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  • Fact Check: Did Naseem Shah really propose to Indian actress Urvashi Rautela?

    Fact Check: Did Naseem Shah really propose to Indian actress Urvashi Rautela?

    Naseem Shah, Pakistani right arm fast bowler, has once again been linked to Bollywood actress Urvashi Rautela.
    A video went viral on social media recently in which the star cricketer seemingly proposes to Urvashi Rautela, however, the video is fake.

    The video is heavily edited and merges two clips, presented to mislead the viewer.

    The video is from a Gillette promotional event in which a journalist asked the cricketer about Urvashi. Shah replied that he did not know her and then the second question about his marriage in which he answered, “Aagar dulah tayyar hoi to shadi kar lyn gay”.

    The master mind merge two clips and viral the video on social media to create a controversy but the fact is video is fake and edited.
    Previously there were rumors that Urvashi and Indian wicket keeper batsman Rishabh Pant are in a relationship but there has been no confirmation.

    Naseem Shah is a talented Pakistani cricketer known for his impressive pace and promising potential. The youngster from Lower Dir made his debut for the national team in 2019, becoming the youngest player to play in a Test match at just 16 years old.

  • Govt increases profit rates on national saving schemes following record policy rate hike

    Govt increases profit rates on national saving schemes following record policy rate hike

    In response to increasing policy rates, the Pakistani government has announced significant raises in profit rates for all national savings schemes (NSS) from April 10, 2023. This decision follows the State Bank of Pakistan’s (SBP) considerable increase in the policy rate to a record 21 per cent in its recent Monetary Policy Committee meeting to combat inflation.

    The Finance Division announced on Friday, through a notification issued under Rule-II of the Pensioners’ Benefit Accounts Rules, 2003, that the rate of profit on deposits made in Pensioners’ Benefit Accounts and Behbood Savings Certificates will be 16.56 per cent per annum from April 10, 2023, until further notice.

    Additionally, the rate of profit on deposits made in Shuhada’s Family Welfare Account will be 16.56 per cent per annum from April 10, 2023, until further notice.

    The Central Directorate of National Savings (CDNS) has also increased the profit rate on Defence Saving Certificates from 9.29 per cent to 14.87 per cent. The profit rate on Regular Income Certificates has been raised to 12.84 per cent of the total investment.

    Similarly, the profit margin on the three-year Special Saving Certificates and Special Savings Account has been increased to 17 per cent for the first five profits and to 17.8 per cent for the sixth profit. Furthermore, the return on Saving Accounts (running accounts) has been raised to 18.5 per cent. However, it’s worth noting that there will be a deduction of Withholding Tax and Zakat as per the rules.

  • Royals made about £2 million by selling horses given as gifts

    King Charles III and Queen Elizabeth II have profited almost £2 million from the sale of horses given by notable statesmen including Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum of Dubai, Prince Faisal of Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s al-Thani family, The Guardian has reported.

    These were private presents, Buckingham Palace has claimed.

    The late Queen had a history of accepting gifts of horses; during a state visit to West Germany in 1978, she was given two horses. Questions are being raised about guidelines for royal family for accepting gifts.

    Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the Emir of Dubai and Prime Minister of the United Arab Emirates, is by far the queen’s most benevolent supplier of racing and breeding stock. At least 34 horses presented to the royals appear to have come from him.

    Estimate, who handed the queen one of her most cherished victory on the track in the 2013 Gold Cup at Royal Ascot, is said to have been among the five horses Prince Shah Karim al-Husseini, the Aga Khan, gifted to the royal family.

    Elizabeth received a total of 41 horses that competed in races during the past 15 years, racing in royal colours, according to a Guardian study.

    Over the past ten years, 29 of them were put up for auction in public and brought in a total of £1.93 million.

  • Sialkot or Faisalabad? Javed Afridi hints at two new teams for PSL

    Javed Afridi, the owner of Peshawar Zalmi, has set rumor mills ablaze with a hint that two new teams might be debuting in next year’s Pakistan Super League (PSL).

    While answering a Q/A on Facebook, Afridi revealed the names of two teams when a desperate fan asked, “Is there any chance of new franchises in PSL? If yes then tell me tha names”
    In reply Javed Afridi wrote that Faisalabad or Sialkot will be debuting.

    While there has been no official confirmation from the PSL management about the addition of new teams, the news has sparked excitement among cricket fans in Pakistan.

    Previously, Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) management committee chairman, Najam Sethi, had stated that the number of teams in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) can be increased to ten due to high demand.

    “There is immense pressure to increase the number of teams in PSL, but unfortunately, Ehsan Mani and Ramiz Raja agreed with the franchises that only six teams will play in the next two years. However, it was an eight-team project. We have to convince the franchises to include two more teams.

    No one will lose anything; if a franchise suffers a loss, the PCB will take responsibility. But there is a high demand to include two more teams, and it will be more successful with many people showing interest in being part of it. Let me tell you, even if there were ten teams now, all of them would be sold due to the high demand.” he said.

  • PM Shehbaz congratulates ISI for arresting BNA founder

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has congratulated the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) Agency for carrying out a brilliant operation that resulted in the arrest of Baloch National Army’s (BNA) founder, Gulzar Imam alias Shambay.

    Taking to Twitter, the premier wrote, “This operation speaks of outstanding professionalism of our institutions. The arrest will help suppress militancy in Balochistan & usher in a new era of peace.”

    The ‘high-value target’ has been a “hardcore militant as well as founder and leader of the banned outfit BNA which came into being after the amalgamation of Baloch Republican Army (BRA) and United Baloch Army (UBA)”, read a statement released by the military media wing,  Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

    ISPR elaborated that the BNA has been responsible for many violent terrorist attacks in Pakistan, including attacks on installations of law enforcement agencies (LEAs) in Panjgur and Noshki.

    ISPR further stated that the “apprehension of a militant leader of this stature demonstrates the capability and resolve of LEAs to uproot the menace of terrorism,” emphasizing that it speaks volumes about the successes garnered through supreme sacrifices of unsung heroes.

    It is pertinent to mention here that the National Security Committee (NSC) on Friday approved a multi-pronged comprehensive operation with the support of the government and the nation to eradicate the menace of terrorism from the country with a new resolve, determination and valour.

  • Alibaba launches AI model ‘Tongyi Qianwen’ as ChatGPT rival for enterprise testing

    Alibaba launches AI model ‘Tongyi Qianwen’ as ChatGPT rival for enterprise testing

    Alibaba has launched its long-awaited ChatGPT rival, “Tongyi Qianwen,” for enterprise testing. The launch is not open to the general public but is restricted to a few eligible enterprises. Currently, the company is extending invitations to enterprise users only to participate in experience testing. Interested users can submit their applications via the official website, and those who meet the eligibility criteria will be considered for participation.

    “Tongyi Qianwen” is a highly advanced AI model designed to understand and respond to human commands. It serves as an efficient assistant and can even generate ideas. The model is being developed by Alibaba’s advanced research institute, the DAMO Academy. For many years, Alibaba DAMO Academy has been involved in cutting-edge scientific research fields such as natural language processing (NLP) and has been developing large models since 2019.

    Alibaba plans to integrate its AI large-scale model technology with the DingTalk productivity tools. Alibaba’s large-scale model is scheduled to be launched on April 11 at the 2023 Alibaba Cloud Summit, along with several industry-specific application models that will follow. Additionally, it has been reported that the company is set to release a large model, which could be comparable to ChatGPT 2.5, in the second half of this year.

    Alibaba DAMO Academy is the research and development arm of Alibaba Group, one of the world’s largest e-commerce companies. The academy was founded in 2017 and focuses on cutting-edge research in areas such as machine learning, artificial intelligence, natural language processing, and quantum computing. The academy has several research centers located in China, the United States, Israel, Singapore, Russia, and other countries.

    The goal of the academy is to use its research to support Alibaba’s businesses and to make significant contributions to the academic and scientific communities. The academy has partnerships with leading universities and research institutions around the world and collaborates with top researchers in various fields.

  • Hadiqa Kiani writes moving tribute to fellow cast as ‘Pinjra’ airs last episode

    Actress and singer Hadiqa Kiani wrote a moving tribute to her fellow cast members and fans of the drama ‘Pinjra’ as the last episode aired on Friday.

    “Our beautiful family ”, wrote the ‘Dupatta’ singer. “Grateful to be a part of such an important experience. The cast, the crew, these talented children, the story, the great late writer Asma Nabeel, the wonderful @shaziawajahat, our amazing director @najafbilgrami…just feeling so grateful. Thank you to all of those who connected with the drama  @arydigital.tv.”

    Pinjra revolved around a family where the father Javed (played by Omair Rana) and the mother Khadija (Kiani) are both strict parents, demanding their son Abaan to stay away from his interest in art and music, and to focus more on his studies. The pressure to succeed has an impact on Abaan -along with being bullied by his siblings due to his poor grades- he begins doing drugs and even harming another child.

    Twitter users praised the series for carefully discussing issues like societal pressures, bullying, and helping parents understand how to be kinder to their children.

    Kiani was previously praised for her powerful performance in ‘Dobara’ as a newly widowed middle-aged woman, who takes stand for herself after being restricted by her husband through out her marriage, and in the process she falls in love with a man who is ten years younger than her.

  • Family welcomes first baby girl born after 138 years

    Family welcomes first baby girl born after 138 years

    A couple in the United States (US) became parents to the first girl born in the father’s family after a gap of 138 years.

    Carolyn, the mother of the baby girl, knew what she was getting into when she married her husband, Andrew, 10 years ago.

    He told her upfront that his family had not produced a female child since 1885.

    The couple has named their daughter Audrey. The father said it was really hard to come up with a name because they never thought of a girl name before.
    The mother of the baby girl said that the arrival was “even more special” because their daughter was “worth the wait and all the struggles.”

    The couple said they experienced a miscarriage in 2021, so when they found out a year later that they were pregnant with another child they were thankful but cautious.

  • All-out comprehensive operation so Pakistan can get rid of terrorism: NSC

    All-out comprehensive operation so Pakistan can get rid of terrorism: NSC

    A National Security Committee (NSC) meeting on Friday agreed to launch an “all-out comprehensive operation” so the country can get rid of terrorism.

    The moot agreed to initiate the operation with [the participation of] the entire nation and government to rid the country of the menace of terrorism with renewed vigour and determination.

    The operation is to eliminate the scourge of terrorism in all its forms from Pakistan and would incorporate measures at political, diplomatic, security, economic and social levels.

    The participants of the meeting emphasised the need for “comprehensive national security”, with a focus on relief for the people. They were informed that the government is taking necessary steps in this regard.

    The NSC concluded that the recent spate of terrorism in the country is a consequence of a “soft corner” for the banned militant group Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan and a “thoughtless policy” towards the terror outfit, both of which were “contrary to the public’s expectations”.

    PM Shehbaz chairs NSC meeting amid political chaos and security issues

    Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif chaired a two-hours-long of NSC on Friday.

    The meeting takes place at a time when pressing security issues and heightened political tensions between the government and its rival political parties are reaching a crescendo.

    According to media reports, the meeting was attended by Chief of Army Staff General Asim Munir, chairman joint chiefs of staff committee (CJCSC), heads of armed forces, federal ministers for defence, finance and information and senior military leadership. Director General of the Inter Services Intelligence (ISI) Lt Gen Nadeem Anjum gave a detailed briefing on the ongoing operations against terrorism and the security situation of the country.

    According to Dawn, the government once again asked the top brass for a briefing on potential threats from militants in case elections were held in Punjab on May 14 as per the Supreme Court’s order.

    The news outlet also reported that military authorities had given a detailed briefing to the government that terrorist outfits have regrouped in tribal districts bordering Afghanistan due to which conditions were not conducive for electioneering.

    Finance Minister Ishaq Dar also briefed the NSC on the economic situation of the country. 

    The detailed statement on the NSC meeting is yet to be issued.

  • Pakistan’s energy transition gets a boost with $240 million loan from Saudi Fund for Development

    Pakistan’s energy transition gets a boost with $240 million loan from Saudi Fund for Development

    On Friday, the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) signed a loan agreement worth $240 million to support Pakistan’s energy transition through the Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project.

    The project, which is co-financed by the SFD, OPEC, the Islamic Development Bank, and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, is expected to contribute to Pakistan’s energy security, increase sustainable water supply for agriculture and human consumption, and improve resilience to floods.

    The agreement was signed by the SFD CEO, Mr Sultan Abdulrahman Al-Marshad, and the Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dr Kazim Niaz. According to a statement from the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the loan aims to promote sustainable development in Pakistan and achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

    The statement further highlighted that the Mohmand Multipurpose Dam Project will be of great assistance to the people of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), where almost 80 per cent of the population resides in rural areas. The project will enhance water and food security, improve the standard of living for people, and boost the region’s socioeconomic development by creating employment opportunities and reducing poverty levels.

    The project will also generate 800 MW of electricity production capacity by using renewable energy sources, contributing to Pakistan’s energy security. Additionally, the storage of 1.6 million meter cube of water will support sustainable agricultural practices, enable irrigation of 6,773 hectares of new land, and increase the total cropping area from 1,517 hectares to 9,227 hectares in the province, facilitating agricultural activities.

    During the agreement-signing ceremony, the SFD CEO emphasised the strong developmental ties between Saudi Arabia and Pakistan and highlighted the significance of joint cooperation between development funds.