Author: newsdesk

  • Court rejects Khan’s intra-court appeal against jail trial

    Court rejects Khan’s intra-court appeal against jail trial

    Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan’s intra-court appeal against jail trial in the cipher case got rejected by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday.

    A two-member IHC bench heard the case.

    PTI chief’s counsel Salman Akram Raja contended before the bench that the federal government did not have the authority to issue a notification for holding Khan’s trial in prison.
    Raja told the court that the federal government has no power to issue a notification for conducting Imran Khan’s trial in jail.

    The lawyer further stated before the court that issuing a notification is the responsibility of Islamabad commissioner, adding that a single bench of IHC had decided in favour of the federal government that it could appoint a judge of its choice.

    “They are judicial officers. The federal government does not have any authority to ‘pick and choose’ [judges],” he added.

  • COAS Gen Asim Munir meets Ambassador of Palestine

    COAS Gen Asim Munir meets Ambassador of Palestine

    Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Syed Asim Munir met the Ambassador of Palestine to Pakistan, Ahmad Jawad Rabei, at General Headquarters today.

    COAS offered his condolences on the loss of Palestinian lives in the ongoing war Israel has declared on Gaza.

    According to the official statement, “COAS expressed grave concern over unabated violence and willful, indiscriminate killing of innocent civilians by the Israeli Defence Forces in the war. Incessant attacks on civilian population, schools, universities, aid workers, hospitals and the forced exodus of Palestinians from Gaza are manifest crimes against humanity.”

    He also reasserted the need to call for immediate cessation of hostilities, open a humanitarian corridor to Gaza, protect civilians and adhere to the International Humanitarian Law.

    COAS also highlighted Pakistan’s “principled support for an independent, viable and contiguous state of Palestine established on the basis of pre-1967 borders with Al-Quds Al-Sharif as its capital”.

    “Pakistan believes that the fresh spate of violence in Gaza is the result of unabated repression, continued human rights violations and state-sponsored sacrilege of Al Aqsa mosque. Conflating this war with terrorism would be naïve; taking a narrow and self-serving view of the issue as an isolated attack, obscures brutal oppression spanning decades that has led to this outcome” he said.

    “At this critical juncture, it is imperative that the international community mobilizes to put an early end to unfolding human tragedy due to disproportionate and unlawful use of force by Israeli Defence Forces and desist from encouraging them to continue perpetrating atrocities in manifest violation of all norms of civility and humane conduct”.

  • Mariam Ansari talks about ‘mental breakdown’ after social media backlash

    Mariam Ansari talks about ‘mental breakdown’ after social media backlash

    Mariam Ansari gave an interview to BBC Urdu titled “How to deal with body shaming and negative comments during pregnancy” which featured interviews from several women on how they dealt with bullying during pregnancy.

    The actress opened up about the backlash she recieved for her a pregnancy photoshoot. Ansari and her husband did a photoshoot to reveal the birth of their baby daughter Amaya Khan. Trolls then shamed her for openly displaying her baby bump. Mariam shut down the comments in a video clip posted on Instagram stories by expressing her outrage:

    “It’s my profile; my choice. I’ve even had my child. It’s my choice whatever I post. If you don’t like it, you shouldn’t follow me. I don’t understand, since when is being pregnant some sort of badtameezi or behayai. You too were born just like this, so what?”

    READ MORE: Mariam Ansari is not okay with holier-than-thou comments on her pregnancy shoot

    Ansari told BBC Urdu the comments demoralised her:

    “There are a lot of comments slamming me by saying this was western culture, to which I responded don’t Muslim women have babies..it felt like the happiest moment of my life was turned into something shameful.”

    She eventually had to deactivate her Instagram account because of hateful comments she recieved.

    “I broke down emotionally. I became very vulnerable,” the actress recalled.

  • Imam-ul-Haq set to tie the knot after World Cup

    Imam-ul-Haq set to tie the knot after World Cup

    Cricketer Imam-ul-Haq is set to tie the knot soon.

    The Pakistani batsman is going to marry a Norwegian girl on November 25, according to Geo Super. The wedding festivities will begin in Lahore on November 23 and will include a Qawwali night. The Nikkah will take place on November 25, while the Valima will be held on the next day.

    Prominent members of the cricket team including Babar Azam, Haris Rauf, Mohammad Rizwan and Shadab Khan will attend the wedding.

    Pakistan currently is facing a series of defeats in the World Cup after losing to Afghanistan in Chennai, and previously to India and Australia.

  • ‘No Comments’ by PM Kakar on ‘extraordinary protocol’ for Nawaz Sharif

    ‘No Comments’ by PM Kakar on ‘extraordinary protocol’ for Nawaz Sharif

    Caretaker Prime Minister Anwaar ul Haq Kakar didn’t comment on the extraordinary protocol given to Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif on his return to Pakistan. 

    He was addressing a news conference three days after returning from China, where he attended the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) conference on the 10th anniversary of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC).

    The Pakistani high commissioner in the UK was at the airport to see Nawaz Sharif off, however, Mr Kakar didn’t comment on that either.

    When asked why the National Database & Registration Authority (NADRA) had to take a biometrics machine to the Islamabad airport to scan Mr Sharif’s fingerprints, the PM said being a citizen of the country, Mr Sharif has a right to undergo biometrics at the airport.

    He then added: “If someone thinks that an atmosphere of level playing field should be created for a particular party, which many want, this I can’t do. If Mian Nawaz Sharif is a Pakistani citizen, which I think he is, then he has a right to have biometric scans.” 

    “So what extra steps the government has taken in this regard. If NADRA facilitated him, has he gained any political advantage through this process? A normal database procedure was portrayed in a way that level playing field is not available. Do you remember what level playing field was given in 2018?” he asked. 

    PM Kakar also said that he did not believe in giving government ads to print media.

    At one point, Mr Kakar lamented that ghee manufacturers and real estate dealers had opened media houses and thus they did not follow the norms of journalism.

  • ‘Save the country, but do not become anyone’s tool’, Khursheed Shah advises Nawaz Sharif

    ‘Save the country, but do not become anyone’s tool’, Khursheed Shah advises Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) senior leader Kursheed Shah has said on Tuesday that former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif has returned to the country via a backdoor deal, stressing that he should not come to “save Pakistan” in this manner.

    The former opposition leader of the National Assembly, Khursheed Shah, has advised Nawaz Sharif to “save the country but not become anyone’s tool.”

    “I will appeal to Nawaz Sharif to save Pakistan but not come to [power] with anyone’s help,” said Shah, while talking to media in Sukkur.

    He also stated that PPP was very clear that general elections were not being held in 90 days to facilitate the PML-N leader.

    “Nawaz Sharif should clearly announce that he is back, and elections should now be held. If Nawaz Sharif comes via the wrong path, he will also be remembered in history as [selected],” said Shah.

  • Suicide rate at an all time high in Gilgit Baltistan

    Suicide rate at an all time high in Gilgit Baltistan

    An astounding 85 people have committed suicide since January 2022 in Gilgit Baltistan, including 50 males and 35 females.

    In a shocking revelation made by the Pamir Times, the numbers are showing a grim and a less-talked-about reality of Gilgit Baltistan region where contrary to popular belief, more men and boys are dying by taking their own lives compared to girls and women.

    Due to the stigma attached to suicide, not all cases are reported in the media. Sometimes even homicides are presented as suicides to save the perpetrators.

    There could be a number of factors which are pushing people to the brink but at the heart of it is deteriorating state of mental health among the inhabitants of the region.

    Even though the Government has in recent years made mental health a priority by making a helpline to offer support and counselling, the efforts are not enough.

  • Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    Asian-American Harvard student comes up with hilarious way to raise money for students lab

    An Asian American student of the Harvard University, Benjamin Chang, is going viral on social media after he came up with a hilarious way to raise money for the student-led bio-engineering lab: by rowing in a pumpkin.

    Chang, who is a senior at Harvard, took help from his friends to purchase a 1500 pound pumpkin, then spent two hours carving it using basic tools like knife and a shovel.

    “There’s been so many roadblocks that have happened, and to actually be in the water in a giant pumpkin was so much fun,” Chang revealed to abc7 Chicago.

    Chang paddled in the giant pumpkin from the Cambridge side of the river to the Boston side and back. A dozen people donated to the lab in order to get a chance to row in a pumpkin, raising hundreds of dollars for the lab.

    “It was also so much fun to let other people try this as well,” Chang responded to the viral videos. “Seeing how excited and how strange of a feeling it was for other people to be inside this pumpkin was just as fun for me as being in it myself.”

    Check out this hilarious TikTok made by WBZ News Radio on how Chang accomplished his dream to make a pumpkin

    @wbznewsradio It’s the great pumpkin, Charles River. #Boston #Massachusetts #NewEngland #HarvardUniversity #HarvardSquare #massachusettsinstituteoftechnology #CambridgeMA #AllstonMA #BrightonMA #CharlesRiver #WatertownMA #BostonUniversity #EmersonCollege #BostonCheck #BostonTikTok ♬ original sound – WBZ NewsRadio

  • Two trains collide in Bangladesh, leaving 17 dead, 100 injured

    Two trains collide in Bangladesh, leaving 17 dead, 100 injured

    In a tragic incident on Monday afternoon, two trains in Bangladesh collided in the Eastern city of Bhairab leaving more than 17 dead and a hundred people injured.

    The incident occurred when a freight train collided with a passenger train traveling in opposite directions, resulting in the derailment of two passenger carriages.

    The railway administration has expressed concern that the death toll will rise because rescuers are still working to extricate bodies from under the overturned coaches. Two individuals have been recovered up till now as per the Red Crescent team.

    The initial rescue efforts were made by local residents and volunteers who rushed to the scene. Other response teams like the Rapid Action Battalion Security Force, Police and Fire Services have been sent there as well.

  • 300 celebs thank Biden for recovering Israeli hostages but don’t mention 5000 dead Palestinians

    300 celebs thank Biden for recovering Israeli hostages but don’t mention 5000 dead Palestinians

    A letter circulating widely on social media titled #NoHostagesLeftBehind has the signatures of 300 Hollywood celebrities who thanked USA president Joe Biden for recovering two Israeli hostages, Nurit Copper and Yocheved Lifshitz, from Hamas. Previously Hamas had released two American captives Judith Ranaan and her daughter Natalie Ranaan.

    The letter went on to express concern over 220 innocent people “including 30 children, remain in captive by terrorists, threatened with torture and death. They were taken by Hamas in the savage massacre of October 7, where over 1,400 Israelis were slaughtered – women raped, families burned alive, and infants beheaded.”

    However, the death toll of Palestinian children killed from Israeli airstrikes in Gaza has reached 2,055. But the letter chooses to not mention them or any casualty on the Palestinian side.

    The letter went on to thank President Biden for supporting the Jewish people who were “terrorized by the Hamas since the group’s founding over 35 years ago” and also for helping the Palestinians “who have also been terrorized, oppressed, and victimized by Hamas for the last 17 years that the group has been governing Gaza.”

    According to Al-Jazeera, the death toll of Palestinian has reached to 5000 after consistent bombing in the past 24 hours. Dozens of buildings have been destroyed, one million people are displaced who are also denied basic necessities like food, water and electricity.

    The letter ended with the celebrities claiming their aim is “Freedom for Israelis and Palestinians to live side by side in peace. Freedom from the brutal violence spread by Hamas. And most urgently, in this moment, freedom for the hostages.”

    Here are all the celebrities who had signed the letter.

    Adam & Jackie Sandler
    Amy Schumer
    Aaron Sorkin
    Barry Diller
    Behati Prinsloo
    Bella Thorne
    Ben Stiller
    Bob Odenkirk
    Bobbi Brown
    Bradley Cooper
    Brett Gelman
    Chris Rock
    Constance Wu
    Courteney Cox
    David Alan Grier
    David Chang
    David Geffen
    David Oyelowo
    Diane Von Furstenberg
    Eli Roth
    Emma Seligman
    Eric Andre
    Ewan McGregor
    Gal Gadot
    Gwyneth Paltrow
    Harvey Keitel
    Isla Fisher
    Jack Black
    James Brolin
    Jason Blum
    Jason Sudeikis
    Jeff Goldblum
    Jerry Seinfeld 
    Jesse Plemons
    Jessica Biel
    Jessica Seinfeld
    Joey King
    John Slattery
    Jon Hamm
    Jordan Peele
    Josh Brolin
    Judd Apatow
    Judge Judy Sheindlin
    Julia Garner
    Julianna Margulies
    Julie Rudd
    Justin Theroux
    Justin Timberlake
    Karlie Kloss
    Katy Perry
    Kirsten Dunst
    Lana Del Rey
    Laura Dern
    Liev Schreiber
    Madonna
    Martin Short
    Michelle Williams
    Mila Kunis
    Nicola Peltz
    Noa Tishby
    Olivia Wilde
    Orlando Bloom
    Paul & Julie Rudd
    Richard Jenkins
    Rita Ora
    Ross Duffer
    Sacha Baron Cohen
    Sam Levinson
    Sarah Paulson
    Sean Combs
    Shira Haas
    Sting & Trudie Styler 
    Taika Waititi
    Thomas Kail
    Tiffany Haddish
    Tyler Perry
    Will Ferrell
    Andy Cohen
    Alex Edelman
    Amy Sherman Palladino

    Aubrey Plaza
    Barry Levinson
    Billy Crystal
    Brad Falchuk
    Brian Grazer
    Bridget Everett

    Brooke Shields

    Chelsea Handler

    Chloe Fineman

    Chris Jericho

    Colleen Camp

    David Schwimmer

    Dawn Porter

    Dean Cain

    Debra Messing

    Elisabeth Shue
    Erin Foster
    Eugene Levy
    Gene Stupinski
    Gina Gershon
    Guy Oseary
    Henry Winkler
    Holland Taylor
    James Corden
    Jason Reitman
    Jessica Elbaum
    Jimmy Carr
    Jonathan Ross
    Josh Charles
    Juliette Lewis
    Kristen Schaal
    Kristin Chenoweth
    Lea Michele
    Mark Foster
    Mary Elizabeth Winstead
    Matthew Weiner
    Michael Rappaport
    Molly Shannon
    Noah Schnapp
    Pattie LuPone
    Regina Spektor
    Sara Foster
    Sarah Cooper
    Scott Braun
    Seth Meyers
    Sharon Stone
    Zack Snyder
    Zoey Deutch
    Zosia Mamet
    Zoe Saldana
    Alex Aja
    Aaron Bay-Schuck
    Amy Chozick
    Aron Coleite
    Adam Goodman
    Alan Grubman
    Adam Levine
    Allan Loeb
    Amy Pascal
    Angela Robinson
    Antonio Campos
    Anthony Russo 
    Alexandra Shiva
    Andrew Singer
    Alison Statter
    Alona Tal
    Ali Wentworth
    Ari Dayan
    Ari Greenburg
    Arik Kneller
    Ashley Levinson
    Asif Satchu
    Barbara Hershey
    Barry Rosenstein
    Beau Flynn
    Ben Turner
    Ben Winston
    Ben Younger
    Blair Kohan
    Bobby Kotick
    Brad Slater
    Bradley Fischer
    Bruna Papandrea
    Cameron Curtis
    Casey Neistat
    Cazzie David
    Charles Roven
    Chris Fischer
    Christian Carino
    Cindi Berger
    Claire Coffee
    Craig Silverstein
    Dan Aloni

    Dan Rosenweig

    Dana Goldberg

    Dana Klein

    Danny Strong

    Daniel Palladino

    Danielle Bernstein

    Danny Cohen

    Daphne Kastner

    David Bernad

    David Baddiel

    David Ellison

    David Gilmour &

    Polly Sampson

    David Goodman

    David Joseph

    David Kohan

    David Lowery

    Deborah Lee Furness

    Deborah Snyder
    Donny Deutsch
    Doug Liman
    Douglas Chabbott
    Eddy Kitsis
    Edgar Ramirez
    Elizabeth Himelstein
    Embeth Davidtz
    Emmanuelle Chriqui 
    Erik Feig
    Evan Jonigkeit
    Evan Winiker
    Francis Benhamou
    Francis Lawrence
    Fred Raskin
    Gabe Turner
    Gail Berman
    Gary Barber
    Genevieve Angelson
    Gideon Raff
    Grant Singer
    Greg Berlanti
    Guy Nattiv
    Hannah Fidell
    Hannah Graf
    Harlan Coben
    Harold Brown
    Henrietta Conrad
    Howard Gordon
    Iain Morris
    Imran Ahmed
    Inbar Lavi
    Jackie Sandler
    Jake Graf
    Jake Kasdan 
    Jamie Ray Newman
    Jaron Varsano
    Jason Fuchs
    Jason Biggs & Jenny Mollen Biggs

    Jason Segel
    JD Lifshitz
    Jeff Rake
    Jen Joel
    Jeremy Piven
    Jesse Itzler
    Jesse Sisgold
    Jill Littman
    Jody Gerson
    Joe Hipps
    Joe Quinn
    Joe Russo
    Joe Tippett
    Joel Fields 
    John Landgraf 
    Jon Bernthal
    Jon Glickman
    Jon Liebman
    Jonathan Baruch
    Jonathan Groff 
    Jonathan Tropper

    Jonathan Marc Sherman
    Jonathan Steinberg
    Jonathan Tisch
    Josh Goldstine
    Josh Greenstein
    Josh Grode
    Julia Lester 
    Julie Greenwald
    Karen Pollock
    Kelley Lynch
    Kevin Kane

    Kevin Zegers

    Kitao Sakurai

    KJ Steinberg

    Laura Pradelska

    Lauren Schuker Blum

    Laurence Mark

    Laurie David

    Lee Eisenberg

    Leslie Siebert

    Leo Pearlman

    Limor Gott

    Lina Esco

    Liz Garbus

    Lizanne Rosenstein

    Lizzie Tisch

    Lorraine Schwartz

    Lynn Harris

    Lyor Cohen

    Mandana Dayani

    Maria Dizzia 

    Mara Buxbaum

    Marc Webb

    Marco Perego

    Mark Feuerstein

    Mark Shedletsky
    Mark Scheinberg
    Mathew Rosengart
    Matt Lucas
    Matt Miller
    Matthew Bronfman
    Matthew Hiltzik
    Matti Leshem
    Dame Maureen Lipman
    Max Mutchnik
    Maya Lasry
    Meaghan Oppenheimer
    Melissa Zukerman
    Michael Ellenberg
    Michael Aloni
    Michael Green
    Michael Rapino
    Michael Weber
    Mike Medavoy
    Mimi Leder
    Modi Wiczyk
    Nancy Josephson 
    Natasha Leggero
    Neil Blair
    Neil Druckmann
    Nicole Avant
    Nina Jacobson
    Noa Kirel 
    Noah Oppenheim
    Noreena Hertz
    Odeya Rush
    Oran Zegman
    Pasha Kovalev
    Paul Haas
    Paul Pflug
    Peter Traugott
    Rachel Riley
    Rafi Marmor
    Ram Bergman
    Raphael Margulies 
    Rebecca Angelo
    Rebecca Mall
    Reinaldo Marcus Green
    Rich Statter
    Richard Kind
    Rick Hoffman
    Rick Rosen
    Robert Newman
    Rob Rinder
    Roger Birnbaum
    Roger Green
    Rosie O’Donnell
    Ryan Feldman
    Sam Trammell
    Sarah Baker
    Sarah Bremner
    Sarah Treem
    Scott Tenley
    Seth Oster
    Scott Braun
    Scott Neustadter
    Shannon Watts
    Shari Redstone
    Sharon Jackson
    Shauna Perlman
    Shawn Levy
    Sheila Nevins
    Simon Sebag Montefiore
    Simon Tikhman
    Skylar Astin 
    Stacey Snider
    Stephen Fry
    Steve Agee
    Steve Rifkind
    Susanna Felleman
    Susie Arons 
    Todd Lieberman
    Todd Moscowitz
    Todd Waldman
    Tom Freston
    Tom Werner
    Tomer Capone 
    Tracy Ann Oberman
    Trudie Styler
    Tyler James Williams
    Vanessa Bayer 
    Veronica Grazer
    Veronica Smiley
    Whitney Wolfe Herd
    Will Graham
    Yamanieka Saunders
    Yariv Milchan
    Ynon Kreiz