Author: newsdesk

  • PML-N leaders mistake own ‘corruption’ for PTI’s

    In a rather embarrassing development, Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leaders have shared audit reports highlighting financial irregularities from their own tenure, while mistaking them as “shortcomings of the now ruling Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)”.

    As per the details, Dawn on Friday shared contents of an audit report pointing out irregularities worth over Rs15.67 trillion money in affairs of federal ministries and divisions during the audit year 2018-19.

    PML-N central spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb besides other leaders, including Maiza Hameed and Khurram Dastgir, tweeted the report while criticising the PTI government for its “corruption”.

    They, however, failed to realise that the funds audited were of the fiscal year 2017-18 — a time when the PML-N was in power — which is described as the audit year 2018-19.

    With screenshots of the said tweets starting doing rounds over the internet, Federal Minister for Science and Technology Fawad Chaudhry and Minister for Economic Affairs Hammad Azhar also took a dig at the PML-N leaders for “exposing their own corruption”.

    The tweets have since been deleted.

  • Hamza Ali Abbasi says his character in ‘Alif’ reflects his own journey

    Hamza Ali Abbasi says his character in ‘Alif’ reflects his own journey

    Hamza Ali Abbasi’s much-awaited project Alif has finally seen the light of the day and is set to air on Geo Entertainment some time this month or early next month.

    Two teasers of the drama have been released and from the look of it, the drama is pretty intriguing. Hamza plays a hotshot director who thinks the world of himself, while Sajal is an aspiring actor.

    The second teaser featured Kubra Khan and Ahsan Khan but it was hard to tell what their characters would be about.

    The drama has been penned by Umera Ahmed and directed by Haseeb Hasan (Mann Mayal, Parwaaz Hai Junoon).

    Meanwhile, Hamza took to Twitter to share that his character in a “lot of ways reflects my own personal ongoing journey.”

    He also said that “this project will set an example of how to use the medium of television to make people reflect on their lives and get back in touch with their Creator.”

    Guess we already know how the drama will end.

    Here’s a look at the teaser featuring Hamza and Sajal.

  • Govt not responsible for kid’s death by rabies: Bilawal

    Govt not responsible for kid’s death by rabies: Bilawal

    Reacting to the death of the 10-year-old who was bitten by a stray dog in Larkana, Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) chief Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that his party-led Sindh government cannot be blamed for it.

    Minor Mir Hasan died of rabies on Tuesday. He was first taken to a hospital in Shikarpur, however, he was not given the treatment because there was no vaccine available there, reports said.

    Hasan’s parents were quoted as saying that they later rushed him to Larkana’s Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Hospital, but it had also run out of the required vaccine.

    A video of the boy, breathing his last in his mother’s arms outside the hospital, was widely shared over the internet as people blamed the PPP-led Sindh government for his death.

    However, Sindh Information Minister Saeed Ghani said it wasn’t because of a shortage of anti-rabies vaccines. “He was bitten by a dog in his village two days before Eidul Azha, which was 40 days before his death.”

    The child was not brought to the hospital immediately after the dog bite and there is no record of him at any hospital in Shikarpur, said an initial investigation report submitted by the district commissioner.

    According to the report, the anti-rabies vaccine was available in stock at the hospitals Hasan was brought to, however, it needs to be administered immediately after a dog bite.

    Once hydrophobia has been developed, the vaccine does not work and is not administered, it said.

    Rubbishing reports regarding the shortage of vaccine, Bilawal, while speaking to reporters on Thursday night said, “The child was brought to the hospital beyond the time. He was bitten on Eid and brought to the hospital now.”

    WATCH VIDEO:

    When questioned about the alleged negligence of the doctors involved, the PPP chief said that investigations were underway and the government had nothing to do with it.

    “The [Sindh] government isn’t responsible for it, but both the selected government and media keep fixating on that,” he said.

  • Here’s how much you have to pay to stay at the ‘Downton Abbey’ castle

    Here’s how much you have to pay to stay at the ‘Downton Abbey’ castle

    We all love Downton Abbey and have always wondered what it would be like to live in that world. Well, here is your chance to do just that.

    The iconic mansion from the hit British show has now been listed on Airbnb and will be open to a select number of people for a one-night stay.

    Highclere Castle, England, is the location used in Downton Abbey. The castle’s owner, the Countess of Carnavon, has listed her home on Airbnb for one night only on November 26. This majestic mansion has 300 rooms and dates back to the 17th Century. You can book it on Airbnb for $159 per night!

    “You will get the opportunity to explore iconic rooms you know so well from Downton Abbey, such as the Drawing Room and the Library,” Lady Carnavon writes in her listing. “For one night, you can follow in the footsteps of kings and queens and enjoy life as a Lord or Lady to celebrate the upcoming motion picture event, Downton Abbey.”

    According to the Guardian, the guests will also join the earl and countess for evening cocktails in the saloon followed by a traditional dinner in the state dining room, waited on by the castle’s own butler.

    After dinner, coffee will be served in the library before the guests retire to one of the principal bedrooms with an en-suite bathroom and views over 400 hectares (1,000 acres) of rolling parkland.

    “Throughout the stay, Lord and Lady Carnarvon will immerse the guests in the rich history and heritage of Highclere Castle with a private tour of the castle, the Highclere estate,” the advert says.

    While the room is listed as coming with a hairdryer and shampoo, it will not have wifi or a TV.

    The listing says that the applicants must be verified Airbnb users with good customer reviews. The application period begins on October 1.

    So if you’re a Downton Abbey fan and are travelling to Britain at the end of November, don’t miss your chance to stay at the beautiful manor.

  • Indian defence minister trolled for posing in IAF uniform

    Indian defence minister trolled for posing in IAF uniform

    Indian Defence Minister Rajnath Singh is being brutally trolled over Twitter for posing for a photograph in the uniform of the Indian Air Force (IAF).

    The photograph started doing rounds over the internet after Singh flew on board India’s indigenously-built Light Combat Aircraft (LCA) Tejas in Bengaluru, becoming the first Indian defence minister to do so.

    “Visit us for tea sometime,” journalist Ajmal Jami wrote while retweeting the image. Other Twitterati, including Indians, also took some time out to troll the defence minister.

    https://twitter.com/AMEYTRIVEDI/status/1174552243955060736

    Earlier in the day, Singh said that the 30-minute sortie was “very smooth and comfortable”, not knowing that the subsequent ride won’t be.

    The IAF has already inducted a batch of Tejas aircraft. The naval version of the LCA is currently in the development stage.

    Recently in Goa, Tejas successfully carried out an “arrested landing”, a key performance demonstrating its ability to land on board an aircraft carrier, making it a major milestone in the development of the naval variant of the fighter jet.

  • Who’s part of Coke Studio 12?

    Who’s part of Coke Studio 12?

    Coke Studio 12 has everyone buzzing. With Rohail Hyatt donning the producer’s hat once again, music lovers are excited for the upcoming edition of the show, especially considering last year’s debacle. Remember Ko Ko Korina?

    Nonetheless, the line-up of the latest season has finally been revealed. While it features some of the regulars, others who were the part of the previous seasons, including Momina Mustehsan, Strings and Asim Azhar, are not part of the lineup.

    Here are some of the artists who will be part of this season’s show:

    • Sanam Marvi
    • Fareed Ayaz & Abu Muhammad
    • Umair Jaswal
    • Atif Aslam
    • Hadiqa Kayani
    • Aima Baig
    • Zoe Viccaji
    • Ali Sethi
    • Shuja Haider
    • Rachel Viccaji
    • Nimra Rafique
    • Quratulain Baloch
    • Abrar ul Haq

    The season is set to air sometime around mid-October.

  • Two Pakistani models are going to the Milan Fashion Week

    Two Pakistani models are going to the Milan Fashion Week

    Models Mushk Kaleem and Alicia Khan are all set to walk the ramp at the Milan Fashion Week for Italian designer Stella Jean. Mushk also won the Lux Style Award this year for Best Emerging Talent in Fashion.

    • Mushk Kaleem
    • Alicia Khan

    Taking to social media, Mushk shared that she is en route Milan for the fashion week. She also said that she is “immensely honoured and proud” to represent the country at an international level.

    Speaking to a local media outlet, Mushk shared that the opportunity arose when the designer Stella Jean visited Pakistan earlier this year. The designer not only took inspiration from Pakistani heritage and culture but also decided to incorporate Pakistani models into her showcase.

    Mushk revealed that the vetting process was long and tedious because everything was very detailed.

    “There is a certain standard size and height that has to be met for a model to be accepted into the fashion week. We also sent images from the ramp, fashion shoots and videos,” she shared.

    Meanwhile, model Alicia Khan will also be going with Mushk to the fashion week. She also shared a picture of herself on board.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B2mmrgol62o/

    The Milan Fashion Week, established in 1958, is part of the global “Big Four Fashion Weeks”, the others being Paris Fashion Week, London Fashion Week and New York Fashion Week. The schedule begins with New York, followed by London, and then Milan, and ending with Paris.

    Recognised as the first Black Italian designer, Stella Jean lives and works in Rome and is considered to be Giorgio Armani’s protégé. In 2019 she was highlighted by the New York Times as the most convincing of all the New Gen designers in Milan.

  • Kasur: Shahid Afridi wants rapists hanged publically

    Kasur: Shahid Afridi wants rapists hanged publically

    In light of the return of child abuse and murder case in Kasur, former Pakistan cricketer Shahid Afridi has demanded that the rapists should be hanged publically to set an example for everyone.

    The 44-year-old former athlete in a Twitter post wrote that that time had come to turn Pakistan into ‘Riyasat-e-Madina’, adding that it hurt him to see what was happening in Sindh and Punjab.

    Earlier today, protests broke out across the country, a day after remains of three missing children were found. The kids had been raped and killed, police said.

    With people recalling the horrifying story of Kasur’s minor Zainab, a protest was also held outside City Chunian police station, where people demanded the arrest of those behind the act and an end to such activities for once and for all.

  • K-Electric reports Rs12.3 billion profit

    K-Electric reports Rs12.3 billion profit

    K-Electric (KE) has announced a profit of Rs12.3 billion for the fiscal year (FY) 2017-18, marking a growth of 18.16 per cent as compared to Rs10.4 billion during the same period of last financial year, a private news outlet has reported.

    According to reports, KE’s Board of Directors held a meeting on Wednesday at the head office and approved the company’s financial results for the year that ended on June 30, 2018.

    KE declared an increase in earnings to 0.45 rupees per share in FY18 from 0.38 rupees per share in FY17.

    The company sold electricity of over Rs184.16 billion in FY18, an increase of 9 per cent as compared to Rs168.57 billion in the previous year. It also received Rs32.97 billion on account of tariff adjustment in the year compared to Rs15.29 billion in the corresponding period.

    Moreover, during the reporting period, over Rs44 billion has been invested in generation, transmission and distribution, while KE’s key financial and operational indicators marked sustained growth as well.

  • Kate Middleton is having ANOTHER baby?

    Kate Middleton is having ANOTHER baby?

    There were rumours abound that Prince William and Kate Middleton were going to have another baby. And the rumours seem to be confirmed by an unlikely source: their four-year-old daughter Charlotte.

    Princess Charlotte and her brother Prince George before going to school

    Apparently, Charlotte, who recently started school, was heard speaking to a friend at school that her “mummy is having another girl.”

    Walking to school with her Mama

    A source revealed that one of the teachers also overheard Charlotte, saying that Charlotte was speaking very loudly and was convinced that her mother was pregnant.

    Princess Charlotte’s viral image of her sticking out her tongue at an event

    Another baby would be the fourth Royal to be born in the family and we wonder if SHE (since Charlotte also revealed the gender) will be as mischievous as her older sister.