Category: Uncategorized

  • Istanbul to host Pakistani stars for the fourth IPPA Awards

    Istanbul to host Pakistani stars for the fourth IPPA Awards

    Turkey is the place to be this holiday season. The fourth edition of the International Pakistan Prestige Awards (IPPA) are all to take place in Istanbul on December 26.

    According to a press release, the awards ceremony will be held at Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Centre. The awards aim to present a soft image of Pakistan to the rest of the world by “promoting Pakistani cinema, television, fashion and music, especially at a time when economic activity is at an all-time low, and international events all cancelled or postponed”.

    Announcing the event, Ali Malik, who is one of the two organisers of IPPA, said: “We have had to face many challenges this time thanks to the pandemic and have postponed and even changed destinations a few times but were determined that we could continue to keep Pakistan’s flag flying high, in spite of all odds. Therefore, keeping the COVID-19 SOPs in mind, we are organising the event for invitees only, and will execute it without risk to any of the participants and stakeholders.”

    Similarly, Mukhtar Ahmed, who is the other organiser said, “We are continuing with IPPA this year although it means less revenue as we won’t be selling any tickets, but we felt it is our duty not to disappoint our fans and supporters, and to continue exposing our talent to the world.”

    Speaking to a local media outlet, the organisers shared that they have designed a destination vacation format for this year’s edition.

    “We will be selling tickets to people who want to fly out from Pakistan to Istanbul for a few days’ vacation,” said the organisers. “They will be paying for a package which will include airfare, stay in the same hotel as the stars, and attending the awards.”

    One of the country’s biggest independent award functions, the first IPPA Awards first took place in 2017 in London. The second edition was also held in London, while the third was held in Oslo, Norway. The ceremony is always a star-studded affair with the likes of Humayun Saeed, Adnan Siddiqui, Hira Mani, Ayesha Omar, Maya Ali and Hania Aamir in attendance.

  • Modi invites Imran Khan to New Delhi

    Indian Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi has invited his Pakistani counterpart, Imran Khan, to participate in the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) heads of government meeting being held in New Delhi on November 30.

    According to reports, the Indian premier invited all the eight members and four observer countries on Tuesday during the online summit of the organisation held in Moscow, chaired by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    The News quoted sources as saying that the Russian president appreciated Pakistan’s proposals on various counts.

    Modi, who tried to demean the objectives of the SCO, tried to take on Pakistan and China in the same stroke without naming them under the garb of respect of sovereignty and said in muffled words that India believed that to enhance connectivity it was important that we move forward while respecting one another’s sovereignty and territorial integrity.

    He boasted that India had always been resolute in working in sync with principles laid out in the SCO charter, but it was unfortunate that there had been repeated efforts to unnecessarily bring bilateral issues in the SCO agenda which was in violation of the SCO spirit.

    It was an assault on Pakistan and China’s policies of enhancing connectivity in the region.

    Modi referred to the Shanghai spirit and SCO charter, but he conveniently forgot that it was India that had humiliated the two documents by its actions and inactions.

    Diplomatic sources told the English daily that none of the significant member countries’ premiers will attend the New Delhi virtual meeting except Russian PM Mikhail Mishustin while the Chinese premier, Li Keqiang, and PM Imran might not be available to attend the heads of government meeting.

    Foreign Secretary Sohail Mahmood or Additional Foreign Secretary Syed Faisal Tirmizi are likely to represent Pakistan at the huddle.

  • Twitterati want US embassy to apologise for ‘calling Imran a dictator’

    Twitterati want US embassy to apologise for ‘calling Imran a dictator’

    Pakistani Twitter users are asking the US embassy in Pakistan to extend an apology for retweeting Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal’s remarks wherein he called Prime Minister Imran Khan a “dictator”.

    Iqbal had shared an article titled ‘Trump’s defeat is a blow for the world’s demagogues and dictators’, saying like Trump, Imran will be gone soon.

    The tweet was subsequently shared by the US embassy on its official account, attracting flak by social media users who asked the embassy to issue an apology for endorsing Iqbal’s opinion.

    Imran Ghazali, who was recently appointed as digital media head by PM Imran, called out the embassy for “disrespectful” tweet.

    Punjab CM’s spokesperson Azhar Mashwani asked outgoing US President Donald Trump to intervene on the issue. “Is this how US Embassies under you will behave for next 2 and half months?”

    PTI Deputy Information Secretary said that US embassy should “explain and apologize publicly’ over its “unethical act”.

    The backlash prompted the US embassy to issue an apology in the afternoon. It said: “The US Embassy does not endorse the posting or retweeting of political messages. We apologize for any confusion that may have resulted from the unauthorized post.”

  • ‘Third-best currency’: Rupee continues to gain ground against US Dollar

    ‘Third-best currency’: Rupee continues to gain ground against US Dollar

    Since October, the Pakistani Rupee has continued to gain ground against the US Dollar, becoming the third best-performing currency of the Asian continent.

    After a month-long depreciation against the rupee, the US dollar is being sold at 158.69 in the interbank market as of Nov 10. Only South Korean and Indonesian currencies have performed better than the PKR that has seen 3.1% appreciation over the past four weeks.

    Pakistani Rupee against US Dollar. Xe.com

    Following a deal with the International Monetary Foundation (IMF) by the Imran-led government in May 2019, the PKR had taken a nosedive against USD. It was being sold at 110 in April 2018, and by July 2020, 1USD was equivalent to PKR169. However, since Aug, the dollar has been shedding weight against the PKR and other foreign currencies.

    Money dealers in the market attributed this rally of rupee against the US dollar to encouraging economic indicators as well as the global downfall of the greenback. On the other hand, importers are also being careful in buying goods from their foreign suppliers owing to the second wave of coronavirus, they claimed.

    Forex Association of Pakistan President Malik Bostan quoted by a local media outlet said the dollar will likely to depreciate further amid an increase in exports. He sounded hopeful of the PKR’s appreciation against the USD, saying the strong economic outlook of Pakistan will help boost its foreign exchange reserves.

    He said that Pakistan’s reliance on the dollar may also reduce — that would result in a stronger PKR, as China and Pakistan are now looking to trade in Yuan, the Chinese currency. Pakistan’s biggest import bills come from China.

  • Babar Azam is Pakistan’s new Test captain

    Babar Azam is Pakistan’s new Test captain

    Babar Azam has been appointed as Pakistan Test captain, which now makes him the captain across all three formats. He replaces Azhar Ali, who last captained Pakistan against England this summer.

    Babar’s first assignment will be to captain Pakistan in the ICC World Test Championship fixtures against New Zealand, which will be played in Mount Maunganui and Christchurch from December 26-30 and January 3-7, respectively.

    PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani confirmed the appointment following a meeting with Azhar on Tuesday evening in which he also thanked him for his contributions as a captain. The PCB Chairman subsequently spoke with Babar following his side’s eight wickets in the third T20I against Zimbabwe and congratulated him on his appointment.

    PCB Chairman said, “I want to thank Azhar for stepping up last year by captaining the side in what was a historic first home Test series in over a decade. I believe Azhar still has a lot of cricket left in him and Pakistan cricket can continue to make the best use of his experience and knowledge as specialist top-order batsman moving forward.”

    Mani further said, “Babar was identified at a very young age as a future leader and as part of his progression and development, he was appointed white-ball captain last year. With his consistent performance and leadership skills, he has demonstrated that he is ready to take on the additional responsibilities of a captain.”

    The chairman concluded by saying, “As we are looking into the future, it is appropriate that we appoint him the captain now so that he continues to grow stronger with every match.”

    Meanwhile, Babar while sharing his thoughts on his appointment said, “I feel truly honoured to have been appointed Test captain and join some of the most iconic players who have captained Pakistan in the purest format of the game. I can now say with conviction that dreams can come true only if you chase them with honesty, dedication and commitment.”

    “I am ready and prepared to take up the additional responsibility and the fact which gives me additional confidence is that I can do the job is the experience that is available to me in the changing room in the shape of the players and support staff,” he added.

    Babar also thanked Azhar for the way he captained the team in the last season, which according to him was a challenging task.

  • ‘TikToker’ is now a real word

    ‘TikToker’ is now a real word

    Collins Dictionary has officially recognised TikToker as a real-world, describing it as “someone who shares content on the social media platform TikTok”. TikTok is an app that can be used for creating and sharing short videos. It was initially launched as Douyin in September 2016 in China. The following year, the app was launched by ByteDance for markets outside of China.

    TikTok is one of the most popular social media apps in Pakistan. According to some estimates, the app has been installed 43 million times in Pakistan, with 14.7 million of those coming in the year 2020 alone.

    Other words which have been taken from social media and introduced in the dictionary include ‘BLM’, ‘Mukbang’ and ‘Megixt.

    BLM, short for ‘Black Lives Matter’ was widely used on the internet during the recent black lives matter protests, while the term ‘Mukbang’ originating in South Korea refers to people who broadcast videos of themselves eating large quantities of food.

    ‘Megixt’, which refers to the withdrawal of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex from royal duties, has also been given the status of a real word.

    Meanwhile, Collins has announced ‘lockdown’ as its Word of The Year in 2020 following a dramatic increase in its usage during the spread of COVID-19.

    Lexicographers (a person who compiles dictionaries) said they picked the word because it had become synonymous with the experience of populations across the world as governments look to curb the coronavirus pandemic.

    Because of the way the pandemic has affected the daily use of language, six of Collins’ 10 words of the year in 2020 are related to the global health crisis.

    ‘Coronavirus’, ‘social distancing’, ‘self-isolate’ and ‘furlough’ as well as ‘lockdown’ and ‘key worker’ were included in the longer list of 10 words of the year.

    Helen Newstead, a language consultant at Collins, said: “Lockdown has affected the way we work, study, shop, and socialise. With many countries entering a second lockdown, it is not a word of the year to celebrate but it is, perhaps, one that sums up the year for most of the world.”

    Collins defines ‘lockdown’ as “the imposition of stringent restrictions on travel, social interaction, and access to public spaces”.

  • ‘National Amateur Short Film Festival’ launched with a star-studded ceremony

    ‘National Amateur Short Film Festival’ launched with a star-studded ceremony

    The Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has announced the National Amateur Short Film Festival (NASFF) to give amateur filmmakers a platform to showcase their talent and skills. The purpose of NASFF is to give a chance to the creative and talented youth of the country to make high-quality short films projecting a positive image of Pakistan. Winners of the competition will be awarded prestigious scholarships in film schools across the globe.

    Read more – Did you know ‘Ehd-e-Wafa’ was shot in 16 cities?

    According to a press release, the film festival is “to proffer a chance to our enormously creative and talented youth to produce high-quality short films projecting a positive image of Pakistan.”

    The launch event of NASFF was held on Monday and was a star-studded affair with Mahira Khan, Humayun Saeed, Zara Noor Abbas, Iqra Aziz, Farhan Saeed, Wahaj Ali, Bilal Abbas Khan, Mashal Khan, Ayub Khoso, and Qasim Khan from Alpha Bravo Charlie in attendance. All of them will serve as brand ambassadors of the festival.

    Encouraging everyone to apply, Farhan said: “If you have talent, I promise you this is the best opportunity.”

    Sharing pictures from the event, Mahira said: “There are so many young artists who come to me all the time wanting to direct, act, write stories, etc. I’m so glad that I can be part of this initiative along with all my other colleagues.”

    “NASFF is a great step forward in stimulating the youth of Pakistan, who aspire to be innovative filmmakers. With opportunities like these, there is so much creative room to explore talents beyond the traditional approaches,” she added.

    Similarly, Zara said that she was very happy to be supporting the initiative.

    Meanwhile, Humayun Saeed urged aspiring filmmakers to take the advantage of the opportunity.

    “If you have the knack for films and television and want to produce some quality content then this platform is your stepping stone,” said the actor.

    “Getting an opportunity to study your creative field with a full scholarship at one of the top filmmaking institutions in the world would be a dream come true right?” said Iqra in her social media post.

    “NASFF is the right place to be for all the budding creative minds that are ready to break the norms,” she wrote, adding that she is very happy to be part of the project.

    Bilal Abbas, who is also one of the brand ambassadors, gave a “huge shout out to NASFF for understanding and evolving the talents of ambitious potential filmmakers in Pakistan.”

    “For anyone who aims to work for the entertainment industry to yield good classic content then grab this opportunity,” said the actor.

    Wahaj said that NASFF will pave the way for all ambitious and creative filmmakers to a brighter future.

    How to apply

    Registration for the event is free and the last date to register is January 1, 2021. The last date for the submission of the project is March 10, 2021, while the festival is scheduled to take place in April. Participants can make films of all genres including fiction, documentary, animation, and experimental films. However, the film must be original. Entries can be submitted in Urdu, English & Regional Languages but with English subtitles.

    Further details are given on ISPR’s official website: ispr.gov.pk/NASFF

  • Study reveals one in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days

    Study reveals one in five COVID-19 patients develop mental illness within 90 days

    COVID-19 survivors are likely to be at greater risk of developing mental illness, psychiatrists have said after a large study found that 20% of those infected with the virus are diagnosed with a psychiatric disorder within 90 days.

    Anxiety, depression and insomnia were most common among recovered COVID-19 patients who were involved in the study and researchers also found significantly higher risks of dementia, a brain impairment condition, in them.

    “People have been worried that COVID-19 survivors will be at greater risk of mental health problems, and our findings … show this to be likely,” said Paul Harrison, a professor of psychiatry at Britain’s Oxford University.

    Doctors and scientists around the world instantly need to examine the causes and identify new treatments for mental illness after COVID-19, Harrison said.

    “(Health) services need to be ready to provide care, especially since our results are likely to be underestimates (of the number of psychiatric patients),” he added.

    Read more – Pakistan’s COVID-19 positivity nears 5%. What does that mean?

    In the three months following testing positive for COVID-19, 1 in 5 survivors was recorded as having a first-time diagnosis of anxiety, depression, or insomnia. This was about twice as likely as for other groups of patients in the same period, the researchers said.

    The study also found that people with a pre-existing mental illness were 65% more likely to be diagnosed with COVID-19 than those without.

    Mental health specialists not directly involved with the study said its findings add to growing evidence that COVID-19 can affect the brain and mind, increasing the risk of a range of psychiatric illnesses.

  • Islamabad police book college student over alleged blasphemy

    Islamabad police book college student over alleged blasphemy

    Islamabad police have registered a case against a college student under sections 295-A and 298-A over alleged blasphemous remarks against companions of Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).

    The case registered at Shalimar police station on the complaint of a teacher. Section 295-A pertains to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs, whereas Section 298-A concerns derogatory remarks against holy personages.

    According to the FIR, some students reported the accused after they found “derogatory remarks” written on his coursebook next to the name of a certain companion of the prophet (PBUH). The students engaged in an argument with the student possessing the book, it added.

    The owner of the book hurt the religious sentiments of thousands of people and students, the FIR claimed.

    Last week, a National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) manager was gunned down by a security guard in Punjab’s Khushab district over blasphemy allegations.

    The victim, Malik Imran Hanif, was first taken to a local hospital, however, the nature of his gunshot wounds was so severe, he was shifted to Services Hospital in Lahore, where he succumbed to his injuries.

    Human rights groups say blasphemy laws are often misused to persecute minorities or even against Muslims to settle personal rivalries. Such accusations can end up in lynchings or street vigilantism.

  • Shopkeeper beats up female customer over argument on price in Lahore

    Shopkeeper beats up female customer over argument on price in Lahore

    A shopkeeper in Lahore beat up a female customer with a glass bottle and also thrashed another person after a heated argument ensued between them over the price of a product.

    As per reports, the shopkeeper thrashed the woman and a man over the argument and later also hit the lady with a glass bottle. The woman is being identified as Farah Bibi.

    The police allegedly refused to register a case against the shopkeeper when the injured approached the Ghaziabad police station.

    Commenting on the matter, the station house officer (SHO) Ghaziabad said that a woman named Farah was hit with a bottle. He said that they could only register an FIR after a medical examination of the victim.

    Meanwhile, the woman has alleged that the police are deliberately siding with the shopkeeper and have refused to register a case against him and were delaying a medical report into the matter.