The government has drafted a bill to increase the travel allowance of parliamentarians from Rs10 per kilometer to Rs30 per kilometer.
The bill has been drafted on the request of parliamentarians who requested to increase travel allowance which has not been increased since 1980. Based on their request, if the parliamentarian owns a civic or corolla or a smaller car, their petrol will be free.
Here is how:
Lets see how much it would cost if a Parliamentarian is traveling from Lahore to Islamabad.
How much is the distance between Lahore to Islamabad?
The distance from Lahore to Islamabad is approximately 380 kilometers.
If we go by previous allowance the parliamentarians would get Rs. 3,800 to travel between Lahore and Islamabad.
If the allowance is increased to Rs30 per kilometer they will get Rs. 11,400 for the same route.
If a person is using a civic, corolla or a smaller car to travel from Lahore to Islamabad they will consume around 47 liters of petrol which will cost around Rs. 12,000.
At its annual CEO Summit, Yale School of Management conducted a survey amongst 119 CEOs from a varying range of sectors. 42% of candidates believe Artificial Intelligence (AI) could destroy humanity in the next 5-10 years.
The survey breakdown is as follows: 34% of CEOs said AI could potentially destroy humanity in ten years, 8% said it could happen in five, and 58% said it could never happen and that they are ‘not worried’.
In an interview with CNN business, Yale professor Jeffrey Sonnenfeld expressed the findings as “pretty dark and alarming.”
The survey comes shortly after monumental announcements from big players in the field. The ‘Godfather of AI’, Geoffrey Hinton, who oversaw the development of technology at the heart of chatbots like ChatGPT for 50 years, left his job at Google to “blow the whistle”, warning people of the serious harm that could potentially be caused by AI.
In a television interview, Hinton explains how he suddenly realized AI is smarter than humans and warns that, since it knows how to program, it could bypass restrictions set by humans. Moreover, he expressed fears that AI could manipulate humans to do its bidding.
When questioned about solutions and regulations, Hinton countered, “It’s not clear to me that we can solve the problem. You can’t stop the progress.” However, he stressed that it is of utmost importance for governments and scientists to prioritise discovering a solution.
Hinton is joined by the likes of Sam Altman, who was one of the hundreds of signatories of a joint statement calling for society to take the necessary steps to guard against the dangers of AI. Altman is the CEO of OpenAI, the site that introduced AI-powered tools like ChatGPT and Dall-E.
Top executives from Google and Microsoft also signed the statement.
The CEOs present at the Yale Summit indicated that AI will have the most transformative impact in three key industries: healthcare, professional services/IT, and media/digital. More immediate impacts of AI would pertain to risks of misinformation and the loss of jobs.
British newspaper Guardian released an article on some of the best films of 2023 so far, ranging from horror to thrillers and animated comedy films like ‘Marcel the Shell with Shoes On”.
On the 15th place is Pakistani writer and director Saim Sadiq’s debut film ‘Joyland’ which starred Ali Juenjo and transgender model Alina Khan.
Discussion the significance of the film, the article described it as “a movie about people who find their inner lives and sense of themselves don’t match up to what is expected of them. Their feeling of wrongness is part of what they have to suppress, from day to day.”
The film, which was banned in Punjab last year just 24 hours after it got a certificate of approval from CBFC, had aired in India in March, receiving positive remarks from watchers who described their experience as ‘magical’:
One user wrote:
“Still can’t get over the experience of watching Joyland on big screen. I’ve never seen the crowd get this hyped, laugh and cry together for a movie before, magical experience.”
still can’t get over the experience of watching Joyland on big screen. I’ve never seen the crowd get this hyped, laugh and cry together for a movie before, magical experience pic.twitter.com/rEnltdZca1
“Joyland is fantastic, heartbreaking and beautifully made – the experience of watching it amongst an engaged enthusiastic audience last night at the Habitat center film festival was exhilarating. Also what about this poster by Salman toor!”
Joyland is fantastic, heartbreaking and beautifully made – the experience of watching it amongst an engaged enthusiastic audience last night at the Habitat center film festival was exhilarating. Also what about this poster by Salman toor! pic.twitter.com/l2lCRz7o7L
Last night’s screening of Joyland in Delhi was magical. People waiting in lines for a Pakistani film that so lyrically talks about patriarchy and the loneliness it breeds. People sitting on floors in awe, clapping and crying in unison. Through grief and borders, art finds a way. pic.twitter.com/pLfTuLOHnO
Was it a charming male lead Choi Chi Yeol (played by Jung Kyung-ho) who falls for a single mom, that drove people to watch ‘Crash Course in Romance’? Or the fact that a show went into minute details about the pressures of high school, the cut-throat competition surrounding college applications and how it damages the mental health of students? Whatever it was, the Korean rom-com ‘Crash Course In Romance’ had aired only two episodes when it lead the polls in the list of dramas that are generating the most buzz.
Aside from this show, and the critically acclaimed thriller ‘The Glory’ that was among the top ten most watched dramas around the world, this is the perfect time to get into Korean dramas, especially if you’re from Pakistan and dying to watch something other than a toxic romance going round and round like a jalebi. From the list of K-dramas set to arrive on Netflix, the shows range from a wholesome office romances to an unlikely encounter between a vampire and a human and a bored housewife taking charge of her fate and deciding to become a doctor.
2023 has only reached its middle and this lineup of dramas has us excited. Check out some amazing options.
1 See you in my 19th life
Time travelling lovers who recognise each other in their next lives? Sign us up immediately. Ban Ji Eum has an extraordinary trait: she can remember everything from her 18 past lives. But when her life is cut short tragically and Ji Eum is reborn in her 19th life, she is determined to reconnect with all the people she lost, and in the process she comes across Mono Seo Ha, a man whom she met in her previous life.
2 My Heart Is Beating
Missing your Vampire Diaries, Twilight era? K-dramas have got you covered. Remember the heartthrob villain Jang Jun-Woo from Vincenzo? The actor who played him, Ok Taec-Yeon, is now the lead in this drama, as a vampire who desperately wants to become a human being, but he misses his chance because of one day out of a 100 years. He starts living in a guest house run by Joo In-Hae (Won Ji-An), a cold-hearted nurse who does several jobs. As the two get closer, both start getting feelings for each other.
3 King The Land
If you missed witty office romances like Ankahi, or quite recently ‘Fairytale’ and need something to fill the hole in your heart left by Farjaad as you wait for Season 2, check out this one. Gu Won is the son of a chaebol family, who is caught in an inheritance war with the rest of his siblings over the control of his company. Although he is successful in his business, his work-a-holic attitude makes him bad at dating, until he meets Cheong Sa-Ra, an employee at his hotel, and immediately falls for her.
4 Doctor Cha
Cha Jeung-Suk graduated medical school with aspirations to become a doctor, but resigns to becoming a housewife to the Chief Surgeon at a university hospital. Twenty years later, Jeong-Suk decides to start her medical career despite resistance from her husband.
Bowling sensation Haris Rauf is ready to bring his bride, Munaza Masood, home.
According to sources, Haris will lead a procession (barat) to bring his wife home in July. The wedding ceremony and walima will be held in the first week of next month.
The two have already held a nikkah.
As per sources, Haris Rauf’s Barat ceremony will take place on July 6, followed by the Walima on July 7.
A video of Haris Rauf and Munaza Masood’s Nikah was shared on Instagram by Nauman Atif Photography Studio. In the video, the Qazi can be heard mentioning the dowry of 50 tolas of gold that Haris Rauf received at the time of consent.
Haris Rauf tied the knot with Munaza Masood on December 24, 2022, last year. On the day of the wedding, Munaza opted for a beautiful ivory-colored organza pashwas designed by renowned designer Hussain Rehar.
The price of Munaza’s wedding dress is listed at 690,000 Pakistani Rupees on Hussain Rehar’s website.
Prime Minister (PM) Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif met with Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev on Thursday during a two-day official visit. During the meeting, he had an informal conversation with the president in Russian language, which left many shocked.
Earlier, when the Premier’s videos of conversing in other languages went viral, The Current reached out to Prime Minister (PM) Focal Person on Digital Media, Muhammad Abubakar Umer, to confirm exactly how many languages the premier can speak.
He said that the premier is fluent in German, Arabic and English along with Punjabi and Urdu. According to him, PM Shehbaz can speak basic level Turkish, Chinese, Russian, Pashtu and Sindhi.
The focal person revealed that PM Shehbaz learned Arabic formally while in exile during former President General Pervez Musharraf’s era. To our surprise, we also got to know that the premier holds a diploma in Arabic.
According to Abubakar, PM Shehbaz knows a total of ten languages.
“He learned Chinese and Turkish during his tenure as Chief Minister (CM) Punjab from 2013 to 2018 as at the time he had to engage with Chinese and Turkish officials for China–Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC),” said Abubakar.
He learned German and Russian during the 1970s and 80s for his business dealings. “At the time, he was not in government”, said Abubakar. Abubakar also revealed that before going to any foreign country, PM Shehbaz hires an instructor who informs him about the cultural aspects of the country, how people greet each other and what social norms are appreciated there.
The overcrowded fishing vessel capsized off the Southern Peloponnese while on course to Italy from the Libyan town Tobruk, according to state broadcaster ERT. Nearly all the victims were men from Pakistan and Afghanistan.
Alarm Phone, a trans-European network supporting sea rescue operations, published a transcription of the vessel’s contact with them. The passengers were only able to send their location coordinates two hours after the first distress call was received Tuesday afternoon.
The Greek coastguard and EU border agency Frontex were alerted immediately, yet state those on board refused assistance offered by Greek authorities late on Tuesday. They claimed that the passengers accepted food rations but wanted to continue their voyage. A few hours later the boat capsized and sank.
The survivors were taken to the southern port city of Kalamata, where the deputy mayor indicated that there were more than 500 people onboard, according to the information he had received. The UN’s migration agency provided an estimate of 400.
ABR, a body set up to monitor and report issues related to migrant movement in the Aegean Sea, tweeted that the vessel could have had about 750 people onboard. ABR noted that the testimonies from survivors give indicators of around 400-750 passengers, rendering the exact figure unknown.
The Mediterranean Sea and the countries bordering it have long been perilous routes for refugees fleeing from conflict and poverty in Asia, the Middle East, and Africa. UN data suggests that about 72,000 refugees and migrants have arrived to countries like Greece, Italy, Spain and Cyprus just this year.
Yes, you’ve heard of ‘Tere Bin’. Your momma has too, as has the paros walli aunty. Even bechara Irffan Khan ka beta apnay aap ko iss say bacha nahi saka.
‘Tere Bin’ has us all in a trance, but perhaps we don’t want to remain in it. Yet there we are, every Wednesday and Thursday, hooked to our screens. These two days could be now renamed ‘Tere Bin days’ and we’re honestly thinking this drama should be studied by psychologists because no matter what absurd plot twist is thrown in, the fanbase remains dedicated as ever. Is it because of the appeal of the main leads, Wahaj Ali and Yumna Zaidi? Or is it because as a post-colonial nation, we’re addicted to hate watching? Does any scientist out there care to explain how we’ve gone from this couple fighting to falling back in love to faking a pregnancy to then back to shouting and crying and going all over again back to lovers? We’re 53 episodes in, give us a break!
But we did as a nation get some hilarious plot twists and pearl clutching moments that even got PEMRA looped in. So let’s break down some of the ways Tere Bin decided to throw logic out of the window
1 Starting with the more recent: Meerab’s pregnancy announcement.
Episode 53 opens with a mind blowing twist: that apparently doing it only once in your marriage with your frenemy husband gets you immediately pregnant. Fans first got to watch their favorite couple in torment because they broke their rules and decided to have sex, and then mope around when Meerab decides to run away, and now the cherry on top is her realising that the same husband she ran away from is the one who got her pregnant?
2 Abba saying shaba khair
There is a hilarious trope in Pakistani dramas that every time a daughter decides to rebel by divorcing the man she’s been forced to marry, the dad immediately becomes an obstacle in her path by dying from a heart attack. Ye abba je ko convenient waqt nahi milta apni manmani karwanay kay liye? And why play up the daughter’s guilt when she is escaping an unhappy marriage? We saw this with ‘Mujhay Pyaar Hua Tha’, that the father immediately passes away, guilt shaming Maheer further for not wanting to remain married to her cousin, Saad.
In episode 50, after finding out that his daughter Meerab has run away from her home and left her belongings behind, her father searches for her and then passes away outside her friend’s house.
3 Haya dancing at Murtasim’s wedding
If a villain goes down in history for messing with the nation’s mind so much that even the actress performing this role was sent hate mail, it would be Haya, palyed by Sabeen Farooq. We have to give credit to Farooq’s brilliant acting that makes Haya such a hateful character, and yet someone whom the audience can’t turn away from despite how cringey she looks trying to trap Murtasim. Perhaps the most Haya she has ever been was in episode 8, when she dances in a seductive manner at Meerab and Murtasim’s mehendi, something we’d not even do even if a gun was put to our head.
4 Malik Zubair aka Anas
Sirf Meerab, Murtasim aur Haya kaafi nahi thay, that even Mariam bechari had to be dragged into such a messed up love affair with the man who attempted to harm her brother? We discover in episode 40, that Anas is actually Malik Zubair, Murtasim’s biggest enemy. The episode also drew a lot of backlash from audiences for portraying the female characters of the show as helpless and clueless about the person whom Murtasim repeatedly refers to throughout the show as his biggest enemy.
5 The pregnancy confusion
‘Tere Bin’ did everything in its power to win the ‘most brainless show’ competition and they led the polls with episode 24. Murtasim promising his wife that he doesn’t think of Haya as anything but a sister, and then deciding to go to the village with her? Maa Begum becoming gynecologist and deciding Meerab is pregnant, without our headstrong lead even bothering to correct this assumption? Allah madad kar.
The former Director General Inter-Service Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen (retd) Faiz Hameed is not under detention or arrest, Geo has reported.
In the past few days, unconfirmed news reports were doing the rounds on social media that the former DG ISI is under house arrest in his village near Chakwal, while being investigated in the matter of May 9 riots.
Geo’s sources have refuted the social media reports, saying that Gen Faiz is not arrested. One of the sources added that he has met one of the former spymasters.
One of the correspondents tried to contact the former DG ISI but his phone was switched off. Before his retirement, Gen Faiz remained a central figure during the previous government’s tenure and in political discussions. He had been criticized by opponents of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) for unduly favouring the ruling party.
Gen Faiz was also believed to be very close with former Prime Minister Imran Khan.
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has previously said that an inquiry can be conducted against Gen Fiaz Hameed but it would be the responsibility of investigative agencies as the interior ministry has nothing to do with it.
