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  • ‘Degraded descendant of Bond thrillers’: Gal Gadot, Alia Bhatt’s spy film Heart of Stone slammed by critics

    ‘Heart of Stone’, Netflix’s new thriller starring Bollywood actress Alia Bhatt and Gal Gadot has brought out every critic’s stone heart. The spy thriller about an international secret agent who must use all means to protect the mysterious MacGuffin known as ‘Heart of Stone’ has been slammed by critics for its generic plot and poor performances with a Rotten Tomatoes rating of 4.9/10.

    Variety called the film “joyless, convoluted, and sludgy-looking” as well as a “degraded descendant of Bond thrillers”. Their review described the film as a laborious two hours long weary form of bloat without a plot and an endless chain of events filled with action sequences.

    Mashable wrote that the film has glaring similarities with Tom Cruise’s ‘Mission: Impossible- Dead Reckoning Part One”, calling it a “flimsy action knock-off” and also said that the assemble of the star-studded cast, including ’50 Shades Of Grey’s” Jamie Dornan, failed to charm owing to a bad script that gave them little content to start with.

    Giving it a meagre 2/5 stars, Indian Express wrote that Alia Bhatt’s talent had been wasted, as this was the Bollywood actor’s debut Hollywood project- pointing out how she was minimised when her talent could have been utilized better. Their review futher criticised the film’s poor dialogue and overuse of character’s talking in cliche’s like  “You know what you signed up for”, and, “Behind you!” or the limited ways their roles were fleshed out throughout the film.

  • Prince William not ready to reconcile with brother Prince Harry, despite Kate Middleton’s efforts

    Prince William not ready to reconcile with brother Prince Harry, despite Kate Middleton’s efforts

    Since Prince Harry made public his feud with brother Prince William and his wife Princess Kate over what he said was their reluctance to accept Meghan Markle, reports reveal that the two brothers are no longer on speaking terms with each other. However, it seems like Princess Kate has been doing her best behind the scenes to ensure that the two brothers can resolve their differences and become good friends like they were before.

    Royal author Robert Jobson revealed to The Express that King Charles III is desperate to meet his grand children, and Kate has been making her best efforts to ensure that the situation is ressolved:

    “I’m not sure how much dialogue there is with William and Harry, at the moment, I think the only person that is helping the situation is Catherine, who is doing a brilliant job. First of all when the king wants to see his grandchildren, for example, it’s important to say that a lot of it has been through Catherine. But William and Harry, it’s a difficult one. I think as brothers they are more likely to get on the phone and have a conversation.”

    Jobson added:

    “It’s quite possible that one of them might pick up the phone to have a rant, but who’s gonna pick up the phone on the other end? Because that’s not gonna achieve anything. There’s also a lot of lack of trust. At the moment between all the members of the family and Harry about where this information is going, because a lot of stuff has appeared in print by him.”

    The two brothers have reportedly zero communication with one another, a report by The Express claims. A few days ago the royal family website removed Prince Harry’s titles from their website, proving that Harry was no longer invited to the royal inner circle.

    Jobson saif that Harry had made enemies with Queen Camilla, and that King Charles III was allowing the ‘dust to settle’:

    “There is zero communication between father and second son, he has made enemies of William and Camilla, even Catherine. If Harry was in any doubt he was out, that website update has left him in no doubt. The move to strip them – or technically not allow usage of – the Sussex title was right. It wasn’t vindictive, just clear, proper ands right – if a little slow, but that’s the palace for you and all this ‘new fangled technology’.”

  • Rise of the machines: AI spells danger for Hollywood stunt workers

    Rise of the machines: AI spells danger for Hollywood stunt workers

    By Andrew MARSZAL

    Hollywood’s striking actors fear that artificial intelligence is coming for their jobs — but for many stunt performers, that dystopian danger is already a reality.

    From “Game of Thrones” to the latest Marvel superhero movies, cost-slashing studios have long used computer-generated background figures to reduce the number of actors needed for battle scenes.

    Now, the rise of AI means cheaper and more powerful techniques are being explored to create highly elaborate action sequences such as car chases and shootouts — without those pesky (and expensive) humans.

    Stunt work, a time-honored Hollywood tradition that has spanned from silent epics through to Tom Cruise’s latest “Mission Impossible,” is at risk of rapidly shrinking.

    “The technology is exponentially getting faster and better,” said Freddy Bouciegues, stunt coordinator for movies like “Free Guy” and “Terminator: Dark Fate.”

    “It’s really a scary time right now.”

    Studios are already requiring stunt and background performers to take part in high-tech 3D “body scans” on set, often without explaining how or when the images will be used.

    Advancements in AI mean these likenesses could be used to create detailed, eerily realistic “digital replicas,” which can perform any action or speak any dialogue its creators wish.

    Bouciegues fears producers could use these virtual avatars to replace “nondescript” stunt performers — such as those playing pedestrians leaping out of the way of a car chase.

    “There could be a world where they said, ‘No, we don’t want to bring these 10 guys in… we’ll just add them in later via effects and AI. Now those guys are out of the job.”

    But according to director Neill Blomkamp, whose new film “Gran Turismo” hits theaters August 25, even that scenario only scratches the surface.

    The role AI will soon play in generating images from scratch is “hard to compute,” he told AFP.

    “Gran Turismo” primarily uses stunt performers driving real cars on actual racetracks, with some computer-generated effects added on top for one particularly complex and dangerous scene.

    But Blomkamp predicts that, in as soon as six or 12 months, AI will reach a point where it can generate photo-realistic footage like high-speed crashes based on a director’s instructions alone.

    At that point, “you take all of your CG (computer graphics) and VFX (visual effects) computers and throw them out the window, and you get rid of stunts, and you get rid of cameras, and you don’t go to the racetrack,” he told AFP.

    “It’s that different.”

    – The human element –

    The lack of guarantees over the future use of AI is one of the major factors at stake in the ongoing strike by the Screen Actors Guild (SAG-AFTRA) and Hollywood’s writers, who have been on the picket lines 100 days.

    SAG-AFTRA last month warned that studios intend to create realistic digital replicas of performers, to use “for the rest of eternity, in any project they want” — all for the payment of one day’s work.

    The studios dispute this, and say they have offered rules including informed consent and compensation.

    But as well as the potential implications for thousands of lost jobs, Bouciegues warns that no matter how good the technology has become, “the audience can still tell” when the wool is being pulled over their eyes by computer-generated VFX.

    Even if AI can perfectly replicate a battle, explosion or crash, it cannot supplant the human element that is vital to any successful action film, he said, pointing to Cruise’s recent “Top Gun” and “Mission Impossible” sequels.

    “He uses real stunt people, and he does real stunts, and you can see it on the screen. For me, I feel like it subconsciously affects the viewer,” said Bouciegues.

    Current AI technology still gives “slightly unpredictable results,” agreed Blomkamp, who began his career in VFX, and directed Oscar-nominated “District 9.”

    “But it’s coming… It’s going to fundamentally change society, let alone Hollywood. The world is going to be different.”

    For stunt workers like Bouciegues, the best outcome now is to blend the use of human performers with VFX and AI to pull off sequences that would be too dangerous with old-fashioned techniques alone.

    “I don’t think this job will ever just cease to be,” said Bouciegues, of stunt work. “It just definitely is going to get smaller and more precise.”

    But even that is a sobering reality for stunt performers who are currently standing on picket lines outside Hollywood studios.

    “Every stunt guy is the alpha male type, and everybody wants to say, ‘Oh, we’re good,’” said Bouciegues.

    “But I personally have spoken to a lot of people that are freaked out and nervous.”

  • IHC summons Toshakhana case records for PTI Chairman’s Trial

    IHC summons Toshakhana case records for PTI Chairman’s Trial

    The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has taken steps to obtain the records of the Toshakhana case involving the imprisoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman, Imran Khan, who is currently serving time in Attock Jail.

    The division bench of the IHC, comprising Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, issued the directive in response to Imran’s appeal against his conviction in the Toshakhana case.

    In an official statement released today, the IHC has issued an order to the district election commissioner of Islamabad which states, “Notice to the respondent. Office is directed to requisition the record of the learned Trial Court.”

    On August 5, a District and Sessions Court gave a three-year prison sentence to the PTI chairman as part of the Toshakhana criminal case.

    The court also imposed a fine of Rs 100,000 on Imran Khan. Additionally, the former prime minister was prohibited from holding any public office for a duration of five years.

    The court’s verdict emphasized that the former prime minister had knowingly provided false information regarding Toshakhana gifts to the ECP and was found guilty of engaging in corrupt practices.

    Subsequently, he was arrested from his residence in Zaman Park, Lahore, and transferred to Attock Jail.

  • Maria B has yet another factually incorrect take on transgender people

    Maria B has yet another factually incorrect take on transgender people

    Designer Maria B has yet again decided to court controversy. The fashion maven took to social media to disperse more of her opinions about transgender communities, because she knows them better than the experts from the community, right? On Friday, the face behind the fashion brand ‘Maria B’ tweeted how the biggest threats to women universities were “biological men” aka transgender women, who were invading women’s bathrooms. She called for a ban on giving admission to transpeople in women’s colleges.

    “Women Universities in Pakistan are under attack. Biological men are now being given admission in our safe spaces for women. Female bathrooms are now being invaded by biological men who feel like women….As it is we live in a Conservative society where parents hesitate sending their daughters for higher education. Forcing biological men into women’s universities under the garb of transgenders will be a great disservice to women’s education. Watch how parents will start stopping their daughters from getting education bcz there are MEN PRETENDING TO BE WOMEN in the universities.”

    The fashion designer went on to slam women rights organisations like Aurat March for “not standing up for women’s rights” and “shutting women’s voices”.

    However, reports from universities all around Pakistan would disprove Maria B’s take that the transgender community is the biggest reason why parents are refraining their daughters from going to universities. Because from all the recent cases of sexual harassment and rape reports from colleges, we can’t help but deduce that the majority of the perpetuators behind these assaults are men.

    Take for instance, the recent case in Ghazi University where a young woman complained of being sexually assaulted and threatened by two male professors who were black mailing her younger sister.

    READ MORE: Accusations of sexual assault, blackmail leveled against two professors in DG Khan

    Or the matter of the ex-head security officer at Islamia University in Bahawalpur, who was caught in July with multiple illicit videos of women and female staff on his phone. He was allegedly black mailing women with threats to leak the videos.

    READ MORE: Police arrest university’s chief security officer for objectionable videos of female students, drug possession

    In June, another male employee at King Edward Medical College was caught making videos of women in washrooms, an action which launched protests as several women revealed they had consistently filed complaints with the KEMU administration about the pressence of male staff members in female bathrooms.

    READ MORE: Employee at King Edward Medical University caught making video of female student in washroom

    In not one of these stories is it mentioned that a transgender woman was caught harassing or black mailing a woman. However recently, reports circulated on social media of a transgender activist who was forcibly converted in a rehabilitation centre Focus Life, where she detailed reports of being tortured, sexually harassed and abused for her gender identity.

    READ MORE: Transgender activist Zaakraa’s story takes sinister turn, wipes all previous posts

    So there you have it folks, it is not transgender women who are making other women feel unsafe in universities, but it is the way institutes turn a blind eye to male privilege, sexual harassment, and protection of harassers that keeps women feeling unsafe in these places.

  • Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar is the caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan

    The suspense is over. Anwaar-ul-Haq Kakar, who belongs to Balochistan Awami Party, has been made caretaker Prime Minister of Pakistan.

    Anwaar ul Haq Kakar, elected to the Pakistani Senate from Balochistan in March 2018, previously worked as the advisor to Chief Minister of Balochistan’s information department from January to March 2018 and as the government of Balochistan’s spokesperson from December 2015 to January 2018.
    He has often spoken about on academic and policy-making platforms as an avid book reader and ardent thinker with an understanding of the problems faced by Pakistan’s restive Baloch province.

    Senator Kakar holds a hopeful vision for a powerful Balochistan, committed to the Pakistani nation.

    He graduated from the National Defence University in Islamabad with a bachelor’s degree in political science and sociology. English, Urdu, Persian, Pushto, Balochi, and Brahvi are all spoken by him with ease.

  • Chronology of Events Leading to No-Confidence Motion Vote

    Chronology of Events Leading to No-Confidence Motion Vote

    Despite the PTI-led government’s efforts to make the no-confidence motion against Imran Khan unsuccessful, the vote occurred on April 10, aligning with the Supreme Court’s orders.

    However, the voting on the motion wasn’t a sudden decision made shortly after an opposition leader’s move. It comprised months of extensive planning to set the motion against the Prime Minister into reality.

    By the end of 2021 — PPP begins convincing PML-N leader Nawaz Sharif to initiate a vote of no confidence against PM Imran Khan.

    November 28, 2021 — PPP’s Khursheed Shah hints at a possible internal shift within the Parliament, stating that the opposition would possess sufficient numerical strength to remove Imran Khan from office.

    December 24, 2021 — Ayaz Sadiq, a leader of PML-N, also endorses that the opposition is inpreparations for an internal shift in power.

    January 11, 2022 — Khawaja Asif, a leader of PML-N, maintains that the government had lost its majority, indicating that a change within the legislature was about to happen.

    January 18, 2022 — PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari states that a vote of no confidence against the senate chairman wouldn’t result in the power shift. He emphasizes that the opposition intends to bring change in leadership at the highest level by aiming to remove the Prime Minister from his office.

    January 21, 2022 — Ayaz Sadiq remarks that the opposition is prepared for a vote of no confidence against the PM, and the timing of this action will be determined at a later stage.

    February 7, 2022 — PML-N and PPP formally consult on a motion of no-confidence against the Prime Minister. PML-N president Shahbaz Sharif assures the party’s readiness for this step under the guidance of Nawaz Sharif. Subsequently, both parties initiate communication with other opposition groups and government allies.

    February 8, 2022 — Shahbaz Sharif introduces the idea of a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister to MQM-P; Amir Khan, leader of MQM-P, declares to present the proposal to the party’s committee for further discussion.

    February 11, 2022 — Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), speaking on behalf of the opposition, declares the intention to initiate a vote of no confidence against the Prime Minister.

    In the middle of these developments, the government remained dismissive of the risk and openly challenged the opposition to formally present the no-confidence motion.

    February 14, 2022 — Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi shares the intention of the government to counter the no-confidence motion through political means, emphasizing the impartiality of the process as the “umpire” is also neutral.

    February 18, 2022 — PMLQ leader Pervaiz Elahi, who was the Speaker of the Punjab Assembly at the time, and MQM-P leader Amir Khan meet to jointly announce their decision to remain aligned with the government and not withdraw their support.

    February 22, 2022 — Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed challenges the opposition, daring them to gather the support of 172 Members of the National Assembly (MNAs) in their ranks.

    February 23, 2022 (When the Prime Minister departed for his visit to Russia) — Defense Minister Pervez Khattak expresses confidence that the supposed no-confidence motion would not be presented, stating that it was a challenging task to have PTI MNAs in favor of it.

    Assessing the statements, one can conclude that the government did not take the no-confidence motion with a substantial level of seriousness.

    March 8, 2022 — The opposition tables a no-confidence motion against Prime Minister Imran Khan.

    March 9, 2022 — Prime Minister Imran Khan remarks that PPP co-chairman Asif Ali Zardari is hin “gun’s crosshairs”, expressing eagerness for the opposition to bring forth a no-confidence motion against him.

    March 10, 2022 — Bilawal responds to PM Imran Khan’s warning towards Zardari, describing it as “intolerable” and warning the Prime Minister to prepare for the potential repercussions.

    March 10, 2022 — Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry states that the armed forces are aligned with the government.

    March 10, 2022 — Islamabad police starts an operation in Parliament Lodges, resulting in the arrest of over a dozen Ansar-ul-Islam workers and two Members of the National Assembly (MNAs).

    March 11, 2022 — After the release of JUI-F workers and leaders, the party’s leader Fazlur Rehman cancels nationwide protests.

    March 11, 2022 — Sheikh Rasheed announces that the security of Parliament House and Parliament Lodges will be under paramilitary Rangers and Frontier Corps (FC) on the day of the National Assembly vote regarding the no-confidence motion.

    March 11, 2022 — Prime Minister Imran Khan verbally attacks three prominent opposition figures – Fazl, Zardari, and Shahbaz.

    March 12, 2022 — Nawaz Sharif and aggrieved PTI leader Aleem Khan discuss the no-confidence motion in London.

    March 12, 2022 — Sheikh Rasheed and PML-Q leader Moonis Elahi get into verbal exchanges, highlighting growing tensions within the government’s coalition as signs of division become apparent.

    March 13, 2022 — Key ally MQM-P states that they are considering all possible “options” regarding the no-confidence motion.

    March 14, 2022 — PPP and MQM-P reach an agreement to collaborate and work together for the country’s “greater interest.”

    March 15, 2022 — PM Imran Khan declares that the nation is willing to face challenges alongside him instead of endorsing what he referred to as the “three stooges,” indicating someopposition leaders.

    March 16, 2022 — Speaker of the Punjab Assembly, Pervaiz Elahi, asserts that 10-12 lawmakers from the government are under the “safe custody” of the opposition.

    March 18, 2022 — It comes to light that approximately 24 members of the PTI were residing at the Sindh House. The PTI declares it will issue show-cause notices to the dissenting MPs. In response, PTI supporters engaged in violent behavior, forcefully entering Sindh House premises.

    March 21, 2022 — The government submits a reference to the Supreme Court seeking clarification on the interpretation of Article 63(A).

    March 27, 2022 — PM Imran Khan alleges that the opposition’s motion of no-confidence is part of a “foreign-funded conspiracy” designed to remove him from power. These claims were made at a PTI-organized rally in Islamabad.

    March 28, 2022 — The leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly, Shahbaz Sharif, officially tables a no-confidence resolution against PM Imran Khan.

    March 28, 2022 — PTI secures assurance of support from PML-Q as Usman Buzdar steps down, making way for Pervaiz Elahi to be the new chief minister. Meanwhile, the government’s ally BAP sides with the opposition.

    March 28, 2022 — Independent Member of the National Assembly (MNA) from Balochistan, Mohammad Aslam Bhootani, resigns from the ruling coalition and aligns with the opposition.

    March 30, 2022 — PTI’s majority in the National Assembly significantly reduces as MQM-P announces its decision to discontinue its alliance with the government.

    March 31, 2022 — The National Assembly session scheduled for the no-confidence motion against PM Imran Khan postpones till April 3rd.

    March 31, 2022 — PM Imran Khan mentions the US as the sender of a “threatening letter” during a speech to the nation, which he later clarifies as “a slip of the tongue.”

    April 1, 2022 — Both the State Department and the White House jointly reject PM Imran Khan’s allegations.

    April 2, 2022 — On the eve of the no-confidence motion, PM Imran Khan appeals to the youth to demonstrate against what he considers as a “foreign conspiracy.”

    April 3, 2022 — NA Deputy Speaker Qasim Suri dismisses the no-confidence motion, statingit to be “unconstitutional,” and concludes the proceedings. President Arif Alvi dissolves the National Assembly based on PM Imran Khan’s orders. The Supreme Court initiates suo motu notice of the political situation. PM Imran Khan attributes the “threat letter” to US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Donald Lu.

    April 7, 2022 — The Supreme Court reinstates the National Assembly, ruling that the government’s dissolution of the assembly and Qasim Suri’s decision were unconstitutional. The court directs NA Speaker Asad Qaiser to convene a session of the assembly on Saturday.

    April 8, 2022 — Just a day before the scheduled vote on the no-confidence motion, the Prime Minister states that he wouldn’t tolerate the establishment of a “foreign government” and would seek public support if any such thing happens.

    April 9-10, 2022 — PTI’s elected speaker, Asad Qaiser, convenes the session for the vote on the no-confidence motion at 10:30 am. PTI attempts to hinder the vote proceedings throughout the session. However, moments before midnight, Qaiser resigns from his position and passes the speaker’s seat to Ayaz Sadiq, who then presides over the session for the no-confidence motion. Following Sadiq’s assumption of the speaker’s role, 174 members of the opposition cast their votes in favor of the motion, resulting in the removal of Imran Khan from the position of Prime Minister.

  • Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    Shehbaz, Arif Alvi lock horns on caretaker PM appointment

    President Arif Alvi wrote a letter on Friday to outgoing Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to appoint a caretaker Premier by Saturday (today), rekindling the uneasy relationship between the two.

    Dawn has reported that PM Shehbaz is not happy with the letter, questioning why President Alvi is in a hurry. He also said that the President might not have read the constitution.

    According to Dawn’s sources, delay in nominating caretaker PM can be chalked up to opposition leader Raja Riaz, who is insisting that his candidate be appointed caretaker PM instead of agreeing to the names suggested by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N).

    After a meeting was held between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and opposition leader Raja Riaz on Saturday to discuss the name of the upcoming caretaker prime minister, Riaz gave three names for caretaker Prime Minister to Sharif. The Premier consulted with his allies last night about the three names.

    One of these three names is Sadiq Sanjrani, but so far the other two names are not known.

    On the other hand, PML-N head Nawaz Sharif wants former finance minister Ishaq Dar or former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abassi as caretaker PM.
    However, insiders alleged that Mr. Riaz was taking orders from another power corridor and insisted on the name of Senate Chairman Sadiq Sanjrani. On Friday, Mr. Sanjrani called Mr. Riaz as well as Mr. Dar and Ahsan Iqbal.

  • IMF delegation to evaluate Pakistan’s economic performance during November visit

    IMF delegation to evaluate Pakistan’s economic performance during November visit

    The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is gearing up for a vital visit to Pakistan, scheduled for November. The purpose of this visit is to assess Pakistan’s economic performance, particularly focusing on the period from July to September.

    Reliable sources in financial circles have shared that this visit is part of an ongoing review following the extension of the loan programme. Representatives from the IMF and the caretaker administration will engage in important discussions to gauge Pakistan’s progress and its adherence to the outlined economic targets.

    Reports from ARY News indicate that Pakistan is on track to receive the next portion of financial assistance, which amounts to $700 million from the $3 billion loan programme. This development underscores Pakistan’s dedication to meeting the IMF’s conditions aimed at boosting economic stability and growth.

    Forecasts suggest that the IMF is set to disburse around $1.8 billion in funds to Pakistan by March 2024. This positive outlook reflects the gradual restoration of investor confidence and the promising trajectory of Pakistan’s economy.

    However, the release of these funds hinges on Pakistan’s successful completion of two critical economic reviews. This underscores Pakistan’s commitment to implementing structural reforms and achieving sustainable economic development.