Author: newsdesk

  • List of famous people getting civilian awards on March 23

    List of famous people getting civilian awards on March 23

    Presidential Civil Awards are given to people who are really good at what they do. The government of Pakistan made a list of these people on August 14, 2023, Independence Day. They will get their awards on March 23, 2024, Pakistan Day.

    Here are some artists who will get awards:

    HILAL-I-IMTIAZ
    Rahat Ali Khan — for qawwali
    Mohammad Ahmed Shah — for culture
    Mehmood Ahmed Tahir Bhatti — for directing films and designing fashion

    SITARA-I-IMTIAZ
    Bilal Lashari — for directing, filming, and writing scripts
    Satish Anand — for producing and distributing films
    Javed Bashir Ahmad, Faakhir Mehmood, and Shabnam — for singing
    PRESIDENT’S AWARD FOR PRIDE OF PERFORMANCE
    Shazia Manzoor, Dhai Bai alias Mai Dhai, and Hamayoon Khan Arts — for singing
    Inayat Hussain Bhatti (late) — for acting, producing, directing, and writing scripts for films
    Zulfiqar Ali Attre — for composing music
    Ajab Gul — for acting and directing
    Ishrat Abass — for drama, theater, radio, and acting
    Shakir Zeb — for directing music
    Qadir Bux Mithoo — for comedy
    Mussarrat Kalanchvi — for writing Urdu and Saraiki fiction and plays
    Adnan Siddiqui — for acting, hosting, and producing
    Zubaida (Naghma) — for being a film artist
    Hassan Askari — for directing and writing films
    Sheema Kermani — for classical dancing and choreography
    Naseer Baig Mirza — for comparing, writing, and producing

    TAMGHA-I-IMTIAZ
    Sajal Ali — for acting
    Juggan Kazim — for anchoring and acting
    Abdul Batin Farooqi — for acting
    Almas Khan Khalil — for singing folk Pashto songs
    Fazal Wahab Dard — for singing
    Ustad Rustam Fateh Ali Khan — for singing classical music
    Imran Aziz Mian — for singing Qawwali
    Gulraiz Ghouri and Rahmatullah Khan — for photography
    Khalid Bin Shaheen — for acting and producing
    Shahzad Rafique — for directing films
    Fizza Ali Meerza and Amjad Sheikh — for producing and writing for screens
    Abdul Wasay Chaudhary — for acting in films and dramas
    Farooq Hassan — for hosting.

  • Drama stirs up as Khan’s presence in  Punjab Assembly takes stage

    Drama stirs up as Khan’s presence in  Punjab Assembly takes stage

    Imran Khan, incarcerated founder of PTI, caused chaos in the Punjab Assembly on Thursday as a portrait of the former prime minister was placed on the opposition leader’s seat, leading to disorder in the house. Members of the treasury walked out after the chair refused to take any action.

    During Thursday’s budget session, which resumed after a two-day break, Deputy Speaker Malik Zaheer Iqbal Channar chaired the session. PML-N lawmakers Malik Waheed and Bilal Yameen protested when they saw Mr. Khan’s portrait on opposition leader Malik Ahmed Khan Bhachhar’s seat.

    On a point of order, they demanded the chair remove the portrait of a person “who has been convicted by a court of law and is still behind bars.” They claimed that bringing the picture of a convict into the house was against assembly rules.

    The chair advised the protesters to join the budget session instead of raising objections. However, the two PML-N members kept protesting, interrupting the session. They then left when the deputy speaker didn’t make a decision about the portrait.

  • First ever Virtual Reality classes launched in Pakistan

    First ever Virtual Reality classes launched in Pakistan

    Information Technology University (ITU) of Lahore has started virtual reality classes for the first time in Pakistan.

    ITU became the first educational institution in Pakistan to offer classes in Metaverse. The online class will also have the feeling of being in a real educational institution.

    Students and teachers in any city, any country, can simply put on the virtual reality headset and they will reach the class. There will be a projector and board for the teacher. In Metaverse, students will be able to feel their movements with questions and answers.

    Students say that the online classroom is so close to reality that it has become easier to understand the syllabus.

    Head of Department of Computer Sciences Ibrahim Ghaznavi said, “With this initiative, where energy will be saved, the academic ability of students will be improved.”

    Talking about Covid, he said, “When online classes started after Corona, it was necessary to improve them because the students did not understand in the online classes, those classes were not close to reality.”

    The University has also entered into an agreement with the University of Denmark in a pilot project.

    The IT industry is of the opinion that if legislators make laws for modern technology and use it for the promotion of education, then Pakistan can shine around the world.

  • Mahamadou Diawara quits France Under-19 team after fasting restrictions

    Mahamadou Diawara quits France Under-19 team after fasting restrictions

    French midfielder Mahamadou Diawara has quit the country’s under-19 squad due to new implemented regulations prohibiting Muslim players from fasting during Ramadan while working with the national team.

    According to ESPN sources the new regulations, which apply to all teams from the U16 level up to the senior squad, did not sit well with Diawara, and he made the decision to quit the squad, heading back to his hometown.

    Nantes player Dehmaine Tabibou Assoumani has been called up by the French Football Federation (FFF) to replace Diawara.

    In an interview with French newspaper Le Figaro on Wednesday FFF president Philippe Diallo said, “I have put in place new rules regarding players fasting for Ramadan while on national duty, a ‘principle of neutrality’ is written into the organisation’s founding statutes and that the measures ensure that religion does not interfere with an athlete.”

    The new FFF rules say, “Players picked for French national teams can’t fast during Ramadan. They must follow the regular schedule of the team’s activities.”

    An agent who was representing a number of players of France’s youth and senior sides told ESPN. “Some players are not happy with this decision. They believe that their religion is not respected and that they are not respected either. Some don’t want to cause a fuss but Mahamadou was not happy with it so he left.”

  • ‘Take your mubaraks back’; Sarmad Khoosat’s humorous take on being removed from Presidential Award list

    ‘Take your mubaraks back’; Sarmad Khoosat’s humorous take on being removed from Presidential Award list

    Award-winning director and filmmaker Sarmad Khoosat was due to receive a Presidential civilian award, among the highest honours in the country.
    However, in a surprising turn of events, he took to his Instagram story to share that his name had been removed from the Presidential Awards list from August 14, 2023.

    He shared the news on an Instagram story, writing a humorous take. “SITARA-I-IMTIAZ RANDOM FUN FACT | NEWS. UPDATE 4. My name has been vanished from ‘the 14th August ’23 list’ of Presidential Awards that everyone ‘officially’ and unofficially congratulated me for. Sorry, please take your Mubaraks back. Bhaee yeh mai nay khud tou nahii bana li thii list. And as far as I remember (from the year I got the PP) the list disclosed on the 14th of August is the finalised list unless the recipient refuses to accept the award”.

    Sarmad Khoosat’s fans are really upset about what happened to him, pointing out that he’s done a lot for the country and its reputation, even more than some influential people.
    Fans thanked Sarmad for all he’s done for the entertainment world. They think it’s terrible what happened to an artist who’s spent his life making art and entertainment.

  • IMF wants Pakistan to increase petrol prices

    IMF wants Pakistan to increase petrol prices

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) conveyed to the Pakistani authorities that while the Petroleum Development Levy (PDL) has considerably increased in recent years, the taxation of petroleum products has declined since 2019. “The relatively low rate of taxation of petrol is also reflected in the sale price relative to other countries.” The IMF emphasized that there is a difference of gasoline prices when compared to selected neighboring countries and emerging economies.

    The average 2023 price of gasoline at the pump was $1.12 per litre against $0.97 per litre in Pakistan. The IMF report said that taking off the exemption of petroleum products under the Sales Tax would increase prices by 18% with the standard rate of General Sales Tax.
    Moreover, the IMF has also recommended in its Technical Assistance Report with the Pakistani authorities to raise taxes on domestically manufactured automobiles and on luxury goods such as yachts. It also said to increase border control to stop smuggling of oil derivatives.

    Pakistan faces a problem of smuggling especially on it Western borders with both Iran and Afghanistan. A 2023 Civil Intelligence Agency report exposed that Pakistan faced loss of more than Rs. 60 billion annually due to smuggling of more than 2.81 billion litres of oil from Iran to Pakistan, as per the report of Business Recorder.

    The Fund also recommended the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to tax e-cigarettes equal to tobacco in the country.

  • Government likely to extend new IMF programme for three years, says Shehbaz Sharif

    Government likely to extend new IMF programme for three years, says Shehbaz Sharif

    Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has indicated that the government is likely to extend the new International Monetary Fund (IMF) programme for three years.

    “The new tranche of loan is likely to be received from the IMF in a few days, however, we would need another programme,” he said while addressing a session of the Special Investment Facilitation Council’s (SIFC) apex committee attended by civil-military leadership on Thursday.

    Shehbaz Sharif also stated that the presence of civil-military leadership, including elected lawmakers, in the session is a clear message of unity, development, and prosperity for the country.

    The PM also said that the former coalition government, comprised of 13 political parties, prioritised the country over politics.

    “There are major challenges to national economy. The SIFC is an important platform which was primarily establishment to remove hurdles in foreign investments, and it held several meetings during the last eight months.” Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir played vital role in SIFC’s formation, he added.

  • Why MS Dhoni quits CSK’s captaincy just before one day of IPL?

    Why MS Dhoni quits CSK’s captaincy just before one day of IPL?

    Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Chennai Super Kings (CSK) captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni has resigned from the captaincy on Thursday.

    IPL 2024 is going to start from today, March 22. Just a day before the start of the tournament, Dhoni fans got the bad news that he has quit the captaincy of the Super Kings.

    CSK have announced the new team captain for IPL 2024, Ruturaj Gaikwad.

    Dhoni has captained Kings since the first season of IPL starting in 2008. CSK became five times IPL champions under the captaincy of MS Dhoni.

  • What is El Nino effect and how is it impacting global sea levels?

    What is El Nino effect and how is it impacting global sea levels?

    Global average sea levels rose by about 0.3 inches (one-third of an inch) from 2022 to 2023 — nearly four times the increase of the previous year — Nasa said on Thursday, attributing the “significant jump” to a strong El Nino and a warming climate.

    The Nasa-led analysis is based on more than 30 years of satellite observations, with the initial satellite launching in 1992 and the latest in 2020.

    Overall, sea levels have risen by around four inches since 1993. The rate of increase has also accelerated, more than doubling from 0.07 inches per year in 1993, to the current rate of 0.17 inches per year.

    “Current rates of acceleration mean that we are on track to add another 20 centimetres (eight inches) of global mean sea level by 2050,” said Nadya Vinogradova Shiffer, director for the Nasa sea level change team and the ocean physics programme in Washington.

    That would be double the amount of change in the next three decades compared to the previous century, she said, creating a future where flooding is far more frequent and catastrophic than today.

    The immediate cause of the spike is the El Nino weather effect, which replaced the La Nina from 2021 to 2022, when the sea level rose around 0.08 inches.

    El Nino involves warmer-than-average ocean temperatures in the equatorial Pacific.

    The term El Niño (Spanish for ‘the Christ Child’) refers to a warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. The low-level surface winds, which normally blow from east to west along the equator (“easterly winds”), instead weaken or, in some cases, start blowing the other direction (from west to east or “westerly winds”). El Niño recurs irregularly, from two years to a decade, and no two events are exactly alike. El Niño events can disrupt normal weather patterns globally, asserts US Geological Survey.

  • FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2, Jordan defeats Pakistan by 0-3 goals

    FIFA World Cup Qualifiers 2, Jordan defeats Pakistan by 0-3 goals

    In the FIFA World Cup Qualifier Round 2, Jordan defeated Pakistan by 0-3 goals.

    The match between Pakistan and Jordan at the Jinnah Stadium in Islamabad started at lightning speed. In the second minute, Jordan’s Musa Al-Tmari gave his team the lead.

    In the ninth minute, Jordan received a penalty kick due to a foul by a Pakistani defender and Ali Alwan made Jordan’s lead two zero and the first half ended with the same score.

    In the second half, the defense of the Pakistan team was relatively better, the strikers also attacked to equalize the goal but did not succeed.

    However, in the 86th minute, Jordan’s Musa al-Tmari got a chance and scored his second goal and the team’s third goal, and Jordan won the match by three goals to zero.

    In the World Cup Qualifier Round Two, Pakistan played one match each against Saudi Arabia, Tajikistan and Jordan and faced defeat in all of them.

    The national team will play an away match against Jordan on March 26.