Category: Uncategorized

  • ‘The deafening silence is criminal’: Mahira Khan raises voice for ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    ‘The deafening silence is criminal’: Mahira Khan raises voice for ‘Zindagi Tamasha’

    The fate of Sarmad Khoosat’s Zindagi Tamasha hangs in limbo as the government is yet to decide whether the film can be released or not. The film, which was scheduled to hit screens on January 25, was stopped from being released days before its release after the federal and provincial governments feared public unrest.

    While the Federal Government had said that the film will be reviewed by the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII), the Punjab Government directed the filmmaker to hold a screening on February 3 so that the film can be reviewed again. However, the screening has not taken place as yet. It is pertinent to mention here that the provincial and central censor boards had earlier cleared the film for release with a few cuts.

    Read more – ‘Zindagi Tamasha’s fate hangs in limbo

    As governing bodies are still to decide the future of the film, Mahira Khan took to social media to voice her support for the film.

    Osman Khalid Butt not only agreed with her but also requested artists and actor attending the first Pakistan International Screen Awards in Dubai to raise their voice for the film.

    Nadia Afgan, who played Shanno in Suno Chanda, also spoke out in favour of the filmmaker.

    https://www.instagram.com/p/B8JsBwXB10v/

    Ever since the film was barred from release, director Sarmad has not made a public statement. His father, Irfan Khoosat, who had filed a case against Tehreek-e-Labbaik Pakistan (TLP) for interfering in the smooth release of the film also withdrew his petition for reasons unknown.

    Meanwhile, TLP chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi recently said that he would not let the film release no matter what remarking: “We will not let Zindagi Tamasha release and will do whatever it takes to make sure it does not see the light of day.”

    Read more – ‘Over my dead body,’ says Khadim Rizvi on Zindagi Tamasha release

    Earlier, Sarmad had also appealed to the Prime Minister, President, Chief of Army Staff and the Chief Justice of Pakistan to facilitate the release of the film.

  • Do you know about the new pinch emoji?

    Do you know about the new pinch emoji?

    Sending emojis to convey a complete message without using a single word has emerged as a new trend in recent, millennial times. 

    Emoji 13.0 is the set of 117 new emojis that have been approved for release in 2020. Among them is the ‘pinch emoji’ gesture, designed to represent the Italian hand gesture ma che vuoi (or ‘finger purse’).

    The “What do you want?” pinched fingers emoji proposal was submitted by Y Adriano Farano, Jennifer 8. Lee and Theo Schear of Emojination to Unicode. The proposal explains the significance of this emoji. It is part of the Italian gestural expression which is now widespread in Mediterranean countries and according to research published by the New York Times, Italians use this gesture roughly 250 times a day.

    https://twitter.com/Giulio_Consult/status/1223014981668499457?s=20

    Not just Italians but many other cultures use the same pinched finger gesture to make a point, for example, one blogger mentions that this is an expression used for “just about everything”, and in Israel, it means “Wait a minute,” or “Hurry up” or “Relax.”

    The gesture is used by pinching your fingers against the thumb and moving your hand back and forth against your chest which translates to “What do you want?”

    Even Former Prime Minister Matteo Renzi of Italy, in 2015 was seen flaunting this gesture to give an impactful speech in the Italian Parliament. Hence it is not just an emoji but represents the Italian culture and celebrates their tradition.

    The proposal was accepted and we will soon be seeing this emoji in 2020.

  • NA adopts resolution for public hanging of child rapists amid PPP’s opposition

    NA adopts resolution for public hanging of child rapists amid PPP’s opposition

    The Lower House on Friday adopted a resolution seeking public hanging of child rapists with a majority vote despite opposition from the Pakistan People’s Party (PPP), ARY reported.

    According to reports, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) lawmaker and Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan, who had tabled the resolution in the National Assembly, said that Prime Minister (PM) Imran Khan wanted death sentence for child abuse convicts.

    “When we raised the issue of a public hanging in the National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights headed by [PPP chief] Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, it was opposed,” the minister said and added that the government desired a new law aimed at hanging of convicts.

    While another PTI MNA, Imran Khattak, also supported the demand to adopt a resolution calling for public hanging of child sexual abusers, PPP leader and former PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf opposed the same, saying that the country had signed a United Nations (UN) charter against public hangings.

    “If this [resolution] is adopted, the world would not accept it,” he reportedly said.

    It is pertinent to note that the PPP, according to its chief, is against capital punishment “on principle”. Bilawal’s maternal grandfather and PPP founder Zulfikar Ali Bhutto was also sentenced to death on April 4, 1979.

  • Prime accused of APS attack, Ehsanullah Ehsan, claims breaking out of military jail

    Former spokesperson of Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP), Ehsanullah Ehsan, who is a prime accused in the 2014 Army Public School (APS) Peshawar massacre and has also claimed responsibility for life attempts on Nobel laureate Malala Yousafzai and journalist Hamid Mir, has claimed to have escaped from the custody of Pakistani security authorities along with his wife and two children.

    According to The News, Ehsan, whose real name is Liaqat Ali, released an audio message to confirm his dramatic escape from the custody of Pakistani security agencies.

    “I am Ehsanullah Ehsan. I am the former spokesman of TTP and Jamaatul Ahrar. I had surrendered to Pakistani security authorities on February 5, 2017, under an agreement. I honoured this agreement for three years, but Pakistani authorities violated it and kept me in a prison along with my children,” he alleged in the statement released to the media.

    He claimed he had faced hardships during his imprisonment for three years, was compelled to make a plan for escape from their custody, and executed it on January 11, 2020.

    “On January 11, 2020, with the help of Allah, I succeeded in escaping from custody,” Ehsan claimed, adding that he would release a detailed statement later and mention the agreement he had made with Pakistani security authorities.

    “I will also mention on whose approval this accord was made with me. And what were the terms and conditions of the agreement and which prominent figure had assured me that the agreement will be implemented,” he said and added that he would also share details of the conditions in which he and his family were held in Pakistan.

    Speaking to The News later, Ehsan claimed he had arrived in Turkey along with his family. However, he refused to mention how he had managed to escape and safely shift to another country. “I can’t tell you more than that I am in Turkey at the moment along with my wife, son and daughter. Don’t ask me how I reached here as I can’t tell you right now,” the report quoted the former TTP spokesperson as saying.

  • Chinese doctor who raised alarm about coronavirus dies

    Chinese doctor who raised alarm about coronavirus dies

    The coronavirus crisis in China has extended as the number of people infected by the virus hits 31,000 and the doctor who issued an early warning about the outbreak died from the virus on Friday.

    According to reports, more than 630 people have died by the virus that ophthalmologist Li Wenliang and his colleagues had first brought to light in late December.

    The disease has since spread across China, forcing the government to lock down cities with of tens of millions of people. Global panic has also risen in wake of the disease as more than 240 cases have emerged in two dozen countries.

    Li, 34, died early Friday, Wuhan Central Hospital said in a post on China’s Twitter-like Weibo platform. The news triggered grief on social media and the doctor was hailed a hero for his services in his field.

    Earlier on December 30, Li had sent out a message about the new coronavirus to colleagues in Wuhan, the central city where the virus was born but was later called by police for spreading rumors. He later contracted the disease while treating a patient.

    State-run newspaper Global Times and state broadcaster CCTV first reported on Weibo that Li had died late Thursday, only to delete their posts after the death rapidly surged to be among the top topics on the popular platform.

  • Five-year-old raped inside US Embassy compound in Delhi

    Five-year-old raped inside US Embassy compound in Delhi

    A man has been arrested for allegedly raping a minor girl in the grounds of the United States (US) Embassy in New Delhi, CNN quoted police sources as saying.

    According to reports, the girl was playing outside the embassy’s staff quarters before she “was lured and raped by a neighbour”. Reports quoted Delhi Police Deputy Commissioner Eish Singhal as saying that the girl, who is the daughter of a housekeeper employed by the embassy, later identified the 25-year-old male suspect, who has been arrested and charged with rape.

    “She was able to identify him point blank and there is no doubt over this,” Singhal said, adding that the suspect remains in custody.

    The incident has appalled embassy staff. In a statement to CNN, a US Embassy spokesperson said they were deeply disturbed by the alleged misconduct. “We promptly took action when we were informed of the allegation, and brought this matter to the attention of the police. Of course, we are cooperating fully with them,” the spokesperson said.

    An investigation has been launched, and a court date is yet to be set. In the wake of the brutal 2012 Delhi gang rape — which brought worldwide condemnation and still haunts the collective memory of women in India’s capital –, lawmakers passed a series of amendments to the existing rape laws.

    The amended law lengthened prison terms and introduced the death penalty in cases in which the victim is younger than 12 years of age.

  • Fawad Ch says PML-N’s Khawaja Asif ‘lobbying to become prime minister’

    Fawad Ch says PML-N’s Khawaja Asif ‘lobbying to become prime minister’

    Federal Minister for Science & Technology Fawad Chaudhry has claimed that Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Muhammad Asif “is lobbying to become the prime minister (PM)”.

    Speaking to a private media outlet, the minister claimed that Asif wanted both former PM Nawaz Sharif and his brother, PML-N chief Shehbaz Sharif, to seek British citizenship and leave Pakistan for good. “He wants the entire [Sharif] family to move there [United Kingdom], and that he be granted the reins of PML-N.”

    When asked by anchor and host Arshad Sharif as to what would that mean for other senior leaders such as ex-PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Fawad said Asif believes he played an important role in securing Nawaz the permission to seek medical treatment abroad. “He thinks he is on really good terms [with the Sharif family] nowadays, and so is the best candidate,” the federal minister added.

    WATCH VIDEO:

    To this, the journalist asked if Asif was in contact with federal cabinet members and that was how he managed to pave way for convicted former premier’s foreign travel. Fawad, however, did not answer the question.

  • Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police arrest woman for supplying drugs in a rickshaw

    Police officials claimed to have arrested a woman along with her partner from the Sohrab Goth area of Karachi over charges of providing ice drug to posh areas and universities using an auto-rickshaw.

    As per reports, the woman used to sell ice and other types of drugs through rickshaw that was usually driven by her husband or son so that she could not be caught by the police

    The arrested woman, Gul Bibi, and her accomplice identified as Inayat used to smuggle ice drug from Balochistan.

    During the raid, the police team seized ice drugs and other narcotics from their possession. According to police, the gang had been arrested twice in the past while further investigation is underway.

  • Islamic body to decide if minorities in Pakistan can hold liquor licenses

    Islamic body to decide if minorities in Pakistan can hold liquor licenses

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has given the Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) the authority to decide whether minorities in Pakistan can hold liquor licences.

    According to reports, this was announced in a verdict by the IHC as it heard a petition against the issuance of these licences.

    The court said that the CII the authority to decide this as licences are being granted on the basis of religion. The petition was disposed of after it was forward to the CII.

    The Pakistan United Christian Movement and Centre of Rule of Law had filed the petition in the Islamabad High Court. The petitioners said alcohol is also prohibited in Christianity but licenses are being given in its name.

    The petitioners also presented a list of 340 liquor licence holders to the court.

  • Five sunny pictures that prove yellow is here to stay

    Five sunny pictures that prove yellow is here to stay

    Yellow made a splashing appearance on the fashion scene a year or two back and is still in fashion because celebrities continue to don outfits in the colour. Check out these divas make a style statement in all-yellow outfits.

    Minal Khan

    Hair pulled in a bun, bright pout and an all-yellow dress. Hello spring!

    Kareena Kapoor Khan

    Bebo is looking like a ray of sunshine in this yellow and gold saree.

    Naimal Khawar Khan

    Naimal Khawar showing us how to do a morning wedding.

    Navin Waqar

    Who knew a bright yellow pantsuit could look this good? Navin is pulling off this attire with panache.

    Fouzia Aman

    This marigold yellow Umar Sayeed outfit is the stuff of dreams.

    Mansha Pasha

    I’d like to walk through 2020 in that neon yellow blazer.