Author: newsdesk

  • Shehbaz Sharif meets Maulana Fazal ur Rehman to cool animosity

    Shehbaz Sharif meets Maulana Fazal ur Rehman to cool animosity

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif reached Jamiat Ulma-e-Islam (JUI-F) chief Maulana Fazal ur Rehman residence in Islamabad on Thursday to meet him.
    The Premier took the initiative to improve relations between both the parties that witnessed growing animosity after February, 2024 general elections.   

    Shehbaz praised Maulana’s role in strengthening democracy in the country and acknowledged his services for religion.

    PM Shehbaz proposed a committee to make relations better for the sake of the country’s development.

    Maulana Fazlur Rehman, on May 2, rejected the general election’s results and demanded fresh polls.

  • Tax dou, phir baahir jao: no vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes

    Tax dou, phir baahir jao: no vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes

    Pakistan’s budget for 2024-25 was presented on Wednesday by Finance Minister Muhammad Aurangzeb.

    With a heavy bailout IMF bailout package weighing on the government, increased taxes have been imposed.

    The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has asserted strict actions against non-filers including disallowing foreign travel, No vacation abroad if you don’t pay your taxes.

    While these people are barred from travelling as per the proposal in the Finance Bill 2024-25, Haj and Umrah travellers, minors, students, overseas Pakistanis and such other classes of persons categorised as non-filers are exempted.

    The implementing agencies can face a penalty of Rs 100 million if they fail to block SIMs, utility connections or bar foreign travel of non-filers for first default and Rs200 million for each following default.

    These impositions are put forward for people failing to show necessary evidence or submitting incomplete information pertaining to tax returns or not filing returns.

    Traders and shopkeepers who did not register under Tajir Dost Scheme, will also be penalised while failure to register could result in imprisonment for six months or a fine, or both.

  • Will Florida weather effect USA – Ireland match?

    Will Florida weather effect USA – Ireland match?

    The T20 World Cup match between USA and Ireland is scheduled to be played in Florida on Friday at 7:30 pm but torrential rains continues in Miami.

    Florida’s Governor Ron DeSatis has imposed an emergency as floods hit Miami.

    If the match is cancelled, Pakistan will be out of the race for the next stage. The national team reached Florida yesterday.

    Yesterday India won against USA in the 25th match of T20 World Cup at Nassau County International Cricket Stadium. After the victory, India has qualified for the Super Eight round with 6 points.

  • Nadia Khan is not OK with veteran actor Behroze Sabwari’s misogynistic comments, whether they are recent or old.

    Nadia Khan is not OK with veteran actor Behroze Sabwari’s misogynistic comments, whether they are recent or old.

    In her show, she said, “I think it is okay if he only talks about himself, I have a problem when he pass statements on women. In a recent podcast, he talked about his ex-daughter-in-law. Sometimes, he talks against other women, he also criticizes women for their clothing, and he keeps an eye on how women dress up. Sometimes, he talks against me, it has become a pattern now. Hina Bayat made a brilliant video on his recent viral statement. I really liked her stance. I think it is true that he is enjoying being discussed on various platforms after such statements.”

     Earlier, Behroze Sabzwari was invited as a guest on Nadir Ali’s podcast, where he made several controversial remarks about women. He said, “In Pakistan, a lot of people have motorbikes. Obviously, everyone can’t afford cars. There is inflation and people are barely surviving, but I have noticed one thing: the dressing of women is not appropriate while sitting on bikes. Some women wear weird clothes which cannot be called appropriate. They are not good at all. The clothes are not only see-through but usually are very tight. It shows home training. Women should be fully covered while sitting on the motorbike. This should be strictly kept in mind. Men should also control their eyes, and women should be dressed in an appropriate manner.”

  • Sargodha ATC Judge alleges harassment by ISI; LHC Chief Justice summons IGP & others

    Sargodha ATC Judge alleges harassment by ISI; LHC Chief Justice summons IGP & others

    Lahore High Court (LHC) Chief Justice Malik Shahzad Ahmad Khan on Wednesday summoned Punjab Inspector General of Police (IGP) Usman Anwar and other officials on a complaint by a judge of an anti-terrorism court of Sargodha alleging harassment by intelligence agencies.

    According to the summons, District & Sessions Judge (D&SJ) Muhammad Abbas, on the first day of his new charge as the judge of ATC Sargodha, received a message from an ISI official requesting to meet the judge in his chamber; the judge, however, refused to meet him.

    Ever since, according to ATC judge Abbas, he had been facing a string of harassment incidents, including damaging his house’s sui-gas meter, extra-ordinary electricity bill which was fake, harassment of judge’s relatives and even an incident of firing outside the main gate of ATC which damaged the electricity transformer.

    In his summons, the Chief Justice of LHC stated that Judge Abbas is an “Honest and hardworking Judicial Officer of this institution.”

    “The threats and harassment given to the said Judicial Officer [Judge Abbas] and his family has caused restraint in his judicial work,” stated the summons by LHC.

    The chief justice also converted the judge’s complaint into a contempt petition and issued a notice.

  • B Form no longer needed for admission to federal government schools

    B Form no longer needed for admission to federal government schools

    The government has abolished the B-form — or Child Registration Certificate (CRC) — requirement for admission to federal government schools.

    Geo reports that according to Education Secretary Mohiuddin Wani, the B-form has been one of the major reasons for the growing number of out-of-school children, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations.

    All children residing in Islamabad, regardless of their documentation status, will now be eligible for admission to government schools.

  • Gadhe aur Insaan; Massive surge reported in Pakistani donkey, human population

    Gadhe aur Insaan; Massive surge reported in Pakistani donkey, human population

    Pakistan’s Economic Survey 2023-24 has revealed a shocking rise in the population of both donkeys and humans in the country.

    Pakistan’s donkey population has climbed to 5.9 million, marking a significant increase from the previous financial year’s count of 5.8 million, according to the survey.

    The upward trend in donkey numbers has persisted over the past two years, with an additional 0.2 million donkeys born within this time.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan’s population has increased by 16.3 percent to 241.5 million compared to 2017 (excluding Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan), showing that the country is facing a population explosion.

    According to Economic Survey 2023-24, population growth rate at the national level is 2.55 percent. In contrast, the growth rate in urban areas is 3.65 percent, which is higher than the population growth rate in rural areas—1.90 percent—due to rural-urban migration.

    Population density increased from 260.88 persons per square km in 2017 to 303 in 2023. Additionally, the average household size has decreased from 6.39 in 2017 to 6.30 in 2023.

    Pakistan’s urban population increased from 75.67 million to 93.75 million between 2017 and 2023, making it one of the most urbanised nations in South Asia.

    Almost 39 percent of its population lives in urban areas. Urbanisation impacts a country’s economy and development, leading to changes in various areas such as labour market opportunities, family structures, education, health, environment management, security systems, and governance.

    The literacy rate has gone up in all provinces, with Punjab (increased 66.1 percent to 66.3 percent), Sindh (61.6 percent to 61.8 percent), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (52.4 percent to 55.1 percent), and Balochistan (53.9 percent to 54.5 percent).

  • Bado Badi fever reaches Korea

    Bado Badi fever reaches Korea

    Chahat Fateh Ali Khan’s popular song ‘Bado Badi’ went insanely viral, trending internationally with 28 million views before YouTube took down the video. With the release of a music video on ‘Bado Badi’ by Aoora, a well-known rapper, singer, and musician from Korea, the craze has now spread to the Asian country.

    In recent video, Chahat Fateh Ali Khan hinted at a sequel, ‘Bado Badi 2,’ further fueling the excitement. Many celebrities, including Guru Randhawa, Diljit Dosanjh, B Praak, and international social media stars, have joined the trend, followed by millions of social media users worldwide.

  • 14 sets of twins and one set of triplets graduate from same high school

    14 sets of twins and one set of triplets graduate from same high school

    Fourteen sets of twins and one set of triplets graduated from Cooper City High School in Cooper City, Florida, on June 5.

    The group comprised about 6 percent of the 543 graduates.

    The school’s principal took the momentous occasion to state, “It was very special as they would come across the stage; I would shake their hand and give one a diploma, and then the second one would come over to do the same thing.”

    “It kind of just symbolized they’re their own person, but also, they have been together all these years as twins,” she adds.

    Gabrielle and Jocelyn Reed are one such set of identical twins.

    The sisters have attended school together since pre-K. Come August, they will go their separate ways for college.

    Gabrielle is headed to Cornell University, while Jocelyn will attend Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri.

    “Everywhere I go, I’m lumped together with her and not really seen as my own person, so I’m really excited to be able to have my own experiences,” Gabrielle told TODAY.com.

    Broward County Public Schools believes the graduates have set a county record as most sets of twins to simultaneously graduate from one school.

    Students even created a slogan to remember their unique graduating class: “Twice as nice and triple the fun.”

  • Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Did you know, Faran Tahir replaced Bollywood superstar in ‘The Jungle Book’

    Hollywood actor Faran Tahir, star of such smash hits as ‘Iron Man’ and ‘Star Trek’ is in Pakistan to promote his latest venture, ‘Umro Ayyar.

    Faran and Usman Mukhtar appeared as guests on the FHM Podcast.

    Among other things, the Hollywood actor discussed the industry’s obsession with Bollywood

    “I was initially selected for a role in the 1994 Hollywood film ‘The Jungle Book’, but the producers later opted for Sanjay Dutt instead. However, when Sanjay got entangled in his personal issues, I was called back to replace him and fill in the role,” he revealed.

    “We can draw inspiration from Bollywood and Hollywood, but we must also bring our own unique ideas to the table. We don’t need to compare our industry to our neighbors’; just as we don’t compare ourselves to China and Japan. We should focus on building our own strengths and identity in the film industry.” Faran added.

    His film is coming to cinemas on this Eid Ul Azha, June 17.