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  • Indian govt calls BBC Modi documentary ‘propaganda’

    Indian govt calls BBC Modi documentary ‘propaganda’

    The Indian foreign ministry has dismissed a BBC documentary about Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi’s role in the 2002 Gujrat riots as “propaganda”.

    The first of the two-part series was aired in the UK on Tuesday with the second part scheduled to hit airwaves a week later. The documentary tracks Modi’s first steps into politics, including his rise through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to his appointment as chief minister of Gujrat.

    Modi was still holding the position when communal riots rocked the state, leaving more than 1,000 people dead, most of them Muslims.

    According to the documentary the inquiry team had assessed that Modi had prevented the police from acting to stop the violence targeted against Muslims, stating that he had specifically ordered law-enforcing authorities not to intervene. The documentary also features a former top UK diplomat who says that the violence had been planned by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP)

    Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson for the foreign ministry, has termed the BBC documentary a “propaganda piece”.

    On Thursday, British PM Rishi Sunak was asked in parliament if he agreed with the report that Modi was directly responsible for the violence. In reply, Sunak defended his Indian counter-partner.

    “We don’t tolerate persecution anywhere”, the British Prime Minister said but added that “he did not agree with the characterisation” of Modi as depicted in the documentary.

  • ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    ‘Do not ask for free PSL tickets’; Najam Sethi is done with freeloaders

    The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Najam Sethi on Friday requested his friends and high-ups to not ask for free tickets and passes for Pakistan Super League (PSL) matches.

    “I am making a personal request to all friends and high-ups NOT to ask for free tickets/passes to PSL matches starting next month. The Public Accounts Committee of National Assembly that audits PCB has warned us to desist from this practise,” tweeted Sethi.

    “I am also requesting friends and high-ups not to do sifarish for selection of any player or coach, etc, or to give employment or facilitation to any undeserving person. PCB competes with top professional organisations in the world and cannot afford to be inefficient,” he added.

    HBL PSL 8 will begin on February 13 with an opening ceremony at Multan Stadium.
    “The HBL PSL 8 will be a massive event for the PCB, taking place at the four iconic venues with the world’s best T20 cricketers in action. We aim to make the HBL PSL bigger, better and stronger than ever before with the overarching ambition to make it the first-choice event for leading T20 cricketers,” said Sethi.

    Each of the six sides will go into PSL 8 with much at stake. Islamabad United will aim to become the most successful team with three titles, Lahore Qalandars will attempt to become the first side to win back to back titles and the remaining four teams will once again attempt to lift the trophy. The tournament will be spread over 34 matches.

  • Fans petition for Percy Hynes White to be removed from ‘Wednesday’ after rape allegations

    Fans petition for Percy Hynes White to be removed from ‘Wednesday’ after rape allegations

    Trigger warning: sexual assault, grooming, harassment, rape

    Fans of Netflix’s smash show Wednesday have started a petition to remove Percy Hynes White from the show after several women came forward to accuse the actor of harassment and rape.

    It started with a thread by twitter user @milkievich who shared that she knew White and his friends, and had attended their house parties where they would invite women they thought were attractive. The user said the men would then get them drunk to have sex with them.

    The thread soon lead to many other women coming forward with the same allegations, which were shared under the same thread. Currently, the hashtag #cancelpercy is trending on Twitter, with fans calling for Netflix and Jenna Ortega to remove White from the show.
    The actor has disabled his Instagram comments, and has yet to respond to the allegations.

  • Mad man, Gen Bajwa, Gen Faiz responsible for Pakistan’s current crisis: Nawaz Sharif

    Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) supremo Nawaz Sharif blamed former Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa and former ISI Chief Lieutenant General (retd) Faiz Hameed for the current mess in the country.

    The former Prime Minister also blamed Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman Imran Khan, calling him a “mad man”.

    Nawaz Sharif said that a cruel joke had been played on Pakistan for the sake of personal gains.

    “In my Gujranwala jalsa, I stated who was responsible, and everything was out in the open. It is my responsibility to tell the nation about the wrongs committed against the people, and it is my responsibility to make things right,” he stated.

    Turning his guns on another former Prime Minister, Nawaz Sharif minced no words. “This mad man [Imran Khan, I am calling him a mad man today. I want everyone to compare my time with his, and people will see how happy everyone was during my time and how unstable everything became during his tenure,” said Nawaz.

    As Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa elections approach, PML-N is said to be ready to adopt an aggressive narrative against five individuals as it prepares for the polls.

    According to a news report, the five individuals against whom the PML-N will turn its guns with full ferocity are General (retd) Qamar Javed Bajwa, Lieutenant General Faiz Hameed, former Chief Justices of Pakistan Saqib Nisar and Asif Saeed Khosa along with former Prime Minister Imran Khan.

  • Davos Playbook names Bilawal as the best-dressed person at world economic forum

    Davos Playbook names Bilawal as the best-dressed person at world economic forum

    Politico‘s Davos Playbook on Thursday named Pakistani Foreign Minister (FM) Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari as the best-dressed person at the World Economic Forum (WEF).

    The playbook is published every year during the economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.

    Apart from the Pakistani minister, the playbook talked about the other politicians and personalities from all over the world who came to attend the international event. Moreover, it reported on all events that happened on Thursday.

    Bilawal, along with Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Hina Rabbani Khar, is currently in Davos. The four-day international event will end today (Friday).

    Here, have a look at Bilawal’s pictures during the event.

  • Pakistan will start importing crude oil from Russia in March

    Pakistan will start importing crude oil from Russia in March

    Pakistan and Russia have decided on the deadline for crude oil exports in late March after the conclusion of the annual inter-governmental commission between the two countries concluded.

    The Minister of State for Petroleum, Musadik Malik, said that Pakistan intends to import 35 per cent of its entire crude oil needs from Russia. He added that Russia does not have liquefied natural gas (LNG) for Pakistan currently.

    Russian Energy Minister Nikolay Shulginov also stated that Pakistan will pay for its energy purchases from Russia in the currencies of friendly nations when they begin in late March.

    Last year, the government of Pakistan sent representatives to Russia, and as a result, the state minister for petroleum of Pakistan announced that Russia would supply crude oil at a reduced price.

    Russian oil and gas have not historically been widely imported by Pakistan.

    Islamabad and Moscow agreed during the negotiations that the oil and gas trading transaction will be set up such that both nations can profit economically after reaching an agreement on the technical details.

    The leaders also decided to expand energy infrastructure investment, improve energy trade, and strengthen energy cooperation under advantageous strategic and commercial circumstances.

    A “Comprehensive Plan for Energy Cooperation” that will serve as the framework for future work and be completed in 2023 has been agreed to by both parties.

    The federal and provincial governments of Pakistan welcomed the Russian side to consider prospective initiatives, including those involving public-private partnerships and asked the Russian businesses to investigate these options.

    “Both sides have resolved the pending issues related to the exchange of information on certificates of origin of goods with the use of an electronic verification system and shall endeavour to finalise the above-mentioned protocols by the end of May 2023,” the joint statement issued in this regard read.

    In order to improve their mutual collaboration and talk about issues pertaining to connectivity and logistics in Central and South Asia, the authorities decided to designate focus points for each side.

    It was also resolved at the talks held over the last three days that creative business practises, such as bartering, would be used. They also agreed to further investigate the possibility.

    “In the context of the desire of both parties to promote regional integration and Eurasian connectivity, the two sides agreed to share information towards developing and improving rail and road infrastructure,” the statement read.

    The documents signed during the session included an “Agreement regarding cooperation and mutual assistance in customs matters,” a “Protocol on the Exchange of Documents and Data on the Customs Value of Goods Transported,”  and a “Working Agreement on the Airworthiness of Aeronautical Products.”

    The seventh IGC’s debates and choices served as the foundation for the eighth session, which moved the process ahead and looked at new possibilities for collaboration.

    Additionally, Pakistan and Russia decided to extend their cooperation in the areas of commerce and investment, energy, communication, transportation, higher education, industry, railroads, banking, finance, customs, agriculture, science, and technology.

  • Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter in ‘Rust’ film shooting

    Alec Baldwin charged with involuntary manslaughter in ‘Rust’ film shooting

    Alec Baldwin and armorer Hannah Gutierrez-Reed are being charged with involuntary manslaughter for the accidental death of cinematographer Halyan Hutchins on the set of the film ‘Rust’.
    According to prosecuters, if found guilty, Baldwin and Reed would face up to 18 months in prison and a $5000 fine.
    New Mexico First Judicial District Attorney Mary Carmack-Altwies has said that the decision to charge Baldwin was made after doing a thorough review of the evidence and laws. Stating that no one is above the law, she said, “After a thorough review of the evidence and the laws of the state of New Mexico, I have determined that there is sufficient evidence to file criminal charges against Alec Baldwin and other members of the ‘Rust’ film crew. On my watch, no one is above the law, and everyone deserves justice.”
    Baldwin’s lawyers have responded by pointing out the charge was ” terrible miscarriage of justice” as the actor had relied on professionals on set to assure him he can pull the trigger
    “Mr. Baldwin had no reason to believe there was a live bullet in the gun — or anywhere on the movie set,” he said.
    “He relied on the professionals with whom he worked, who assured him the gun did not have live rounds. We will fight these charges, and we will win,” the actor’s lawyers said.
    Baldwin was handed the gun by Assistant-Director Dave Halls, who told him that it was cold- which means a weapon is safe to use. Baldwin then pointed the gun at Hutchins and pulled the trigger, hitting the cinematographer in the chest. She died of her wounds in the hospital. The incident sent shock waves around Hollywood and called for better safety protocols on film sets.
    In his first sit down interview with ABC, the ‘Beetlejuice’ actor released details of how the accident happened when Hutchins was guiding Baldwin on how to hold the gun for a certain angle in a film scene:
    “So then I said to her ‘Now in this scene, I’m going to cock the gun.’ I said, ‘Do you want to see that?’ And she said, ‘Yes.’ So I take the gun, and I start to cock the gun. I’m not going to pull the trigger,” Baldwin told Geroge Stephanopoulos. “I said, ‘Do you see the shot? ‘Well just cheat it down and tilt it down a little bit like that.’ And I cock the gun and I go ‘Can you see that? Can you see that? Can you see that?’ And she says — and I let go of the hammer of the gun and the gun goes off.”

  • Veteran singer Huma Khawaja reveals why she never got married

    Veteran singer Huma Khawaja began her career with the all-female band Symphony. She was the band’s lead singer. The vocalist became well-known because of her musical rendition of a song by the late singer Nazia Hassan.

    Fans adored her rendition of the popular song Dil Ki Lagi. After singing countless number-one hits, Huma Khwaja ended her singing career. A few years back she shifted to Dubai, where she worked for a global airline.

    In an interview with Naumaan Ijaz for G Sarkar, Huma confessed why she hasn’t gotten married, “It’s not like that I didn’t ever think of marriage, I thought about getting married but when you are outside Pakistan and you have a very jet-setting lifestyle, also you are living a fast life where you are only coming to home to eat, to sleep or to do laundry, you don’t much think about a companion.”

    She concluded by saying, “Sometimes, you halfheartedly think about getting married, and you also regret not getting married at the right age. Also, in all this scenario, you become a horribly independent person.”

  • 78 people die in Afghanistan after temperature drops to -34 degrees

    According to a Taliban official, at least 78 individuals have died in Afghanistan’s frigid temperatures during the past nine days.

    According to Shafiullah Rahimi, a spokesperson for the Taliban’s Ministry of Disaster Management, over 77,000 animals have also perished in recent days after temperatures fell to record lows.

    The frigid weather has turned into the country’s coldest winter in 15 years, with temperatures dipping as low as -34 degrees Celsius (-29.2 degrees Fahrenheit), Reuters has reported.

    “The weather will get colder in the next few days, therefore it is necessary to consider humanitarian aid for affected people,” said Abdullah Ahmadi, the head of the operations centre for emergency conditions at the Ministry of Disaster Management has said.

    Health professionals noted a substantial rise in the number of small children with severe pneumonia and other respiratory illnesses even in the early days of winter. Rising poverty that prevents people from adequately heating their homes is partly to blame for the illnesses.

  • Nimra Bucha stars in upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’

    Nimra Bucha stars in upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’

    After Churails and Ms. Marvel, Nimra Bucha is not done proving she is one powerhouse of an actor. The stage and television veteran will essay the role of an evil mother-in-law in the upcoming comedy film ‘Polite Society’.
    Directed and written by Nida Manzoor, the creator of ‘We Are Lady Parts’, the film revolves around teenager Ria Khan (Priya Kansara) a dreamer who wants to become a stunt woman. When her sister Lena (Ritu Arya) decides to get engaged to a man whom Ria finds suspicious, she decides to expose the evil mother in law (Nimra Bucha) with the help of her friends.

    The trailer was released online on Thursday, generating fanfare on twitter, with users ready to buy advance tickets.

    https://twitter.com/badb1tchoward/status/1615781410362507279?s=20&t=hvw0f38NHxX_Th8RjmEIBg
    https://twitter.com/jxxpitxr/status/1616059422832214019?s=20&t=hvw0f38NHxX_Th8RjmEIBg