Author: newsdesk

  • When are Eid ul Azha holidays expected?

    When are Eid ul Azha holidays expected?

    The Pakistan Meteorological Department (PMD) has predicted that there is a high chance of Eidul Adha 2024 to be observed on June 17, Monday.

    The PMD’s Climate Data Processing Centre has predicted that the crescent moon for Zul Hajj will be born on June 6 at 5:38 PM, reports Samaa News.

    Despite the forecasts, the Central Ruet-e-Hilal Committee will make the final decision regarding the moon sighting in the country.

    Holiday schedule

    The official 2024 holiday calendar has earmarked the Eid ul Azha holidays from June 17 to 19.

    However, considering the tendency of most government offices to remain closed on Saturdays and Sundays, the holiday period will effectively commence on June 15.

    A formal notification detailing the revised holidays will be issued by the federal government in the days leading up to Eid ul Azha.

  • Two suspects arrested for murdering babrbershop workers in Gawadar

    Two suspects arrested for murdering babrbershop workers in Gawadar

    Balochistan Home Minister Zia Ullah Langau announced on Friday that two suspects involved in the murder of barbershop workers in Gawadar have been arrested.

    Seven barbershop workers from Punjab were killed when they were sleeping in their apartment near the Gwadar Fish Harbour in the Surbandar area of the coastal town earlier this month. One worker was injured in the incident.

    “I congratulate all our institutions who fulfilled their responsibility and the government’s orders with their efforts, and we have arrested two killers of the Gwadar labourers,” Langau said while addressing a press conference in Quetta.

    The arrested suspects revealed during the investigation that they had been ordered to kill any labourer from Punjab.

    Zia Ullah Langau also stated that millitants targeted innocent citizens, worsening the peace and security situation in Balochistan.

    “Terrorists have nothing to do with our rights. We will go the extra mile for those speaking up for the rights of Balochistan,” Langau added.

  • Mother of murdered Italian teenager arrested in Pakistan

    Mother of murdered Italian teenager arrested in Pakistan

    After dodging arrest for three years, the mother of Saman Abbas has been taken into custody in Azad Kashmir, Italian news agency Ansa has said.

    The 18-year-old was an Italian-Pakistani teenager who went missing in the Reggio Emilia on April 30, 2021, and her body was found in November 2022.

    Her mother, Nazia Shaheen, left Italy after the murder. An international arrest warrant was issued against her.

    The arrest is said to be made possible through joint efforts between Interpol and the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

    Shaheen was taken to Islamabad, where she appeared before the court on Friday for the extradition procedure.

    Her husband, Shabbar Abbas, was also extradited to Italy in August 2023 after he came to Pakistan following the murder b

    In December 2023, a court in Reggio Emilia sentenced the couple to life in prison in absentia after finding them guilty of homicide.

    Ansa reports that as per the orders by Italian judges, Saman’s mother “may have been the person who actually carried out the murder.”

    The judges also dismissed the widely believed notion that Saman’s refusal to marry an older man in Pakistan was the motive for the murder. Instead, they determined that the killing was a “spur of the moment” act, driven by anger over the victim’s desire to leave home and live with her boyfriend.

    Saman’s uncle was also extradited from France for the trial. He has been sentenced to 14 years, while two cousins were acquitted.

  • Bollywood couple Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor end their relationship

    Bollywood couple Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor end their relationship

    Bollywood couple Malaika Arora and Arjun Kapoor have ended their relationship, choosing to keep the details of the breakup private and move on quietly. Despite rumors of their marriage surfacing in 2018, the couple has decided to part ways. According to ‘Pinkvilla’, they will always hold a special place in each other’s hearts.

    The couple reportedly parted ways without getting into arguments or making allegations against one another, ‘Pinkvilla’ has reported.The couple reportedly decided not to allow their relationship to become a news story and instead decided to part ways while keeping quiet about it.

  • USAID contractor resigns, alleging work on Palestine was censored

    Alexander Smith, a contractor for the US Agency for International Development (USAID), resigned from his private sector position, saying he could no longer perform contract work for the Biden administration after a presentation he was preparing on Gaza’s humanitarian crisis was cancelled.

    Smith claimed that USAID gave him a choice between resigning or dismissal after he attempted to give a presentation on maternal and child mortality among Palestinians, says a report published by The Guardian.

    “I cannot do my job in an environment in which specific people cannot be acknowledged as fully human, or where gender and human rights principles apply to some, but not to others, depending on their race,” Smith wrote in his resignation letter quoted by The Guardian.

    Smith’s resignation adds to a small but growing list of officials working inside or for the US government who have resigned in protest against the Biden administration’s support for Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    On Tuesday, Stacy Gilbert, a career official in the US State Department’s Bureau of Population, Refugees and Migration (PRM), told staff she was resigning because she felt the State Department had wrongly concluded that Israel was not preventing the entry of aid into Gaza.

    Earlier this month, Lilly Greenberg Call became the first Jewish-American political official to resign. Call worked in the Department of Interior, but there have been a number of high-profile resignations from officials working on the Middle East and defence.

    Major Harrison Mann tendered his resignation from the Department of Defence Intelligence Agency in May, citing Washington’s support for the war on Gaza.

  • PTI legal team charged under anti-terrorism law for attacking Khawar Maneka

    PTI legal team charged under anti-terrorism law for attacking Khawar Maneka

    The Police on Thursday filed an anti-terror case along with other charges against a group of lawyers who allegedly attacked Khawar Maneka, ex-husband of former First Lady Bushra Bibi, on court premises as he was leaving the site after appearing in the Iddat case, Dawn reported.

    However, an FIR was not lodged by the victim but an inspector of the capital police, Imtiaz Ahmed. The FIR nominated six lawyers and 20 to 25 unknown people, including women.

    As per the FIR, a lawyer threatened and attacked Maneka when he came outside of the courtroom along with other lawyers and as a result he fell down on the ground.

    Meanwhile, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader Amir Masood Mughal said the registration of a “false terrorism case” against Imran Khan’s legal team was a conspiracy hatched by the “illegitimate” government.

    He said that police had registered an anti-terror case against the PTI legal team because an “unknown person” slapped Khawar Maneka.

  • PIA Hajj flight makes emergency landing in Riyadh after technical fault

    PIA Hajj flight makes emergency landing in Riyadh after technical fault

    A Jeddah-bound Hajj flight of Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) made an emergency landing at Riyadh Airport after high temperature warning.

    The Hajj flight had departed from Karachi for Jeddah at 10 pm on Friday night.

    Geo News reports that a passenger on PK 839 said that an explosion was heard in the plane during the journey, after which the plane was diverted from Jeddah and landed at Riyadh airport.

    Following an aircraft check, high temperature warning mechanism was found to be faulty, and the flight was then flown to its original destination.

  • Clarification issued: Petrol price reduced by Rs4.74 per litre, not Rs15.39

    Clarification issued: Petrol price reduced by Rs4.74 per litre, not Rs15.39

    The Ministry of Finance has announced a reduction in fuel prices, decreasing petrol by Rs4.74 per litre and high-speed diesel (HSD) by Rs3.86 per litre. This announcement followed initial confusion regarding the extent of the cuts.

    The confusion arose after PTV reported that Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif had directed a more substantial reduction of Rs15.4 per litre for petrol and Rs7.9 per litre for diesel for the upcoming fortnight.

    This premature report was posted on PTV’s official X account but was later retracted.

    The Prime Minister’s Office soon issued a clarification, stating that the figures reported by PTV were outdated and pertained to the previous month’s adjustments. Following this clarification, the Finance Ministry released its fortnightly notification confirming the new, more modest reductions.

    PTV had claimed that the government’s “people-friendly policies” had brought economic stability and achieved a noticeable reduction in inflation.

    Initially, it was expected that the prices of petrol and HSD would decrease by approximately Rs6.5 to Rs7.5 per litre on May 31, despite a slight exchange rate loss due to a bearish trend in the international market.

  • ‘Iqra is the famous star, I’m just an actor’: Yasir Hussain on wife’s fame

    ‘Iqra is the famous star, I’m just an actor’: Yasir Hussain on wife’s fame

    Actor Yasir Hussain is all praise for his wife Iqra Aziz, and we are here for the public display of admiration. Talking on the Ahmad Ali Butt Show, Yasir talked about his fame and his wife’s, both popular actors in Pakistani dramas. Even though they work in the same industry, Yasir said their relationship is easy. He thinks Iqra is the real star, while he sees himself as just an actor.

    “Everywhere we go, like America, Canada, or the Middle East, she has fans there, from all over the world. That’s what being a superstar means – when lots of people around the world know how talented you are.”

    He also talked about a drama they worked on together called Aik Thi Laila. He said, “They wanted to cast both Iqra and me. It was a short project, just six episodes, so I said yes.” The project was special because it brought together their personal and professional lives in a unique way.

    When Yasir was asked about his experience directing his wife, he had only good things to say about her. He praised her for being very professional and relaxed on set. “She’s easy to work with. Unlike other actresses, she doesn’t throw tantrums or spend a lot of time in makeup. She understands directions quickly and follows them well,” he observed. Yasir’s praise showed how talented Iqra is and how much they respect each other in their relationship.

  • ‘I’m a big fan…’; Hamza Sohail reveals favourite actor

    ‘I’m a big fan…’; Hamza Sohail reveals favourite actor

    Young star Hamza Sohail has recently revealed his favorite female actor in Pakistan.

    In a recent interview with ‘Fuschia’, Hamza revealed that Sajal Aly is his favorite female actor, not just in Pakistan but in the whole region.

    “I’m a huge fan of Sajal Aly. I’m not just saying this; I’ve been a fan for a long time. She is one of the finest artists in this entire region,” he said. “When she came on set, I stood up out of respect, but she was so warm and kind.”

    Continuing in the same vein, he stated, “She khows how an artist should be when they become successful. Her behavior on set, her movements, and her work ethic are amazing. I was blown away and thought this is what everyone should aim for,” he added

    On the work front, Hamza Sohail is currently starring in the popular drama series ‘Burns Road Kay Romeo Juliet’ alongside Iqra Aziz.