Category: Uncategorized

  • Can’t test people only to see if they have coronavirus or not: Dr Yasmin Rashid

    Can’t test people only to see if they have coronavirus or not: Dr Yasmin Rashid

    In a statement for which she is being trolled, Punjab Health Minister Dr Yasmin Rashid has said that the government cannot conduct tests of people “only to check if they have coronavirus or not”.

    Reports quoted the minister as contradicting the only utility of the tests amid the global COVID-19 outbreak, leaving people wondering what else were tests being conducted for.

    She further said that 90 per cent of coronavirus patients reported to the health officials had shown no symptoms after contracting the virus.

    “We need to create awareness among the masses regarding coronavirus and how it could be avoided,” the minister said, adding that Pakistan had less cases as compared to several other countries across the globe.

    Dr Yasmin further said that the nation had to show a compassionate behavior towards the masses at the time of the pandemic.

    Separately, she said that the Punjab government had conducted 101,897 tests so far, out of which 5,043 were conducted in a single day on May 4.

    “8103 cases were reported positive, we sadly lost 136 people but by the grace of Allah SWT 2,716 patients recovered fully to return home safe & sound [sic],” she tweeted.

    PUNJAB LOCKDOWN:

    Meanwhile, the Punjab government has decided to ease the ongoing lockdown after May 9 as the provincial tally of COVID-19 infections reaches 8,693 — highest in the country.

    Textile, steel and spare part shops will be allowed to operate for six hours. Shopkeepers have reportedly been directed to strictly follow SOPs while dealing with the public.

    Parks will also be reopened but swings will remain closed.

    The province made the announcement prior to the National Command and Operation Centre meeting that is due to take place today.

    Planning Minister Asad Umar will chair the meeting in Islamabad to decide whether the country-wide lockdown will be extended after May 9 or not. The chief ministers from all provinces will attend the meeting via video link.

    It is expected that the provinces will be told to decide on lockdown restrictions by themselves.

  • ‘Kitna khoobsurat lagta hai’: Irrfan Khan about PM Imran Khan

    ‘Kitna khoobsurat lagta hai’: Irrfan Khan about PM Imran Khan

    Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan, who passed away last week, was not only a cricket buff but was also a big fan of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    In an interview with Telegraph India, Irrfan had expressed his fondness for two legendary Pakistani cricketers Imran Khan and Zaheer Abbas and recalled his meeting with them.

    “There was an India-Pakistan match. I was very young. Zaheer Abbas was there. I went to take his autograph. That was the first time as I never took autographs from anybody in my life. He just looked at me… and I felt so humiliated. I felt really bad,” said the late actor. “I was a Zaheer Abbas and Imran Khan fan.”

    Speaking about PM Imran, Irrfan had said, “Imran kitna khubsoorat lagta hai! What a persona… open-chested, aisi uchhal ke bowling karta tha. Even now, he looks great.”

    Read more – Sherry Rehman calls Irrfan Khan ‘one of Pakistan’s best’

    Irrfan had also expressed his appreciation about other sportsmen including Kapil Dev and David Beckham.

    “David Beckham is also very good-looking. Beckham ka ajeeb sa hai… anything suits him. Very stylish,” he said about Beckham.

    He added, “At one point in time, I used to like Sachin (Tendulkar). Kapil (Dev) was also a favourite. (M.S.) Dhoni has shown some character. He is a great captain.”

    It is a well-known fact that Irrfan was a huge cricket fan. In fact back in 2018, while he was in London for his treatment, Irrfan was spotted in the stands during Pakistan versus England Test match.

    Irrfan had also expressed his desire to be a cricketer but due to financial issues, he decided to give up that dream and pursue acting instead.

    “I played cricket. I wanted to become a cricketer. I was an all-rounder and the youngest one in my team in Jaipur. I wanted to make a career out of it. I was selected for the CK Nayudu tournament I think and then I needed money and didn’t know who to ask. That day I decided I cannot pursue it,” Khan had said in the same interview.

  • You can now get Kate Middleton’s Élan look

    You can now get Kate Middleton’s Élan look

    Remember the pristine white and black Élan kurta Kate Middleton wore on her last day in Pakistan? It will soon be available for a whopping Rs 29,500.

    The kurta is part of Élan’s Eid Collection, launching on May 10. According to the brand, the monochrome outfit has been titled ‘Royal Garden’ and is made of traditional handspun 100% pure grip silk. It features “beautifully delicate floral and tribal embroideries in ebony silk thread on a pristine ivory base.”

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B_u76hXgMaa/

    The Duchess of Cambridge had worn the outfit on a private visit she and her husband had undertaken to the SOS Village in Lahore. She had paired the kurta with straight white pants and nude heels. Kate’s team had reportedly discovered Elan’s outfits on Instagram.

    Meanwhile in an interview with The Current, Élan’s founder and creative head Khadija Shah had talked about dressing up the Duchess and how she felt when she received a thank you note from her.

    “I thought somebody was playing a prank,” said Khadija recalling the time when she was approached to make a dress for Kate. “So when we were contacted and the message came through, I told my social media manager to go and check-up the person and see if it was really somebody from the Palace.”

    “And we discovered, it really was someone from the Palace,” continued the designer. “It was really overwhelming and very exciting.”

    Khadija further shared that she never expected a letter of thanks from the Duchess but when was overjoyed when she received the letter and immediately took a picture of it.

    Read more – Khadija Shah receives a signed ‘Thank you note’ from Kate Middleton

    Watch the full interview here:

  • LUMS breaks silence on fee hike amid coronavirus outbreak

    LUMS breaks silence on fee hike amid coronavirus outbreak

    Lahore University of Management Sciences (LUMS) clarified on Monday that the hike was decided before the Covid-19 outbreak in the country. This official statement came when people were protesting on Twitter against 41 per cent tuition fee increase.

    The statement was issued by the office of Vice-Chancellor Dr Arshad Ahmed which states that the increment was “entirely consistent with prior years and took into account extraordinary increases in inflation, energy costs and currency devaluation.”

    According to reports, per credit hour fee has been increased by 13 per cent. On average, students opt for 16 credit hours per semester, this adds up to 41 per cent overall increase in tuition fees.

    “The increase was 13 per cent which we will monitor in determining the next fee card. Previously, a blanket fee was being charged for students registering between 12 to 20 credit hours. This fee is now [being] calculated on per credit hour basis which will increase the semester fees for some and decrease it for others [depending on the number of registered credit hours],” the statement said.

    Furthermore, one of the reasons behind increasing the fee is to “discourage students from taking course overloads which negatively impacts their learning.”
    “LUMS fees cover a fraction of the total costs. As a not-for-profit university, gifts from donors, trustees, etc. helps to subsidize one out of three students.”

    Yesterday, ‘#LUMSFeeHike’ was trending on twitter after the Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS) confirmed its students through email that they would increase tuition fee by 40 per cent for the upcoming semesters.

  • Bilawal seeks Imran’s voluntary resignation over ‘coronavirus failures’

    Bilawal seeks Imran’s voluntary resignation over ‘coronavirus failures’

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) Chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari has said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan should voluntarily resign and appoint someone else in his stead, as tensions between the Centre and Sindh government continue to rise as COVID-19 cases continue to spike across the country.

    Talking to Sindhi language news channels, Bilawal slammed the premier for a lack of consensus in the country on how to tackle the persisting coronavirus situation.

    “We [PPP] have been demanding the prime minister to step down since day one,” said the PPP chief. “Keeping in mind the coronavirus situation, I am not asking for his resignation. But Imran Khan should start working as a prime minister. He should play his role in uniting provinces in this crisis.”

    Bilawal urged PM Imran to voluntarily resign under these difficult circumstances and appoint someone else in his stead. The PPP chairman said that a national consensus was necessary to win the fight against the coronavirus. “The whole state should be on the same page against the coronavirus,” he said, adding that the prime minister was responsible for the absence of it. “The federal government is responsible for ensuring a consensus is reached.”

    Bilawal praised the Sindh government for providing relief to the masses as cases in the province continue to surge. “Sindh government is taking brilliant steps to provide relief to people,” he said. “CM Sindh has also joined hands with welfare organisations. People are being provided relief today due to the initiatives taken by the PPP,” he added.

    He said that Sindh government was about to kick off “phase two” of its plan to ward off the coronavirus. “We are providing relief to the people despite facing a shortage of resources,” he said.

    Referring to criticism over his statement on Karachi and Sindh a few days ago, Bilawal said that some people were presenting his remarks in a negative light and taking them out of context. “I consider it an insult to answer these [accusations],” he said, adding that those who were criticising him were working on their agenda to break up Sindh.

    The remarks came a few days after the PPP chairman hit out at the federal government in a fiery presser, slamming it for neglecting doctors and medical officers throughout the country.

    “Can you imagine Pakistan declaring war and sending its army without guns, bullets, and a uniform?” he had said.

    The PPP chairman had lamented that the doctors were only demanding two things — protective gear and a reduced burden on hospitals so that they may carry out their jobs more effectively.

    “The prime minister has failed to deliver […] He mentioned daily wagers in all of his addresses, but sadly none of them has received a single dime yet,” he had regretted.

    It is our responsibility to provide for them like we would provide for our armed forces, he said, adding: “We are trying to provide for our doctors who are in contact with COVID-19 patients, I know that all provincial governments are playing their due role as well.”

    “But the Centre should also play its role in supporting the provinces in the war against coronavirus,” he had said.

  • VIDEO: Hamza Ali Abbasi covers ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ theme song on guitar

    VIDEO: Hamza Ali Abbasi covers ‘Diriliş: Ertuğrul’ theme song on guitar

    Turkish television show Diriliş: Ertuğrul is very popular among the Pakistani audiences and had a huge fan following even before an Urdu dubbed version of it started airing on PTV. With even Prime Minister Imran Khan recommending the show, Ertugrul has become the talk of the town amongst our celebrities also.

     Actor Hamza Ali Abbasi appears to be the fan of the show too. In a recent video, shared by wife Naimal Khawar, Abbasi can be seen playing the theme song of the show on a guitar. 

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rb8OT5GsC_Y

    The show is being aired on the request of PM Imran Khan. According to the PM, it is a must-watch show for the youth of the country.

    Read More: After ‘Ertugal’, PM Imran Khan wants Pakistanis to watch ‘Yunus Emre: Aşkin Yolculuğu’

    “We’ve always had content from Hollywood and Bollywood which was then being showcased here. A third end culture was being promoted. That’s why I want our youth to know the difference between our values and theirs,” the premier had said while discussing why he requested for the show to be aired in the country.

  • New documentary claiming Princess Diana tried to commit suicide ‘upsets’ William & Harry

    New documentary claiming Princess Diana tried to commit suicide ‘upsets’ William & Harry

    Several members of the royal family are reportedly “upset and angry” about a controversial new documentary about Princess Diana which claims that the late princess tried to commit suicide four times.

    Prince William and Prince Harry are said to be especially upset about the four-part docuseries, tentatively titled Being Me: Diana, which will cover Diana’s “mental health battles, eating disorders, unhappy marriage to Prince Charles and painful childhood” and put forth claims that the late royal “tried to kill herself four times.”

    According to reports, Prince Harry is said to find the situation “particularly distressing” because the documentary is expected to air on Netflix—a company he’s said to have been working with following his royal exit.

    A source is reported to have said: “The royals will refuse to take part as will the Spencer family. William and Harry will be very upset and angry. It’s particularly distressing for Harry because he’s been working with Netflix. At a time when the royals have been dealt a blow with Harry and Meghan leaving, the timing is not good.”

    DSP, the TV company working on the project, says that it is still in the early phases and has not yet been commissioned by Netflix. It remains to be seen if the streaming giant—or any other major distributors—will pick up the series.

    “This is a not a commissioned show and everything within the treatment is already in the public domain,” a spokeswoman for Endemol Shine, DSP’s parent company, said.

  • Asim Azhar’s ‘Jo Tu Na Mila’ enters the ‘100 million club’

    Asim Azhar’s ‘Jo Tu Na Mila’ enters the ‘100 million club’

    Asim Azhar has become the youngest and the fourth Pakistani artist after Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Atif Aslam and Momina Mustehsan to enter the ‘100 million club’ after his single Jo Tu Na Mila crossed more than 100 million views on YouTube. His other song which achieved this milestone was his duet with Momina Mustehsan for Coke Studio 9: Tera Woh Pyaar.

    The singer shared the news in a social media update and thanked his fans for their support.

    In another update, the singer remarked that it was impossible for him to put his feelings into words.

    Jo Tu Na Mila is a love ballad which talks about unrequited love. The song, which features Iqra Aziz, has been composed and sung by Asim while the lyrics have been penned by Kunaal Vermaa.

    Back when it was released, the song was even loved by none other than Bollywood bigwig Karan Johar.

    https://twitter.com/karanjohar/status/1065526135629520896?s=20

    Read more – ‘I’m sorry’: Asim Azhar responds to backlash on PSL anthem

    Watch the song here:

  • ‘#LUMSFeeHike’ trends as varsity increases tuition fee by 40pc

    ‘#LUMSFeeHike’ trends as varsity increases tuition fee by 40pc

    ‘#LUMSFeeHike’ is trending on twitter after the Lahore University of Management and Sciences (LUMS) confirmed its students through email that they would increase tuition fee by 40 per cent for the upcoming semesters.

    Once this news came out, people reacted strongly to the decision made by the varsity.

    A large number of people went to Twitter to express their anger against the unpopular decision made by the private university. People are angry and presenting different arguments; however, the most common sentiment is that they see it as “capitalistic exploitation”.

    https://twitter.com/roobiboobie/status/1257300208519540738?s=20

    It is very disturbing for many people because they are being laid off from their jobs. Several others, on the other hand, have not been paid for months.

    https://twitter.com/Witcheeha/status/1257294273319444480?s=20

    Moreover, people are also seeing this act as a step of depriving them of quality education. LUMS has maintained its reputation of giving the modern and best education to its students. However, it is now getting more and more difficult for people to support their education.

    Apart from all these sentiments, students have openly confessed that to pay the tuition fee of one student, some parents have to sacrifice the fee of other siblings at home.

  • ‘Sabaat’ will have you hooked

    ‘Sabaat’ will have you hooked

    Six episodes in, Sabaat has managed to capture the audiences with its compelling and entertaining storyline and strong performances. The drama had intrigued viewers before it even aired thanks to one of the main leads Mawra Hocane, who is an ace at the social media game – but a few episodes in, it has everyone, myself included, hooked.

    Sabaat is centred on two families: Hasan Fareed (Ameer Gillani) and Anaya Aziz’s (Mawra). Anaya belongs to an average middle-class family. She has big dreams and wants to make a difference in society. She actively campaigns for harassment against women in workplaces and is a class topper. Hasan, on the other hand, is from an affluent and well-off family. He and Anaya are class fellows and start off as fierce competitors but an incident changes that and the two become acquaintances following which Hasan develops feelings for Anaya and wants to marry her. Though Hasan’s character development is a little weak, given how the swiftly the drama is progressing and how sparkling the chemistry is between him and Anaya, we are willing to overlook this.

    While these two are in their own little university bubble, Hasan’s elder sister Miraal (Sarah Khan) is the real devil of the show. She is a spoilt brat who cannot take no for an answer. Miraal is rude, arrogant and selfish and thinks she can get away with anything because she is rich to the point that she goes to her brother’s university and slaps Anaya for no reason. She generously uses the dialogue “Tumhari aukaat kya hai” and is enabled by her father who is also a snob.

    While Mawra’s character, for now, is one-dimensional, it is Sarah who steals the show with her bratty act. Her facial expressions, body language and moods are on point and she delivers a convincing performance making you hate Miraal. Nonetheless, it is refreshing to see both women essay strong and confident characters. At this point, I’d like to add here that Sarah’s wardrobe, hair and makeup are brilliantly done and she looks super chic in all of her scenes.

    Sarah Khan Sabaat

    Usman Mukhtar is yet to make an entry and fans are waiting with bated breath for it. While the theme of the drama is still unclear, Mawra in an interview had shared it is primarily a love story which is meant to entertain audiences and not deliver sermons or lessons. However, she added that the drama will highlight several issues including classism in our society.

    Read more – We take it back; ‘Ghalti’ is ARY’s best running drama

    Sabaat has been penned by Kashif Anwar and directed by Shehzad Kashmiri of Anaa fame. Apart from the four leads, the drama also starres Simi Raheel, Laila Zuberi and Mohammad Ahmed.

    It aires every Sunday at 8 pm on Hum TV.