Author: newsdesk

  • Is Shahid Khaqan saying ‘Acha chalta hu’ to PMLN?

    Is Shahid Khaqan saying ‘Acha chalta hu’ to PMLN?

    Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif in London, emphasizing that he has maintained a 35-year relationship with the party, and these ties go beyond political considerations.

    The two-hour-long meeting happened a few days after Abbasi announced that there was a need for a new political party in Pakistan, claiming that the existing parties, including PMLN, PTI, and PPP, had failed.

    While talking to media after the meeting, Khaqan Abbasi dispelled rumors about forming a new political party, saying: “I only talked about forming the new party, but I did not make one.”

    He said: “There is a dire need to compensate for the injustices that happened with Nawaz Sharif. I have had an association with Nawaz Sharif since the last 35 years. I and Nawaz Sharif exchanged views on the country’s political situation.”

    When asked if he discussed Re-Imagining Pakistan or the new party with Nawaz, Shahid Abbasi said he discussed every matter with him and “gave my opinion”.

    “Nawaz Sharif is the senior-most politician of Pakistan today. He understands things like no one else. I believe he should take the whole nation forward with him and forget a lot of things that have happened in the past. We discussed everything that we needed to and we have done so always. There are things we agree on and something we disagree on,” he told The News.

    A senior PMLN source said Khaqan Abbasi had been breaking party discipline for many months, and it was clear he had moved on from the party. The source said that Abbasi had made it clear he wants to launch a new party or be part of it when it is formed. “It’s just a matter of time before this party is launched by Shahid Khaqan, Miftah Ismail and Mustafa Khokhar as a new force. The fate it will meet is another matter.”

    The former premier said Nawaz Sharif’s court-related matters – including Iqama disqualification – should have been settled before his departure to Pakistan. He said Nawaz Sharif was victimized by the courts and deserves justice.

  • Sridevi’s husband blames a habit for her untimely death

    Sridevi’s husband blames a habit for her untimely death

    The late celebrated icon Sri Devi left a hole in the Bollywood industry when she passed away in 2018, leaving behind an impressive film legacy. On the announcement of her death, many Bollywood actors, including Pakistani celebrities like Sajal Aly, mourned the loss of a giant. Five years later, her husband, producer Boney Kapoor, has opened up about her sudden death in an interview with ‘The New Indian’.

    The producer said it was Sri Devi’s constant habit of crash diets had caused her health problems to prolong, saying that the family physician had often scolded the late actress. “She often used to starve; she wanted to look good,” Kapoor stated.

    “She wanted to look good because when you are on screen, you look much broader and she wanted to make sure that she is chiselled and in good shape to maintain good looks on screen. It was not just for the film that she was doing then. She had come down to 46-47 kgs. You will notice it in the film ‘English Vinglish’.”

    Boney further elaborated that doctors consistently scolded the late actress after she had a number of blackouts because of her refusal to add salt to her diet.

    Salt can retain water and cutting it out from diet can make people look thinner.

    The producer said he urged his late wife to not follow a harsh diet because of her low BP.

    “Most women believe salt increases water retention, that’s why you feel puffy. That was one reason. I would also tell her not to completely avoid salt. I would also ask her to include a pinch of salt when having salad.”

    Boney recalled that South Indian star Nagarjuna came to visit him to offer condolences for Sri Devi’s demise, and revealed the actress’s crash diet took her to a point that she “fell in the bathroom and broke her teeth, and had those artificial caps.”

    Boney said he urged the actress to stop following such a strict diet plan, however, “unfortunately, she didn’t take this seriously and we also thought it can’t be this serious till the incident happened.”

    Sri Devi passed away in Dubai while she was getting ready to go on a dinner date with her husband. She suffered a cardiac arrest while in the bath tub and could not be revived. According to a news source, Boney had found her motionless in the hotel bathroom, in a bathtub full of water. When she didn’t wake up, he called the police at 9 pm.

    Speaking on the brutal interogation by the Dubai police, Boney Kapoor opened up about the disturbing allegations claiming he had killed her, and why he chose not to speak about the factors behind her death.

    “First of all, it was not a natural death, it was an accidental death. I decided not to speak about it because I had already spoken about it for over 24 to 48 hours when I was being interrogated and investigated. Dubai Police told me that we had to be through because there was pressure from Indian media. I said, well, I have nothing more to say than what I already have been saying.

    They also discovered that there was no foul play and I went through all the intense interrogation there where they put me through a lie detector and all those things. The post-mortem report said that it was an accidental death by drowning.”

  • Shadab Khan jokingly reveals reason for poor fielding

    Shadab Khan jokingly reveals reason for poor fielding

    After the warm-up match against Australia yesterday, Pakistan’s acting captain Shadab Khan was asked about Hyderabadi biryani. He jokingly said, “We are eating it every day, maybe that’s why we are a little slow on the field.”

    Shadab Khan, captain of the warm-up match, told Harsha Bhogle (Indian cricket commentator and journalist) that the team is enjoying their time in Hyderabad. Shadab also highlighted the positive aspects of both the warm-up games.

    “The result is not important, we learned a lot of positive things. When you play against Australia and New Zealand you get confidence, and we got a bit of experience with the conditions.”

    It should be noted that the Pakistan Cricket team is now in India to play the ICC Cricket World Cup 2023. Pakistan will play its first match against the Netherlands on Friday, October 6.

    Read More: Video about incompetence of Indian Cricket Board goes viral

  • Afghan Taliban slam crackdown against refugees as ‘unacceptable’

    Afghan Taliban spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid has deemed Pakistan’s strategy to expel undocumented Afghan nationals as “unacceptable” and has urged authorities to revisit the policy.

    Only a day before Taliban’s response, on October 4, the caretaker government set November 1 as a deadline for the illegal immigrants residing in Pakistan, warning that action will be taken against them after the deadline. The decision was taken during an apex committee meeting on the National Action Plan (NAP) at the Prime Minister’s House. 

    “We have given them [foreigners residing in Pakistan unlawfully] a deadline of November 1 to willingly return to their countries and if they don’t, all law enforcement agencies (LEAs) of the state and provinces will deport them,” announced Interim Interior Minister Sarfraz Bugti on Tuesday at a press conference.

    On Monday, the caretaker government led by Prime Minister Anwaarul Haq Kakar announced its intention to repatriate 1.1 million foreign nationals who are currently residing in Pakistan without legal authorisation. The government’s plan involves a multi-phase approach. 

    In the initial phase, those individuals who are residing in Pakistan unlawfully, colloquially referred to as “aliens”, will be subject to eviction, as will individuals who fail to renew their visas. Subsequent phases will target individuals with Afghan citizenship who possess proof of residence cards. 

    The decision to take action against illegally residing Afghan citizens was made due to concerns that this group is linked to activities such as funding, facilitating, and smuggling terrorists. Additionally, a significant number of Afghan nationals have not renewed their proof of residence in Pakistan, further raising security concerns.

    However, the United Nations (UN) said Tuesday that refugees residing in Pakistan should be allowed to exit the country voluntarily and no pressure should be exerted on them. 

    “Any refugee return must be voluntary and without any pressure to ensure protection for those seeking safety,” Qaisar Khan Afridi, a spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), told Anadolu.

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  • Why did A National TV reporter hurl abuse at PTI supporters?

    Why did A National TV reporter hurl abuse at PTI supporters?

    Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi met Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) head Nawaz Sharif in London, emphasizing that he has maintained a 35-year relationship with the party, and these ties go beyond political considerations.

    After the two-hour-long meeting, Shahid Khaqan talked to the media outside Nawaz’s residence. During the conversation, PTI supporters started raising slogans against him.

    While a reporter from Samaa was trying to interview Abbasi, PTI supporters came near them in a car and started chanting, “Kaun Bachaye Ga Pakistan, Imran Khan, Imran Khan”. Abbasi responded with a simple “Khuda Hafiz”.

    This would’ve been fine, but then the Samaa reporter started shooing the PTI supporters off, eventually swearing at them.
    Watch the video to see what happened.

  • Jungkook announces his solo album ‘Golden’

    Jungkook announces his solo album ‘Golden’

    BTS band member Jungkook has unveiled the name and release date of his upcoming solo album ‘Golden’. In a statement released by his management BigHit Entertainment on the South Korean social media platform ‘Weverse’, it was stated that the album’s name was inspired by some of the golden moments of the singer’s career.

     Hello. This is BIGHIT MUSIC. We are excited to announce the release of BTS member Jung Kook’s solo album “GOLDEN.” “GOLDEN” is an album inspired by the golden moments of Jung Kook, the golden maknae of BTS and a solo artist.”

    The statement further said that the album will consist of 11 tracks, including ‘Seven’ featuring Lattoo and ‘3D’ with Jack Harlow, and will be released on November 3. Jungkook will also be making special appearances and performances ahead of the release.

    Fans can start preordering the album from October 4.

    Jungkook has so far released two songs from album, including ‘3D’ which was met with acclaim from fans and music critics. The song quickly became a global hit by dominating 30 global iTunes charts in more than 100 countries. The other single ‘Seven’, released on July 14, rose up on the Billboard 200 charts.

  • Punjab mein kahan ho rahi hai sab say ziada bijli chori?

    Punjab mein kahan ho rahi hai sab say ziada bijli chori?

    Ever wondered which district in Punjab has the highest percentage of electricity theft? Well, surprise, surprise, it is Kasur.

    Kasur has left all districts behind when it comes to power theft, as almost half of the total 20 highest loss-making grid stations of Punjab exist there, causing Rs40 billion losses annually, which is 40 percent of the total theft costing nearly Rs 100bn to Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) in the province.

    LESCO has intensified operations against electricity theft in the district.

    “There are total 103 high-loss feeders in all service areas of Lesco falling in Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sheikhupura and Nankana Sahib. Of these, 77 feeders are in Kasur alone, placing the district on top of the list in power theft,” a LESCO source told Dawn.

    Interestingly, the power thieves stopped pilferage during the daytime due to continuous raids by LESCO teams and resorted to theft during night hours.

    It is pertinent to note that when it was brought to the knowledge of the most senior officials, they directed the authorities in Lahore to suspend supply to such areas during night hours to stop the pilferage. Following this, the power supply was kept suspended for almost 12 hours on Monday night forcing the consumers to involve local politicians (former MNAs, MPAs, etc.) from Kasur and other parts of the division, who approached LESCO management.

    Meanwhile, a senior official of the Ministry of Energy (Power Division) confirmed the development, saying Kasur is like a tribal area causing billions of rupees loss to LESCO because of massive electricity theft.

    “In Punjab, the government has been facing a loss of Rs99bn in the form of power theft. Of this, about Rs40bn theft is being reported from Kasur district (Lahore Division) alone, annually,” the official says.

    There are around 20 highest loss-making grid stations in Punjab, out of which nine are in Kasur district alone, LESCO has, however, been asked not to shut the supply to the high-loss feeders after the local politicians assured of full cooperation with the field teams in eliminating power theft.

    The official says one of the reasons behind the massive power theft in Kasur is that the district includes border areas and belts along the riverbeds of Sutlej and Beas where law enforcement is a hard task.

    “These areas have almost become like tribal belts where criminals routinely flout the law. That is why they are stealing electricity without fear,” he explains.

    Meanwhile, on the 26th consecutive day of the anti-power theft drive, LESCO teams arrested 132 power thieves and detected pilferage on 501 connections in all five districts. According to a spokesman, the applications for registration of FIRs against 498 electricity thieves have been submitted to the respective police stations, out of which 391 FIRs have been registered, while 132 accused have been arrested.

    An official says the connections where power theft was detected include two industrial, nine agricultural, 13 commercial, and 477 domestic, adding that supply to all these has been disconnected. He says all the electricity pilferers have also been charged a total of 758,052 detection units worth Rs39.980 million.

    He says that separately constituted teams also recovered Rs21 million from 1,359 chronic defaulters on Tuesday.

  • Naseem Shah undergoes surgery for shoulder injury

    Naseem Shah undergoes surgery for shoulder injury

    According to the sources following the shoulder injury he sustained during the Asia Cup 2023, Pakistani fast bowler Naseem Shah has undergone tendon surgery in England.

    Shah will rest for four to six weeks and will be able to start bowling after completing rehab.

    The fast bowling heartthrob suffered a shoulder injury in a match against India in the Asia Cup in September. Expert doctors recommended surgery for complete rehabilitation.

    One of Pakistan’s star bowlers, Naseem Shah was forced to miss out on representing Pakistan at the International Cricket Council (ICC) Men’s World Cup starting October 5 in India.

    Read More: This could be the reason your iPhone 15 Pro is overheating

  • Malala will make history as the youngest speaker at Mandela Annual Lecture

    Malala will make history as the youngest speaker at Mandela Annual Lecture

    Youngest Nobel laureate and education activist Malala Yousafzai will be delivering the 21st Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture in Johannesburg, South Africa.

    The announcement was made by Nelson Mandela Foundation (NMF) on social media on Monday.

    The NMF acting Chief Executive Verne Harris posted on X (formerly Twitter): “Scheduled for 5 December 2023, this lecture holds special significance as it coincides with the tenth anniversary of Madiba’s passing.”

    The Nelson Mandela Annual Lecture Series consists of prominent people initiating debate on significant social issues and difficult subjects in order to address the challenges the world encounters.

    Nelson Mandela was the first Black president of South Africa (1994–99). He was jointly awarded the Nobel Prize with South African Pres. F.W. de Klerk for Peace in 1993 for their efforts towards the rights of Africans.

    “Malala embodies the type of leadership we believe the world needs across all levels of society. In the face of current global challenges, which can seem daunting, she stands as an inspiring symbol of hope for a just and equitable future,” said Harris.

    Some of the previous speakers include South Africa’s Chief Justice Mogoeng Mogoeng, former US president Barack Obama; Nobel laureate Wangari Maathai; former UN secretary-general Kofi Annan; Microsoft founder and philanthropist Bill Gates.

  • Anushka, Virat Kohli really want their friends to stop requesting them for World Cup tickets

    Anushka, Virat Kohli really want their friends to stop requesting them for World Cup tickets

    Chalien jee, you can stop name dropping your famous friends for perks because one couple has had it.

    The highly anticipated Indian ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023 has officially kicked off in India, but celebrity couple Virat Kohli and Anushka Sharma have a simple request for their close friends: stop asking them for free match tickets. The cricket player shared a hilarious message on his Instagram stories where he wrote:

    “As we approach the World Cup, I would humbly like to let all my friends know to not request me for tickets at all through the tournament. Enjoy from your home plz.”

    His wife, actress Anushka Sharma shared his post adding her own amusing quip to all the nay sayers: “And let me just add… please don’t request me to help if your messages get unanswered. Thank you for your understanding.”