In an apparent instance of name confusion, Norway’s foreign ministry complained to Twitter on Tuesday that it had been mistakenly labeled as representing Nigeria.
Both the foreign minister Anniken Huitfeldt and Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere’s Twitter accounts were also identified as representing Nigeria.
Some accounts on Twitter have labels and little flag icons to indicate their association with governments; however, this appears to be a significant blunder that surely cannot be expected from a billion-dollar platform.
“Dear @TwitterSupport, as much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway,” the Norwegian foreign ministry tweeted.
Dear @TwitterSupport, as much as we enjoy our excellent bilateral relations and close alphabetical vicinity with Nigeria, we would much appreciate if you could label us as Norway
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah has revealed that India was behind the Johar Town blast in Lahore— a powerful blast in 2021 near the residence of Jamaatud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, which resulted in three deaths.
He held a joint press conference on Tuesday with Punjab Counter Terrorism Department (CTD) Additional Inspector General Imran Mehmood, during which he said that there is “clear evidence” of India carrying out terrorist activities in Pakistan.
The minister further added that India’s footprints are seen in all terror activities carried out in Pakistan and New Delhi’s activities have gone “beyond that of an enemy state” just to hide its atrocities in Indian-Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
He said that Pakistan will raise this matter before the world. The minister also mentioned that the banned Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) had support from the foreign intelligence agency of India, Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), to carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan.
Mehmood also briefly explained who were the culprits behind the Johar Town blast.
He said that in the initial 24 hours, CTD arrested three terrorists. However, Sami ul Haq — the main handler of RAW-sponsored terror activities in Pakistan — was arrested a year later in April when he was trying to enter Pakistan via Balochistan
According to Mehmood, his Red Warrants were issued through Interpol. Mehmood added that his brother-in-law, Uzair Akbar, assisted Sami in terror activities and his Red Warrants were issued as well. CTD also got information about Naveed Akhtar — who did the surveillance and selected the target.
“We also found out that close to a million dollars of terror financing was done through India to spread terrorism in Pakistan through different channels,” he revealed, adding that all the arrested persons have been sentenced to death three times by the court.
Prior to this, days after the incident, the then information minister Fawad Chaudhry and National Security Adviser Dr Moeed Yusuf said that the mastermind of the attack was “an Indian citizen and he is associated with RAW”.
Actor Kate Winslet spoke about her special training and preparation for James Cameron’s “Avatar: The Way Of Water” in which she held her breath underwater for seven minutes and 15 seconds. She has set a new record on a film set, and has also beaten her fellow actor Tom Cruise’s record.
Tom Cruise had previously set the record for six minutes while filming an underwater stunt for his film, “Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation”. The average time a person can hold their breath for is around one or two minutes.
Kate recently appeared on “The Graham Norton Show” ahead of the release of the “Avatar sequel” and shed light on several topics, including her record along with the possibility of season 2 of “Mare of Easttown”.
Kate also shared a video of her training with an instructor and holding her breath underwater for seven minutes and 15 seconds. After doing some breathing exercises, Kate asks, “Am I dead?”
When she learns how long she held her breath, the actor gets all excited.
The actor mentioned that holding her breath for extended time needs both physical and mental conditioning. “It’s something that you have to learn how to do.”
Celebrity athletes Shoaib Malik and Sania Mirza carved their own unique cross-border love story when they announced their marriage 12 years back.
The tennis star and veteran cricketer are parents to a son Izhaan Mirza Malik.
However, netizens started to express their concern for the duo’s marriage after Mirza shared some cryptic posts on Instagram.
Sania Mirza has been sharing posts about rough times on her social media:
She also shared a picture with her son Izhaan with a caption that moments with her son help her get through the hardest times:
According to some local publications, Sania was affected by Shoaib’s budding friendship with a female contestant on his show, The Ultimate Muqabla. However, the authenticity of this matter is doubtful.
These posts made social media users furious.
Latest Development:
Shoaib was recently asked to address the alleged divorce in an interview, he slammed the constant media pressure on the topic. Shoaib said, “It is our personal matter. Neither I, nor my wife is answering this question. Leave it alone.” He neither denied the news, nor accepted it.
When questioned about stepping into showbiz, Shoaib said that he will always be open to any prospect saying, “I do not close any door for myself. If a good opportunity comes up, I will not refuse.” He added that he has already hosted a couple of shows.
After excerpts from this interview went viral, Shoaib surprised his fans by updating his Instagram Bio. Malik added, “Husband to a superwoman, @saniamirza”.
Actor Mehwish Hayat even liked this update when a portal posted this.
However, the all-rounder added that he barely gets much time to dedicate to a showbiz career with his family.
The duo recently announced their chat show for an online platform. This cross-border couple would be hosting The Mirza Malik Show together for Urduflix.
In an interview with Gulf News, the couple shared the show will not be controversial in any way and aims to spread the cross-cultural love they experience in disguise. “It will be a whole lot of love and laughter. I think those two things are very important to us, even as people,” revealed Mizra, explaining the concept. “Everybody that we know, knows that we deal with most things with humour and that is something that helps us a lot.”
Both ace sportspersons, with their demanding careers, deal with a high emotional quotient on a daily basis and the couple shared that their collective coping mechanism is humour and that will be evident in the show as well “The goal is to try to bring that laughter, love and joy, not just to the audience but also to the guests that are going to come on the show,” shared Mirza. “We don’t want to reveal everything. It’s not a comedy show but it is a show where we are going to try to have as much fun as possible and still try to find meaning in it.”
Malik sheepishly shared how Mirza has been coaching him on acting and hosting given her past appearances in many talk shows, including the most-talked-about notorious chat show, Koffee With Karan.
“I have been taking classes from her as she’s good! It’s going to be great fun for me. I’ve done some shows, but it was only on a social media platform and all those shows were with my friends. I had so much fun while doing them (interviews), and a lot of people enjoyed it also. I always wanted to do a show from the studio and that’s what is going to happen,” shared the cricketer.
Shoaib also wished his ladylove on her Birthday with a special post.
The celebrity pair were glimpsed together in a recent behind-the-scenes clip of their upcoming reality show The Mirza Malik Show.
The two can be seen posing with actors Fahad Mustafa, Humayun Saeed, and Adnan Siddiqui. The picture was posted on Instagram by Pakistan’s first Urdu OTT platform Urduflix. Another image was also posted, drawing interest from fans who got a first look at the pair’s forthcoming talk show.
The celebrity couple appeared together on Ahsan Khan’s talk show earlier this year, where the duo displayed their fun camaraderie.
During a segment of the show, the Indian Tennis star stated that “Shaoib Ke par nikal ayen hain, kuch zyada hi nikal ayen hai, lagta haikatnay parenge.”
She also revealed on the show that Shaoib spends a lot of time in the toilet, surfing the internet, and getting all the news updates.
While Shoaib spilled the beans about their first meeting in 2004, he said that a media person introduced the two to each other and Sania showed him a lot of attitude.
However, when they met the next time in 2009, Sania thought him to be very good looking and the duo fell in love after developing an understanding.
Indian and Chinese troops clashed at the disputed Himalayan border on December 9.
Indian Defence minister Rajnath Singh on Tuesday said soldiers of both countries sustained injuries. However, he said that no Indian soldiers had been “hurt or seriously injured” in the clash.
“PLA troops attempted to unilaterally change the status quo by encroaching on the Line of Actual Control, in the Yangtse area of Tawang sector,” he said while referring to China’s People’s Liberation Army.
Both sides’ military commanders met right after the clash to maintain peace and stability on the Line of Actual Control (LAC).
According to reports, an Indian army source mentioned six Indian troops were injured.
In their last face-off in 2020, at least 20 Indian soldiers were killed in Ladakh Galway Valley.
According to the BBC, “China and India share a disputed 3,440km (2,100 mile) long de facto border – called the Line of Actual Control, or LAC – which is poorly demarcated. The presence of rivers, lakes and snowcaps means the line can shift. The soldiers on either side – representing two of the world’s largest armies – come face to face at many points.”
Former Interior Minister Sheikh Rasheed said that he saw people crying for Pakistan at Khana Kaaba in Makkah. He broke down while narrating the story on Geo News programme ‘Aaj Shahzeb Khanzada Kay Sath’.
“I have seen people crying for Pakistan in Hateem [a low wall originally part of the Kaaba]. People were screaming and crying under the door of the Khana Kaaba. This shows the pain people are carrying in their hearts for Pakistan,” said Rasheed.
عمران خان آرمی چیف کوخداکاواسطہ دیکر مداخلت کا بھی مطالبہ کررہے ہیں اوریہ بھی کہہ رہےہیں کہ انہوں نے بڑی انکی تعریفیں سنی ہیں۔ مگرماضی میں خودعمران خان نے کیوں انہیں ڈی جی آئی ایس آئی کے عہدے سے ہٹایا اوراُن کے آرمی چیف بننے کی مخالفت کی؟ دیکھیے
Talking about general elections, Rasheed said that the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government also thought that its government would complete its tenure but “people pulled the carpet from under their feet”.
He also said that the sitting government will not do well in the upcoming elections. “All the sitting government is trying to do is cling to power. They will be terribly defeated by Imran Khan.”
Tajik President Emomali Rahmon will arrive in Pakistan tomorrow (Wednesday) on a two-day official visit at the invitation of Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif.
This is the second time that President Rahmon will be meeting PM Shehbaz this year. This tour will be his second visit to Pakistan within two years.
According to the Pakistani Foreign Office (FO), during Rahmon’s visit, the two sides will exchange views on further strengthening bilateral cooperation in a wide range of areas and are expected to sign multiple bilateral agreements and memorandum of understanding (MoU).
The FO also termed Tajikistan an “important partner of Pakistan in Central Asia”.
PM Shehbaz and President Rahmon had last met in September this year at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit.
At that time, the Pakistani prime minister thanked Tajikistan for its support to the flood affectees in Pakistan and shared details of the devastation caused by the massive floods.
President Rahmon last visited Islamabad in June 2021 when former PM Imran Khan was in power.
New Zealand’s Jacinda Ardern apologised for calling a political rival an “arrogant prick” in parliament on Tuesday. She made the comment about David Seymour, the leader of the libertarian ACT party, after he asked Ardern if she could “give an example of her making a mistake, apologising for it properly, and fixing it” during question time.
In response, Jacinda Ardern agreed that the people had a difficult time with managed isolation but said that she supported the job the government had accomplished during the previous term.
After ending her reply, Ardern sat down next to her deputy, Grant Robertson, and murmured: “Such an arrogant prick”. Her comment was picked up in the background by her desk microphone as House Speaker Adrian Rurawhe was talking and was broadcast on parliament television.
Speaking to the media after the session had ended, Seymour said that Ardern had texted him to say sorry. “[She] said, ‘I apologise, it’s not something I should have said’ and she said, ‘As my mum would say, if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say it’,” he added.
Seymour went on to emphasise that the matter was resolved, closing his statement by saying: “At the end of the day, it’s not the end of the world.”
Ardern’s office has also confirmed she had apologised to Seymour.
Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif inaugurated the 306-kilometre Sukkur-Hyderabad M6 motorway on Monday. The Rs307 billion project is expected to bring economic benefits in terms of saving significant travel time.
During the ceremony, the premier said, “I ask Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah to keep an eye on the entire project so that quality is maintained and the project is completed in a timely manner.”
The premier also said that the project should be completed within 30 months. He also said that it is being completed under a public-private partnership agreement.
He credited his brother and former PM Nawaz Sharif for laying the foundation of constructing motorways in the country. Moreover, he pointed out that this project was unnecessarily delayed by the previous government.
It is pertinent to mention that the project was announced by the then PM Imran Khan last year, and is being described as the biggest project in the development package announced by him.
Ahead of the PM’s address, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) senior leader and former planning minister Asad Umar congratulated the people of Sindh for the start of work on the motorway but highlighted the delay of this project by the incumbent government.
Taking to Twitter, he said Public Private Partnership Board gave approval for the project on 31st March 2022. “Before this, the contractor was also selected. Now after wasting 8 months, the imported government is starting work,” he wrote.
سندھ کے عوام کو حیدرآباد سکھر موٹر وے مبارک. یہ منصوبہ عمران خان حکومت میں ہتمی طور پر منظور ہو چکا تھا. ECNEC منظوری 2021. پبلک پرائیویٹ پارٹنر شپ بورڈ منظوری 31 مارچ 2022. اس سے پہلے کنٹریکٹر بھی سیلیکٹ ہو چکا تھا. اب 8 ماہ برباد کرنے کے بعد امپورٹڈ حکومت کام شروع کر رہی ہے
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday granted protective bail to Prime Minister (PM) Shehbaz Sharif’s son Suleman for 14 days in a money laundering case registered against him by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Last week, the IHC had barred authorities from arresting Suleman in the assets-beyond-means reference while hearing his petition for protective bail that would enable him to surrender before a trial court.
Earlier today, Suleman appeared before a single-member bench of IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq for bail in the money laundering case.
Amjad Pervez, Suleman’s lawyer, told the IHC CJ that his client has to appear before a special judge central in Lahore.
After this, Justice Farooq granted protective bail to the PM’s son and directed him to appear before the relevant court within 14 days.
Addressing the media after the hearing, Suleman addressing Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, said, “The time of accountability is here; we will not spare him. We will not give him any space now; he will be punished.”
Asked about Farah Khan, a friend of Imran Khan’s wife who allegedly sold the watches gifted to Khan, Suleman wondered why did she run away from Pakistan.
“You are crying that Farah Gogi is not a public office holder. I was not a public office holder either,” said Suleman. He added that PTI chairman, while he was in power, did not even think about women and instantly arrested them.
“You had the power, you could have proven the cases,” said Suleman.
The PM’s son also slammed former National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman Javed Iqbal, saying that he was a “black stain” on the accountability system.
