Author: newsdesk

  • ‘The Wolverine’ actor Hugh Jackman to separate from wife after 27 years

    ‘The Wolverine’ actor Hugh Jackman to separate from wife after 27 years

    Actor Hugh Jackman is separating from wife Deborra-Lee after being married for 27 years and sharing two children.

    In an exclusive statement sent to People Magazine, the couple shared that this was the sole statement they were making together on the topic, requesting to be granted privacy at this time.

    “We have been blessed to share almost 3 decades together as husband and wife in a wonderful, loving marriage. Our journey now is shifting and we have decided to separate to pursue our individual growth.”

    “Our family has been and always will be our highest priority. We undertake this next chapter with gratitude, love, and kindness. We greatly appreciate your understanding in respecting our privacy as our family navigates this transition in all of our lives.”

    The ‘X-men’ actor met his wife in 1995 on the set of Australian television series ‘Corelli’ when he was fresh out of drama school, and Deborra was an already established star.

    “Deb, she was a big star…I get picked up, and Deb is in the front seat of the car. I’ll never forget,” Hugh told PEOPLE in 2017 about their first meeting. “She took off her seatbelt and she turned around and put out her hand and took off her sunglasses and said, ‘Hi, I’m Deborra-lee Furness, nice to meet you.’ I remember thinking, ‘I like this girl.’”

    According to Page Six, insiders have said the split was a long time coming, saying friends and family members weren’t surprised by the announcement.

    Deborrah wasn’t spotted at any of her husband’s recent rehearsals, the insiders shared, “nd was even spotted snoozing during some of them.”

    The insider added there wasn’t any third party involvement, and the couple had simply morphed into “roommates”.

  • Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi arrested again by Anti-Corruption Establishment

    Parvez Elahi, the president of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has been arrested by the Anti-Corruption Establishment (ACE) Punjab on Saturday after getting bail in the Federal Judicial Complex (FJC) attack case.

    The former chief minister of Punjab has been taken by ACE personnel to the judicial complex for temporary detention; later this evening, he will be brought to the ACE headquarters in Lahore.

    An anti-terrorism court (ATC) in Islamabad had earlier granted bail to the PTI president in the case pertaining to the attack on the judicial complex.

    According to officials, Parvez Elahi faces four corruption cases.

    Elahi’s bail was granted by ATC Judge Abual Hasnat Zulqarnain in exchange for a Rs 20,000 surety bond, which Elahi’s legal team failed to pay.

    Elahi was taken into custody from the Adiala jail by ACE as a result of the bail bond not being paid.

  • CAA’s timely intervention saves PIA from defaulting on IATA payments

    CAA’s timely intervention saves PIA from defaulting on IATA payments

    The Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) stepped in to rescue Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) from a potential financial crisis with the International Air Transport Association (IATA).

    According to ARY News, the CAA provided PIA with one billion Pakistani rupees to settle its outstanding dues with IATA. This timely payment prevented IATA from declaring PIA in default, a situation that could have led to the suspension of PIA’s global ticket sales.

    It’s important to note that PIA was facing a severe financial crisis and couldn’t meet its service charges to IATA. The Director General of CAA confirmed that, following the Ministry of Finance’s directive, one billion rupees were allocated to PIA for a week to support the national airline during these challenging times.

    In addition, it has come to light that PIA also owes a substantial amount to CAA, totaling several billion rupees.

  • Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    Love online: Swedish woman flies to KP to marry Pakistani lover

    A 41-year-old woman from Sweden has flown to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to marry 23-year-old Ahmed whom she met online.

    Tianarat and Ahmed wed in a simple ceremony in Charbagh with only their family present.

    Ahmed Shah resides in Charbagh and is studying English Literature at a university, while Tianarat has embraced Islam after marrying him.

    In recent months, a spate of foreign women have travelled to Pakistan to marry men whom they had formed connections with online. In July, several cases emerged of women from different countries who had met Pakistani men on social media, fallen in love and later arrived in the province to marry them while converting to Islam. Mexican national Rosa married 18-year-old Izaz Ali after becoming friends on Facebook, and converted to Islam after marrying him.

    Read more: Ye KP mein kya ho raha hai: Mexican woman flies to Pakistan to marry Facebook lover

    In Sindh, another online romance case emerged when a Filipino woman Mikona married a man from Larkana, Oshaq, whom she met on Facebook. Their ceremony took place on video call with friends and family members present.

    Read more: Love online: Yet another foreign woman marries Pakistani man

  • Here’s why you should think twice before buying the Apple iPhone 15

    Here’s why you should think twice before buying the Apple iPhone 15

    In 2023, Apple’s iPhone 15 lineup presents consumers with a challenging decision. Despite Apple’s claims of the iPhone 15 being a “significant leap,” the improvements over the iPhone 14 are subtle, and the iPhone 14 itself closely resembled the iPhone 13. 

    With a $200 (PKR 59,300), price difference between the iPhone 15 and the iPhone 15 Pro, recommending the base iPhone 15 becomes a tough call. Here’s why:

    Display difference

    The iPhone 15 features a slightly updated display with a dynamic island cutout and improved brightness. However, the core display remains unchanged—it’s a 6.1-inch Super Retina XDR OLED screen with the same resolution and a standard 60 Hz refresh rate. 

    This becomes a noteworthy drawback when compared to the 15 Pro’s impressive 120Hz LTPO OLED display, which also retains the exclusive Always-On Display (AOD) feature. Additionally, the 15 Pro sports slimmer bezels, enhancing its overall sleekness compared to the vanilla 15.

    Performance gap

    Under the hood, the iPhone 15 is powered by the A16 chipset, which is an evolutionary update over the A15 found in the previous two generations. It includes a 6-core CPU (2 performance and 4 efficiency cores), a 5-core GPU, and a 16-core neural engine. While it’s manufactured using a more advanced 4nm process compared to the older 5nm A15 in the iPhone 14, real-world performance gains, as seen in last year’s iPhone 14 Pro, are subtle at best.

    On the flip side, the 15 Pro introduces the groundbreaking 3nm Apple A17 Pro chip, a first in the market. It promises a 10% boost in CPU performance and a 20% improvement in GPU capabilities. Apple also aims to enhance gaming on the 15 Pro series with titles like Resident Evil Village and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, benefiting from hardware-accelerated Ray Tracing.

    RAM matters

    Notably, there’s a 2GB RAM difference between the base iPhone 15 and the Pro models. The iPhone 15 is equipped with 6GB of RAM, while the 15 Pro boasts 8GB. This discrepancy should result in better long-term support and multitasking capabilities for the Pro models.

    While the iPhone 15 enjoys a 48MP main camera sensor upgrade, the best camera features are reserved for the Pro models. The 15 Pro features a larger 48MP main sensor with advanced features like pre-binned pixels, a wider aperture, and superior stabilization. It also exclusively supports ProRAW image capture, maximising the sensor’s potential with Apple’s computational photography enhancements.

    Furthermore, the 15 Pro includes a telephoto module with 3x optical zoom, a feature missing from the vanilla iPhone 15. The Pro also offers versatile digital zoom modes for portrait shots, with the option to choose a default focal length. Selfies on the 15 Pro benefit from OIS on the 12 MP front-facing camera.

    Advanced capabilities

    The new A17 chip equips the 15 Pro models to capture impressive 4K 60fps video in ProRes RAW, along with support for the ACES colour profile and 3D spatial videos, enhancing compatibility with the Vision Pro headset.

    USB-C speed disparity

    Both models embrace USB-C, but the base iPhone 15 disappointingly retains USB 2.0 speeds, offering a maximum transfer rate of 480 Mbit/s. In contrast, the 15 Pro features a USB Type-C 3.0 connector, delivering speeds of up to 10 Gbps, more than 20 times faster. 

    This becomes particularly significant for transferring large video files and shooting 4K 60 fps ProRes videos directly onto an external SSD, a valuable addition for videographers. However, it’s worth noting that Apple supplies USB 2.0 Type-C cables with all new iPhone 15 models.

    If price plays a pivotal role in your decision, you can still opt for the iPhone 13, available from Apple at a reduced starting price of $599.

  • Sanjay Rajoura answers who could begin a satirical political group in Pakistan

    Sanjay Rajoura answers who could begin a satirical political group in Pakistan

    Indian comedian Sanjay Rajoura was a guest on Geo’s ‘Hasna Mana Hai’ where he answered a question from an audience member about who, in his opinion, could lead a Pakistani popular satirical group similar to ‘Aisi Taisi Democracy’ in India.

    Rajoura’s group ‘Aisi Taisa Democracy’ includes Varun Grover and musician Rahul Ram, and is known for its hilarious satirical commentary on Indian society and politics.

    The satirist responded by remarking that Tabish Hashmi could lead such a popular group. Then he named singer and satirist Ali Aftab Saeed, whose widely popular song ‘Aloo Anday’ is still remembered as a forceful takedown of the powerful.

    “That song is so powerful, so satirical and musical that you could listen to it in the car,” Sanjay remarked.

    The other person Sanjay mentioned was Faris Shafi, pointing out that the rapper’s lyrics are quite impressive.

    The clip circulated widely on social media, and even got an acknowledgment from Ali himself.

  • Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Court verdict will not affect Nawaz’s return to Pakistan, says Ata Tarar

    Attaullah Tarar, deputy secretary general of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), has stated that the Supreme Court’s (SC) ruling on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments will not have an impact on party head Nawaz Sharif’s planned return to Pakistan on October 21.

    No case, said Tarar during press conference “is a hindrance in his way of returning to Pakistan,” as there is overwhelming evidence that former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is an innocent.

    “Nawaz’s return date remains the same. The date has been announced. He is coming back on the same date,” Tarrar insisted.

    He also said that the former prime minister didn’t disobey any law when it came to Toshakhana gifts. On the other hand, chairman Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Imran Khan sold state gifts and made profit out of them, Tarar mentioned.

    Following the Supreme Court’s decision in the NAB law amendments case on Friday, it is anticipated that some 2,000 NAB cases, including those at the reference, complaint verification, inquiry, and investigation levels, will be reinstated.

    According to the report, Asif Ali Zardari, a former president, and six former prime ministers—Muhammad Nawaz Sharif, Shaukat Aziz, Yusuf Raza Gilani, Raja Pervez Ashraf, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and Shehbaz Sharif—are among suspects in cases that stand to be reinstated.

  • Ananya Panday singles out two actresses as her closest friends

    Ananya Panday singles out two actresses as her closest friends

    Bollywood actress Ananya Panday spoke to The Times Of India about her close friendship with peers Sara Ali Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, sharing that these two were her closest friends. The ‘Dreamy Girl’ actress revealed she liked Sara and Janhvi because the three of them have always looked out for each other.

    “It’s really good to have supportive contemporaries, we all know there’s heavy competition,” Ananya said, adding that she agrees with Sara’s comment about how only fellow actors can understand each other.

    Previously, Ananya had spoken about her childhood friendships with Suhana Khan and Shanaya Kapoor, and opened up about the trio having a collective dream to become actors.

    “You know we all had this collective dream while growing up. We all wanted to be actors. We used to play acting games together, do mimicry,” gushed the actress to Filmfare. “We have so many videos. Like Suhana would be the mother and Shanaya and I would be the daughters. And Suhana would be shouting at us because she was the tiny one. We have hours of footage. We’ve had so many memories and spoken about everything under the sun.”

  • Rangers seize sugar worth Rs1 billion in crackdown against hoarders 

    Rangers seize sugar worth Rs1 billion in crackdown against hoarders 

    In a well-executed operation against sugar hoarders in Karachi, Rangers seized a significant quantity of sugar valued at Rs1 billion.

    They conducted raids at two separate sugar warehouses on Hub River Road in Baldia Town, resulting in the recovery of about 140,000 bags of sugar, as confirmed by the paramilitary spokesperson.

    The estimated value of the confiscated sugar is over Rs1 billion. Interestingly, this sugar was destined for illegal smuggling into Afghanistan via Balochistan, and it has been handed over to the civil authorities for legal action.

    The surge in sugar prices, exceeding Rs200, prompted the government to crack down on sugar hoarding nationwide, aiming to control the artificial inflation of this essential commodity.

    This crackdown not only recovered thousands of sugar bags but also led to the arrest of individuals involved in the illicit sugar trade, known as “sugar mafias,” who were stockpiling and selling sugar at high prices.

    While effectively addressing sugar hoarding, this campaign also reduced sugar prices in the local market. Recent data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows a significant 9.11 per cent decrease in sugar prices.

    In a well-executed operation against sugar hoarders in Karachi, Rangers seized a significant quantity of sugar valued at millions of rupees, as reported by The News on Saturday.

    They conducted raids at two separate sugar warehouses on Hub River Road in Baldia Town, resulting in the recovery of about 140,000 bags of sugar, as confirmed by the paramilitary spokesperson.

    The estimated value of the confiscated sugar is over Rs1 billion. Interestingly, this sugar was destined for illegal smuggling into Afghanistan via Balochistan, and it has been handed over to the civil authorities for legal action.

    The surge in sugar prices, exceeding Rs 200, prompted the government to crack down on sugar hoarding nationwide, aiming to control the artificial inflation of this essential commodity.

    This crackdown not only recovered thousands of sugar bags but also led to the arrest of individuals involved in the illicit sugar trade, known as “sugar mafias,” who were stockpiling and selling sugar at high prices.

    While effectively addressing sugar hoarding, this campaign also reduced sugar prices in the local market. Recent data from the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) shows a significant 9.11 per cent decrease in sugar prices.Additionally, this effort against hoarders and smugglers had a broader positive impact.

    Weekly inflation decreased by 0.25 per cent in the week ending on September 14, reversing seven consecutive weeks of inflation, mainly due to lower prices of chicken and sugar in local markets following government intervention.

  • Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    Court fails to recognise legislative authority of parliament: Justice Mansoor Ali Shah

    In a 2-1 majority decision, the Supreme Court (SC) invalidated changes made by parliament to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) regulations. Justice Mansoor Ali Shah commented that the decision failed to recognise the legislative authority of parliament.

    Imran Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), received approval on Friday from a three-member SC panel for his appeal challenging amendments made to the country’s accountability legislation under the previous administration, which was led by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM).

    The majority decision, according to the verdict, found the petition against the NAB changes valid, reopening all closed inquiries submitted to the anti-graft body.

    “The majority judgement has also fallen short to appreciate that what Parliament has done, Parliament can undo; the legislative power of the Parliament is never exhausted,” Justice Shah said in his dissenting note.