Category: Uncategorized

  • Celebrities step in to defend Yasir Hussain after trolling gets intense

    Celebrities step in to defend Yasir Hussain after trolling gets intense

    Yasir Hussain’s criticism of QMobile appointing Esra Bilgiç as their brand ambassador has left the entertainment industry divided once again. While some actors have seconded Yasir’s opinion, others have said that it’s not a big deal and international artists should be welcome in Pakistan.

    Yasir’s comments were met with a barrage of hate and threats from Diriliş: Ertuğrul fans, some of which went out of control. Following the hate and online bullying, several of Yasir’s colleagues including Ayesha Omar, Wajahat Rauf, Armeena Khan and Yashma Gill stepped in to defend the actor and urged people to respect each other’s opinions.

    While Ayesha was of the opinion that we should welcome foreign stars into the country, she said that she did not understand why actors have to be bullied for their opinions.

    “One can disagree respectfully and have healthy debates and discussions,” said Ayesha.

    Armeena expressed her disappointment at the vile comments coming Yasir’s ways.

    https://twitter.com/ArmeenaRK/status/1283449315814445057?s=20

    Yashma penned a detail note on her thoughts and said that she never found Yasir’s posts to be offensive.

    “It‘s completely okay for people to have different opinions,” said Yashma. “I don’t think any actor/influencer tries to impose their opinion on anyone. In fact, what they try to achieve is some logical brainstorming. And try to help the society by challenging some biases, stereotypes and taboos because they truly want to use their platforms for the best reasons possible.”

    Director Wajahat Rauf shared similar sentiments and said that it is unfortunate that a person is not allowed to voice his or her opinion.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCs7pNSDrIo/

    Nadia Hussain said that no one has the right to disrespect anyone and that we’ve stopped making stars.

  • Remember these songs by Falak Shabir?

    Remember these songs by Falak Shabir?

    Sarah Khan and Falak Shabir’s marriage is the talk of the town and fans cannot help but gush over the newly weds whose loved-up videos are all over social media.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCuG9rSpuze/

    While fans are well acquainted with Sarah and her work, particularly her role in Sabaat as Miraal, netizens have been asking who Falak is.

    For the unacquainted, Falak is a renowned singer and songwriter, popularly referred to as the ‘King of Soul Style’ and ‘Mr Unplugged’. Falak has several superhit songs to his credit and has also been part of several international projects, including Bollywood.

    Here are some of Falak’s most popular songs:

    Tu Mera Dil

    This song is the most popular on Falak’s YouTube channel with more than 36 million views. It was released in 2013.

    Ijazat

    Ijazat is one of Falak’s most popular songs, especially among those who were teenagers when the song released back in 2011.

    Mera Mann

    The song featured in the 2013 Bollywood film Nautanki Saala! starring Ayushmann Khurrana, Kunaal Roy Kapur,Pooja Salvi and Evelyn Sharma. The song has over 27 million views on YouTube.

    Saajana

    Composed and sung by Falak, Saajana featured in the 2013 Bollywood film I, Me aur Main starring John Abraham, Prachi Desai and Chitrangada Singh.

    Soniye

    Another soulful melody by the singer.

  • Is coronavirus ending in Pakistan?

    Is coronavirus ending in Pakistan?

    The first three weeks of June saw not only a rapid spread of the new coronavirus but deaths attributed to the COVID-19 also stood at around a daily average of 100.

    While the country, since the last week of June, has witnessed a significant decrease in the number of coronavirus infections amid conflicting claims regarding what has led to the drop, Pakistan has an optimistic recovery rate as 67.5% of people who had contracted the virus have so far recovered.

    While it is still unclear if the virus has already peaked in Pakistan or not, testing, active cases and the recovery rate are the major factors proving helpful in estimating not only the spread of the virus but also the pandemic situation.

    So far, July hasn’t been as bad as last month as government statistics from the first two weeks show there has been an increase in COVID-19 recoveries while the number of new cases has also dropped significantly.

    While the reason behind the sudden drop still remains unclear as government boasts of its successful strategy and experts attribute the decline to Pakistanis’ better immunity due to exposure to various vaccinations, it cannot be denied that the drop has been led to also because of lower testing as compared to the month of June.

    People are realising that they would recover if they have mild symptoms and only need to isolate themselves without actually heading out to get tested, surveys suggest.

    Special Assistant to Prime Minister (SAPM) on Heath Dr Zafar Mirza has also confirmed that not many people are voluntarily showing up to get tested anymore. “We are unable to conduct as many tests as we were earlier, despite having a daily capacity 60,000. Pakistan has set up more than 125 labs for COVID-19 testing but we need human resources to run those labs as the testing capacity needs to continuously be enhanced.”

    Meanwhile, a majority of people are also making use of telehealth services by consulting their doctors over the phone or contacting the government’s coronavirus helpline (1166). According to a doctor working at a COVID-19 helpline centre, she alone receives around 40 calls a day for medical advice.

  • Complete details of educational institutions’ reopening on Sept 15

    Complete details of educational institutions’ reopening on Sept 15

    Federal Education Minister Shafqat Mahmood has announced the reopening of education institutes, including Madaris, public and private schools, colleges and universities, across the country from September 15.

    All education institutes will open their administrative and academic offices from July 15 onwards to begin preparations for safe reopening and ensure the implementation of SOPs.

    Education facilities will reopen based on clear and detailed standard operating procedures (SOPs) for safe education facility reopening. Three important criteria are essential for the conduct of exams: masks, physical distancing of 6 feet, and open and airy spaces for the conduct of exams.

    Universities will allow students that are in far-fetch areas to attend on-campus classes before September 15, 2020. But the universities must ensure 30% hotel occupancy. These students will be called after Eidul Azha under strict SOPs.

    The education minister further said that “universities had been permitted to allow their PhD level students or those who wanted to do their research work in laboratories, to physically attend before the 15th of September”.

    This attempt is being made to fix the academic loss of students from remote areas during the COVID-19 pandemic. “A health check will be mandatory for such students and faculty members who will attend universities before September 15”, he remarked.

    The vocational and technical training institutions will allow students who were getting on the job training to continue their training in industries, while the students who were getting training in classrooms can only attend their training from the 15th of September.

    Vocational institutions have also been permitted to call their teaching staff before the 15th of September for training regarding SOPs, the minister said.

    The decisions have been made in consultation with the Health Department and National Command & Control Centre (NCOC).

  • Clean chit for Cynthia Ritchie as Interior Ministry says American blogger won’t be deported

    Clean chit for Cynthia Ritchie as Interior Ministry says American blogger won’t be deported

    Islamabad-based American Blogger Cynthia Ritchie’s stay in Pakistan has been cleared by the government as the Interior Ministry has said that she won’t be deported.

    “Cynthia Ritchie can stay in the country till August 31,” the Interior Ministry said in an order, a written copy of which was submitted to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) during the hearing of the blogger’s case on Friday.

    “I’m surprised that the petitioner is not present in the court today,” Ritchie said while speaking to the media outside the court. “In America, it’s compulsory for both the petitioner and defendant to be present in court for every hearing.”

    The blogger said that she was happy that the ministry had passed a decision in her favour, which comes a month after an additional district and sessions judge on June 15 directed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to file a case against her for passing defamatory remarks about the late former prime minister (PM) Benazir Bhutto on social media.

    Ritchie had approached the IHC, challenging the ruling, while naming the justice of peace — lower court judge –, the FIA and the Pakistan Telecommunication Authority (PTA) as respondents in the case.

    READ: Cynthia Ritchie denies working for intelligence; adds to allegations, drags PML-N through the mud

    Former Punjab governor and Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) leader Latif Khosa has, however, said that he was not satisfied with the decision and will be challenging it. “This is an attempt to mislead the court by the secretary of the Interior Ministry,” he remarked.

    The interior ministry’s report has tried to dismiss PPP’s plea as it says that Ritchie has a visa and she’s not involved in any criminal activities, Khosa said. “We will prove the reality behind Ritchie and make sure that she’s deported.”

    He added that his party had lost faith in the federal government which was why they had approached the court.

    The tussle between the blogger and the PPP continues ever since Ritchie had made derogatory remarks against the former and current leadership of the PPP. She had later also accused PPP stalwart and former interior minister Rehman Malik of raping her, and former PM Yousaf Raza Gilani of manhandling her in 2011.

    The accusations have been denied by the PPP leaders.

  • Punjab govt launches app for online purchase of sacrificial animals

    Punjab govt launches app for online purchase of sacrificial animals

    The Punjab government has launched an application ‘Bakra Mandi Online’ for the online purchase of the sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The application can be used to buy sacrificial animals without visiting the cattle markets that are set by the government in the province under strict COVID-19 SOPs.

    The application has all the details (age, weight, and race) and images of the animals.

    Read More – Eid ul Adha: Cattle markets to operate from 6 am to 7 pm

    The Punjab government on July 04 issued the standard operating procedures for the establishment of cattle markets for Eid ul Azha.

    According to the notification issued by Punjab health ministry, cattle markets should be established 2-5 kilometers outside the city area. The markets should have large parking lots with separate entry and exit points, the notification read.

    The elderly and children will not be allowed to visit the markets.

    “People experiencing symptoms like fever, the cough should avoid visiting cattle markets,” the notification added.

  • Mohammad Amir blessed with another daughter

    Mohammad Amir blessed with another daughter

    Mohammad Amir and his wife Narjis Amir have been blessed with a baby girl. This is the couple’s second child together – they have another daughter named Minsa.

    The fast bowler took to social media to make the announcement and share that their newborn has been named Zoya Amir. Amir is the fifth cricketer to have welcomed a newborn after Shahid Afridi, Wahab Riaz, Sarfaraz Ahmed and Yasir Shah this year.

    Amir had earlier shared that his wife was expecting which is why he backed out of the England tour. In a Twitter update, Amir had said that due to the timing of the tour and the restrictions in place in the United Kingdom for those coming from abroad, left him with no choice but to back out of the tour.

    He had said that he cannot leave his wife, “who is at a high-risk pregnancy alone here [in Pakistan]”.

    Following the announcement, many of Amir’s colleagues sent in their best wishes for the new born.

  • Did you know Katrina Kaif did her own makeup for ‘Sheila ki Jawani’, ‘Chikni Chameli’?

    Did you know Katrina Kaif did her own makeup for ‘Sheila ki Jawani’, ‘Chikni Chameli’?

    Katrina Kaif is a household name in Bollywood and is admired by millions of fans across the world. In fact, the actor recently just hit 40 million followers on Instagram.

    Read more – Workout at home with Katrina Kaif’s routine

    In a recent interview with BBC Asian Network, Katrina revealed that she did her own makeup for a lot of her films and superhit songs including Sheila ki Jawani and Chikni Chameli because it was easier and faster.

    “Even Jab Tak Hai Jaan was all my own makeup. Ek Tha Tiger is all my own makeup,” added the actor.

    Sheila ki Jawani

    Sharing the story behind this, Katrina said: “So I had a makeup artist, his name was Subhash dada. What happened is that I realised I had a knack for it and I picked it up pretty quickly. It started with me saying ‘Let me do the liner’, then it was like ‘Let me do the blush’ and before you know it, I did everything. So it was just the thing that I was so much faster. Because I just saw and I picked it up, whatever tips that I would need to know. I would observe different makeup artists and pick up what I liked.”

    “I know it’s unusual but that’s the way it is,” said the actor. “This is why I am so passionate about Kay Beauty (Katrina’s cosmetic brand). Because I know makeup. It has been what, 15 years since I have been doing my own makeup.”

    Katrina added that Daniel Bauer now does her makeup.

    Chikni Chameli

    When asked about her signature style, Katrina said that she prefers a nude look, something that enhances her features and gives a more defined structure to her face.

    “Easy makeup and big eyes” is what Katrina’s look is all about.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/CCnvYaygNGH/
  • Sarah Khan’s engagement: Usman Mukhtar has the cheekiest reply for all the memes

    Sarah Khan’s engagement: Usman Mukhtar has the cheekiest reply for all the memes

    Sarah Khan gave her fans a shock when she announced her engagement to singer Falak Shabir Wednesday evening. A few hours later, fans were in for another surprise after videos from their mehndi began to circulate on social media.

    While fans were super excited for the new couple, they couldn’t help but poke fun at Usman Mukhtar with whom Sarah is sharing the screen in Sabaat. Usman plays Dr Harris Ahmed in the serial who is Miraal’s (Sarah’s character) love interest. Fans joked that whoever Usman shares the screen with ends up getting married.

    Earlier, Usman had played Altamash, Naimal Khawar’s character Izza’s love interest in the drama serial Anaa. And while the drama was still on-air, Khawar got married to Hamza Ali Abbasi.

    https://twitter.com/mujhgan99/status/1283697451531206658?s=20

    Following all the jokes and memes, Usman said in his next drama he will come solo so that he also gets married.

    https://twitter.com/MukhtarHoonMein/status/1283668810306850816?s=20

    Sarah and Falak are expected to tie the knot today (Thursday).

  • Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    Trump interested in buying PIA-owned luxurious New York hotel govt wanted to sell

    United States (US) President Donald Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the Pakistan International Airlines’ (PIA) Roosevelt Hotel in New York, it was revealed on Wednesday during a meeting of the National Assembly’s Standing Committee on Privatisation.

    The 19-storey hotel with 1,025 rooms plus allied facilities in New York City, with some of the suites being among the most luxurious available in Manhattan, is considered a valuable property that also carries cultural significance for Pakistan.

    tandingg on the corner of 45th Street and Madison Avenue, in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, the hotel bears a quintessentially American name in honour of former United States (US) President Theodore Roosevelt, who had previously been the governor of New York State.

    According to The News, the managing director of PIA Investments Limited informed the lawmakers that Trump had expressed interest in acquiring the iconic hotel in the past and was “still keen on purchasing it”.

    “The government has tried 10 times to sell the hotel,” he added.

    Briefing the members, Privatisation Minister Muhammad Mian Soomro said the government was not selling the property but rather planning to lease it out or work in a joint venture with the private sector.

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Asif said that the parliament should be taken into confidence over the privatisation matter.

    “We are not against privatisation but we must wait for a better time to get a good price,” Asif added.

    “Don’t make a decision now and instead wait. Right now, neither PIA would be sold nor the hotel.”

    Earlier this month, opposition parties had slammed the ruling party when it was reported that the government is considering selling the Roosevelt Hotel.

    The plan was shelved due to stiff opposition and the coronavirus pandemic.

    In a meeting on July 2, the Cabinet Committee on Privatisation (CCoP) decided that the Roosevelt Hotel would be run under a joint venture with a third party.

    The said hotel was acquired by PIA Investment Limited on lease during the year 1979 with an option to purchase the property. PIA had purchased the hotel against $36.5 million against a demand of $59.5 million by contesting a lawsuit against the owner in 1999. The Interstate Hotel and Resort is managing the Roosevelt Hotel since 1997.