Author: newsdesk

  • ‘India offered to evacuate Pakistani students from coronavirus-hit China’

    ‘India offered to evacuate Pakistani students from coronavirus-hit China’

    India had offered to evacuate Pakistani students from China’s Wuhan — the epicentre of deadly coronavirus –, Minister of External Affairs S Jaishankar told Rajya Sabha [Upper House of Indian Parliament], India Today reported.

    According to reports, replying to a question posed by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-nominated lawmaker Rupa Ganguly, S Jaishankar told the house that before the two Air India flights were sent in, India had offered ‘bring back all the people in our neighbourhood’.

    “At the time when two flights were going, we had told all the students and the larger community in Wuhan that we were prepared not only to bring back our own people but bring back all the people in our neighbourhood who would like to come back,” Jaishankar said.

    “This was an offer which was made to all our neighbours, but of them, seven nationals of Maldives chose to avail the offer. But the offer was made to everybody,” the minister clarified.

    Last week, two Air India flights had brought back 638 Indian nationals and seven nationals of Maldives. 80 Indian students left behind in Wuhan

    The minister of external affairs informed the fouse that despite an evacuation effort, 80 Indians — including 10 who were barred from boarding the evacuation flight as they showed symptoms of coronavirus — have remained back in Wuhan.

    Jaishankar said that the 70 Indians chose not to be evacuated, but the Indian Embassy is in constant touch with them all. “I want to assure the house and the families of those in Wuhan that the embassy is in touch with all students and is regularly monitoring their welfare,” he said.

    The minister also applauded the efforts of two embassy officials who risked their lives and traveled from Beijing to Wuhan to help in evacuation efforts.

  • As Dar’s residence is converted into Panahgah, Musharraf’s farmhouse remains untouched

    As Dar’s residence is converted into Panahgah, Musharraf’s farmhouse remains untouched

    The conversion of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader and former finance minister Ishaq Dar’s Lahore residence into a Panahgah [shelter home] by the Punjab government is reminiscent of the military rule of Gen (r) Pervez Musharraf, who had turned Sharif family’s Model Town residence into Gosha’aye Aafiat — an institution for elderly destitute people — nearly two decades back; while the former dictator’s own farmhouse remains untouched under the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).

    While this was also pointed out by senior journalist and analyst Hamid Mir, it was reported by The News that such an act was last carried out by a military dictator out of vengeance against the Sharifs, who had then departed for Saudi Arabia to live in exile for seven years.

    The present dispensation is a civilian arrangement that has taken the instant decision. While a quick action has been taken against Dar’s property, Musharraf’s Chak Shahzad farmhouse attached by two courts separately has not been touched by authorities to convert it into a shelter home for the poor although he has been sentenced to death and declared a fugitive.

    In November 2016, an Islamabad district and sessions judge attached Musharraf’s farmhouse as the special court trying the dictator for high treason declared him an absconder. The special tribunal ordered the confiscation of his movable and immovable properties.

    According to the details submitted to the special court by the Interior Ministry, he operated nine bank accounts and owned seven immovable properties, including the farmhouse, land in the Army Housing Scheme in Karachi, Khayaban-e-Faisal, Defence Housing Authority (DHA) Karachi, Beach Street, DHA Islamabad and DHA Lahore.

    Musharraf’s wife claims ownership of the farmhouse just like Dar’s spouse does about the Gulber residence, but the latter’s plea has not been accepted.

    In January 2017, the Islamabad district administration had informed a district and sessions court that Musharraf’s properties have been attached in compliance with court orders after he had been declared as a proclaimed offender and absconder in the murder case of Lal Masjid cleric Abdur Rashid Ghazi, the report said.

  • Chinese phone makers: A big threat to Google Play

    China’s top smartphone makers Huawei, Oppo, Xiaomi, and Vivo have collaborated to build a shared platform to compete with Google’s Play store, latest reports have revealed. The move is believed to be a direct threat to the $1 trillion parent Alphabet company and the de-facto US dominance of Android.

    Manufacturers in China rely on Android to run their devices but they use domestic app stores inside China, where Google services are blocked. Chinese manufacturers have continued to reply to pre-installed Google Play, offering the users the most popular social apps like Facebook and WhatsApp that are not available for download in China.

    The four Chinese handset makers together shipped around 40pc of the world’s smartphones in the fourth quarter of 2019.

    They will now let foreign app developers like Facebook upload and update the software to all the respective stores, through the new platforms, with a single click.

    If this initiative materializes successfully, this will create a new universe of apps which will be in direct competition with Google Play Store.

  • PTI: Firdous admires Fawad Chaudhry’s ‘struggle to always stay in headlines’

    Special Assistant to the Prime Minister (SAPM) on Information and Broadcasting Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan has admired her predecessor, former federal minister for information Fawad Chaudhry, for his “struggle to always stay in headlines”.

    According to the details, with cracks continuing to emerge within the ranks of the ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) and rumour having it that both Awan and Chaudhry are not the best of friends ever since the latter was sacked and replaced by the former, the SAPM, in an exclusive interview with The Current, was asked what she liked the most about her predecessor.

    “His [Fawad Chaudhry’s] struggle to always stay in headlines,” she said.

    Chaudhry has time and again been accused of “pulling political gimmicks” as the federal minister for science and technology and an aide of PM Imran Khan, by the general public, leaders of his own party as well as those belonging to the opposition.

    To another question, Awan, who is not an elected member of the parliament, said that election defeat under Imran was not a defeat. “It’s a victory for my ideology,” she said.

    “Social media is an unguided missile with warheads but no target,” the SAPM said when asked what was that she disliked the most about social media.

    Awan also said that she was not a misogynist — her verbal attacks “were for people and not genders” –, shared how she thought that parliamentarians should not get a pay raise, and those who criticised her for not being an elected representative, “lacked sense”.

    WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:

  • Ghinwa Bhutto joins PTM rally

    Ghinwa Bhutto joins PTM rally

    Wife of the late Murtaza Bhutto and Pakistan People’s Party-Shaheed Bhutto (PPP-SB) chairperson Ghinwa Bhutto, in a first, has joined a gathering of the Pashtun Tahafuz Movement (PTM) in Karachi to show solidarity with the rights-based alliance.

    According to reports, the PTM on Sunday held a rally in Karachi to mark the first death anniversary of their comrade Arman Loni — allegedly killed during a police crackdown on a PTM protest in Loralai last year — and also demanded the release of its chief, Manzoor Pashteen.

    PTM had maintained that Loni was killed in a police crackdown and demanded that the Balochistan government take notice of his death. However, a later report did not find any marks of violence or injuries on the deceased’s body.

    The PTM had obtained permission to hold the public meeting with a crowd of 300-350 people, Deputy Inspector General (East) Amir Farooqi told a private media outlet. He added that the demonstrators had assured authorities that they would abide by the law.

    The PTM also held a gathering in Loralai, thronged by a large number of people.

  • You can now report corruption, bribery on Pakistan Citizen’s Portal

    You can now report corruption, bribery on Pakistan Citizen’s Portal

    A category for ‘Corruption and Malpractices’ has been introduced on the Pakistan Citizens’ portal to curb these illegal practises from the government departments. The portal now allows people to report corrupt practices on the complaint lodging mechanism.

    The Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit (PMDU) has introduced the category on the directives of Prime Minister Imran Khan. As per the unit, subcategories have also been made to help citizens classify the nature of the complaint.

    Matters related to the corruption in public funds, bribery, and kickbacks can be reported under financial corruption. While irregularities in recruitment, procurement, and allotment processes fall under the Violation of Merit/Rules category.

    Similarly, favoritism, unauthorized privileges, etc. characterise the Power Abuse section.

    In addition to this, citizens can also report physical or sexual harassment, threatening and blackmailing, under the harassment category. Any case regarding fake documents and impersonation will go under the Fraud/Mockery section.

    PMDU said these categories will not only facilitate the public, but they will also organise the complaint lodging process. It will also protect the integrity of the portal as most of the cases received through this platform are proved to be mala fide and irrational serving only vested interests.

  • Oscars 2020: Complete, highly satisfying list of winners

    Oscars 2020: Complete, highly satisfying list of winners

    On Sunday night in Los Angeles, Neon’s ‘Parasite’ made history as the first non-English language film to win the best picture at the Oscars.

    The film nabbed four wins in total at the 92nd Academy Awards, including for director Bong Joon Ho, international feature film and original screenplay. Universal’s ‘1917’ nabbed three wins — for visual effects, cinematography and sound mixing. 

    After more than three hours of Oscars fare, from red carpet proceedings and Billie Eilish memes, to entertaining speeches and triumphant wins, Hollywood’s biggest night is done and dusted.

    Here’s the full, highly satisfying list of winners.

    (Category winners mentioned in bold)

    Best picture

    • 1917
    • The Irishman
    • Jojo Rabbit
    • Joker
    • Little Women
    • Marriage Story
    • Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Parasite
    • Ford v Ferrari

    Best actress

    • Cynthia Erivo, Harriet
    • Renée Zellweger, Judy
    • Scarlett Johansson, Marriage Story
    • Charlize Theron, Bombshell
    • Saoirse Ronan, Little Women

    Best actor 

    • Joaquin Phoenix, Joker
    • Leonardo DiCaprio, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Antonio Banderas, Pain and Glory
    • Adam Driver, Marriage Story
    • Jonathan Pryce, The Two Popes

    Best director

    • Bong Joon-ho, Parasite
    • Sam Mendes, 1917
    • Todd Phillips, Joker
    • Martin Scorsese, The Irishman
    • Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

    Music (Original song)

    • “I’m Standing With You” from Breakthrough
    • “Into The Unknown” from Frozen II
    • “Stand Up” from Harriet
    • “(I’m Gonna) Love Me Again” from Rocketman
    • “I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away” from Toy Story 4
    • “Glasgow” from Wild Rose

    Music (Original score)

    • Joker
    • Little Women
    • Marriage Story
    • 1917
    • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    International feature film

    • France, Les Misérables
    • North Macedonia, Honeyland
    • Poland, Corpus Christi
    • South Korea, Parasite
    • Spain, Pain and Glory

    Makeup and hairstyling 

    • Bombshell
    • Joker
    • Judy
    • Maleficent: Mistress of Evil
    • 1917

    Visual effects

    • Avengers: Endgame
    • The Irishman
    • The Lion King
    • 1917
    • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    Best film editing

    • The Irishman
    • Jojo Rabbit
    • Joker
    • Ford v Ferrari
    • Parasite

    Best cinematography 

    • Roger Deakins, 1917
    • Rodrigo Prieto, The Irishman
    • Lawrence Sher, Joker
    • Jarin Blaschke, The Lighthouse
    • Robert Richardson, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

    Best sound mixing

    • Ad Astra
    • Joker
    • 1917
    • Ford v Ferrari
    • Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood

    Best sound editing

    • 1917
    • Ford v Ferrari
    • Joker
    • Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker

    Best supporting actress

    • Laura Dern, Marriage Story
    • Florence Pugh, Little Women
    • Margot Robbie, Bombshell
    • Kathy Bates, Richard Jewell
    • Scarlett Johansson, Jojo Rabbit

    Best supporting actor 

    • Brad Pitt, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Al Pacino, The Irishman
    • Joe Pesci, The Irishman
    • Anthony Hopkins, The Two Popes
    • Tom Hanks, A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

    Documentary short feature

    • In the Absence
    • Learning to Skateboard in a Warzone (If You’re a Girl)
    • Life Overtakes Me
    • St. Louis Superman
    • Walk Run Cha-Cha

    Documentary feature

    • American Factory
    • The Cave
    • The Edge of Democracy
    • For Sama
    • Honeyland

    Best costume design

    • Sandy Powell & Christopher Peterson; The Irishman
    • Mark Bridges; Joker
    • Arianne Phillips; Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Jacqueline Durran; Little Women
    • Mayes C. Rubeo; Jojo Rabbit

    Best production design 

    • Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • The Irishman
    • 1917
    • Jojo Rabbit
    • Parasite

    Live-action short film 

    • Brotherhood
    • Nefta Football Club
    • The Neighbors’ Window
    • Saria
    • A Sister

    Best adapted screenplay

    • Steven Zaillian, The Irishman
    • Greta Gerwig, Little Women
    • Taika Waititi, Jojo Rabbit
    • Anthony McCarten, The Two Popes
    • Todd Phillips & Scott Silver, Joker

    Best original screenplay

    • Rian Johnson, Knives Out
    • Noah Baumbach, Marriage Story
    • Sam Mendes & Krysty Wilson-Cairns, 1917
    • Quentin Tarantino, Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood
    • Bong Joon-ho, Parasite

    Animated short film 

    • Dcera (Daughter)
    • Hair Love
    • Kitbull
    • Memorable
    • Sister

    Animated feature film

    • How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World
    • I Lost My Body
    • Klaus
    • Missing Link
    • Toy Story 4
  • Case against ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ reportedly withdrawn

    Case against ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ reportedly withdrawn

    It has been a long wait but it appears that the troubles for The Legend of Maula Jatt will soon end and the film will finally get a chance to see the light of the day.

    According to reports, Sarwar Bhatti who had filed a case against the film for copyright infringement has withdrawn his case and has reached an agreement with the makers. Speaking to Epk, Bhatti said “Ammara Hikmat [producer] and Bilal Lashari [director] are like my children. Someone misguided them but all kids tend to make mistakes and therefore I am willing to put everything behind me. I am doing this for their welfare, for the revival of cinema and to give the much-needed boost to Pakistan’s film industry. I will no longer be a hurdle in the release of The Legend of Maula Jatt.”

    It is being further reported that Bilal Lashari’s father Kamran Lashari and some mutual friends helped resolve the issues between the two conflicting parties.

    Meanwhile, the producer of the film Ammara Hikmat while speaking to Galaxy Lollywood said, “With the intervention of few elders, Mr Bhatti resolved his differences with us and extended his support in the larger interest of the film industry, and we are grateful to them.”

    Ever since the director of The Legend of Maula Jatt Bilal Lashari announced this film in 2013, the film was embroiled in legal cases after Sarwar Bhatti came forward and claimed that Maula Jatt was his property. He had filed an application for a stay order to prevent the director from using the character, name and dialogues and asked for the film to be banned from releasing.

    Read more – ‘The Legend of Maula Jatt’ faces another twist

    While a release date has not yet been announced, rumours are rife that the film will release on Eid ul Fitr. And if that is the case it will be Fawad vs Fawad at the box-office because Money Back Guarantee is also scheduled to release on Eid-ul-Fitr along with Urwa Hocane and Farhan Saeed’s Tich Button.

  • Zara Noor Abbas apologises to those left behind by PISA organisers

    Zara Noor Abbas apologises to those left behind by PISA organisers

    The first Pakistan International Screen Awards stirred more controversy than celebration. Though the event was a star-studded one with Pakistan’s A-listers in attendance, the organisers of the awards came under fire for ‘disrespecting’ other actors especially senior ones.

    Zara Noor Abbas, who was among those in attendance, took to social media to pen a note on the incident, asking everyone to respect each other, adding that “everyone who travelled here had no clue of who would be eventually present here or not present here.”

    “We all as a fraternity will always stand together in the good the bad and the ugly,” she wrote.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8TdCDSBc9Q/

    Read more – Pakistan International Screen Awards comes under fire for ‘disrespecting’ nominees

    PISA, which took place in Dubai on February 7, came under fire for ghosting actors and nominees and not giving them their due respect. Among those who were left hanging included Osman Khalid Butt, Ahmed Ali Akbar, Nadia Afgan, Nabeel Zafar and Ali Safina.

  • Nasir Jamshed’s wife warns cricketers of corruption after husband gets jailed

    Nasir Jamshed’s wife warns cricketers of corruption after husband gets jailed

    Pakistani cricketer Nasir Jamshed’s wife, Dr Samara Afzal, has penned a heartfelt letter on the difficulties her family faced and advised other players to not get tempted into corruption after her husband was jailed on Friday for match-fixing.

    After a Manchester Crown Court judge handed Jamshed a 17-month jail sentence for being involved in fixing a February 2018 Pakistan Super League (PSL) match in Dubai, Dr Samara took to social media and wrote: “Today is the most difficult day of my life as Nasir starts his custodial sentence & I figure out what to tell my 4-year-old.”

    “I’ve felt the need to write this in the hope that others learn from Nasir’s mistakes & no one goes through the pain we have suffered in the last 3 years,” she added.

    She further wrote: “Nasir could have a bright future had he worked hard and been committed to the sport that gave him so much but he took a short cut and lost everything: his career, status, respect and freedom. He would have got UK nationality and played country cricket and he threw his chance away. He would do anything to turn the clock back and not lose everything, especially his daughter who he’s very close to but it’s too late for him. I hope all cricketers look at his example as a deterrent against corruption.”

    She wrote she was aware that there are too many financial expectations from families in Pakistan but nothing justifies corruption.

    “An international cricket can probably earn more than I as a doctor can so I can’ understand the need to partake in corruption. I know in Pakistan one person is expected to provide for a dozen others but that doesn’t justify corruption. Praying for your country is a privilege and not an entitlement which as we have seen can be taken at any time.”

    “I hope and pray no other cricketer gets lured into to this temptation for money and no family has to bear the pain and humiliation we have endured and continue to do so.”

    Jamshed was arrested with Yousef Anwar and Mohammed Ijaz last February in a National Crime Agency (NCA) probe. He had encouraged other players to fix a PSL game back in February 2018 by getting batsmen to avoid scoring runs from certain balls in return for a share of £30,000 (Approx Rs 6,000,000). Anwar and Ijaz were jailed for 40 and 30 months, respectively.