Category: Uncategorized

  • Fans get unpleasant surprise outside Shah Rukh Khan’s house on his birthday

    Fans get unpleasant surprise outside Shah Rukh Khan’s house on his birthday

    Bollywood star Shah Rukh Khan turned 58-years-old on Thursday while a sea of fans reached his Mannat villa in Mumbai to celebrate the occasion.

    However, some of the fans were in for an unpleasant surprise.

    While the fans were gathered at the gates, more than 30 mobile phones were stolen, Pink Villa has reported.

    The theives reportedly took advantage of the large crowd to steal the mobile phones. A case was registered with the Mumbai Police who said that three people were detained in connection to the incident. Nine phones have been recovered.

    Every year on his birthday, Shah Rukh Khan celebrates the occasion by greeting fans from his balcony at Mannat Palace in Mumbai, blowing kisses to the people. In a tweet, the superstar thanked everyone for celebrating his birthday:

    “It’s unbelievable that so many of u come & wish me late at night. I am but a mere actor. Nothing makes me happier, than, the fact that I can entertain u a bit. I live in a dream of your love. Thank u for allowing me to entertain you all. C u in the morning…on the screen & off it.”

  • Dar will decide who can run for elections from PMLN: notification

    Dar will decide who can run for elections from PMLN: notification

    The President of the Pakistan Muslim League Nawaz (PML-N), Shehbaz Sharif, has appointed Senator Ishaq Dar as the leader of the party’s election cell for the upcoming polls.

    On Saturday, PML-N Secretary General Ahsan Iqbal issued a notification with the approval of Shehbaz Sharif announcing Dad’s appointment.
    “With the approval of the President PML-N, Senator Mohammad Ishaq Dar is hereby appointed as Chairman, Election Cell PML-N, for General Elections 2024,” read the notification.

    Marriyum Aurangzeb, the spokesperson for PML-N, said in a tweet that the party’s election-related efforts will gain more momentum following the recent appointment.
    “All polls related activities including the process of applications to get the party ticket will be completed soon,” said Marriyum Aurangzeb.
    PML-N head Nawaz Sharif will address public rallies across the country soon, once the tickets are awarded.

  • Fawad Chaudhry arrested again from Islamabad

    Former Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry’s wife, Hiba Chaudhry, and brother, Faisal Chaudhry, have claimed on Saturday that he has been arrested from his home in Islamabad by police.

    In a tweet posted on X (formerly Twitter), Hiba wrote, “Fawad arrested and taken to unknown place.”

    Geo News has reported in its bulletin that Fawad was arrested from home in front of his children and his wife by police and other officials in plain clothes.

    Hiba Chaudhry told Geo News that she was not shown an arrest warrant by the police officials.

    Hiba Fawad also said in her tweet that “Islamabad police taken Fawad. I need the Case information in which he is nominated.”

    Fawad became one of the first famous names to leave Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf after the events of May 9, joining Istehkaam Pakistan Party (IPP), a joining political analysts consider a reluctant decision.

    This would make it the third arrest within the year for Fawad Chaudhry.

  • Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Lorde speaks out for Gaza, praises Palestinian singer who covered ‘Team’

    Grammy award winning singer Lorde has spoken out against the genocide of Gaza by encouraging her followers to protest for a ceasefire. The death toll from Israeli air strikes reached 9000 after a school in Northen Gaza was bombed, killing 20 people taking shelter there.

    Lorde shared screenshots of the protests taking place in cities across New Zealand, calling for a ceasefire in Gaza.

    She further shared a screenshot of an open letter signed by Jewish public figures including ‘Barbie’ actress Hari Nef and filmmaker Emma Siegelman, which condemned equating criticism of Israel to antisemitism.

    Lorde also shared a video of the viral Palestinian-American singer Nemah Hasan, who was dropped by her label for calling for an end to Israel’s oppression of Israel. In the caption, the ‘Royals’ singer wrote that she was moved by Nemah singing her song ‘Team’ to highlight the Palestinian cause:

    “I was so incredibly moved by this poignant piece. I have been frozen in grief and shock. I’m aware of the dissonance between my thoughts and the words I am able to form. I am so grateful to my Palestinian sister for reminding me why I make art- it speaks when I cannot. It fills spaces where words are inadequate. She speaks through me; I speak through her.”

    Nemah, who goes by her stage name nemasis, shared this clip to write how moved she was by Lorde’s appreciation which felt like a reward after being told to remain silent on Palestine by others.

    “after being dropped by my new label for speaking up against the occupation of my homeland Palestine i was insecure. it was suggested to cooling down the pro-Palestinian posts. i didn’t stop. i kept going. i had nothing left to lose & i’m so happy i didn’t give into the pressure.”

  • Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    Pakistan should not make more enemies, cautions Taliban Refugee Minister

    The Taliban government’s refugees minister, Khalil Haqqani, has said in an interview with AFP that, “They [Pakis­tani authorities] should not give Afghans a hard time, they should not make more enemies.” The statement was said in the context of the mass exodus of refugees from Pakistan under the Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan.

    Authorities on the Afghanistan side have established centres several kilometres from a border crossing along with camps for families in what was described as an “emergency situation” by the Afghan officials. “We are constantly in contact with them [Pakis­tani authorities] asking for more time. People must be allowed to return with dignity,” he reiterated.

    Deputy Prime Minister Mullah Abdul Salam Hanafi also visited the Torkham border and asserted that the deportation of Afghan refugees from Pakistan is in violation of International laws. He also mentioned that the ones coming back are their brethren and this is their home. To address all their problems will be the first priority of the government.

  • 1,200 children still buried under rubble: What we know about day 28

    1,200 children still buried under rubble: What we know about day 28

    Israel disconnects with Gaza

    The Israeli Prime Minister’s Office has announced that Israel has cut off all contact with Gaza, and that Palestinian workers will no longer be employed in the country.

    “Those workers from Gaza who were in Israel on the day of the outbreak of the war will be returned to Gaza,” it stated in a post on X.

    The Security Cabinet has also planned on cutting down all funds for the besieged enclave from the Palestinian Authority funds.

    US drones fly over Gaza to track captives

    According to Al Jazeera, two US officials told the Reuters news agency that surveillance US drones have been flying over Gaza to search for hostages taken by Hamas on October 7.

    The surveillance has reportedly been going on since more than a week now.

    US officials believe the 10 Americans who remain “unaccounted” may be among the 200 plus hostages in Gaza.

    Gaza workers in Israel

    Gisha, an Israeli NGO, published a statement on the Israeli cabinet’s decision on Friday to return Palestinian workers in Israel since October 7 back to Gaza.

    Gisha, HaMoked and other human rights groups had submitted “Letters, petitions and individual inquiries to Israeli authorities regarding hundreds of Gaza residents, including both workers and people who had entered Israel with permits to receive medical treatment, who were present in Israel on October 7 and had since been unlawfully, secretly detained by Israeli authorities”.

    They are reportedly detained in Israeli military bases in the occupied West Bank, disconnected from the world and without access to legal representation.

    “Israel refused to disclose the names and whereabouts of all the people it was holding, as well as the legal grounds for their detention. We have reason to believe that the holding conditions in these facilities were extremely dire, and that detainees were subjected to extensive physical violence and psychological abuse, as well as being held in inhumane conditions,” the statement said.

    1,200 children still buried under rubble

    Gaza Ministry of Health spokesperson Ashraf al-Qudra reported on the latest statistics: 1,200 children are still buried under the rubble of destroyed buildings, 136 paramedics have been killed, 25 ambulance vehicles have been completely destroyed, and 126 hospitals and another 50 medical centres have been targeted.

    Tear gas aimed at worshippers in Al-Aqsa

    Al Jazeera correspondents have reported that Israeli forces have used tear gas against Palestinians in occupied East Jerusalem’s Wadi al-Joz neighbourhood after stopping them from Friday prayers in Al-Aqsa Mosque.

    Cross-border fire between Israel-Lebanon border continue

    The Israeli army claims to have killed a group of Hezbollah fighters on Thursday in Lebanon and targeted one of their sites.

    The army reportedly struck in response to an attack from Lebanese territory towards a military position in northern Israel near the border.

    Credits: Al Jazeera

  • Schools shut as toxic Smog engulfs India’s capital

    Schools shut as toxic Smog engulfs India’s capital

    Schools were shut across India’s capital on Friday as a noxious grey smog engulfed the megacity and made life a misery for its 30 million inhabitants.

    Smoke from farmers burning crop stubble, vehicle exhaust and factory emissions combine every winter to blanket Delhi in a choking haze.

    The public health crisis has persisted for decades and researchers have blamed the smog for hundreds of thousands of premature deaths across India.

    Levels of the most dangerous PM2.5 particles — so tiny they can enter the bloodstream — were on Friday almost 35 times the daily maximum recommended by the World Health Organization, according to monitoring firm IQAir.

    “In light of the rising pollution levels, all govt and private primary schools in Delhi will remain closed for the next 2 days,” chief minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote on X, formerly Twitter.

    Delhi, one of the largest urban areas on the planet, is also regularly ranked as one of the world’s most polluted cities.

    Visible smog is a burden for residents through much of the year but the problem peaks at the start of winter around the Hindu festival of Diwali.

    The holy day coincides with the weeks when tens of thousands of farmers across north India set fire to their fields to clear crop stubble from recently harvested rice paddies.

    That practice is one of the key drivers of Delhi’s annual smog problem, worsening the impact of vehicle and industrial emissions.

    It persists despite efforts to persuade farmers to use different clearing methods and threats of punitive action for those who defy burning bans.

    Eye-stinging and lung-burning smog peaks from October to February when colder air traps pollution, with residents advised to wear face masks outside at all times.

    Authorities regularly announce different plans to reduce pollution, for example by halting construction work, but to little effect.

    India is hosting the Cricket World Cup and organisers have banned fireworks at matches in Mumbai and Delhi to avoid compounding hazardous air pollution levels.

    Bangladesh and Sri Lanka are due to play in Delhi on Monday, with little likelihood of the air clearing for their match.

    India captain Rohit Sharma told reporters Wednesday that the situation was “not ideal” for the tournament.

    Everyone knows that,” he said. “Looking at our future generation… it’s quite important that they get to live without any fear.”

    A Lancet study in 2020 attributed 1.67 million deaths to air pollution in India during the previous year, including almost 17,500 in the capital.

    And the average city resident could die nearly 12 years earlier than expected due to air pollution, according to an August report by the University of Chicago’s Energy Policy Institute.

    India is heavily reliant on polluting coal for energy generation. Its per capita coal emissions have risen 29 percent in the past seven years and it has shied away from policies to phase down the dirty fossil fuel.

  • Children and women will be exempted from bio-metric verification, says Sarfraz Bugti

    The spokesperson for The Illegal Foreigners Repatriation Plan and caretaker Interior Minister, Sarfraz Bugti, held a discussion with Afghan High Commissioner Ahmed Shakaib, deciding that children and women will be exempted from scanning by NADRA. Only male adults will be scanned for verification.

    “The interior ministry issued directions that females and children below the age of 14 will not be scanned for entry by NADRA. Only male adults would be scanned during the voluntary repatriation,” reported Dawn. Only a “head count” of women and children will be done for record purposes.

    The decision was made keeping in context the heavy influx of Afghan citizens on the borders as the deadline for leaving has passed and deportation has started. A huge number of people are also coming in for voluntary repatriation and it was feared that the situation could spiral out of control. This directive could smoothen the process a bit.

    Authorities are asked to be gentle as any aggression will lead to consequences. A special helpline number has been set up by the ministry and every complaint will be catered to on an emergency basis. The Afghan Embassy has also been asked to send a representative who can work closely with the Interior Ministry.

    So far, 165,000 Afghan immigrants have left for Afghanistan during voluntary repatriation. On Thursday, a total of 19,344 undocumented immigrants left via Torkham.

    Officials at the border crossing in Angoor Adda in KP’s South Waziristan district said that 294 Afghan immigrants, including 129 children, voluntarily left for Afghanistan on Thursday.

    Out of 572 refugees taken into custody, 200 were sent back as they produced valid documents while 384 were sent to Chaman for deportation. 1,176 Afghans volunteered to reach Chaman on their own.

    The crackdown in Punjab will start today as per the officials.

  • ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    ‘She knew what she was doing’: Twitter users outraged at Kim Kardashian’s insensitive Halloween costume

    Kim Kardashian is once more going viral for all the wrong reasons. The reality TV star was publicly criticised for her vocal support for Israel a few weeks ago as well as her ongoing silence on the genocide in Gaza which has now claimed close to 9000 civilian lives.

    Kim posted pictures of her family celebrating Halloween, where her sons were seen dressed as injured football stars with bruises and bandages.

    Twitter users were outraged, pointing out that the costumes bore an uncanny resemblance to photos of injured Palestinian children in football jerseys. Approximately 4000 children have been killed, as per the Gaza Ministry of Health.

    “Isn’t scary to think that an actual child in Gaza actually looks like this now? But sure Kim have fun this Halloween…” a user commented.

    “even if it wasn’t intentional, how many braincells do you need to read the room when social media is flooded with bloodied and broken children’s bodies stop looking up to these brain dead celebrities.” Another user posted.

  • Hamas reportedly sent texts to families of Israeli captives

    Hamas reportedly sent texts to families of Israeli captives

    Families of Israeli civilians who are under Hamas’s captivity have reportedly received text messages in Hebrew from senders claiming to be Hamas, asking recipients to click on a link to access information on the hostages.

    “We offered your government a prisoner exchange, but it did not accept,” the text read.

    “This is our message: the release of all prisoners in exchange for the release of all Palestinian prisoners.

    To know the condition of all your prisoners, stay in touch with us.”

    ”