keen on purchasing it”.

    “The government has tried 10 times to sell the hotel,” he added.

    Briefing the members, Privatisation Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro said the government was not selling the property but rather planning to lease it out or work in a joint venture with the private sector.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif said that the parliament should be taken into confidence over the privatisation matter.

    “We are not against privatisation but we must wait for a better time to get a good price,” Asif added.

    “Don’t make a decision now and instead wait. Right now, neither PIA would be sold nor the hotel.”

    Earlier this month, opposition parties had slammed the ruling party when it was reported that the government is considering selling the Roosevelt Hotel.

    The plan was shelved due to stiff opposition and the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a meeting on July 2, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) decided that the Roosevelt Hotel would be run under a joint venture with a third party.

    The said hotel was acquired by PIA Investment Limited on lease during the year 1979 with an option to purchase the property. PIA had purchased the hotel against $36.5 million against a demand of $59.5 million by contesting a lawsuit against the owner in 1999. The Interstate Hotel and Resort is managing the Roosevelt Hotel since 1997.

  • Sarah Khan, Falak Shabir’s wedding festivities kick off with a colourful mehndi

    Sarah Khan, Falak Shabir’s wedding festivities kick off with a colourful mehndi

    Sarah Khan gave her fans a shock when she announced her engagement to singer Falak Shabir Wednesday evening. A few hours later, fans were in for another surprise after videos from their mehndi began to circulate on social media and everyone began to question when exactly the engagement happened.

    While we wait for the couple to spill out the details, check out videos from their colourful mehndi night below:

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCsbCMClt7j/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrGiaBlCI_/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrSfOYJXjb/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCrhNSThRIr/

    Falak also shared some snippets from their mehndi function on his Instagram stories.

    According to details, the couple will be tying the knot officially today (Thursday).

    While Sarah prefers to keep her private life under wraps, in an interview dated October 2019, she had revealed that she will be tying the knot soon. At that time she had said that she will be opting for an arranged marriage.

    “I have decided for an arranged marriage and will surprise my fans soon,” the actor had reportedly said. “I will marry a family man and settle down.”

    However, later she had refuted the reports and said: “Do not believe anything unless I say it myself. Please respect my privacy and stop spreading false rumours. I ain’t getting married anytime soon.”