Author: newsdesk

  • Rowing boats, making weapons: Modi to feature on Discovery Channel’s ‘Man vs. Wild’

    Rowing boats, making weapons: Modi to feature on Discovery Channel’s ‘Man vs. Wild’

    Prime minister (PM) of neighbouring India, Narendra Modi, will be seen in a never-seen-before avatar on August 12 when he ventures into his country’s wilderness along with Bear Grylls, the host of Discovery Channel’s popular show “Man vs. Wild”.

    The Discovery Channel has issued a statement saying the
    special episode featuring survivalist and adventurer Grylls and shot in the Uttarakhand’s
    Jim Corbett National Park, will be a “frank and freewheeling
    journey”.

    In a clip of the show that was shared by Grylls on his Twitter account, PM Modi can be seen riding a small dinghy down a river along with the adventure travel show host.

    In another scene, the Indian premier is seen welcoming Grylls to India and holding up a weapon carved out of bamboo and other material collected from the forest and saying, “I will keep this with me for you.”

    To this, Grylls replies with laughter, “You are the most important man in India, my job is to keep you alive.”

    “For years, I have lived among nature, in the mountains and the forests. These years have a lasting impact on my life. So when I was asked about a special show focusing on life beyond politics and that too in the midst of nature I was intrigued to take part in it,” Modi said while speaking about the show.

    He added that the show was a “great opportunity to showcase
    to the world India’s rich environmental heritage and stress on the importance
    of environment conservation and living in harmony with nature”.

  • PML-N’s Hanif Abbasi has fled country, media reports claim

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Hanif Abbasi, who was handed life imprisonment in the ephedrine case last year, has reportedly left the country and is currently residing in the United States (US).

    According to media reports, Abbasi is living with a former PML-N leader at his residence in Alexandria, Virginia and plans to stay out of the country “until the situation in Pakistan improves”.

    A trial court had sentenced Abbasi to life in prison back in July 2018, after he was found guilty of illegally selling 500kg of ephedrine — a medication and stimulant used to prevent low blood pressure during spinal anesthesia — to narcotics smugglers.

    The ephedrine case surfaced in March 2011 when then federal minister Makhdoom Shahabuddin told the National Assembly that the government will investigate the alleged allocation of a quota for the production of 9,000kg of ephedrine to two pharmaceutical companies — Berlex Lab International and Danas Pharmaceutical Limited.

    According to the rules, a company cannot be allocated a production quota of more than 500kg of the drug, a limit fixed by the International Narcotics Control Board (INCB).

    The Anti-Narcotics Force (ANF) had eventually registered a case in June 2012 against nine suspects, including Abbasi. He was accused of obtaining the controlled chemical for his company, Gray Pharmaceutical, in 2010.

    However, instead of using it for medicinal purposes, Abbasi sold it on to narcotics smugglers. A fine of Rs1 million was imposed on the PML-N leader along with the life sentence. Seven other accused were acquitted in the case.

    Abbasi’s sentence was suspended by the Lahore High Court (LHC) in April this year.

  • Pakistanis can now get a Canadian student visa ‘in less than three weeks’

    Pakistanis can now get a Canadian student visa ‘in less than three weeks’

    Good news for Pakistani students planning to go to Canada for higher studies.

    The Canadian government has decided to expand its’ Student Direct Stream (SDS) programme to include international students from Pakistan, enabling them to get a student visa in ‘less than three weeks’. The Canadian government had initiated the programme for students from India, China, Philippines and Vietnam last year.

    According to the press release issued, “SDS applications require prospective students to provide more up-front information to officers, including meeting language test requirements in English or French and providing additional information that shows their ability to finance their education,” to expedite the visa process.

    It added, “Many international students who graduate from a program in Canada often become eligible for a post-graduation work permit. With a Canadian education and skilled work experience in Canada, former international students are well-positioned for success in applying for permanent residence through Express Entry, the Provincial Nominee Program or the Atlantic Immigration Pilot.”

    High Commissioner of Pakistan to Canada Raza Bashir Tarar welcomed the decision and said that it would facilitate students who wished to study in Canada. The high commissioner, in his meetings with the Canadian officials, had urged them to include Pakistani students in the SDS programme as “academically, Pakistani students are second to none”.

  • Mehwish Hayat pledges to promote hockey in Pakistan

    Mehwish Hayat pledges to promote hockey in Pakistan

    Award-winning actress Mehwish Hayat has vowed that she will work towards promoting Pakistan’s national sport, hockey.

    After a video of thirsty hockey players searching for water outside the stadium during the ongoing National Hockey Championship went viral, Mehwish took to Twitter to express her shock at the conditions of the players and called for the revival of the sport in Pakistan.

    The following day, she visited the Abdul Sattar Hockey Stadium in Karachi to promote the ongoing championship. Mehwish even tried her hand at the sport with the players.

    At the stadium, while speaking to the media, Mehwish expressed her disappointment on the conditions of the players and stadium in general. Mehwish said that more attention needs to paid to the sport and requested the government and Prime Minister Imran Khan to help the sport. She even urged the authorities to integrate sports into the school curriculum.

    Mehwish later shared her thoughts on Twitter as well and encouraged others to also support the game.

    Mehwish’s initiative gathered a lot of appreciation on social media and several other renowned personalities also spoke on the matter.

  • Seedless mango makes its way to mango lovers

    Seedless mango makes its way to mango lovers

    What’s the best thing about summer? Mangoes! Juicy, sweet and divine, this king of fruits is much valued and most looked forward to. Make smoothies, salads use them in chutneys or make curries. While making these hardest part is peeling the mango but in the coming years that won’t be a problem as a new seedless species of mango has introduced at a Mango festival at the Centaurus Mall, Islamabad

    According to the reports, the seedless
    mango is under development stage at Multan University. The seedless mango is a
    large fruit with a substantial amount of pulp and its seed is very small. The
    variety was developed accidentally at a private orchard in Shujabad area of
    Multan. Officials say that it could take three to four years for the new kind
    to be finalized.

  • Firdous Jamal’s comments on Mahira Khan enrage her fans

    Firdous Jamal’s comments on Mahira Khan enrage her fans

    Veteran actor Firdous Jamal’s outdated statements on Mahira Khan have enraged a lot of the superstar’s fans.

    On his recent appearance on Faysal Qureshi’s morning show, Salaam Zindagi where they played a game giving advice to different actors, Firdous remarked, “Sorry to say if someone likes it or not, but Mahira is not heroine stuff. She’s a mediocre sort of a model, she’s not a good actress and not a heroine.

    He didn’t end there. The 65-year-old continued, “She’s quite aged as well and we don’t have heroines at this age, they only play the characters of mothers.”

    09IexEKEDNeAmSiv

    On Sunday, Mahira subtly responded to Jamal’s comments in an Insta post which she captioned, “Desi me rollin’ they hatin’.” Nice on Mahira!

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0dQGrDhm5z/

    Meanwhile, Firdous’ outdated comments on one of Pakistan’s most successful actors sparked enrage on social media and many actors also called him out for belittling Mahira like this.

    And it is her dedication and passion towards her work that has led her to this position. She is a heroine and a star in every sense of these words. As far as age is concerned, an actor and their talent is not bound by it.

    — Humayun Saeed (@iamhumayunsaeed) July 27, 2019

    @TheMahiraKhan jab log aapke baray main achee ya buree batein karen aapke naam se kuch chaar min kee importance chahen to is ka matlab hai you must be doing something right ..you are and you will be My Super Star ⭐️ Shine More ✨

    — Fahad Mustafa (@fahadmustafa26) July 27, 2019

    If we as members of the film & television fraternity can’t keep our chauvinism in check, if we keep reinforcing regressive & sexist stereotypes, how do we expect the public to treat our industry – and specifically the women in it – with respect?

    — Osman Khalid Butt (@aClockworkObi) July 27, 2019

    Taking a dig at the biggest name of your country makes you as small as it gets. Disrespectful remarks in the garb of opinions need to STOP. Hope the two mins of fame were worth it. Mahira works extremely hard to be where she is. It’s not easy
    So Proud of you my M❤️ @TheMahiraKhan

    — MAWRA HUSSAIN (@MawraHocane) July 27, 2019

    Appalling actually! This was not a mere “opinion” – one can tell it was much more than that.

    — zainab abbas (@ZAbbasOfficial) July 27, 2019

    I am really appalled that senior and respectable persons like #Firdousjamal sahab still think that a woman has a heroine by date….till when will we continue on this repressive path and pull peers down. @TheMahiraKhan is a star in every sense of the word like her or hate her. pic.twitter.com/fZTEBUgJDj

    — FK (@faisalkapadia) July 26, 2019

    https://twitter.com/Anumero_1/status/1155050824097304576?s=20

    First of all, what kind of a show is that where randos comment on people and not their work or outfits as is the norm in fashion based TV shows. Secondly, the host is still romancing girls young enough to be his daughters on tv serials. How do they even get the nerve!!! https://t.co/ObDJSqXI07

    — Tazeen (@tazeen) July 27, 2019

    Even Reham Khan had something to say on this.

    Sounds like a personal interaction might not have gone well. #MahiraKhan is fit. Many younger women aspire to look like her. Ignore one man. The rest of the Indian subcontinent can’t help drooling over her. https://t.co/3yjYmmxd9v

    — Reham Khan (@RehamKhan1) July 27, 2019

    Faysal’s comments also received a lot of backlash even though he tried to cover them up later. At the beginning of the segment, he had said, “I honestly wish that at least one of Mahira’s films is a hit this year. Because so far, none of Mahira’s films have done well.”

    Thats how he thinks kiya faraq parhta hey …she is super star and i was shocked too. I meant jo hit milni chahiye woh mily #binroye was hit but bari wali hit .khir i praised her 1000 times in my show no one shared that https://t.co/xb5IYwukgs

    — Faysal Quraishi (@faysalquraishi) July 26, 2019

    Thats his opinion uss mey ary mera show ya main kahan sey aagaya bhai …and watch complete clip aadi is saying something about me https://t.co/y3dPaA8YDv

    — Faysal Quraishi (@faysalquraishi) July 26, 2019

    But no matter what anyone says, Mahira Khan is one of Pakistan’s biggest stars and no one can say otherwise. And age is just a number. Has Firdous sahab even seen the teasers/songs of her latest films? The woman looks dazzling!

    Meanwhile, don’t forget to watch our interview with her this Sunday on our social media channels.

  • NAB deputy director, who arrested Zardari and Abbasi, ‘followed by suspicious car’

    NAB deputy director, who arrested Zardari and Abbasi, ‘followed by suspicious car’

    The vehicle of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi Deputy Director Asad Mehmood Janjua, who arrested former president Asif Ali Zardari and former prime minister (PM) Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, has been “chased by a suspicious car”.

    As per the details available with The Current, Islamabad police, in this regard, have lodged a First Information Report (FIR) against unknown people.

    According to the complaint lodged with the inspector general (IG) of the capital police by NAB officer Muhammad Saleem Khan, Janjua was driving back home after his official duty via Margalla Road when he noticed a suspicious car following him.

    “As he reached near F-9 Park at about 5:30 pm, he noticed a Toyota Vitz bearing registration number AAG-712 with tinted glasses following him. Feeling the situation, the NAB officer slowed down his car but the chaser kept on following. When he turned towards Marquees of E-11 on Margalla Road, the chaser also turned his vehicle and kept on following till he parked his car in front of a shop. The chaser hesitantly turned his car to a street, next to the shop,” the FIR read.

    The officer could not observe who was in the suspicious vehicle because of the tinted glasses. Suddenly, the suspicious vehicle disappeared from the scene, the complainant added, with the request to provide security to the NAB officer.

    The case has been filed at Islamabad’s Golra Shareef police station over the anti-corruption watchdog’s complaint against unidentified persons under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant), 341 (wrongful restraint) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Pakistan Penal Code.

    Other than Zardari and Abbasi, investigators said, Janjua had also arrested the former president’s sister and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Faryal Talpur.

    Meanwhile, police have said that many activists of political parties could be rounded up with their top slot leadership, to hunt the chasers.

  • Punjab bids farewell to English as Urdu declared new medium of instruction at primary level

    Punjab bids farewell to English as Urdu declared new medium of instruction at primary level

    Punjab Chief Minister (CM) Sardar Usman Buzdar on Saturday announced that the province will take up Urdu as the medium of instruction at the primary level from the year 2020.

    Taking to Twitter, the provincial chief executive wrote that time of both teachers and students was wasted in translation instead of comprehension due to the current medium of instruction, which is English.

    As a result, he added, the students fail to learn anything new.

    CM Buzdar revealed that a survey, with the help of teachers, parents and students, was conducted in 22 districts of the province, and over 85 per cent people in every category preferred Urdu over English as the medium of instruction.

    He further said that English will only be taught as a language from March next year.

  • Model Marvi Shabbir allegedly mistreated by designer Zainab Salman

    Model Marvi Shabbir allegedly mistreated by designer Zainab Salman

    Model Marvi Shabbir has accused Lahore-based designer Zainab Salman of humiliating her and not paying her complete dues.

    Taking to social media, Marvi posted a video in which she claimed that Zainab had called her for a photoshoot in Lahore, but was asked to do more than what had been agreed. According to Marvi, the agreement had been of a photoshoot only but when the shoot started, the model was also asked to record some shots for her fashion film. And when Marvi refused to do that because it was not a part of her commitment, Zainab allegedly misbehaved with her.

    Elaborating further, Marvi said that Zainab’s team started humiliating her when she asked them for a dropoff because there was no Careem available in the area. She said they even refused to pay for her work. When she threatened them that she will expose them, they sent half her dues.

    Marvi said that the entire incident left her heartbroken and that has been crying ever since.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0VLtDUhKuR/
    https://www.instagram.com/tv/B0RmcMBhDwJ/

    Soon after the allegations began to trend on social media, designer Zainab Salman issued a statement denying all the allegations. Zainab said that she and her team were in cooperative throughout the shoot but it was Marvi who was rude to her team.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0XjDCvFMCD/
    https://www.instagram.com/p/B0X36kjldfK/

    Meanwhile, some members of the fashion industry stepped forward to support Marvi, such as makeup artist Fatima Nasir.

    https://www.facebook.com/fatimanasirofficial/posts/10156747849718192

    Marvi has worked with leading brands in the past such as Nishat Linen, Sapphire and Elan.

  • Summer care for your hair

    Summer care for your hair

    The hot and humid weather doesn’t only play havoc with our mood but also sends our hair out of control. Which means that we need to be extra careful with them in this weather. The weekend calls for some self-pampering, so here are a few ways to avoid frizzy hair.

    Get a trim

    Trim your hair in summer. Along with getting rid of the split ends, you’ll also get a new hairstyle which is more summer-friendly. Plus you don’t have to worry about your hair not growing back because hair grows faster in the summer due to better blood circulation.

    Avoid fun in the sun

    The sun’s UV rays make your hair dry and can harm the outer layer of your hair. You would hate us for this but spending too much time in the pool can damage your hair. Dust and sweat can cause split ends and dandruff. You can wear a light scarf to shield your head from sun rays and dust when you are out in the sun.

    Tackle the frizz

    Use a leave-in conditioner to handle the frizz and if a conditioner doesn’t help, try to apply a hair mask twice a week to restore their luster.

    Avoid hot styling tools

    Straighteners and curlers may give to the perfect glam look but they can also ruin your hair. Heat destroys the protein layer of the hair. Allow your hair to dry them naturally.

    But let’s just face the fact that when the air is so hot and humid, your hair are going to get frizzy. Don’t waste your time trying to fight frizz. Instead, find an easy go-to hairdo like a high ponytail, a messy bun or a side braid for the days high in humidity.