Author: newsdesk

  • Karachi to witness coldest day in 70-year history; mercury to drop to 3°C

    Karachi to witness coldest day in 70-year history; mercury to drop to 3°C

    The provincial capital of Sindh is likely to witness next week its coldest day in over 70 years as the mercury drops to a chilling 3 degrees Celsius.

    According to Pakistan Meteorological Depart (PMD), the westerly weather system that caused drizzle and cloudy weather in Karachi on Sunday has now moved to Balochistan, but a new cold wave, as witnessed on Monday, will last until January 22.

    While the temperature is likely to fall to 3 degrees Celsius, the lowest recorded temperature in Karachi was 3.3 degrees back in the February of 1950.

    With rain across the port city on Sunday, the lowest temperature has for now been recorded at 14 degrees Celsius, while the highest was recorded at 23.7 degrees Celsius.

    The weather remains cold and dry for now.

  • Queen approves of Megxit for now

    Queen approves of Megxit for now

    Queen Elizabeth II on Monday allowed Prince Harry and Meghan Markle to split their time between Canada and Britain during a “transition period” in which the family will figure out how to deal with their shock resignation from front-line royal duties.

    The monarch said she held “very constructive” talks between Harry and his older brother Prince William and their father Prince Charles aimed at charting a course through the fallout of the bombshell announcement.

    Meghan reportedly joined the conversation by phone from Canada after abruptly jetting out of Britain last week.

    The Sussex’s resignation last Wednesday came after a year filled with rumours of infighting between the brothers and reports of Meghan feeling unwelcome in the highly traditional and structured royal family.

    “My family and I are entirely supportive of Harry and Meghan’s desire to create a new life as a young family,” the 93-year-old queen said in a statement after the first day of meetings at her Sandringham estate in eastern England.

    Harry and Meghan said they wanted to “carve out a progressive new role within this institution” — a statement that some read as a slight at the way the royal family has been run under Britain’s beloved monarch.

    The monarch stressed the couple told her “they do not want to be reliant on public funds” but did not address the issue of whether they would keep their royal titles.

    Harry and Meghan are formally known as the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. Five percent of their income comes from public funds. The rest comes from Prince Charles’ Duchy of Cornwall heredity private estate. It dates back to 1337 and has officially reported assets worth £1.1 billion ($1.4 billion).

    However, the queen elaborated there were still “complex matters” for the family to sort out.

    “It has therefore been agreed that there will be a period of transition in which the Sussexes will spend time in Canada and the UK,” she said.

    According to British media, Charles was furious at Harry for making the announcement without winning the queen’s consent and had left the meeting early.

    Debates over Harry and Meghan’s future have divided British public opinion and dominated newspaper front pages for days. According to a poll, 46 percent of respondents supported their decision, while 57 percent thought they were unfair to the Queen.

    While their official plan is to continue to “fully support” the queen and honour their duties to the Commonwealth and their patronages, they want to make 2020 a transition year to carve out their new role and launch their new Sussex Royal charitable entity and seek to raise their own sources of income.

    They also want to keep their newly-renovated Frogmore Cottage home on the queen’s Windsor Castle estate as their British base.

    Meghan likes to vacation in Canada and is currently there with Archie.

    But the Daily Mail said “her real dream” was to settle alongside other celebrities in Los Angeles – “but not while President Donald Trump is in charge”, it added. Meghan and Trump are not particularly known to like each other. In wake of the Sussex’s decision, Trump commented that the couple was being unfair to the Queen.

  • Ahad Raza Mir’s mother reveals his secret chai recipe

    Ahad Raza Mir’s mother reveals his secret chai recipe

    Who knew that national heartthrob Ahad Raza Mir has a secret chai recipe with cinnamon and a dash of coffee?

    Turns out he does and Ahad’s mom shared the recipe on social media so everyone can try it out.

    Ahad also shared his secret recipe in the latest episode of his drama Ehd-e-Wafa. Making a cup of it for Dua, Ahad said that his PMA platoon mates used to call this tea ‘hi-octane’ because it would give a burst of energy.

  • Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    Pakistani taxi driver returns lost wallet to Indian girl in Dubai

    A Pakistani taxi driver’s honesty in Dubai has made him a hero after he returned a wallet full of cash and documents to an Indian girl, who had forgotten her wallet in his cab’s backseat.

    As per reports, Raechel Rose, a law student at Lancaster University,
    was on her way to attend a friend’s birthday party on January 4 when she left
    the wallet in Modassar Khadim’s cab.

    Girl’s mother, Sindhu Biju told that “She had got into the
    taxi with another friend and then they saw their other friends in another car
    and decided to join them. They immediately left the taxi and Rose forgot her
    wallet behind.

    The purse had her UK student visa, her Emirates ID, UAE
    driving license, health insurance card, credit card and more than 1,000 Dirhams
    in several currencies.

    Her return flight to Manchester was scheduled for three days
    later, and she could not afford to delay it as she had an exam on January 13.

    The family also checked the CCTV footage with the help of
    the police but in the footage, they could not see the car’s number plate
    properly.

     The cab driver,
    Khadim noticed the wallet on the front seat after he had finished two other
    trips.

    “Since the family, who came next, said it was not theirs, I
    opened it to check if there is any contact number. I could only see all the
    cards and the cash,” said Khadim

    Khadim called up RTA’s call center and asked for their
    assistance. After Khadim was told that another department would reach out to
    him, he decided to report the lost wallet to the police.

    “When I reached the police station, I met another taxi
    driver who advised me to try to get the girl’s number and give it as the
    procedures might take a long time,” said Khadim.

    Khadim then tried to get Rose’s contact through her mobile
    service provider and insurance company but he could not find her number as
    privacy clauses barred the company from sharing the information with him.

    “Finally, the RTA call center called me back when I was
    finishing my duty at 3.30 am and verified the details that matched with their
    complaint. I was given their number following which I went to their house to
    drop the wallet,” shared Khadim.

    After handing over the purse, Rose’s father rewarded Khadim
    with 600 dirhams. He initially refused the offer but accepted it when the
    family insisted him.

    Later, Rose’s family also wrote a letter to RTA in
    appreciation of Khadim’s honesty and help.

  • Indian army officer slips in snow near border, reaches Pakistan

    Indian army officer slips in snow near border, reaches Pakistan

    Indian Army Havildar Rajendra Singh Negi’s allegedly slipped in the snow at Gulmarg, Jammu and Kashmir during duty and reached Pakistan.

    As per reports, on January 8, Negi’s wife Rajeshwari got a phone call from his unit informing her Negi was missing. It was later found that he had slipped in the snow and crossed the India-Pakistan border in Kashmir. The family has demanded the government for his safe and early return from Pakistan to his homeland.

    According to Indian Army sources, the search and rescue operation of Negi was ongoing and all attempts were being made to bring him back safely from Pakistan.

    Negi, a resident of Ambiwala Sainik Colony in Dehradun, had joined the 11 Garhwal Rifles regiment in 2002. He had arrived in Dehradun in October for a month’s vacation and was posted to the snowy area of Gulmarg in November.

  • IN PICTURES: Eman Suleman’s wedding celebrations

    IN PICTURES: Eman Suleman’s wedding celebrations

    Model and social activist Eman Suleman tied the knot in a low-key nikkah in early January.

    The model shared that she and her husband hoped for a small, intimate wedding but the elders in the family wanted a full blown wedding so the couple will now be having all three traditional functions.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B6-tbgbnsv4/

    Eman’s wedding festivities started with a fun mehndi. Eman made a gorgeous bride with minimal makeup and jewellery.

    The couple’s closest friends including models Rehmat Ajmal, Zara Peerzada and Neha Rajpoot were present at the function.

    Saheefa Jabbar Khattak, Farwa Kazmi

    The next day, it was the baraat. Eman went down the traditional route opting for an all-red look.

    She made sure to enjoy her baraat also.

    The wedding festivites concluded with a valima.

    We’re not crying you are!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OepODBvf1/

    Meanwhile, social media users couldn’t get enough of the couple, especially Eman’s looks and their simple marriage.

    https://twitter.com/_maulana_banana/status/1216430778755821572?s=20
    https://twitter.com/zanakhan/status/1216732663949643782?s=20

  • PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    PTI’s Fawad spotted in PPP leader’s car with another friend from PML-N

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader and Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has been spotted in the car of a Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader along with one belonging to the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), leaving supporters wondering if “a deal has been struck”.

    According to the details, Fawad on Sunday evening was spotted getting on the car of PPP senator and party chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari’s spokesperson Mustafa Nawaz Khokhar. PML-N Senator Musadik Malik and two others also accompanied Fawad and Mustafa as the latter drove to a five-star hotel.

    With Fawad, who has never shied away from training guns at the two major opposition parties — the PML-N and PPP — accompanying the two leaders belonging to the ruling party’s arch rivals, it wasn’t later when speculation ran rife that a deal had been struck between the three largest political parties of the country and there lied no disputes among them whatsoever.

    Amid all rumours, The Current went an extra mile to investigate and figured out that the three leaders had only decided to accompany each other for a cup of tea following “Where is Pakistan heading in the next 10 years” — their session at the recently-concluded two-day Afkare Taza ThinkFest 2020 in Lahore.

    Their bond also dates back to a private media outlet’s show “Khabar K Peechy” where the three represented their respective political parties.

  • Imran Abbas praises his ‘favourite co-star’ Ayeza Khan

    Imran Abbas praises his ‘favourite co-star’ Ayeza Khan

    Given that Imran Abbas has done almost four dramas opposite Ayeza Khan (Tum Kon Piya, Mohabbat Tum Se Nafrat Hai, Koi Chand Rakh, Thora Sa Haq) it comes as no surprise that she is his favourite co-star.

    In a post shared on social media, Imran showered praises on Ayeza, calling her his favourite co-star. He further complemented her by saying that she was “one of the most refined actors, blessed with immense talent and grace.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OXMztHTuo/

    Ayeza had a cheeky response to Imran’s heartfelt note.

    Under Imran’s post, his co-star and celebrity crush Reema praised him for his performance. Ayeza’s Meray Paas Tum Ho co-star Hira Mani also sent love their way.

    Earlier, Imran had also penned a note for his other Thora Sa Haq co-star Mashal Khan in which he said that it was pleasure working with her and that he wishes her luck for all her future endeavors.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7JimKkpwXc/

    Meanwhile, Ayeza shared pictures from the wrap up party of Thora Sa Haq.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B7OmG7EBK1w/
  • Ex-spymaster served family court notice over ‘secret’ marriage: report

    Ex-spymaster served family court notice over ‘secret’ marriage: report

    A family court has issued a notice to former Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) chief Lt-Gen (r) Zaheerul Islam on a suit filed by Palwasha Zai Khan, who claims to be his wife, The News reported. 

    According to reports, family court judge Abdul Muneem issued the notice to the ex-ISI director general (DG) for January 20 after Palwasha moved the court for alimony for their four and half-year-old son Shamsherul Islam.

    The court, in its notice, has directed Islam to appear before the court in person or submit a reply through his counsel by Jan 20.  In case of noncompliance, the court can initiate ex-party proceedings, the notice further read. 

    Palwasha claims that she had married Islam on May 5, 2015, in Islamabad and had a four and half-year old son with him. Palwasha has reportedly also initiated legal proceedings for divorce.

  • Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    Engineering university to be set up in Swat

    The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government has decided to set up an engineering and technology university in Swat at an estimated cost of Rs4 billion.

    The planned Swat University of Engineering and Technology (SUET) would be run on the triple helix model and will connect the government, industry and academics.

    Chief planning officer of the Higher Education Department Hamid Naveed who has been selected as a focal person for the establishment of SUET at the fast track by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan revealed that “Unlike other universities in the province that solely depend on the government funds, the SUET will have its sustainability plan.”

    He further shared that the administratively, the new university would be different from other universities as a decentralized system would be applied to address issues at a low level.

    As per reports, the new university would be a joint venture of the private sector and academia and the government, industry and academia would jointly work under the banner of SUET.

    Initially, the university will introduce only six disciplines namely energy engineering, civil engineering, institute of materials, mining and metallurgy, biomedical engineering, computer system engineering and institute of manufacturing.

    SUET also aims to be connected with some of the best engineering universities of developed countries like the US and the UK for the exchange of knowledge. To save SUET graduates from joblessness, the students will also be equipped with entrepreneurial skills in order to make them job providers instead of job seekers.