A bride in India called off her wedding after her groom failed at a basic mathematics test. Rita Singh of Farrukhabad, Uttar Pradesh, called off her wedding after the groom failed to count a few Rs 10 rupee notes.
The incident happened after the girl’s family was informed about the groom’s behaviour by the officiating priest. The moment the family became aware of the groom’s peculiar behaviour, they decided to test him.
He was given 30 notes of Rs. 10 and told to count them. However, he failed to complete the task.
For the bride, that was the deciding factor. The 21-year-old walked out of the ceremony, calling off the marriage.
The exchange companies have decided to stop artificially keeping Pakistani rupee (PKR) overvalued against US dollar in the open market and let the rupee-dollar exchange rate depreciate to its actual value.
Pakistani rupee may steadily lose value until it reaches the level of the grey market in a few days, according to reports.
The black market price of local currency is currently between Rs250 and Rs260 per US dollar, although traders had artificially kept the rate at Rs238 till Tuesday.
“The association has decided to remove cap on rupee-dollar exchange rate,” Exchange Companies Association of Pakistan (ECAP) President Malik Bostan said in audio and video messages after chairing a zoom meeting on Tuesday.
“The move would help eliminate black currency markets, increase flow of foreign currencies to the dealers and available to public (for international travelling, education and hospital fees and etc.”
He said that in the interest of the country, traders voluntarily opted to restrict the exchange rate. But the choice led to an underground market for cash that seemed to be more detrimental to the country.
“People were buying dollars from open market (at Rs238) and selling in black market (at Rs250-260), making it a business to mint profit,” he said, adding no one was coming to the dealers’ counters to sell foreign currency which resulted into drying up supplies on the other hand.
According to ECAP General Secretary Zafar Paracha, the decision to abolish the exchange rate ceiling will aid in the eradication of the black market and restore the inflow of foreign money from the illicit system into the legitimate one.
Additionally, the government has been urged by the International Monetary Fund (IMF) to relinquish control over the rupee-dollar exchange rate in the interbank market and allow market forces to decide the rate while taking the demand and supply of US dollars into account.
Accordingly, it is anticipated that the local currency would also reach Rs250-260 in the interbank market as compared to the US dollar.
Pakistan technically has three currency markets, including the interbank, open, and black markets. As a result, each of the three markets is providing a different rate.
The black currency market was formed after Finance Minister Ishaq Dar tried to keep the currency artificially overvalued at Rs180–200 to the US dollar after returning to the ministry in late September 2022.
The currency, therefore, appreciated to Rs218 in the early days of October from its all-time low of Rs240 the first time in late July 2022 and the last time in September 2022.
Dar opened an investigation against the commercial banks, blaming them for market forces that had artificially devalued the currency to Rs240 per dollar.
Governor State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) Jameel Ahmed said that the central bank has completed the investigation against 13 commercial banks allegedly involved in rupee-dollar parity manipulation.
“The central bank is all set to take action against them in days (instead weeks and months). The action could be fiscal or regulatory one,” he added.
Pakistani film Joyland failed to bag its first Oscar nomination in the International Feature Film Category. Joyland, which became Pakistan’s first ever film to have been shortlisted for the Academy Awards, didn’t get a nomination.
Hollywood’s Multiverse sci-fi smash Everything Everywhere All At Once on Tuesday topped the Oscar nominations with 11, as Hollywood formally kicked off the race to the Academy Awards on March 12.
Irish dark comedy The Banshees of Inisherin and World War I film All Quiet on the Western Front tied for second place with nine nominations, followed by rock biopic Elvis at eight and Steven Spielberg’s quasi-memoir The Fabelmans at seven.
The nominations were announced by British Pakistani Oscar-winning actor, Riz Ahmed and Hollywood star Allison Williams. Saim Sadiq’s directorial became the first Pakistani film to have been shortlisted for Oscars. India grabs one nomination in the Original Song category for RRR‘s Naatu Naatu.
Here’s the complete list of Oscar nominations:
Best Picture
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tar Top Gun: Maverick Triangle of Sadness Women Talking
Actor in a Leading Role
Austin Butler Colin Farrell Brendan Fraser Paul Mescal Bill Nye
Actress in a Leading Role
Cate Blanchett Ana de Armas Andrea Riseborough Michelle Williams Michelle Yeoh
Directing
Martin McDonagh Daniel Kwan & Daniel Scheinert Steven Spielberg Todd Field Ruben Ostlund
Actor in a Supporting Role
Brendan Gleeson Brian Tyree Henry Judd Hirsch Barry Keoghan Ke Huy Quan
Actress in a Supporting Role
Angela Bassett Hong Chau Kerry Condon Jamie Lee Curtis Stephanie Hsu
Animated Feature Film
Pinocchio Marcel Puss In Boots
Documentary Feature Film
All That Breathes All The Beauty and the Bloodshed Fire of Love A House Made of Splinters Navalny
International Feature Film
All Quiet on the Western Front Argentina Close EO The Quiet One
Writing (Adapted Screenplay)
All Quiet on the Western Front Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery Living Top Gun: Maverick Women Talking
Writing (Original Screenplay)
The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans Tar Triangle of Sadness
Cinematography
All Quiet on the Western Front Bardo Elvis Empire of Light Tar
Film Editing
The Banshees of Inisherin Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once Tar Top Gun: Maverick
Best Original Song
Applause from Tell It Like a Woman Hold My Hand from Top Gun: Maverick Lift Me Up from Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Naatu Naatu from RRR This Is a Life from Everything Everywhere All at Once
Music (Original Score)
All Quiet on the Western Front Babylon The Banshees of Inisherin Everything Everywhere All at Once The Fabelmans
Production Design
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water Babylon Elvis The Fabelmans
Costume Design
Babylon Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Elvis Everything Everywhere All at Once Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris
Makeup and Hairstyling
All Quiet on the Western Front The Batman Black Panther Elvis The Whale
Live Action Short Film
An Irish Goodbye Ivalu Le Pupille Night Ride The Red Suitcase
Documentary Short Film
The Elephant Whisperers Haulout How Do You Measure a Year Stranger at the Gate
Animated Short Film
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse The Flying Sailor Ice Merchants My Year of Dicks An Ostrich Told Me the World is Fake and I Think I Believe It
Sound
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Batman Elvis Top Gun: Maverick
Visual Effects
All Quiet on the Western Front Avatar: The Way of Water The Batman Black Panther Top Gun: Maverick
Bollywood actor Kareena Kapoor Khan recently responded to the Twitter trend #BoycottBollywood in which netizens are urging to boycott Bollywood movies. The Jab We Met star questioned how people will be entertained in the absence of movies during a function in Kolkata on Sunday for the Indian Chamber of Commerce-Young Leaders Forum event.
The “#Boycott Bollywood” campaign began last year, before a number of movies, including Laal Singh Chadha, Liger, Brahmastra, and Raksha Bandhan, were released. The tendency had an impact on some of the movies’ box office performances.
Kareena said, “I don’t agree with it at all. If that happens, how will we entertain, how will you have joy and happiness in your life, which, I think everybody needs And which cinema and films are promising, which we have always done, films have always done? Agar films nahi hogi toh entertainment kaisa hoga (If films aren’t there how will the people be entertained).”
Before Laal Singh Chaddha was released, a group of Twitter users urged people not to see the film by trending the hashtag #BoycottLaalSinghChaddha. Many urged for boycotting movies like Liger, starring Vijay Deverakonda and Ananya Panday, and Brahmastra, featuring Ranbir Kapoor. But Brahmastra was one of the highest-grossing movies of 2022 because of its strong box office performance. Prior to the release of Pathaan, starring Deepika Padukone and Shah Rukh Khan, the trend once more gained momentum.
On the work front, Kareena will be seen next in Netflix’s The Devotion of Suspect X, directed by Sujoy Ghosh.
Coke Studio’s season 14 smash hit Pasoori has crossed 500 million views on YouTube, making it the first ever song from the music juggernaut to reach this milestone.
Taking to Instagram, lead singer Ali Sethi shared the news of the record with his followers alongside a few pictures and videos from a close-knit party commemorating the achievement. In the clips, Sethi can be seen happily celebrating with many others including Shae Gill, Abdullah Siddiqui and Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan.
The official YouTube channel of Coke Studio also shared a heartwarming video to hail their latest accomplishment. The description of the video included a touching note to their supporters.
“Celebrating your ever-growing love for Pasoori, helping us transcend borders and boundaries and making it a global phenomenon. Congratulations to all of you on helping Pasoori achieve more than 500 Million views across YouTube,” said the statement.
The federal government has decided to publicly disclose the details and records of gifts received and deposited in the Toshakhana over the past two decades.
The decision was taken in a cabinet meeting after the government faced backlash for it’s reluctance to disclose the list of gifts.
The Toshakhana was established in 1978. All public officeholders, including parliamentarians and bureaucrats, are bound to report the gifts they have received from foreign dignitaries to the Cabinet Division, whereafter they are to be deposited at the Toshakhana.
Earlier, the incumbent government told Lahore High Court (LHC) that public disclosure of Toshakhana details could cause unnecessary media hype and could be potentially damaging to Pakistan’s foreign relations.
Former Prime Minister (PM) and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan has been accused of not sharing details of the state gifts which he received during his tenure as the head of government.
Last year, the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) also disqualified the PTI chief as Member of the National Assembly (MNA) in the Toshkhana case.
The District Education Authority (DEA) has suggested that the registration of Scarsdale, the private Lahore school at the center of the viral video case in which students assaulted a girl, should be cancelled.
The authority has also recommended that a fine of Rs 0.6 million should be imposed on the school.
Since the video of four female students attacking another girl at the school surfaced on social media, the institute has been under severe criticism. On Tuesday, Scarsdale suspended five female students including the four accused of torture and the victim of the assault.
In a report, Geo news has revealed that a three-person investigating committee was established by the administration to look into the case. The investigative committee has been asked to conduct the inquiry within 10 days and submit the report.
Every time Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan announces an #AskSRK session on Twitter, we know it’s going to be nothing short of memorable. Fans have approached the actor for everything like advice on working out, his upcoming films and even tips on how to win a woman’s heart.
The session kickstarted with a fan bravely coming to the actor with a hilarious question.
Beta ek hafta ho gaya abhi tak honeymoon nahi kiya!!! Now go see #Pathaan with wife and do honeymoon later… https://t.co/yqmvzQX5Ai
Mickey Arthur is set to return as Pakistan men cricket team’s head coach for the second time, PCB’s Chairman Najam Sethi hinted on Monday.
The South African will replace Saqlain Mushtaq whose contract expires next month.
However, Mickey Arthur’s contract as head coach is still being negotiated. Talking about the hiring, Najam Sethi said at a press conference, “I am personally in negotiations with Mickey and we have resolved 90% of issues,” adding that he has appointed former Test cricketer Haroon Rasheed as the new chief selector, replacing former all-rounder Shahid Afridi who held the post on an interim basis.
“Hopefully, we will very soon share the news that Mickey will be joining us and I’d like him to build his own team of coaches once he is here,” Sethi told the members of the press.
Formerly the coach for South Africa, Australia and Sri Lanka, Arthur was in charge of the Pakistan team from 2016 to 2019 when the team won the 2017 Champions Trophy and became the top-ranked T20 team in the world.
The Johannesburg-born 54-year-old currently has a long-term contract with Derbyshire.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif has addressed Monday’s major power breakdown that left most of the country without electricity for more than 12 hours.
In a tweet, the Premier expressed his “sincere regrets”. He wrote, “On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to the power outage yesterday.”
He added that an inquiry is going on to determine what led to the sudden blackout.
On behalf of my government, I would like to express my sincere regrets for the inconvenience our citizens suffered due to power outage yesterday. On my orders an inquiry is underway to determine reasons of the power failure. Responsibility will be fixed.
A day after the power outage, Minister for Energy Khurram Dastgir said that electricity has been fully restored at grid stations across the country. However, the minister pointed out that there will be a shortage of electricity for the next two days.
Residents complained of increased load-shedding even after the restoration, laying doubt on the government’s claims that power was fully restored.
In a televised address on Tuesday, the minister explained said that there was a “delay in synchronisation” between Tarbela and Mangla power plants.
